Of UMNO Delegates

The public wants it, but does UMNO want it? (taken from Utusan)

Are They Ready?

Lolo was quoted earlier to have said that PAS was the "Government-in-waiting". The loose coalition Pakatan Rakyat without a doubt made sweeping victories in 5 states in the last general election. Since then, they remained as a respectable opposition, no sign of financial leadership or great policy makers.

Speaking of leadership, PAS has sidelined Anwar as their de-facto leader. If Pakatan Rakyat wins the election, who would be their selection for the covetous Prime Ministership (they can't even agree on appointments in municipals) . It is open season among the three parties, which since the general election are plagued with internal politicking, power struggle and finger pointing. No synchrony with regards to "unity" government. Welcome to multi-racial politics, fellow egalitarians!

They have yet to convince the bright-minded Malaysians that they are ready to lead this country to greater heights. Are they ready to accept the importance of English? Will they take the populist stand and strip Petronas' profit to suit the voters' sentiments? Populist ideology as witnessed in Latin America has caused severe inflation over 2000% especially in Brazil and Argentina. Are they ready to make real, tough decisions even if it means going against popular sentiments, i.e. reducing subsidies?

If their own party struggle and agenda could be altered at their whim and fancy in the case of Hudud and NEP, could they chew on more delicate and complex issues at Federal level?

Is there anyone in Pakatan Rakyat that we see as Prime Minister material? Hadi? Anwar (close, but no cigar)? Nik Aziz? Forget Nizar who has lost his own state government from defections. Forget Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng or Karpal (or would they do another "Perak" where the new Malay Prime Minister is subject to the will of the cabinet and a more chauvinist non-Malay DPM). Malaysia is not ready to see a non-Malay at the apex of the Executive Branch.

Where is their shadow cabinet? Have they given fruitful discussions on national issues besides lambasting the government for deciding things against their will? What is their stand on NAP, what is their solution for the fragmented school system, what is their stand on digging ourselves out of the economic downturn hole? Oh, they can't portray themselves as being more sophisticated than the ruling coalition, lest their ideas be imitated!

The sentiment in last general election was clear; people wanted a stronger opposition to keep Barisan Nasional in check. Nothing more, nothing less. No doubt corruption was perceived to be rampant within Barisan Nasional leadership but we see a similar trend in Selangor and Penang when Fairuz vacated his seat in lieu of allegations of corruption. Power corrupts. Business intertwines with politics. People who think otherwise are plainly idiotic and should come out from under the coconut shell. Other sentiments have been driven by pure speculations in the blogosphere realm, baseless allegations coupled with juicy gossips in the case of postings by self-exiled RPK. The two combination that sells newspapers and enhances your blog hits, politics + gossips.

Most young, urban voters would confess that they had voted for PR because BN seemed to be lost in the political wilderness for the last 5 years, not so much of PR being a reckoning force. Looking at the line up of wakil rakyat on the PR side would be testament to the fact that they lack depth in leadership. Amateur videographer and blogger do not count.

If you're ready to see Petronas go bust because of subsidies,
if you're ready to see 5 school systems remain status quo,
if you're obviously mentally-blocked and perceive that NEP is UMNO and UMNO is NEP, NEP is Malay Rights and NEP = more projects to the Malays
if you're ready for leaders who can't decide whether to implement Islamic laws because it is written in their party constitution but change their mind because Karpal said "over my dead body",

Vote for them!

Our Education System

Much have been said about the state of education in this country, likewise everywhere in the world. Education, besides the economy, are the two most essential ingredients for growth.

Our country remains the most unique state in the world with 5 education systems fighting tooth and nail for federal funds. The recent propensity of uniting the differing platforms have been severely opposed by many quarters on the basis of conserving "culture". The policy of enhancing our kids' fluency in Math and Science via English medium has also met with equal if not more opposition.

Theoretically, market would dictate that the best teachers would veer to the best paid institutions. Naturally, private schools are becoming increasingly popular especially among young, urban parents. The chinese are also known to save every penny necessary to put their kids through private system, regardless of job functions and affordability. The chinese public schools are also known to have massive external donations. This is unlike the sekolah kebangsaan system. That says enough about the merits of sending our kids to the public domain.

Although the US could boasts of their Ivy League schools and cutting-edge universities in research, faculty strength and ties with corporations, the public school system requires massive overhaul. This is acknowledged by all. The degradation of mathematical capabilities of high school students, for example, has reached worrying state. The US is not resting on their laurels. We should not either.

Putting a cap on SPM subjects is a good start. The quality of teachers must also be addressed, regardless of whether political mileage might be affected. Ideally, the nation must reach a unified education system eventually. Reaching that stage would already be a giant step for this small country.

US experiments high salary for teachers
Obama on overhauling US education
Catching up in college

Hadi Wants Unity Government

PAS President is adamant for a unity government but shows disunity in Pakatan Rakyat. Hadi confidently stated that the idea of a unity government has been somewhat approved by DAP and PKR. LKS's input here.

What Have They Done?

>> Pakatan Rakyat has been in power for more than a year. Can we confidently extract substantial policy-making or decisions that have created wealth and abundance for the rakyat or have these been overshadowed by corruption, scandals, thirst for by-election and their single most important motto of "Find people's fault first, performance later".

When corruption cases hit Selangor and Penang, the excuse given was that we are all humans bound to err. When PAS was put under the microscope and it was later exposed that "handouts" and "freebies" were given in exchange for votes, Nik Aziz made it clear that it's acceptable to receive them but insisted that voters should teach the offenders a stern lesson by not voting them.

What is PR's stand on streamlined education? Not a single word. PAS' attempt to "arabize" the Malay society in the form of Hudud? Literally shut down by DAP (but wait, PAS is claiming "co-operation" in the spirit of partnership and camaraderie). Their most prominent blogger is in exile. His son was apprehended by the authorities for theft. One MP was suspended for disobeying house rules. Another was arrested in an illegal assembly (you're a member of parliament now, not a street activist). Not to mention the circus show in Perak with ADUNs climbing tables and chairs. No class.

One former minister whispered to a friend that the 13th general election will be decided by one prevailing factor: which party the rakyat is less fed up with. The lower turnout for Penanti was a subtle sign.

We Demand In No Uncertain Terms A Report Card From Leaders Of The Pakatan Rakyat - What Have You To Show To The Citizens of Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor After One Year In Power?

By Matthias ChangTuesday, 19 May 2009 14:25

We, at Future Fast-Forward have been very critical of the Barisan Nasional government and we make no apologies for our biting criticisms.

We do so because as the Federal Government, you set the standards by which others are judged. Should you fall below our legitimate expectations, it is inevitable that your failures will snowball and overwhelm the rest of the body politic.

This is an awesome responsibility.

You stepped on the plate and asked us to elect you to lead the nation, thereby asking us to put our faith in your leadership. The electorate has re-elected you to manage the country in accordance with the highest standards so that we may hold our heads high and be proud to be Malaysians.

However, we do not believe that our role is merely to criticise and not to demonstrate our appreciation when correct policies are being implemented.

We therefore applaud the Prime Minister and the leaders of the Barisan Nasional for heeding the sentiments of the rakyat in not falling into the trap of the political mischief-maker, Anwar Ibrahim by contesting the Penanti By-elections.

For too long, over a year after the General Elections in March 2008, we have witnessed gutter politics practiced by Anwar and his fascist band of bloggers and the incredible stupidity of the Barisan Nasional reacting to each and every provocation.

It is a welcome change of strategy that the Barisan Nasional has finally found the wisdom in rejecting the taunts and provocations of Anwar Ibrahim and his spin doctors.

For over a year, the focus was on the Barisan Nasional. They only have themselves to blame for being in the tight spot.

Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar Ibrahim got away with political murder and distracted the entire country from the urgent tasks at hand – to overcome the impact of the global financial crisis and lay a solid foundation to propel our country to achieve greater excellence in all fields of our national endeavour.

At long last, we can now focus on critical issues.

We have highlighted the various challenges in the financial and economic areas in numerous articles and we shall not repeat them here.

Every citizen who loves Malaysia must now make an objective analysis and evaluation of the two competing political forces – the Barisan Nasional and the Pakatan Rakyat.

Choice is important and before we make our choice, we must be level headed and examine every facet and angle of the policies and plans supposedly conceived and executed for the benefit of the rakyat by these political leaders.

If we make the wrong choice, we may plunge the country into chaos and at the minimum, ten to fifteen years of mediocrity, if not failure.

The Barisan Nasional has a report card of fifty years of governance.

In contrast, only PAS has some record of governance and then only in the state of Kelantan. DAP and Keadilan are novices and have yet to prove their mettle.

By all means, visit the blogs that are pro-opposition and that of their leaders, but please apply common sense when reading what they have to offer. They are all heavy on sound bites but what is most glaring: is the total absence of coherent policies, practical measures and direction from the state governments which they are in control.

Notice also that these blogs do not tolerate any dissension from their perspective. They adopt a fascist mindset. Say anything contrary, and you will receive a heap of profanities. This is their standard operating procedure, one designed to intimidate and discourage rational debate.

Just pause and think and think hard.

If a man, whose only reputation is that of taking some photos allegedly of Dato Lingam and who had no prior experience in politics and or public administration, was recruited by Anwar’s PKR to contest in the General Elections, how can such a person contribute effectively to developing our country? The rest of Anwar’s political entourage is no better and does not inspire confidence.

Hence, Anwar’s diversionary tactics and distractions. Anwar is a master in manufacturing “political noise”, massive amount of noise to cover up his inadequacies and to prevent people from asking the right questions and focusing on critical issues.

We are now issuing a public challenge to Anwar and the leaders of the PR state governments.

Give us a report card on your achievements after one year in power!

Give us your blueprint for the states under your control, specifically your policies in ensuring the continued wellbeing of the rakyat suffering from the impact of the global financial tsunami.

Give us your strategies in making Malaysia the most dynamic country in ASEAN.

Give us specifics, not spin, in achieving a higher degree of national unity, as this is always a work-in-progress.

Take Notice: If Anwar, Hadi, and Lim Kit Siang fail to respond within 48 hours from the date hereof, as it is their duty to do so, they must be exposed for what they are – political charlatans.

Finally, Anwar, I dare you to debate with me in public on the above issues. Let this be a No Holds Barred debate.

The rules are simple.

We speak for half an hour.

We cross-examine each other without mercy for another half hour.

We let the rakyat decide the winner of the debate.