The newly appointed Law Minister, Zaid Ibrahim's intention to issue apologies to those involved in the 1988 judicial crisis is lauded. At last, the Government is willing to take responsibilities for the cowardly acts of the then Prime Minister, Mahathir. Since that day, the judiciary has slipped into a twilight zone where the executive under the PM maintains its iron grip on the judiciary.

Why did it take so long? Did the election results finally jolt our political administrators into reality? Does this mean that finally the Government is taking the blame on behalf of Mahathir? What does Mahathir himself have to say?

Certainly more questions than answers. But the bottomline is that finally the Federal Government has realised that the integrity of the judiciary has been called into question by the meddling from the Executive arm. Removing the Judiciary from the Executive is of paramount importance if the people are expected to once again respect our judicial system.

This move will certainly earn the ruling Barisan government some brownie points. However, following up these statements with concrete measures at restructuring the judiciary will surely be the true test. Their fate in the next general election may well rest on the outcome of this apology.

Perhaps the next target should be the Anti-Corruption Agency which is currently under the purview of the Prime Minister's Department. I feel the ACA should report either to the Parliament or directly to the King. In this way, their independence can be further guaranteed and investigations can be carried out without fear or favour.

Are we finally seeing a changed Barisan Government?

ps Zaid Ibrahim has rightfully quit his law firm, Zaid Ibrahim & Co, today. See report here.
Website of Zaid Ibrahim & Co

Barisan candidates are used to the rhetoric "proven track record". Unfortunately, their track record has been severely tainted by the manner in which they left office. With the exception of an exemplary Koh Tsu Koon, other Barisan exco members have given us enough circumstantial evidence to suspect a previously corrupt government with much to hide. Elizabeth Wong, our new Keadilan representative, has given us some clear pictures as to what has been going on behind the scenes.








Such unhonourable acts are despicable and speaks volumes on the integrity of our Barisan politicians. Why would they want to shred documents or remove important papers pertaining to the running of the state? The answer is fairly obvious to us all. The unforseen results of the latest general election has caused panic among the Barisan candidates resulting in such haste in removing possible evidences to their crimes.

For a state that has never fallen to the opposition, Selangor was among those states where the offices were devoid of important documents. The unprecedented fall of Selangor caught much of the former Barisan government off guard leaving them scrambling to wipe out their tracks almost overnight.

Sadly, our PM has remained silent. His reluctance to chastise his party members probably stems from the fact that he is all too aware of the possible repercussions if such documents were to be left to the scrutiny of "cleaner" opposition representatives. Unfortunately, by allowing such acts to take place, strips the PM of his clean image, that was heavily promoted when he took over from Dr M.

I fail to see how the PM can reverse the dismal performance of BN when he and many BN stalwarts refuse to step down despite their smeared reputations. Somehow they need a new direction, a new face that people could once again relate to. The image of Badawi and Khairy is certainly not what BN or UMNO in particular needs at the moment.

The new Information Minister has called for a more friendly approach to bloggers paving the way for a greater recognition and role for bloggers. It can no longer be denied that this new form of reporting has revolutionised reporting worldwide. Perhaps this is how mainstream media will look like in this new century.Even in the US, bloggers are invited to report on political conventions.

It is addictive to read blogs as they give a perspective that is not intertwined with hidden agendas, more so in our Malaysian media where biasness has become an unashamed practice. Unedited reports portray the situation as seen from the blogger's perspective, unpolluted by propagandas.

The role of blogging in the past election is undeniably a favourable factor for the opposition parties. It gives me a feeling of closeness as I read accounts of their struggles, giving a humane face to a usually melodramatic political scene. People could identify and relate with them. Immediate feedbacks through the commenting system also gives a certain level of control to the reader where his/her views on the matter can be aired rather expeditiously. This is way better than the letters section of our local dailies where only a select few with favourable comments would pass the editorial snipers. At last, we could "communicate" with our political leaders. Even Pak Lah tried in vain to jump onto the bandwagon by encouraging internet users to write to our PM via the Warkah untuk PM website. It was however, too little too late.

Ignoring the blogging phenomenon is foolish. Perhaps the first step at reconciling with the blogging world has taken place. The stinging comments of condemnation that were echoing before the election has now melted away. This is a new force to be reckoned with. As the saying goes, when you can't beat them, join them. I would certainly look forward to more MPs blogging especially those from Barisan.

Datuk Liow Tiong Lai is our new Health Minister.

Find out more about him from his website here.

From The Star

Penang CM announces waivers, new policies (2nd update) PENANG: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Tuesday that the Penang Municipal Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council will waive all summonses involving hawker licences and parking offences issued before March 11. Lim made the announcement just hours after being sworn in as Chief Minister. The government could not estimate how much this involved, but Lim said that the waiver would not affect the councils' operations as it was monies not collected yet. The announcements are part of the new government's "agenda for change to re-establish rule by the people,'' he said in a statement. He said it will also review the policy of political appointments in the councils, and would look towards restoring local government elections. Lim also promised that open tenders will be held for all state government procurement and contracts, adding that an online portal will be set up where information on tender bids would be posted for all to see. All state government members and civil servants will also be required to publicly declare their assets. "This is a government that is based on democracy. This is also a government that believes in equal opportunity and social economic justice. We are here to build a dynamic Penang for all,'' he said in the statement.

After sweeping to power in Penang, the DAP-led government is quick to ensure that all its election promises are kept. This is indeed a good start to better governance and perhaps a shining example to other states and also the federal government on how things should be done in a democratic Malaysia. I am encouraged to know that DAP is out to ensure that all Malaysians benefit from economic successes, be it Malay, Chinese or Indians. The time to segregate us by race is over.

DAP, we'll be watching you. This is the best opportunity to help all Malaysians grow and offer help where it is truly needed. At least in the next general election, you can finally use the rhetoric "good track record", something only BN candidates would utter prior.

Despite the losses of the non-Malay component parties, the PM is bound to continue with the current balance of power within the Cabinet. This means that the Health Minister portfolio will go to the MCA. If the trend of putting medical doctors in this position is continued, then Ng Yen Yen will certainly fit this bill. If it happens, it will be a promotion to a full Ministerial position for her.

Apart from the perpetual problem of funding in healthcare, there are a few administrative problems that needs sorting out. The placement of doctors for one needs to be more transparent and decided upon more humanely. All doctors should be if possible, given the opportunity to serve in a community setting on a rotation basis. At the same time, doctors should be given equal opportunity at post graduate training and career advancement.

All doctors should be subjected to the same rules and regulations. Fast tracking into the local Masters programme will only produce immature and inexperienced doctors. Just recently, a junior Orthopedic surgery lecturer asked if steroids could be stopped for a week for a rheumatoid arthritis patient with cervical subluxation, for surgery. This patient was of course on steroids for a prolonged period in our attempts at controlling disease activity. Stopping steroids cold could prove disastrous for this patient. One would have thought that this should be basic medical knowledge, certainly not something that only a physician should know. Certainly four years of Orthopedic training after housemanship was insufficient to produce a specialist of acceptable calibre.

I am sure there are many more issues at hand that need to be addressed. The incoming Health Minister will certainly inherit a substantial responsibility and workload. Will he/she be up to the task?

Malaysia awoke today with news of a surprising showing from the Oppposition parties forming the People's Front, handing humiliating defeats to ruling National Front candidates. Despite garnering a simple majority in Parliament and thus the right to form the next Federal Government of Malaysia, losing control of key states in Peninsular Malaysia is surely a fatal blow to many political careers.

Two component parties of the National Front have already been devastated, namely Gerakan and MIC. Acting Gerakan President, Dato Dr Koh Tsu Koon has already stated his intention to take full responsibility for the loss and graciously step aside for a new leadership. Such admirable act is still missing from the MIC president, Dato Seri Samy Vellu, as he remains silent. The utter annihilation of MIC candidates have meant that MIC no longer holds any clout when it comes to the Indian community in Malaysia and may potentially lose representation in the new Federal Government.

In addition, the loss of two thirds majority in Parliament means that the Federal Government can no longer implement policies to its fancy but instead needing the approval of the Parliament. Breaking the two thirds majority in Parliament has always been the target of opposition parties to enable a better check and balance mechanism and thus ensuring that unnecessary policies are not bulldozed through Parliament.

E-campaigning and blogs are the way of the future. This modality of disseminating information can no longer be ignored. It has rivaled the effectiveness and popularity of the mainstream press and is expected to replace the more traditional print media in future. If the print media is to make itself relevant again, it must revert to unbiased reporting and remove itself from the grips of political parties. Blogs have also enabled many politicians to communicate with voters and thus making them more accessible. BN's failure to embrace this technology has stunted its influence on the growing cyber population.

With BN no longer controlling key states, it will be interesting to see how the Federal administration will interact with their State counterparts. Will much needed assistance be made less accessible in its efforts to demean their rival parties capacity in administering a State Government? However, isolating five key states will almost be close to impossible.

The opposition coalition or now known as the People's Front, may be a tricky one as well especially when it comes to the DAP and PAS. Bitter memories of the 1999 elections will surely be remembered by DAP when the Chinese voters deserted them when they hastily agreed to form a coalition with Islamist PAS. Penang and Selangor may not be such a big problem, however Perak will surely be highly controversial. With DAP winning the largest amount of seats among the People's Front, they should rightly be given the Chief Ministership in this predominantly Malay state. Thus, a Malay candidate is thought more suitable but the candidate currently in favour is from PAS. Will DAP endorse this candidate? Or will a PKR candidate be more appropriate with the condition that PAS agrees to secede control?

The People's Front has much to prove. This is their best chance at proving that they can run a Government more efficiently and transparently than their predecessors. How they fare in the next General Election may well be decided by their performances in these newly acquired states. A good showing may convince even more voters that the People's Front is ready to form the next Federal Government.

It is a bright day for Malaysia where the power of its people has prevailed. There is no politician that is invincible, be it the ruling party or the opposition. Any dictatorial mentality will no longer be tolerated by an increasingly discerning electorate.

Related article here

I watch with interest the fight between Teresa Kok and Carol Chew. I agree with Teresa that there is little need for a young politician like Carol Chew to resort to such lowly acts to garner votes. Carol should in return, concentrate on developing her character and work ethics, similar to that achieved by prominent women politicians like Chew Mei Fun and Teresa herself.

Teresa's decision to fight for the Kinrara state seat and the Seputeh parliamentary seat should be fought on more solid concerns like the ability to handle the workload and Teresa's track record as an MP for Seputeh. Cheap derogatory advertisements only denigrade Carol herself.

Despite Teresa being the hot favourite, many are looking at Carol as a possible alternative to Teresa. However, Carol has to work hard to ensure that she is seen as on the same platform with Teresa.

Certainly those billboards will not help her cause.

When an election period beckons, it presents us with a time to reflect on how we can change the country for a better future for all concerned. This time around the reflection remains as gloomy as in previous years.

Malaysia remains a country divided along racial lines. The Government's wish to promote a supposedly underpriviledged race has been hijacked by a greedy lot, who happens to also wield the authority in deciding the continuation of this skewed plan. There is no end in sight and hardly a long term plan has been drawn to remove many policies that remain racially charged and highly biased.

As much as the people love Malaysia, such blatant discrimination has erased much affection leading to significant emigration out of this country taking valuable human resources with it. Unfortunately, the government does not seem too bothered so long as the bellies of those concerned are well fed.

A wish that Malaysia will one day be equal for all Malaysians remain a distant dream and I fear that this will not become a reality for many generations to come, if ever. Is there hope for our future generations? Or should we be looking elsewhere to call home?