The Opposition: QUO VADIS?

Treat today's Post as a CONTINUATION of "A Springtime of Oppenness..." from yesterdie.

Bless one of the mainstream press -- theSUN -- which still offers some semblance of providing a "balanced" approacth to political news treatment. Foregt about the NST and The Star, heavily weighed down by the UMNO and MCA pools infested with crocodiles and sharks. Sometimes scribes like Desi wade into the waters unwittingly and got bitten -- suffered some MILD BRUISES ONLY! Hence, thanks to my Almighty I sirvive to tell this story. Okay, I pledge "sirvive" is the ONE and ONLY DDC you'd encounter today (othewise, it would have read 'encunter' and otherVICE'!:)


From Page 2, of theSun:

Don't be Mahathir
clone, Kit Siang
urges Pak Lah


KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today urged Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not to be a clone of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad by resorting to authoritarian methods to deal with political differences.

Lim said in a statement the country's ability to deal with the ongoing spat between Mahathir and the current government will be a test of Malaysia's democracy and nation building and Abdullah must demonstrate and dare to show his difference with the Mahathir administration.

"Abdullah must dismiss all possibility that the old Mahathirish methods of dealing with differences, particularly the abuse of arbitrary powers like the invocation of the Internal Security Act (ISA) such as the Operation Lalang mass arrests in 1987, could ever happen under his premiership," Lim said.

"In fact, Mahathir's spat with Abdullah has served to focus on what will be Abdullah's legacy as the fifth prime minister - whether to deliver his reform pledge in the 2004 General Election to create a clean, incorruptible, efficient, accountable, transparent, democratic and just administration or just be a clone of the previous Mahathir premiership."

He said the legitimate questions raised by Mahathir must be answered, if not by Abdullah himself, then by the government.

Lim added that the public differences between a former prime minister and the incumbent prime minister is not unprecedented in Malaysia, as it had happened before.

He said there were differences between the first and third prime ministers - Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn - with Mahathir as the fourth. (ends TheSun report)


DESIDERATA: After yesterday's intimations -- or isIT intimidation? -- by the Star with Dr Mahathir, Enough and the NST's refusal to publish Dr Mahathir's Right Of Reply letter as covered by his lotyal Press Secretary SUFI YUSOF (read Screenshots for the details!), expect mainstream presss to TONE DOWN words out of Camp1 -- maybe even complete obliteration! So my dear ER, complain not too mcu, and you have to bear with Desi's UNDERTONES.


Yesterday, I paid a visit to the cyberhome of ex-DPM Saudara Anwar Ibrahim @
anwaribrahimblog.com and left this message:~~~

"ylchong June 28th, 2006 8:55 am

Saudara Anwar:
Greetings, maybe off-topic here, but WELCOME to blogosphere as I just learnt today that you’ve joined the club.

May question is to ask about the possibility of a quick return to “politics” by your goodself in view of the “challenging” situation the nation is facing.

In my blog today, among other things under “Springtime of openness…”, I have also referred to you status, and potential role in politics of NegaraKu, hope you care to read and comment?

“…Anwar represents the ONLY HOPE for the next generation. Hopefuilly, before the next GE due March 2009, the adviser to Parti Keadilan Rakyat would have come out robustly to revive the SPIRIT OF REFORMATION
that is so essential and vital for Malaysia making the NEXT QUANTUM JUMP IN MALAYSIAN POLITICS.

IN MY HUMBLER POLITICS (should read as OPINION!)
FOSTERING UNITY AND JUSTICE AND EQUITY WITH INNOVATICE POLITICS THAT IS:
ABOVE RACE, COLOUR, RELIGION, CLASS AND GENDER.

WILL SAUDARA ANWAR RISE TO THE CHALLENGE?
THE PRIME MINISTER’s POST IS WAITING…

Here is a man who suffered six years of torment and imprisonment of now 50%-proven to be “trumped up” charges. If the other 50% “guilt” is given the benefit of the doubt by the MAJORITY of Malaysians quite fedup with the demolition of the JUDICIARY, there’s HOPE YET. An advantage is that he knows UMNO politics inside-out, and with time for rumination and reflection at Puchionmg Jail for six long years, he must surely want to address othe wrongs clearly deiomnstated before his eyes under the Olde Order of UMNO, and still very much unchanged under the present UMNO regime?

SAUDARA ANWAR, QUO VADIS?…”

SAUDARA LIM KIT SIANG, as Opposition Leader, this same question is posed:

QUO VADIS?

Translated into simple, straight forward English, as urged by brudder Mave SM and sisdar Helen~~~

HOW WOULD YOU WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PKR and ANWAR WHEN HE'S FREED OF HIS TIME BAR,
TO MOVE THE OPPOSITION FORWARD TO BECOME A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE BARISAN NASIONAL IN FORMING THE MALASIA TODAY GOVERNMENT?

For the politics of NegaraKu to move in the "right direction",in my humble opinion,
Malaysia must do away with RACE- and RELIGION-BASED POLITICS. Yes, as reiterated many times at this Blog, "IN MY HUMBLER POLITICS (should read as OPINION!)
FOSTERING UNITY AND JUSTICE AND EQUITY WITH INNOVATICE POLITICS THAT IS:
ABOVE RACE, COLOUR, RELIGION, CLASS AND GENDER.

Which must mean that Kit Siang and Anwar have to really sit down to work out the "alliance" with PAS. Can Hadi Awang and some of his Talibanist-leaning followers be PERSUADED by the suave horse-riding Anwar to wean the Islam-based party away from its core cause of RELIGION?

DAP found to its dismay its dalliance with PAS inthe 1999 GE that sleeping with an Islamic ally" even on an informal basis would cost it dearly.
DAP cannopt afford another second, similar experiment.

A PRETTY CONUNDRUM WE HASVE HERE.
If the multi-racial subtexts of Opposition politics are not properly re-writ and polished as a viable, practical roadmap offering an ALTERNATIVE COALITION to the BN, I'm afraid this Golden Window of Opposition-favoured Opportunity will just slip or fade away.

Make hay while the Springtime of Openness is still shining on the Malaysian landscape.
In a MULTI-RELIGIOUIS, MULTI-RACUIAL and MULTI-CULTURAL COUNTRY that is NegaraKU, the greatest injustice, using Poetic licence granted by Shakespeare -- the "most greatest wrong" the former PM Dr Mahathir -- had imposed on us, the Rakyat, was in declaring Malaysia as an ISDLAMIC STATE.

No, dear Doctor, the last time I checked the Federal Consitution, no where does it say Malaysia was created as an Islamic state, but a SECULAR STATE.

A parlaimentray monarchy, with Islam as an official religion, but a guarantee for other religions and creeds to be feely practised and fostered.

There is nothing more explosive in the world than a concoction of Race and Religion in a bomb made by Politicians -- whether American British, MiddleEastern or Far Eastern or East European, Singaporean or Malaysian.
It always ends in BLOODSHED. And blood is commonly RED.

And I believe at this juncture of a nation just about 49 years old, we had better startr the road to nation building. Since Merdeka in 1957, we made some Baby Steps, but took a giant leap backwards when the New Economic Policy ended in 1990 was continued under the guise of the National Economic Policy, and just at the last UMNO General Assembly on the PWTC Stage, revived yet again led by its Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein -- what a shamne! -- wielding a KERIS to demonstrate 15th/16th-century Malacca Sultanate fiefdom mentality.

I have averred several times at Desi's Place, Malaysia will not progress in its nation-building efforts so long as its policies are RACED BASED. Throw in the religion-centred, vote-winning antics of Young Politikus represented by the ilk of Hisham and his UMNO YOUTH deputy, Oxford-trained Khairy Jamaludin, the IMPatient yioung ciku who happened to be the PM's SON-IN-LAW, touted as the "second most powerful person in Malaysia at 28" a few yaers ago by an international newspaper. I'm mentioning Khairy's name for the first time discussing this topic since ex-PM Dr Mahathir had been hinting at an "invisible hand" influencing the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's major decisions affecting NegaraKu.

No need to Beat About the Bush. (And this is NOT AMERICANO BASHING!)

Khairy, in cahoots with newly minted corporate biggie, Kalimullah Hassan, who is BTW an ex-GEIC of the NST, of current PM-led Camp2, is engaged in another Proxy-Face-Off with the likes of Mukhkris Mahathir (UMNO Youth Council memeber aspiring to go higher...) and Abdul Kadir Jasin, yet another ex-GEIC of NST, of Camp1 siding with ex-PM.

Today I'm naming names because these are all the KEY PLAYERS on the Malaysian stage acting out the Sandywar now going on, in accordance with Da Bard's "All the world is a stage and Men and women the actors ..." , from yes, you Malaysian Rakyat, As You Like It!)

So my question to both Saudara Anwar and Kit Siang: Quo Vadis as far as being the Opposition leaders in Malaysia go?

On thy shoulders lie the fatye and destiny of current and future generations of Malaysians.
Can both of you start US on nation-building of NEGARA-KU now?





UPDATE @2.00PM

I just picked the following item from malaysia-today.net~~~



Wednesday, June 28, 2006

‘Foreign leaders want me to take up UN top job'

Express India

Malaysian former Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday said he was being approached to throw his hat in the ring for the post of UN Secretary General, but he had yet to decide on running.

Anwar said foreign ministers and leaders had asked him in the past three months whether he would vie for the hotly contested post, which is expected to go to an Asian diplomat.

"Yes, there have been approaches and a series of discussions by many quarters, but I have not given any clear indication," he said in an interview.

The veteran politician said talks with leaders had been private and informal, with people sounding out his ideas about the post.

"People do ask. Even here and overseas, people do ask. Even governments, foreign ministers, heads of government have raised this, but my answer remains consistent. Firstly, it's premature, and number two, I've not given any serious thought to that," he said.

"Most of these questions are exploring, trying to explore the possibility," he added, declining to reveal which leaders had raised the idea with him. Asian countries have intensified campaigning in recent weeks, and top contenders include Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, Sri Lanka's Jayantha Dhanapala, a presidential adviser, and South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon.

Ramping up the heat, India also made a bid this month, putting forward Shashi Tharoor, an Under Secretary at the United Nations.

posted 8:37 PM

DESIDERATA:

There is a cross-section of views on the issue at the Comments channel, GO FOR A FIRSTY-HAND READ! I spent some time with my views, which in gist is calling on Suadara Anwar to continue with a MISSION UNACCOMPLISHED since 1997 when he stood up to Dr Mahathir at the expebnse of his number 2 Post. For six long years his wife Datik Wan Aziozah held the fort, aided by their daughter Nurul, so the husband and father cannot let them down. Neither can the PKr Adviser let down the thousands who took to the strets to fight for the CAUSE FOOR JUSTICE against water cannons and acid gas raining on their faces and bodies. Many of the OKTs (what's this, you ask? GO, fuuind out-lah in my Posting last September 2, 2005!) are still fighting their cases at the courts, for what?

For a great wrong done to a ex-DPM at his prime. Including near death experience at the hands of an IGP, don't let that image escape the Malaysian landsscape.

It's Adieu, NOT GOODBYE!:)