Monday, August 4, 2008

speak now...eh?

...or forever hold your peace...huh?

Don’t contest, says another Umno leader

KOTA BARU: A second Umno leader has come out to suggest the Barisan Nasional not contest in the Permatang Pauh by-election.

The first to do so was Kelantan Umno liaison committee chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa. Now, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad is saying it's pointless to contest since, on paper, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim could win handsomely.

“If the leadership insists on contesting as what Pak Lah (Prime Minister and Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) said earlier, I suggest we put an accounts supervisor or a local divisional committee member.

“There is support for Barisan but not enough. Anwar is a good orator. He sways the audience.”

Anwar would use the by-election campaign to defend the allegations of sexual misconduct, Dr Abdul Latiff claimed.

Dr Abdul Latiff, however, asserted he was presenting his personal viewpoint and that the final decision rested with the top leadership.

“If we give a walkover, the Election Commission would save a lot. There would not be any slander and more importantly, we will not fall into Anwar’s scheming ways.

“For me, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s move to resign from the seat is more of a surrender of power from wife to husband. Nothing great.

“He chose to contest in his stronghold at the expense of his wife,” Dr Abdul Latiff said yesterday at the launch of the state-level health carnival.

On the increase in tuberculosis cases, he said the rise, was connected to the flood of foreign workers.

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Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Yes, we need to speak out. Reckon that is why more and more people are speaking now rather than letting their grudges simmer to a boil within. Rather than begrudgingly holding their peace, whatever that means. Everybody has an opinion. Everybody is against or for something. And they do not shy away from voicing out their arguments. Pro-government bloggers had voiced out their arguments. Pro-opposition bloggers had had theirs. Those in between also jumped on the bandwagon. Politicians from both divides scrambled to be heard. So the question is, are we truly becoming an opinionated society or are we speaking just for the sake of speaking? As some of the things that came out of our mouths are truly amazing that they are beyond comprehension or belief. Some people are just not using their gray matter prior to using their vocal cords.

So what do you make of them comments by the good doctor? That Anwar will win Permatang Pauh regardless? That the oh-so-efficient-machinery of the Barisan Nasional government would rather do an ostrich than put up a decent fight? Would that impress those foreign investors the government is trying hard to woo in this very trying period?

Accounts supervisor? So what if he or she won? Will the good doctor vacate his ministerial position as an appreciation for the back from the dead win? At least when that future deputy health minister speaks, we won't be expecting that much.

And tuberculosis was connected to the huge influx of foreign workers? So what is FOMEMA doing? Why are these sickly foreigners being hired in the first place? Are we that desperate for workers that we just let all and sundry into our country? Let the Barisan Nasional politicians use their scheming ways on the people, rather than let us fall for Anwar's scheming ways.
It's easy to point the blame elsewhere but it's definitely very difficult to own up.

So how much would the Election Commission save from a 'walkover'? Enough to fully subsidise petrol and diesel again? I remember that St Paul Institution rugby team in 1982. They would rather be trashed 0-84 than humiliate their school by giving us a walkover. But we were just schoolboys then. What do we know about politics? We were just doing what our teachers and coaches told us to do. Train hard and play our hearts out. For the school's honour. We did that. Them Saint Paul dudes did just that. Personal injuries notwithstanding.

And that the good doctor is also a product of the same school made me heart bled. At least the information minister managed to face the music and danced his dance. And not forgetting that other guy, God bless his soul, who came out the worse against Mona Fandey. Wonder if these are the best the school has to offer UMNO. But then again, maybe UMNO deserves them.

Reckon I should hold my peace.


2 comments:

Saya... said...

I like the matter of fact way the good doctor mentions that TB is due to the influx of foreign workers...and so? Doesn't he see that something is definitely wrong here?

Will he realise that even if we threw some of that dried poop in his face?

Or is he going to wait till there is an epidemic of the resistant type-TB? The maybe less of Msians left to complain...

tarings said...

Well, politicians need to be thick-skinned. But reckon most are thick-skulled as well.

Sigh...