For the past week and the next five days, the nation’s top question is the Shakespearean one: “To Be Or Not To Be.”
Will Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi shock Umno and Malaysians by acting completely out of character by announcing before October 9 that he has had enough of being pushed around by Umno heavyweights, that the ultimatum of the “926” Umno Supreme Council emergency meeting is the “last straw” and he will defend the post of Umno President in the March Umno party elections?
The overwhelming majority of Malaysians do not expect Abdullah to give such an answer to his Shakespearean dilemma of “To Be Or Not To Be” to defend the dignity of the office of Prime Minister from being publicly humiliated by party politicos – although there are Putrajaya fourth-storey boys who are urging him to do just that.
Even if Abdullah is to bow to the ultimatum of the Umno warlords and announce before Oct. 9 that he will not defend the post of Umno President and will step down as Prime Minister next March, let Abdullah not exit as a lameduck Prime Minister but write a glorious reform programme for police, judiciary, anti-corruption, ISA and press freedom in his last six months in office.
The least Abdullah should do is to redeem the failures of his many reform pledges in the past five years by carrying out a wide-ranging reform programme in five areas in his last six months in office, by ensuring that the following are accomplished before he leaves the Putrajaya corridors of power next March:
• Police – establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
• Judicial Appointments Commission and in the meanwhile, no appointment of an UMNO Chief Justice which will plunge the country into a new era of judicial darkness and scandal.
• Total revamp of the Anti-Corruption Agency and the anti-corruption legislation to set Malaysia on the path as one of the world’s least corrupt nations.
• Release Raja Petra Kamaruddin, the Hindraf Five and all other Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees and repeal the ISA; and
• Repeal Printing Presses and Publications Act and enact Freedom of Information Act to ensure a free and independent media to establish Malaysia as a cutting-edge information and knowledge nation.
Abdullah can make next Wednesday, October 8, a historic day by tabling in the Cabinet the six-month reform programme to commit every Minister to support and implement the reform measures before the end of his premiership next March.
Ministers who are not prepared to give unequivocal support to the six-month reform programme should be asked to resign from the Cabinet or be sacked, to be replaced by those who are prepared to make the next six months a memorable half-year in the 51-year history of the nation.
#1 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 5 October 2008 - 3:00 pm
If dawsheng said were right – which in all probability is the case – then if the Rulers play no role, AB plays no role and even Anwar is silent having forgotten about his 9/16 pledge, there will be no major change in Malaysian Politics for years to come, extending even to after the next 13th Malaysian election, since there is no saying what the BN could do to marginalise Pakatan Rakyat by then through stranglehold of federal funds to opposition controlled states and progressive incarceration of opposition’s key leaders.
Ismail Kassim’s take on the status quo of Malaysian Politics may be visited here – http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/10025-ismail-kassim-knows-malaysian-politics-better-than-most
#2 by dawsheng on Sunday, 5 October 2008 - 3:26 pm
We should be prepared for the situation to deteriorate further, which is inevitable when political parties are bound to deliberately sabotaging each other in order to win supports and votes.
#3 by AsalUsuLMalaysia on Sunday, 5 October 2008 - 7:27 pm
Ho..Ho… Hooo…
Just as i expected, beware. The ominous black clouds had arrive, race for the wins has just beguns.
KING of all warlords from Melaka had emerge to compete DPM as he remains humble for long time. Thx to him melaka now had become a “Popular historical attractions” for nothing but extravagant praise that none economically benefits the locals.
#4 by Loh on Sunday, 5 October 2008 - 9:35 pm
Up to today, there are five persons who have announced their interest to contest for UMNO Deputy President. The first announcement would not be mistaken to mean a contest against the incumbent Deputy, and it shows that the grassroots are impatient to await the announcement by the President. Now that there are five persons announcing their interest, of whom, one has long shown his keen interest in exploring alternative route to the post of Deputy, it would be safe that assume that he alone would have more than the minimum qualifying support of 28 divisions. The other four candidates would also believe that they possess a minimum of 28 votes to justify their announcement ahead of that of AAB. Since there is only one position for Deputy, the supporters of the five announced candidates are necessarily mutually exclusive. Thus a total of 140 Divisions are expected to announce their support for the five candidates as Deputy. These 140 could nominate either AAB or Najib as President with one of the five as the Deputy. But whichever division now decides to nominate one of the five as Deputy would be expected to have Najib rather than AAB head the ticket, thus AAB can only expect to get nomination from the remaining 52 Divisions assuming they do not wish to nominate Tengku Razaleigh as President. So, AAB will not be able to get 58 nominations to defend his post of UMNO President.
We do not have to wait until 9 October to confirm that AAB will not defend his position. He had in fact announced it when party election was extended to March 2009 so that he could enjoy three more months as lame duck PM. Since he is a lame duck PM, it might be better for him to collect his pay and take his holidays comes 9 October. We will be surprised if he made that announcement.
#5 by veddy.lum74 on Sunday, 5 October 2008 - 10:25 pm
yes,the devil that sucked pig farmers’ money and later destroyed all their kandang babi has finally show his true greedy color!
Yes,the old warlords need not to be worried,UMNO is forever full of warlords!subsequently,Toyo,Khairy will be the incumbents…………..many more yet to make racist remarks!
#6 by undergrad2 on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:23 am
“The King can veto the dissolution but he could not initiate the dissolution of the Parliament.” Loh
What nonsensical nonsense! The Agong has no veto powers.
What the Agong can do is to use his discretion in agreeing or disagreeing to the request for the dissolution of Parliament when so requested by the PM as a result of the vote of no confidence against him. The holding of fresh general elections merely because the sitting PM no longer commands the confidence of the majority of members of his party may not be in the public interest. General elections do cost tax payers a lot of money and a strain on the limited budgetary resources of the state. The Agong may exercise his constitutional discretion under Article 43 (4) in refusing to dissolve Parliament under those circumstances, indirectly forcing instead the ruling party to nominate a successor – like his deputy to succeed him.
#7 by TheWrathOfGrapes on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:48 am
Hmmm. this is making a lot of sense.
Nonsensical nonsense actually sounds sensible.
#8 by Loh on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 11:17 am
///The Agong may exercise his constitutional discretion under Article 43 (4) in refusing to dissolve Parliament under those circumstances, indirectly forcing instead the ruling party to nominate a successor – like his deputy to succeed him.///—Undergrad2
///“The King can veto the dissolution but he could not initiate the dissolution of the Parliament.” Loh
What nonsensical nonsense! The Agong has no veto powers. ///–Undergrad2
Smart one, is it not the same as veto, speaking figuratively?
#9 by rainbowseahorse on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 - 2:55 pm
I think the whole of Malaysia is in agreeance that Pak Lah is ineffective as PM. The there are all those speculations on what he would or would not do before he leave office…i.e. if he leaves office at all!
I think, come 13/Sep/2008 when parliament re-convene, we shall most probably know or have a much better idea about the direction of Malaysian politics.
For now, what’s foremost on my mind is this:
Just who the hell is footing the bill for all those daily “Selamat Hari Raya” greeting shown on ASTRO TV of Pak Lah & wife???
#10 by melurian on Wednesday, 8 October 2008 - 12:30 am
“I think the whole of Malaysia is in agreeance that Pak Lah is ineffective as PM. The there are all those speculations on what he would or would not do before he leave office…i.e. if he leaves office at all!”
statement without substance, aab won majority 10,000+ in his constituency! and bn still win although they lose 5 states (you can say this because more openness, it’s like a person still rapist or murderer though the judge acquitted his crime). there’s no mass protest march to parlimen (or istana) like in thailand to stop during the prime minister conferment and demand his resignation. and this comment will be blocked coz some ppl cannot tolerate different opinion and observation (there’s only yes and never no)……