Saturday 22 March 2014

On Political Platforms in the Kajang by-Election. Manifesto vs MONEYfesto.



Last night, I attended the launching of Reformasi 2 at Kajang stadium. The stadium was filled to the brim. It was a huge crowd. As usual this morning, after waking up with arithmetitis, mainstream media will downplay the size of the huge crowd. Maybe 232 attnded. 
There were so many speakers. So we end up mostly making rallying calls. The political platform has been explained widely throughout  the campaign period. 
That Wan Azizah shall go on to win this by-election is just a formality. The question is how big will her majority be.
How big will depend on the voter turnout. I believe the voter turnout will not be as large as it was during the general election last May 2013. Be that as it may, Wan Azizah’s majority will be bigger than that one obtained by CC Lee.
The non-Malays will come out in big numbers to vote Wan Azizah. They are motivated by one reason only. The UMNO people can challenge them to explain their conduct and ask once again what do the Chinese want- that will be an irrelevant question. The question will be simply ignored. The basic desire and motivation is just to see BN get its butt kicked. They don’t like BN and its a subjective choice. Nothing much to explain.
Malays on the other hand  complicate their own decision making and will be motivated by multiple considerations. They face a tougher decision but their difficulty is caused by mixed emotions. The Malays who did not vote Pakatan the last time because they didn’t want to vote a CC Lee will  come out to vote this time. They will vote Wan Azizah. 
That will only reduce the votes which could have gone to Miss CM Fun. its the UMNO Malays who will stay back. It’s not because they are disloyal to UMNO, but because they have been conditioned into thinking in terms of Malayness- so they will not come out to vote for Miss CM Fun. The will stay loyal to UMNO but they will not vote for Miss Fun. how is CC Lee different from Chew Mei Fun? 
Can Miss CM Fun read the customary Al Fatihah when visiting a deceased relative? Wan Azizah at least can.
So Wan Azizah will enjoy a larger sweep of Malay votes this time. Miss Fun will suffer because the UMNO Malays stay back and if they come out this Sunday, some of them will vote for Wan Azizah.
Now let’s distil the issues in this Kajang election.
Mahathir and Daim is not the platform.
What is Pakatan’s platform?  Now a platform is the public pronouncements of what the party intends to do economically and politically. it’s an articulation of their views on the various issues in the country- social and economics issues, its views on the country’s management, its attitude to the ruling government, and more important generally, it represents its commitment to bring about the desired changes that it thinks are of benefit to the country.
So, the Pakatan platform isn’t about being obsessed with Daim Zainudin or Dr Mahathir. One important element of the platform is an attack against corruption and cronyism that is practised by UMNO. I have attended 2 ceramahs with Anwar Ibrahim who mentioned the names of the two retirees.  As to Dr Mahathir, who can say he has ever retired?
I would not conclude by the mention of the two names, that Anwar is obsessed with the two. But the names of the two were used for dramatic effects to accentuate the issue of corruption and cronyism.  And it worked because it drove the crowds into a frenzy. Daim Zainudin and Mahathir’s name are marketable.
As to the frequency by which Anwar mentioned the two names- I am told in his other ceramahs he also mention the two names- we can’t blame Anwar if he believes the two played a significant role for the condition that he has faced and is facing.
I am not going to rush in and proclaim Anwar is a saint but in UMNO where everyone is tainted with something and everything, and certainly moral deficiencies being one of them, the vehemence, venom and vindictiveness which UMNO leaders meted out to Anwar by legal and extra legal means- are almost inhuman. Anwar’s obsession with the two is excusable.
The two are considered as the principal architects with Dr M being the chief architect.  As to Anwar’s obsession with Daim, I think it’s more personal.
I have had the opportunity to sit in with Daim on a number of occasions and I must openly admit that needling Anwar was rare other than making bawdy jokes about Anwar. Maybe they have some private politics between them, I don’t know.
The platform PKR in particular offers to the people of Kajang is therefore made up of issues such as corruption and cronyism, the mismanagement of the economy, the lack of direction by which the nation is travelling, the weakness of the government in tackling community issues, the ineptness of the government in handling crime, the rising cost of living, the arrogance of those in power and of course the injustice inflicted on Anwar and his family.
The people of Kajang ought to carry the anger which they associate with the BN government to the ballot boxes this 23rd March 2014. They should vote with their heads but don’t disallow the human emotions. Lets deal another death blow to BN and prove that Miss CM Fun is just a pawn whom Muhyidin finds attractive. 

19 comments:

  1. Yes umno bn money monefesto different from pakatan rakyat its Untok keadilan semua rakyat

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  2. Seriously you want the Malay in Kajang to vote for wan zizah because at least she can recite the the alfatihah when visiting deceased relative in Kajang as opposed to ms CM?

    I suppose next you will say to people of Kajang, stop thinking and just go sell satay, pasar malam and pasar Minggu and just let PR think for you. Such as Malay should vote wan zizah because she can recite alfatihah?

    thank you for thinking for us the rakyat and telling us what wan zizah can do as when she become the YB of Kajang rakyat

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  3. Dato,corruption and cronism makes Umno's day.The money splashed out by Umno/BN in buckets and containers this Kajang by-election are mostly all coming out of pockets of Umno cronies.Those so call Chinese,Malay and Indian billionaires known as butt lickers and smellers.

    It is a sure win for Wan Azizah.Now what everybody is waiting for is the winning majority.What Mei Fun and Umno/BN are hoping is that the winning majority is lower that the last election.They will be very happy and hugging and dancing in the lorongs if they lose less that in 2013.At least then they can show their faces in the wet markets.

    If Nurul were to stand in her mother's place,I am pretty sure that Mei Fun will lose her deposit.But then Azmin and Rafizi will be jumping up and down like crazy angry apes.Nurul as a future MB and Azmin's wet dreams are gone forever.

    After Kajang will come the PKR party elections.If they elect the wrong leaders,one sure thing Umno/BN will be very happy campers in Putrajaya for many more decades to come.

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  4. One thing I will never understand is how some UMNO Malays think. Even if the UMNO ship is sinking and life boats are made available, they will still remain in the ship and go down with it.
    Come on, what's wrong with going down in the ship that defends "bangsa, ugama dan negara".
    You drown as a martyr with 72 virgins waiting for them.

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  5. .. not just a pawn but also prawn that is otak kosong!

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  6. Well written, dato.
    I have been wondering why those certain NGOs are so quiet, how come they haven't come out to make trouble or make police reports? But I know they will be back at 'work' after the by-election and the plane crisis.

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  7. Chew Mei Fun was known to have unleased the fear of a repeat of May 13 on the people of PJ Utara when Tony Pua contested there the first time in 2008... she lost badly. But PJ Utara residents gave her credit for being the MP best in gotong royong attendance and keeping the drains unclogged.

    In 2008, after she lost, Azalina Othman, Minister of Tourism gave her a post as a director of one of the units in her ministry with a Proton Perdana and driver with a fat RM15,000 salary - for doing nothing...

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  8. PR has nothing to fear from the rakyat. The Chinese is all bent to kick out BN since UMNO runs BN. The Chinese also are happy with how the DAP runs Penang and PKR is not strong enough to keep the Chinese from becoming political masters later at federal level. Some Malays are already in DAP.

    The Malay on the other hand are well fed by the 72 virgin religious stories to ensure PAS would be around to break up Malay vote and keep UMNO in check.

    Really there is nothing to fear about PR not being able to go to Putrajaya. As long as PR keep drumming the message that UMNO are racist and non Malays has been abused and wronged all this time by the Malay UMNO, nothing will and can stop PR advance.

    The melayu kampung of UMNO has no political sophistication to keep the urbane PR from advancing. When we talked about 53% support level for PR, we really don't care about the kampung melayu of UMNO. UMNO sound like they care! but PR really don't care since the melayu kampung didn't support us in GE13. no more beating around the bush

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  9. Looks like MCA has changed their ways of politicking, less arrogance, less mockery of character & Pakatan Party assassination in the star paper. A bit more civilized and focused on facing the hard truths faced by the communities in Kajang, yet only Pakatan Rakyat's leadership has the seriousness, capabilities, freshness of new and sustainable aspirations to improve the lives of the people in Kajang - Rakyat didahulukan, time - tested.

    It is not about saving Anwar or Karpal, but rather ensuring that they are not politically persecuted seemingly or otherwise; democracy protects only the People and the voters' rights so that Rakyat's elected representatives are there to represent and protect their interests with the highest great courage and convictions in the Parliament through the full term. Are they now not being denied their rights ? That is precisely the question.

    Next, I apologize for saying mean thing : hampas to the elderly woman who claimed she had sighted the purportedly debris with her naked eyes ( ?? ) in the Star, without the use of any of the world’s most sophisticated to the state - of - the- art satellite cameras to infrared cameras and binoculars. Notwithstanding she is an elderly voter, she can’t let her perplexing claim and horrendous exaggerations escalate the mockery to our nation and the extremely extensive collaboration and expertise assistance extended to Malaysia and its people, by the nations in the search and rescue works.

    I sincerely hope she rests well and is happy daily without straying into all these.

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  10. PKR needs to start thinking of potential replacement for Anwar. In the next GE, Anwar is already above 70. Except for Mahathir and few others, politicians will normally retire when reaching 70. We can see today that Anwar no longer energetic as before. Azmin, Rafizi, Nurul Izzah may not have the charismatic leadership like Anwar.

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  11. Extract from a Sunday Herarld report in Malaysia Chronicle and this is how our Govt is perceived :

    Up to three separate Malaysian military radar stations missed the unidentified plane tracking across the country — to the west. No matter, Malaysia decided. Let’s keep the information an official secret for five days. Let’s spend a week supervising a multinational search of a sea — to the east.

    When leaks to the press began to contradict the official message, when relatives start throwing water bottles and exploding with grief, and when China — of all nations — started querying Malaysia’s approach, officials seemed to apply a bureaucratic dispassion best reserved for a misplaced shipping container.

    Calamities help define nations. Australians draw on mateship in the face of bushfires, for example. Americans bow to patriotism when confronted by terror. Those sentiments tend to flow without conscious effort. They don’t excise errors of judgment that can compound the size of the tragedy. But they do offer comfort in times of extreme need.

    And how did Malaysia perform in front of its own citizens and global watch?

    Full article: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=248872:malaysia-bumbled-from-the-outset-sunday-herald-sun&Itemid=2#ixzz2wk02wxRG
    Follow us: @MsiaChronicle on Twitter

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  12. my eyes almost popped out, what a scandalous name, Jibby & Co at Empire Subang, and its co - founder Najib..

    Sak, you must take your kakis there for drinks, not kidding.

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  13. Bruno,
    Like I say so in kaytee's blog, Nurul may even get a far reduced majority as compared to his mum. You want Mei Fun to lose her deposit. Just put Teresa Kok there I bet with RM10 that Mei Fun will lose his deposif if Teresa Kok were the Kajabg's candidate instead.
    You are right. Choose Azmin sure die. Anyway, with an anticipated reduced majority, I am sure many people would have their comment. Ktemoc would be extremely happy. He would blog on how PKR screw up.....Wanna bet!
    He has started with the dilemma of wan azizah.....Hahahaha

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  14. Looes 74,

    Wan Azizah's lesser majority is still good considering the low turnout.If Anwar were to stand,he would have gotten less than his boss,the PKR president.

    Like I said before,I really have no idea or can understand what that guy Rafizi was screaming about this stupid Kajang move.He thinks that he is smart,but actually this Rafizi is a stupid fool.He cannot understand the sentiments on the ground.He thinks the voters would follow him blindly,like the colony of mice following the piped piper.

    Nurul is an upcoming star in the political scene who can energized the base,not Rafizi nor Azmin.These two do not know how to use their brains to think before opening their mouths.Azmin only knows how to place his stooges as candidates in the GE 13and look how badly PKR did.

    It is good for the PR supporters and Malaysians alike if these two were to jump ship to Umno.Umno will gladly welcome these two with open arms like they do Ezam.

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  15. Looes,
    Maybe Nurul can do better than her mummy or maybe not.But Nurul can energized the base,something Azmin and Rafizi cannot.And also I think Anwar has lost much of his charm too.

    From the very start,I have said that I cannot understand about this stupid Kajang move that Rafizi was screaming and jumping up and down like an ape does.This Rafizi and his foolish antics of a strategy has bought the circus to sleepy Kajang town,famous only for it's satay.And now it's new famous circus clown too.

    PKR is begging for new talented leaders to take over.Khalid,Nurul and a few young good talented ones are just waiting to take over,if only Anwar would just willingly fade away.

    If this coming PKR election see's no changes with the same leadership,and the PKR will eventually self implode.

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  16. I think anwar would have gotten a better result should he be the candidate since many would like to see whether he can perform as the Kajang YB and perhaps go on to be the CM. But again what's the point of speculating about it. What's more important is for the.Kajang folks to be served better by the new YB compared to the previous YB.

    The reduced number of voters turn out and the reduced majority was simply because to some of the rakyat the by election wouldn't change anything for the Kajang constituent should the BN won. PR is still the government of state either way the result be.

    lets focus on assisting the new YB to deliver the job instead of washing PKR dirty linen all over again in the public

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  17. Umno says let the PKR people go at each others throat.We will be well behave and watch the wayang silat on the sidelines.We do not want to get involved in family quarrels among spouses.We respect their privacy.

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  18. Imagine, a constituency where there's a large portion of Chinese voters and still they reject MCA.

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  19. Ah Wah Selayang (017-2218183) said...”mca gombak”Yip Kum Fook and his groups (Two police, Yap Kok Hwee, Low Kok Meng and the others) came and rejected all the Buddhist monks at Buddhist Temple(Samnak Sambodhi), 19 Jalan 38 Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong...all monks must leave from Temple because Yip Kum Fook used police and Gangster to disturbed all the monks...Many people get angry with YIP KUM FOOK


    Now many Buddhist people don’t like MCA because of Yip Kum Fook created dirty for Buddhist and MCA. Hope MCA members and Buddhist people to careful of human like Yip Kum Fook, if you would like to know more information, please contact Ah Wah(Selayang)

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