Perak Crisis: Does UMNO Want it To End?

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"The ruler has defied the provisions of Article XVI, Clause (6)
when he resorted to ordering the menteri besar to resign from his post
when he has no power to do so."
-NH Chan ( former Court of Appeals judge),
"Sultan has no powers to ask Nizar to quit", Malaysiakini.

“Emergency rule should always be the last resort.
Apart from emergency rule,
there are three other alternatives that may be pursued
to break the constitutional deadlock in Perak,
of which the first and most obvious one is to hold fresh state elections."
- Shad Faruqi.

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The events since the Perak coup d'etat has shaken the country to its core - more out of Umno's refusal to see reason than anything else.
Amidst all these high drama, we have our longest serving PM, Dr. Mahathir, who would jump at the slightest opportunity for making his 2-cents worth known - conspicuously silent!!
And Ku Li on the other tangent, is at odds in opinion with "mainstream Umno" - stating that Nizar is Too Legit to Quit.

With the constitution being trampled on, Umno is more concerned about fooling the people that the "Kedaulatan" Raja-raja Melayu is being threatened, and hence the Malay Race as a whole is in jeopardy! More than ever, it is being shown to the populace that it doesn't wish to change, despite all the lip service which they have been indulging in. As usual, they have picked on "bogeymen" to divert the attention of the people from the core issue - the subversion of the Constitution (not to mention the Royal House).

It is plain and simple to any decently knowledgeable man, that the Perak crisis which was sparked of by the coup, was unconstitutional and discredits the Raja-raja Melayu - and that Nizar is still the legitimate MB. After all, the erudite Sultan of all people must surely be aware that he doesn't have the power to dismiss the MB....
Why then did he make this decision, which erases all the good that he has done, destroys his legacy and the credibility of the Royal household?

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“Who says Umno Youth has no spirit and is not brave?
We will show them,”
- Hishamuddin.
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What could have been so "convincing" in "Najib's" contention, that he proceeded to destroy his sterling reputation as among the most erudite & respected of Sultans? Had the Sultan been compelled to make the decision he made? Your guess is as good as mine ....
What we saw probably wasn't as simple as it may have seemed - there must have been "severe ramifications", should "Najib's" overtures have been scorned (you know how the saying goes about a women scorned ...).
The Sultan, probably in a "moment of weakness", had fallen for (or victim to?) the "methods" of Umno - should that be the case, the Perak Royal House (and that of other states, too) are just as much victims, as the Rakyat!

Nevertheless, His Highness now has a golden opportunity to set it right - in the face of a political stalemate, he could now dissolve the assembly so as to make way for elections, and set things right once again. But then again, can he do it? Maybe ... maybe not - the "ramifications" of a such a decision may be too much for him to handle!

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"My name is UMNO......
I am the Law. I am above the Constitution. Don't you forget that.
Oh! The Rulers?
When I feel like it I criticize them.
When I am in need of them I cry 'Daulat Tuanku' night and day.
I am immortal and I will rule this country till Judgement Day."
- Mr. Smith

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But, is the "peaceful resolution" of this "crisis by design", what Umno wants or needs?
Not a chance in hell!!
Umno wants this "crisis". Umno needs this "crisis". It is a matter of survival for Umno!
This "crisis" serves the Umno agenda to divert attention from their inadequacies - it is an opportunity for them to "destabilize" in order to impose laws that can bring "law & order". If one has noticed, the mantra that they use is always about "stability" - and that will be the excuse for those "lower down" to seize the mantle of power, should Pak Lah refuse to quit the PM's post.
The anxiety over the possibility of Pak Lah remaining, is definitely fraying some nerves in Putrajaya (and of course - at the "Perdana Leadership Foundation" too!!) - and Pak Lah may be holding his cards pretty close to his chest. Is it any wonder why KJ claimed that "some people" are hellbent on "burying him"?

It can go two or three ways, and righteousness doesn't figure in what is most likely.
We may get "just what the doctor ordered" (ie, elections), Pak Lah staying on "to solve the problem" for his successor, or the fat lady may call for a "Sarawak-'66" or "Kelantan-'77" to materialize in Perak.
Should push come to shove, my guess is that the latter will be the "drug of choice" - and there isn't much that we can do in a dictatorship with an emasculated and subservient security services/ institutions of state.

Umno Baru seeks to, and will perpetuate the feudalistic dynasty of aristocratic rule in Malaysia - and it is hellbent on doing so. With Mahathir's Umno Baru adopting an increasingly extremist & polarising stance (through the current crop of "future leaders"), it is surely making Malaysia into the latest failed state in town- to join the "club of doom".

But then again - who cares if that happens, RPK is jailed, the Constitution is trampled upon, Uthayakumar dies in Kamunting, our children are born to pay tolls and taxes, suspects mysteriously die in custody (ala Kugan), Emergency is declared in Perak or even if Malaysia goes up in smoke?
Malaysians just want to go on praying for divine intervention, cari makan for the table, eat kuey teow, ...
Who cares .... we just need "sleep & peace" - that will make us a great nation of spiritual prostitutes - a wonderland for economic pirates!

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Related:

• Quo Vadis, DSAI?
• The ISA in Malaysia - Pt. I
• The ISA in Malaysia - Pt. II
• The ISA in Malaysia - Pt. III

Drop ISA charges against RPK

Aliran would like to echo the plea of secretary-general Jean-Francois Julliard of Reporters Without Borders requesting His Majesty the Yang diPertuan Agong to intercede in the case of Raja Petra Kamarudin who is better known as RPK.

RPK was detained under the ISA for posting certain articles in his web-page that were deemed to be a “threat to internal security.” He has been posting many, many provocative articles for years. His articles have been eye-opening, thought-provoking, sensational, and simply incredible. His web-page has an amazing number of daily hits, proving that he has a large following.
His readers are from all backgrounds. They are amused, angry or incredulous but no one has rioted or threatened the security of the nation because of RPK’s articles. This is why it is difficult to believe that RPK is a “threat to internal security.” There is no evidence even to hint of this possibility.

He is already facing a series of court charges for some of the articles. Aliran has no quarrel with this. If anybody felt defamed or hurt by his articles, the aggrieved party should sue him and take him to court.

The government should not be suing RPK on behalf of the aggrieved party.

While some of the cases are on-going, why is it necessary to detain him under the ISA? Instead of resorting to the ISA, can’t RPK be pinned down by existing laws and taken to court to be judged for his alleged offence?
The obnoxious thing about the ISA is that there are no charges against a person and no right of defence is available to the unfortunate detainee. He is simply detained for no definite reason.

He was detained on 12 September 2008. RPK challenged his detention. The High Court released him on 7 November 2008. Can’t we let matters rest at that instead of pursuing it further to put him away?

As far as the people are concerned, the widespread perception is that the government is intent on putting him away because he has damaging information that could discredit the BN government. The BN is worried that his articles will expose the BN and ridicule it in the eyes of the public. This is a very persuasive belief.

Aliran hopes that His Majesty will intercede to ensure that every subject of his will be treated with courtesy and accorded justice, which is a fundamental right of a person.

Ramakrishnan , ALIRAN