From the desk of the Editors

We are at a time of great change and uncertainty in Malaysia. Never before was there a time when there is so much excitement at our country’s political front. The recent Elections 2008 has been described as a tsunami of change. Ever since Independence Malaysia has been accepted by the international community as a country that is politically stable. In fact, it is this stability that has one of the main factors attracting foreign investors to our country.

The ruling party Barisan Nasional never had any problems in securing a simple majority in all past elections. In fact, most of the time the have managed to secure two-thirds majority in Parliament. They have always managed to win all state elections with the exception of Kelantan and for a brief period, Terengganu.
This time around Barisan lost its two-thirds majority. And Elections 2008 has seen not only one but five states falling into the hands of the Opposition. Considered the richest states in Malaysia by many, Selangor and Penang quickly fell within the early hours of ballot counting, followed by Kedah and Perak and of course, Kelantan.

For the Opposition there was euphoria all around. Even they had not dared to dream of such a big win. It took many months and the excitement and joy of those who voted for change had not died down even till the time of this writing.

For the individual players, there is no shortage of drama. Depending on which side they are on, the leaders of all main political parties experienced either unbridled joy or untold sorrow. Invariably the leaders of the Barisan coalition faced severe setbacks while those on the Opposition reaped a windfall of votes.
The man who took the most stick is arguably our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Although he still has the support of UMNO there have been calls for him to take the blame for Barisan’s defeat to the extent of asking him to step down. The Iron Lady, Rafidah Aziz, lost her seat in the Cabinet. The MCA has seen an unprecedented number of candidates losing both their Parliamentary and State seats. The MIC saw its leader Samy Vellu losing for the first time ever. Gerakan told the same sad story with its newly promoted Chairman Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon losing not only his seat but his whole of Penang state. They experienced utter defeat by losing all the seats they contested. Even the smaller party in Barisan, PPP, was not spared with its Chairman M Kayveas suffering the same fate.

While it was raining on the other side, it was sunshine all around on the Opposition Front, subsequently renamed Pakatan Rakyat. Victory was sweet for Lim Guan Eng, the new leader of DAP, taking over the reins from his father Lim Kit Siang. Winning in Penang must have been very sweet for him. It was not too long ago when his father was thrashed while attempting to take over Penang State with his highly publicized “Tanjung 3″ strategy. Taking over as Chief Minister of Penang was the icing on the cake for Guan Eng. DAP’s veteran, the colourful Karpal Singh has also won a thumping victory. But the biggest winner of Malaysia’s Elections 2008 goes to DAP’s Teresa Kok of Seputeh who won by a gigantic majority of 36,492. She secured more than 47,000 votes. PAS’ stranglehold on Kelantan is now extended even to Kedah and Perak with its candidates being made Mentris Besar. PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim’s wife and daughter also made it to the Parliament with his young daughter Nurul Izzah inflicting a horrible defeat on incumbent UMNO MP Shahrizat. And PKR’s candidate has the honour of being Menteri Besar of Selangor.

Now, let’s stop for a moment to ask the question, “What has caused such a change to take place in our political scene?” Without question, the reason would be the Internet, although there may be other relevant reasons such as the slow economy.

The ruling coalition Barisan was largely unaware of the power and influence of the quiet transfer of information, opinions and propaganda via broadband. Being complacent after winning all the elections so far, they relied on traditional media of communications such as the newspaper, radio, television and even banners and posters. They boasted a budget of RM200 million to fund their election campaign. The Opposition, on the other hand, has not only understood but has cleverly and masterfully exploited its usage. They have bloggers to start with, and the pioneer of political blogging, Jeff Ooi, made it to the Parliament on a DAP ticket. Their ceramahs were promptly uploaded to YouTube and made available for viewing by their supporters who conveniently inserted the relevant links onto their emails. That proved to be viral.

The importance of the Internet and blogging is finally underlined with Barisan politicians coming to the conclusion that they have no other choice but to jump into the fray. Notably, our former Selangor Menteri Besar, Khir Toyo and even our former Prime Minister Mahathir are now into blogging.

My dear friends, now is the time for you to have your say. We know most of you have been patiently waiting for your chance to voice your opinion on the political situation. You want to offer your suggestions on how to make Malaysia a better place for everyone. You want to voice your grievances and frustrations. You want to point out the dangers that may be confronting our beloved nation. You want to correct the misconceptions held by some people. You may want to take sides to support your favourite party and politicians. You want to encourage them to strive harder for the rakyat. You can do it here, now at Voice Of Malaysian.

The stage seems set. Malaysia Elections 2008 has decided the Cabinet. The States are chosen. The players appear to be settling in to their various roles and positions. But you know better. The situation may just change. Tell us what you think will happen in the coming months. The head of UMNO and by default, the head of Barisan, Badawi is under siege from many quarters; Razaleigh, Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz from within and Mahathir and Anwar from without. The Barisan coalition itself is in an unstable state with Sabah and Sarawak finally voicing their displeasure over their Parliament representation, what with Anwar instigating and luring them over. Even Mahathir is taking the threat seriously.

Go ahead. Make Voice of Malaysian your destination and platform to make your voice heard. And soon enough our voice will be loud enough to attract the attention of respected politicians and decision makers in our country. Together we can help make Malaysia a better place for all Malaysians. You will be proud to be a member of this community.

At Voice of Malaysian, you are a politician. In fact, you are more than that. You are a serious, thoughtful and respectable politician. You are definitely not just a pariah politician. Therefore, you would remember a few simple rules. You may want vent your anger or frustrations but you will refrain from vulgarities and name-calling such as monyet or other derogatory terms used by immature politicians. You show your due respect to all races and religions. You give suggestions on how to improve whenever you criticize any policy or politician. You are responsible when stating facts to ensure that they can be verified instead of making sweeping statements based on hearsay. You are also careful not to use seditious words or phrases. You know that you are responsible for every word you say because you understand that in the digital world things are recorded and they can be produced in court as proof.

If you think you are knowledgeable enough we welcome you to be part of the Editors’ Team. Do email us your credentials and experience.

Have fun now, fellow Malaysians. Let all Malaysians hear your voice.

If you’re interested to be part of the Editor’s Team then please email us anytime. Please include:

Subject: Hey Admin! Count me in.

Editor’s Profile:

Blogger’s Nick Name:
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Please note: All Your Personal Information Will Be Treated Private and Confidential.

Your personality is the key to the success of Voice of a Malaysia blog.

Sure, some people allow you to talk “rubbish” in their blog but this blog is NOT one of them. Your personality is going to be the key to making the blog unique and a successful one.

Now, let’s be clear – I’m not talking about your ego, or slapping your face everywhere and trying to make you a Politician.

What we are talking about is to make this blog different from any other blog out there, and the only way you can do that, is with your personality.

So, when you post your comment, it should be expressed the “voice” in which you write. In your “voice”, it should be expressed through the colors of freedom which all of us wish for. So, choose the layout of freedom that you want and share your brilliant ideas and suggestions.

Welcome aboard!

Thank you,

To your health and success,

Sincerely,

Political Sifu