Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email I wonder why the Pakatan coalition need to talk about on-going case like the Mongolian lady murder in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections. They need not be reminded that they are/were the ruling government in Kedah and Perak (up to February this year). So, they should produce their “report card” – What work has been done in last 11 months in the areas and state. List out all the success stories and all the work in progress, and the future plans. The voters can compare the report card of both coalitions and then evaluate the candidates. That would be mature politics for me. Not the name-callings, cheap instant noodle projects, and melodramatic action.
In the last two days, two Tamil schools received their funds as promised in the second stimulus package – one presented by Muhiyiddin (SJKT Sungai Tukang) and the other by Hishamuddin (SJKT Ladang Sungai Getah, RM210,000). While we won’t know if these two schools were “recent” additions to the list, its a good publicity move by BN. Regardless of voters’ choice, two schools have got funds for renovation and repair works. Ganesan knows there’s 7 more Tamil schools left. How nice if these schools (and also all other schools – religious, secondary, missionary – in dire need of repairs) get some funds.
If PR wins, Indians will have an EXCO seat. If BN wins, Indians may get more funding via federal government. Its a win-win situation on paper, because the BN fellow may not be more than a figurehead while the PR fellow will be a lone ranger in PAS-dominated. So, it may be a lose-lose situation in reality. So, how about the independents? Can they offer something new? They win – no EXCO post. They may join PPP/MIC/Gerakan and try get some leftovers from federal government.
I’m worried when one of the indepedents – Jayagopal (suspended PKR member?) said the following:
He said he was using his Employees Provident Fund savings and money set aside for his children’s education to finance his campaign.
That’s a big risk. If he loses, big problem. If he wins, would the financial strain impact future decision making? It will be a big temptation to make some side money to compensate the campaign cost. I’m not only referring to Jayagopal, but all the independent candidates. They’ve spent 8K for deposit. Let’s put a modest RM10k for the election campaign. If they lose big, RM18k gone down the drain – in the current economy, its going to be a big blow.
Last 50 years record of BN ruling Bukit Selambau may be used as a yardstick to evaluate current BN promises. Pain of 50 years is more than pain of 11 months of “failures” and “lost promises”. So, on that count, BN has a problem.
To counter that, PKR division leader for Jerai, Kalaivanar, resigned from the party, calling Anwar a “pharaoh”. He has about 500-strong supporters and according to radio news today, it seems he told Nanban reporter that his group will support BN. So, few hundred votes in the bag for BN. Kalai, who has few court cases related to cheating over his head, claimed that PKR (specifically Anwar) did not take into consideration the local Indians suggestions.
With the change of UMNO’s leadership, and possible the cabinet overhaul, BN is promising change. So do all the candidates. How would the voters judge? Can they throw aside past non-performances?
Bukit Selambau: An Urgent Call for Calm & Understanding, and Suggestions for a Way Forward
I’m writing this with deep concern over the Pakatan Rakyat’s prospects in the Selambau Election as well as for the future of the alternatif movement as well. Just over a month ago we were quite united, and so confident that BN could never win, even against goats & cows. Today the situation has changed dramatically, as the conflict that is apparently brewing within the AM over the choice of candidate for the Bukit Selambau by election threatens our chances there as well the achievement of our aspirations for Malaysia. I say apparently, because my only sources of information are news reports & blogs postings, some from the MSM, some from bloggers & journalists whose agendas I don’t know about. I have no way of verifying what is the real situation, & given the Standard Operating Procedures of our opponents in the past, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting to the TRUTH.
What I find especially distressing is the tone of the anger that has been directed at Hindraf & the PKR dissenters, in the comments & reports in our blogosphere. On page after page they have had so many insults, threats & stereotypes hurled at them, it is as if BN’s propaganda in the MSM & blogs designed to demonize, demoralize & discredit them has done its job. I don‘t doubt that most of our comments have been made with good intentions & end in mind, i.e. victory for PR, and were sparked by that sense of urgency & alarm that we all feel as the elections approach. Nevertheless, I cannot but feel that such a tone is unworthy of anyone who shares in the values that I believe PR stands for.
Have we forgotten the role that Hindraf played in making 8/3/08 possible? These are the people who, in their pain & desperation could do nothing else but put their bodies & their lives in the path of the FRU & their chemical cannons. True, dissatisfaction with BN had been growing for a long time, but for me, seeing the blood that they shed when they stood their ground & embraced the truncheon’s blows over & over again, deeply changed the way that I thought & felt about my country & myself. They led the way, they electrified us, even shamed us into action; but sadly, to this very day, they and their families still bleed for it. Some are locked away & forgotten; some prosecuted & persecuted. Many know now what it is to be without Father, Husband or Family. Some, ill, uncared for and forsaken, deteriorate day by day; and one, in exile, may never get to return home, not even to die. Then, there’s that deepest & most painful of wounds that they all bear: the subtle racism, overt ostracism & slur; a wound to which we can now safely say, we have rubbed in our own little “contribution” of salt. Whatever you or I may think about Hindraf or their apparent position on Bukit Selambau, let us agree that at the very least, we owe them our respect & gratitude.
I’ve organised the rest of my thoughts under 4 headings:
A. Our Current Situation
B. What’s really at stake here
C. Suggested Way Forward
D. Final Thoughts
A. Our Current Situation
On the face of it we have Hindraf & PKR grassroots leaders are unhappy with PKR leaders’ decision to nominate S. Manikumar as PKR candidate for Bukit Selambau. Both (Hindraf & PKR) had prepared shortlists of their preferred candidates but none were chosen. Their main reasons for this unhappiness seem to be:
? Disappointment at not being chosen themselves, as a “reward” for past hard work
? Manikumar’s youth, inexperience, lack of record and not being a local, being a “crony”
? Not being involved in the selection process
? Lack of transparency in the process
? Disagreement with process & selection criteria itself
? Perceived double standards in selection
? Possible issues with Manikumar’s allegedly fraudulent business dealings
? Perception of there having been backroom deals with V. Arumugam with the involvement of DSAI’s friends (one Datuk Ravi?)
Other longer standing grouses with PR may be:
? Lack of democracy in PKR & PKR Kedah, who have not held state-level elections since he joined in 2004
? Perception of having been deceived by false promises and lack of progress on various development issues e.g. land for schools, citizenship documents, social issues, business opportunities & training
? Perception of a lack of respect and appreciation
One thing I want to note here is these reasons, with the exception of the one regarding personal disappointment, are not racist (ala ketuanan UMNO/MCA/MIC) but actually speak to root issues of common concern.
As a result of this dissatisfaction:
? 3 ex PKR members are standing in Bukit Selambau as independents
? Hindraf is not supporting PKR’s campaign in Bukit Selambau
? PKR’s Jerai division has disbanded itself & Kalaivanar has thrown his support for BN
? Various commentators have condemned Hindraf & the PKR Kedah dissidents, with growing perception of Hindraf as an unworthy organisation with a agenda driven by racist or personal concerns
This conflict must be seen in the context of of PR’s growing list of problems & challenges (partly self inflicted, partly BN’s doing):
? Abortive takeover of Parliament & our perceived loss of the moral high ground
? Fall of Perak and PR’s subsequent tactical errors resulting in emotionally sensitive charges of derhaka and the attendant publicity
? Perception amongst rakyat (not just Hindraf) that PR has not been effective & efficient, that PRU 12 promises have not been kept
? Various scandals (real or engineered) surrounding PR personalities, accompanied by doubt’s about integrity of PR reps
? Lack of a coherent common vision accompanied by bouts of discord between & within PR component parties
Add to all that a perceived BN “resurgence” due to Mahathir’s return to a “united” UMNO, Samy Vellu’s “new mandate” at MIC, Najib’s repressive countermeasures and we may just be seeing the beginnings of a “perfect storm”.
B. What’s really at stake here
Superficially, at stake is the victory in Bukit Selambau as well as in Bukit Gantang & Batang Ai. However we must go below the surface, and acknowledge that even if we win all three, given the current situation as outlined above, this conflict within us will slow down the momentum of our movement, perhaps even allow BN to begin rolling back the clock to pre-PRU 12. To regain forward momentum, as well as to help build a strong foundation for our struggle, a careful consideration of the deeper root issues raised by this conflict is needed within PR. What’s really at stake here is our movement’s identity, vision, direction & indeed future viability. These issues, all which overlap with real Hindraf/PKR grouses identiified above, are:
? Vision & leadership
• What is our vision for all Malaysians?
• Is this vision a shared one? How do we create this consensus?
• What are our strategies & policies to achieve this vision?
? Values, Principles & Political Culture
• What are our values & principles?
• Are these values & principles practiced by our current leaders at all levels?
o Do we want feudal “warlords” as leaders who know everything & cannot be questioned & seem to seek personal interests? Are there old BN habits & paradigms that still infect us?
• Are we open, consultative, empowering, engaging & transparent?
• Do we play the politics of race, patronage, feudalism, cronyism & nepotism, backroom dealmaking, numbers, rewards for loyalty? In other words business as usual BN style?
• What is the true nature of the relationship between PR & rakyat?
? Delivery & execution
• How do we select & develop a truly representative cadre of leaders in such a way that no group feels left out?
• Do we select leaders by ability, or as a reward for loyalty? Do we place unfair standards of class, formal education or wealth?
• Is our leader selection process transparent, fair, where all have had a say in it and agreed the rules? Are there double standards?
• How have we delivered on our promises since 8/3/08? A lot was promised.
• Have we been fair & equitable or have we been busy fighting fires, living from crisis to crisis (some of our own making), & neglected to lead in the truest sense of the word?
• How do we work with marginalized groups who bear the brunt of BN’s failed policies? Takeovers of Parliament & long term political goals are all well & good but what do we do to ease their suffering here & now?
? Communication (most of the misunderstanding is really attributable to poor communication & engagement)
• How do we inform & educate stakeholders, understand & manage expectations, & get our message across?
• How do we work with multiple stakeholders, with common broad goals but diverse cultures & perspectives?
• How do we raise the level of political discourse beyond race & patronage?
• How do we work with the various groups who are at different levels of political maturity, thanks to our political monoculture of the last 50 years?
C. One Way Forward
The thing to do is to sit down together & share one’s thoughts & feelings openly. The main purpose of this meeting should be to find & develop a common vision, set of values, principles and goals that we truly share. When that is done, consider & address the dissatisfaction & disagreements that have been the cause.
I suggest that Tuan Guru Nik Aziz (probably the most respected leader in Malaysia) be the host or convenor. The leadership of both sides must come with open minds & most importantly open hearts. There can be no place for personal egos, posturing & rhetoric or trying to gain concessions ala BN’s old politics. All talks must be firmly based on mutual respect and objective truth that can be verified. If we only plaster over cracks by merely soothing tensions while ignoring the real issues, we are setting ourselves up for future disaster.
There will not be enough time to cover every detail, but there is enough to begin to repair the relationship. It may be too late to undo some mistakes if mistakes have been made. If both sides decide that we can work together, come out of that room together & share with all of Malaysia what you have just achieved. Make it crystal clear that no effort will be spared to achieve victory, make it plain that errors have acknowledged, bonds have been mended, wrongs have been set right and changes have been committed to. Then let us each do what we do best.
D. Final Thoughts
To PR: Most of Hindraf’s & PKR’s grouses seem to be real & most are based on one or more of the common issues stated above. Granted, 1 or 2 personalities seem to be pushing for personal gain & “reward”, but once the underlying grouses are addressed, those with personal interests in mind will be clearly identifiable & obvious to all. I disagree with Neil Khor & others who say that Hindraf has a “radical race based agenda” and I do not believe that there is any fundamental unbridgeable ideological difference between PR & Hindraf. With their leaders behind bars & the perception that we have forsaken them, what we are seeing is not a racial agenda ala UMNO/MCA/MIC but frustration over the issues raised, coupled with the vestiges of BN thinking & political paradigm. As I said before, old habits die hard. The right question to ask is how do we engage them? Let us start by acknowledging that some of us have been treating Hindraf as the Greeks treated Philoctetes, good enough to fight for us but not good enough to be in our company & to engage with fully. The day we start ignoring constitutents we will start becoming BN hoping to win based on a not BN USP. PR same as BN. However, under no circumstances must you compromise your non-sectarian agenda”.
To Hindraf & PKR dissidents: I won’t pretend that I understand the depth of your pain. But I will say this: the Chinese have a saying: “tong zhou gong ji” which means “when people are in the same boat, they should help each other”. Right now, except for the BNputras & their cronies, we are all in the same boat, and our boat is now leaking. If we do not help each other now, we will all sink together. So in this emergency with 8 days left it’s time to get our boat safely across. True, your community has been marginalized by BN and I won’t try to lessen or underestimate your suffering, but you must acknowledge that you are not the only one in pain. Poor Malays & orang asli still face conditions just as bad. I’m not asking you to sacrifice your principles or tolerate unfair dealing from anyone, PR included. Ask the tough questions and hold PR accountable for whatever they have promised. But at the same time be prepared to honestly reexamine Hindraf’s struggle. Do not be chained to old BN ways of thinking, and do not be afraid to think out of the box. Please take the opportunity to make your voice heard. The overwhelming perception out there is that some amongst you are seeking personal position or that you are only fighting for a narrow racist agenda. This is a golden opportunity to set the record straight. Supporting BN now will only harden & solidify the this negative perception.
Make no mistake, a vote for any of the independents or a even spoilt vote will be a vote for BN. It would be a real loss for all if people who have the same overall goals fail to work tohgether & hand victory to those who have been oppresing all of us these many years. And while you are considering your next course of action, do be aware of those in your midst whose may not have your best interests at heart.
May I also humbly remind you of Waythamoorthy’s words, that I believe ring so true today: “Many see Hindraf as an opportunity to gain leverage and dictate their own benefits. This is totally against our principles. Hindraf is you and me who are battling a war for better policies and governance for the Malaysian Indian as a society with equal and fair treatment as opposed to individual glamour and glory.”
To both PR & Hindraf: Don’t let BN exploit this division by spreading more lies & confusion. Their MSM & blogs have already begun. We only help BN more when the tone of our discourse deteriorate to the level of provocations, threats & insults. To see that happen will be BN’s ultimate victory.
Let me be very clear – I voted for PR not to see 1 BN replaced by another. I did not vote for PR for special treatment for myself, my family or my race. I did not vote for PR to be their crony. I voted for PR for an end to corruption, cronyism, imbalanced development, mismanagement of national resources, authoritarianism, intitutionalised & societal racism. But I want a government that is more than just a mere negation of BN or “the lesser of 2 evils”. I want a government that is responsive, tolerant, respects the rakyat, transparent, fair & equitable, that promotes individual freedom & human rights. I strongly believe that these are the common bonds that unite us. Let us show that we can overcome conflicts, rediscover what really holds us together & emerge victorious together.
Lest we lose hope in our struggle, let us remember that in politics, conflict among partners is common, due to the political culture that is dominant. We need a new political culture & after 50 years, old habits die hard. Ever since 8/3/08 we have had to undergo a steep learning curve, and we cannot expect too much in 1 year & must not delude ourselves that all our leaders are all angels who will know instinctively what we the rakyat want. It is up to all of us to ensure that our leaders know what we want & to keep them on the straight path.
Now, what can we do as individuals about this. Consider carefully what is right, then communicate it to your family, friends, leaders. Get involved, for our future, the future of our country is too important to be left to chance, to in the hands of politicians.
so far it seems…. based on the operations at the party centers and crowd gathering …. the result might favour PKR … keep it going …..
as for DrM’s campaign …. sorry lah …. even the older generation forgotten him … let alone younger guys… he should not be threat … in fact it will boost opposition …. as far as during our coffee shop talks … lay people still remember his racist remarks in his blog and during hindraf rally …etc . it’s good that DrM and SV come down for campaign 😛
Killi…keep dreaming on….It will be 3-0 to Najib….Nizar’s finished…as for Bkt Selambau Money Kumar has no chance at all, not after Anwar’s cronism has been so clearly exposed.
It is clear that PR doesn’t appreciate or want to help Indians, they just want their votes…Indians have been treated like a prostitute….If Indians have any self worth and maanam, they would not vote PR.
If you have been reading the alternative media, you would have noted now badly Hindraf and Indians been treated by PR supporters. What’s the different between UMNO’s “ketuanan Melayu” and Pakatan’s own “ketuanan Anwar ” ? The kind of comments made by PR supporters should have shown how low Indians are seen by these morons.
I am not suggesting hindraf should support BN but they should be apolitical. By throwing themselves at the feet of PR and Anwar, they have brought shame to the community.
Just look at Klang, despite having so many ADUNs, MPs and exco in the govt, the MPK keeps trying to destroy Indians’ heritage and culture. I wonder if our culture will live on after another 5 years at this rate in Selangor and Klang.
There was another temple was asked to be moved in Petaling Jaya due to “development”.
The worst is the Ettapans of PR who has forgotten they are Indians and now supporting Anwar and other PR leaders so they can keep their own positions. Mike, the MP who supposed to be a Hindraf leader has betrayed Indians by supporting Mani Kumar and even attended the nomination and stood beside him and Anwar. To me his is the biggest Ettapan.
folks dont get fancied by BN’s show girls dance and songs….. get back to work!
thambi killer , when the truth is with us even a simple man’s prediction can overturn the prediction of a highly educated and highly professional man …. it’s ok nothing to shame of …. dont cry…
nice forecast Killi V. What happen is that those umno and mic politicians and their supporters take everything for granted. They dont know what’s happening at grassroot level . They are way up in the comfort zone . They are ‘party oriented’ instead of being ‘people oriented’ . By giving press statements and visiting people’s leader at hospital can convert people’s mind just like that ? It seems these politicians and their supporters never learned and making the same stupid mistake again and again and again…..
PR likely to win at kedah 2-0 . the one with 50-50 is batang ai …… i saw Drm raising ganesan’s hand in support ….. we had a good laugh …. dont we know the oldie’s racist mind ….
a day ago there’s almost scuffle between mic and PR ….. looks like sv’s thugs turun padang….
as far as i could see…. non-malay votes favour PR …while the ones dragging are malay votes…
bro , your forecast results sync with mine . However i do foresee clean sweep by PR . the fact is that the grassroots is unhappy . The only ambuguity is from malay rural votes.
hahha…. i was right …. PR won the 2 and as expected BN took batang ai.