Let's NOT get personal

The Star Online News : Malaysia Election 2004 reports that political campaigners making personal attacks in the run-up to the general election will be arrested, according to the EC. So much for democracy and its triumphal return!

For many of us, this election offers hope for change. Not so much wholesale ones, such as in the change of guard - no way would we thrive under the current opposition - but rather to inject a sense of credibility in our leadership that is congruent with the righteous rhetoric streaming from the pinnacle of power. Yet, party loyalty aside, I believe that democracy should be an inspection of personalities and their personal-ilities. If a public representative cannot withstand the scrutiny of his or her private life, what right do they have to govern and serve the rakyat's best interest? Should not these same leaders be accountable for even the slightest doubt of their personality?

The EC was established to ensure that the democratic process was carried out fairly and unequivocally. Pak Lah has rightfully demonstrated an elder statesman approach to this matter by pledging that the Barisan Nasional would not resort to personal attacks because the coalition believed it was not the proper way to campaign. This despite sensitive provocation from the religious left. The EC on the other hand has approached this matter like a blindman shopping for T-shirts in Chow Kit. Such a gesture only stiffles and sweeps the issues under the carpet. Afterall, some of our "esteemed" leaders have even thrown the gauntlet down by wielding the threat of legal action when faced with personal attacks - this means that we have the mechanisms to deal with such matters! Surely the EC, of all people, should recognise this. Surely the EC, of all people, should think thrice before making such an unobjective ruling.

C'mon, you can do better than this!

Election Errection

So everyone is sitting up straight like an eager phallic device anticipating some action! There is afterall the big picture that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is now at the helm of the charge, seeking a decisive first mandate. There is also the battle for Najib to first justify the right to contest the new Cameron Highlands seat at the expense of PPP, and throw in the usual East coast battles. What do we have? Yeah right...

This is my prediction. BN will sweep all states except Kelantan (no prizes for guessing why!) and a close fight in Terengganu. A new face at the helm with something to prove, I believe many are willing to give Pak Lah the benefit of the doubt. He is afterall the face of a more conciliatory UMNO and despite the pessimists, has dealt some blows to the rich and corrupt... although not nearly enough.

A strong mandate will see the real Abdullah Badawi come out of the shadows, and surprisingly this may not augur well for the establishment (read Rafidah Aziz, Najib and co) and surprisingly the stupendous opposition (read PAS). A respected religious scholar with the bonus of some machiaveliian understudy, Pak Lah can ill afford to demonstrate his more upright backbone. This may change with a popular mandate and show us why Dr Mahathir resisted extending his reign this time around.

A weak mandate helps no one except the opportunists within the establishment and only encourages thoughtless rhetoric from the less atuned religious opposition. Perhaps in this case, DAP may be the rejuvenated winner - if Kit Siang and co stand firmly against PAS' poorly advised script. But I'd rather not dwell on this, what I'd describe as the worse case scenario for the country!

Loud-er Ads hurt more than ears

Notice how the advertisements on Astro are significantly louder than the movie itself? While many of us put up with it as simply a harmless way for Astro to draw attention to and therefore make more money of its ads, the truth is that it probably hurts a lot more than we realise. Notice how children are automatically drawn towards ads on TV? For long we have attributed this to the punchy tunes and animated eye candy. However, in North America, such tactics have been banned as it is seen to develop short-term attention span in children!

As if to add insult to injury, the loudest by far, belong to Astro's own inhouse ads. This must stop!