Say What? Ketuanan Rakyat? - Aktivis Reformasi

What seems to have escaped the MB is that it also gives the impression of a government wanting to make wanton use of constitutional amendments to cover up its own leadership shortcomings and incompetence. How different then is a Pakatan Rakyat government from any other ruling party in its blase attitude towards the sanctity of the constitution?

by Aktivis Reformasi at AktivisReformasi.net

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It has indeed been a strange and surreal one month in Selangor. You have the spectacle of a state government grappling with the problem of having as its top civil servant a person who is not to its liking. And all the time while doing this, it had neither the courage nor the honesty to admit what the real problem is. Thus, it is like trying to untie a bothersome knot without knowing where the ends of the rope are. You'll just end up looking like a fool.

The real problem that the Menteri Besar of Selangor has to contend with is not Mohd Khusrin Munawi, per se, but rather the poor relations that the MB has with the palace. Had the palace decided that it would agree with the advice of the MB to change the recent appointment of the state secretary after the slip-up caused by the MB's own tardiness in responding to the Public Service Commission's request for the state's list of nominees, the impasse would have been broken or wouldn't have arisen in the first place.

So because he didn't have the courage or the honesty to admit to his failings, the MB went about to untie the knot without knowing where the ends of the rope are. Muddle-headedness and blunders inevitably ensued.

The first was to succumb and dance to the opportunistic tune of his political detractors that anything which smacks of being critical of the palace constitutes sedition or derhaka (treachery). This is a total misreading of public sentiment on the matter. The MB seems to have forgotten that when Mahathir Mohamad pushed through the 1993 constitutional amendments on the role of the monarchy, cheered on by his ever so willing deputy Anwar Ibrahim, support for the amendments was enormous from both sides of the political divide. No one accused anyone of being treacherous. The public did and probably still do want the monarchy's role to be limited and better defined constitutionally.

In the present state secretary impasse, however, his detractors' opportunistic pro-royalty stance was vociferous enough to cow the MB into deciding that it was politically unpalatable for his party to even let out a whimper calling for the palace to stick to constitutional forms and conventions. From then on, everything that happened was in the realm of charades with all sides involved assiduously ignoring the elephant in the room; which was the deviation from constitutional conventions.

The second blunder was to personalize the impasse into the person of Mohd Khusrin. Despite its past disdain for his actions when he was the head of the state religious department, the state government should have had the discipline and clarity of thought to maintain that the issue at hand was not about the personality appointed but the manner by which the appointment was made. That is to say, had the best civil servant in the country been appointed as state secretary in the same said manner, the state government would still have objected because constitutional norms and conventions had not been abided with. But to take such a principled stand, sadly, seems to be a notion so very alien to a government which purports to be the champion of Reformasi and Ketuanan Rakyat.

The third blunder was to resort to amending the state constitution to grant more powers to the palace in the appointment of the top three civil service posts on the state. By what strange logic such a move would solve the MB's problematic relationship with the palace, no one could fathom. That the attempt would fail must certainly had been anticipated by the state government. So the exercise of a special sitting to amend the state's constitution could be put down as a feeble attempt in political point-scoring and to 'democratize' the impasse by trapping the state assemblymen from the opposition to declare whether they are 'pro-rakyat' or otherwise, in accordance to the MB's perverted sense of logic. That's putting it kindly.

What seems to have escaped the MB is that it also gives the impression of a government wanting to make wanton use of constitutional amendments to cover up its own leadership shortcomings and incompetence. How different then is a Pakatan Rakyat government from any other ruling party in its blase attitude towards the sanctity of the constitution?

After all have been said and done, the state government is back at square one and nowhere near solving the impasse. Astonishingly, the MB now appears amenable to having Mohd Khusrin as the state secretary. So what was the previous one month all about? One can only assume that he's finally realised that he has been trying to untie a knot without knowing where the ends of the rope are – and has only managed to look like a fool in the process.

If there is one lesson from all these, it is that if we want Ketuanan Rakyat and genuine Reformasi, we won't get it from spineless and gormless political leaders, such as the ones you have in the Selangor state government. My sympathies go out to all those honest folk who really thought those same politicians had the courage and competence to achieve those goals. God permitting, the truth about these pretenders to the throne will be revealed sooner rather than later.



AKTIVIS REFORMASI

Perhimpunan Hormati Suara Rakyat Selangor di Stadium Kelana Jaya

Kempen mendaftar pengundi baru di pintu masuk
Stadium Kelana Jaya. Ayuh ramai-ramai daftar
jadi pengundi (kalau belum daftar lagi).

Kempen 'Malaysians for Teoh Beng Hock'.
Keadilan mesti ditegakkan.

Preparing for the show!

4pm: crowd dalam 100 orang. Masih ada yang masuk.
Penganjur mengharapkan kehadiran dalam 10,000 orang.

Stage dah siap. VIP tak sampai lagi. 

Hujan sudah mulai turun di Stadium Kelana Jaya.
Yang hadir semua berpusu-pusu ke grandstand.
Sudah 4.30 ptg. Program belum mula lagi.

Tempat duduk VIP. Masih banyak kerusi kosong.

Persembahan dari Kumpulan Cempaka Drumcircle.
Musik untuk joget, tapi takda orang berjoget.
Hujan dah reda. Ramai turun ke padang.

Kereta para YB. Aktivis datang berkongsi duit petrol.

Faekah Husin, Setiausaha Politik MB Selangor
hadir menyampaikan salam Tan Sri Khalid,
yang tidak dapat hadir. Memang ada gaya MB. 

Prof. Aziz Bari beri penjelasan isu perlantikan
Setiausaha Kerajaan Selangor dari sudut undang-undang.
"Raja juga tertakluk pada undang-undang
walau berperanan pengimbang kuasa kerajaan." 

Presiden JIM & AJK Bersih 2.0,  Zaid Kamaruddin.
"Suara rakyat mesti dihormati pemerintah, parti-parti politik.
Kerana rakyat pilih kerajaan."

Hujan turun lagi. Penganjur minta crowd naik ke grandstand.
Yang tegar bukak payung. Hujan yang turun adalah lumrah alam,
tiada kena mengena dgn tulah/murka Sultan.

Kempen kumpul tandatangan untuk Teoh Beng Hock
dan pendaftaran pengundi baru giat dijalankan.

Persembahan musik oleh Sdr. Nik Jidin.

Pengerusi BERSIH, Dato' Ambiga bagi speech.
"Kita berhimpun tunjukkan hak kita sebagai rakyat."

Barisan pemimpin yang hadir.
Pemimpin, ahli Exco PKR tidak kelihatan.

Giliran Khalid Samad pula. "Dato' Ramly
(bekas SUK Selangor) khianat sebab bakar fail
untuk hilangkan bukti salahlaku UMNO".

MB Nizar berikrar akan turut bantu pertahankan hak
rakyat Selangor.  "Ampun Tuanku, sembah patik
harap diampun. Patik mohon sembah derhaka"

Haris Ibrahim: "Sultan jangan derhaka kepada rakyat".

Wakil mahasiswa berucap, lahirkan sokongan.
Program berakhir pukul 7 petang.

Ulasan langsung perhimpunan Hormati Suara Rakyat Selangor di twitter.com/salamreform

Who will lead Pakatan Rakyat? - Hussein Abdul Hamid

All of us want to lead!!!

Lady Macbeth: 
Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then
'tis time to do't.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and
afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our
pow'r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought the old man to
have had so much blood in him?

Macbeth Act 5, scene 1, 26–40

Has there has ever been any doubt that DSAI will lead PR into battle with BN? And if PR wins would it not be DSAI who will be Prime Minister? Any doubt in whose mind?

For me DSAI is where he is now by default. There is no one else. Let me rephrase that. There is no other Malay within PR that could seriously give DSAI a run for his money. Malaysia being what it is, it is politically incorrect not to have a Malay as Prime Minister! Sickening but true! Zaid had delusions of grandeur but his approach was flawed from day one. He simply could not play politics at street level. Azmin saw him as a threat and went about the business of neutralizing him with the practised ease of season politicians. Much like what Mahathir did to DSAI a while back.

Is DSAI the Leader PR must have? We now know that PKR is not the alternative to UMNO. What happened in PKR recent party elections is also what happens in UMNO elections but without its refinements and with some parts borrowed from MIC –overt intimidation and harassment of candidates and their supporters. One member one vote is a no brainer when only a very small number of members turn up to cast their votes – a damming indictment of what the members thought of their party elections. Semua telah di atur! Imagine this being allowed to happen on a national scale!

What about PKR in Selangor? Even with Khalid (a man scrupulously honest) Selangor has been beset with in-fighting from within PKR and attacks from UMNO and civil servants within the State government machinery that have managed to stifle many of Khalid’s initiatives to effect change in the state. Here my emphasis is more on UMNO being successful then on Khalid being able to counter these sabotage attempts.

It is PKR that must take responsibility for helping UMNO do their dirty work by not supporting Khalid endeavours to bring good governance to Selangor. Instead the party faithfuls are clamouring for Khalid’s removal from office because he refused to pander to their demands for contracts and business opportunity from the state government.

What we want to see from DSAI are solutions. Appointing Azmin head of Selangor PKR is not a solution to Khalids problem–it is another problem created! Having DSAI as Selangor’s Economic Advisor makes things more difficult for Khalid. Both these appointments weakens Khalid politically. DSAI as PKR defacto leader is failing Khalid. We are privy to all this shennagins. What do you think we make of it all? What will happen if DSAI is Prime Minister? If a Ketua Bahagian is at loggerheads with his MB, are they to go to DSAI over the head of the MB for sympathy and support? Imagine the chaos this will cause. You will be so busy sweating the small stuff that you will not have time to attend to national issue.

One reason why the Malays are unable to compete on a level playing field with others in higher education is because they are not proficient in English. As Minister of Education DSAI introduced Bahasa Melayu as the lingua franca. He did so for political reasons - to play to the gallery of those Penjuang Bahasa Melayu. We can now see what havoc it has wreck upon the ability of the Malays to cope when they go overseas to further their education.

Khalid is going ahead with the proposed constitutional amendment in Selangor because he said that UMNO committed treason in 1993 when they took away the Sultan powers on a number of matter – including the appointment of the SS. I suggest Khalid revisits 1993 and find out whom Mahathir sent to fight his battle with the Sultans for him – it was DSAI. And DSAI did the work of making the Sultan understand that UMNO will do what they want. DSAI then is guilty of treason. And who wants to give these Sultan back anything?

And now the elephant in the room that PR ignores. Sodomy allegations against DSAI. It is inconceivable to many of us that DSAI had committed sodomy–not when he has been through hell with Sodomy One. But what if he himself does not understand or know what he does? There have been too many smoking guns – Saiful and others included – to ignore this aspect of DSAI. I think it bears further investigations. There might be a medical explanation of this – a split personality syndrome perhaps – that there is a dark side of DSAI that even he himself does not know of – what else us!

I am speaking of these issues now because these are matters that must be spoken and discussed by all good men who have the interest of our country at heart. It is enough that we now have a Prime Minister who many of us feel is involved in the murder of Altantuya. We have an Ambassador in Washington that has questionable morality issue. And now a Minister in cabinet who has yet to clear himself satisfactorily of rape allegations. They all need to understand that these allegations will not go away without due legal process to clear themselves – the people demand this and it is the right thing to do.

So in as far as DSAI is concern we need to have answers before it goes any further or else we will have another Najib or JJ entrenched in high public office without the people having recourse to know if they are guilty or innocence – because their high office shields them from any judicial inquiry. We do not want that with Najib – nor do we want it with DSAI.

But what PR needs to understand is this. You can only win the 13th general election if you have the support of the people. In simple terms let me tell you this – you do not have it now in the numbers that you need to win!

Everyday BN is gaining ground. Everyday PR shoots itself in the foot with blunders and self inflicted rhetoric that reinforced the people’s conviction that politicians are too full of themselves to be able to look at the bigger picture of the people’s and national interest. They cannot see the forest for the trees.

Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. So please some wisdom and clarity of purpose from the leaders of PR that will tell us that you will put into a place in our country a transparent and genuine democracy with social justice and human development for all.

The 24th December Meeting Between PAS-UMNO Leadership: Views of a Staunch PAS Supporter - Wan Nasuha

I refer to the letters by Goh Soon Sin and Abas Azizan on the 24th December 2010 meeting between the PAS and UMNO leadership.

Both letters contain all kinds of accusations (Goh) and speculations (Abas).

I would like to categorically state here that it is wrong for non-Malays and non-Muslims to portray any move or effort to politically unite Malays/Muslims as a negative development. It has been my observation that very frequently the prospect of a united Malay/Muslim political front is depicted as a threat to the position of non-Muslims. This is unreasonable and it is a belief that is unfair to Malays/Muslims in general.

First, politics is not necessarily a zero-sum game whereby Muslim unity will automatically mean a setback to non-Muslims. There is no basis for such a view, in my opinion. In fact, many of the myriad problems of the nation can be resolved were the Muslims to unite. Excessive politicking can be avoided so that more time and energy can be devoted towards improving the socio-economic status of the rakyat, regardless of race and religion. The enhanced political stability of the country surely will benefit all, no matter Malay or Chinese or Indian or Kadazan etc.

Second, if non-Muslims truly believe that Muslim political unity is detrimental to them, this can only mean that all strategic and tactical maneuverings of non-Muslim parties have but one overriding objective which is to keep Malays politically split. Do the MCA, DAP, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and the others want Malays to arrive at that conclusion? If the answer is no, then surely it’s in everybody’s best interest to refrain from trying to negatively stigmatize any prospect of Muslim unity in this country.

Third, non-Muslim political parties, in the government and the opposition coalitions, very often adopt similar or common stands on issues deemed important by and for the benefit of the non-Muslim community. This they do openly and unabashedly. They consider it reasonable to expect Muslims to accept such commonality among the non-Muslim parties. That being the case, it is only reasonable when PAS and UMNO sit together openly to discuss common issues for the benefit of Muslims, for non-Muslims to accept such meetings with an open mind and not feel threatened by the joint PAS-UMNO action.

Tuan Guru Nik Aziz has confirmed that the said meeting actually had taken place and also unequivocally stated that he is not prepared to reveal the issues discussed. We should respect his stance on the matter.

It is common knowledge by now that Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself has had secret meetings with Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak in the not too distant past, all conducted without the prior knowledge of PAS and DAP. I cannot recall anyone demanding that he disclose the subject of his discussions with Najib.

As a staunch PAS supporter right from the beginning, I have to state herein the anxieties and concern that PAS supporters and members have with Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the turmoil within PKR and the sodomy charges against Dato' Seri Anwar.

PAS has had to compromise and drop some of the demands and objectives that the party traditionally held upon joining PR. DAP however since joining PR has not in the slightest toned down it’s ‘Malaysian’s Malaysia’ rhetoric and demands on issues such as local government elections which are hardly priorities for PAS. PAS meanwhile cannot even express any support for the idea of an Islamic state or the implementation of Islamic law since becoming part of PR. In short, in Pakatan Rakyat the compromising attitude and sacrifices of PAS have not been reciprocated in like manner by DAP.

I do not wish to elaborate at length on the internal problems of PKR. It is PAS’s official stand to respect and not to interfere in the internal affairs of PKR. However, as an ordinary observer, let me just say that the recent elections for party posts conducted by PKR has been known by all and sundry to be full of flaws and shortcomings. Till now, voices of dissatisfaction and unhappiness about the party elections can be heard coming from within PKR itself. To me, the cause of all these is the failure of leadership in PKR.

Currently, in the controversy regarding the appointment of the Selangor state secretary, only the PAS president has come forward to issue an official statement on the matter. In contrast, PKR’s de facto leader, president and deputy president, all three of them have remained mute and not issued any official party stance even though the Selangor MB is from their party. The Selangor MB is left alone to fend for himself in dealing with the issue. It is no surprise that he appears to be surrendering. Is the PKR leadership so frightened and cowardly to take a stand that might risk incurring royal displeasure? How can ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ be achieved if such is the attitude of the PKR leadership?

The failure of leadership in PKR, to me, has its root causes in the sodomy charges that Dato’ Seri Anwar currently faces. It is more than likely that the bulk of his mental and intellectual energy has to be devoted to the ongoing case, so much so that he cannot give the proper input to issues that are besetting the party and PR. He has often been depicted as the one individual who has managed to put together the parties within PR. However, his reputed influence does not appear to have been used to coax DAP into toning down their very vocal demands in issues which are not shared by Muslims. This seems to me to be due to his current sodomy trial.

The anxieties within PAS are that the problems plaguing PKR will adversely impact PAS, its partner in PR. On top of that, PAS supporters often wonder if it is reasonable or fair for a problem-ridden leader of a problem-ridden party to be chosen as the prime minister were PR successful in its bid for government.

These are my honest views that I wish to share with everyone.



WAN NASUHA BT. WAN HASSAN
(Translated from the original in Bahasa Malaysia)

Perjumpaan 24 Disember 2010 Pemimpin PAS dan UMNO: Pandangan Seorang Penyokong Kuat PAS - Wan Nasuha

Saya merujuk kepada surat-surat dari Goh Soon Sin dan Abas Azizan berkenaan perjumpaan yang dinyatakan di atas.

Kedua-dua surat tersebut mengandungi beberapa tuduhan (Goh) dan spekulasi (Abas).

Saya ingin katakan di sini bahawa adalah tidak wajar untuk orang-orang bukan Melayu dan bukan Islam untuk mengungkit atau cuba menggambarkan apa-apa usaha untuk menyatukan suara politik orang Islam/Melayu sebagai satu perkembangan negatif. Saya perhatikan kerap topik itu diutarakan sebagai sesuatu yang boleh menggugat kedudukan orang bukan Islam. Itu amatlah tidak wajar dan satu pendirian yang tidak bersikap adil kepada orang Melayu/Islam amnya.

Pertama, politik tidak semestinya satu ‘zero-sum game’ yang mana kalau orang-orang Islam bersatu, maka secara automatisnya orang-orang bukan Islam akan rugi. Pandangan sedemikian, pada hemat saya, tiada asasnya. Permasalahan negara mungkin akan banyak selesai sekiranya orang Islam bersatu. Politik berlebihan (excessive politicking) di dalam arena politik negara mungkin dapat dikurangkan supaya masa dan tenaga semua pihak dapat ditumpukan kepada penaikan taraf sosio-ekonomi rakyat jelata tanpa mengira kaum atau ugama. Penambahan kestabilan negara juga pasti akan menguntungkan semua, tak kiralah orang Melayu atau Cina atau India atau Kadazan dan sebagainya.

Kedua, andainya benar orang bukan Islam menganggap penyatuan orang Islam sesuatu yang akan merugikan orang bukan Islam, maka ini bermakna segala tindak tanduk parti politik bukan Islam adalah bermatlamat untuk orang Islam terus berpecah belah. Mahukah MCA, DAP, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP dan lain-lainnya sekiranya orang Islam membuat kesimpulan sedemikian? Sekiranya tidak, ada baik sekiranya penyokong-penyokong mereka tidak cuba memberi stigma negatif kepada apa-apa prospek penyatuan orang Islam di negara ini.

Ketiga, parti-parti politik bukan Islam, baik dalam barisan pemerintah mahupun pembangkang, kerap mengambil pendirian yang seiring dan sejalan dalam isu-isu yang mereka fikirkan akan menguntungkan orang bukan Islam, secara terang-terang dan tanpa segan silu. Itu sesuatu yang mereka anggap wajar diterima oleh orang Islam. Oleh itu, sekiranya PAS dan UMNO pula duduk semeja secara terang-terang untuk berbincang isu-isu yang akan menguntungkan orang-orang Islam, parti-parti bukan Islam wajar menerimanya dengan fikiran terbuka dan tidak merasa tergugat dengan tindakan PAS dan UMNO itu.

Tuan Guru Nik Aziz telahpun mengesahkan perjumpaan tersebut berlangsung dan terang-terang telah dia telah katakan bahawa isi perbincangan adalah sesuatu yang rahsia yang beliau tidak mahu hebahkan. Kita harus hormati pendirian beliau.

Kita pun semua tahu Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim sendiri pernah mengadakan pertemuan sulit dengan Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak pada suatu masa dahulu tanpa diketahui PAS dan DAP. Tidak pula kedengaran suara-suara yang mendesak Anwar untuk menerangkan apakah isi perbincangan beliau dengan Najib dalam pertemuan sulit itu.

Sebagai seorang penyokong kuat PAS dari mula, harus saya nyatakan perasaan bimbang dan tidak puas hati di kalangan keahlian dan penyokong PAS terhadap halatuju Pakatan Rakyat (PR), kemelut dalaman PKR dan tuduhan liwat terhadap Dato Seri Anwar.

PAS telah banyak melenyapkan tuntutan-tuntutan tradisonalnya sejak menganggotai PR. Akan tetapi parti seperti DAP tidak sedikit pun mengurangkan pendiriannya sejak jadi ahli PR. Ia masih kuat memperjuangkan ‘Malaysian’s Malaysia’, pilihanraya kerajaan tempatan dan lain-lain perkara yang susah untuk PAS anggap sebagai mustahak. PAS pula tidak boleh langsung bersuara tentang ‘negara Islam’ ataupun usaha menegakkan undang-undang Islam sejak menjadi ahli PR. Pokoknya, pengorbanan oleh PAS tidak dibalas dengan pengorbanan yang setimpal oleh DAP di dalam Pakatan Rakyat.

Kemelut dalaman PKR tidak perlulah saya huraikan dengan berjela-jela. Secara rasminya, memang PAS menghormati dan tidak pernah menyentuh tentang apa yang berlaku di dalam PKR. Bagaimanapun, sebagai seorang pemerhati biasa, biarlah saya katakan pemilihan jawatan parti untuk PKR yang telah dijalankan tahun lepas memang diketahui umum sebagai kucar kacir dan penuh kepincangan. Hingga sekarang masih kuat kedengaran luahan rasa tidak puas hati dari dalam PKR sendiri. Pada saya, ini semua berpunca dari kegagalan kepimpinan PKR sendiri.

Terkini, di dalam isu pelantikan setiausaha kerajaan negeri Selangor, hanya presiden PAS yang telah mengeluarkan kenyataan rasmi pendirian PAS berkenaan isu tersebut. Ketua umum PKR dan presidennya mahupun timbalan presidennya, ketiga-tiganya hingga sekarang membisu enggan memberi kenyataan rasmi walaupun MB Selangor adalah dari parti mereka sendiri. Maka terkonteng-kontenglah bersendirian MB Selangor menangani isu itu. Dia pun kelihatan macam dah ‘surrender’ dalam isu ini. Adakah kepimpinan PKR takut dan gentar untuk mengambil risiko memurkakan pihak istana? Macam manakah ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ boleh diperjuangkan sekiranya begitu sikap kepimpinan PKR?

Kegagalan kepimpinan PKR, pada saya, asal dan puncanya adalah tuduhan liwat yang terpaksa diharungi oleh Dato’ Seri Anwar. Kemungkinan besar tenaga intelek dan mental beliau terpaksa ditumpukan kepada kes liwat itu hingga tidak dapat diberi inputnya kepada isu-isu lain yang melanda PKR dan PR. Beliau sering diwar-warkan sebagai individu yang berjaya memantapkan talian parti-parti di dalam PR tetapi tidak pula pengaruh beliau digunakan untuk memujuk DAP supaya jangan terlalu lantang dengan tuntutan-tuntutan yang tidak dikongsi oleh orang Islam. Ini semua pada saya disebabkan oleh tuduhan liwat ke atas Dato’ Seri Anwar yang berlangsung sekarang.

Keresahan di dalam PAS ialah permasalahan di dalam PKR akan memberi impak negatif kepada PAS sebagai rakan juang di dalam PR. Di samping itu, orang PAS juga sering tertanya-tanya adakah adil atau munasabah pemimpin yang bermasalah dari parti yang banyak masalah dilantik menjadi perdana menteri sekiranya PR berjaya menubuhkan kerajaan.

Begitulah luahan hati saya buat renungan kita semua.



WAN NASUHA BT. WAN HASSAN