At the top echelons of BN, 90% of them there are only interested in lining up their respective pockets with only 10% of them there for the
rakyat
.
On No chance for Gerakan if Pakatan performs
Moses Lim: I totally disagree with Dr Lim KY comment that our PM’s silence over Dr M’s rage had a role in the result of our March election. The misdeeds, blunders and the bulldozing done by Dr M during his premiership are very self-evident for the rakyat to see and understand. The rakyat know that Dr M is not a saint nor a world-class leader that contributed to a lot of bad harvest that our present PM has to unravel. I agree fully with that Dr. M and Dr. Lim KY should enjoy their retirement!
Arbee: What LKY said in his Q&A response are all correct. I totally agree with him. However, I would like to add that amongst the other reasons (perceived or otherwise) as to why the BN ‘failed’ (to be fair to all) is also largely and likely more due to the ‘coporatisation’ of BN where at the top echelons of BN, they are 90% interested in lining up their respective pockets with only 10% of them there for the rakyat .
In other words the big corporations have taken over or hijacked the political and economic thoughts of the BN to the detriment of the rakyat . The other point I would say that led to the damage to BN is its ostentation, its cakap besar etc. Those are the perceptions very prevalent amongst the man-on-the-street.
Whilst it is a ‘breath of fresh air’ as beautifully coined by LKY, he cannot forecast the future so don’t try to say what PR can or cannot do. All BN needs to do is to walk the talk of 2004 and hopefully there will be light at the end of the tunnel for BN.
On Police call in Raja Petra for questioning
John Johnson: it is indeed very surprising to see police officers coming in to arrest or take statements from Raja Petra on his article in Malaysia Today. I assume the big boys have sent their ‘politically controlled boys’ to intimidate him. We all know the police force, the army and so forth are very loyal to their bosses.
But I don’t see Raja Petra as involving himself in the Altantuya case. He is just making the public aware that this case will just not go away or fade into the twilight. All efforts must be made to bring the perpetrators to justice. I’m not insinuating or pointing fingers at anyone here but justice must prevail and, of course, the judges themselves must be clean.
Busybee: There are many things that are baffling about the Altantuya's murder trial. One enduring mystery is how can Altantuya's immigration records could have been erased from the Immigration Deaprtment’s computers. That is something the Immigration Department has still to give a satisfactory answer to. If you are not perceived as telling the whole truth, then not only your credibility comes into question but you are giving credence to rumours. Giving Raja Petra a hard time merely serves to reinforce the impression that a desperate cover-up attempt is in place.
Man in Red: When the information minister decided to show the Parliamentary hearings live on TV, he should have expected for the worst. To expect a change in behavior overnight is totally impossible. Some of these MPs go to parliament not to discuss the plans for the betterment of the country to display their talents in name-calling and criticising destructively.
Now that the ‘show’ is live on the air, at least the people can see for themselves what type of people have been elected to lead us. How do you expect the country to develop when the mentality of those in charge are not yet developed ? It's sickening to see that these MPs neither have respect for each other or for the rakyat , whom they know are watching them live on air.
Let the live telecasts go on as only then we the rakyat can decide who to vote for in the next elections. Also these live telecasts will make it easier for us to convince our children not to vote for circus clowns when their turn comes.
On Federal gov't: let's go all the way
Kelvin: It has been seen again and again that the BN government practices double standard with regards to Pakatan MPs and Pakatan-ruled states. The BN must have forgotten that the direct and indirect taxes it collects comes from all Malaysians. They must not allocate the funds unfairly. Funds normally channelled to state governments must continue to be done in the old manner but not by creating a new channel controlled by BN. The funds come from the rakyat and it does not belong to the BN MPs. It is not the BN MPs’ money. Be fair or else you will suffer again in the next GE.
From the first Parliament session, it can be noted that the speaker is not very fair. He is not seen to be fair to the Pakatan MPs and his actions are full of double standard. Malaysians voted for the so many Pakatan MPs so that the BN government does not has a free hand in ruling the country like it did for so many years already. The rakyat wants to have a check and balance effect so that whatever decisions taken in Parliament is fully debated for the good of everybody in the country.
If the BN still cannot accept this fact and make decisions to further its interest by saying that such decisions are for the good of the rakyat then the BN will suffer again. Do not forget that the silent majority is watching you. Do not think that you are invincible. The day will come when your fate will again be in the hands of the rakyat . The rakyat will again do its duty. The next GE will decides the survival of BN. Be fair or be booted out for good.
On Angry Keng Yaik calls Kah Choon an opportunist
Allan Tham: One has to be fair to Kah Choon and try to understand him. There analogy of a son leaving a family is not quite appropriate in this case as he is a member of a party leaving because he has been convinced the party has been hopeless and can't perform for so long. His reason of leaving the party may not primarily be just for money or position as claimed Dr Lim. Kah Choon left because he was convinced he can serve the Penangites betterr. After all, all politicians claim they are in politics to serve the people.
R Rama Chandran: Anwar will definitely move up to take the seat of power soon. The wave cannot be contained. Whatever Mahathir may rumble about, Anwar is destined to be the next PM. My sympathies are with Pak Lah. He should finish some of the good things he just started - the clean up operation of the corrupt system in the government. Most importantly, he should correct his grave mistake and releasie the Hindraf 5. His conscience will prick him in that he had listened to the wrong advice. Pak lah should ignore his incompetent advisors and release the five and exit as the Father of Modern Democracy and regain his Mr Clean image to walk out tall and honourably.
On King bemoans abuse of subsidies
Puzzled Puchong Person: Lim Kit Siang is quoted as saying, ‘As the royal address representing the government’s policy’. Is the speech of the Agong his own opinion or is it a speech written for him by the government and not actually his own words? I get the impression from the quote above that it is actually the government's opinion, not Tuanku Mizan's own opinion.
It makes a big difference especially since we know that Tuanku Mizan has strongly disagreed with the prime minister on some matters, in particular the choice of the chief minister for his home state.
On Charge former minister: Police
Retired Soldier: If the former minister was having intoxicating drinks, it is against Islam and hence he is not a good example to represent Malaysians in Parliament. He should be jailed and kicked out of politics. Politicians should practice what they preach. These are the likes of leaders who sow ‘holiness’ in public but behave worse than the devil himself.
Pak Lah, show some courage, do something positive and put this guy in the right place as an example of fair justice for all instead of the usual ‘ Beliau telah menyesal, telah betaubat ’ excuse etc.
On Groups want a trimmed down Suhakam
Sukumaran: The re-appointment of the Suhakam chairperson shows only too clearly that Najib is out of step with the reform agenda that the prime minister and the de facto law minister have promised to the people. It also goes to show how weak the prime minister is in not being able to rein in his deputy.
Supporters of the BN must realise that it is only through reform that the BN can regain lost ground. At the same time, it is also the only means by which the tide of rising opposition to the PM may be effectively managed.
That the DPM is against reform is evident from his statements. After the Bar Council dinner had worked the people to high emotion, what he did was to simply pour water on it all by giving his own twist to the event. He made it clear that the event was in no way to be construed as an apology. Did he have to mention it at all? He also emphasised that judicial appointments must continue to be made through the prime minister.
This once again goes to confirm the sad reality that the BN government's capacity for reform is limited. Najib could be afraid of the reforms for some reason or other. For reform to take place there must be a clean slate, and the Pakatan Rakyat may have this advantage. Reform also needs vision and courage, both of which are lacking in the present prime minister.
On Fiery start for post-tsunami Parliament
Rakyat Malaysia: I saw the very first live telecast of 12th Malaysian parliamentary session. Well, I liken the 30-minute session (via RTM1) to bathing for only 30 seconds (uncompleted), as the whistling kettle screams for attention (imagine running down the staircase clad only with towel). Mana ada puas punya mandi macam ini?
Or, put it another way, I wonder how many television viewers would like to watch a live football telecast for only part of the time, and then listen to the football commentators analysing the uncompleted game? Sigh.
On Bloggers celebrate Press Freedom Day
Helen Ang: The bloggers gathering re-explored the parameters of the Fourth and nascent ‘Fifth Estate’. Today everyone and his ex-MB is a blogger and the notable new entrant is no less than Dr M! Whereas as we’ve observed, Malaysiakini is shedding the pro-opposition cast and your recent interviews with the muhibbah trio of Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, Dr Lim Keng Yaik and S Samy Vellu shows that the establishment is seeking an airing, and in the process enhancing your credibility because both sides want to be heard here.
In your report, you said MalaysiaVotes.com editor Jacqueline Ann Surin was one of the speakers at the bloggers forum. Your reporter would have been more accurate to have qualified the website as ‘the now-defunct’ MalaysiaVotes.com. The last posting it put up was on March 24.
If Dr Kua Kia Soong believes that party-hopping reflects the ‘ politics of opportunism’ , MalaysiaVotes.com parachuting into blogosphere with its MSM writers on the eve of the general election was another such opportunism. This sudden staking of land in cyberspace pre- and post- tsunami reminds one of the California Gold Rush. Rocky, All-Blogs pro-tem president has rightly warned about the risk of the Fifth Estate falling prey to the failings of the Fourth. If the new entrants believe blogosphere or New Media to be the magic bullet for cultivating BN- friendliness, it might just be Fool’s Gold beckoning because online readers are a more discerning lot.
On The 'unknowable' of Mat Selamat's escape
Ahmad: A good number of Singaporean net citizens think the biggest joke on the alleged escape theory is the fact that the minister in charge has not taken the ministerial responsibility to resign from his well-paid post. So instead of saying that directly in the face of the authoritarian PAP government, Singaporeans make much mirth of the case.
This is not to be confused with the fact that terrorism in Singapore or elsewhere if proved (and is it not proved by preventive detention), is seen as abhorrent by peace-abiding Singaporeans. The real 'unknowable' is whether in fact Mat Selamat died under torture while in detention. Think about that and the possible 'official spin' to that. Is that not laughable?
May 3 was about press freedom. Its about the right to information, it is about transparency of government as well and the right of the people to know the truth. Has the PAP government been transparent and provided the right information (not the information the PAP thinks its people should know) in the Mat Selamat 'great escape from detention' episode? From the jokes on this case, one may draw the inference that Singaporeans do not believe the PAP's information on this case don't you think?
Singaporeans, in making these jokes, are really very sad about the state of free press and free speech in Singapore.
