Something about Perak
Written on 2/07/2009 12:21:00 am by sikapitan
My colleagues and I had a deal for the past few weeks not to talk about politics. Frankly, I’ve felt liberated since, as I am invariably asked to represent a certain political party, which gets tiring. The fact that I quite like Justin Timberlake does not mean I think he’s a great actor...if you catch my drift.
Anyway, it’s a bit hard not to say a few words regarding the situation in Perak. I had lunch with a friend of mine, who has become something of an Opposition fanatic. Sometimes, you can get a bit too attached to an ideal that you’ll lose your common sense and logic.
Of course, he was pissed with the cross-over in Perak. A few others were also moaning the fact that BN has taken over the state government. I’ve just got a few comments on this:
One:
My principle, which I have stated before vocally and through my party channels, is that I am against elected representative changing or leaving their party without first stepping down as a rep. I don’t care if it’s called a defection, cross-over or hopping. All I know is that in Malaysia, we vote based on party line first (unfortunately), and it is not fair to the constituents to vote for one government, only to be ruled by another. It is undemocratic.
Two:
People can be so hypocritical that it becomes annoying, even causing me anger. Barisan leaders are hypocrites when they welcome these defectors, because they were SO into passing an “anti-hopping” law previously when there was a threat of mass defection to Pakatan. Pakatan leaders are also hypocrites for now condemning defections, as just 10 days ago they were smiling when a Barisan rep joined them in Perak. Same goes with all supporters.
Three:
Hypocrisy is one thing, but outright blatant disregard for respect is another. The Perak monarchy is noted for having two of the brightest Rulers in Malaysia. Everyone, including the Opposition, was so into Raja Nazrin, with some even claiming openly that HE should be leading this country. And yet, just when things don’t go their way, they turned around and say that these very same people are evil and against democracy. Think!
Four:
I find it funny when my friend claimed that Malaysiakini is not biased. I personally think, as objectively as possible, that Malaysiakini is as biased to the Opposition as the Star is biased to the Government. I won’t even mention Utusan because that’s a gone case. Not openly biased, but as you read you do get a feeling that both sets of editors have their own agenda. I don’t have a problem with that. In fact, I quite like it. But at least I realize and admit it, which many find hard to do.
Five:
My boss summarized the whole episode well. This is like a football game. It has its own set of rules, one which we might not wholly agree with, but we have decided to play it this way. One team lost, due to their own miscalculation or mistake and another team won, whether it’s because of their tactics and skills or they cheated the referee. And just like in football, decisions are made which decides the outcome of the game. If a person dived and got a penalty, it is still a valid goal.
This is not to say that cheating is encouraged or should be supported. It is just that players in the game must be aware of the rules and the loopholes. They should know NOT to stick a foot out when Ronaldo’s in the penalty box. In other words, they must be smart players with the right tactics to deal with opposition who would resort to these measures to win, if any.
In conclusion, here is a team that lost a game that they decided to play wholeheartedly. They tried their own version of cheating, and were then sucker punched when the other team was found to be better at it than them.
It sucks, of course, but being a loser always makes you feel that way, right?
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very well put...