update 3.30pm: See the official party response.

As per my new occupation, I am no longer working in any formal capacity for the party. I continue to support its general goals and principles, to be sure.

But where change is needed, change needs to be called for.

The situation involving the harassment of a photographer is inexcusable and starting to hint ever so slightly at a disturbing trend.

Yes, there are a number of explanations - provocateurs, etc. I generally feel though, that organisers should take responsibility for as much as humanly possible that happens under our watch, including incidents like these.

Professionalism of security details are pivotal; without which, we are talking vigilantes. Clearly, PAS’ Unit Amal, which developed from the decades old institutionalisation of party sub-organisations, is a good template to follow. Uniforms, training, and above all, discipline.

Tags: KeADILan by Nathaniel Tan
4 Comments »

Well, it’s generally poor form to say “I told you so” :P :)

And who knows, it may still be premature. As dad says, a deal isn’t done until the money changes hands.

Nonetheless. Dr. Syed Husin has confirmed that an agreement has been reached in Perak :D

MB: Pas
TMB1: DAP
TMB2: KeADILan

Exco Total -
DAP: 6
KeADILan: 3
Pas: 1

Senator: 1 for KeADILan
(I think each state gets to elect 2 to the Dewan Negara)

Yes, we can all exhale now (or soon, anyway :P :)

And hopefully give those guys the benefit of a doubt whenever a crisis pops up, as they will continue to.

I don’t think our leaders should be held to low standards, but I think instant judgements can be equally unfair.

So well done to all who had a part in reaching this compromise :)

Still, there’s much to do. Much to write. Hope it won’t take too long!

Tags: KeADILan by Nathaniel Tan
24 Comments »

Everyone is so easily excitable these days, but few take the time to see the full, accurate picture. For your patient consideration, here is the text of Dr. Syed’s statement in full (highlights are my own) -

KeADILan’s Position on Perak

Parti Keadilan Rakyat accepts the decision to elect PAS State Assemblyman, Sdr. Ir Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as Menteri Besar of Perak. While at first we stressed the need to choose an individual that will be well received by the majority, we now accept the decision in the spirit of cooperation between KeADILan, PAS and DAP as well as in the interests of stability and harmony for Perak and for the whole of Malaysia.

Nonetheless, we do not agree with the agreement made between PAS and DAP with regards to the composition of the Perak State Exco wherein eight Exco seats are given to DAP and the remaining two given to the other parties. In the spirit of sincere openness, we stress that the composition of the Exco must reflect the composition of the population of Perak and represent the interests of all ethnic groups fairly. All parties must be sensitive to the hopes and sentiments of the people.

We ask that this composition be discussed again and if the composition is not altered to the satisfaction of all parties involved, KeADILan will not take part in the administration of Perak.

However, we will continue to honour our agreement to support the coalition government of Perak.

Dr. Syed Husin Ali
Deputy President
Parti Keadilan Rakyat

*

Before we get worked up over anything, it is important to have a full understanding. Allow me to decipher, if you please.

Not being part of a state administration is equivalent to not being part of the Cabinet, but still being a backbencher in the majority government.

It is very important that we understand this.

By way of further context: In Perak, DAP won 18 seats, KeADILan 7 and PAS 6.

*If* I understand correctly what the current DAP-PAS agreement that is being questioned is:

MB - PAS
TMB 1 - DAP
TMB 2 - Indian (party yet indeterminate)

Of 10 Exco Seats:
8 - DAP
2 - Lain-Lain

What Dr. Syed said is that under this arrangement, KeADILan will refuse any Perak State Exco seat.

He also said - and again this is very important - that regardless of the outcome, KeADILan will still support a DAP-KeADILan-PAS led state assembly (and thus, government).

So before we take in sensationalist accounts, I hope we can consider the facts.

As to what is fair or unfair with regards to the Exco positions et al, I suppose that is a matter of opinion.

Tags: KeADILan by Nathaniel Tan
12 Comments »

Way back when, Tian and gang predicted that there would be an onslaught on Anwar’s character during the elections.

True enough, the first pawns (prawns?) have been sent into the battle. At the risk of being repetitive, I think most of my beliefs on this matter were expressed once again by Dr. Syed.

It is worth noting that both Dr. Syed and Anwar were ISA detainees together for a long time following a period of activism that both had participated in following the famines in Baling, Kedah. This was probably back when my parents were young :P :) The statement:

5th March 5, 2008

Criticisms prove Anwar and KeADILan on right track

The increasing attacks by the BN-owned media towards Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim clearly demonstrate that his message of hope for a better Malaysia is resonating with an exponentially increasing number of Malaysians.

Barisan Nasional (BN) is well aware that the ideals we and our associates in the Opposition are seeking to uphold are irrefutable and are recognised by ever more Malaysians as a better vision for the future our nation. BN is thus now seeking to draw attention away from issues that are pressing to all Malaysians by focusing on a feeble attempt by feeble individuals to smear the reputation of one man whom they fear.

To Dato’ Seri Anwar’s credit, the best agents BN could come up with for this task were individuals whose history of political flip-flopping raise serious questions about their credibility. Some are now raising objections that they had a moral and in some cases legal obligation to raise while inside KeADILan many years ago.

The timing of these statements that are continuously highlighted in the BN-owned media unfortunately raise serious questions as to each accuser’s motives and integrity.

Charges that Dato’ Seri Anwar is anti or pro any particular ethnic group are also indicative of a BN that is unable to make up its mind. Umno insists that Dato’ Seri Anwar has become pro Chinese or Indian and anti Malay, while MCA, MIC, and Gerakan charge that he is pro Malay and anti Chinese or Indian.

These discrepancies clearly show that KeADILan is on the right track. If our opponents can simultaneously brand us as being both pro and anti Malay, Chinese or Indian, it conclusively shows that KeADILan is a party that is in fact anti-racism and pro-Malaysian.

I have known Dato’ Seri Anwar personally since he was a student in University Malaya during the period I was teaching there and can bear witness that whatever his choices throughout his political career, Dato’ Seri Anwar has consistently stood for the rights of the downtrodden and for integrity in public office.

The failure of BN to produce any more credible critics or criticism than the disgruntled few thus far produced is a clear indication that both Dato’ Seri Anwar and KeADILan, unlike BN leaders, have no skeletons in their closets and are offering a viable, dyanmic vision for a safer, more united and prosperous Malaysia.

Dr. Syed Husin Ali
Deputy President
Parti Keadilan Rakyat

*

I think what Dr. Syed is alluding to is the fact that if Chandra, who I heard someone describe a little harshly as an ‘intellectual prostitute,’ objected to Anwar’s actions in office, why did he join KeADILan in 1999?

Also, if there were really incidences involving money politics in KeADILan such as he alleged, is not a man of integrity honour bound to report these illegal activities to the authorities right there and then? And not, perhaps, 3 days before a general election?

Where consistency is concerned, I confess to find the good doctor a little bit… wanting.

As for Nalla “I must stand up for Indian rights” karuppan, I suppose he was clearly in the wrong party. KeADILan defends the rights of all Malaysians, not any one single ethnic group. If he wanted to bring in his parochial approaches, I’m glad we’ve parted ways and wish him all the best in keeping MIUP from the same begging, unrequited lover’s fate that met the IPF, KIMMA, and so on.

Please also take heed of Dr. Syed’s point - when Nalla says Anwar is anti-Indian and Umno spreads thousands of VCD’s charging that Anwar has become pro-Indian, we know that KeADILan has found the middle ground - the true path of moderation. Anti-racism, pro-Malaysian, couldn’t have put it better myself.

In response to similarly lame laments by MCA and Gerakan about the 90’s, I concur that back then, Anwar implemented Umno policies, which have remained in place to this day. 6 reflective years of prison and multiple beatings later, Anwar has taken the hardest of all political paths in Malaysia - to sacrifice an ethnocentric approach to politics and replace it with a truly Malaysian political landscape.

So while MCA and Gerakan are stuck in the last millennium whining about how Anwar followed Umno policies that are still being perpetrated, Anwar himself and the rest of a truly multiracial KeADILan is steamrolling ahead with our message of replacing the NEP with a corruption-free affirmative action police for all Malaysians regardless of race, guaranteed rights to mother tongue education and an end to race based politics.

Ong Ka Ting and Lim Keng Yaik? Still stuck and impotently propping up Umno-led corruption and racism.

I’d also take note of Dr. Syed’s testimony. I wouldn’t deign to be an apologist with regards to Anwar’s decision to join Umno, but from all the conversations I’ve had with so many people, I can perfectly well see how a man who knew Anwar as a student, as a fellow detainee for many years, and as an opponent across the political divide, can attest that throughout all this years, his integrity is intact and his principles sound.

Tags: GE 12, KeADILan by Nathaniel Tan
11 Comments »

Hot off my recent blog posts, Mr. Baradan strikes again. I said some nice things about him in the previous post, and I stand by them 100%.

I have to say that in his latest Malaysiakini article though, I must take exception to some of his reporting. Particularly these:

To change a government you need critical mass. But this appeared to be missing in the two Malay-majority areas on Thursday night - an ominous sign that Anwar, once a firebrand promoter of Islam and later a Malay nationalist par excellence, is not winning the Malays in numbers large enough to see change.

(in Brickfields) As in Bandar Tun Razak and Wangsa Maju, there were few Malays and Chinese, another ominous sign that Anwar is not winning the middle ground.

I confess that I believe that this is a skewed view. If you’ve ever walked in Brickfields, would you honestly be surprised to find that a crowd attending a ceramah is predominantly Indian? Would you then conclude that Anwar has become a leader that appeals only to… Indians?

This is a ridiculous conclusion to draw, obviously. Anwar is a Malaysian leader. Just listen to any of his speeches.

And no Malays come to KeADILan rallies? Well, it’s easy to believe that if you sit in KL and read our local newspapers.

All along the Malay belt - Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah - and even in more mixed states, Malays and Malaysians come in the 5 digit strong crowds. Recently in Terengganu they waited in the rain, Chinese sitting in fields - a sight previously never seen before.

Don’t take my word for it? You shouldn’t. Just see some of the pictures:

Pahang:

KL/Selangor:

Perak:

Terengganu:

Kelantan:

No Malays?

:)

Tags: GE 12, KeADILan by Nathaniel Tan
6 Comments »

I finally made it out to a ceramah Tuesday night. Usually I’m too exhausted by that time of the day, but this time it was just across the street from office.

It was good :)

I was really curious to get a feel of the crowd so I slipped in and through the crowd, trying to gauge their response.

I was really encouraged, it was a warm and fuzzy feeling :)

What moved me was how in almost any direction I looked in the crowd, I could see Malaysia.

Not the either monoethnic or segregated Malaysia of BN rallies, but a true cross section of the place we call home.

It was not a crowd where Chinese stand on one side, Muslims on another, and rich people sit on stage.

I saw Pakciks, Achees, Ah Kongs, mamats (but no mat rempit), machas all laughing at the same jokes, agreeing together about what ails all Malaysia and Malaysians, cheering at the same calls for a New Dawn for Malaysia.

I’m inspired.

A brief sampling of what this looks like can be found in the opening minutes of this clip, which is worth hearing to the end:

It’s going to be a tough week ahead. I don’t think I’ve handled the stress particularly well, but I’m going to try and do better.

To borrow Jeff’s favourite phrase - walk with us.

Tags: GE 12, KeADILan by Nathaniel Tan
8 Comments »

An old schoolfriend called me the other day to say that this article in The Star finally persuaded him (an MCA member) to vote Opposition this time around.

It was heartwarming of course, and for all the right reasons (he also mentioned doubts about our credibility and vision, but for those with such doubts, do see my essay on this topic and our manifesto :)

Coinicidentally, I had been planning to write on that same article.

It was written by Baradan Kuppusamy, who I know and like. He was nice enough as to enquire after my health after seeing me look somewhat exhausted at a press conference at DSAI’s :) Nice of him.

Let’s get to the article though.

Considering the need to show a united, strong political face – both to Malaysians and his legions of foreign supporters, Anwar chose a multi-racial platform. It was a “politically correct” decision and successfully piled the pressure to free him and return him to the political mainstream.

But in the process Anwar lost the two main planks he had rode to come within a whisker of becoming Prime Minister – as champion of Malay nationalism and promoter and defender of Islam.

Now, as a leader of a multi-racial party, he cannot speak exclusively about Malay nationalism or about Islam but has to present himself as a Malaysian leader and stand on a platform of equality, justice and fairness for all Malaysian races.

He has been walking on this multi-racial platform since his 2004 release but has he succeeded in re-inventing himself, for a third time, as a Malaysian leader? The results of this election will show if he has succeeded or failed.

Anwar is in an unenviable position – he has lost the emotive right as defender of Malay nationalism to Umno by forming a multi-racial party. For the same reason, he cannot claim to be promoter and defender of Islam, a platform that has moved to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi.

By losing the two pillars – Malay nationalism and Islam – Anwar has ceased to be a Malay leader and has become a Malaysian leader in a country where “Malaysians” are still rare and society is populated instead by Malays, Chinese and Indians and something called “others.”

But in the end, politics is about power and winning, and to stay relevant, Anwar’s PKR has to win. (nat: nonsense, politics is about principles first! thinking only about power and winning is what landed us with this morally bankrupt government)

Although Anwar himself is barred from contesting for five years because of a corruption conviction, PKR has to win a reasonable number of seats to keep Anwar relevant and in the political mainstream.

Anwar is under tremendous pressure to ensure his team wins between five and20 seats but the reality of Malaysian politics makes it difficult for this to happen.

PAS has offered several Malay-majority seats to PKR but, like in 2004, PKR victory in these seats appears slim. This is because Anwar and PKR can no longer fall on the “Malay nationalist champion” or “Islamic defender” mantles to win in Malay-majority seats because as a “Malaysian leader” espousing equality and justice for all, he cannot win the Malay ground which is now shared by Abdullah, Umno and PAS.

Many of the PKR candidates are truly “Malaysians” but will likely end up as election statistics, but this does not mean that there is no future for “Bangsa Malaysia” or for multi-racial politics in Malaysia.

I don’t know how much The Star edited this article. To its semi-credit, it at least published what it did.

But its still misleading, and very symptomatic of the larger issues facing the Malaysian body politic.

The simple question is differentiating between what Malaysia is, and what it should be.
What it is is a nation divided by BN and getting increasingly segregated. What it should be is a home where Malaysians who by nature celebrate the diversity we share are free to do so without the divisive intervention of race-based political parties.

The only question is how (and not whether) Malaysia will get from where we are to where we should be.

The first thing we need is faith. To say, as the tone of this article suggests, that it can’t be done is loser talk.

It’s not fate that determines the success or failure of multiracial politics in Malaysia; that can only be determined by you and me.

It’s as if The Star (rightfully) cannot bring itself to denounce multiracial politics. But since supporting it means going against their owners in MCA, they try to paint it as an impossibility.

Again: loser talk. Loser talk and spin.

This is of pivotal importance to Malaysians, especially those likely to be reading this blog (not least because you have to help spread this message of hope!) -

We cannot sit around and wait for victory to fall into our lap. We cannot wait for other peoples to champion multiracialism and fight our battles for us, because if we do, they are going to lose those battles.

Malaysia has never been at such a crossroads before. The time for cynicism, the time for waiting and seeing is past.

Now is your chance to deal a fatal blow against racism and corruption. Now is your chance to stand bravely together with Malaysians who are willing to put themselves out on a limb, put principle before political expediency, and break the chains of racial politics.

Tags: GE 12, KeADILan by Nathaniel Tan
2 Comments »