Much ado about a 'shitty little country'

Israel.

On the surface it seems to be a silly issue for UMNO (in the person of either Najib or more prominently, Dr M) and Anwar Ibrahim to be quarrelling over. In the acrimonious circumstances which always surround the question of Israel, it’s not a case of “Anything you can do, I can do better” but rather “Anything you did, I did (or will do) less (or not at all)”, wakakaka.

Once a French diplomat (to Israel) was caught unaware saying (to a friend) that Israel was just a ‘shitty little country’, much to the political embarrassment of his nation. But in the scheme of things global, he was actually correct. In terms of size, natural resources or strategic location, Israel shouldn’t matter much.

Then, why does such a ‘shitty little country’ exert disproportionate influence and effect on many nations, but notably those nations which have the majority of their population belonging in faith to one of the Abraham-ic religions, like the USA or Malaysia?

Well, I’ve actually provided the answer to that question, namely, it’s all about religion or political movements with a religious overlay, namely, Zionism* (especially Christian Zionism), fundamental Christianity and Islam.

* a Jewish initiated political movement which is to be differentiated from Judaism, where many (non Zionist) Jews do not support (Jewish and Christian) Zionists in wanting to have a State of Israel.

Christian Zionism has an even greater religious influence/involvement where some Christian Zionists believe the gathering of 'Hebrew's (or Jews) in Israel is a pre-requisite condition for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. These Christian Zionists actually believe that Jews are God's Chosen People.

What then is the emotive-(including religious)-political significance of the State of Israel?

To Christian Zionists, as mentioned above, that State signifies the return of the ‘Hebrews’ to the so-called Holy Land*, which in turn is a sign of Jesus returning soon – for more read this. Thus for Jesus' Second Coming, the land of the ‘Hebrews’ (read that as Israelis) must be defended regardless – in practical terms, with American arms, intelligence and total political support plus US$4 billion annually.

Last year, when the USA tightened its budget and trimmed down allocations for virtually every program affecting its citizens and institutions, only one allocation was exempted, and not only spared but bizarrely increased, namely aid for Israel. Such is the hold of a 'shitty little country' over the mighty USA.

* I wonder how a land can be deemed ‘holy’ when it has been the most blood-drenched piece of semi-desert estate in world’s history. Why would Jesus want to return there, a place of unbelievable violence for more than 3,000 years? Perhaps Christians should pray for Him to go to, say, New Zealand or Seychelles or Tahiti in his Second Coming.

To Israeli-Jewish Zionists, a religiously shackled USA is a wonderful God-given convenience, enabling them to manipulate and control a religiously blind, obedient but powerful USA to Israeli needs, to be exploited for all it is worth so as to facilitate their restoration of the Kingdom of their legendary King David, stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates – and with whatever it takes!

In this, former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon had openly boasted to his Foreign Minister Shimon Peres “Don't worry about American pressure, we the Jewish people control America." For more on Israeli control of the USA, read here.

Naturally, as Israel controls the USA through religion, it always vets any archaeological findings to ensure those do not undermine Christian faith. Politically and economically, it would not do to disprove Christian beliefs, which are the foundation stone of invincible and blind US support and aid for Israel, wthout which it cannot survive.

To the Muslims especially the Palestinians, the State of Israel means Nakba (catastrophe or cataclysm), from whence the Palestinians were driven from their homes by Zionist invaders. The geographical ethnic cleansing of Palestinian residency from the West Bank (Israelis' biblical Judea & Samaria) and Jerusalem to facilitate Israeli lebensraum including the Israeli complete occupation of their holiest city continues till today.

The above USA-supported Israeli persecutions, coupled with vested interests among some neighbouring Arab nations to ensure the Palestinians do not have their own independent republican State (which will be a bad example to the kingdoms of absolute monarchs), have placed them in their current ghetto-rized State-less status as Middle-East vagrants. The sad outcome of the Nakba is reflected in the lamentation of "When one doesn’t have anything, how then can one lose anything anymore?"


Thus, to UMNO and Anwar Ibrahim, Israel with its blood-soaked history of violence, hostilities, racial animosities and hatred, spilled blood and unfulfilled vengeance a la the viciousness and genocidal episodes of the Old Testament represents political opportunities to indict their political opponents’ lack of sympathy for their Muslim* Palestinian brethrens (or friendliness with Israel) as evidence of their lack of fitness or lack of worthiness to be leaders of Malaysia.

* there are Christian Palestinians as well.

Now, in Malaysia, with agama (religion) being one of the tripodal mantra of UMNO, this invariably means Israel and its persecutions of Palestinians are highly emotional issues. Thus, political support of the Heartland for a politician can be influenced by the perceived stand of that politician for or against Palestinians and/or Israel (and Jews*).

* unfortunately many Malaysians (not just Malays) are unable to differentiate between Jews and Israelis, or between Zionists (which include Israelis, Jews and Christians) and non-Zionist Jews, etc. To them, a Jew = Israeli = Zionist.

As mentioned in a previous post, Anwar Ibrahim has many close associations with leading political figures in the West, especially the USA. For example, one of his friends is Paul Wolfowitz, the former Deputy Secretary for Defence in President Bush’s Administration with very strong Israeli connections, and the man who strongly advocated an attack and invasion of Iraq when 9/11 happened, even though there was no evidence to link Saddam Hussein to the Twin Towers attacks.

In 2010, Anwar unusually joined an anti-Israeli demonstration outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur, perhaps to disprove UMNO propaganda about him being an Israeli agent and Jew lover. He alleged there was ‘Zionist influence’ in Malaysia, and that Israeli agents had infiltrated Malaysia's security forces. Did he mean Apco Worldwide?

His anti-Zionist attacks shocked his American friends. Thus when he was subsequently in Washington, he sure as hell had a lot of explaining to do, including to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman. Wolfowitz was the one who defended Anwar, stating: "What Anwar did was wrong, but considering that he's literally fighting for his life - physically as well as politically - against a government that attacks him as being a puppet of the Jews, one should cut him some slack.”

Presumably “cutting him some slack” means allowing Anwar some latitude in his politicking in Malaysia even if it requires anti-Israeli posturing, because the worldviews of the locals are very straightforward black and white.

I believe Anwar made a poor choice of words in saying in an interview with Wall St Journal that he supported "all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel". Anifah Aman cleverly pounced on the (my) underlined phrase as Anwar supporting even Israeli mass military attacks on Gaza as exemplified in the barbarous and horrendous Operations Cast Lead.

Of course Anwar didn’t mean that but alas, the harm’s done.

Anwar is now striking back at Dr M for the latter's meeting with Yitzhak Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Paris on July 6, 1994. However I opine that international meetings between enemies or representatives of States with no diplomatic relations have not been not unusual in international forums or circles, nor should such be interpreted as the parties being pally buddy.

But for the life of me, I cannot understand why Najib’s government stupidly chose Apco Worldwide to be its PR agency, nor why the PDRM and the former IGP RMP selected an Israeli company to provide our men in blue with electronic equipment?

Nonetheless, UMNO obviously see great profit in tarring and feathering Anwar with an Israeli tag, while PKR have been correct in retaliating by highlighting Najib's connection with an Israeli Apco, but puhleeeze lah, ordinary Malaysians have had a surfeit of this bullsh*t, and are getting pissed off by the brouhaha over a ‘shitty little country’ when far more urgent and important issues affecting their livelihood, properties and future require urgent addressing by both BN and Pakatan.

A letter to Hasan Hau Siau

Malaysiakini - Hasan: DAP will merge M'sia, S'pore into republic.

Dear Hasan matey,

I don’t mean to rebut your holiness wakakaka, but when if (wakakaka) DAP takes over Putrajaya, I’ve been reliably informed (wakakaka) it’ll do the following:

(a) It will remove graft, making this national ailment its No 1 priority task, which, I have been warned, may cause a number of cardiac arrests, however in the right places, wakakaka.

(b) It will prevent non-tendering tender of crony-tendering [I admit it’s a bit of a mouthful wakakaka] to ensure that government contracts will be tendered a la the current Penang system which incidentally has seen Malays win 70% of Penang public contracts, proving once and for all that Malays are very boleh, especially when cronyism has been removed from blocking their chances.

However, at federal level in the futuristic scene we are now painting, there’ll be a problem similar to what is now experienced in Penang – the Malay winners of 70% of the tenders/contracts won’t all be from UMNO nor from their non-Malay cronies, wakakaka.

(c) It will strengthen the sanctity of our system of constitutional monarchy to prevent disrespectful politicians from vilifying the Malay rulers from the sarung-ized privileges of Parliament, as happened on 10 December 1992 when (according to the Hansard) Dr Affifuddin Omar, an UMNO man from Padang Terap, no doubt given the imprimatur by his party leaders, said in Parliament:

"How can we continue to uphold rulers who are known to be robbers, adulterers, drunkards and kaki pukul (thugs)?" [...]

"They (the rulers) must be made to realize that they do not own this country. They are not Superman but placed on their thrones by the people. "The real power did not lie with them, but with us - the representatives of the people."

(d) It will protect the position and sanctity of Islam as the nation’s official religion to prevent what had happened during the most holy month (August) of Ramadan in 2010, when our society suffered the lamentable distinction of witnessing, during Ramadan fasting, an astonishing series of lies emanating from some UMNO-linked Malay institutes, as well as a sinister attempt by a Muslim leader allied to UMNO (wakakaka) propagandizing about a fabricated ‘new constitution’ that would disadvantage the Malay community (yes, again blasphemously during Ramadan).

Most of all it will impose the severest penalty for failed politicians who show no respect to their religious beliefs by shamelessly indulging in fabrications of international intrigues to deliberately harm the interests of others.

(e) Finally, before I cause any more heart fibrillations, it will, hopefully on my recommendations, appoint Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir as Malaysia’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Singapore, assuming DYMM SPB consents to the appointment and the Datuk Paduka herself accepts the job. I have also been warned that this may cause some misogynists, if they haven't suffered cardiac arrests already, to bang their heads on the wall (I hope so wakakaka).

Yours in joyous wakakaka,

kaytee

Bangsa Ber-Pancawarna

In Australia whenever I met someone new who is a fellow SE Asian, or even from the Far East, and reveal myself as a Malaysian, he/she would invariably exclaim in delightful admiration: “Oh, you guys can speak several languages!”

Though I’d smile, and not without some considerable pride at our Boleh-ness, perhaps the one sole qualification worthy of being proud about, I would at the same time quietly cringe at our notorious mastery of colourful profanities in at least half a dozen or more languages/dialects, way way before I came to know of some bloggers and blog visitors, wakakaka.

So as a nationality, we are if anything quite colourful, not least in the manner in which we love to generously lace our speeches with those multi-lingual and grossly obscene profanities and vulgarisms. Mind, we’d spew out our favourite lubricities, not merely as insults (though there have been lots of these), but as everyday usage in adjectives, adverbs and nouns in our conversations, and of course we would argue, only to emphasize and/or enhance the points we want to make.

Sometimes we even aver that in using the most colourful ‘F’ word, we had meant it in a complimentary way, like “God, she’s absolutely f* beautiful” or in exasperated exclamations at our own predicaments or mistakes, like “Oh, now I’m truly f*”. Such is the versatility of the ‘F’ word that I need at least a whole post to demonstrate its wide ranging use, so I’ll stop its discussion here, reluctantly if I may confess.

In this, I wonder whether we are a wee like Australians who call their enemies ‘bastards’ but their closest friends ‘bloody bastards’.

But in further discussing the colourful nature of we Malaysians, I suppose we could perhaps start off with one of the tripods of our brand of democracy, namely, the judiciary.

The wonderfully remarkable Bench had demonstrated how they could turn black into white one day, and then white into black in another, as I had posted on 08 March 2010 in Federal Court ruling - black yesterday, white today.

Then I had written about the court declaring that Anwar's dismissal as DPM [by then PM Dr M] is lawful because according to our marvellous judiciary, the king, as a constitutional monarch, was required to act in accordance with the advice of the prime minister.

* above underlining and bolding/highlighting by kaytee

… while a mere month prior to this (yes, just around 30 days), the very same three judges who were also on the appeals bench to hear Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin’s appeal against the unconstitutional sacking of him as the MB of Perak and the associated appointment of Zambry Abd Kadir as the new MB by the Sultan of Perak, ruled that it was not necessary for a vote of confidence to be done in the state assembly as the Sultan can conduct his own inquiry to determine which party or coalition has the majority.

In other words HRH was NOT required to act in accordance with the advice of the menteri besar at that time, namely Nizar.

Yessirree, these three same judges - just as a reminder that they, together with two other, had just one month earlier, ruled the Sultan of Perak, even as a constitutional monarch, could ignore the advice of MB Nizar to dissolve the Perak Assembly – told us in a case of Anwar Ibrahim versus Dr M, that the Agong, as a constitutional monarch, was required to act in accordance with the advice of the prime minister (Dr M).

Either they were of a most forgetful nature (and to f* with stare decisis) or we could quote George Orwell who wrote in Animal Farm (Chapter 2, pg 11), that “Squealer could turn black into white” wakakaka. Now, didn’t/doesn’t that just confirm our affinity with colours and thus, our colourful nature?

Well, what next? Oh yes, there’s those Yellow Perils, our most feared fifth columnists, the local Chinese, who had often been accused of being red, wakakaka. Got it, yellow = red? wakakaka!

Of course I mustn’t let Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Ming get away with his disgraceful ‘metallic black person’ remark. But he had apologized though he bloody well watches his mouth.

I won’t go into the seditious BTN indoctrinations, the terrible Johor headmistress or the Interlok insults which raised our temperature to the upper red mark of the thermometer as these shameful black-marked issues have already been battered blue black in the various coverages on them. Nor would I mention those men in blue who should be wearing black arm bands for their questionable conduct and behaviour.

But in closing I should talk a bit about the red, green and white of ang pows, which incidentally translate into ‘red packets’ (red for luck, as it is an auspicious colour). Yup, we're now on the topic of Ibrahim Ali's peh-pow (white packets) which he doled out to his MCA-marshalled Chinese visitors during Perkasa Chinese New Year Open House.


Some like Kee Thuan Chye has latched onto Ibrahim Ali’s faux pas to give vent to their ire at the UMNO-Perkasa inconsiderate and very colour-conscious mentality against the 'nons', as may be read in his Malaysiakini article White ang pow: The state has failed us.

Kee does have a point because Malays in adopting the Chinese custom of giving out ang pow (lucky money) on festive occasions such as New Year and Hari Raya, are known to have used green packets, employing the Islamic colour to mask or modify the Chinese auspicious red, where red is often seen as either mainly Chinese or communist (or both wakakaka), though red happens also to be part of the UMNO colour - well, explain that! Anyway, it’s not as if the UMNO-Perkasa mob had been unaware of the colour significance of ang pow.


But quite frankly I am giving Ibrahim Ali the benefit of the doubt for his unthinking faux pas, in gifting peh-pows (white packets) during Perkasa’s Chinese New Year Open House. Those envelopes in a taboo-ed colour (white for death) were a definite no-no for Chinese on a supposedly auspicious occasion - white is very sial (unlucky, ill-omened) on Chinese New Year. I’d put it down as a monumental f* up by his aides and I would even stretch my neck out to opine it was not a deliberate oversight.

The Ibrahim bloke is quite a colourful personality, in fact so colourful he’s known to be a political chameleon, brown one day, green another, yellow sometimes and who knows, even white or black as the situation warrants, in the same variety of tones as possessed by many types of frogs, wakakaka.






But I do blame Collin Tiew, that MCA Sri Desa Branch Boss who collaborated* with Perkasa in the latter's Chinese New Year Open House, and then when the hot steaming poo hit the fan, denied in mealy-mouth fashion that he didn’t know this or that, in fact virtually everything, and that he was acting in a welfare capacity and not as a MCA member.

* in the very meaning of the word as known during WWII

He even daringly attempted a black-into-white transformation when he proclaimed 'I've been made victim of Perkasa CNY open house'. A$**h*le!

Chua Soi Lek has a lot of explaining to do regarding the cozy arrangements between Perkasa and one of his MCA branch chiefs.

Now, don’t tell me that Collin Tiew wasn't aware that the MCA had in recent times criticized Ibrahim Ali in his Perkasa role of vilifying Chinese Malaysians, and that the latter had unwittingly but uniquely unified the Chinese in MCA, Gerakan and DAP in opposing his insults & threats to the Chinese Malaysian community, …

… in exactly the same way as another ‘Ibrahim’, namely Anwar Ibrahim who, as Education Minister in issuing his unacceptable policy of appointing non-Mandarin trained headmasters to vernacular schools in 1987, had also uniquely unified Chinese Malaysians (MCA, Gerakan and DAP and Dong Jiao Zong), which then led to the launch of the infamous Ops Lallang.

I'm not sure whether it was true what I heard, that Anwar’s face had then turned white at his education ministerial ‘too clever by half’ policy which nearly conflagated the nation into red-tainted racial riots a la May 13, though I also heard Dr M patting him on his shoulder and coo-ing “Ta ape, jangan khuatir”, wakakaka.

Then was also when a young Najib believed that beneath Chinese yellow skins was red blood, but without realizing that red was in fact the universal colour of blood, including his, or for that matter, that of any race, nationality or creed, and even for those so-claimed blue blood!

With Ops Lallang, Najib’s face was a rosy pink like the cat which licked the cream because he was teflonized, while Lee Kim Sai, the MCA Youth Chief, saw his face turning black because he wasn’t, wakakaka, which explained why, just prior to the police dragnet, he was sent away to Australia for a facial.


We Malaysians are certainly a Bangsa berpancawarna - hope my Bahasa term is correct wakakaka.

Read also: Secret of Ang Pow’s

The price of race

The Malaysian Insider - ‘Racist price list’ for golf membership sparks backlash.


On the surface of it, there is overt racism and thus discrimination on the basis of skin colour. But if we read more carefully, the Notice says “Membership for sale”.

As Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, president of the KGNS said, the membership by racial quota has been fixed at 45% Malay, 35% Chinese and 20% Indians and Others (presumably Eurasian, Thai and Ang-mor) to ensure a decent racial mix. Re-sale of membership has to comply with maintaining the racial quota, meaning Malays may only sell to Malays, while Chinese and Indians may likewise sell to Chinese and Indians respectively. I have no problem with the club’s policy on this racial quota.

On the price list itself, one could argue that because memberships for Chinese and Indians are more limited at respectively 35% and 20% (or less), the private re-sale cost of membership in these rarer categeory would be far more expensive, explaining why Kandasamy's membership (limited to 20% or less) is sold at RM15,000 more than Ah Chong.

However, I cannot understand why an Indian has to pay RM60,000 to 80,000 while someone classified as 'Other', basically in the same category as Indians, can buy a membership for only RM40,000 to 50,000?

Now, this is sheer inexcusable racism, with the poor Aneh or Tambi getting the short end of the stick. This could f* translate into an Ang-mor paying a lower sum (by as much as RM20 to 30 grand) to secure a membership than Palannivel could. Explain this discrepancy! If this is not racism of the worst kind, what the f* is it then?

While the club committee and rules may not be directly responsible for the pricing of a membership re-sale, the sad differentiation tells us the country, one way or another, continues to reek malodorously of shameful racism.

Hokkiens' most important day of the year

Tomorrow 31 January 2012, the 9th Day of the 1st Moon in the Lunar-Solar Calender (used by Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese), is the MOST important day of the year for Hokkiens. Indeed, it's far more important than even Chinese New Year's Day or any other day.

The Hokkiens believe it’s the day their ancestors were saved by the Lord of Heaven from genocidal massacre. Traditional Hokkiens around the world, especially in Penang and Singapore, will make votive offerings to Th’nee Kong (Lord of Heaven) in remembrance of their salvation.

In Penang the yearly pilgrimage to the temple of the Jade Emperor (Lord of Heaven) at Bukit Bendera has already begun.

For more details about the Hokkiens’ most important day of the year, read my KTemoc Kongsamkok post Hokkien salvation in sugar cane fields.

We both support Evil but .....

The Malaysian Insider - Anifah: Malaysia does not support ‘all efforts to protect Israel’.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Datuk Seri Anifah Aman insisted tonight that despite supporting a “two-state solution,” Malaysia has never supported Israel in its conflict with Palestine.

The foreign minister said this differed from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he “supports all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel.”

“His statement clearly shows his acceptance and support for actions taken by Israel against Palestinians up to now.

“Actions interpreted as security measures by Israel include military attacks on Gaza causing the death of thousands of innocent Palestinians including women and children,” the Kimanis MP said in a statement sent to The Malaysian Insider.

Actually, both the Najib government and Anwar Ibrahim have taken the correct political-economic action, but one which real intention has not been announced, namely, to please the USA by showing Malaysia (or an individual) is showing due reverence to the USA’s master, Israel.

In reality, in the best case scenario, both Najib and Anwar don’t give two figs about Israel’s security, and I don’t blame them. But Israel in her evil draconian behaviour has become a useful issue in mainly Muslim Malaysia for Najib and Anwar to label each other as being disloyal to the ummah wahida, and thus less Muslim and therefore not worthy of being voted by the Heartland into office as PM.

Anifah is merely playing semantics in claiming BN's policy towards Israel is less dark (or obsequious) than Anwar Ibrahim's, though I have to admit he (Anifah) has done it rather well.

My personal take is that, as mentioned above, Anwar Ibrahim is beholden to his supporters in the USA and people like his mate Paul Wolfowitz. He has to play a hypocritical or 'political' game (the latter if we want to be kinder to him).

Najib's UMNO on the other hand have been outright hypocritical, because their condemnation of Israel, if at all any in recent times, is hollow in the shade of their own behaviour towards the non-UMNO people, especially the non-Malays.

As I had written in a post a year ago, titled Why 1Malaysia = 1Israel as follows [extracts only – see post for more]:

Israel has always been a hated entity for Muslim Malaysians, because Muslim Malaysians feel an obligatory if not sympathetic requirement to do so, to stand in solidarity with their Muslim brothers and sisters in Palestine. In recent years I have come to share this dislike of Israel though my reasons are more specific than being obligatory or just sympathetic. I have been utterly appalled by Israel’s blatant, unmitigated and feral racism.

Yesterday I posted … Neo-Nazis' 1935 'Nuremberg Laws' in Israel to highlight the Israelis’ neo-Nazism. Isn't it just ironical that the so-called children of the Holocaust behave towards the Palestinians in exactly the same manner as the Nazi oppressors had towards their European forefathers! ...


But don’t be surprised by the Israeli* savage and racist barbarism being similar to those demonstrated by the Nazis or white Afrikaans. One only has to open the Old Testament to read about the proclivity of their Israeli-Hebraic forefathers to murder, massacre and commit genocide against non-Hebrew tribes, to seize the latter’s land and property and take their wives and daughters as slaves. The Hebrews-Israelites-Judeans-Israelis all shared/share the national characteristic of evil barbarism.

* note that not all Israelis or Jews are racist

Naturally the Judean (Israelis) authors creatively put all those acts of atrocity as approved by God, in the same way as our Biro Tatanegara indoctrinators have creatively written to justify ketuanan Melayu, and that the other races as lesser beings, undesirable and unclean for Malaysia – thus we get the mata sepets and kaki botols, and 'sons of Chinese prostitutes' and 'Indians leashed by their wrist like animals'.

Ironically, for a government which tells the Muslim Malays that Israel is to be condemned for its persecutions and oppressions of Palestinians, it behaves in an almost similar manner as the Israelis – I've underlined the word ‘almost’ because to be fair, Malaysia is not yet as bad as the evil Israeli rightwing government. But we worry for the future.

Nonetheless it’s racist and plays on racist issues, to divide the people and conquer their support.

Maybe that’s why Anwar’s accusations of Najib’s 1Malaysia have struck at the very core of Najib’s (and UMNO's) heart, because it raises embarrassing questions about the parallel parochial policies of both 1Malaysia and 1Israel.

UMNO sinking feeling about unsinkable NFC

Free Malaysia Today - Forget NFC, go for Mindef, says Zaid.

Zaid Ibrahim is of course absolutely correct, that the snout in the Defence trough is slurping up greedily by frightening billionS of ringgits, not just mere millions, as compared to mere cow feed.

However, as many, especially RPK, often said, politics is all about perception, and the NFC mess is certainly a political ‘steak’ that to the public is a far more juicier and easily identified scandal than the Defence Ministry questionable purchase of multi-billion dollar (not multi-million) Second Generation Patrol Vessels (SGPV) from Direction Technique des Constructions Navales (DCNS), the company which Malaysia also purchased the unsinkable Scorpene submarines – unsinkable because they won’t submerge in the first place wakakaka.

Because the PM has refused to, or couldn’t, or dared not sack Shahrizat immediately to put the matter to rest, it has become (for Pakatan) a Heaven-sent-come embarrassment against UMNO which the rakyat in the heartland can easily comprehend and tut-tut (or p'tui) in disgust, ...

Laksamana Hang Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

... whereas they (rakyat) won’t in the case of the SGPV because Laksamana Hang Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will chong them kau kau that it’s necessary to defend the Malays against unpatriotic 'elements' or the Nepali or Laotian Navy.

KD Ahmad Zahid Hamidi - RMN Scorpène-NFC class beef-submarines

Anyway, Zaid hit the spot when he declared: “It’s comical and unfair for some Umno leaders to ask Shahrizat to resign when they are all in the same pot.”

Is there political life for retired Hadi Awang?

The Malaysian Insider - Hadi says may not contest GE13.

Of course Pak Haji has also voiced an alternative option, which is to contest either a federal or state constituency but not both as he currently represents.

So whether he completely stands down, voluntarily as he has declared, or takes up the election challenge to represent only a federal or state constituency, the reason behind his decision could be the waiting queue in PAS has grown far too long with consequential mounting pressure from within, stemming from the impatience of more ambitious members who are still waiting for opportunities to represent the party as candidates in state or federal elections.

In DAP, while Karpal Singh hasn’t offered to step down completely he has advocated the ‘either federal or state representation’ approach much earlier than Pak Haji, and not just for an individual but as a party policy. Karpal offered the reason that, compared to yester-years, the DAP today has more qualified candidates – a situation which no longer requires the ‘few’ to contest and on winning, hold both federal and state representations*.

* May I stress on the word ‘representation’ rather than ‘seats’, because DAP MPs and ADUNs must never get into their heads that on successful elections, they are ‘rajas’ seated on thrones to be worship, waited upon and ampu like the 15th Century Sultan Mahmud Shah. Instead they should wait upon (serve) the rakyat – ampu-ing the rakyat is optional wakakaka.

While I am not going to discriminate against old timers by proposing these senior politicians vacate their frontline political participations, which incidentally is far more honest, far more committed, and definitely less Machiavellian than ‘behind the scene’ political manipulations, I strongly support the one-constituency-only representation, and with no exception, not even for Lim Guan Eng.

Lim Guan Eng has been, is and will be a marvellous CM of Penang, and I strongly support him continuing in this public role. I’m not saying he doesn’t have a role to play in federal politics but I believe not to the extent of becoming a MP on top of his CM-ship.

No, there is no necessity for him to be also a MP just to continue playing a role in federal politics. He can do so, say, on identification and formulation of party vision, strategy directions, policy development and program implementations, within the party’s top council.

And best of all, by allowing someone else to stand in Bagan, he will be helping a new DAP MP develop and accrue experience in public representation, all for the improved strength of DAP and its future leadership (and make that person happy too).

Just remember, no person is indispensable (& forget about what other Pakatan parties do) so perhaps DAP should start practising it instead of just mouthing this maxim.

But what if Pak Haji Hadi Awang finds that PAS people take him on his first offer, to withdraw completely from active participation, and "terimakasih, Tok Haji, bye bye” him? wakakaka.

OK, he did say that he will use his time to campaign across the country to strengthen the party. But other than this, will there be ‘life’ for very senior politicians after they withdraw from frontline representation? Is going out to pasture the only recourse?

Because of the fragile (or euphemistically worded ‘loose’) nature of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition - and let’s not lie to ourselves that is not so and which will become even far more fragile if Pakatan wins the march to Putrajaya, when the 3 parties, like avaricious siblings warring for their individual inheritance after daddy’s demise, will battle each other for cabinet positions, etc - the coalition badly needs the stabilising hands of respected party veterans, especially personalities who are experienced, mature, cooperative, capable of 'give & take', and far sighted enough to want to keep their coalition cohesive and going in the right direction.

Senior veterans like Pak Haji Hadi Awang and, if they too want to retire (wakakaka), Tok Guru Nik Aziz, Lim KS, Karpal Singh, etc, can form a Pakatan Senior Consultative Advisory Council to provide advice and/or moderation on, or vet, joint vision, policies and programs, and importantly, arbitrate on Coalition internal disputes such as post election cabinet allocations and pre-election seat allocations (like stopping one component party from arbitrarily seizing 54 out of a State's total of 71 seats - WTF, I still can't believe in that grubby gluttonous greedy grab).

Older people are more likely to talk than thump tables, to see clearer and farther than just the selfish ends of immature ambitious noses, thus the Senior Consultative Council will provide steady ballast for the stability of the Pakatan ship, continuity of cooperative coalition leadership and maybe even a deterrent to the parochial interests of warlords.

And as Sara Teasdale wrote:

When I can look Life in the eyes,
Grown calm and very coldly wise,
Life will have given me the Truth,
And taken in exchange - my youth.

Yes, wise party veterans like Pak Haji Awang Hadi have a role to play in party politics, especially in presenting to younger members the Truth of politics required for our multiracial society.

New Quakers in Malaysia

I am sure you have heard of The Renaissance Man of Asia, wakakaka.

But there is a real renaissance developing in DAP, a renaissance of awareness by independent minded Malaysians of all ethnic groups, but specifically and specially Malays.

The word ‘renaissance’ in this post means a renewal of interest, rebirth, revival and even vigor in the politics of DAP, in other words a political renaissance for DAP.

OK, ‘renaissance’ has been defined well and good, but pray tell what significance does it have?

If there is a renewal, it must mean there was something in the first place, something that existed long ago, but is now re-awakening, being reborn and revived. Basically, there were already Malay members in the DAP ages ago, people like Ahmad Nor, Che Rose, my Penang kinfolk Zulkifli Mohd Noor, and several others.

In other words, while DAP should be elated that high profile Malays like Aspan Alias, Mohd Ariff Sabri, Hata Wahari, Tunku Abdul Aziz, Zairil Khir Johari and others have joined the party to promote, project and push policies of good governance a la C.A.T, and justice and freedom for all, it must not forget those Malay pioneers in DAP, and not just the equally high profile ones like Ahmad Nor but also those old timers like my Penang larng Zul Noor and more so, those who valiantly struggled against the UMNO juggernaut in earlier years and even lost their candidate deposits, like Che Rose of Perak and company.

DAP, while cherishing the present members and nurturing the future ones, please remember and respect the party Malay pioneers.

Now having saluted the DAP pioneers, on to the current ‘renaissance’ - recall my recent post UMNO fears DAP beachhead where I narrated UMNO’s alarm of today's DAP to such an extent that it has now re-classified the Rocket Party as its principal foe, when once in its heydays of unbridled powers and take-Malaysians-for-granted arrogance, it sneeringly dismissed the DAP as only a kutu irritant and a MCA/Gerakan’s problem.

Now, it trembles in shock, anger and fear as it seeks to destroy the unprecedented DAP's beachhead in the heartland.

And as proof of this new UMNO fear, Aspan Alias wrote in The Malaysian Insider (TMI) that:

Khairy Jamaluddin, Ketua Pemuda Umno Malaysia, telah meminta DAP mengeluarkan senarai ahli-ahlinya dari kaum Melayu jika benar DAP sekarang sedang mendapat sokongan dari kaum Melayu.

[my translation, dodgy one lah wakakaka]: KJ, UMNO Youth Chief, demands that DAP releases a list of its Malay membership to prove it has the support of the Malays.

Khairy berkata setakat tiga orang Melayu yang menyertai DAP itu tidak melambangkan yang parti itu sudah diterima oleh orang Melayu.

[again my dodgy translation]: Khairy says 3 Malays joining DAP thus far don’t translate into the DAP being accepted by the Malays.

Aspan Alias (probably with a wry chuckle at the cacing called Khairy kena ABU (pun deliberatedly intended wakakaka) replied in the TMI’s article Khairy Jamaluddin: Musuh saudara dalam Umno, bukan DAP — Aspan Alias:

Saya tidak yakin kenapa penyertaan orang Melayu di akhir-akhir ini menjadi isu dari Sabah hingga ke Perlis.

[my very loose translation]: Why make such a Malaysian mountain out of a molehill about Malays joining DAP recently?

Aspan continued: Saya hanya hendak memberikan komen yang pendek terhadap cabaran Khairy ini dan saya rasa boleh memberikan jawapan kepada kenyataan Khairy itu kerana saya adalah salah seorang dari orang Melayu yang telah menyertai DAP baru-baru ini.

[kaytee’s translation]: I only want to provide a brief response to Khairy’s demand. I believe I can answer him because I so happen to be one of those who just joined DAP.

This was where Aapan drove the stake kau kau into the vampire's heart wakakaka.

Untuk pengetahuan Khairy DAP tidak membuat pengasingan ahli-ahlinya mengikut bangsa dan agama. Di dalam borang permohonan menjadi ahli tidak ada petak yang bertanyakan dari kaum apa pemohon-pemohon tersebut kerana sebagai sebuah parti yang memperjuangkan untuk semua tanpa mengira kaum dan budaya. Bangsa dan ethnik ahli-ahli tidak menjadi perkara penting.

[translation]: Khairy may wish to know that DAP doesn’t differentiate/segregate its members into classes in accordance with ethnicity or religion. The DAP’s membership application form doesn’t have a field [box] to indicate the applicant’s race, for the bloody* reason DAP is a party which represents and fights for all regardless of their racial origin or culture. The ethnicity of its members is no big deal.

* not Aspan’s word; just kaytee taking blogger’s licence to spice it up a wee bit wakakaka

Bravo Aspan, you have hit the DAP nail of steel squarely on its head ..... right into Vlad Dracul's black heart, wakakaka.

However, I have to admit Aspan’s brief to Khairy wasn’t brief at all wakakaka. He went on to advise Khairy to mind his own (UMNO) store, especially his own constituency in Rembau where there's trouble a brewing, instead of fretting over DAP’s Malay membership, hence his article's title of Khairy Jamaluddin: Musuh saudara dalam Umno, bukan DAP wakakaka!

But Khairy’s attempt to disprove Malay acceptance of DAP has unwitting reveal the deep fears of UMNO vis-à-vis the new kid in the (Malay) Heartland. They know the disciplined, ascetic-inclined and Spartanic DAP isn’t like other parties and thus difficult to attack with UMNO’s usual tactics of sex, sleaze and slime.

Thus UMNO quakes with fear.

Kiwi thanks

Dearest Shahrizat, thank you sweetheart,

Your adoring supporters,
The New Zealand Cattle Farmers

Hmmm, does Daisy need a RM26,000 bra?


Related: The Malaysian Insider - Malaysia gives Kiwi beef halal thumbs up

Hang Tuah

Hang Tuah may be a myth but Rosmah Mansor is certainly a legend!

- Docs, a Malaysiakini reader

The concept of, and desire for heroes represent universal values. Heroes may of course be mythical or actual historical personalities.

The female equivalent of a hero is heroine, though for some moronic perception of equality, some Americans (women I suppose) don’t like such feminine equivalents, for example, 'actress'. So for the last several years, we hear of Hollywood’s Academy Awards being given to, the sheer stupidity of the description, “Best Actor in a leading female role” instead of just “Best Actress”. Does anyone see any issue of gender bias in the latter? I’m all for gender equality but the Yanks have gone bloody mad.

Anyway, back to topic of 'hero in a leading male role' wakakaka - Australian comedian Paul Hogan, known for his popular movie ‘Crocodile Dundee’, once jokingly remarked that Australians are so hard up for heroes that they even make a horse, Phar Lap, into one.

So, do we Malaysians, in particular the Malays, feel the same way about Hang Tuah?

This bloke (Tuah) seems to pop up regularly, not so much in history or myth as in politics, though the most recent evocation of his name was by a historian, Professor Khoo Kay Kim.

The Prof raised Tuah’s name in the context of verifiable history. He was annoyed with non-scholarly infusion of myths and legends into Malaysian history as if those myths and legends were historical facts.

Myth or historical fact, Hang Tuah is course a Malay hero, probably the No 1 Dude in Malay culture, thus Prof Khoo’s assertion that Hang Tuah didn’t exist inevitably raises hackles for two reasons – I have just mentioned one, that of him stating Hang Tuah exists only as a character of fiction.

The second reason is an unfortunate one, he is Chinese (the Prof of course, though I’ll have something to say about Tuah being supposedly a Chinese) and Malays just don’t like non-Malays telling them their No 1 Hero is just a figment of their imagination.

Dr Azly Rahman wrote of the historical-cultural indoctrination of the Malays which began since the Malacca Sultanate, until their collective psyche, even until today, surrenders total obedience to the Rulers, believed to bestowed with Divine Rights - an indoctrination which was basically a master-slave narrative/relationship of the ruler and the ruled which must never be challenged.

Episodes such as Hang Tuah defeating his best friend and alleged arch traitor, Hang Jebat, invariably enhanced and fortified the indoctrination. Thus Tuah, by his unquestioning fealty to his liege Lord (despite the Sultan being a miserable tyrant who in the first place wanted Tuah dead, while best friend Jebat defended Tuah's honour) was designed to show the very epitome of the Malay hero, one totally loyal to his liege Lord regardless.

If Dr Azly’s opinion is to be accepted, then Tuah’s status (and belief in his existence) would have been further shored up by 500 years of the master-slave indoctrination of the Malays. Thus, I wasn’t surprised when Professor Emeritus Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman, president of the Malaysian Archaeologists Association, jumped up to defend the existence of Hang Tuah.

The Professor Emeritus informed that Tuah’s tomb lies in Tanjung Kling (in Malacca), which remains within (if any still exists) could provide DNA to confirm his factual existence.

I admit I am neither a historian nor a cultural expert, but I had always thought that Hang Tuah disappeared after he failed in his mission for the Sultan, namely, to convince Puteri Gunung Ledang to be the royal bride.

Apparently, being a loyal (and thus good) Melayu, he was so ashamed of his failure to his liege Lord that he chucked his keris, Taming Sari, into a river and swore only to return to Malacca if the keris floated up. Unfortunately for Malay-dom and our current debate on historical facts versus mythical legends, Gravity and Isaac Newton's apple prevented that, so poor Tuah walked off into the sunset, never to reappear.

However, fortunately for the Perak Sultanate, Taming Sari must have mysteriously floated up for one of their ancestors to retrieve and claim it as part of their royal heirloom, even today.

Apart from that mysterious tomb in Tanjung Kling, incidentally unnamed as admitted by the Professor Emeritus, even if a DNA check is permitted by Islamic religious authority (assuming the DNA check is not conducted by our world famed DNA experts wakakaka), how can we link the corpse’s DNA to someone to prove it’s Hang Tuah.

Surely, we aren’t going to check the DNA against some so-claimed descendant of Tuah, because if they’re indeed descendants of Tuah, then why are we still checking the DNA to prove Tuah existed as a historical person?

In case you don’t follow me, surely descendants of Tuah, being who they are, must have descended from Tuah. Can there be Tuah's descendants if Tuah didn't exist? It’s like saying we need to confirm whether Tun Razak existed by checking his DNA against those of his descendants, for example, Najib wakakaka.

In Peninsula Malaysia, it is highly sensitive to question Tuah’s existence because that challenges the very essence of Malay culture, unless of course it’s UMNO doing the questioning as it did in 1992 when it blasted the supposedly hallowed status of the Malay rulers to kingdom come, and in a middle-fingered gesture to those royalty, elevated Jebat from arch traitor to No 1 Hero, while relegating ultra monarchist Tuah into 5th place, I suppose, as a mere palace sycophant.

UMNO political needs are of course highly flexible where the bashed up rulers are now back in favour, and once again royalist Tuah is back as the hero while republican Jebat resumes his old role as a villain.

But the politics of Malaysia, infected adversely by lamentable racism and thus ethnic one-upmanship, have seen perverted delights and gleeful smirks among some non-Malays in asserting that Hang Tuah and mateys were imperial Chinese guards (even eunuchs) escorting Princess Hang Li Po during her stay in Malacca, when she was bestowed by the Chinese Emperor as a royal bride for the Malacca Sultan.

Even our dear RPK joined in recently, when he twisted the Chinese-Tuah kungfu sabre further in by suggesting that Tuah’s famed prowess in silat could well be some form of superior Chinese kungfu wakakaka.

I bet Malays’ ethnic pride would have taken a severe battering by such stories of their No 1 Hero being a Chinese and that Chinese kungfu was superior to silat. That's like Jews being pissed off with Sigmund Freud for telling them their greatest Prophet Moses was an Egyptian.

What next? That the famed Malay ethnic warrior Ridhuan Tee Abdullah is also Chinese? Wakakaka.

In the end, what does it matter, whether Tuah is a mere myth or actually a historical personality. Nations need heroes as centres of gravity for their esteem and national pride, and examples to emulate, so long as they aren’t horses wakakaka or a murderous, adulterous and utterly evil man like King David of Israel or equally murderous Adolf Hitler.

Next MB of Kedah

Today is ‘Thinking-out-of-the-Box’ Day, otherwise known as ‘Big Spoon’* Day.

* Big Spoon = sh*t stirring – one needs a big spoon to stir well wakakaka

The ‘spoon’ for today is "Mukhriz Mahathir for MB Kedah" wakakaka.


And why not?

After all, Daddy was from there, though admittedly in 1969 Dr M lost his federal seat of Kota Setar Selatan to Yusof Rawa of PMIP (as PAS was then called) in the original ABU, no thanks to those bloody Chinamen who ABU-ed for PMIP instead of UMNO and left him with a bitter taste, which might have led to his quarrel with Tunku and his expulsion from UMNO.

Despite Kedah being his home state, Dr M was highly marginalized and deliberately ignored/boycotted by his erstwhile kutu-ampu’s (fellow Kedahans) during AAB’s premiership, this time no thanks to the famed ‘loyalty’ of UMNO members, wakakaka.

Anyway, as we know, Mukhriz is eyeing a future PM-ship. There have been rumours that, after the UMNO-initiated fall of Najib, he will be nursed by wannabe-PM Muhyiddin and Hishamuddin until he assumes the No 1 political position in Malaysia in accordance with UMNO’s 2nd Da Vinci code, namely the M-A-H-A-T-H-I-R code-legend, not unlike the now fulfilled R-A-H-M-A-N code-legend.

So the M-A-H-A-T-H-I-R code-legend will supposedly see the following PMs after Najib:

1 - Muhyiddin
2 - Ali Rustam - maybe, otherwise how the heck will we be able to satisfy the ‘A’, unless we insert Anwar here, wakakaka
3 - Hishamuddin
4 - A ….. dei, wait a minute, where’s the required ‘M’ for Mukhriz?

So maybe he is not destined to be a PM unless we revert to a second round of the R-A-H-M-A-N legend, so that, after Najib, we have as PM:

1 - Rustam - f* Muhyiddin, after all, if Ali Rustam was not deliberately sidelined in a pre-2008 party elections on cause of money politics, he would have become the DPM in 2008
2 - A = ??? Again, this ‘A’ is a bit of a buggeration. I am sure many in PKR believe it’s for Anwar wakakaka – maybe we can make Ali Rustam fill this slot again, wakakaka
3 - Hishamuddin
4 - Mukhriz
Etc etc

I’ve attempted toying with the R-A-Z-A-K code but I couldn’t fit dear Mukhriz in – mind you, it'll make most patriotic subsurface-mariner Zahid Hamidi smile.

But I think a better bet for Mukhriz is to go for MB, to accrue experience and stature so that by the time he’s 50 to 55 he will be ready for federal politics and the premiership, …

… in the way RPK has proposed for Nurul Izzah, with a stint as DCM Penang, but not Selangor because Khalid Ibrahim claimed in 2008 that Selangor doesn’t need a deputy MB, principally because he didn’t want to offend PAS or HRH by having C-cube* Teresa Kok as deputy MB. So, logically, if Teresa could not, how could Nurul? Mind, there's mucho double standards and no assured logic in Malaysian politics.

* C-cube = Christian, Chinese, Charbor (female)

Besides, we know UMNO is currently not doing well at federal level so perhaps a managed hiatus in federal politics for Mukhriz may not be ill conceived.

Mind you, just prior to the 2008 GE, Mukhriz had wanted to represent Langkawi but was rejected by 85 out of 91 UMNO branches in Langkawi,even though Dr M was the man who did all he could for Langkawi and broke the 7-generation curse of Mahsuri for the Island.

But of course at that time, AAB and his 4th Floor Boys had their knives in Dr M, so per the renowned ‘loyalty’ of UMNO members, their loyalty went to ‘Siapa Raja’ and not who did what for them wakakaka. As Dr M himself often lamented, Melayu mudah lupa.

So poor Mukhriz stood in Jerlun which had been a very marginal seat for UMNO. He scrapped through.

But now no worries because AAB is out and Daddy is again back in vogue as the party darling, so it’s virtually guaranteed Mukhriz will be supported by 101% of any UMNO state constituency in Kedah. He will also, like Dad when he was PM, receive garlands as big as the Garden of Eden wakakaka.

Currently, given SAMM’s outrage and consequentially promised campaign against the current PAS MB, Azizan Abu Bakar, for his treacherous non-party line support of UUCA, and Chinese Kedahans’ dislike for same MB, there is a possibility that PAS may be voted out to an extent it loses majority rule in Kedah – for more, read Another Hasan Ali.

So if UMNO (forget about MCA and Gerakan, but don’t leave out MIC wakakaka) wins back Kedah, Mukhriz Mahathir could well be the next MB of Kedah.

A Hindu view - Rama from Buddha, or Buddha from Rama?

Uthaya Sankar SB wrote an interesting article about the Ramayana in Free Malaysia Today titled Ramayana: Valmiki vs Hanuman, and in Bahasa too.


I enjoyed reading it but I need to correct him on one point, to wit, the 2nd of the following 2 paragraphs:

Sesungguhnya, Ramayana adalah epik India yang tersebar luas ke seluruh dunia, khususnya sebagai tindak balas terhadap penyebaran agama Buddha secara meluas semasa pemerintahan Asoka di India.

Apa yang menarik, penganut ajaran Buddha pula membuat sedikit pengubah suaian dan mengatakan bahawa Rama adalah inkarnasi Siddharta Gautama Buddha.

Uthaya Sankar has been completely incorrect in the above 2nd paragraph, that Buddhists claimed Rama was a reincarnation of the Buddha. One only needs to read numerous credible books on this issue and find it’s actually the other way around, of Hindus claiming that Buddha was an avatar of Vishnu (born as mortal Rama to destroy Ravana).

Besides, Buddhists have never associated nor linked their religious beliefs with/to Hinduism, whether of the Ramayana, Mahabharata or whatever version - Buddhist beliefs do not ever place reliance on God or Gods, as Hinduism does.

At that time, Buddhism was sweeping India (as aknowledged by Uthaya Sankar) where multitudes of Hindus were converting across to a caste-less, gentle and compassionate religion, as they would centuries later to an also caste-less Islam.

The Hindu clerics were sh*t scared (not unlike UMNO leaders today, wakakaka) of a tired but very caste-conscious Hinduism losing most of its adherents, so they preached falsely that Buddha was only an avatar of Vishnu, implying Hinduism still was THE only religion and Buddhism only a subset of it. And they succeeded in stemming the tide of Buddhist convertees.

UMNO fears DAP beachhead

Lim Guan Eng and his Penang government, and not Khalid Ibrahim and the Selangor government, represent the greatest threat to Najib and UMNO, and therefore every attempt must be launched to destroy it, impossible as this task may seem.

In the immortal words of Cato the Elder, a Roman statesman, "Ceterum autem censeo, Carthaginem esse delendam" (Furthermore, I think Carthage must be destroyed).

Thus, to UMNO, in similar thinking, DAP in Penang must be destroyed ........ well, as much as is practically possible, given that an overwhelming majority of Penangites has rejected Gerakan and MCA parties as their political representatives.

Hence we have witnessed the relentless waves of terrible fabrications against Lim’s government in general, and Lim GE in particular, even down to the shameful sleazy salacious lies about his teenage son. Those fabricators surely threw their religious God-fearing beliefs and values out of the windows.

It has been anti-DAP carpet bombing all the way by both UMNO apparatus and affiliated bloggers (either sympathizing with UMNO or just being anti-DAP).

They have used not C4 but 'C3', namely, the alleged evils of Lim GE’s Christianity, Chinese ethnicity and Charborkooi (devil women) DAP colleagues, where the lies cover:

(a) Lim's alleged Christian evangelism and proselytizing,

(b) Lim's alleged ultra Chinese ethnicity, thus making him anti-Melayu in his governing of Penang, and depriving Penang Malays of their due rights and privileges, and

(c) by some bloggers spreading the net around the DAP wider than just Penang for the 3rd ‘C’, Charborkooi-ism, namely, the alleged evil DAP woman MPs & ADUNs in such personalities as Teo Nie Ching, Hannah Yeo, Teresa Kok, etc (who the bloggers take pains to point out, are not only Chinese Charborkoois but also the dreaded Christian evangelists).

But why has there been such an identification of the Penang’s DAP as its principal foe and the unprincipled, unceasing, unscrupulous campaign of lies against a political party which UMNO once sneeringly dismissed as a kutu irritant and only a MCA/Gerakan’s problem?

Is it because Lim’s Pakatan government in Penang is Chinese dominated? Or, has it been Lim’s C.A.T policy that’s embarrassing UMNO? Or, has either Koh TK or CSL, or both, been crying on Najib’s shoulders until the BN Chairman has to resort to the campaign to spare his shirt from those wet hot tears (and yucky, the discharges from runny noses, wakakaka)?

No, but I reckon it’s DAP’s beachhead in the heartland that’s terrifying UMNO.

Aspan Alias, Mohd Ariff Sabri (Sakmongkol AK47) and Hata Wahari have joined party VP Tunku Abdul Aziz and many other Malays in the DAP.

The three new DAP members are high profile political/journalist personalities once affiliated with UMNO, where all are formidable communicators with the last being a former Utusan Malaysia journalist. This constitutes a DAP's Normandy-like beachhead not just in UMNO's membership, but more terrifying for UMNO, the heartland.

Recently, a pro Pakatan (PKR?) blogger lamented on why Hata Wahari opted for DAP instead of PKR, but 'twas a rhetorical question it seemed because the same blogger evoked the possibility of Hata being put off by the PKR marginalization of Zaid Ibrahim. As Zaid had openly mulled prior to his decision, he did consider DAP but alas for him, opted for PKR instead.

But that Hata Wahari, a former Utusan Malaysia journalist and the former president of the National Union of Jorunalists (NUJ), has joined DAP has sent chills down UMNO’s corporate spine. Hata’s decision will be a force multiplier for DAP’s voice of C.A.T and good governance in the heartland.

And to prove this point, Aspan Alias has just penned Nak tengok Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah? ... ada di Pulau Pinang — Aspan Alias in The Malaysian Insider, where he wrote (extracts):

Kerajaan PR yang di tunjangi oleh DAP telah berjaya melaksanakan slogan Bersih Cekap dan Amanah anjuran Dr Mahathir itu. Walaupun kerajaan tunjangan DAP itu baru menghampiri empat tahun sahaja banyak dari apa yang dimaksudkan oleh slogan Bersih Cekap dan Amanah itu telah dapat dilaksanakan dengan sepenuhnya.

DAP tidak pandai untuk mewujudkan retorik dan slogan besar tetapi parti ini pandai untuk mencapai matlamat kepimpinannya iaitu pentadbiran yang Bersih Cekap dan Beramanah.

Bersih Cekap dan Amanah yang di wujudkan oleh Dr Mahathir ini di amalkan oleh DAP kerana DAP mengikut formulanya dengan betul.

Seperti kita menjawab soalan ilmu hisab kita mesti mengikut formula ilmu hisab itu. Jika kita hanya menghafal formula tersebut tetapi tidak mengikut formulanya dengan terperinci kita tidak akan mendapat jawapannya dengan betul dan tepat. Itulah sebabnya Umno tidak berjaya mendapatkan jawapan kepada soalan-soalan penting dengan betul kerana tidak mengikut formula yang mereka wujudkan sendiri itu.

Wakakaka, after rubbing UMNO’s nose into the ground about the DAP-led government of Penang successfully implementing Dr M’s concept of Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah after a mere 4 years, whereas UMNO only mouthed them (NATO – no action, talk only) for 30+ years, Aspan continued:

Kerajaan Pulau Pinang telah diperakukan oleh badan-badan penilaian antarabangsa sebagai sebuah negeri yang paling bersih dan beretika kepimpinannya. Pandangan ini bukan diberikan oleh saya atau sesiapa dalam PR tetapi oleh badan-badan penilaian antarabangsa yang terkenal di peringkat antarabangsa.

Banyak lagi yang dicapai oleh pentadbiran Lim Guan Eng tetapi satu soalan yang mesti diketahui umum kenapa PR Pulau Pinang berjaya melakukan segala-galanya ini.

Apa yang berjaya dilakukan oleh Lim Guan Eng ini jugalah janji-janji Umno sejak 30 tahun yang lalu tetapi tidak juga kunjung Berjaya.

Apabila PR Pulau Pinang berjaya melakukannya dalam tempoh kurang dari empat tahun ia tidak menyenangkan Umno pula. Daripada berlumba-lumba untuk menjadikan kejayaan kerajaan Pulau Pinang sebagai contoh yang patut diikuti, Umno dan BN mengambil sikap menafikan kenyataan yang jelas tentang kejayaan PR DAP itu.

And that’s why the DAP's beachhead in the heartland must be destroyed before it makes further inroads in making the rakyat realize that DAP is truly a multiracial party which can deliver its promises in a C.A.T fashion, and thus successfully secures the invasion of good governance.

Thus, to UMNO’s thinking, "Ceterum autem censeo, Carthaginem esse delendam" (Furthermore, I think Carthage must be destroyed) where it sees DAP as Carthage.

Hear, See and Say No Evil

Malaysiakini's article 'Anything But Umno' rally disrupted, one injured reported:

According to Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) executive director E Nalini (right), the ceramah was disrupted by several youths sporting T-shirts with BN and Umno logos.

"The ceramah was to start about 9pm last night. As we were driving to the hall, there were about six or seven men beating up a boy with sticks," said Nalini.

This was confirmed by ABU coordinator Haris Ibrahim, who added that one young man was taken to the hospital.

But Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah refuted the allegations that a person was injured.

"Where got? Who told you?"

Someone replied: "Ananthan Kugan!"

"Hah, only one! Unreliable lah. It's just his words!"

"There was also Francis Udayappan."

"Err ... you bullshitting me? It's an offence to tell lies to the police. What's your name?"

"Teoh."

"Teoh what?"

"Beng Hock! And I was also accompanied by Aminulrasyid Amzah, Johari Abu Bakar and Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed."


Anyway, Gong Xi Fa Cai

AG's Appeal - "black as hell, dark as night"?

RPK borrowed and paraphrased the opening phrase of a soliloquy in Shakespeare's Hamlet for the title of his latest post in his Corridors of Power column.

In To file or not to file, that’s the question, he reckoned the AG’s appeal against the dismissal of charges in the infamous Sodomy II case has to do with Najib’s kowtowing to pressure from UMNO hardliners to ensure his own survival as UMNO president.

Pakatan has obviously picked up on that suspicion, as reflected in The Malaysian Insider’s Najib ceding to Umno hawks over court appeals, says Pakatan.

I am not too sure about that, based on what I posted last week, namely Najib + Anwar versus Dr M?, where I referred to the writings of 3 other bloggers, namely RPK (quoting Haris Ibrahim), Mohd Arshad Raji and the blogger of Corrupted Barisan Nasional website.

Though the last two are pro Pakatan bloggers, the message in each either hinted or alluded to a deal done between Najib and Anwar Ibrahim which resulted in his Sodomy II charges being dismissed by the court.

The alleged deal was supposed to shore up Najib’s position in UMNO, specifically against Dr M's moves, which led the 3rd blogger to write:

The acquittal surprises many people – from opposition parties, Najib administration, former premier Mahathir and even Anwar himself.

But was Anwar really surprised with the verdict? For a person who was about 90% to be sent behind bars for the second time for the same sodomy charge, Anwar doesn’t seems to be the happiest person in comparison to his wife, daughters, the thousands cheering crowds and his buddies from the opposition parties.

But the question I have been asking has been: OK, if there is a deal, how in the world is Najib going to ensure Anwar fulfil his part of the alleged ‘deal’ once he’s released?

Mind you, just extending from that idle pondering, I wonder whether RPK and Pakatan might both be wrong to suggest that Najib had surrendered grounds to the ultras by allowing the Ag to appeal and continue with the mockery of the scandalous case.

Thus when I read Malaysiakini’s Anwar's sodomy acquittal a Pyrrhic victory, I wonder whether the ‘appeal’ has been to serve as a ‘Sword of Damocles’ over Anwar's head?

I know my God-fearing MBS headmaster used to tell me (reinforced forcefully with six strokes of his cane) that ‘idleness is evil’, but I still couldn’t but help having idle thoughts, that if Najib were to win big in GE-13, then the ‘Sword’ will be removed.

Perhaps Hamlet’s immortal words may not be the appropriate quotation for RPK to use, but rather the last two lines of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 147:

For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright,
Who art as black as hell, as dark as night

... where, incidentally, it can also apply to the 3rd blogger’s claim in his post Anwar’s Acquittal – What Are The Hidden Messages? that ‘Big Mama’ was actually the one who prompted Najib into this action, wakakaka.

Another Hasan Ali?

Earlier this month I posted Apple of discord by a rotten apple, referring to Hasan Ali for char-koay-teow-ing issues among Pakatan partners.

What had chagrined many Pakatan members and supporters had been the (then) Kemo Sabe deliberately stirring up things among Pakatan allies, in what they suspected was an UMNO plot to break up the principal threat to UMNO, with Hasan Ali as its more-than-willing agent provocateur.

I remarked then that unless PAS got rid of the enemy within, there should be exceptions to the ABU policy promoted by Brother Haris Ibrahim, as I considered Hasan Ali (had he remained in PAS, and thus the Pakatan he disliked) a far greater evil than an UMNO candidate.

He was poison.

But thank goodness PAS finally sacked him, much as I understand the party leadership was reluctant to do so because Hasan Ali has strong support from the hard line conservative (ulama) faction, many of whom still preferring the so-called ‘Malay unity’ with UMNO than an alliance with secular parties like DAP.

In that post Kemo Sabe, I mentioned " ... the Weltanschauung or worldview of many (though not all) PAS members is more about Malay interests rather than Islam’s per se, and PAS is a Malay (rather than Islamic) political party. Thus we shouldn't be surprised by people like Dr Hasan Ali."

"Even a certain remarkable Mufti (who cowardly put the blame for his seditious act on a woman when push came to shove) argued that “the Malays are special because they are related to Islam, unlike the Arabs even though Prophet Muhammad was descended among them” and “We must defend our [Malay] race” (rather than Islam). So much for a Mufti!"

You would imagine with Hasan Ali’s expulsion, we needn’t be concerned with question of exceptions to the ABU policy, but alas, life, especially political ones, isn’t meant to be easy.

We now have grave concerns with PAS’ Azizan Abu Bakar, the MB of Kedah, because of his stand on the University and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA), which is completely at odds with Pakatan policy - read Malaysiakini's We will reject you, students warn Kedah MB. where he has infuriated university students because he supported the suspension of 5 students for demonstrations, as the UUCA legislation allows.

Consider the following - Pakatan has promised to repeal the UUCA, PAS is a member of Pakatan, PAS is the principal Pakatan partner in Kedah, but its MB, PAS’ Azizan Abu Bakar supports the usage of the UMNO-legislated UUCA in the suspension of the five Kolej Universiti Insaniah (KUIN) students in his capacity as chairperson of the board of directors of the state-owned KUIN. WTF!

Unfortunately Azizan Abu Bakar has not been the cooperative member of Pakatan since PAS came into power in Kedah in 2008, going on his lonesome ways with his narrow-based conservative attitude which had at times jeopardized the interests of non-Malay Kedahans or that of another Pakatan-ruled State, like proposed logging in the water catchment areas in Kedah, from which Penang depends on its water supply.

While the water issue was a mere drop in the Pakatan scheme of things, his support of the UMNO’s oppressive legislation on university students’ activities, and thus the very freedom of expressions, is diametrically opposed to Pakatan policies. He is just another Hasan Ali!

Given the above, I am not sure about giving unconditional support to ABU, nor should Kedahans.

Sorrowful separation

No politics today so something light for you at my other blog KTemoc Kongsamkok – see Bananas - the story, schooling, school sweetheart & sorrowful separation.

Parts of this post at KTemoc Kongsamkok appeared previously in two separate posts here, Ktemoc Konsiders, but I have included additional episodes of my experience. Also, in keeping with the fun and nostalgic story telling theme of KTemock Kongsamkok, I’ve deleted from the contents of the two earlier posts most of the political aspects as well as specific references to certain people in the socio-political blogging world, wakakaka.

Tri-Ancaman

Many people have been concerned with PM Najib’s refusal to answer a question when he was at the Selangor Club recently. Najib went there to give a talk where he made a moving speech about Selangor Club being the birthplace of Malaysia, his father’s role … yadda yadda yadda …

Alas, for poor Najib, at the end of the speech he was ambushed by someone who asked him whether he (Najib) would ensure a peaceful handover if Pakatan wins majority rule in the next general election. Najib just walked away.

Personally, I thought the question was highly politicized and rather impolite, given the occasion of Najib's visit. Though we may want to see the downfall of the UMNO government, we normally don’t insult a guest of honour by telling him he’ll be a loser, and then to add insult to injury, ask him how he will receive the incoming government, wakakaka.

As Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV) tells us "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven".

But of course Najib could have, with a smile, said "yes, because Malaysia is a democracy", which would have quelled any subsequent concern. He didn’t.

Perhaps he was so outraged by the imprudent, impertinent and insolent question, given he was the guest of honour of the club, that he refused to entertain the question.

Or was he?

There have been suggestions that Najb’s subconscious (about what?) blockaded any answer from him, ironically implying Najib was being truthful (in refusing to make a diplomatic lie), wakakaka.

So, was Najib angry or truthful?

If the latter, then our grave concerns would be justified, especially if we remember that he had vowed to ‘defend’ Putrajaya to the ‘last stand’.

Shades of May 13, that sure as hell doesn’t sound reassuring for our peace of mind.

One of the fears that we have been harbouring since UMNO has been put on the back foot (of losing), has been the possibility of the losers resorting to undemocratic means. Their sinister motivation would be more of a compelling imperative to avoid legal prosecution rather than continue the looting.

The stories of post-WWII revenge killing of Japanese collaborators, in both Malaya and elsewhere, have been horrifying, and thus the consequences of revenge 'legal' prosecutions can be equally intimidatingly scarey to those guilty - the more guilty they are, the more they'll be quaking in their Testoni's and Berluti's, the more they are likely to resort to whatever means to avoid prosecution.

And we need importantly to bear in mind that in the ‘losers’ camp’ will also be some senior members of the police, civil service, etc, and god forbid, the military. And wasn't it Armed Forces chief General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, who in August last year described four servicemen who confessed to marking thousands of postal votes in three separate general elections between 1978 and 1999 at army and air force bases across the country, as traitors for whistle-blowing (revealing all)?

Back in 1969, after May 13 Tun Razak considered imposing military rule, but he was advised by the Army Chief, General Hamid, not to do so because, in Hamid’s words, he (Razak) won’t be able to get back control of the land once the military was allowed to take over – such was the scrupulous and sterling apolitical quality and professionalism of our military senior officers in those days, when by lamentable contrast, the above mentioned Armed Forces chief had been disgracefully political and politicized.

But then, we have the abysmal example of the current Minister of Defence who has politicized the military through overt declaration of using the military against civil activities of the federal opposition – does that idiot know the roles of the army in peace time vis-à-vis internal/civilian affairs?

How we have allowed our civil and military servants to become so pathetic and unprofessional in their character, values and bahaviour!

But the above threat is only one of possible 3 confronting our nation. I wish to share my thoughts with you on the other two threats.

There has been an awakening of nationalism in Sabah and Sarawak that bodes no good for the continuing cohesion of Malaysia. Many are the people of the two Eastern States who are pissed off with Putrajaya for their treatment by a succession of patronizing and condescending PMs who viewed both States as only equal or even lesser to one of the 11 in Peninsula, when the constitutional fact of Malaysia has been one of a merger of Malaya (or the Peninsula), Sabah and Sarawak (and previously Singapore), and not of 14 states.

Thus, rightfully Sabah or Sarawak each should have status and the associated allocations & developments on at least a pro rata quantum to that for the entire Peninsula, but alas, these were not provided. Mind, Putrajaya has been concentrating most developments in its favourite Klang Valley, with some feeble efforts in recent times in the Johor Iskandar zone, so other Peninsula states especially those governed by Pakatan (Kelantan and Penang) have also been marginalised.

That an expelled Singapore (from Malaysia) is now doing great guns on its own has added to the 2 Eastern States’ chagrin in their perspective that “there, but for the curse of Syaitan, could have been us”, where 'Syaitan' of course is Putrajaya.

Putrajaya (and its predecessors) hasn’t helped ameliorate, but instead aggravated, the current mood in Sabah and Sarawak by its arrogance, deprivation of correct development funding for those two States, corruption, fostering of unpopular and corrupt local politicians who have misappropriated native lands and raped other resources, and the scandalous, insidious & treasonous socio-political engineering in Sabah. Today the two States are still relatively undeveloped, and their natives have hardly enjoyed the benefits of being bumiputeras.

Even though secession is prohibited by the Constitution, someone (obviously from one of the two States) wrote recently in Free Malaysia Today that since the federal government hasn’t abided strictly by the Merger Agreement, then both Sabah and Sarawak have equal rights not to abide by the constitutional prohibition of secession. Tit for tat!

Thus, the second threat to the nation is the potential for secession by the two Eastern States. It would hardly be surprising if that is the mood of the majority in Sabah and Sarawak who have felt they have been both cheated and marginalised by the federal government. They are very desirous of at least automony if not secession, to take charge of their own destiny (and wealth) as they can no longer trust nor want federal politicians to look after those for them. This may upset someone who hates the red dot in the south but the reality is that the Sabahans and Sarawakians want their respective States to be like prosperous and independent Singapore.

It's important that Pakatan takes note of the Sabahans' and Sarawakians' burning nationalistic aspirations, and try their utmost to accommodate their needs short of agreeing to secession, though I doubt this consideration will ever penetrate the skulls of leaders of one component party in Pakatan.

But we also need to be aware that two autonomous states separated from Peninsula by the vast water body of the South China Sea will be as good as two de facto secessions. Who do we blame for us arriving at this sad state? And my uncles in particular will be most upset, having served there in the military (with blood, toil, tears & sweat) during Konfrontasi and the communist insurgency.

We need to note that the world has witnessed several secessions in recent times in the former USSR, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Indonesia (East Timor), where some were peacefully achieved whilst others were blood-stained.

There are still threats of secessions from the people of the Canadian state of Quebec and Scotland (from Britain).

Should my fears be realized, I dread to see global intrusive interference in our national affairs, as was evident in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan. However, if Najib plays footsie-tootsies with the West, as have the brutal Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen and the despotic King of Bahrain, then he will at least avoid the fate of Gaddafi, such would be the prostitution of democracy and freedom by the West, especially the USA.

Tri-Ancamam

(image borrowed from artist neonkitty9)

I have already mentioned the third threat in previous posts, but there is no harm including a brief reminder here.

Should Pakatan win majority rule in the next election and form government (assuming the first threat mentioned above doesn’t eventuate), and PAS decide that hudud shall be implemented regardless, then its ‘regardless’ will likely see it form an Islamic (unity) bloc with a by-then self serving UMNO and some elements in PKR, to by-pass DAP's objections in its implementation of its highest religious aspiration. And the DAP will be then become the opposition in like-fashion to Pairin's PBS in Sabah in 1994, courtesy of then-UMNO-DPM Anwar Ibrahim.

Obviously the last threat will be mainly the concerns of the non-Muslims. I qualify the preceding sentence with ‘mainly’ because there are some Muslims who will be equally concerned as well.