Latheefa saga: Khalid's gate closed to criticism - Malaysiakini

"But that's what it is. Khalid is good at excelling at several of the things 

that are important for the longevity of Pakatan rule 

while fouling up some of the things that cumulatively 

would undermine the coalition's hold in the future.

This is called excelling at pomp and fouling up circumstance, 

incidentally an Umno-BN speciality."

Latheefa, a lawyer with a long track record of human rights advocacy - initially with Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and, latterly, with Parti Keadilan Malaysia, the entity PRM merged with in 2002 - was appointed a councillor in 2008 when Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor following its victory in the general election that year.

Latheefa had sent an email to Khalid sharply criticising the way a demonstration by a band of urban pioneers (peneroka bandar) at the Selangor State Secretariat (SUK) office in Shah Alam on June 20 was handled.

The people - who had demonstrated on June 20 were from 46 families from a urban pioneering colony in Sungai Buloh that was uprooted to make way for development - had been trying in vain to engage with MB Khalid for a year.

The gates of the SUK complex were closed to prevent the demonstrators from coming into the building proper, thus forcing them to endure the blazing heat for some hours before they dispersed.

It certainly wasn't the way for a Pakatan government to treat people that they should engage with even if disinclined to acquiesce to their demands.

Engagement is a core plank of the Pakatan manifesto of national salvation for a country steadily succumbing to the plutocracy that Umno-BN has devolved into over the past half century.

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