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

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Third Force? I am The Force!

should be on the minds of every voter in Malaysia.

There is currently a debate on the Third Force among well known bloggers like Raja Petra, Masterwordsmith, and journalists like Terence Netto, who took the trouble to find out how the term came about in our local political scene.

In my simplistic mind, voters as a group is The Boss who decides who rule this country. Each of us eligible voters has One Vote and it is the sole decision of the voter as to which candidate or party to vote for. Every major party will try and influence him or her, but ultimately, he or she decides whether to put the 'X' at the box of choice, or even to deliberately spoil it out of disgust.

At best, each major party or coalition (BN or PR) can try to influence the decision of The Voter. Often, despite promises and/or actual monetary benefits, the final result of each election can be beyond the expectations of those who tried, because we are dealing with individuals with a mind of his or her own, who can be fickle minded until the last moment. There are those who gave the impression they are supporters of a party but always voted the other. There are diehard or hardcore supporters who would vote for only one party, regardless of who stand in the constituency. In other words, we are talking about variables and unlimited combinations of variables which could affect the result of an election.

The debate in cyberspace and mainstream English or Malay media are read and commented by only those who are interested enough in politics. Many refused to read on anything political while others' attention span does not go further than the headlines. For eg. having read about the 90% Chinese enrolment in Chinese schools, you can imagine a large portion of the Chinese population not reading about the debate unless and until the Chinese newspapers carry them. Even then, how many would be interested? The large number of eligible persons who did not register as voters show there are still those who are not bothered at all. Some do not even know who is the PM!

So the debate on the Third Force could just be something academic without much influence on the voting pattern, except where it enforces a three-cornered contest which might put some voters in a dilemma on either side of the main political divide.

The reasons why some people are unhappy with the two main coalitions include unfair jostles for power within a party, poor choice of candidates for elections, promises unfulfilled, and so on. We have yet to attain the level of a two-party system found in Britain or USA, so it seems premature to think in terms of a Third Force, or by whatever name it is called.

In our local politics, the people are keen on either coalition for reasons best known to themselves, and any third or more candidates seem to upset their simple equation. On the other hand, you can have the best candidate based on your party's criteria, but if the voters do not like his face, or your own party members bear a grudge against him, he may be unelected. We have not even considered the effects of manipulation by institutions acting as agents for the incumbents. So, are we ready for the Third Force?
Link

No comments: