The New Beginning for Malaysia

So the elections yielded somewhat surprising results, at leaset for me. Its good to see the voice of democracy be heard, but on the flip side, its has been a rocky beginnin with the already apparent rifts between some parties (DAP & PAS) that form the opposition alliance. Thank goodness the menteri besar and cabinet positions have been filled. Now the government can get on with business.

I am however rather annoyed by the talk of documents in government offices being destroyed and having vanished. To me this is clearly a sign that the outgoing leaders had something to hide. If their intention was to just make it difficult for the opposition to rule, then frankly, it only reflects on the lack of maturity and professionalism they practiced in their job. More importantly, the documents are official documents related to government transactions, a government that is elected to serve. So destroying the documents, to me, is a breech of pubblic trust. I think those involved should be taken to court.

Either way, the freebies such as summonses waivers that the opposition administrators are dishing out seem tasty, but I wonder if they have really look at its implications overall. It would be a pity if it leaves a bitter after taste for everyone who have put their trust in them. It hardly seems fair to those who have diligently paid the summonses earlier. What justice is that? There are still many tall promises that will need fulfilling. Lets see what happens, especially after April 15th, when Anwar Ibrahim's ban from politics comes to an end.

Election Fever

As the election fever heats up, it seems more and more people are having "kopitiam" discussions that revolve around this subject. Its very interesting to hear the different stories and views that emerge on the ground. Its hard to say how many stories are true, but one cannot easily ignore what is said by a trusted accquaintence.

This has certainly been the case for me. I read an article in the papers of a local politician claiming that he will hang on to his seat since "he has brought so much progress to his constituency". I had to think about that for moment, and I still can't see any progress that he mentions. It then of course came as no surprise when I heard that his car was badly damaged by furios villagers who had voted for this person at the last election. He went to their village to renew his mandate but was driven off because he failed to keep his promises.

Even though the Hindraf case appears to have been swept under the rugs, it appears there is still a lot of tension brewing in the Indian community. I was made to understand that a local politician made a fleeting negative comment about Hindraf. The Indians at the function refused to eat and demanded that he apologise. They said they need not apologise for fighting for their convictions. They even mentioned of Hishamuddin pointing his keris as an invitation to war and not having to apologise for it. Sounds to me like a rather volatile situation. Makes you wonder just how well the government is managing the multi-racial country. Anyway, this is, of course, what I have heard and not witnessed myself, but it does worry me somewhat. In my opinion, some old hats who have been in power too long need to step down and allow for progress.

I even a joke recently: " Samyvellu and Badawi were on a helicopter together. Badawi said if he dropped 2 RM200 notes over KL, he would make 2 people very happy. Samyvellu, not wanting to be outdone, said that if he dropped 200 RM1 notes, he would make 200 people happy. The pilot overheard their little conversation and said if he dropped both of them overboard, he would make 27 million people very happy" ;)

The moral of the joke? Sometimes its important to know when you have reached a final destination. Don't overextend your stay, especially when you are no more welcomed by the host.