michaelbackman is back

*************************************************************************************************
small talk:
The aircon in the office is ridiculously COLD recently. I believe it is sub 10 deg C.
One of my colleague even wear winter clothing to office. I think it is sonner or later all of us wear winter clothing.
Then, while my colleague was eating some snack, and I was drinking a cup of honeylime for my cough, suddenly I suggested/made a lame joke to my colleague.
"since it is so cold in the office lately, storing the honeylime/food here is a good idea, isnt it?"
~~ a few crows flying in front of us ~~ -_-
*************************************************************************************************

Remember the "michaelbackman" who dare to comment about Malaysia's NEP, astronaut program, Petronas etc? Because of that article, he drew a lot of "fires" from Malaysia Government? (you can read the previous article here)

Well, he is always there actually, and now back with an brilliant article about Malaysia's current political situation facing the General Election 2008.

Although he is not a Malaysian, but his article always enlighten me about Malaysia politics, seems like he is more Malaysian/patriotic than me "p


Please read this if you have the time. Rationalize it yourself.
http://business.theage.com.au/malaysia-needs-a-strong-opposition/20080226-1v0i.html


some excerption...


"does the Malaysian Government deserve to be re-elected? The answer to the second question is no."


"So the next question is: should the Malaysian Opposition be elected to office? Again, the answer is no."


"Malaysian electorates are severely malapportioned."


" Tens of thousands of dead people are believed to have voted in the 2004 elections"


"Absurdly, even family members living in the same house discovered that they had been registered in different electorates."
This i gotta comment. Is a true account. Today, I noticed that one of my colleague was checking the electoral info on this page on behalf of her brother, father, mother etc. Then my colleague told me it is weird to found that her brother's polling area is different from her although they stayed together. I really clueless until i read this Michael Backman article... Enlightening isnt it.


"Next month's election is being held a year early. Why? One reason is because Anwar Ibrahim, who was deputy prime minister until he was charged and convicted of corruption and sodomy in the late 1990s, will only be eligible to stand for election after April 8 because of the convictions."


"So what should Malaysians do? Firstly, in a country where voting is not compulsory, they should vote. There's no point complaining on internet blogs but not bothering to vote."


"Given the Opposition's unpreparedness to govern, the Malaysian Government is best returned. But it does deserve a good, hard kick. Even more, it needs a significant and strong Opposition to help it govern better. It needs greater accountability and scrutiny, which a strong Opposition in Parliament will help provide. That is what good governments everywhere have and need."