This is not just about PKR. This is also about Pakatan Rakyat. The head honcho of PKR will automatically become the head honcho of Pakatan Rakyat -- just like the head honcho of Umno becomes the head honcho of Barisan Nasional.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
We shall soon be seeing the 12th by-election since the March 2008 general election, which will be held in Galas, Kelantan.
Galas is in the Gua Musang parliamentary constituency, a seat that has been consistently won by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the taiko of that area.
As much as Umno tried to topple Tengku Razleigh in the days when he led Semangat 46 they never could kick him out. Tengku Razaleigh could have won that seat even as an independent candidate.
About 15% or so of the voters in Galas are Orang Asli and it is said that this is the biggest Orang Asli constituency in Malaysia (I have not checked the statistics yet). So the Orang Asli would most likely be the group that will determine whether PAS or Umno wins this seat.
In the 2008 general election, PAS managed to win this seat although the other two state seats, plus the parliamentary seat, went to Umno. However, was it PAS or was it the candidate who won this seat? The Galas seat, just like Gua Musang, is ‘personal to holder’ and was not won because of the party.
The Orang Asli in Galas are not happy with the state government. This is because the district office demolished their church. Why they would demolish a church deep in the jungles, which is of no threat to anyone and is off the beaten track, is anyone’s guess.
The Orang Asli took the government to court and won. But the district office is appealing the court’s verdict so the matter is still unresolved. Why can’t the district office admit defeat and allow the Orang Asli to rebuild their demolished church? I don’t know. Maybe it is because the government hates losing.
Now, PAS needs the support of the Orang Asli to be able to win the Galas by-election. But will the Orang Asli give PAS their votes or will they use this by-election to punish PAS for what the district office did to their church and for stubbornly still fighting to overturn the court decision?
There are a number of Chinese voters in Galas but the community is not as large as the Orang Asli. So PAS will have to depend on the Malay voters. But with Tengku Razaleigh, the Gua Musang taiko, leading the charge, the Malays may be delicately split 50:50. Thus the Orang Asli votes are very crucial.
It is a predicament that PAS is soon going to face. If PAS can ‘pull rank’ and instruct the ‘Little Napoleons’ in the district office to withdraw its appeal and accept the court’s verdict and allow the Orang Asli to have their church then it is possible that the situation can still be salvaged. If not, then this seat may fall to Umno.
It is perplexing that the district office refuses to allow the Orang Asli their church when the state government gave the Hindus in Kelantan permission to build a temple. In fact, the Hindus did not ask for a temple. It was Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat who summoned the Hindus for a meeting and offered permission for them to build a temple. Why now make a big deal out of the Orang Asli church?
Over to you PAS and may common sense prevail.
The PKR party election is probably a bigger event than the Galas by-election, in particular the contest for the post of deputy president.
Understandably, the deputy presidency is an extremely sought-after post because if anything were to happen to the president or the party adviser then the deputy would become the de facto president. And many are not sure if Anwar Ibrahim can succeed in staying out of jail seeing that the government is bent on getting him on the Sodomy 2 charge.
The issue is not whether Anwar is guilty or not. It is how badly the government wants him behind bars. After all, in the Sodomy 1 case the government failed to prove Anwar’s guilt. Anwar was sent to jail because he failed to prove his innocence although any first-year law student can tell you that this is not how the law works.
The party contest has seriously split PKR. As it is, PKR is already the weak link in Pakatan Rakyat. Can the members close ranks once the party contest is over and the winners and losers have been decided? I don’t know but then it will all depend on who the winners and losers are.
To save the party, some compromises may have to be ironed out. The main friction appears to be between Zaid Ibrahim and Azmin Ali. And both sides has accused the other of ‘playing dirty’.
What the members should do is to reject both. Don’t vote for either Zaid or Azmin. Instead, vote for the ‘dark horse’. That would be one way of ending the conflict.
The only two dark horses I can think of would be Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and MP Nurul Izzah Anwar. And if Nurul is not able to contest then it would have to be Khalid.
But will Khalid contest if Nurul is not eligible to contest? He may have to, not because he wants the post, but so that he can offer the members a third choice in the event they want to ‘punish’ both Zaid and Azmin.
I would rather see Nurul join the contest so that Khalid can be free to run the state. Selangor is too important a state to lose in the next general election. And if anything happens to Anwar then Khalid will be lumbered with the job of running the party. And if he focuses on the state instead, then the party is going to suffer. There is no way Khalid can run both the party and the state at the same time seeing that both are ‘problem areas’.
That is why I want Nurul to contest. But if she can’t then she can’t. What more can I say?
I have nothing against Azmin. In fact, he is my friend (as is Zaid) and we do still keep in touch, at least via SMS. But Azmin just has too many enemies. And the other two coalition members, PAS and DAP, are more comfortable with Khalid than with Azmin.
This is not just about PKR. This is also about Pakatan Rakyat. The head honcho of PKR will automatically become the head honcho of Pakatan Rakyat -- just like the head honcho of Umno becomes the head honcho of Barisan Nasional.
Some think I am getting too personal about the PKR party contest. Maybe I am. Anything that affects the future of Pakatan Rakyat I take very personal because this invariably affects the future of Malaysia as well.
So we need to look at the big picture. I couldn’t care a damn who becomes the number two of PKR if it is just about PKR. But when the outcome has a bearing on the wellbeing of Pakatan Rakyat, then it becomes everyone’s concern, even those in PAS and DAP.
Kg Jias Church Demolished in 2007AD
Another Orang Asli church to be demolished
Another Orang Asli church building in Kelantan under threat of demolition?
Kelantan govt absent at church demolition case
JHEOA ASKS FOR WORK ON CHURCH BUILDING TO BE STOPPED
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post_16.html
written by pixieface, October 15, 2010 08:16:29
SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT. YOU PPL ARE COUNTING YOUR EGGS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED !!!
I WANT B END BOOTED OUT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, TAINTED LEADERS OF PAKATAN SHOULD
BE BOOTED AS WELL.
LIKE SOME SAY, IS ANWAR INDISPENSABLE ??????????????????????
I DON'T THINK ANWAR SHOULD BE THE DE FACTO PM. WHY ?????????????
IS HE THE ONLY ONE FIT TO BE PM ???????????????????????
YOU MEAN TO SAY, THERE ARE NO ONE ELSE IN MALAYSIA WHO IS SUITABLE??????????????????
SO WHAT, IF HE IS CHARISMATIC AND A GOOD ORATOR ????????????????????
THE MAIN ISSUE NOW IS, WE NEED SOMEONE WHO CAN BRING MALAYSIA OUT OF IT DOLDRUMS
WITH VAST REFORMS.
A GOVT WHO PROMOTES TRANSPARENCY, TRULY CARES FOR THE RAKYAT, REGARDELESS
OF RACE, COLOUR OR CREED.
I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF POLITICAL RHETORIC.
WE KNOW B END IS SHIT SHIT SHIT !!!!!!
WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR AND KNOW IS, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AND REFORMS TO BRING MALAYSIA OUT OF THIS SHIT HOLE ??????????????????
WE WANT YOU TO ENFORCE THE PEOPLE'S DECLARATION INTO PLAY.
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written by Super Admin, October 15, 2010 06:04:39
Fair article .... until this part :
The head honcho of PKR will automatically become the head honcho of Pakatan Rakyat -- just like the head honcho of Umno becomes the head honcho of Barisan Nasional.
So my article is not fair because stupid Chinese, Indians and natives of East Malaysia allow the Umno President to become the Chairman of BN cum PM? Run me through that logic again. Maybe I am not as fast in the brain as you.
RPK
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written by Semuaok, October 15, 2010 01:21:44
Zaid is trying to destroy PKR. He is creating faction (not that they don't have) in the party that after the election would not be able to work together. He is accusing everyone that is his enemy of wrong doing and is trying to rope in everyone that sympathize him for vote. Have you ever play football, do you have someone in your team that only know how to shoot and do not how to pass to his teammates with a better position to shoot. These are self center individual, who is selfish, do not care for other but himself. Zaid if you think you are that good why join PKR, or why join any party at all. Khalid and Nurul are being force into the rink because of your selfish care for no one attitude.
Like RPK said we actually don't hate you or Azmin. We understand this is politic and anything is fair game but to destroy when you don't get what you want. Is bad and unnecessary. I have been consistently saying Anwar is a bad candidate for PMship, but I have 2 choices to choose and I have to accept one. Honestly speaking it can be Najis or Anwar but I do hope they understand the election is just a process of picking one individual/party to government us. It's not a free pass to accuse, destroy, play someone out so that the party/country is not manageable/govern due to faction, mistrust and destruction again the wining person/party/country.
Zaid you have show me the worst form of politician person your are. PKR is about to self-destruct. Are you happy now?
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written by fireduck, October 14, 2010 23:01:35
The head honcho of PKR will automatically become the head honcho of Pakatan Rakyat -- just like the head honcho of Umno becomes the head honcho of Barisan Nasional.
Why must it be so? Maybe the reality is so ..... but aren't we all looking for change, for new set of paradigms? Aren't we all saying that we are looking for leaders who are capable, not just because they are from A party or B party or C party? Somehow that statement above didn't jive very well with what I had in mind with regards to Pakatan Rakyat, the People Declaration, etc. Anyone else sees it the same way or is it just me?
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written by aryn, October 14, 2010 17:58:11
PAS have always been hard where churches are concerned. I don't think the Orang Asli can trust PAS after what happened. It is sad but PAS must show its sincerity to allow religious freedom. Otherwise the partyPR will lose a lot of support from Sabah and Sarawak also.
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written by Voter get Voters 1, October 14, 2010 17:22:52
Are You or are you not indebted to John Soh Chee Bye as alleged by the Y L Chong of Malaysian Chronicle in his article as below ? or is Y L Chong is tarnishing your credibilties ? :
http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/35201-why-is-rpk-acting-so-out-of-character.
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written by educationist, October 14, 2010 15:56:50
It is not because of the by-elections but justice dictates that PAS ensure that the District Office does not appeal the court victory of the Orang Asli!!
Period.
The PKR seems to be on self-destruct mode.
There may be no home to roost after the party elections for whoever manages to clinch the coveted deputy president post!!
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written by nasilemak, October 14, 2010 14:14:40
1. Is PKR only all abt Anwar? WHY must it be?
We truly dont care if AI no longer heads PKR. To us mere observers & wayfarers, he's more famous for going to court than leading the party. which is why the party's in a mess
THANKS ANWAR!
2. Nurul may be less inexperienced. But then so is Obama. It's whose advice she takes & how she takes it that matters. Not even political opponents of Obama can say he's doing a shitty job. Even they acknowledge he's (surprisingly) doing much better than they had expected
Ditto (I am sure) for Nurul
3. Azmin= Anwar= unrepentant UMNOlites. No change. Even worst?
4. PKR will lose strong ground support if the double As win.
Why? Ask the voters. We are not blind or deaf. Even the independent will stand a chance in next election if PKR continues like this.
So no use supporting PKR blindly.
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written by Nunuk Ragang, October 14, 2010 10:37:40
Some think I am getting too personal about the PKR party contest. Maybe I am. Anything that affects the future of Pakatan Rakyat I take very personal because this invariably affects the future of Malaysia as well.
Damn right we all have to get personal about what's happening in PKR! We the rakyat have to set the standards that future leaders will abide to not turn one eye blind to their wrongdoings just because the BN government is/have done it worst!
Many Malaysians are anxious and eager to see a change in government, but only a few realised that PKR antics are spewing negative signs of what to come if they take Putrajaya. You want long and lasting changes? Then let's not put up with tainted leaders. People deserve second chance but not second chances too many.
Anyway, when PR took over Selangor, one of the first thing Dato Khalid did was to visit a church. Now, i say that helped a lot to the christian voters to feel confident about the new government in Selangor.
I'm waiting to see if Tok Guru or his entourage will do this..If they can let HIndus build a temple, then PAS should be fair and let the orang Asli choose to profess christianity or whatever religion they choose so.
If not, they will be animosity towards PR not just by the orang Asli, but also the non-muslims indigenous people in sabah and sarawak. So PAS, PKR & DAP....all eyes are on you...
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written by Better My, October 14, 2010 10:29:58
Fair enough, you have your choice of selection and stated the reasons why. We can all accept your arguments, irrespective of our agreement or disagreement, without turning this simple issue into "RPK working with UMNO" stuff which is hard to fathom the reasonings behind them, and hard to stomach the impact of the it.
From the very recent statistics, the next thread bythe maestro will be the "bombshell out of character" article again and we would be more perplexed and none wiser. I sincerely hope the maestro has said what he wants to say, we regroup and we return to the train to freedom.
State the pro & cons of the happenings, your choice and whys, and "curse one that is in disagreement with your choice/feel of the situation by all means, but at the end of it all, we must use the only logical vehicle Pakatan to reach our FINAL objective. Entertaining any other vehicles or thoughts is going to pull the brakes on this train we have stepped onto, and decelerate the momentum which we had given so much " bits & byte sweats and tears to..
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written by hellosunshine, October 14, 2010 09:29:21
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written by Revolution, October 14, 2010 06:31:06
People who don't understand your letters about PKR actual mess are people whose minds are still narrow .
Sometimes , to shoot the bees nest is the only way to wake up people ...but in Malaysia , people like much tidur ...
Mr Anwar , please , Wake Up !! Stand Up !! Voice up!!
You are the Boss or what ??
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Pete, I have no beef with your article. I just think I personally, would be disappointed if Pakatan and its practices turn out to be no different than BN. I thought it would operate not along racial or party lines but the leader should be the one (the individual) who can command the most respect and support from the component parties and the people via his/her proven leadership capabilities. That's all that was intended to convey. Ok, so my brain does not operate as fast as yours but it takes all kinds .....