February 29, 2012
A Third Force is a Boon for UMNO-BN
by Rashid Ahmad@www.freemalaysiatoday.com
Almost all politicians who were expelled from their parties or who left because of internal strife have the tendency to re-brand themselves as the “third force”.
These politicians claimed they represent the voice of the disgruntled members and the fence-sitters.The latest to jump on the bandwagon is Jati, headed by Hasan Ali, who was expelled by PAS for allegedly not toeing the party’s line.
Selangor PAS, helmed by Hasan, has been a “torn in the flesh” of the state Pakatan Rakyat government, with Hasan persistently harping on Islamic issues, and always going against the wishes of the PAS national leaders.
With his expulsion, he formed Jati, which he claimed to be the third force that can sway the votes of disgruntled members and fence-sitters. But what Hasan has in mind is to swing the votes to the Barisan Nasional (BN). This is understandable considering that he had wanted to be part of BN when Pakatan took over Selangor in the 2008 general election.
Whether Hasan will succeed in influencing the disillusioned PAS members and the fence-sitters is open to question. But the fact remains clear: PAS and its partners PKR and DAP do not see eye to eye on many issues.
The internal feud has put Pakatan at a disadvantage as the 13th general election looms and this gives BN the upper hand: it can steal the votes of those uncomfortable with the arrangement of the loose alliance in the opposition front.
The third force – Hindraf – that threw MIC, the strong partner in BN, off-balance in the 2008 general election, had fizzled out and subsequently several other politicians have emerged claiming to represent the new force.
Thus with MIC and all other BN parties getting their act together again, the emergence of the new third force, if it is led by expelled leaders from the opposition parties, can help boost BN’s chances at the polls.
Stormy relationship
Hasan, though not a force himself, can help BN with his allegations by creating doubts in the minds of frustrated party members and waverers.
He can exploit the “internal” crisis plaguing PAS in its stormy relationship with DAP and PKR as they squabbled on many controversial issues.
For example, the row over Israel, the infighting between the intellectuals and the conservatives on the position of Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak, and the expulsion of Hasan himself are fodders for the BN.
Before Hasan, former MCA president Ong Tee Keat was also toying with the idea of forming a third force when he lost the party leadership to Dr Chua Soi Lek. However, Ong was not much of a political heavyweight with the Chinese community and soon his third force faded away.
Zaid Ibrahim, who left PKR in anger, took over a dying party – Kita – and tried to reinvigorate it
as a third force but it was in vain. The subsequent quarrel and split left the party floundering.
As more and more politicians lay claims to leading a third force, the BN is smiling because the so-called new force is actually weakening the opposition parties.
Although the leaders of the third force claimed they are not working hand in glove with BN, the incontrovertible fact remains that all their actions are undermining their own parties. Whatever they say in their ceramah or press conferences will definitely hurt the chances of their former bosses.
In short, BN is the one that stands to gain from the political posturing of the leaders of the so-called third force.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
The Third Force is actually already long dead so, let’s see if there will be a New Force coming!
Hindraf should now be called Hindrance.
The more Hasan Ali speaks, the more people see he is the opposite of the Islamist face that he is trying to project.
Hindraf may be in tatters but it does not mean the Indians have moved back to MIC.
Kita is already exploding within.
Perkasa leaders are basically UMNO-types who are vying for the attention (and largess) from top UMNO leaders. Umno members and already anti PR people make up their numbers.
In their present forms, all these so-called 3rd forces are not going to have much impact in the 13GE. It is the issues that are going to be played up by both BN and PR in the next months before GE, that are going to sway the fence-sitters.
hASSan Ali can kiss his ASS goodbye already. All the initial hype given by the mainstream media only jolts mere curiosity but jolts are never everlasting. Those who had once attended his road show ceramah is hearing nothing more than a trojan horse failure to be a trojan horse amidst all the bidding around the bush by the man who had lost his ASS.
Han Ali who?
Much ado about nothing. The writer may as well write on something more intellectual and thought provoking instead of this trash. There are several 3rd forces and all are empty vessels.
Din
The writer should have known better than use the argument of a “Third Force”. There has never been and there will never be any “Third force” as these are created by BN in the first place. People wont be fooled all the time!
In the first place, for the first 25 years or so of our political history, we had several political forces. When TDM took over, these were all reduced to one force, that is UMNO_BN, which he controlled and ruled with an “Iron Fist”. He still is managing to do that from outside now!
We are now seeing real forces of change working. DSN may be aware of the danger to him and to the UMNO_BN. But he lacks the “killer instinct” that is needed in politics to bring about change. But this of course raises the issue whether he really wants any changes that the Rakyat want!
PR is the alternative and a force to be reckoned with. The very fact that all the “BN faggots” in PR are being weeded out speaks well for it. The recent statement by PAS that it can accept non-Muslim leadership has two serious implications. First, it can accept direct membership into PAS of non-Muslims. Second they can rise in the party leadership echelon, albeit up to a point. This may be a political ploy. We have to wait and see where this leads.
the supposed third forces are like leftovers or misfits from various parties. their intention is to become kingmakers and poker for positions.
I seriously doubt that fence sitters will vote these third farces. the fence sitters are mostly pro PR or non-voters; so no gain for umno-bn.
umno-bn has its voter reserve firmly in the hand and most of the ‘indians’ except those belonging to the upper middle class will vote them.
the hindraf is a third spent force.
what about the 1.9 million new voters? can you call them fence sitters? I doubt.
“First, it can accept direct membership into PAS of non-Muslims. Second they can rise in the party leadership echelon, albeit up to a point. This may be a political ploy. We have to wait and see where this leads.” si rusa
Where have we read this fool’s anaysis of “wait and see” before? It is the analysis of losers. No leadership.
Despite its claims to the contrary, when push comes to shove the leadership in PAS fails to measure up to expectations. Serious doubts linger about the ability of a party like PAS to govern from the center. It continues to be weighed down by the religious bigotry of many of its leaders whose own political survival within their own party depends on their ability to appeal to the party’s base.
“PR is the alternative and a force to be reckoned with. The very fact that all the “BN faggots” in PR are being weeded out speaks well for it ” — si rusa
An unnecessary homophobic outburst. Keep the issue of sexual orientation between your own legs. It has no place in the national narrative.
Yup. No homophobic rants please.
Just say the third force is akin to a third leg in lieu of genitalia. Who needs it? Anyway this article is very, very short on substance, especially the awesome insight: “actually weakening the opposition parties.” Must have plagiarized that from Pemudah.
By the way reeper, Hindraf still has it’s uses, but they’ve become sort of like the flurs they hate most. Ignoble, i think.
Hindraf has its uses, yes CLF, as long as they can orientate themselves to PR or worst case to umno-bn. but in no way are they the third force.
as usual unity between ‘indians’ is always brittle and shortlived. it kind of runs in the family. 2008 Hindraf was a spontaneous act and therefore they spoke with one voice. look what happened after that, how they broke up into several factions. no doubt umno politics played a role there.
maybe si rusa meant ‘faggots’ in English (waste parts of a butchered animal) whose meaning fits, getting rid of useless members 😉
This ‘rusa’ guy is so full of himself.
We are now seeing real forces of change working. — si rusa
What a boner !!
“There has never been and there will never be any “Third force” as these are created by BN in the first place. People wont be fooled all the time!” si rusa
Oh pleeeaze !! Just because you were fooled does not mean others have also been fooled.
Din
The Bean and Scarlet
faggotsare frothing in the mouth again.Especially the former. He seems to have a chip on his “faggoty” shoulders whenever I express opinions. If you dont like, screw you both. Dont get personal and make a fool of yourselves. Bean never had anything between his ears or his legs for that matter. I hear he’s still searching for his “beans”?
Is that the best you could do ?? Is that your defence?? Don’t count on the bloghost helping you out of your ramblings. Your self righteious claims to personal knowledge of the issues are nothing less than condescending.
This obnoxious character si rusa must have been sexually abused as a child for him to be calling others he disagrees with faggots.
___________
Mr. Pimp…, you could be right.–Din Merican
Hahaha..That’s what makes this blog interesting! We fight among ourselves. Resembles Pakatan in cybersphere. Just a wrong term can get everyone fired up – including me. But i do think ‘
faggot‘ does sound a bit oddly condascending and anachrostic. Perhaps a less provocative term would be Running-Dogs, Toads or something to that effect? Animal symbols are much better than anthropological ones.Easy la fellas. A long, narrow path ahead and remember we are on the same side, whatever it may be.
a long narrow path to putra jaya, CLF? no way, PR needs three lanes and one for us, that makes a four lane Autobahn, nothing less.
it reminds me of one of my fathers wartime stories. he was among those taken to Siam to work on the Railway track to India. he joined a group which planned to walk to India. after some miles of walking along a narrow path, they observed that both sides of the path had become littered with baggages thrown away by those on the trek to freedom. after many miles they came across sick and then dead people, whence they decided to turn back. my father came back unharmed. one uncle who was with him lost an eye and another disappeared, probably died of some sickness or most probably fell prey to the hospitality of a beautiful siamese girl, lucky guy!
would our path to putra jaya be littered with the extra baggages discarded by our politicians, so they’ll be clean the time they reach PJ??
would it be littered with dead bodies, over which Najib the Conqueror leading umno will march??
I think we have seen the last of si rusa. He counted on support from the bloghost which didn’t come …. lol
The bloghost fired one shot across the bow instead.
Hey reeper, your dad was one of the Death Railroad survivors? Wow, that’s great. Unfortunately one of my uncles whom i’ve never met, disappeared. Your dad must have imbued in you a strong sense of duty, moral fiber and survival instinct. That would explain why the “Wird sind das Volk!” (We are the people). Yeah, it’s some wall we are trying to take down.
Must’ve have a ‘toddy’ with you the next time you return. Cheers.
the Iron Curtain, the Berlin wall and the Great Wall of China is peanuts compared to the Great Wall of Malaysia, between the races!
CLF thanks for you invitation, if Malaysia still exists as it is now and if they allow me in, I’ll see you in December.
we need all the help we can get. therefore we should look for similarities amongst us rather than differences.
I just had a chat with my neighbour, an american teacher, she knew the word ‘fags’ but not the real meaning and origin of the word. often people use words whose meaning they really don’t know/understand and not sure of. which is understandable if it is not their mother-tongue.
I experienced one embarassing moment when I used the word ‘preservativ instead of Konservierung’ in german. preservativ in german means contraceptive. konservierung in german means preservative in english…..hmmm…or is it the other way round?!! o-weia. lieber Gott, hilf mir!
Wir sind das Volk und wir werden gewinnen!
Reeperbahn,
Die meisten malaien vereinen wird!
Aus Grunden der Rasse, der Religion und die Obersten!
Die Malaien werden NICHT vereinen!
Da sind genug moderate vertreter deine ‘Rasse’ um das zu verhindern.
Rassismus hat keine Zukunft in dieser Welt. Du und deine Kumpanen werden enden wie Herr Hitler. Du muss aus der Geschichte lernen; das scheint nicht deine stärke zu sein.
Ich hoffe nur dass Leute wie Du mal Zeit nehmen und überlegen. Es gibt keine Utopia, man muss arbeiten um zu überleben. Der Staat kann dich nicht lebenlang unterstutzen.
Träumen ist einfach aber tun ist schwer, mein Jung!
Viele Grüße,
ein stolzer Malaysier!
p.s.,
wir, nicht-Bumi Malaysier haben schon USA, Canada, Europe, Australian, New Zealand, India, China, Thailand und Indonesian EROBERT! Du kriegst nicht mal die Kleine Malaysia im Griff trotz regieren für 55 Jahre. machst gut mein Freund, James.;)