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Monday 12 October 2009

Bagan Pinang: Congrats to the BN! - Anil Netto

Congrats to the BN! It finally broke the Pakatan’s winning streak on the peninsula. There will be much rejoicing in the mainstream media about how the tide has turned.

But at what cost?

In its desperation to win in its own stronghold, Umno put up a popular local candidate whom its own party disciplinary board had found guilty of “money politics” (let’s call a spade a spade and refer to it as corruption). A candidate who perhaps best reflects the ethos of the party – at a time when the MCA itself is in utter disarray following the PKFZ debacle.

What message does this send out about “1Malaysia” and “1World”? We might as well disband the MACC…

Says an observer who was closely following the by-election campaign:

I feel sad for the nation. It has gone three steps backwards after leaping two steps into a new era of non-partisan politics and nation building.

The electoral process is back to ‘door gifts’ (who said money politics?), same old racial and religious platforms, the questionable postal votes system, new swimming pool, use of government machinery to win. Even TM and Tengku Razaleigh recognised the wrong choice of candidate and the message it would send out….

“But who cares … as long as we win.”

(Meanwhile) the MCA will be buried in the mud of PKFZ… (and Samy is finished too).

The Elections Commission appeared more interested in removing party paraphernelia and symbols on polling day instead of clamping down on the obvious abuses during the campaign period such as the promise to turn Port Dickson into an Army Town with all kinds of facilities. It seemed more interested in picking out the fly in the soup than chasing away the 600-pound gorilla in the kitchen.

OneMalaysia indeed.

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