Let
get this out of the way first. The Malays learn their politics from UMNO. The
good, the bad, the not so good the not so bad – almost everything they know
about politics comes from UMNO. There are no generations of Malays who are once
or twice removed from UMNO …not yet anyway! Time will make this happen but for
now UMNO is the fountain or cesspool of political knowledge – that gave the Malays their primary, secondary and whatever
levels of learning they have arrived at in as far as politics is concern!
Is
it not possible then that these graduates from the UMNO pondok of politics are
attuned to the ways of UMNO - the
good and the bad – for the foreseeable future? Until at least common sense or
an understanding of what the real world expects of them gives them their
“EUREKA” moment – and then -
pooof! - they start to live in the
real world? The world that Guan Eng and Nurul Izzah now lives in? The world
that so many of us are trying to pull all these politicians in Pakatan Rakyat
into! Whether we succeed or not, it will not be for want of trying!
Politics
is not a black or white world. Even when it is white it can be beige, cream,
eggshell or pearl. When you say black is a colour there will be people who
argue that black is not a colour – it is an absence of colour! So let us not go
there and just accept that for politicians there is no right or wrong. Only
thinking makes it so.
So
I am not going in argue with anybody that what Zaid or Azmin is doing within
PKR is right or wrong. Anwar was in UMNO now Anwar is not. Mahathir was in UMNO
and then he was out, in, out, and in again. For the Malays most roads in
politics seem to come from and lead to UMNO. Now here is the no brainer. If we
know this, why not take what Azmin and Zaid are now doing, with a pinch of
salt? Which means we know they are conditioned to do all this – but we use our
common sense to figure out what is right and what is wrong.
For
me it is very simple. If you say that you will not contest any post within PKR
in the coming PKR election – it means just that! YOU WILL NOT CONTEST! Even if
you give me 1001 reasons why you need to contest the election now common sense
tells me that your word is not your bond. And for me that is what Zaid did. He
said he will not contest –and now he will. He lied!
The biggest consequence
to telling a lie is,
it leads you to telling another one.
Gary King.
As
for Azmin – who I also do not know – he has never told us that he will not
stand for the deputy president post in the upcoming party election. I have
received emails this morning telling me he is this and he is that – but no one
has emailed me anything that says that Azmin said that he was not going to
stand for the post of the deputy president of PKR!
If
you have an opinion on this, tell me. All this talking about unprecedented
attacks on Zaid after he announced his intention to contest are the cut and
thrusts of politics. We all know that the way things are structured in PKR it
is the members that will decide – no War Lords in PKR, no money politics in PKR
(well I hope not!), nobody offering good money for bloggers to do battle for
them (good money meaning six figures lah!)…..so for all those that want to have
their say – send me your comments and I will publish them!
Not
for the glory of winning or the spoils of victory but always for PKR, for PKR
for PKR!
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI to you and your family. Dengan ingatan tulus ikhlas. Maaf zahir batin.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
China Trengganu
Zaid Ibrahim or Azmin? The choice is........PKR status quo tetapi kalau nak lawan pun lu fikir la sendiri....
ReplyDeleteMaaf Zahir batin and Selamat eidulfitri.
Surely they know in any decisions they both made there is an opportunity cost tetapi kalau tak tahu memang bangang!!!
I don't give a hick who will win this contest.
ReplyDeleteI want to see performances
Selamat Hari Raya
I like both prospective candidates. Why can't there be a healthy contest, and may the better candidate win?
ReplyDeleteIf the objective is to takeover Putrajaya, there will be a shortage of top candidates to fill all ministerial positions. We cannot afford to lose good candidates because of pride and power.
Sir,
ReplyDeleteSelamat hari raya to you and your family. Have a blast in the last days of Adelaide's winter.
Cheers,
Thomas
I am allergic to UMNO and whoever caries UMNO genes makes me nervous. It's contagious and I have yet to see one who has fully recovered from this infection.
ReplyDeleteAlfred E. Neumann
Selamat Hari Raya, HH.
ReplyDeleteMay the new year bring you great fortune, happiness, joy, love and health in abundance.
Based on all that I have read so far, I feel that Zaid is more trustworthy. He resigned from UMNO for a worthy cause. He did the right thing.
For Azmin, stirred trouble in East Malaysia. Didn't contribute much. Dr Rafick said he sms-ed, wrote emails, phoned Azmin many times regarding some housing issues in Bukit Antarabangsa, but no response from this cocky man.
My gut feel tells me that Zaid is a more trustworthy person, is able and capable and not a racist.
Azmin is a clone of Anwar....like what Haris IBrahim asked Anwar in his blog...are you a malay activist within? Anwar cannot be a racist if he wants to sit in Putrajaya.
Don't you agree?
He has to fight for all races in Malaysia.
Folks I was told there are 3 things to become a bloody good politician:
ReplyDelete1. You must be bold.
2. You must be able to "lie".
3. You must be willing to kiss his hand, hug him and embrace him, and when the time comes, stab him in the chest in front not from the back !
Otherwise, you cannot qualify...so lu balik fikir sendiri lah !
Happy Holidays
Selamat Hari Raya To One and All.
Uncle Hussein,
ReplyDeleteI'm a Chinese Malaysian and with a family. I started surfing the Net just before the GE12. I came a cross you site through Malaysia Today and I am fascinated by your insight into the Malaysia political spectrum. I'm worried about Malaysia with the political anarchy and with what is going on in the Pakatan be it PKR, DAP or PAS I am really confused.Is ther a way out for us Malaysian in this dire times. I hope there is. Please continue your work as people like me do get a bit of relieve from your writing, Thanks. 'Selamat Hari Raya"
BN ke, PR ke ... semua sama. They are all the same. All tak boleh pakai.
ReplyDeleteThe only legitimate and sensible solution for Malaysians is to migrate. Malaysia is a 3rd world country.
To understand political behavior one must closely observe the dynamics amongst a pack of dogs. Even canine siblings, sprung from the same litter, will turn savage on each other when it comes to food. This insight will not resolve PKR's Azmin-Zaid rivalry but it does teach us to not expect otherwise, as Steadyaku47 sagely points out in this clear-headed post. Azmin Ali is an Anwar loyalist who has stuck with him through thick and thin and Azmin is deeply embedded in party politics with a strong support base. However, he appears aloof to the public and has yet to acquire authentic star quality in his own right - instead, like the moon, he reflects Anwar's glory. On the other hand Zaid Ibrahim is an intelligent, urbane man-of-the-world who won wide admiration by quitting his post in Badawi's cabinet in protest against what he saw as abuse of the ISA. He has since shown himself to be a charmingly articulate, endowed with a sharp legal mind; a political thinker with an approachable personality and also a healthy sense of humor. Both men are indeed valuable assets to PKR and it's a pity to watch them pit themselves aganst each other. Azmin's clique appear more typically Melayu in their politics, while Zaid has broader appeal across the racial spectrum, especially with the liberal urban electorate. Each deserves a position of authority within PKR and I'm sure such an intelligent solution can be found wherein both Azmin and Zaid can contribute creatively to the evolution of PKR, instead of engaging in what seems to be an extremely destructive baring of fangs over a mere bone. Times like these I'm glad I'm not Anwar, who constantly faces internal dilemmas (e.g., Zul Noordin and Zahrain) that sap his energy rather than bolster it. May I suggest that PKR create another top post for Zaid and get both candidates for #2 post to stop attacking each other - at least until the danger of BN wresting back its 2/3 majority is long past? The question of Anwar's successor is not all that important, as Nurul Izzah wisely pointed out, when she stated that PKR must operate beyond personality cults and concentrate on restoring democratic freedoms stolen by Mahathir and promoting JUSTICE - the original reason why it even exists.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi HH,
ReplyDeleteI am perplexed by the point you have been trying to drive about Zaid going back on his word not to contest. Conversely, you mentioned that Azmin did commit no such thing. For that you crucify Zaid as being distrustful.
Azmin has never committed not to vie for No.2 and for that matter to anything else (as we know his incapability) but is clearly a staunch Anwar loyalist. Take a closer look at Anwar; what has he committed to but never delivered or turned 180 degrees around? September 16 first comes to mind.
Before GE12 he rallied the PR parties behind the People's Declaration as a joint manifesto but conveniently forgot about it after the fact.
The only PKR state, Selangor is doing okay DESPITE PKR and if you look closely at the socio-economic improvements in the state, the main drivers in Khalid's exco are non-PKR ADUNs! Most PKR ADUNs are only interested in politicking and we know Azmin is great at that. Look at Sabah. PR hopes to "misappropriate" BN's "fixed deposit"? It looks like eroding Zaid's PKR support in Sabah is more important to Anwar than winning Sabah for PR.
The reason the jury is still out on Anwar is that he has not delivered anything since GE12. Azmin IS Anwar.
Just review Anwar's ceramahs on You Tube the last two years. He only criticizes the excesses of UMNO/BN without presenting concrete measures he will institute for a Malaysian Malaysia. He is worse than Najib's elegant silence when it comes to racist slurs. Yeah, semua anak, anak dia. Pordah!
Who is the real UMNO plant here? Zaid or Anwar/Azmin? Has Anwar cashed in our chips to avoid jail for Sodomy II?
I say to hell with de facto PKR leader title...Anwar should just go for number 1 and Zaid number 2 in PKR. Or is Anwar waiting to ride into UMNO by invitation as a white knight?
Just ranting and venting lah. Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri bro.
KS
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMost comments appear hillarious to me. Most sounded from people who ride in after 2008 success. Before that they're no where in sight. Now they think they know best n they don't need Anwar. What pathetic! Would PKR, DAP n PAS come together? Most thought Anwar was crazy when he toured the country and pronounced victory. Can you see next GE without him? You could if you're still UMNO/BN diehards and most of you are before 2008.
ReplyDeletesalam aidilfitri to all
ReplyDeletewhen there is a small dispute that
threatens to break the party , the
President must use wisdom to avoid
the fracture.
2. The importance of the vp post
is such that in the event that the
President is indisposed, the vp will
step into his shoes.
Looking at the event today, it is likely
that the president faces a jail sentence. This would mean the vp is the de facto president and the prime minister in waiting should br won the
pru13.
3. The solution
-----------------
The President should think of creating
2 posts of vice presidents so that
zaid and azmin can fill. The choice of
of who will succeed the President can
be left to the central committee.
That is my 2 cents worth
Khong khek khuat