It has been 16 days since the general election and the appointment of Mentris Besar (head of state) has not been fully resolved, with Terengganu still being in the limelight because the Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin is not in favour of the Prime Minister’s recommendation - Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, and has selected Datuk Ahmad Said as the MB instead. (The state has been without a government since the elections on March 8 despite a big victory by the Barisan Nasional (BN)).
Before this, Perlis had also faced similar tussle. It ended with Bintong assemblyman Datuk Dr Md Isa Sabu being sworn in as Perlis Mentri Besar (the Sultan of Perlis’ choice) instead of Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, endorsed by the PM.
With boycott being called by some Umno members against the Terengganu palace’s decision, they just shot themselves in their feet. They had earlier blamed Lim Kit Siang for being disrespectful towards the monarch for his initial disagreement with the appointment made by the Regent of Perak Raja Nazrin and for calling a boycott against the swearing in of Perak PAS secretary and Pasir Panjang assemblyman Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin more than a week ago. His action was initially seen as disrespectful to the Sultan whom the Malays hold with high regard. The Umno members had called for Lim to be punished for even dare to suggest the boycott, despite his apology earlier. Now they should live up to their words.
The BN leaders, who initially pointed out that the initial mess in Perak was a sign of crack in the opposition coalition, now see their own party having split support between Idris and Kijal assemblyman Ahmad. The Sultan of Terengganu announced on Saturday that Ahmad would be the new Mentri Besar of Terengganu.
There were two issues involved in the recent appointments of MB and the tussles that had ensued in some states.
What do you do when the Sultan does not approve the PM’s choice of MB? Is the role of the monarch relevant in modern society?
In the case of Perlis, the Sultan was concern whether Shahidan actually represented the majority even though the PM had endorsed him, and had actually demanded for prove of support from both sides. Here, the Sultan had done a good thing in upholding the state constitution i. e. ensuring that the MB has the most support from the stateassembly and has a role in the check-and-balance process.
I think the monarch does play an important role in the democratic process. The question is, what if the position is abused and they are beyond immunity? This is something that constitutional law experts will have to look into.
We do not know yet why the Sultan in Terengganu objected to the PM’s choice. I am sure he has his reasons. It appears as though there is a constitutional crisis because the Sultan does not approve the MB with the most support from state assemblymen, which is require by the state constitution. I am sure many are waiting to hear the Sultan’s side of the story and hopefully, without being disrespectful, His Majesty would issue some kind of statement soon. This is important to uphold the parliamentary democratic system.
I must admit that the situation in Perlis was reasonably well-handled despite some initial fears. The Sultan was proactive and responsive and called both sides to state their cases. Shahidan too respected the Sultan's wishes and accepted his fate without calling for any boycott or causing any trouble despite his unhappiness.
Can a non-Malay be appointed as an MB or deputy MB?
This other question caught everyone off guard due to the political change resulting from the elections. In the past, no one had ever thought about appointing a non-Malay because Umno in the BN coalition had won the majority seats and a Malay was naturally appointed. However, when many non-Malays from DAP won all its state seats, outnumbering the other two parties in its coalition - Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s and PAS’ seats, the question then arose as to whether a non-Malay could be made MB.
Many have asked why Sitiawan state assembly man Ngeh Koo Ham could not be the MB when his party, DAP, had won the most seats in the opposition coalition (18 compared with PKR 7 and PAS 6). On hindsight, the coalition should have submitted one name (Ngeh’s- to reflect the wishes of voters) instead of three names from each party in the coalition. If the name is rejected, then a second choice could be made. I guess, with three names submitted, it was likely that Raja Nazrin did not consider DAP’s majority seats because he was looking at the coalition as a whole. It was also likely that the change was already too much for the Malay psyche, hence, his choice of a Malay MB was to cushion the impact. Nevertheless, I was really disappointed that PKR and PAS took the opportunity to hijack what Ngeh, a lawyer, could have, after all, in Perak, the Sultan can waive the Malay Muslim criteria. This issue of a possible non-Malay MB needs to be addressed some time in future.
For now we have to live with the appointment of the Perak MB - Perak PAS secretary and Pasir Panjang assemblyman Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin. A friend of mine - a lecturer from a local university said that Nizar’s portfolio is impressive and would not mind giving him a chance. Moreover, with many non-PAS state assemblymen, they can easily walk out on him if he tries to impose ultra Islamic values, he said.
For one, I am really glad that Nizar took a stand to not back down on the ratio of DAP-PKR-PAS (6:3:1) state executive councillors when some Malay NGOs protested against the ratio saying that they were worried about the lack of Malay representatives who could defend their rights. I think DAP should be given a chance to prove themselves in defending the rights of the poor in all races just as much as Nizar’s was given the chance to prove that he would not be biased against non-Malays.
While various groups may come out and voice their dissatisfaction about the lack of Malay representatives in the state assemblymen, one should not forget that the wishes of voters, which should most of all be respected otherwise they could easily lose confidence in the coalition. Interestingly, voters seem to ensure the balance of power play on religious issues with extremism kept in check.
On a related issue, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim also pointed out that MB and deputy MB are also required to help the Sultan carry out some Islamic religious duties and hence a Malay Muslim is preferred. On this note, can the modern democratic (and not theocratic) Malaysia appoint an Islamic adviser to do that instead of an MB? A lawyer friend had recently suggested that and said she read that the head of Islam is the Sultan and not the MB. So there should not be any issue about an MB having to be a Muslim.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
States to watch out for
The road outside my polling station Dato Onn Jaafar School in USJ 15, Subang Jaya.
Now that Malaysians are recovering from their pleasant surprise or shock from the most awesome moment in our history, we still need to be watchful. Currently, each of the parties from the opposition coalition is making recommendations to the Sultan of Perak on who the Mentri Besar should be. Apparently, there are SMSes going around that PAS (Islamic party) is trying to hijack the whole thing despite it having won the least number of seats in the state (PAS - 7, Parti Keadilan Rakyat - 8 and Democratic Action Party - 18). If anyone should be the MB, it should come from the party in the coalition that has the most number of seats, i.e. DAP. Otherwise, the voters will lose confidence, I think. This seems strange because from my limited dealings with a PAS leader in Selangor, he said that PAS will respect minorities' rights and they know the terms that they were voted in - mainly to fight corruption and injustice.
Selangor will be an interesting state to watch since its soon-to-be-sworn in MB Khalid Ibrahim from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) has called for the Official Secrets Act to be repealed in Selangor. There were rumours going around that people were tearing up documents. Yes, that’s because the leaders of the ruling party did not expect such a catastrophic loss in the elections.
Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory is another tricky area to be watched. Described as an unprecedented coup by the Sun, DAP, Keadilan and PAS won 10 of the 11 seats, with Barisan Nasional taking only Setiawangsa. There are likely to be tensions in policy making because the Federal Territory Minister post is held by the sole BN winner.
Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory is another tricky area to be watched. Described as an unprecedented coup by the Sun, DAP, Keadilan and PAS won 10 of the 11 seats, with Barisan Nasional taking only Setiawangsa. There are likely to be tensions in policy making because the Federal Territory Minister post is held by the sole BN winner.
Now that I have recovered from the exhaustion of the general election (March 8), I can now sit down and give you an update on what had transpired in the last few days.
For one, although I had hoped for much change and the best to happen from the general election (March 8), I’m still in a daze when that prayer turned into reality. As a friend said, it all seems so surreal. That’s because after 50 years of seeing the entrenchment of Barisan Nasional government and the snowballing corruption, injustice and racist policies, it was so difficult to imagine anything else to happen, except for continuous rot.
My church members and I had in the last one year cried out to God to save this country from corruption, cronyism, high crime rate, racism, religious oppression, unfair laws, worsening education system and unfair media reporting. The three-hour prayer the night before the elections (9pm-12midnight) was beyond description. A church member whom we didn’t know until that night, joined us. Her prayers were precise and positively declaring change and victory in the coming elections. Our spirits could not help but rise. If prayers in previous sessions left me feeling comforted knowing that God is sovereign, on that night, there was a sense of confidence and victory in the air. We had such an awesome time that the 3-hour session seemed short. At 12 midnight, the woman who joined us took out a (Jewish?) horn and blew it as we were singing praises to the Lord Almighty and enjoying His wonderful presence. It was a spectacular moment, one that I had never experienced before. It was as though we were on the mountain tops and overlooking a vast valley and the sound from the horn was a sign of the beginning of a battle (in the spiritual realm) as well as a declaration of victory. We left church at 12.15am and I went straight home to sleep to prepare for the next day’s work – a gruelling 20-hour of keeping tabs on the elections.
For one, although I had hoped for much change and the best to happen from the general election (March 8), I’m still in a daze when that prayer turned into reality. As a friend said, it all seems so surreal. That’s because after 50 years of seeing the entrenchment of Barisan Nasional government and the snowballing corruption, injustice and racist policies, it was so difficult to imagine anything else to happen, except for continuous rot.
My church members and I had in the last one year cried out to God to save this country from corruption, cronyism, high crime rate, racism, religious oppression, unfair laws, worsening education system and unfair media reporting. The three-hour prayer the night before the elections (9pm-12midnight) was beyond description. A church member whom we didn’t know until that night, joined us. Her prayers were precise and positively declaring change and victory in the coming elections. Our spirits could not help but rise. If prayers in previous sessions left me feeling comforted knowing that God is sovereign, on that night, there was a sense of confidence and victory in the air. We had such an awesome time that the 3-hour session seemed short. At 12 midnight, the woman who joined us took out a (Jewish?) horn and blew it as we were singing praises to the Lord Almighty and enjoying His wonderful presence. It was a spectacular moment, one that I had never experienced before. It was as though we were on the mountain tops and overlooking a vast valley and the sound from the horn was a sign of the beginning of a battle (in the spiritual realm) as well as a declaration of victory. We left church at 12.15am and I went straight home to sleep to prepare for the next day’s work – a gruelling 20-hour of keeping tabs on the elections.
the room where I was to cast my vote. I was done at 9.10am. For the rest of the day, I waited to see what the Lord has in store for us, while doing my normal tasks at the office. Results started to coming in around 11pm and before we knew it, by 2am or thereabouts, it was confirmed that the opposition coalition made up of Keadilan, DAP and PAS had achieved the impossible - breaking BN's two-third majority in parliament. They managed to get 82 parliament seats out of 222 seats! This is historic! No Malaysians have expected it although many of us dreamt of the day such a thing would happen.DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said he expected the wind of change to blow but did not expect it to blow this strong and hard. Haha! Teresa Kok (DAP) said it was divine intervention because for the first time, Christians from every nook and corner began to take interest in the affairs of this country by holding forums and holding candidates accountable, on top of praying fervently. Some even offered themselves as candidates in the elections to bring that change. I have told some friends that it was impossible to break BN's two-third majority but we must pray for that to happen. And it has happened. In fact, I was told not to limit God in my prayers to just the two-third but to let His will be done. Five states taken over by the opposition, wow, that was beyond what we could imagine. Now we need to pray for a smooth transition of the state administrations.
Raja Petra is right in observing that society must continue to keep watch on the progress and hold the new leaders accountable. We didn't vote them in for another round of oppression. Check out his site on the need for the role of Ombudsman in The Aftermath of the 'Bloodbath' at
http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/4095/84/
Friday, March 7, 2008
Say ‘no’ to Umno and PAS, vote for granny
Reading about 89-year-old Maimun Yusuf, the oldest candidate for the coming general election this Saturday (March 8, 2008) brought tears to my eyes. Here I am hitting mid-life soon and quite in despair whenever I think about the state of the government, the judiciary system, the police, the press etc, and there, out there, is Nenek Maimun, a gutsy woman in her sunset years, who will not give up hope in bringing change and she had attempted to do that five times! She can get whatever help she needs from Umno or PAS, but no, she decides to get straight into parliament herself. Is her action saying something about the two parties? Does she represent the actual voice of the grassroots, whose needs are not represented by the present political parties?
People may not take her seriously, but I must say, if voters are smart and want to say they have had enough of Umno’s chauvinism and cronyism, and PAS’ ultra-Islamic approach, this is the chance to vote for her. The silent majority has a voice of its own and more often than not, they do not want Umno or PAS. Perhaps this is something that independent candidates can fill in? And there are many independent candidates fielded for this general election – in all states in Peninsular Malaysia except for Johor and Malacca. Likewise, people from the grassroots who have spoken up or work hard for the community at their own time, and now want to bring legislative changes, are the best candidates to vote for because these are the real “servants.” These people are such as Jeff Ooi, Charles Santiago, Edward Lee, Prof Ramasamy, Loh Gwo-Burne and Elizabeth Wong Keat Ping and I am sure there are many more in other states.
I am encouraged by Nenek Maimun's determination and the many ordinary people's efforts who have stepped forward and spoken up against injustice and corruption. The world is not all made up of shades of grey after all.
On Chandra, it reflects really bad on him to lash out at his enemy (Anwar Ibrahim) at such a time (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79237). Here’s a thought for our reflection:
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors (corrupt officials) doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5: 43-48
People may not take her seriously, but I must say, if voters are smart and want to say they have had enough of Umno’s chauvinism and cronyism, and PAS’ ultra-Islamic approach, this is the chance to vote for her. The silent majority has a voice of its own and more often than not, they do not want Umno or PAS. Perhaps this is something that independent candidates can fill in? And there are many independent candidates fielded for this general election – in all states in Peninsular Malaysia except for Johor and Malacca. Likewise, people from the grassroots who have spoken up or work hard for the community at their own time, and now want to bring legislative changes, are the best candidates to vote for because these are the real “servants.” These people are such as Jeff Ooi, Charles Santiago, Edward Lee, Prof Ramasamy, Loh Gwo-Burne and Elizabeth Wong Keat Ping and I am sure there are many more in other states.
I am encouraged by Nenek Maimun's determination and the many ordinary people's efforts who have stepped forward and spoken up against injustice and corruption. The world is not all made up of shades of grey after all.
On Chandra, it reflects really bad on him to lash out at his enemy (Anwar Ibrahim) at such a time (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79237). Here’s a thought for our reflection:
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors (corrupt officials) doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5: 43-48
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Indelible ink vanished!
I believe most of you have read about the use of indelible ink being scrapped. Well, I am not sure whether the indelible ink would really reduce rigging because if people want to cheat or steal, they will do it in every possible way. But what a waste of tax payers money now that Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman had changed his mind. For full story see http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/5/election2008/20540844&sec=Election2008&focus=1 and http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/5/nation/20544069&sec=nation
Why didn't they think about all the reasons they mentioned before? What is SPR going to do with all that bottles of ink now? Lelong on E-bay?
Anyway, here's what Parti Keadiland Rakyat (PKR) has to say:
Withdrawal of use of Indelible Ink
With the decision of the Elections Commission (EC) to cancel the use of indelible ink, there is no need for further proof that the EC is colluding with Barisan Nasional (BN) to allow cheating in the coming General Elections. Despite all assurances and false gestures, it is now clear the Tan Sri Rashid is content to conduct the 12th General Elections in an atmosphere completely bereft of integrity. Citing 'public order' and 'security' is also nonsensical reasoning that is perfectly consistent with the language of forces around the world who seek to supress democratic freedoms. BERSIH, which represents not just political parties but a wide swathe of civil society, has campaigned tirelessly for indelible ink to be used to battle the scourge of phantom voters. Candidates have observed irregularities in postal voting, and revealed hundreds and thousands of false addresses, dead individuals and voters over 100 years old in the electoral roll. The EC has ignored BERSIH's demands to address these problems and now the third of BERSIH's core demands has gone unfulfilled. At a moment where the eyes of the entire world are upon us, the EC has now conclusively and irrevocably shown that any overtures towards reform that it had made previously were in bad faith, and that in decisive moments, the EC will yield to every demand of its political masters. KeADILan notes one positive outcome of this development however. BN intelligence must clearly be showing a swing towards the Opposition, thus forcing them to resort once again to phantom voters and other forms of cheating to minimize the electoral losses they must clearly be anticipating. BN is clearly taking no chances. We are encouraged by this trend and call upon all Opposition sympathisers to strenghten their resolve and their efforts as we enter the final stretch of our campaign for a better Malaysia.
Dr. Syed Husin Ali
KeADILan Deputy President
Why didn't they think about all the reasons they mentioned before? What is SPR going to do with all that bottles of ink now? Lelong on E-bay?
Anyway, here's what Parti Keadiland Rakyat (PKR) has to say:
Withdrawal of use of Indelible Ink
With the decision of the Elections Commission (EC) to cancel the use of indelible ink, there is no need for further proof that the EC is colluding with Barisan Nasional (BN) to allow cheating in the coming General Elections. Despite all assurances and false gestures, it is now clear the Tan Sri Rashid is content to conduct the 12th General Elections in an atmosphere completely bereft of integrity. Citing 'public order' and 'security' is also nonsensical reasoning that is perfectly consistent with the language of forces around the world who seek to supress democratic freedoms. BERSIH, which represents not just political parties but a wide swathe of civil society, has campaigned tirelessly for indelible ink to be used to battle the scourge of phantom voters. Candidates have observed irregularities in postal voting, and revealed hundreds and thousands of false addresses, dead individuals and voters over 100 years old in the electoral roll. The EC has ignored BERSIH's demands to address these problems and now the third of BERSIH's core demands has gone unfulfilled. At a moment where the eyes of the entire world are upon us, the EC has now conclusively and irrevocably shown that any overtures towards reform that it had made previously were in bad faith, and that in decisive moments, the EC will yield to every demand of its political masters. KeADILan notes one positive outcome of this development however. BN intelligence must clearly be showing a swing towards the Opposition, thus forcing them to resort once again to phantom voters and other forms of cheating to minimize the electoral losses they must clearly be anticipating. BN is clearly taking no chances. We are encouraged by this trend and call upon all Opposition sympathisers to strenghten their resolve and their efforts as we enter the final stretch of our campaign for a better Malaysia.
Dr. Syed Husin Ali
KeADILan Deputy President
Some candidates for your thoughts
The interesting characters that I have been acquainted with or at least heard their ceramahs are decribed in the websites below. Have a read.
Of the few candidates whom I have come across as a resident in Petaling Jaya, Edward Lee is the most outstanding. I hope people in Bukit Gasing will vote for him. Lim Thuan Seng is not a bad candidate but with so many issues pending especially with the residents objection on development in Bukit Gasing, his work is pale in comparison with Edward's. Edward himself had been championing the concerns of development in Bukit Gasing for 20 years! So I don't agree with the Sun's article "Bukit Gasing folk spoilt for choice"
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=20942
From that same article, check out Santiago as well.
I happened to listen to Chew Mei Fun in SS2 this morning, or more like yesterday morning and I must say, she took on hard questions very well. Although the residents were mostly retirees, they were an educated bunch and asked all the right questions and hard questions as well. A hard worker, Mei Fun, will be contesting in PJ Utara, said they have achieved some success in negotiating for things for non-Malays such as in the number of JPA scholarships for non-Malays. Sometimes, these things are difficult for them to announce and it is best that they negotiate quietly and keep a low. I think I do understand to some extent. Racial jealousy or insecurity is so prevalent and irrational in this country. While the non-Malays feel that they have so little, some of the Malays feel that they should have all the pie. With such chauvinism, it's difficult to talk on rational terms, so best discussed in rational terms behind closed doors. Anyway, Mei Fun's opponent, Tony Pua will have an uphill task. He is also an eloquent speaker. An Oxford graduate.
Have a look at human rights Elizabeth Wong, Bukit Lanjan candidate, website:
http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com
Think you can easily google Sivarasa as well. He is a human rights lawyer. Vote for him!
Harum
Of the few candidates whom I have come across as a resident in Petaling Jaya, Edward Lee is the most outstanding. I hope people in Bukit Gasing will vote for him. Lim Thuan Seng is not a bad candidate but with so many issues pending especially with the residents objection on development in Bukit Gasing, his work is pale in comparison with Edward's. Edward himself had been championing the concerns of development in Bukit Gasing for 20 years! So I don't agree with the Sun's article "Bukit Gasing folk spoilt for choice"
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=20942
From that same article, check out Santiago as well.
I happened to listen to Chew Mei Fun in SS2 this morning, or more like yesterday morning and I must say, she took on hard questions very well. Although the residents were mostly retirees, they were an educated bunch and asked all the right questions and hard questions as well. A hard worker, Mei Fun, will be contesting in PJ Utara, said they have achieved some success in negotiating for things for non-Malays such as in the number of JPA scholarships for non-Malays. Sometimes, these things are difficult for them to announce and it is best that they negotiate quietly and keep a low. I think I do understand to some extent. Racial jealousy or insecurity is so prevalent and irrational in this country. While the non-Malays feel that they have so little, some of the Malays feel that they should have all the pie. With such chauvinism, it's difficult to talk on rational terms, so best discussed in rational terms behind closed doors. Anyway, Mei Fun's opponent, Tony Pua will have an uphill task. He is also an eloquent speaker. An Oxford graduate.
Have a look at human rights Elizabeth Wong, Bukit Lanjan candidate, website:
http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com
Think you can easily google Sivarasa as well. He is a human rights lawyer. Vote for him!
Harum
Monday, March 3, 2008
Finally done!
I have finally done it - a blog that I have wanted to set up for more than a year! And with just four days away from the general elections, this is a timely moment to share any last minute thoughts. Ha ha!
I hope to be able to use this space to encourage and challenge family members, friends, acquaintances and any visitors to this site to look at things from an unconventional perspectives from the Bible as how I had discovered for myself. Heresy will be in check, of course, for many of you will pounce on me if I happened to deviate.
To begin with, here is a thought with regards to this common Malaysian question: "Who to vote for, ah?"
I shan't be telling anyone who to vote for although I am aware that there is a lot of frustration, oppression and depression and the most straightforward thing to do with the ballot to stop the rut in the country would be to vote in more opposition and break the two-thirds majority although this may seem impossible. I feel the sentiments of those who are aware of the deterioration in the country.
One of the dilemma that people face is whether they could trust Anwar Ibrahim (PKR adviser). Well, for me, we won't know if any politician is trully trustworthy until they get to power, which by then will be too late. Main thing is create a great check and balance composition. We know that the opposition won't get to power but whether it would be strong enough to create a strong check and balance system will depend on us.
For those who are non-partisan, I must say it's not easy to decide when the BN candidate is non-committal about making certain stance while the Opposition candidate is a newbie who totally has no track record. Some people say, "just vote the opposition lah." Well, let each decide for himself/herself. For one, GO for the ceramahs! Listen to their talk and then meet up with them and ask them hard questions, not just on what they will do but what they have done if they had been an MP. Then you will be able to roughly gauge the candidate. For those who don't know how to go about looking for the candidates - find out where you are voting and then google the candidates' names to find out more about them and where they will have a ceramah in your area or vicinity or elsewhere.
Most of all, pray for the nation and the bondage of corruption be broken!
Harum
I hope to be able to use this space to encourage and challenge family members, friends, acquaintances and any visitors to this site to look at things from an unconventional perspectives from the Bible as how I had discovered for myself. Heresy will be in check, of course, for many of you will pounce on me if I happened to deviate.
To begin with, here is a thought with regards to this common Malaysian question: "Who to vote for, ah?"
I shan't be telling anyone who to vote for although I am aware that there is a lot of frustration, oppression and depression and the most straightforward thing to do with the ballot to stop the rut in the country would be to vote in more opposition and break the two-thirds majority although this may seem impossible. I feel the sentiments of those who are aware of the deterioration in the country.
One of the dilemma that people face is whether they could trust Anwar Ibrahim (PKR adviser). Well, for me, we won't know if any politician is trully trustworthy until they get to power, which by then will be too late. Main thing is create a great check and balance composition. We know that the opposition won't get to power but whether it would be strong enough to create a strong check and balance system will depend on us.
For those who are non-partisan, I must say it's not easy to decide when the BN candidate is non-committal about making certain stance while the Opposition candidate is a newbie who totally has no track record. Some people say, "just vote the opposition lah." Well, let each decide for himself/herself. For one, GO for the ceramahs! Listen to their talk and then meet up with them and ask them hard questions, not just on what they will do but what they have done if they had been an MP. Then you will be able to roughly gauge the candidate. For those who don't know how to go about looking for the candidates - find out where you are voting and then google the candidates' names to find out more about them and where they will have a ceramah in your area or vicinity or elsewhere.
After the general elections, hold the MP accountable, whoever won. Would be easier if done collectively.
Most of all, pray for the nation and the bondage of corruption be broken!
Harum
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