50 Years of 2/3 Majority

50 years of 2/3 majority

February 16, 2008

By SV Singam

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The ruling coalition has enjoyed an almost unbroken 50 years of 2/3 majority in parliament. The only time this overwhelming majority was lost was in 1969. Immediately, the race riots were triggered, parliament was suspended and the National Operations Council (with 100% control) installed. The semblance of democracy was only restored after the major opposition parties were sucked into a new and larger coalition and the 2/3 majority regained.

The ruling coalition operates on the Whip principle – component parties and representatives must toe the official line. Under no circumstances is a Wakil Rakyat allowed to vote according to his conscience or according to the mandate the rakyat he represents gave him.

So what has 50 years of 2/3 majority given us?

• The Malaysian Constitution has been amended some 690 times. The USA has been in existence for more than 200 years and their constitution was only amended 27 times.
• The Constitution is amended for matters as trivial as extending the term of office of the Elections Commission officers, simply to avoid facing rejection by the Agung.
• Because of the overwhelming power available to the Executive, the Legislature has been reduced to a rubber stamp, the Judiciary has been emasculated and corrupted and the powers of the Agung have been clipped.
• The legal system is a sad joke, serving only further the desires of the ruling clique.
• The Elections Commission serves only to ensure that the ruling clique is returned to power.

Look at the statistics…

In the last election, Barisan Nasional received only 63.8% of the popular votes but has 91% of all parliamentary seats. All due to gerrymandering, phantom votes, voter relocation, voter substitution… there are even suspicions of ballot box stuffing.

UMNO received 35.9% of the popular votes, has 50% of the parliamentary seats and holds 71% of the ministerial positions. The other members of the coalition have been reduced to running dogs, wagging their tails and begging for scraps.

Little Napoleons have been allowed to run rife and the rights of non-Malay, non-Muslim communities have been trampled upon. The Wakil Rakyat do nothing even when constitutional amendments threatening these rights are proposed. It is left to the opposition members to highlight these alarming matters and try to prevent total steamrolling.

Meanwhile, it’s not like the rights of all Malays are really being addressed. Claims of hard-core poverty among rural Malays indicate that wealth distribution is not making real headway. Under the umbrella of the NEP, wealthy UMNO leaders continue to steal the wealth of the country, feeding pittance to the rakyat. And the Malays are being deprived of the ability to compete and gain new skills.

Under the aegis of the NEP, incompetent people (skilled in politicking) are given promotions while capable people are being deprived of the opportunity to lead. Major national corporations and companies are blundering from error to error. We have lost our competitive edge in practically every field.

How much more of this can we take? How much more of this should we take?

Change may not necessarily be better.

But without change, it is not possible to become better.

If we want to become better, we must want change.

It is time the 2/3 majority in parliament is dismantled.

We hold that power.

heaven or hell

While walking down the street one day a Malaysian politician is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and he is met by an angel at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says the angel. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the man."Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I have made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Yang Berhormat"I'm sorry, but we have our rules," says the angel.

And with that, the angel escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course.

In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.Everyone is very happy and dressed in the finest batik there is. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then indulge themselves on lobsters, caviar and the most expensive food there is. Present together is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where the angel is waiting for him."Now it' s time to visit heaven."So, 24 hours pass with the Yang Berhormat joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing.

They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and the angel returns."Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven.

Now choose your eternity."The Yang Berhormat reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I am better off in hell."

So the angel escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder."I don't understand," stammers the Yang Berhormat. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning, just like you did during an election...... Today you voted."

vote with your conscience

what have the government done to education?
we still dream of overseas education; chinese and tamil schools still need private funding; universities still practise racial discrimination;

what have the government done to battle corruption?
ACA still are toothless without the power to charge BIG fishes; PDRM and government still deny police are corrupt; little napoleans still bermaharajalela across the country; even the judges in the highest court in malaysia are proven to be corrupt!!

what have the government done to improve security?
police were sent to disperse peaceful protesters instead of helping find missing kids; how to trust corrupt police running lock-ups and jails? how can we put our trust in police when whenever they wished, they can set-up mobile toll collection booth on the streets?



what have the government done to foster racial harmony?

racial sentiments being instilled into the minds of little kids; racial discrimination being incorporated into every aspect of our lifes (why differential treatment for bumi and non-bumi?); is an obsolete NEP still relevant today?



what have the government done to manage public funds properly?

mega projects with mega over-spending, everybody in construction knows you need to bribe to get certain things done, and the government is still in denial; why do the bandaran(s) always have to build stupid looking useless things that don't work all over town? do we need RM500,000 SMART toilets that costs RM0.50 per pee all over KL? why do we still have to pay obnoxious amount for toll, to use a private highway that was built using tax-loan, that is compensated by the hundreds of million annually using tax-money, that is always jammed- while the highway goes on making hundreds of million in profit every year?

a country's politics is not about whether you get to eat pork or not. it's not about whether you get a free dustbin for your premise. it's certainly not all about petrol subsidy.


yes, you cant possibly expect the government to subsidise every single thing from cooking oil, petrol, gas, etc. however, with improved effiency on the distribution of wealth, the government can improve the economy and help the rakyat AFFORD the inflation. instead of subsidising and creating an artificial sustainability. this is where i think the current government failed miserably! (well, actually i think the government failed miserably in almost every single department). i've always tell people this, and i reiterate again, we are poorer than we should because the money that belongs to us are in the wrong pockets! politicians, authorities, armed bodies...are all stealing money from us through corrupt practises. a bridge costs rm2,000,000 here in malaysia when the exact same bridge should only cost rm1,000,000 in say singapore. contractor had to inflate the price to feed-off officers from the authorities. tax payers had to fork out an additional rm1,000,000 that does not benefit anyone but the sinners and swiss banks.

"be happy with what you have, we are actually much better off than many developing countries" ...........how many times have you heard this statement??
what is the use of comparing ourselves with lesser nations?? how can we feel contended with saying we are living a better life than people in the third world countries? malaysia has so so much more to offer than just providing us with mediocre education, nasi lemak and roti canai. what about chasing wawasan 2020? what about becoming a developed nation?

BN was voted into power based on the premise that they will ensure peace, fairness to all, economic growth, curb corruption, etc. they have done some, ok...bravo. but shamelessly put up a facade to hide the true picture from the blissful ignorants, yet letting the rest of the nation suffer in its incompetence.

happy chinese new year ..

dear all readers....wishing you all a happy chinese new year. may your new year of the rat bring happiness, health, and peace to you and all your loved ones.


-sheon-

who will i be in 10 years time...

10 years is just 3650 days away.............

lets start with my career. well, no doubt it looks like i am already on the right path to my calling in the industry. the amount of jealousy and envy and slander against me is just proof that i am already a threat to some. but what they dont fucking know is that i dont give a fucking damn.

i love my job. i love what i'm doing. but all my closest friends know that i hate office politics. being super interested in the political climate in our country, doesnt mean that i am interested in office politics. if somebody really steps on my toes, and i believe IF i really really want to retaliate, i know i have the means and all the influence to execute a career assassination.

my personal philosophy in this department is......."solve all problems, not create them"

i am feeling very uncomfortable, with all the attention on me. for whatever reason, people keep telling me that i have this aura of confidence that i exert. but inside, i know i am not as confident as i wished i was. maybe this is exactly what some people want that many dont possess. and i got it for free and dont know how to exploit it.

a profound statement a person i admire and respect alot told me last night.

"dont be an academic engineer, instead be a businessman with an engineering background"

.............. BINGO!!!! spot on!! that is precisely what i want to be! lets see what happens in 10 years.

mating season mating season mating season. wedding bells are ringing, wedding invites are flying, and angpow is crippling my wallet. sigh. i vow to marry 4 times to get back my angpow money!!!

aaahhh......the dreaded valentines is round the corner. what a lovely sight it is to see couples flocking restaurants to splurge on over-priced slabs of stale meat and chemically enhanced desserts and ridiculously priced twigs.

the last valentine that i celebrated..........i prepared the steaks myself....cooked all the side dishes...shared the efforts of making a cheesecake. there were candles all over, camera was flashing all night....to document the beautiful moment that i thought will last forever, and more.
valentine sex was super. i did not document that though. hahahaha.....

this is gonna be the 4th straight year i am spending valentines alone. or is it 3rd? i dont remember anymore. what will happen in 10 years time? will i be celebrating my 14th solo valentine? haha...what are the chances?

in 10 years time, i want to change the world..............

i love malaysia....

dinner's served!!

caught by my brave supervisors on site yesterday. 2m long python!!!! actually they saved her from being crushed by the monster machines that we are operating on site.

dont worry, being the animal lover that i am, i insisted that they release it back to the wild after we gang-molested her. somebody actually wanted to have it for dinner. hahhaa....

that's mr foo and mr chin, my site engineer and section foreman respectively. and thats her running between their thighs.

her teeth damn geli!!!!