‘Delivered at the right time, when the stakes are high but when people are not clamouring for it, will only add to his stature.’
Lilian Tan: I agree that we'll have to take our chances with Anwar. Everyone would like to believe that Anwar has would have learnt his lesson and turned over a new leaf – at least that's what our innate desire of a just and fair world tells us – but that's being naive. Anwar is cleverer and more resilient than most. And he understands and can sway public sentiment better than even the formidable Mahathir. Notice that, so far, his statements of regret for lapses of judgment and transgressions in his Umno past have always been vague. And why are we surprised? A brilliant politician, Anwar knows better than to beat himself over the head when things are going so well for him.
An apology or admission of past transgressions, delivered when one's ratings are down, will seem feeble, desperate and insincere. Delivered at the right time, when the stakes are high but when people are not clamouring for it, will only add to his stature. However lacking he may be as a tactician, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi went to considerable lengths to get Zaid Ibrahim to orchestrate his non-apology to the former lord president and supreme court judges. And even the most cynical will admit this has extended the PM's shelf-life!
Ibrahim Musa K: Why all this sudden fuss about Anwar's trustworthiness? Does Anwar really matter? No, he does not, it was Information Communication Technology that changed the political wind in favor of the opposition. The massive and immediate information transferring via the Internet and SMS had transformed the whole scenario of the political agenda in Malaysia overnight. The ills and shortcomings of the government that had long been suppressed by the mass media finally surfaced and were made public, catching the ruling party completely off guard.
The alliance of the three main parties in the opposition is but another temporary marriage of convenience. And when the radicals in PAS begin to pursue their own religious interest after consolidating their power, DAP and PKR will certainly take issue and challenge their validity. Disintegration will likely begin. Already there are hidden signs of an ominous power tussle among the partners.
Politicians are always politicians, their only goal is to grab as much power as they can within the shortest possible time. That said, one would sometimes wonder how PKR appears to possess a copious flow of funding.
SH Huang: The main question which Malaysians should ask is this: Can Anwar be worse than the leaders in BN? Since we have seen one side of the coin and are indeed unhappy and frustrated, we might as well flip the coin and look at the other side. Of course, in any gamble, there is a risk involved. But, we might as well gamble on Anwar and see how he performs. Give him that chance and see what happens - you cannot lose by giving him that chance. We must not pre-judge him, or any other person. Time will tell; for whom the bell may toll.
If he turns out to be a greater devil in disguise than other PMs, then there is the ballot box to throw him out and he will not be able to recover from the fall. So Sabahans and Sarawakians, like Malaysians in West Malaysia, must see whether he will honour his promises - 20% oil royalty, a DPM's post, etc . And these promises can be tested this year itself, assuming that they jump ship and take the lifeboat to Paradise. Or, is it to Hell?
If we look at how the Penang, Perak and Selangor state governments are functioning before their first 100 days are up, we could see changes. These are signs that things will improve for the betterment of the people. And so we could bet on Anwar to deliver the goods and in the shortest time possible and definitely before the next general election in five years' time - unless there is a short-circuit by BN!
So, bet on Anwar! A new renaissance and a new dawn will emerge from a change of horses and let the old horses go to pasture. Yes, the grass is greener on the other side. Bet on it.
On Mahathir returns, fires another salvo
Alvin Malaysia: Malaysians are generally fed up with the Mahathir family sandiwara . We would like to highlight that Dr M, his family members and cronies should stop all attacks on Pak Lah as it is tantamount to attacking the person he chose to be the PM of Malaysia. We know that Dr M has made many blunders in his 22 years of administration and if we were to open the Pandora’s box of Mahathir, including those of his sons Mokzani, Mukriz and Mirzan, we would discover that it is worse than Suharto’s of Indonesia.
So, Dr M or Che Det, please be sensitive in your comments on Pak Lah and the government, otherwise it could backfire on you with Anwar taking advantage. Imagine if Anwar Ibrahim was the next prime minister. Guess who would be he first to be charged in court and jailed for life? You, Dr M, and your cronies. Do not cross the line on your comments about Pak Lah as it will trigger a tsunami of law-suits against you and your sons.
KillBill07: A crowd of 300 met to greet Dr M outside Subang Airport? Did the group get a permit for this illegal gathering? Why weren't the police, FRU, water cannons and tear gas not utilised to disperse the crowd? Why is there always a different rule for Umno, or in this case ex-Umno members? Hindraf did the same thing, and their leaders are in captivity in ISA on made-up charges, charges that will not hold up in a court of law.
Free the Hindraf 5 immediately. The longer you delay this, the closer their freedom will be to the next election, and the more difficult it will be for the Indians to forget and forgive. The Indian were the king-makers in the last election. Do you want to give them that role again in the next general elections?
On Ezam meets PM, rejoins Umno
Arianna: So what? Another turncoat rejoining the sinking bahtera would not re-float this Umno vessel which was rejected by many voters last March 8. In any case, Ezam is one confused politician who like many Umno leaders, is still unable to grasp what the rakyat wants for a government. Ezam's re-entry into Umno far from boosting the party's image, would instead weaken Umno further. Given a post? I beg your pardon? What was that 600-over page report which you, Ezam, was supposed to give to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? Something about corruption or abuse of power?
By the way, Ezam, you may find yourself an ally in Umno but you've just made yourself a foe to many of us the rakyat who are against corruption. The reason why Umno lost badly in the GE12 was because it (and its BN allies) failed to address this disease even now despite the promise and a host of other promises. You've just made yourself a liability to Umno and the rakyat.
Kenny Gan: Ezam has to relinquish his position as head of anti-corruption NGO, Gerak in order to join Umno. What does that tell you? Is fighting anti-corruption incompatible with Umno membership?
On Najib targets 'zero death' in NS programme
Megat Terawis: I just wonder how Najib measures the success of NS programme. Quote: ‘Although there have been one or two incidents, those incidents should not mar the overall success of the NS programme,’ unquote. Can anyone out there tell us what kind of measurement was used? How do you measure the success? Don’t just say it, show us the results. Or else scrap it.
Viji Rajasundram: Zero target? So what was it before? Was four deaths a year the official target?
One wonders what the brains behind this scheme targeted before this new ‘zero target’? The people who are in charge seem to be just shooting from the hip. Not realising that Malaysians have come a long way from 1957 – when anything and everything that was spoken by politicians was accepted as for ‘the good’ of the rakyat .
On RM3.2 bil spent for Maths and Science in English
Mahindar: In this age and time we are trying to have Tamil schools and I wonder how will this benefit the community. This political move will only set back the Indians. Surely the money can be wisely spent elsewhere. Let’s revamp our education system into more a global approach and equip our children with better skills instead of just scoring 9As. Seriously, we should be looking at making English as the main language in our schools and, of course, have every student learn Mandarin or Tamil or any other language.
Similarly, having Chinese schools teach certain subjects in Chinese and others in English is just bestowing unnecessary pressure on the children. In the end, the objective of any education system should bring about an all-round development to the child.Having these kind of schools may also lead to a reinforcement of the racial bias.
On Bringing 'Impian LRT' down to earth
Megat Terawis Megat Mahmud: In regards to the never-ending mess of our RapidKL local bus service, I would like to suggest that the MPs’ and VIPs in our society start using the bus services themselves on a regular daily basis. The general implication is that the average rakyat 's need for efficient and quality service is not paramount unless the regular users of their bus service are VIPs as well. A situation whereby our MPs become regular commuters with our local bus service would be beneficial for all.
There would be less of a irregular bus service, less speeding/ aggressive driving and less rude bus drivers when VIPs are on board. Not only would the service be improved and maintained at a top level, the MPs would also be able to interact with the public more often. Shouldn't our local bus service be good enough that even our MPs become regular commuters?
On Samy Vellu: MIC is sole representative of Indians
Lim Susanti: What I want to know is where was Samy Vellu all these years? How come he wants to refurbish and build Tamil schools only now? This was his job and he should have done his job many, many years ago and not try to show that he is hardworking only now. For what? I would suggest that he should go back and rest for after all he has done nothing for the Indian community in Malaysia.
So let the others do what they can do. And not be interrupted by Samy Vellu. The Indian Malaysian community dose not need a leader like Samy Vellu anymore.
Balakrishnan Manickam: Anybody can claim to be the sole representative of the Indians. Perhaps this guy doesn't understand that the sole representatives of the Indian Malaysians are being detained under the ISA. Want proof? Just release them. Probably this is the reason why they are still being detained.
Viji Rajasundram: Which La-La Land does this man from that ‘Little party that couldn’t’ come from? First he cannot even get a decent number of votes to make it into parliament. Then he wants to say that he and his cronies represent the Indians. I, for one, would be very ashamed if anyone from the MIC ever represented me. And I am quite certain millions of other Indians in Malaysia think the same. And now that they have already done all the damage we all thought they possible could, they want RM300 million more to ‘look after the Indians – and not a penny for themselves.’ These people are just amazing in their ignorance of basic facts.
The other parties garnered more Indian votes than MIC did. So why on earth does he think MIC represents the Indians? Or does MIC just want the money as a swan song? As an Indian, the MCA better represented me – at least they had Michael Chong, who did more for the Indians than anyone in MIC.
On Why can't we use the word 'Allah'?
Paul: Muslims are using the word ‘Allah’ for the God they believe in. As a Christian, I won't use the same word ‘Allah’ for the God in the Bible for obvious reasons ie. because the spirit of ‘Allah’ denies Jesus Christ as the Son of God, denies the Trinity and denies the Cross. Therefore, the right word in the Malay language for God should be ‘Tuhan’.
