Interesting article in The Nut Graph on what it takes for the country to achieve advanced economy status, a.k.a. high income per capita.
You can read it here.
Is PR losing momentum
I was reading this on the net and found it interesting. Anyway it is a forum that was recently held in Penang (you can read it here). The forum seeks to answer the question: “Will BN or PR win if the general election were to be held today?”
The speaker Ibrahim Suffian (from Merdeka Research Centre) was of the opinion, that BN will win back its 2/3 majority based on the surveys done by Merdeka Research Centre (if you are interested in the surveys, check out their website here).
Now I am not going to rehash Suffian’s argument and the surveys which his outfit did on this topic. Neither am I interested in nitpicking the methodology which the survey used.
What I am interested in is trying to answer this question “Is PR losing momentum?” By now the answer should be obvious … yes they are.
Looking at it objectively, I’ll say that PR faces a couple of problems. Firstly, the key players – PKR, DAP and PAS – have yet to work out a common political platform – much less formalize the loose alliance into an official coalition - that can convince voters of their ability to offer an alternative to BN.
Secondly, there doesn’t seem to be a leader to lead the current loose alliance. No doubt, Anwar is the de facto leader but so far he does not seem to be able to influence the direction of each party. Consider for example, the current leadership tussle within PKR and the blow up within the Selangor state government with PAS pulling one direction and the others another. All which lead to public perception that all is not well within the leadership of PR. Anwar’s hiatus from the public glare only added to this perception.
Now after saying this, I want to add that BN is not doing all that well. The current crisis within UMNO’s coalition partners is not helping its cause but the strength of BN has always been a single party, i.e. UMNO who exercises overall leadership within the coalition, which ensures BN marches to the tune the piper played. This leadership advantage together with the natural advantages of the incumbency gives BN the edge in any election.
But of course, there is no such thing as a determined outcome, much less after March 8. So does it mean that BN will win back support to regain its traditional 2/3 majority in the Parliament?
I will answer this question in my next posting. For those who are interested in an opinion that is different from Suffian (see this blog posting).
New book on Mahathir
Came across this piece while I was surfing the next:
You can read it here.
Mahathir squandered RM100 bil, says new book
From Malaysiakini
Malaysia has squandered an estimated RM100 billion on financial scandals under the 22-year rule of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, according to a new book about the former prime minister.
According to Barry Wain, author of the soon-to-be launched ‘Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times’, direct financial losses amounted to about RM50 billion.
You can read it here.
New developments in Hindraf
Speaking of Hindraf, here is some new developments. You can read the article here.
On BTN
By now, you probably have heard about Biro Tata Negara (BTN) from the alternative media. I don’t want to comment about it. Here are some links.
On why there is public outcry with BTN … read here, here and here. If you google it, you find more on what people are saying about it.
On what the Selangor state government (the first among the PR state government) is doing about it. Read here.
Lessons from the collapse of Hindraf
Two years ago, a social movement emerged suddenly to take centre stage in Malaysian politics. The movement in question was Hindraf which organized a series of street protest among working class Indians to highlight the plight of marginalized Indians. The clashes that took place between Indian protestors and the police resembles the street protests that took place during the reformasi movement of the late 1990s albeit with a different group of actors.
Today, Hindraf seems to be a spent force with the movement where leaders squabble among themselves and the movement splintering into different groups with different agenda (see this article on the collapse of HIndraf).
The question which must be asked is what lesson does the collapse of Hindraf hold for political parties and social movements in the country.
The first lesson to be learned here is that playing the race card would only sustain a political party or movement for so long. Consider the case of Hindraf, which openly state that its struggle is for the betterment of Indians who represent 8% of the total population. Translated into political terms, the political pressure which they can pile on the government is limited.
By trumpeting its cause as an Indian only affair, it failed to gather wider public sympathy to sustain its political pressure on the government.
Secondly, the use of street protests as a political mean only invites government crackdown as in the case of the reformasi movement back in the 1990s. Its inability to communicate the grievances of the marginalized Indians and the trouble it caused to the public during their protests only served to alienate wider public support to their cause.
Thirdly, the movement’s initial success have caused internal rift within its leadership which over time became irreparable. All which led the movement to stagnate.
To recapitulate, I think the lessons any political party or social movement must learn from the collapse of Hindraf are:
(i) they must gain a broad base support rather than playing the racial card that had been used since independence. Political attitudes are changing in the country. This is particularly true among the urban folks who are more supportive of the “justness” of a cause.
(ii) the ability to communicate one’s cause in a way that not only reach the public but also persuading people of the “justness” of their cause. The internet is great for this purpose but we must remember of the limited connection in the country. Other means must be explored.
(iii) street protests/demonstrations, even if peaceful, will not work if it is not complemented by other strategies.
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