The powers-that-be and those under their protection.

“undemocratic” is a word for people who doesn’t know which side they are on.

The first provision is Article 10(1)(c) on Freedom of Association. In 1992, when a PAS MP hopped over to BN, the High Court declared the anti-hop law unconstitutional as it went against the Freedom of Association.

Any attempt to resign as MP in order to re–contest by-election on the other side’s ticket confronts the second obstacle in Article 48(6) which provides that a person who resigns his membership of the House of Representatives shall, for a period of five years beginning with the date on which his resignation takes effect, be disqualified from being a member of the House of Representatives…

For so long as these two provisions are not amended, the anti-hopping law can neither be legislated nor will it work!

So, without such anti hopping law, and by reason of Article 48(6), prevailing practice of political defector is not to resign as MP (even though he won this ticket under the auspices of the party that he is leaving) but just cross over to the other side, without having to seek fresh mandate from voters of that constitutency in a by- election as suggested by DAP’s Lim Guan Eng.

What should be noted is that Anwar Ibrahim’s current to canvass cross-overs & defections to topple the BN is based on this prevailing deplorable practice stated in preceding paragraph.

DAP national vice chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim has criticized Anwar’s methods/ strategy that goes against the grain of what Lim Guan Eng said.

This is because such political defections actively canvassed by him are contrary to democratic precepts requiring the defector to first resign to re-seek fresh mandate from a by – election (which admittedly is presently not possible without constitutional amendment/anti hopping law in place).

It is not as if Anwar is pushing for constitutional amendments and antihopping law to be passed before he em barks on canvassing for defections. He is doing well before constitutional amendments and antihopping law – which makes current defections canvassed by him indefensible !

I criticise Anwar not only because his strategy of toppling BN by prevailing practice of political crossovers is undemocratic.

I question whether he knew what he was doing because the MACC newly enacted (esp section 16(b)) changes the whole complexion of elements within such political defections from the undemocratic to (arguably) the criminal/corrupt. He neither serves the cause of his own family, Pakatan Rakyat or the Country if, in the rush to topple the other side and secure power fast, he is unconcerned about the risks of being entrapped under the draconian provisions of MACC.

I don’t understand why some of you would so quickly defend him from criticisms in this respect.

LGE is absolutely right. It is not about the principle of crossovers. It is all about bankrupting BN through a series of by-elections where everyone – the voters, the constituency, the Opposition – wins but the corrupt BN.

The DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng is in favour of amending the Constitution to provide for legislation of anti hopping law. Guan Eng is reported to have said that there should be a byelection to allow those who want to defect to another party to first resign and re-contest the same seat.

See news report in The Star Published on Thursday January 29, 2009 by Zulkifly Mohamad under caption “Guan Eng: Need for anti-hopping law”.

For guidance of course! Which of the corrupted small monkeys to prosecute and which of the big monkeys under the protective umbrella of BN NOT to prosecute.

Maybe, just maybe they are waiting for the big shot who ordered:
1. the erasure of the immigration records of Altantuya and
2. the execution of Altantuya and
3. with specific instructions as to the execution process that
4. she be shot and then her body blown to bits with C4 and
5. who might have been instrumental to put the fear in PI Bala to disappear or be C4d into oblivion.

The above are not just speculative theories but based on questions that to date have not been answered.

The PDRM which should have made a thorough and impartial investigation at arriving at the true nature of that dastardly crime seem to be more interested in putting up road blocks, arresting ordinary citizens, brutalizing detainees in police lockups which have resulted in more than 1500 deaths since 2003.

Under these circumstances MACC might be just waiting for THAT MAN with tons of absolute power to give them a call or a sms.

MACC should for once show that it is part of the rakyat of this country and go on a rampage and arrest all the corrupted ones in power and especially the person who is exercising ABSOLUTE POWER on life and death.

My short anwer is that what appears like “political advantages” may actually turn out to be political disadvantages if they could put him away for corruption under MACC Act for active poaching of political defections – read my preceding posting Today at 12: 57.55 (8 minutes ago).

“I would have fired my lawyer a long time ago if he crapshoots like this” – Godfather, that is if you can find a credible lawyer in the first place or know the difference between a credible one or not so credible one, since the credible one, to you, is one who agrees with you! :)

Nah, he doesn’t have a one-track mind, he has two tracks but then the twain shall never meet.

Since Jeffrey has openly admitted that corruption has occurred absolutely in BN’s case, then why the doublespeak about not giving PR the chance to show what it can do ?

As I said before, lawyers who say “on the one hand it is this, and on the other hand it is that” end up holding only one thing in both hands – and that one thing ends up getting beaten all the time.

“…often…pave the way easier to…”

“…could happen to PR….”

“…may be implicated in abetment….”

“…may run foul….”

I would have fired my lawyer a long time ago if he crapshoots like this.

This has to be balanced against the other reality that active poaching of BN crossovers/defectors may run foul of the draconian MACC Act, in particular section 16(b).

YB Kit, all you have to do is to check with your DAP legal advisers if it is true that active poaching of BN defectors constitutes a corrupt act under MACC.

If so, it is so easy to extinguish Pakatan Rakyat and its cause.
All one has to do on BN’s side is to plant an agent provocateur, a divisional head or something, to talk terms and reciprocal rewards, whether financial or in kind by way of posts and positions within PKR that would constitute “gratification” for defecting with Anwar….

After that report him (Anwar) to MACC…

This would nail him more securely and credibly than the consensual sodomy charges that public do not believe : but when it comes to poaching BN defectors everyone will believe – in fact he is the one who tells everyone of his intentions yet unrealised!

Agent provocateur whose role is to entrap by engaging in the transaction covered by MACC is immune from prosecution under the MACC Act! Fgor any financial consideration or otherwise Kataks who have no principles will spill their negotiations with Anwar to the MACC commissioner and yet enjoy immunity.

Don’t forget the quickest way to neutralise Pakatan Rakyat is to put away the man who welds disparate groups of Pakatan Rakyat together by a corruption charge.

MACC is draconian and gives a different complexion to the entire equation of crossovers.

There is no better way to neutralise Pakatan Rakyat and its cause by implicating the man who holds it together away on a charge of corruption under the MACC – what other better excuse/justification, since Pakatan Rakyat’s supporters & BN detractors complain corruption as main malaise of the ruling coalition?

Only blind supporters whose vision does not extend beyond the distance between the eye and tip of nose would not see this coming! :)

Our policeman has the license to kill, period.

A: Not just Umno, please be clear about that. We will take action against any political party involved in corruption. It seems that way only because it is now Umno season. The party itself asked us for help.”

Uncle Kit, are you going to ask MACC for helps when it is DAP season?

Compromise to, and reluctance to draw the line on certain principles often pave the way easier to make more compromises down the slippery slope.

Just like sex, it gets easier after the first time, and if one is not vigilant to draw a line may lead to promiscuity and debauchery.

Especially what is fought for is over power, and we’ re reminded of Lord Acton’s dictum, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely” – as it has happened in BN’s case, it could happen to PR if we’re not vigilant about its method of securing power via political defections of BN’s politicians having their seats on B N’s ticket.

I have taken pains in above posting to show how PR in soliciting, conducing, facilitating crossovers may be implicated in abetment of transactions which may come under the wide and uncertain purview of MACC Act.

One will recall Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim Malaysia’s most famous crusader for integrity and transparency [formerly vice chairman of Transparency International and founder President of the Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity, the Malaysian Chapter of Transparency International] and now DAP national vice chairman is on record for being dead set against Anwar’s gambit of securing political defections as means to securing earlier power.

One also recalls none of the DAP’s stalwarts including YB Kit Siang or Karpal Singh have publicly endorsed or commended this pl an/method of Anwar though, in interest of PR’s unity, they do not publicly oppose or criticize it, and hence are deemed to acquiesce that which they cannot change even if they have preferred so.

Silence/acquiescence is not approval, endorsement or blessing.

On Perak defections readers may read this report by The Malaysia Insider at this link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/16939-defection-prompts-tajol-to-quit-as-perak-umno-boss-soon

One interesting excerpt in the article is this comment : “The veteran Perak leader has seen his influence diminish when he was moved from the Parit parliament seat constituency to the Bota state seat in the last elections. While he won the state seat, he lost his Felcra chairmanship, a position normally given to an MP.”
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