The first post-March 8 Gerakan national delegates conference is supposed to send out one message – that Gerakan has finally come of age as a political party as it has heard loud and clear the message of the political tsunami in the March general election seven months ago.
I had looked forward to such a Gerakan “coming of age” as a healthy development of Malaysian politics in the post-tsunami era.
But it is not to be and I am disappointed. It was very clear from yesterday’s opening session of the Gerakan conference that it has not risen above its infantile political subservience to Umno despite all the Gerakan posturing, “thunder and lightning” in the past seven month.
When Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon could call Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the “Father of Democracy”, it was a most adverse reflection on the former Penang Chief Minister than on the Prime Minister.
How could Koh call Abdullah the “Father of Democracy” when:
(1) the draconian and most undemocratic law, the Internal Security Act (ISA), was arbitrarily and unjustly wielded only last month against DAP MP for Seputeh and Selangor senior exco, Teresa Kok, Sin Chew Daily senior reporter Tan Hoon Cheng and blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin;
(2) three newspapers, Sin Chew Daily, the Sun and Suara Keadilan asked to show cause under another most undemocratic law, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, why action should not be taken against them;
(3) the Hindraf Five continue to be detained in Kamunting Detention Centre under the ISA with the first anniversary of their incarceration fast approaching and the latest abuses of power in the orchestrated campaign of intimidation and demonisation of Hindraf with the police harassment of Hindu members and supporters over their plea for the release of the Hindraf Five at the Prime Minister-cum-Cabinet’s Hari Raya Open House at Putrajaya; and
(4) the undemocratic action and abuse of power in prosecuting RPK under sedition and criminal defamation, when the proper course is for those aggrieved by RPK’s blogs to institute civil defamation proceedings to seek justice.
Koh would have received unanimous approbation if he had said that Abdullah deserve the title of “Father of Democracy” if in his remaining five months as Prime Minister, he could initiate democratization reforms which he had failed to do in the past five years, and in particular:
• Release the Hindraf Five from ISA detention in Kamunting before Deepavali on 27th October, RPK as well as all ISA detainees; and
• Repeal the detention-without-trial ISA law and other undemocratic and draconian laws like the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act and the Police Act.
I wonder what would be the result if Koh’s proposal to name Abdullah “Father of Democracy” is put to a vote by the Gerakan delegates at the conference – whether he could secure even majority support if it is by secret ballot, without any redeeming democratic reforms in the next five months.
Yesterday, Koh declared that Gerakan will remain in Barisan Nasional to help reform the coalition.
This is of course for Gerakan to decide. But what has happened to his earlier revelation that up to 60 percent of party grassroots wanted Gerakan to pull out of BN following the March 8 general election and the subsequent support by 80 per cent of the delegates at the August Perak Gerakan delegates conference for a pull-out of BN?
Were these just “hot air”?
Koh told the press yesterday that discontent peaked among the party grassroots over the “penumpang” controversy of Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Ahmad Ismail and when one of Ahmad’s supporters tore Koh’s picture in front of journalists.
Has Ahmad Ismail apologised for his offensive, insensitive and racist reference of the Chinese in Malaysia as “penumpang” and has there been any public expression of remorse for the public tearing of Koh’s picture?
One can only imagine what would have been the consequences if a Gerakan official had publicly torn the picture of the Umno President and had remained defiant and unrepentant!
Gerakan can talk only but cannot do anything at all. When ‘Big Brother’ UMNO is around, it dares not flex its muscles for fear of being victimised. The ‘penumpang’ issue is one case in point. No action was taken against the culprits by ‘taiko’ when the so-called president of the party’s portrait was ripped off and torn to shreds! Gerakan will be not relevant in present-day politics in Malaysia if it still sticks to subservience to ‘Big Brother’ UMNO. Wake up Gerakan!
Were these just “hot air”?
It is air definitely.
What I am going to relate to you is a true story that was told by my mum on my recent Hari Raya holiday in a tiny coastal village in Malacca. This is a true story about Paeah, Shanti and Taukeh Ah Liong… 3 people of different races, skin colours and faiths.
We all know for a fact that BN, spearheaded by UMNO, is now outdated with their race based parties but yet they are still trying to prop this divide and rule modus operandi for UMNO’s survival. Meanwhile, surprisingly the rakyat at a remote hamlet in Malacca had shown that races, skin colors, religious beliefs do not separate an individual from another. They have discarded the UMNO/BN regime’s racist concept. UMNO should learn from this story.
Rafeah, or fondly known as Paeah (pronounce ‘Pay-ah’) by the villagers came from a poor family. Her father was the village barber who had a small open air shop (well not really a shop!) under a ‘jambu air’ tree. Her mother is a housewife. They live and survive on a day to day basis. Paeah dropped out of school after form 3. She was than doing odd jobs in the village, cleaning, doing laundry, baby sitting, etc., to supplement the family’s income until one day a small factory producing biscuits and snacks began to operate. The owner is Taukeh Ah Leong, a Malacca Chinese Baba with a huge heart (I will tell you why this is so…).
Paeah applied for work in the small factory and was assigned as a general worker. Soon she had a best friend, Shanti. This Indian girl also came from a poor family. Her father sells newspaper to support her family.
Things did not go well. Paeah’s mother passed away in February 2006, and 3 months later his distraught father died too. Paeah now had to fend for herself, with Shanti, her best friend, providing the emotional support and strength.
One day while on the way to work, Shanti fell down from a moving bus and had a head concussion. She was hospitalized for 3 weeks but suffered some degree of amnesia. Despite this and the few month of absence, Taukeh Liong still took Shanti back to work. At times, when the bout of amnesia returns, Shanti could not find her way home from the biscuit factory. It is now Paeah turns to help her, by holding her best friend’s arm and lead her back all the way to her parents’ home.
One day, Shanti’s mum asked Paeah that since she (Paeah) was now living alone and that her daughter (Shanti) at times needed somebody to help finding her way home, why not Paeah live with their family? Paeah agreed…, she had now found a family!
My mum told me Shanti’s family had high regard and respect for Paeah’s religious belief despite staying under the same roof. During the month of Ramdhan, Shanti’s mum woke up at 3 a.m. to prepare Paeah’s food for ‘sahur’. The whole family would eat together for ‘sahur’ and ‘iftar’ (breaking of fast) together. When my mum told me this, at first I could not believe it… But this was confirmed by another neighbour.
Shanti is now regaining her memory, and she and Paeah are still working in the small biscuit factory. Taukeh Liong had assigned them as operators with better salary.
Thank you for reading to the end…, what you have read is a true story! The moral of the story is that Malaysian can live in harmony. Race, skin colour or religious faith should not separate one human being from another.
It is time to remove the racist regime for past 50 years!
Enough is Enough!
Let the wind blow
Let the grass grow
Let the moon glow
But I just got to know
My heart is sorrow
ALL MALAYSIANS MUST HAVE THE GUTS TO CHANGE!
They had conveniently forgot about the tearing up of Koh Tsu Koon’s pix and racial slur against Chinese Malaysian citizens by Penang Bukit Bendera Ahmad Ismail who was supposed to have been suspended yet he was there together seated at the table with ‘leaders’ of Penang State Umno in full view of the media, to announce their support for Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s nomination to Umno president? What does “suspension” mean?
And this scumbag pendatang Ahmad Ismail is still having a “free-run”, no police action taken against him for ‘threat to internal security of the nation and racial unrest’, while the Sin Chew reporter was hauled in under ISA and only released under civil society and international pressure ?
Yep, just “hot air”, for the media what else!
That’s why PR must take over sooner, rather than later.
WHY No action was taken against the UMNO culprits by ‘UMNO Taikos’ when the so-called GERAKAN President of the party’s portrait was ripped off and torn to shreds!
All Gerakan members are coward and dare not voice out a single word to defend their own President instead to renominate him uncontested in the party election. If the culprits do not respect the component party’s President, then Gerakan is mere a puppet party in BN. Similar SAPP does a right move to quit BN when the party is no respected by UMNO taikos. The arraogance of the Taikos have used other component parties to protest their own interest rather than the entire rakyat Malaysia interests and rights. It is UMNO rights only to tell off other component parties and other parties have no rights to tell them what to do for change and reform in BN and the nation. All words from BN components parties are rubbish unless the Taikos have to the rights to act and voiced out. Others are jokers and stay shut up.
Gerakan is not relevant in present-day politics in Malaysia if it still sticks to subservience to ‘Big Brother’ UMNO.
Wake up Gerakan ! Penangites and other Malaysians have closed shops for Gerakan taikos in Penang and others. One day, Gerakan holds ADUN or MP seats will have to give back their seats to UMNO taikos. It is better for Gerakan to quit before force to sack sooner or later.
The wind of change is so strong in Malaysia politic today. Dont sleep Gerakan, wake up !!
If Gerakan leaves BN it will end up a non-entity.
KTK says it again: “Gerakan will remain in Barisan Nasional to help reform the coalition.”
Didn’t he say something like this when he and people like Kerk Choo Ting and other Chinese educationists joined the BN way back in the early 80s? No, Umno will never listen to the advice given by a small party leader in BN as long as they (Umno leaders) see that it is still to their advantage to play the race card. Tsu Koon, your personable nature is a gross disavantage when it comes to bargaining with Umno leaders, as opined by a Datuk Cheah when commenting about you on TV. It is this meek impression of you that has rendered you an ineffective leader and hence Penang lagging other states in development.
In the 1990s when former PM TDM said ‘Penang is already developed enough and do not deserve more allocation of funds under 7MP’ you didn’t make a strong representation to counter this unfair treatment of Penang by the federal government. By now, you still don’t know that this was a very flimsy excuse made by federal leaders to deny Penang’s further development?
No wonder Penang voters deserted you and the BN in the 12GE, although the the political tsunami was caused by the winds of change sweeping the country. So, please Dr KTK, be firm, ruthless, no more smiling faces, and emulate Tun Lim’s no nonsence approach in politics if you want to lead Gerakan. Politics is not fot the meek. Look at Lee Kuan Yew. What a formidable leader he had been.
Otherwise, stay away and hand over to Datuk Chang Ko Young to helm the party. You’re a well read and intelligent man, only that your meek image is not suitable to be an effective leader in Malaysia’s bargain politics.
Koh calling Dollah the “Father of Democracy” is actually insulting the word ‘Democracy’.
Being a PhD holder, does Koh know what ‘Democracy’ means? Go and check dictionary lah, you are truly the “Father of Slavery” and still don’t know why Gerakan lost terribly in GE12. I pity you, really!
Gerakan is subservience to UMNO? You are as always focussing on criticism without clear intent. Probably the only thing that would make you happy with Gerakan is if they left BN and we all know that will be highly helpful to PR.
In that case I can also say that DAP in some cases is subservience to PAS. What is DAP’s view on Kedah’s 50% housing allocation to Bumiputeras? Strengthening of Islamic laws in Kedah? PAS’ race/religion-based discussions with UMNO? PAS’ requirement that any fed gov have Malay majority? I don’t see DAP making any strong and firm positions on this matter hence silence can only mean acceptance. DAP being subservience to PAS looks to be true after all.
Koh must be the Father of Idiocy then !
i couldn’t have agreed with you more! I agree with what G Krishnan wrote about pm statement. Also, if you read today (Sun) NST about pm’s interview, it is so apt and conclusive to say that pm is AGAIN BEING SO PRESUMPTIOUS. HE ALWAYS HAS TO SAY THINGS LIKE WE HAVE TO DO WHAT THE RAKYAT WANTS. MR PM, CAN I SAY THAT THE RAKYAT WANTS YOU TO LEAVE OFFICE ASAP!!!! AND TAKE DPM WITH YOU!!!!!! STOP YOUR RHETORICS, PLEASE FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!! CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CONVEY THIS MESSAGE TO HIM?????????????????? HIS INTERVIEW/ANSWERS WAS SO SHALLOW THAT YOU COULD ALMOST FEEL THE SCRAP OF THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN!!!!!!!!!
Gerakan is now irrelevant and KTK is indeed the “Father of Bodek”. On the other hand, I couldn’t have agreed more with imranj78.
Uncle Lim, let’s hear some noise from DAP and PKR on those issues raised by imranj78. I have not come across any comment/s from PR about PAS recent discriminative policies.
I am quite sure Uncle Kit sudah tahu Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon is also know as Kia Sooo Koon(takut hal) atau secara kasar Boh lan Hood.
There are brown-nosers everywhere. KTK brown-nosed a succession of UMNO leaders, including those from his own state. What did he get aside from getting the brown substance on his nose ?
Uncle Kit, saya sudah tahu isu imranj78 itu akan dipergunakan terhadap PK. Jadi format 50% rumah kos sederhana dan murah perlu di bina untuk cater kepada penduduk yang miskin dan bukan kepada Bumi/non bumi since pakatan telah bersetujui selaras dengan ajaran Islam pentadbiran adil kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia tak kira bangsa atau ugama. PKR dan PAS patut tegur kepada MB Kedah yang kurang bijaksana dan minta beliau mengikuti cara pentadbiran Perak, Pulau Pinang ataupun Selangor.
MAYBE IN ANOTHER FIVE MONTHS TIME”>
Koh of gerakan is nothing but only balls stabilizer to umno. Good job, Mr. Koh keep going with it.
No wonder the RAKYAT threw out all candidates (nearly), in particular the RAKYAT of Penang, of gerakan in GE 12!
KTK only shows that they are only ‘ball carrier and polisher’ to the GOONS!
Take our advice!
Do not even attempt to put any candidates in GE 13 for even your deposits will be forfeited!
Stupid INVERTEBRATES!
come on …. gerakan is just another mobile number to umno to control bn.
these members are being there to feel ‘big and strong’.
all along, monies and power are their main objectives…
as far as gerakan to me….. hopeless and full of personal greed.
i ever wonder why the northern people still talk big about this name….
imranj78,
Gerakan IS subservient to UMNO. That is the truth plain as day. KTK is spineless and his talks of helping reform the coalition was the same promise he made almost 20 years ago. To work from within to bring about change. Yeah right.
On the issue of Kedah MB’s decision to impose 50% quota of housing for bumi’s. This only serves to confirm that he is one of those within PAS that subscribes to the same racist ideology of UMNO, like Hadi Awang and his cohorts. This serves as a grim reminder to DAP and the PR coalition. Don’t even dream of taking over the government until you can get your own house in order. This is not the first problems we’ve had with the PAS MB in Kedah.
In the absence of UMNOputeras, MCA and Gerakan are very daring of voicing out their frustration. But when UMNO leaders attend their meetings, they become chickenshits , even to the extend of glorifying these people.
Does Koh care about the cries of 60% of Gerakan members who want to pull out of BN? And yet he dares to mention the word DEMOCRACY.
I am from Penang and I knew long long ago that KTK had no balls because he played “bak ku li” with those umno and lost it! They torn his picture and yet he !!!! “Siah Soi Penang Lang”
more accurate as:
father of incompetent,
father of no bother,
father of dumb,
father of cronism,
father of ISA,
father of sleeping,
father of empty promises,
father of slogans,
father of no-shame,
father of stubburn,
father of acting,
father of listenning but no actions,
father of worst………you name it!
What about Father Snooze?
Koh should be conferred a “TUN” spelt backwards! He truly deserves it!!!!!
///Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon could call Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the “Father of Democracy…///
It should be more appropriate to say ‘Father of demonstrated crazy’. Koh has a slip of tongue.
Gerakan is in the coalition just to make up the numbers. If they, do not hand on to UMNO’s apron will be a faceless party, with only the leaders fed with crumbs falling off the table of their master.
Gerakan, without Penang as their political base is like a structure built without foundation. Pack up or be cursed.
KTK is a joker just like what mahathir labeled those umno morons who declared their interest to contest umno deputy prisident post. Gerakan is finished.
The more appropriate title for bodohwi should be ‘Father of all corruptions and Day Dreamer’
While AAB is no where near perfect, the era of democratic openness and political renewal started during his time. We would not be here today with a strong opposition if TDM was still in power. That at least we should give credit to AAB for.
Koh Tsu Koon has gone overboard in apple polishing someone on the decline since his day one. Koh had indeed stumbled terribly and he might fall for that together with his party.
After all the thunder it is now back to square one for gerakan.
Penang land scam created by him and his colleagues in the previous state administration will continue to haunt him for as long as he and his party are around.
People will not forget the great sins he and his state administartion collegues had committed in the last 14 years, putting a greatest state in the federation into a mess that would years to unwind and untangle.
1. ibarat pemberian datukship kepada siapa khan itulah sama ertinya pemberian gelaran father of demogratic reform…
2. KTK, kalau awak boleh bersabar bila digelar pendatang – boleh diterima…tapi bila awak boleh bersabar bila gambar awak dikoyak koyak macam depa koyak daun pisang untuk bungkus nasi lemak…bolehkah awak terima ?
3. gerakan tetap relevan, sebab dalam organisasi seperti BN kena adalah kuli yang membuat kerja tapi orang lain yang dapat nama…
The widespread land scandals in Penang give broad hints that Gerakan will NOT leave BN. If Gerakan leaves BN, its members / cronies will not be able to benefit from “good land deals”.
KTK may be a Princeton scholar but he is ills suited to be a politician. Maybe he should go into lecturing in university rather than being a softie.
Now What about the 60% of Gerakan members feeling and the 80 per cent of the delegates at the August Perak Gerakan delegates conference for a pull-out of BN?
Now is the time to leave BN and join Pakatan. Now is the golden opportunity for DAP/PKR I don’t care to initiate a Wooing exercise to these groups.
You must act fast while the discontent is still brewing…
No differnce from MCA. Por Lan Par.
Now he call him ” Father of Demoncarcy ”
and I cannot get over Ong Kah Chuan, statement that,
UMNO is the BEST partner that Mca EVER HAS and FOREVER will be.
Wah lau, Bui Ta han! (Cheu Kah Lak chui kee- Laught until my teeth drop) a Hockien expression.
kebelakangan ini disebabkan oleh penamaan calon pemimpin umno kelihatan ramai pemimpin umno yang mukanya keluar tv, mak datuk daging kat leher depa cukup sihat.ibarat kata terlebih dari cukup makan.isa dari N9 yang dah lama tak dengar cerita ; mat taib dengan wangnya yang berbillion di australia ; muhyiddin dari johor dengan ceritanya makannya semasa jadi mb apatah lagi sekarang ;ramai lagi lah…ahmad ismail pun wah wah wah daging dekat leher dia…bukan main sihat, itu baru pemimpin bahagian…. cukup sihat depa
“Father of democracy” who maintained his power with:
-Phantom voters
-Buying votes from ignorant voters, especially in rural areas
-Postal votes which are the same as phantom votes for all intents & purposes
-Giving citizenship to pendatang tanpa izin, especially in Sabah
-Shameless absolute control over mainstream media
-Draconian laws, ISA, OSA, etc
some people~the best is to keep their mouth shut-up…….
example like commentator above me..
Superiority is a “comparative term”. It can only occur when someone is “willing” to be inferior and that is exactly what MCA and Gerakan were doing for the past half a century! They acted so inferior that it gave “powers” to UMNO to be superior!
Koh Tsu Koon, if you don’t open your big mouth to Por lam Pah nobody will say you are dumb. Idiot
GERAKAN WILL BE IRRELEVANT IN NEXT GENERAL ELECTION – GUARANTEED !!!!!!
By calling Pak Lah “Bapa Democracy”, KTK has openly declared to all Malaysians that he is a foolish politician with hardly an ounce of political acumen.
History had told us that bestowing the honour of “Bapa Something” has to originate from UMNO. UMNO must recognise that a particular leader has contributed significantly to the country and therefore deserved to be honoured in our country’s history.
Everyone knows that Pak Lah is booted out by his own party UMNO, and this being the case it is unlikely that UMNO would bestow any Bapa title on Pak Lah.
Is KTK telling us that his unilateral anointment of Pak Lah as “Bapa Democracy” can go down in history without the sanction of UMNO?
When we consider honouring someone as Bapa Something, we have to go through a thorough evaluation:
1. A profound understanding of that “Something”, and its importance and relevance to the advancement and development of our country.
2. Consensus among those within the “Corridors Of Power” and the relevant reputable International Agencies that the person under consideration has achieved tangible and lasting results in the field of “Something”.
3. The consensus cited in 2 above must be confirmed through a survey among a representative segment of the general population.
We are in the dark as to what criteria KTK adopted in arriving at the conclusion that Pak Lah deserves to be called Bapa Democracy.
My speculation is that KTK is of the opinion that Pak Lah is more “democratic” because there were more demonstrations after he became PM: the BERSIH March, the Lawyers Walk for democracy, the HINDRAF demonstration, the Inter-Faith Dialogue, rapid growth of Anti-Establishment Bloggers etc..
The above events came about not because Pak Lah is more “democratic”, it is because most of the critical issues, which were swept under the carpet for decades, suddenly gathered sufficient latent heat from the Rakyat and reached boiling point withih a short time. If ever there was “improved democracy” Pak Lah did not initiate or planned it, it was thrust on him like a bolt of lightning by the Rakyat.
The single act of putting Raja Petra away in Kamunting under the ISA is sufficient to show how undemocratic and tyrannical Pak Lah is. Has his selfish urge to apple-polish UMNO leaders blinded his eyes and numbed his mind, while his uncouth mouth uttered “Bapa Democracy”?
This KTK is up to some motives….getting appointed as senator then hoping to be Minister even without profolio also can….this useless chinaman.
Perhaps being nice to badawi could earn him Tun-ship.
Imagine.
Tun Koh Tsu Koon.
Wow. Impressive huh!!
Gerakan should stay out of BN…not listening to grass roots will only further erode the masses support for Gerakan..UMNO/BN is already beyond saving….Gerakan will surely be wipeout in the next GE…Goodbye Gerakan….you are only a lap dog to UMNO…what you say does not even matter….look at how UMNO ripped Koh TK picture off the wall…..no action taken even on the members…how sad and pathethic….no respect at all for this party whom has been their partner for more than 30 years…..Sad but true….
KTK I thought you have the brains of your fellow PHD Holder Dr Toh Kim Woon who realised that there is totally no future for Gerakan in Malaysia.
Go & consult him & it is good for the Rakyat of Malaysia that Gerakan close shop immediately.
Gerakan is not relevant anymore.
Its political philosophy & platform have been taken away by DAP & Pakatan allies. Gerakan can never fight its political masters ARM NO.
Your own dignity has been demolished by AhMAD IsMAD & Zainul Hassan, the ARM NO Putra-Racists. So how can you protect the dignity of the Rakyat?
KTK, u insulted malaysains by call Pak lah “Bapak Demokrasi”
Pak Lah should be “Bapak Engkau” or “Bapak Dia-mau-kasi”
aren’t you ashamed when the mamak goons tear and stepped on your photo?
you’ve just convert Gerakan to GELAK KAN. what a shame.
The leaders of Gerakan did a lot of stupid things recently. At the past election, how can YB Vijaya as a vice president of their party not even has a chance to be a contestant of one of a state chair of Penang and all are contestant are Chinese but they still proudly to said that they are a multiple races party. I as a chinese felt shame on it.After the tzunami, then only the leaders came out to said who is going to take responsible on it and blame around ,is too late. Koh should not be choosen as gerakan president anymore and even YB Najib.He as the deputy prime minister, if we say YB Abdullah has not did his job well and not realize his FIRST mission, decrease the case of corruption, Najib should also need to take the responsible to step down and not to be our next PM.
Let’s play the chicken game
See who by pecking ever gains
See who by packing ever retains
Let’s play the chicken to shame
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 131008
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Mon. 13th Oct. 2008.
Gerakan was there because UMNO knows it was the alternative party to MCA but now it is no more the alernative.The alternative party is DAP and so UMNO just do not want GERAKAN but they are helpless because of the 300000 members!
Once a eunuch, always a eunuch! Castration cannot be reversed!
OldManof theSea commented yesterday at 18:18.32 that “KTK may be a Princeton scholar but he is ills suited to be a politician. Maybe he should go into lecturing in university rather than being a softie”.
Yes – right, I wish to say something more about this.
Dr KTK may be brown nosing and bodek but he is anything but dumb.
He is a person of considerable scholastic merits and intellect but there is always something major lost along the way when an intellectual joins active politics. He soon surrenders to lived realities and experiences, succumbs to blandishment and temptation of power and becomes a beneficiary of it. In no time he will be applying his intellect to twist and skew facts in service of powerholders and powerseekers to whom he is beholdened. In so doing, he has betrayed his intellectual calling and traded it for personal benefits.
I am astonished by Gerakan’s trying the level best to stick to BN with big brother UMNO at the helm by trying to appease grass root’s disaffection by saying that Gerakan will be “louder conscience” of the BN and trying reconcile the irreconcilable communal character of BN component parties by using very tortured suggestion of some kind of wider and enlarged framework/entity of BN comprising the existing communal parties (which refuse to shed their communal agenda) as well as new others wishing to join the coalition!
But what more could be reasonably expected when an intellect joins the bandwagon of politicians?
Power, Lord Acton tells us, tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
So how does an intellectual turning politician speak truth to power when he is part of – even a small part – of the power equation itself?
………
It is well to say that what this country – or for that matter any country – needs is intellectuals with integrity and the will to resist the temptation and blandishment of power.
They should not join politics then. Take the case of Dr Farish Noor. He could apply his intellect beyond the acadamia to the public sphere to sharpen the clarity of truth with moral compass of what is good and right for the people, politics and public because he has not joined politics.
Raja Petra has not joined politics – even Pakatan Rakyat – because “politics is dirty”.Manipulation of the truth – to shape public perception and graner their votes is the essence of politics, the end of which is always Power, with the sub-text to do public good being far second.
Even in the US could a libertarian socialist intellectual Noam Chomsky play his public intellectual role of criticising US foreign and domestic policy and opposing Vietnam War had he like Harvard’s Dr Henry Kissinger joined the Nixon administration as national security adviser?
Father of Democracy Ha! Ha ! Ha!. To all you GERAKAN supporters you just sold you soul to UMNO and guess who is their messenger ! Yes your guess is as good as mine no more then a BN crony who is there for his own personal gain, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon” or is it another just figure head guy who will act to all of UMNO’s tricks….. in the name of national unity and democracy.
Wake up you Gerakan supporters and bail out before you sink with this party i.e. if you are all interested in moving forward and saving MALAYSIA for all its citizens…. Join a party who has the heart for all its citizens and not just a choosen lot of people….
(Continuation of my comment at 19: 40.12 on Oct 12)
Uncle Kit Siang,
The “democratic means by the father of democracy” account for at least 10% of the popular votes (about 51%) received by and 50 parliamentary seats won by BN in the March General Election.
In this regard, I am happy that you and most DAP/PR leaders support the taking over of Federal government by PR through crossing over of BN MPs. And I am very disappointed with the DAP chairman who prefers to hide inside the proverbial coconut shell and does not see the big picture by supporting the “father of democracy” to continue to be the PM.
gerakan new boss is A COWARD !!!! unlike his predecessor dtk lim, he still has a Loo…Looo…Long way to learn!!!
should someone took off dtk lim’s photo & telling his party to leave if is not happy with BN, i’m very sure he will do a ‘public hanging on the stupid fella’ AND WILL bring gerakan TO LEAVE BN if he can’t do that!!
the majority of chinese are SICK OF KOH being the coward or yes-man towards BN. this was shown in the latest gereral election of which koh (like all defeated BN) failed to realise or admit the reasons for their losses!!! that is good – we can show them all again in the next election!!!
to angkat kaki a person with full responsibility of malaysia is good but if that person sleeps on the job and only give sweet promises when is awake, koh is the most idiot guy in politics beside the sleeping head !!!
unless koh changes to become the BRAVE MAN and not only good in speeches, we see NOTHING CHARISMA in him to lead gerakan back to life!!! enjoy er FALL AS YOU DESERVED IT!!!
also, openly admit to remain with bn and not joining pk, we surely hope that once pk comes into power, it would a shame and a disgust to welcome these IDIOT COWARDS!!!! Let them DISSOLVE FIRST AND JOIN AS PK MEMBERS INSTEAD!!!
koh really a damn pengecut. photo given tear by ppl. also silent
never see this kind of useless leader before!
he will paralyse next GE
Check this out. Bapa Democrasi who imposes ISA on innocent victims is into more trouble. Associated cronies pressing red alert button start jumping parachute before plane crash. Wonder who much they bought along in their coffer.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_289194.html
KTK should be given a title:- Bapa Pancake. Kena slap, cut, step, tear apart can still can carry balls. Or may be should be given Bapa Champion Ball Carrier? KTK BPBCBC.
KTK has gone overboard in calling AAB Father of Democracy. But KTK is at least right in that among the current crop of UMNO leaders, AAB comes closer to allowing democracy. The standard is low, but he is the first who claims the highest marks, say 5 out of 100, but the others don’t make it to even 4. KTK is influenced by the thought of awarding the Father of all corruptions to AAB’s predecessor, and thus was inspired to recognize the wee bit contribution made by AAB to openness in recent history. He has the word father and democracy juxtaposed, wrongly. KTK might be less incorrect to say AAB is Pak Democracy, when the word could mean brother as in Indonesia. AAB has to be remembered for something such as the Father-in-law of the overambitious, Father of NATO (no action talk only, but NATO will dispute).
AAB has finally realized that it would not be fair for Malays in UMNO to decide the fate of the PM, since he is now at the receiving end. If a referendum is held to choose between AAB and Najib to be PM for Malaysia, and that all Malaysians are allowed to vote, it is more likely that AAB would win. Similarly, if all component parties in BN have their proportionate influence (whatever that is measured), AAB might still be the PM until a new leader emerge from UMNO. So, this thought must have spurred AAB to give lib service to the need for a mechanism of direct membership to BN. But it is too late in the day to change his fate in politics.
AAB said it well when he told his foreign colleagues that he did not get a two-third majority {and hence his predicament}, and he told them that “Malaysians are Malaysians, they always like the portion that they are having. Whether they are hungry or not, it does not matter, they always like to have the portion they are used to”
AAB statement could be modified to change Malaysians to Malays, especially the mamak-type, and the portion to be replaced by NEP, and the statement makes good sense. When political party remain race-based, the politicians will not forget to champion the continuation of NEP with wider coverage not envisaged in the original plan whether the followers are ‘hungry or not, in AAB words”. UMNO leaders like to ignore the reality that NEP is the root cause of the problems, but recent history showed that NEP provided politicians the raison d’etre for their participation, and the protection for corrupt practices. The virus of national ills is the race-based political structure, and since those who are the beneficiaries would not want to give it up at all costs, AAB’s proposal for direct membership to BN is breeze.
Samy Vellu opposition to the proposal of direct membership gives the impression that that would be detrimental to the Indians. Is it? If MIC had been able to exert proportionate influence as one of the three parties, and that Indians rights have been protected by MIC, and direct membership might dilute the influence of MIC, then Samy Vellu would have the moral justification to object to direct membership. But MIC had only allowed Samy Vellu the opportunity to be the only ministers, and of course he was the pride of his family and friends. But beyond that are Indians better placed in the country now than soon after Independence? Are the Indians in the position to be discriminated in favour of the Malays?
The founding fathers were concerned that a community might be hungrier than the others after Independence and they decided that 1 15 year grace period should be given to give special assistance to the Malays, as stated in Article 153 which was subject to review after 15 years. As AAB had just said, they will want to retain the portion they used to have whether they are hungry or not. Had they followed the sentiments of the late Tun Ismail, they would think that out of pride, they should not continue with keeping the portion when they have to suffer the indignity that they are still labeled as hungry. But later UMNO leaders had ignored the pride of Malay culture in word-of-honour by twisting the raison d’etre for article 153, and that too went against the teaching of Islam which upholds justice, fair play and equality.
Those in MIC who are in politics to make profits for themselves would also want an exclusive right to position in government. But are they serving the community interest to reject racist politics when even UMNO leader realizes the harm it inflicts on the country. AAB has not the ability to change, and Samy vellu is a traitor to the nation by placing obstacle to possible improvements to the future of the country.
Gerakan is basically grasping for straws to survive/revive. If they somehow get hold of one, they may not die for a while but they will never recover for sure. Its just not in the cards. Even Dr. M has said Penang will remain in PR hands…
The odds are Gerakan will be decimated by next General Election. KTK thinking he is not challenged is an idiot if he think his hold on the party is strong. All it means is that Gerakan members have turned the corner in thinking of leaving the party and giving up on their leaders..
KTK hold on membership of Gerakan depend on Najib boosting his popularity OUTSIDE of UMNO. The problem is Najib is not likely to do so anytime soon because of his own constraints namely Dr. M. He is likely to just spend money and it won’t be in PR states. When Najib gets hit further with by-election loses in Sabah and more scandals/rhetorics, Gerakan members will really start to leave in droves….
Koh and Gerakan are as What Lah is. One word – irrelevant.
A great comment from one blogger in Teresa blog:-
“This clearly show how racialistic these guys are in Umno. The way the acted are so stupid and brainless.
This case is NOT, I repeat NOT against Malays whatsoever. This garbage reporting UM has twisted the facts and put an innocent woman under ISA. Even the mosque have came out and support her. And yet we have these pea brain idiots distorted the facts and made it a racial issue. How low can they stoop. They not only make themselves look horribly stupid but also with one sided brains.
Teresa go ahead and sue these bums till kingdom comes.
We can also help you in all ways from financial to moral support.
Just go ahead and whack some sense into these nutheads.”
AaB is not the Father of Democracy. Rather, he is the Father of Incompetence
My opinion “On Teresa Kok-initiated Suit, Alhabshee’s Statements, Rocky’s Bru Opinions and Utusan”
Link:
http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com/2008/10/on-teresa-kok-initiated-suit-alhabshees.html
Correction,
So, please Dr KTK, be firm, without fears, no more smiling faces, and emulate Tun Lim’s no nonsence approach in politics if you want to lead Gerakan
.