Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Mean-spirited Malaysians

There’s a lamentable mean-spiritedness in Malaysian politics, proving in more than one way that:

(a) we aren’t quite ready for a two-party political system,

(b) some politicians don’t consider all citizens of this country (including their own supporters and political opponents) as fellow Malaysians, and

(c) political attacks are often ad hominem rather than directed at the policies, governance and conduct of the other side.

The BN side

Of course we are familiar with the BN's denial of oil royalties to then PAS-ruled Terengganu and now PAS-ruled Kelantan. The States’ right to oil royalties has been enshrined as a legal Federal-State contract but the BN government has arrogantly ignored that, and is spitefully frustrating the PAS State government (then and now) in a disgraceful mean-spirited manner.

We have also read with disgust how the current federal government is channelling financial allocations for maintaining Penang’s heritage listings through Khazanah Nasional rather than the Pakatan government in Penang.

Just WTF has the investment holding arm of the government, roled as its strategic investor in new industries and markets, got to do with maintenance of the heritage buildings etc? Logic tells us that the State government should be responsible for the job, and thus the correct recipient of the funds.

Again, nothing more than BN's spite and mean-spiritedness, and a total disregard for logical and proper process.

We know that while BN MPs and ADUNs have received financial allocations for work in their respective constituencies, the non-BN MPs and ADUNs (in BN controlled States) are denied theirs.

The irony is there are actually BN supporters in those electorates represented by non-BN MPs and ADUNs. Such is the BN's spite that they would punish their own supporters as well. Perhaps those BN supporters should wake up and rethink who they ought to support the next time around.

The Pakatan side

Well, there’s that infamous DAP function where some of those DAP people stepped on the photos/posters of the Perak frogs as they entered the venue. Totally unpleasant, and I’m glad Lim GE took avoiding steps.


PAS of course has been known to issue a couple of death (or tummy upset) curses wakakaka at their opponents in the BN - c'mon lah, Pak Haji!

Today I have been disappointed to read in Malaysiakini the headlines Rosmah to lose Unisel chancellor post which states:

Calls for first lady Rosmah Mansor to be removed as Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel) chancellor are again making rounds, this time, by PKR politicians on micro-blogging site Twitter.

In a Twitter posting by PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim has agreed to Rosmah's removal in a month's time.

"Students urged the MB to remove Datin Rosmah (right) as Unisel chancellor.

"MB agreed and will announce in one month. Thunderous applause," read Azmin's posting.

Azmin's posting was referring to a gathering of 300 students from various universities with Azmin, Khalid and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.


This is really pathetic, shamelessly partisan and totally mean-spirited.

She was invited by the previous Selangor government so why not let her term as Chancellor finish off without re-inviting her?

Why make such a spiteful announcement? It’s pathetic, pitiful, petty and utterly childish. Don’t Azmin Ali and other PKR leaders have more important things to do, like running Selangor State, than to dabble around with such masturbatory indulgences?

The argument that she should go because she is surrounded by controversies is not only too partisan but unsubstantiated.

We only have RPK’s word that she was allegedly at the scene of Altantuyaa Shariibuu’s last moments to personally ‘supervise’ the demolition of the late model’s corpse – which without any shred of evidence other than RPK's 'I have been reliably informed ...' has been, in my opinion, an incredulous preposterous allegation.

There was also an argument that her Masters degree wasn’t good enough – really, this is such a pathetic shabby argument.

OK, I know PKR is deliberately being vocal about Rosmah as part of their tactic to mitigate the Sodomy II fallout, by ratcheting up the anti-Najib campaign, but PKR should have remained on high moral grounds rather than ….. sorry, I keep forgetting they and UMNO are from the same stock … where spiteful pettiness and mean-spiritedness are their stock-in-trade.

I hope DAP will never descend to such petty bickering.

15 comments:

  1. Now you see this Sri Lankan President has thrown the candidate who ran against him in the recent presidential elections in jail and has cooly dissolved Parliament and called for General Elections.

    I think that in the interest of good governance it should be mandatory that elections can only be held once in five years and this discretion given to the ruling party to call for election when it feels that the waters favour them should be removed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "... they [PKR] and UMNO are of the same stock … where spiteful pettiness and mean-spiritedness are their stock-in-trade."

    Adoi! Naughty aren't you, KT, draining all the water from the pool when some people are swimming in the nude. But then again, it's not as if that's any secret at all.

    Tra-La-La

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ktemoc, your blog will be among the first I read daily. It was a very long time since I read your non-partisan comments. God Bless You!

    I use to admire your writings becaue of your non-partisan but nowadays you more to one side writings. Anyway, the truth will prevail as the Lord knows what is truth!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The meanness (you said it, not me) is entrenched in our politicians since time immemorial.
    To me it's smart politics. Seize the opportunity to entrench yourselves while in power.
    I love yuur last sentence KT.
    What has Guan Eng been doing in Penang??.
    He is being chauvinistic. The Malay petty traders are rioting because of his discriminatory practices.
    Even among his PKR cahoots, there are rumblings of dissatisfaction.
    Just tasted power and becoming Litle Napoleon.
    I agree with Selvam JB on your being partisan now.
    I used to like reading your blog.
    But lately you are becoming the standard-bearer of the DAP.
    Your biasness shines through.
    Also you are beginning to champion the nowhere man al-juburi.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you feel I'm biased, then maybe you ought to re-read what I have written in my post wakakaka!

    By the way, showing a preference for a political party doesn't necessarily mean one is biased. The meaning of 'bias for' is not quite the same as 'prefer'

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  6. KT
    Respect your preference for DAP.
    Knew it from day one.
    I am waiting for you to admit it.
    My preference is of course BN.
    Now we are even steven.
    P.S. I always prefer DAP as opposition to act as check and balance rather than being the ruling party.
    Say what you like about MCA and Gerakan, they have a certain classness and subtlety when it comes to racial and religious issue.

    ReplyDelete
  7. getting castrated == classness

    hahahahahahahaha

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  8. What has LGE done in Penang? Interesting question.

    Why don't you also ask what has KTK done in Penang, for the past 18years? what has MCA done, what has UMNO done, What has MIC done????? or what has BN done to this country, for the past 50 years???

    What happen to our judiciary, why sodomy II? What about corruption, one-sided race-based policies???
    I guess all these mean nothing to you Ding-a-ling.

    For your info, illegal traders, whether petty or Malay, is still illegal!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The problem with PKR is that most of their politicians originated from UMNO.

    DAP is a little too Chinese-centric for my tastes though.

    ReplyDelete
  10. which non Indian-based party has so many Indian leaders, and not just now but since its inception - starting with founder Devan Nair to Patto to Peter Dason to Karpal Singh (chairperson) to his sons Gobind Deo & ?, Perak speaker Siva, Kula, Dr Rama (Penang DCM), Dr Xavier, Sivanesam, Manogaran, Charles Santiago, John Fernandez, Gunasegaran etc etc

    The party with Indians and which is not Chinese-centric is MIC wakakaka

    Chinese-centric? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bro

    Sorry to digress.

    Breaking News!! Stop Press!!

    Just heard on NTV7 8 p.m. news. Scorpene Sub having some “difficulties.” Admiral says KD Tunku Abdul Rahman still under warranty and Navy is trying “to work things out with supplier!!”

    Defence Minister Zaid Hamidi claims it’s not true (just as he said that UMNO lawyer in PPasir was not disbarred or has 2 wives) KD TAB is having problems submerging!!

    A $1 billion submarine that can only float? Might as well have bought a barrage of sampans!

    Can we claim back some of that “not a commission” $540 million paid to a certain Havoxbridge Don acquited of murder and not appealed by the DPP?

    Kong Hee Fatt Choy to all!

    dpp
    We are all of 1 race, the Human Race

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anon 4.14pm
    Who is talking about illegal traders.
    The earlier posting was about Malay petty traders being discriminated against by LGE.
    Read THE STAR today.
    Talking about illegal traders, there are many Chinese illegal traders.
    Hate to say it, but Chinese more often than not, like to break laws.
    Like people say tak makan saman.
    Above the law lar.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anon 9.14, why are you barking at the wrong tree? go ask the Penang local council why those illegal petty traders not allowed to do business. There is no such thing as race here, illegal means illegal lah! Don't be a racist!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Okay, probably a more grammatically correct word would be sino-centric, though I'm referring to the Chinese people, not China, the country. :)

    Will respond to the rest of your comment via a blog post. Yes, it requires thought and a lot more space.

    ReplyDelete