Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Anwar should be The Opposition Leader... until he retires

There shall be a good balance in the Parliament after former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia rides his way back as Permatang Pauh MP. I encourage his presence in the Parliament as a strong Opposition leader to act as "The Shadow Prime Minister" to check whether the current government Barisan Nasional do their job or busy making money or collecting artiste-girlfriends.

He shall be sitting tight on his chair in the Parliament after a long 13-year absence and continue criticising the work of current rulers of Malaysia.... until he retires.

When Parti Keadilan Nasional drew up their agenda in their March 2008 Election manifesto, they have promised to maintain the current system of Federal government with respect to Article 153 and others namely Malay rights, Islam as the Federal religion, the existence of Syariah Court being superior to Civil Court in cases of Islamic affairs, protecting the rights of Vernacular Schools and Bahasa Malaysia as the National Language. This has caught my attention as a way of going forward as long as the system will be respected. The notion of getting rid of National Economic Policy is a way to show dissatisfaction towards some Barisan leaders misusing their power and awarding contracts to cronies, something I believe Anwar Ibrahim had done before when he was with Barisan.

Now after years in jail, it is thought that he had repented and trying to change the country while at the same time, fulfilling his dream to become the Prime Minister.

However, with the pressures from Pakatan coalition members such as DAP and PAS, can he still keep the promises made in his manifesto?

Everyone knows how DAP and PAS have ideologies of their own and with Anwar being the middle-man, it is thought that the three-way marriage of Pakatan should bear fruitful. However, I am very skeptical that this would work.

DAP wants a secular State evidently when DAP Sec-Gen Datuk Lim Guan Eng has recently rejected the idea of theocratic nation be it a Muslim State or Christian State. PAS, however, insists that Islamic State is relevant in all areas to establish a fair-to-all government.

PKR on the other hand, most members still being Malays, want to stick with the system however with zero tolerance on corruption and reject Malay supremacy by promoting Ketuanan Rakyat. I do not see the problem with PKR's ideology but can it please everyone in the coalition party?

Pakatan as a Federal Government should still be far from being materialised. I reject the idea of cross-overs (and no, I am not an UMNO cyber-trooper or member) because I see it as unethical. Unprofessional. Anwar has argued that the voices of Barisan that is against the idea of cross-overs. But I do not represent Barisan when saying this. If the coalition wants to topple the Government this way, I will start to question the integrity of the party be it PKR, DAP or PAS.

It is called inertia. When you start to play dirty, you will continue playing dirty. See what happens to some Barisan leaders. For them, corruption is part of their lives and if they don't realise it now, Barisan will go bust.

I remember applauding the idea of PAS 'joining' UMNO in my previous post but people should not take it literally. What I mean is a stronger government where the Opposition's ideas and feedback should be respected too. And even opposition and ruling leaders can sit side by side to help Malaysia prosper for years to come while living in harmony.

Now Pakatan should be focused on their jobs as leaders of their respective branches. They should represent the voices of people who wants more support be it from the Malay, Chinese, Kadazan, Iban or Indians. I am hoping for a more matured and co-operative movements from the Members of the Parliament.

Welcome back Anwar. But do not put personal goals over the needs of the Rakyat.

No monkeying or dump-trucking around!

SELAMAT MENYAMBUT HARI MERDEKA KE-51.

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