The Debate & Anwar : The Great Malaysian Statesman, a Far Cry from BN's Incompetence

Anwar Ibrahim showed what an excellent orator, great statesman and honourable gentleman he is. In Malaysia's first live debate on fuel price on 15 July 2008, Anwar won hands down over his opponent, the so-called Minister of Information, Shabery. If previously I had supported him/PKR simply because PKR is the only credible alternative to BN, but after last night's debate PKR has my vote, my family's, my relatives' and friends' votes ... heck, even my villagers' votes. At the very least, Anwar showed his concern for the plight and pain of the rakyat caused by the high food and fuel prices. At least, he has an action plan as to where he can get the RM3-5 billion to keep fuel price lower in order to ease the suffering of the rakyat.

Shabery, on the other hand, is UNPROFESSIONAL and lacks substance throughout the debate. He attacks the person rather than addresses the issues. He circumvents the issues, avoids answering a simple direct question, and is still feverished and obsessed with the fiery 'Anwar' of the 70s? Shabery is still stuck in 1974. Grow up, man! Get on with your life. Everyone else has moved on. By the way, Mr Minister of Information, if you have any honour left in you, resign from your post as promised (you failed big time, man!) and go back to school to learn some basic economics, debating skills and good governance.

Shabery, like the others in UMNO & BN, they couldn't care less whether the people starve to death! They even applaud the fuel price hike just to have an upper hand over their political foes. Shabery and the whole UMNO & BN wolf-pack are completely insensitive and unconcerned about the plight of Malaysians. Yes, we all know fuel price hike is a global issue..Anwar knows that, we all know that...but being an oil-producing country, if the govt can do something, anything, no matter how small, to ease the burden of the rakyat, we - the rakyat - will love you and will be indebted to you. Anwar has already listed the few sources of funds that the govt can set aside to keep fuel prices low for the rakyat. Anwar has the heart and the brains to help the rakyat. How come ALL the cabinet ministers, all the BN MPs, UMNO-hooligans put together cannot come anywhere close to thinking a little bit like Anwar. From last night, it's so obvious this Shitbery has the typical mentality of UMNO/BN...just plain stupid, corrupted and incompetent.

And to top the Government incompetence, Malaysians have to put up with academic fools in the person of one Nordin Kardi, if ever there is such a fool. Is he really the Vice Chancellor of UUM? From which sewer did they pick this guy? Nordin Kardi brings shame and total disgrace to the Malaysian academic circle! He does not even know what an IPP is! And a Vice Chancellor who cannot pose a simple question?! It is a sad day for UUM... your VC has just destroyed your repute as a dignified university. The staff & students of UUM should band together and kick Nordin Kardi back to the sewer where he came from.

Can the BN Government not see that lowering the price of fuel by even 50 sen could put a rein on the spiraling prices of food and other consumer products? Striving to keep fuel price low will not only contribute towards curbing inflation but also, and more importantly, helping to alleviate the suffering of the people caused by rising fuel and food prices. Why is Prime Minister Badawi and his deputy Najib blind to this simple fact? Why are the BN Members of Parliament blind to this fact? They continue to applaud their action to hike the fuel price, saying this is beyond their control because price hike is a global issue. Isn't everything in this day and age a global issue, whether directly or indirectly? Every issue, global or not, that affects the masses has be addressed and resolved. Or at least, attempts must be seen to be made to try and resolve the issue. It is not good governance and is, indeed, a great social injustice to just say that the price hike is a global issue and then rest on your laurels. You must be seen by the people to be trying to do something about it. Giving the RM625 per year direct rebate to vehicle owners only aggravates inflation and will have no impact at all on easing the people's burden in the face of rising prices. I wonder where BN and these UMNO people studied their basic economics? Saudara Anwar should teach the UMNO & BN people a thing or two about simple economics and good governance.

In the end, the whole issue is about the People, the Rakyat, the masses. I am only interested in the oil price issue vis-a-vis the Rakyat. To me, the bottom line is: in the face of economic hardship caused by rising prices, Anwar gives the people HOPE. That is the crux of the matter. Whether he is successful or not in eventually lowering fuel price does not matter much to me in this time of hardship. The important thing is Anwar gives me hope for tomorrow. He convinces us that tomorrow will still be alright. Yes, the fuel price hike is a global problem, but we still have some control over our own economy if only we know how to manage our resources. It is a matter of proper management and good governance. The key to the rakyat's heart is to let the people know you feel their pain, and to give them HOPE for the future.