But the BEST FICTION WRITER goes to….V K Chin
Don’t need Opposition MPs to highlight issues
Star
THU - Mar 6, 2008
COMMENT
By V.K. CHIN
ONE argument put forward in the 2008 general election by the Opposition is that there must be more representatives in Parliament to speak up on issues after the nation has voted.
The only way to do this is to support Opposition candidates. This of course is a naive way of hoodwinking voters to change sides.
If the only purpose of being an MP is to raise issues in Parliament, then those making those proposals do not know how the august House works.
It will be a sad day if the only function of an MP is to raise issues of public interest and to ignore the welfare of their constituents.
Parliament sits only about a dozen times a year and with some 200 members, it is impossible for everyone to have a chance to speak at each session.
In fact, there are many Opposition MPs who hardly spoke though they might have been members of this honourable House for several terms.
Apart from raising a few issues during question time, their sole function appears to be walking out of the House in protest over a decision by the Speaker.
However, there are no new issues cropping up that the media will not have covered. The mass media highlights issues of public interest on a daily basis.
All the issues raised by MPs in Parliament are old news anyway. If their intention is to talk about current issues, there is no necessity for so many Opposition members, just a few will do.
Still, people are taken in by such a ruse, giving the impression that the Government backbenchers have been keeping quiet at each sitting, and just make up the numbers.
This of course is not the case, as the Government members are just as vocal on current issues and in bringing up topics concerning their constituencies and the public at large at every meeting.
It is therefore important that people should be careful when casting their votes and not fall prey to simplistic views of the role of an MP.
If people have any complaints, they can always call a press conference or send letters to the editor. It is a newspaper’s duty to publish such complaints so long as they conform to the law and no third party is defamed.
And this “letter” on the same day….
AS the 12th General Election campaign intensifies leading to polling day on March 8, the public are speculating that the Opposition is going to win more urban parliamentary and state seats. The pro-Opposition trend seems to be gathering momentum.
As an urban voter myself, I am inclined to ask, if it is true that the Opposition is heading to win more seats in the urban areas this time, at who’s expense will it be?
Obviously it would be at the expense of the MCA and to a certain extent the Gerakan.
What does this mean to the Malaysian voters and the Malaysian political landscape? The answer is simple, and that is there will be less Chinese representation in the Umno-led Government.
This is certainly undesirable as less Chinese representation in the Government will only result in a weaker voice for the Chinese in the Government and the Cabinet.
A weaker voice in the Government and the Cabinet will only weaken Chinese representation and this will render it difficult for MCA to negotiate for the Chinese community in the Government.
It is vital that there must be strong Chinese representation to ensure that the interests of the Chinese are looked after.
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting has proven that he is capable of speaking up for the Chinese community in the Government and the Cabinet on matters pertaining to Chinese representation in the civil service, mother-tongue education etc.
More Opposition representation in Parliament does not mean anything other than making more noise in Parliament.
We may need some good opposition MPs in Parliament to provide the checks and balances. But we certainly do not need too many of them who will be singing the same song in their anti-establishment stance.
On the contrary we can’t afford less Chinese representation in the Government and the Cabinet which are tasked to administer the nation.
The point I really want to make here is that a big win for the Opposition, especially the DAP, will be a loss for the Chinese community in terms of Chinese representation in the Government.
My advice to the urban electorate is to think very carefully about the consequences for the Chinese community if the DAP is to win more seats at the expense of the MCA.
This is not the time to talk of change for the sake of change. We have to ponder over very carefully about the importance of Chinese representation in the Umno-led Government.
URBAN VOTER,
Cheras.
JY: Is Star writing its “letters” to itself these days? The “letter” sounds like V K or WCW…you know, MCA “house style”…. When has OKT spoken up REALLY for the Chinese? The MCA has done nothing, remember to kick them out ‘cos all they care about are prob those lucrative government contracts, development deals, etc……DID MCA do anything about the body snatching cases? HOW COME after so many years of Michael Chong, loan sharks are still around?
I’m waiting for VK Chin to say that, in fact, there’s no need for election since the Gomen is so perfect and noble. Wonder who’ll say that first, Chandra or VK Chin?
I know….V K Chin is some OLD UNCLE right. Is WCW so stressed out that V K and “URBAN VOTER” from Cheras have to come to rescue “church boy”?
oh noes!!! if no MCA… who’s gonna setup MCA cupid club!!! Carol will remain loneliiiiii!!!!!111
“Parliament sits only about a dozen times a year and with some 200 members, it is impossible for everyone to have a chance to speak at each session.”
srlsy…
time to size down Parliament then…
hey, might as well turn the country into a dictatorship too.
“TWO LEGS GOOD, FOUR LEGS BAD”
“NAPOLEON IS ALWAYS RIGHT”
I know…
Oh Carol…..Lonely nights, lonely, lonely nights…Hope you are not cuddling some MCA bigwig…Ha ha ha ha ha. That’s a joke…Ever wondered why they picked Oh Carol? No idea….Prob cos she is a Ng Yen Yen clone….
Our parliament and cabinet is oversized….222 parliamentary seats? COME ON….if only they din cut up those rural constituencies…so that they can insert more UMNO…..
BN, now el desperados….Is V K for REAL?
In Sungai Petani, porksellers were shoved to a secluded spot in a back lane right behind the local MCA office. Then the MPSPK set out a rule for all pork shops to be shielded from public view with dark tinted glass-windows. In a national secondary school, the Chinese society had to present its cultural show by renting a public hall instead of using the school’s own multi-purpose hall… They did nothing for racial integration, instead they let the divisive elements do their destructive work unhindered.
Question: Why do we need the MCA at all?
ASK V K. Maybe got new dongeng today
Correct to say Loan sharks are still around as M. Chong and MCA as at the forefront in dealing with them or were they protecting them instead of ending their reign of terror.
They should enact laws in Parliament to put these menace to society in prisons not set them free when arrested as in the case of the Chinese ‘Tengku’.
Let’s give the Opposition the Mandate and tell them to end all these and other criminals behind bars.
BN was and is ineffective in dealing with CRIME.
UMNO’s politicians started the campaign by stating blatantly that they do not need the Chinese votes, after ignoring the Indian delegates. Over the course of the weeks, they repeated the threats of ‘no representation’ instead of assuring Malaysians that they would be fair to all races and behave like a good democratic government as they should, regardless of the voting trend outcome. After all, they are going to win by default gerrymander, might as well pretend to be generous and gracious. Methinks, the Malay votes have always been traditionally split and it is the non-Malay components who historically return them to power. They are probably in panic frenzy and only know to retort with more thinly veiled threats and pleads; frictional writings notwithstanding.
Jed~
Have mercy, many of them are trying to hang on to their job. If you do a quick studies on Star Newspaper, easily on daily basis >50 % of content are advert. Even sometime front page normally has > 50% are advert.
gasping for air,
Woody
Jed! Stop posting these letters! Puke inducing!!!!
No, seriously, I suddenly feel sick after reading VK Chin. Gosh darn you for making me read TheStar
Jed, I want to say this. The reason that I blogged was because of V.K. Chin’s writing. In the past, his writing shocked and shooked me into blogging and surfing the net for news. He made me and my hair stood up and realised as a Malaysian I need to do something for the nation. Yes, it is because of him ….. the fiction writer….
You highlighted the right sentences in the article above. I wonder how his family members feel about him.
Jed, I am selling my soul now, how much are you willing to pay for my conscience arrh? What do you want me to write? Tell me.. Just give me money … Treat me like I am a bastard … LOL …
Goodness did I really say that? Hahahaha .. LOL
Regards,
http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com
For Far TOO LONG the Malaysians have been told that each component races in the BN govt must have their OWN representatives in order for their OWN grievances to be heard & resolved!
AND yet the Malaysians are been told that the BN govt will look after the welfare of ALL the citizen, regardless he race & religion!
THIS IS AN OXYMORONIC CONTRADICTIONS that ALL MALAYSIANS HAVE BEEN HOODWINKED FOR THE PAST 50 YRS.
We must think out of the box for the coming future of the Malaysia after 8032008.
The govt of the day must work for all the people, WITHOUT DIFFERENTIATION of ANY KIND.
WE ARE MALAYSIAN.
If we still buy into the like of the current BN propaganda then we are doomed - there will never be any bangsa Malaysia!
Let send those Dinosaurs back to the pages of history.
oi?! where is that joceline last opinion of 12thGE anyway? I need some papers to scoop up my doggy’s poop!
“It will be a sad day if the only function of an MP is to raise issues of public interest and to ignore the welfare of their constituents.”
That isn’t actually what the national parliament is for. Local welfare is the realm of local government, who’ve not been elected for decades and thus do not answer to the people. Why take the long route of going through representatives who talk to the executive branch who then only hands down commands to municipal authorities, when the citizens should be able to reach the municipal authorities themselves.
Take the overtly local function away from MPs or ADUNs by enacting municipal elections, and then we can focus these representatives on their real responsibilities, even have more sessions than only “about a dozen times a year”, which is far too measly.
There’s also the issue of overt federal power, abuse of public funds, no legislative oversight over the executive as BN forces its MPs to vote along party lines and parliament effectively neutering judicial oversight.
And if taking away MCA’s role means BN will look out less for Chinese, then BN is not a Malaysian party and has something severely dysfunctional about it. You’re not elected to serve only those who vote you.
VK Chin is either completely ignorant to democratic checks and balances, seriously dumb or plainly devious.
cheers
It seems that Malaysian public in general and VK Chin in particular does not really understand the function of a MP. In Malay, “wakil rakyat” means people’s representative. In democracy, there is separation of legislative, executive and judiciacy.
Laws are determined by the people through their representatives and implemented by the executives with the judiciary acting as the guardian. Therefore, voicing issues is only a small part of their functions but voting for/against a bill is an MP main responsibility. So, even if the MP is not vociferous, but by being present and vote for laws that is in the best interest of the people and vote against laws that are oppressive and unjust, he is deemed to have fulfilled his sacred duty as a people’s representative. MPs who do not attend nor vote whenever Parliament convenes are actually defeating the purpose of their existence in the first place.
Therefore, we need equal proportion of MPs to the people they represent in the Parliament. Ideally, for a true democracy, whenever laws are to be enacted, they should be decided by a public referendum as democracy is “of the people, by the people, for the people”. But we all know that is quite impossible during this era but could be a reality in the future with the advent of technology and mental maturity of the people.
Thus, if we, the people, want to have a democratic political system, we should have a healthy proportionate representation in the government. If we think that the country should be governed by a single entity with absolute power, then I would prefer we revert back to absolute Monarchy, as after all, who besides the king can truely claim to be the real owner of the land we call Malaysia.
NST’s Frontpage - “NO REPRESENTATION, NO VOICE” - That’s the price of wiping out the component parties in Barisan Nasional, warns PM. I thought UMNO is for all races, why now the turnaround.
HHA HA HA HA HA HAH A HA HA HA…Can you hear anything even with representation? I dunno lah UMNO change its tune all the time. But actions speak louder than words. Who dissolved parliament before chap goh meh?
Good one, Jed … good one.
Tks. I nearly pengsan (fainted) when I read VK then the “letter”!!! Apa-lah!
damn good backbenchers from MCA. let me give you some good examples:
when asked about NEP, response.”thought NEP is abolished”..about Petronas accounts..”ah..there are audited accounts”. this lady in a senior position in MCA must have just came back from a long holiday in MARS.
about competitiveness..”ah we are better than Burma”…abotu brain drain..”ah my sister in law has also migrated but its ok we have MY Second Home program with busloads coming from Korea” and this is from a Minister who talks like donald duck, sounds like donald duck and sorry folks that I have to put the real donald duck in such a light.
my two cents worth. if i am VK Chin, i will slant it further for MCA afterall MCA is the owner of the Star Paper. Who wants to go against the paymaster except those who are no longer around. Go VK , enjoy your trappings but spare yourself sometime to look at the mirror for some reflections in life. Am glad I have stop my subscription for this doggie paper.
MCA. Haiyah. Wont dare to say one lah. All the BN types are yes-men. And then cloak and dagger style? **shakes head**
Weather you have MCA and MIC in the parliament is no use. They cannot speak their mind. Look at Sothinathan and Devamany. There is call for them to be suspended. Shahril was sacked as Public Accounts Committee Chairman. I realy think it is bettter to appoint only one man to represent the Government. He can then appoint all the yes men to “work with him”. Why represent the Rakyat when you cannot bring up the Rakyat’s problem to “house of the commons ( Dewan Raktyat). You want my votes ie you, having no other better things to do, wants to represent me ( I have to work to earn my bread and butter) in Parliament to air my views. Instead you take orders from someone else, Is it fair? As well I vote for PAS because they a free to air my views and I can call on them anytime.
Hey there, the comment is a bit sensitive.
Cheers. 
The BN lapdog parties deserved to be rejected. There is no other choice by way of self-redemption for those who believed in them in the past. Please show some self-respect, selflessness and spine.
WCW looks like a nice boy next to VK Chin.
Ha ha. That’s right. I like the “letter” too. Ha ha ha ha.
What Jeff Ooi wrote about VK Chin:
http://www.jeffooi.com/2008/02/why_pak_non_is_made_consultant.php
“..In The Star, it’s like V.K. Chin, whose dough is to write an ass-licking column that appears every weekday but people do not read as much…”
Actually before he was turned over, he showed a personal animus against government servants in general, harping constantly against their ‘esay life”. Afterwards you don’t hear anymore about that at all.
Sagaladoola, I googled up VK Chin’s mug shot and that made me remember Mohtar Abdullah.
Amyway his column was what made me gave up theStar and that was way before WCW entered it. I expected little better despite ScreenShots (initial)frequent referencing to WCW there.
WCW was his usual pandering self under M and avoided the important issue of the days. Under Pak Lah he was more vocal but also really to “kill” off political foes. I don’t see him writing about Shahidan’s (Perlis MB) antics. Then as polling day approached, he just broke under stress and wrote that silly piece on PAS.
V K, yeah. He has a short column. Most days it’s the usual BN apologist’s dribble where you just roll your eyes when you read it. Now, it looks like he “cracked” too with that absurd argument that “just a few” Opp MPs would do as the media highlights all the issues of public interest….?????
[...] am especially irritated by the recent articles by V.K. Chin. His views are heavily biased and nonsensical. He does not provide any supporting evidence for his [...]
Pls have a look on this movie clip and you’ll all understand why there is a need for more oppositon party in the parliment;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBGQADED_Mw
“In fact, there are many Opposition MPs who hardly spoke though they might have been members of this honourable House for several terms.”
I think it is more apropriate to say that it is the MCA MP’s who hardly spoke when the Chinese need them the most in this situation
Whereas the MIC is not guilty of not saying anything as theý’re not there to represent the Indian community but to get gov project.
“The mass media highlights issues of public interest on a daily basis.”
It should be mass media highlights issues of MCA interest.
Where is MCA’s voice regarding Gan Eng Gor body snatching issue;
http://guilostories.com/?p=656
Did they say anything when Hishamudin wave his keris?
VK Chin …. VK Lingam. Correct Correct Correct ! All the same.