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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Foreign lesson (1) - cool clear-cut democracy from Oz

Today Malcolm Turnbull became the 29th PM of Australia, replacing Tony Abbot in a Liberal Party spill of leaders (voting for party leadership).


an ardent republican

if he remains as PM after the coming general elections, it's likely the Australian Republican Movement may be more confident of a fairer plebiscite or even referendum to become a republic, unlike what it went through during the Howard years

In this, Australia shows Malaysia how a PM can be changed by the ruling party even within a coalition* between general elections.

* Note: Australia ruling coalition is made up of the Liberal Party and National Party

Yesterday in a party spill, Tony Abbot could only secure 44 of his party leadership votes while Malcolm Turnbull won 54 to become the new party leader and consequently the nation's new PM. He has already been sworn in today by the Australian Governor-General (Queen's representative in Australia) as the 29th PM.


like his hero John Howard, an ardent monarchist
Abbot even introduced the British royal awards system of knighthoods, flabbergasting the Australian nation

There was no (god forbid) coopting of the opposition Labor Party members to participate in a moronic Malaysian model of a two-party no confidence vote against PM Abbot in parliament.

The change of PM did NOT require a majority vote in parliament, but only in the ruling party or biggest party within the ruling coalition. The ruling coalition continues to rule regardless of which of its leaders became PM.

That's how democracy works.

And in another lesson for Malaysia or a former Malaysian PM, this time by Tony Abbot who said in his final address as the outgoing PM:

"This is not an easy day for many people in this building. Leadership changes are never easy for our country."

"My pledge today is to make this change as easy as I can."

"There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping. I've never leaked or backgrounded against anyone. And I certainly won't start now."

Amin!

15 comments:

  1. Foreign lesson (2) - cool clear-cut democracy from Oz.

    Malcolm Turnbull, Julie Bishop , whoever else may well have carried out discussions, plotting and negotiations in secret on strategy what/when/how to bring down Tony Abbot as Prime Minister.

    Various Australian press publications have been highly critical of Tony Abbot's performance and conduct as Prime Minister.

    There were no moronic police investigations into "activities to topple the Australian government".
    No idiotic police hauling up anybody for interrogation for "activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy"
    No attempt to shut down or suspend any of the newspapers hostile to the Prime Minister. Any such attempt would be illegal anyway in Australia.

    No attempt to block websites or blogs hostile to the Tony Abbot government.
    Illegal in Australia, and actually illegal in Malaysia as well (Multimedia Bill of Guarantees)

    Malcolm Turnbull had been openly critical of Tony Abbot. No attempt was made to kick him out of the Liberal Party.

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  2. In Australia,they do not have to hire a mercenary blogger from UK and pay her through the noses to bring down the PM.They do not have to have cronies spending 2 million buying stolen documents to bring down the PM.Because after all these dirty tactics have been employed and done,the PM is still left standing solidly like a fortress and soon duty bound for a worldwide tour.Hehehe.

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    1. You sure or not. You couldn't even find Australia on a map ley. Hehehe.

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  3. In Australia they do not have to hire a mercenary blogger from Australia and pay him through the nose to defend the PM.

    They do not have to have deploy the full force of the Multi-Billion dollar Police Force, as well as replace the Attorney General and sack senior officers in other government investigative bodies in order to ensure the PM remains in office.

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  4. Four disposable PMs in just over 2 years? The frequent internal party revolution is going to cause deep division in the administration of the country. It is bad for the country. Those thinking of ausie-ing better think carefully. It's down-under crazy.

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    1. don't think so - it's democracy at its best, one where the majority of its people don't entertain the political divisiveness and religious-driven agenda of the USA

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    2. My take is that the word democracy has been drained of its meaning by overuse and ubiquity. In this Oz scenario – I am quite stirred to see internal democracy being jumbled-sale as a strategy of creating or grabbing power rather than the art of checking and balancing of power. It appears to me that all Malcolm Turnbull needs is a coterie/political gang/drinking associates. That’s too easy…mate.

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    3. that's a grossly unfair criticism against Malcolm Turnbull. He is very respected and politically a centrist with a genuine liberal record, a former banker and successful business who Australia now needs in her economic downturn.

      Abbot is nothing more than a right winger who had capitalised successfully and profited from a right wing backlash in Australia to left wing excesses by some cabinet members of the former Labor government, Abbot has also exploited the fears of most Australians against boat refugees and Islamic militants. He has also been accused of attempting to further exploit the jingoism of a "khaki elections" (heard of this term before?) by sending the RAAF strike fighters to join teh Yanks in teh Middle East/

      Frankly, Abbot was lost amidst the economic problems Australia is currently facing. That's why he has been sent to the backbench so Turnbull can be PM to set good economic policies to invigorate Australia's fortune.

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    4. 1st para - "business' should be read as 'businessman'

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    5. Sounds like you have oz-ied?… wakakaka.

      No mate... I have not heard about ‘khaki elections’. I will take your feedback positively. Let’s see whether Malcom Turnbull will make Australia a republic? Cheers…

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  5. The mindsets of Mat Sallehs and us Asians operate on different principles.

    Firing leaders (just like a common employee) is considered as one of the
    decadent Western values, along with liberalism, free press, street demos,
    accountability .....

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    1. because in the end the "leaders" are none other than servants of the public, not their maharaja or tengku bendahara or lordship

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    2. Precisely. "Servants of the public" is a concept sort of alien to people in this region who are still molded in the concept of maharaja/tengku-bendahara/lordship. (Aren't the leaders for all intents and purposes just that except for the labels?) They are servants only on election day.

      "I have to teach him that politicians are not called the political masters and him the government servant for nothing....We, politicians, have been elected by the people and we are not the government's servants."

      ---- Nazri Aziz (when berating ACA head Nordin, 9Dec 2003)

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  6. abbott said this as well "more polls and more commentary than ever before", "sour, bitter, character assassination", "And a febrile media culture has developed that rewards treachery,", "And if there's one piece of advice I can give to the media, it's this: refuse to print self-serving claims that the person making them won't put his or her name to. Refuse to connive at dishonour by acting as the assassin's knife."

    u selectively pick what suit u? tis abbott seem to blame everyone except himself, n how u know 3 years from now "There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping. I've never leaked or backgrounded against anyone. And I certainly won't start now."? crystal ball ada?

    next time use a better illustration to lecture us la, btw, it seem only under yr najib, we chinese (aussie n sporean is not chinese anyway) always have this bathe with chinese blood n anti chinese rally thingy. australia democracy oso the same ka?

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    1. "bathed with Chinese blood"?

      Guess which naughty Education Minister started the Chinese Shaolin revolt leading to Ops Lalang, because of his education policy seen to be discriminating and disadvantageous to vernacular education? wakakaka

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