YOURSAY ‘Umno is afraid of voting along non-racial lines.’

Minister urges voting along racial lines

Quigonbond: Having racial quotas in Parliament makes no sense as not all Malays will want to vote for another Malay, nor do Chinese only want to vote for Chinese.

Besides, the national population numbers will keep shifting. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim is not fit to be a minister for coming up with such an extremist idea.

At best he needs to be schooled in what it means to be a democracy, and at worse be investigated for crime against democracy for suggesting this regressive change in our democratic structure.

SpongeBob: Umno is afraid of voting along non-racial lines. This has become a nightmare to the BN and especially Umno, so they are trying to change the voting structure by strengthening voting along racial lines for their survival.

Since the rakyat have matured and go for non-racial voting, which was shown clearly in the last GE (general election), we should support a two-party structure rather than race-based parties.

As for Shahidan, your idea is an insult to your two university degrees. Even a man in the street can come up with great ideas based on the current developments in society.

Don't boast about your degrees to intimidate others. There so many of us out there who have more degrees than you.

Headhunter: Hello, can anyone tell me if there's a ‘minister with the biggest foot in his mouth’ contest on?

Because there doesn't seem to be a lack of candidates judging from stupid statements we have been subjected to lately.

Oracle: Umno’s desperation is written all over Shahidan's statement together with its unwitting admission that getting a two-thirds majority in Parliament is now impossible.

Thus the best that the combined ‘wisdom’ of the multimillion ringgit advisers could come up with is to foist, on what they believe is a naive electorate, the ‘proposal’ they believe that will automatically give them 67 percent of any vote. Dream on, Umno.

??: It appears that Dr Shahidan must have obviously failed mathematics or statistics, or both, or never attended any of such classes.

Firstly, DAP only has 38 seats. Of these 38 seats, only 30 are Chinese, and impressively enough, they have two Malays and six Indians.

Secondly, in referring to Wikipedia , Malaysia's demography is made up of 67.4 percent bumiputera (including Orang Asli and East Malaysian bumiputera), 24.6 percent Chinese, 7.3 percent Indian and 0.7 percent others.

So based on Shahidan's clever calculation, I discovered the bumiputera is over-represented; 67.4 percent x 222 seats yields approximately 150 seats, but currently the bumiputera have taken up to 158 seats, while Chinese and Indians are under-represented (50 and 14 respectively) and the poor 0.7 percent "others" are not even represented.

Prussiablue: Shahidan, why must you assume people would vote along racial lines? I would vote for the best person with the same aspirations and ideology as me, regardless of race and gender.

Gotcha: Shahidan, use your brains, do you know even Malays are against Umno-BN because of corrupt practices, identity cards for foreigners and unequal treatment for all Malaysians?

Umno-BN nearly lost Terengganu and lost Kelantan. Isn’t over 80 percent of the population in these two states are Malays?

Negarawan: “You need two degrees to compete with me. I have a PhD, so I understand,” Shahidan told Anthony Loke.

These words do not come from a learned person but rather from an arrogant charlatan. It brings to serious question how Shahidan could have obtained a PhD, and the quality of his PhD.

There is a saying that the more knowledge a person has, the more humble he should be.

Vent: It appears that Shahidan does not understand the concept of parliamentary democracy. It means one man, one vote, not on racial lines, but on a political party system which also allows anyone, not necessarily with membership in a party, to contest in an election.

Ksn: With ministers like these running the country, Malaysia is the laughing stock of the world.

With the MH370 tragedy, the world now pays attention to Malaysia and our leaders. Shahidan forgot that 52 percent of all races voted for the opposition and it is good guess that the majority of the 52 percent were Malays.

The country is moving forward in unity while Umno is going backwards. Good for Malaysia.

Roti Chanai: Wow, the west has got to award Shahidan for the greatest political philosophy concept ever propounded. I am sure most of us are okay if the 67 percent goes to the Malay candidates in PAS and PKR?

Rupert16: Shahidan, I’m not sure where you got your PhD. You don't even know how to count. Based on what you said, the Chinese are indeed under-represented and not over-represented as you had suggested. This notwithstanding, race-based voting system is laughable and most ridiculous.

Meh: Shouldn't he be arrested for fanning racial sentiments? What's wrong with Malays voting for Chinese and Chinese voting for Malays as happened recently in the Kajang by-election?

Yahoo: By Shahidan’s horrendous, appalling, absurd logic, Barack Obama should not be president of America at all.

Armageddon: Keep up with your Stone Age mentality, Shahidan. Soon enough Umno will be history. We should be promoting unity among Malaysians and compete with the rest of the world. I wonder what that symbol 1Malaysia means to him?

Avenger: Merit means little when they prefer race and religion. The politicians in power show little by way of ability.

And they fool their followers into thinking that their race and religion are being protected and that the people of other races and religions are their enemies. If only the ordinary people know how much is stolen by their leaders and that the ordinary people get only the leftovers.

With little emphasis on ability, the leaders favour their families, relations and friends. The able amongst the poor get held back. And how do the non-Malay rich and powerful manage? Simply bribe and fool people in the Malay leadership and ensure that the not-so-bright ones get appointed and promoted to be puppets.

Ever thought of how the Singaporeans run circles around the the Malaysian leadership? Think of the great incompetence shown by the Malaysian authorities over MH370.

Long used to controlling everything in their backyard, they are now getting a clobbering on the international stage.

Ex-PJ: Should we apply the same racial composition rules to the entire civil service, including the police and armed forces?

If that happens, you, Shahidan Kassim, will be out of a job because I am sure there are smarter people.

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