I just got a mail from a researcher from Pennsylvania University asking if he can do an interview with me on a project regarding blogs and democracy. It feels good to know that many people from abroad are keeping a close tab on the Malaysian blogosphere. All the more bloggers should keep up the reputation… the world is watching us.
Anyway… the current talk in town is the ruckus happening in Perak as we speak. I am sure the BN govt is laughing at the somewhat disarray state of the opposition parties there. A quick look across the blogosphere and you will see that most bloggers are asking Lim Kit Siang to shut up and that he is racist.
While I do agree with the general sentiments, I also have a somewhat different view.
I had the chance to speak to a few Perak-ians a while ago and of course, I took the opportunity to ask them about their view. There are a few who think LKS made the wrong move but do you know, there are also Perak-ians who think LKS is doing the right thing.
Why?
DAP won 18 seats in Perak, this means DAP has been chosen by quite a big majority of Perak-ians. Let’s not deny the fact that most people have a negative picture about PAS and are afraid of a PAS led govt. Whether this fear is necessary is a story for another day.
Since the most of the Perak-ians aren’t exactly in favour of having a PAS led govt, isn’t what LKS doing is merely speaking on behalf of the Perak-ians? Isn’t that what a MP supposed to do? If there are Perak-ians here who disagree, please let me know as I certainly don’t want to speak on behalf of you.
We all call LKS a racist and brand DAP a race based party. While that fact is debateable, why don’t we look at the root of the problem here? To me, the root of the racial problem here is not DAP, but the state constitution which requires the MB of Perak to be a Malay Muslim. Of course, I am not saying the constitution should be amended but I think we should also look at that point. And to me… that part of the constitution is rather racist.
I think I understand how most bloggers feel about this. I think the general consensus is that LKS should shut up and show the country that they opposition can work together and we are
disappointed that they appear otherwise. It is certainly very disappointing to see disagreement amongst the opposition after giving them so much support.
But before we ask him to shut up, we should ask the people of Perak, is Mr LKS speaking on behalf of DAP? Or is he speaking on behalf of the 18 constituencies who elected DAP?
Anyway… the current talk in town is the ruckus happening in Perak as we speak. I am sure the BN govt is laughing at the somewhat disarray state of the opposition parties there. A quick look across the blogosphere and you will see that most bloggers are asking Lim Kit Siang to shut up and that he is racist.While I do agree with the general sentiments, I also have a somewhat different view.
I had the chance to speak to a few Perak-ians a while ago and of course, I took the opportunity to ask them about their view. There are a few who think LKS made the wrong move but do you know, there are also Perak-ians who think LKS is doing the right thing.
Why?
DAP won 18 seats in Perak, this means DAP has been chosen by quite a big majority of Perak-ians. Let’s not deny the fact that most people have a negative picture about PAS and are afraid of a PAS led govt. Whether this fear is necessary is a story for another day.
Since the most of the Perak-ians aren’t exactly in favour of having a PAS led govt, isn’t what LKS doing is merely speaking on behalf of the Perak-ians? Isn’t that what a MP supposed to do? If there are Perak-ians here who disagree, please let me know as I certainly don’t want to speak on behalf of you.
We all call LKS a racist and brand DAP a race based party. While that fact is debateable, why don’t we look at the root of the problem here? To me, the root of the racial problem here is not DAP, but the state constitution which requires the MB of Perak to be a Malay Muslim. Of course, I am not saying the constitution should be amended but I think we should also look at that point. And to me… that part of the constitution is rather racist.
I think I understand how most bloggers feel about this. I think the general consensus is that LKS should shut up and show the country that they opposition can work together and we are
disappointed that they appear otherwise. It is certainly very disappointing to see disagreement amongst the opposition after giving them so much support.But before we ask him to shut up, we should ask the people of Perak, is Mr LKS speaking on behalf of DAP? Or is he speaking on behalf of the 18 constituencies who elected DAP?
52 comments:
I agree. I echoed Zewt and Tian Chua..Its democracy and he has the right to speak. Unlike Barang Baik Party, MCA/MIC cant even fart!
I agree. I echoed Zewt and Tian Chua..Its democracy and he has the right to speak. Unlike Barang Baik Party, MCA/MIC cant even fart!
lots of comments in the blogsphere & even some bloggers just whacked the 1st chinaman that come along left & right who happen to stand up & defend his party principle...
wonder which part of his post insulted the regent of perak or the malay?.
guess who now are the biggest racist among the pathetic lot.
... beeranyone
let the bn controlled media say whatever they want. The fact is democracy is alive n well on the other side. Discussions are lively and passionate. I personally think it's healthy that all these are out in the open don't need to keep inside if you're unhappy. We are mature enough to make our voices heard and tolisten to other views.
It is sad when so many people are quick to jump on the bandwagon and demonize LKS when many others out there are currently playing the race card to the hilt.
True to the bones. Anyway, since we have survived NEP this long (it sometimes it sounded so "apartheid" like, I am sure we would survive this.
Let's hope Barisan Rakyat don't f*cking screw up.
Hi Zewt,
Welcome back! Hope you had a great trip.
With regards to your points, I have to disagree with some of them. Allow me to share my views:
1) While LKS has the rights and freedom to voice his disagreements, he should not have asked the state representatives to boycott the swearing-in - at least it should have been done with a bit more tact.
2) If DAP wanted it's own (or only PKR's) candidate to be selected as the Menteri Besar, then they should not have allowed the submission of three names. They also should not have left it to the Perak Regent to choose. From the way PKR is voicing their disagreements of the PAS candidate, I believe they made the same mistake too. They should have voiced their opinions with the other parties before submitting the name list.
3) While DAP might have won 18 seats in Perak, it is only 30% of the total state seats in Perak, i.e. it DAP could be representing a lot of Perakians, but not necessarily the majority.
4) I would not call LKS racist, since this really politics, regardless of it coming from the Opposition. However, I would have thought that such an experience politician should have at least gotten an agreement within the party first before issuing statements - AND then later apologizing for it. Perhaps it was a political move to show that DAP did voice their disagreement - and to show that they do not agree with PAS? It kind of did more harm than good, if you asked me.
5) While it might seem that the state constitution is racist, unfortunately, the role of the Menteri Besar is also to assist the Sultan in matters of religion, i.e. Islam. The Sultan has the option to waive this in favour of a non-Muslim, but he chose not to. But this is his choice since he is the state's Sultan. And since the Regent was left to make the choice, shouldn't we at least respect the decision? I would have preferred a PKR candidate as a compromise - but in the end if the PAS candidate is capable, then why not? Why must the person be from DAP or even PKR? Do we know if they are more capable?
Anyway, I do hope that they sort this out soon. Cause in Perak (and Selangor), with no clear majority by one party to form a government, the coalition will have no choice but to work together. If not, all will fail with endless bickering.
Hi Zewt
Unfortunately, LKS had to "suffer" for having the balls to speak up. We just don't know who he was speaking for.
I see the obvious. Race aside, isn't it just fair that the majority party takes the first seat? Putting a PAS member up there (who had the least seats) and then offering lots of seats to DAP on the ExCo now infuriates PKR. If they insist on abiding by that MB clause (which the Sultan can waive), then take a Malay-Muslim member from PKR. Seems simple from my point of view but it is obvious there are lots of internal politics going on to make such a simple decision. Politicians always complicate things.
I wish they would just learn to work with each other. If they cannot sort that out, how the heck are they going to run a state government?
I guess when the someone's not from the majority of the country is running it, furthermore a very beradat resam country... they just find it hard to accept. the question is who is going to do all the ceremonial stuff. thats what they said.
"...that part of the constitution is rather racist."
- agreed!
"...that most bloggers are asking Lim Kit Siang to shut up and that he is racist."
- disagreed! that he is racist.
INTERRUPTION! There is a news that the 2nd Penang Bridge Project is cancelled!!! The minister said,"...because this is what the penangites want." WTF he means??? right?
chymon - hey! well... whatever it is... there must be an agreement soon. reputation is getting bad and that is not good.
anon @ 11.54pm - well, bloggers are emotional ppl...haha... yeah, blinded...hopefully i shared some light.
anon @ 11.56pm - yup... the BN media is really feeding on this... must not let this happen...
anak merdeka - cant blame them... blogs will be blogs... whatever i said here could be wrong too...
gina - but it's time to fully enforce NEP...
-Ivan - thanks for the welcome note. well, i really missed the MBs being the assistant of sultan in religious events. but can we appoint another fella just to do that? i am sure it's possible right? but whatever it is... better sort it out soon.
J.T. - well, DAP may have won 19 but they didnt win the most la... i just think they should just buck up and look for solutions...
melly - like i said... can always appoint a pegawai islam or something. i am sure that can be done...easily.
k.h. - hahaha... short and simple eh?
~SHARLEMAGNE - dont worry... let them cancel... do u know who are those ppl having the contracts to build them? they are all umno cronies... let them cancel...
Zewt,
I agreed with you on this but I think Ivan has a point too. I think LKS did it to prove that they can say NO to PAS, but on the other hand the way he did it harm the image of the opposition coalition. When the whole country is watching and the BN is looking for chances to attack, he just shouldn't voiced out at the last minute in an unprofessional way.
I would wish too that someone from DAP be the MB, but to amend this constitution, they should first prove that they can be a good governor to everyone regardless of race, then little by little the Malay will also accept a Chinese MB. I think the Perak Sultan has a role to take care of the feeling of the Malay population too at this moment, who are a lot lost of all the sudden change (seeing less Malays in the state representative).
you are exactly right at one point.
It's the people who asked them to do what they did.
After all, if you want a socialist party who defends your rights, you get your money with DAP.
So I don't totally blame DAP for this whole saga.
I do blame their professionalism, but at least they've changed their stance, as opposed to some BN jokers who still want to sit on their fat arse amidst calls for resignations.
But my bigger concern here is, look, it's the people that are not steady.
Not sure if you noticed, already so many people are saying they regretted voting DAP and the likes in.
This is idiotic.
It's been barely a week and people are already unsteady about this.
A little bit of trouble and they want to run back to BN.
What about the bigger mistakes that entail in the future?
State policies? Federal issues??
That's why I remain skeptical if things can change.
Unless the WHOLE OF MALAYSIA has a mental change, then only I can say there's hope for Malaysia.
Guess you know by now that I don't usually engage myself in discussions on politics, sports and so on, but the situation in Perak brings to mind George Orwell's Animal Farm. Sure when Man was running the farm, the animals were exploited but they had enough to eat and a reasonably good life...but they were discontented and they united and drove Man out. Initially, things went well - the pigs took control and rules were laid down, one of which being: "All animals are equal." Things got bad when the evil in Napoleon surfaced and he changed the rules: "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others." The other animals were ill-treated and lived a terrible life, worse than what they had when Man was in charge.
Literature is not necessarily all fiction. It is a reflection of man and his ways. William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" is another book that touches on the evil streak in man.
The last time I looked at the breaking news on malaysiakini, it seems PKR is the problematic one now, not DAP. Let's hope things will get ironed out eventually...for the good of all.
I think I would deduced what has happened.
1. DAP won most seats in opposition coalition.
2. LKS tried to push for a Chinese MB based on its majority win. If Sultan agrees, then truly race based politics would be over.
3. Sultan disagreed - DAP would revert to safeplan - PKR
4. Negotiation table between DAP, PKR, PAS - DAP tried to push for Ngeh. PKR and PAS highlights must be Malay. DAP say - Hey if Sultan agree apamacam? PAS and PKR say - if he disagree apamacam?
5. DAP say then PKR. PAS say - Oh main favorite eh? DAP say hey they got the next most seats. PAS say, EH kawan, lain satu kerusi aje.
6. So DAP, PAS, PKR say ok-ok ini macam - we all submit name then tengok sultan pilih siapa.
7. All agrees and Sultan choose.
8. PAS selected.
9. MCA say Perak Voters cheated.
10. LKS got conned and trapped. Said stupid things. LKE quiet with media but called his father and told him the implications.
11. Sultan called PAS and DAP leader in Perak to discuss seat - all agreed.
12. LKS issued apology after good seat negotiation and the potential implications.
13. PKR bengang not called to meeting with sultan. Thought they got no seat. Bising in media.
14. Truth of seating came out on media. PKR bengang again for a while. Malu.
15. Face saving grace manouver - now object to DAP seating - say must reflect population.
All I can say is - LOUSY COMMUNICATION. Use lar handphone. Teleconferencing maybe. Webcam pun ada. Embrace technology lah. Dont ASS-U-ME. Eh, we guys give u mandate but u guys now behave like kids... If this happens in office, I would screw all my staffs - misunderstandings all levels resulted from POOR communication. Please all sit down talk first behind closed doors before going to media.
If I am BN right now, I would be putting 80% of my resources to distrupt your alliances; in accordance to the Sun Tzu Art of War. Direct attack not necessary at all.
Kids...
well i think the worse part of all this controversy is that we show we r fighting among ourselves in the opposition..exactly what BN is going to use against us.
show that a difference will be made..whether racist or not..i think some ppl may not care if results is what we get in the end..
sigh..when will all this political rubbish go to the back burner so we can have proper news!
exactly! now who's the racist? who set the law saying that the state MP has to be a malay?
ong ka ting said LKS cheated voters of perak, now did LKS cheat voters of perak, or did the gomen?
why? why are ppl supporting the opposition scolding him now? to let bn laugh at us? to let mca have an opportunity to say "i told you so?"
its a little bit sad to see after all the comments posted, nobody got the most crucial point at all. everybody seems to be insecure about the MB being a PAS member, as though the appointment chanted "ISLAM ISLAM ISLAM" in their faces.
If people bothered to look at all the candidates offered, the PAS candidates credentials shine, i'm not bothered to bring them up because i believe its the responsibility of a citizen to learn about their choice of wakils.
i hate the double standards some people carry, they chant for meritocracy when it suits them, and when their insecurity takes place, they immediately lose their principles for merit and start harping all kinds of weak reasons like DAP had majority seats, chinese are cheated, etc etc
anyway none of this is directed towards LKS, just my rant after reading so many comments here and everywhere.
btw I dispise all religion, although it would be understandable that the MB might try to introduce some islam elements, but should he try to shove it upon perak u can bet i'll be the first protest
All of them are assholes la... all did wrong things. Fools!
Dear Zewt,
I don't think DAP represents the majority of Perakian. UMNO won 27 seats + MCA - 1 seat. Technically, the party that holds the largest representation is UMNO.
Hence, proportionate wise, DAP should be thankful with 6 exco seats, 1 DCM and requirement of the CM to make decisions after obtaining agreemet from the Exco.
LKS made a lot of noise in hope of protecting the interests of non-muslims. Fine. He could have made it clear from the onset prior to Perak DAP state submitting the letter to the Sultan that DAP only supports DAP and PKR candidates. But to make noise after the Regent made the choice is akin to stepping on the accelerator without setting the gear. Thankfully he apologised but the damage have been done. I am curious as to what went wrong. He should provide detailed announcement as he mentioned in his & DAP's blog.
The whole power struggle and jockeying for positions only prove politicians, regardless of their spectrum, cannot be trusted to do things like a responsible adult.
I guess DAP-PKR-PAS are all in unchartered waters. Never had they been in such a situattion where they won over a state or two unexpected.
Now that it has been done, they are all just wondering what's the best way to go about it.
I think we should all move away from race-based issues. I guess it would take another generation to come to terms that such mentality be done away with.
Well, I feel malaysian in general are not matured enough to take any political/logical statement out of racial context. We had been indoctrinated over 50 years not to be suspicious this way. I sincerely hope the new govt can change this trend. There should be no hidden agenda in every thing we speak.
I thk ppl are anxious and want to see this collation actually working together. Be patient, give it some time.
I don't see it as solely Perak issue. Kedah refused the sole DAP rep to be in the exco. And Penang refused PAS to be in the exco. So, this Perak issue is not surprising to me at all. The question is who started it first and what is the motive?
Just each of them closely. If they can't deliver, they better clear their offices before the next erection.
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=0314&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_01.htm
EVERYONE SHUD JS READ THIS & JUDGE FOR URSELF and think WHO is behind the media's stream.
I agree with u whole heartedly. what if the adverse has happened? there would be national catastrpohe, so to speak. there are certain quarters trying really hard to play the racial card here & this is really hazardous. it's js sad tht some of the lesser-informed, emotionally charged folks do believe them to the core and start wondering whether they have been voting correctly, while the master minds can sit back & laugh at the ruckus. politics is politics!
anon (March 14, 2008 1:58 PM),
Umno reps boycotted the penang ceremony. So, umno is the worst biadap of all! Is there a word for this kind of biadap? Badak? lol
The people of Perak may have reservations about PAS MB but in general, they wanted change, and wanted a new govt under BR; so they are concern that BN may try to buy up the 3 PAS members and get the majority seat to Chinese would be prepared to strike a middle path and from then on hope that gradual evolution takes place in the socio-political reality.
No doubt DAP has the most representative. But then the state DAP has already make an announcement loud and clear that they will abide by the decision made by the Sultan.
The the party's Chairman went against the decision. This definitely shows that the party's internal communication was not working as it should.
I would say that what LKS said is totally wrong. 1st, he should not have made the statement especially right after the state party leader has made a different statement. 2nd, asking the other state representatives to boycott the swearing in event is totally unacceptable. This shows his arrogance and his lack of respect and ignorance of the feelings of the state leaders, the coalition and the people who has voted them in.
leyaw, there is no arrogance matter as painted by u and alot others, the only thing is tht ppl are just too sensitive. try the reverse of this situation? what do u get? street riots?
a thing or two i agree wif u zewt... but we tried so hard to deny the BN 2/3, why cant LKS open book and discuss wif his compatriots from PAS & PKR? Y he chose to shout out loud? Boycott this, boycott that? any logic into this? why not sit down and discuss? we talking bout leaders with integrity here... its only past one week, and tis happened... can we trust DAP & PAS to work along until the next GE? we'll c, we'll c.... just my 2 cents...
LKS should be more tactful in his way if he was playing sandiwara to appease his supporters in Perak. Well, nobody seems to think Raja Nazrin, a much respected monarch probably choose PAS candidate as the MB because of his shining credentials compared to PKR and DAP? Instead everyone is harping on 'racist' constitution that provides for Malay and Muslim MB. Challenging sovereignty is a serious offense.
LKS claimed to speak for his supporters in Perak? How many DAP camps in Perak? How ridiculous when state DAP chief said :
"We would like to impress upon the people that all three parties have unanimously agreed to fully endorse whichever candidate is chosen,” he said at the Perak DAP headquarters."
If LKS only agree to PKR MB not not PAS, he should raise his objection before, not after the result is announced. Why wait after the result is announced? Talking about honouring an agreement, LKS should know better.
LKS is still living in 1999, haunted by DAP defeat because of what they perceived as backlash from Chinese voters for working together with PAS. Now is 2008 lah! Read the sentiments correctly.
LKS totally misjudge the voter’s mood this time around. What he wants? Losing relevance to a small group of narrow minded Chinese supporters or risk losing a majority support of a country?
The problem is communication. Lack of communication among the coalition parties. How embarrassing. All end up like idiots.
bee ean - yeah, i guess there is no right move in this... it's like choosing which is the less damaging way to do this.
pavlova - well, looks like we need a good scale to balance things eh? hehhe....
suituapui - i guess tis is the cost of having power... some people just cant handle it.
maxforce - hahahahaha... yeah... i think if we are in BN... things will be so much better... and we will certainly break up the oppo... they are like kids.
constant craver joe - hahaha... it's like the hottest thing here... when can take backstage?
huei - this OKT is an opportunist trying to get a bite at this... trying to salvage something... well... i heard today sorted... havent read it yet.
bert - hello and welcome to AZAIG. i think the situation here is freedom of speech vs democracy vs monarchy... too complicated and messy. you're right, i have to say that guy is qualified. i have no qualms about him being MB.
purple mushroom - hahaha... calm down... not all is lost yet.
myop101 - i spoke to our dear friend prawn today... he is from perak... he is very against having a PAS MB... i guess we should let the ppl in Perak choose. i think it's time we KL ppl stay away.
frostee - yeah... they are like kids given new toys... havent been in govt before, the immaturity radiates out of them... unfortunately.
william wang - true... changes are happening and we should all look at this a part of changes... it doesnt mean it will all be smooth.
hasilox - yeah, i think we really need to give them time. and like i said... this is all part of the changes that are taking place. umno ppl boycott penang? we should broadcast this in the blogosphere!
It is a good thing that LKS speaks up for the community however, consider this; what has that done for the overall mission of providing a stable transition to a "better way?" It is of course satisfying for many Malaysians, I don't doubt, that he spoke up for those 18 constituencies. However, consider this other thing; the nomination was done by the Regent in the name of Sultan of Perak. In the eyes of the Malay community that is highly disrespectful. Furthermore, an order from Lim Guan Eng, the sec-gen, came ordering the 18 to attend the swearing in. How are their opponents, the BN going to spin that? Was there a better way to do it? I maintain there was. At times like this you've got to remember Malaysia is NOT a NORMAL democracy yet. We have had 30 to 40 years of business as usual that it will be generations before we can actually confront like that. AND have good come out of it. I maintain that it was a silly thing to do given the realpolitik of the circumstances and situation. At the end of the day, the good of the people must come first. That doesn't necessarily include the satisfaction of confronting the Sultan in public. That's what it amounted to.
anon @ 14/3 1.58pm - we all know the dirty tricks already... and as time goes by... the people on the street also very aware of this kinda play.
anon @ 14/3 2.03pm - politics is indeed politics... and as we ask for changes... we must be ready for changes.. and changes are not always smooth.
Maverick SM - yeah, i read in MT about some ppl in PAS trying to join forces with UMNO... sigh... all so shitty.
leyaw - hi, welcome to AZAIG. too many things happening and too many progress made... let us all wait and see and also... be ready to embrace changes.
anon @ 14/3 3.54pm - :)
michael song - u know...i read an article from MT... i realised ppl from PAS and PKR cant be trusted.. some of them la.
bongkersz - i think the problem is sudden change... drastic change... and we must be ready for them... LKS has his reasons i am sure but you're right, he needs to be matured... cos we all know, we malaysians have certainly matured.
allan yap & nigel a. skelchy - well, what is then that can be done for the good of the people? we seem to have contrasting thoughts... anyway, is it allan or nigel who is giving all these political thoughts... very encouraging!
yeah, zewt. penang umno is asking federal government to stop funding to Pg.
http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/
the post titled "Arrogant! Arrogant!"
You could publicise this if u want
korkor zewt .. you are back in KL already .. no more in london?
Hi Zewt, I don't follow mainstream news very closely. Can you please enlighten me on what has happened?
I'm a Chinese and I back the Opposition anytime. I am of the opinion that since DAP had already agreed to the three names (of which one would be selected eventually), they should stick to their agreement. Maybe LKS did not personally agree but they should have sorted this out by communicating. IMHO LKS has been a little too aggressive in this episode, the disrespect and outrageous call to boycott the swearing-in was not something a gentleman would do. Then again, we all love LKS for his boldness. Anyway, although I agree with your point, let us not forget the PAS' candidate's background... pretty impressive. Good credentials. How much of an Islamist is he? Nobody knows... so why don't we give PAS a chance since the opposition coalition had already given their nod of agreement in the first place.
well, thats the ting..u can never please everybody..is really hard to get a 'sebulat sehati' kind of decision..
i agree on ur point here..Perak-ians shud speak up!
My goodness - so many comments on this post! They must have missed u or its one of the hot hot topics.
Anyway, I felt bad for LKS - he has to read like 1290 comments!
I guess controversy sells.
Whatever it is politics is about perception. And unfortunately LKS did not manage that well enough this time.
I suppose the call to have a C&C for Information is now critical for BR.
pavlova - too many things to blog about... maybe next week.
Misha - yes misha mui mui... no more in london... just got back this week...
Tsu Lin - haha... good to know ppl dont read MSM. well, dap won 18 seats, pkr 7 and pas 6 in perak. 3 names submitted to sultan as candidate or MB in perak. sultan chose pas' candidate, suddenly dap say boycott the swearing in ceremony... now, pkr is not happy about the number of slots given in state exco... basicaly, quite a big mess there.
narrowband - true. a quick check on history showed LKS is trying to ensure what happened in 1999 didnt happen again, so to speak.
missironic - yeah, perak should let us know what they want.
Josh - 1290! wooaaaah.... that's a real record. i hope things sort out by next week.
This is one reason why I don't like politics...so complicated. LOL.
I guess what happened is the win in Perak came somewhat as a surprise... hence the issue of who should be elected as MB and stuff, but I think that anything that could jeopardise the current results shouldn't exist, especially since the people have so much hope and have given full support.
Besides, it gives other people the opportunity to criticise and that's what we really don't need...
Dear Zewt,
You should read some street interviews Malaysiakini did in Ipoh on whether Perakians accept a PAS MB.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79864
The choice of MB is the prerogative of the Sultan. He picks the person who commands the majority confidence in the state assembly. Also, the Sultan takes into account the whole state of Perak.
Perakian, rightly or wrongly, should express their views but I felt that they should let the new MB do his job and see what kind of policies he can implement to help all Perakians. If his policies are wrong, I am sure the state assembly reps from DAP and/or PKR will be the first to call for a motion of no confidence.
imo,PAS should step aside since they already governed Kelantan & Kedah...greedy or power crazy?
why lamblast LKS for racist?aren't he agree to PKR appoited as
MB who is a muslim?
not only these so-po bloggers are emotional but not neutral as what i think they are...agenda?
thx for putting this up zewt. i had a talk abt this w my bf the othr day and he holds the same view as u-- only he doesn't blog :>
marg - but i have said it before... we cant be out of it... not totally....
terra shield - yeah, like what RPK said in MT... these ppl are just not used to having power... like boys with new toys.
myop101 - cant read that... cos i am not a subscriber hehe... but i think there is a mixed feeling... well, i think i will take a step backward from politics for now.
anon @ 15/3 4.27pm - most definitely... too emotional till we let out passion over-rule our head... not a good move.
Jun - :) you're welcome. ask him to blog! hah!
zewt and fellow readers,
im a perakian as u know and i will be speaking not only within my capacity as a perakian but also a malay who incidentally have been voting for dap in the past 2 elections.
i believe everyone here are malaysians who look beyond than the skin color and in the spirit of democracy had voted in the last election without being dictated by the racial issue.
indeed LKS has every right to voice out. yes it is a democracy but one question remain, why in the days coming into the decision being made he didnt even said anything of it?
the whole malaysia knew how the selection procedure has been agreed upon. the 3 parties state representatives met the regent of perak who later ask them to submit 3 candidates, one from each party. the regent then will consult the sultan on who, among the 3 candidates will chosen as the new MB of perak.
yes the state constitution did mentioned that the MB should be a malay who profess the religion of islam. however the sultan still have the final decision on this and thus he can appoint a non-malay or non-muslim.
then we will question while dap has 18 state seats under them, dont the MB position should automatically goes to them?
here come the complicated nature of malaysia's politics. this country is a federation of states. while the federal government is the central power, each states still enjoy certain amount of autonomy which the federal govt has no right to interfere. sabah and sarawak enjoy the highest level of autonomy, part of the deal agreed upon prior to their inclusion into malaysia. penang and melaka are another set of states, led by governor appointed by the federal government. the rest of 9 states are what being categorized as the malay states, ie. states with malay rulers (the sultan).
hence, in case of perak, the sultan then has the final say on who he wishes to appoint. of course he can always opt for nger koo ham (dap), but there are other factors that he have to consider.
one of the factor is the fact that not all perakians are modern urbanize citizens like we are. majority of the malay population in perak still live in the rural area and they might not be as open as us on having any malaysian regardless of race and religion as their MB.
taking that into consideration, the sultan and regent opted for the pas candidate. and i believe there are more reasons for the sultan to chose him then the pkr guy, which one of the candidate preferred by LKS.
yes anyone can be the MB, but would the sultan chose the pkr guy (as one of LKS preference) who is a retired postman above the pas candidate, who holds a degree in engineering from a UK university.
hell, im a perakian, i demand the best most qualified person as my MB! that pas guy even speak mandarin and tamil too, he might as well be more malaysian than all of us here!
and back to LKS, he knows it well the agreed selection procedure. he had never protested it at first yet when the decision has been made he came out with an order to dap representatives in perak to boycott the swearing-in ceremony?
and all this despite nger koo ham n dap perak has no issue on mohd nizar, the pas candidate, appointment as the MB?
and has any of u who express worries on pas holding the MB position read hadi awang (pas president) statement long before this? pas has stated that even if the MB is a pas member, the state government in perak is not a pas government but a coalition government. and all decision made by the MB will be a collective decision. pas has stated that they do not wish to be seen as the lead party in perak yet LKS is not happy with it?
i blasted LKS in my blog. yes i do but before anyone here label me as a racist or speaking along the racial line, let me put it this way.
majority of perakians voted dap, pkr or pas regardless of any racial issue on 8 march. the malay voted dap, the chinese and indian voted pas and everyone voted pkr.
we denied BN the right to form a state government. we put a new coalition government and as any other states in malaysia (with its own monarchy), the new government collectively agreed with the sultan on who will be the MB.
the sultan has the final word in this case. we might not be happy with it, but remember perak is a state with a monarchy in power.
u want to change that, u have to start a revolution.
so pas candidate got appointed, and suddenlt LKS crying foul play?
for god's sake LKS, we voted on 8 march regardless of race, and now it seems LKS is playing racial and religion issue just because a pas candidate got appointed.
WTF?
It's Nigel. Allan never writes ;-) hehehe
And that's the thing isn't it? Without democracy and this constant debate, we will never know what's good for the community. Ideas need to go back and forth until a middle ground acceptable to both comes about.
As for this, it was so much as a bad thing that LKS raised it, it was HOW it was done. It was a serious PR faux pas. It should have been communicated privately rather than public ultimatums issued.
It's one thing to be in opposition and just disagree. It's another to govern and to do it well in such a diverse country with so many push pull factors in every direction.
Sometimes discretion IS the better part of valour.
See what has happened with regard to the compromise reached. All this could have happened without the ultimatum LKS issued and the embarassing aftermath of having LGE countermanding his father and an apology to the Sultan.
luxius maximus -i reckon you voted in FPK? hehehe... anyway, very well said and thank you for enlightening me from a perak-ian point of view. indeed, the whole thing is a near fiasco and we from the ground will never understand how is it like to be up there. heck, i think those ppl up there now dont even expect themselves to be there in the first place! let's just hope the oppo can come to terms that they are not govt and will behave as ppl we hope they are...
Allan Yap & Nigel A. Skelchy - i thought so too... think allan is also too busy with the new cake business... booming to the max i can see. LKS needs to know he represents the people and if the people is in favour of PAS... then ... so be it. i think there is still a split of opinion in the ground... that probably explains DAP's predicament. have to stop saying things on behalf of DAP... lest i wanna be branded as part of them haha!
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