Sunday, May 10, 2009

DID NIZAR GET SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FROM IPOH RAKYAT?

This question has been needling me when we finally gathered in the vicinity of the State Secretariat? I met groups from Taiping, Gopeng, Penang KL and Seremban. I may be wrong, but I just had the sense that more from Ipoh should have made their presence felt. Like I said, I may be wrong. Tell me I am wrong. Ipoh people who were there with us. You tell me. You would know how many of your friends bit the bullet and come out to lend suppoort to your beleagured MB and Aduns.

The scene in the Assembly was shameful. It smeared the good name of Perak. The Silver State finally lost its shine. Only the citizens of Perak can restore its shine.

44 comments:

Khun Pana aka johanssm said...

Why not turn and twist it the other way instead.
Did enough people turns up to show their support to the new illegal bn's Perak state gov.

Not many PR supporters came because they/we knew that the sultan is on their side.
Like in Chinese or Cantonese there is a saying " Big Rock crushes Crab dead".
It also shows the maturity of the many PR leaders and supporters not to give them a reason to rule by using force or emergency rule.

We will wait, we will wait for the next election and we will wait for any by- election held in between for that matter.
We will show that we the rakyat dictates .But we just have to wait

Anonymous said...

they all rather wait for the next GE laa zorro...
PR must show good example maahh, or else we just like them..

Anonymous said...

i) ppl of perak eserves the govt they get
ii) the least they cld've done was to group 2gtr anywhere just outside the boundary set by the police.
iii) where r the 10s or 100s of '000s of perakians? what storming the bastille?sigh...
iv) if this happens in kl, despite of my fear of arrest by police, i'd at least SHOW UP.
v) pls watch n watch n watch again the video showing how speaker siva was dragged out of the assembly.
NEVER FORGET THAT IMAGE!!!!

4RAKYAT

Anonymous said...

civil disobedience is a good choice。

Anonymous said...

I came all the way from KB to campaigned in the recent by election. Going house to house giving medical treatment. There were other people from parts of Kelantan helping out with us. But the local that came along was an old pak cik to lead the way. This happened for 3 days. I think the local were afraid to show themselves. Got no balls or really frighten.

arctanck said...

I'm from Ipoh, and I also want to know too. I have been very much disturbed, although I'm far away. On the one hand I would still like to think that the Ipoh people do want to fight for a change, but they just want to play it safe on this occasion, and want to vote through next GE. However I also have a lot of doubts on whether Ipoh people do understand what they want change. I may be wrong but I don't feel that they are passionate about the opportunity (comes risk too) they are presented. Is it really too risky to lend their support, although there is possibility that the situation could turn ugly, e.g. through provocation or stupidity. I'm lost too. I feel that by allowing BN to get away with this, in 4 years time I'm not confident that BN can be felled. As activists by activists may be taken out by then. And are we letting BN the opportunity to grow into a bigger monster. I am very concerned. I would also like to hear what other Ipoh people think.

Observer said...

From Perak to Berak...

The people of Ipoh does not really care...

Anonymous said...

Those morons that started the Perak fiasco...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnaqFIzvCCw

Anonymous said...

in this fiasco, the most heart-ache is not about Siva being bragged down, but the indifference from Sultan.

for a layman, all i wanna say, if law approved is, who does he think he is? nothing but a moroninc symbolic of HIMSELF only, while the people are still struggling for end meets.

BN will come down, definitely, 13th will be a bad number for them. I can wait.

Anonymous said...

As commented in other blogs, the chinese are basically cowards. They will only move forward when there are overwhelming numbers of others in front. Of course they pretend that they are just being "smart" - little do they realise that short term vision will lead to long term misery.
Forget about the Malays too - because they will always be divided - there are those (a lot of them) who always seek the easy way out in life. These are the "rent seekers" who will always remain with UMNO for their livelihood. How about the PAS supporters you may ask - well in Perak the insinuation that it is actually Nga and Ngeh who call the shots rub deeply into some Malay souls.Did anybody notice that the PAS lesdership did not bother too musch to galvanise the rakyat on this issue
How about the Ipoh indians you may ask. I will also discount them. Those in Hindraf will only fight for "indian" issues - not Malaysian issues, much less Perak issues.
Of course this is an over simplification. But that is exactly what Raja Petra would have done to drive home the point.
Pakatan Rakyat has a long way to go.

temenggong said...

No, you are not wrong zorro. Very few Perakians came out in support Malaysians still don't have what it takes!

Anwar was not there, Nik Aziz was not there and Hindraf was not there. There were no movers to rally the crowd. There are no inspiring leaders in DAP or Pas Perak that can bring a crowd. That's what matters. Pas did not come to the support of Mat Sabu. Besides Pakatan hardly managed a crowd buildup.

Anonymous said...

Pakcik,

Like I said, people are getting tired of all this and what we are concern with is the economy.

We need to get back to what is important and PR should concentrate with the next election rather than fighting this loosing and damaging battle.

People (mostly Malays) are questioning why when PR wanted to get those BN MPs to defect, it was OK, but when the opposite happened, PR are so sensitive about it?

People are getting tired with all this Wayang lah pakcik.

Let us get a life...

Anonymous said...

I think most people in Ipoh were caught off-guard. No one expect that Umno would stoop so low. If they think they can now govern the state, I think they are very much mistaken. People are just waiting for the right time to show their anger, by voting out the BN.

alibaba

JeyPathySarritzu said...

Hi Zorro

I am a perakian and was not able to attend the 'showdown', stuck in a meeting in KL (its bread&butter for some of us)

Yes I understand your feeling but honestly you don't have to 'turun-padang' to show your support. Some feel the urgency for that and some others (like me) have to find other means to handle these situations.

I will wait for the GE to show my feeling. It may be late but hey...lets handle them like a kite. Let the strings go till they reach HIGH and thug them so strong till they fall flat on ground. They (BN) cant always be on the HIGH! They still have to come down.

Humbleness is something BN has never learnt in these lessons.

SAMEsame

Anonymous said...

Dear Uncle Zorro,

Your question is only valid if there was no climate of fear established by the cops.

Not everyone wants to spend hours in a lockup, like in your case :)

Andrew

vinnan said...

Stupid to be cannon fodder. Remember Mahathir's advice to those Malays who wanted to fight the Israelis in Palestine? Be smart. The next GE is not as far away as many people think be it in 2012 or 2013. By 2012 election fever will start again nationwide. Only slightly more than 2.5 years away. When Badawi won the 2004 GE by a landslide UMNO thought it had many years to screw the rakyat then appease them when the next GE comes. See how wrong they were. I know some people in Perak and they are already preparing for the next GE to do UMNO in. Like Mathias Chang said 'focus,focus,focus'

zorro said...

Andrew, I understand your feelings. However sacrifices must be made. Change don't come easy. We have to cross that line called fear. Their strong arm is only there to instill fear. That is their job. Do we just accept this and hope for the best? You and I know that GE13 will be telling. But this despicable thing that brought down the slim majority PR government came along and we had to act. We cant let thieves break down our door, walk thru our house and do what thieves do when they invade your privacy. I don' need to force my ideas on people. They would know what is best that they should do when a wrong is committed. They were so brave that they could physically evict a speaker and using outside help too. Do we just shake our heads and feel sorry for ourselves? I cannot, just cannot.

Anonymous said...

The wisest thing for ordinary citizens to do is to wait for the Court's decision and the next GE.

Acting like a fool to counter the action of the other who is acting like a fool,does not make you the better of the two.

After all it was Anwar who planned the 'frog episodes' and Najib who implemented them.

Satu MABUK KUASA dan yang lagi satu GILA KUASA!

Greatful Malaysian said...

@Andrew

Your state is already a permanent 'lock-up' now thanks to the ignorance and selfishness of most Perakians. It's a shame that people and bloggers from outside of Perak are the ones whom turned up the other day. They've done it not because they love you or Perak, but instead, Malaysia as a whole, and they've sent out a clear warning that things wont be so easy for the thieves if their own states were to face similar situations.

Jinn said...

Dear Sir,

I truly respect all those who were there at the front line, not least yourself especially at your age. I am a born and bred Perakian, and circumstances were such that I was unable to be there in flesh, the will to do so regardless. I am at present in another country. That said, I know without a doubt that were circumstances be within my power, I would have been there with my dad (he is a staunch supporter of good governance and democracy too).

With regards to your frustrations, please permit me to share a little of my humble observations.

In my limited experience people who want "change" take on different pathways leading towards what is perceived as the common goal. There are some who are fighters - courageous, fearless, engage-the-adversary-in-the-battle-foreground. There are others who are leaders - charismatic, strategic planners, who thrive in politics and would engage their nemesis in a battle of strategies not much unlike a chess match. There are yet others who prefer to wait for a suitable entry point to capitalize on their talents - these could range from attempting to be part of the system to exert changes from within, to playing vital support roles of any nature and description, to even be the predisposed masses leaders seek to influence and/or mobilize. Then, of course, there are those who are contented with playing the game of wait and see - swaying towards the direction judged as wind of the day.

I believe that no one is under any illusion as whom amongst those we know fall under one or more of the above categories (of course the categories are by no means exhaustive and each are also not purely existentialist in scope). The way I see it, everyone knows best their own comfort levels. Everyone knows best their talents and weaknesses. Forcing ourselves to do something we are not comfortable with could be ineffective at best, counter-productive at worst. Why don't we nurture people along the proclivity of their talents, and work towards change from all different directions. Such wholesome effort would be more synergistic, and reduce burnout rates.

Please forgive me if I had unwittingly offended you - in no way do I seek to discredit, discount or nullify the endeavours of fighters like you. If anything, I truly honour your work and sacrifice. All I ask is to perhaps understand why some (of us) have hesitated. I don't pretend to understand everyone's reasons, I only humbly believe that encouragement bears more weightage than reprimand.

Anonymous said...

though born in kedah, i have been in perak since 1955 = a perakian lah = then since 66 ,a teacher till 2000 !
church & secular social people i have talked to r PR supporters simply coz we dislike bn 's INjustices & r ashamed of mca though we r of the same bangsa !!!!

Anonymous said...

It took 51 years to get people to overcome their fear and scepticism and vote for the opposition.

Most of the people who actually voted for PR in the last GE are not die hard opposition supporters - rather those who were fed up with BN or just decided to give the opposition some support.
Given that , is it not too soon to expect them to take to the streets in support of PR?

The problem with most people (including the BR bloggers) is that we surround ourselves with like- minded people, and thus are lulled into thinking that most, if not all, share our sentiments.

There are actually a lot of fence sitters out there – yes, they are upset by the BN power grab. But they are equally upset with the level of politicking in the country since March 2008. Some are equating voting for the opposition with causing instability in this country. Calls to protest, large gatherings, demonstrations, sept 16 , major roadblocks (due to BN, but most people don’t make that distinction - the end result is inconvenience to the people) ...... don’t help matters.

With the police, monarchy and (?judiciary – to be confirmed on Monday) in support of a BN govt in Perak – it is a lost cause. Let us step back now – and live to fight another day. The war is not over.

Don’t erase whatever breakthrough we made in 2008. Let us not loose middle Malaysia.

zorro said...

Jinn, I agree with you fully. I dont get offended easily, because I take responsibility myself for whatever happens to me. I even commended the guy who arrested me. He set the tone of the arrest and I went with the flow and never got cuffed.

But Jinn, this is a cancerous growth!
Do we convene a meeting of the management group when the pantry is on fire. Do we form a chain gang after the meeting or do we summon the fire fighters?

Thanks for visiting. Always appreciate feedback of the likes of yours. We need to throw out the form books sometimes. Just my own opinion. I would love to meet your dad. He would be around my age?

em-pi said...

simplistic answer is that citizens of Perak has high respect towards their RH The Sultan. The appointment of Zambry as MB of BN Government by the palace was done accordingly as BN garnered the majority seats in the DUN.

Act of betrayal by the 3 ADUNs against the pr parties,that ushered in the BN Gov., whether enticed by the other parties or not should be blamed on the pr leaders for their lame leadership and blurred foresights. Mr Karpal Singh was right when he asked Anwar to repent for all the blunderous actions of his all this while.

Politics is a game of strategies, loud voices alone do not guarantee your success.What happened in Perak last February, was battle lost for pr. When you were too preoccupied with your sudden unexpected victory, you will be ill prepared to face the surprise attacks from your enemies.

People deserve the leaders they voted in. When you vote for a monkey you get a monkey as your leader.Well, we had witnessed Thursday, many monkeys in actions.

zorro said...

Anon12:46

Totally agree with you on why the people voted opposition but do not agree on your perception of the Barisan Rakyat Bloggers. You do not know how we bang table and kick chairs in disagreement with each other....but at the end of the day, it is consensus. Hard to swallow when your ideas are rejected but this is how we work best. We swallow pride and sink differences for a common cause.

Thanks for the visit and come in more often.

Jinn said...

Hahaha Dear Sir,

Dad just turned 68 (dear old dad), is computer illiterate, technological incompetent and doesn't know how to sms or use any other features on the cellphone except to make calls. He would call me (I am in the States) every other day to talk about politics. I would tell him what I've read in the alternative media and the blogs - he would update me on what goes on on the ground. He told me that one of his best friends were amongst those arrested in Ipoh that day.

Everytime when we talk, he would still assume a very hush-hush demeanour and would suddenly start switching to Hokkien when we breach "sensitive" topics. Years of socialization have made us all cower in fear. I see this in my dad, and in many of my friends. Sometimes I see it in myself too. Often he would say: "it is ok for you over there daughter, it is not ok for me here to mention this and that". If Dad, being an educated person (from the colonial days) feel that way, how much harder it would be to create awareness amongst people who are not necessarily illiterate but have a narrower worldview, or even, for that matter, who adopt a different perspective from ours?

I can't wait to go home and meet venerable people like yourself. I can already picture you and dad having stimulating discussions over teh tarik; and me meanwhile taking the opportunity to learn just by listening.

zorro said...

Jinn, I look forward to the meeting between two old men....email me at ktswee@hotmail.com and I will make a journey to Ipoh....no no teh tarik...more ngah choi kai and ipoh coffee. Cheers....time you hit the pillow Jinn...and have a good Sunday when you awaken.

new fart said...

Hey you buggers all out there, it's all about race, can't you see? Forget about the monarchy...they are all Malays aren't they? Like RPK said, it's all about race, stupid! Those BN goons have used this to the hilt and they will keep exploiting this weapon for their own political gain, period!
Nothing wrong if the people opted not to come out in support for whatever reasons but we must keep the momentum going until the next GE. People like Bernard and the rest are doing a noble job and they must be respected and given full support. Like they say, someone has to do the dirty job. We can't all sit around the fence and wait for the next GE to come around because these BN goons will make sure there is no fence to sit around next comes the GE.
We should all be humbled and honoured to have people like Bernard and the rest fighting at the front line thus ensuring the fire of change stays ignited.

Anonymous said...

Salam Sejahtera dan kepada semua pemimpin PR.

RE: 1 Malaysia, People First, Performance Now

Sebenarnya apa yang Najis halusi diisi hatinya adalah;

1) “My Malaysia”
2) “Grab First”
3) “Detain Now”

Inilah yang berlaku di Perak tempoh hari (07-Mei-2009) secara langsung dan rakyat telah menyaksikan segala perbuatan UM-No/BN yang begitu rendah maruah. Rakyat Malaysia khususnya orang Perak tidak akan lupa akan perbuatan ke-lanun-nan berikutan mencabuli hak hak yang sepatutnya berada pada Ahli DUN selaku Speaker Dewan yang sah, YB V. Sivakumar.

Marilah seluruh rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira bangsa atau kaum bersatupadu menegakkan keadilan bersama pemimpin PR mengembalikan sistem demokrasi berperlembagaan dan berparlimen justeru mengembalikan hak hak kepada rakyat Malaysia.

Peristiwa-peristiwa politik yang berlaku hari demi hari secara amnya oleh UM-No/BN yang menafikan hak-hak rakyat dengan cara ke-lanun-nan ada-punya baik kerana ia akan terus memperingatkan rakyat Malaysia dengan hati yang membara untuk terus menolak UM-No/BN pada masa terdekat dan di PRU-13.

Semoga perjuangan PR dan rakyat Malaysia akan membawa perubahan positif dari segi sistem demokrasi mahupun pembangunan ekonomi negara Malaysia yang dicintai oleh seluruh rakyat Malaysia.

alvin
10-Mei-2009_1340

wandererAUS said...

It is about time, Malaysians should revisit the issue of being a Republic. What good of having royal leeches if their interests lie solely in their private companies…this PerakState impasse is obviously, the reason of divided loyalty of the sultan’s private interests and his royal subjects.
Gone are the days when the monarchs are considered a safety net for the rakyat…today, it is just an elusive dream.
Pity Tun M did not finish the job completely…he should not only clipped the wings of the flying sultans, mamak should have completely clipped their marbles!

Stanley said...

Reading this post, it feels as though it was written for me. I apologise for not being able to attend and support PR on 7th May 2009. Family commitments come first. But I would assure you that my family and I vote for the opposition.

Anonymous said...

Dont worry, everyone in malaysian now have a vote keep in their heart locked.

I am glad there is no major assembly during that day ... Malaysian will throw all the support during election. Dont try to make anything stupid now, there are lots of fence sitter who still believe in BN.

I think PR guys are doing good job in the assembly .. Let BN play whatber they want and the more the do it , it show more true colors of BN ...

If malaysian can kick out 5 BN states, I am sure the next election there will be more states being kick out espically Terengannu, perlis, N9 and Melaka ..

So advice .. lets wait and see ..

Anonymous said...

Zorro

Its not the numbers outside the STATE asssembly that matters.

Its the state of prceedings in the dewan that matters.

In the end it was a classic Tamil drama, involving 3 Indians: Siva, Ganesan and Zambry.

Siva lost, temporarily, and the two other Indians (Ganesan and Zambry) just used pointers from the many Tamil movies they saw and managed to 'prove' that they are in power now.

That is just part one.

In the process, Siva managed to singlehandedly gain sympathy from the rakyat for PR.

Just wait for prelude to part two that begins tomorrow.

But meantime, you can obtain and feature the photos of :

a. Sargeant-at-arms who had a terrible hearing problem during the begining (when Siva was at the Speaker's chair. He actually need First Class medical treatment overseas, fully paid for by a state subsidiary. He can also get a 'bonus' through an all expense paid 'post treatment recovery' holiday in EuroDisney/Paris for all the hard work he did that day ).

c. State Secretary, who decided to join BN temporarily (he must be the first one who got A TEMPORARY MEMBERSHIP for 7 May 2009 which automatically lapsed once the session ended.) He too looked like an Indian, but was no match for the three anyway.

d. Civil servants at the State Assembly who also got temporary BN membership for the day. I would like such membership status as well. Can you please post a PDF copy of such membership form on our blog?

Let the rakyat remember till 2013, the key people who remained 'neutral' druing the 7 May 2009 Perak Assembly sitting.

Anyway, the bottom line is - it takes Indians to dramatize the situation for the other ethnic groups to have a successful and enjoyable entertainment.

Even the next day, 8 May 2009, it was Indian showtime, though there were people of other ethnic groups who were also released from Kamunting. Did the media give much focus on the 10 or the 3 Hindraf reps?

See how the Indians, small in number, can continue to be like real hot cilli padi to 'spice' up the local political situations.

The only thing UMNO/BN knows well is, such drama from Indians is only possible if you have Indians taking opposite positions.

So the director scripted well fro Siva, Ganesan and Zambry.

Anyway, whilst we write and blog about all these, lets move on to continue winning the hearts and minds of the people who support Pakatn and continue winning over new support by righteous actions and genuine care and concern for them.

Anonymous said...

I think that the truth is that the support for PR is weakening. A Perakian myself, I supported PR during the elections last year only to find out that the PR ADUNs & MPs are even worse than the BNs. They claim to be fair and just, but deep down they are just another racist group. Its always stupid chinaman this, chinese bitch that or melayu bodo this, keling that....

U see the comment from Anon 4.47pm - that basically sums up the PR.
Nizar acted and talked the same way the previous BN Mentri Besar did. The people don't care which party rules, they just want to be taken care of.

Fed UP

Anonymous said...

Regret I wasn't there (mum passed away). Yes, I'm for more support and attendence. As I've stated, the time when we think of just giving our vote to PR might not be enough anymore. We need to step out.Look at what happened on May 7th. And I don't think things like these will end. I started by helping in Bkt Gantang by-election, every one can make a difference, step out, show your support or protest. All these are for our children and country.

Samuel Goh Kim Eng said...

SUPPORT ISSUE WITH ADEQUATE TISSUE

Though it may be a state matter
It's really still a national issue
Thus support all over we must muster
To add on enough strong muscular tissue

(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 100509
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sun. 10th May 2009.

KP said...

Dear Uncle Zorro,

I agree that not many people especially people from Ipoh gathered on the 7th of May.

Still remember the gathering in Kuala Kangsar? See how BN used it against PR. They say PR did not respect the Sultan etc.

You see, what ever we do it is wrong. But what ever BN does, it is right. The only way to teach them a lesson is PRU 13!

If people had gathered, I won't be surprised they will say that we did not respect the Sultan, PR instigate the rakyat, etc.

Let's not allow ourselves to be trapped in their GAME.

All this I believe is a Blessing in Disguise. PR need to learn from it's mistakes. They need to prepare themselves for PRU 13. They have to pick leaders (ADUN & MP) who are genuine with their struggle, who are not FROGS, disciplined, so that similar incidents will not occur again.

Mark my words that the incident in Perak on the 7th of May is not the end of PR's and the Rakyat's struggle. We just lost one battle, BN thought they have won. Who knows for one mistake they have to pay a heavy price! Come PRU 13, BN might loose all States in Peninsular Malaysia.

Finally, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart and not forgetting the rest of the bloggers for the support shown on 7 May. Please don't say we don't care and we did gather because we do not have balls . If we in Perak did not care we would not have voted PR in the last election!

Anonymous said...

zombie is 100% indian adopted by malays > 50 tahuns ago .....sure or NOT !!??

btw, indians, be AWAS : the bitch is still preferring NOT to kill snakes 1st !! AWAS, indians, ok !!??

Fi-sha said...

Dear Uncle Zorro

I hope you had a great weekend.

Uncle, I met many ipoh people, they were there in their quite way - looking from afar but rest assured Uncle, their spirits are as strong as those from outside Ipoh. But it was so obvious that they were plain low to middle class people, who had enough of injustice in every imaginable aspects of life. Those in big, flashy cars just gave us this look that you knew they hated us for causing this traffic jam. Hmm, some people are just too ignorant Uncle when they should be mad about what happen with their beloved Perak.

Dear Uncle Zorro, i came back from Ipoh feeling inspired. There was one malay makcik who 'cared' for me, one mrs ooi who shared her umbrella with me, not shedding a tear when her son was hauled on truck for marching to the building, one indian uncle who told me we indian brother will stand for all, regardless your races and religions. I was so touched.

Dear Uncle Zorro, those goons could possess the SUK building as long as they want but believe me they will never have these people to lend their support..

I hope time flies...Have a great day Uncle Zorro!

Anonymous said...

Lets here from Ipoh bred oppinion.

Me like many of my PR supporter friends are still trully strong supporter. They are many converts too...support PR. But then many Rakyat Ipoh here are kia-si (keng sei) guys..they were trully afraid of been caught by police & fear of Balai.

Sorry..we trully support your feat & we still support PR. But..we Ipohans are timid scarry bunch. Many of us are employees..we got to cari makan. But then, we came in droves to ceramah..& to ballot box.

Ipohans know very well who to vote for in election.

IpohHUNK

Anonymous said...

strangely strange : still so many quite quiet & also so quiet quite many one !!??

Anonymous said...

NO no no, we NOT kia-si : after breaking fast at 8 someting, we tried to go there BUT polis barred us already near sek anderson & GH !!

zorro said...

ANON6:13PM, My deepest condolence on the demise of your mum. We all understand.

Anon2:16pm...we are from out of town...we had to find an alternate route, i.e. along the river banks....and please, nobody here referred to anyone as kia-si. In this game, there are no heroes....just people who want a change for the better....and mostly for our kids and theirs to come.

zorro said...

Stanley....you owe nobody any apology. You were with us in spirit and that strengthened our resolve. Salute you and your family.