Saturday, February 10, 2007

Bad news, dumb people

I dread what the country is becoming into. Day in day out, there seems to surface news and issues of what is wrong with the country.

First, politicians who don't keep promises. IPCMC anyone?

It was supposed to tackle the practice of corruption and inefficiencies of the police force.

True, there are good things about Malaysia. But it is becoming more unsafe by the day.

Taken from Lim Kit Siang's blog:
In the past three years, however, violent crime had skyrocketed by 85.8 per cent from 22,790 cases in 2003 to 42,343 cases in 2006, with rape cases registering the highest increase of 65.5 per cent – reaching an average of 6.7 women raped daily in 2006 compared to an average of four women raped daily in 2003. In 2003, an average of 1.5 persons were murdered daily; but in 2006, this has increased to an average of 1.65 persons murdered daily.

Next up, politicians' intelligence.

Courtesy of howsy

Whatever the connection is between having more wives and HIV ..... I shall not even waste my time trying to see his point of view.

If only HIV can be curbed by such simple measures ... and thinking.

Why, if the husband has the virus and he gets more wives, wouldn't it be spreading the virus instead?

To digress, why can't women have more than one husband? Oh I forgot, this is what we get when we live in patriarchal and male dominated society.

Everything, from laws and norms are usually set by the males, and males in this part of the world are much more conservative and backwards.

It so happens that I was reading this in the morning. The article is about how First Ladies are no longer in the shadows and can make or break her husbands premiership of a country. Names that come to mind are Hillary Clinton and Akie Abe.

Extracts:
Then came Hillary Clinton, with her outspoken views on public policy, and Cherie Blair, the bright lawyer who is no shrinking violet. The rules changed. Political watchers suddenly realised that, in drawing attention to themselves, these women even had the power to influence voters (so much so that Mrs Clinton is now making a run for office herself).
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The invisible spouse has become a political factor. The trend was not so obvious in Asia until the world met Akie Abe, 44.
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The wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is young, glamourous and candid. She has her own blog and has written in a magazine about her struggle with infertility, a touchy subject in Japan.
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All this might have been just a charming distraction, until political commentators noticed an unprecedented development. A series of blunders — which include planting party supporters to ask flattering questions about the premier's leadership and a verbally-incontinent cabinet colleague who called women "child-bearing machines" – have caused Mr Abe's popularity to slip to just 40 per cent. But his wife's charm has cushioned the fall.
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Newsweek estimated that the good press that Mrs Abe has been getting may have boosted her husband's ratings by as much as 20 per cent. "Akie has Japan swooning," a local daily noted.
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In other words, these women will be seen, they will be heard. They will speak their minds about controversial issues and attract both, flak and acclaim. Inevitably, their own image will influence their husbands' political standing.
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On the other hand, Ms Wu Shu-Chen, the embattled wife of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, illustrates both aspects of the tightrope that politicians' wives have to walk. In 1985, she was run over by a farm vehicle during a political tour with her husband and childhood sweetheart, Mr Chen. It left her wheelchair-bound — but her bravery eventually helped his race to the top.
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"I am not the kind of person who hides and sheds tears in the dark," she said.
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But once Mr Chen was in power, Ms Wu continued to stay involved with his political life. She has now been indicted for doctoring his national security account and threatens to drag him down.
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So, what makes a wife an asset rather than a deadweight for a politician?
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The key, said Dr Chong, would be to complement the husband's role without competing with him, or overshadowing him.
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When the Malaysian Premiership was a toss-up between Mr Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Mr Najib Razak, the spotlight fell on their wives, too. Ms Endon Mahmood, the soft-spoken spouse of Mr Abdullah, preferred to stay in the shadows, soothing tempers her husband may have ruffled. In contrast, Ms Rosmah Mansor had a higher profile and was seen as a constant advisor to her husband.
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Political observers said that the traditionalists were more comfortable with Ms Endon and she was deeply mourned when she passed on.
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But politicians' wives like her are becoming more rare as women find their place in the sun. So, what's a modern, educated woman to do when her husband starts climbing up the political ladder? Ms Abe said that she recently discussed this with Ms Laura Bush. "She told me: 'Just keep doing what you are already doing. Just do what you've been interested in'."
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I don't believe everything I read, what more from a Singaporean publication. But just from observation, without any inside information, what was said about the wives of the PM and deputy PM seem accurate.

4 comments:

MrBunnyBan said...

Politicians are pushing for it because they want to marry more wives more easily. They have the confidence that there will be no backlash in the state of Perlis. Very simple.

Derek said...

ban: I suspect it's not just the politicians. Most men, especially when it's allowed either by law or God, would like to have more than one wife.

But at least, come up with a better logical reason la ...

William said...

I have a bright red "Kami mahu IPCMC" button badge stuck on my laptop bag. :P

I do find that S'pore papers are more "sterile".

Derek said...

william: So brave ar? Not scared of ISA? ;P

Malaysian papers aren't that much better either, dear.