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PET's 'I promise to be a good, non-hypocritical Muslim' (Aug 8) refers.
Earlier, former Perak MB Tajol Rosli expressed his confidence that the Pakatan state government would fall by Merdeka Day. This crumbling would entail a crossing-over of MPs. Please tell me if Chandra Muzaffar's voice was heard then, condemning the immorality of it all? I'm known not to read MSM, so I might have missed something on Chandra-oh-Chandra of the "back door" double entendre.
Yet Chandra loudly proclaimed that Anwar enticing crossovers is unethical. He claimed switching sides is an act that would "demean and denigrate politics". But wait. Didn't he defect from Keadilan, where he was party vice president, no less? Not hypocritical?
Now the thing about hypocrites – of any religious denomination – is how good they feel about themselves when they galumph on their moral high horse. Chandra, I would suppose, sounds good to himself in his own head, never mind that many of us think his textbook and theoretical polemics is only impressive in a vacuum totally divorced from realpolitik.
Chandra claimed a government formed from crossovers would "lack moral credibility", be "bereft of integrity" and show scant "respect for the dignity of the voter". Chandra deplored this sort of "despicable politics". Waaah … such grand words from an arch grandstander.
'Political scientist' or 'public intellectual' or whatever high-falutin' description MSM see fit to bestow on Chandra, nonetheless his fine sentiments stand shakily in the scenario of Malaysian status quo. The reality, of the beast that BN is, begs the question: What moral credibility lah, what integrity of processes lah, was it that put the ruling coalition where they roosted?
To echo just one morsel of Chandra dialectics, can we ask that the Election Commission show "respect for the dignity of the voter", starting right now in Permatang Pauh on the to-be-gazetted electoral roll? And monitor the abuse of government resources, the anticipated overspending, and expected bribes?
Now about "going beyond clichés and platitudes" – again, more borrowing from Chandraspeak– do have a look at that towering Malaysian truly deserving of his title 'Father of Hypocrisy'. Dr M says he'll emigrate if ever Anwar comes to power. Since I'm wary of MSM, I'm not sure how far to credit the truth of that report.
However, words from Che Det where there's no risk of my misquoting; Dr M writes: "The probability is that the story [sodomy allegations] is the same because it is genuine", and "There are certain habits which are not easy to be rid off." His son Mukhriz of Jerlun has in Parliament backed Daddy's staunch insistence of Anwar's guilt. The daughter weighs in with her cheap shots at Anwar in her 'Rantings by MM' blog.
She showed her lack of objectivity (and I'm not sure all that much more maturity either) when writing there was not much to what both politicians said during the Petrol debate – "I didn't find either very convincing", "Both debaters smile and neither smile is the sort that warms the cockles of your heart".
Marina noted that Shabery is smooth-skinned and Anwar "used to be smooth-skinned" and sniped, "OKlah, Anwar's been having some troubles lately so very understandable that he looked a bit worse for wear".
She wrote that the audience in the auditorium "clapped when their respective heroes made a point they liked", "The curious thing was that Datuk [sic] Seri Dr Wan Azizah seemed disinclined to applaud her husband at all" and "I wish I knew which one was Shabery's wife. All the women in the audience seemed to be Anwar fans except maybe Halimah Sadique".
The debate on fuel hike had absorbed the country because the rakyat were worried about how the fuel hike would impact inflation, and how this in turn would affect the poor. But Marina talking about Anwar and Shabery's air of natty dressers, on how they looked casual not wearing ties, etc. simply reflected the cluelessness of Mahathirism elitism … well, read more here. http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/blogger-strike-2/
Isn't it hypocrisy when someone like the former First Daughter whines about petrol prices, juxtaposed against the shallow understanding displayed in her 'review' of the Anwar-Shabery debate? Hypocrisy is starting a bandwagon in her blog to bash Badawi. Never mind that big blind spot of 22 years and the selective amnesia punctuating Marina's public writing; a writer whose memory refuses to hark back 10 years to the conduct of Sodomy, Episode 1 where Daddy played a pivotal part.
More hypocrisy is whacking American concern over Anwar's sodomy imbroglio. Read the Press statements by Umno Youth International and NGO Relations Bureau chairman accusing the US State Department of "undermining the sovereignty of Malaysia and the integrity of the Royal Malaysian Police". 'Sovereignty'… 'Integrity'... Mukhriz must have taken a leaf from Chandra's vocabulary book.
Hypocrisy of grandstanders will not impact much if they perch alone on their soapboxes. It will only have an influence when the herd with wool pulled over their eyes perpetuates the grandstanding gospel that keeps the racket going.
Permatang Pauh will be our watershed for democracy, or it could be our Waterloo. The soapboxers of the 'ancien regime' and their apple polishers who have platforms in MSM, and who have staked or recently bought cyber real estate will try to shape public perception of Anwar negatively. It's for their survival that they do. Don't let 'em. Enough of condoning hypocrisy, please!
Helen Ang
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The Blogs 
Hypocritical turncoat, hired-political assassin has nothing to say about that.
Well about Mahathir and his family - like birds of the same feather flock together so the family sticks even more together irregardless whether the member has done wrong or not.
His son Mukhriz cannot go against his father and defend Anwar even though a blind person can see that the whole thing is a set-up.`
Daughter Marina as well.
Anyway we have a lot of Hypocritical politicians esp. in Umno/BN who when their own commit wrong they keep quiet
ISA, OSA, ACA, arrest n prosecute him/her.