Dr M wrong again, Turun protesters are majority
YOURSAY ‘Fewer M’sians voted for BN eventhough you bribed them.’
Dr M: Illegal rally an undemocratic act
Kingfisher:
Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad should recognise that peaceful dissent and peaceful assembly are integral to the development and growth of democracy.
How else can a nation where 53 percent of the popular vote did not have an enabling criterion to form a government express its displeasure with the minority government, which is allegedly ignoring socio-economic hardships of the working people?
What Mahathir should object, and he has scant reference to such moral issues, is attempts by the unscrupulous who engineer perpetual tension and restlessness using racial and religious issues in an otherwise peaceful nation in order to retain perpetual control.
CQ Muar: “You want to do it, do it somewhere else, but don’t go and disturb other people... the minority has rights but don’t do it at the expense of the majority,” Mahathir lamented.
Conversely, your 'majority' had all the while abused and siphoned the nation's wealth. Isn't this what the government has been doing all along - initiated by you?
Look, Dr M, it's best you spend the rest of your years gracefully, and stop giving your opinions as you're no longer credible. You chose to stay quiet when racist extremists such as Perkasa attacked non-Malays, and here you're sore with those at the rally?
Try stopping all those evil and corruptible leaders in Umno, and we'd appreciate your 'concern'.
DontPlayGod: No, Mahathir, the New Year’s Eve protesters are not the minority. For everyone who protested, there are another 500 who are behind them and who are giving them moral support.
JTC: Just in case this old man cannot remember, the BN is in the minority. Fewer Malaysians voted for your lot even though you bribed them left, right and centre.
Clever Voter: Dr M is an ex-PM whose credibility only count among his declining number of followers who have held on to the corrupt patronage system that he created. He needs to accept that the right to express oneself is a sign of a maturing and healthy society.
What he fears is the unity among the diverse ethnic groups and the sharing of common goals and concerns that pose the one single threat to the corrupt government and the system which he should be held accountable.
Anonymous_3e93: What is undemocratic are the accumulation of ill-gotten wealth by family members of Mahathir and PM Najib Razak. We want you to return your billions of ringgit to the people of Malaysia.
Not Confused: Mahathir, what do you know about democracy? The purpose of any demonstration or protest is to make your point in a very public way, so that those who you are demonstrating against are well aware of it.
By definition, this is going to cause "inconvenience" to others. Otherwise, no one would know or hear the message. Get it?
Slumdog: If Mahathir wants to draw a long bow and stretch the definition of democracy and say that the “illegal” rally was undemocratic, what about corruption, racism, nepotism and cronyism under his watch as PM? Are these not undemocratic and activities engaged by the minority against the majority?
As a supposedly elder statesman, with a poor track record I must add, don’t spin and twist your arguments. For once, try and speak with some common sense.
Odysseus: Gerrymandering is also undemocratic as well. A vote from an urban voters is worth much less than a vote from a rural voter. In this case, the minority 47 percent has determined the faith of the majority 53 percent. Dr M, do you think this is fair?
Kit P: A majority of the people supported the concerns raised by the Gerakan Turun Kos Sara Hidup (Turun) rally. It is ironic that Mahathir has chosen to go on the attack over this issue.
So many of the apparently automatic increases in cost of living are part of Mahathir's tainted legacy. Lopsided agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) were meant to maximise their profits and highway toll contracts were meant to benefit cronies.
Tehachapi: It is the minority like Mahathir, who has amassed billions through rampant corruption, abuse of executive power without a conscience, blatant theft of public funds, endless wastage of national resources, and other illegal and irresponsible acts, that have brought the economy to its knees.
Now, these same people still have the guts to talk about protecting the majority rights to enjoy a decent life. How shameful and despicable. It is shameless to talk behind that mask of hypocrisy.
Under these self-centred and extremely selfish politicians, Malaysians will have to brace themselves for a prolonged period of pain and suffering as public trust and the global image of the nation continue to erode.
We are only seeing the beginning of a nightmare scenario as the wheels of the economy begin to come off and the train is about to jump off the tracks.
Cala: At his age, Mahathir's ability to think through logically is in doubt. Why? The peaceful assembly of people to drive home their support on a social issue or to show their displeasure is always treated with respect in the West. That is democracy.
One example was the mass rallies held in America to condemn the involvement of US military intervention in Vietnam that resulted in a change of policy.
Mahathir got it all wrong. Not to allow the peaceful assembly of the people is a show of absolutism, not pluralism.
Anonnona: Dr M has a strange concept of democracy. But then he has been fooling people all the time, especially those who are less educated or knowledgeable. That is why he cannot fool his own daughter.
Tiredofsuchnonsense: I was one of those welcoming the new year on Dec 31. I was not offended or disturbed by the Turun demonstration.
In fact, I respect them for having the balls to stand up for the rights of the silent majority who are being constantly and wickedly oppressed by the minority regime.
Mahathir in no position to talk about democracy
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YOURSAY ‘Fewer M’sians voted for BN eventhough you bribed them.’
Dr M: Illegal rally an undemocratic act
Kingfisher:
Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad should recognise that peaceful dissent and peaceful assembly are integral to the development and growth of democracy.
How else can a nation where 53 percent of the popular vote did not have an enabling criterion to form a government express its displeasure with the minority government, which is allegedly ignoring socio-economic hardships of the working people?
What Mahathir should object, and he has scant reference to such moral issues, is attempts by the unscrupulous who engineer perpetual tension and restlessness using racial and religious issues in an otherwise peaceful nation in order to retain perpetual control.
CQ Muar: “You want to do it, do it somewhere else, but don’t go and disturb other people... the minority has rights but don’t do it at the expense of the majority,” Mahathir lamented.
Conversely, your 'majority' had all the while abused and siphoned the nation's wealth. Isn't this what the government has been doing all along - initiated by you?
Look, Dr M, it's best you spend the rest of your years gracefully, and stop giving your opinions as you're no longer credible. You chose to stay quiet when racist extremists such as Perkasa attacked non-Malays, and here you're sore with those at the rally?
Try stopping all those evil and corruptible leaders in Umno, and we'd appreciate your 'concern'.
DontPlayGod: No, Mahathir, the New Year’s Eve protesters are not the minority. For everyone who protested, there are another 500 who are behind them and who are giving them moral support.
JTC: Just in case this old man cannot remember, the BN is in the minority. Fewer Malaysians voted for your lot even though you bribed them left, right and centre.
Clever Voter: Dr M is an ex-PM whose credibility only count among his declining number of followers who have held on to the corrupt patronage system that he created. He needs to accept that the right to express oneself is a sign of a maturing and healthy society.
What he fears is the unity among the diverse ethnic groups and the sharing of common goals and concerns that pose the one single threat to the corrupt government and the system which he should be held accountable.
Anonymous_3e93: What is undemocratic are the accumulation of ill-gotten wealth by family members of Mahathir and PM Najib Razak. We want you to return your billions of ringgit to the people of Malaysia.
Not Confused: Mahathir, what do you know about democracy? The purpose of any demonstration or protest is to make your point in a very public way, so that those who you are demonstrating against are well aware of it.
By definition, this is going to cause "inconvenience" to others. Otherwise, no one would know or hear the message. Get it?
Slumdog: If Mahathir wants to draw a long bow and stretch the definition of democracy and say that the “illegal” rally was undemocratic, what about corruption, racism, nepotism and cronyism under his watch as PM? Are these not undemocratic and activities engaged by the minority against the majority?
As a supposedly elder statesman, with a poor track record I must add, don’t spin and twist your arguments. For once, try and speak with some common sense.
Odysseus: Gerrymandering is also undemocratic as well. A vote from an urban voters is worth much less than a vote from a rural voter. In this case, the minority 47 percent has determined the faith of the majority 53 percent. Dr M, do you think this is fair?
Kit P: A majority of the people supported the concerns raised by the Gerakan Turun Kos Sara Hidup (Turun) rally. It is ironic that Mahathir has chosen to go on the attack over this issue.
So many of the apparently automatic increases in cost of living are part of Mahathir's tainted legacy. Lopsided agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) were meant to maximise their profits and highway toll contracts were meant to benefit cronies.
Tehachapi: It is the minority like Mahathir, who has amassed billions through rampant corruption, abuse of executive power without a conscience, blatant theft of public funds, endless wastage of national resources, and other illegal and irresponsible acts, that have brought the economy to its knees.
Now, these same people still have the guts to talk about protecting the majority rights to enjoy a decent life. How shameful and despicable. It is shameless to talk behind that mask of hypocrisy.
Under these self-centred and extremely selfish politicians, Malaysians will have to brace themselves for a prolonged period of pain and suffering as public trust and the global image of the nation continue to erode.
We are only seeing the beginning of a nightmare scenario as the wheels of the economy begin to come off and the train is about to jump off the tracks.
Cala: At his age, Mahathir's ability to think through logically is in doubt. Why? The peaceful assembly of people to drive home their support on a social issue or to show their displeasure is always treated with respect in the West. That is democracy.
One example was the mass rallies held in America to condemn the involvement of US military intervention in Vietnam that resulted in a change of policy.
Mahathir got it all wrong. Not to allow the peaceful assembly of the people is a show of absolutism, not pluralism.
Anonnona: Dr M has a strange concept of democracy. But then he has been fooling people all the time, especially those who are less educated or knowledgeable. That is why he cannot fool his own daughter.
Tiredofsuchnonsense: I was one of those welcoming the new year on Dec 31. I was not offended or disturbed by the Turun demonstration.
In fact, I respect them for having the balls to stand up for the rights of the silent majority who are being constantly and wickedly oppressed by the minority regime.
Mahathir in no position to talk about democracy
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .
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