The new face of Pas
Malay Mail (14/5/08): Khalid Abdul Samad (Pas-Shah Alam) demonstrated to an agitated House yesterday that an intelligent, humane and cosmopolitan renaissance is now bearing fruit in the once hardline pro-Islamist party.
In his maiden speech deba t ing the mot ion of thanks on the Royal Address, the urbane opposition member launched an eloquent and devastating attack on the Barisan Nasional. He demolished in a few sentences what many on the government benches had worked hard to establish.
The other side seethed, and their discontent soon spilled over into outraged jeering. Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak), fast developing a disagreeable reputation for rudeness, attempted several times to interrupt with his usual method of growling closely into the microphone.
This came to nothing, however, for the Umno stalwart failed to remember being hobbled by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, who after lunch forbade interruptions in order to save time.
Tajuddin’s final defeat came in an example of supr eme bad t iming: Just as he ended his last growl above the Speaker’s objections, Khalid (who had carried on with his speech) reached his line: “Sayonara, Umno,” and delivered it with an impish wave that reduced Tajuddin to a sputtering mess.
Worse, however, was to come. Members went wild (or apoplectic, in the government’s case) when Khalid held up his frontbench colleague Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan, and also chief minister of Penang), as a fine example of Islamic leadership.
“The chief mini s ter has repeatedly stated his intention to imitate the pattern of government of (the eighth-century Umayyad Cal iph) Umar Abdul Aziz, and I wish to say ‘shame on you’ to Umno for having failed, despite your Islam Hadhari rhetoric, to manifest the requisite leadership required of you by the Muslim community.
“I can only pray that this awareness shown by the chief minister will be emulated by all those within Umno.” The government had no answer to that, and the opposition was in an uproar of cheers. Indeed, if the BN does not act swiftly to check this new onslaught, Pas will swiftly render communal politics irrelevant in this country — putting an effective end to claims of championing sectarian interests that have fuelled our politics for the past half-century.
It was a fitting remembrance of the May 13 tragedy.
Khalid is, of course, the brother of Domestic Trade and Consumer Af fairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad. Yesterday, he was preceded on the floor by another member of an illustrious political family.
T he maiden speech of Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (BN-Jerlun) was, however, on par with boiled cabbage. Why he chose this moment to entertain members with a seemingly interminable ramble about foreign direct investment in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos is anyone's guess, and MPs soon lost interest.
PKR frontbenchers were intent on their laptops.
Salahuddin Ayub (Pas- Kubang Kerian) used the lul l in proceedings to show off a new book to his friends along the row, and then scooted off to the back where a lonely Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas) seemed to want company. Even opposition frontbencher Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam) fell asleep.
Mukhriz’s speech, and its delivery, will inevitably be compared with that of his arch-rival Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau) who was savaged by the opposition on Monday.
While Khairy may have lost some points, he could in no way have been said to have reduced the House to a state of blank-eyed catatonia. (U En Ng)
In his maiden speech deba t ing the mot ion of thanks on the Royal Address, the urbane opposition member launched an eloquent and devastating attack on the Barisan Nasional. He demolished in a few sentences what many on the government benches had worked hard to establish.
The other side seethed, and their discontent soon spilled over into outraged jeering. Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak), fast developing a disagreeable reputation for rudeness, attempted several times to interrupt with his usual method of growling closely into the microphone.
This came to nothing, however, for the Umno stalwart failed to remember being hobbled by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, who after lunch forbade interruptions in order to save time.
Tajuddin’s final defeat came in an example of supr eme bad t iming: Just as he ended his last growl above the Speaker’s objections, Khalid (who had carried on with his speech) reached his line: “Sayonara, Umno,” and delivered it with an impish wave that reduced Tajuddin to a sputtering mess.
Worse, however, was to come. Members went wild (or apoplectic, in the government’s case) when Khalid held up his frontbench colleague Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan, and also chief minister of Penang), as a fine example of Islamic leadership.
“The chief mini s ter has repeatedly stated his intention to imitate the pattern of government of (the eighth-century Umayyad Cal iph) Umar Abdul Aziz, and I wish to say ‘shame on you’ to Umno for having failed, despite your Islam Hadhari rhetoric, to manifest the requisite leadership required of you by the Muslim community.
“I can only pray that this awareness shown by the chief minister will be emulated by all those within Umno.” The government had no answer to that, and the opposition was in an uproar of cheers. Indeed, if the BN does not act swiftly to check this new onslaught, Pas will swiftly render communal politics irrelevant in this country — putting an effective end to claims of championing sectarian interests that have fuelled our politics for the past half-century.
It was a fitting remembrance of the May 13 tragedy.
Khalid is, of course, the brother of Domestic Trade and Consumer Af fairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad. Yesterday, he was preceded on the floor by another member of an illustrious political family.
T he maiden speech of Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (BN-Jerlun) was, however, on par with boiled cabbage. Why he chose this moment to entertain members with a seemingly interminable ramble about foreign direct investment in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos is anyone's guess, and MPs soon lost interest.
PKR frontbenchers were intent on their laptops.
Salahuddin Ayub (Pas- Kubang Kerian) used the lul l in proceedings to show off a new book to his friends along the row, and then scooted off to the back where a lonely Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas) seemed to want company. Even opposition frontbencher Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam) fell asleep.
Mukhriz’s speech, and its delivery, will inevitably be compared with that of his arch-rival Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau) who was savaged by the opposition on Monday.
While Khairy may have lost some points, he could in no way have been said to have reduced the House to a state of blank-eyed catatonia. (U En Ng)
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