Hishammuddin’s suggestion doesn’t really help Najib’s/BN’s agenda. Najib’s/BN’s agenda is to win back their traditional support to face confidently the next election.

To win back Malay’s support, the ruling coalition has to show its commitment to tackle corruption and abuse of power. Harping on NEP will not help when its perceived by many Malays as mere pretext enriching only UMNOputras. Harping on Religion, it cannot outcompete & outdo PAS and in fact would alienate Non-Malays/Muslims further!

If Non Malays were actually king makers in mixed constitutencies of a plural society whose support is indispensable (esp when in Bagan Pinang Non maly support there at least turn in favour of BN), then its better for ruling party, desirous of perpetuating power, to heed the wise “basics” of what Tunku Aziz said in thread “1Malaysia: A victim of Mental Fatique” ie: “For true national unity to emerge, we must go back to basics, revisiting the freedoms and rights guaranteed for all Malaysians. The NEP must be applied to all who need support”; “we need to put great store by equal opportunity in education in particular because to me it is immoral and ethically unacceptable to discriminate against the innocent and vulnerable young by depriving them of their rights to higher education;” and “system of governance based on best universal practice that, by implication, is free from corruption ie abuse of entrusted power for private gain”. BN will trimph only if it could on these principles re-galvanise national unity under its banner. For that UMNO has got to tackle and do away with racist and feudal/patronage mindsets and habits of its own party warlords, officials and members….

How does asking BN Chairman, who has so far given only advice to MCA contending factions, to step in further to arbiter the continuing strife (due to futher calls for EGMs) help the UMNO/BN’s agenda?

The premise of such a call is that, if MCA continues divided, BN’s interest at the polls will be jeopardised by MCA’s inability to deliver Chinese votes in next election; maybe one of MCA’s faction marginalised by the other faction holding the reins to party control will be alienated sufficiently to either sabotage MCA’s candidate at the next polls, or like Chuah Jui Meng join Pakatan Rakyat (PR) outright.

This is a questionable premise. Before MCA was thrown into present strife, it was already roundly deserted by its traditional supporters in 2008 March General Election for its image of playing second fiddle to big bully UMNO!

How does MCA being united under UMNO’s auspices/ BN’s Chairman’s intervention translate to the return of traditional support when traditional support was withdrawn in the past in part precisely due to UMNO’s many inerventions??

The support steadily eroded since the days of Tan Koon Swan/Neo Yee Pan’s power struggle, when Koon Swan called for EGM, EGM outcome challenged in court by Neo, UMNO stepped in, first time to stop the court wrangle, second time when Ghafar Bab mediated.

If the grouse and withdrawal of MCA’s traditional support is that MCA were UMNO’s stooge, how does intervention by UMNO to end MCA’s internal power squabbles and restore MCA’s unity help when it suggests only the re-emergence of a united stooge to UMNO, especially when the stooge, albeit then united in March 2008, has equally proven inept and unable to deliver Chinese votes ?

In the premises, Hishammuddin’s advice then that BN/UMNO interferes further from advice to direct mediation of MCA affairs is more likely to be counter productive to the Najib’s/BN’s agenda and help PR’s cause in next election instead!

///I have been following PAS’s seminar and I think the leadership and delegates are all in agreement that PR is the platform to take for us to take Malaysia towards the new dawn (rising sun logo of PR)/// #17 by lkt-56.

We are sanguine, at peril of great disappointment, to expect PAS will use PR as the platform to take Malaysia towards the new dawn, new dawn meaning greater progress, prosperity and inclusivist politics.

Look closely at PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s speech at PAS’s special party seminar. He emphasized that the political reality in a plural society was such that PAS should build on the support of the non-Muslims. Nothing he said suggested commitment in principle to plurality or inclusivistic politics. Basically he reaffirmed PAS’s standing by PR (“we’re all for Pakatan”) and not flirt with UMNO based on pragmatic considerations that sticking with PR still represented the more hopeful option of reaching Putrajaya and controlling the nation’s affairs having to manage the duplicities of UMNO accustomed to being in charge. Besides he wouldn’t at this juncture desire a showdown with the venerated but ailing Tok Guru, Nik Aziz, so a step backward would help in later two steps forward.

It is telling that his commitment to work with and for PR is not so much in line with Tunku Aziz‘s new dawn of “everyone has a place under the Malaysian Sun” basis. The new dawn is the achievement of the theocratic Islamic state.

Now it was pure strategy: (to quote) “We should be reminded that we need to know our limitations on ‘tahaluf’ (political coorperation) and ‘walak’ (loyalty) to the Islamic government,” Hadi said. He is never far from commitment to his ideology. Malaysiakini reported his caveat that “despite reassuring the party’s commitment to Pakatan, Abdul Hadi slipped a reminder to the delegates that PAS must always uphold its Islamic principles despite working with multi-racial PKR and secularist DAP.”

Malaysiakini also reported “a frail-looking Nik Aziz left the stage mid-way through Abdul Hadi’s speech. The much-respected party’s spiritual leader was admitted in the National Heart Institute two days ago after suffering from fatigue. He has just been discharged from the institute.” Did he leave ½ way because of physical strain or something else?

The Tok Guru has been a dominant figure in the party for almost three decades, where his words and actions are revered by party faithful. “But at a special party seminar today, meant to resolve protracted policy issues, it was Nik Aziz who came under the microscope of party delegates and showed he was not all infallible.” Some of the delegates questioned his authority. Negeri Sembilan delegate Mohamad Khairil Anuar Wafa asked delegates to consider who should be the captain of PAS’ ship. (Source – Malaysiakini). This questioning of Nik Aziz’s authority is unprecedented.

Abdul Aziz Bari says ‘Nik Aziz bites like a Komodo’ . But the Komodo is frail. Its opponent recoils like a cobra to abide for the right time to strike again. It is afterall good political strategy.