KoSong: Are BN-friendly Independents ready to stand again?

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

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Are BN-friendly Independents ready to stand again?

I refer to a Malay Mail report:

Incumbents in limbo over GE13
'Former PKR MPs may defend constituencies on new ticket or as Independents

WITH election fever gripping the nation, Independent MPs who quit PKR or were dismissed from the party have been bitten by the bug again.

Several had been approached to contest under new tickets but were coy over the details due to the secrecy surrounding party candidacy lists.

Some, however, felt they would defend their parliamentary seats after the dissolution of Parliament no matter what.

The Malay Mail spoke to six such incumbents, namely, Wee Choo Keong (Wangsa Maju), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal), Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Bayan Baru), N. Gobalakrishnan (Padang Serai), Datuk Zulkifli Nordin (Kulim–Bandar Baru) and Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai)...'

More:
http://www.mmail.com.my/story/incumbents-limbo-over-ge13-52121

In my humble opinion, having crossed over to BN, or became BN-friendly Independents, they had betrayed the voters who voted them in under Pakatan tickets. Since there are no rules to prevent such crossovers, the least they can do is to stand again in the same constituencies to test whether the voters agreed to their earlier moves.

But most people would have the opinion that they were opportunists who were tempted by goodies offered by generous BN. It is unlikely that they are viewed as winnable candidates, even by BN leaders, who had only made use of them earlier. So it is likely to be a no-win situation of either not selected as BN candidate or lose miserably as independent candidate.

Others in the same situation are ex-ADUNs in Perak:

Nasarudin Hashim (Bota), Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang), Jamaluddin Mohd. Radzi (Behrang) and Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering). Nasarudin was responsible for pretending to join Pakatan only to jump out soon after, bringing along the three others which caused a constitutional crisis in Perak and enabled BN to regain the state in a most dubious manner.

Many Perakians have long waited for the coming elections to show their displeasure and to prove that they as voters have the final say when push comes to shove.

Link