DAP : EITHER WAY YOU LOSE

Hantu Laut

DAP Supremo Lim Kit Siang instructed the DAP elected members to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the new PerakMenteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaludin from PAS.He later retracted and apologised to the Sultan.

DAP got majority seats in the state assembly, 18 seats compared to PAS 6 seats and PKR 7 which by convention should be given to them.

The cracks are beginning to show the incompatibility of these strange bedfellows.It is still in the honeymoon period so they filled up the crack quickly. By now DAP should realize whether with BA or BN, it is still the same, the Malays have the ultimate say.

It must be a big blow to the high expectations and pride of the party for having to concede to the damning reality of ketuanan Melayu. Other than Penang, the only other states that can accept a non-Malay chief minister are Sabah and Sarawak. Since Melaka has no sultan, I am not so sure whether the state constitution allows such appointment.

It is going to be a long journey for the BA from now until the next GE and there would be many hurdles to overcome.

Will zealotry kill them ?

Give it a year or two and see whether they are still together.

SORE LOSERS AND BAD WINNERS

Hantu Laut

There are winners and losers in every type of competition.The worst kinds are the sore losers and bad winners.

Those who loses in a fair competition but whines about it on a constant basis, blaming everyone around them for their loss except themselves, who can't simply be honorable, by accepting defeat and/or trying again and who can't take a loss in stride.

The UMNO lots should take a leaf from the books of Gerakan's Koh Tsu Koon and MCA's Ong Kah Ting instead of moaning and whining about their losses. Both Koh and Ong have been admirable and should be emulated by others.

Courage in the face of adversity is not common attributes in many men. Only those with high sense of self-respect and unquestionable integrity possess it. The weak and corrupt will find all kind of excuses to defend themselves and blame others for their failure.

Gerakan's Koh has shown admirable manly manner and correct social etiquette by attending the swearing in of the new chief minister from the opposition party.MCA's Ong has taken full responsibility for his party massive loss by not accepting any offer of ministerial post even though he won his seat.

Many in UMNO and other component parties have not shown exemplary behaviour.Even those who have lost are still lobbying for positions. The only exception is Sharizat, she took her defeat graciously.She deserved respect and should be given a respectable position.

In the Sabah BN lobbying for positions is intense among the components. LDP, whom many Sabahans have given zero seat, had won all their seats and are now making demands for a full minister and an assistant minister. Its President V.K.Liew said "In making our representations (at the BN Supreme Council ) we informed that though we are young we are qualified and our elected representatives most importantly are God-fearing, honest and dedicated"

As the American would say, what a lot of baloney ! Instead of beating your own drum, let others judge you. God-fearing, honest and dedicated do not come with divine guarantee.

Worse still, Liew in spite of the help of postal votes won on a wafer thin majority of 176 votes for the Sandakan parliamentary seat and the 2 state seats of Merotai and Tanjong Kapur were UMNO seats given on the platter, not exactly a position to be proud of to make open demands.

In April 1977 the then President of LDP Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat resigned from all his ministerial posts due to irreconcilable differences with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman on the Mazu controversy. He said the action taken by Musa Aman has angered the Chinese community.

Below is a posting by Jeff Ooi in his blog, Screenshot

Political bombshell explodes in Sabah... ( 4 )

"This is not a matter of quarrel (subsequent to the Prime Minister's remark that angered the Liberal Democratic Party)... this is a Barisan Nasional problem. The PM has offended the Chinese and the Sabahan... he has hurt my self-respect."

Three days after tendering his resignation as the deputy chief minister of Sabah citing 'political principles', Chong Kah Kiat surfaced yesterday to give Oriental Daily News an exclusive interview.

"Not only LDP (is unhappy), the rakyat in Sabah also (are unhappy)... he (the PM) had made such a remark about a Chinese leader, the impression of him in the eyes of the Sabahan, especially the Chinese in Sabah, will be negative," reports Oriental Daily in the Page 3 lead today.

Chong said the PM has offended the Chinese in Sabah. "I am not important, but I do have my self-respect."

On the day of his resignation, Chong prided himself as a BN man for 30 years without switching party, and had stood steadfast in helping BN find a stronghold in the state.

PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, however, remarked that Chong's exit is 'not really a loss'. "Let him rest," the PM reportedly said.

Meanwhile, several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) expressed sadness over Chong's sudden resignation, reports Daily Express.

The popular Sabah daily describes Chong as the only leader from the Berjaya government (1976-1985) who has managed to survive the tumultuous years of Sabah politics punctuated by multiple party-hopping.

The results of the just concluded general election tell a different story.The Chinese community could have given all their votes to DAP candidates by ignoring the PKR candidates if they really don't want to support the state government. Their actions proved otherwise.

In a worst case scenario Sabah BN was expected to lose 3 parliamentary and 7 state seats still giving it a comfortable majority.

It is obvious the Chinese and Indians in Peninsula are more angry with the BN government rather than those in Sabah.

Jeff Ooi is now DAP Member of Parliament for Jelutong.

Hantu Laut

Below is an article written by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi published in the Wall Street Journal.

We Will Heal Malaysia's Divisions

By ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI
March 11, 2008

While I am honored to have been re-elected as prime minister of Malaysia and to have received a 63% majority of the 222 seats in Parliament in our just-completed general election, I am also disappointed that we fell a few seats short of the two-thirds majority we were hoping for.

For those who have in the past questioned the legitimacy of Malaysia's electoral process, the results of Saturday's election are proof positive that our country does indeed enjoy a free, fair and highly competitive democracy.

As there has been much speculation about the implications of our election results, I wish to offer clarity on three critically important points:

First, we have heard the voice of our citizens, and I will dedicate myself, in this second term, to healing the divisions which became evident during the campaign. That will mean developing new and concrete initiatives, not just rhetoric, that bring our people together and ensure that no one is left behind as Malaysia prospers, whether they are ethnic Malays, Chinese or Indians.

Second, we can achieve the above goal because our economy is indeed strong and stable, with a 7.3% GDP growth rate in the last quarter, nearly full employment, more than $100 billion in foreign exchange reserves, and a flood of foreign direct investment in manufacturing and services that last year reached a record $13.7 billion.

For the benefit of all of our citizens, I intend Malaysia to remain a business-friendly and free market economy with powerful attractions for international investors, who over the past 12 months have included General Electric of the United States, Britain's Virgin Group, and important groups from the Middle East and China.

Third, I intend to protect the stability and security of our nation. For all of our citizens to share in the prosperity and opportunities our economy is generating, we must also continue our work to eradicate crime and corruption. The people's desire for law and order is as important in Malaysia as it is everywhere. The same is true of the need to make additional progress in battling corruption, which is both immoral and distorts competition in free markets.

Although the size of our majority would be considered a landslide in most countries, the fact that it has significantly reduced and we have had setbacks in five of our 13 states indicates that we need to do more for those who feel disaffected. Although some quarters have called for me to step aside, my party has given me solid support to carry on our nation-building agenda, something for which I am grateful.

As with any election in any democratic country, there is debate, sometimes heated; there can be divisions, sometimes fierce; then people make their own choices and democratic politicians have to live with the outcome. What matters most is that governments listen as well as lead, and so I will work hard to create more of a national consensus following our national democratic conversation.

We are listening. I know there is discontent among some parts of our community. I accept it is our responsibility, as the newly reelected government of all Malaysians, to find practical solutions to ease that discontent, to listen to grievances and to seek to remedy them.

I have tried throughout my period in office to bring our country and our communities closer together. I have stood in firm opposition to those who have sought to divide us along racial, religious and ethnic lines. We are all Malaysians and we all must have a stake in building a progressive, united and cohesive country. This has always been my approach to government and politics. It is even more important now.

Some people took the opportunity when voting to voice a protest, as can happen in any democracy. We accept the result. That is what democracy is all about. The election results will not diminish for a moment our determination to grow the Malaysian economy, to continue our successful program of poverty eradication and to provide a level playing field for all.

After an election it is right to have a period of reflection; it is not a time for narrow introspection. Malaysia cannot afford a period of sitting back and risk stalling our progress and our economic growth.

We are in a changing global economy which itself is in increasingly challenging times. That is why, just as it is essential that we reflect internally on the lessons from these elections, it is vital that we look outward internationally to face and overcome the global challenges of economics, peace and international security.

Malaysia will continue to offer business-friendly policies and a welcoming environment for investors. I believe that Malaysia will continue its strong economic growth in 2008. Our vibrant economy and proven record of economic growth will help us prosper despite the economic slowdown and uncertainty in the U.S.

What we must now undertake is to move forward as one nation with a renewed sense of a bright future for all.

Mr. Abdullah is prime minister of Malaysia.

DEMOCRACY AT ITS WORST

Hantu Laut

This has nothing to do about politics in Malaysia. This is about a bizarre official guidelines for sentencing of desperate criminals in the United Kingdom. A new official guidelines for judges to give lighter sentences to burglars and thieves who steal to fund their addiction to drug, gambling and booze even if they target vulnerable victims.

The recommendations were issued by the authority due to serious over-crowding in prisons. It is asking judges not to impose prison sentence on criminals who committed crimes under the guidelines.

So if you are pick-pocketed or they came to your shop to rob you, they would get away with just doing community work. What a pleasant and polite way to treat criminals. Wouldn't it be better if you can ask them to do your housework to repay what they stole from you?



Wouldn't it be nice to be such criminal, you can rob to get your fix and as punishment all you need to do is sweep the streets in your town for a few weeks or so and that's it, you have paid for your crime. You can repeat doing it if you wish.

What's happening to the Brits? Have they gone bonkers ? Read here.