Looking for trouble

The BN has deployed many text thugs, including bloggers. They will attack once the Pakatan Rakyat makes a mistake. Therefore, the Pakatan Rakyat must be more prudent in the coming few months and not to expose its weaknesses. The Pakatan Rakyat should do more, especially things that benefit the people and avoid pan-politicisation.

By LIM SUE GOAN, Sin Chew Daily
Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE

It can be described as an act of looking for trouble for the Selangor government to ban billboards depicting the 1Malaysia logo. It is indeed creating an unnecessary issue to be attacked by the BN.

However, it is a wise decision for the state government to freeze the ban to avoid the BN continue playing it up and turning it as an issue for the Tenang by-election.

The ban has also violated the principles of freedom and openness stressed by the Pakatan Rakyat, particularly the PKR and the DAP. Since the Pakatan Rakyat has been dissatisfied with the BN for imposing all kinds of ban orders, including prohibiting peaceful rallies, the Pakatan Rakyat must then set a good example and show the public how they would not do to others what they do not want to be done to them.

It would be a waste of time on unnecessary controversies if the Pakatan Rakyat also develops the bad habit of engaging in political fights. I still insist that: "The Pakatan Rakyat governments should come out with more contribution and performance to counter attack and slander."

The BN has deployed many text thugs, including bloggers. They will attack once the Pakatan Rakyat makes a mistake. Therefore, the Pakatan Rakyat must be more prudent in the coming few months and not to expose its weaknesses. The Pakatan Rakyat should do more, especially things that benefit the people and avoid pan-politicisation.

As for whether 1Malaysia is a political tool or slogan, there is no clear line for it. If we say it is a political tool, are Vision 2020 and Malaysia Boleh political slogans then? The 1Malaysia concept was introduced by the Prime Minister and it is the government's goal. But why could we see it frequently in by-elections?

To contend with the 1Malaysia concept, the Pakatan Rakyat should develop its own vision, such as the DAP's Middle Malaysia may represents a diverse, democratic and progressive Malaysia. The Pakatan Rakyat needs a catchy slogan with its substantial content richer than the 1Malaysia concept to stop the BN from plagiarising the Pakatan Rakyat's non-racial line.

From another perspective, the four Pakatan Rakyat state government should also set up a think tank to evaluate before implementing any policies to avoid execution flaws.

Take the zero plastic bag campaign in Penang as an example, the objective is good but the Penang government has neglected the issues of implementation and practicability.

Many advanced high-income countries achieve plastic bag usage reduction through education and legislation, but Malaysia still lacks such a condition. Waste sorting has not been made a mandatory so far even though the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act has been passed in the Parliament in 2007. As the first state to do it, the Penang government should implement it in phases, such as gradually increasing the number of days of no plastic bag from three to five days so that the public have time to adapt to it.

Banning plastic bag usage will increase the burden of low-income earners as they dispose garbage with free plastic bags provided by retailers and supermarkets. If they are required to pay 20 sen for a plastic bag, it will be a huge amount of money in long term and it may affect the Pakatan Rakyat's support rate.

As the policy has not been carefully planned, it is now facing implementation problems. No wonder Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng accuses non-governmental organisations for just sitting silently in air-conditioned room and not supporting the state government's no plastic bag campaign that aimed to protect the environment.

The Pakatan Rakyat lacks experience in governance and thus, it should listen more to public opinion. It must understand that keeping is harder than winning.