Pakatan Rakyat: Knights in shining armour?
FMT LETTER: From Yuktes Vijay, via e-mail
The date of the next general election seems to be the hottest topic in town. Barisan Nasional, armed with the 1Malaysia concept of the Prime Minister, faces its toughest challenge since Independence from Pakatan Rakyat, still buoyant from its historic win in the previous election.
There was a feeling of jubilation among the rakyat as BN were denied their customary 2/3 majority and most importantly, the rakyat themselves thought they would have their voices heard in Parliament via Pakatan MPs. Such was the euphoria. Such were the expectations.
It is easy to despise BN. If you are an Indian, you can state Maika, Tamil school funds, etc. as a reason to hate BN. If you were Chinese, PKFZ and human rights would support your anti-BN argument. If you are a Malay, you probably got delusional with the leadership of Umno and co in making their cronies rich and you are seeking for a better Malaysia.
However, holding on to the reasons above to despise BN, does it automatically mean that we should voice out our dissatisfaction with the BN government by blindly throwing your weight, soul and most importantly your vote behind Pakatan Rakyat? Won’t it be wise if the same scrutiny that is shown to BN currently is afforded to Pakatan as well?
I am not a Barisan Nasional man nor am I a cyber trooper for the ruling party. My thoughts on why Pakatan should be afforded the same level of scrutiny, observation and criticism before it actually assumes power is supported by incidents and dramas that have unfolded since the historical political tsunami.
Why not preach ‘Bersih, in your own party?
The PKR elections held a year and a half back clearly had many flaws. Candidates endorsed by a certain de facto leader were given preferences. In Klang, the son of an opposing candidate for Klang branch chairmanship was injured in a fracas which involved the both the winning and losing candidates. Zaid Ibrahim, an election candidate for PKR at one point, also affirmed the fact that there were irregularities in the party polls. Instead of having an internal investigation, the whole matter was swept under the carpet without much ado.
What bemuses me is the fact that almost all Pakatan leaders were voicing out in support of Bersih yet conveniently ignoring their own shortcomings within the coalition itself. Why complain about the shortcomings of others when there is dirt in your backyard? I am not questioning the need of Bersih here. I am just putting forward a query as to the vocal support of Pakatan MPs and ADUNs for Bersih in asking for fair and clean election for the general election and not for their own party elections. I am sure Ambiga would be happy to gauge Pakatan’s party polls.
Nepotism
Lim Guan Eng is the Chief Minister of Penang. Lim Kit Siang has a lot of influence in DAP and is also a MP. Betty, the wife of Lim Guan Eng is an elected representative in Malacca. Karpal Singh is the DAP chairman. His son, Gobind Singh, is a MP and his other son Jagdeep is an ADUN. The Nga-Nge cousins in Perak are further examples of nepotism even in Pakatan.
With a such line up of elected representatives representing the other side of the political divide, it bemuses me that nepotism is still a topic in Pakatan held ceramahs.
Policies
I am all for free education in Malaysia. However, the need for a proper blue print for this idea is of absolute necessity as the cost of free education might dampen the government’s budget. The call for free education should not be an election gimmick. It involves the future of Malaysia as education is pivotal pillar in determining the success of a country. I am not much of an economist, but to say that you will bring the petrol price down, abolish toll, provide free education, etc. with the money generated from Petronas alone is not substantive enough.
Pakatan clearly has divine intentions and noble ideas in helping the rakyat. However, as it is often the case, noble ideas flatter to deceive.
Parliament
The least I touch on this issue the better. I just have one simple request. Please stop staging a walkout when things do not go your way. It is obvious to the people that the government of the day would gazzete any bill it deems necessary to hold on to power but by Pakatan Rakyat MPs staging a walk out, what can be achieved? Please man up, sit and fight for us. That is why we voted you in for!
