There may be more to the "Name" issue

After reading the analysis of the situation by columnist Jocelyn Tan, I started thinking more about the current situation wondering why the government took a stand to appeal the High Court decision. After all, was it wise to bring an additional parameter (politics) into an already complicated mix? It does not take a genius to know that this is a very sensitive and highly charged area and the potential that it could escalate into something bigger would be a very real threat. Why allow it to escalate further?

Who would stand to gain from this situation, I wondered?

There are several possibilities . However, these are merely my random thoughts.

The next General Election is fast gaining on us . What does the government need to do to retain their control? The major battle that must be fought, I would think is to regain the support of the majority of the Malaysian Malays who contributed significantly to the loss of 5 states in the previous general election in March 2008. What was the main contributing factor to the loss of support by this large and growing group? Was it the charisma of DSAI? Or was it largely due to the growing influence of PAS? Was it a combination of the two?

It is clear that the government realized the growing threat and needed to take action to regain this lost support base.

Here, understanding the enemy's weaknesses becomes an item of major importance.

What would be needed to weaken the enemy? Ever heard of divide and conquer? PAS, one of the largest political parties on the opposition divide is clearly divided on this matter...... the situation now is open to vulnerabilities but the fact that other parties are unknowingly being dragged into the mix is sad to watch.

Why allow the word to be used only in Sabah and Sarawak? Oh yes - wasn't it East Malaysia that saved Barisan Nasional in the last election..... Clearly, retaining the support of Sabah and Sarawak is also paramount. It is noteworthy that leaders from these two states have been distinctly silent on the "Name" matter.

There is also the other side of the coin to look at - would the opposition stand to gain from this?

Please refer to this article :

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/LA16Ae02.html

Is this a ploy to win over Sabah and Sarawak by the opposition?

It seems to me that both sides of the political divide are jumping on the bandwagon and using this issue to gain political mileage.

We will watch as this situation continues to unfold. Let's hope that the affected parties will not allow themselves to be casualties in what many would see as an unnecessary battle. What happened to responsible leadership?

Let us not be pawns in this sinister battle.

Please don't use religion to gain political mileage. It's just not nice!

Where is Malaysia headed? In response to Romerz post

I agree with Masterwordsmith that it is indeed worrying to see where Malaysia is headed.
After the March 2008 GE, we watched and waited to see of there would be any improvement in the likes of our current administration.
We watched as scandals (Lingam-ism, PKFZ, Jet engines, Toyolism, stadium collapses... amongst others) are reported but no tangible outcome of investigations is achieved. We watch in sadness when we see lives lost (TBH being one of them)for no apparent reason. We watch as the government makes flip flop decisions that affect the public and the future of our generations to come like our education system.
We watch as religious extremism is allowed to be fueled in the form of cowheads and now the burning of churches
We watch as the democratic process is tainted with the Perak incident.(We have not forgotten)
We watch as all these issues continue to remain unresolved and politicians continue to bicker and fight for control.
Where is Malaysia headed? I think it is very clear.
It is good to see though that common sense does prevail with calls to remain calm and avoid retaliation or demonstrations that can further stoke dissent in a sensitive situation.