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Dean Johns | November 26, 2008 In the eight months since voters delivered Pakatan Rakyat five states and enough seats in the national parliament to form a credible opposition, its progress has been a dreadful disappointment.
Admittedly, the new state governments couldn’t be expected to achieve miracles, with the, police, judiciary, local government and federal funding all still under Barisan Nasional control. And following 50 years of BN iniquity, incompetence and indolence, they could hardly be expected to make a major difference overnight. There’s also the possibility that they’ve achieved a good deal that’s not yet evident to the outside observer, and if so I owe them an apology. But they also owe their constituents some tangible signs of progress. And from what I’ve been able to perceive from a distance and reports from local observers, little has changed. In Petaling Jaya, by way of example, there’s still the scandalous spectacle of thousands of illegal billboards. And as Zorro rightly wrote the other day in his blog “Tan Sri, mildly put, you are pathetic,” Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and PKR in general have largely failed to stand up for citizens’ rights to hold peaceful candlelight vigils in protest against the ISA. READ MORE HERE: http://dinmerican.wordpress.com/
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The Blogs 
Why don't he visit the various blogs of PR Aduns and MPs to see the immense work done on the ground? Has he missed the tsunamic changes to the local councils, the state assemblies, the Speakers, the deputy chief ministers, the unravelling of numerous cases of corruption and mismanagement, grants to families of ISA detainees, reduction of rates, pry open the SEDCs, call for a multiracial ITM, introducing multilingualism in signboards, investments form overseas, free bags of rice to the poor, free Wimax, chalenges and debates in the parliament, etc.
Has Dean missed it all?
Everything a state govt can do to change, the PR state govts have done so, and are still doing so, weaving through the entrenched bureaucracy. Their powers are limited and that is just about all it can do. What were you expecting? A change in the education policy? A repeal of the ISA? New airline licenses?
What is the problem with billboards? The state govts need the money and the advertisers need the billboards. Let there be more billboards! We want more billboards informing us. You want environment, then go to Taman Negara. Get out of the Klang Valley.
Shadow Cabinet? Do you realise the potential internal conflicts by releasing a shadow cabinet right away? It would be giving ammo to umno.
A change of federal govt according to your schedule? The movement to change is still on and PR does not need to brief bloggers and reporters by giving a blow by blow account. You want a live telecast?
Please save the perfunctory wrist slappin' and sanctimonious talk.