Vancouver South heats up over Malik endorsment scandal

I think this issue has sunk Wai Young's bid. Air India is a raw issue (still!) on West Coast. The Conservatives may have (weakly) hurt their chances throughout the Lower Mainland. The opposition parties need to flog this issue, it is exactly the kind of thing that angers BC voters (like the whole Emerson affair).

Similarly, Soudas' interventions in the Port Authority and association with Acurso are TOXIC in Quebec.

This extremist religious school gets PUBLIC funding. Maybe this can kick start a movement to defund all the religious schools.  Tax dollars to public schools only as a theme in the next BC election. 

Wai Young is being sued by estranged family members.

I think it's too late, Uji has pulled this off. He will be re-elected.

Anonymouse wrote:

The opposition parties need to flog this issue, it is exactly the kind of thing that angers BC voters (like the whole Emerson affair).

I have a serious problem with this approach (as well as NS's comment about "extremist" religious schools - as if some religious schools are less deserving or more dangerous than others). I guess I'd call it: 1) opportunism; and 2) just plain borderline. What are we saying - the Cons are on the wrong side of the war on terror? We should spread innuendo about a Con candidate who was endorsed by a Sikh businessman acquitted of wrongdoing but who supported the family of another Sikh who was convicted of wrongdoing? Where does this end, exactly?

Quote:

Similarly, Soudas' interventions in the Port Authority and association with Acurso are TOXIC in Quebec.

That's 1) different and 2) similar. Soudas and his buddies are accused of political interference in the Port Authority. That's a legitimate and important issue to pursue. As for "association with Accurso", however, that's innuendo that can and will cut both ways. Imagine a witchhunt against all candidates of all parties who have connections with the labour movement whose main player is the FTQ whose president Michel Arsenault and construction wing have some sort of connections with...

Quote:

Wai Young wouldn't answer questions from reporters yesterday about allegations she received an endorsement from Ripudaman Singh Malik.
Malik was charged and acquitted in relation to the bombing of Air India.

So she's receiving support from a guy who wasn't guilty??? Geez, I bet with a little poking around you'd find all manner of other things he's not guilty of. I wouldn't be surprised, for example, if he were not guilty of 9/11!

It makes you wonder just how many other people who aren't guilty are supporting her. Hmmmm?

Unionist wrote:

I have a serious problem with this approach (as well as NS's comment about "extremist" religious schools - as if some religious schools are less deserving or more dangerous than others). I guess I'd call it: 1) opportunism; and 2) just plain borderline. What are we saying - the Cons are on the wrong side of the war on terror? We should spread innuendo about a Con candidate who was endorsed by a Sikh businessman acquitted of wrongdoing but who supported the family of another Sikh who was convicted of wrongdoing? Where does this end, exactly?

I agree.  How many left-wing candidates have been attacked in the media for supposed association with "terrorists" or "terrorist sympathisers", be it a supporter with a radical past or marching in a demonstration where Hezbollah was praised by someone else?  We are headed down the wrong path if we use the same tactics against conservatives...

Read some history about Malik and his organizations and the Air India bombing and the beating of Dosanjh in the streets of a Canadian city for having the courage to speak out against the violence.  I hate Ujjal but to have Malik endorse his opponent is too bitter a pill for anyone in BC who believes in peaceful discourse. This is a view that cuts across party and ideological lines because people in Canada rightly abhor violence in our political sphere. 

It is my understanding that the Polytechnic massacre resonates with Quebecers and the high level of support for things like gun control are linked to the horror of that event. In BC the Air India bombing is as deeply seared into the public's collective mind.  This is a significant part our political culture in BC not some fucking left wing trend.  In BC the left, the right, the centre, everyone agrees terrorists should be shunned.  To pretend that this man is innocent until proven guilty is like saying Al Capone was only convicted of tax fraud.  To both I say so fucking what.  The family of the man whose perjury led to Malik's acquittal has been supported with jobs and housing for all this time by the "charitable" organizations that he controls.  

I think all the fundamentalist Xian schools that preach the domination of husbands over wives are extremist schools as well.  I personally do not want any religious schools funded period.

The problem with Malik is that our court system is binary in its outcomes.  Either we are absolutely sure you did it or you are absolved of all guilt.  In reality it doesn't work that way.  Malik maybe doesn't deserve to be guilty of bombing Air India, but it is clear his sympathies are with the bomber.

A party that shares a stage with him, taking his endorsement and then at the same time supports some draconian tactics in the war on terror needs to have the disconnect pointed out. 

I would sooo love Ujjal to retain this seat. It is an outrage that this school gets any public funding and the Cons' hypocritical con-job about being tough on terrorists needs to be burst.

Sean in Ottawa wrote:

I am seeing on Twitter that Malik endorsed two Liberals... Now they are running for cover.

I am sorry to the people who are more partisan than me to say this but while I do not like Liberals in general I consider Ujjal an asset to the House and I would want to see him elected. Don't like his party but I do like the man. He is on a very short list of Liberals I like.

Sean, have you heard about the letter Dosanjh and Rae signed today? I can't find a copy of it on line yet, but Evan Solomon read it on P&P, and even asked Dosanjh about it. The two of them explained how they know better than anyone, from their experience as NDP premiers, that Jack Layton and the NDP platform will be a terrible failure if they are ever allowed to be implemented. So, everyone should just grow up, and vote Liberal.

Sean in Ottawa wrote:

I am sorry to the people who are more partisan than me to say this but while I do not like Liberals in general I consider Ujjal an asset to the House and I would want to see him elected. Don't like his party but I do like the man. He is on a very short list of Liberals I like.

His venom against the NDP after the 2008 election will not be forgiven by anyone who voted NDP in 2008.  His rant reminded me of Parizeau after the referndum. Nasty and ill considered.

None of the NDP talking heads I saw today pointed out that Dosasnjh was not an elected Premier he was the BC NDP's Kim Campbell.  They were being polite.  Desperation has a special smell doesn't it.

I am not a Dosanjh fan and never was. I first heard him when he was a vice president of the provincial NDP and he talked like the worst form of party bureaucrat  you find in every party. I do think he was a political opportunist when he jumped to the Liberals. However, he showed guts in standing up to Malik and other extremists in his own community and taking a severe physical beating for it. I have never meant a saint or devil in my life. Human beings are complex with a multitude of conflicting desires. To me he will always be an opportunist, but still better than an opportunist who seeks the support of the greatest mass murderer of Canadians (and please do not tell me he did not do it - everyone in BC knows that Malik had beat up, intimidated and even murdered (Mr. Hayer - the editor of a local Indian community newspaper) witnesses before and during the trial. Wai Young's own family will not even vote for her. If the NDP cannot win this riding and this is extremely unlikely (even though I would vote for Meena Wong if I lived there), I am glad that Dosanjh is wiinning rather than Young.

you'll need someone to translate Mrs. Siu's press conference for you. At the news release reporters took the opportunity to ask about the Malik case - if you're patient you'll hear Wai's sound bites. 

AM1470 Wai Yeung, Federal Election, Press release: , not connected Malik

Part1:Wai Young, Federal Election, OMINI TV Press release , Family affair 7 not connected with Malik

Yes, and losing all the debates didn't matter either, nor being censured by embarassed hosts for poor behavior on every radio program I heard her on.  Seems that being associated with the ruling party is by far the most important characteristic to the voters of V.South.

The East Indian community were not pleased with Dosanjh washing their dirty lined in public.

If Meena spends the next 4 years working the riding she will win in 2015. But Meena has to start now, and I hope she understands that.

Good riddance to Dosanjh, and the CBC News Dept.

Unionist wrote:

So much for those non-issues (Air India and family feuds).

 

I'm not going to 'good ridance' Dosanjh's defeat, despite my general disaproval of the man, because Wai Young is an embaressment to the City of Vancouver and the people who voted for that flake without knowing more about her should be ashamed of themselves. You folks can claim the controversies were 'made up', but I strongly disagree because she's essentially unfit for office, though I suppose she's fit to be a Conservative MP. A) her disrespect for the constituents by skipping debates, b) her disconnect from her family as a result of allegedly stealing money from an estate and her c) not knowing who Repudiman Singh Malik was and not rejecting his endorsement the second they heard about it are all real issues that shine light on her lack of judgement. Frankly the last one is rather worrisome not only because of his role with the Air India case and terrorism in general, but because it's an endorsement of the dirty ethnocentric politics the Conservatives have been playing. You know the whole "ethnic dress" crap and the "very ethnic ridings" game. In addition to the you know, little stuff, like her being a right-wing tool.

Vansterdam Kid wrote:

Frankly the last one is rather worrisome not only because of his role with the Air India case and terrorism in general, but because it's an endorsement of the dirty ethnocentric politics the Conservatives have been playing.

This,

Mind you, to be fair the Grits have played this game for ages as well. They are both equally culpable in this dirty game.

I wonder what kind of MP Wai Young will make.  I can't see her lying low..

With Dosanjh gone, can Meena Wong position herself to challenge for Vancouver South in 4 years?

She ran a very strong credible campaign this time, but got squeezed out by the sense that this was a 2 way race between Young and Dosanjh.

In a riding where 45% of the population is of Chinese ethnicity (perhaps higher after the new census results and resdistribution), the NDP has got to be able to compete for those votes. Perhaps 4 years of Harper making family visas more difficult and ignoring the needs of cities will have an impact on community concerns here.

An attractive multilingual candidate like Wong deserves a seat in Parliament - if not here, hopefully one of the added seats in BC will be drawn in a way that makes it possible for her to win.

The first thing you must remember is there is no single Chinese vote.  In the riding I live in their are many Canadian born people of Chinese descent.  If you want to really piss them off just imply they have immigration issues.  There is also the Hong Kong expat community that is largely but again not exclusively made up of business class immigrants.  People who bought their passports with investment money. Then there is the Taiwanese Chinese immigrant community and the mainland Chinese as well.  There are pro democracy refugees from China and economic immigrants who have no major problem with the current Chinese regime.   Language outreach is essential and having volunteers from as many communities as possible is also essential in winning urban ridings in Metro Vancouver.  Successful campaigns are based on people talking to their neighbours about the issues in terms that are mutually understood.  If it is a "we" need to reach "them" situation the riding is in big trouble.  IMO It is when people from the various communities work together on strategic messaging that campaigns begin to resonate.  It is important to have a consistent message as well as a nuanced one for specific demographics and that takes a diverse group of campaign volunteers.

Whatever Don Davies did right this time needs to be copied. Part of it was probably incumbency and hard work as an MP, but he went from a semi-threatened incumbent to a solid first place finisher with over 50% of the vote.

And unfortunately the way Vancouver South is drawn now means that it's not a likely NDP pick up. But once BC gets more ridings and the boundaries are redrawn assuming the western portions of the riding (i.e. west of Cambie Street) are redistributed away it could become competitive.