MARCH 2 — When five PKR assemblymen abstained from voting against a motion on sea reclamation filed by Umno, the DAP-led Penang administration went ballistic.
The PKR headquarters’ statement said, “In principle, PKR allows conscience vote in certain matters … and the motion involved is a complex issue involving the environment.”
His party will have none of that. Political conscience
Conscience vote or free vote is normally entertained in the United Kingdom and Canada if the issues involved religion, morals or ethics. Otherwise, all are expected to vote according to party lines. The house whip ensures adherence. In the United States, free votes are the norm.
In the Penang state assembly episode, two of the PKR representatives believed to be ringleaders of the abstention were promptly removed from the board of state agencies. DAP called their act “backstabbing”, hence the retaliation.
On the surface it looks like the PKR leadership thought DAP is a tad too domineering and the converse is that the other lacked discipline. But it is more the manifestation of the still unresolved “Pas situation” within Pakatan Harapan. However, Pakatan supporters don’t fret; this is just an active coalition sans a dominant partner.
Now, let’s look at the spat by the two Tuns. Tun Musa Hitam said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad nurtured followers instead of leaders. Therefore, Vision 2020 can be derailed. Mahathir fired back that Musa was his first mistake, suggesting that Musa was too eager to take over.
Many at that time thought the partnership doomed when they were heralded as ''The 2M government'' (Mahathir and Musa). Mahathir sharing the stage, isn’t that cracking hilarious? Can Lee Kuan Yew be a co-driver?
Mahathir was a political master who was extremely hard working and decisive. Consequently, all the critical instruments of government were reshaped during his 22-year reign. He was in a terrible hurry and brooked little dissent.
Political analysts were extremely critical of his leadership and value system over the whole range of governance. He had to “out-Pas” Pas and so brought in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to roll out the nation’s Islamisation programme, despite our stated secularism.
He needed express and mega funding for his grandiose programmes so the government was also in business. Democracy demands elections, but he still had loads of work-in-progress. So only the vice-presidents’ posts in Umno were in contention, and so on.
Mahathir’s law” simply took precedence. Any take-charge person would find himself in the wilderness.
Musa, meanwhile, is teased by many as the “best prime minister Malaysia never had."
When he resigned as deputy prime minister he was only 52-years-old and one year later, after failing to remove Mahathir with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, he retired from politics. I think he could have easily continued for another 20 years but pragmatism (Mahathir’s law) overruled, perhaps. Today, he is 82 years old and still looks fighting fit.
Two days ago, Mahathir resigned from his party, again. The Philippines on May 9
Our dear neighbours are scheduled to elect their president, vice president, and 12 seats to the Senate, 297 House Representatives seats, governors, mayors and council seats beginning May 9. The elective offices total tens of thousands.
The presidential office is limited to one six-year term and the vice-president is voted in separately.
Martial-law president Ferdinand Marcos’ (1965-86) nemesis Benigno Aquino Jnr was assassinated in 1983 upon his return from a three-year self-exile. In the following People Power Revolution, Marcos was overthrown, and Aquino’s wife Cory was elected president (1986-1992). Then their son, Benigno Aquino III won for the term 2010 to 2016. Marcos died in exile in 1989.
In the run-up to the present elections, there is a parallel 30-year celebrations; one is on the end of the authoritarian Marcos regime (Feb 25) where an estimated 3,200 people were reportedly murdered and over 40,000 tortured. The other is on the “Golden Age” of Marcos, where there was “peace and order”, corruption was minimal (policemen didn’t extract bribes), and criminals were on the run.
Candidates for presidential and vice presidential offices really cut a fascinating gallery, perhaps even too creative for movie scripts. Incumbent vice-president Jejomar Pinay (74) is paired with Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan (68) as vice-president. Honasan was the dashing colonel who played a key role in the EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue — the road famous for rallies by hundreds of thousands) Revolution, which helped topple Marcos, and was also convicted for unsuccessful violent coup attempts against the Cory administration. President Fidel Ramos (1992-1998) granted him amnesty.
Another candidate is Miriam Defensor Santiago (71) who had served as a judge in Metro Manila under Marcos, secretary of Agrarian Reform in the Cory Cabinet and at present, senator. In 2012, she was the first Asian in a developing country to be elected judge of the International Criminal Court. And her citation for the Ramon Magsaysay Award had read “for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a corrupt-ridden government agency."
Her running mate for vice president is Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr (59). With strange bedfellows, political conscience is really confounding. Postscript Imelda Marcos (86) wrongly attended a 30th anniversary memorial mass for victims of Marcos’ regime last week and sat through the harrowing memories being related.
Her staff had whispered that they were in the wrong service, to which she said, “It’s fine. We’re all praying to the same God.” Her political conscience held sway?
Imelda’s jewels, hoards of cash, and “2,000 pairs of shoes” seemed like a history footnote in this May 9 extravaganza.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
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