Archive for May 16th, 2017
The Sorry Shape of the Malaysian Ship of State
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Malays, nation building on Tuesday, 16 May 2017
M. Bakri Musa
May 16, 2017
A nation is like a boat on a river. Face the craft in the wrong direction and it would end up downstream in the marshy delta in short order, with minimal or no effort. It would languish there in the mud, at the mercy of the tides and floods. Face your boat sideways to head for the comfort of the nearby shore and you risk being broadsided by the current. Even if your boat were to face upstream, you could still end up downstream, albeit more slowly, for lack of paddling.
By facing our boat upstream and paddling hard, Malaysians have achieved much and traversed many superior fishing grounds as well as enjoyed numerous beautiful sights. Malaysians have also met and mingled with many upstream people, folks used to and comfortable in waters that are fresh, cool, and clean. Now we too aspire for that; we too want the waters around us to be free of the jetsam and flotsam. However, we can only get that by going upstream. Read the rest of this entry »
“Curiouser and curiouser” as there is no way PAS can win 40 parliamentary seats and five state governments without some form of electoral arrangement or alliance with UMNO
Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland phraseology of “curiouser and curiouser” comes to mind as there is no way PAS can win 40 parliamentary seats and five state governments without some form of electoral arrangement or alliance with UMNO.
The results of the general elections since 1959 shows that PAS achieved its best results in the 1999, 2008 and 2013 general elections when it was a member of the Barisan Alternative or Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition, as illustrated by the following chart:
| MP | PAS | Total seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| won | contest | ||
| 1959 | 13 | 58 | 104 |
| 1964 | 9 | 53 | 104 |
| 1969 | 12 | 62 | 144 |
| 1974 | – | – | 154 |
| 1978 | 5 | 88 | 154 |
| 1982 | 5 | 82 | 154 |
| 1986 | 1 | 98 | 177 |
| 1990 | 7 | 30 | 180 |
| 1995 | 7 | 45 | 192 |
| 1999 | 27 | 62 | 193 |
| 2004 | 6 | 86 | 219 |
| 2008 | (1+) 23 | 66 | 222 |
| 2013 | 21 | 73 | 222 |
In the last few days, PAS leaders have upped the ante and are talking about fielding 100 parliamentary candidates (an increase from the figure of 80 parliamentary contests cited before the PAS Muktamar last month) although they are still keeping their winning total to a “modest” 40! Read the rest of this entry »
-
You are currently browsing the archives for Tuesday, May 16th, 2017
