1Malaysia: The one time the Spartans had surrendered… and Spartan wit

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Malaysian politicians are incredibly lacking in local and international displays of diplomacy or wit to win over the hearts of their electorate.

Just look at the house politics of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat; sadly lacking in a touch of class. Malaysians are treated to coarse, KPI-less style of politics which seems highly unsuitable for today’s problem solving era.

In the interest of our children and nation, we will be kind enough to share some information to help upgrade the skills quotient of BN and PR politicKings.

Lesson 1:

There was one time the Spartans surrendered. Yes, in battle in Athens, but they surrendered because arrows were being fired at them from a distance.

It was not the hand-to-hand fighting they believed in. They would not engage in a woman’s approach to war so they handed in their shields.

They were kept in a prison and taunted by the Athenians, who put their shields around the temple of Athena on the Acropolis. “They glistened in the sun for miles around. But the Spartans were imperturbable. To them, firing arrows was not real warfare.

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Spartan wit:

Philip of Macedon sent them a note saying, “If I enter Lacedaemonia, I will raze Sparta to the ground.”

The answer from the Spartans was short: “If…”

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At Thermopylae, when the Persians boasted that their warriors had so many arrows they would black out the sun, and the Spartans said, “Then we’ll be happy to fight in the shade.”

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Note: Appreciation to Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time Newsletter

1st party within BN coalition is reforming by sacking ‘morally tainted’ Chua Soi Lek

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After the 12 General Election, we see the need for Barisan Nasional, especially its component parties to reform and reinvent themselves.

Without a doubt, for the wellbeing of rakyat, a strong Pakatan Rakyat needs a strong opponent in Barisan Nasional to balance each other in the political landscape.

We are pleased with latest development showed by Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) which demonstrates reform through the overdue disciplinary action against one of its member who has committed sexual acts which is unlawful in the eyes of the law. So far, there’s been no police report against Chua Soi Lek, so he’s spared from that. But some are grumbling “that doesn’t mean the whole of MCA need to condone his breaking one of the 10 commandments.”

How we wish Gerakan would also institute some form of reform before its disastrous campaigning in its home ground in Penang for the recently concluded Permatang Pasir by election.

[ We notice most bloggers blame MCA for low chinese support for Permatang Pasir UMNO candidate Rohaizat Othman (another tainted politician). We should be looking at Gerakan instead if it wishes to continue serving the people of Penang (Gerakan's home state) in GE13. ]

Anyways, to show leadership any political party must have political stand. MCA is doing just that.

MCA is showing Malaysians that is has a moral stand in the case of Chua Soi Lek.

Good luck to Chua Soi Lek as he prepares to file his appeal to the party he claims to love.

P/S: Chua Soi Lek is not about to give up his personal ambitions just yet. Looks like the party’s wellbeing will have to come AFTER his personal ambitions has been realised.

Read “Soi Lek urges MCA members to rise up” (The Malaysian Insider)

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Dear Barisan and Pakatan supporters… tis about the economy

With so much going on in political wranglings in Perak, PKR’s Elizabeth Wong’s case, MCA’s Chua Soi Lek and upcoming by-elections x 3.

Anybody heard the common Rakyat’s rumblings over the country’s economy future?

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Share with you the following received via a forwarded email.

Do you agree with below thought? What should we do now?

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This nation was birthed with a social contract agreed by our forefathers (the people’s representatives who agreed to Malaysia’s independence and the Sultans).

It was the social contract agreed by the respective bodies/people which has created a sense of oneness which was demonstrated during Tunku Abdul Rahman’s time.

How come we only hear UMNO still wanting the social contract?

What about the others who subscribed to the contract?

What are the obligation of the parties to the social contract?

There’s too much anger and unthinkingness without any ideas to move forward or willingness to engage with different stream of thoughts and viewpoints as fellow Rakyat Malaysia. Sadly, the BN supporter will scold, curse or vilify the Pakatan supporter and vice versa. What a terribly sad demonstration of the Malaysian undemocratic mindsets in cyber. It conveys a very Hitler-like dictatorial stance: “My viewpoints are supreme and just! Your viewpoints doesn’t count, you stupid!”

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Perhaps your small group can lead the way to a more progressive Malaysia and take action, gather ideas for action from all fellow Malaysians regardless of their political affiliation/thinkings.

Love your enemies, constructively?

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No more post mortem fetishes: BN should learn cyber outreach from Pakatan Rakyat

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We note with interest a report in The Star today: “Rebranding the MCA, plan to be unveiled on March 1″.

In the report, MCA President Dato’ Seri Ong Tee Keat said after chairing the MCA presidential council meeting yesterday:

“Insap, the think-thank of the party, had also presented an analysis of the Kuala Terengganu by-election results at the meeting.

“It is a very deep and thorough evaluation participated by all members of the presidential council. We can learn from the analysis,” he said.”

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Whilst we applaud political parties in their quest to understand the reason for results gotten in the recent by-election, we are not amused by this pre-occupation by parties in the Barisan Nasional with post-mortems.

It is exasperating for voters to read replays of such peculiar fetish by the ruling coalition on events already past. After losing an election, a post mortem is moot and re-active.

308 was not given by the voters for political players’ analysis to the death and performing after-death post mortems.

308 was a message from the Rakyat.

Voters have already send a signal that 308 is a starting point for political parties from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to shape up, train up, get their members motivated and perform their elected duties BEFORE the voters again go to tick that party symbol in the 13th General Election.

BN should pick up the signal and learn from PR to maximise alternative media outreach.

Establishing intelligence in cyber and with an ear on the ground should be enough ammunition for a political party to get its act together before going into any election in pro-active mode.

Mulling over and detailing a loss is not value adding if political parties do nothing to pro-actively pile on the persuasion groundwork to win the next elections.

Malaysia politics: Ong Tee Keat and MCA’s baby steps

Everybody is watching the Pakatan Rakyat and their political progression since they became government in 5 Malaysia states.

We, however prefer to watch development in BN politics as it tried to recover from injuries inflicted in 308 tsunami. If BN manages to stage a great comeback to Malaysia politics, it definitely will pose an interesting study for political analysts and students.

From our observation:

•    UMNO has not showed progression from its pre-308 mindset so far.

•    MCA has demonstrated some talk and trying to walk.

•    MIC is too busy with ‘inhouse rebranding’. However, we would like to suggest it try ‘party reform’ instead.

We can put on record that as of now, we are impressed with MCA’s baby steps to reform its public identity.

Just check out the below report from The Sun and try to see what we saw.

(Meanwhile, sad to say, the Chinese newpapers and its political writers missed this. Sin Chew the community’s leading newspaper, failed to highlight in their report a very important point in this speech of the MCA President Ong Tee Keat. We do not blame them, even Malaysiakini missed it.)

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Discard old policies or lose out, says Tee Keat

By: by Tan Yi Liang (Sun, 21 Dec 2008)

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 21, 2008): Malaysia will lose out economically if obsolete policies are not discarded, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

“Policies should be re-examined and discarded if they are not working to the nation’s benefit. Very often, policies drawn up with noble intentions are wayward in their implementation,” said Ong.

He said a change of mindset was needed for Malaysia to be competitive globally.

“We need to be creative, innovative, visionary and bold. There are some among us who, it appears, do not seem to have realised that we have moved into the 21st century. It’s the digital age, but they operate with an analogue mindset,” he said, adding that educational reform was needed if Malaysia was to compete globally.

“It is not just the digital gap that is widening between rural and urban areas, so is the education gap. We have no choice but to implement changes. Our children are no longer just competing with each other within national borders. They are competing with the world.”

He pointed out that the need to overhaul the national schools was more pressing than the debate over vernacular schools.

Ong, who said this when opening the Malaysian Young Entrepreneurs Conference at the Putra World Trade Centre here today, called for reforms to make the ruling Barisan National coalition relevant for Malaysians.

“The political mould has been broken. Unless we in the Barisan compete in the marketplace of ideas, there is a real possibility that we will be voted out of office in the next general election. It is time we change the political model that worked so well for us until March 8,” said Ong, who called on parties to focus on the interests of Malaysians as a whole.

“Unless we take on a wider, national role, we could soon become irrelevant. The political base of the communal parties has no doubt been within the community, and we must cater to their interests, but there is nothing that says we cannot or should not build on this base by addressing national concerns affecting all Malaysians.”

At a press conference later, Ong repeated his call for reform after the March 8 political tsunami.

“After March 8, I said it (the need for reform) loud and clear. When I was interviewed  in April by one of the news agencies, I reiterated one point, and making a reference to my own party, I said we must initiate changes, or else we would become irrelevant,” he said.

He said he was “not apologetic” about his comments.

“I did it with good intentions, because at the end of the day, what we want, what the people want and are looking for and expecting from us is good governance. We are a beautiful country, we are rich in resources, so why can’t we harness our resources for the best benefit of the country and the people.”

He said his Barisan peers accepted the need for change, and noted that each Barisan component party had its own methodology for change.

“On Feb 14 next year, there will be a big BN rally, where the component parties, leaders and members will meet and brainstorm.

Perhaps this will serve as a good platform for the component parties to brainstorm and share experiences in transforming our own parties,” he added.

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MCA on Ong Tee Keat’s watch: About your aides

Dear Dato’ Seri Ong Tee Keat,

I have this uneasy feeling about you and those leaders helming the MCA national bureaus.

Chua Soi Lek, Lee Wee Kiat, Wong Nai Chee, Gan Ping Sieu …

Competence is clearly trumping ideology in the Ong Tee Keat’s new administration, and God knows after two terms of Ong Ka Ting & Co., it’s time to get back to the idea of streetwise smart, capable people advising the MCA president and executing his policies.

What I wonder is whether the members of your administrative team and staff aides, in addition to their grasp of the issues and success at achieving power, have a real feel for the needs of the people they are supposed to be representing.

I don’t doubt that they have the best of intentions. But the people near the pinnacle of power in MCA are encased in a bubble that makes it extremely hard to hear the voices of those who aren’t already powerful themselves.

There is no underestimating the challenges facing MCA, and you will need a strong administrative team and staff aides in your Presidential office NOW to help back you up with intelligences (internet and grassroots) and execute necessary actions at the grassroot level to get MCA started on the long road to re-connect MCA with the voters, both Chinese 25% and non-Chinese 75%.

Will your staff aides / administrative officers follow a new course, reaffirming plans to remove deadwoods of the previous administration?

We wish MCA all the best on your watch.

~Femalevoter

** I took the liberty to paraphrase a little from that excellent piece Bob Herbert wrote for The New York Times

cc: Malaysiakini.com

A question for MCA members… thru Malaysiakini

We believe in governance and a good government made up of good people with strong principles of life.

As we have received many queries from members concerned about the upcoming MCA party election, we would like to throw these questions to you to assist members to make the best decisions this October.

It is worrying that the female MCA members do not seem to regard this as a big question of concern for the party or think of its impact on the Confucian family values which the women wing claim to represent.

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Questions to ponder for MCA’s future and the 13th General Election. And we would love to hear input from readers of Malaysiakini also:

• What sort of persons would you want to be leading the party and represent your voice?
• Do you want your candidates to tell you about their principles in life?
• Since they would like to represent the community, would you want them to possess some moral standing?
• Would you be contented to just let them be what they naturally are?
• And they, being what they are, can they just simply represent you and your community to interface with the global world?

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A penny for your thoughts: See below * a concern from a commentator (we think he/she is an MCA member):

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When you were caught you resigned immediately cause you said you don’t want to bring trouble to BN and MCA. I truly respected your act at that time. However, now you say you want to come back? What responsibility you were talking about? Is this what politician all about? Don’t you think you bring the mud back to BN and MCA?

I think many people don’t want to talk about your video story and people already forgive you when you had resigned. Why must you still want to show your existance all the time? Why don’t you let MCA members be proud to have a leader who dare to take up the responsibilities and walked out?

I do not know what is your agenda and what unfinish plan you have. Or you just want to make a revenge on certain group in MCA regardless you would tainted MCA image again.

Dr., I strongly believe MCA can do without you at top leadership. There are still many ways to contribute. Please don’t bring disgrace back to MCA. This will definitely will be a burden to BN and MCA at next general election if you won in MCA election.

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* Extracted from Malaysia Today’s article ‘Datuk Chua Soi Lek -Ahli Politik‘

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Abdullah’s hand-me-down the PMship to Najib unconstitutional?

It is good that bloggers are now asking the right questions.

What we have said in our previous post have now been picked up. We are terribly relieved that bloggers are finally leading thoughts and the rakyat to ask the right questions.

Bravo, Susan Loone… we reproduce below latest posting from her blog for your thoughts (caveat: we reserve the right to not agree with some of her recommendations)

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When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he and Najib Tun Razak had made a deal about when the latter will take over the leadership of Malaysia, no one asked the right question!

One experience mainstream editor merely said “It’s a done deal” and another ex-editor asked “When?”. As if that is the only thing that matter.

Now you know why the media is in such a pathetic state like it is today. Every news fall into people’s morning tables or lazy laps just like that!

No one asked if it is even legitimate for Abdullah to make such a statement. Had he consulted other UMNO members? Had he even broach the subject with other BN component parties, or are they now non-existent, after the March 8 Tsunami?

Sadly no one ever considered any of these questions.

But in “Are we a democracy or a feudal state?”, lawyer Charles Hector asked in his blog if it is even constitutional for Abdullah and Najib to have come to this decision all on their own.

It looks like the two not-so-gentlemen may have even insulted the Yang Di Pertuan Agong by going against the Federal Constitution:

In Article 43 of the Federal Constitution — and it says that it is the “…Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall first appoint as Perdana Menteri (Prime Minister) to preside over the Cabinet a member of the House of Representatives who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House…” – it is the Yang Di-Pertuan Agung that appoints the PM – not the current PM who decides on the next PM…and here Abdullah is reported stating that there was an agreement —
Hector asked: Is this is not an action that demonstrates disrespect to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Is it also not an action (….an agreement) that is in breach of our very own Federal Constitution?

Our highest law of the land, the Federal Constitution, is also clear that the only consideration before appointment by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is that the candidate for PM is “…likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House[i.e. the Dewan Rakyat]…”
Do the two individuals think they have the support of the majority or are even liked or respected by Malaysians?

We only know that there are not enough UMNO divisions who are courageous enough to nominate someone who will challenge Abdullah or even his deputy.

I hope Karpal Singh or someone else will make a police report aganst the two power crazy duo!