This is the time for Pak Lah to step up to the plate and be the one to call for calm among Umno supporters. Be our prime minister. Now more than ever.
On Umno holds one-hour protest at Komtar
Anak Bangsa Malaysia: With reference to the recent Umno protest rallies organised in the aftermath of the opposition victories, I would like to see our PM acting as the prime minister of all Malaysians. These rallies are instigated by SMSes messages calling for Malays to come out and defend their rights which they see as being threatened. This is the time when Pak Lah should step up to the plate and be the one to call for calm among his Umno supporters. He should issue a public statement that those who are sending out these provocative messages will be arrested or fined.
And if the opposition has been humble and level-headed enough to not hold victory parades, likewise Umno should also refrain from organising mass rallies that are racially-based. To their credit, the opposition has not clamped down on these Umno rallies on the basis of respecting democracy.
But BN does still have a simple majority and Pak Lah needs to exercise some show of grit now instead of being worried about the internal collapse and infighting within Umno. Be our prime minister. Now more than ever.
Raja Abdul Razak: This morning I was at my grocer's (a PAS supporter and also a most friendly fellow) and I bumped into a Malay road sweeper who was also there. He was in the middle of an animated discussion, talking about the ‘riot’ at Komtar on Friday (he used the word riot, instead of a rally, to describe what he saw). He asked my Chinese friend and I if we went to the ‘riot’. We said we didn't. It turned out he was there, and he wasted no time in roping my friend and I into the discussion.
In Penang loghat, he told us he was saddened by what he saw. ‘ Ini kerjaan baru tubuh. Berilah sedikit masa. setahun ke. Kalau kita tak suka, pilihan raya akan datang kita boleh undi dia keluar ." He continued: ‘ Belum apa lagi BN dah nak buat kecoh. Nak naikan darah orang Melayu. Nak buat huru hara’ . ‘ Ini tak adil ,’ he went on, ‘ Kita mesti memberi kerajaan baru masa.’
This man is just a road sweeper. His meager income must mean a lot to him and his family. Yet he was willing to take the risk during the recent elections for the betterment of all. And here we are in our cushy jobs, air-conditioned offices, plush chairs and broadband connections, complaining about this and that. Listening to unfounded rumours. All ready to activate the panic button.
Someguy: Azhar Ibrahim is a politician who engages in gutter politics. He would rather sacrifice the plight of the Malays as well as others just to so that he still has an audience. If the PM and BN have truly learned their lesson, Azhar should be taken out of politics as soon as possible before his tactics, not unlike BN's pre-election strategy, backfire on them even more.
Fongky: The opposition should not propose to abolish the NEP. The current NEP was designed to protect the interests of the bumiputeras but because of abuses, it has become the tool of corruption and cronyism. The government and opposition should design a new plan or NEP 2.0 that focuses only on benefits for the low and middle income Malaysians. No one should live below the poverty line.
Birdseye: I fully agree with Zaid Ibrahim’s critique of Lim Guan Eng’s statement that he will do away with the NEP. It was indeed needlessly provocative especially when race relations remain strained and Malays are unsure what the opposition will do in the states that they now control.
The fundamental principles of the NEP are fine. It was the execution of the policy that was fatally flawed and this started way back when Tun Dr Mahathir was in charge. PKR’s call for a new agenda is in essence saying that we need do a better job so that citizens who should be helped by such a policy do, in fact, benefit from it and not just a handful of cronies.
I hope Lim Guan Eng will learn from this lapse on the first day of office. He behaves like his father which is not surprising. Being provocative was the only way they could fight the BN. But they are now in charge in Penang and he must learn to behave like a statesman.
On Zaid: Stop pitting Malays against non-Malays
Truly Malaysian: I would like to salute Zaid for the timely advice. Malaysians should not be divided again like over the past 50 over years. The near-defeated BN leadership would do our country a good service should they stop stirring up racial sentiments again. We do not want to be divided and ruled as in the past.
Dhammika: I appeal to all component party leaders of Barisan Rakyat to carry out their duties but without making any statements on major policy issues. At this stage of ‘wound-healing’ for the BN, only our BR chief should be allowed make statements on major policy issues. If every BR component party leader starts to make policy statements, then it will only give an advantage to the BN to start an issue.
Let every supporter and member of the BR parties remain elegantly silent until the dust has fully settled.. Let us move on and maintain the stability that is very important right now to succeed. I have praises for PAS which has remained quiet so far. This is only way to counter the opportunists in BN.
Fletcher: All this is due to the past administration and the warlords have refused to change with times and not giving our PM the mandate to change. As such, the people have to help him to get rid of the warlords.
He should not be solely responsible for the BN defeat and if he needs to resign, all the remaining warlords should follow suite. From now onwards, don’t fool the people, they have decided on their own their destiny.
On Mukhriz calls for PM to quit
Ibrahim Musa K: Almost four decades ago, the government suffered a setback in the general election. Dr M blamed the then premier, blatantly asked him to take full responsibility of the poor performance and step down. Instead, Dr M was unceremoniously told to leave the party.
History is fond of repeating itself. This time Mukhriz seems to want to re-execute his father’s stance, ridiculing the leadership of Pak Lah. This begs the questions:
1.Would Pak Lah follow the decision of the first premier?
2. Would Umno Youth take strong exception?
3. If Mukhriz is to be reprimanded, would his supporters break ranks?
Mukhriz has chosen the wrong time and inappropriate way to gain a political advantage point. Following his father’s footstep may not be a smart thing to do; after all, he is just not what his father was.
In fact, after this unparalleled humiliation in the general election, members of Umno ought to unite uncompromisingly, carry out some serious reflections or down-to-earth soul searching, and find ways to regain the lost ground. Otherwise, it can only spell the beginning of the end of a once mighty party.
Jane: Two things bother me about Mukhriz's letter asking the PM to resign. One, that he seems to be following in the footsteps of his father, who did the same to Tunku. Second, and more disturbing yet, is his description of the opposition as musuh BN. By extension, that would make those who voted for the opposition parties BN’s ‘enemies’ - and let's not forget the opposition won over half the popular vote. The way I see it, the only ‘enemies’ are within BN, and particularly Umno, because it thrives on intrigue and back-stabbing.
REY: Most politicians are power hungry. We have yet to see someone who really cares about the future of the nation. Why is the PM the only one to be blamed for BN’s loss? Najib also led the campaign and it appears all in Umno concurred with the stategy. So let all in Umno be responsible. The loss can also be partly attributed to what had been left behind by Mukhriz's father.
Abu Bakar: I fully support Mukriz Mahathir's call for Pak Lah to step down as the rakyat has given a clear signal that he cannot lead the country any more. Pak Lah said the signal from the rakyat is that they only want him ‘reevaluate and rectify his manner of policy implementation’.
That’s all he understands from this election result. He only sees the result of the election at the federal government level that he still controls but he forgets about the five states that he lost. Some would like him to continue as PM until the next elections but by that time it would be a case of nasi sudah jadi bubur . Of course, when asking Pak Lah to step down, we dont want Najib to take over. We need leader like Ku Li now to save the country..
On Samy: Nothing is too little, too late
Guna: I'm not sure whether MIC realises that it does not have the majority of the Indians’ support. In Indian Malaysian politics there wasn't anybody who sacrificed their personal interests for the sake of the community as was done by the Hindraf leaders who are in the jail now.
If they (MIC) wants to win back the Indian support, then firstly they must reconcile with the Hindraf leaders/supportes and settle all the existing problems honestly instead of hiding behind the veil of pretence.
Nahanthiran S: It is sickening to know that Samy Vellu is still adamant in wanting to stay on as MIC president despite having lost his constituency in Sungei Siput. People have already voted him out and he has been directly or indirectly the cause for BN’s heavy loss in the recent election.
Before the election, he was so arrogant and was leading the party as a dictator. He never groomed his successor. Though being a minority, the Indians were split between MIC, IPF and PPP. Indians suffered the most in all aspects. Let it be in the economy, education and even in employment.
Now he claims that he wants to unite all the Indians. He is now trying to bring in Subra, Pandithan, Kayveas and all those whom he once sacked from the party. While he was in power he could not unite all the Indians so what can he do now when he is a nobody? What he is today is the result of what he has done in the past.
I would urge him to step down and allow new blood to restore the image of MIC. I am sure there are so many talented people who could do better than Samy Velu. We had enough of him. He has betrayed the Indians with his arrogant leadership style.
J Balamurugan: It’s really obvious that the rakyat do not prefer race-based political parties anymore! To all MIC/MCA/Gerakan/Umno leaders, there’s no point in rebuilding your parties as they do not focus on the one race that is important - the ‘Malaysian’ race.
I believe current parties such as PAS/PKR/DAP are the right solutions to create harmony between all the races.
K Kalaiselvan: MIC or even Samy Vellu, if they are really keen to reestablish MIC, should show their sincerity by first pumping in all the money they took from the Indian community back into Maika Holdings and immediately transferring it to the shareholders.
On PAS MB: DAP misled Chinese, says Keng Yaik
Santhi: Lim Keng Yaik has to stop commenting on Perak as this is a matter for the coalition to accept and work things out. After all, Gerakan is a 100 percent racial party and has no place in this country any longer. Please close shop and join PKR.
Tabbytamby 123: I refer to the above report and I am rudely telling Dr. Lim Keng Yaik to keep quiet. Please stop stirring up racial issues just because Gerakan did badly in the 12th general election. Any how, who do you think you are? You are not a minister or the Gerakan president anymore.
It is better for you to go home and enjoy your retirement funds accumalated during your tenure as a minister for the Barisan goverment.
On New Perlis MB gets a rousing welcome
AYFY: My layman's understanding of parliamentary democracy is that, in principle, the monarch should not reject the choice of person recommended by the majority grouping of local assemblypersons who are to administer the state. The Ruler must satisfy himself that the MB enjoys the support of the grouping/party. I believe in the case of Perlis, Shahidan did not have the support of the assemblypersons and it is therefore justified that the ruler has rejected him.
The PM of Malaysia has no business to interfere in the affairs of the state in this particular issue. In the case of Terengganu, the same principle should apply. If Idris Jusoh had the support of the majority grouping local assemblypersons, then the Ruler should accept him.
Under the constitution the monarchy has a limited role in the political process. Let Malaysia be ruled by the principles of the law of parliamentary democracy vis-a-vis the monarchy that has been long established.
On LKS: perpetual Mr Opposition Leader?
KS Quek: I have great respect for Josh Hong and his articles. However, I wish to point out a glaring mis-information in his article. There is no where mentioned in LKS's statement that DAP did not accept PAS secretary Mohd. Nizar Jamaluddin as the MB because he is a Muslim or that a Muslim cannot represent and safeguard non-Muslim interests. LKS clearly stated that DAP was prepared to accept PKR Behrang Assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, who is a Muslim, as Perak Mentri Besar
Based on this mis-information, intentional or otherwise, Josh then continued to condemn LKS as pathetic, obsessed with race and religion etc. Is this right? This create a doubt in my mind if Hong is not biased towards DAP in general and LKS in particular.
