Thursday 24 April 2014

Bukit Gelugor - Show leadership and maturity

Bukit Gelugor by-election to be held on May 25


T K Letchumy Tamboo | Updated: April 24, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission (EC) today announced that the polling day for the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election will be held on May 25.

EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof who announced the date, also said that the nominations will be held on May 12. He added that early voting will be held on May 21.

The by-election in the Parliamentary seat, is being held after its member of Parliament Karpal Singh met a road accident when the car he was travelling in rammed into the side of a lorry at the North South Expressway on April 17. - AWANI 
kajang0502e

We are heading into another by-election for the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat following the sudden demise of its elected representative the late YB Karpal Singh.

Karpal won the seat in the 13th GE last year with an overwhelming majority of 42,706 votes.

With the EC's announcement today, the DAP would certainly field a candidate to reclaim the seat which they won with a landslide majority just slightly over a year ago. The candidate, DAP insiders say, would most likely it be either the late Karpal's son or daughter. There is also at least one other local Chinese candidate whom the Penang DAP has been floating.

The looming and blooming question on many minds now is whether the Barisan Nasional would contest in this unexpected by-election for a seat left behind by Karpal Singh.

There have been debates with lots of logic and common sense on the pros and cons of contesting in Bukit Gelugor. The odds are certainly stacked against the BN from all angles.

But would the BN's decision to contest or not to contest in this Bukit Gelugor by-election be based on logic, common sense and/or realpolitik ?

Are there any other considerations which outweighs logic, common sense and realpolitik?

If the BN's decisions (confined to by-elections) are based on common sense, logic and realpolitik would MCA been allowed to contest in the manufactured Kajang by-election?

If there are no other hidden considerations, BN should not contest in the Bukit Gelugor by-election simply because it is the right thing to do. It is plain logic supported by common sense.

I'm sure many a BN leader would agree with me if their mind/thoughts are not clouded by whispers about 'how much we could make from the funds allocated for yet another by-elections'.

Ignore those irresponsible whisperers who convert by-elections in BUY-elections. For them its all about funds and who gets which contract.

This is the time for the BN chairman and Prime Minister to cast raw, meaningless politics aside and show leadership. Show the people that BN practices mature politics.

In fact the BN may win over more hearts and minds of the people if you don't contest in honour of the late Karpal Singh. Such goodwill will earn more than the number of votes the MCA may garner in a contest in Bukit Gelugor.

p/s We did not contest in the Penanti by-elections, remember?

 

1 comment:

Hesmel said...

I'd doubt it bro. BN will definitely field a candidate from Gerakan.

The PM should reflect upon himself when he won the Pekan seat uncontseted, after his father died in 1976. The opposition decided not to field any candidate as a sign of respect to the late Tun Razak.

Have they not learn anything from the recent Kajang by election? A loss is still a loss, though BN managed to reduced the votes gained by PKR.

Politic is not about winning, rather gaining power in order to serve the rakyat. And the rakyat has elected BN on the Federal level. So be it. Lets focus on developing the country as I think we had enough politicking since pre and post PRU13. Losing or winning the Bukit Gelugor Parliamentary seat will not change anything.