Senate or sewer: What has KS Nalla ever done for Malaysia?

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alaysia’s Dewan Negara or Senate consists of 70 members, the majority of whom (44) are appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister. The rest represent their states. The Senate’s original role of functioning as a check and balance on Parliament was entirely lost once the majority of the Senators owed their appointments to the PM. They are no longer likely to question bills passed by the Parliament.

The Senate has therefore become a way for the BN to appoint to Ministerial position those who have been rejected by the people; like Women's minister Shahrizat Jalil, Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon and MIC chief G Palanivel. It is also a way for BN political parties to fulfill their members' insatiable thirst for power, position and money. The Senate’s real objective seems irrevocably lost.

Immediately offered himself as a candidate for GE-13

The recent appointment of KS Nallakaruppan, a one-time follower of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim but now turned bitter critic, underlines the declining state of Malaysia’s Senate. Nallakaruppan is not known to have distinguished himself in any industry nor for his social service. His party, the MUIP, is only representative of himself.

Nalla is best known for turning up during the election season, going fromceramah (political lecture) to ceramah frequently with Ummi Hafilda, hurling the most vile and jaded calumnies against Anwar Ibrahim. This will be accompanied by his declaration that he will provide ‘proof’ of his accusations at ‘the right time’. For which right time, you will wait in vain!

It is quite clear that Nallakaruppan is being rewarded for his willingness to be used by the BN to character-assassinate Anwar. In like circumstances, another PKR turncoat and now Umno Senator, Ezam Mohd Noor, was also rewarded with a senatorship for the same reason.

It is unfortunate that the House is being debased by the inclusion of such dubious and despicable characters as members. It is even more unfortunate that the Malaysian taxpayer is paying their fat salaries, their allowances, their claims and their RM200,000 allocation.

Nallakaruppan mumbled his way through his oath today, and then promptly declared that he would be willing to stand for elections if the Prime Minister wished it. Najib is unlikely to wish any such thing, as Nallakaruppan is most certainly not a winning candidate, even if he is good for a few laughs.

MIC still feuding and doing nothing for the Indians

Nalla’s appointment is also bound to rub the MIC the wrong way, as they like to portray themselves as the sole representative of the Indians in the BN. The Senate was crawling with various oily MIC functionaries and politicians on Wednesday; as one of them was also being sworn in as a Senator.

Among them was K Devamany, who is certain to be dropped as the MIC’s candidate for Cameron Highlands, as well as M Saravanan and P Kamalanathan, who may also not be retained.The MIC is split in a continuing feud between G Palanivel and Samy Vellu.

The MIC will most certainly resent that Nalla’s slot too did not go to them. Though you wouldn’t be able to tell from the way they were shaking his pudgy hand, false smile plastered firmly on.

One wonders what the poverty-ridden Indian in the estate would make of the sight of a whole bunch of his ‘leaders’, wearing expensive suits, eating off the well-laden buffet tables at Parliament while plotting and scheming against each other in little groups of four and five. At intervals, they would get up, smile and shake hands with passing politicians whom they may very well have been just deriding. The hypocrisy of the political creature.

We can only hope that all these fortune-seekers and mercenaries will be dumped in the dustbin of history, after the next general election.