POLITICS: Mohsin Abdullah is right.

There is no harm in sharing views irrespective of how diverse and conflicting they are. I thought Mohsin Abdullah tried to do just that.

I likened politics as a pond or pool. Most just dip in and get out. Politicians will dive and swim across. If anybody is crying for help, about to drown, we could just cross our fingers if any politician will dash forward to help.

Politicians play politics, Footballers play football
by Mohsin Abdullah
Mysinchew

I can’t say for sure if it’s the feeling of the majority but we are seeing quite a number of comments from “ordinary” folks on the current state if political affairs in the country. Surf the internet or read the newspapers and we get folks expressing “anger” and “frustration’ that our “politicians are playing politics instead of finding ways to solve the economic crisis”. You can’t dispute that. After all we are facing an economic crisis. And the political play is enough to give us a constant headache. Just look at Perak. And the ‘fear’ is, if the Perak problem spread to other places.

Going back to the “people’s” comments, many preferred to ‘generalised” rather than naming the politicians or the party they represent. But just who’s to blame? Those from BN? Or Pakatan Rakyat? Talk to different people you get different answers naturally. To the pro Pakatan folks, the blame is on the BN, for “disturbing” the PR government and not letting it govern in “peace”. Perak, they say, is a “shining” example, pointing angrily at the “crossovers”.

"Politicians especially those who missed the boat will just have to wait for the next election to prove they are a better choice. Mean time work hard."

But the pro BN people are saying the Pakatan started the cross over thing first, referring to Anwar Ibrahim’s famous “we have the numbers” salvo. But the Pakatan supports “shoot” back by reminding us UMNO had “secret talks” with PAS on 9 March 2008, only hours after the results of 12th general election were announced. The aim of the talks they remind us was to invite PAS to join a coalition government thus foiling Pakatan from taking over Selangor.

Talk to the politicians and they will tell you they play politics to get the power needed to bring good the to the people and and country. Nothing wrong with that they say as long as there’s no abuse of power.

Fine. But the fact is the political temperature is still high nearly one year after the 8 March elections. In Perak, it’s clear there’s no end game insight. The political crisis is set to prolong. The BN and PR are both involved in “manoeuvres ” and “counter manoeuvres’. It has gone to the courts. The legal battle will take a very long time before the winners emerge.

Some folks are saying the situation we are now is the result of the “absence” of clear cut winners at the 8 March elections. They say it’s important for one party to get a big mandate to prevent it from being “disturbed” by the other party.

But others say a party with too big a mandate is open to “dictatorship”’, bull dozing their way without taking consideration of opposing views of the rakyat, what so ever. Hence the need for a check and balance situation. That’s the message the people sent via the ballot boxes on 8 March.They returned the BN to power but with a much stronger opposition in parliament. And at state level, they wanted a change in Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor while maintaining their faith with PAS in Kelantan.

Agree or disagree it was the choice of the people. The people’s verdict must be respected. Always. Politicians especially those who missed the boat will just have to wait for the next election to prove they are a better choice. Mean time work hard. Keep clean and be and honest. Speaking of which, are there clean and honest politicians? Some people say politics is dirty. But some argue saying humans are the ones dirty. So I ask again… are there clean, honest politicians? Yes there are. Many or not many? I don’t know. But in the words of an old friend of mine, of course politicians play politics. They are politicians. You don’t expect them to play football do you? [Politicians Play Politics, Footballers Play Football Sin Chew Jit Poh ]