PAS Youth: PM should emulate Fukuda

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmd Badawi should emulate his Japanese counterpart Yasuo Fukuda in stepping down from the premiership, said PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub.
Salahuddin said that such practices are not uncommon in the West and it is a sign of maturity to resign when a leader fails to command legislative and public confidence.
"In Malaysia, this culture does not exist. Instead, Barisan Nasional leaders are stubbornly hanging on to power even though they have been rejected by the public," said Salahuddin in a statement today.
Salahuddin qualified this statement by stating that calls for Abdullah to quit not only came from the public and opposition parties, but also Umno members such as former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Barisan component party Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp).
He also argued that Barisan's defeat in Permatang Pauh by-election indicated that Abdullah's leadership was no longer relevant and his resignation must ensue.
"Unfortunately, the third-world feudal mentality is allowing Abdullah to stay in power. The main reason is to allow his family and cronies to take the country's wealth, while allowing corruption to be endemic."
Salahuddin said that should Abdullah now follow Fukuda's footsteps, the country would be spared from suffering policies meant to prioritise cronies and the premier's family.
Fukuda resigned on Monday after less than a year as the leader of Japan, following a rule identified with passivity in leadership style, a shrinking economy and a series of scandals.
Despite being an elder of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and son of a previous prime minister, Fukuda decided it was time to leave the job.
Calls for Abdullah to step down began after BN suffered its worst defeat in history during the March 8 general election.
Quit calls picked up steam again after BN lost the Permatang Pauh contest by an even larger majority - and the demands were led by veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Umno Youth exco member Mukhriz Mahathir.

tunku : for this matter, i fully supports and agree with salahuddin's statement.pak lah is stubborn not umno or bn. it's because of him umno and bn are in dangerous zone for the first time since independence.if he is really gentlemen he should resign immediately.i know very well that pas youth is taking advantage of this situation but what they had said is very true.we are not asking pak lah to follow like some of the japanese tradition like the ritual suicide as it is against our religion but PLEASE RESIGN, that should be enough and we will be very grateful to him.take this ramadhan as an opportunity to do so, you will be blessed pak lah, otherwise you'll be cursed by generations to come.both the double A should not be in Malaysia's politics forever, that is abdullah and anwar.


Keng Yaik: It's all money, money, money, money, money

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — If it was put to a vote today, Gerakan members would choose to leave Barisan Nasional. That damning verdict was given by Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik, the party's former president and most influential voice.
But he added that this major decision will not be made until the issue has been debated exhaustively, and certainly not while emotions are still raw in the party which was decimated in Election 2008.
Still, the Umno and BN leadership should be prepared for the exit of Gerakan, judging by his pungent and pessimistic reading of the political situation.
In a wide-ranging interview with Off the Edge, the politician, who has made a living out of shooting from the hip, paints a grim picture of Umno, a party incapable of change and reform.
Worse yet, he did not think the party's current or next generation of leaders are enlightened. During the interview, he sketched the underlying reasons for Gerakan's and Barisan Nasional's dismal performance in Election 2008.
"We had the worst kind of Umno arrogance as a result of the 2004 elections. The abuse of power, corruption, negotiated tenders with government tenders going mainly to Umno-associated companies. All this is not decided by the Cabinet but by the Ministry of Finance. You think people don't know. Prices are jacked up and there is no check on the implementation of these projects.
"And then you had the Umno assembly and everyone saw how racist its members can become. All these things put us as a component party in a very difficult situation. And then Hindraf came into the picture. So we knew before going into March 8 that it was very bad, '' he said.
Dr Lim alleged that money politics culture in Umno also had an impact on the general elections, saying that all new Gerakan candidates were given "hell by the Umno divisional chairmen''.
"It's all money, money, money, money, money, '' he noted.
So has Umno understood the message which voters sent them on March 8?
"I don't think so. Or maybe they are too preoccupied with their own party elections to come around to thinking and analysing what happened. But I think, being racially based, they think they can still turn the Malay votes. So the first thing they did was talk to Pas, '' said Dr Lim, who joined MCA in the aftermath of its disastrous showing in 1969.
Given this backdrop, the mood in Gerakan is one of anxiety. Still, Dr Lim appeared willing to give Umno one last chance.
"I have been saying that we are not deserters. We are willing to work with and talk to our Umno partners to change and follow what people want in terms of less racial politics, more transparency. Don't just say you want to go against corruption; you must really go against corruption, starting with your own party – with your own party leadership – instead of just going for the civil servants.
"We have said in no uncertain terms that Umno must change…have they fallen into a pit and cannot climb out of it? Or will they try after they settle down after their party elections, '' he said.
He brought up the topic of reform with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently, pointing that the DPM's father rebranded the Alliance after the political tsunami in 1969, by roping in Gerakan, PPP and SUPP.
"I asked Najib, are you thinking about rebranding Umno and BN? In terms of consumerism, the existing brand tak boleh pakai lagi, '' said Dr Lim, who conceded that Pakatan Rakyat's Ketuanan Rakyat is a good brand.
He did not say if Najib offered him an answer. But clearly, Gerakan wants to see some signs that Umno is prepared to change before committing to remain in Barisan Nasional.

tunku : another bullet for umno from gerakan though it hurts but again i have to agree with lim keng yaik.it is so sad that those outside umno can see what's happening with umno but most of umno members choose to ignore it.there is still time for umno to come out from the sand pit and stand tall again, but it need new leaderships with full transformation and rebranding of new umno.