Political snippets (9)

Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online

Case I

18 months ago I posted that the end was nigh for poor Kayveas in PPP - end of the road?

But I was wrong - the bloke is back to defend his Taiping seat

Mind you, I think his fortuitous outcome has been in large part due to the BN coming under siege since the Lingam videotape emerged, which was then followed by a series of other embarrassments, internal BN bickering and seats squabbling. The Coalition just couldn’t afford the additional problem of a Kayveas going berserk if they were to chuck him out of Taiping.

Then to his credit, it has to be said that notwithstanding some embarrassing thick skin behavior, Kayveas has screamed, raved, ranted, merajuk, rolled on ground drumming the floor with both legs, flailed his arms wildly until he got what he wanted. To AAB, Kayveas has been like the Old Man of the Sea – someone that couldn’t be shaken off from the PM’s shoulders ;-)

But Malaysiakini in its report Taiping: Game of high stakes warned that this election spells a do-or-die for the PPP. It stated:

PPP's sole parliamentarian, M Kayveas is facing a 'must-win' situation to ensure that the party is represented in Parliament. A lost would also spell doom for the PPP as they may not be given another seat to contest in the future, coupled with the party losing a deputy ministership in the government.

The Taiping federal parliamentary constituency has 65,455 voters comprising roughly 50% Chinese, 32% Malays and 13% Indians. In the last election, Kayveas slipped through mainly because of a 3-corner fight. He beat the DAP candidate by just 2,172 votes.

This time he has three problems. Firstly, it won’t be a 3-corner fight following the DAP-PKR seat negotiations. However, I am sure how this would translate out for the DAP as there's no guarantee that PKR voters would automatically cast their votes for another opposition party.

Unlike the DAP, PKR has been known not to be very cooperative or sincere in helping the DAP, as was observed in the two parties' contrasting input in Machap and Ijok. But still, I believe the DAP should benefit somewhat from the straight fight with the PPP.

Secondly and more importantly, Kayveas is unlikely to have the support of the Gerakan members this time – they’re pissed off with him for hanging on to what they consider as their very own seat, Taiping!

If you remember, in the last election, during the campaign Kayveas did his usual screaming and kicking about not receiving any help from the other BN component parties, which got the PM, the Perak MB and an annoyed Lim KY to his support; I suspect he won’t get any more response.

Lastly, of course the 2008 voters aren't so pro BN as they had been in 2004.

I think it’s really adios muchachos for amigo Kayveas. He should have accepted an ambassador post; he won’t get it if he loses because the BN will flick him off into oblivion.

Case II

PAS brought up a good point in Malaysiakini’s Why is IGP in BN manifesto?

The BN manifesto on ‘Law and Order’ shows a photo of AAB and the IGP together.Remember this is a political (not government) manifesto so WTF was the IGP doing in that photo?

malaysiakini photo

PAS asked: "Has Musa given his approval to be a model gracing the BN manifesto or what? PAS is of the view that the use of the Inspector-General of Police’ photo is misusing the image of the civil service for a political campaign. Is BN hoping the postal votes of police personnel and officers will be cast for the coalition if it uses the face of the IGP?"

I am not surprised because I recall the former IGP (not the current one, but WTF would be the diferrence anyway!) had threatened UMNO MPs that if they supported the IPCMC the police couldn’t ensure they win the next election (this one) .

Case III

Meanwhile Ong KT advised the voters in Lobak, Negri Sembilan, to reject opposition dirty tricks.

Ong said voters need not feel threatened by the DAP nor bow to the opposition party’s pressure.

Ha ha ha ha ha, MCA accusing the DAP of being threatening – this is hilarious.

He then said the DAP is full of dirty tricks since they lacked ideas.

MCA accusing the DAP of dirty tricks - woi, Chua Soi Lek, did you hear this - ke ke ke ke ke – best laugh of the campaign thus far.

Oh, Ong KT, have a read of the following:

(1) Rocket posters torn down in Bukit Bendera
(2) PKR alleges BN hooliganism in Rembau

Political snippets (8)

Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online

Case I

Malaysiakini published this article about a MIC warning to the Indian community: If you don't vote MIC, 'prepare to pay price'!

The report said: MIC, part of the BN coalition, took out full-page newspaper ads which said Indians' prospects would "disintegrate" if they deserted the government.

"If you don't vote for MIC, then be prepared to pay the price," it said in bold red letters, urging Indians not to cast a protest vote for PAS, which rules impoverished Kelantan.

malaysiakini image

KNN! So fierce lah!

Apparently the message is supposed to win back the support of the Indian community, but the MIC has a funny way of wooing back people who have been and still are thoroughly disgusted with the do-nothing MIC leaders.

Regrettably MIC leaders tend to take their supporters for granted.

Mind you, a man I know has an unfortunate (bigoted) view of Indians. He said that they will still flock to Humpty Dumpty and the MIC despite being kicked and slapped around by those jokers.

I pray the Indians will show their H-powered resolve and dignity, and not let those MIC leaders intimidate them with a disgusting disrespectful disdainful threat.


Case II

Premesh Chandran of Malaysiakini wrote a piece on the 2008 Election in Umno may lose up to 10 seats.

I have just extracted the portion on how our Indian brethren can possibly affect the results, which read:

Umno may also lose seats with a heavy Indian voting base if the swing among Indian voters is larger than expected.

These include Bagan Serai (majority 5,614, Indian voters: 10.4%) and Bagan Datok (majority 12,539, Indian voters: 22.6%) in Perak, Tanjong Karang (majority 9,008: Indian voters: 11.1%), Kuala Selangor (majority 13,662, Indian voters: 23.3%) in Selangor, and Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur (majority 15,288, Indian voters: 18.2%).

3 of these seats (in yellow highlights) are contested by PKR, with Lembah Pantai being naturally the high profile electoral constituency. If the Indian voters all turned against Minister Shahrizat, Anwar Ibrahim's daughter will be transported into Parliament on Hindraf power. Some may even comment on the irony of that.

But I wonder whether the walkout of PKR by Nallakarupan and several hundreds of former PKR Indian members would have an adverse effect on those PKR candidates’ chances. I heard Nalla has promised to campaign for the BN, which is the same as saying campaigning against PKR.

Well, if the fallout with Nalla has an unfavourable effect, then that’s something for Anwar Ibrahim to reflect upon after the election.


Case III

From the Star Online - Yen Yen: MCA way ahead on matchmaking in response to PAS manifesto for Kelantan which also promised matchmaking services for older women and the appointment of women as village heads.

Wanita MCA chief Dr Ng Yen Yen, herself a nya Ke-lare-tnare, said the BN had already done all the things promised by PAS in its manifesto.

She declared: “We’ve had women as village heads for a long time under the Barisan Nasional government. As for matchmaking, the MCA’s Cupid Club has been working on this since 2000. PAS’ proposals are nothing fantastic.”

Wow, riveting issues for our general election … ha ha ha!

Perpetrators of colonialism, apartheid, occupation

UN report says Israeli occupation causes terror:

GENEVA - A report commissioned by the United Nations says Palestinian terrorism is the "inevitable consequence" of Israeli occupation — a claim Israel rejected Tuesday as inflammatory.

The report — posted on the UN Human Rights Council's Web site — says that while Palestinian terrorist acts are deplorable, "they must be understood as being a painful but inevitable consequence of colonialism, apartheid or occupation."

The report accuses the Jewish state of acts and policies consistent with all three.

As long as there is occupation, there will be terrorism, says the author, John Dugard, an independent investigator on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a South African lawyer who campaigned against apartheid in the 1980s.

Dugard says in the report that "common sense ... dictates that a distinction must be drawn between acts of mindless terror, such as acts committed by al-Qaida, and acts committed in the course of a war of national liberation against colonialism, apartheid or military occupation."

The report calls for an end to the Israeli occupation, citing the country's checkpoints and roadblocks restricting Palestinian movement, house demolitions and the "Judaization" of Jerusalem.

Until the occupation is ended, "peace cannot be expected, and violence will continue," the report says.

Israel's UN ambassador in Geneva rejected Dugard's analysis.

The 25-page report will be presented next month to the 47-nation rights council.

Dugard was appointed in 2001 as an unpaid expert to investigate only violations by the Israeli side.

Israel refused to allow Dugard to conduct a UN-mandated fact-finding mission on its Gaza offensive in 2006.

kaytee's comments to the Europeans: Your Holocaust guilt slate has been wiped clean by the Israeli Nazi-like conduct and atrocities.

Political snippets (7)

Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online

Case I

Four days ago sweetie Joceline Tan, my favourite Star writer (tell you more soon why she’s the favourite), wrote Koh shows he is in charge now.

It’s precisely these sorts of spin that make sweetie JT my ‘favourite’ target for tearing apart ;-), though I would be distressed if someone hurled abusive terms at her (the last one was a nasty female ‘haram’ critter). Let’s criticise without being abusive.

JT wrote of the Gerakan Party’s pre-election strategic meeting that “Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu not only had the list of his party’s election candidates in hand but he had also asserted his will over the Penang chief minister issue.”

Raja Bodek “asserted his will over …” ha ha ha ha ha to the nth power.

C’mon sweetie Joceline, you know as well as everyone does that he lacks marbles, so you shouldn't overspin – a bit is OK but leave some room for credibility lah. You lost it completely on that line. This is a bloke who would even wave a giant keris on Hishamuddin's instructions at a time when the Chinese were incensed by those Hang Tuah wannabes and their pseudo Taming Sari . What a cringing cowardly cur!

Then, this one was just as equally unbelievable:

"By cancelling out Chia, Dr Koh has not only shown that he is now in charge in Gerakan, he is also sending out a signal that he intends to step out of the domineering shadow of Dr Lim."

If you don’t stop doing that, sweetie JT, I am going to get Wong Chun Wai to assign you to writing fairy tales only ;-)


Case II

Now read this one from Malaysiakini by Bridget Welsh, an assistant professor in Southeast Asian studies at John Hopkins University-SAIS, Washington DC. She is following the 2008 Election campaign trail in a number of states.

Welsh wrote High stakes in Penang that Raja Bodek “…faces the formidable opponent of Professor Dr P Ramasamy, who has galvanised the Indian community in this constituency, where the MIC is divided by infighting and the visit by party chief S Samy Vellu with police protection has served to further alienate Indian supporters from the BN.”

“To date, the BN’s campaign in Penang has called into question its multi-ethnic representativeness. The failure of Gerakan to offer an Indian candidate in this state has created the impression that this party is not multi-racial.”

Some of those who posted comments at my blog here have also remarked that the Gerakan has no single Indian candidate for all the multiracial bull it claims to represent. Yes, it will throw a Senate seat after the elections to one of its so-called Indian VP, but the sad fact is Gerakan is … well ... a sad case.

Imagine, from the hey days of its glorious Genesis with giants like Professor Syed Hussain Alatas, Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon (once Malaysia’s Mr Opposition), Dr. J.B.A. Peter, internationally renowned Professor Wang Gungwu, V. Veerapan, and even Dr Lim Chong Eu, the man who took Gerakan into the BN in 1972 because he was worried about Tun Razak marginalising an opposition ruled Penang, to what it is today, principally a Chinese party with Raja Bodek as its head – from glory to grubby.

As I left a comment at Lim Kit Siang’s blog, the Gerakan Party exists today only as an UMNO tool to frustrate and neutralize MCA from reclaiming Penang. The current status quo leaves an UMNO man as Penang’s de facto Chief Minister.

But why are its Indian members still loitering in marginalised humiliation in the party?


Case III

In the Star, the headline shamelessly said Samy: Indians can count on MIC. The following is a sample of the interview with Humpty Dumpty:

Q: There is talk that Indian voters are unhappy with you and the MIC, not the Government. Indians have also staged demonstrations to voice their resentment. What's your view on this?

A: Certain sections of the Indian community are angry, not because we didn't raise or ask for solutions to their plight. Their anger is due to inadequacy: when 50 people apply for a (government) job, and if only one gets the job, it is not only they that get angry. Even I get disappointed. I have fought for this many times in the Cabinet and we have achieved some degree of success.

So my dear Aneh, if you asked for 50 jobs and you received only one, what did you do then? OK, you became angry, but what else?

Eeleh lah!

Gerakan Party reinventing, Anwar Ibrahim reinvented

So, according to Malaysiakini, Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to end race-based discrimination policies in Malaysia, making it one of the major planks of his party's manifesto for the 2008 Election.

He said: "The New Economic Policy has been abused to enrich the family of Umno leaders and their cronies." Hmmm, I wonder which family had benefitted?

Then the world's greatest political reformer said: "If you really want to deal with the issue of poverty, why can't we just say we have an affirmative action policy helping the poor and the marginalised. It should not be racially based."

Wasn't this the same guy who told Hindraf off not to touch Article 153 of the Malaysian Constitution, the very Article which legalises race based (so-called) affirmative actions? I suppose he is in 'continuous self-evolution'.

Please read:
1) Anwar Ibrahim, Article 153 & Hindraf
2) Is Anwar Ibrahim backtracking on his policy on NEP?

And you anwaristas asked me why I don't trust Anwar - ha ha ha!

Fellow blogger xypre of Reduced and Recycled blog, said of my concerns and queries about Anwar telling Hindraf to lay off Article 153:

In this I agree. When I read what DSAI said in Malaysiakini, I had the sudden urge to tell him off. What more balanced and rational means? Through the castrated political process? Through an ambiguous opposition coalition? Through the intervention of MIC?

Just what balanced and reasonable way of doing things? Indians are, if DSAI doesn't get it, damn angry.

As for 'continuous self evolution' please read what Baradan Kuppusamy (who normally writes for Malaysiakini) wrote in his article in the Star Online titled Anwar reinvents himself again.

Note the emphasis by Baradan on the word ‘... again’ ;-)

ANALYSIS BY BARADAN KUPPUSAMY

Anwar Ibrahim changed his image from a Muslim youth leader to a Malay nationalist. Now, he has reinvented himself again by projecting himself as a populist leader who embraces the multi-racial politics. But can Anwar’s new attempt win over the voters?

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who started as a firebrand Islamic student activist, reinvented himself as a Malay nationalist after joining Umno in 1982 while continuing to promote and defend Islam.

In 1999 after he was sacked, jailed and desperately fighting to save his political career, he had a difficult and momentous choice to make between forming a Malay-only nationalist party or a multi-racial party as his future political vehicle.

Considering the need to show a united, strong political face – both to Malaysians and his legions of foreign supporters, Anwar chose a multi-racial platform. It was a “politically correct” decision and successfully piled the pressure to free him and return him to the political mainstream.

But in the process Anwar lost the two main planks he had rode to come within a whisker of becoming Prime Minister – as champion of Malay nationalism and promoter and defender of Islam.

Now, as a leader of a multi-racial party, he cannot speak exclusively about Malay nationalism or about Islam but has to present himself as a Malaysian leader and stand on a platform of equality, justice and fairness for all Malaysian races.

He has been walking on this multi-racial platform since his 2004 release but has he succeeded in re-inventing himself, for a third time, as a Malaysian leader? The results of this election will show if he has succeeded or failed.

As I had blogged in Anwar Ibrahim sings Canto-pop songs:

Anwar Ibrahim was, to put it euphemistically, not very nice to the non-Malays when he was in power. Chinese and Indian parents still bitterly remember his Education Ministry's draconian policy to make non-Muslim students perform prayers in Muslim fashion. I also recall Saifulbahri Kamaruddin, a former Malaysian journalist writing in to malaysiakini on the hypocrisy of Anwar Ibrahim.

[…] … most non-Malays didn't view the so-called reformasi street protests as a clarion call for Malaysians to join in to protest against a repressive state. They didn't associate their own repression with Anwar falling on his Umno keris.

To them, Anwar was not the solution but rather part of the problem. Anwar had played for high stakes in a game that determined his personal ascendancy to the top of Umno, and which didn't include non-Malay Malaysians. So when he faltered in his ambitious endeavour, don't blame the non-Malays for not buying his spin that it was about political reforms. That's about as plausible as the Bush administration's fabrication on the Saddam Hussein-Osama Laden link.

… we, who have felt the sting of Anwar's official hands, weren't and aren't so enamoured by his claim for ‘reformasi’.Anwar Ibrahim is a man who sang the Islamic tune when he was in Abim, the nationalist chant when in Umno, Paul Anka's songs when he's talking to the Western press and now lots of Canto-pop.

4-face Brahma

Then in The truth of Brahma's faces I quoted Proarte, who wrote a letter to Malaysiakini stating:

Anwar Ibrahim has squandered all the goodwill he generated in the aftermath of his sacking and persecution. He tried cleverly to reinvent himself as a 'reformist' hoping that the ‘rakyat’ would easily forget that he was a Mahathir and Umno man, responsible for much of the unhealthy division in our society using Islamic demagoguery and Malay chauvinism for political advancement.

I hope those naive believers in him would read Proarte’s description of the de facto leader as being “responsible for much of the unhealthy division in our society using Islamic demagoguery and Malay chauvinism for political advancement”. The term 'de facto leader' is in itself already a blasphemy to his oft-preached democracy - what hypocrisy!

Anwar must realise his 'all things to all men' modus operandi is downright dishonest. He cannot use the language of secular idealism and democracy including the 'Jeffersonian Focus' in the West and when addressing a non-Malay crowd, and then be an Islamic demagogue who feels it is right that Lina Joy a Christian convert should be tried for apostasy in the syariah courts which he feels we should have 'more confidence' in. This duplicitous behaviour will be the unravelling of him and his party.

“... duplicitous behaviour ..” says it all. I had described him as Brahma-faced.

Proarte continued:

Anwar has also betrayed the people of Sabah over the Ma Zu issue in Kudat. Anwar has been silent on this issue. Abim, an institution which Anwar co-founded, has supported Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman in preventing the Ma Zu statue from being erected.

So much for his 'wo men dou shi yi jia ren'.

The opposition however is divided and PKR has an unprincipled person as its de facto leader. The non-Malays in the party, including the self-conscious 'intellectuals' of PRM have been taken for a ride. Those who remain are pawns or opportunists who are drawn to delusions of grandeur and powerless party positions.

Please wake up!

Sadly, they could not resist their human desire for power and limelight, and were easily seduced by Anwar's rhetoric of justice, the primacy of human rights, freedom of conscience and upholding the secular nature of our constitution.

Urghhh, I need to wash myself!

But what happens if PKR is demolished? Will Anwar reinvent himself again?

Well, Baradan Kuppusamy also wrote: With PAS, Anwar is on a better footing. PAS traditionally saw Anwar as an ally even during Anwar’s Umno days and this was made possible by Anwar’s close relationship with PAS president, the late Ustaz Fadhil Nor, who saw him as his successor in PAS.

I guess we know where he will go then, as he had 'in spirit' when he was Education Minister!

PKR's Kelana Jaya sweetheart deal?

In Political snippets (6) I expressed my amazement at the bizarre news that Loh Gwo Burne will be contesting in the 2008 Election in Kelana Jaya on a PKR ticket.

Loh’s only fame (If you can term his coming to public notice that) was a Malaysiakini revelation of him as the bloke responsible for recording the controversial phone conversation of VK Lingam.

Here’s a person, who until the Lingam tape, was a PKR nobody but now suddenly being rewarded with the party's nomination for a parliamentary seat while hardworking, dedicated PKR member and a human rights lawyer, Elizabeth Wong, gets a state seat. And what about local martyr Tian Chua?

Yes, Elizabeth has been denied a parliamentary seat unlike HRH the Crown Princess and the Royal Video Cameraman, thanks to the de facto leader.

Now, Haris Ibrahim, whom I hadn’t thought very well of, because of his objection to the Hindraf rally, the grandstanding boycott of the mainstream media as well as the bizarre gimmick of the CSI-Parliament stamp of endorsement, has finally come up with a decent post.

He asked PKR about Loh Gwo Burne’s nomination in PKR, why, why, why? He wrote:

I’ve had e-mails from Kelana Jaya registered voters asking this time and again. Why Loh Gwo-Burne?

He was unheard of until just before the Royal Commission proceedings began. There’s talk now about giving a protest vote to the independent, Billi Lim!

Have we missed something? Pray tell, PKR.

Indeed, but Haris should ask Anwar Ibrahim, not PKR because there are decent people in that party who are still furious with Loh’s nomination.

Tough luck for them in having a dict…. de facto leader.

Nomination Day Fumbles Galore

From Malaysiakini article Objections filed against nomination of candidates:

A protest was lodged by PKR at the Negeri Sembilan parliamentary seat of Rembau against the nomination of Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar. PKR contended that Khairy had not written ‘Bin’ (son of) in his nomination papers.

The Election Commission official said the protest was rejected on the ground that Khairy’s identity card did not state ‘bin’ on it.

I feel embarrassed that our politics have descended to such low level trivialities as to object to a candidate because of a missing ’bin’.

Then, there was:

In Chembong, it was due to the alleged failure of the BN candidate Zaiful Bahri Idris to state his occupation as ahli perniagaan (businessman). Instead, PAS contended, Zaiful Bahri had mistakenly written berniaga (conducts business). The protest was also rejected.

Aiyah, c’mon lah.

Mind you, in a number of other cases where the BN candidates were alleged to have balls-ed up with their registration forms, ‘twas only the returning officers who saved them, in many cases not even providing any reason to the opposition why their objections were overruled and the BN candidates' forms accepted. The Boleh-decisions ;-)

In one case Malaysiakini reported that PAS candidate Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohd Ghazali (for Titiwangsa) objected to the nomination of BN’s Aziz Jamaluddin Mohd Tahir on the 'suspicion' that Aziz’ statutory declaration did not contain the required stamp duty payment.

hahaha - EC chairman Abdul Rashid has been too clever by half.

It seems Aziz Jamaluddin also contravened election laws when he allegedly paid his deposit with a personal cheque. Cek calon BN di sahkan Bolehwan lah! hahaha

But the Election Commission officers - led by returning officer Che Yahya Che Soh - refused to allow the PAS team to go through Aziz’s nomination papers to verify the claims.

Che Yahya said he received directions from his superiors to the effect neither candidate are allowed look through the other’s nomination papers. What he probably meant was PAS couldn't look at BN's papers to see if there were indeed errors, like no stamp duty being paid ;-)

Very dodgy lah. But mind you, this is BN Boleh Bullsh*t Land.

Facebook joker booked

From the Sydney Morning Herald - Jailed for Facebook 'joke' at king's brother


Amnesty International said today it was "shocked" by a three-year jail term handed down by a Moroccan court to a man who registered a false internet Facebook profile as King Mohammed VI's brother.

The court in Casablanca sentenced 27-year-old computer engineer Fouad Mourtada yesterday and fined him 10,000 dinar ($A1400) for "the use of false information and usurping the identity of the prince".

"We are shocked by such a heavy verdict," said Benedicte Goderiaux, a member of an Amnesty group examining human rights issues in Morocco and Western Sahara who attended the trial.

"The sentence is disproportionate to the offence," she said.

Goderiaux also expressed "concern over the trial's fairness", saying that the prosecutor and the judge each reproached Mourtada repeatedly for having "undermined the sacred integrity of the realm as represented by the prince".

If that was the basis of the verdict, Amnesty would consider him "a prisoner of opinion", she added.

According to Goderiaux, the accused and his lawyers said Mourtada had signed his statement under duress during interrogation.

"In these circumstances, this document cannot be entered into a fair trial," she stated.

The prosecutor had demanded Mourtada's punishment serve as an "example", while the defence argued its client was just having fun and that similar cases in the United States, Canada, and Europe never went to trial.

"On Facebook, you find sites (for) Sarkozy, Bush and Blair as well as sports stars and film stars without certifying that they are real," his lawyer Ali Ammar said.

Asked why he had set up a Facebook profile under the name of Prince Moulay Rachid, the king's younger brother, Mourtada had replied: "I admire him, I like him a lot and I have never caused him any wrong, it was just a joke. I am innocent."

Political snippets (6)

Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online.

A sweetie told me my ‘political snippets’ are like the equivalent of Tolstoy’s ‘War & Peace’. She’s right ;-)

Though I had planned the ‘snippets’ one lazy blogging day, I got carried away once I started. I thought of changing it to ‘political commentaries’ but that sounds too pompous and undeserving, so I am afraid I have to keep using ‘snippets’.


Case I

Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, the Only one 'regime' is capable of running the country bloke running the Election Commission has made an 11th-hr poll rules changes.

According to Malaysiakini, Mr I’ll sue those who tore up my photo has announced the EC will be enforcing a long disused and forgotten rule that election candidates must pay stamp duty on their applications to contest.

Apart from the fact that the rule has never been enforced, Mr Shameless announced it just on Thursday, the last working day for northern states (where Friday and Saturday are holidays) just before registration of candidates tomorrow, Sunday.

This will fix up those opposition candidates, particularly PAS, who could be disqualified by the 11th hour change.

The dictionary defines ‘eleventh hour’ as:

(i) the last possible moment for doing something
(ii) the latest possible moment

We may assume in this disgraceful shameless atrocious case it’s the second meaning.

Abdul Rashid reminds me of a female neighbour that I dislike immensely. When my mum played mahjong with her, the auntie would make the rules as the game progressed. While mahjong is a complex game with differing rules in different countries (like the silly ‘heavenly twins’ the Americans are fond of), locality or clubs there are some unchangeable universal rules. But trust the neighbour auntie to re-create new ones in place of those – of course ‘twas only a coincidence, she would have claimed, that those new rules favoured her.

Both Abdul Rashid and that auntie are despicably shameless or shamelessly despicable (I like the 2nd one) – but at least one of them didn't claim to be a Tan Sri (if this title means any damn thing at all anymore).


Case II

I blogged in my other site BolehTalk about a Malaysiakini revelation of the bloke responsible for recording the controversial phone conversation of VK Lingam.

Yes, Loh Gwo Burne will be contesting in the Kelana Jaya parliamentary seat, and on a PKR ticket too. I congratulated Loh for his most handsome reward of a parliamentary seat from the de facto leader of that party. Eat your heart out, poor dear Elizabeth Wong.

Ironically the MCA incumbent of Kelana Jaya, dumped from the MCA list for this election because he had the blooming temerity to criticize a ketuanan Melayu edited version of Malaysian history, is also another Loh, MCA MP Loh Seng Kok.

When MCA Loh exposed both the bull history textbook which had eliminated the role of the ‘nons’ and a proselytising directive by the Islamic Development Board (Jakim) to the private sector to conduct Muslim prayers during meetings he was threatened by both UMNO and PAS!

Which Loh has been more heroic and selfless, MCA Loh or PKR Loh?

But the far more interesting issue to arise out of this relates to what a judge in the Royal Commission (investigating into the Lingam videotape) had said of Anwar Ibrahim.

I can’t remember whether it was Haidar or Shankar who criticized Anwar Ibrahim for surrendering the videotape section by section instead of presenting the entire video to the authorities. Anwar Ibrahim responded (words to the effect) that he could only surrender to the authorities what he was given by the person who owned the tape.

Hmmm, I now wonder? As one sweetie commented to me, someone had been ‘selling tickets’ to a series of ‘shows’!


Case III

As we all know, Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, Nurul Izzah, will be contesting in the federal seat of Lembah Pantai. Personally I had hope for hardworking PKR member Elizabeth Wong to be given a high profile role, namely a hot seat like Lembah Pantai to challenge the BN candidate there, hottie Minister Shahrizat. For Elizabeth's duty, devotion and dedication to PKR I believe she deserves all that but alas, I am not even a de facto member of PKR so who wants to listen to me ;-)

Many believe that Nurul will surrender her seat after April, to enable her dad to stand as a candidate in the subsequent by-election after the legal period barring Anwar from politics has expired, but we have all been very wrong.

When asked whether Nurul, if she wins, would make way for Anwar, PKR’s Deputy President Dr Syed Husin declared that was not necessary. He pronounced that someone would definitely make way. He said the decision would depend on which seats they won.

As I had posted a comment over at the website of notable blogger Susan Loone, I was disgusted by Anwar Ibrahim’s boasting he could get a number of PKR MPs (I think the figure mentioned was 20 - hahaha) to step down for him to contest come post-April.

A sweetie lamented in equal disgust that he could even say such a thing without a tinge of consideration for the feelings of any of those PKR MPs (if they win) – yes, what the hell did Anwar think they are? Toilet paper to be used and cast aside by His Almightiness?

Such has been, and probably still is his sense of self-centred interest that dismisses any consideration for other poeple, even his own party members!

But obviously his daughter cannot be treated in that casual callous cavalier fashion, as Dr Syed Husin has indicated. No sirree, not any of his 'Chosen Ones'. It's hardly likely to be HRH the Princess but just one of those ‘toilet paper’ MPs who ‘would definitely make way’.

Political snippets (5)

Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online.

Case I

Kim Quek, a member of PKR, published in Malaysiakini that the mainstream Media (has) turn(ed the) election into a killing field, where he grumbled that the Chinese press have been giving DAP more publicity than PKR. In fact he averred that PKR has been virtually shut out. He said:

Political analysts have attributed this to a shrewd strategy adopted by BN, for it is a political reality that out of the three main opposition parties of DAP, PKR and the Islamic party PAS, only PKR has the potential to replace BN, which is a coalition of 14 racial parties dominated completely by the Malay party Umno.

Neither DAP nor PAS could threaten the political hegemony of Umno, for DAP has no significant Malay support while PAS has no significant non-Muslim (mainly non-Malays) support.

In contrast, PKR is now supported by all the three main races of Malays, Chinese and Indians, and led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose distinguished leadership has been acclaimed at home and abroad.

Hahahahaha

I know Kim Quek is sincere but like most of those dazzled by Anwar Ibrahim, can’t see or refuses to see the reality of what’s happening.

I must ask, why did the Chinese in PKR have to acrimoniously fight the DAP on seat allocations after Anwar Ibrahim had already made a pact with Lim Guan Eng? The only plausible reason is that in the negotiations with DAP, he had forgotten completely about his Chinese members.

And if the PKR is indeed a multi-ethnic party as Kim Quek claimed, why did those PKR Chinese members have to demand Chinese-majority seats from the DAP? Why not contest in any seat? For example, why not assign Elizabeth Wong to Lembah Pantai? C'mon, why not?

Take another example, Ijok. BN put up an MIC (Indian) candidate in a situation where racial appeal in that State constituency dictated an UMNO candidate. Yet, when it came to the PKR, which Indian member did PKR spurn and which of its Malay leaders did the party put forward instead as a candidate to challenge the MIC in a Malay-majority constituency? Where the hell was its multiracial credentials?

And why was Nallakaruppan instructed by Anwar Ibrahim not to contest for the party VP's position? Was one of the spots reserved for Azmin Ali or another ex-UMNO favourite?

For all Kim Quek said about the DAP, the latter has consistently put Indian candidates in Chinese-majority seats and even succeeded in most of them. And the DAP doesn’t have a Chinese de facto National Chairman.

Related: PKR dwindling into the ethnic party it was/is


Case II

Last year I blogged:

The last time the MCA had some backbone and openly voiced its opposition to an UMNO policy was in 1987, when it joined the Gerakan Party and the DAP to object to the Education Ministry appointing 100 non-Mandarin educated senior assistants and principals to vernacular Chinese schools. The Education Minister was a bloke by the name of, would you believe, Anwar Ibrahim.

Following the MCA-Gerakan-DAP nexus of 'rebellion' a la Shaolin Temple, and UMNO Youth's threatened intemperate response, the government launched Operation Lalang, not unlike the preemptive razing of Shaolin Temple by Manchu troops as happened in Chinese history.

Well, in Political snippets (4) I mentioned how one MCA member, Loh Seng Kok, MP for Kelana Jaya, had the guts 2 years ago to condemn the bullsh*t ‘imbalanced’ history textbooks, new prayer recital guidelines and the problems faced by non-Muslims with regards to places of worship.

Loh was also critical of the officially approved syllabus and history textbooks. He lambasted the authorities for the gross deficiency and negligence of historical books had ignored (1) the contribution of non-bumiputeras in Malaysia. and (2) focused only on Islamic civilization.

As we know, he was threatened not only by UMNO but by PAS as well!

Related: 50 UMNO Youths Threatened MCA MP!

Loh has not been nominated by MCA for the coming election.

This is how the MCA treats its braver MPs, one who has the guts to stand up and speak for the Chinese Malaysian community, as the MCA should.

OK, if Kelana Jaya is not suitable for Loh, then Ong Ka Ting should have re-located him to another constituency where he doesn’t need the support of UMNO. The terrible message that Ong KT has passed on is that MCA members must always kowtow to UMNO or be marginalized.

Ong Ka Ting doesn’t deserve to represent the Chinese Malaysians if he doesn’t do anything for Loh.

Case III

I am not sure what Lim KS did or say but I am glad he managed to persuade Fong Po Kuan to return to Batu Gajah as the DAP candidate for the federal seat. Malaysiakini reported that

Po Kuan will defend Batu Gajah. In the Malaysiakini report, she repented for her earlier unwise decision - but it's a miracle that she even bother to come back, having been hurt so deeply for her to take such a drastic action in the first place.

Malaysiakini states: Fong apologised to the Batu Gajah voters, supporters and the party for causing them 'disappointment and hurt'.

She said: "It was definitely a very painful decision (to withdraw). However, I felt very remorseful when I discovered how much a majority of the people cared for me and supported me. Indeed, the reflection of their immense support touched me deeply which brought about the thought that I must not fail them."

I am glad all's well that ended well. Er ... BTW, kaytee did put in a personal appeal to her too on Facebook. Hmmm, I wonder whether she had read that? ;-)

Chinese Valentine Night

Chap goh meh
Huoi kim chnair
Chnea lu ay kuwa
Lai cheah teh

Teh seo seo
Bay keng cheo
Keng cheo bay kee peh
Bay cheh

Cheh bay kee t’ark
Bay bark
Bark bay kee bwua
Bay chua

Chua bay kee liah
Bay kar kiah
Kar kiah bay kee cheng
Bay kar leng

Kar leng kong
Kar leng poh
Chnea lu ay knia soon
Lai t’eet t’oh

T’eet t’poh eeay
Bay karm chea
Karm chea tnee
Bay leng chee

Leng chee b’ong
Bay tom bong
Tom bong kh'aw
Bay low kaw

Let's take a break from the political news in Malaysiakini and Star. But do read my previous posts:

(1) Chap Goh Meh - Night of the Werewolves

(2) Throwing mandarin oranges to wolves in Penang

Political Snippets (4)

Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online.

Case I

Today I read the Star Online (no ;-) I didn’t boycott it hehehe) and saw the headline Loh respects MCA’s decision, where the news article said:

Incumbent Kelana Jaya MP Loh Seng Kok respects MCA’s decision to field Datuk Lee Hwa Beng in the parliamentary seat. In a statement issued yesterday, Loh, 46, a first-term MP, said he would abide by the party’s decision for the sake of party unity. He issued the statement after meeting party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

“I am still offering myself to serve the people. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all parties and the people in the Kelana Jaya parliamentary constituency for their support and co-operation throughout my tenure as the MP.”

His name rang a bell so I search my archives and manage to pull out MCA MP warned by UMNO and PAS! I had then blogged:

MCA’s Loh Seng Kok, MP for Kelana Jaya went on a verbal rampage in parliament, raising issues that hitherto had been considered taboo, especially more so for a BN bloke.

He criticized our ‘imbalanced’ history textbooks, new prayer recital guidelines and the problems faced by non-Muslims with regards to places of worship.

… Loh was damn mad that the approved syllabus and history textbooks were grossly deficient and negligent in that they ignored (1) the contribution of non-bumiputeras in Malaysia. and (2) focused only on Islamic civilization. In these limitations he reckoned the books would restrict exposure for the students and hamper their critical thinking.

He gave examples: “For instance, the fight against the Japanese Occupation during World War II is portrayed as only the effort of the Malays but ignored the role of Chinese and Indian Malaysians.”

[…] … he said “Five out of the 10 chapters in the Form Four history textbook only focused on the Islamic civilization.” In this he lamented that the syllabus has failed to provide a deeper understanding of other civilizations.

After Loh finished his coverage of the other two issues, he was warned by both an UMNO and a PAS MP. He was told not to thread on ‘dangerous grounds’.

I commented that I was surprised he was even allowed to finish his speech. Six days later I blogged 50 UMNO Youths Threatened MCA MP!

Guess who was the MCA MP those UMNO thugs threatened?

I posted: … a mob of 50 UMNO Youth members, led by Kelana Jaya division chief Abdul Halim Samad, paid him a surprise visit. Abdul Halim handed him a letter and told him ominously, “We don’t want to hear any explanation now; this is our letter, you read and answer it!” Loh was warned that UMNO Youth would ‘take action’ if he failed to respond to the letter within a number of days.

Also read another post For & Against MCA MP Loh Seng Kok where wannabe poet Ishak Abd Rahman threatened the Chinese Malaysians with a sickening chant.

Reader KY Wong commenting as mwt in 50 UMNO Youths Threatened MCA MP! prophesied correctly that “Habis lah... by opening his big mouth he can be a one term MP only …”.

Well, Ong Ka Ting, you had to remove him because UMNO told you to, didn’t they?

MCA = Must Cowt'au Abang


Case II

We learn from Malaysiakini that Raja Bodek will be standing in Batu Kawan instead of Bukit Bendera as we had initially suspected.

Bukit Bendera is a Gerakan stronghold but only for Chia Kwang Chye – wait, let me rephrase that, Bukit Bendera is a ‘Chia Kwang Chye’ stronghold.

As I have often commented in the past, Penangites can teach Chinese politicians dearly – Wong Pow Nee, even Lim Chong Eu and would you believe it, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh (who is an honorary Chinese anyway) were all victims.

While BB is 74% Chinese-majority, Raja Bodek has opted for Batu Kawan where the Chinese are only about 50% and the Malays and Indians make up about 25% each. Raja Bodek obviously feels safer in a place with less Chinese.

But we need to remember that the Gerakan has never been nice to its Indian members. Sad to say, only the DAP and BN (through MIC) have field Indian candidates successfully. I hope the 25% Indians in Batu Kawan remember this, and not be fooled by Humpty Dumpty (with wig) again and again.


Case III

Malaysiakini just released its breaking news that DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng will stand in Penang, though he didn’t reveal where he will be contesting, but pundits claim it will be the Gelugor parliamentary seat and the Seri Delima State seat.

The latter means he aspires to be Penang’s 2nd opposition CM, after Dr Lim Chong Eu.

… that is, assuming he isn’t played out by Anwar Ibrahim, who I suspect will defect to the BN if 2 conditions are obtained to enable him to pry his way back into UMNO:

(i) BN gets less than 2/3 majority
(ii) The ‘chosen ones’ in PKR (meaning those ex UMNO people in PKR who will gladly follow the de facto leader back into UMNO and power) hold the balance of power.

UMNO will then be hard pressed to play tarik harga (hard to get).

Political snippets (3)

Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online (and an alert from Susan Loone)

Case I

My blogging mate Susan Loone alerted me to the petition to DAP sec-gen Lim Guan Eng, ‘appealing’ to “Saudara Guan Eng and the leadership of DAP (not PKR, mind you but DAP) to ensure the candidacy of Fong Po Kuan in Batu Gajah parliamentary seat, and to give way to Parti Keadilan Rakyat to allow Christina Liew, Elizabeth Wong and Gan Pei Nei to contest for the parliamentary seat of Kota Kinabalu, and state seats of Batu Lanjan and Rawang."

It then goes on to say “Appreciating DAP’s commitment to fielding 30% of women candidates in the elections, we appeal to your wisdom and love for Malaysia’s democracy to ensure the candidacy of Po Kuan, Christina, Elizabeth and Pei Nei.”

I am always in support of more ladies in Parliament, but helloooooo, why address an issue of 3 PKR members to the DAP? What has the DAP party’s commitment to fielding 30% of women candidates in the elections got to do with the members of another political party?

I am annoyed that the letter of petition supporting the 3 PKR lady candidates has been sinisterly addressed to DAP sec-gen, LGE. Yes, what the hell has a DAP leader got to do with 3 PKR candidates of whatever gender.

PKR candidates are the responsibility of the (de facto) leader of PKR. Why hasn't Anwar put a fine person like Eli Wong in Lembah Pantai instead of his own daughter?

Using Fong Po Kuan’s name in the petition has been a deceitful show of care (croc tears) as the real aim is to insinuate that LGE will be responsible for not looking after the 3 lady candidates (from PKR). Damn PKR is playing dirty again, bloody blackmarking LGE.

It reminds me of a true story. I have an irresponsible cousin who is married with 2 young children but jobless (could never hold on to a job). We cousins gave him money to look after his family but he squandered all on drinking and gambling, not once but each & every time we provided him with cash. We ended up looking after the welfare of his wife and kids as well. OK, we are family so we look after them!

But the DAP is not the family umbrella for PKR members. The de facto PKR leader should look after his 'family' instead of expecting LGE to look after his family members (that is, if he even considers them as his 'family').

It’s like De Facto Daddy Anwar Ibrahim, after negotiating with the DAP on seat allocation and allocating those he has secured to his favourites, leave his (Chinese women) children to go ask Uncle Lim for sustenance. Just like my useless cousin!

It's Anwar's responsibility to look after the 3 PKR ladies, not Lim Guan Eng's. Why not petition Anwar Ibrahim with a letter asking him to nominate Eli Wong, and not his daughter, for the parliamentary seat of Lembah Pantai. Afterall, Eli Wong is one of the most staunch members of PKR, certainly more senior than Anwar's own daughter.


Case II

Susan Loone and I were discussing my yesterday's post on Fong Po Kuan. The only people rejoicing are the BN, particularly the MCA. For the MCA, the Fong’s news is like a durian tree miraculously sprouting up overnight next to its HQ's doorstep and bearing rich succulent fruits for their eating. No wonder the Star Online journalists are banging away like mad on their keyboards to milk the sad affair for all its worth

Fong Po Kuan - photo from Susan Loone's blog

I lamented to Susan that the timing for such a shocking news was just terrible for the DAP, and hope that there would be some damage control. Susan was quite succinct in stating that the opposition (DAP) has always been poor at spin and sandiwara. Too true, the DAP leadership has been too truthful, straightforward and in some ways, naïve. A couple of them can be used to calibrate rulers.

Today Malaysiakini reported that Lim Guan Eng voiced his worries that the DAP may lose Batu Gajah. I hope Fong should consider returning for the sake of the DAP, and not be bothered by local State leaders jostling for a piece of the blue ribbon seat.

I believe Lim Kit Siang when he said the party’s leadership was right behind Fong for Batu Gajah and support his appeal to Po Kuan - Malaysia needs you to create history to deny BN 2/3 parliamentary majority.


Case III

The Star Online reported about Penang’s Close race for CM job. It stated:

Top-level sources said the Chief Minister is unlikely to be named before nomination on Feb 24. And unless necessary, the person may be named only after the elections. “We want to keep our options open,” said the source. Or as one Penang state exco member put it: “Get past the ballot box then only talk about getting the medal.”

Others think that Dr Koh should quickly name the man and put an end to the jockeying so that party members can focus on the elections. But Dr Koh has been dragging his feet every step of the way on this matter. He only confirmed moving to a Federal seat last week and, until now, is said to be undecided whether to contest in Batu Kawan or Bukit Bendera.

Some say he needs another nudge from the Prime Minister. In the meantime, Dr Teng and Chia should just try to enjoy the limelight.

Raja Bodek is typically hesitant for the reasons he’s waiting for his Daddy from Putrajaya to tell him who should be the next CM, because the Gerakan Party has no say at all. Then, he's also hesitant about his own choice of federal seat, because he’s so sh*t scared that the Gerakan Party may suffer what it did to the MCA in 1969.

Political snippets (2)

Based on news reports from Malaysiakini ad Star Online:

Case I

EC chairman wants us to believe his track record in conducting free and fair elections is good, But how can that be when not all citizens are being treated equally.

Take for example the postal votes. Nothing is more ridiculous than restricting the facility to only diplomatic staff and their spouses, students studying abroad and the armed services.

My condemnation of the blatant discrimination is centred on the word ‘restricted’ in above sentence, and not the three groups of Malaysian citizens.

What about Malaysians working abroad, who don't fall into the diplomatic or student abroad groups?

The EC chief’s dismissive and arrogant answer is for them to come home to vote. Why? Why not extend to them the same facility (of postal voting) that the 3 mentioned groups will enjoy, as is the rights of every Malaysian registered as a voter, including those abroad but who do not fall under any of the 3 mentioned groups?

The EC secretary, Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor, said that Election Regulations (Electoral Roll) 2002 and Election Regulations (Postal Votes) 2003 do not provide for ordinary citizens living abroad to cast postal votes, other than those 3 categories.

This is bloody deliberate disenfranchising citizens of their constitutional rights to vote.

For example, my blogging mate, renowned blogger Susan Loone, who works in Bangkok, is not able to vote by post, and must travel back all the way in order to participate in a once-in-very-5-years general election. It’s her constitutional right, yet the EC chairman is blatantly denying her that enshrined right to do so where she works.

What about those who are working in Canada, Finland, USA etc, thousands and thousands of kilometres away from Malaysia? They'll be effectively denied their voting rights.

Why is there this discrimination?

If you look at those two Acts, they are dated only in 2002 and 2003, meaning they were recent changes.

I believe the changes were made for racial reasons. Most Malaysians working abroad are non-Malays. It’s sickening to know that as a Malaysian citizen working abroad (who would have difficulty travelling back home just to vote), you are being deliberately marginalised for fear that you might vote for, say, the DAP.


Case II

I feel very sad that the DAP has gotten itself all tangled up in its own rocket-brand underwear, for now it has to wash and hang same out to dry in public.

I am referring to the Fong Po Kuan resignation. She is not going to contest in the general election. It annoys me that performers like her are being nudged out of good seats after she has pioneered the breakthrough in making her seat a DAP stronghold.

Instead of squabbling over prime seats, which rightly should be left to the incumbents to recontest, the other wannabes should venture into new seats. There seems to be a lack of adventurous daring among those wannabes, wanting to play safe only in what they perceive as safe blue ribbon seats.

The same comment applies to the report that Karpal Singh may take over Bagan parliamentary seat from the incumbent, Lim Hock Seng, who like Fong has done a good job building up local trust in the DAP.

While I respect Karpal, I believe the leaders shouldn’t knock out lower profile candidates, who are the salt of the earth.


Case III

Another sad issue is the terrible Higher Education Ministry who has not only banned academicians and undergraduates from participating in the general election (no wonder we have such low level immature graduates) but has now formed a Gestapo style monitoring unit to keep tabs on those university denizens to check that they don’t breach university regulations regarding the general election. They face suspension or expulsion if they do.

He said “The core business of students is to study.”

Study what? University undergraduates are not your primary school students. If they can’t study politics, state affairs, policies, citizen rights, civic duties including political campaigning by participating in general elections as budding adults should, what hope do we have for our nation’s future?

No wonder our universities have plummeted in their international rankings, when our graduates still have to ask teacher whether they can go wee wee.

Danish double standard hypocrisy & anti Islamic provocation

So some idiotic assh*les wanted to kill a cartoonist who drew one of the caricatures of Prophet Mohamad (pbuh) for publishing in the Jylland Poste, a rightwing Danish newspaper, some two years ago. That religiously disrespectful and provocative publication did set off ugly scenes throughout a host of Muslim countries around the world.

OK, the Danish police arrested two Tunisians and a Dane of Moroccan descent on Tuesday for that attempted murder. Well and good for wannabe killers.

But wait, there’s more, just to show how prejudiced the Danish press have been.

Instead of going after those responsible for the attempted murder, what did those moronic Danish papers do?

They decided to insult the world’s Muslim 2 billion strong community, showing their (Danes') biased nature, their propensity towards Muslim baiting, giving free rein to their Islamophobia.

On Wednesday, supposedly as a protest against the alleged murder plot (but protesting to whom?) 15 Danish newspapers reprinted the cartoonist’s drawing, which showed Prophet Mohamad (pbuh) in a turban with a ticking bomb inside the headgear.

Yet when David Irving was jailed by Austria, another European country, for challenging the Holocaust death toll, not one single Danish newspaper raised a voice about freedom of expression.

Baruch HaBa! Suddenly, their much vaunted European 'freedom of expression' was suffering from 'circumcision'!

Praised by Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Thy commandments, and hast bidden us to make him enter into the covenant of Abraham our father.

Indeed, and please read:
(1) What happened to British 'Freedom of Expression'?
(2) European 'Freedom of Expression' took nosedive!
(3) Europe's Dilemma - Holocaust Denial vs Caricatures
(4) Jewish Goose, but no Arabic Gander.

What utter hypocrisy and Danish double standards!

But my point is why insult the entire Islamic world of approximately 2 billion Muslims for the criminal intent of a few crazy fanatics?

... unless they wanted to in the first place.

So predictably, gangs of Muslim rioters set fire to cars and garbage trucks in northern Copenhagen in a week of rioting and vandalism that has spread from the capital to other Danish cities

This was foreseen by the ‘puppet masters’ in the earlier incident, which purpose was to alienate the Europeans from the Palestinian Arabs. The Europeans had funded the Palestinians with 600 million Euros per annum. After that first incident, the Europeans turned off the financial tap. Guess who were jumping with glee?

This latest incident by the easily provoked and stupid Arabs will f* further alienate the Europeans.

Those Arabs never learn. And the Palestinians continue to suffer.

And those Danish newspapers are again hypocritically provocative towards Muslims.

Political snippets (1)

Based on news reports from Star Online and Malaysiakini:

Case I

DPM Najib Tun Razak said: "Some Felda settlers are still ungrateful to the Government despite all that it has done to improve their lot" when he discovered (probably to his horror) that some settlers oppose the government.

My dear Najib, please get off your high horse and stop acting as if you and your cronies are absolute rulers like Sultan Mansur Shah or the Maharaja of Jaipur.

We the rakyat don’t have to be ‘grateful’ to you or any of your ministers, the people’s representative. We elect you (well, ‘collectively’ that is) to serve us, to manage our national resources for our benefits. If you want us to vote again for you, bloody well pull up your socks!


Case II

So there was a Rapid Penang bus drivers strike recently. They wanted better pay. And what’s wrong with that?

When 13 of those drivers turned up to give their statements to the Police at the Tanjong Tokong police station on Friday, presumably at the behest of the Police, they were arrested!

Their crime?

Sedition and extortion! … which are chargeable under the Sedition Act 1948 and the Penal Code.

You work it out what the sedition was, though I presume that workers striking for better pay would be classified as ‘extortionists’ in Malaysia Boleh, whilst bosses exhorting their workers to work for sweatshop pennies would only be known as 'exhortionists'.

And why did George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid act so?

The Police Chief said he acted because the company’s chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad lodged a police report against the employees on Monday.

Thus it was said (by the company), thus it was done (by the Police) – and f* any due process or investigation …..


Case III

News media reported 160 held after illegal ‘rose rally’ where one went on to say:

"Police detained 160 Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) supporters who took part in its “rose” campaign near the Dataran Merdeka area here yesterday morning. From the total, 151 were later released, including rally coordinator S. Manickavasagam and Hindraf adviser R. Raguram. Also released was an 11-year-old girl."

AAB has been badly advised to overreact to a peaceful protest. How sweet he would have smelled (no pun intended) to the voters had he received or at least tolerated the rose rally. Alas, he has surrounded himself with a bunch of low brow Kempetai apes!

While there was no doubt that the 11-year old girl was swept up in the police sweepup, a consequence of the (irresponsible) parents taking her along on a rally where heavy handed police action could be expected, a blogger had abused the incident for sensationalism.

She wrote that a "…11-year old girl was arrested. We’ve all been 11 at some point of our lives. How would you like to have been arrested at that age?”

“What could she possibly have done to warrant being arrested? To be lumped in with grown men and women… possibly handcuffed and shoved? Can you imagine? The whole melee, and this little 11-year old girl, who, unless is extremely tall, is probably at least 1 foot shorter than everyone else being pushed around, confused?”

“Seriously. Did they slap handcuffs on her? That would be a traumatic experience okay. Were the policemen rude to her? Did they shout vulgarities at her?”

I believe that in criticising the AAB regime, we needn’t and shouldn’t embellish the actual event at the risk of being seen as bullsh*tter and sh*tstirrer.

Lets’ maintain some credibility, OK?

Jeff Ooi for Jelutong

From Malaysiakini: The Election Commission today announced that the nation’s 12th general election will be held on March 8, a Saturday coinciding with the school holidays.

And DAP pollie Jeff Ooi has been reported by the Star Online as likely to contest in Jelutong.

Now, I am not quite sure about the electoral boundary between Gelugor and Jelutong (of course I know where Gelugor and Jelutong are – sheesh!) but if my guess isn’t far off, I would have preferred Jeff to be contesting in Gelugor (won by Karpal Singh in 2004) as he is more likely to make an impact among the (at the risk of sounding snobbish) better educated (Westernised) voters.

Apart from his DAP label, by itself very powerful among the Penangites insofar as parliamentary seats go (but alas, not for State seats), Jeff Ooi will be depending upon his high profile blogger fame to gain voters’ support. For that, I believe Gelugor would be the better constituency, But I understand party sec-gen Lim Guan Eng is already earmarked for that seat.

Anyway, for Jeff, Jelutong will still be a better seat than Bukit Bendera. Though Bukit Bendera is winnable, the Gerakan is strongly entrenched there, and to win that seat, the DAP will require a 'Lee Lam Thye' type rather than a blogging ace. DAP party strategist Liew Chin Tong is rumoured to contest in BB - alas, I don't know much about him.

I heard Raja Bodek is standing there, exchanging his Tanjung Bungah (State) seat for Chia Kwang Chye's seat. I hope Raja loses real big, but I suppose that's more wishful thinking than realistic, as the hawkers and traders in the BB parliamentary constituency will be quite pro Gerakan. KNN!

But what I found rather intriquing has been the Star photo showing former State Exco Khor Gark Kim chatting with the current crop of DAP pollies for Penang.

I wonder what's going on?

Khor Gark Kim, 2nd from right - Star photo

You see, my uncle told me that Khor at one time was a Gerakan strongman, next in the line of power only to Dr Lim Chong Eu. Khor was a Bukit Bendera local boy made good. A UM graduate who was known as a hard working (Chinese educated) Science teacher, he rose up in the Gerakan in meteorite fashion.

Everyone expected him to succeed Dr Lim, but he was the CM that Penang was not fated to have. Due to internal party politics, he was ousted from Gerakan's upper echelon. There was bad blood between Khor and some current Gerakan pollies. I wonder whether he's advising the DAP on strategy, as a form of extracting some long overdue retribution.

AAB nix-ed Valentine roses

Two hundred yellow roses came today
Two hundred yellow roses in a pretty bouquet
When the children came to the door
AAB didn't know what to say
But, two hundred yellow roses came today.

AAB opened up the card to see what it said
He couldn't believe his eyes
When he had read
Though 5 belong to the ISA the kids love them anyway
Yes, two hundred yellow roses came today.

(with acknowledge and apologies to the estate of Bobby Darin)

From the Malaysiakini press corner, we read the BBC telling us that a post John Howard government in Australia has finally apologized to its aborigines for a host of wrongs.

The BBC’s Australia apology to Aborigines said:

The Australian government has made a formal apology for the past wrongs caused by successive governments on the indigenous Aboriginal population. (Labour Party) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised in parliament to all Aborigines for laws and policies that "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss".

[…]

The leader of the Liberal opposition, Brendan Nelson, said he "strongly" welcomed the apology.

He decided to take a different position on the issue than his predecessor, former Prime Minister John Howard, who refused for over a decade to apologise to the Stolen Generations - a stance supported, polls suggest, by about 30% of Australians.

Good on you, Kevin and Brendan. But then, will the Malaysian government apologize to the Indian Malaysians for the latter's socio-economic marginalization by successful Malaysian governments?

I reckon not because in Malaysiakini 'Guns and roses' in Parliament? we learn that Police has refused to issue a permit to Hindraf supporters to have 200 children and their parents present Valentine Day’s roses to PM Abdullah Badawi in a symbolic call for the release of the five Hindraf leaders held under the ISA.

But goodness, such lousy timing lah - surely not on AAB’s announcement of the dissolution of Parliament and the consequential general election.

And why is that?

… coz Valentine Day is perceived as a Christian occasion, which has already been fatwa-ed (last year) as unsuitable for Muslims to participate in. Would AAB dare to receive those 200 roses on the eve of the election?

Aiyoyo, rugi lah, those 10% Indian voters, and particularly in the Batu Kawan and Lembah Pantai federal constituency where the percentage of Indians registered voters are as high as 20%+.

PKR Dynastic 'Democracy'?

Today I see Malaysiakini with its premier headline as Election debut for 'Puteri Reformasi'.

There are many things wrong with such an extragavant proclamation.

In Indonesia when you ask someone as to his or her daughter, you use the honorific word ‘puteri’ to refer to the female offspring (and ‘putera’ for the son).

But we aren’t in Indonesia. This is Malaysia where ‘puteri’ means princess. Thus, ‘Puteri Reformasi’ means the ‘Princess of (political) reforms’, suggesting either that her father is the King of (political) reforms or she herself is the mover of amazing political reforms. But I believe the title alluded to the fallacious fable of her father's so-called refomasi movement.

One - Is PKR or Malaysiakini proposing cultism, a cult of Anwar Ibrahim as the Raja or Sultan (monarch) of whatever, and his family then as the royal family of politics?

Are we then to bestow upon Dr Wan Azizah the title of Ratu (queen) Reformasi and consequentially Anwar's daughter as what the Malaysiakini headline screams out, ‘Puteri Reformasi’?

I hope Malaysiakini can moderate such headlines and refrain from this sort of pompous piffling pronouncement before readers begin to believe it’s a PKR mouthpiece in the same manner as we sneer at the Star Online and NST as the mouthpieces of the BN.

It’s only in Malaysiakini that we constantly see Anwar Ibrahim referred to his own claim, the ‘de facto’ leader of PKR – not realising what a shameful title that is, bespeaking of dictatorship of the party by an unelected person.

If you note very carefully, the DAP has never referred to him as the ‘de facto’ leader of PKR, but rather correctly as the ‘advisor’ to PKR. Yes, one may say the DAP are full of prim and proper prudes who are tight ass-ed with the use of words, but at least they aren’t given to shameless claims as some PKR members. Even as a non-PKR person, I cringe each time I hear PKR members refer to Anwar as the party’s de facto leader.

Two – what justification has Anwar to the claim of reformasi (political reforms)?

This has been a man who has never mentioned a single word of political reform until he was outside UMNO – rather au contraire, remember Apcet II?

Not one word, nay, not a microscopic speck of hint of such, when he was in an actual powerful position to effect changes for the better. But now, outside UMNO, he’s suffering from verbal diarrhoea about democracy, reforms and various other sweet meaningless nothing.

Guess what will happen if/when he returns to UMNO? You work it out!

Three – What claim does his daughter, Nurul, have to the title of Puteri Reformasi? Visit a few squatter huts?

I know I am being unfair to her personally as she’s not the one who has laid claim to such a title, OK, so I must ask Malaysiakini! Sorry, Nurul, I am not directing that remark against you - just consider yourself as collateral damage.

Four - Is his daughter the only suitable candidate for Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur?

Well, according to Malaysiakini, PKR’s KL elections director Salehuddin Hashim admitted that Nurul Izzah is not a senior member, but insisted that she will be the best candidate for Lembah Pantai.

Why is she the best candidate?

No answer!

But Salehuddin Hashim said he would personally manage her election campaign with a ‘special’ team. Wow! Needless to say, royal treatment appropriate for a party princess who has been leapfrogged (like dad in UMNO) to the frontline.

It’s little wonder that such PKR party decision saw Nallakaruppan, SD Johari Yasin, Ezam Mohd Noor, Abdul Rahman Othman (KeADILan party membership No 3, immediately after the PKR royal couple), PKR Baling chief Radzi Md Lazim and the entire 1000 strong Baling branch and hundreds of Indians leave the party.

Yes, they did so because of one particular person, none other than Anwar Ibrahim.

Please read:
(1) The 8 D's of DSAI
(2) Anwar Ibrahim interferes with PKR polls?
(3) PKR's Sepoy Mutiny?
(4) PKR meltdown - the Anwar Ibrahim factor?
(5) Members abandoning PKR ship

Anwar Ibrahim’s erstwhile good buddy, Nallakaruppan left in disgust because, according to him, Anwar instructed him not to contest the party's VP position. Well, that's Anwar's (de facto) style of democracy, I suppose.

Predictably the PKR devotees lambasted Nalla for being greedy, self-centered, poor performing, etc as if anyone had expected those PKR diehards to lament his departure.

But as everyone knew, Nalla's acrimonious leaving had cast serious questions about Anwar Ibrahim's commitment to the PKR's claim to multi-ethnic policies and proclivities. We have just seen how the Chinese section of PKR has recently wrestled bitterly with DAP over seats allocation despite Anwar’s agreement with Lim Jnr/Snr. The Chinese section of PKR must have realized that they were ‘forgotten’ or not considered in the Anwar-Lim seats negotiations – ha ha ha! - and decided they have to take matters into their own hands.

And it’s not just the Indians (or Chinese) because prior to the last PKR party polls, the former PKR Youth secretary SD Johari had also accused Anwar Ibrahim of meddling with party polls.

Johari who received the highest number of nominations was so disgusted with Anwar’s meddling that he withdrew completely from the party polls and then left the party with Ezam.

Now, we see a certain junior party member catapulted to a prime parliamentary seat ahead of more senior people who had strived hard and sacrificed much for Anwar.

And why? What's so special about her?

So, is PKR a democratic party?

How then can we expect PKR to be worthy of our votes if it’s not?