Hantu Laut
If there is one man who can do so much for this country it would have been him but he squandered his opportunity.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could have used his 2004 landslide victory to bring about the reforms he promised the people and he would be in that chair for a long ride. With such massive win he should have taken the opportunity to strengthen his position, push forth his reform policies and clamp down on the rebels in his party who opposed reforms.
He won massively because of his 'Mr Clean' image and the people disillusionment with Mahathir's autocratic ways. He could have changed all that and restore normalcy to the administration, but he couldn't and wouldn't. He became hostage to the demands of the warlords in his party who see any change in the status quo would mean less bounty on the gravy train.
Will Najib suffer the same fate ?
When Najib Tun Razak ascend to the highest office come this April, Malaysians may have no choice but to accept him as prime minister of the nation. No amount of grumbling, rumbling, rantings and raving will change things.It's fait accompli, we may have to live with it till the next general elections.
It's irony that Zaid Ibrahim, who is a lawyer and head of the biggest law firm in the country called on the Agong not to swear in Najib as prime minister.Unless there is another candidate who claimed to have support of the majority lawmakers in Parliament, the king would have no choice but to swear in Najib. Being a lawyer I would have thought Zaid should know that or was it Zaid's grandstanding ? I wonder who Zaid have in mind who could take over from Pak Lah.Maybe, he should suggest some names to the Agong.
Maybe, it's time Malaysians stop the negativism and give Najib a chance to prove himself. The democratic system here, no matter how much we hate the government, we can only change it either through the ballot box in a general elections or by vote of no confidence by majority of lawmakers in parliament. Any other action could be considered a rebellion. Unless there is a change to the law, going to the streets en masse is against the law. Many Malaysians see it as against their constitutional rights but until such time when we can put enough lawmakers in Parliament to abrogate such laws we have no choice but to live with it.
There are subtle signs that we may be going back to the Mahathir's era where the use of draconian laws would be heighten to clamp down on dissents and those deemed to be creating racial tension. Although, I agree such law should be used on extreme cases of jeopardising national security, such law should not be used indiscriminately to muffle critics of government and its policies.
Would Najib resorts to such measures?
If I were him, I wouldn't. The country has changed, the people have changed, there are more political awareness now than before. Change is imminent and if change don't come soon there will be change in the next polls.
What Najib should do now is to listen to the people's heart and listen well. Bring the changes. All the people ask for is less corruption, less abuses of power and make use of the people's money for the people's benefits. These are very simple and uncomplicated wishes that he could readily deliver if he wants to.
As I have always said in my previous posts the first thing he must do when he took office is to overhaul,...NOT RESHUFFLE..., the present cabinet. There are too many dead woods in the present cabinet, they have exhausted their usefulness and should be retired. A new crop of young,untainted,intelligent and hardworking people should be brought in to help him.
The people are watching and waiting anxiously.
6 comments:
HL,
First off, Pak Lah...yes, what a waste...he will go down (for now at least, until Najib gets going!) as the worst PM in Malaysia's History.
Second, Najib...give him a chance? I doubt it. As long as he has Altantunya's ghost hovering over his (& the real PM, i.e. Rosmah) head! He comes into power with so much baggage (we all know the number of scandals) that I'm surprised he can actually stand up there day in & day out & say things like "change", "fight corruption", transperancency"...& the list continues.
Third, UMNO (the rest of the BN component parties are a complete waste of time...just look how Semi Value got elected again as president!)...I thought that they really didn't want to change...now I honestly feel that they probably don't know how to change! Just look at the way they run things! Same old under-handed methods (see how their "Election" Machinery works...see how they try to stop "opposition"...the recent banning of Harakah & Suara Keadilan for 3 months!). Since they don't know (or don't want) to change, I guess the people will have to do it for them in the next GE!
Najib's image coming in as PM2B is exactly the opposite of Pak Lah's initial perception.
Najib is seen as "Mr. Dirty"
His supporters seem to be focused on a 3 step process
a) Iron Fist
b) Stabilise the Economy
c) The majority will fall back to support BN once (a) and (b) are complete.
There may be a certain truth in it.
The Chinese, especially, are quite mercenary about the economy. They supported Mahathir heavily during his most authoritarian years because he was seen as having credibility on the economy.
Nope he is not the worse PM in Malaysian history. He will be judge kindly by history. His legacy will be giving the public freedom of speech and expression. during his tenure will learned more about the affairs of the government , BN and oppsition parties . He has opened up and freed the people from their mental prison and now it takes alot to convince the people .
The enlightnent one
Nope he is not the worse PM in Malaysian history. He will be judge kindly by history. His legacy will be giving the public freedom of speech and expression. during his tenure will learned more about the affairs of the government , BN and oppsition parties . He has opened up and freed the people from their mental prison and now it takes alot to convince the people .
The enlightnent one
Anonymous 2.40,
The enlightenent,the enlighten, the enlightened, I don't know which one you are but I do agree with you in that respect.Yes, Abdullah had allowed more openess and freedom of expression.
Malaysian being so used to living inside a pressure cooker suddenly found an exit to vent their decades of frustration and anger and Abdullah became a victim of his on device. It was this freedom that had also contributed to his downfall.
Hantu
I do not see this as his failure. He knew with greater freedom that will also be his and BN domed but he was determined that the decision making for the future must not be in the hands of the political elites but in the hands of the public. He has been very consistent in his approach to freedom of expression for the Malaysian public.
He is not blind , nor deaf nor dumb and he knew what the people were speaking about his government and he was very determine that the public should know.
His legacy as history will judge him in generations to come is that he single handed change the future of the country from a bad to a good and bright future. The politicans are now sensetive to critism and must proform or exile into history's rubbish bin.
He will be called " THE FATHER OF DEMOCRACY"
The enlightnent one
Post a Comment