Tales of Two Cities: News Spinning
Robert Mugabe commissioned a survey to show that most Zimbabwean believed in the transparency of elections, in contrast to the sentiment expressed by more than half of the respondents across the region, who do not consider Zimbabwee’s election process to be so impartial.
Robert Mugabe commissioned a survey to show that most Zimbabwean believed in the transparency of elections, in contrast to the sentiment expressed by more than half of the respondents across the region, who do not consider Zimbabwee’s election process to be so impartial.
The survey interviewed more than 60,000 people in 56 countries around the world, representing the expressed views and attitudes of more than 1.2 billion citizens.
Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan also appointed a group to carry out survey, the result of which showed that most of the respondents believed that Pakistan still have the most democratic system and one of the best justice system since the revamp a few days ago.
On November 3, 2007, only days before a bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan was to decide on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of his re-election as president in the controversial October 2007 elections, he, as Chief of Army Staff, suspended the constitution, jailed several justices and lawyers of the supreme court including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, ordered the arrest of political dissidents and human rights activists, and shut down all private television channels. He declared an emergency; however, he had, in effect, imposed martial law in Pakistan.
On November 24, 2007, the Pakistan Election Commission confirmed his re-election as President. This clearly shows Pakistan has a very transparent and fair election.
If President Idi Amin hasn't died, he would have also conducted a survey to prove that Uganda, under his regime, is the most transparent and most fair government in the world.
A survey conducted by TNS and the Voice of the People, a "cost-efficient" research solution of Gallup International, showed that most Malaysians believe in the transparency of elections, in contrast to the sentiment expressed by more than half of the respondents across the region, who do not consider their country’s election process to be so impartial.
If President Idi Amin hasn't died, he would have also conducted a survey to prove that Uganda, under his regime, is the most transparent and most fair government in the world.
A survey conducted by TNS and the Voice of the People, a "cost-efficient" research solution of Gallup International, showed that most Malaysians believe in the transparency of elections, in contrast to the sentiment expressed by more than half of the respondents across the region, who do not consider their country’s election process to be so impartial.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said he was happy that an international survey had shown that Malaysians were the most confident in Asia of their country’s elections and democracy.
The country’s policies were always people-centred, he said, commenting on the survey carried out by TNS and Gallup International which among others, showed that 74% of Malaysians answered yes to whether “elections in your country are free and fair” – the highest among 10 nations surveyed in Asia. It exceeded the 47% world average.
“I am happy to read the report and it is good. I have always believed that our elections have always been democratic and fair.
“The government that you chose is the government of the people because it is voted in by the people,” the Prime Minister said.
The Doctrine
"When there were no classes in society, . . . a special group of people especially separated off to rule and dominate over the rest of society had not yet arisen, and could not have arisen. Only when the division of society into classes appeared, . . . it was essential that a state should appear.
And this state did appear ... The state continued to be a machine ... ".
-Vladimir I. Lenin
19 comments:
Ever wondered why North Korea is known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea?
People can only act/vote with respect to as much as they know. If being continuouly fed with flawed information / news without question, fed with fear (bogeys) how else can they make educated decisions?
Many arguments have been made about one representative for x number of people as opposed to another locality with y number of people. (Gerrymandering) How even can the representation be? Singapore is one example experimenting in trying to give a good representatation of the population in the parliament.
Numbers can be cooked / massaged to sing the songs you want to hear. Are we to say then those who went on the streets to express their dissatisfaction mere minority? An abberation in democracy? Or was there a sudden tectonic shift from complacent citizens to very dissatisfied citizens in a matter of months?
The government should start having their big ears on the ground and listen to the noise.
Jefus
PM by Surveys!
(Rhythms: Where have all the flowers gone?)
=============
Where have all the appeals gone?
Long time passing!
Where have all the memos gone?
Some time ago!
Where have all the Rallies gone?
Police teargas everywhere!
Did PM ever see?
Did PM ever see?
Where have all the police gone?
Gone to Rallies everyone!
Where have all the fairness gone?
Gone to greedy!
Where have all the money gone?
Gone to toll, tax, corruptions!
No one need to be told!
No one need to be told!
Where have all the MPs gone?
Gone to sleeping everyone!
Where have all the projects gone?
Gone to Samy!
Where have all the joking gone?
Gone to leaking everywhere!
Did PM ever know?
Did PM ever know?
Where have lost the ballots box?
EC chief knew nothing?
Where have all the tricks to be?
BN knows well!
Where have all the postal votes?
Gone to BN's pocket!
Did PM ever know?
Did PM ever know?
Where have all the People gone?
Gone to Rallies everyone!
Where have all the People gone?
Gone to Valley!
Where have all the People gone?
Talking grievance everyone!
So PM stays away
So PM stays away!
Why surveys one by one?
BN's way of showing!
Why only survey done?
Their only way!
Why survey off the facts?
BN's trick to overcome!
Hiding facts from everyone
Hiding facts from everyone!!
============================
MANY GRIEVES TO SING!
SIMPLE TRICK WITH SURVEY TO SWING?
Just repeating "King in his new Clothes" without thing!
Jefus,
You post a good question: When would they listen; where are their ears, the big ears.
Sharing,
Nice poem. Thanks
I only thought that the only living creature on earth....big ears small brain belong to a "deep sea fish" called "Acanthonus armatus", living on the ocean floor at depths between 1,700 and 3,700 meters. This fish has the smallest brain weighing only 0.0035g with a body weight of 140g. Meaning, the brain of this fish makes up only 0.0247 per cent of its total body weight. And more...what this fish lacks in brain, it gains in its EARS !!
The inner ear of this fish is huge. Its semicircular canals and otolith are many times larger than its entire brain. This fish is not very active and does not need a large brain to survive.
With this information, now we know why a certain two-legged powerful creature with big ears and small brain can only listen, too small a brain to "walk the talk" and probably falls alseep most of the time, like the fish.
The next time, better vote for an elephant. Why? It has the biggest brain (average weight 6,000g) and comaparatively smaller ears.
Donkey with small ears
Jelus,
They have eyes and ears
but they lost their hearts!!
Maverick,
Thanks your notes
Your cares to what someone spoke.
Abuses need all to work
when obligations and Rights equally be talked!
or even housing project never be walked!
"flying with one Wing!"
Like the saying goes...
"If you torture data sufficiently, it will confess to almost anything"
Donkey,
Thanks for the great info on the fish. I have learn something.
Sharing,
What's that: "even housing projects equally be walked"? Puzzled... explain please.
Beer Anyone,
Great Quote! I'll use this.
Mave,
What are you trying to prove? No country in the world have 100% freedom. In these days of the indoctrination from the sky, those who control what gets to the people's eyes and ears have the better chance to influence people, and it is not confined to the govt alone. Since when are we free from any influence?
Muslims go to Tabika and Sekolah Agama, others to their own religious schools. From early on we send our young ones to kindergartens to get education? Indoctrination, education, influence, cultivation, preparation; those are just cousins and only differs in their degree of delivery.
Tarzan gets `indoctrinated' by the gorilla and jungle values. Americans are amongst the most indoctrinated groups of people and see threats in every nook and corner of the world besides the puffed up invincible image `indoctrinated' since young.
So, what's the point Mave? The Idi Amin example is laughable and we all know Army Generals are the most democratic of leaders, Musharaf not withstanding.
Maverick,
What basically happened is Human Rights been heavily abused! Including the auditing or monitoring of Rights and obligations. What basically concerned nearly everyone is Housing. So, exercise one rights or compelling the authorities to observe their obligations towards the normal people are Equally to be "monitored" or to be walked.
I hope this explains. Or a wording that was not precise?
So one eye better than two??
Sharing,
Thanks, and I understand better.
Gukita,
The posting is about "Survey" not about freedom.
Survey of a fraction of a "segment" of a population from selected participants is a great idea to get a great result to "prove" a point of contention. That's indoctrination of belief system via "schemed" information.
I agree that there is no 100% freedom. However, whatever freedom pursued can be benchmark using the United Nation Human Rights Convention as a comparative study. It is a universal declaration of Human Rights, not in absoluteness as viewed from your comments. I am not agreeable to 100% freedom of individuals as we are all part of a society and community we live in. However, the role and responsibility of government is to regulate and control using rules and laws in the interest of everyone, every citizen, not just the oligarchy or the interests of the ruling coalition.
Mave,
If I read it right, you're correlating survey and indoctrination; the survey being a means of indoctrination. Indoctrination meaning no freedom of thought, or rather manipulation of the thinking process. That relates to freedom. I concur to your acceptance of UN Human Rights convention as the standard. However, there is nothing in that convention (I think so) that prevents subtle means of indoctrination through media, education process even taught religious values (seen through the eyes of the religious authorities)..
Gukita,
You are right. I'm inferring survey and indoctrination and about the manipulation of the thinking process. That does relate to freedom of thoughts, not freedom per se as enshrined in the Constitution. Of course there is nothing in the Convention to prevent subtle indoctrination; however, it reflects the value system of a democratic system and the core value of a democratic system that made claim to comply to Islamic principles. Indoctrination of thoughts to misled or to achieve an unethical and unprincipled elements to camouflage weakness and cover up questionable integrity by a leader is but contrary to the teachings of the Holy Prophet, and made worse if the leader claimed to be a strict follower of the teaching professed in the Quran.
Mave,
I cannot agree more to that.
Expected racial issues to be fanned to satisfy their greed and lust for power.
You really think bolehland still got hope? Pardon me to be pessimistic. It's just a matter of time for hell to break loose.
Oldest trick in the world, this use of a survey. Unfortunately it always baits a few ignorant fish.
The premise is quite simple.
A democracy, when assumed to mean "the majority", thrives on the will of the majority or rather, majoritarian values. Hence, the utility of a survey is to present the purported "majority's" view. Hence, if it can be shown that the majority supports the government, it appears to legitimize the actions of the said government.
It certainly aids in indoctrination - if the government's actions are sanctioned by the majority, it stands to reason (one could say) that the government has put into place policies which the majority agrees with nevermind if those policies are able to withstand objective scrutiny. People are required, therefore, to think less about the substance of policies and merely focus on this "majoritarian" argument.
But the truth of the matter is, a democracy is not merely a matter of majority opinion, but a matter of the majority pushing into power politicians who protect the interests of the majority, from what I understand. If the interests of the majority coincide with the protection of minority interests, then the government of the day must take care of minority interests - because the majority wishes it.
Therein lies the rub: protection of minority interests like that of the orang asli and poverty-stricken Malay, Indian and Chinese Malaysians depends on the people believing that something must be done for them - and, naturally, it also depends on the government being socially responsible.
If the interests of the minority aren't being served, the majority must listen and must demand that the government do something about it.
Something is not right here ... Big Ears read?
This is where he gave the game away.
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