Back. And backpedalling?

He's back. The recently revitalised octogenarian gets back in to UMNO and hits the campaign trail. No surprises there. But this is where he's lost me:

He said mistakes, bad strategy and carelessness in the Feb 5 power grab, orchestrated by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, had led to the current crisis in the state.

"You cannot topple a menteri besar or a prime minister without a no-confidence vote in the assembly. There is no other provision," he said at a function organised by Mubarak, the association for former elected representatives.

"Umno-BN was too careless and did not wait for an assembly but instead asked the Ruler to sack the menteri besar," he said, referring to Sultan Azlan Shah's decision to ask Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin to resign.

"As far as I know, there is no such provision in the Perak or Federal Constitution," he said.

[Full story here]

So, should not the whole Perak crisis be exposed as an expensive and tragic sham that it is? Shouldn't Dr M be standing up for the rakyat?

Enough is enough!
So NO to BN!

Time for change!

I find the present political scenario an utter scandal. Politicians from the ruling BN almost always imagine the electorate to be either too dumb to tell the difference between their words and deeds, or too comfortable to care about the larger issues. Yeah, right. And all of us were born yesterday too.

Meanwhile public institutions are breaking down – the police have lost their credibility and all we hear is the need for the force to “improve its image.” Law and order is fast becoming a joke but long-suffering taxpayers who have been robbed, maimed, and victimized are not laughing. The judiciary is coming close to being nothing more than a mouthpiece for the government, apparently dictated by the powerful to legitimize injustice and vested interests - is there no one on the bench who commands respect for his or her principles and courage? Remember VK Lingam?

We know deep in our gut that something is terribly wrong, and we know things aren’t getting better. Anyone with any sense of decency also knows who are responsible for undermining the very institutions that are supposed to serve and protect the rakyat.

Government departments and ministries have become personal fiefdoms for politicos and their hirelings and cronies. Corruption and alleged misdeeds akin to daylight robbery are exposed and an ex-MB blithely dismisses the SELCAT hearing as ‘not certified” by the AG. These are men and women without an iota of conscience, who nevertheless revel as spokespersons and defenders of race and religion. Gallivanting all over the world on taxpayers money too. How do these people sleep at night?

Malaysia risks becoming a basket case if we buy into the tired spin that UMNO and BN are ready for reform - that’s why they need our votes, so they tell us. Malaysia is already sliding down the precipice; its descent will only be sooner if we the rakyat think that ‘peace’ is more important that justice.

Mouthing Obama’s hope and change mantra isn’t going to work just because there’s a new lineup in UMNO. On the contrary, the air has become heavier with a pall of hopelessness. It reeks of extremism and repression. There is little doubt that the powers that be do not know what change is, and neither do they want to change. There’s too much of old blood and too little new thinking. That these politicians are flexing their muscles, banning opposition papers, locking people up in ISA, and intimidating anyone with a dissenting point of view are enough to tell us they fear change.

This is why all right thinking Malaysians must take a stand. Resist the machinations of fear. Say no to racism and corruption. Don’t squander the forces of real change that started on March 8, 2008.

Batang Ai, Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau. Don’t be duped.
If you really want change, say NO to BN!

Law & Disorder in Perak

Lawlessness begets lawlessness.

There is a putrid stench that stretches back to 1988 when honourable judges were muzzled and unceremoniously sacked for daring to stand up against the Chief Executive Dr M. A key accomplice that led to that dark episode in Malaysian history was Haidar Mohd Noor who as then chief registrar hid the Court Seal to prevent a special sitting of the Supreme Court. The events are well documented and there is no need to say more.

Is history repeating itself?

Today the powers-that-be have become more arrogant, emboldened – and dare I say, more thuggish? What is happening in Perak is another vicious stab at the heart of fair Malaysia, another body blow for the laws of the land and the much maligned Constitution. Why are the people in Perak not allowed to decide who should govern their state? Why the desperation and duplicity?

If right thinking Malaysians cannot see through BN’s shameful power grab, then we deserve the government we get.

When the government of the day ignores foundational principles such as the separation of powers, the Constitution becomes a dead piece of paper. But the Constitution is not just any law. It is the set of laws that founds our nation, defines its basic principles, guarantees our individual rights and prescribes the structures, duties, and powers which make a national community possible. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Malaysia.

Those who so blithely ignore the Constitution for political ends are quite literally wrecking the foundations of this country to further their own interests.

This must stop.
Tengku Razaleigh

There seems to be a complete lack of conscience on the part of the BN MPs. They seem completely oblivious to the long-term effects of this kind of action.

If even in cases as clear cut as these, they do not have the moral strength to condemn and dissociate from, what hope have we that they will condemn and put an end to all the other acts of mismanagement and misuse of power?

What use are all the arguments presented by all the PR Parliamentarians on all issues when simple issues such as these are beyond the comprehension of the BN MPs?

In the final analysis, the future of Malaysian politics seems increasingly bleak unless the brakes are some how applied thereby stopping this mindless plunge into ghetto politics. Unfortunately, this is seemingly the only form of politics which can be called upon by Umno to ensure its own survival. When you have run out of arguments, when you no longer can deceive the people, when you no longer enjoy their support, you put fear in their hearts!
Khalid Samad

The world is watching

Photo courtesy of delCapo

Unfortunately it matters not that the doctrine of separation of powers is being flushed down the toilet in Perak for the world to see. Unfortunately our outgoing PM Abdullah still doesn't get it. Tragically, the man remains proud of his 'legacy', the unheralded and dead-in-the-water Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).

Malaysian Insider has this to say:

If we are witnessing the blurring of the doctrine of separation of powers and a revival of the “might is right” approach by Umno/Barisan Nasional, then Abdullah has to carry the can.

After all, in his first speech to Parliament as prime minister, Abdullah pledged to respect the separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, saying that this doctrine was pivotal in checking abuse of power.

The events in Perak over the past 24 hours and still unfolding today shows that he has been unable to convince Umno/BN members, the civil service and the police on the sanctity of this doctrine in a democracy.

Abdullah was puzzled why State Speaker V. Sivakumar decided to call for an emergency state assembly sitting instead of waiting for the courts to decide on the matter.

The official answer is that he, as the head of the legislature, has the power to do so. Left unsaid is the fact that Sivakumar took this course of action because he and other members of Pakatan Rakyat do not have confidence that the judiciary will give them the hearing they deserve.

All said and done, the approach employed by Umno/BN in Perak, the resulting skepticism among some Malaysians on the ability of the country’s institutions to be honest brokers shows and the ridiculous sight of a state assembly taking place under a tree all have to land on Abdullah’s lap.

The world is watching.