FREE VOXPOP 'PKR must show that its brand of politics is progressive and endear itself to all Malaysians and not to one particular race.'

Pakatan won't back 'Malay PM only' amendment

Raj 5503: There is only one thing that will convince me - sincerity. And I don't think PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin is a sincere Malaysian. He is probably in the same mould as that man whom I don't respect - DPM Muhyiddin Yassin.

Don't worry, I will probably still pick Pakatan Rakyat over Umno as I am convinced they are no longer sincere.

But PKR needs to get all its members on the same wavelength and be sincere about Malaysianisation or the public will start thinking about the lesser of two evils. Do you really want to be in that category?

I like what is happening in Selangor and Penang. But can you do the same in Malaysia? I doubt it if you have clowns like Shamsul.

Anticommunalist: This is typical Umno mentality. Get the Youth wing to do the dirty job and then the senior leader comes in to deny that this is the official party stand. Bravo Anwar, I couldn't have expected anything less from an ex-Umno man like you.

Why can't you reprimand Shamsul for saying such racist things rather than dismissing it as 'strategy'. Is this what is in store for the non-Malays when Pakatan comes into power?

Uncannyman: I am really glad Anwar Ibrahim has taken a clear stand on this issue and has clarified his position, rather than sweeping it under the carpet like the way the current PM allows his cabinet ministers to come up with stupid and insensitive statements.

It really irks me to see the PM keeping quiet when his ministers make ridiculous suggestions/comments/declarations. He is digging his own grave by doing this, if you ask me.

Hanyayangbenar: Shamsul, you better watch your mouth next time and never fall into the trap of Umno's racial game.

PKR must show that its brand of politics is progressive and endear itself to all Malaysians and not to one particular race.

PKR vows to field better candidates this time

Blind Freddo: What is wrong with Malaysians that there is so much party hopping?

Part of the problem is obviously money. Such politicians should be nowhere near the Parliament because they are only interested in representing themselves, and not their electorate.

But a large part of the problem is the lack of clear party policies, the result of the widespread inability of Malaysians to think in the long term. As such, parliamentarians have no political philosophy to align with.

What does PKR stand for? We all know what Umno stands for and that is 'more of the same', and unless you are brain dead, you know what that means.

Ksn: Can PKR elaborate on, and define, ‘better candidates'? What are your criteria for the selection of PKR candidates?

Le me suggest a few, among others - integrity, capability and capacity to contribute, good education, national outlook, devoid of racial and religious prejudices, competency, good morals, strong sense of social justice with an inclination to help the poor, etc. Remember poverty is the worst form of violence.

WhatLiesBeneath: Ksn, we can also require that the candidate read out a statement that he will resign from his post as MP or state assemblyman should he quit the party under which he stood and won his seat.

We can have that recorded and even posted it online, say on Youtube.

ONG: Would one of the criteria of ‘better candidates' be the willingness to defend with their lives that the position of the post of prime minister must forever, to the end of time, be a Malay, even if such a Malay may be a known crook?

Would another of the criteria be the willingness to defend with their lives that the total number of civil service posts, so long as they are needed by Malays, must never be reduced, and if necessary increased for the sole purpose of providing jobs for Malays, even if such posts are actually not necessary for carrying out the purported public service?

Onyourtoes: PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, you said the party would choose the best candidates from those who are qualified, hold true to the principles of the struggle, and will not be tempted by millions of ringgit from the enemy.

To me, this is the easy part, but how do you actually distinguish the genuine from the fake? Have you checked and devised a profiling of candidates?

May be you want to take a look at those who have defected or betrayed the party. What are their characteristics and attributes - former BN component party activists, grassroots politicians of loose cannon types, overtly ambitious, history as troublemakers, very extreme in their views, and desperately in need of money?

Milosevic: Please begin the process of more enlightened politics by cutting out racial baiting. Has Shamsul-type rhetoric ever yielded a good result? "Hey Umno, amend constitution to impose Islamic state, hudud, a Malay PM, if you dare."

Have these racial games resulted in a more chastened Umno, a worthy and principled PKR or PAS or an enlightened constitution? No! Don't challenge Umno in this Malay game.

Challenge yourselves to produce a truly Rawlsian basis of justice. If you can't, please don't expect inspired support from the population, Malay or otherwise.

Attacking or challenging Umno in silly ways deflects from the serious task of building a political system based on universal principles, which any serious opposition must undertake in order to bring progress to the country.

This country does not need a two-party system based on retarded politics.

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