Friday, March 09, 2018

Clinging to a BERSIH reputation long lost

MM Online - Maria Chin’s disappointing timidity by Boo Su-Lyn (extracts):


MARCH 9 — I wanted to rejoice when I heard that Maria Chin had decided to run for office.

But her statement about offering herself as an ”independent candidate to Pakatan Harapan (PH)“ in the 14th general elections was confusing.

If Maria, who has resigned as head of Bersih 2.0 to join politics, wants the freedom to have her own position on various issues, then she should contest as a true independent and run against both PH and BN. Rather than to run on a PH ticket without joining one of its component parties.

Why should any political party give up a seat? In the unlikely event that any PH party gives Maria a parliamentary seat, they will probably try to persuade her to join formally after the election.

If Maria generally agrees with PH policies, then there is no reason why she shouldn’t join one of its component parties.

There is nothing wrong with joining a political party if you support its ideology. Politics shouldn’t be seen as “dirty.”

KT note: Well said, Su-Lyn, though I must admit for a moment I did wonder whether Waythamoorthy who must be feeling bloody slighted by Pakatan's preferential treatment for newcomer Maria Chin had campur tangan in your fine article, wakakaka. Sorry, Waytha.


a man already with a party but still loses out to lonesome Maria Chin

Su-Lyn continues:

It is also a pity that PH is led by a 93-year-old autocrat and upholds the same race-based politics that DAP and PKR condemned once upon a time.
So I understand why Maria is reluctant to formally join a PH party but she can’t have her cake and eat it too.

Either she joins a party that best aligns with her personal ideology (and try to change party culture from within to give elected representatives more freedom), or she stands on her own ticket as an independent. I wish that she would have the courage to do the latter.

KT note: I reckon that just Maria's pride and her erroneous belief she can still retain the aura of an independent non-aligned BERSIH Chairperson. Su-Lyn, you've hit the bulls-eye when you believed Maria Chin wants to have her cake and eat it too.

That' her, Maria Chin Abdullah who while as Chair of BERSIH was being pro Pakatan.

Running as an independent against PH and BN might also help counter the perception, which solidified when Maria announced that she wanted to run for office on a PH ticket, that Bersih 2.0 is pro-opposition.

Her announcement, so close to GE14, made me question if Bersih 2.0’s fight against the redelineation exercise was genuine or in the interest of PH.

Despite the many real concerns of racist gerrymandering, the redelineation exercise is long overdue since the last time constituency boundaries were redrawn was in 2003 for the peninsula and Sabah, 2005 for Sarawak. Redelineation must be done within eight years of the last review, according to the Federal Constitution.

But perhaps the biggest civil rights movement in Malaysia does not care about being labelled pro-opposition (because it has decided to openly stump for PH), in which case, Bersih 2.0 should find another cause to fight for.

It is fine to endorse the Opposition, but Bersih 2.0 cannot then fight for electoral reform because the very nature of elections is so closely intertwined with political parties that it requires neutrality, compared to issues like gender equality or climate change that aren’t directly linked to political players.

In short, Maria Chin has failed BERSIH badly. I wish I know what she was thinking all along.


15 comments:

  1. yr sheer hatred towards mahathir n maria do not amaze me.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. wakakaka, I don't hate anyone but I admit I dislike Mahathir for his hypocritical volte-face inasmuch as I now dislike LKS for same. As for Maria, she is just a lost soul who has wittingly or unwittingly destroyed the impartial reputation of BERSIH - I don't hate but I look down on her

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    2. If what u have written about them were/r not flow out of hate, then WHY the relentless efforts in running them down!

      U REALLY r giving hatred a new meaning le. But semantic plays CAN'T hide true feeling lah, didn't yr sifu teach u that?

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    3. selection & maintenance of AIM, wakakaka, followed by reinforcements of my views

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    4. Look down on her ?
      Maria Chin has shown more courage and sacrificed more for the cause of freedom and democracy in Malaysia than Ktemoc can in two lifetimes. Make that three lifetimes.

      It us Ktemoc, in his collusion with Kleptocracy , who is to be looked down upon.

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    5. Why is Boo Su-Lyn attacking objections raised by Bersih against the delineation exercise ?

      The right for the public to raise objections to Constituency delineations are enshrined in the Constitution.

      The EC is bulldozing through the exercise to meet Malaysian Official 1's artificial deadline that they be executed before the coming General Elections.

      The Malaysian Constitution says the EC SHALL hold public hearings on objections in each constituency, which they are not doing so.

      Delete
  2. U banyak pandai lah - searching high & low for articles/news reports/opinions that fit gnam2 into yr scheme of thing.

    Whether it's about mamak lah, Maria lah, lks/lge lah, as long as the pieces r negative to yr targets, u jump into it & quote them, together with yr little running commentaries.

    Those pieces that r positive about yr targets, u r silence as if they never existed.

    So r u playing bipartisan just like yr sifu?

    The episode about The Australian/Alex Turnbull teaches u nothing ke?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am NOT bipartisan, I am in fact very partisan towards DAP. But that does not mean I automatically support every DAP or Pakatan clown. On the same token I am not automatically against everyone in BN. I have often said I supported Saifuddin Abdullah when he was still in UMNO and Zaid too. Now both are in Pakatan.

      But it's my individual right to support X, Y or Z. The only party I support is DAP though I don't support people like LKS or TP

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    2. No biparyibip? Wakakakaka…… soliloquying to yrself ke?

      Remember 1MDB, pinklips, mom etc etc. Those that r closed to yr heart(??) u keep silence & find excuses after excuses.

      Meanwhile, ANYTHING to do with yr pet hatred u jump in like finding new love!

      If this is not bipartisan then partisan is really a bastard to yr thinking le!

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  3. She was misquoted lah. Me think what she meant is standing as an independent on one of safe PH seat and without any PH candidate, since she has contributed much towards Pakatan win in the previous elections.

    She's asking for payback, you don't know, ah?

    Where got free lunch in this world?

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    Replies
    1. so she was already NOT impartial

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    2. Meaning she has done the hard work, Bersih is no longer viable for her continuing sustenance, and now she demands for a 'safe seat' as dedak?

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  4. "If Maria, who has resigned as head of Bersih 2.0 to join politics, wants the freedom to have her own position on various issues, then she should contest as a true independent" - u mean do like what pas do?

    "It is also a pity that PH is led by a 93-year-old autocrat and upholds the same race-based politics that DAP and PKR condemned once upon a time." - dap use to work with 46 n pas, what pity r u talking abt? u sound like that little boy that perceive lks a hero.

    "Her announcement, so close to GE14, made me question if Bersih 2.0’s fight against the redelineation exercise was genuine or in the interest of PH." - whats wrong if fairness is in the interest of ph? aiyo, how old r u?

    "But perhaps the biggest civil rights movement in Malaysia does not care about being labelled pro-opposition (because it has decided to openly stump for PH), in which case, Bersih 2.0 should find another cause to fight for." - baseless accusation, lack logic n rational argument, add in word like "perhaps" doesn't mean u not lack intelligence.

    in short, a stupid article.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A very typical wordplay lah by a hired pen!

      Not bipartisan mah. Wakakakaka…

      Delete
  5. Nobody is free of political or some other bias, even though their position or profession demands impartiality, and Maria did the honourable thing by resigning as Chairman of Bersih 2.0 before she going into politics.

    Whilst a judge in a case may personally believe that the accused is guilty of an offence, he or she must live up to his or her duty to weigh the evidence impartially and come to a judgement in a just and fair manner.

    Likewise a defendant's lawyer may believe that his or her client is guilty as hell but must do his or her utmost to get the defendant off the hook.

    As for Maria wanting to run under a Pakatan ticket, rather than as an independent, well I learned from my years in journalism, writing articles about the ICT scene, that you are in demand amongst the industry as long as you have a publication behind you but once you go freelance, with no publication behind you, you immediately become and nobody.

    So if Maria were to run as an independent, she would not have the same appeal to voters compared to if she is part of or under the umbrella of a party which is likely to have a share in the power if the pact it is a part of wins.

    That said, I never thought that Bersih 2.0. 3.0. 4.0 and 5.0, were truly impartial but instead were mostly pro-Pakatan in their statements and actions, and it's the same with most NGOs, which lean towards one side or another of the political divide.

    Ditto for media, which ideally should be an impartial observer and public messenger, according to professional ethics and practice, but in practice lean to one or another side behind a facade of impartiality.

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