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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Political sifu eclipsed by former disciple

I took to blogging because I was inspired by Jeff Ooi. At one time he was the most influential blogger in Malaysia, until Raja Petra Kamarudin started his Malaysia-Today, which I have always believed to be an Anwar Ibrahim campaign engine or at least a pro Anwar blogsite.

Jeff has come a long way since he was harassed by the NSTG bloke who seems to have disappeared off the radar screen. How sweet it must be for Jeff becoming a Yang Berhormat whilst his Nemesis is undoubtedly sulking in obscurity.

Today Jeff gave an interview to Malaysiakini where he revealed that he has been co-opted by Penang CM [nice ring to that title, CM, isn’t it ;-) ] as an unofficial Chief of Staff.


He said the DAP cannot afford to mess up in Penang as they need to showcase their political managerial competency to the voters, which has been why they are working their guts out. Good on them.

Ironically, while Jeff’s political career in the DAP is on the ascendency, his one-time godfather, Gerakan former President Dr Lim Keng Yaik's is nose diving. Lim has made himself very unpopular … with his own party members.

Seven Gerakan leaders – namely FT head Dr Tan Kee Kwong and division chairpersons Siow Chee Meng (Bukit Bintang), Dr Hsu Dar Ren (Cheras) and KK Supramaniam (Lembah Pantai), as well as Gan Kok Keng, Eddie Yaw and Li Tiam Chai – said Dr Lim should quit his position as advisor and stop interfering in party matters – in other words, shut up.

My blogging mate, top civic activist, Lucia Lai of Mental Jog called him siow ah pek ('crazy old man' or to be more polite, 'eccentric uncle' ke ke ke)

The Gerakan leaders have been pissed off with Dr Lim's uncalled for attack on his former protégé Lee Kah Choon for accepting two non political posts offered by the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat Penang government. The attack led to Lee voluntarily quitting the party on April 23.

They said: “We regret that a capable leader has been forced out of the party as a result of the action by Keng Yaik.”

“In this context, we view Lee’s acceptance of the (two posts) as something beneficial to the people of Penang. These appointments are non-political and his work would be no different from that of a civil servant."

“We note that Lee was an ordinary Gerakan member at the time of his acceptance of these positions. Hence, his acceptance of these positions would not jeopardise the party’s interests.”

They also accused Dr Lim of cakap ta’serupa bikin because the former party president had promised: “I don’t want to be another (ex-premier Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad). When I step down I will shut up, unless I’m asked for my comments.”

I wonder whether Dr Lim at his nadir in his political life would feel proud that another of his former protégé, Jeff Ooi, is now near his political apex, albeit in another but better political party.

p/s on a separate note, I just noted my blogging mate and fellow Penangite Dr Darren Hsu is head of Gerakan Cheras. Hi Darren ;-)

10 comments:

  1. Raja Petra Kamarudin… which I have always believed to be an Anwar Ibrahim campaign engine or at least a pro Anwar blogsite
    _________________________________


    As former ardent fan of Raja Petra, lately I become disillusion with his discourse. The part that interest most, including me is his liberal thoughts on questions of equality and non racism. But now, it seems to be just a propaganda tactics for PKR. He is bias against DAP, HINDRAF and even PAS. His site is dedicated to promote Anwar as the next PM.

    I suspect the agenda behind this is to portray an image that he and Malaysia Today are solely responsible for the new Malaysian consciousness. He attempts to make claim that the idea is his labour (and PKR). This is done to an extend of demonising DAP or PAS. The propaganda machine of PKR that operates through comments section, also tries to paint a picture that Lim Kit Siang and Karpal are irrelevant and instigate readers to hate them as being old fashioned and intolerant. This exercise is hoped to project Anwar as the sole national leader from the opposition. And further, if the two stalwarts are not there, Anwar will be the most senior among the opposition. That’s what the PKR propaganda unit tries to achieve.

    When he accused Chinese and Indians as merely hedging and DAP leaders are racist and disrespectful of royalty, his biasness exposed to all and sundry (some of the decent critics questioning his motives were even removed from comment section after a few days; outburst or flattery all retained). For instance, one post that questioned his motives of attacking DAP for being racist and anti royalty, asked why he was not equally critical to Syed Husin Ali for making racial statement in seat allocation in Perak or the crown princess of Kelantan statements which are more damaging than DAP.

    However RPK tries, certain fact will remain. Royalty never played any meaningful role in the development of the country. They have only been a liability of the tax payers. And as Mahathir said, the royalty has sold the country and the people to British by signing the Malcolm McDonald agreement on Malayan Union. That’s the day the royalty declared Malaya a republic. It is the ‘sedekah’ of ‘rakyat’ who returned the royalty back to its present position.

    The other part of his blog is his exaggeration of facts and events with stylish pseudo history. His twist and turn, initially was very exciting but now increasingly boring and predictable. And lately, it gets more disgusting when he blows his own trumpet. No wonder most of the earlier bloggers active in his site have left to other sites.

    A friend commented insightfully, RPK’s discourse is “entertaining but intellectually insignificant”. Main reasons for this his willingness to be prostituted by a political party.

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  2. actually 'siao ah pek' is the name i learned from zahrain, penang's PKR chief during the biggie DAP ceramah at han chiang school field on 6 march. during his speech, he referred to LKY as 'ah pek siao'.

    wow! 'as said' here had such a long comment... which looks like a blog post. i do agree with some parts of what 'as said' said, esp. the part where RPK hit out at LKS but not at syed husin ali.

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  3. oh btw, forgot to add. i didn't know too that dr hsu is a gerakan member and a former penangite... until now.

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  4. yes, darren was from penang, he's a good bloke - typical of a penangite, he supports gerakan, tho' of coz penangites have rejected gerakan in the last election

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  5. RPK is the grand spin master in the Malaysian cyber world. If the main streammedia spin for UMNO, RPK spin for PKR... spin, RPK, spin. Spin in guise of audicity.

    Throw a few words condemming Islam and Malays and the non Malays will cheer. Than another few words on Chinese and Indians, and the Malays will cheer. Excellent RPK, simply superb!

    No wonder Anwar loves RPK! RPK is Kalimullah of Anwar.

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  6. So what's wrong with a Pro-Anwar blogsite?
    THIS particular blog is virulently Anti-Anwar, dripping with unconditional detestation.

    Let the best ideas win !

    Lim Keng Yaik was right about one thing - Gerakan has much deeper talent than DAP.
    Jeff Ooi's own admission - more than half the Penang State Exco have never managed any kind of organisation or sub-unit before. How are they going to run Penang ?

    As a Penangite and PR supporter, I very much want DAP to succeed. But I fear this whole effort is going to crash in flames.

    PS.
    By the way, the same comment applies to PKR.
    Realistically, Pakatan Rakyat is in no shape to take over the running of the Government of Malaysia.
    Anwar should go man-man-lei with his Amphibians or Reptiles.

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  7. Did I say anything was wrong with M2Day being a pro anwar blog?

    kk46, you have been the one who said that, in your usual invincible defensive mode for your idol.

    As for your ”… dripping with unconditional detestation …” aiyoh, sometimes you anwaristas are so fond of such extreme emotive expressions. A la Bush, if anyone is not ‘for’ your idol, they must therefore be ‘against’ him.

    ;-) as a person of the world, you should know that a man who offers himself as the alternative PM of Malaysia should be prepared to have his track record examined and questioned and his past performance and attitude as an UMNO leader evaluated against his promises and so-called ‘new leaf’.

    He has already failed his reformasi claims miserably by his publicly announced hunting for frogs and his boast of taking over the majority reins of government by such grubby backdoor subversion of democracy.

    RPK is already suspected of being anti DAP because of his sniping at Lim KS and karpal Singh, and where RPK is concerned, this Malaysian Sun Tzu doesn’t do petty profitless stuff – he always has a strategic or even tactical motive and we have been guessing at, nay – make that 'suspecting', his objective.

    Also, my dear kk, don’t be mistaken between talent and experience. While Gerakan has both, the DAP admittedly (by virtue of its years in opposition) has very little of the latter.

    But like Lim Chong Eu's party in 1969, the DAP will learn. Yes, we should expect them to stumble, fall down occasionally, slip and even blunder, but we would also expect those enthusiastic people to get up and continue their learning on how to serve Penangites.

    Your 'man-man'lai' advice may not be accepted by your de facto leader. He’s a man who carries a big grudge against Fate, whom he feels had betrayed him on the eve of his ascendancy to the No 1 political position in our nation, and he reckons it’s now time for him to reclaim his 'birthrights'.

    I know that his resentment against Fate is such that if he doesn’t become PM, he will die a broken hearted man.

    Let’s see whether Fate will treat him more kindly this time, a last opportunity for him.

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  8. So what's wrong with a Pro-Anwar blogsite?
    Let the best ideas win !
    ___________________________________

    The question should not be what is wrong with a pro or con of a Anwar blogsite.

    Instead it should evaluate the discourse to be right or wrong. There is no such thing as absolute relativism in defining it. In Malaysian political discourse, we are still grapling with basic questions, whether we are all equal or not. Anwar to date have not categorically answered this. We can offer many types of apologetic explaination for this stand of his. But the fact remains.

    In this sense, RPK being his lap dog is better,even if we say he is a populist. His problem comes in by allowing himself to be part of the PKR propaganda machinerey, thus making the line of principle blur.

    Image making and myth building through media have considerable success but sooner or later, people only judge their actions.

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  9. MR.LIM got nothing better to do so talk talk talk and talk laaaa

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  10. KT, thanks for your kind words. I am a Gerakan grassroots and a Penangite. I joined Gerakan becaus eof its ideology of fighting for a fair and equitable society, and as an ardent fan of Dr Lim Cong eu and his UDP.

    I am in the party not for any personal interest, and I have alwyas expounded what I put in my blog in the party. Whatever position I held is either because appointed or because no one wanted to hold it, as in the case of Cheras Head.

    I have just posted a post on what I believe and u are invited to read: http://hsudarren.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/does-it-matter-a-cat-is-white-or-black/

    That speaks of what i believe in.

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