Power vs. Authority

Hakim Joe

It is a sad day for the Selangor State Government after the Menteri Besar was “persuaded” to abandon the investigations of impropriety and misconduct into the organization and management of the Pasar Larut Malam @ Jelatek where an undisclosed sum of collections have gone unaccounted for.

When this issue was first highlighted on this website in December last year, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had vowed to get to the bottom of this case as it pointed the finger at a prominent PKR executive committee member. However, less than two months later, the Selangor MB has stopped short of officially calling the investigations off after being “consulted” by the Selangor PKR Chief in a close door meeting.

Not only has this investigation been unofficially closed, the Selangor MB also has been “unofficially convinced” to turn a blind eye when the Selangor PKR Chief and his faithful deputy went about overturning the entire Selangor state’s municipal system by not renewing just about 99 percent of all the municipal councilors’ tenure (those representing PKR) in hope of plugging this leak.

Didn’t they realize that this information could have been disclosed by either PAS or DAP elected municipal councilors (of which they cannot touch) or even the YDP himself?

As of March 2012, a new group of Selangor PKR elected municipal councilors shall be sworn in to take over from the old guard, who has been there since 2008, a new group solely representing the interest of the current Selangor PKR Chief and his deputy. An untested and unknown group of PKR cronies that will only have a few months to perform before the next general elections.

The question now remains whether a deal has been struck between the former and present Selangor PKR Chiefs. If so, what is the difference between the former Selangor State Government and the present one? Additionally, this would send a direct message to the Deputy Selangor PKR Chief that she now possesses carte blanche to do whatever she pleases and to “misplace” any funds she likes, and that Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is but the Selangor MB in name only (if he is still around after the next Selangor State elections regardless of who wins it).

When the central PKR leadership decided to appoint Azmin Ali as the Selangor PKR Chief barely two weeks after convincing Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim that they will not replace him as the Selangor PKR Chief anytime soon, it shows us just how and what kind of leadership we can expect from PKR, especially from the President, Mrs. Wan Azizah and his consort (plus his blue eye boy & his faithful deputy).

Question: Is this what we are voting BN out for?

A lot has been written about how the Umno mentality constantly pervades our political scene regardless of the party one might profess to represent, and this is especially prominent within PKR. Are we so bereft of able candidates that we have to choose between two evils? The president used to be Mrs. Deputy Prime Minister from Umno, the PKR defacto leader was in fact the Deputy Prime Minister (from Umno), plus his blue eye boy used to be employed by Umno. What more is there to be said?

Mind you but an individual can change after all the abuse he copped inside our infamous prison system but the “tried-and-tested” Umno tactics are never far from mind once one aims for the highest position, but need we tolerate it as well?

And then there is ABU (Anything But Umno) that prescribes a different dose of thinking and promotes a more tolerant approach whereby any political party is in fact better than Umno. Fair enough and probably just about the only thing to do but isn’t there a third choice as well?

Frankly speaking, our political system is so fucked up that having a vote isn’t shaping up to what it should be. Fire on the one side and brimstone on the other and looking more like Hell from either side of the political divide. Now I know just what the phrase “Up Shit Creek Without A Paddle” means.

Lastly, what have you to say now, Mister Abdul Khalid Ibrahim? Looks like you need the paddle more than I do, and to think that you had large enough cajonés to do the job right.