Signs are clear that BN is slowing breaking apart. Most of the key component parties in the coalition are facing internal crisis. The crisis was a pent up frustration generated from the last general election in 2008.
The new MCA leadership under the much respected Ong Tee Keat has to carry the party's past baggage which has developed into some ugly controversies for himself. The PKFZ scandal is a make or break for Ong. He should be applauded for supporting a release of the PwC audit report which has implicated several BN politicians and exposed gross mismanagement of the free zone.
However, the public will judge him based on the actions that will soon be taken against the perpetrators. Based on several high profile exposes in the past, the public is growing sceptical of the government's ability and willingness to haul up those whose were implicated in the scandals - V.K Lingam, Kugan, IPCMC et cetera.
Ong has urged the government to take a stern action against those who were allegedly involved in the PKFZ fiasco which may cost the public more than RM12 billion over the next 30 years. However, Ong should be reminded that he is part of the government too and a number of personalities named in the report were leaders of his party.
MCA crisis is deeper than merely the PKFZ scandal. Until now, the new leadership has yet to inspire a turnaround for the party. The Bukit Gantang by-election was a good indication for MCA on the level of Chinese community support it is currently enjoying. Anything below 50 percent should be taken as a crisis for the party. In that by-election, BN only managed less than 20 percent of Chinese votes.
MCA is also facing an image crisis. It is seen as a conservative, haggard and 'old' party. The party's rebranding exercise was disrupted by the continuous spat between Ong and his deputy Chua Soi Lek. Ong's frustration was shown in his responses to the press which had painted him as an arrogant, blunt and 'cocky' leader. A number of leaders I have spoken to opined that MCA did not do enough in BN to push for a permanent change in the coalition. A number of them are also growing tired of the spat.
Ong's task in the next year is crucial. He has to find a way to carefully manage the PKFZ scandal. This scandal will test his skills as a minister and a senior executive in the cabinet. He would need to inspire his party members and leaders to rally around him for the transformation of the party. To do so, the leader must not be caught in his own leadership trap and he should be made aware of attempts to keep him isolated from the grassroots and voters.
Ong needs to change his leadership image. He needs to make a connection to the younger generation. Failing to do so may cost his party more seats in the next general election. At present, it is simply not cool to become a MCA member. Previously, Ong had proposed a new multiracial political model which can be adopted by his party. Unfortunately, like many of his personal agenda this was equally disrupted and distracted by the crises he has to deal with now.
MIC is suffering from the years of strong leadership under its current president Samy Vellu. After losing his Sungai Siput stronghold, Samy should have done the right thing to make way for a new generation of leaders. However, the feisty leader had decided to stay on for an additional term which his party can ill afford. Samy's rebranding exercise is more hot air than results. He had wanted to recruit thousands of new members but with competition getting keener from new emerging Indian-based parties and Hindraf, it is difficult to see how MIC can attract more (quality) members if everything else remains the same.
Over the last months, the MIC had tried to capitalize on the campaign to seek the release of Hindraf 5. Ironically, it was Samy who had tried to link the leaders to a terrorist group, LTTE. The release of all Hindraf leaders and their reluctance to join hands with him had disappointed Samy. He criticized Uthayakumar and a few key Hindraf leaders soon after their release. MIC is now back to its hollow politics. It needs to find the next struggle which could inspire young Indians to join the party. It is suffering from the same old age effect faced by MCA.
Gerakan's fate was sealed when its key leaders quit or distance themselves from the party. Koh Tsu Koon is suffering from the same sense of denial like Samy Vellu when he accepted a position in the cabinet and to head the Penang BN. It is unlikely that Koh is capable of winning any parliamentary seat in the state. His 18 years leadership came to a cruel end when his party was completely rejected by voters in the last general election. Until today, Koh had yet to admit full responsibility for Gerakan weak and egoistic campaign in Penang.
Penang Gerakan is heading for a split when two factions (headed by Teng Hock Nan and Huan Cheng Guan) are at loggerheads over the appointment of coordinators for the party's 13 state constituencies and 4 parliamentary seats. Both leaders are not expected to make an impact in the next general election despite who is tasked to helm the state leadership. Both of them were defeated in their stronghold. Huan had directly attack the leadership for not making way for younger set of leaders. His criticism was directed at both Teng and Koh. Penang MCA made a similar objection when Koh was appointed the BN state chief.
UMNO appears to be the last man standing in the coalition. However, the party has traditionally known to be factional and controlled by regional warlords. UMNO's insistence of using all available state coercive power to pounce on its political opponents may prove to be its biggest downfall in the Peninsula.
Can Najib's 1Malaysia inspire his party, coalition and most importantly Malaysians?
19 comments:
OKT much respected? Well, the PKFZ scandal will reveal this. Can he do anything if bn government refuse to listen to all his suggestions? Fat chance. bn is fighting to survive and will sacrifice him if necessary. After all, if OKT like any other MCA politicians has any sense of right and wrong, he should have quitted bn...but then again, MCA is obviously blind and dumb to the ills of bn/umno, being the 'machais'. However sweet-smelling OKT may be, if he is stuck in a lump of 'sheet' (spelling is intentional), he will also smell like them, 'sheet'. No amount of perfume can help.
MCA taking on UMNO warlord? That's science fiction! Never in a million years does the MCA have the balls to pursue this. It's akin to suicide. And OTK does not have the bushido spirit to do this and end his career just to make a point and stand for justice... OTK and UMNO will spin this and then transfer the headache to the Malaysian people. When the public is spinning like a top they will quietly pump in more money and blow up another issue to distract the public attention away from PKFZ... Then another 4 years passed and another MCA chief will have to handle the issue again and the cycle begin again. Round and round it goes... the public are kept spinning like a top while they keep on swindling more of the public's money.... Business as usual as some monkey in a suit kept jerking us off!
my answer to your last line is NO.
4RAKYAT.
Hi everyone,
Agree that for Peninsular Malaysia, UMNO is the last man left standing, but for how much longer?
To have a chance to redeem itself, the PM cum UMNO's President should demonstrate stong and firm political will to let the MACC go after those implicated in the PKFZ mismanagement, croynism, corruption, etc. Once the PwC allegations are proven, punitive action, including recovering the rakyats' money should be vigorously undertaken. All these must be completed before the next GE for UMNO to continue 'standing' and at the same time lend a helping hand to its coalition partners, who at the moment are on the path to oblivion!
For UMNO's and its President's own credibility, amends should not just stop at the PKFZ scandal, but extend to action on RCI's Lingamtape, meaning and significant review/repeal of the ISA, and many other issues which are hanging as a noose round UMNO's and her partners' necks!
Do all these in earnest and in good time to regain the support and respect of the voters. Do it before the 13GE as failure to do so would see the rakyat displeasure in the next GE!
Ong Ta Kut is autocratic and hardly inspiring. Nobody likes him. On one hand, he's showing he's boss in the party, on the other, he's so afraid to offend Naif Ton Rasa. How to forge a relationship with the people if he's so torn in-between?? Waiting for him to step down soon... hehehe
Aiyo,
UMNO is only being propped up by the police, civil service, MACC, Judiciary, Money and the Media.
It is actually a dead duck.
An then there is PPP. You missed on this mosquito party. Perhaps, you didn't think it was worth talking about it. You're right. So, when all is said and done, BN is heading toward that precipice or cliff into the sea of histroy. Sunk and forgotten, except only as an opposition party perhaps.
For once, I'm actually glad to see OTK pushing the report to be published. He started the ball rolling and now, IF he wants to cement his image as the 'righteous' one, he MUST follow through with setting up of a Royal Commission to investigate the 'Klanggate'. Otherwise, the opposition will shoot him down like a lame duck.
PPP and Gerakan are basically history. They're neither here or there and I think they're still in BN not because BN needs them to be strong but needs them to be seen as a National front. Other than that, they're zero value to BN.
Come next GE, we might see the most bitter war wage in Malaysia's young history. And we might get a new PM.......and he might not come from Pahang or Johor!
IGP Musa Hassan and AG Gani Patail should stand for elections the next time we have a by election if the love politics so much
The implosion of BN is imminent.
Too many scandals have reveal their
true colour and alienate the people
from trusting them.
How is Najib going to inspire Malaysian even his mentor Mahathir can not do so nowadays?The year of BN glory is long past overdue!!
Hoping for MACC to take action against the PKFZ culprits is like hoping for the water of the Klang river to turn blue. In other words, it's not going to happen.
The PKFZ affair is nothing new. It has been festering for years and despite many reports lodged by opposition politicians to ACA and MACC, no action has been taken. So why now? Just because OKT (who is a nobody in Umno) demands it?
Nevertheless, this huge scandal is too big to be swept under the carpet and will come back to haunt BN at the next elections. May the corrupt coalition be voted out!
UMNO may be the last man standing in Peninsular Malaysia. But not for politics in East Malaysia. East Malaysian BN component paries are still doing well.
Koh Tsu Koon is a interesting figure! Since some Umno buggers torned his photo, he has suffered from sore throat. Keeping quite avoid his photo being torned again, but will also make gerakan to go into bubble faster then PPP. Really Tsu Koon is a mere follower rather than a leader, who knows which direction to take, what stand to make..
Dear KKP,
Let us show them UMNO/BN Leaders & their Mercenary Goons what they are really made of....
A frank discourse by a bumiputra of Malaysia.
LEE KUAN YEW : AT 85 , THE FIRE STILL BURNS
BY *AHMAD MUSTAPHA
*The writer is a nephew of Dr Mahathir.
Singapore's Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, who was Singapore 's founding father, has always been very direct in his comments. This was the man who outsmarted the communists in Singapore (with the innocent help of Malaya then and the willing help of the British) and who later outwitted the British and outpaced Malaysia in all spheres.
Singapore practices corrupt-free meritocracy and Malaysia affirmative action. The former attracted all the best brains and the latter chased out all the brains.
The Singapore cabinet consists of dedicated and intelligent technocrats whereas Malaysia has one of the most unwieldy cabinets. Not only that, brain wise it was below par not even good for the kampong.
With that kind of composition, one that is very brainy, naturally Singapore , with no natural resources could outstrip Malaysia in every aspect of development.
Malaysia , on the other hand, was too much preoccupied with its Malayness and the illusory 'Ketuanan Melayu' and was also more interested in useless mega iconic development rather than real social and economic development.
Whenever Kuan Yew utters anything that deemed to be a slight on Malaysia , voices were raised admonishing him. Malaysia would never dare to face reality.
That Singapore had shown that it could survive was a slap on those who believed that Singapore would fold up once it left Malaysia.
Therefore it was natural that these doomsayers would try to rationalise their utterances to be in their favour to combat on whatever Kuan Yew commented. Its political jealousy.
Singapore achieved its development status without any fanfare. But here in Malaysia , a development that was deceptive was proclaimed as having achieved development status. It was trumpeted as an achievement that befits first world status. This was self delusion.
Malaysians are led to believe into a make believe world, a dream world. The leaders who themselves tend to believe in their own fabricated world did not realise the people were not taken in by this kind of illusion.
Lee Kuan Yew believed in calling a spade a spade. I was there in Singapore when the People's Action Party won the elections in 1959. He was forthright in his briefing to party members as to what was expected of them and what Singapore would face in the future. Ideologically, I did not agree with him.
We in the University of Malaya Socialist Club had a different interpretation of socialist reconstruction. But he was a pragmatist and wanted to bring development and welfare to the Singaporeans. Well! He succeeded.
Contd....2
Contd....2
Dear KKP,
Malaysia was so much embroiled in racial politics and due to the fear of losing political power, all actions taken by the main party in power was never targeted towards bringing wealth to all. Wealth was distributed to the chosen few only. They were the cronies and the backers of the party leadership to perpetuate their own selfish ends.
Seeing the efficiency and the progress achieved by Singapore caused the Malaysian leadership to suffer from an inferiority complex. That Malaysia should suffer from this complex was of its own making.
In a recent interview, Kuan Yew said that Malaysia could have done better if only it treated its minority Chinese and Indian population fairly.
Instead they were completely marginalised and many of the best brains left the country in drove.
He added that Singapore was a standing indictment to what Malaysia could have done differently. He just hit the nail right there on the head.
Malaysia recently celebrated its 50th year of independence with a bagful of uncertainties. The racial divide has become more acute.
The number of Malay graduates unemployed is on the increase. And this aspect can be very explosive. But sad to see that no positive actions have been taken to address these social ills.
Various excuses were given by Malaysian leaders why Singapore had far outstripped Malaysia in all aspects of social and economic advancement.
Singapore was small, they nationalised and therefore easy to manage. Singapore was not a state but merely an island.
There was one other aspect that Malaysia practises and that is to politicise all aspects of life. All government organs and machinery were 'UMNO-ised'. This was to ensure that the party will remain in power.
Thus there was this misconception by the instruments of government as to what national interest is and what UMNO vested interest is.
UMNO vested interest only benefited a few and not the whole nation. But due to the UMNO-isation of the various instruments of government, the country under the present administration had equated UMNO vested interest as being that of national interest.
Thus development became an avenue of making money and not for the benefit of the people.
The fight against corruption took a back seat. Transparency was put on hold. And the instruments of government took it to be of national interest to cater to the vested interest of UMNO. Enforcement of various enactments and laws was selective.
Thus a 'palace' in Kelang, APs cronies and close-one-eye umno MPs could exist without proper procedure. Corruption infested all govt departments, the worse is the police and lately even in the judiciary.
Contd....3
Contd....3
Dear KKP,
Singapore did not politicise its instruments of government. If ever politicisation took place, it is guided by national interest. To be efficient and to be the best in the region was of paramount importance.
Thus all the elements like corruption, lackadaisical attitude towards work and other black elements, which would retard such an aim, were eliminated.
Singapore naturally had placed the right priority in it's pursuit to achieve what is best for its people. This is the major difference between these two independent countries.
Malaysia in its various attempts to cover up its failures embarked on several diversions. It wanted its citizens to be proud that the country had the tallest twin-tower in the world, although the structure was designed and built by foreigners.
Its now a white-elephant wasting away. It achieved in sending a man into space at an exorbitant price. For what purpose? These are what the Malays of old would say "menang sorak" (hollow victories).
It should be realised that administering a country can be likened to managing a corporate entity. If the management is efficient and dedicated and know what they are doing, the company will prosper.. The reverse will be if the management is poor and bad. The company will go bust.
There are five countries around this region. There is Malaysia , and then Indonesia . To the east there is the Philippines and then there is that small enclave called the Sultanate of Brunei.
All these four countries have abundance of natural resources but none can lay claim to have used all these resources to benefit the people.
Poverty was rampant and independence had not brought in any significant benefits to the people.
But tiny Singapore without any resources at all managed to bring development to its citizens. It had one of the best public MRT transport systems and airlines in the world and it is a very clean city state. Their universities, health care, ports are among the best in the world.
It is impossible to compare what Singapore has achieved to what all these four countries had so far achieved. It was actually poor management and corruption, and nothing more. Everything is done for the vested interest of the few.
Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and the Sultanate of Brunei need good management teams. They would not be able to do this on their own steam.
I would advise that they call on Kuan Yew to show them what good governance is.
Why look East to Japan when it is just next door across the causeway.
I hope this explains it all.
Cheers.
Koh Tsu Koon is a sick joke.
He has yet to provide any accountability on the Penang land scams and this is the joker PM Najib has tasked with reviving BN fortunes in Penang !!!
Take a drive around the Tanjong Bungah / Batu Ferringi area and see the destruction of the hillsides. KTK was the assemblyman for that area for 18 years.
Huan Cheng Guan is now going to leave gerakan.
So, what happen to his supporters like Oh Tong Kiong in Penang? Looks like they are switching camp to Koh Tsu Koon n teng hock nan after appointed as coordinator.
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