Update17/6, 12pm
So now we have more preconditions to talks (along with requiring reform in the judiciary and media), as well as Najib’s ‘poetic’ comparison of unity talks to marriage proposals :|
It’s a welcome step from PAS I suppose, but ultimately, through this song and dance, I reckon Malaysians may be being taken for a ride, while politicians try to squiggle and posture their way around this one.
Quite frankly, I think all involved are hoping to spare themselves the monotony of actually sitting around a table and having to talk, while knowing full and perfectly well that nothing productive can be achieved.
I mean, quite frankly, I think everyone knows where everyone stands on what; so what would these people really have to say to each other?
“Hey, you really did blow her up didn’t you?”
“Shut up you little sodomite!”
“Why you little….!”
(pandemonium)
It then becomes a fruitless exercise, where each party is just scheming to manipulate the discussion so that s/he can give a better press conference thereafter.
Perhaps the thought from those making this initiative is that they can score some points by appearing gregarious and putting the rakyat first before politics.
This is only viable given, as described below, *extremely* rare circumstances – none of which we are currently facing.
I think the rakyat is better served by both BN and Pakatan giving their full and unwavering attention to governing what is theirs to govern, defending their principles nobly and in a sporting fashion, and of course, dissolving the Perak state assembly.
Let’s recognise the pointless posturing and politicking for what it is, and move on.
ps- notice how The Star is on about Malay unity talks. I don’t think PAS has ever used that term, has it. Bloody Star.
*
Original Post, 15/6
So, apologies for being away for so long! It’s taken a while to get back into the swing of things, and I admit, between (thoroughly) savouring new experiences and the sprawl that local politics and issues have become, it’s been hard to get back into the game.
But time to return!
There are a million and one really important things to write about. For now, I just wanted to do some quick words on the issue surrounding PAS and this unity talks business.
I’ve defended PAS more times than I can remember on this blog, and with good reason I reckon. I’ve also repeated ad nauseum how PAS really is extremely far from a monolithic party – an observation repeated consistently over the last few weeks with talks of the Erdogan vs. Ulama factions and so on.
I admit, the PAS elections did not go quite the way I hoped (wonder what would’ve happened if Mat Sabu didn’t contest that Deputy Presidency), but that’s democracy.
What I wanted to say mostly is this: the reason no one has been able to elaborate intelligently about the idea of a unity government is simple – it doesn’t make sense.
The idea of both having both BN and Pakatan in a single government at this time belies logic. There are rare circumstances in which such power sharing is vaguely viable, but I don’t believe that the Malaysian political landscape offers such circumstances.
What would it be like? How would they divide power? What interests exactly would be served by such an undertaking? Can BN and Pakatan trust one another in such a government?
My own feeling is that given the answers to the questions above, all this talk of a unity government can only in actuality allude to an unholy union between Umno and PAS.
It is my belief that a majority – perhaps one not as large as I would have hoped, but a majority nonetheless – of PAS members would firmly reject such a notion.
Again though, if you look at the political matrix at present (especially on the intra-Pakatan side), it is understandable why some (fools?) within PAS would think that an Umno-PAS union would be advantageous to them.
(Woe to those who think forays in such a direction could perhaps ‘strengthen’ some party’s ‘negotiating power’)
It is our duty to point out why this would be folly. Why it would be the ultimate insult to everything good PAS has ever stood for, and would demonstrate the very worst traditions of putting political expediency and greed for power over principles.
We should call a spade a spade, and realise that this nonsense about a unity government is mostly just testing the water for a reprehensible alliance with the party that has done more than anyone to destroy everything Malaysia could be.
I think you should check the meaning of unity. In the Malaysian context is when everybody is calling for unity between all the people in the country regardless of racial background. SO when Malays call for unity between UMNO and PAS…that is not unity..unity between Malays -Yes! But surely not a unity government.
The racial attitude of UMNO shines through. If they had initiated talks between UMNO and DAP..ah then you can call it unity government. Getting the Malays from PAS ans UMNO sounds like a racialist attempt to fight against the non-Malays!!
Please get it right!
PAS is not to be trusted – since it is an Islamist organization. Many do not understand the difference between ‘Muslim’ and ‘Islamist’. Islamists are supporters of Arabic-centric medievally dogmatic political Islamic ideology i.e. Islamism (just like Nazism, Stalinism, Maoism etc), and do not have to be Muslims, that seeks to construct or sustain racist, sexist and fascist dominant power over ordinary Muslim believers and non-Muslim communities alike. This is in order to achieve an absolute “(One i.e. homogenous) Islamic Empire/Ummah”, from east to west, in opposition to modernity and westernization, especially against universal human and women’s rights. Whereas Muslims are ordinary believers who regard Islam as a personal belief between oneself and God (thus not interested in gaining dominant power over anyone).
Further, Islamist ideology will never fundamentally recognize full liberation and equality for women/girls, gays, non-Islamic communities, converts/apostates from Islam and so on. Moreover, this include forcing girls as young as from three years old to SUBMIT to Arabic-centric veiling ideology; so that their consent can be manufactured as when they become adults, rather than from rational i.e. complete, free will! Go to PAS organized meetings and you will see this very clearly – disgusting!
Lastly, even in oil-rich Malaysia and Indonesia, the Pakistan-led (& Bangladesh to a certain extent – including by marrying local village or poor women/girls especially in Borneo – including non-Muslims) Islamist groups have infiltrated local Islamist movements, including PAS and fanaticized such groups, thus causing increasing extremist Islamisation of the two countries, besides targeting our oil, including in oil-rich Borneo. Further, these once dynamically multicultural tolerant two countries will be the Islamist Empire base in South-East Asia.
Katharina Sri (former: Noor Aza Othman)
Germany.
Well said Katharina. Its a pity a few Malays cant see through the fog of their Islamist indoctrination to see what Islam is really doing to Malaysia
They can talk of unity as much as they want…yet some politicians/parties themselves don’t practice what they preach.
We ourselves should just unite without listening to their rhetorics.
There’s too much politics going on & less governing especially in the midst of this global economic crisis.
..& I personally am sick of listening to BN talking about unity.
http://satishsran.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-sick-of-bn-talking-about-unity.html
I’m afraid, for once, the Star is right (perhaps also playing M C of A tune) about it being a Malay unity talk. The thing is Hadi A. when he was elected as m.b. had already shown that he was a r person (long, long before the Pakatan thing). What I am telling isn’t just ‘stories’. I’m from that State, btw… It is for this reason, local pp are wary in their voting, because of him. He is in strict contrast to Tok Guru, who despite his eccentricities, is well respected for being fair in his views.