Phew, it’s been an eventful week – but as they say, you ain’t seen nothing yet! The way I see it, Abdullah is fighting a rear-guard battle to save himself – and the ruling coalition.
Let’s see what his administration has been doing to try and keep the rakyat happy:
- dishing out rebates to ease pain of subsidy removal (the pain is still there-lah)
- approval for Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s application for registration (finally!)
- allowing Harakah to increase its frequency to twice a week (Take that, Mahathir! The former PM had cut it down to twice a month after doing badly in the 1999 general election.)
- planning to launch a crackdown on migrants in Sabah (uh-oh, more human rights abuses?)
- lifting restrictions on journalists in the parliamentary lobby (talk about the BN shooting itself in the foot, in the first place, by restricting its own media!)
- shutting down Kamunting Detention Camp (oh, sorry, not yet… just wishful thinking for now … akan datang…)
… and so on. But no matter what he does, it appears that many Malaysians have had enough – the reforms and concessions don’t go far enough – and cracks are beginning to show. For now, he has plugged the leaking dyke with his finger. But I dare say it won’t be long before other cracks emerge from the sheer force of the current of discontent.
Here’s something I was working on for Asia Times the last couple of days.
More cracks in Abdullah’s crumbling facade
By Anil Netto
These are trying times for Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who after a sub-par showing in the March general elections now faces opposition both from inside and outside his Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition.
Many political analysts speculate his administration will not last the year as the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance ramps up its efforts to either poach parliamentarians from the BN into its camp or secure a no-confidence vote in parliament.
The latest blow to coalition unity came on June 18, when two parliamentarians from the Sabah Progressive Party (SPP), a small coalition member from the north Borneo state of Sabah, said they would support a planned no-confidence motion on June 23 against the prime minister. Such a no-confidence motion would have required advance notice and in the end, no vote was put to the house. Full article
AAB and his lot are just making one mess after another aren’t they. He is not only incompetent but lacking in intelligence. Correct if I’m wrong,I just read that now Nazri(another with “nothing much upstairs”) is mad becos he says the ban for the journalists should not have been lifted and is upset with BN back benchers…a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.
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That guy can try whatever means at his disposal. The people of Malaysia have finally woke up. Let’s see how long he can keep his job of Prime Minister of this country. Personally, I don’t believe he will be around in the next few months
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So unfortunate for all of us to have these bunch of useless BN MP to represent us.The crack is getting larger on AAB & Co
All the best to AAB & Co.
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Talking about performance, the PR is far more better than the Bolehland’s BN Guomen. AAB has not implement the IPCMC yet (it’s long overdue), there are many more still pending.Already we have reports such as detainees were tortured in the lock-up, human rights violated, teen got raped in the police station and etc. What is going on in the Bolehland? What Is Syed Hamid going to say this time? or pretending not to hear or see anything?
The 51% voters who supported BN in the last GE on 8th Mac must bear the bad karma of the atrocities of the police and immigration department,while AAB and his cabinet members must bear the “dosa” of negligence and incompetence.Let’s see what are the punishments these incompetent leaders will face.The Al-Mighty will know what to do.
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The hot news
RPK statutory declaration
Reporters banned entering Parliament Lobby
And restricted to 5 reporters from each newspaper
The flip flop decision
Arguing about security
Then it was on board again
How could one believe BN government?
The BN leaders don’t hold on to it
RPK statutory declaration
It took the people involved a week to respond
The serious allegation they don’t come out clean
Trying to cool it waiting for the storm to blow it over
Then a flurry of activities
Police IGP issued statement
The sleeping beauty said these people aren’t involved
Even before the police can make its investigation
Then his deputy says RPK is a liar………..
After one week these leaders could say
Why don’t they say it immediately when the news came through?
I guess they are finding ways to cohesively saying the same tune
Is RPK telling the truth or are the persons named hiding it?
Malaysia is a can do country
All the shows pumping up our lives
Do hear about the mismanagement of $380 billion for the past 20 years?
All those projects and bails out engineered to friends, relatives and cronies
Leaving the people nothing to shout about
Malaysia a land of contrasting colors
She never holds it permanently
Every now and then new topics come
Ruffling feathers gossiping through
Amongst the people and government leaders
What can I say?
I love my country…..
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Give the Hon. Mr Badawi a break will you guys? What can you do better that he cannot?!
he has to fight the Mahathirists in UMNO without additional problems from you jokers.
Personally, I am concerned about the progress of the Judiciary reforms particularly the current developments about the Judiciary Commission.
Truth be told, I’d like to know who are the Mahathirists who opposed him and the equally Hon. Zaid Ibrahim, on the fair and proper composition of the Judiciary Commission. I want to know who are these insecure little “Johnnies” control freaks seeking to put their own personal political ambitions above the citizens’ and Mr Badawi & Zaid Ibrahim’s. Can anyone name these people?
I have said this before – that there is no one society which is homogeneous. There will always be the conservative-types and the liberal-types; except that our “COnservative-types” are on the extreme far right racial types in UMNO – no thanks to that perennial trouble-maker Mr Mahathir!
Mr Badawi’s job is not easy. All those names calling and vituperation and slanders are not deserved. Those who do these ought to be given a f*%k*#g dressing down!
There is an old Indian saying – “Walk a mile first in another’s mocasins before you start criticizing others”.
Even though I have respect adn admiration for the Hon. Mr Badawi, he may, in order to survive in the longer term, have to force a showdown with the Mahathirists in UMNO. Only then can UMNO be reformed. Otherwise these bunch of crooks and despots will continue to resist reforms and subvert the Constitutional processes for their own ends.
This is the time that Mr Badawi needs the support and understanding of all fair minded people. Are you one?
Meantime, the process towards a two-party system continues with a good liklihood that PR may come into power. If so, that will be a good development in the Malaysia’s journey towards developed country status. We have miss the turn due to the darn Mahathir, and we will have to change direction now. We must be back on par with Singapore and Brunei economically in terms of GDP, and socially in trms of a just society.
Too much air and hate doesn’t help. Positive encouragement to whoever needs it will.
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Naughty line, Anil: For now, he has plugged the leaking dyke with his finger. Heehee.
Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, the only thing standing between us and another 22 years of Mahathirism is him. Think about that. Life in perpetual rewind. Now, instead of taking 2 steps back for every step forward, we’re taking half.
And he has managed to surround himself with more sensible people this time round. People like Shahrir Samad.
The funny thing is, we put him in a damned if you do, and damned if you don’t position. He’s been consistent about one thing: he’s slow about everything. Maybe that’s a good thing. Or do we prefer a coup d’etat?
I’ve said this before. I reckon he’s been the best PM so far. I’m a fan of Anwar too. Badawi has played by the rules far more than Mahathir ever did. And for that, he deserves some benefit of the doubt from us, don’t you think?
May the best man win.
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Just wanna inform you this blog has been officially nominated as a candidate for …
The Greatest Malaysian Blog – BLOGGER (English) B
(http://thexopinions.blogspot.com/2008/06/greatest-malaysian-blog-blogger-english_6408.html)
YOUR OPINION COUNTS!
Message from:
the X opinions (http://thexopinions.blogspot.com/)
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He is our PM and importantly let him leave his legacy and please remember at least he had allowed media freedom not like Mugabe Mahathir regime. God Bless Malaysia
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Dear Anil and Fellow Progessive Malaysians
Allow me to post this (I’ve posted this elsewhere):
My thoughts on the current situation in our beloved country. Here’s my analysis:
1. TDM keeps on attacking via his blog. The response? Counter-attacks by proxy i.e. Judge A says this about bad TDM on Day X, Mr B says this about bad TDM on Day Y, Mr C says this about bad TDM on Day Z
2. DSAI keeps on attacking via “katak strategy”. The response? Santa Claus and his assistants get on their sleds (oops, I mean airplanes) and fly over to distribute goodies left and right.
Santa Claus also distributes goodies left and right nearer home.
(I truly fear for the financial state of Malaysia if Santa Claus keeps on doing so!)
3. How does Santa Claus pay for this largesse? Perhaps partly by the higher price we poor sods have to pay for our fossil fuels?
Phua Kai Lit
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here some pics to make this article interesting. copyright?
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/f/finger_in_the_dyke.asp
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Personally, Pak Lah is much better a Prime Minister than Mahathir just because he is not too prone to Machiavellian tactics as his predecessor. Many of his problems are inherited, and yes, there are many warlords out there who has a say in his position as UMNO President for him to do anything too drastic. The Mahathir appointees on the bench, in the civil service, in the AG’s office and the police are also forces he has to contend with.
All in all, there are some good points; he has not appointed Samy as a senator for a backdoor cabinet position, Rafidah is out but he has undone these political gains by bringing UMNO’s no speekee English and failure to implement the IPCMC. There are others that I can mention which point to some gains and some loss for the rakyat under his stewarship, but I agree that he is running out of time. This is his second term, and might well be his last. The GE results have sent him a clear message; he is not dense to the need to show the rakyat he can deliver, but maybe his efforts are stifled by political realities around him.
One thing though, the thought of Najib being in Pak Lah’s place at the helm doesn’t comfort me at all. Be careful of what we wish for. It might bring unintended consequences!
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it’s nice to hear both sides here. I agree that hatred only breeds more hatred, so why are we resorting to name-callings and demeaning insults? Pak Lah isn’t solely responsible for this legacy of doom that he inherited. Heck, arguably the most dramatic chapter of our political landscape, the 12th GE result..it’s not too remote to say that it might not have happened at all under the previous regime, the oppositions and the alternative media might not even get the chance to sow the germ of the ideas that they are advocating. So be fair for the things that he did right, at the very least. The judiciary reform step is brave and unpopular amongst some from his own party, so to push forward, does it not show that he’s genuinely responding?
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Dear Friends
Are some of you forgetting that behind Pak Lah is the
ambitious, young Pretender? And that the Pretender has placed his men in controlling positions all over the ideological state apparatus a.k.a. mainstream media? Would you like the Pretender to be our PM one day?
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