Is Pakatan no different from Barisan?

– Richard Loh
The Malaysian Insider
January 13, 2014

Is this equation true:

90% positive + 10% negative = 90% negative + 10% positive

With Malaysia claiming that its education system is among the best in the world there can be no argument that many educated Malaysians would say that this is true.

The above equation is an example of Malaysians learning when they see the 10% of Pakatan Rakyat’s negative performances as equal to Umno-BN’s 10% positive performance – hence terming PR no difference from Umno-BN. The 90% positive performance against Umno-BN’s 90% negative performance is ignored.

Malaysians are using the Selangor Assembly salary hikes, the Jais raid and Penang Chief Minister’s Mercedes-Benz to justify and conclude that PR is no difference from Umno-BN. You have the right to argue that the three issues were wrong, depending on how you judge them and from whose point of view you are hearing and reading from.

There is nothing wrong with the Selangor Assembly salary hike and the Penang Chief Minister’s Mercedes-Benz which I have given my point of views in my earlier two articles here and here.

Up till now I do not really know who or what is Jais. There are so many different arguments as who is running Jais and the power it holds. Some say it is under the Selangor state government, some say it is under the Sultan’s purview, while others say it is under the federal government.

Those who are angered by the Jais raid (mostly the Christians and social activist groups) and those playing politics, like Gerakan de facto president Tan Keng Liang, are blaming the Selangor state government.

No one in the state government, federal government or the palace would want to come out with a full guideline and explanation as to the official function, power and limit, and under whose jurisdiction does Jais fall under. This is the second time that Jais has conducted a raid unofficially, without warrant to enter, and confiscate items. They most likely did it illegally.

The Selangor state government, federal government and the palace must issue a joint statement on details about Jais to avoid any more such raids. Jais must be held responsible for any illegal activities and be warned that they are not above the law, where it is an Islamic concern or not.

Malaysia’s next generation has risen – brave, knowledgeable, connected. They even blame the older generation for doing nothing for allowing the nation to be in such a dire state. They claim to stand on a non-partisan platform and want checks and balances – but to what extent can they really achieve this? Sorry, but we have to be realistic.

You lost the keys to your house, either you call a locksmith or you have to break the lock. Either way you still have to change the lock. The lock is of no use without key and the locksmith cannot be there at all times to lock and unlock whenever you want.

Umno-BN is like the lock and they have already thrown away your keys a long time ago. The opposition MPs that you elected are just locksmiths that can just help in a small way but not in the long term. You protest, hold rallies and demonstrations in order to break the government so that you can enter in the hope that they will listen to you. This is like breaking the lock so that you can enter but without the keys – you can’t lock and unlock as and when you like, to enter or leave. The lock has to be changed and so does Umno-BN.

Malaysia has come to this point where standing on a non-partisan platform no longer works in forcing the government like Umno-BN to do the right things. When Umno-BN government institutes like PDRM, MACC, and the judiciary can unashamedly show their partisanship in performing their duties, what is wrong for to stand on a partisan platform? Umno-BN is like the lock without key, useless and needs to be changed.

You may see me as a blind opposition supporter but I am not. What I see is that Umno-BN is no longer fit to govern and that Pakatan Rakyat,though may not be 100% perfect, is a better choice and we cannot equate PR as no different than Umno-BN because of a few wrongs (this is my personal opinion).

You stand on a partisan platform so that you can have a better view on the checks and balances. Yes, you can easily check but surely you won’t be able to have a balance no matter how you try when it comes to a lock without keys like Umno-BN.

You still can stand on a partisan platform, not necessarily with PR, but sharing the same agenda to change the useless lock without keys and that is Umno-BN come GE14.

From now till GE14, PR is bound to make a few more mistakes (whether they are real or unintentional or created by Umno-BN). But we have to judge them with an open mind, unless PR has really gone the Umno-BN way of cronyism, large scale corruption, wastage and leakage – ultimately, becoming a lock with no keys. – ousel.blogspot.com, January 13, 2014.