A+ | A- | Reset
Home arrow The Blogs arrow Guest Columnists arrow Yong Teck Lee’s Genie

Yong Teck Lee’s Genie PDF Print E-mail
Posted by admin   
Friday, 20 June 2008 08:46

A strong above seven-magnitude earthquake would be Pakatan Rakyat, Sabah, Sarawak and even Peninsular MPs vote for the motion. Even bolder assumption, all anti-Abdullah Umno members join the move to vote for the motion.

By TAY TIAN YAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily

Datuk Yong Teck Lee holds no official position and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) led by him has only two MPs and four State Assemblymen, with there’s nothing note worthy about them.

It was the people's view in the past. However, from now on, everyone is going to re-evaluate Yong as he dared to provoke his boss. The people are now watching him with their eyes and mouth wide opened. He is playing an important game but no one knows what he is actually up to.

A “little” SAPP is going to move a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister in the Parliament. Is Yong bold or foresighted?

Is he taking the opportunity to raise his bargaining chip to exchange for more capitals or does he really want the Prime Minister to step down?

It looks like a folktale but after the magic lamp has been found, everything is no longer the same.

The “powerful” BN could immediately expel SAPP from the coalition according to the usual ritual so that it would disappear from the political arena forever.

In the past, severe disciplinary action would be taken against any BN elected representative including deputy ministers and ministers if they said something contrary to BN's (read Umno’s) stand.

Disciplinary actions have been taken against Datuk Ong Tee Keat from MCA, Datuk S.Sothinathan and K. Devamany from MIC, as well as Gerakan's S. Paranjothy although they only came out with some unpleasant remarks which were not threats to BN coalition or it's leaders.

"Even worse, whether it is actually a trap?"

And now, what action should be taken against SAPP which wants to move a motion of no-confidence on the Prime Minister?

The question is: does BN, no, Umno dare to take any action against SAPP?

It looks like the coalition would lose only two seats in the Parliament if SAPP is being expelled from the coalition. Losing two from the total of 140 seats will not be a threat to its regime.

However, no one knows whether Yong is supported by any power and what is the motive behind his strategy. Even worse, whether it is actually a trap?

If BN takes any action against SAPP, would it trigger a domino effect that makes other member parties leave the coalition like SAPP?

Have Ghapur Salleh and Anifah Aman (Sabah Umno), Bernard Dompok (United PasokMomogun Kadazandusun Organisation), Joseph Pairin Kitingan (Parti Bersatu Sabah) and Joseph Kurup (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah) come to an agreement to leave the coalition with Yong being the vanguard?

This time, taking tough action against SAPP will not bring any great effect.

There is not much time left, Abdullah can only take soft action. He tries to persuade the coalition's member parties in Sabah and meet their requests.

It will certainly be surprising if Yong and Abdullah can come to a compromise within a few days. However, it has created a shock effect that showed Sabah BN and Anwar can actually do it.

If Yong sticks to his guns, then no one can predict the magnitude of the earthquake which is going to hit Parliament Monday.

A minor below six-magnitude would be SAPP or Pakatan Rakyat moves a motion of no-confidence on the Prime Minister but being denied by the Speaker before the motion is being debated. If this happens, it will not harm Abdullah's status but it still damages his image and reputation.

While a medium below seven-magnitude earthquake would be the Speaker allowing debate and vote for the motion but Pakatan Rakyat and coalition's Sabah member parties failed to obtain majority support.

Abdullah will then keep his regime but he will be the first Malaysian Prime Minister to face a motion of no-confidence. It will harm his prestige and affect his status in the future.

A strong above seven-magnitude earthquake would be Pakatan Rakyat, Sabah, Sarawak and even Peninsular MPs vote for the motion. Even bolder assumption, all anti-Abdullah Umno members join the move to vote for the motion.

The motion will be passed and Abdullah will have to step down.

Abdullah can seek for approval from the Yang di-pertuan Agong to dissolve the Parliament and hold a general elections. Or Pakatan Rakyat will propose a candidate as the new Prime Minister and a vote will be conducted.

From now on until Monday is the climax of the competition. It is also the peak for negotiations. It is hard to tell what kind of genie has been released by Yong from the magic lamp!

Comments (15)Add Comment
...
written by alienz, June 20, 2008 08:54:40
There goes Bernard and Pairin's chances of getting the CM post... Yong will be the chosen one now - brings back memories when Pairin stood up against Berjaya and BN-UMNO in the 80's
report abuse
disagree 1
agree 29
...
written by slash n burn, June 20, 2008 08:55:39
Enough with the wrath pass the baton gracefully.
report abuse
disagree 3
agree 17
...
written by miwaki, June 20, 2008 09:05:58
SAPP of Sabah,a small party with only 2 MPs and 4 state assembly man can put MCA,MIC,Gerakan and PPP altogether inside its pocket.We respect Teck Lee's gut for moving a motion of no confidence against our PM and we despise MCA,MIC,Gerakan and PPP ( Does PPP have any MP ) for having no ball to support it.

Ka Ting,Samy and Tsu Koon,these 3 stooges plus the one from PPP not even have a seat in Parliament to support Pak Lah,what a joke !
report abuse
disagree 2
agree 51
...
written by loosecannon, June 20, 2008 09:09:29
It's a foregone conclusion that the speaker will do whatever within or even outside his power to dismiss the no-confidence vote. But irrespective of the outcome, Yong Teck Lee has already driven a wedge into the BN crack. It will depend on how many will be with him to pound on the wedge until it opens up the floodgate and let in a tsunami that will swept the BN to oblivion. It's near impossible to stop what's going to happen. It's only the timing and the numbers that's keeping us holding our breath. It's showtime baby!
report abuse
disagree 1
agree 21
...
written by ahmadneil, June 20, 2008 09:27:13
At least Yong dare to do it.In Borneo post today,June 20,CM of sarawak say he will stick by Pak Lah whatever happens.'Pah Lah didn't give us any incentive to remain in BM....bla bla...What a statement! He ask for fairness but got none and he is talking as if he has nowhere to go.POOR THING!Pockets full of dirty money that he can't stand up.
report abuse
disagree 3
agree 36
...
written by temenggong, June 20, 2008 09:29:23
Whatever it is, Sabah chinese are no longer with Sabah BN, and they cannot go back too. As they are 30% of the population, which ever way they swing will decide the state govt. It is now up to the KadazandusunMurut community to decide where they want to go, since the chinese have already made their choice.
report abuse
disagree 1
agree 34
...
written by budakindia, June 20, 2008 09:39:58
He has made a hero himself to the eyes of Sabah people. By that, all his past wrongdoings are forgiven by the Sabah people! He has become the champion of Sabah people! The motion is no longer important! That's why he took that stand! Majority of Sabah people is behind him now! smilies/wink.gif That's what is happening, abdullah! You still can't see this?? Better you throw out all that stupid 4th floor boys out lar! That includes that Naina guy! smilies/cheesy.gif smilies/cheesy.gif
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 36
...
written by Wisdom above, June 20, 2008 10:32:58
Look like we will get a first ' Woman Prime Minister ' for Malaysia .

Syabas. Pakatan Rakyat.
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 20
...
written by Lis LQ, June 20, 2008 10:43:03
High Five to you YTL!!! You've got guts!!!!Way to go!!!
What happened to the Huguan Siou,Dompok or that Keningau MP Kurup??? Where are you all hiding at the moment??? Kasian your KD rakyat!!! Belum cukup lagi kah penderitaan orang Sabah,esp in the Pendalaman???
Kalau kamu tidak satu hati ini kali,kasian lah future generations to come.Itu ooms,pilaks and all the bugis,lanun will be the future Lords of Sabah!!!!
Mungkin thats what you all want. Silaka!!!!!!
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 19
...
written by Lis LQ, June 20, 2008 10:57:03
Hapus kan UMNO dari Sabah!! We dont need their presence in Sabah.
Look at whats happening in Malaysia now???
Mismanaged government,rakyat menderita. Yang kasian sekali are the hard core poor.I do hope that PR will bring some ligth to the tunnel.
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 16
...
written by Rainbowseahorse, June 20, 2008 15:05:18
“A “little” SAPP is going to move a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister in the Parliament. Is Yong bold or foresighted?
Is he taking the opportunity to raise his bargaining chip to exchange for more capitals or does he really want the Prime Minister to step down?”.

Indeed, what is a minnow like SAPP with “no official position Yong” trying to accomplish with that either “bold” or “foresighted” move? Or, perhaps, it is a political “hara kiri”?
Yes, the “powerful” BN (UMNO) could immediately expel SAPP from the coalition according to the usual ritual so that it would disappear from the political arena forever. But they chose not to, and with Pak Lah saying,"We cannot simply take action against any one party...We have to be correct...against any leader...or component party". Why, why, and why? So many questions with plenty of fodder for speculations but no clear cut answers..for now!

Yong openly and willingly admitted to having met with Anwar on two occasions, but I find that strategized for the BN to speculate and to read into those two meetings as SAPP intention to join PKR. As agreed all round, Yong is an educated man and he too knows full well that there is only a very slim chance, if at all, of his motion to be tabled in Parliament. Still, regardless, Yong decided to drop that bombshell!

On the face of Yong’s explanations for his “no confidence” motion, they all have merits, justifications, and very noble cause not especially to Sabahans but to all Malaysian at large. I think Yong must have factored into his gambit that the parliament speaker is a Sabahan and should therefore consider or even support his motion in parliament. He must also have included the two BN MPs who turned down the federal deputy ministry posts, and the other Sabah BN MPs who have been very vocal in pushing for more equal treatment and actions for Sabah. Yong even roped in the two SAPP’s MP to back him up, but apparently did not consult with his deputy Raymond. That further adds dimension to the mystery of Yong’s grand scheme.

Pak Lah, on being asked of Yong’s announcement, had retorted: “I could not satisfy his greed”, and said he will elaborated at a later time which he did with: “Yong had demanded for more seats for SAPP during the 12th general elections as well as expressing his desire to contest Kota Kinabalu constituency even though the seat had been allocated to Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS)”. But that hardly amounts to very much in “satisfying Yong’s greed” as it is just as could be expected request from all political parties jockeying for more seats. I think Pak Lah thought his people must have a dossier on Yong’s past political activities for him to “elaborate” on some of Yong’s skeletons when he (Yong) was the Chief Minister of Sabah. Pak Lah must have been greatly disappointed that Tun M, being the PM then, has all such dossiers in his possession. Hence that lamb elaboration on “unable to satisfy Yong’s greed”.

So, exactly why did Yong did what he did and, more puzzling is what does he hope to GAIN out of all this?
1.If the BN kicked out SAPP from the coalition, that would not go down well with Sabahans as SAPP is perceived to be fighting for the rights and justice for Sabah. Yong knows this and factored that into his assessments.

2.Yong had hoped that some BN MPs, motivated by his announcement, would jump on the bandwagon. When that did not materialize, Yong immediately switched to damaged control by having his deputy make a declaration to distance SAPP from Yong’s announcement. Pak Lah conveniently lapped up Raymond’s statement and decided not to punish SAPP for Yong’s announcement. Two MPs is much better than two less MPs.

3.The normally sarcastic Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri came out with a very mild rebuttal for Yong’s action by saying, “ ..the party can accommodate dissenting voices and didn’t think there was a need to expel SAPP from the coalition party" and added, “It’s their right to express their views".
This really is a very strange reaction by Nazri and just adds plenty of fuel to exactly who is instrumental in Yong’s course of action. Even the DAP is puzzle and PAS quizzical. Tun M is taking it easy and I would dare hedge my bet that he is behind the scene. Until we see who would come to take the final bow would we know the director, scrip writer, and producer of Yong’s theatrical.
Nothing seems to be what it appears to be when it comes to Yong & Tun M…especially Tun M!
But then, I might have greatly over credited these two gentlemen and the whole Yong thing is nothing more than just a political fiasco.
report abuse
disagree 1
agree 3
...
written by cllim123, June 20, 2008 17:32:00
This Badawi chap has got everyone of the KadazanDusun party bosses balls in his hands. One wrong move they get arrested. Now you see Yong being investigated by ACA through some new evidence in the Kasitah case. This Badawi chap also has Najib's balls via the C4 case and Mahathir's balls in the Lingam case. Dont for 1 second think this Badawi is a bodoh. He is shrewd and cruel as hell and he is desperate. Be careful.
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 1
...
written by rayfire, June 20, 2008 18:28:28
Good news people, Yong did not ACT ALONE after all!
SAPP Supreme Council endorsed his decision.
Now let's hear what the flip flopper has to say.....
Say no action taken on SAPP but then unleash the "DOG" out his backdoor to get Yong!
He still takes rakyat for fools!
Time for the end of Be End!
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 5
...
written by Uncorruptible, June 20, 2008 21:43:07
The East Malaysian bn parties leadership will now be handsomely bribed with bags of CASH - which have been obtained from the 40% rise in fuel prices, just for this purpose - so bodowi and umno can cling on to power.
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 4
...
written by kclim2, June 23, 2008 21:50:20
brave man I would say to stand up against these BN bullies! Can MCA,MIC and all those clowns in the BN do it?
report abuse
disagree 0
agree 0

Write comment
This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment.
You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

busy
 
< Prev   Next >
 

 
** SPONSORED LINKS **
Will NATO become a global army? More..

Sponsored Links

World Futures  Close down the NATO, says the conference statement on the recently concluded and successful International Conference on NATO & Its Policies in ASIA.

Future Fastforward  A controversial analysis by a controversial analyst, Matthias Chang, the lawyer-writer who unabashedly calls a spade a spade and offers no apology for doing so.

Internet TV 3000+ Channels  Pick your favorite internet TV channels straight to your PC! Yay!

Some Images Hosted With
Thank You ImageShack!
 BLOGGERS AGAINST ISA

Powered and Optimized for:
Malaysia Today by MT-TEAM