Corruption below the wind

Scene 1 (reconstructed): Land below the wind, February 1994

Joseph Pairin Kitingan, leader of PBS, was elated. His party won the Sabah state election by 25 seats to 23, a majority of 2. He drove to the Yang DiPertua Negeri’s (YDP) official residence to report to YB that he has the confidence of the majority of the Dewan Undang2 Negeri (DUN).

He was a bit miffed when he found the gate of the YDP’s residence locked. I bet the guards there, when queried, were less responsive than Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s terracotta warriors.

Not too long after, he found that, thanks to the Director of BN election campaign (by BN tradition, the Deputy President of UMNO and BN), he was no longer the CM-designate but instead the opposition leader, with his PBS holding on to only 23 seats.

Thanks to Anwar Ibrahim, then Deputy President of UMNO/BN and PM of Malaysia, a new political term was born, ‘frogs’.

Scene IIa & b: Taiwan and KL, September 2008

916! Failed attempt but nonetheless an attempt at déjà vu-ing Sabah’s February 1994. Even a disgraceful trip to Taiwan was conducted.

Need I say anymore?

Scene III: Perak (Ipoh), January 2009

The Great One acclaimed the defection of Nasarudin Hashim (ADUN for Bota, Perak) from UMNO to PKR as a change of allegiance which:

New wave my foot, but sweet justice prevailed where Anwar was to be very shortly punished by that very ‘new wave’, which swung the other way. In a way, it was fitting retribution for his frogological sins of 1994 in Sabah. Unfortunately in Perak in 2009, he dragged DAP and PAS down with him.

The fact was UMNO had deeper pockets, pockets which he had enjoyed when he was in UMNO, but which was used against him and Pakatan in Perak in 2009. 

Scene IV: The past week

I was infuriated when I read The Malaysian Insider’s (TMI) headlines Despite defection letdown, PKR focuses on change in Sabah.

Despite defection letdown? Letdown?

WTF? How could failed political defections be considered as a let-down for a political party which dares to declare its reformasi credentials? PKR should have rejected that description by TMI.

If we have any sense of democratic values, we should instead be exclaiming Alhamdulillah, Hallelujah, Kamsiah Thnee Kong, Shiva Bhagawan Ki Jai, Namo Kuan-say-im Por-saat and for atheists like me, Bloody Marvellous News!

Let-down or no let-down, failed or successful attempts, we have been once again assaulted by news and revelations of that most undemocratic practice and worse, acceptance by many, of political leaders seeking defections, again and again and again …

I know I’m not the only one pissed off with this sleazy sickening sinister underhanded politics, and I dearly love to paraphrase what King Henry II said in 1170: “Will no one rid us of these troublesome politicians?”

Defection!

Doesn’t association with the word say all about the much touted but blasphemed reformasi of Anwar Ibrahim?

Doesn’t association with the word say all about the much touted but beguiling changes in Anwar Ibrahim (from his UMNO self)?