It's the Gerrymander, Stupid!

So many Opposition leaders, and NGO activists, keep barking up the wrong tree when they attack the Election Commssion for being the culprit behind "unfair and non-transparent" general elections. I agree basically the nation's general elections have been on the whole "free" in the sense, if you were properly registered voter, you can contest in, or vote, in any federal or state elections or by-elections, whether under a registered party's ticket, or as an "Independent".

What is not fair and transparent is that the incumbent Government, chiefly via big brother UMNO, has been abusing its powers in re-drawing the electroral constituencies in such a way the boundaries favour the ruling party, i.e. UMNO, and its 13-other component parties like MCA and MIC who received gladly the byproduct bonuses. In areas that where the Opposition need to be "neutralised" -- or its leaders neutered, that's what some, or most, deserve because they often roved true the saying "There is a price on every person's head!" (Refer XXX latter)! -- (for example it won by 5,000-vote majority the previous election), UMNO would re-draw the constituency to encompass certain UMNO-strongholds bringing in some 7,000-8,000 fresh voters who are diehard supportersor loyal to the Barisan Nasional becaue of fringe benefits accrued, accruing or accruable (Your pick!).



In the west, including in Australia, -- Yes, politicians share te same winning formula everywhere, win by hook or crook! -- they call this Gerrymandering.

THE ONE AND ONLY WAY to ovecome this biggest hurdle in the way of proportional and truly democratic representation in the Malaysian Parliament and State Assemblies is TO CHANGE THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT FORMED BY THE BARISAN NASIONAL.

Then the new Government should institure ELECTORAL REFORMS by making sure the Electoral Constituencies are reflective of proportional representation. Unlike now,where an UMNO stronghold in the rural areas could have a population of only 30,000 voters while an urban Opposition downtown Kuala Lumpur stronghold could have 90,000. Simple common sense dictates that the latter constituency should be represented by at least two, if not three, MPs, allowing for some sligt advantage given to the rural constituencies.


So the statement that generally elections have been "fair" is correct though debatable in essence and ethics -- witness the examples: the States of Kelantan (still under PAS rule) and Terengganu and Sabah .Only problem was that "running dogs" elected "smaller dogs" in Negri embilan and Penang did that though their treachery did not affect any change in state government!) This can be prevented by again instituting a change in Legislation to prevent any party-hopping, requiring any elected representative to "vacate" his/her/its seat if any wished to change party after election!



XXXPBS leaders like Pairin Kitingggan and his brother Jeffrey, who once had a chance to change such legislation but blew it -- and DAP's ex-stalwarts Tiger Lee, Khoo Seng Hock, Lim Fui Meng, running or jumping dogs -- what say you?


The next greatest problem the Opposition (I'll lave out the ***non-governmental organisations because I believe the majority of prominent NGO ACTIVISTS -- have their own agendas as questionable as the ruling Government masters they attack!) has to work around is the +++"shifting" of BN supporters as new voters to another constituency they have targeted in winning from the Opposition)


*** NGOs is nother issue I'll take up later when I am in the mood -- My premise now is that they are not truly interested in advancing society's interests but promoting a few INDIVIDUAL egos and little NGO Napoleons, I'll dwell on this further, and meanwhile, these idiotsare welcome to throw pies at Desi's Place! You think I careth?

+++This was well demonstrated when then MCA president Lee San Choon took on then DAP's sec-gen Lim Kit Siang's challenge to contest in any mainly-Chinese constituency in one election -- you ask when? hey, Desi's not of the ECbasketbola bat! Sr Yap, remember? Can I have my money back, I learnt later it was an "illegal" act:(0).

Long story short -- Lee wolfed down Dr Chen on account of Lim's sheepish character BUT also mostly because of the MCA head's heady ruse. He reportedly "shipped" several thousand (MCA) voters from Johore to Furong-lah before polling lists cut-off date. I think Lee was a Chinese warrior Sun Tzu's disciple -- he must have surveyed enemy territory before striking with terror! Moo_t, Chinoserie scholar, is Desi's guess right?


ASIDE: Somemonths back, there was another similar Chinese opera when some MCA leaders challenged the DAP sec-gen Lim Junior to fight it out like Gunfight at the OK Corral in Bukit Bintang (P) seat in the coming GE. BB is classified as a majority-Chinese seat and if Ong Ka Ting dareth behave like Lee San Coon and Guan Eng doeth not chicken out like his father did eons months ago, there will be a Wayang bigger than Furong once was. Maybe this time the Bn would build a bridge from Pasar Pudu to connect with Times Square -- more mega projects for UMBO and MCA cronies -- Gerakan and PPP, you queue behind MIC!

Please note that what EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman as reported in theSun today,page 2, was mainly correct, IMHO, his goof on stating he knew when the next GE would be called notwithstanding.

I won't pamper you lazy-bummer ER here, you pay 30en for a copy! -- just quote this line, me quoting the free Sun shine: "He said the commission can only do procedural changes and not structural changes such as changing the elcetion method."

So you people, whether stationary or running dogs, or hound2B, go bark up the right tree, will you?

STRIVE4CHANGE!
"V"ote4Change.
"V"ote PKR.

PS: If against all odds, the PKR-led coalition forms the govr=erb=nemnt alternative to the BN -- essential most Malaysians' dream of a TWO-PARTY SYSTEM like in the US, UK and Australia -- Desi offers himself to be available as next EC chairman, can?


I promise to nominate a SE7EN Man-Wowan Commission that will make us 'ho'ly transparent, naked even if the female members don't mind living in Zak's style glass mansions!:).


ADDED on Nov 22, 2007 as I sighted IT only today at johnleemk's Post titled: "BERSIH Rally: A Waste of Our Taxes!" dated Nov 10, 2007; surf to infernalramblings.com 4 fool read!:)

Dear John, how art thou? Are the Blondies bullying thee in the US of eh!? Recite them some of Desi's poems and they'll envelope thee with XoXo! Tau-pau some4me! Hehe!

"The most perfidious and sometimes perhaps most obvious travesty of democracy, of course, has to be how electoral constituencies are so blatantly gerrymandered. The way these constituencies are divided up makes no sense; why should my member of Parliament represent 100,000 people, while Putrajaya's represents only less than 10,000? This distortion basically ensures that some constituencies have a louder voice than others in Parliament, and makes the democratic process all but meaningless."