(Whoever wins) it will not be easy

Nungsari Radhi / The Edge Malaysia

November 21, 2022 11:30 am +08

When this essay is published, it would be the eve of voting day for the 15th general election. While we are uncertain at this point as to who the winners will be, one thing is for sure: governing Malaysia in the coming five years will not be easy. How the government performs will be crucial in determining whether we continue on this gradual downward slide or make the turn for the better.

A crisis, any crisis, is part of a journey, whether for an individual or a nation. That is quite normal. It is how we handle a crisis that is crucial in determining whether the path onwards is better or worse. Whether we are made better or worse by the crisis. 

That experience has been somewhat worrying for the Malaysian economy. We have recovered from economic crises before, but lost some vigour afterwards. This was quite clear after the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis where growth rates since then have never come up to where they were before the crisis. It was as if the wind was taken out of our sails.

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Thanks Fahmi for lifting ban

The World Cup is over. The vote of confidence for new government was formally passed uninamously passed yesterday. And this blog is long overdue for an update. 

Despite being blocked by MCMC since May over a posting already taken down, it is still updated for readers abroad and with Internet able to by-pass the block. Usually it would be updating the mirror blog, Thick as a Brick than replicated on this blog.  

To this blogger's surprise, the blog could be easily read by the public at this Starbuck cafe. If so, thank you Fahmi Fadzil for lifting the 7-month ban.  

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Balancing for a Government

There is a lot to write on the 15th general election (GE15) but nothing was extraordinary worthy to write of. Its the same ole same ole. 

Coincidently, Dr Nungsari told BFM radio yesterday that all parties were offering goodies than mentioning the elephant in the room of an impending recession and tight fiscal situation. A similar view expressed in the earlier posting. 

The resolution to the no clear majority by any political block is interesting. Despite its disappointing showing, BN could not sit out of government to be opposition and was dragged in to the role of kingmaker. 

Without their 30 seats, no side has the majority to form a government. Its in a bargaining position that PH is willing to have UMNO lead the coalition government in the states of Perak and Pahang. How will Agong resolve it for the federal government?

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GE15 campaign lacking depth that Zahid be made into an issue

PKR have been campaigning that it is Anwar’s turn to be Prime Minister (PM). They have been peddling his once dubbed the best Finance Minister.  Yet creating the fear that a vote for BN is vote for Zahid as PM.  

  

So shallow is the narrative of the campaign that it imply Barisan Nasional (BN) Vice President, Dato Seri Ismail Sabri’s leadership has put the nation in the right track in addressing the post-pandemic economic crisis worsened by the war in Europe. 

BN should be given a new mandate to continue the effort with a full-fledge team of more experienced and competent Ministers from BN and their former coalition members. The Perikatan Nasional (PN) misfits have proven to be inadequate, incompetent, and just filling up the number, thus rightfuly replaced. 

Surely Tan Sri Muhyiddin would disagree as he uttered the word “gagal” (fail) towards Ismail. The political animal Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim would naturally concur. And, so would Tun Dr Mahathir despite his party or coalition is brushed off by all as insignificant. 

Why then is the obsession by all parties in their GE15 campaign to deviate from the real concern besieging this nation for a concerted effort to slander UMNO President, Dato Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi?   

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PH's shifting cultivation strategy

This evening BN will be announcing their much awaited candidate list. 

It is known that BN is on a rejuvenation mode to put up 70% new and young faces, the proven formula for their success at the Melaka and Johor by-election.  

Few renown veterans have been dropped. The surprised, unhappy reactions and opposition is only expected. Usually it will last for few days before campaign resume as usual. 

The strategy behind the candidate list for DAP, Amanah and particularly PKR is most interesting. 

It is a massive make or break exercise to emulate Lim Kit Siang's proven, for lack of a better term, "shifting cultivation" strategy. 

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Seremban to Ipoh: Coming out of the block

The break taken since August is long enough. It's time to come out of the block and start churning for the General Election. 

It is not for lack of material to write or the absence of angle to approach the subject. There have been several attempts but lacked the motivation to get over the part writer's block and part exhaustion. 

Taking a writing break was needed for the mind to rest and re-energise. It was the Saturday class of '73 to '77 reunion in Seremban for a trip down the memory lane of adolescence that revive the youthful enthusiasm in us. 

Too bad there was an important meeting the next morning to be followed by an important trip to Ipoh. We would have stayed through the weekend. 

Nevertheless it was sufficient to get us back in the mood again.     

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Hitting the brick wall ...

Writer’s Block: 10 Ways to Defeat a Writer’s Worst Enemy

By Reedsyblog

What is writer’s block? 

Writer’s block is the creative slump that authors face when they don’t know what to write. It affects writers in all stages of their career — and if left unchecked, it can impede your writing for days, weeks, or even months.

The good news is there are plenty of concrete ways to combat writer’s block! If you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall with your writing, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll reveal 10 ways to break through that wall and soundly defeat your writer’s block.

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