Nenek Sudah Tua!
Tag: Pakatan Harapan
Antara Saudara Mara 6
Mahathir rejected a proposal that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim become the deputy prime minister if Mahathir succeeded in forming the new government. This is according to Malaysiakini, who further reported that Mahathir explained his decision to another news carrier thus, “Anwar is more in tune with politicking rather than as an administrator.” What then of the mandate of the people, given on the basis of his agreement to transfer the Prime Ministership to Anwar? Indeed, it seems that the Pakatan Coalition was built on a false promise! A hollow pact (pakatan) if there ever was one!
Kebenaran
Ayam rakyat disambar helang,
Sawah jelata di rosak lalang;
Wahai Tun yang moyangnya Mamak,
lidah mu Keling, jelas ternampak!
Pantun ‘pascha tradisi’ merujuk kepada bunga bunga bahasa Melayu asli –
1. Ayam ditambat disambar helang, Sawah ditanam tumbuh lalang
2. Lidah Keling
Dari Pusat Tasek 39
– PAKATAN | MAHATHIR | MUAFAKAT –
– The Good | the Bad | the Ugly! –
– The Malaysian Standoff –
Depending on how old you are and perhaps on your gender, regardless of where in the world you grew up, you will probably be aware of the great cinematic artistry of the Spaghetti Western. My 1970s boyhood in St. Johns Primary involved regular collective viewings of violent and engaging cowboy films. There were no good guys, no bad guys – just guys you identified with – no matter if it was the Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach or Lee Van Cleef – we collectively learnt that there was small difference between the Good, the bad and the Ugly – In Malaysia, today we are having to learn that same lesson all over again, as adults! One classic plot device or trope in this Cowboy genre was the Mexican Standoff where parties face each other at gunpoint. There is an inability of any party to advance its position safely. At the same time no party has a safe way to withdraw from its position, thus making the standoff permanent, at least until there is an external event!
According to Malaysiakini, “the “Sheraton Move”, which refers to the gathering of rogue PKR MPs, Bersatu, BN, PAS, GPS and Warisan MPs at Sheraton Hotel, Petaling Jaya last Sunday night has “upended the conventional two-coalition political configuration in the country, fracturing Malaysian politics into three groups.”
Dari Pusat Tasek 34
This interview with Najwa Shihab is my favourite of those given by Dr M in recent years. Whether you like him or not, you can not deny that Mahathir’s clarity and incisiveness are beyond compare … see how simply he explains the mechanics and ethos of his political alignment with Anwar, subtly indexing the political realities of the the post victory scenario,” … kita perlu bersatu untuk jatuhkan Najib dan itu sudah tercapai”. (minute 16:05) Indeed, regardless of second tier electoral promises, the primary aim of the initial alignment has been achieved, and the central promise delivered. With Najib’s fall, a new evaluation must be made of the alignment, to ascertain if the need to continue is mutual … perfectly natural, perhaps even ethical in the realm of politics!
Dari Pusat Tasek 33
“You’ve waited 20 years, extending six months doesn’t actually matter,” Anwar is reported to have told Reuters, expressing confidence that the Pakatan Harapan coalition allies would stand behind him, as they have stood behind Mahathir.
“If there’s a request to go back to parliament, of course it can be done, but PH has the majority right now. Even those who are not in PH, some would support the PM of the day. I also have been given that assurance. They support Mahathir as the PM, and they will continue to support me when I assume the premiership.”
On Being Malaysian Tamil 8
According to a report in FMT, on 18 January 2020, hundreds of people rallied to call for the release 12 Malaysian Tamils detained under the draconian Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA) for alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This gathering commemorated 100 days of detention for the 12 men who were arrested under the, commonly called Sosma.
The article also claims that the gathering called on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the Pakatan Harapan Cabinet to release the men and abolish Sosma in keeping with their manifesto promise. I would like to note that, while Harapan promised to abolish some laws SOSMA was not one of these. Indeed, the widely held notion that Harapan promised to abolish SOSMA is incorrect. Here is what Promise 27 of the Harapan Manifesto said on the matter –
…. The Pakatan Harapan Government will also abolish draconian provisions in the following Acts:
• Penal Code 1997 especially on peaceful assembly and activities
harmful to democracy
• Communications and Multimedia Act 1998
• Security Offences (special measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA)
• Peaceful Assembly Act 2012
• Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2015″
So what exactly the people can hold the Harapan government to, depends on an interpretation of the phrase ‘draconian measures.’ In this regard, the manifesto itself states that a Harapan government would “ensure an effective check and balance” by revoking “all clauses that prevent the Court from reviewing decisions of the Government or the laws introduced by the Government.” I suggest that the provisions of SOSMA that allow for police detention without bail before trial are just such ‘draconian measures’, as they grant licence to the agents of the executive to incarce suspects outside of the ambit of judicial review.
In fact, as reported in Bernama, on Nov 29, the High Court ruled that this portion of SOSMA is unconstitutional “because it divests from the courts the judicial discretionary power to evaluate whether or not to grant or refuse bail.” These are the provisions that can be misused, and will be seen to be misused even when they are used with good intent. In the interest of all accused persons and for the good name of the Malaysian judicial process, these provisions must be revoked immediately.
As I have suggested before, the 12 Malaysian Tamils are being held on the basis of charges that, at best, seem to defy logic. As they sit out their 100th day in prison, and while their appeals for bail to work slowly through the courts system, there is, as yet, no credible sign that the LTTE exists. At worst, these charges are based on guile and malice. As Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy, is reported to have said on behalf of his organization, “We feel that these arrests are politically motivated.” Please see On Being Malaysian Tamil 7
Melaka Gateway Update
Please visit Koboi Project series – Kaza Nunteng Porta at https://koboibalikkampung.wixsite.com/nuntengporta
According to the entry in Cruise Tracker, the offshore islands Besar, Undan and Upeh are part of Malacca state and accessible by jetty from mainland Malaysia. These ‘islands’ are in fact reclaimed or man-made and are part of the massive Melaka Gateway development which is part of the the port cities push to become ‘more important’ with its location on China’s ‘Maritime Silk Road’. This development has caused great disruption and upset to the fishermen of the Portuguese settlement whose access to the sea has been severely affected. The New Pakatan Harapan Government had campaigned on the basis that this Melaka Gateway development was contrary to Malaysia’s interests but it seems clear, given the continuance of the project under its auspices, that this was merely election rhetoric. Indeed, according to The Star Newspaper, piling has begun for “the RM682mil Melaka International Cruise Terminal, which is part of the Melaka Gateway project, [and] is expected to be completed by September next year.” The Eleven Media Group reports that this will be “the largest cruise jetty in Southeast Asia … occupying 8.3 acres (3.36 ha) … big enough to accommodate four cruise ships … and … 20,000 passengers.” This report specifies that the Melaka Gateway development plan as it stands today still, involves the cruise ship jetty, a yacht terminal, a ferry terminal, a cargo jetty, a deep sea jetty and a business / financial hub.
Image: https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/malacca-port-489
https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2019/06/11/melaka-international-cruise-terminal-ready-by-september-2020/
Promising Indians!
With with just 55 days left on the STATELESS INDIANS CLOCK, 20 or so promising Indian lawmakers from Pakatan Harapan held a press conference to renew their election promise to resolve the ‘stateless Indians’ problem in 100 days from coming into office. According to Malaysikini reporter Alyaa Alhadjri they held a press conference on the 25th of June 2018, with about 55 days on the clock … and proposed that the previous government’s, “Socioeconomic Development of Indian Community Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department (Sedic) be retained, as part of the government’s commitment to the community promised in its election manifesto”. In a seperate article Alyaa notes that PKR vice-president Xavier Jeyakumar told the press he is confident that the government will strive to resolve Indian citizenship issues within its first 100 days in office. Come on Annai can you really do it! What are action items … what is the timeline for this mammoth project … Please publish it so we can believe you … or at least be smart and let the 100 day deadline you set yourselves in your election promise to the most deprived sector of Malaysian society fade into the background noise along with the rest of the deadlines which will be forgotten in context of the post-election ‘realization’ of financial limitations brought about by the alleged malfeasance of the previous Barisan government! It seems that there are ‘promising Indians’ in every walk of Malaysian public life!
Stateless Indians Clock
100 DAYS! Good Morning Malaysia this is Day one of a new Malaysian era! While I celebrate our change of government as an unprecedented expression of democratic praxis, I feel obliged to note that, in the midst of the euphoria, the clock is ticking on promises made. Writing as an Indian Malaysian, I want to remind the new government in power that as they the opposition they gave themselves 100 days to solve the ‘Stateless Indians’ problem. I was skeptical about this promise, which I suggest is, at best, hyperbole for a much less expansive promise – to set in place the laws, administrative procedures and outreach that might make it possible to begin addressing the problem stateless among Malaysian Indians. So while I hold that the promise was unscrupulous in its overreach, within it there is a discernible and actionable offer made to the Indian community. This offer, it seems, has now been accepted. And consideration has been given in the form of the mandate to govern. It is now up to Tun Dr Mahathir and his presently crystallizing Pakatan Harapan cabinet to deliver on this contract – on this Indian aspect of the new social contract. The 100 day clock is ticking!
Image: https://boingboing.net/2015/12/02/theres-a-100-hour-rule-n.html
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