Clueless and defiant - a recipe for continued disasters
By Romerz.blogspot.com
PAS wrested back P36 - Kuala Terengganu from BN with a 'decisive' majority of 2,631 votes and what have Barisan Nasional learned from it? Apparently nothing!
Najib says "It's only a minor setback" and his lackey Ong Tee Keat says "MCA grateful to Chinese".
They both still don't get it and are quick to put their blinkers back on and return to self-denial mode which is easier to explain away the KT results. The following is my analysis of what KT means with their voting patterns since 1999. (qualifier : I'm only a backseat busybody with an opinion)
If you look at KT through the elections of 1999, 2004, 2008 and now 2009, you will see a better picture of the desires of KT voters and remember that KT represents the Malay heartland which traditionally UMNO/BN depends on for their survival and claims is representative of the majority of Malaysia.
In 1999, PAS won this seat with a majority of 14,448 votes! It was then 2 years after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked, manhandled, shabbily and unfairly treated by Matahir and his henchmen. The idea that a Malay could do what he did to another Malay must have struck at the core of Malays of KT which forms 88% of voters.
In this election, I believe it was simply a vote against Mahatir and the authoritarian manner of governance he exemplified. Nothing to do with KT development, religion and other issues. Simply put, it was saying NO to Mahatir's despotic regime.
In 2004, after Mahatir had retired and Badawi's 1st electoral challenge, KT returned BN with a majority of 1,933 votes only. This is despite the fact that the country as a whole gave a 'softer' Badawi (in contrast to Mahatir) an overwhelming mandate based on his promises of reform and a more people-centric form of governance. Already KT voters were not entirely caught up with the euphoria of the rest of the nation and already they knew that it meant very little for them since national issues were less important to them than bread and butter issues.
Even as late as 2004, despite all the oil revenues Terengganu was entitled to, I believe many folks living within KT were struggling with poverty and bread and butter issues hence the return of BN out of need and not of 'real' choice.
You must remember that those of us from the west coast of Malaysia did not have much bread and butter issues then but were more interested in a 'greater' Malaysia. Therefore Badawi's promises then meant more to us than the poor folk of KT. (hence 2004 and 2008)
Nothing changed much by 2008 and the struggle for a 'greater' Malaysia remained secondary to KT. Their main concern remained the bread and butter issues but the younger KT voters could understand the need to tell UMNO/BN that their way of governance is both selective and corrupt hence the reduction of the majority from 1,933 to 628 votes. Bread and butter issues still remained for these poor KT folks not to mention the spoiler by the cycling grandmother!
This brings me to 2009 where PAS won KT by a majority of 2,631 votes. Not convincing by any means in an electorate of 80,229 voters but it does tell me one thing that KT is is still very Malay at heart (as should be and hence the significance of their choice). Bread and butter issues still is amongst the top reasons why KT voted the way they did but at the same time it also tells me that as time goes on and more and more of the KT young are educated to think for themselves, bread and butter issues should not be a problem for Terengganu, being the 2nd most wealthy state in Malaysia once the selective corruption ceases!
It tells me that KT folks are starting to realize that the way forward for them and the country is to remove the self-serving UMNO/BN from power and with it the corruption can end, once and for all. Once ended, there will be greater prosperity for ALL. The reason why the slow pace is because of UMNO/BN's propaganda but it will happen sure enough, slowly slowly, bit by bit. (education of the young ones is key)
The message is so clear to me. Whilst we are worried about race and religion and how to provide for our families, we are SICK and TIRED of the blatant corruption and total disregard for the wishes of the Malaysian people. We are sick of racial politics and the one upmanship required to be played by UMNO, MCA and MIC to retain their relevance. (I'll talk about the 'neither here nor there' Gerakan another day)
The multi-racial system of BN no longer works! This system requires each party to fight for their often narrow conflicting interests and therefore the continued conflicts "to be resolved behind closed doors".
This system only brings more divide rather than unity, despite BN's cry for multi-racialism. If BN really wants a united multi-racial Malaysia, then dissolve yourselves and form one BN which has no race restrictions. Then there is no need for 'closed doors' and we can all speak openly for all Malaysians.
In my simple analysis, until and unless UMNO/BN realizes that whilst we may fear for our own race, we want a fair and just system where all Malaysians may survive or even thrive in this bountiful land of ours. To walk tall side-by-side and where the character of a man determines his future and not the color of his skin.
ONE MALAYSIA and ONE MALAYSIANs. The message is clear against the divide and rule since we know the reality on how to survive and prosper but that is counter to self-enrichment and the grip on power by the ruling elite.
Wake up or be shipped out by those who put you there in the first place!
By Romerz.blogspot.com
PAS wrested back P36 - Kuala Terengganu from BN with a 'decisive' majority of 2,631 votes and what have Barisan Nasional learned from it? Apparently nothing!
Najib says "It's only a minor setback" and his lackey Ong Tee Keat says "MCA grateful to Chinese".
They both still don't get it and are quick to put their blinkers back on and return to self-denial mode which is easier to explain away the KT results. The following is my analysis of what KT means with their voting patterns since 1999. (qualifier : I'm only a backseat busybody with an opinion)
If you look at KT through the elections of 1999, 2004, 2008 and now 2009, you will see a better picture of the desires of KT voters and remember that KT represents the Malay heartland which traditionally UMNO/BN depends on for their survival and claims is representative of the majority of Malaysia.
In 1999, PAS won this seat with a majority of 14,448 votes! It was then 2 years after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked, manhandled, shabbily and unfairly treated by Matahir and his henchmen. The idea that a Malay could do what he did to another Malay must have struck at the core of Malays of KT which forms 88% of voters.
In this election, I believe it was simply a vote against Mahatir and the authoritarian manner of governance he exemplified. Nothing to do with KT development, religion and other issues. Simply put, it was saying NO to Mahatir's despotic regime.
In 2004, after Mahatir had retired and Badawi's 1st electoral challenge, KT returned BN with a majority of 1,933 votes only. This is despite the fact that the country as a whole gave a 'softer' Badawi (in contrast to Mahatir) an overwhelming mandate based on his promises of reform and a more people-centric form of governance. Already KT voters were not entirely caught up with the euphoria of the rest of the nation and already they knew that it meant very little for them since national issues were less important to them than bread and butter issues.
Even as late as 2004, despite all the oil revenues Terengganu was entitled to, I believe many folks living within KT were struggling with poverty and bread and butter issues hence the return of BN out of need and not of 'real' choice.
You must remember that those of us from the west coast of Malaysia did not have much bread and butter issues then but were more interested in a 'greater' Malaysia. Therefore Badawi's promises then meant more to us than the poor folk of KT. (hence 2004 and 2008)
Nothing changed much by 2008 and the struggle for a 'greater' Malaysia remained secondary to KT. Their main concern remained the bread and butter issues but the younger KT voters could understand the need to tell UMNO/BN that their way of governance is both selective and corrupt hence the reduction of the majority from 1,933 to 628 votes. Bread and butter issues still remained for these poor KT folks not to mention the spoiler by the cycling grandmother!
This brings me to 2009 where PAS won KT by a majority of 2,631 votes. Not convincing by any means in an electorate of 80,229 voters but it does tell me one thing that KT is is still very Malay at heart (as should be and hence the significance of their choice). Bread and butter issues still is amongst the top reasons why KT voted the way they did but at the same time it also tells me that as time goes on and more and more of the KT young are educated to think for themselves, bread and butter issues should not be a problem for Terengganu, being the 2nd most wealthy state in Malaysia once the selective corruption ceases!
It tells me that KT folks are starting to realize that the way forward for them and the country is to remove the self-serving UMNO/BN from power and with it the corruption can end, once and for all. Once ended, there will be greater prosperity for ALL. The reason why the slow pace is because of UMNO/BN's propaganda but it will happen sure enough, slowly slowly, bit by bit. (education of the young ones is key)
The message is so clear to me. Whilst we are worried about race and religion and how to provide for our families, we are SICK and TIRED of the blatant corruption and total disregard for the wishes of the Malaysian people. We are sick of racial politics and the one upmanship required to be played by UMNO, MCA and MIC to retain their relevance. (I'll talk about the 'neither here nor there' Gerakan another day)
The multi-racial system of BN no longer works! This system requires each party to fight for their often narrow conflicting interests and therefore the continued conflicts "to be resolved behind closed doors".
This system only brings more divide rather than unity, despite BN's cry for multi-racialism. If BN really wants a united multi-racial Malaysia, then dissolve yourselves and form one BN which has no race restrictions. Then there is no need for 'closed doors' and we can all speak openly for all Malaysians.
In my simple analysis, until and unless UMNO/BN realizes that whilst we may fear for our own race, we want a fair and just system where all Malaysians may survive or even thrive in this bountiful land of ours. To walk tall side-by-side and where the character of a man determines his future and not the color of his skin.
ONE MALAYSIA and ONE MALAYSIANs. The message is clear against the divide and rule since we know the reality on how to survive and prosper but that is counter to self-enrichment and the grip on power by the ruling elite.
Wake up or be shipped out by those who put you there in the first place!
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