I guess everybody, even here in Malaysia is aware of the recent happenings in Tucson, Arizona and the shock that has gone through the U.S. after one of its members of Congress was shot and almost killed. Other people were less fortunate and actually lost their lives in that particular shooting. Even though the shooting was without a doubt the work of a deranged and very troubled soul, the question has arisen whether the ongoing political rhetoric and the strong language that both sides use in the US were in any way a factor in the attack. Perhaps the upcoming trial will provide with some answers but even now it goes without saying that in every country there are people that are easily influenced by the opinions of others especially in the political arena.
Being an avid reader of some of the opposition aligned blogs and websites here in Malaysia, one wonders if the strong statements that some of the contributors use towards politicians of the other side do not create a danger that one day an unstable character will actually build up so much hatred or disgust towards one of those politicians that he or she deems it necessary to take violent action. This fear was triggered further today when I read a comment of one of the readers of Malaysian Chronicle stating that he was willing to become a suicide bomber against politicians of the current government. Perhaps written in jest or out of pure frustration, it is still a statement that should raise some concern.
I am aware that the inflammatory writing takes place on both sides of the great divide here and it is certainly not my intention to point the finger at any particular party or side and of course, like in the U.S., the writers, the commentators, the political pundits all wash their hands in innocence, but perhaps some of them should reflect a bit before it is too late
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
1Malaysia
One can argue how political 1Malaysia is. Was it introduced by the current BN government? Yes it was. Does that automatically make it a political slogan? No, it doesn't.
In the same way 'Malaysia Truly Asia' would be a political slogan cause it has been developed by the BN government. But I don't think anyone would go that far.
Has 1Malaysia been promoted by the BN component parties? Yes. Mainly because it was immediately shot down by the opposition the moment it got introduced.
That is the problem with this country. The merit of an idea, slogan or activity is not important anymore. The moment one side introduces anything, the other side automatically burns it down, demonizes it and rejects it. Even US democrats and republicans cooperate more than the politicians in Malaysia. And who will be the ultimate victims of all this bickering? The Rakyat.
Banning 1Malaysia, political slogan or not, is just another petty move by one side towards the other and should just be seen like that. Nothing more and nothing less
In the same way 'Malaysia Truly Asia' would be a political slogan cause it has been developed by the BN government. But I don't think anyone would go that far.
Has 1Malaysia been promoted by the BN component parties? Yes. Mainly because it was immediately shot down by the opposition the moment it got introduced.
That is the problem with this country. The merit of an idea, slogan or activity is not important anymore. The moment one side introduces anything, the other side automatically burns it down, demonizes it and rejects it. Even US democrats and republicans cooperate more than the politicians in Malaysia. And who will be the ultimate victims of all this bickering? The Rakyat.
Banning 1Malaysia, political slogan or not, is just another petty move by one side towards the other and should just be seen like that. Nothing more and nothing less
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Malaysian Politics part 3
The current stand off between the Selangor State government on one side and the Federal government and Selangor palace on the other side, over the issue of the appointment of the new State Secretary is an all time low even in Malaysian politics. Just to recap. The palace has endorsed the appointment of Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as the new State Secretary in Selangor on the recommendation of the Federal government. Justifiably the PR led Selangor State government is very unhappy about this and calls in unconstitutional and contemplates to fight the appointment in court.
As usual you can easily find people who are willing to argue either side of this legal argument. From a pure logical point of view I believe that it should be the right of the MB to appoint or at least propose the State Secretary. However the Selangor Constitution is very vague on this point and only mentions a 'Service Commission' that has this right without further specifying this commission. That's where all the trouble is going to start.
First of all it will be highly unlikely that the State Goverment will win any court battle on this issue and secondly even if they did win, it might be a pyrhhic victory at best. going into a court battle against the Selangor palace will potentially hurt PR more than Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi will ever be able to do.
As usual you can easily find people who are willing to argue either side of this legal argument. From a pure logical point of view I believe that it should be the right of the MB to appoint or at least propose the State Secretary. However the Selangor Constitution is very vague on this point and only mentions a 'Service Commission' that has this right without further specifying this commission. That's where all the trouble is going to start.
First of all it will be highly unlikely that the State Goverment will win any court battle on this issue and secondly even if they did win, it might be a pyrhhic victory at best. going into a court battle against the Selangor palace will potentially hurt PR more than Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi will ever be able to do.
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