One more!
Ah, an opposition hater!
Call for free and fair polls a big hypocrisy
I FIND the call by the Opposition for a free and fair general election a big hypocrisy. I think PAS, Parti Keadilan and DAP should start with themselves if they want to talk about free and fair polls.
Take PAS, the Islamist party does not even tolerate having women leaders in its leadership.
There has been great reluctance in having women candidates in general elections with outrageous sexist excuses, while non-Muslims continued to be shut out of the party despite past proposals that they be admitted as associate members.
PAS also can’t wait to impose theocratic rules where non-theologians have no place. So who is PAS to call for free polls.
As for PKR, all of us know that its hidden ambition is to return to Umno, but unfortunately the doors are shut.
That aside, it has been reported that non-governmental activists continue to lose out to powerful division heads.
Despite claims of being multi-racial, we can count on one hand the number of non-Malays elected into the leadership. In fact, Tian Chua has been relegated from a vice-president to information chief.
As for the DAP, everyone knows there is no direct election for each post. The delegates vote for the 25 posts in the central executive committee and they then decide on the various posts among themselves.
That is free and fair elections in the DAP for you. The delegates cannot even decide who they want as their leaders.
For all the DAP’s call for greater press freedom, the party keeps reporters out of all its annual general meetings.
The same leaders have clinged on to their positions. Surely, DAP members deserve fairer and freerer party elections.
Fellow Malaysians, don’t just listen to what you want to hear. God bless Malaysia if these people come into power.
RICKY TAN,
Shah Alam, Selangor.
lol.
How can anybody equate party elections with general elections? I don’t give a rat’s ass who’s on top in Umno but if it’s the same racist shit they spew, lawan tetap lawan.
And the point by point attack on opposition party indicates this RICKY TAN is :
1. Cinaman, not Malaysian - because he’s making an issue about Tian’s ‘relegation’ to info chief from VP. It’s because PKR has democracy and it’s not about what race you are that merits one at the top. Pleaselah, let’s stop equating everything we see as racial. You want racial - just look at your beloved BN, RICKY TAN.
2. Ex-journalist maybe? Got thrown out at DAP AGM? I’ve never heard of that but if you raise it diplomatically with DAP they might give you a good reply. Instead, he resorts to tattletale to The Star.
3. Opposition-hater. Which sorta mean he is either a MCA or Gerakan member or one that is so brainwashed by Umno’s scare-tactics.
4. Have no kids. Obviously he doesn’t have them in mind because he agrees with discriminative policies and a police state.
5. Possibly a government scholar at a local university and was a member of Aspirasi.
6. Does not understand Bersih’s stand on this issue. Actually, RICKY TAN has kept mum on the state of elections in the country. It was just a blatant letter to bash opposition! So is our current electoral system fair or not? He doesn’t know obviously. He’s too busy pleading to Malaysians to not ‘believe what they hear’. Don’t insult us lah, we have eyes and a brain - we can see and feel the rot.
Hey RICKY TAN, if you’re reading this, let’s debate! :)
November 15th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I was there last Saturday, and I must say for me to see all Malaysians standing side by side in the rain gave me more sense of pride than us purchasing a ticket from the Russians to hitch a ride on their rocket to space.
UMNO led BN actually united the rakyat thru their abuses of power and rampant corruption.
November 15th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Polytikus
I had also read the same article in the Star yesterday.There was another letter from another reader called Charles on Tuesday, condemning the BERSIH march.. And I was thinking to myself, is this the voice of the majority out there? I certainly hope not.
I could not help feeling aghast and terribly disappointed at the brash bashing of the Opposition. It is obvious that he failed to see the real issue,.i.e. rampant abuse of power by the BN hegemony, blatantly unfair election practices, endemic corruption, and so forth..
He is just another person out there who is merely interested to point fingers at the Opposition. He cited this and that about the Opposition’s party elections without realising that the racial politics practised by UMNO in sidelining its components in BN is far worse than all the allegations he raised about what is happening (if any) in PKR, PAS or DAP.
Hello…RIcky Tan…are you blind towards the BN actions recently..eg.demolition of Indian temple, sending astronut to space..etc..or are you a real fan of AAB and “power sharing” formula.
November 15th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Just because Ricky Tan does not agree with you, that makes him an “Opposition hater”????
What the DAP and PKR practiced at ‘home’ is reflective of what they actually are. How can they go around talking about “Free and fair elections” when none of that sort is made available within their own ‘houses’.
Why did Dato’ Nallakarupan and former Deputy President Abd Rahman Osman leve PKR abruptly in May???? Isn’t it because of not able to get “free and fair elections” within their own party?
In 1999, DAP Sec Gen Lim Kit Siang lambasted the UMNO President then, Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as being “undemocratic”, for the Supreme Council’s decision to popstpone party elections until after the next General Elections.
In 2007, DAP did the same bloody thing!
DAP should take word “democratic” out of its name and revert back to its ‘original’, which befits their position and role as a satelite political party representing the people in the tiny red dot just outside the mainland of continent Asia.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
ala bigdog you are also an opposition hater and an umno lover. lol. so what’s the big deal?
wizzerd: majority, minority pish posh. everybody should have equal voices. why should the minority government (minority because there are more rakyat than politicians and civil servants) order the majority commoners listen to them? i think the rakyat has a right to speak just as the PM does :)
November 15th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Polytikus:
Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. You might have misinterpreted I meant.
“……There was another letter from another reader called Charles on Tuesday, condemning the BERSIH march.. And I was thinking to myself, is this the voice of the majority out there? I certainly hope not.”
The ‘majority’ I meant was
Out of all those politically-ignorant people in this country, are the “Opposition haters” like Ricky Tan the MAJORITY or the minority.
Certainly do hope that no. of people like Ricky Tan and others who bashed the Opposition are small in number
November 15th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
the most unfortunate thing is the star, NST, UTUSAN , BH are read by the masses, whether they want to believe the lies of “ricky tan” will depend on how many days these letters are “published” by those UMNO latchkeys.
as for me, i long2 ago decided not to read the star, only for comics and sports. NST, surrender a long time ago.
by the way big dog, you are UMNO lover? you macam lover of yourself saje. i read some of your articles posted on malaysia today website and some really stink to high heavens! lol. even commented there before how awful it was.
the rakyat PANTANG dicabar!
November 15th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
The way I see it. Ricky Tan could be one of those minority opposition’s opposition. That does not necessarily mean he’s a BN supporter. The government needs an opposition to keep it in check, but who’s going to keep the opposition in check? That’s right, its people like Ricky here. If the opposition think they can do better than the current government, then they don’t seem to be doing a good job at it. Look at them, they can’t even decide on the seats!
Sometimes, I feel that the opposition is actually shooting itself in the foot when the field 2 people to contest against 1 from BN. Split votes is more damaging than any deception the government can pull. The opposition have to realize that not everyone will support them blindly simply because the current government sucks. They have to present themselves as an effective and cohesive alternative government. I don’t see them doing that now, even when the election is so near.
I quote a very famous blogger, “a government elected out of hate will fail, but a government elected out of love will succeed”. Badawi is probably going to set a record for having the shortest term as prime minister because he was given the mandate out of the people’s hate for Mahathir. They were under the impression that no one can screw the country up any worse than Mahathir under his dictatorial rule and will accept anyone regardless of his credentials. Guess what, they were wrong. Very wrong.
Its the same with the opposition. Let’s say if the opposition wins the next election, it will not be entirely because the people love them, its because they hate Badawi’s guts too much to have any doubts on the opposition. The opposition has to present themselves as a valid alternative front in order for the people to love them. The most important step to take is to work together seriously for once. Show the voters a government, and you will see a positive change. If not, then history will repeat itself again.
If there is absolutely ONE thing I admire about BN, its their ability to stick together even after 50 years. Never mind that the main reason is greed, the point is they’re are united.
So don’t simply dismiss Ricky simply because he’s bashing the opposition, otherwise you would be no better than the government who simply brush off anything that seems to be against them instead of finding out why people are against them and how they can improve things. People like Ricky and I exist because the opposition needs to understand that not everyone who votes for them supports them, its because they rejected the government and have no other choice. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” will only offer a temporary solution.
We are the minority. We are the opposition’s opposition. Thank you for your time.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
good points laksarian! but sometime we often just look at the opposition as though they have the same machinery or given the same footing to campaign as BN. they are already starting from a disadvantaged point to begin with, really.
but tell me more. what must the opposition do for you to ‘love’ them? and what will you do to assist them in this matter? I’d love to hear your thoughts. thanks! and i appreciate the comments!
November 15th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Actually, we are being forced to become demi-gods by all the political parties. None is actually worth the salt. At this point, I don’t need my chess pieces to be made from sugar and chocolate. I don’t intend to eat them or like them…just move them for checkmates, like the ancient gods. Of course, until someone comes along that can lead this country well. Or when there is a good system of political opposition and accountability in place.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:39 am
I agree with laksarian; and it’s not about where this person stands anyway…
Have to take in the criticism he featured and maybe find out why he said those things, explain why; instead of erm, guessing about his marital status and what not.
But I admire your passion, keep on going!
November 17th, 2007 at 1:12 am
I’m shooting myself in the foot by saying that I have no concrete solution to this. What I do know, is the opposition must come together and formulate a plan to win the hearts of the fence sitters instead of relying on their existing supporters. For one thing, I don’t like it when opposition members keep saying “we urge the prime minister to…” when they know damn well he doesn’t give a shit what they think. I don’t know the finer arts of politics so I’m sure if they are allowed to say “a good prime minister will…”. Eh, who knows.
We are a misunderstood lot. The government doesn’t care about us since we don’t support them. The opposition (mostly the supporters ) accuses us as BN boot-lickers because we disagree with them and point out their flaws (kinda like… the opposition!) . I have received my share of abuse when I post comments like Ricky’s in opposition members’ blogs.
Opposition supporters can be too fanatical sometimes and will accuse anyone who disagrees with them as cybertroopers and what-not. How is this different from the government accusing the opposition for instigating racial divide and public unrest? I have seen a comment deleted from Teresa Kok’s blog simply because it contains criticisms.
I was a big opposition supporter when I became politically aware, but as time goes by, I realized that by voting for them I’m simply voting the lesser of two evils. It doesn’t and shouldn’t work that way. When it comes to the country, the people must not settle for second best. The opposition is far from being the best if they can’t even unite under a single banner which is the Alternative Front.
At the moment, I would love to see blog readers stop accusing us as cybertroopers. We may say things you do not like, but we only want the best for our country. Thank you for your time.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:37 am
Here’s another article in case my argument wasn’t strong enough.
http://klconfidential.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-choice-do-we-have.html
November 17th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
What is good for Malaysia today? Vote for BN or the Oppositions? If we answer that question as, for example, a Chinese or an Indian or a Malay Malaysian, it will definitely be a selfish response. When you are trapped between two devils, you will always consider the most profitable or safer pathway for yourself or family. All politicians exploit this human flaw. This is apolitical idealism. It may be a cracked idealism but it is better than apathy and not voting. Laksarian is right, instead of hurling critism, the ‘oppositions’ should tone down their judgement, extremism and criticism, lest it cause a negative swing like the ‘Saya pantang di cabar’. There is a definite resonance amongst the fence sitters to vote as Malaysians for a more practical politically balance landscape in Malaysia. I see a lot of young Malaysians who can become better leaders, but alas, they seem to have pledge allegiance (almost, blindly) to ‘old fox’ politicians and their rudimentary idealism. Why can’t they stand out as individuals and be counted as different?
November 18th, 2007 at 10:41 am
While I share laksarian’s views, I think that given a choice between two evils, where that is our only choice, we should opt for the lesser evil. In the short run, that is unfortunately true; good people with good ideas are few and far between, and wherever they do pop up, often suppressed by their superiors. That doesn’t mean we should refrain from voting, or vote for the greater evil.
In the long run, then of course, we ought to explicitly seek out better choices. Look into starting a new party or reforming the existing ones. But in the short run, where our choices are constrained, we should choose the better one, even if it is still a bad choice.