General election very soon

DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng commented that the 2008 Budget points to elections.

Yawnnn ...

Mr Lim, please read my postings for 26 July, KTemoc predicts November General Election, and 01 August, November General Elections - More Indications.

I had also posted a letter to malaysiakini which was published as September orgy of celebrations, polls in November, on 31 July – the letter was basically a brief (and more couth) version of my 26 July posting.

Additionally, I disputed Star’s Wong Chun Wai’s argument against the likelihood of an election in November. He wrote that PM “Abdullah has two important dates on his diary. First is the Asean Summit in Singapore, where his presence is regarded as crucial, as the Asean leaders deliberate over adopting the Asean Charter."

"Equally important for Pak Lah is the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda, to be held around the same time as Malaysia lobbies for the election of Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim to be the secretary-general, which would make him the first Malaysian to hold the post."

In my 26 July posting, I riposted that:

"As the Asean Summit, there has been precedence when Thai PM Thaksin didn’t attend one in 2005. If the Summit is at the end of November, then it’s gnam gnam (fitting nicely), with the leaders offering their congratulations to our PM. If at beginning of month, mou man tai (no problem)."

"The Commonwealth Head of States meeting is not important enough and AAB or even Najib could send a representative. In years, the Commonwealth has been losing its status in the eyes of some Asian-African nations. So I don’t see that as a hindrance for a November general election."

Then I revealed in the midst of that posting as a kaytee’s BREAKING NEWS that blogger The Malaysian posted Rais Yatim Withdraws From Commonwealth Sec-Gen Race. I Wonder Why. Indeed, many other bloggers asked why - well, it’s obvious, given the context of events and predictions.

To lend further credibility to kaytee’s prediction of a November general election, BN secretary general Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad sent a letter, directing BN elected representatives and senators to update their bio-data with the coalition headquarters by June 21.

According to BN sources, an updated bio-data of candidates (and potential candidates) would be usually required at least three months prior to a general election. This would allow AAB, the BN chairperson, and the police to scrutinize the background of candidates, in particular those who have generated controversy.

The budget, as I a layperson see it, is a mix of incentives to boost the economy and to ameliorate the financial burden of the less well-to-do. It details a reduction in corporate tax, a home-financing scheme to ease the burden of home ownership through monthly deductions through the EPF, reduction in stamp duties, removing school fees, reduced costs for textbooks and school uniforms, etc.

It also provides RM6 billion to fight crime and increase which is principally a PR allocation to mitigate public anger at the government's mishandling of public safety and poor governance.

Then it avoids taxing more on alcohol and tobacco, and also avoids introducing the GST (which will affect mainly the poor).

I welcome the budget though I would like to argue against two:

(1) While popular with smokers, in the longer run, not taxing tobacco should impose heavily on our health system – in many ways, cigarettes are a greater danger than heroin or other drugs, because it kills not only smokers but innocent passive smokers (children) gradually and in a terrible way.

Thanks to the well-funded propaganda of the mainly western tobacco companies (those merchants of death) and the greed of local politicians, cigarettes have escaped being labelled as a dangerous drug, an insidious dadah (prohibited addictive drugs).

(2) The RM6 billion for the police force would come to nought if the IGP and many senior useless police officers aren’t made to leave, to allow a fresh corps of younger officers (preferably under the scrutiny of the now-unlikely IPCMC) to cleanse the rot within the RMP.

Anyway, expect a general election in November. I posted on 26 July that I reckoned “the general election will be in mid or late November when the schools close on 16 November. Maybe the election will be held on 18th or 25th November, both being Sundays where empty schools may serve as polling stations and teachers as extra recruited EC staff for the election.”