Hulu Selangor’s Dilemma

The BN govt is a govt based on cronyism. The biggest crony gets the biggest share of the cake. Where do you think Hulu Selangor sits in the crony ranking? For the moment all concentration is on Hulu Selangor, so all the good news and the promises are made for the benefit of the Hulu Selangor voters. What happens when the elections are over?

By batsman

Hulu Selangor chooses its MP on Sunday. As usual, the BN’s campaign has been based on the promise to bring development to Hulu Selangor. This is a version of Bill Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid”. So Malaysians are expected to be the same as Americans. As it is Obama has already been used for campaign purposes in Hulu Selangor. 

Unfortunately, American conditions are not the same as in Malaysia. For one thing Americans are not as encumbered with problems of autocracy and abuse of power while Malaysia reeks of it. DSAI is now going to be deprived of his rights as an MP by a Parliament controlled by BN just because he exposed the connection between 1Malaysia and 1Israel. 

DSAI is going to be victimised again because he did his job as an MP. Will Hulu Selangor’s soon-to-be MP do his job as a good MP? Will Hulu Selangor’s MP be able to confront APCO which now seems to be placed on the same level as the Malay rulers – beyond question and beyond criticism? How many rulers will Malaysia have? Will Hulu Selangor’s MP stand up for the sovereignty of his constituents? 

This of course begs the question what an MP is for. Is the job of the MP the same as a state assemblyman’s? If BN’s campaign is based on the promise of development, then I submit that the BN is in fact undermining the role of the MP. 

DSAI displays the true role of the MP – questioning how the country is being run and the direction the country is going – including the economic direction. The MP is more for representing the national concerns that their constituents have. BN’s MPs are reduced to the role of promising development for their constituents and then fending off criticism and anger when the promises are not kept. 

Can the BN keep their promises of bringing development? BN has over 130 MPs. Every BN MP will be jostling for the share of the cake for their constituents. “Jostling” may not be the accurate verb. I think “begging” is a more appropriate word. 

The national government is responsible for bringing development to the whole country including opposition areas. The BN is saying if you don’t vote for it, you don’t get to share the cake. So opposition areas are already cut off from development against all decent concepts of healthy government. This leaves the development cake to be shared among BN MPs only. 

I think you already have an idea where my argument is going. The BN govt is a govt based on cronyism. The biggest crony gets the biggest share of the cake. Where do you think Hulu Selangor sits in the crony ranking? For the moment all concentration is on Hulu Selangor, so all the good news and the promises are made for the benefit of the Hulu Selangor voters. What happens when the elections are over? Is the cake big enough? Will others steal a bigger share of the cake based on their stronger connections and contacts with UMNO? 

The BN already assumes the Hulu Selangor voters are only concerned about their own selfish welfare. This is why the BN campaign is based on promises of bringing development. I think Hulu Selangor voters are not just concerned about their own economic welfare but are even more critically concerned about the country and which direction the country is headed. I think Hulu Selangor voters will choose an MP as good as DSAI. Sunday will tell who is right and who is wrong.