The only person consistent is Mahathir – in supporting NEP & condemning Israel/Zionism and of course the Flotilla attack! We now have PR’s top leaders including LKS to lead a mammoth rally (expectedly predominantly Muslim) after Friday prayers to US Embassy to protest the Flotilla attack! They even invite Najib to join (because they think he won’t) after his relationship mending visit to Washington in the recent Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. The idea is to paint Najib as Pro US and since US is pro Israel then he cannot be a champion of Muslims as (say) Anwar.
Like it or not ever since time of 1st PM Tunku, the centrality of Islam in Malaysian politics is undisputed. Malaysia played and still play a major role in OIC’s affairs for this reason. Not only Islam is official religion. Mainly because Malay Muslims are majority. The election lines are drawn (gerrymandered) to ensure their votes are given disproportionate weightage. And Islam is an inextricable part of Malay cultural identity. Ruling party cannot remain in power and Opposition has no hope to win election without this Muslim/Malay support.
That’s how Anwar came to political prominance through ABIM and together with Mahathir embraked on aggressive Islamisation for 20 years to capitalise on Islamic revival (since Iranian Revolutiuon) to out-islamize PAS. However when Mahathir was strident against US then, Anwar, after his fall from grace, would be pro American to leverage on their support (and need for moderate Ismalic friends) to buffer against his travails back here – leading to the dramatic Al Gore’s support for Anwar’s Reformasi before the host of APEC Summit in which the US was guest!
But now the leader of Ruling Coalition appears pro US : he signed the Strategic Trade Bill 2010 as Obama desired; Najib would stand with Obama and cut off oil supplies to an Iran – the hero of Muslim nations in defying so called US/Zionist hegemony- if it seeks nuclear weapons.

So Anwar has now to take the opposing stand : PR firm APCO hired by PM is Jewish affiliated, 1 Malaysis copied from 1 Israel and Israeli intelligence personnel inflitrated Police IT unit. Now the Flotilla issue is Godsend. Anwar even praised nemeseis Mahathir over his firm stance against US policies in Muslim countries (Source : HarakahDaily). Anwar now will march to US Embassy hoping to be able to say “I have invited the PM but where is he???”

Kit has to march as well. DAP is partner with PKR & PAS, the latter two Malay/Muslim doiminant. In partnership there is “give and take”. PAS “gives” in an Allah issue and helped DAP to leverage and win in Sibu! That’s why LGE also defer to this sector’s political imperatives to nurture Muslim sentiments by banning sports betting in Penang though no similar measures to ban 4Ds or Sports Toto in existence all this while. Following strictly secular ideology, though gambling is social vice, ifs its licensed its Ok as it mitigates harsher features of this vice (a like stance taken of late by Singapore). There’s freedom of choice – if one chooses vice its his funeral. This is not the stance of a paternal state or a government insistent on imposing morality or theocratic values.

(Continuing from preceding post) Voices of discomfort amongst some staunch opposition supporters have arisen here on why and how DAP, supported by them for “principles” could now show the other face of being governed by political expedience of appeasing Malay/Muslim sentiments over principles of siding the truth on what actually happened in Freedom Flottila raid, when video showed Isrealis commandos acted in self defence.
I can easily defend the DAP’s & Kit’s – and even Anwar’s inconsistent stand in on various grounds (subject to a caveat).

Grounds: Firstly it is reality that the politicisation of Islam has become a key feature of the Malaysian political terrain for over 50 years – one can’t change that – and Malay/Muslim sentiments are overwhelmingly pro Palestine, anti Zionist/Israel and by extension Anti US for backing its staunch ally, not to mention iits incessant interference in Muslim lands and affairs in Middle East by reason of its geo-political imperatives and super power status. If Malay/Muslim votes are indispensable for PAS, PKR and even DAP for PR to win how can they desist (from political pragmatism point of view) from not condemning Israel and by extension the US at its embassy???

Then a more pointed question: what about principles, DAP ? So flexible meh for power? How’s different from MCA?

For political success principles like these can be sacrificed for the bigger consistent principle of dislodging the Ruling Coalition or else the country continuing in patronage /race based/ Mahathir legacy will go bankrupt as Idis Jala said. Winning the Election to save the Country is the bigger Principle, that’s the DAP & PR’s position. So PR uses international issue (Flottila attack) for domestc political brownies points and mileage – but that’s exactly what BN has been doing all these while and everyone is playing the game, as it is given, by its rules to massage voters’ perception because that’s what counts and not the truth. Intellectuals – and even decent citizens vale truth – but politicians ? No : its power and the way to get and maintain it not nowadays by terror but consent by votes, meaning the importance of “persuasion”.

In international area its also that (just like domestic politics). The long and short of it, the Israelsi govt, whilst militarily superior, got outwitted by Hamas politically in propaganda sense! The latter have used human shields now by extension humanitarian shields.

Embedded amongst 700 activists from different countries are HAMAS’s agents. One just need 30 of them to bring out their hidden metal sticks and knives when the commandos raided, a raid totally anticipated because the organisers “The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH)” (already infiltrated) had prior notice that the blockade would be enforced. They could bring the supplies to Ashdod Port, an Israeli cargo port, submit to a security check, and then unload their cargo but they deliberately challenged the blockage, provoked this incident for its international propaganda value to position themselves as the victims and the Israeli the Evil Empire to pressure the end of the blockade. Israel can’t do nothing else, without the blockage they have to invade Palestine to stop rocket attacks, and that too they can’t do.

Israel botched the operational aspects of the naval blockade. PR takes advantage to boot its political capital. Who cares of Israel (outwitted) or the Truth so to speak?

And the refusal to compromise one’s principles for political imperatives even at the time of petty climbing up to power is, exactly why Raja Petra refuses to join partisan politics or any of Parties. When asked why, he said that politics was “dirty” and out of partsan politics he reserved the right to “hentem” any side (whether BN or PR) if they talk C & B contrary to truth or national interest! Kudos to him – fighting the Malaysian cause without personal benefit of power etc – just a bit of respect when people treat him like celebrity, girls come forth to engage with him, which wife Marina said she was more proud than jealous!