though the same word got a certain MP from Sabah suspended for 3 hours in Parliament. The Deputy Speaker was ready to take action after his warning, and probably any sound or squeak from just about anybody would have landed him or her in trouble.
Now, there is a motion to suspend YB Gobind Singh Deo for one whole year! Another example of hardline policies of late, and we have to brace ourselves for more to come.
Malaysia Today: Consistency Of Purpose, Duty And Responsibility
Since the Perak affair began, many of us have questioned the wisdom of the Sultan of Perak’s decision against dissolving the state assembly. I am, like many of you, not trained in law but I am reasonably educated with a modicum of common sense.
By TUNKU ABDUL AZIZ/ MySinchew
(Excerpts):
My loyalty, however, is to my own raja, the Sultan of Kedah, and that loyalty, however, is not unqualified. He has to earn it by acting in the best interests of his subjects. That to me is every ruler’s sole raison d’etre. The French have another word, noblesse oblige, which is translated as those who enjoy the advantage of wealth and power have an obligation to protect those who do not have these advantages.
In this enlightened age, the only appeal to a person’s respect and loyalty that is likely to mean anything at all must be based on reason. It is no longer appropriate to invoke “lese majesty” as a form of legal sanction to secure the loyalty and affection of the people. There has recently been a great deal of talk about social contract or compact in the context of the special rights of the Malays. I am not aware that any such contract exists, but I know that there is in universal terms an unwritten social compact between the government and the governed, and between the ruler and the ruled. In effect, what this stipulates is that it is the duty of the government or the ruler to ensure that the will of the people must be allowed full rein under the constitution to exercise their rights. In return, the people agree among themselves to conduct their affairs in ways that benefit the community as a whole. In a nutshell, we cannot have a prosperous and harmonious society by acting outside the constitutional parameters, and this injunction applies to both the ruler and the ruled.
On another matter, I was surprised by Rosmah's claim that her husband is destined to be PM. Why not wait for another few days? Being a pessimist myself, I would never claim something until it is confirmed as fact, akin to 'not counting chickens until they are hatched', as I am superstitious to believe there are other 'forces' which might be invoked to go against it. What comes to mind was this write-up in a local paper about a HK lady living in a 8-storey house and few days later, her house was burgled!
How should we judge a government?
In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X
Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain
Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham
"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan
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