The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has forgotten his first promise as Prime Minister in April last year that “The era where the government knows best is over” when he gave an instinctive “No” to the proposal by the Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng for the restoration of local government elections even without referring to his Cabinet.
This is most irresponsible on the Prime Minister’s part. The important issue of restoration of local government elections deserve more serious response from the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the government.
In fact, one prominent article in a current magazine which belongs to the Umno stable of media publications, has the lead article: “Getting Local Councils to Deliver” and posing the question: “A recent survey showed that local councils are a big letdown to rate payers. Will having local council elections, or better, yet, the Government Transformation Plan, help?”
Najib’s instant and summary rejection of the idea of local government elections could be interpreted as the Prime Minister having little confidence or even having utter contempt for the Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha and the KPI Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon who is supposed to spearhead the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap.
Najib has not only forgotten what he himself pledged when he became Prime Minister last April, that “The era where the government knows best is over” and that “We can only achieve our ambition for Malaysia if the government and people, in a united effort, work together for success and progress”, there is further regression..
Najib seems to have abandoned the ethos of “The government knows best” in favour of “The Prime Minister knows best” as it did not even occur to him to get the feedback of the Local Government Minister, the KPI Minister for GTP not to mention the entire Cabinet for a considered and appropriate response to the call for the restoration of local government elections after a long lapse of 45 years!
It is a reflection of the utter impotence and lack of principle of Najib’s Ministers that not a single Cabinet Minister had raised this issue at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting to ask for a serious consideration of the proposal for the restoration of local government elections, especially as Bapa Malaysia and the first Prime Minister Tunk Abdul Rahman had made a definite and categorical assurance for local government elections on the end of Indonesian confrontation coupled with the recommendation of Athi Nahappan Royal Commission of Inquiry for an elected local government system.
Najib should act more responsibility and be true to his pledge when he became Prime Minister that “The era where the government knows best is over” and agree to the establishment of an all-party task force to study and recommend how local government elections could be restored within 12 months.
The holding of local government elections by next year will be singularly significant for it would coincide with the 60th anniversary of the holding of the first elections in the country – the elections for the Municipal Council of George Town on Dec. 1, 1951.
Well YB Lim Kit Siang,you are right,NR has no principle,thus please don’t expect anything which is pleasing to you but not to him. You know if he allowed local government election,how do you expect NR to find alternative luxurious jobs for all his appointed town council’s chairman and city hall’s mayor ? KL for example,his machai major would be finished instantly. But please don’t worry,soon NR would taste his own medicine when he becomes opposition leader,he would challenge you to bring back local government election and you would tell him what he said to you and PR. Like I said b4 and am saying here again,Umno/Bn leaders especially NR and MY only outwardly seemed to be listening and understanding the people they met but in their respective hearts,they only wanted to know and to do the best for themselves,for Umnoputras and cronies. Come on,statistic facts and figures don’t lie, true or false ?.
He has no choice but to say “No”. His own party warlords will throw him to the dogs should the opposition sweep to victory in local council elections.
Its not only this ‘govt knows best’ point that Najib has lost the big picture. On a few others he also don’t see it.
On the Kelantan oil royalty – the idea that these days you can still maintain legitimacy through controlling spending is feudal. When you talk of raising performance standards – there is nothing better to raise performance standard than to remove crutches and giving your people money that they have no right to is no way to get them to perform.
Similarly, indulging your people by letting them/instructing to abuse the legal system and institution further is no way to raise performance but making them lose focus on what they should be doing in the first place.
Truth is Najib is no intellectual and does not see these the big picture.
Najib had given his minister the KPI, what about him, who is going to grade him.
Take this poll:
How would you grade the PM’s KPI (key performance index) during his 1 year in office.
GE 13 – Change The Federal Government No matter what, we must ensure that racist umno bn do not regain the power like they had for over the past fifty two years.
Najib is scared to restore the local government elections because he does not want to take the risk. Just imagine that if Penang and Selangor have their local government elections restored and ratepayers are happy with improved services which they have longed for decades, do you think the ratepayers are going to vote BN again come the 13th GE? Of course not because they know that BN is going to scrap the local government elections if it wins.
Another reason why Najib does not want to revive the local government elections because he does not want checks-and-balances (see below for extract taken from wikipedia).
///After Minister and People’s Progressive Party President M. Kayveas raised concerns about local governments in late 2005, some suggested reviving local government elections. However, in an opinion column, the New Straits Times (owned by the United Malays National Organisation or UMNO, leading party of the Barisan Nasional) quoted a professor from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia as saying that such elections would not be brought back because “policymakers know from experience worldwide that the Opposition tends to dominate such councils as part of the electorate’s desire for checks-and-balances.” The professor also stated that due to required constitutional changes, it would be difficult for such amendments to pass muster in Parliament. The column also quoted a government ministry as saying that “holding elections are expensive affairs”.///
Oops! #5
because he does not want checks-and-balances
should be
is because he does not want checks-and-balances.
Dap should take over from Anwar to be leader of opposition in Parliment , let s see whether you have the stomach to nominate Karpal or Deo the be the one.
Check this out.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/3162-low-ratings-on-tv-spells-trouble-for-najib-
Its quite clear UMNO people has lost enthusiasm for their leader. The day when he and Muhiyiddin is going to fight is not very far..
Umno has a secret agenda when they sent our angkasawan to space. The purpose was to research into a super hightech and super special mega strong and bouncy and invisible and weightless and infinitely flexible double crutch.
It is meant for umnoputras (now perkumnoputras) use only. A new law is in the making to put this very-unique-one-of-a-kind right into effect. The new law will be tabled in parliament soon. That is the real reason why jib is busy shopping for MPs.
I understand that under the new law all perkumnoputras would be implated with a super mega higher than hightech chip which would serve to qualify them definitively to use the super hightech and super special mega strong and bouncy and invisible and weightless and infinitely flexible double crutch.
FYI. The thingy is code-named “kaki ketiga.”
Psst. Pssst. I disclose all these in strict confidentiality.
Anwar, with the full support of other leaders, must lead.
Fight we must – Yoda of Star Wars.
This resistance to local government elections could be something more to do with preserving existing tier of the patronage network to both enrich political appointees to local councilor position and reciprocal raising funds for the party. One recalls that state and local council expenditure is plagued with leakages. It also deals with privatized cronies’ companies providing utilities….
Remember the controversy regarding the
2½ -storey mansion with 21 bathrooms a large koi pond, a swimming pool and a mini golf course, top-quality marble and chandeliers of Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros then a Selangor state assemblyman and councillor with the Klang Municipal Council???
Are you teaching your uncle how to scr*w? Your uncle did more than your papa does, and before you popping out to this wonderful world! Who is going to be the Leader of opposition is none of your business. MYOB (Mind Your Own Business), please!!!
After all, you’re one of Chinese Hanjin who favors BN/UMNO and Greakan greatly! Why bother and advise other how to run and lead the party! Please shut all your gaps and crawl back to your stinky hole and hide inside there permanently…
Remember the history that chengho was a eunuch.
Now, are the people also eunuchs who dare not fight for justice ?
Chengho,
Presumably, you don’t understand what is “Chinese Hanjin” means? Hanjin is the prestigious Chinese word that is used to describe those Chinese “running dogs” !!!! Got this straight into your brain and a*s!!! F*#$@&%K your ancestors deeply!!!??? There many Hanjin in the Bolehland. Typically, you’re one of them, and you are the great & big ONE! MCA & Gerakan are all Hanjin parties which sold all decent Chinese souls and hopes to BN/UMNO-your favorite and paymaster who issuing your pay Cheques/Checks monthly, perhaps, daily!
We can trace the malaise of the whole country to failure of local governments. Congested roads with potholes, filthy and blocked drains, rats as big as cats, haphazard housing, dirty streets, uncollected garbage, smelly drains, dirty wet markets and pasar malam sites, double parking, lack of recreation sites and amenities, sleazy joints, rivers and streams that makes you puke.
Most likely many of such promises or slogans were written by his consultants to promote him and win him supporters and therefore so superficial and totally insincere such that there is a dichotomy in his talks and actions. That is why he comes across as the most insincere PM I have had the misfortune to be burdened with.
chengho @ umnocybertrooper,
mic should take over from Jib to be leader of BN in Parliment, let’s see whether mic nominates samy or subra to be pm.
Insignificativus. Dats wot he is! Look. Its not just the statement cited above by LKS. Everything about him is just as void and meaningless. Our equity market is already dead. So wot if he relaxed the 30% bumi equity rule for IPO. Meaningless. And he also relaxed the bumi only participation in certain government services when those services are not lucrative. Meaningless. Then he announced reduction in highway tolls with a stupid condition on frequency of use. How many road users could satisfy that condition? Again. Its meaningless. Then he mooted the obviously not workable multi-tiered petrol pricing. And not forgetting the apparent release of ISA detainees right at the beginning with attached condition which effectively restricts personal liberty. And yes. The promise to review (“substantially” he pronounced) the ISA. Oh yes. The Annual Begging Festival is around the corner. 20 special scholarships purely merit based he announced (on top of the existing – also – merit based PSA scholarships? WTF!) will be given out. My forecast – the begging will be as furious as in the previous years. But things would be worse this year for non-bumi super performers. (1) 10-subject cap is a sure way to make super fast runners run slower. There, we now we have many more good runners to select. (2) Mca would be too busy to do anything to help. Of course the mother of all senseless and meaningless statements of jibby the jib is “1malaysia”. There are many lesser ones like for instance umno must change or it will be changed.
Mamak was a dictator and a true wreaker. Pak Lah was a sleepy PM. And Jib? He is the meaningless PM. His aide, his ministers (including mins in his dept) and his party members too thought the same of him. No one listens to him. He just does not make sense somehow. I still believe all this has something to do with his somewot unnatural smile (to be honest, his cousin’s is much worse) and artificial rosy pink cheeks.
But he has a strong supporter here. Was it kassim or cintanegara? I cant remember now. One of them is certainly in awe over jib.
Come on people. Since when can you believe the promises made by UMNO Baru or BN politicians.
Promises are made to sooth the rakyat sentiments. The only promise they fulfil is to enrich themselves & their cronies.
Eg. Koh Tsu Koon promised after his election defeat not take a senatorship into the cabinet. Look where he is now.
His artificial rosy pink cheeks are the consequence of fat Rosmeh pinching them whenever his eyes start straying. She is on the lookout since the Altan incident
sorry, just have to comment on this – such coincidence makes me laugh. It was reported that all the ex-PKR MPs are to be seated together in Block F during the next parlimentary sitting.
F for frogs!!!!!
The PM forgetting his promise is not new. BN people always have selective amnesia.
As for ringthetill’s comment in #21 above, it is good to see the ex-PKR MPs sitting together in Block F. That suits them correctly. F can also stand for Fail.
Chengho is not from a Chinese race.
He is a mamaK from UMNO…with a nick sounds like a chinese.
This dog.. is a sick man …..balls carrying Najib..all night long.
Hi, ringthetill. F can also stand for Filth, the PR rubbish and can also stand for Finished, as they will be finished in politics.
chengho: “Dap should take over from Anwar to be leader of opposition in Parliment , let s see whether you have the stomach to nominate Karpal or Deo the be the one.”
Anwar’s position as the Parliament’s opposition leader did not cause Najib to forget his first promise as Prime Minister that “The era where the government knows best is over”.
Even Karpal and his son would not be able to help Najib remember his first promise as Prime Minister…
He is not intelligent enough to be a PM, but his weakness is an asset for the opposition party, and the more stupid the PM is, the better for the Chinese and Indian to prosper in their business pursuit. Anyway, the country will soon goes bankrupt. Singapore will be laughing.
he can loose the PM ship, it is ok , he got strong family background..
can you have the same…..still wearing same pair of tongs.