‘Cock and bull’ spins: Voters must decide

Stanley Koh | June 21, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Barisan Nasional scaremongers will continue to flog Pakatan Rakyat’s ‘inexperience’, but Malaysians must use reason and logic when the time comes to choose.

COMMENT

One of the most common and irritating claims continuously harped on by the Barisan Nasional leaders during their campaign rounds is that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition had no experience in governing a multi-racial nation.

BN scaremongers in their battle cry for political survival would say the most naive and air-headed remarks such as “the nation would ultimately be bankrupt”, “ethnic tensions could flare” leading to pandemonium in the national state of affairs.

Four years have passed since the “308-electoral tsunami” when the Pakatan coalition bagged five states and formed new state governments in Perak, Kelantan, Kedah, Penang and Selangor.

Unfortunately, Perak returned to BN after a coup d’état not long after.

Indeed, “experience” is a hard teacher and even the most hard-headed pupil would not dispute this wisdom.

Those who have gone through extreme hardships, trials and tribulations can testify that experiences often gives the test before the lessons.

In this political odyssey filled with the voices of Malaysians demanding for “change,” the question is, should voters support an inexperienced coalition against an experienced 55-year-old or more ruling regime?

If logic is taken as an ability to “reason” out their decision, then we can see that those claims and accusations made by certain BN leaders against Pakatan are just a fallacy.

BN’s argument that an opposition coalition should not be voted in, because it is “inexperienced”, is nothing more than deception and perverse logic.

Let us glimpse into some observations made by author Tricia Yeoh in her latest publication, titled “States of Reform-Governing Selangor and Penang”.

Pakatan states inherited ‘burdens and baggage’

In it she wrote: “The state governments have not, of course, been altogether perfect in their governing. Initial scepticism arose that the politicians taking over the states did not have the experience of managing governments.

“There are instances in which mistakes were made, many owing to the lack of knowledge in dealing with civil servants, including the state secretary issue in Selangor, and the Kampung Buah Pala issue in Penang.”

According to Tricia, who had served in the Selangor state government as a research officer to the menteri besar in 2008, the new Pakatan state government had to tackle the burdens and baggage of the old BN-led administration.

And this included poorly signed contracts which benefited private companies and cronies of the previous BN state government in Selangor besides inefficient accounting and state corporations being exploited for certain individuals in power.

The state of affairs in Selangor basically reflected the words of America’s founding father Thomas Jefferson: “Experience has shown that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted into tyranny.”

Hence, voters particularly those in the Pakatan-led states have a choice in the coming 13th general election.

Should they continue to endorse through their ballot box their support for an alternative Pakatan coalition in Selangor and Penang?

Do they want to give more time for this coalition to continue its manifesto to “developing democracy, servicing the public and managing the economy” with greater consistency compared to the previous BN-style of governance?

BN’s ‘top-cock’ syndrome

As for those BN individual leaders who insist that the inexperienced Pakatan is a liability and therefore should not be supported by voters in the coming polls, perhaps, they should heed this fable known as the “Cock Syndrome.”

“Once upon a time there was a young cock. He was the undisputed lord of his flock of chickens on a farm. He spent most of his time preening his beautiful glossy feathers in the sun. This he did so that his flock may be suitably impressed.

“He treated the older cocks with contempt, for they lacked the physical strength to fight him. He strutted about ignoring the younger cocks, telling that they were too young to know. He had fought off the old and had stunted aside the young. He was the top-cock. He alone ruled his flock on the farm.

“Sometimes, he would hear the faraway crowing of other cocks. But they sounded many farms away. He had little reason to pay much heed to that.

“Soon, he persuaded himself that there was really no other farm. He began to believe that his farm was the only one in the world, and that he himself was the only cock that mattered.

“As the sun rose every morning, its rays shone on his freshly preened colourful feathers, and he felt good. For days every morning unfailingly he crowed, proclaiming to his flock that the sun has arisen.

“Finally he convinced himself, he had firmly planted in his mind that it was his crowing that made the sun rise and that the world could not do without him. Without his crowing, the life-giving sun would not rise.”

The fable of this story tells us that there are many leaders in the ruling regime within the BN who resemble this pitiful cock.

They are so self-opinionated and arrogant with closed minds that they think this nation cannot survive without their leadership roles.

Reject racist, flippant statements

Here comes the surprise. This fable was narrated by a former MCA deputy president Richard Ho Ung Hun.

Ho was also the labour and manpower minister in 1980.

Addressing a gathering of MCA divisional leaders in Kuala Lumpur, Ho warned MCA leaders of the cock syndrome.

Does the MCA leadership under Dr Chua Soi Lek feel that it is only the MCA which can represent the Chinese community and that an inexperienced opposition is incapable of doing so?

What is the choice for voters between an experienced and inexperienced ruling regime?

Will voters prefer harsh realities generated by the “experienced” BN government – the high costs of living, abuse of human rights, draconian laws, corruption, nepotism and so forth?

Or will the awakening voters choose to give Pakatan another chance to consolidate a two-party system to act as a check and balance on the political divide?

Hence, Chua or whoever the BN leaders, should know the difference between a smart and a wise politician.

A smart politician may know what to say but a wise one knows whether or not to say it.

It is time for a reality check among voters. It is also a time when Malaysians should reject emotive, racist, stupid and flippant remarks by politicians.

Vote wisely

The continuous exposure of murky practices in an experienced 55-year-old government is sufficient to show Malaysian voters that the BN has hardly changed or cured itself from the diseases of “delusion, inertia, amnesia and arrogance”.

The puzzling question remains: Is experience a liability and inexperience, an asset?

The voting preference of Malaysians should be wisely based on logic, truth and principles of good governance.

Malaysian voters have changed and their mindsets have shifted with the rise in literacy. Some 90% of Malaysia’s 28.3 million population are literate and they know that whatever party they choose will change and reshape their destiny.

The majority of the voters are tired and fed up of the cock syndrome within the BN leadership hierarchy and the populist banner is “for change”.

Stanley Koh is the former head of MCA’s research unit. He is now a FMT columnist.

14 Replies to “‘Cock and bull’ spins: Voters must decide”

  1. What do you expect them to talk about…if not garbage and keep on trying to fool voters?
    Let it be.
    Get rid of CORRUPTIONS n DISUNITY MALAYSIANS must be priorities to voters.
    Voters only need to think is Najib and Mahathir and his UMNO b party are all angels from heaven.

  2. So early in the morning and we already have ‘cock-talk’.

    Anyways, it seems appropriate as there are just too many ayam-jantans in the government who need to be reminded that they are just that and they have been around for a very long time now.

    All they do is to talk-cock all the time and oh, they should be old-cocks by now and should be retired. The many untested and wanna-be top-cocks, and there are many, just haven’t been trained to be cocks and think and behave they are hens. No wonder they are all trying to lay eggs. No wonder we are in a mess with all these old cocks still cocking around competing with confused young cocksure cocks.

  3. ///should voters support an inexperienced coalition against an experienced 55-year-old or more ruling regime?///

    It is much better to vote in a clean, honest, inexperienced coalition than vote in an experienced but corrupt, racist regime.

    The CAT (Competency, Accountability and Transparency) principle is the priceless asset of any government. Unfortunately BN has failed to realize that.

  4. ///The fable of this story tells us that there are many leaders in the ruling regime within the BN who resemble this pitiful cock./// – Stanley Koh. So many pitiful cocks, where’s the Bull?

    The voting preference of Malaysians -“90% of Malaysia’s 28.3 million population are literate”- should be wisely based on logic, truth and principles of good governance. What should is not necessarily what is the case!

    Now Tricia & Richard surely they are literate. Yet even to the many literate, self and vested interests matter more than logic, truth and principles of good governance. If there were logic, it is the logic of power in service of self and vested interests. That’s the way people are inclined to. That’s why America’s founding father Thomas Jefferson said, “Experience has shown that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted into tyranny.” What he says includes Opposition politicians when they come to and taste power. For now which is logically lesser of two evils – PR’s inexperience in governance or BN’s experience in misgovernance???

  5. When UMNO first started, they were not very experienced at stealing. The first 20 years were fine for Bolehland. Then they discovered they could hoodwink the rakyat and channel untold riches to their cronies and relatives. They have now become very experienced at stealing. Who should we vote in – those with little or no experience at stealing, or those who have made stealing into a real art ?

  6. Well, well, well.
    UMNO/BN is the gold standard in this country.
    But this gold standard is not in good governance but exactly opposite – in corruption, cheating, lying, scamming and all sorts of evil.
    That they take the cake and the icing.
    PR, a notable novice in governing, on the other hand has shown a remarkable propensity in doing all that is right by the electorate.
    Their governance in Penang and Selangor is astoundingly outstanding in all that is good governance.
    Fifty-five years of UMNO/BN is nowhere even near what they they done in four short years!
    That’s the remarkable difference between them!!!
    What is even more remarkable is that all these are achieved in spite of all the attempts by UMNO/BN to thwart them in their efforts to “regain” these states.
    But what they are doing is singularly stupid.
    On the one hand, they are still continuing with their corruption, lying, cheating and scamming unabated.
    And their acts of desperation are world renown.
    Like attacking PR’s MPs and ceramah.
    Like organising disgusting butt dance and selling of burgers in front of the residence of those they dislike.
    Like using race and religion to turn the people against each other.
    And what’s even more revolting, they even have the gall to tell the PR not to do such things!!!!!!!!
    So, would any sane, right-thinking voter even deign to give a SINGLE vote to such a political party?
    Perhaps the very thought of having to face their comeuppance soon is driving the leadership in UMNO/BN M-A-D?

  7. UMNO B leaders can choose whether to hand over power gracefully should PR win the GE or they can start a blood bath. If the latter is what they think can allow them to retain power, they are dead wrong. The International Community will step in to pressure Malaysian Armed Forces to restore law and order. Then some UMNO B leaders will be tried for crime against humanity and, if convicted, will face the same fatr like Saddam Hussein. Too, if the rakyat unite and turn against them instead, what Gaddifi got is what they will get.

    Oh! UMNO B leaders, think carefully. Better to retire to enjoy your ill-gotten billions than to take risks.

  8. Najib said PR politicians are causing all the trouble.
    What he really meant to say…is that…PR politicians are watching him like hawks.
    If he really command that 68% support….he will arrest all and shut their mouths.
    Cannot do that….so talk cock and bull to keep stalling13th GE.
    He is waiting for a sign…a miracle.

  9. Who are we kidding UMNO-Perkasa/BN is a merchant of hate. They have always been but kept it in check. Mahathir rose to power in UMNO on hate – he created an entire philosophy based on it. Just because he sold hate of his internal enemies in his party most ruthlessly, should have warned us that eventually he would be just be as bad or worst to someone else or everyone else eventually.

    That now the merchants of hate has come full circle from whence they start should come as no surprise who believe that working with the devil is practical – its simply just tell us we failed from the start and our celebration of success in the past was delusional..

  10. Experience is not really that important!

    What is most important is that the government of the day MUST be made to understand that the rakyat is the boss and the rakyat can vote the government out easily if they are incompetent and/or corrupted.

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