Selamat Hari Malaysia

Selamat Hari Malaysia!

Two score and five years ago, yadayadayada blah blah blah... Yep, Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore formed Malaysia on this date in 1963, which was also Lee Kuan Yew's 40th birthday. (Makes you wonder why it never actually happened on August 31, 1963!)

So, the man who coined Malaysian Malaysia is 85 now and is a Singaporean, the independent tiny red dot and shopping mall with a United Nations membership. And where are we today?

Tricked into thinking that we wake up today to a country with a different government, a new and fresh approach to politics where meritocracy rules but natives are still taken care of, and what-have-you... oh yes, petrol prices will be 70 sens cheaper. Right!

It hasn't happened yet. Anwar Ibrahim promises to reveal names today and has sent a letter to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for a peaceful transition of power. Really? Bold, brazen, he has gumption, cojones and as most schleps would say, chutzpah!

But we are still in a land where petrol is 2.55 ringgit a litre, Teresa Kok and Raja Petra Kamaruddin are both still under investigations for a maximum of 60 days under the Internal Security Act while Hindraf leaders spend another day of two years in Kamunting under the same law.

And race and religion is still an issue although for the rest of the world, the turmoil in the world financial markets and sinking US lenders and merchant bankers hold more interest than these orchestral manouveres in the dark and dingy world of Malaysian politics.

Dr Mahathir griped about this as much as he grumbles about the lack of life in Putrajaya's main boulevard and lack of leadership under the giant green onion dome that used to be his office.

(You do know that the onion dome is just not form but also function - it serves to store the dirt under the carpet from his years in administration and makes you wonder why Abdullah has some sinus issues).

Be that as it may, the Siber Party of Malayia (M) believes we wake up today in the same manner our brethren across the South China Sea and south of the Johor Causeway did 45 years ago, nothing new but with a sense of freedom and optimism for a future that we will shape ourselves.

Abdullah, Anwar, Najib, Dr Mahathir are the catalysts for us to make the change for a better Malaysia, if not a Malaysian Malaysia.

For sure, Dr Mahathir's views still hold great traction among us because the crop of wannabes like Hishamuddin, Khairy, Husam, Liow, Sothinathan, Nur Jazlan, Tony Pua, Nasharuddin, Sulaiman Taib and the rest of the younger set have not put forth their views well.

We need opinions. We need vision. We need leadership.

The Siber Party of Malaysia (M) is here with the rest of Malaysia for a Malaysia founded on September 16, 1963.

A question of Leadership

The hangover following the March 8 polls is not leaving any of us in a hurry.

The Pakatan Rakyat grabbed five states and denied Barisan Nasional its taken-for-granted two-thirds parliamentary majority by eight seats. Nine today if you consider poor Joseph Kurup's defeat in election court after winning unopposed on Nomination Day.

The score is 139-81, one Independent, one in abeyance.

But more than that, we will finally observe and not ignore Malaysia Day this year. Not because Malaysia was formed 45 years ago but due to Anwar Ibrahim's promise to take power with the help of at least 30 MPs from the BN. 

We wonder if any of the 49 bound for Taiwan are among the 30 or 40 he thinks has joined the exodus from the winning team of March 8, BN, to the losing team PR.

The tipping point could be the question of leadership especially in the face of one Ahmad Ismail's rant in the heat of campaigning during the Permatang Pauh by-election. Do we allow one man to tell us the history of Malaysia?

Of course, we should all be upset. As he is now that his Umno party seems to be losing control of Malaysia to "squatters" as he calls them. Then again, he should know that Malaysia or Malaya would not exist without the alliance of the three major races in Malaya and later Malaysia with the consent of the people of Sabah and Sarawak.

Do the leaders of Umno know this? Do Umno members think governing Malaysia is their birth right that even some, if not all, of the state constitutions say only Malay Muslims can be chief ministers and such?

All this boils down to a question of leadership in Umno, and by extension BN, or for that matter the allies within PR. How far will they go to allow extreme voices speak in the wilderness or bring them in line with mainstream political thinking of compromise and cooperation?

Is anyone less racist for helping others in election campaigns? Is anyone more racist for harping on squatters and their lesser right to run the nation? Are we a nation of racists who cannot tolerate racists?

The Siber Party of Malaysia (M) believes in Malaysia and that it has no place for racists. Ahmad Ismail and his ilk have their right to free speech but also face the right to hear what others say about them. It is easy to blame the media but they should know that what they say have repercussions.

Going racial, insular and parochial in a time of change is as Samuel Johnson said, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel". Ahmad Ismail, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Abdul Razak best remember that.

We are looking for heroes at a time of change when uncertainty rules. Not zeroes.

Another Bum Rap for Anwar?

No! We are not referring to some rap of sorts - they call it dance rock - by some DJ duo recently.

We are talking about Sodomy II as it is referred to these days. Like the Gulf War, later called Gulf War I when another Bush went for Gulf War II. Were there reasons for another Gulf War? George W. Bush thought so.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad, mentor-turned-nemesis to Anwar Ibrahim - before that Musa Hitam and after that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - thought there were reasons for Sodomy II.

Be that as it may, here we go again with another round of sexual misconduct allegations on the eve of an international sporting event. Sex and Malaysian politics too are spectator sports and not sideshows - like the Commonwealth Games 1998 and the Olympic Games 2008.

So many have discussed it in the court of public opinion, as they did a decade ago, and yes it does look like a rehash of the 1998 script but Anwar Ibrahim appears to have more sympathisers on his side even if there are lesser people taking to the streets.

The Siber Party of Malaysia (M) thinks the March 8 elections is the catalyst for this change in support from the streets to the hearts. The vote and the power is with the people and the politicians cannot act just for their own interests.

Those tone-deaf to the people will find themselves in a blind date with destiny. The courts can decide on law but justice is the wish of the people and we figure Permatang Pauh on August 26 will make the choice for Putrajaya on September 16.

But let's not have another Groundhog Day, another moment of deja vu. We don't think we can imagine another round of accusations and balaclava-clad men jumping on Anwar in 10 years time.

Let's have a change in script. Let's have changes for the people of Malaysia.

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