Double standard of probity
Double standard of probity.
There is only one strategy known and used by the opposition. Inflict as much damage as possible to the BN candidate. Target the person not the ideas. Unearth as much dirt and filth to discredit Isa Samad. Disregard all notions of probity. Better still; proclaim all rules and regulations set by the Election Commissions as being oppressive tools of the ruling government.
That is classic strategy. Destroy the foundations of legitimacy and you can in turn legitimize whatever you do as a struggle for justice. In the end, the opposition commits the very sin they accused the BN of doing- justify the means for the end. It is fine for the opposition; led by the anything- goes PKR to discount its own methods and means, but the BN must not allow itself a hint of unseemly conduct. No, we are not benchmarking what we say and do against what the PKR does (that's a waste of our time and they are irrelevant to us). Don't flatter yourselves- we don't measure up to you. We call it as it is. What the opposition does is to construct a double standard of probity. That's what it is.
The case of postal voters.
We read recently the PAS claim that only over one thousand military personnel are registered as postal voters. Almost 4,000 are retired and therefore should be registered as civilian voters. This may be true but it can be explained by practical reasons. Those retirees HAVE NOT registered themselves as civilian voters. The responsibility to register ourselves as voters lies with us, civilians. The retired soldiers may have not done so and their names therefore remained as postal voters at the location they last served. It's not their responsibility of the EC to deregister postal voters and re-register them as civilian voters. Don't kid ourselves- there are millions of voters on the registers kept by the EC and it's not humanly possible for any of the EC workers to keep track of who is coming in and who should be out. It's not the fault of EC. If you and I don't register as a voter, we can't blame the EC can we. Didn't we see announcements that registration of voters are now on- going? Even if it's true that most of the postal voters are retired people, they exist not because of some ill designs by the EC.
Are ballot papers serialized?
I have written a number of articles on this issue. After some debates on this issue, I met up with a few workers with the election commission in Kuantan and asked them. Indeed it's true, the ballot papers are serialized. They are, but not for the reason of wanting to find out whom or who you voted for. They are serialized for keeping track of how many ballot papers were issued. Example: - papers number 0001 to 1000 are given to X voting centre. Then you know 1000 ballot papers are sent there. Suppose the PAS representative/observer noted that only 800 came to vote, he will know that there must be 200 empty ballot papers left.
How can anyone know who we voted for? Answer: Others can know, only when the serial numbers on ballot papers we collect as we are about to vote are marked against our name. But this is not a standard or sanctioned practice. In some places, as our names are called, we collect the ballot papers and the serial number on our particular ballot paper is marked in pencil on the register list. This is strictly not allowed but different places practiced it differently. Some places just hand over the ballot papers without marking against our name on the register.
What purpose does this wrongful practice served? It allows interested party to establish who the voter actually voted LATER. At that point in time, no one knows who the voter voted. When we vote, at that point in time, we are not and never restrained from voting for anyone we want. We don't even care if people know who we voted. All we know is, to vote for the candidate of our choice is our right.
May I repeat my arguments again? Yes, the ballot papers are indeed serialized. They are, for some logical reasons. Are these numbers marked against the names list? In some places they are, in some they are not. Do we care whether they are marked or not? We don't because we want to vote for whoever we want.
Because we know our right to vote for whoever we fancy, we did what our hearts and minds dictate. We don't even care if the serial numbers on our ballot papers are marked. The people in Tanjung Gelang naval base in Kuantan, who rejected the BN candidate in 2008, didn't care. The TUDM boys, who rejected the BN candidate for Paya Besar, Kuantan in 1999, didn't. The boys in Bagan Pinang, 30% of them didn't care if they were marked in 2008. It's their right.
I know for certain, they are not marked in kem tentera batu 10 Kuantan. The person dispensing the ballot papers is an army officer. His tasks are not interfered with by civilians. Now with this knowledge, make sure your representative protest if ballot papers are marked this time around.
If they are marked, this is clearly a wrongful act. But does it influence who we want to actually vote? It doesn't because we know it's our vote and it's our right.
Awestruck and pliable audience readily accepts without demur the replay of the same old and standard tirades and unsubstantiated allegations. Listening to the speeches of PKR luminaries such as Azmin Ali and other facetious campaigners, we emerge worse off. Why? Because there's no upliftment, no improvement.
You listen to all these speeches, which are nothing but reprehensible rendition of vicious lies, misleading stories that served only one purpose- to place Isa at the bottom of the cesspit while enthroning PKR as the pristine prince. The malodour continues. That of the PKR that is.
12 comments:
Dato', such practices are rampant on both sides of the political divide.
J Siviter
http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/39275-racist-books-distributed-in-bagan-pinang
But Dato' BN'S opponent in Bagan Pinang is from PAS and not from PKR and coming from an UMNO champion it somehow bears truth to the contention coming from some blogs that BN's machinery is going to go full force vilifying Anwar and PKR during the campaign period in Bagan Pinang. Adding also the Wala' and the conservative PAS members and by virtue of them holding sway in the party thenceforth they or the faction they represent must be handled with Kid's glove and so on and so forth. As the obnoxious smile of the chesire Cat begins to dissipate: things do get curiouser and curiouser!
Dato, UMNO is very lucky to have a member like yourself.
You never gave up hope that UMNO would change for the better.
You are also pro active and always have something encouraging to say about UMNO.
UMNO should have more people who are loyal but not afraid to critise so that UMNO can improve itself. A man with of morals and integrity.
Will Kit Siang speak up against the excesses and questionable activities of fellow Pakatan-ians (adooii)? For instance, the Anwar Crowd, once powerful when the Master was Minister of Finance, will have to account for their wealth acquired then..no?
If indeed they are retired soldiers, they are no more uniformed personnel and should not be allowed to vote in the army camp. Serve them right for not registering as civilian voters.Why this double standard.Treat them as other civilians who cannot be bothered to register.
If there is a will there is a way. Why can't SPRM once and for all change the rules and regulations to make postal votes transparent to all political parties. What SPRM chief is saying is trust them to be fair is not good enough.
Whatever. The boy scout (my pet name for him)must and will win.
let the soldier boys vote the way they want to vote. Whats the problem. Don't we ever trust them.
No matter how much control is placed on them I am sure they have a mind of their own who to vote for.
To put a stop to all these complains, EC may consider having an observer from both parties..
But, it is always a but, the camps are out of bound to civilian particularly to opposition parties. This is based on the simple reason that the opposition have big mouth and do not understand what they see in an army camp...and later shooting all over the media what is deemed wrong to them. This cannot happen as it affect the moral of the soldiers.
To give an example if a soldier is under detention there are certain harsh punishment he has to go through. If a civilian esp a opposition politician sees it, don't you think he will make a big fuss over it...Trying to champion a cause he knows nothing about. Army's life is a harsh life and everything is harsh. They are subjected to two sets of laws ie the military law and the civil laws...
Please leave the soldiers boys alone.
Ex army officers out there, care to comment.
Yap
Tuan Moderator,
Politik masa kini dipenuhi oleh elemen mempromosikan agenda pakatan masing-masing. Rakyat akan mendapat manfaatnya kalau pakatan parti politik benar-benar dapat memberikan apa yang mereka ada untuk kebaikan rakyat.
Untuk itu parti politik hanya perlu menerangkan apa yang mereka ada dan apa yang mereka mahu lakukan untuk rakyat. Seterusnya pakatan politik harus membuktikan yang mereka betul-betul memiliki apa yang mereka akui tersebut dan mampu membawa kebaikan sebagaimana yang mereka jajakan.
Rakyat akan rugi kalau sekiranya pakatan politik hanya melaung-laungkan yang mereka memiliki sesuatu walhal hakikatnya mereka tidak memilikinya. Lebih rugi kalau rakyat terpilih pakatan politik yang hanya pandai memburuk-burukkan produk lawan, sedangkan pakatan berkenaan langsung tidak nampak akan menjadi lebih baik berbanding barisan lawan yang mereka buruk-burukkan itu.
Supaya rakyat tidak tersalah pilih, mereka harus menganggap diri mereka adalah pengguna; sementara pakatan politik adalah penjual yang cuba memikat mereka untuk membeli perkhidmatan yang ditawarkan.
Dalam konteks pengguna dan penjual, pengguna akan mendapat perkhidmatan berdasarkan kemampuan sebenar penjual dalam menyediakannya. Kalaulah mereka (pengguna) tidak berhati-hati makanya mereka akan sentiasa dimanipulasi menerusi promosi dan taktik kotor penjual yang hanya menitikberatkan margin keuntungan yang bakal mereka peroleh.
Panduan berguna untuk pengguna ialah:
1. Usah terlalu percaya kepada pengakuan dan promosi sesuatu produk baru kecualilah ianya dinilaikan dan dibuktikan secara objektif.
2. Penjual yang suka memburuk-burukkan produk pihak pesaing mereka adalah disebabkan produk mereka sendiri tidak berkualiti dan tidak dapat bersaing di pasaran.
3. Para pelayar jangan membiarkan diri sendiri menjadi tukang promosi tidak bertauliah bagi sesuatu produk baru yang belum terbukti kemampuannya kerana perbuatan berkenaan akan hanya menjadikan kawan dan taulan sendiri sebagai mangsa.
ALPASIKU
Sebenarnya kehancuran Umno hanya disebabkan oleh manusia-manusia berikut.
(1) Mahathir
(2) Abdul Rahim Nor
(3) Gani Patail & Mohtar Abdullah
(4) Musa Hassan
(5) VK Lingam
Walau apa pun yang dikata - pemimpin tidak turun padang, kemewahan, kereta mewah - tetapi hakikatnya ialah Umno hari ini rosak kerana kesilapan manusia di atas. Umno telah dijadikan sebagai shield (perisai) di dalam pertarungan peribadi menusia di atas, maka Umno yang menerima tikaman dan panahan dari musuh politik mereka. Cuba bayangkan keadaan politik hari ini JIKA Anwar hanya dipecat dari Umno. Adakah akan wujud PKR hari ini jika Rahim Nor tidak memukul Anwar dalam lokap? Saya rasa Anwar akan hilang dalam prasada politik tanahair begitu sahaja jika manusia-manusia di atas tidak melakukan kesilapan mereka. Akibat tindak-tanduk manusia-manusia di atas, apa sahaja fitnah dilemparkan terhadap Umno hari ini, rakyat akan percaya. Tuduhan rasuah, hatta membunuh sekali pun, rakyat akan percaya. Tidak benar Umno menjadi lemah kerana Najib, Pak Lah atau pemimpin tidak turun padang atau berkereta mewah. Tetapi manusia-manusia di atas sebenarnya yang merosakkan Umno dan merosakkan nama baik malaysia.
Just because of the Bagan Pinang by election, the army has been more or less became a ping pong ball. All sort of accusation undermining the soldiers ability in voting. The army as a whole is apolitical and do not take part in it but keep track of it's progress. Often they laugh at silly comments made by both sides of the political parties.
If we keep harping on the rigging of votes by the army, don't you think the higher ups in the army don't get annoyed. In the absense of concrete evidence, we should refrain from any accusation. If evidence are available, do it legally through the courts.
If the soldiers boys vote for umno or BN it is their perception on how well they are cared for. They are reasonably well paid and enjoy many perks. They have stable family life no matter how long they are away from home. There is always the camp administrators and the government looking after their welfare.
The army as a whole do not want to see instability and are worried of consequences for the nation and their livelihood. They want to be left alone and allowed to carry out their task without inteference nor undermining their trust.
The army has done well in their taks assigned to them both internal and internationally with UN forces and well trusted by U.N.
Don't we trust them locally in a simple process call "voting"
Yap
Kit Siang's rant the past 40 years has taken an almost scholarly tone lately; hence its seeming substance and cohesion. In reality Kit Siang a) nitpicks shamelessly b) rages c) lacks an honest take on issues like vernacular school system, segregation of our kids at schools, d)unable to articulate anything that is conciliatary, and accommodative without sounding strident, shrill. The Kit Siang Rage in the first 30 years was a voice in obscurity. The past 10 years, it became a genre perfected that marched triumphantly into the mainstream aided by the Subterfuge King - Anwar Ibrahim.
Wait a minute. These remain Rants. No more. I have One question for Din Merican and gang. Do you not agree that Umno has been functioning in the manner of massive safety net and has successfully maintained social cohesion and the next stage is really to bring most into the middle classes? And Umno-Bn has not done too badly and yes there are quantities of self-esteem in our collective soul? Thank you.
Sakmongkol, sharing with you a portion of an article written. What is your take on the matter ?
Have you asked yourself, did UMNO choose him on merit, or did UMNO choose him due to pressure?
Was it because the Negeri Sembilan's UMNO grassroots wanted him that badly, or Isa himself wanted the seat so badly that he asked his grassroots to pressure for it?
If Isa said something like this to the grassroots: "I'm a semi-retired man. Let's nominate someone else and give them a chance, I'll fully support whoever you choose," to his supporters, do you think his supporters would not have nominated someone else if they were given a green light?
How many UMNO people in Bagan Pinang has a personal agenda (vying for contracts, powers or money) by supporting Isa's candidacy? Was Isa nominated because he was the best guy for Bagan Pinang or he was the best guy for his supporters to get back on the gravy train? Was it about you, the normal citizens of Bagan Pinang, or was it about them?
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