Votes Speak Louder Than Words

The charismatic leader of UMNO's Youth Wing Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein came out to apologise to both Malays and non-Malays for his most contentious wielding of Malay keris in the past three years during the annual general assemblies of the Youth Wing.

Despite all the loud public outcry and the overwhelming protests by MCA and DAP, Hishammuddin yielded to no pressure. Pak Lah also kept mum over the highly sensitive raising of sword.

Alas, it was none other than the mighty political tsunami on March 8 that cooled off the overheated heads of the UMNO leaders and woke them up to the reality.

The votes on March 8 spoke a lot louder than words.

Little wonder that more voters in Sibu now wish their votes to speak for them in the next State election on the burning issues!

Pakatan Rakyat Versus Islamic State

A two-front system is looming large in Malaysia!

Following the astounding success of the opposition front in the 12th General Election, PKR, DAP and PAS came out with a proposal two days ago to form a coalition front called Pakatan Rakyat to stand united in facing up to BN.

This is a very healthy progress in the democratic development in Malaysia. A coveted move, the coalition would certainly take our nation one step further in political maturity.

Amidst all the cheers and applause, there is just this tricky issue to cope with - an Islamic state in Malaysia. Whilst PAS has a clear constitutional provision to establish an Islamic state, DAP and PKR have strong objections to its formation.

The proposed Pakatan Rakyat has got to settle this sticky difference in political ideologies!

Teregganu's MB - A One-Man-Show Affair

Palace-appointed, but short of ADUN back-up, Ahmad Said reported to duty as MB of Teregganu yesterday. He is perfectly on a one-man-show, a scenario first time seen in Malaysia.

But for how long is he going to last?

Terengganu's MB Issue - A Challenge To Pak Lah

Terengganu's trauma is just one in a series of episodes in the aftermath of the recently concluded general election.

Gone was a big chunk of BN's base, leaving the ruling front wobbly in control of both states and parliament.

Eroded was Pak Lah's supremacy over the front as a result of the painful slice away of the ruling front's political grip.

From outright refusal to accept appointments as deputy ministers as a show of protests, rumour mongering all over on cross-over to the open defiance by Ahmad Said to PM's directive, the signs are more than enough to show that our PM's grip has been eroded.

You may call the episodes a stark reflection of the political reality. Prior to the political tsunami on March 8, it would have been a wild imagination to even let a slight idea to cross your mind on anybody in BN having guts to openly defy Pak Lah!

Slimline Cabinet Versus Stronger Opposotion

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah unveiled the new line-up of the cabinet yesterday, the size of which surprised no rakyat at all. As hotly speculated, the cabinet came out leaner, with the team downsized to reflect the much diluted base of BN in the parliament.

The slimline cabinet is now subjected to tighter check by a much stronger opposition front in the parliament. From a force of less than 20 previously to the present 82, the opposition has a lot more muscle to flex now to exert pressure on the ruling front. Gone were the days when our parliament was so very lop-sided, giving the ruling front plenty of room to wrestle with the opposition.

With the political tsunami rocking all over, the new parliament would be much more thrilling.

YB Lim Kit Siang has been renowned to electrify the otherwise dull parliamentary sittings with his shocking speeches. These are certainly not my words - I read about it years ago in Asiaweek and it struck me.

And now with the enlarged front, the opposition would very likely keep the ruling front on the toes and under more severe surveillance.

On this point, the political tsunami has taken our nation on a path to a greater maturity in democracy.

A big "hip, hip, hurrah!" to the rakyat!

Rumour Mongering Abounds In The Market

The dramatic change to the Malaysian political scene brought about by the 12th GE has left the whole nation rumble over the new political climate never seen before.

All positive-thinking Malaysians would take the quaking change with open-mindedness and forward-looking mentality.

Now we are already into the 10th day after the 12th GE and the market is still buzzing with rumours. Worse still, short messages of highly explosive nature are flooding the market, making it worrisome if they are let to slip out of hands.

All peace-loving Malaysians should put those unfounded and maliciously- intended messages to a stop. Fear mongering at this crucial time to frighten citizens and influence their political views is most condemnable.

General Election 2008 - Open Tender System In Penang

The open tender system long chanted by DAP is ideally conducive to establishing a transparent system of government.

Most of the established democracies opt for this system of tendering to promote a spirit of openness and efficiency.

When Lim Guan Eng took office of Chief Minister of Penang, amongst others, he put forward in absolutely clear terms to introduce an open tender system in Penang.

This is perhaps the first time such a transparent system of tendering is being put to use in Malaysia. Reactions to Lim's policy are mixed. I heard of loud applause to the emboldened move to reform. But there are protests also to the new system, claiming that it is encroaching on their rights and privileges.

The reform road ahead of the coalition government in Penang appears to be bumpy. But Lim Guan Eng has pledged to stand firm on the open tender system.

Let's stay well tuned in to further developments!

The picture shows the protests going on in Penang against the open tender system.

General Election 2008 - Penang Under The New Coalition

When AirAsia flew high with profits at very affordable fares, making it possible for almost everyone to fly, MAS was still saddled with shocking losses, taking the national carrier to the verge of collapse.

Then MAS took it up sternly to trim the excesses, gear up the efficiency and scale up the transparency. In just two years' time, it turned surplus, doing the nation proud.

Both AirAsia and MAS have shown that a goal is achievable so long as you have determination to go for it.

Certainly AirAsia and MAS have nothing to do with the recent political shake-up in Malaysia. However, they inspire me to look at things in their right perspective.

After YB Lim Guan Eng was sworn in as the 4th CM of Penang, he laid down a clear agenda for the state. Putting it in a nutshell, Lim set to turn Penang into a clean, lean and efficient state.

This is a vision most admirable and refreshing. For decades, we have been vocal, but nothing much in concrete form has been forthcoming. DAP's Penang took it up to show to the nation that it is boleh!

At this juncture, it is far too early to be conclusive, but the take-off is most heartening. If Lim Guan Eng scores well, Penang might be a model for other states to emulate.

General Election 2008 - KLSE Moving Into An Uncharted Territory

The electoral shock of tsunami-scale of the 12th GE vibrating throughout Malaysia instantly sent KLSE (Bursa Malaysia) heading towards an uncharted territory.

With the two thirds majority in the parliament denied and a loss of ruling power in four states (Penang, Selangor, Perlis and Kedah ), a big chunk of BN's base has been sliced away, leaving its foothold shaky and most awkward.

The implications for the first ever political shake-up are profound, giving rise immediately to a lot of uncertainty in the front.

As such, KLSE reacted strongly with a big slump on March 10. The frenzy sell-down reflected the jitters in the market in the aftermath of the political tsunami. The choppy scenario is widely expected to persist with no certainty.

In short, KLSE is now quite directionless, moving into an uncharted territory with immense uncertainty lying ahead.

The most reasonable reaction by the foreign funds to the local political quake is to sideline first to avoid a lock-in.

Although the magnitude of impact from the political tension on KLSE cannot be reasonably ascertained at this juncture, the market sentiment is definitely depressed for the time being.

Caution is the word of the day if you wish to surf in this uncharted territory!

General Election 2008 - A Coalition With Contradictory Ideologies

PKR, DAP and PAS made a wonderful pact to pose a challenge to BN in the 12th GE - and it worked fantastically well.

Although the three opposition front parties had contradictory ideologies, they humbled and cast aside all ideological differences during the election campaign. As such, the coalition avoided all slashing or casting slurs against each other. Equally beautiful was their consensus on seat arrangement, thus paving way for straight fights without dilution of force.

The smart partnership carried the coalition through with astounding success never expected of by anybody.

There is this question now of how well the front might be able to work together. The contradictory ideological stand over an islamic state would certainly make DAP and PAS awkward in their working relationship.

Two days ago,YB Lim Kit Siang made it clear with affirmation that DAP is to abide firm by its stand on anti-islamic state.

It is definitely an issue of concern to all Malaysians now with the changed political climate.

The picture shows YB Lim Guan Eng being sworn in as the 4th Chief Minister of Penang yesterday.

General Election 2008 - Race-based Politics Versus Multi-racial Politics

Malaysian politics has been treading along race-based line since 50s. In other words, communalism has been the established framework of our political system, with racial groups consolidated under their respective parties to safeguard their interests.

The 12th GE saw a divergence from this deep-rooted political line. Although at this juncture it is far too early to be conclusive, the trend does signify a wider perception by the electorate of a non-communal political line.

Besides DAP, PKR's multi-racial approach has proven to be appealing to the voters of all races in the election.

The breakaway of Malay votes from UMNO sent a clear message across the nation, that the communal line in politics in this new era may not necessarily work like it did in the past 50 years in Malaysia.

The voters' perception may have moved away from the previous narrow-based communalism to the broad-based multi-racialism.

Presently it is still very much at an infancy stage. I hope it is going to progress well.

The picture shows Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim at a press conference after the election.

General Election 2008 - A Two-Front System Seemingly In The Making

The political hurricane has obviously changed the local political scenario, from that of a one-sided single-front system to that of a more balanced two-front system. If nothing crops up, the shape is definitely there!

The 12th General Election saw not only a massive exodus of Chinese and Indian votes to the opposition front, but also a big chunk of Malay votes, traditionally staying steadfast behind UMNO, crossing over to the non-BN camp. The results threw a lot of political pundits off balance.

This represents a marked difference between this election and the previous ones in 1990 and 1999 when the opposition parties similarly teamed up in a coalition to wrestle with BN.

In 1990, Tunku Razali called for an alternative front to wage a challenge against BN. But Malay voters backed away from the front for fear of losing their dominant political power at the last minute. As such, the AF failed to gather the momentum to get through.

1999 witnessed an upsurge of anti-Mahathir sentiment in Malay groups. However, the Chinese and Indians chose to to consolidate under BN. As a result, the wind of change blew to a futile end.

2008 saw a wind blown with might to shake the BN's base, laying foundation for a probable two-front system in Malaysia.

The picture shows Tun Dr. Mahathir at a press conference one day after the election.

General Election 2008 - The Wind Of Change Turned Hurricane

The dramatic swing of votes from ruling to opposition took a lot of political watchers by shocking surprise. I anticipated a dent in BN's overall performance, but a collapse in 5 states and a total denial of 2/3 majority in the parliament was really a meltdown far beyond my expectation.

Days before the voting, I already felt strong winds of change hovering over in West Malaysia. The strongly worded messages sent chill down my spine, making me feel worried that the high emotions might run the risk of getting out of hands. Deep down in my heart, I sensed it: Something was brewing!

But little did I expect an otherwise strong wind would gather momentum to turn into a hurricane, giving a complete shake-up to the Malaysian political scene.

I have to cool my head down and balance my state of mind to sort out my thinking and figure out the whole political turmoil.

What led the voters to jump on BN and give a harsh blow? The first factor that came to my mind was the pinching spiralling prices of daily necessities. The suffocated consumers had no way to turn to except the votes.

Next to follow up was the state of malpractices in Malaysia. Back in 1998 when Malaysia was deep in economic turmoil, IMF offered a rescue package. In return for the package, Malaysia would have to commit to curb the prevalent corruption and nepotism. Tun Dr. Mahathir turned down the offer entirely.

In the past 10 years, our malpractices had gone from bad to worse. Our CPI ( Corruption Perception Index) had dropped fron 34 to 44 in a matter of 8 years' time.

Our electorate in West Malaysia might have taken to votes their extreme frustration with the system.

Finally, the major swing of Malay votes could have reflected the power of Anwar's syndrome.

I had very much underestimated the forcefulness of this factor. I thought Dato' Seri Anwar would not have the charisma to move the Malays away from their steadfast loyalty to UMNO. But the results proved otherwise!

The picture shows Dato' Seri Abdullah in a depressed state last night.

General Election 2008 - A Decisive Polling Day

Amidst an air of tense excitement and a politically strong whirlwind of change, the power of our government is surrendered back to rakyat for them to vote in the next government today.

This is the virtue of democracy which requires every government to go back to rakyat to ask for mandate upon expiration for a new term.

I cast my vote at SMK Methodist which is a polling station for Lanang constituency. The premises were peaceful and quiet with absolutely no campaigning in accordance with the election law when I arrived there for voting this morning.

At 6:45pm, I started receiving news on election results. It was thrilling, sending my family to nerve-racking excitement over the outcome.

At the time of blogging, it is confirmed that, out of the seven seats contested in Chinese-majority areas in Sarawak, DAP has managed to blast off only one rocket to sky.

I just learned that the polling results in West Malaysia have deep implications for Pak Lah and BN.

General Election 2008 - Powerful Electronic Messages

With only one more day to go before we put the fate of the nation to voting, I feel more and more perturbed with the ongoing election campaign nationwide.

I have practically been swamped with electronic messages these few days. Definitely powerful in getting across messages to the electorate, the contesting parties are resorting to innovation and creativity to fight a winning battle.

I gave minute reading to every piece with a cool head and balanced state of mind. Some of the messages are purposeful with good intention, whereas the rest are just sheer poking fun at the ruling parties with cheap substance.

But the messages from West Malaysia truly make me frown at the tense situation there. The voters' sentiments are running pretty wild in certain states and the vibrating emotions might get out of hands.

An e-mailed message this afternoon is most worrisome. The seditious contents of the mail are insensitive to the social structure of our nation and the political realities prevailing here. The writer should have exercised some restrain.

As we go to polling stations tomorrow, let's not take emotions there. We should cast our votes with a clear mind for the next government to come in.

The picture shows an awful scene in KL.

General Election 2008 - A Sea Of Banners

Our election law spells out clearly that campaign may kick off straightway after nomination and to hold the brake immediately at 12:00 midnight before election day.

Initially it was only DAP and SUPP scattering around banners and posters. Later, PKR joined in and it soon erupted into a banner war.

Goodness, Sibu is now practically submerged in a sea of colourful election banners and posters of the contesting parties vying for the voters' sentiment.

So far, SUPP, DAP and PKR are well restrained in wording and depictions. This eases off my initial concern about the parties carrying things too far!

In West Malaysia where sentiment is running quite wild, emotions tend to get out of hands. In Seputeh, the explosively suggestive caricatures on the campaign billboards blew up into a hot issue. Carol Chew of BN erected several huge billboards carrying suggestive caricatures of Teresa Kok, a Seputeh incumbent from DAP. In the end, Teresa Kok had to take up the matter with EC to order Carol Chew to pull them down.

Sibu is fortunate to have been spared incidents of this nature.

General Election 2008 - Heated Political Rallies

The political rallies heat up the on-going election campaign and they fill the air in Sibu with tense excitement.

You may jeer at the rallies, saying that they are just avenue for the candidates to air their rhetoric to hook voters.

In reality, election rallies are a perfect venue for the contesting parties to get across to the public their political stand on burning issues and their aspirations for the nation.

This time around in Sibu, political rallies are staged every night at different strategic locations by SUPP, DAP and PKR.

Judging from the sizes of the turn-up, it appears that DAP is most appealing to the electorate. The party's eloquent hit-out on sizzling hot issues make their ceramah very engrossing to the electorate.

The voters are moderately responsive to SUPP's rally. The party's steadfast stand on development, stability and prosperity is most down-to-earth and relevant

PKR has relatively scant presence in Sibu and its foothold here is still weak. Nevertheless, Robert Lim manages to garner some grass-root support to keep the campaign going. Tonight, YB Dominique Ng is going to bombard DAP and SUPP at PKR's meet-the-rakyat session.

You really can't afford to miss out the steamy election campaign!

The picture shows YB Dominique Ng blasting out at an election rally: I want to make public of discreditable facts!

General Election 2008 - The Chinese Electorate Is Torn

The Chinese electorate is badly torn between SUPP and DAP, particularly in this election.

The Chinese voters' political sentiment is a lot more complex than that of other races. You see, on the one hand, they aspire to have the ruling SUPP to bring to them more developments. On the other hand, they are frustrated to the extreme by the burning issues affecting them. There are easily more than half going to the polling stations with a burst of high emotions. This may sound quite terrific, but the reality is not going to be too far away.

As such, the two parties are running a very tight race to win the Chinese vites, hoping to outmatch the rival to emerge a winner.

Split up and you run the risks of weakening your political power, SUPP tells the Chinese voters vehemently.

Deny their two-third majority and weaken their supremacy, DAP calls on the Chinese.

What on earth are they talking about, some Chinese voters ask me with a puzzled look.

My goodness, it is a long granny's story to tell!

Thje picture shows Tan Sri Dr. George Chan and Mr. Chong Chieng Jen in a dramatic show yesterday at MBKS Building over the mayor post of MBKS. What was supposed to be a solemn signing ceremony of a Letter of Challenge turned out to be a dramatically messy show.

General Election 2008- Development For Better

SUPP's "Development For Better" is a very old theme. But it is absolutely relevant and most down-to-earth.

However, in the present circumstances when electorate is entangled with burning issues like land lease and livelihood, the development theme has become much less touching. In other words, promise of development has been far outweighed by the emotional outburst of discontent.

In a matter of less than two months, I have encountered several cases of land-related issues affecting the ordinary folks, the latest being an outright rejection for renewal of land lease. When they almost burst into tears, although I felt for them, I ran so very out of words.

When I shared with them about development in economic sense, dismally they told me from the bottom of their hearts: Development is much less meaningful to us now!

Instantly I turned speechless!

General Election 2008 - Development Versus Change

The tussle between SUPP and DAP in the seven Chinese-majority seats is definitely tense with excitement in this election.

Tickling the nerves are the issues relating to the livelihood, land lease renewal and social concerns. DAP's candidates eloquently sensationalise the issues of relevance to touch the inner feelings of the folks. The voters' emotions are stirred up to swing towards DAP to exhibit their discontent with the ruling BN. As such, DAP heavily capitalises on the election issues to gain an edge on SUPP.

This election sees DAP coming out with "Change For Better" as its theme. The thrust of the party is to blow up a wind of change, calling on the nation to cast a vote of denial to the two-third majority of seats of BN in the parliament

With that mandate from the rakyat, DAP hopes to put BN under greater surveillance. But my common sense tells me that it would be far from reach for DAP singly to achieve that. I guess there is certain pact with PKR and PAS to work towards giving BN a hit.

"Development For Better" is the theme of SUPP to counterattack DAP.

SUPP - Development for better!



DAP - Change for better!