Parliament dissolved
Have you heard the news? I am a little surprised, too.
On Tuesday, the prime minister said, “[n]o, not tomorrow” but yesterday, he “couldn’t give any indication on the election date… [Agong] has to give consent first”. Some people call him a liar but what the heck, everybody lies, right? Only that he’s just extremely terrible at lying, I suppose, to the point of looking like a boob. Wait, that’s not lying, it’s merely contradicting yourself. All politicians do that, especially Hadhari ones.
The way The Star carried the story is even funnier. Checkout the earlier report and the later one when he dissolved the parliament. Both are published yesterday, the former was in print, I believe.
The announcement really knocked Keadilan and DAP for six. Keadilan’s Anwar Ibrahim said early election “shameful” and DAP responded immediately with a video. Anwar was obviously very upset because he would not be able to run. Come on, you are a history, no matter what. Lim Kit Siang (of DAP) said parliament dissolution in the midst of Chinese New Year celebration is disrespectful of the Chinese. I just don’t see the link. It’s not like if the parliament is dissolved all celebrations have to be stopped. Instead, this year’s CNY celebration would be a memorable one for all Malaysians as it will be some sort of double celebrations extravaganza. Don’t we all love that? Get over yourself, old man.
Frankly, I feel indifferent about anticipating the upcoming election mainly because like the past 18 years, I am not voting, not even eligible to. And will most probably not be able to vote in the next two general elections (if things go as planned).
Still, it will be very interesting to observe the election this year. It amazed me learning how the internet, particularly the blogsphere, making an enormous impact towards the way people think and vote and the way the politicians campaign. I can’t wait to see the final products of this year Freedom Film Festivals which will surely touch on the election this year. The recent developments in Malaysian politics like Bar Council march, Bersih rallies, Hindraf demos, the whole Lingam madness, the government cockups are such eye opening revelations. It will definitely be the best general election experience in 50 years of Malaysian history.
And personally, my experience working at Malaysiakini gives me a broader perspective on Malaysian politics. Of course it won’t be as fascinating as rooting Hillary Clinton for president (it’s fading though, they’ve completely messed up) but it’d be fun ridiculing and laughing at the foolishness of Malaysian politicians and learning how my older fellow Malaysians think.
Here are the things I am looking forward to in this year’s election.
- How ridiculously ridiculous Parti Mahasiswa Negara can be?
- More rallies during election period?
- Badawi’s fiery speeches (because they remind me of a teacher at my old school, they really sound alike when giving speech)
- Counter-spins on socio-political blogs of The People’s Parliament likes
- Malaysian political blogs dominating WordPress.com News Department
- Election fraud claims despite the use of indelible ink
- My parents and sister coming home showing off the indelible mark on their fingers
- Someone lead another historic (the “no, not tomorrow” part is historic first) civil action suit against Badawi for giving misleading statement
- And all the usual, silly unintelligent political antics for entertainment
So what about you?
Tags: 2008, Abdullah Badawi, dissolved, election, liar, Malaysia, parliament
