This is why I loathe “cooperating” with DAP
Vindicated? I certainly think so.
Without PAS participation in the coalition, the DAP is nothing in Perak. It is true that PAS only has six seats in Perak and the PAS Commissioner for Perak have already stated in a press conference that they will accept the decision of the Sultan in determining who succeeds the post for Menteri Besar. The fact remains that there is no way that a non-Muslim can or should be allowed to become Menteri Besar, as one of the official duties as Menteri Besar is to advise the Sultan on Islamic matters.
It therefore boggles the mind as to the nature of this belligerent attitude from the DAP, just merely days after a historic win. Its very sad but I believe that if this situation is not resolved, PAS should consider forming a government with the Barisan Nasional opposition.
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[...] This is why I loathe “cooperating” with DAP – Its very sad but I believe that if this situation is not resolved, PAS should consider forming a government with the Barisan Nasional opposition. [...]
Pingback by Vivere Pericoloso - Barisan Rakyat !!! (4) - UPDATES No 1 « Guru Maha Graha — March 12, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
[...] Ah, Kit Siang What? DAP boycotts Perak MB from PAS DAP to boycott MB swear-in. What the fuck for? This is why I loathe “cooperating” with DAP DAP should accept MB from PAS DAP to boycott Perak’s PAS MB appointment DAP Kit Siang A Trojan [...]
Pingback by Lim Kit Siang… oh… Lim Kit Siang — March 13, 2008 @ 1:38 am
The issue about the MB having to be a Malay Muslim (as I understand it from the press, not your statement above) because the MB must advise the Sultan on Islamic matters boggles the mind. First, the MB must then be Muslim, not necessarily Malay Muslim, so is the clause in the constitution correct?-i.e., should it not read ‘Muslim’ rather than Malay Muslim (if I understand the issue correctly). Being a Malay is surely superfluos to the ‘advise’ requirement & reflects other reasons than religious reasons.
[MENJ: We have just freed ourselves from race-based politics, so this clause is of no surprise. To be a "Malay" is equivalent to being a "Muslim" and vice-versa, in the mindset of the previous administration. I agree with you that the clause should have stated "Muslim" instead of race, and I am personally fine with anyone being the MB of Perak as long as he or she is a Muslim.]
Second, the matter can be settled by ensuring the Sultan is advised a Minister of Islamic Affairs or a Committee or Board on Islamic Affairs-it need not be a matter for the MB and the rule probably needs updating to reflect the present day-I mean how many of the past MB’s under BN have been learned Muslim scholars? I suspect none.
[There is already a "Minister of Islamic Affairs", as you call it, and that is the State Mufti. However the State Mufti is obliged to report only to the MB and he also advises the MB on Islamic matters. Thus it is simply not possible for a non-Muslim to be the MB.]
I’m surprised there’s no criticism of the Sultan-if he indeed wanted to ‘not rock the boat’ and elect a Malay Muslim MB, why on earth not select a PKR candidate? As it stands, it is the PKR that binds together DAP & PAS. Why does he not explain himself?-in this new democracy, he cannot surely be above reproach. It is irresponsible in my opinion to select as MB a member of PAS which has no formal arrangements (if I am not mistaken) with the legislatures of the largest governing party in Perak (DAP). It boggles the mind.
[MENJ: The PKR choice for MB does not have the proper paper qualifications and the PAS choice does.]
Lim Kit Siang needs to learn to behave responsibly, and Perak DAp showed him how it is done-but I fully understand his incredulity. It is not just his statement that should be criticised, but also the silence emanating from the istana pertaining to the decsion to elect a PAS member as MB. If one wishes to be cynical, one can suggest it is because the Sultan is playing politics, and would like to ‘rock the boat’ and ensure that the BN wins the next state election. Aspersions will be cast unless the true reasons are made public.
[MENJ: The Sultan is actually helping the new government by maintaining a balance of power, if DAP screws this up they can kiss their seats goodbye in the next General Election.]
Comment by pkler — March 13, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
Thanks for your responses-I still think the Sultan must explain himself and unlike you, I view his appointed with a cynicistic prism. I don’t agree with you on that the MB must be a Muslim though-the laws can be changed so the Mufti can be directly advising the Sultan-the MB can be left out of it. It seems more a cultural/social/political remnant from the past that a necessity in today’s Malaysia. But to a certain extent that is due to our core ideological beliefs-I am a strict secularist.
[MENJ: In all of the Malay states where the head of the state is the Sultan, the MB has always acted as an adviser to the Sultan. This has been so even before the Merdeka period. Why must this be changed and risk the wrath of the Muslims?]
I just think that given PAS and DAP seem to tolerate each other rather than work with each other that the decision is absolutely baffling. As you say the PKR candidate was not ‘qualified’ (what is ‘proper paper qualification’ to be the MB anyway? Is it something stated in law or a subjective view?)-maybe so, maybe not. I fail to see how the Sultan is then helping to maintain the balance of power when the MB comes from a party that does not have a deep-seated working relationship with the DAP. I take it back if he is indeed the most qualified of the Muslim candidates but even then, surely his professionalism and expertise is seriously diluted with his party’s and DAP’s conflicting ideologies. I just don’t see the ‘balance of power’ argument being operational here. It should have been a PKR man (suitably qualified-whatever that entails).
[MENJ: Here are the new MB's credentials. He is more than qualified and I am not saying this just because he is from PAS. I would have been equally happy if a candidate from PKR who have the same credentials become Menteri Besar, The parties in Barisan Nasional have different contrasting ideologies and yet they are willing to work together. Why is this fact not hammered into the thick skulls of DAP leaders?]
Comment by pkler — March 13, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
Why risk the wrath of the Muslims? Because if this is a new era, then neither race nor religion should matter, that’s why. Then why not just say that once race is no longer relevant, we’ll just concentrate on religion-you just said the PAS man is the best candidate and if the PKR man was better qualified, you would not mind, so you agree the best person should get the job-but only if that person is Muslim….what is the best person for the job is not a Muslim? Should not the best person be the MB? Come on, we are starting to move away from race; let’s not be fixated on religion here. Otherwise, IMO, we’re just moving away from race based politics to religion-based politics. Mind you, I actually think the majority should get the post; question is who is the majority. If I assume the MB should represent all Perakians then the person must be mixed with Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Orang Asli parentage. The person must also be a believer of a variety of religions. Impossible of course, so the person would ideally represent the majority (but only ideally)-in this case the majority are Malay Muslims, so I do think the MB should ideally be such a person-given the biggest party in Perak representing Malay Muslims is UMNO this is impossible, so it should fall on the next largest (PKR), especially since PKR can (or so I thought) bind the DAP & PAS together.
BN works together because there is one overarching power-UMNO-all other parties demure to them. That’s not the case with the Barisan Rakyat. Already with PKR threatening to withdraw we see the issue that the appointment of the PAS man as MB is not maintaining the balance of power. The responsible decision would have been to elect a PKR man (properly qualified) and populate the executive with DAP and PAS representatives. At any rate, all 3 parties should not have left it to the Sultan to decide-they should have been mature enough to come up with a compromise candidate and not force the Sultan’s hand.
Anyway, why should DAP & PAS work together anyway? Both are united is getting rid of the excesses of BN but then everything breaks down in ideological squabbles-I’m more than happy to see a BN minority govt in Perak with maybe PAS giving them a vote of confidence to operate but giving only qualified support-this more than anything will allow DAP & PAS to still get on nationally and show that opposing forces can work for the common good without compromising their core beliefs. A minority BN govt forces them to behave properly and give the opposition great leverage. Better than a half-arsed govt that is going to fall in pieces and damage the Barisan Rakyat nationally.
Comment by pkler — March 14, 2008 @ 8:06 am