The motion to suspend opposition MPs Anwar Ibrahim, Karpal Singh, Sivarasah & Azmin Ali from parliament for six months is a prime example of abuse of parliamentary majority.
The motion would be passed effortlessly by Barisan's brute majority in the parliament. The consequence is severe and unfortunate for our parliamentary democracy.
The august house will now be inflicted by the Perak disease which has brought chaos to all sittings so far. Imagine what can a day long state assembly sitting can do to a healthy debate on important bills and budgetary decisions? Nothing. The parliament may well be going the same way if a GE is not called by the next sitting in March 2011.
If any, the Barisan government should rise above the APCO fiasco and provide a solid explanation to dispel what the opposition had claimed. Opposition leader Anwar had linked Prime Minister Najib Razak's '1Malaysia' to the 'One Israel' policy introduced by Labour Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak in 1999.
He said that the international public relations consultants, Apco Worldwide, who are well-paid PR advisers to the Najib administration, were behind both policies. When challenged to furnish proof of his assertions, the opposition leader, in a follow-up speech, gave a detailed exposition, backed by documentary evidence.
He adduced evidence that Apco Worldwide had been PR consultants to some of the world's more putrescent dictators, like the late Sani Abacha of Nigeria, and Hindu chauvinistic governor of the Indian state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. (Terrence Netto. Mkini)
If the allegations against Apco were true, i.e. working with some of the most controversial regimes in the world, Barisan should justify to us why so much taxpayers' money is being used to pay Apco for some superficial PR consultancy.
If the Malaysian government behaves and governs fairly, there is no need to engage Apco in the first place. There are many more capable local consultants who can do better job than the likes of Apco. Why can't our top notch ambassadors and embassies overseas help to do the PR and networking work for the government? Aren't they paid and financed to do precisely that?
By using a brute parliamentary majority to suspend Anwar and three other MPs from parliament does not win Barisan any brownie points. It only proves the inferiority and guilty conscious of the ruling coalition.
Worse if Barisan uses this opportunity to pass any bills or amend the constitution since it has a mathematical two-thirds advantage in the house. That would tantamount to a rape of democracy.
How can Barisan help to restore our confidence in the coalition if it continues to behave this way?
The motion would be passed effortlessly by Barisan's brute majority in the parliament. The consequence is severe and unfortunate for our parliamentary democracy.
The august house will now be inflicted by the Perak disease which has brought chaos to all sittings so far. Imagine what can a day long state assembly sitting can do to a healthy debate on important bills and budgetary decisions? Nothing. The parliament may well be going the same way if a GE is not called by the next sitting in March 2011.
If any, the Barisan government should rise above the APCO fiasco and provide a solid explanation to dispel what the opposition had claimed. Opposition leader Anwar had linked Prime Minister Najib Razak's '1Malaysia' to the 'One Israel' policy introduced by Labour Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak in 1999.
He said that the international public relations consultants, Apco Worldwide, who are well-paid PR advisers to the Najib administration, were behind both policies. When challenged to furnish proof of his assertions, the opposition leader, in a follow-up speech, gave a detailed exposition, backed by documentary evidence.
He adduced evidence that Apco Worldwide had been PR consultants to some of the world's more putrescent dictators, like the late Sani Abacha of Nigeria, and Hindu chauvinistic governor of the Indian state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. (Terrence Netto. Mkini)
If the allegations against Apco were true, i.e. working with some of the most controversial regimes in the world, Barisan should justify to us why so much taxpayers' money is being used to pay Apco for some superficial PR consultancy.
If the Malaysian government behaves and governs fairly, there is no need to engage Apco in the first place. There are many more capable local consultants who can do better job than the likes of Apco. Why can't our top notch ambassadors and embassies overseas help to do the PR and networking work for the government? Aren't they paid and financed to do precisely that?
By using a brute parliamentary majority to suspend Anwar and three other MPs from parliament does not win Barisan any brownie points. It only proves the inferiority and guilty conscious of the ruling coalition.
Worse if Barisan uses this opportunity to pass any bills or amend the constitution since it has a mathematical two-thirds advantage in the house. That would tantamount to a rape of democracy.
How can Barisan help to restore our confidence in the coalition if it continues to behave this way?
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