Malaysians - so similar yet so far apart!

Yesterday I posted Penang road signs - signs of ethnic division? based on an Utusan Melayu news article.

Today Malaysiakini tells us in Backbenchers rap Penang's multi-lingual road signs that UMNO man, Mohamad Aziz from the Sri Gading constituency said in Parliament that the Penang government's decision to implement the multi-language road signs instead of road signs in the national language was disrespectful to the nation's social contract and the Federal constitution.

Whoa!

Social contract and the Federal constitution? Hasn't he been rather generous with his accusations!

The Penang heritage road signs issue is being bullsh*ttingly brandished around as if the Chinese plus Jawi and Tamil script has replaced the national language.

Those idiots didn’t even bother to check that the national language continues to depict the thoroughfares’ names but only with the heritage names (in Chinese, Tamil, Jawi scripts) being additional signs below the main signs in Romanised Bahasa.

And we see how the term social contract has now conveniently become a catch-all weapon for some UMNO members to bash anything or anyone they don't like or when they want to exploit a political brownie point.

Sadly we also see blatant signs of ethnocentric fangs being bared in Malaysiakini article PAS Youth warns MCA not to harp on NEP which sadly proves what many people have always believed PAS to be, first and last a Malay rather than the supranationalistic Islamic political party it claims to be.

In Malaysiakini Chinese heads PKNS: Staff say 'No', even the PKNS staff dared to question MB Khalid Ibrahim’s decision for Low Siew Moi, PKNS deputy corporate affairs and accounting manager, to take over (only temporary) as acting General Manager for just one year.

Loh was set to retire this month. In fact, Loh herself suggested that a Malay be appointed as the GM. But the State government wants some continuity at the senior management level during this shaky economic period and persuaded her to hang on for an extra year as she's the best qualified and most experienced person for the job.

So what has been the problem with Loh that the staff and union objected to her appointment? As a matter of record, they said: “The associations, unions and welfare bodies do not deny the capabilities of Low Siew Moi in the management of finance.”

Then? ..... alas, like Teresa Kok, Loh has one humongous disadvantage - she’s Chinese (and presumably in those PKNS staff's minds, not a Malaysian).

In my post Penang road signs - signs of ethnic division? I suggested that we Malaysians should look for commonalities rather than differences, but a couple of comments argued that the Penang government’s heritage names will be divisive, and the commonality that we should uphold should be the national language.

I responded: The question of Bahasa as the national language has never been in doubt. Keunggulan Bahasa tetap, terjamin dan terkukuh.

We need to remind ourselves the heritage multi-lingual road signs do NOT replace the national language but are only in addition and below to the Romanised Bahasa signs.

I also commented: But one of our principal commonalities is our rich culture where there is already a blending over the past 200 years to produce something uniquely Malaysian. The heritage naming of selected thoroughfares in Georgetown (not the entire Peanang) is an acknowledgement of our history where many people come together to form a nation.

Our rich culture? Well, they say food is a great reflector of culture.

Take as an example, mee – yes, wheat noodles, that lovely yellow yummy spaghetti-like stuff. Virtually every ethnic group has embraced that into its cuisine, uniquely Malaysian.

I would be devastated if the famous Indian mee stall in Ayer Itam (in Penang of course) were to discard the use of the Chinese Hokkien noodles for … say … spring hoppers(?), or our fabulous mee Jawa has to use laksa noodles instead.

Then there’s the nyonya food – utterly scrumptious and delightful and which started in Malaya.

In the previous post we bantered lightly on laksa versus curry mee – whichever, we Malaysians have been enriched by both Penang laksa and curry mee (KL laksa).

Without any doubt, I dare say it would be the rare Malaysian who hasn’t tasted nasi lemak, apom, banana leaf curry rice, beef rendang, satay, char koay teow (there are harlal version), chicken rice, nasi kunyit kari ayam, nasi goreng, yong tau foo, fish head curry, rojak, the kueh-mueh's, etc - the list of commonality in cuisine goes on.

Perhaps rojak represents us best of all, and we know how incomparably delicious rojak with its belacan, chilli, tau chneow (sweet sauce), and petis udang would be!

Then there’s the marvellous sarong, the best ecologically-friendly air conditioner there is - virtually every Malaysian wears one at some stage. The lovely kebaya and graceful baju kurung have already been claimed by the Chinese and Indians as their own.

Our hormat (respect) for our elders, our uniquely extensive family ties and our love of 'open house' during festive occasions to fete our friends and relatives are common cultural customs and practices.

I could go on and on - though we do have marvellous commonalities, yet we continue to stress on our differences ..... thanks to the politicians.

Penang road signs - signs of ethnic division?

UMNO Tanjung persoal papan tanda pelbagai bahasa

The above was taken from Utusan Malaysia’s headlines. It says that Raja Munir Shah Raja Mustapha, the deputy head of UMNO Tanjung questioned the State’s government’s motive in having road signs bearing more than just one language – namely, in Jawi, Chinese and Tamil.

Four days ago, on 24 Oct, the State government announced that it has approved the City Council’s plan to have road signs in the three local languages for those roads identified on the heritage listing. The heritage program would only be carried out in Georgetown.

Raja Munir doubted that the purpose has been for tourism. He accused the DAP-led State government for playing on trivial but populist issues. What about something substantial for the people, he challenged Lim GE’s government!

Besides, he argued that romanised Bahasa, apart from being the official national language, can be easily read by anyone, so what’s the purpose for the current bullsh*t - okay, kaytee has spiced up the language (pun not intended) a bit.

He advised us not to be taken by DAP’s guile as its (DAP’s) primary objective is to disrupt the multiracial harmony. He demanded that the State government respects the national language.

Then his Youth Leader Jeffri Salim said that they (presumably the Youths) will protest against those multi-language signs and demand they be removed. He said basically the same stuff, that people must respect and be proud of the national language yadda yadda.

I hope he doesn't do anything silly, like vandalising the new road signs on heritage listed thoroughfares.

If I recall the purpose of the heritage names, it was more than just having road signs in, as an example, the Chinese language. The nearly 200-year old Chinese names for the roads would be put up as well.

For example, until I read the Star Online article on this recently I wasn’t aware that Gu Gan Tang (cattle’s pen) is Lebuh Muntri (Chulia Street). For years, my mum and aunties would be yakking away about this and that in Gu Gan Tang (pronounced Gu Garn Tarng) without me ever realizing it was Lebuh Muntri, a street I knew quite well.

Lebuh Muntri (Chulia Street) or Gu Gan Tang

OK, I know places like Sin Kay or Campbell Street, which has the best Hainan chicken rice in Penang as well as the best gnow charp t'ng (beef tripe soup with radish, carrots and herbs) - also knew a sweetie there ;-) - but even today I do not know which road or lane is Snua T’au Kay, but which no doubt I had travelled zillions of times along it.

Campbell Street or Sin Kay

So the heritage names would be most welcome, without endangering the prime position of Bahasa Malaysia.

I advise UMNO Tanjung to cease and desist from driving a wedge between the people of Malaysia. Let’s look for commonalities rather than differences.

Read also: Memories down Penang Road (1)

photos taken from http://penangpage.com/chuliast/ - thanks!

Giving 200 MARA students each a Romanian car?

I don’t believe this!

Humongous alamak lah!

Bernama reported that next year MARA Will Sponsor 200 Students To Romania to take up medicine and petroleum & gas studies at Carol Davila University and Ploiesti University respectively.

No doubt the former has a mid-1800 origin (apparently set up by a Frenchman Carol Davila in 1857), but that country has since gone to the dogs, especially during the Cold War period.

It seems that in the Academic Ranking of World Universities in 2006, there was no Romanian university placed in the first 500 top universities, and that the No 1 Romanian university, Bucharest University, could only achieve half the score of the last university in the world top 500.

A Hungarian friend told me that during the Warsaw Pact days if you wanted to punish someone you gave him a Romanian made car – wakakakakakakaka.

I wonder whether Noh Omar Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister who made that sponsorship declaration has been properly briefed on the quality of Romania’s educational system or for that matter, any of its systems?

Is he giving the 200 MARA students each a Romanian car? wakakaka

Happy Deepavali

... to everyone ;-)

Misusing the name of Islam

The long-term goal of Christians in politics should be to gain exclusive control over the franchise. Those who refuse to submit publicly to the eternal sanctions of God by submitting to His Church's public marks of the covenant - baptism and holy communion - must be denied citizenship, just as they were in ancient Israel - Gary North

If we are going to save America and evangelize the world, we cannot accommodate secular philosophies that are diametrically opposed to Christian truth - Jerry Falwell


Against the background of the above utterances by a couple of religious extremists, we in Malaysia have to admit we too have our own Wonder.

Sickening sectarian small-minded segregationist saladin (with a lower case ‘s’ as that’s already more than he deserves) has come out with an attitude that tells us he wants to build a Israeli-like wall between Malaysian Muslims and the rest of Malaysia.

Yesterday the Star Online reported the Kulim Wonder has lashed out at everyone including his party's allies.

And we keep wondering when the world's greatest reformer is going to do something, anything about his 'reformasi general'?

Man man lai again?

But the saddest thing is while the Kulim saladin claims to be a paragon of Islam, he couldn’t shrugged off his ethno-coloured cloak.

In Malaysiakini he attacked Dr M as “the last person who should speak for Islam and defend the Malays”.

He should really look at himself in the mirror.

In his narrow pursuit of communal interests he has shamed and thus insulted the Islam he had brazenly claimed he championed, a great religion that is in essence supra-nationalistic, a fact obviously beyond his pathetic pitiful prejudiced understanding.

As an example of its Allah-(swt)-embracing compassionate supra nationalistic greatness, Islam has been the haven that millions of Indian Harijans (or Dalits) had over the centuries successfully sought shelter from a cruel life they didn't ask for, but by life's random throw of dice, were borned into.

And this Kulim Wonder, if we recall, has in the name of Islam excused himself from the shameful thuggist behaviour he had exhibited during the recent Bar Council forum.

Once again I ask Anwar Ibrahim what is he going to do about this terrible man!

Hindraf needs to rethink its strategy

From Day 1 kaytee had and still is supporting Hindraf and its campaign to improve the lamentable lot of the Indian Malaysians.

I have cried for our Indians in:

(1) The Toddy Syndrome and
(2) Malaysia’s Economic Pariahs

I was pissed off with their lamentable lack of meaningful political leadership which I blasted in 'Ketupat in Kashmir' - An MGR Extravaganza.

I even posted a poem on the Hindraf rally titled (no surprise) 25 November 2007.

However, it was with some mixed feelings, that of sadness and annoyance, when I read Malaysiakini articles Child, mother freed, 10 remanded and Shanti: I stayed in police station in protest.

We need to start off this discussion with the fact that the Home Ministry has banned Hindraf.

No doubt the Hindraf leadership made some rather extravagant allegations in their grievances, but the government should have recognized that those were the explosive expressions of a 5-decade old frustration, despair and unmitigated sufferings of a marginalised people.

Under such circumstances, the authorities ought to allow for some latitude in Hindraf’s cries of despair and not overreact by using the ISA to detain the Hindraf leadership, or (recently) ban the movement.

In becoming the political ostrich by ignoring the genuine grievances of a Malaysian community, and worse, sweeping the issues under the carpet through draconian punitive measures instead of working out real programs to mitigate the wrongs of the past, the UMNO-led government has failed in its so-called inclusive leadership.

Needless to say, with such a harsh and disdainful example set by the nation’s political leadership, it was hardly surprising that the police had overreacted on Thursday when they arrested 11 Hindraf people who attempted to submit a letter to the PM at his office in Putrajaya.

Why couldn’t they exercise a bit of judgement or commonsense by receiving the letter on behalf of the PM, and then sending those poeple home?

That was a rhetorical question as I have no doubt they were faithfully subscribing to the Minister’s pronouncement of Hindraf as a banned organization. As Malaysiakini reported, the Home Ministry said the group was detained for "taking part in an organisation that has been banned under Section 48 of the Societies act".

Our police lack that independence (of judgement and action) and commonsense which we admire in police forces of other more democratic nations.

But the infamy of the police action was to have included among the arrested group a 6-year old sweetie, P Vwaishhnnavi, the niece of detained Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar – see Malaysiakini Uthaya's niece, 11 others held.

‘Twas hardly surprising that the nation was shocked and riled by the dumbo-ness of the police in detaining a 6 year old. It was open slather as the condemnations against the ‘callous’ police assumed tsunamic proportions.

The police of course responded that they did not arrest Vwaishhnnavi but her mum. The 6-year old sweetie was merely in her mum’s care. OK, I believe the police.

But it did show our men in blue have not yet prepared for such a situation when they should have called upon the Welfare or Community Service people or even the girl’s relatives to look after Vwaishhnnavi, instead of allowing her to accompany Mum into the lockup ...

... but gnam gnam (precisely, exactly) what the Hindraf group would have wanted for assured sensational publicity. The young sweetie should never have been allowed to be detained.

On the other side of the coin, I deplore her mother’s irresponsibility in involving her young daughter in a situation which had led to the young girl’s de facto detention, by virtual of her wanting to stay naturally beside mum.

I recall in the PAS-PKR fuel protest rally last year, a PAS leader had also taken his daughter along in the march where the potential for confrontation with the dreaded FRU was very high …

… yet some parents had shown a certain callousness to their children’s welfare and/or irresponsibility by exploiting the young ones for political purposes ... but placing those children in unpleasant and even dangerous situations.

In Malaysiakini Shanti: I stayed in police station in protest the lil’ sweetie’s mum K Shanti, who is also wife of Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy, revealed her political agenda by insisting on remaining in the Putrajaya district police lockup in protest of the detention of her 10 friends and relatives.

I need to ask: did the young sweetie also remain behind together with mum?

Look, this grandstanding nonsense which has unfairly and unnecessarily disadvantaged and no doubt traumatised a 6-year old sweetie is not the way to appeal to the PM with a so-called Deepavali invitation, where Vwaishhnnavi promised to be waiting with flowers and cakes for AAB.

The mum has lost the plot.

Given this regrettable happenings, I recommend you read what Josh Hong, a Malaysiakini columnist, wrote in his article Indian revolt: The morning after, where he provided good advice to Hindraf leaders as follows:

The message sent through the extraordinarily successful rally last Sunday was too loud and too clear to fall on deaf ears.

As always, the spirit of reason must prevail despite the lingering euphoria. The onus is now on every concerned citizen and group to tie the appeals of the Indians into the expectations and demands of other Malaysians so as to de-racialise and de-religionise the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Hindraf leaders must do more to convince the public that they are not doing this with a vengeance, but are ready to walk and fight alongside just-minded Malaysians of all ethnicity, failing which they will only play into the hands of the ruling coalition and show themselves to be a fringe group of ethnic fanatics bent on havoc and destruction. Should this be the case, my Indian friends will again end up the ultimate losers in a conspiracy brilliantly executed by extremists of all sides.

Josh Hong’s advice becomes even more relevant today.

Blind candles man man lai?

Jaded! Perhaps a bit sick (medically).

That’s how I am today, and generally pissed off with politics. I see the Lion of Gelugor has been suspended from Parliament for 2 days – read Malaysiakini Karpal slapped with two-day suspension which started with his objection to UMNO Chief Head Kicker using the word ‘blind’ to criticize another MP.

Then in Malaysiakini Q&A: Home ministers all 'candles in the wind' we read about Syed Hamid attempting to do an Elton John wakakaka.

He said “all ministers of home affairs will never take a populist view. We are never popular but we are like a candle - we burn ourselves in order to protect society.”

I wonder what the late Princess Diane would say … probably she’s moaning from her grave.

Then again in Malaysiakini Anwar now 'in no hurry' to topple BN …... ‘nuff said. After all, when he boasted of 916, someone did ask: “Which year?”

Aiyah man man lai lah!

Instead I want to write about the past, on at least three things that stunned me, a Penang young laddie, when I first arrived in KL to (seek) work.

Firstly, I was repulsed by the overpowering smell of chlorine. Initially I wondered where the hell that pungent odour came from … until my auntie informed me “it’s the KL water lah”.

To me, it was so strong and stinging that it nearly 'blinded' me ;-)

Secondly, I was shocked by the mee when Uncle took me down to the local (his fave) Hokkien Mee stall. Unlike the more fine (slimmer) Penang mee the KL mee was thick like cacin (earth worms). And fried in KL style with black sauce … it looked yeeech and yucky.

But I went ahead and ate it - WTF, I then thought to myself, we only lived like 'candles in the wind' ;-)

Thirdly, everything costs more. Could I afford to live in KL? Unc advised: "Aiyah man man lai lah!"

Mind you I liked and still do KL sweeties ;-)

Najib's golden opportunity?

Malaysiakini tells us that Najib accepts its apology, and, to most people’s surprise also showed unexpected chivalry by praising Malaysiakini journalist Wong Choon Mei for ‘high values of professionalism’ in claiming responsibility for the 'Najib manifesto' error and resigning.

Poor sweetie Wong was unfortunately sucked into a nasty dud of the fabricated ‘blood dripping manifesto’. How I wish there could be a happier ending for sweetie, like Najib telling her not to resign, but I supposed she fell on her journalist sword.

Has Najib shown a new style of tolerance by merely chiding Malaysiakini without the usual sledgehammer approach favoured by Syed Hamid or the more aggro UMNO ministers, and then putting the icing on the cake by complimenting the Malaysiakini journalist?

Namawewe and Sin Chew journalist Tan Hoon Cheng, eat your hearts out!

But I reckon that even if Najib maintains this tolerant style, it may take quite a while for his detractors (but of course never his foes) to accept, let alone appreciate the milder than usual UMNO reaction.

His foes had done such a hatchet job on him, to an extent where even Malaysiakini's apology was either railed at for editorial cowardice or attributed to sinister and heavy handed government pressure.

Has Najib cleverly and deliberately moved up to higher moral grounds to demonstrate to the other BN component parties that he would be a better, far more accommodating and reasonable BN chairperson cum PM?

Is he neutralizing someone's preemptive accusations of his PM-ship to be likely a harsh and intolerant one a la the Mahathir years?

If he were to seek my advice, wakakaka, I would propose that he stuns Malaysia with the following moves:

(a) Demand that Utusan Melayu and the responsible reporter both immediately apologize to Teresa Kok for falsely accusing her of disrespect to Islam and the Malays,

(b) Call for the police to investigate Chamil Wariya for suspected incitement to violence in the 'YB Josephine' cerpen - he can only call for the police investigation as he isn’t the PM or Home Affairs Minister,

(c) Call for the release of the Hindraf 5 – He could play a clever game (i.e protecting his backside from the rightwing elements in his party) by stating that he supports the banning of Hindraf but saw no national security necessity to detain the five,

(d) As Finance Minister, convene a Federal-State high powered economic conference with all the Menteri Besar’s and State CM’s to formulate a national strategy to deal with the global economic problems. By making it a conference of Federal and State government leaders he will cleverly cut off you know who without appearing to be vindictive or mean spirited – wakakaka,

(d) etc.

By doing all the above, he would effectively chop off the political legs of the Pakatan Rakyat, in particular PKR and its de facto leader – wakakaka.

But alas, while I hope so for Malaysians to come together to face the humongous economic tsunami that’s going to hit everyone, I won’t hold my breath … well, not for too long anyway ;-)

Who is sniping at Najib!

Yesterday I blogged Hatred, fear & avarice in Malaysian politics which I had planned to continue with a Part II.

But events which happened today have overtaken my plans. I read in Malaysiakini that a sweetie Journalist has resigned over Najib 'manifesto' report.

Poor sweetie Wong Choon Mei bravely took the blame for not verifying the authenticity of the so-called 'Najib manifesto' which was released purportedly for his party presidential campaign.

Wong had received it in an email, but alas, it turned out to be a dud, but worse than that, it was a malicious mischievous malevolent dud, a fabrication to make Najib look bad in people’s eyes – I’ll come to that soon.

I salute sweetie Wong because she accepted the entire responsibility – I won’t go into this any further.

I too must make an apology for doubting Najib’s aide denial of the DPM releasing any party campaign manifesto. The unauthorised manifesto had Najib allegedly vowing to defend ketuanan Melayu to the last drop of his blood – very ethnocentric and very distasteful to a large number of Malaysians.

It would appear that had been the ulterior motive of the malicious email which claimed the job of sweetie Wong as collateral damage.

The reason I had doubted Najib’s official denial, with an original explanation that it came from a support group, had been the invocation of his late father’s name, where Najib had purportedly asserted his willingness to sacrifice himself (to the last drop of his blood) to defend ketuanan Melayu as he had purportedly vowed to his late father.

I rubbished his aide’s denial as a piece of pure balderdash because I didn’t believe any ‘support group’ could have invoked his private promise to his dad, and therefore I accused Najib of playing to different galleries.

As I said I have to swallow humble pie and take it back with due apologies - unfortunately I had been cynical of any denials from UMNO leaders.

But it has now become more clear, that the so-called ‘support group’ has been one unwelcomed by the Najib camp. Much as I like to say 'I did consider this possibility' the fact has been I didn't!

His office acknowledged Malaysiakini as having apologised to the DPM, but nonetheless chided the news portal for unprofessional conduct in not verifying the authenticity of the email which carried the fabricated manifesto. Maybe there was an obscene haste in wanting to rubbish Najib?

Najib's office released the following (relevant extracts only):

'It is important for Malaysiakini to investigate the origin of the malicious e-mail in order for it to clear its name and reputation.' […]

'This false story is the latest move in what is obviously a concerted effort by certain quarters to tarnish the image of the deputy prime minister. Indeed, of late, ever since the Umno transition plan was brought forward to March 2009, there has been a consistent and continuous effort by some websites to concoct and publish false and malicious reports aimed at discrediting the deputy prime minister.'

'We hope the Malaysian public, in particular readers of these websites are able to distinguish truth from falsehood when reading the materials published.’

So … dear reader, who could be the malicious source of that fabricated email to blacken the prime-ministerial capacity of Najib?

Just who could it be, to indulge in such mischief by fabricating a message involving the distasteful spilling of blood?

Was it to infuriate other UMNO presidential candidates or even AAB himself?

Or more likely, was it to undermine the support of the non-Malay BN MPs for Najib? Would it be to persuade Sabah and Sarawak BN MPs and even those from MCA and Gerakan that Najib won’t make a good BN Chairperson and PM for the non-Malays?

Malaysiakini tells us that Najib wrote at his blog yesterday, that the purported manifesto was a complete fabrication, and that there was no such ‘Najib support group'. is blog:

Najib wrote: "This manifesto is so clearly a fabrication, so clearly an attempt to define me, so clear in its intent to manipulate the public's emotions in a divisive and damaging way."

Just like the fabricated photo of a French dinner, and various other alleged Najib’s misdeed?

Now who could be so desperate as to keep piling on fabrications against Najib? Who would want to prevent Najib from filling UMNO's No 1 spot?

Hatred, fear & avarice in Malaysian politics

No doubt many of us after reading Malaysiakini article Najib unveils manifesto for top Umno job, where the future PM is reported to have vowed:

"I will defend the supremacy of the Malays until the last drop of my blood if I win the mandate of the delegates to become the next Umno president at election to be held in March 2009. This is the solemn promise I made to my late father before he died”

… did wonder whether Najib has improved since he last threatened to bathe the UMNO Youth keris in Chinese blood?

But many have consoled themselves by saying at least this time it would be Najib's own blood, where many in PKR would indeed love to see his last drop hitting the ground - wakakaka!

My uncle who was a public servant told me he once overheard Najib as a much younger man confiding to his cabinet colleagues apologetically about his public ‘demi bangsa’ war chant that it was merely ‘hey man, what do you expect lah, it’s party election time for UMNO Youth’.

And Anwar Ibrahim wasn’t all that different when he was Education Minister and trying to punch his way up to the top of the UMNO hierarchy. His tactic was to pamper to the nationalistic and religious rightwing in UMNO with some of the most draconian educational policies ever experienced in our 50 years of in dependence.

Both Anwar and Najib were playing to the gallery of UMNO and the heartland. But that shouldn’t and didn’t excuse them from exploiting communal feelings to further their own political advancements.

Then today we read in Malaysiakini article Najib manifesto from 'support group', not official that one of Najib’s close aide revealed the manifesto of ‘his last drop of blood’ was not sanctioned nor authorised by his office. It was released by a ‘support group’ of the DPM who personally wasn’t aware of the document.

Balderdash!

‘Support group’ don’t go about stating on his behalf that he made a promise to his dad he would defend the supremacy of the Malays to the last drop of his blood!

The way I see it, Najib is playing a political game where he gets his cake and eat it as well.

So he released the ‘demi bangsa’ vow, and then turning to the nons including the other BN component parties (and possibly international audience) he would say “Alamak, bukan ai lah, support group buat tu” – no different to Anwar vis-à-vis his 'buat ta'tahu' on the Kulim Wonder and his tap dancing around Article 153, etc – just the style of presentation between the two differs slightly.

… which brings us to a few other Malaysiakini headlines like:

(1) ...but MCA says Umno dominates BN
(2) BN leaders praise Ka Ting's 'bold' speech
(3) We want DPM post: MCA delegates

… which certainly would warm the cockles of Chinatown but hardly those of the heartland.

Tonight I want to discuss just in brief (very brief) three political emotions – Hatred, Fear and Avarice. I'll give a fuller treatment in future.

Hatred

Hatred could of course be as a result of fear, and vice versa.

It you see the PKR-BN polemics there is regrettably sheer hatred at the lower levels. When I went to Uncle Lim’s blog to read his post on the governance (or alleged lack of) in the purchase of the Eurocopter, my god, some of the comments were just plain expressions of hatred for Najib without any intelligent discourse of either the governance involved in the purchase or the technical features of the aircraft.

The above has been a typical example – there have been many others on both sides. But alas, for the PR, it would seem that 'brains' must have become an extinct creature for some PKR members.

… yet a few PKR members still have the brazen nerve to talk about a two-party system?

The feelings of hatred are not confined to PKR and UMNO only, for the headlines showed that the MCA and the Gerakan both have had their fill of UMNO’s arrogance to an extent that there now exists ill will and the accompanying aggression in both parties towards UMNO.

While MCA has been traditionally the closest partner of UMNO and therefore least likely to leave the BN, its current power-sharing demands are getting more and more extravagant and in some cases, bloody useless other than to feel good themselves, and invariably to annoy UMNO rather than convince it. The MCA's pendulum of conduct has swung across to the other extreme.

Fear

Strange as this may seem, but many UMNO members are fearful that their once primus inter pares status, even among the BN, have been eroded since 08 March 2008. That PR has swept into power across 4 states (Kedah, Penang, and especially Perak and Selangor) has been a most unpalatable and quite frightening fact.

There is no doubt certain parties have been gleefully exploiting this fear among the Malays. Some have seize upon it as a wonderful opportunity to pose as the champion of the Malays.

The net result is more polemics, racist declarations and a very divisive nation.

Avarice

Underlying all these would be the factor of avarice. I’ll talk more on this tomorrow.

UMNO's Hang Tuahs!

God defend me from my friends; from my enemies I can defend myself - Proverb


In this land of Hang Tuah, the knives are out (as usual) as Malaysiakini tells us of Intrigue at Umno to topple Abdullah.

Candidate for the UMNO NO 2 position, Muhyiddin Yassin, has asked for the party election to be brought forward to the original date of December instead of March next year.

While Muhyiddin claimed his proposal has to do with shortening the campaigning period, AAB reckoned it was to get rid of him a.s.a.p.

AAB believes that his Nemesis, Dr M, has been the provocateur.

Dr M of course wants to see Najib as PM soonest. He doesn’t trust AAB and his family to honour the March handover.

If we recall, when AAB was in power, his camp had gone to extraordinary length to ‘blockade’ Dr M’s voice being heard within the party, to the extent that Dr M was forced into accepting any platforms including the one organized by Raja Petra Kamarudin to criticize AAB and his children’s policies and actions.

For more, please read The UMNO Interdiction of Dr Mahathir!

The opposition, particularly PKR and PAS were so delighted to have Dr M lambasting UMNO that even PAS named Dr M as a ‘national treasure’ wakakaka. I want to see whether PAS will change its mind when Najib becomes PM and Dr M is seen as voicing his ‘opinions’ again.

Yes, that perfidy so famous in UMNO has also come unto KJ, at one time so powerful that almost everyone in UMNO were falling down in the mad rush to be seen by his side.

The Star Online reported in Khairy dealt Putrajaya blow that 2 Umno Youth divisions, Putrajaya and Tapah hitherto seen as in KJ’s camp, gave KJ the Judas Kiss.

Putrajaya gave leng chai SIL a fatal blow when it picked Mukhriz Mahathir over Khairy as its choice for the Youth chief post. It’s interesting to note that the division Youth chief Ahmad Zaki Zahid is a close friend of KJ and special officer to AAB. He couldn't deliver.

Then the new Tapah Umno Youth chief Khairuddin Mohd Jali also cheekily said that the delegates felt that Khairy should remain in his current capacity as deputy Youth chief as he was still young and had a long way to go.

Hah, that perfidious political wind of change!

Talking about UMNO's brand of loyalty, I deem that bloke who had penned a poem on Teresa Kok as a dog had unwittingly paid her a great compliment because humorist Josh Billings informed us that “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”

As for those anti-dog camp, I reckon the backstabbing must have been how Jebat felt when his best mate Tuah turned on him for a mere tyrant.

Biar mati anak: Jangan mati adat (Better your children die than your traditions).

Well, the UMNO tradition lives on!

Related:
(1) Et Tu Baharom
(2) No Hang Tuah for Dr Mahathir

MCA Youth's meaningless demand

Malaysiakini tells us in its news article MCA wants second deputy BN chief's post that Liow Tiong Lai, MCA Youth outgoing chief has demanded that the BN creates two deputy chairpersons where one should go to the MCA as the second most senior party in the Perikatan-BN coalition.

Hitherto both chairperson and deputy chairperson of the BN have been automatically UMNO’s to take.

His bravado was no doubt the MCA Youth’s way of showing the Chinese Malaysian community the MCA has begun exerting its equal say in the political coalition.

Personally I believe demanding such a post is useless, meaningless and a mere grandstanding gesture, because it’s only a political coalition position, and of course the way it’s done could only irk the UMNO ultras who can’t stand any non-Malay ‘demanding’ this or that.

As evidence of the latter, today the Rulers Conference has, very sadly for Malaysians, defended the myth of the country’s social contract.

Their Highnesses’ spokesperson delivered a familiar nationalistic clarion call, stressing the need for Malays to be united (see Star Online), which makes me wonder whether I am only a second class subject(?) of HM the Agong?

How nice it would have been if the Rulers had stressed on the need for ‘Malaysians’ to be united. And where was our erudite Prince Regent and his Papa?

Now, haven't I told you gushing gullible guppies HRH ain't no silver bullet for our deep rooted problems!

While the Rulers made a concessionary assurance that the rights of non-Malays will be looked after as per the Constitution, and I now wonder what the nons' rights really are, they warned that there should never be any attempt to test or challenge issues related to the social contract.

They chided ‘certain quarters’ for disputing and questioning these matters, causing provocation and uneasiness among the people.

Hey, it’s one thing to have an affirmative program like the NEP, but it’s another to assert the existence of a ‘social contract’.

Don’t be mistaken that Constitutional Article 153 is the head of authority for the so-called ‘social contract’. All the Article says has been about the ‘special position’ of the Rulers, Malays etc.

Anyway, much on the ‘social contract’ has already been tossed around like a salad, so I don’t propose to continue in a no-win–no-win discussion. The Rulers Conference has confirmed what the Kelantan Prince had said in April this year, namely:

“... the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation."

“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges.”

So … not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to seek equality … how sad!

Perhaps you may understand why I titled my post on that hurtful statement as Kelantan Crown Prince 'slapped' non-Malays in face!.

Then in April, in my post Social contract - a vigorously implemented 'fantasy', based on a Malaysiakini news article, we were told by Royal Professor Dr Ungku Abdul Aziz that there was no such thing as a social contract between Malaysia's diverse ethnic communities.

Dr Ungku Aziz said that the social contract was "a fantasy created by politicians of all sorts of colours depending on their interest."

Well, it has been, for some, a profitable fantasy - but it's a fantasy that has been vigorously and fiercely implemented and more than realized.

Ungku Aziz believed whatever contract there was, it was more of an ‘economic contract’, what most countries would call 'affirmative action', in areas of education and health for groups that needed it the most …

… which has been why I stated above that “It’s one thing to have an affirmative program like the NEP, but it’s another to assert the existence of a ‘social contract’. Don’t be mistaken that Constitutional Article 153 is the head of authority for the so-called ‘social contract’.”

Though Ungku Aziz chopped down the myth (at least intellectually) of the ‘social contract’ we now get the royalty telling us, their ‘non’ subjects not to question the mythical ethno-centric politico-social-economic quid pro quo.

So I ask you, what’s the bloody good of having a MCA person as a second deputy chairperson of the BN? He or she will still be an inferior 'non'!

As one sweetie once said, words to the effect, that to term someone with such a terrible word as a 'non' must be the most abhorrent thing imaginable.

Despicable Dumbsh*t Desperados

After reading Malaysiakini 'YB Josephine assassination story worse than ISA' I think I may, just this once, support the ISA after all, where I want the CEO of Malaysia Press Institute, Chamil Wariya, and relevant editor(s) of Utusan Malaysia to be incarcerated immediately for inciting assassination through a cerpen (short story) titled ‘YB Josephine’.

Malaysiakini reported that “the story relates how a female Chinese parliamentarian is killed by a youth for promoting a new brand of non-race-based politics which he felt could disrupt the country's harmony.”

We know that sweetie Teresa Kok has been demonised repetitively (as an alleged anti-Malay anti-Islam DAP politician) and even threatened by Molotov cocktails being thrown into her family home garden.

Let's not pretend that the Josephine in the cerpen was not a reference to Teresa Kok, with the scary and provocative allusion/suggestion to her eventual assassination.

It seems UMNO Selangor is silly sh*t-scared of sweetie because she has made dramatic inroads into the heartland. But the insidious over-the-top campaign against Teresa is totally unprecedented and bespeaks a new evil unparalleled in Malaysian political history.

I'm trying to draw a comparison between the incitement to assassinate YB Josephine (YB Teresa Kok) and May 13, where political losers in a democratic contest abused free speech to provoke seditious sinister slaying of their political foes, but I reckon the latest must be the ultimate pits.

DAP Youth deputy chief Chong Chieng Jen said: "The said short story contains a seditious message and is aimed at instigating and inciting its readers to commit political assassination against the Member of Parliament for Seputeh Teresa Kok Suh Sim."

"All the narration that is produce here we can easily associate with our domestic political scenario and I don't think you need an expert in politics to identify the YB J referred here (in the story) as Teresa Kok."

Well-known sweetie Marina Mahathir had much earlier posted the cerpen as a piece of Despicable act.

She wrote: That's the only word I can use to describe the cerpen by Chamil Warya published in Utusan Malaysia recently.

Am I imagining it or is there also a sexist element to all this? That because it is a woman who is outspoken, she is subject to a more violent response than anyone else?

There is no excuse for violence or even the suggestion of a violent solution to anyone who has a different view from you. To write a fictionalised account of such a 'what-if' scenario is also no excuse. Utusan Malaysia has lost whatever shred of moral high ground it might have had.

Well said, Marina!

Indeed Utusan Malaysia has crossed the line of acceptable civilised behaviour where now the editor and the author of that seditious inciting story must be apprehended as elements prejudicial to public safety.

For once in recent history, let’s put the ISA to good use and lock those ar$ehole$ up.

But can the Home Minister do the correct thing?

The politician & His Satan

There he sits, surrounded by strategists, pollsters …..

Look, one of them is saying, these are the facts of life ….. there are millions of voters, who will decide the outcome. These you must attract. So don't say anything unusual or radical.

You must tell them the things they want to hear, the second chimes in. …

Anything definite will push away votes, a third insists. Every principle will upset somebody, so please don't go into details. Just stick to vague generalities which appeal to everybody. […]

In Goethe’s great drama, Faust sells his soul to the devil for success in this world. Every politician has a Satan of his own, who offers power in exchange for his soul.

You have principles, this Satan whispers in his ear. They are very nice, but if you don't win the elections, they are good for nothing. You can realize them only if you come to power. So it's worth giving up some principles, making some compromises, in order to win. Afterwards you will be free to do whatever your heart desires.

The candidate knows that this is true. In order to fulfill his plans, he must first of all be elected. To get elected, he must also say things he doesn't believe in and give up things he does very much believe in.

And the question is again: Where is the limit? Which concessions are permissible on the way to the aim? Where are the red lines?

The Devil knows that the small compromises will lead to larger compromises, and so on, on the slippery slope to the loss of the soul. Without the candidate noticing, he is sliding downwards, and when he opens his eyes, he finds himself in the filthy political swamp.

This is the first big test for the aspiring leader: to know the difference between the permissible and the forbidden. Between the "art of the possible" and the "end justifies the means". Between the stubborn insistence on his principles and the total surrender to those experts, who turn every new program into a mishmash of empty phrases.

Since the beginnings of democracy in Greece, it has been bedeviled by a question: can the people, the demos, really be relied on to make the right choices? How can the public choose between different solutions for problems of which they have no real understanding? After all, the millions of voters lack even the most rudimentary knowledge about matters of the budget, the complexity of foreign relations, military strategy and the thousands of other matters that a head of state has to decide about.

Which leader is being discussed above?

********

UPDATE - 16 October 2008 @ 5:11 pm

Last night when I popped across to my fave Israeli website Gush Shalom – Israeli Peace Bloc I read an article titled Satan’s Counsel and was struck by how some of the paragraphs could gnam gnam be discussing the behaviour of a Malaysian politician.

;-) I am sure you know who I have in mind. So I extracted relevant paragraphs and edited out the ‘giveaways’ which would have indicated its non-Malaysian context.

Yes, I know I was being mischievously naughty wakakaka, and was waiting for the usual mob to lambast me for talking bad about our ‘Great Man’ again.

When that happened I would then reveal it was in fact Uri Avnery describing Barack Obama – with an innocent ‘what, me?’ - wakakaka.

Of course I had to present it in such a manner without giving the game away by the usual acknowledgement until at least this evening once I had ‘snared’ wakakaka a few ‘acolytes’.

I did it in a manner where there would be a demarcation between my sole question and the article. I even left standard markers as such [...] in the 4th paragraph which implies there were more to the 'extracts'.

And 'extracts' have to mean they were taken from a much longer essay, which therefore couldn’t have been mine (or the whole essay would be posted).

I usually used yellow or prominent coloured fonts for articles written by someone, though as kittykat asserted, those could be just any editor's way to highlight parts of a posting – (was it a Freudian slip on kittykat’s part to use the term ‘editor’ implying he agreed with me that - wakakaka).

Now, what he meant was it could be the blogger’s way to highlight parts ... (aiyoh, kittykat, the whole article was highlighted in yellow lah, not ‘parts’ – another Freudian slip – wakakaka).

My only input has been just one line in my standard white fonts "Which leader is being discussed above?"

But anon of 9:49 am gets 1st prize for preempting my evening revelation – kind of spoil my 'trap' - wakakaka.

I do not expect my detractors to accept my true fun-motive and I accept them to lay it on thick with their plagiarism accusation – aiyah, must let them have their occasional victory lah – wakakakakakakaka

Poor kaytee just has to wear it ;-)

Eurocopter Cougar deal - Malaysiakini's pre-emptive 'clawing'?

This evening Malaysiakini publishes Letter questions 'shady' chopper deal, with PKR and pro PKR bloggers happily swarming the blogosphere with accusations that Najib had signed a shady deal ... again?

Needless to say, G.A.N would be ecstatic!

And the chief accuser of the alleged 'shady' deal has been Capt (rtd) Zahar Hashim, chairperson of Mentari Services Sdn Bhd, the company which didn’t succeed in its bid to supply TUDM with the replacement aircraft for the Nuris.

Needless to say, as the loser in the bid, he has cause plus the legitimate reason to challenge the Defence Ministry’s decision to opt for the Eurocopter’s Cougar. In the USA and Europe, aircraft companies which lost aircraft bids would raise Cain because the loss would be quantified in terms of billions of dollars.

When South Korea selected the American F-15E, Dassault, the French company which had offered the ultra modern Rafale was livid with anger, and threatened to take the S Korean government to court for biased (politically influenced) preference.

Again, when the Singapore Air Force picked the same F-15E type (with rumours that the SAF actually preferred the new generation Rafale) the French hinted at possible court actions but the fuss fizzled out eventually.

I wonder whether it was because Dassault realized no one could successfully challenge the Singapore government in court, or the numbers of aircraft involved was too small to bother, or the French has other items to offer to the Singaporeans and wouldn't want to upset a potential customer?

When the USAF selected Airbus A-330 as its new air-to-air tanker, loser Boeing, which offered the B767 (which lost out because it has less fuel carrying capacity as well as less cargo payload) protested like blaze.

Reuters photo

It would have been a humongously profitable deal, amounting to some US$40 billion over two decades. Airbus in partnership with local US company, Northrop-Grumman, would supply the USAF with, as well as support the maintenance of 179 Airbus-330 tankers to replace the aging Boeing-built KC-135 aeroplanes.

The tanker is now re-tendered because the US General Accounting Office found some procedural errors in the process. But experts commented that the tender will be won again by Airbus as the USAF requirements would be best met by the more capable European tanker.

One of the considerations we need to bear in mind is that in such purchase, price is only one of several factors to be considered by the Defence Minsitry. A cheaper bid is not necessarily the best.

Some of the considerations should be the aircraft’s (i) ability to meet the TUDM’s operational requirement, (ii) technical reliability and maintenance costs, (iii) manufacturer’s reputation and reliability, (iv) political and strategic considerations, (v) number of countries buying the type (to ensure the availability of long term spare part supplies), (vi) of course price, (vii) TUDM’s familiarity with and acceptance of the manufacturing nation’s or company's aircraft development philosophy, etc etc etc.

wikipedia photo

The EC-725 is the long range multi-purpose version of the more well known Cougar AS 532, both of which are and will be operated by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Democratic Rep of Congo, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, UAE, Venezuela.

Now, how many countries were we informed that operate the Kelowna Kazan-M172?

The French aircraft industry has for many decades been foremost in helicopter technology, innovation and development. The TUDM can easily confirm this after having squeezed sterling services out of the vintage Sud-Aviation Alouette III helicopter since Day 1.

I believe the TUDM had once operated the Aérospatiale Puma which, though assembled by Indonesia for us, was of French design. The Puma and its more powerful civilian variant the Super Puma are renown for their effectiveness and reliability throughout the helicopter world. The Cougar is a modernised development of the Super Puma.

We need to ask, would one prefer to be flown by the Russian Kazan 172 or the Eurocopter Cougar?

While kaytee has his opinions, why don’t you guys ask the TUDM officers, not the chairperson of the company which has been unsuccessful in its bid, which is the better aircraft, and which do the TUDM pilots want?

I believe that Malaysiakini has been too quick to describe the purchase of the Eurocopter Cougar with words and phrases like ‘shady’ and ‘another scandal appears to be hovering over the Defence Ministry’, based on just the complaints of the chairperson of the losing company.

No doubt Mentari Services Sdn Bhd has a legitimate business reason to voice its grouses, but nonetheless they have been the complaints of an unsuccessful bidder to supply the TUDM with the Kazan 172, a Russian designed helicopter.

I believe Malaysiakini ought to have cross checked with (no, not the Malaysian Defence Ministry) but the winning company, Eurocopter, before it had published the news article Letter questions 'shady' chopper deal with pre-emptive accusatory words and phrases.

Insofar as the 'pre-emptive accusatory words and phrases' against Najib Razak need to be published, I am confident PKR could and would do that ;-)

Anwar Ibrahim and numbers

Malaysiakini tells us that good olde Anwar Ibrahim has demanded of the new Finance Minister, his arch Nemesis Najib, a fresh budget. This was reported in Anwar calls for a fresh budget.

However, in his eagerness to make a high profile mark as the new Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Anwar seems to have forgotten one small detail, something he promised us .....

..... no, no, not 916 because I read in the Star Online the news article Anwar not revealing new date, that Anwar has since changed tack (momentarily in KL) by not adopting his usual fondness for defining specific date(s) to take over the government.

When asked at his his Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru he refused to offer his new deadline to become PM.

Mind you, on Friday in KB, he stated that the Pakatan Rakyat would set up a new federal government before Hari Raya Aidiladha on Dec 8 – so we have a new set of numbers, 128!

Hey, 128 is a very ‘ong’ number so the prospects may possibly be better. Maybe Anwar has consulted a (of course Islamic) ‘feng shui’ sinseh?

Maybe the sinseh must have said “Aiyah 916 velly sick one, yet yee part (128) velly ong one”.

OK, I read another Malaysiakini news titled Court dismisses Kulim petition, Zul keeps seat

Aiyoh, his name sounds familiar lah!

Hmmm, come to think of it, wasn’t he the PKR MP that Anwar Ibrahim promised he was going to discipline for behaving like a thug at the recent Bar Council forum?

But that was weeks and weeks ago. Maybe Anwar had man man lai, acting dunno on his Kulim Wonder because it could have something to do with a minor issue, namely, the figure 31 shouldn’t be disturbed by annoying the Kulim Wonder?

It seems that Zulkifli Noordin may defect to ... gasp, gawd, omigosh ... UMNO, as reported by The Politics Blog. Could this be the reason that Anwar has conveniently 'forgotten' his promise to deal with that bloke?

And dare we say that UMNO withdrew its court challenge against the Kulim Wonder because of this possibility?

But nonethless, Anwar should have realized that 31 wasn’t a good number – either 30 or 32 would have been better.

Besides, the Kulim Wonder insisted that his bad thuggish behaviour was his action as a Muslim and not as a Malay. Jeez, doesn't this bloke have any shame, invoking Islam to cover his hooliganism? It's precisely people like him who give compassionate Islam a bad name.

Anwar has an obligation ... er ... reformasi obligation to get stuck into the bloke! Such a shame he hasn't, won't, dare not!

But anyway, back to 'feng shui', nothing beats 8 for luck, because if you look at the minimum requirement for nominations to the UMNO presidency, it’s 58. Obviously someone has done his 'homework' wakakaka.

Actually I am being helpful to Anwar in pointing out this UMNO minimum requirement; after all he does aspire to the UMNO presidency.

128!

Keep that in mind. It’s Anwar’s new target date that he announced in KB. Who knows, it may graduate to 58.

Got it - his maths will see 128 graduating to 58 - it's about a new thesis on Humbug Mathematics wakakaka.

Another G.A.N attack against Najib?

Amazing!

The whole blogosphere has been buzzing with the mysteriously acquired transcript of a private SMS-ing between Najib and lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah over a period of nearly one month, starting from Nov 8 to Dec 2, 2006.

Malaysiakini headlined Altantuya-Najib allegations resurface in which it provides the transcript of a string of SMS messages purportedly exchanged (I see Malaysiakini used the tap dancing word ‘purported’) between the DPM and the lawyer of one of the accused in the Altantuyaa case, Abdul Razak Baginda.

The transcript came from Malaysia-Today blog, where its blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin is currently detained under they ISA.

Malaysia-Today has been the principal website which has introduced me (through its articles) to the very existence of G.A.N or Gerakan Anti-Najib.

The stories that G.A.N. had 'shared' with us about Najib (all against of course – you don’t expect a blog which is so pro Anwar to be anything other than anti Najib) have been many, ranging from the serious to the preposterous.

In the articles plus those from other pro PKR blogs, I am not too sure what role Najib has been alleged to play in the murder of Altantuyaa. They (all allegations like the puerile doctored French dinner photograph) ranged from:

(i) Najib being the murderer and lover of Altantuyaa as well as father of the unborn child (I was under the impression Razak Baginda was married to Altantuyaa? Kongsi bini?), to

(ii) Najib’s wife as the archfiend who ordered the murder of Alatntuyaa, to

(iii) Najib covering for his buddy, Razak Baginda, to

(iv) Statutory Declarations, all of which amounted to “I have been reliably informed …”, and “I was told this and that …”, certainly a new role for Stat Decs), to

(v) God knows what else

… but all aiming to draw (perhaps wishfully) a line through the randomly scattered dots/stories to lead to and point out the alleged 'guilt' of Najib Razak as the murderer (if not, then next best is his wife had been the murderer) and hopefully his immediate hanging from a mango tree – mango tree, got it? ;-)

The aim? Well, maybe the path to (originally) the DPM position (and soon to be, the PM position) must be cleared of inconvenient obstacles like Najib bin Razak.

If you read those G.A.N-ish articles you may be forgiven for thinking that no one has yet been arrested or officially charged with Altantuyaa’s murder, that the murder has been unsolved.

The propaganda has gone on to an extent that the poor father of Altantuyaa might have been misled into believing that his daughter's murder has been not looked into.

Yes, what remains ignored has been the fact that the police are holding 3 men charged for the murder. One of them is Razak Baginda, a former advisor and close friend of Najib.

The current indiscipline or G.A.N-ish projection is the accusation that Najib had interfered with the case with the aim to whitewash his mate, Razak Baginda – what! Not Najib himself?

Let’s reproduce the relevant transcript here (minus the warmup parts which showed nothing dodgy, but inclusive of the typos) and kaytee will attempt to analyse it. We start off with the known fact that Najib and Razak Baginda have been good mates. Here goes:

[key: S2N = Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to Najib, N2S = Najib to Shafee, RB = Razak Baginda]

Thursday 9/11/2006
N2S Date: 9/11/2006 12:45:30
--> If RB's remand is up to Sunday, does it mean that he has to be charged by Fri or be released? i hope it is looking better for him.

Here’s Najib, the man alleged to have interfered with the police investigations, asking the lawyer what’s going on! Wasn't he (Najib) supposed to control what was going on?

S2N Date: 9/11/2006 13:11:23
--> 3 things can happen. Firstly, they can ask for more time for detention. We will resist. Second,they have to release him by Friday or thirdly charge him by Friday. Police took him to his office for document search. Nothing incriminating found. Now they are recording stmt from him. Later search in house. Under control so far Dato Seri. Salam, shafee

Anything dodgy yet? No? Police still in control without DPM interfering? OK then, let’s continue.

S2N Date: 9/11/2006 14:09:03
--> Dato Seri, Re RB need to meet up with you today. shafee

N2S Date: 9/11/2006 14:17:47
--> 630 pm at my house in PJaya this evening.

S2N Date: 9/11/2006 14:18:21
--> Thank you

Friday 10/11/2006
N2S Date: 10/11/2006 15:14:31
--> Any news about RB ?

Alleged master of everything sinister asking the lawyer on latest about Razak Baginda? Master of everything sinister?

S2N Date: 10/11/2006 15:19:40
--> Dato Seri, Negotiating for conditional release. If not police need 2 or 3 more days extention. I suspect its an exercise in public relation as they do not want public to think a VIP was given an easier time. Being a vip under these conditions is a liability. Otherwise we are on track according to plan. Salam, Shafee

Lawyer negotiating with police for conditional release? Didn’t they (he and Najib) have everything under control? Why not just a call from the DPM?

N2S Date: 10/11/2006 15:27:01
--> Thanks, he is very stressful according to his wife n would be a huge help if he could get a conditional release latest by sun.

Alleged master of everything asking the lawyer to try for a conditional release from the police?

N2S Date: 10/11/2006 21:35:52
--> Saw the news on tv. RB was sent for DNA. Not sure it was neccessary.

Not sure? Should have asked ‘someone’ (we know who, don’t we?) who’d tell you DNA should never be given! wakakaka

S2N Date: 10/11/2006 21:40:19
--> Unnessasary. But I think its on his lung infection. He has just been sent again to HUKM. Will know more later from inside contacts.

Hey, anything dodgy yet? Is it criminal for DPM to find out from either police or hospital inside contacts whether Razak Baginda had lung infection?

Saturday 11/11/2006
S2N Date: 11/11/2006 03:17:56
--> Dato Seri, I was at ghkl ccu 4th floor. RB was admitted due to lung infection: mild pneumonia and asthmatic. This was the pain he was suffering in the chest and unexplained coughing for months. He is under an able physician Dato Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai (head of Dept of Medicine) Its good he is resting there than in the lockup. Dna was done to eliminate that he was at scene of crime(paternity can be ruled out as well).Need to see Dato Seri on some concerns. Salam. Shafee

N2S Date: 11/11/2006 08:54:17
--> ANy chance of a release by sun ?

This ‘powerful’ DPM is hopeless – couldn’t he order the release of his mate? Another DPM would have done better wakakaka.

S2N Date: 11/11/2006 08:58:14
--> Police should release him by then except that I think the police is disturbeb by Media and public pressure. Other factors need be coomunicated to Dato Seri in person. Investigation wise we are on track for release.

S2N Date: 11/11/2006 09:26:52
--> It is clear that the Police will ask for extention t'row. I will resist strongly in view of the fact that the last few days investigation on RB have completed investigations that require RB's presence in custody. Secondly, from yesterday the Police has done nothing much with him except to do the dna. Thirdly, I am concerned with the Police carelessness yesterday in allowing the 3 other suspects to be freely mixing and therefore tainting their subsequent stmnts as they could be 'group coached'. But it also show Police no longer need to isolate the suspects. Even RB was handcuffed to the C/I. Salam . Shafee

I really hate to disappoint those hopeful of the smoking gun but up to this stage I haven’t come across anything sinister yet.

N2S Date: 11/11/2006 11:46:48
--> I Can see u today at my Taman duta hse at 6 pm.

S2N Date: 11/11/2006 11:59:08
--> OK Dato Seri.Insyaallah I will be there.

Sunday 12/11/2006
S2N Date: 12/11/2006 13:53:41
--> 2 days extention to Tuesday. They must release him by then maybe conditionally. Police asked for full 14 days. He has message.

This lawyer bloke sure didn’t know how to spell ‘extension’ ;-)

S2N Date: 12/11/2006 14:06:23
--> Will give Dato Seri in a while

S2N Date: 12/11/2006 15:10:17
--> 0320949418

Monday 13/11/2006
S2N Date: 13/11/2006 15:53:36
--> Am in his office now. Another search. AG will be unwilling to charge and lose a case yet again. It is a good idea to suggest to AG to hood on and let investigtion proceed with Razak Released on Bond.

N2S Tel: 60122143177 Date: 13/11/2006 16:23:29
--> How was the search ?

S2N Date: 13/11/2006 16:25:56
--> We provided them everything, including old pda and note books and a couple of bills. Nothing incriminating.

Wednesday 15/11/2006
S2N Date: 15/11/2006 13:21:32
--> Things going as expected. 2 male officer charged for murder in common intention. Razak's name not in. Lady officer released but rearrested under Emergency Ordinance to be used as Crown witness(exactly as predicted). I am expecting RB to be released on Bond. 4 of my lawyers are watching brief the proceedings in the murder case. Rb matter prob t'row. Pl call. Shafee Ps coming back now from Taipei.

N2S Date: 15/11/2006 23:31:09
--> So hopefully he will be released tmrw?

‘Hopefully’? Alamak, what a wimp of a DPM?

S2N Date: 15/11/2006 23:34:38
--> Dato Seri, I am driving up from S'pore ,no more flight to KL tonight. Hope for th best. Any indication? Shafee

N2S Date: 15/11/2006 23:36:52
--> Not heard anything untoward yet.

Thursday 16/11/2006
S2N Date: 16/11/2006 10:52:43
--> Anything Dato Seri? I am already in Court.

N2S Date: 16/11/2006 10:53:50
--> Pls do not say anything to the press today. i will explain later. RB will have to face a tentative charge but all is not lost.

Now, this is supposed to be the smoking gun?

Given the context of the ‘conversation’ thus far, would it be possible to speculate (no more speculative than those who claimed it's the smoking gun) that Najib was providing morale support, after hearing advice from the legal people.

But then that’s not convenient, isn’t it. We must ‘FIX’ Najib up good and proper, so we must put the worst possible light on that “… have to face a tentative charge but all is not lost”.

S2N Date: 16/11/2006 10:54:30
--> OK, TQ

Friday 17/11/2006
S2N Date: 17/11/2006 10:50:30
--> Dato Seri, Its important you speak to Yusoff Zainal Abidin as he knows the law a lot better in the Chambers. I am confident he is concerned with the negligible evidence agst Razak. The Raja Mahani and Tengku Ariston cases ought to be the guiding critera for AG. They cannot afford another scandallous loss by the Prosecution as in Norita, Ariston, Dato Balwant etc.

Woi, I thought all kow tim already? Why seek clarification from the DPP? So what if the DPP knows the law a lot better? Hasn't the DPM kow tim everything already?

N2S Date: 17/11/2006 11:39:46
--> OK will try. Meanwhile try to console the wife. She is hysterical.

S2N Date: 17/11/2006 11:41:29
--> I know Dato Seri. I will do everything I can.Salam, Shafee

S2N Date: 17/11/2006 12:57:49
--> Dato Seri, Razak has not been sent to Hospital. He is clearly not well. He is refusing to take Prison's medicine for fear of sabourtage. The chief Physician of GHKL Dato Dr Jaya Sinnadurai is shocked that they have not brought Razak back to GHKL. I have spoken to Haji Darussalam, Sg Buloh's Prison Director. Can You sound this to Dato Radzi Shek Ahmad? Need to see you of s'thing that I think had happened that led to her death. Utterly shocking if I am right. Shafee

“Need to see you of s'thing that I think had happened that led to her death. Utterly shocking if I am right.”

But I thought Najib had been the murderer? Why should he be shocked? Was the lawyer so dumbo that he was going to inform the DPM that he was right ("... if I am right") in suspecting the DPM’s wife ordered the murder?

S2N Date: 17/11/2006 15:45:34
--> Dato Seri, I am at Sg Buloh Prison. I have organised Razak to be in HUKL, He is on his way there now. The Pengarah Hj Darussallam and deputy Supt Gunasegaran very helpful. Shafee

N2S Date: 17/11/2006 21:27:02
--> My regards to him. He Is always in my thought.

S2N Date: 17/11/2006 21:34:44
--> Will tell him

Sunday 19/11/2006
S2N Date: 19/11/2006 16:25:08
--> Dato Seri, I need Dsp Musa ,your ADc to call me to clarify a point. He is not answering Shafee

Monday 20/11/2006
S2N Date: 20/11/2006 13:02:33
--> Any developement Dato Seri? Shafee

N2S Date: 20/11/2006 14:30:20
--> Not yet.

S2N Date: 20/11/2006 14:30:38
--> Thank you

S2N Date: 20/11/2006 21:05:17
--> Dato Seri.Razak is being transfered to Sg. Buloh t'row. Can Dr. Jaya do anything?

N2S Date: 20/11/2006 23:04:50
--> When is he being transffered?

S2N Date: 20/11/2006 23:05:48
--> T'row

N2S Date: 20/11/2006 23:07:01
--> What time?

S2N Date: 20/11/2006 23:08:01
--> Probably late morning

Thursday 23/11/2006
N2S Tel: 60122143177 Date: 23/11/2006 13:46:51
--> Your message read" Najib released on personal bond!".

S2N Date: 23/11/2006 13:50:00
--> Razak released on Bail of 1 million. On personal bond undertaking. Shafee? I am terribly sorry for that mistake. Whole night tak tidur preparing. My profuse apologies Sir. salam. shafee

N2S Date: 23/11/2006 14:00:25
--> ALhamdullillah , at least he is on bail. Big relief for him n family.

S2N Date: 23/11/2006 14:02:02
--> Dato, I need to brief you urgently b4 you speak to him. Shafee

N2S Date: 23/11/2006 14:12:32
--> OK but not intending to speak to him as yet.

Saturday 2/12/2006
S2N Date: 2/12/2006 18:59:15
--> Dato Seri, Got some info that are troubling. Quite serious. Are you in Taman Duta? Can we meet? Salam, Shafee

And then the author of the post at Malayia-Today added: ... those who know more, please come forward!

What? I thought the above transcript was definitive? Najib should have been hung by now, surely? Aha, I see, only a fishing trip eh?

With a few exceptions (eg. my blogging mate, Susan Loone), zillions of crocodile tears have been shed for Altantuyaa Shariibuu which I penned in a second Altantuyaa poem titled Murdering Altantuyaa Shaariibuu Again. Below are extracts from this poem (where Altantuyaa Shariibuu 'speaks' to us):

But the loudest noises are they calling for ‘justice’
Though, I smile cynically, ‘twas not meant for me
Their shrill proclamations & belated outrage (sigh)
Startled even great Gujir Tngri and the 77 siqar

Grandstanding acrobatics, their excuse to dispense
With all norms, purportedly all for me (wry smile)
I must confess I view with scepticism and distaste
As I would professional chest-pounding mourners

Gnashing Colgate mint-flavoured peroxide-d teeth
Wretchedly wringing manicured Ulan oiled hands
Shedding date-expired plastic bags of lo-salt tears
Proclaiming to be 11th hour paragons of ‘justice’

Even Ataya Tngri rolled his ancient eyes upwards
While Emegelji Eji cackled with caustic laughter
The ancient pair could see abacus shaped hearts
Clicking furiously and shaming Casio calculators

By sheer speed of their computation of advantage
What to extract, exploit, extricate from my name
Squeezing the very last speck of desiccated blood
From my hyper cold shattered fragments of bones

Eager hands raided the ossuary for me to be laid
As stepping stones for the progress of a demigod
On Ardha-Matanga, 4 tasks & seven white trunks
Saluting Brahma, walking to Amarawati by a lake

As the pseudo-pious pirouetting pachyderm crushes
What little good left of my name, what trust exists
In my family’s hope for requital of my cruel murder
I realize those raucous battle cries were not for me

Summoned by conjured justice to now serve Fenrir
To break asunder Gleipnir but only with my death
Re-evoked, for my soul to be murdered a 2nd time
To satiate the burning thirst of Angrboda’s 1st child

One also wonders what Telecommunication Act would have been violated by producing the transcript of the SMS-ing, unless of course it dropped off the back of a police truck?

Monster children of the Holocaust

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets - Matthew 7:12


Extracts from al Jazeera:

Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, recently delivered his report to the General Assembly.

He cited continued "abuse of international humanitarian law" associated with the "separation wall", "children fatalities due to Israeli use of excessive force" to quell nonviolent demonstrations, and abuses at border crossings.

Despite the details and warnings in the report, Israel's policy of incarceration, targeted assassinations, and near starvation of millions of Palestinians has gone unabated for too long under the eyes of the international community.

This is the longest occupation (and refugee problem) since the establishment of the UN itself; four decades old … and counting. [...]

Israel has disregarded with total impunity dozens of UN resolutions "censuring", "calling", "urging", "recommending", or "condemning" its attacks, settlements, deportations, and occupation. Unfortunately, all pleas and demands for humanitarian and political interventions have fallen on deaf ears. [...]

Since the early 1970s, Washington has vetoed 42 UN Security Council resolutions critical of Israeli policies, some of which were drafted by its European allies.

If one accepts the claim that Cold War rivalries had contributed to UN paralysis with respect to the Israeli Palestinian-Arab conflict, (all 690 Soviet-Arab resolutions adopted from 1947-1990 have been ignored by the West), then how can one justify sidelining the UN since the fall of the Soviet Union?

After all, most major post-Cold War conflicts have seen direct UN involvement: Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and of late, Lebanon and Sudan.

But the UN, it seems, cannot deal with the occupation and suffering of Palestine.

Following the end of the Cold War, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was removed from the halls of the world body and entrusted to Israel's allies in Washington. [...]

The special rapporteur also emphasised the humanitarian and health crisis in Gaza after more than a year of an Israeli siege.

He said that it should be the UN's highest priority to resume economic assistance to the people of Gaza.

He said: "In the face of an impending humanitarian catastrophe, the responsibility to do what is possible to mitigate human suffering is serious."

"This is a responsibility toward the civilian population of Gaza, and is not dependent on whether Hamas satisfies the political conditions set by Israel or whether the ceasefire holds."