vox populi big thumbnail 'Please don't pull wool over our eyes. You certainly did not stand up to speak out then. What guarantees are there that you will now?'

 

 

Media given the boot at Chua's gathering

RT: Dr Chua Soi Lek, you seem to have a selective memory. History reminds us that you were among the 10 non-Muslim ministers who were signatories to a memorandum to Pak Lah calling for a review of laws affecting the rights of non-Muslims and a review of Article 121(A) of the federal constitution.

Together with the then MCA president Ong Ka Ting, Chan Kong Choy and yourself, the three of you were pressured by the powers-that-be to withdraw. That's exactly what you did. Only Bernard Dompok stood his ground and refused to be cowed. Please don't pull wool over our eyes. You certainty did not stand up to speak out then. What guarantees are there that you will now?

SusahKes: Well, well, Chua, you want to be a ‘leader who will speak against the keris-wielding episode by Umno'. Why don't you speak up now against the likes of Nasir Safar, Awang Selamat, Perkasa, Ridhuan Tee?

What about making some noise on the Teoh Beng Hock case or the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal? I mean, if you want to pull the wool over the eyes of some MCA suckers, be my guest. But you ain't foolin' anybody else.

You are - just like the rest of MCA - are forever going to be the bag boys for Umno. Remember when you were once hinted that Pakatan Rakyat was interested in you - when Ong Tee Keat didn't give you a cabinet post. That was until Najib stepped in and gave you some sorry post in BN. You're really no different than the average Umno politician. The only difference is your name is Chua instead of Ali or Ahmad.

Ahmad Iqhbal: It sounds like this dinner used a BN tactic - clear out the reporters so that we can say things we don't want reported. The things that we want to say are only to pump up the crowd but have little substance and will probably cause us bigger problems if they end up being broadcast to the rakyat through the media. So what are they hiding?

Cliew: Personally, I feel Chua's extramarital problem is a personal matter. But what disturbs many delegates and members is the string of allegations of corruption made against him since his days as Johor exco to the time he became the health minister. The Internet is full of details and documentary evidence which have not been denied.

At the moment, his agents have also been accused on the Internet of distributing money to division leaders to buy votes. If this is true, Chua is going for broke and is allegedly resorting to the same crooked means employed by Umno candidates during their election.

So, if Chua is elected, MCA can just close shop as its assets will also disappear together with it. Those names mentioned should now immediately step forward to deny their involvement in money politics if they are not involved in it. I am beginning to cry for MCA and Malaysia.

Ekigahara No Tatakai: Dr Chua, I really hope that you can become our health minister again. We need a professional doctor like you to handle this portfolio, not someone who only knows how to brief us on the daily death-count but not countermeasures for the increasing H1N1 cases. I pray for your victory, sir.

'NEM should honour real NEP's spirit'

OMG: The only way for Malaysia to survive is to champion meritocracy. Hiding behind privileges to avoid working hard is cowardly. The Malays that I work with have shown me that they are not averse to working hard. The constant cry for handouts and crutches by some on a race-based basis only denigrates oneself.

However, I do appreciate that there are a large number of poor Malays, as there are poor Indians, Chinese, Orang Asli and the bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak. Poverty knows no colour, creed nor religion. Hence the government should help all the poor by creating a more efficient delivery system to ensure those who really need help actually receive it.

Contrary to popular opinion, help is not a new BMW 5 series to a government crony. Help should be in the form of a more effective public transportation system, a better education system, subsidised costs of education, healthcare and housing for the poor. Above all, educate, educate, educate. The key to financial freedom is education.

Loyal Malaysian: This is the whole trouble with the Umnoputras. Their policies are ‘populist' in nature - catering to their warlords while giving some tid-bits to the rakyat at large. Yes, Perkasa's rapid rise and high-profile shows that it has strong undisclosed support from the Umnoputras. So I shall not be holding my breath for any substantial changes with the NEM.

Brickbats and bouquets for Perkasa AGM

Not Confused: The big question is - why are some of them so insecure? They are by a far margin the largest percentage of the population, they have effectively ruled the country for most of the past 52 years (in the latter decades filling the ranks of civil servants and all branches of the military to the virtual exclusion of all other races), they are required to be on the board of all commercial companies and have other ‘affirmative' benefits too numerous to mention.

I fear that any insecurity is an illusion given by racist individuals to promote their own supremacy agendas. With the views of Azmi Khalid, who suggests that ‘...with some Malays even working hand-in-hand with the enemies of the race' it is clear that there will be no unity in Malaysia whilst this demonising of the minority races as ‘enemies' continues to be followed by unthinking, intellectually-bankrupt and blinkered organisations.

Goldee: ‘Perkasa's existence is good because it fights for Malay rights and is the voice of the 'insecure' Malays,' said Azmi Khalid. Yes, the true Malays are insecure because of the Umnoputras and their cronies. All the true Malays know this very well but the Umnoputras are trying to blame it on others. What a shame.

The true enemies of the Malays are non other than the Umno multi-billionaires and their cronies. They robbed the country of its wealth for themselves. The formation of Perkasa is to protect not the interest of the poor Malays but of the Umnoputras.

Legal remedy possible against party hoppers

Cala: What happens if a legal remedy is not possible under the current institutions? Retired judge NH Chan is assuming that under the doctrine of estoppels, party-hoppers may be punished in a number of ways such as all assets amassed maybe confiscated, etc.

But what is the confidence level if the party-hoppers are from the opposition? It is out of this concern that we should look at 'contracts' between political parties and their elected representatives as ‘incomplete and imperfect'. Contracts of this nature are ‘contracts in progress'.

If we accept this line of thinking, one has to be extremely careful about candidacy of the persons standing for election. As an example, have we asked why are party-hoppers not coming from DAP (except one from Perak and she has had to abandon her house)?

What does DAP stand for? What is their political struggle? Why are their leaders generally deemed selfless?

Mangodurian: Actually the ultimate goal is to have an ‘anti-frog' law. That will only be a reality if BN is not in power and the new government has a two-thirds majority. I guess we can continue dreaming since Malaysians in general are so satisfied and proud that they've got a ‘stable' government and a blessed country.

By the way, some multinational companies I know of are moving their headquarters to Jakarta because the market contribution there is bigger than Malaysia's.

 

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