Archive for September 9th, 2008
The 916 obsession – 54 BN MPs have Anwar to thank for the last-minute free junket to Taiwan
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Pakatan Rakyat, Politics on Tuesday, 9 September 2008
The last-minute free junket to Taiwan for 54 MPs is shaping up to be the greatest political farce in the nation’s 51-year history – all because of the “916 obsession” of the Umno/Barisan Nasional leadership.
UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders have put up a bold public front dismissing the possibility of any change of government come Sept. 16, dismissing the “916” speculation as political gimmick and “day-dream”, although in their heart of hearts, it has become a “living nightmare” to the Umno/BN leadership.
This is because Umno/BN leadership are acutely and painfully aware that six months after the March 8 general election, more and more BN MPs are convinced that the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional leadership have completely lost their way as illustrated by the latest Ahmad Ismail furore and have neither the vision nor political will to relate and become relevant to the revolution of new hopes and expectations of post-political tsunami Malaysia.
As compared to six months ago, there are even fewer BN MPs who are prepared to defend the policies and programmes of the Prime Minister and the BN leadership, as they have lost all hope and confidence in the their ability to manage a major turnaround of political support of the people.
Ahmad Ismail revolt – when will Abdullah stop his flip-flops and demonstrate that he is Prime Minister for all Malaysians
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, nation building, UMNO on Tuesday, 9 September 2008
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suffered two mortal political blows within a short period of six months – the first “political tsunami” of March 8 general election which smashed UMNO’s political hegemony, ended Barisan Nasional (BN)’s unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority and drove BN into the Opposition in five states now run by Pakatan Rakyat governments and the second “political tsunami” in the August 26 Permatang Pauh by-election, where Anwar Ibrahim stormed back to Parliament with a thumping majority of 15,524 votes after an enforced absence for a decade.
Who would have thought that Abdullah’s third mortal political blow could have struck so fast and so devastatingly as to plunge his image, credibility, authority and legitimacy as Prime Minister to their lowest point since he took over from Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as the fifth Prime Minister less than five years ago?
And this third mortal political blow to Abdullah was primarily self-inflicted, the direct result of his flip-flops over Bukit Bendera Umno division chief, Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s racist reference to Malaysian Chinese as “penumpang” in the country.
In this instance, Abdullah out-flip-flopped himself as he took at least five different positions in the past two weeks, viz: Read the rest of this entry »