VOXPOP 'History had recorded many failed regimes. The nearer they get to losing power, the more brutal they became.'

Bid to assault vendor during Alor Setar PKR event

Anonymous_3f4a: Just what sort of organisation Perkasa is? Surely it's not one fighting for Malay rights.

Malay rights, as enshrined in the constitution, does not include going round disturbing public rallies and debasing people.

This was an act of desperation and ill-character, devoid of the gentle Malay culture.

Faz: This is a prelude to worse things to come as we approach GE13. History had recorded many failed regimes. The nearer they get to losing power, the more brutal they become.

This systemic culture of violence are embedded in their approaches as reactions to scary consequences of losing election when no more gravy trains will fill their pockets.

Those animal reactions are the worst to be employed by Umno-BN. This is their last stand.

Pakatan Rakyat should disregard the pro-Umno police by pulling in their members to provide security, in line with PAS' Unit Amal. This is out of necessity to counter these rogue groupings.

Dont Just Talk: Don't blame these 50 Perkasa goons because they lack the intellectual capability to debate on national issues, but instead chose fists and sticks to disrupt Pakatan Rakyat seminars.

What does one expect from such an NGO when a court jester can be their leader?

Ferdtan: The police came to the scene later. They would say it was all a misunderstanding.They didn't see a thing.

If the public do not agree with the police, they will have to show them proof. Show the evidence of disturbances.

If it is in video, you must prove that it is authentic; otherwise the police would arrest the recorder for giving false information and spreading lies.

It is getting dangerous. Najib Razak, as a prime minister, must come out with an open statement condemning such acts of hooliganism before someone gets seriously hurt.

If that happens, it would be the fault of the ruling government for its inaction. Silence meant consent.

James Dean: While Burma, Cambodia and Laos is moving towards a more open and democratic governance, Malaysia is moving the other way, political violence and political intolerance is becoming very prevalence.

Fifty-four years of BN rule had taken us from one of the top Asean nations down to a position which were once occupied by those three countries. How can anyone ask me to like BN?

Opposition politics: Our brand is ignorance

Jeremy Tankh: If insisting on the line of analogy of doctor and sickness, then the present situation is; the majority of the true Malaysian (i.e. not including nationalised illegal migrants) perceive BN as something similar to cancer, in that cancer itself cannot be cured, at best, only be gotten rid of.

When faced with cancer, a patient would opt for anything else, just to get rid of the cancer before it's too late. Hence, the term ABU, Anything But Umno.

Onyourtoes: Pakatan is still not in power at the federal level and yet you expect them to spell out in detail their policy measures. Why would they want to do that?

Just like the ruling Umno-BN have certain advantages, this is the advantage of Pakatan. Some of the policies, although good for the country may be painful and unpopular in the short term, so why must Pakatan reveal all now?

By the way, sometimes you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Get rid of the malfeasance, corruption and rent-seeking, three-quarters of the problems in the country would be solved.

Blind Freddo: Onyourtoes, for the simple reason that Pakatan is expected to spell out their policies in detail so the voters can judge them objectively.

At the moment, what we suppose will be the policies of Pakatan look very much like Umno, with a more repressive religious bias.

Do you honestly believe that political parties in democratic countries don't offer anything more than a blanket alternative?

Ranjit Singh: Some commenters wishes to have the truth on their side, but none of them wishes to be on the side of the truth. If that was the case, why all these trouble to educate us on what is just and fair.

If these Malaysiakini commenters are really interested to make a change, then they need to accept the truth and not be ‘lalang' (weed), like how they have been when and if it fits them materially.

Chipmunk: A well-written article, S Thayaparan, and I am impressed. Do continue to pen more articles so that readers like myself are kept well-informed.

Jean Pierre: Well articulated, Thaya. You have taken the rose out of the tinted glass. It's not that we love Umno less, it's just that we hate Umno more.

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