Ignore Cyberspace at your own peril

Recently we have seen the enormous power of internet in the Malaysian GE. It has now established itself as an alternative source of news freely available to the masses. Thanks to the msm for specialising in the types of news they chose to report. Picking up a piece of msm is picking up predictability. What will be reported, how the news will be reported, the slants and the skews are like commercial advertisements. I think the people are tired of such reportings. And the assumption that people are still ignorant and gullible and will take all the news in the msm, including opinions, as the correct view and popular view is disgusting. Reading msm without reading blogs and internet forums is like putting blinkers on oneself. Many things will not be reported in the msm. That is a fact. One will be deprived of looking at the different angles and sides of an issue. And this is vital and unacceptable to an increasingly well educated and aware populace. Politicians who think that reading the msm is enough, or whatever feedback by their runners are good enough, will gravitate to their own ivory tower of half truth or accepting the tooth.

People's Elected Representatives or Walkovers

In a democracy like Singapore, we have a system to elect people's representatives as Members of Parliament. We even have an elected President. How many elected MPs are there in Parliament? We have 1 Non Constituency MP, a handful of Nominated MPs, some, yes, some elected MPs and a lot of Walkover MPs. Walkover MPs are supposedly elected MPs but walked into Parliament for lack of contest, no one contesting against them. In some countries, an elected MP must be an elected MP and walkover is a no no. How can a walkover MP claimed to be elected when the people did not elect him? We have been tinkering with many system to ensure that Singapore continues to exist into the future. Maybe it is time to tinker the electoral system to ensure that elected MPs are elected MPs and not Walkovers. When the system accepts only elected MPs, then the rules and regulations will have to be redesigned to facilitate more people coming forward to be elected. The punishing election fee, the unfriendly culture and intimidating system where political candidates faced have to be made more friendly to encourage participation. Or we will have to cry crocodile tears for lack of political talents. We cannot go on with an electoral system where the candidates are waiting to be recruited for good behavior and found to the likings of political parties. Such a system does not breed politicians but employees out looking for a job. Politicians and political leaders are a different kind of people. They use to call them 'people with a fire in their belly.' Now that fire is simulated like computer games. We need true politicians to step forward to serve the people. We need a system that can ensure that and not one that inhibits or frightens away would be politicians. Some may make cocky remarks that if one does not have the guts to go into the arena, then they are not made of the right substance to be political leaders. But any reasonable and a little wiser man will not step into a cul de sac and slip on his knucker duster when he knew that the odds are extremely unfavourable. We need elected representatives with the mandate from the people and a system that will ensure that every MP is elected by the people. Walking into Parliament by default is not a healthy system. We need more credibility to believe that elected representatives are really the people's choice. Likewise, if we want an elected President, then he must be elected and not another Walkover.

Celebrating Singaporean - David Marshall

David Marshall, Singapore's First Chief Minister Many good things have been written about David Marshall in the Straits Times today. Kishore Mahbubani summed it up in a few words, 'a remarkably good and decent human being.' He came into politics and fought like a gentleman. When he lost and became the opposition, he formed his party and accepted the rules of the game, the change of political power graciously. He did not manipulate the system or amend the constitution to make it difficult for opposition parties to challenge him. Or maybe he did not stay long enough. He quit his post, he resigned when he failed to deliver his promise. Some have called him naive politically, but that is why he is still regarded as a good and decent man. A respectable politician is hardly a term that people used but is being applied to David Marshall very appropriately. How many politicians could leave a legacy of respectability when they lost power? Maybe it is all history. It was a time when goodness, honour, selflessness, serving people and country were virtues that people truly believe in. Today many of these so called virtues are uttered freely without any sincerity nor intention to uphold them. Some even sneer at such naive concepts or ideals. David Marshall will be remembered in our history as a good man.

For UMNO, volunteerism is long gone

This statement came from Zainon Ahmad, political editor of the English daily The Sun. He added that UMNO candidates lost the election simply because the supporters were clamouring for their share of the loot. If the money is not coming down to them, they stopped working. The UMNO supporters have viewed the candidates as all for themselves and struggling to amass wealth. It is all money politics for personal wealth. And this kind of culture will bring down any party in any country. It is all a matter of timing. Are we heading in the same direction? Some will say no with eyes wide shut. Some will argue that we have good honest men that came out to serve the country for noble reasons. And the people know that and can see that, and are indebted to our honest and honourable leaders. Of course there are others who stubbornly disagree. And of course many do not know which is which.

Close ranks to catch Mas Selamat

Paul Jacob in today's Straits Times talked about all the noises in cyberspace and the call for heads to roll. Then he concluded by saying that all must close ranks to capture Mas Selamat. He failed to understand why there are so much noise in the first place. And many also failed to understand or refused to understand why people are angry. It all boils down to the two opposing principles and the polarisation of the super talents on one side and the general masses on the other. I think people are really pissed off by all the harping of how great super talents were and how much money they must get for them to work and be committed to serve the country. And many are just saying quietly, prove me your worth, that they deserve the money paid. And any fiasco will be waved around as a mockery of the super talent and super pay ideology. The more people praised the great super talents, and the bigger is their insatiable appetite to be paid more, the more intolerant will be of their mistakes. And outrageous mistakes will naturally receive the full attention of the disgrunted. The cyberspace will bury them with all their mockeries and innuendoes.