by Zainon Ahmad
GOBIND Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong) was suspended on Monday by the Dewan Rakyat for a year for calling Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak a murderer but reference to the decision punctuated much of the debates throughout the week.
Discussion on that and on two events outside the House – the sedition charges brought against his father, Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor), and the travails of Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ali Rustam – raised the temperature of the House as members abused their counterparts across the floor.
They generated a lot of excitement and this caused the Dewan Rakyat, its lobby and Members Lounge included, to become such a happening place that it attracted more visitors to the national legislature than previously. Finding a parking spot in the morning was like winning a lottery.
Sitting in the public gallery, the visitors would not take long to notice that there are more shouters than debaters. Of course there are those like Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (BN-Mambong) and Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad (PAS-Kuala Selangor) who come prepared with notes like veteran Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) who is never without his notes, newspaper cuttings and even reference books whenever it is his turn to speak.
But except for the numbers, little has changed. Of course, where the BN side could shout down any attempt by the other side to raise their voices before March 8, 2008, the roar that comes from the opposition pews now is equally powerful, if not more so. This was the case during the debate on the motion to ban Gobind from the House for a year without allowances and benefits for his unparliamentary behaviour last Thursday which included shouting “you should be ashamed of yourself” to deputy speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee when ordered to leave the House.
There were lots of shouting especially when Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was rounding up the debate on the motion. All the opposition members stood up and shouted, and for a few minutes drowned out Nazri before they walked out.
Kit Siang, who appeared rather subdued since the meeting began in February, was his ebullient self again during the debate on the economic stimulus package presented by Najib, who is also finance minister.
But the package was more an excuse as he had other bones to pick with the government. For instance, on Tuesday, he told the House that the charges brought against Karpal, his party chairman, was “a politically motivated persecution”, a victim of “the addictive politics” that the ruling BN is involved in.
And old campaigner, he pegged his railings against the government, BN and Umno to their failure – due to too much politicking – to rally the people to unite to face the economic turmoil that the country is facing.
Still, when he brought up the subject of money politics in Umno, a number of BN MPs stood up to question the relevance of what he was saying to the stimulus package. He easily side-stepped them and went on to say that money politics in Umno was the worst this year.
When he brought up the subject of Malacca Chief Minister Ali, several BN members tried to prevent him from continuing by asking for its relevance to the stimulus package.
When he asked whether a man who has been found guilty of money politics and barred by the party to contest in the party election could continue to be chief minister, those behind him in a thunderous roar said “tak boleh.” He was unstoppable. Mohd Nor Othman (BN-Hulu Terengganu) tried. Datuk Ahmad Hamzah (BN-Jasin) also tried when he stood up to protest Kit Siang’s reference to Ali saying that the chief minister was not involved in corruption but had merely violated some ethics of Umno.
The DAP strongman even went into details of how money is solicited and offered, saying the whole process of money politics in Umno had produced its own nomenclature.
For instance he said when someone asked whether it was sekolah kebangsaan and sekolah Inggeris, he actually meant SK or SI which are abbreviations for salam kosong or salam isi which mean “empty handshake” or “handshake with something inside”. The whole house reverberated with laughter especially when he said satu tiang, or one pillar means, a hundred ringgit and dua tiang means two hundred ringgit. Tiang sri, or main pillar, means a thousand ringgit.
Outside the House the excitement was palpable as press conferences are held to clarify what has been insufficiently explained about a topic or a stand or to counter earlier statements to the press. Again Gobind, Karpal and Ali were the subjects with Ali being the hottest. He was neck and neck with International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in the race to be deputy Umno president, with Rural and Regional Development Minister Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib a distant third.
A backlash against the decision to bar Ali is forecasted by the wags in the Members Lounge and when they saw the senator in the lobby on Wednesday they nudged each other and whispered: “Behold, our next deputy prime minister.”
I PRAY BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GOD, MY WISH ONLY COME ONCE IN MY LIFE TIME. NOW, KARMA HIT ME HARD SINCE YEAR 2003, I SERVING THE TERMS FOR WHAT I HAVE COMMITED. I PAY FOR WHAT I DID, THE PERSON WHO KILL ALTANTUNYA SHAARIBU MEETING KARMA SOON TO END. NO HUMAN KIND CAN ESCAPE FROM KARMA. I STRONGLY BELIEVE IN KARMA…..I’M STILL SERVING THE TERMS AND HOPE WILL END SOON BY REPENT AND REPENT.
ALL UMNO SUCKER ONLY “VIOLATE”, AND THE REST IS COMMITTED.
Life cycle is exactly like credit card, spend now pay later same as karma.
btw, if you accidentally meet any of the MCA lapdogs, pls ask them how they feel to align themselve with the murder suspect. if they still have an ounce of goodness in themselve, they should join PR in tabling a motion of no confidence against the najis!!!
pls stop the najis to ruin our country any further!!!
MCA says UMNO is the best partner for them.
Cause no one else wants to be MCA’s partner.
Sorry off-topic
some comments on PENGAJARAN DAN PEMBELAJARAN SAINS DAN MATEMATIK DALAM BAHASA INGGERIS 2, by TDM : http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2009/03/pengajaran-dan-pembelajaran-sa-1.html#more
///2. Tidak seperti matapelajaran lain, sains dan matematik adalah ilmu yang berkembang dan bertambah sepanjang masa./// –TDM
That applies to all subject matter, not just science and mathematics. All knowledge are collection of common sense properly developed. Thus, English should have been the language of instructions for other subjects. But they can begin from secondary school.
///3. Tiap hari berpuluh kertas melapurkan hasil kaji selidik yang dibuat di seluruh dunia. Hampir semua kertas ini disediakan dalam bahasa Inggeris.///– TDM
The primary school children are not expected to read all these material. If students who begin studying mathematics and science in secondary school should be able to understand the language used in the papers on leaving colleges or universities. They should have the basic knowledge of the subject matters to know the contents.
///11. I was not ignorant for 20 years. Even after I realised the usefulness of English I had to wait until people also realised it. Otherwise they will fight tooth and nail to prevent the change from taking place. Even now they are fighting.///– TDM
TDM must have no respect for the intelligence of Malaysians, especially the Malays. Does it take 20 years for the people to understand the usefulness of English language, and the elementary arguments used in TDM’s paper to justify the benefits of knowing more languages in addition to the mother tongue?
If TDM even believed what he said, then he shows that he is just an opportunist who would follow the crowd rather the lead the country. It means that TDM would pursue populist policies even though those policies would endanger the welfare of the nation. He introduces doubts as to the objectives of all his policies, other than the fact that he wanted to be sure that there would be no opposition to what he did. That was why he was able to helm the nation for 22 years, and to send the country to the path of destruction.
If TDM could not even convinced the Malays that learning English did not threaten Malays to be less Malays, how would TDM ever tell the Malays that NEP actually causes harm to the Malays? Over the years TDM appears to be nationalist fighting for Malay language as though it was for the pride of the Malay race when he knew as he said that English should have been the medium of instruction. So he was lying when he said he told the truth, and when he claims to be telling the truth, he is actually lying. But despite all the confusion, TDM was clear to act for his own personal interest, and he was PM for 22 years; a personal achievement, but a national disaster.
///12. Singapore has progressed like a rocket because they have no opposition parties. Without criticisms by the opposition they will not know if they were doing something right or wrong.
13. Now Singapore is in deep recession because of having made investments in America. So they may use English for their education but they can still go wrong. But we want to use English only for science and mathematics and these two subjects are based on truths and logic – not on how clever you are in making decisions or explaining things.///– TDM
Singapore has lost a lot of money but they still have a lot more of savings in its sovereign fund. Malaysians have dispersed all the moneys to UMNOputras and TDM’s cronies, and we do not know their results. What is clear is that Malaysia does not have that much savings as Singapore has in her GIC funds.
China too has lost a lot of money, and the loss was not a result of learning English. When the world is going into depression, real resources are getting cheap. What is left of China’s savings allow them to pick up cheap sale around the world. Singapore is not barred from using the funds they have not lost to buy from markets on cheap sale.
///14. I think in English when I want to speak or write in English. I think in Malay when I want to talk, write or discuss in Malay.
15. I am a Malay not because of the language I use when thinking or dreaming. I am Malay because ethnically, lingually, culturally and religiously I am a Malay and I regard Malaysia as my homeland./// — TDM.
Correction! TDM is a Malay under the grace of Article 160 (2) Interpretation of the constitution. He would only migrate when Anwar Ibrahim becomes the Prime Minister.
I think there is more “excitement” over the pending misfortunes within Pakatan than anything else at the moment; Gobind and Karpal being but two of them.
That Singapore is in deep recession has nothing to do with her wide spread adoption of English,it is largely due to the fact that her economy is an open economy highly dependent on the external market to survive and prosper.Whereas Malaysia has not yet fallen into recession thus far is certainly not due to the fact that the lingua franca is Bahasa Malaysia but the fact that she blessed with natural resources (like oil,gas,palm oil and rubber)to fall back on to soften the impact of the world economic slowdown.She will however follow suit as 2009 advances further into the year.
But when this slowdown is sorted out you can bet your last dollar that Singapore will head right back to better growth than Malaysia and that’s because they have a far better cabinet (a cabinet of technocrats) than Malaysia’s cos Malaysia’s cabinet is a den of thieves incapable of thinking in terms of national interest!
My God the most corrupted scopene as no. 1 and six million (Aus)dollar man as deputy. This is what we see in boleh land.
UMNO can apply any stunt….tactics…even keeping silent….just face expressions…the whole county is in no mood to trust and believe UMNO at all. Malaysians are struggling to keep ends meet every month….and many business….including mine… are getting from bad to worst….where we need to plan retrenchment of staffs to survive.
With this kind of problems and moods….UMNO can go to hell.
Dear All,
God is watching.
Just if you believe in God and Fear God, you will do right and avoid the wrongs.
However, those who claimed to be believers of God, many had chosen to challenge God, eventually they had to be dealt with Justice.
Justice prevails.
May be you wanted Justice the way yuou could understand.
But God has His ways of dealing with those who had committed sins.
The consequences will be there.
Hence, please do live, practise with your full understanding of what Truth + Justice is all about.
Ali, Karpal, Gobind,…More to come will add colours to the hot politics we Malaysians had been OVERDOSED since last results of 12 Th General Election held on 8/3/2008.
I observed POWER had driven many those with powers to near crazy or insanity!!
I noted those with POWER had been corrupted and prone to corruptions.
Please learn more about patience, kindness, compassions, goodness, politeness, forgiveness,……
I pray for YB KS to be able to retire soon and enjoy his golden years with his grandchildren.
One of those things YB KS will miss and will not be able to be re-lived will be the moments of wtaching the daily growths of his grandchildren until he retires.
YB KS deserved better rewards than need to shoulder all these politcal burdens.
YB KS must acknowledge that TIME will take account, HISTORY was made by his sincere contributions + sacrifices.
Enough, and YB KS, I am not working for BN but I just pray that you will be able to be TRULY LOVED by all who claimed to LOVE you.
I was watching you having your Hokkien Me as your humble dinner alone at the Heng Kee Hokkien Mee( Opposite the former RUBY Theatre, the corner coffee shop and it is just renovated, and renamed as Kam Fong Wong in Chinese) at about 8 pm back in 2005 ALONE, and you were JUST too lonely then.
Please YB KS, Time to rest, please rest.
Time to retire, please retire.
Time to let others to lead, please retire.
Time to hold your dearest wife to walk happily with your grandchildren, please DO now while you can!!!
Please DO NOT wait until your wife or you may not be able to walk well, then you will REGRET:-
You have done your BEST, you must not leave a chance of incompleteness in your personal life which your wife had sacrificed so much for you, please PAY back the dues to your wife asap!!!
All who objected this suggestions had their selfish agenda.
Please LOVE all who are closest to you while you CAN!!!
For Ali, Karpal + Gobind,…… God will SAVE them!!!
Cheers!!!
God bless you!!
LCC
lcclck Says:
Yesterday at 07: 08.15
Dear All,
But God has His ways of dealing with those who had committed sins.”
Yes, look at limkaput. He worked to ‘ampu’ BN his political masters for more than twenty years. Now God is punishing him. He is condemned to spend the rest of his life getting his sh*it pushed up to pay for his bills.