The universe realigns itself

Okay, when I read the first couple of paragraphs, I was racking my brain trying to figure out just what was so objectionable about local government elections that 11 BN MPs had to stage a walkout. Then I came to this:

Datuk Jahara Hamid (BN – Teluk Air Tawar) said Pakatan Rakyat MPs must raise the issue in Parliament because the state assembly did not have the power to amend the Local Government Act.

Fair enough, although Chow Kon Yeow insists that he already did bring it up in Parliament, and I'm sure you all can imagine how that turned out. Local government elections - as in, the local council elections where Penangites get to vote on who their councillors are, at least that's how I understand it - are strangely under the purview of the Federal Government. Which is retarded, but that's neither here nor there. It also makes this bill, which is to urge for the "holding of local government elections", seem kinda toothless, other than in a "get the idea out there in the public consciousness" kind of way. So I guess BN does sort of have a point, though I'm not sure if it's something worth staging a dramatic walkout for.

Penang UMNO making some sense? I guess we really are in trouble -

On Penang Hill Corporation, Datuk Jasmin Mohamed (BN – Sungai Dua) said all Muslim assemblymen must reject it because Section 32(d) mentioned the repaying of borrowed money and the interest due.

“This charging of interest is riba and is forbidden in Islam,” he said.

Never mind.