If you're just talking about "creating a foundation for civil society" to voice out & be a viable pressure group in future, I'm in favour of that.
But to have them “make an electoral pact with any of the 20 or so political parties from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat that may be prepared to make an electoral pact with us”.....
errr ... ROTFLOL!!!!
YOU GOTTA BE Frickin' KIDDING!!!!!
By the looks of it, there are some people who dream utopian dreams, pushing for a lobby group which can shake the foundations of PR politics – simply because they don't like to hear about the mud-slinging which goes on in an election campaign. Okay la- let's give them the benefit of doubt- maybe they have their KPI, NKRA, ETP, and whatever else acronym to support their contention ...
Effectively, what they're proposing is a “different kind of Perkasa” as a “pressure group” (or NGO or whatever you may call-it). What the 3rd force might end up achieving is – unwittingly creating animosity between the PR parties & only weakening what has been built thus far.
Let's get one thing clear- from India, to USA, to UK, to Sweden - no intra-party politics is as clean as one might think it should be. No Sir – it is just that they are more “civilized” in their ways .... while our boys “are just learning to walk”!
In India, they'd probably send someone with a "thalwar" to pay a "courtesy visit" to their competition. In Sweden or UK or USA they probably have the media on stand-by to reveal juicy stories (remember Chappaquidick?) of their competition.
To all those who think otherwise, don't come around saying, "Malaysian voters are matured" & shouting out a “Malaysia Boleh” crap now, okay .... just step outside your house/office and talk to 5 people, for 5 minutes, and you'll see what I mean!!
The UMNO/BN oligarchs will never hesitate to politically slaughter an opposition perceived by the public to be demoralized & weakened by apparent internal conflict/strife.
In order to achieve that, they'll support & promote (maybe even provide funding through 3rd parties) any well-meaning 3rd force which can challenge PR- just so that PR (especially PKR- becos it is the glue that binds under DSAI) gets bad media coverage.
Make no mistake about that.
I really don't see any good reason why so much focus should be on the PKR elections, when UMNO is busy plundering the coffers, while Idris Jala talks "berjela-jela" like a snake-oil salesman in Lorong Haji Taib/ Chow Kit selling dreams of instant economic cures & castles in the air.
The thing is this – Malaysian politics is about UMNO, and Umno needs reform ...
For this reform, it needs to be out of power so that it can purge itself of the oligarchs who plunder and rape the economy. With a plundered economy, all the 3rd force in the world isn't gonna help if it doesn't have a decent political hierarchy.
All the revelations of corruption and the slightly more open media is there becos of all the vibrant political atmosphere which is there simply becos of the current balance of power. The media highlights about PR problems is simply becos of the available info, aided by their masters.
Do you think all is fine & dandy in all the other parties?
Not a chance in hell!
UMNO (more than other BN allies) are quite experienced at hiding the strife that they go through - in fact, I think there is a “political battle royale” going on between Jibby & Mr Moo even as we speak. Moo has chickened out of the coming by-elections & put Ku Li there- just in case UMNO loses- so that his leadership qualities will not be questioned. If Umno wins - it would've been his shrewd political decision that won it!!
Does anyone talk about how Krismudin aspires for Umno Presidency? Of course not .... the media isn't permitted to discuss these things.
So please don't read too much into the PKR Zaid-Azmin rivalry (which has triggered all these “3rd force” debate).
This can only cast a cloud & break the hope that the people have in the lifeline for a democracy- which we have in PR.
Someone asked- “What do you think about the “Azmin-Zaid issue”?
What is there to “think'?
They're in a contest, and they're campaigning democratically (well, I concede- maybe not totally clean, but when is it ever anyways) – may the best man win!!
Period.
Then they ask - “whom do you support?”
Let me put it this way – for lack of a better choice, if I were in PKR, (with all due respect to Zaid) I'd root for the tried & tested political-streetfighter Azmin (whom we need, to bring down UMNO), rather than the newbie ideologue-gentleman Zaid ( but he definitely does have his role in PKR- so don't come around trying to convince him to quit, okay!!).
Y'see, where the “Zaid issue” is concerned, as true as Zaid may have been in his intention, and as much as he may have been sincere in his work for PKR - I seriously believe that it was definitely not his time to contest such a high post.
As much as many dislike him for his style, I'm really with Azmin on this. He deserves the post.
For Zaid to challenge the status quo after being with the PKR struggle for a mere 1 yr - it is totally not worthy of him. I really don't like his hypocrisy (for lack of a better word) - he said that he isn't interested in a political post, but he challenges a very senior party member with strong grassroots support with his newfound allies in Sabah/Sarawak. That's mean la....
Not that I'm a diehard Azmin supporter or anything, but Zaid should have more magnanimity & humility than that, if he was sincere. I donno- but sometimes, I think Zaid knew what was coming, and is standing for the sake of democracy, and nothing else .... it cannot be that he is so politically naive.
PKR is making an attempt at democratization of intra-party politics, and teething problems would include old bad habits. Don't tell me that DAP/PAS have such a democratic process - they're also plagued by patronage politics.
The only difference is, PKR is making an attempt at discarding it and is having problems at that. So what's the big deal?
Now about RPK ....
(With all due respect to RPK) Don't take him too seriously at all times, guys.
Don't be too enthusiastic about all of RPK's propositions - sometimes, he doesn't really mean what he says, (and sometimes, doesn't say what he means). Sometimes he's just throwing a cat among the pigeons ....
As important and relevant the truths revealed by MT/RPK may be, RPK sometimes does talk some high-flying cock when he talks realpolitik – at times, he thinks solely like an activist without considering the political ramification of the actions he proposes.
The more I think about it, the more I think this 3rd force thingie would be dangerous. We should give them (PR/PKR) a chance to fulfill their promises en route to Putrajaya, before taking potshots at them.
No matter what Haris Ibrahim or RPK says about its role & viability in the face of a "lousy opposition"- now, I think, I can safely say that I'm 75% against the idea of it at all!!
Malaysians just aren't politically mature enough for it ...
To all those who wish to shout “Malaysia Boleh” for the 3rd force- despite the hiccups that PR faces, which is thus far just an electoral pact (and not even a formally registered political alliance) - we should be more supportive instead of throwing a spanner in the works.
We should stop being to utopian in our hopes .... stop the potshots at PKR and concentrate on breaking UMNO's political muscle.
Old habits die hard ..... give them a break lah - it's their (PKR's) first time, for gottsakes!!
Right now, a 3rd force of a prescription for the death of the strong opposition as we know it - and
You can bet your last penny on it!
