Power in the hands of youth

Ah ha and there you are. By the next general election, about 20% of the voters could comprise those in the early 20’s.

And it could be more than the percentage taking account into those in the 30’s or early 40’s who are in the young voters bracket.

The Election Commission is expecting about two million new voters by the next election and this development must have sent shivers to the Barisan Nasional which was dealt with a serious blow in the March 8 general election when there was a big swing of votes to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat which will soon formalise its pact.

Nevertheless, it is still too early to say whether these two million new voters will all cast their votes for the opposition in the next general election as new political development may take place every minute leading up to the big day in 2013 or even earlier which may swing the votes.

But looking at the trend as it goes now and as shown in the March 8, the indication is that young voters are more prone to vote for the opposition, especially in the urban areas.

I agree with Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research executive director, Ibrahim Suffian that one reason why youngsters tend to favour the opposition is that they do not feel indebted to the Government that achieved independence 51 years ago.

Having talked to several close friends who are involved one way or another in politics, it seems that all of them have come to a conclusion that the existing political leaders have lost track of what the young generation wants.

A foreign political scientist who observed the state election in 2006 for instance had found in her findings that one of the reasons why the Chinese dominant political party, SUPP lost its eight seats was due to the fact of age factor of its candidates. She had said that this is extremely unhealthy trend leading to the disastrous outcome.

So, what is actually wrong and why that the young people seem not to support the ruling coalition?

I guess this is a million dollar question but I am pretty sure that those who occupy the political office must have an answer to this deep in their hearts.

As we are moving and trying to catch up with the face pace of development in this world of no mercy, the young generation who is synonymous with iPod, blogosphere and Pussycat Dolls are looking at things differently.

In the 1970’s or 1980’s, political talks laced with promises of development or unity may gather large crowd to throng the ceramah but try today if one dares, and you end up having only skeleton few of hardcore supporters listening to such rhetoric.

Economy, education, fairness, equality, transparency and so on have taken over jargons like development and unity or solidarity for the young people do not understand what our forefathers had gone through prior to the independence.

In order for both the political divides to grab this precious group of young voters come the next elections, some painstaking decision ought to be taken to engage the young people to give them a sense of hope and future.

Failure to do so may spell doom to any political parties but alas, it seems that despite many setbacks and missed opportunities to correct the incorrect, change in certain political parties still remains stagnant and moribund.

The opposition DAP for instance has seen the grooming of many young political aspirants like Tony Pua, Hannah Yeoh, Teo Nie Ching, just to name a few, which has turned the eyes of the young people towards supporting the cause of the party.

Kudos to the opposition in this respect.

The party says Ibrahim Suffian managed to capture young votes because it gave new blood the chance of running in elections and many of these candidates won and one can judge their performance by the good coverage they are getting.

Umno Youth Chief, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin says it right that young voters are making their presence felt and this is a phenomenon that requires attention and understanding.

He further says the parties’ leaders need to change, otherwise “they will be changed by the electoral process.”

It will be harder to campaign on the basis of track records and the social contract, quoting Ibrahim Suffian, as these things are too remote to younger people and when you talk to people, you can sense that they are more pragmatic and they will choose a government that works.

So, I guess the indications are all there. Let’s not wait, Sirs, until the indicator level beams with orange or red for it will be too late then to send SOS.

What lies beneath in "Friends of PKR" dinner?

A business friend who happened to be in Sibu last weekend was amazed with the large turnout at the PKR’s “Friends of PKR” dinner.

The dinner held at Sibu Trade and Exhibition Centre was said to be massively attended by both supporters and sympathisers of the opposition party.

To make the dinner more interesting was the attendance by PKR leader, Anwar Ibrahim who flew in to this once prosperous timber town all the way from Kuala Lumpur.

All eyes were on the Ngemah state assemblyman, Gabriel Adit on that evening who finally laid to rest speculations that he would join PKR.

Also present at the dinner were former Sri Aman Member of Parliament, Jimmy Donald and former PRS leader, Beginda Minda who made news recently for stating that PBB is a bully in state BN and that the Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud and his deputy, Alfred Jabu have long overstayed their welcome in politics.

Not to be missed at the dinner to lend their support were state DAP leaders, state assemblyman for Bukit Assek, Wong Ho Leng and state assemblyman for Kidurong, Chiew Chin Sing.

And yes, Adit finally joined the party, thus adding PKR’s hold in the state legislative assembly to two seats. The other is Padungan state assemblyman, Dominic Ng Kim Ho.

DAP has six seats in the state legislative with another seat, Engkilili held by an independent, Dr Rayong Johnical.

Before leaving back for Kuala Lumpur, Anwar Ibrahim made a short stop in Sarikei to receive new applications from Kung Chin Chin, a former DAP candidate who stood as the party’s candidate in the 2006 state election and as independent in the March 8 general election and lost.

With the latest political development, the talk of the town now has suddenly focused on the state election despite it dues only in 2011.

The massive turnout at the dinner must have rung an alarm bell by now to state Barisan Nasional which has thus far won the state elections with easy cruise, with the exception of Chinese urban seats.

With Adit, closely linked to former PBDS president, Leo Moggie now a PKR representative, political observers are turning their eyes to rural seats which have all the years been the BN’s bastion.

But with PKR landing in Sarawak, would this still be the case? It seems not anymore.

PKR together with its partners, DAP and PAS, which has gained its footing in five states in Peninsular- Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Kelantan and Penang and denied BN its two third majorities in the March 8 general election will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming state election.

Judging from the previous state election records, rural seats had always been the BN’s stronghold and now that PKR is trying to make inroads into these areas, the BN must not take the attempt lightly.

The state BN must not brush aside the threat posed by Pakatan Rakyat as the coalition is definitely not short of resources and means to take on BN and make it runs for its money.

Many issues in the state are still left unresolved for years such as the native customary rights (NCR) land, renewal of leasehold and of course, the current economic slump will definitely be key issues in the state election.

With the Pakatan Rakyat now synonymous to change, people are seeing the coalition as the alternative to BN which has ruled the country for half a century since independence.

And recently, two-term DAP’s Bandar Kuching Member of Parliament, Chong Chieng Jen who is also Kota Sentosa state assemblyman in an interview with a news portal was confident that his party would further make inroads into few more state seats currently held by SUPP.

SUPP leaders must well be prepared for any further catastrophe if nothing drastic is taken to revamp the party.

Chieng Jen has definitely scored political mileage in the interview for speaking out on few issues close to the hearts of the people.

It takes the leadership of state BN to present a new hope and a change to the people of Sarawak that BN is still the most preferred choice over the alternative Pakatan Rakyat.

Singing the old tune of politics of development or unity and stability may not sink into the heart of the young voters, who will make up additional two million voters in the next general election anymore as they are looking at politics in a totally different lens.

And not long ago, a political scientist from a local public university was telling me that prior to the March 8 general election, Anwar Ibrahim had been telling his political partners that the opposition could make inroads into few states and denied the BN its two third majorities.

But none of them, according to this political scientist, believed him and the result on the night of the general election proved that Anwar Ibrahim was damn right with his prediction, except for the September 16 takeover brouhaha.

Should he make another claim in two years time that the opposition will give the state BN a run for its money, would you and I believe it? I am not a soothsayer though.

Anyone can be PM? Well said but...

A childhood friend of mine was ecstatic that a black in America could be elected as President that he even posted this message on his Facebook telling his networks in this cyber space of his jubilation.

This history of Barack Obama being elected as the 44th President of America has renewed the idealism of the minority in this country that they can also be elected to the highest political post, in this case, Prime Minister of Malaysia.

I had a long chat with this childhood friend few months ago at a local café when we talked at length on current issues, with of course politics being our major discussion which took us late into the night.

He was adamant why a minority in this country could not assume the post of Prime Minister in this country now that Malaysians from all walks of life could live together harmoniously as one for the past 50 over years, with the exception of the 1969 racial riots.

Our Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi while congratulating Obama for his victory last week said it is possible for anyone from the minority group in this country to be a nation’s leader and that it is up to the people to decide just as the Americans had done through democratic process.

This statement from Abdullah who will be making his way out from the premier’s office March next year must have won praises and accolades from my childhood friend and the minority group in this country.

Then, former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated that anyone in this country can be the Prime Minister, thus echoing what Abdullah had said few days earlier.

But, Dr Mahathir stressed that the Prime Minister must be a leader who commands the majority support while saying that race-based politics is still relevant in this country.

Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong was even more blunt when he said the republic, with over 3.5 million people of multi cultural background is not ready for a non-ethnic Chinese premier in the near future.

Hsien Loong had said that there is such a possibility but it all depends on how people vote, on who has the confidence of the population but cast doubt that this will happen any sooner.

Looking at the Malaysian politics, it has yet to dilute itself from the racial trappings despite the political tsunami which swept the nation in the March 8 general election.

The Barisan Nasional coalition for instance, is made up of 14 partners with UMNO, MCA and MIC being racial based parties while Pakatan Rakyat which consists of PKR, DAP and PAS is also very much similar to the Barisan Nasional’s setting.

I concur with Dr Mahathir that it is wrong to assume that Barisan Nasional did not do well because people rejected the race-based party as the Pakatan Rakyat which the people had voted for overwhelmingly is also very much a racial-based coalition.

But of course in the March 8 general election, we could see a new trend emerging where there was a tremendous shift of voting pattern against racial line.

A survey of 1,824 Singaporeans’ views on inter-racial ties by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies found that 94% of Chinese polled said they would not mind an Indian as Prime Minister and 91% said they would not mind a Malay in the top post.

Hsien Loong said Obama’s win did not mean race was no longer an issue in America and it was just that the Americans were tired and they wanted something different and Obama represented something different.

Over in our homeland, the appointment of a Chinese as a general manager of Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) had caused such a big brouhaha while there was a Malay organization which applied for a court injunction for the Penang DAP state government’s decision to put up road signages in multiple languages, arguing that the move challenges the supremacy of Malay language.

And then there was this infamous son of Ahmad Said who called the Chinese “pendatang” during the Permatang Pauh by-election who was only slapped with three years suspension from UMNO while the journalist, Tan Hoon Cheng who covered his ceramah was not so lucky when she was arrested under Internal Security Act (ISA) only to be released few days later.

Whether or not the voting trend of the March 8 general election will continue is left to be seen but when we have politicians like Ahmad Said or Khir Toyo who still play up to the gallery for selfish reason and fan the racial sentiment, I must say we still have a long road ahead before we could be as ecstatic like my childhood friend was with Obama’s historic win.

Dr M back in spotlight

The following is the excerpt from the Straits Times:

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA's former premier Mahathir Mohamad is enjoying a surge in influence as a new administration prepares to take power, according to pundits who fear a return to hardline 'Mahathirism'.

The grand old man of Malaysian politics endured a humiliating exile from the circles of power after stepping down in 2003, as he was punished for feuding with his hand-picked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Dr Mahathir, still feisty despite his 83 years and a string of heart problems, was outraged by the dismantling of his pet projects and seemingly made it his mission to bring down the mild-mannered Datuk Seri Abdullah.

Last month he declared victory as the unpopular premier was forced to announce he would depart in March 2009 in favour of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, whom Dr Mahathir had publicly championed for the top job.

'The country is witnessing the return of Mahathirism with the former prime minister seen as having become the single most powerful and influential individual' in the ruling party, said opposition veteran Lim Kit Siang.

He said Dr Mahathir was transformed from a troublemaker to a 'king-maker' the moment Mr Abdullah caved in, after months of turmoil in the wake of disastrous general election results.

During his years in the wilderness Dr Mahathir complained the ruling party had ordered the government-linked press not to air his views and said it had even leaned on organisations to withdraw invitations for him to events.

But as the power balance shifted, Dr Mahathir has been brought back into the fold of the United Malays National Organisation which leads the coalition - feted at party events and once again revelling in media attention.

Now there are rumblings that some of the worst aspects of his two-decade rule - repression, media censorship and the use of draconian internal security laws - could be revived.

'Najib's policies will mirror those of Mahathir's,' said Datuk Seri Zaid Ibrahim, a cabinet minister who resigned in September and who sees the hand of the new administration in a recent rash of detentions under internal security laws.

'Mr Abdullah doesn't have that in him. On his own he would not have done it, so he must be under tremendous pressure. Those measures taken are an indication of what?s to come,' he told wires agencies.

Mr Zaid, a maverick figure who quit the cabinet after being blocked from cleaning up the judiciary and police, said that Mr Abdullah's mild approach had allowed a measure of freedom in Malaysia.

'It is true that he has not done much to effect the reforms that he talked about, but Mr Abdullah did give the space - there's a certain openness, people do express a lot more - and it will be a loss if we go back to the old ways.'

Political analysts say that while Mr Najib will run his own ship, he will be careful not to alienate Mr Mahathir and trigger another destructive slanging match of the kind which helped fell Mr Abdullah.

' Mr Mahathir probably will not have an official role (in the new government) because that would raise too many eyebrows and too many questions would be asked,' said Ms Tricia Yeoh from the Centre for Public Policy Studies.

But I am quite sure that he will be informally consulted time and again,' she said.

With Mr Najib in the top job, flanked by another Mahathir protege Muhyiddin Yassin, who is slated to be deputy premier, and possibly Dr Mahathir's son Mukhriz, who is contesting the influential post of youth wing chief, the ex-premier will again have friends in high places.

Mr Zaid said that Dr Mahathir's hardline style is attractive to UMNO politicians who have been in disarray since the elections which lost the coalition its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time.

'Dr Mahathir has his strong points too. As much as I disagree with him on many issues, I also admire his tenacity and consistency. He is a very forceful leader, so people gravitate around that,' Mr Zaid said. -- AFP

Change we need

I guess the word of the year must be CHANGE.

As Barrack Obama made his way to the White House as the 44th U.S. president, beating his Republican rival, John McCain, change seems to be the word which captivates everyone and makes unstoppable waves everywhere.

The Opposition DAP for instance in the March 8 general election chose “Change” as its theme song from a popular pop song in the 1980’S which captivated the soul and mind of the voters, especially the young ones.

And indeed it created waves when Barisan Nasional was hit by political tsunami which saw its two third majorities being slashed with the Opposition grabbing 81 seats in Parliament and making inroads into five states.

I was having a conversation with a former state assemblyman few days ago when we talked on the current political happenings both domestic and international which included the U.S. presidential election.

Both of us had no doubt that change is imminent but the question which struck me was when this former state assemblyman asked me how to change.

A state senior politician mentioned few weeks ago that change must not be done in haste for a strong wind of change may be destructive.

Therefore, this senior politician said a breeze of cool air rather than strong wind for instance is more acceptable.

Especially after the March 8 general election, everyone from the young to the old is expecting changes in this country.

Transparency, accountability, fair and equal distribution of wealth, judiciary independence and corruption free are among the things that people are hoping to see.

This country belongs to all races and therefore everyone has a stake in the well being of this country and how it is being run as well as its future.

The young generation it seems will be the driving force to bring this country to meet the challenges be it now or in the future and it is not surprising at all that they are the one who are eager to see drastic change.

I must admit that I am also a firm believer of change and so does my bunch of friends who are full of hopes and ideals to do what they believe in.

But the thing is that most of the time, their hopes and aspirations have always been met with a stern rejection from the elders.

I guess change in a way is a painful step to take as it involves making way for something which has sentimental value or interests which one has held on for long time.

An UMNO youth leader once said the youth are just like David Beckham waiting on the bench ready to go down the pitch.

And I feel that since the David Beckhams are ready to assume larger roles, then they should be given all the opportunities and not hindrances to achieve their dreams with the guidance from the elders of course.

That would be a perfect combination of both the experienced and the eager beavers who can make positive change and take to the world like nobody’s business.

The Communist Party of China, which for over the decades is dominated by the old cadres has gone young as well when in its 17th National Congress last year, it included quite sizeable young cadres who will eventually be promoted to its powerful Politburo with the old cadres making way.

Even over in the United States, Obama mania is making waves and it was euphoric when Barrack Obama was declared the new president at the age of only 47 when in politics, some may argue that that is still a tender age.

Closer to our home country, the current serving Members of Parliament from both the divides are relatively young and this is something which has made politics more interesting to watch with these new kids on the block trying to bring change to the state of affairs of our politics and also to effect changes to this country.

Barring any circumstances, the new prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Tun Razak by virtue of him clinching the UMNO’s presidency uncontested and the newly elected MCA president, Ong Tee Keat are both considered young in their 50’s and that is something, like a friend of mine said, the people want to see.

Coming back to my conversation with the former state assemblyman, we both had come to the conclusion that change is imminent but there must be someone who is ready to effect change.

With the CNN official website screaming “Change has come to America” when Obama was declared the victor, so has change come to us then?

Sooner or later, change we need, I believe in.