~Plato
Ok, so we are screwed. Here are 3 categories of the power players in Malaysia today...
The Newly-Empowered:
Lim Kit Siang
His response to the Sultan of Perak's decision to appoint PAS' Nizar for the Menteri Besar position was disappointing, to say the least. Responses from his blog readers came swiftly, most in the negative. For those who were new supporters of Mr Lim in this recent campaign, particularly the Malays, it was downright embarrassing to see his perceived u-turn on judging Malaysians based on merit instead of race or creed. He also came under heavy criticism for disrespecting the royalty, for which he promptly apologized. Perhaps it was a case of old habits dying hard for the 67-year-old, accustomed to decades of criticizing the authorities at will. Or perhaps it was a rookie mistake, not knowing the requirements for a politician belonging to a ruling party, namely the art of subtlety and diplomacy. He should have aired his opinion to party members, not splashed it on his blog. BN was only too quick to jump on this faux pas, with much glee.
Syed Husin Ali
The deputy president of PKR threatened to pull out of the coalition government in Perak if they failed to get more than 1 representative in the State Executive Committee (exco). Come on, people! Please refrain from making these public comments and work things out in private! We want to see you solve problems, not whine about them.
And to think that a lot of this could have been averted if the candidates' qualifications were well-publicized in the first place. DAP Perak had been telling the press that the most qualified candidates from each party in the coalition had been nominated for the Menteri Besar position. But most people were forced to take that statement at face value, not knowing what exactly those qualifications were. Hence there was a lot of confusion when PAS, who had only 6 seats compared to DAP's 18, PKR's 7 , and BN's 28, appeared to have the front-runner candidate. In truth, PAS' Nizar is a multi-lingual mechanical engineer with vast experiences in domestic and foreign projects. Was this fact not publicized because DAP and PKR held out more than a little hope that their respective candidates would take the top job?
The Newly-Disempowered:
BN Leaders
Samy Vellu, Koh Tsu Koon, and former Perak MB Tajol Rosli all lost their high-ranking positions on March 8th. While Samy disappeared into the night with a sullen "goodbye", Tajol Rosli hunkered down in his palatial office and sobbed into the morning. Media persons waiting for a quote camped out from 8pm to 6am to no avail. In contrast, praise came from all quarters including media analysts and opposition party leaders for the way Dr Koh handled himself in defeat. He shook Lim Guan Eng's hand in congratulations for all the media to see on that difficult night, and a few days later sat in the front row with his elegant wife to witness Guan Eng's swearing-in when no other BN leader showed their faces. The only other loser who did not lose face was Shahrizat, who went to the polling station to concede defeat to Nurul Izzah. Too bad she missed the golden opportunity to personally salam with Izzah, instead relaying her congratulatory message to one of Izzah's aides.
UMNO Penang
They came marching to Komtar almost 2,000-strong after Friday prayers yesterday, protesting Lim Guan Eng's declaration that the state government would no longer practice NEP. When the BN was in complete power, social protests were blamed for causing racial disharmony. Why did no BN leader come out and speak against this rally? And the police knew the day before that the rally had been planned. Had they received an application for the rally? If they had, was it approved or denied? If they hadn't, why did they not demand the organizers apply for one? They did warn people through the mainstream media against joining the rally, and they did bring the FRU and their accompanying water cannons out when the first requests for dispersal went unheeded. However there have been rumblings that the police have yet to learn the rules of fair play in this changed political landscape. We didn't see any UMNO-ites dragged away by the police and thrown into jail under ISA, did we?
The Already-Empowered Finally Wielding their Might:
The Royals
Who ever knew they actually had power? All this while we've been used to them being mere rubber-stampers to the BN's will. For example, did anyone really think the Agong would deny Badawi permission to dissolve cabinet and clear the way for elections? There were rumors he tried to circumvent this by going on a vacation overseas, with the intention of forcing Badawi to hold elections after Anwar's ineligibility had expired. Badawi got wind of the trip and went to seek an audience with the Agong on the morning he was to leave.
Two days ago, the Sultan of Perak and Raja Nazrin had their say in choosing their state's Menteri Besar, and took things a step further in requiring each of the coalition's MP's to sign a letter of allegiance to the new Menteri Besar. Yesterday, the Sultan of Perlis ignored former MB Shahidan's recommendation (read: appointment) letter from Badawi and selected a Md Isa in his place. Rumors of an affair involving the former MB likely contributed to his downfall, along with his well-known rivalries with other local politicians including the Sultan's brother.
Next up is Terengganu. This is where BN's phantom voters supposedly congregated, because they assumed the threat of this state falling to the Opposition was bigger than in any other. BN ultimately won 24 of the 32 state seats. Former MB Idris Jusoh has the public support of the other 23 BN ADUN's to continue his stint as MB, but the Terengganu palace excluded him from the meeting at the palace today. Look for the Sultan of Terengganu, who is also the Agong, to make his authority known.
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