Changing rules
Mar 25th, 2008 by Tian
Over all the years ruled by the BN, it has been the norm that rules are changed to suit the rulers.
The new “Law Minister” Zaid Ibrahim is now talking about enacting the anti-hopping law. Is the objective of the proposal to protect the legitimate voices of the people/voters?
It seems that UMNO-BN is very anxious about its fate. The leadership can no longer trust its legislators and are anxious that some of them might hop into other parties.
I don’t think the anti-hoping law could do anything to keep legislators loyal to their party. I think the issue is electoral corruption rather than party hopping.
KeADIlan and our allies totally oppose the use of money or position to ‘buy’ opponents over. I would support an enactment to tighten the law in catching any attempts to “buy-over”. However I would be very reluctant to legislate against any form of party hopping or switching.
We must also consider the practicality of the legislation. Let’s consider the following hypothetical possibilities:
1) an independent candidate who has won the election decides to join a political party;
2) a PAS MP decides to join KeADILan if PAS decides to quit the coalition;
3) an MCA MP is sacked by the central leadership for criticizing Umno;
4) the party which an MP belongs dissolves itself and its legislators have to join another party;
5) supposing GERAKAN decides to leave the BN coalition on the grounds that Umno is not upholding the founding principles of multiracial democracy etc.
If we disallow legislators from changing parties in situations such as the above, representative democracy loses its meaning. Individual legislators would be totally at the mercy of their party leadership and could never act according to individual conscience or judgment.
Yea, with you on this, Tian. A light one:
http://malaysiancartoons.blogspot.com/2008/03/hisappudding-where-art-thou.html
Oops, posted the wrong toons (earlier post)
Yea, with you on this, Tian. A light on:
http://malaysiancartoons.blogspot.com/2008/03/frogs-malaysiakini.html
BN said: Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may prevent him from fighting …. WE SHALL SET THE RULES OF THE GAME!
Government in Waiting said: If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.
If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way.
By discovering the enemy’s dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy’s must be divided.
The People said: BN think they have won the battle but the fact is they have lost the war …they have lost the TRUST and FAITH of their people in this country.
Ever since Lim Guan Eng became the CM of Penang, Goh Ban Kee of The Sun has been on his case. GBK is apparently unhappy that LGE has decided to waive the MPPP summonses issued before March 8, 2008. GBK claims that what LGE did is unlawful. Do you know that many of us were unjustly issued summonses by over zealous MPPP enforcement officers for parking at expired parking meters when the meters itself were faulty? These officers didn’t even bother to check the parking meters to see if they were working in the first place!
The DAP-PKR Coalition is barely 2 weeks old and this dick head is already going after them. Do you know folks that Goh Ban Kee used to be a Penang Municipal Councillor? GBK like all the other ass kissers in the BN did nothing to stop UMNO from plundering the State when they were office bearers. My question to Goh MonKey is, what were your contributions to the State when you were the MPPP Councillor? What can you be remembered for?
The Penang State Government should be commended for reviewing projects like PGCC and Gurney Paragon. Instead of commending the new Penang State Government for their efforts, this oxymoron Goh Ban Kee keeps harping on the summons issue. The only thing I can say to this idiot is “Keris my ass!”
http://margeemar.blogspot.com
I totally agree with you saudara Tian Chua. The BN government have all the time in the world to enact such legislature in the past but amazingly the idea only struck them after the 8/3 tsunami. I believe the rakyat is the best safeguard against ‘unreasonable’ hopping. The wakil rakyat has to face his voters. If they disapprove he won’t stand a chance again in the political arena. Ultimately it is a choice of conscience.
Btw, saw you in Kulai on saturday, your speech is by far the most constructive one. Just hope the folks there appreciate your content rather than the racist points raise by the others.
I agree with you. It is typical of the BN government (read UMNO) to come up with ad-hoc rules and regulations to cover a leak when there are a thousand leaks. Nothing that this stupid UMNO party has done over the last 50 years has seen deep holistic thinking, But then again look at the quality of the UMNO goons who are in decision-making positions…..there is more echo between those idiots’ ears than the grand canyon !!!
Democracy allows people to disagree
With party views and policies
The party leaders shouldn’t be allowed to usurp
The Federal Constitution of personal freedom and associations
BN wants to introduce Anti-Hopping Law
Is it to rule over its members to hop over?
Elected representatives by the people
Surely they must represent them
And not to bow to the party leaders
The elected representatives must have the liberty
To say what is right and what is wrong
The voters who put them there must not be short-changed
The representatives shouldn’t say they must follow party rules
When dealing with laws affecting the people
The law makers must stand for the voters
When in Parliament House this is what they must do
The voters put them there to fight for them
And the future of the country’s direction
They are not there to curtail personal freedom
The exercise of freedom of one’s needs
So I won’t support Anti-Hopping Law
We are adults we should be allowed to change
Fighting for the constituents a must for the elected representative
It must be always for the country and her people
Its very interesting when people beat the gun and say many things before it actually happens. There are numerous letters appeared, carrying thinly veiled attack on Anwar in Malaysiakini for showing his readiness to accept party hoppers. My suggestion is.. relax guys.. Anwar is just protecting his party by saying that many “frogs” about to hop in as to prevent some of his own man chasing the dangling BN carrot. By saying we are the government in waiting, he actually promotes the notion that “if you go now, later you will become opposition again”.
Now, is the election in Sabah is legitimate as we all perceived as it is.? Will all us agree, in the next election if Barisan Nasional brings in one million foreigners (with mykad) and evenly distribute them all over Penang to make sure its with Umno and not other Chinese dominated party.? If after the election some Barisan MP’s wanted to cross over to opposition as their conscience is pricking; will it be morally wrong or they should still kow tow to the “instant Malaysians”. Sometimes justice comes in a weird package.
Discussing why UMNO/BN want to prevent party hopping at this time is totally pointless, unless your objective is UMNO-bashing. I prefer to examine the ethical issues.
Tian Chua identifies some valid situations where party hopping may be justified. But we also are well aware that the freedom to hop has been abused to steal power. This situation will not change in the near future. There are many instances where freedoms have been restricted or removed because people abuse the system. That is a fact of life that we have to accept. Politics is no exception.
The bottom line here is the will of the people who voted. GE12 was radically different from previous elections in that people voted for opposition parties irrespective of the race or party affiliation of the candidate. Let us not delude ourselves that it was otherwise. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that those people voting for BN candidates wanted BN to stay in power.
If we now accept BN turncoats, we are helping them to break the trust of their electorate. That is unethical. By doing that, we put ourselves at the same level as the BN parties.
I suggest one of 2 solutions.
1. The person resigns his seat and seeks a fresh mandate in a by-election.
2. The person leaves his party and remains an independent, voting according to his conscience.
Both of these solutions will help us evade the ethical dilemma and demonstrate the higher moral ideal that we strive for.
But if the urgency of taking over the federal government is given precedence, then we are no better than BN!
You have your points. However, consider this:
When I vote, my decision is based on many criteria. This include the candidate himself/herself, his/her party and the “macro” situation then.
An anti-hopping law will do more good than harm. All your points can be countered in one act: Should the person changing his/her mind and want to hop, he/she shall resigned. He/she can then re-contest the seat. Let the people decide. GO BACK TO RAKYAT.
The new Law Minister is just trying to divert attention of in-fighting with Umno….where the days are numbered. From his suggestion, it’s clear that the governing authority is ’sleeping on the job’ for far too long.
Such is a failed and authority which had been punished by the voters in 2008GE. If ‘this mob’ cannot run the country, pls let others have a go. It’s a fair go for the opposition who had won such a big margin.
Sdr Tian Chua,Sdr Faisal Tehrani ( http://tehranifaisal.blogspot.com/ ) is writing one of his best critical novel series thru his blog and there is one women character in that novel is looking for your phone number.
The theme for that series is straight forward and I hope that you’ll able to spend your precious time with him and give your phone number directly to kak Sal, the women that looking for your phone number.
I think we have to carefully consider the implications of such a law or lack of. We have been many times fooled by an MP’s broken promises; consider if the people choose an MP for which is represents the Party’s ideals, e.g. an elected MP for PKR, if we voted for PKR because of the ideals for which PKR stands for then he hops over to BN. Won’t that be cheating the people?
I believe the Anti-Hopping Law could serve the people better, if an MP decides to leave a political parti; that will force a by-election. Whereby, this will allow the people to endorse the fact that if the that the MP still represents the people who voted for him if he joins the otherside; this will allow the Party who is loosing the seat, to substitue another candidate to contest the seat. Which means, if the new candidate gets elected then the people is following the party; if the people votes for the MP who choose to cross over gets reelected then that means the people is following the personality. In the end, it is the people’s choice who will represent them in government.
We have to remember that MPs are people’s representatives; if he no longer represent the people’s views and desires very likely so there should be a by-election to allow the people to select a new MP.
Go amend the federal constitution. Let the YBs who wish to defect resign first but allow them to re-contest. Win win situation for both rakyat and MPs/Aduns.
BTW, Sabah had this anti-hop law but then Tun Mahathir led Umno/BN challenged them in court and the state lost. What goes around comes around. Umno/BN is losing the federal government and desperately want to hang on to power. In the case of Sabah, Umno/BN staged a power grab by challenging the anti-hop law.
True enough, PBS lost power and Umno/BN regained Sabah. Lets see some by-elections and vote out BN completely.
Whatever law the idiot Umnoputra are talking are just ALL BUT DAMN BULLSHIT.Just throw those suckers OUT.PERIOD.