LIMBARUH HIJAU 22 MACH 2008 - Deputy Secretary General of NDP, Awang Haji Mohidin Dato Paduka Pengarah Haji Othman, the second in command of Management and Administration has announced that he will be taking an indefinite leave of absence in protest as of today.
The move by the Deputy Secretary General was acknowledged by Deputy President Mahmud Morshidi Othman when asked for clarifications recently on the same action that was taken by Secretary General Awang Haji Aminorashid Haji Ghazali last Wednesday.
The Secretary General has made it known to his colleagues at the Supreme Council that he would go on an indefinite leave as a protest against the many procedures that were placed upon NDP by the authorities.
He said ever since NDP was formed, the journey has not been that smooth as it continues to encounter constant 'political road humps' along the way to slow down its progress.
"At the early stage we readily accepted them as normal and as expected. Its just one of the challenges that we must face, we thought, but now we realise some of those 'political road humps' are unnecessary and could be 'politically motivated' as those 'political road humps' worryingly breaching the basic rights of the population to play a political role in the development of the nation, said Awang Haji Aminorashid.
"Some of them are just unfavorable and against the spirit of political reforms as aspired by His Majesty", he added citing recent letter from Registrar of Societies (ROS) demanding him to explain why NDP organised a seminar on corruption with the support of Anti Corruption Bureau, a government agency without getting prior consent or permission from ROS and to explain why NDP allow students and underage to join the party at the National Day March.
"Its absurd for ROS to write such letter. Obviously our intention to hold such seminar was to support the ruler's call for the nation to fight against corruption and ACB welcomed our move. Do we need to get the consent of ROS first everytime we want to do something in support of His Majesty and the Governemnt?"
"Similarly our objective to include students and the underage who are the children of our members is to support the theme of the National Day Celebration on youths. Is it too much to do for a political party? Why other organisations are allowed to include young people in their contingents, why not NDP?", quizzed the Secretary General adding that the letter upsets him so much that he felt that its time for him to take a firm stance.
"Its my personal decision. Its a matter of principles for me", he said looking upset.
It is quite obvious that Awang Haji Mohidin, a former senior government official who wants to continue serving the nation on a different platform, shares the same opinions as the Secretary General.
The deputy himself has on several occasions shed a tear just thinking about the 'misfortune' of the nation whose ambitions and aspirations for national development are being quenched by so called “self centered” authority figures who are keen on keeping the nation ignorant in order to uphold their ‘status quo’ from being contested by public awakening.
The deputy alone isn’t the only one who feels dejected as Awang Serudin Pungut, Head for the Assembly of Non-Muslims, at NDP recent monthly Supreme Council Meeting Wednesday 19, shares the same sentiments when he deliberated his opinions of the future of national politics which are under constant scrutiny and securely monitored so as not to shine through as a beacon of hope for others.
The deputy president himself, Mahmud Morshidi Othman, when asked for clarifications regarding the matter expressed his deepest concerns towards the current developments within the party saying that if the situation is not resolved soon there may be dire consequences that would ultimately bring down the political confidence and status in the nation.
“The management and administration system of NDP may be crippled if this matter goes on. I am worried that it may affect the development of NDP as a whole and deliver a negative signal and paint a disturbing picture of the political development in the nation”.
“In the long run not only will NDP suffer but the nation and people will also lose out with the disappearance of a political party as the voice of the nation” said brother Morshidi.
“The last one standing will be those ‘self centered’ people that are apparently determined to put a damper on the nation’s political development and prove to the nation that Brunei is still not ready for politics nor is it ready for a political party and that the voice of a nation is irrelevant to the national development” he stressed when contemplating the future of NDP with the thought of being demotivated by a barrage of paperwork and unnecessary procedures. HAIROL MH 
