'Third Force? We'll end up a spent force'
'A Third Force will only weaken the progress towards reformation which started in 2008 and perpetuate institutionalised corruption.'
Hindraf backs 'Third Force' proposal
Wira: Quit dreaming, P Waythamoorthy. There is not a single Indian-majority seat in Malaysia. If Hindraf runs on a racial platform, it will not win a single seat in Parliament or a state assembly in this country. It can only spoil the chances of Pakatan Rakyat.
I find the argument for a Third Force comical. The contest with ‘First Force' is never fair and it takes at least 60 percent popular votes nationwide to defeat BN because of gerrymandering, control of mass media and cheating.
A Third Force will only weaken the progress towards reformation which started in 2008 and perpetuate institutionalised corruption.
Mark Chin: If Hindraf backs the Third Force, then they must be prepared to join forces with Zaid Ibrahim. If this arrangement is possible, the new Third Force must also be Pakatan-friendly, otherwise it will only create disunity and split the votes between Pakatan and the Third Force.
If Pakatan and the Third Force could not agree to work together and end up filing their own candidates for all parliamentary/state seats in the coming general elections, then we can say goodbye to Putrajaya.
Anonymous: The Third Force can be a game changer in the elections, like what happened in the UK a few months back. Let them form the Third Force and see what comes out of it - maybe their agenda, platform, views and manifesto are much better than the current BN and Pakatan Rakyat ones?
Temenggong: The idea of a Third Force is to contest in completely mixed constituencies in the peninsula where Indians form 25 percent of the voters. The plan is to take some seats from BN and some from Pakatan, and try and win 25-35 seats only, not with the intention to form a government.
This would ensure neither BN nor Pakatan would win an absolute majority, resulting in a hung parliament, and they (BN/Pakatan) would depend on the Third Force to govern. It places the onus fully on Pakatan to give in and avoid three-party contests, or lose the elections completely to BN.
So, it's up to Pakatan to decide if they want BN to win. This plan could work but the Third Force would have to find more leaders as Zaid Ibrahim and Jeffrey Kitingan are still not enough.
Kgen: Hindraf and others can dream of being a Third Force, but the bare fact is that there is no Third Force unless there is a two-party system. We will only have a two-party system if BN loses power at least once.
Before this event, any move for a Third Force just helps BN stay in power by splitting opposition votes. The time for a Third Force is after, not before, BN is defeated. If you want to be a Third Force, then help Pakatan to get to Putrajaya first.
Call me Jibby: As proven in Batu Sapi, a new ‘Third Force' in Borneo is not possible. Based on the Batu Sapi election results, even the Sabahans rejected the ex-chief minister from a Sabah-based party and the slogan ‘Sabah for Sabahan', as SAPP garnered the least votes.
If Jeffery Kitingan quits PKR, he would probably rejoin PBS or create another BN-friendly party to fill the void of SAPP's departure.
Rick Teo: Hindraf leader Waynamoorthy must be kidding. He said Hindraf is prepared to contest in 15 parliament and 38 seats? What a joker. Just name me one constituent that you can find an Indian majority. The answer is none.
So what justification is there for Indians to contest in so many parliament and state seats? Don't forget, MIC, PPP, Gerakan, DAP and PKR have also allocated a lot of seats to Indian candidates already, and what about those seats won by DAP and PKR where Indians are a minority?
Please desist from clamouring for more seats for the Indians. I think their allocation is already sufficient.
Malaya muda: Waytha should stop barking from London and get back to Malaysia. Don't fool the poor Tamils like what LTTE's V Prabhakaran did in Sri Lanka. Don't promise them the sky and leave them with nothing.
Fifteen parliament and 38 state seats? He must be suffering from a delusion of grandeur. All 15 parliament and 38 state seats will go to BN if Hindraf stands in these areas. And after the 13th general elections, there won't be a Third Force anymore as all of us will be ‘spent forces' at the mercy of BN/Umno.
Swipenter: Third Force - one of the nice sounding names with plenty of political connotations. What for? To balance power between BN and Pakatan when the latter is showing a lot of distress due to infighting lately?
Just take a look at Hindraf now and what has happened to them since March 2008? Hindraf took much credit for the electoral results and wore a hat too big for its head. Now all they think of is how to play the role of a spoiler, just like in the Hulu Selangor by-election simply because they didn't get what they demanded from PKR/Pakatan.
Freemsia: What is the point of a Third Force? With the current Malaysian political landscape, it is BN against everyone else. And at the end of the day, it will be BN who will be laughing all the way back to Putrajaya - and the bank.
Loo Soon Fatt: A Third Force will only survive if it declared a partnership with either BN or Pakatan. The mood now is to either vote for Pakatan or retain BN.
Malaysians are not interested in a separate so-called Third Force. It is too messy and will create more confusion, leading to endless politicking and power struggles. We are tired of listening to the same song and dance from a Third Force or any other future force.
Iikiedetector: What a joke! It would be the greatest betrayal of the marginalised Indians if Hindraf were to tell them that Hindraf can win seats. Pakatan has not been perfect, but BN treated the Indian Malaysians worse.
MB Khalid Ibrahim even braved a rowdy townhall meeting in Shah Alam to face the residents over the Section 23 temple to defend his decision and was verbally abused. Can you imagine Mohd Khir Toyo doing that?
Don't bluff them that you can win any seat. The most you will do is to split the seats and hand the Indians back to BN on a sacrificial plate and then you will blame Pakatan for it.
I repeat, this will be the greatest betrayal to the Indians.
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