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Monday, February 25, 2008

A Giant Step Forward


"...WHEREFORE WE, THE RAKYAT OF MALAYSIA all races and of various faiths, having now rejected the race-based political governance of the country and now making known our desire to have in its place a non race-based system of governance and making further known that we desire that the original aims of the NEP be immediately given effect to and implemented, now:-

  • declare our belief that a mandate for governance should be given to such individuals and political entities that recognize as legitimate the concerns and aspirations set out above; and
  • call upon all stakeholders to to come together for a better Malaysia..."

(for full text of the foundation documents of the Barisan Rakyat see here. More to follow)

5 comments:

Old Fart said...

In almost all the western democracies opposing political parties are generally divided between right and left. In Britain we consider Labour to be left, Conservatives to be right and Liberal Democrats to take the centrist positions. Then we of course got some fringe parties taht claim to occupy the extreme left and right. And of course we cannot forget the Greens! The US is pretty straight forward. You just have Democrats and Republicans

In this system I suppose there can be as many issues as we have here in Malaysia. And in relation to these issues there is often a right way and a left way of looking at it and each offering its own solutions. The one uniting thing is that they both recognise that there is this particular issue. There are ofcourse issues that transcend left to right and conscience votes are permitted where the issue is debated on a bipartisan way.

Can somebody try to help me understand what we have in Malaysia?

I know you have the ruling party of the government which everyone involved seem to believe are constitutionally cast to rule the government and the nation. And then you got the opposition.

So the ruling party rules and proposes laws and policies and the opposition's role is to oppose! No proposal means no oppossing to do presumably. Of course the ruling party would prefer to rule without this pain in the butt of having to contend with the opposition.

All that the opposition party seem to want for the coming General elections appears to be to want to be a more effective opposition.

But in the context of left and right, can anyone really see what the opposition's position is?

In the western democracies, you see issues. There is a left leaning view of it and a right leaning view of it and you have the in-betweens and the extremes.

What about Malaysia? With the world's biggest democracy, India, I can't say I know the issues there...but I can also see that there just might be, over and above the greed for wanting to rule, some amount of left and right as well.

Anonymous said...

old fart,

Thanks for advising to look from "relativity"!

Malaysia does not have Independent Legislative, Executive, and Monitoring as well as a two Houses Systems to monitor the Government.
Whoever control the Parliament almost monopolize!
Human Rights is nowhere and Justice is not working,
Members of Parliament has loose Code to follow if and only if those Code be enforced!
There are Authority Protection Act and Public Servant Act to protect Authority and Public Servants being sued rather than laws which could enforce Accountability, Responsibility, Transparency and so the efficiency to work.
ISA and OSA are other laws that can be and had been manipulated for the bullies!
These are basically where loopholes of Malaysia.

The EC Acts is another one that had been manipulated so a Fair & Clean Election can hardly be expected by experience and loopholes that are available.
The Procedures of Electoral Registration and so the openness of the Roll together with Postal Votes are loopholes.
Having short nomination date and unfair exposure time and media for Candidates are much hampered by Parachuting Candidate from anywhere to somewhere!
Voting then more by chance or dragged, knowing well the candidates before voting very rare!!

The movements taken so far and can be seen is an Emotional drag to call for Voting Opposition than a more effective Opposition!
Nevertheless, when the ruling party has no efficiency to be described, any Opposition is supposingly better off!

The key Issue right at the moment is to get at least 1/2 or better still 2/3 of the Parliament seats so that the Constitution and Laws can be amended to re-construct the system and streamline an efficient Government as described above!
Of course the Oppositions must have an agreed Principle and Direction to go!
(This was roughly done recently as People's declaration in http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/the-peoples-voice-the-peoples-declaration/)

Further Issues are on taking Human Rights instead of Race, Religion!
The gaps among Parties can be minimized when Human Rights are to be emphasized so Race and Religion will more be a issue of Cultural than Politic.

The Rest of the Issues can only be systematically lay-out when problems and the Accounts of the Government are transparent.

The following posting may give you further idea!
http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/people-power/

My personal opinion, Left and Rights should not differ much on the Target but the way of achieving if Human Rights are to be better defined and applied!

Hope Malik would not mind such lengthly discussion over his blog!!

Anonymous said...

i think we should spoil our votes, instead of giving it to the corrupt BN or unelectable opposition.

Election 2008 - Vote for PUNDAK
http://juslo.blogspot.com/2008/03/election-2008-vote-for-pundak.html

Anonymous said...

Malik,

This is for you only which I think you know pretty well what had been going after you realizing Bersih is not meant for what it was started!
And, this is one of the reasons that you had been silent!
If Politicians cannot adopt a more Open System to tell the Truth, will Malaysia heads towards Real Democracy?
Or tricks have to play against the Tricky ones before Light can come?

If you want to post this one, please do it after the Election was done!
------------------------------------

Seats, Seats, Seats
__________________________________
Wheels of Candidates raising dust in the Streets
Flags of Red, Blue, Green in the Sky!
The only signal to see Left & Right!
Can you see the Candidates well? Not unless you know them in daily life and asked how come some of them in the stage?
But this can only be asked in the heart as few care who on the wheels but the flags!
They came with Rooms of promises but the keys are in the hand of the senators!
They need at least 1/2 of the keys before opening the doors to promises!
Can you see where they are heading?
To the Arena or Circus?

The Road was promised with Clear and Flat with stones and road signs to be fixed
These promises had gone!
But People are there and they can do nothing but keep pushing those wheels!
At the destination
to find they have not enough keys to open the Doors!

The People are pushing wheels with flags to lead but not even given the truth that only 1/2 the keys can those promises could be through!
As those senators may not place the keys on same hand to open the door!

Tire are the People with Frustration in their hearts!
-----------------------------------
My heart was frozen when attending one of the Biggest Ceramah where only breaking 2/3 was the only target throughout the Ceramah.

In your professional option, can any change be done without having 1/2 of the Parliament seats?

Anonymous said...

Malik,

Thanks for putting up my post only after the GE was done!

There are People with heart & soul
tightened by the ethics they care for Professional or just a Member of the society they belong.
They act only for the good of the People
and will go into the flow when it was meant to be good for ALL!

Some flow has to go with Red Herrings
or else the flow cannot be there!
Arriving there, the Red Herrings have to be exposed so the next flow can go on without Red Herring involved!

Time to clear up Red Herring for a clean flow to go!

Situation analysis and targets to go with job sharing with procedures to realize.

WILL YOU SAY SOMETHING?
OR STILL TOO DUSTY IN THE AIR?