13 April, 2008
Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said a very interesting thing the other day: "Abdullah is our prime minister and I am his chief minister in Penang".
Paddy Bowie, NEW STRAITS TIMES
COLUMNIST Tunku Aziz wrote quite recently "There's life in the old girl, yet".
Almost as if the shock had been so severe they had needed resuscitating.
The still governing party is in recovery mode, yes, and trying to hunker down to the nuts and bolts of governing.
After the shake up, the clean up. A favourite expression of my colleague Jason is that "you campaign in poetry but you govern in prose".
However, they are hampered.
The political saga continues with almost as much intensity as the pre-election run-up.
One side appears to be still campaigning judging by all the populist rhetoric and chasing party hoppers.
The other side is preoccupied in some very serious and destabilising power play compounded by all the bickering.
The blame game doesn't let up on the leadership.
Such continued politicking contributes to policy paralysis.
For the rest of us still reeling from the shock of March 8, we now face the aftershocks.
I can only share my confusion or have recourse to my favourite pastime of intellectual streaking.
We should be congratulating ourselves.
The breaking news at the moment is that of the disastrous elections in Zimbabwe, a country that paralleled us in obtaining its freedom from colonialism and with it a legacy of Westminster-style parliamentary rule.
The result of their election is still to be officially announced and some nasty death-dealing troops are out on the streets determined to prevent this.
The aftermath of the election in Kenya is continued violence.
Nepal comes next.
In our case it was a peaceful outcome. We were free on the day after to visit Ikea or shop at our favourite mall.
Election was (and is) still the hot topic of conversation, even eclipsing football.
In fact, as in football, we've only got to half-time and the second half will be played in December at the Umno general assembly.
The general election decides the government the people want.
The majority party decides the leadership.
With all the controversy and animus against the present prime minister, I feel this is rightly a matter for the man himself and the party to settle within a time tested set of rules and procedures.
In the interim, it may give time for the anger to subside, Barisan Nasional to retrieve its reputation, and Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to consolidate his position.
The second half of the game promises to be thrilling.
The main players are limbering up even now, and they are not confining themselves to the dressing room.
But it's all reactive.
There is a difference between being strategic or merely tactical, although both are needed.
When Ronaldo or Rooney get the ball at their feet, they react on the spot and we hope score a goal.
I suppose many of the public in the stands see Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as our Ronaldo, cutting a dashing performance.
But Sir Alex Ferguson plans the entire game and all the other games in the league, both home and away.
Our Ferguson is the prime minister.
Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said a very interesting thing the other day: "Abdullah is our prime minister and I am his chief minister in Penang".
This is the type of positive collaboration that will stop us getting relegated.
And we should stop speculating who is going to be sent off, whilst those on the benches are waiting impatiently to take over.
And let us hope it does not go to injury time.
We play in a global league where the present champions are China, India and Japan.
We need to think nationally.
The recent elections crossed the racial divide, enabling us to field a multi-racial team.
I know that footballers switch teams (with appropriate financial inducements).
They see it as transfers.
But I personally think defections in the political context are unethical.
An MP is voted in to his constituency -- where he is meant to serve the interests of the constituents who put him there.
To desert is to betray their trust.
The new cabinet is I suppose is our No 1 team and I congratulate the government on the selection.
It is leaner, down-sized.
Those past it have been retired although there is bound to be controversy about the choice.
It has also been upgraded with an input of very professional players like Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz and the like, and we're offering more public space to the outspoken, like Datuk Shahrir Samad.
There is a lot of fresh blood, 16 new faces, mainly young, and 16 of the tried and the true, seasoned politicians.
On the sidelines there are, unexpectedly some new participants ready to referee.
The Rulers are holding their ground and asserting their constitutional role.
Raja Dr Nazrin Shah of Perak and the Sultan of Selangor are making sure the game is played by the rules.
Will Barisan Nasional, especially Umno, be able to heal itself?
And will Pakatan Rakyat manage to stay together?
At the moment the three disparate Pakatan Rakyat parties have got into bed together but with their clothes still on.
Will the union be consummated?
The Islamic agenda of Pas has been put on the back burner for purposes of the election, will it be revitalised? And will its partners, especially DAP, find such an agenda indigestible?
I was asked a tantalising question. If new elections were called in the near future, would the result be the same?
I have Barisan Nasional members who confessed they had voted for the opposition.
Being fed up with rule by command and control and wanting their way, it was an impulse, a whim, that prompted them to register their little protest.
Of course, next morning they were horrified to read the outcome.
What have we done, they asked.
In their case the political pendulum will swing back.
There was also a degree of voter apathy.
Four million of those eligible to vote did not register -- 80 per cent being Malays.
Their number is larger than the entire membership of Umno.
Next time they could make a difference.
The time has come to think Malaysia.
This is a great country and a civil society.
No military rulers.
We've just experienced a democratic dividend.
The electorate has spoken.
The people have had their say even if it was through the blogs, with a cyber-assisted wind of change helping.
Democracy is alive and well.
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