Pakatan Rakyat: Retreating into Tempurungs.

A cannibal was walking through the jungle and came upon a Cannibal Restaurant opened by a fellow cannibal.
Feeling hungry, he sat down and looked over the menu...
Broiled Missionary: $10.00, Fried Explorer: $15.00, Baked Politician: $100.00.
The cannibal called the waiter over and asked, "Why such a price difference for the politician?"
The cook replied: "Have you ever tried to clean one?"

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In a reply to an Anonymous commenter who did well to comment in a previous piece, Just a Flawed Argument....... , I mentioned the following:

"we cannot afford to pander to the very same primitive ideas that appeal to the "lowest common denominators",- the "flight ot fight" mentality...... to get defensive and charge others of "wrongdoing", when valid questions are posed, and reasonable answers can be sought".

Moving on .....
While PR did well to kick off the reform agenda by taking advantage of the circumstances, they have failed to articulate their ideas and present themselves as a cohesive force to be reckoned with. It once again points to the intellectual/philosophical bankruptcy which plagues PR just as much as it does BN. Each one of them have retreated into their own worlds - oblivious to the bigger issues that plague the nation. Sectarian interests provoked by BN doesn't make things any easier for them.

Tian Chua has not helped much when he has taken to playing the spin doctor, by claiming that these public spats are "the glue that binds". Does he mean to say that PKR can play "their role" as the "glue" while the other two parties slug it out tactlessly? They do not seem to see the need to have a common platform, with an image of unity - to allay the fears of a jittery people, accustomed to "order" and authoritarian leadership.

They have been prone to being reactionary, putting out bushfires systematically lit by BN, that easily burn out of control and reveals their weaknesses. The consistent attacks that they have been faced with, have appeared to have unnerved this disparate electoral pact that Pakatan Rakyat is.

They themselves (PKR, PAS, & DAP) seem to be victims of the social engineering & indoctrination of Umno's NEP. They still think and act along sectarian lines, highlighting petty differences of opinion, each catering to their own horde of supporters - while conveniently playing into the hands of Umno. While DAP seems to be reeling with the image & media war that Umno has waged on it, PAS and PKR are riddled with opportunists & trojans from the "Umno discontents club". And yet, these parties make selfish public statements that erode their image in the eyes of the electorate.

Umno knows this only too well, and is now depending on their fat wallets & the "experience bank" to scuttle all attempts by Pakatan to appear to be a viable alternative. Being master at the sectarian politics and social engineering, they are quite adept at playing the game of perception. They could have stolen the elections at Manik Urai, but chose not to - instead, they wanted to change perceptions by having PAS win it, and yet "prove" that in a PAS stronghold, they have managed to sway opinion. They keep lighting the bushfires that burn out of control within an undisciplined Pakatan Rakyat and scuttle the administrations of the Pakatan states.

Emboldened by the apparently powerlessness of the rakyat in protesting Umno's unconstitutional coup d'etat in Perak, Najib has openly declared his desire for Selangor - the "crown jewel". That would of course explain the harassment from the MACC which Khalid has been faced with, while PKFZ & Istana Toyol looms large in the background - Teoh Beng Hock was simply "collateral damage". The situation has got so bad for Khalid, that Mahathir too has implied that the Pakatan govt will soon fall.
Umno is now on an offensive, and they are aggressive at that. The innuendos are that they are willing to go the full length - no matter what it takes. The only way they see is to whip up more racist sentiments and to "flex some state-sponsored muscles" to feed their egos.
They want Askar Wataniah in each Parliamentary constituency.
They are hell bent on charging someone in Pakatan for corruption.
They have a two-faced campaign of "1-Malaysia" campaign, where they speak of "perjuangan Melayu" (aka "Ketuanan Melayu"). They call others traitors to the Malay race.
They call on people to "rise" against the non-Malays through their Utusan Melayu. And yet they praise the Chinese for this and that, and tell "nandri" & "vanakkam" to the Tamilians of Batu Caves.
They want "commando training" for their youth. They want Selangor.

The best part is, there are among the non-Malays in MCA[click on image for report from Sun] & MIC who clamour for the role of ball-carrier and running dog - all for the money that lies within.
To make matters worse, RPK has declared that the Barisan Rakyat Bloggers will be campaigning against voting for either BN or Pakatan - campaigning for "spoilt votes"!! This, because Pakatan Rakyat has abandoned the People's Declaration which was what helped them in they pursuit of power.
The way I look at it, that means, one might as well campaign for a boycott of the elections - which I had once advocated. Today though, I believe such an attitude defeats the purpose of casting in the first place. Permatang Pasir, being Anwar's stronghold, should have a big voter turnout - so an act of abstinence would automatically translate to a protest.

So what have we here?
The people are told that they have a Catch-22 situation, wherein on one side Pakatan Rakyat isn't showering them with deliveries of promises in less than 2 years,
and Umno on the other, who is perceived to plunder and rape. They are told that Pakatan Rakyat is "hopelessly lost". They are told that they are screwed if you do, screwed if you don't.
They are now told that they have to chicken out from teaching Umno/BN a lesson.
It is now time to teach the little child a big lesson- by taking away his lollipop, while handing the gold to the pirate.
They are now told - Retreat into your tempurungs, just like the component parties of Pakatan Rakyat have thus far - hang these recalcitrant leadership of Pakatan, while those who hope to make a change, despair.

We really do need to remind them and convince them to adopt it (The People's Declaration) as their manifesto in a formal alliance - and get cracking once again .....
Pakatan Rakyat's choices are limited - adopt it or perish!!