Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Never-ending Politics or Bread & Butter, you choose!

All these unnecessary tensions should be stopped immediately. Like it or not, by law there will not be any 916. Like or not, as of now, Pak Lah is still the PM. Like it or not BN is still the ruling government.

Too much hype and attention has been center on these unnecessary political ploys. It has been overly played up for nothing. The fact remains that BN holds the majority in the parliament and Pakatan Rakyat is the opposition coalition in parliament which has lost in GE-12. What Anwar has been trumpeting all the while, the 916 target, has now been politically out-maneuvered , out-played by the BN. There will not be any changes of seat location in parliament regarding the two factions, the government and the opposition. Not for now, not until the next GE.

What Anwar & Co. is trying to create will only leads to unhealthy precedent where in future there will be endless uncertainty in determining the ruling government of the day. It will be an infinite game. What if the very next day BN is toppled by this party hopping madness, they decided to start playing the same game against PR? There will be no foreseeable ending to it.

Changing government via party-hopping politicians may not be "evil" as someone described it, recently. But it is not only unethical it is also unconstitutional. Actually, there are no loop holes that can makes the action constitutionally legal, not in the case of 916 at least. It strikes to very basis of the constitution where it is clearly stated that government of the day must be, at all time, determined by the General Election.

Even you as voter has the right to put a stop to party hopping antics. Most of you voted for the party it represented not the politician personally. Especially so in the last general election. Where votes were given just because you just don't want to vote for the other party. Heck, most of us did not even know who was that fellow that we voted recently. As long it is not a rep from that party, that's where the votes will be, case in point is the boy in parliament with the camera. For those who have voted for the boy in camera for example, what do you feel if he the one that is jumping ship? Don't you want to put a stop to that?

We voted the political party not the politician per se. Most of us did. And on that score alone, if your elected parliamentarian jumped ship and joined the other side, I am of the opinion that you have the locus standi to put a stop to it.

You alone as legitimate voter can do this or better still, get some other voters from your constituents, together with them, you file a class action. File an injunction against the said elected representative, a permanent one, to put a stop to this madness. Yes, the other side will raised defences claiming there are no laws from stopping him or her to jump ship. No worries, you still have the constitution as legal authority to dispute that.

Firstly, it is constituted that government of the day is chosen vide General Election and no other means. Secondly, the fact that this opportunist parliamentarian jumping ship with intention to get around the law shows bad faith on his part and the party accepting him. Both are trying to get around the supreme law of the nation to achieve something which is clearly against the spirit of the constitution. They are actually deceiving the voters.

Now, they may also argue that there are no precedents in law to support your claim. Hey mister, that is what law is all about, it is not stagnant, it is a living thing, developing from time to time. "Ever heard of test case?", you should ask them back. Think outside the box for once.

It's all about respecting the wishes of the voters and upholding the constitution. It's about putting a stop to bad faiths and deceiving acts. The law does not condone such acts.

Constitutionally, government which is created by illegal means and unethical conduct of the parliamentarian concerned is open to challenges in the court of law. The people have voted therefore their wishes must be respected and the court as the guardian of the constitution must see to it.

Because of that, the same government established through party hopping parliamentarians will never be an effective government and it will be drag into endless legal tussles. Not just from the other political faction but from you as well as the legitimate voter. With that, could the same government function as it should in the first place?

Governments that are on perpetual lookouts over its MPs and members are not an effective governments. Governments that continuously dance to the tune of constant political mocking of MPs going to jump ships are not an effective government. Government that constantly on its toes and keep sending MPs for "study trips" is not an effective government. Today this may be the case with the BN government, likewise tomorrow the same could be happening to the PR government. The melee will never stop!

Without an effective government, the people will be the one suffering not the politician. Nothing gets done and nothing works. Just look at our government presently. The people must make these politicians to work for them not the other way around. We cannot fill our belly with incessant politickings, no?

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