Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Virtue of Selfishness

Ayn Rand was right! Ethics is not a mystic fantasy - nor a social convention - nor a dispensable, subjective luxury.

Ethic is an objective necessity of man's survival - not by the grace of the supernatural nor of your neighbors nor of your whims, but by the grace of reality and the nature of life.

This applies to political realities.

PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa said although there was no formal pact with the DAP, the Islamist party decided to offer a exco post in the Kedah state cabinet to the DAP. “It is our way of schowing our gratitude for their support to the loose coalition and also the support that PAS had received from the Chinese,” Husam said.

However, Mentri Besar and state PAS commissioner Azizan Abdul Razak did not include a DAP representative in the state exco list despite party vice-president Datuk Husam Musa saying otherwise.

Kedah sole DAP representative Lee Guan Aik who won the Kota Darul Aman seat said his nomination was dropped because the state PKR objected.

There are only one reason that can be observed: PKR do not want to give any of those Exco Seats agreed earlier between PKR-PAS to DAP and expect PAS to sacrifice one from their agreed allotment. PAS sees it the same way; so DAP got nothing.

This is the first sign of love for power and greed within the BR; it is insidious and contagious. There is lack of selflessness and lack of virtue. Power is afterall the name of the game in politics and political might.

Datuk Husam, have you got any idea?

I hope the DAP Chinese would be gracious enough to let a Malay be MB of Perak. The MB post can be nothing if he doesn't gets the support from his Exco members and DAP will be occupying the majority in the Exco. It is ideal for a minority in a coalition to be made the MB or CM just like the Japanese political system; that way, the power of the majority can be exercised to remove that man if he is incompetent or had failed to perform.

Minorities rights can only be protected by the people who holds the majority in a community or political system. In England and Europe and America, you hear of the White MPs defending the rights of the Blacks in Parliament and even in football. In Malaysia we hear of UMNO who is the majority of the various races threatening the minorities with the Keris and still claimed that they didn't. In Kelantan, we hear of PAS leaders who openly declare that they would defend any Chinese if they are attacked by any Malays of which, the Malays in Kelantan would never thought of doing so as they treat the Chinese as their own.

Why can't the DAP Penang and Lim Guan Eng openly declare that they would help all those poor and needy Malays in Penang without reservation, and would expose any threats from the rich Malays who seeks political patronages and handouts, thereby depriving the poor and needy Malays of their benefits? If every state leaders would openly declare that they would defend and protect the minorities in every aspects, then those paranoias and phobias of the various races would subside into oblivion. This would then give rise to the beginning of a one and only Bangsa Malaysia.

15 comments:

CHI said...

The new Penang state govt has declared policy direction similar to what you have mentioned in your last para. NEP will be scrapped for Penang but affirmative actions which is not race-based will be initiated.

Maverick SM said...

Allen,

Ya, I do observe but I just felt Guan Eng is not making some public stand to help to eliminate the paranoias.

Anonymous said...

PKR objected to the DAP Kedah offer because PKR has two Chinese Kedahans in the Assembly and the DAP man was said to "represent Chinese interests." So, PKR said how will he represent Chinese interests when PKR Kedah has two Chinese State assemblymen. And anyway, PAS didn't giveout the seat but took 7 and gave PKR 3. Yet the Chinese DAP man was to get one of the 3. PKR objected to it and said if the question is about Chinese, then PKR has a Chinese man and he should take over and they appointed him alongside an Indian and one Malay. So PKR Kedah appointed one Malay, one Indian and one Chinese to the State Exco.

Anonymous said...

Hmm...since this article is posted up on The Star, I'm inclined to take it with a VERY large grain of salt. I'd wait for more reliable reports from Malaysia-Today or Malaysiakini first.

Although we may think that BN is greatly weakened in the recent elections, I'm sure they're already planning their comeback for the 13th GE. And what better way then to start sowing the seeds of uncertainty now among the people in these new opposition states?

These reports are worded in a such an insidious way as to shake the confidence of some who had voted for the Barisan Rakyat, making them worry that they've made the wrong choice.

For now, it's best to just wait and see what the final decisions of the Sultan of Perak and Selangor are. I'm confident that whatever the outcome is, the coalition of PAS-PKR-DAP will fully support the new state gov.

It'd be good to not speculate too much on this imagined in-fighting, racial "unfairness" or sour grapes, etc...cause these half-truths and unconfirmed rumours will just breed suspicion and discontent.

If we allow this small matter to divide us, then we'll just be foolishly playing to the BN's sabotage again. Just be calm and patient.

Anonymous said...

Agree with you. He shld make a public stand to quash the opportunists. Ppl are uneasy with change. Some calming moves do help.

CK said...

1st : whatever shown in msm should be taken with few doubts and wait for official news from the parties involved.

2nd : plsssss.... stop bickering on seats. remember the 3 DUN candidate of penang from gerakan? they end up not having to worry for the CM seat!!!

Anonymous said...

Dear Marverick;

I think PKR Kedah in the right tract.
Please observe three corner compitition BN, PKR and DAP at State seat Derga, you will see that DAP is not suit for EXCO post in Kedah. If without DAP 'kacau daun' PKR will have another seat.

Azzam

Anonymous said...

why can't they (PAS, PKR and DAP) publish the list of exco members to dispel any rumour?

Anonymous said...

Tiada masalah timbul antara DAP, KeADILan dan PAS di Kedah - Tian Chua


Intan Abdullah
Wed | Mar 12, 08 | 04:53:36 PM
KUALA LUMPUR. HarakhDaily

Tiada masalah yang timbul antara KeADILan dan DAP dalam peruntukan satu kerusi kepada DAP dalam kabinet kerajaan Kedah yang disepakati antara PAS, KeADILan dan DAP.

Perkara tersebut disahkan oleh Ketua Penerangan KeADILan, Tian Chua yang menyatakan bahawa tidak ada isu yang berbangkit mengenai perlantikan tersebut.

"Semuanya telah selamat diselesaikan, selepas upacara angkat sumpah. Tiada masalah antara PAS, KeADILan dan DAP," ujarnya ketika dihubungi Harakahdaily.

Tegasnya, hal tersebut sengaja disensasikan oleh pihak yang sengaja mahu mencetuskan isu yang tidak wujud.

"Saya sedar terdapat banyak usaha untuk memecah belahkan pakatan tiga parti ini kerana iri hati dengan kemenangan yang telah dicapai.

"Namun, saya tetap percaya dengan muafakat dan kematangan kepimpinan ketiga-tiga parti ini akan berjaya mengatasi cabaran di peringkat permulaan ini," ujarnya lagi.

Kabinet Kerajaan Kedah telah selesai dibentuk dengan satu jawatan Exco dikhususkan untuk wanita, iaitu Adun PAS daripada Merbau Pulas Aishah Ghazali.

Enam lagi Adun Pas yang dilantik ialah Ir. Phahrolrazi Zawawi (Pengkalan Kundor), Mohd. Taulan Mat Rasul (Tokai), Ir. Amiruddin Hamzah (Anak Bukit), Dr. Hamdan Mohamed Khalib (Tanjong Dawai), Abdullah Jusoh (Pantai Merdeka) dan Dr. Ismail salleh (Alor Mengkudu).

Tiga Adun KeADILan pula terdiri daripada Adun Bebas yang menyertai parti berkenaan, V. Arumugam (Bukit Selambau), Mohd. Razhi Salleh (Lunas) dan Tan Wei Xu (Bakar Arang).

Arena Green said...

It'll be sad if PKR/DAP/PAS leaders play the same race game. But I agree with Mave that in dismantling the NEP, there is no need to shout your intentions from the rooftop.

There are many ways to uplift the socio-economic positions of the Malays without continuing a policy which benefits only Umnoputras and at the same time blatantly discriminates against fellow Malaysians.

Anonymous said...

Perak gets PAS MB.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, doc, I don't understand all this state exco bwahahahaa.

What are the roles of state exco vs state assembly man? If they are mean to assist the State government, than it doesn't matter who get it, even outsider can be given a place. If possible, they should free up or make new exco seat for neutral representatives.

Maverick SM said...

CHP,

I agree with you that the mainstream media is spinning aggressively to belittle BR.

But if BR acts sincerely and fairly on issues affecting the races, and prove that they are truly multi-racial system, willing to work as a team, and there's absence of power-play, internal bickering and greed, I believe there's nothing for the main media to stab them.


Hasilox,

Ya, Gerakan solved its problem with regard to the post of CM; no more quarrel.

Azzam,

You points are relevant but you must also see various other seats where PKR refuse to budge.

Anak Merdeka,

Ya, and I believe it is good.

Maverick SM said...

Moo_t,

State Excos are basically cabinet members who makes executive decisions while assemblymen only voice or vote at state assembly on issues.

Anonymous said...

Many have already feel and see how PAS rules Terengganu.
Look the same thing going to happen in Kedah with the early remark from PAS MB.