The candidates for the PJ Selatan parliamentary seat (deputy tourism minister Donald Lim and PKR's Hee Loy Sian) and the Bukit Gasing state seat (MCA's Dr Lim Thuan Seng and DAP's Edward Lee) held a "closed-door" Q&A session with their constituents at a local church. I wonder if the "closed door" was meant to keep the press out, because clearly, it didn't work. Or maybe it was to keep the Malays out?
The Star gave a very watered-down version of events under the title "Bukit Gasing's 'Zero-Development' Drive". It must suck to be a reporter of political events at a government-owned newspaper, muzzled and muffled, and having to use your creative juices to present things in the best possible light for the government. And that was a difficult task this time.
Malaysiakini wrote, "Donald Booed at Church Forum" and appeared to relish the fact that the BN candidates were getting the hard questions and scorn of the public.
The Sun reported, "Plenty of Laughs, Jeers and Boos at Dialogue." The brief article captured the essence of the event.
Malaysiavotes.com had the best coverage, thanks to a report from a citizen at the event. "The 'Miracle' of Bukit Gasing" story was neutral and comprehensive, and some Malays are sure to take offense with the closing prayer. Lantak lah.
Wouldn't it be great if there were more of these sessions?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A Couple of Questions
A few points which I hope will be investigated or clarified soon...
1) Why the no-show contestants?
The latest count shows that BN has won 11 seats uncontested, with another possibly in the bag as reports surfaced of the PKR parliamentary candidate in Kulim being investigated for not turning in his financial statements. Another PKR candidate was previously disqualified for the same reason. The PKR person who was to take on Azalina did not show up; apparently his family disappeared for a few days and some members resurfaced, but not the candidate-to-be himself. The student party whose lone candidate was to take on Badawi in a 3-corner contest, found himself physically barred by police when attempting to submit his nomination papers. PKR's man for Sandakan found his candidacy rejected by the EC without cause. The BN candidate-to-be who handed PAS and the Opposition its lone uncontested seat in Kelantan by being declared a bankrupt denied the charge.
What happened to the other 8 seats that went uncontested? What happened to those people who were supposed to contest? There have been allegations of opposition members being bribed (by whom, I wonder) to stand down. The Kepala Batas incident of candidates being physically intimidated was not an isolated one.
So here comes the inanity of the nomination day process. Why allow JUST 1 HOUR for candidates to submit their papers? Why can't it be a whole day? A person could easily be ineligible just for being caught in a traffic jam. And how can the EC make judgements on who is eligible or not in JUST 1 HOUR following the candidacy submissions? Don't they need to do background checks? And why can't the EC explicitly state WHY a candidate was rejected and provide supporting arguments for their decision?
And if those allegations of the POLICE using their might to stop candidates from entering the nomination centers are true... how dare they. But they've built a good track record of hindering with democracy with a little help from their chemical-laced water pumps, so should we really be surprised anymore.
2) How can an imprisoned person contest in the elections?
Manoharan, one of the Hindraf leaders now sitting in jail, thanks to the ISA, is a candidate in the Kota Alam Shah state seat. The lawyer said his imprisonment should not be a factor for voters trying to decide who to vote for. I don't even understand how the man is eligible - is this a loophole in the law that the BN will close through yet another amendment when they return to power? If Manoharan is imprisoned for more than a year, does he lose his seat, assuming he wins? A vote for him is a vote against the ISA, against suppressing the freedom of expression, and for raising the profile of the oppressed. But don't expect your streetlights to get fixed.
1) Why the no-show contestants?
The latest count shows that BN has won 11 seats uncontested, with another possibly in the bag as reports surfaced of the PKR parliamentary candidate in Kulim being investigated for not turning in his financial statements. Another PKR candidate was previously disqualified for the same reason. The PKR person who was to take on Azalina did not show up; apparently his family disappeared for a few days and some members resurfaced, but not the candidate-to-be himself. The student party whose lone candidate was to take on Badawi in a 3-corner contest, found himself physically barred by police when attempting to submit his nomination papers. PKR's man for Sandakan found his candidacy rejected by the EC without cause. The BN candidate-to-be who handed PAS and the Opposition its lone uncontested seat in Kelantan by being declared a bankrupt denied the charge.
What happened to the other 8 seats that went uncontested? What happened to those people who were supposed to contest? There have been allegations of opposition members being bribed (by whom, I wonder) to stand down. The Kepala Batas incident of candidates being physically intimidated was not an isolated one.
So here comes the inanity of the nomination day process. Why allow JUST 1 HOUR for candidates to submit their papers? Why can't it be a whole day? A person could easily be ineligible just for being caught in a traffic jam. And how can the EC make judgements on who is eligible or not in JUST 1 HOUR following the candidacy submissions? Don't they need to do background checks? And why can't the EC explicitly state WHY a candidate was rejected and provide supporting arguments for their decision?
And if those allegations of the POLICE using their might to stop candidates from entering the nomination centers are true... how dare they. But they've built a good track record of hindering with democracy with a little help from their chemical-laced water pumps, so should we really be surprised anymore.
2) How can an imprisoned person contest in the elections?
Manoharan, one of the Hindraf leaders now sitting in jail, thanks to the ISA, is a candidate in the Kota Alam Shah state seat. The lawyer said his imprisonment should not be a factor for voters trying to decide who to vote for. I don't even understand how the man is eligible - is this a loophole in the law that the BN will close through yet another amendment when they return to power? If Manoharan is imprisoned for more than a year, does he lose his seat, assuming he wins? A vote for him is a vote against the ISA, against suppressing the freedom of expression, and for raising the profile of the oppressed. But don't expect your streetlights to get fixed.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Ok, so I am pro-Opposition, but...
1) ...even I don't believe in this idealistic proposal...
As I said earlier, PKR's proposal of a RM1500/month minimum wage is unrealistic. It likely does reflect the amount needed to live in Malaysia, but I hear RM1500/month is what fresh bachelors' graduates from fancy US universities make.
What about the "masses"? Jobstreet's Salary Report states entry-level cashiers make RM600-RM900 per month. Entry-level teachers make RM700-RM1600 a month, increasing to RM1200-RM2100 for mid-level teachers. You have to figure that many people at mid-level positions will by then have extra mouths to feed, so they would have to set aside a big chunk for diapers and a maid.
The point is, millions of people are working at jobs that pay way under RM1500 a month. Imposing a minumum wage of that level will put a lot of small businesses in big trouble. Imagine all the mom-n-pop, or makcik-n-pakcik and auntie-n-uncle shops that will have to tutup kedai.
2) ...what credentials do these people have exactly?
Malaysiakini reported on a couple of young PKR candidates who are making their election debut.
Loh Gwo Burne was living in China when the Lingam-gate scandal broke and he was called back home to testify on his role as the secret camera-man. While I commend his decision to become politically active, I would want to know if he plans on going back to his life in China? Or split his time somehow if he were an MP? Dude, when was the last time you were back in Subang Jaya? Contesting a parliamentary seat lagi... what do you know about Malaysian politics, other than it's dirty?
Hannah Yeoh, contesting in Subang Jaya's state seat, said, "I’m racing against time in these two weeks. Give me your votes first. We can work out the issues later. I will do what you want me to do in the next five years. Two weeks (of campaigning) is not enough."
Agreed. Two weeks of campaigning is ridiculously short. But lady, how can I give you my vote if I don't know what you're going to do?? She did state "security and crime" as the issues she would tackle. And surprisingly, the Star did a better job of reporting on her, or perhaps she was better prepared after the Malaysiakini interview. Of course, being pretty always helps, especially when it comes to the media.
Bit of advice, people: Use the internet. Have a personal political website that states your visions, your convictions, and publicize the hell out of it. Send mass-emails, mass-sms'es. Let everyone know you are serious about being a representative of the people, not just hot-hot chicken s**t!
Update on Feb 28th: My fault for not searching for the candidates' blog sites earlier. Sometimes when it's 4am and you have to be up at 6:30am all you want to do is publish the post and worry about it later!
Here is Helen Ang writing on her reservations regarding Loh Gwo Burne's candidacy.
Here is Loh Gwo Burne's website. I had to scroll almost all the way to the bottom of the page before I found his explanation for standing for office. Am not impressed with the website; it's a Readers' Digest-type collection of articles and graphics, but lacks his voice.
Here is Hannah Yeoh's site. We get to meet the candidate and hear her voice, but you have to go to her manager, Edward Ling's website for the details on where Hannah will be speaking, how to donate to her campaign and such.
As I said earlier, PKR's proposal of a RM1500/month minimum wage is unrealistic. It likely does reflect the amount needed to live in Malaysia, but I hear RM1500/month is what fresh bachelors' graduates from fancy US universities make.
What about the "masses"? Jobstreet's Salary Report states entry-level cashiers make RM600-RM900 per month. Entry-level teachers make RM700-RM1600 a month, increasing to RM1200-RM2100 for mid-level teachers. You have to figure that many people at mid-level positions will by then have extra mouths to feed, so they would have to set aside a big chunk for diapers and a maid.
The point is, millions of people are working at jobs that pay way under RM1500 a month. Imposing a minumum wage of that level will put a lot of small businesses in big trouble. Imagine all the mom-n-pop, or makcik-n-pakcik and auntie-n-uncle shops that will have to tutup kedai.
2) ...what credentials do these people have exactly?
Malaysiakini reported on a couple of young PKR candidates who are making their election debut.
Loh Gwo Burne was living in China when the Lingam-gate scandal broke and he was called back home to testify on his role as the secret camera-man. While I commend his decision to become politically active, I would want to know if he plans on going back to his life in China? Or split his time somehow if he were an MP? Dude, when was the last time you were back in Subang Jaya? Contesting a parliamentary seat lagi... what do you know about Malaysian politics, other than it's dirty?
Hannah Yeoh, contesting in Subang Jaya's state seat, said, "I’m racing against time in these two weeks. Give me your votes first. We can work out the issues later. I will do what you want me to do in the next five years. Two weeks (of campaigning) is not enough."
Agreed. Two weeks of campaigning is ridiculously short. But lady, how can I give you my vote if I don't know what you're going to do?? She did state "security and crime" as the issues she would tackle. And surprisingly, the Star did a better job of reporting on her, or perhaps she was better prepared after the Malaysiakini interview. Of course, being pretty always helps, especially when it comes to the media.
Bit of advice, people: Use the internet. Have a personal political website that states your visions, your convictions, and publicize the hell out of it. Send mass-emails, mass-sms'es. Let everyone know you are serious about being a representative of the people, not just hot-hot chicken s**t!
Update on Feb 28th: My fault for not searching for the candidates' blog sites earlier. Sometimes when it's 4am and you have to be up at 6:30am all you want to do is publish the post and worry about it later!
Here is Helen Ang writing on her reservations regarding Loh Gwo Burne's candidacy.
Here is Loh Gwo Burne's website. I had to scroll almost all the way to the bottom of the page before I found his explanation for standing for office. Am not impressed with the website; it's a Readers' Digest-type collection of articles and graphics, but lacks his voice.
Here is Hannah Yeoh's site. We get to meet the candidate and hear her voice, but you have to go to her manager, Edward Ling's website for the details on where Hannah will be speaking, how to donate to her campaign and such.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Where I Stand
Why I should be pro-government or pro-BN (and why I'm not):
I am a Malay. Technically categorized as bumiputera, but as the label has been used to discriminate against people of other races, I am loathe to be associated with it.
I came to the States to complete my bachelors degree, after 2 1/2 years in an ITM institution, courtesy of JPA. I have to pay back the student loan, which has been heavily discounted, and I admit that I would not have had my experiences at the University of Michigan without the government's pro-bumiputera policies. Some might even say I would not have met my husband nor have the family that I have if it weren't for the government. I believe JPA offered me a path that has led me to my life today. But I also believe there would have been other paths that would have led to me meeting my husband. So, am I grateful to the government? Not particularly. As long as they get their money as outlined by the contract we made, they should expect nothing further from me.
My parents have a strong pro-government background. My mother has worked for the state government for 30 years. She is not a big-shot but she has access to big-shots and many of them have come through the doors of our home, eating meals at Raya celebrations and bearing gifts at Chinese New Year. My father initiated the UMNO branch in our area and served as branch leader for a number of years. Politically, he went as high as no. 2 in the district before fading from the scene. Later, I would learn that money was the deterrent; he found that you had to have a large supply to play the political game, and religious person that he is, he could stomach it no longer.
Why am I now supporting the Opposition?
Once upon a time, I was a Mahathir supporter. In my political science class at ITM, the lecturer asked each of us to name the politician we most admired (in 1995) and I, along with at least 70% of the class, answered Mahathir (the rest said Anwar). Talk about the fruits of government-brainwashing. Then of course, 1999 came along and the injustices inflicted onto Anwar was too despicable for any fair-minded person to ignore. To be fair, Anwar up to that point, was not a squeaky-clean politician. (I now believe that species does not exist in the BN government). But he was brave enough to challenge the status quo, and naive enough to think he could make changes happen from within. So although there are many out there who still distrust Anwar, I am of the opinion that there is no other Malaysian leader more intelligent and articulate than he. Other than academics, which politician can claim they have read the works of Shakespeare, Confucious, and the Bhagavad Gita? He has credibility in the international community; he was even rumored to be one of the candidates for the UN Secretary-General post. He espouses multi-racial policies - no more NEP that has made Malays complacent and expectant of handouts.
Perhaps the main reason I am supporting the Opposition is that the BN government has become too arrogant, too omnipresent, and too powerful for its own good. You can't even call the Malaysian system a democracy anymore - perhaps a pseudo-democracy, or a manipulated democracy, where people are allowed to vote, but the voting system is unfair; where the institutions of legislature, executive, and judiciary exist but are controlled by the few.
Malaysia NEEDS a strong Opposition to keep the BN in check. The government must no longer be allowed to amend the Consitution at will - 600+ times in the past 50 years, compared to 17 in the past 220 years of the American constitution. Nor must judges and the police be tools and toys for the government to play with.
If I could vote, I would certainly vote the Opposition (PKR, DAP... PAS I'm still not sure). But I'm not convinced that their idealistic policies (such as PKR's $1500/month minimum wage proposal) will translate into good governance. I'm willing to overlook the lack of experience and accept that there will be a learning curve (or, like the Malaysian press likes to say, "teething problems") while the policies are put into practice. It will be worth it for the sake of getting the country on the right track.
I am a Malay. Technically categorized as bumiputera, but as the label has been used to discriminate against people of other races, I am loathe to be associated with it.
I came to the States to complete my bachelors degree, after 2 1/2 years in an ITM institution, courtesy of JPA. I have to pay back the student loan, which has been heavily discounted, and I admit that I would not have had my experiences at the University of Michigan without the government's pro-bumiputera policies. Some might even say I would not have met my husband nor have the family that I have if it weren't for the government. I believe JPA offered me a path that has led me to my life today. But I also believe there would have been other paths that would have led to me meeting my husband. So, am I grateful to the government? Not particularly. As long as they get their money as outlined by the contract we made, they should expect nothing further from me.
My parents have a strong pro-government background. My mother has worked for the state government for 30 years. She is not a big-shot but she has access to big-shots and many of them have come through the doors of our home, eating meals at Raya celebrations and bearing gifts at Chinese New Year. My father initiated the UMNO branch in our area and served as branch leader for a number of years. Politically, he went as high as no. 2 in the district before fading from the scene. Later, I would learn that money was the deterrent; he found that you had to have a large supply to play the political game, and religious person that he is, he could stomach it no longer.
Why am I now supporting the Opposition?
Once upon a time, I was a Mahathir supporter. In my political science class at ITM, the lecturer asked each of us to name the politician we most admired (in 1995) and I, along with at least 70% of the class, answered Mahathir (the rest said Anwar). Talk about the fruits of government-brainwashing. Then of course, 1999 came along and the injustices inflicted onto Anwar was too despicable for any fair-minded person to ignore. To be fair, Anwar up to that point, was not a squeaky-clean politician. (I now believe that species does not exist in the BN government). But he was brave enough to challenge the status quo, and naive enough to think he could make changes happen from within. So although there are many out there who still distrust Anwar, I am of the opinion that there is no other Malaysian leader more intelligent and articulate than he. Other than academics, which politician can claim they have read the works of Shakespeare, Confucious, and the Bhagavad Gita? He has credibility in the international community; he was even rumored to be one of the candidates for the UN Secretary-General post. He espouses multi-racial policies - no more NEP that has made Malays complacent and expectant of handouts.
Perhaps the main reason I am supporting the Opposition is that the BN government has become too arrogant, too omnipresent, and too powerful for its own good. You can't even call the Malaysian system a democracy anymore - perhaps a pseudo-democracy, or a manipulated democracy, where people are allowed to vote, but the voting system is unfair; where the institutions of legislature, executive, and judiciary exist but are controlled by the few.
Malaysia NEEDS a strong Opposition to keep the BN in check. The government must no longer be allowed to amend the Consitution at will - 600+ times in the past 50 years, compared to 17 in the past 220 years of the American constitution. Nor must judges and the police be tools and toys for the government to play with.
If I could vote, I would certainly vote the Opposition (PKR, DAP... PAS I'm still not sure). But I'm not convinced that their idealistic policies (such as PKR's $1500/month minimum wage proposal) will translate into good governance. I'm willing to overlook the lack of experience and accept that there will be a learning curve (or, like the Malaysian press likes to say, "teething problems") while the policies are put into practice. It will be worth it for the sake of getting the country on the right track.
Just another citizen's blog
I wanted to give Azalina and the secret online snoops another blog to spy on - so here it is!
This blog's purpose is to record my impressions of the 12th Malaysian General Election. As a Malaysian living overseas, who is neither a government employee, full-time student, nor spouse of either one, I CANNOT VOTE. Voting is a fundamental right of every citizen in a democratic country, so what does it say about Malaysia when it deprives millions of its overseas citizens this right?
The reasoning is simple. Government employees are generally pro-government. Full-time students are mostly overseas courtesy of government scholarships and loans. I suppose the government is counting on some degree of indebtedness by granting these groups the right to vote. But whatever reason one has for not living in Malaysia, chances of being exposed to what is considered "anti" government news and opinion increases significantly. No more being fed news from RTM! No more reading the spin from Berita Harian and NST! A large voting bloc that is potentially pro-opposition is something the government has been crafty enough to avoid.
A recent Malaysiakini article estimated that 90% of postal ballots are cast for the ruling Barisan Nasional. This is courtesy of the police and armed forces who typically use this method of balloting. The various blogs I have read expose the extreme ignorance of Malaysian embassies and consulates when it comes to casting postal ballots for ordinary citizens. Perhaps the reasoning is, if the embassy front-line workers have no clue what the procedure is, they cannot educate those citizens who bother to call and ask, and therefore chances are good that those citizens will just give up and go away. It has taken a lot of persistent students to uncover what they have to do to have a chance at voting.
So what to do if you can't vote? As they say, money talks. I've donated to http://www.jeffooi.com/ and http://www.anwaribrahim.com/ . Each has gotten a tiny amount of what they need to campaign against the coffers of the BN juggernaut, but at least I feel like I'm doing something. Now I wish http://www.chegubard.blogspot.com/ would accept online donations as well. Anyone who's going up against the great KJ deserves all the help in the world!
This blog's purpose is to record my impressions of the 12th Malaysian General Election. As a Malaysian living overseas, who is neither a government employee, full-time student, nor spouse of either one, I CANNOT VOTE. Voting is a fundamental right of every citizen in a democratic country, so what does it say about Malaysia when it deprives millions of its overseas citizens this right?
The reasoning is simple. Government employees are generally pro-government. Full-time students are mostly overseas courtesy of government scholarships and loans. I suppose the government is counting on some degree of indebtedness by granting these groups the right to vote. But whatever reason one has for not living in Malaysia, chances of being exposed to what is considered "anti" government news and opinion increases significantly. No more being fed news from RTM! No more reading the spin from Berita Harian and NST! A large voting bloc that is potentially pro-opposition is something the government has been crafty enough to avoid.
A recent Malaysiakini article estimated that 90% of postal ballots are cast for the ruling Barisan Nasional. This is courtesy of the police and armed forces who typically use this method of balloting. The various blogs I have read expose the extreme ignorance of Malaysian embassies and consulates when it comes to casting postal ballots for ordinary citizens. Perhaps the reasoning is, if the embassy front-line workers have no clue what the procedure is, they cannot educate those citizens who bother to call and ask, and therefore chances are good that those citizens will just give up and go away. It has taken a lot of persistent students to uncover what they have to do to have a chance at voting.
So what to do if you can't vote? As they say, money talks. I've donated to http://www.jeffooi.com/ and http://www.anwaribrahim.com/ . Each has gotten a tiny amount of what they need to campaign against the coffers of the BN juggernaut, but at least I feel like I'm doing something. Now I wish http://www.chegubard.blogspot.com/ would accept online donations as well. Anyone who's going up against the great KJ deserves all the help in the world!
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