Based on news report from Malaysiakini and Star Online
Case I
From Malaysiakini we get An evening with Anwar Ibrahim.
The article’s author, Baradan Kuppusamy, seems to be a free-lance journalist because he had also written Anwar reinvents himself again in the Star Online, which naturally ;-) I blogged on in Gerakan Party reinventing, Anwar Ibrahim reinvented.
Anyway, Baradan said of that evening that (just extracts that I have inserted roman numerals to its 3 paragraphs for easier reference when I comment on his points):
(i) It is incredible that with just one seat in the dissolved parliament and himself not a candidate, Anwar Ibrahim can tell voters in his campaign rallies that "after we win on March 8, I will reduce the price of petrol."
(ii) But in the Kuala Lumpur’s constituencies of Wangsa Maju, Bandar Tun Razak and Lembah Pantai, Anwar drew loud cheers and applause. "Who says petrol price cannot be reduced. I was finance minister for eight years, I never raised petrol price."
(iii) For this promise to be taken seriously, the combined DAP-PKR-PAS opposition must win government on polling day - which is near impossible - then appoints Anwar as senator and names him the new prime minister.
kaytee’s comments ;-) on Baradan's respective paragraphs:
(i) Well … ;-) ... look, I didn’t utter a word, OK? Ha ha ha ha ha!
(ii) Can I paraphrase the de facto leader's words as "Who says Islamisation in Malaysia cannot be reduced. Tunku was PM for 12 years, he never raised the issue of an Islamic Malaysia."
Essentially, his claim is cheap especially when it’s totally without context (of time and world’s oil prices), but then that’s Anwar Ibrahim.
Anyway, he wasn't all that hot as a Finance Minister. Someone told me that as Malaysia's Financial Supremo he nearly took us down the IMF path during the Asian meltdown. So I decided to google on other people's views and came up with:
(1) The Loft’s Anwar Ibrahim and Al Gore's Racist Assault On Malaysia
(2) Peter Symonds’ article What Anwar Ibrahim means by 'reformasi' in Malaysia and
(3) Reasons to doubt Anwar Ibrahim
I am not going to comment on those ;-)
(iii) Baradan has been wrong to suggest that if the Opposition were to win, Anwar Ibrahim can become the PM by being appointed a senator. While a senator can be a cabinet minister, he/she cannot be the PM, who must only be from the Dewan Rakyat!
The Malaysian Constitution doesn't allow for any 'de facto' Ahli Parliamen Dewan Rakyat ;-)
And since the Opposition are realistically aiming to just break the BN's 2/3 majority rather than win the election as Anwar would have his audience believe, can the de facto leader of PKR still aspire to the PM's position?
The answer, regrettably for me [my rights to so regret ;-) ] is 'YES'! ........ but how?
If there are 222 parliamentary seats and the Opposition combined wins 75, the BN will be denied its 2/3 majority.
Now, if Anwar's 'inner group' PKR candidates (wife, daughter, or the mob from his former UMNO faction) just wins one, it will be sufficient for him to horse trade his way back into UMNO. Given his belief in his own intellectualism ;-), supreme cleverness and oratorical powers (I concede to him only the 3rd) he reckons he'll be PM in less time that it takes to spell 'oil price'.
Supposing if that were to come about, i.e. the Opposition winning 75 seats, the greatest blow to him would be a PAS or even DAP or one of the Sabah/Sarawak opposition elected MPs walking across to the BN, rendering him redundant to AAB. As the Muslims would exclaim on such a fate, Allah Akhbar!
Case II
From Malaysiakini news report - BN lambasted for racial campaign in Klang
Well Known NGO social activist and now DAP’s candidate for the Klang parliamentary seat, Charles Santiago, is livid with rage at his opponent, MCA’s Ch’ng Toh Eng, for unscrupulously playing the racial card.
Apparently, Ch’ng has been very naughty in telling the Klang Chinese voters to cast ‘Chinese votes for Chinese’. That's really racist and unacceptable!
Santiago said the obvious: “Those who used the race card are a bankrupt politician.”
* that quoted statement by the Malaysiakini reporter is really bad English - see if you can spot it
He informed the crowd that as a social activist he has served marginalized people of all races, including indigenous people like the Kadazans and Ibans.
I wouldn’t worry if I were you, Charles, for 2 reasons: (1) you’re right, the MCA is running scared as to sink so low in invoking racist appeal, and (2) the DAP is still a damn reputable brand that transcends racial barrier – look at and be encouraged by the examples of Kulasegaran, Karpal Singh, and previous DAP leaders such as Devan Nair, Peter Dason, etc, who were all voted into patliament in Chinese-majority constituencies.
Case III
Did Wong Chun Wai notice that his Sunday column Into the second half of the fray appeared under the byline of Wong Chun Hai. Man, this IS after all the acting GEIC of the Star.
Hmmm, so excuse my pun if I say that currently he seems to be all at 'sea' or 'Hai, which luckily for him, I've translated from Penang Hokkien and not Cantonese ;-). Must have been due to the stress of ensuring the Star spin factory works overtime.
In his column Wong claimed the DAP has cleverly played on and to the emotions of Penang voters by hammering away at UMNO and its keris-happy leaders while ignoring benefits to the Chinese community from the government’s pre-polls increased funding of Chinese schools, which Wong credited to the effort of the MCA.
Pre-poll allocation lah, Wong – that’s why no one has appreciated that. And may I comment on that in Penang Hokkien – KNN, boay pang sai balu kar lai cheet haw yar kong ay ch’ooi.
If the DAP has been cleverly playing on Chinese emotions, so has Wong too!
He subtly advised Chinese voters (those who can read English) that the DAP’s supposed hammering of UMNO has instead placed the MCA in its rocket gun sight. He then expressed his concerns that, if the Chinese pulverise MCA as egged on by DAP, the Chinese voters could end up with Chinese power within the ‘rotten’ system eroded – OK, Wong didn’t say ‘rotten system’, I did ;-)
Wong added a bit of tau yew in stating, or indicating the dire contrasting outcome with UMNO in that “the Malay votes, on the other hand, are likely to be solidly behind Umno.”
He made the same appeal for Chinese considerations not only in Penang but also to the Chinese voters in Perak, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Then, his final point ominously reminded Chinese that they’re like the Indian population, a shrinking smaller group (6 million) in a sea of 25 million population.
In other words, if I read between his lines would I be incorrect in reckoning (my personal deduction) that Wong is saying to the Chinese, “if you don’t want to be like the marginalised Indians, better vote for the MCA and ;-) ha ha ha ha ha, if you really have to, the Gerakan).”!
No wonder as a Xaverian, the Star GEIC has been exercising his alma mater’s motto of ‘Labor Omnia Vincit’ (hardwork conquers all).
So Badawi is better and more educated and exposed than Anwar? So BN is better than Barisan Rakyat? Silly! I think worn out hordes like you need to be given peace so that they peacefully pass on. It will be futile if they are corrected because while they blame others of "claiming intellectualism" (since when) they too claim it. Unfortunately the farthest they can go is to do Google stuff and past it here. Hehehehe! Intellectual penury indeed. But what do you a neglected child who blames othes for his misfortune? We pity you.
ReplyDeleteI better take the advice of Dr. Bakri Musa, a Muslim, a Malay, a learned man, a no Google Intellectualist, a loyal citizen, an international person, an aged person with wisdom---than the rantings of a poor lapdog who shares nothing with Bakri in the above characteristics but has nothing to offer to more than stale tales of Google Intellectualism. I better listen to a Malay, after all, the leadership will always remain Malay whether PAS, PKR or UMNO rules. No lapdogs here. Ktemoc, we have suffered because of MCA and MIC lapdog culture, now you have been employed to guard google anf fume here. Oh, let me go back to the Malay dissenters. They have more weigh.
ReplyDeleteBakri Musa on BN and Abdullah and the way forward.
http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/3659/84/
wanyama,
ReplyDeleteto doubt Anwar does not mean to support Pak Lah.
what we are saying is, while we are sick of BN, that doesn't give Anwar the right to promise the sky knowing the chance will never come for him to fulfill it, only to fish votes.
We will support the lesser evil, but the lesser evil does not mean it is the good among the two. Just less bad.
I've come to the conclusion that Ktemoc writes well, but is basically just a Google desk-jockey.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
ReplyDelete;-) with anwaristas, their favourite catch phrase is George Bush's "Either you're with us or AGAINST us" hahahahahahaha
ReplyDeleteYes, maybe they've gotten it from their de facto leader who, as we all have learnt, is a buddy of neocon Paul Wolfowitz, one of Bush's inner staff who egged Bush on to invade Iraq.
And I learnt one more thing about them too ;-), they are such (de facto?) intellectual snobs that they don't use google, except in a de facto way (on the sly) ha ha ha!
And what? No comment on those de facto "promises" to lower oil price? The things a de facto non-politician would say to win de jure votes - but then, it's de facto him! ;-)
incidentally, death note, well said ... you know the story, none is so blind as those who want to believe ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have never seen, met or chatted with Anwar. However, I read some of his stuff or listened to his speeches. That's the farthest I know of him. But one thing also is very simple as far as I can imagine: that the man (Anwar) has degraded you in the sense that you are looking for anything, anything anti-Anwar be it imagination, propaganda, Google Stuff, misuse of words, or anything of the sort to get consolation or try to win over someone. I don’t know who it is. There is nothing I share with him, but I swear that I feel he has degraded you. I mean if you are very passionate about someone and the only thing you can afford is to look for his shortcomings as if you have none or other human beings in whatever category have none, I feel disturbed that something bad, really bad must have been done to you. Anyway, don't tell me that you are simply Goggling stuff but that Anwar has not killed your human spirit. Definitely, a toddler wouldn't buy that. But I have got Mr. Booker T. Washington's famous input: "I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him."
ReplyDeleteIn light of this spirit lifting input that highlights how we can confront passionate rage, I would say look for other remedies. Don’t get me wrong, because I’m not here to defend Anwar. I believe he doesn’t need my defence and neither do I benefit from it. Moreover, I wouldn’t care absolutely because I don’t need you to write about him for me to support him or to reject him or put his statements in their historical contexts. I have intelligence; I don’t need an explanation as you may try to do it. I can read his statements like all other politicians and analyse them personally. However, I believe this degradation that you have subjected yourself to is too much for your very self knowing that the man you are banging tables because of him is not even aware of your existence and if he does, I guess he doesn’t give a hoot about your repeated rants. I believe you love yourself less because of the current personal dilemma you have. I will say if Anwar who happens to be the only man you target is bad because of this or that, it is because you have that defect; it was Herman Hesse who said: “If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.”
However, my interest is in Booker T. Washington’s saying: “I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.”
Google is a very useful tool for searching for websites and posts on the Internet - nothing wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Jockeys are pseudo intelectuals who spout Google links as the main basis of their discourse.
Yes, Ktemoc, interesting scribe though he is, has been diminished by his unrelenting negativity towards Anwar.
LIM KHENG YAIK, (THE UMNO DOG) AND GERAKAN
ReplyDeleteTRAITORS TO THE CHINESE
Politicians are all the same, and they are all consistently unreliable , because if he is reliable then he will not survive as a politician, therefore is Kheng Yaik any better than Dato Seri Anwar; I can say for certain that one is no better than the other. What I am saying is that we do not need to know anything about any particular candidate. We really do not need to know whether he is a good man or otherwise; and this perspective runs counter to what everybody is saying about what this has done or have not done. It is absolutely pretentious to claim that we are able to correctly assess the character of Dato Seri or Kheng Yaik and determine who is the better man. I SUPPORT DATO SERI ANWAR and I live in Australia therefore what do I know about Dato Sari. I do not a thing about him, and that is the thing about politics, IT IS ALL ABOUT PERCEPTION. In fact from my perspective, I will vote for Dato Seri Anwar even if I believe that Kheng Yaik and that Dato Seri is a chameleon and Kheng Yaik is correct. As I had earlier said I do not need to know anything about Dato Seri because I deal with the democratic process, I vote him because he says that under his government, RACE POLITICS WILL BE ABOLISHED and I want that so I vote for him and I do not need to know how good or bad he is. PROVE TO US WHEN YOU ARE IN GOVERNMENT OR WE VOTE YOU OUT. We therefore need to start to vote for the opposition to start the democratic process. We need to throw or better destroy UMNO now.
Dear my Chinese & Indian brothers, do not listen to Kheng Yaik because he is an UMNO dog and he will sell his mother or his wife to gain FAVOUR from the PM and UMNO. These are the UMNO dogs who hang out their tongues for CSRAPS THROWN FROM UMNO TABLE to the dining room floor. I spit on these MCA, MIC and Gerakhan dogs.
Kheng Yaik says that it was Dato Seri Anwar who put in place all those provisions that retarded the progress of Chinese education and that it was he & Najib who repealed it; let us examine Kheng Yaik’s statement to assess the credibility of his claim. I will first call Kheng Yaik A LIAR and then I will go on to examine what I mean by that epithet. I call Kheng Yaik a liar because the minister merely implements GOVERNMENT POLICY. In fact all decisions made by the Cabinet are made binding all ministers as one as ministerial cabinet collective decision. What Kheng Yaik is talking about is government policy and such policy are by the very nature taken by the PARTY IN GOVERNMENT and the minister’s function is to implement the details that will make the policy work on the ground; only UMNO as a party can change such policy and it is disingenuous to say that Najib revoked it. Having said that it can only be true that neither Najib nor Dato Seri could by himself revoke what Kheng Yaik claims credit for himself and Najib.
In this respect the powers of the minister controls only the details of implementation; but of course he has powers to grant exception in individual cases but not to change policy except with the agreement of cabinet. The Malaysian model of government mirrors that of the British. I anticipate that readers will want to ask me if ministers are so without powers then how is it that they can make money so corruptly; the answer to that question is in the power of the minister to approve contracts or such like. These functions belong to the Minister’s portfolio and they relate to “implementation. Therefore it is not true what Kheng Yaik says that it was najib who removed the offending laws that disadvantaged the Chinese.
The democratic process is all about checks and balances; therefore how can there be checks and balances if our Chinese & Indian brothers keep voting UMNO. If UMNO knows that we are all their SLAVES then where is there a need for UMNO to do what is just in line with our minority interests ? We have like a bunch of fools fear reprisals and we keep voting UMNO so do we not deserve to be spat on by UMNO as they are doing even as of now? Our duty to our selves is to vote UMNO out because it has always been UMNO that has formed government. Do we not owe it to our children and their children to pressure UMNO to act in our interests or we will put them out of business. WE NEED TO START AT THIS ELECTION TO START THE PROCESS GOING. If Keadilan, PAS DAP do not act in our interest when they are in power then in the next election we can vote them out. We need to start and now is as good a time as any. VOTE KEADILAN, DAP, PAS FOR CHANGE !
;-) I have never failed to be amazed by the behaviour of anwaristas. They show an extremely high level of INtolerance, resorting to polemics such as "hatred", "BN lapdogs" and such like abuses whenever someone criticises their de facto idol, as if this man couldn't do any wrong, has no record of abysmal ministerial performance, and wasn't (a BIG) part of the BN and its sins.
ReplyDeleteThis intolerant, blindly-faithful, polemical aggressive behaviour has certainly been their badge of political affiliation, a behaviour that is usually known by the word "fanatism".
I feel sorry to stress them but I have a duty to remind people that their hero was and though he has been kicked out by UMNO, given an opening, will be an UMNO man again.
I don't believe what he says, and that's my basic rights. I know what I have posted have touched sensitive nerves because the faithful don't want to be reminded or to know the stark naked truth. But I have to warn people, who may wnat to know, to be wary of this ferocious leopard - you know what they say about a leopard and his UMNO spots?
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe storm is gathering, the tide is rising.
ReplyDeleteThe wind of change is sweeping across the land.
Negaraku
Tanah tumpahnya darahku
Rakyat hidup, bersatu dan maju
Rahmat bahagia Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita selamat bertakhta
Rahmat bahagia Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita selamat bertakhta
Hehehehe...Love him or hate him, its obvious on the campaign trail that the Anwar Ibrahim "brand name" is still pretty powerful in this country.
ReplyDeleteWhen Bodowi speaks, thousands turn up because they Have to - probably get fired from their position if they don't. When Anwar Ibrahim speaks, thousands turn up because they want to.
Our "first-pass-the-post" electoral system will mean it is very tough for Keadilan to win seats in most casess, fact is I'm pretty confident Keadilan will get thousands of votes in every constituency that it stands in.
KTemoc said...
ReplyDelete;-) with anwaristas, their favourite catch phrase is George Bush's "Either you're with us or AGAINST us"
______________________________
Wow. You do the same also.
Mr Yap Chong Wee, please use your own blog for your very long posts which do not reflect the issues of this (my) post. Thanks you ;-)
ReplyDeleteAiyah, this is KTemoc's realm and he's quite free to rant his favourite skew.
ReplyDeleteKnow ye all not, by now, that poor KT suffers from both Bush Derangement Syndrome and Anwar Derangement Syndrome? He gets some relief from his ranting mainly along such lines, mah. Hahahaa! Or then again, maybe it's a revenue gaining thing. Who knows?
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ReplyDeletemr yapchongwee spamming deleted ;-)
ReplyDelete