Bapak Bangsa Malaysia - Bapak Perkasa?

Dr Mahathir was the man who proposed the concept of Bangsa Malaysia, to create an inclusive national identity for all inhabitants of Malaysia to replace the National Culture Policy that asserted a Malay ethnic national identity.

He said Bangsa Malaysia would mean "people being able to identify themselves with the country, speak Bahasa Malaysia, and accept the Constitution."

That was 15 years ago.

Then nine years ago, 6 years after he proposed Bangsa Malaysia, he stated in a speech at the ‘Reaffirming the Idealism of Undergraduates in the New Millennium’ symposium at Dewan Perdanasiswa, Universiti Malaya:

“The Malays should stop sending memorandum after memorandum to the government asking for aid and other things for themselves. Such an approach is no longer suitable because the time has come for them to stand on their own feet.”

“How much longer must the Malays depend on the government and the privileges accorded to them? How much longer must they remain mediocre?”

“How do you view the beggars on the street and then ask yourself what is the difference between their circumstances and yours? The government has done so much to elevate the position of the Malays, be it in business or education so that their achievement would be on par with the races, yet these efforts are never enough.”

“If the Malays could compete on the same level with other races there would no longer be a need for them to restrict themselves to the quota for everything. Must we lower the eligibility standard to the point where even useless students can go to the university just so that we can fill up the 55% bumiputra quota in the local public universities?”

“If so, we must remember that some of the students who go to the university in this manner will someday become doctors and engineers. How can we entrust our life to such doctors or what will be the quality of our infrastructures if they are built by such engineers? It would be much easier to tackle the problem affecting the Malays if they are proven stupid because all that is required would be to encourage them to study harder.”

“However, the underlying reason is much more difficult to address because it is caused by negative attitude and their reluctance to work hard.” – see The Malaysian Insider’s Dr M, father of the regressing Malay — Martin Jalleh.


Yet 3 days ago he was reported in Malaysiakini’s article Mahathir to Najib: Listen to Perkasa as Perkasa's guest of honour to open the ultra right wing NGO's inaugural general meeting, warning Najib:

"I would like to remind the current leadership to listen to the Malay NGOs. They represent the Malays. He should be mindful of the Malays for they are his constituents. They hold the votes (in their hands)."

“The Malays are flocking to Perkasa because UMNO has failed to promote and fight for the Malay cause.”

Dr Mahathir is now known as the man who is the godfather of ultra rightwing Perkasa.

Why has Bapak Bangsa Malaysia, the man who told off the Malays off for seeking handouts, now caused Lim Kit Siang to lament:

“Mahathir has come full circle, from an ultra back again to an ultra – repudiating Bangsa Malaysia and Vision 2020 which he enunciated in 1991. This is the greatest tragedy.”

Indeed, I wonder what has brought about Dr Mahathir's incomprehensible volte-face?

Uneasy lies the head that usurps a crown

Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,
And in the calmest and most stillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

- William Shakespeare, Henry The Fourth, Part 2 Act 3, scene 1, 26–31

An explanation of above:

King Henry IV, feeling guilty because he murdered Richard II to seize the throne and facing rebellion, is feeling the weight of his crown, hence the statement ‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’.

He had no rest on quiet nights on his royal couch whilst in contrast the peasants in their ‘loathsome beds’ would have a good night's sleep, and even a wet sailor-boy perched high on a mast, amid wind and waves, could nod off easily.

But more than the sleepless anxiety of Henry IV would be the man who realizes ‘uneasy lies the head that usurps a crown’.

See Malaysiakini’s Nizar: Prominent police presence created climate of fear where Zambry Abdul Kadir required the protection of a battalion of police inside the DUN to protect his questionable legitimacy as MB of Perak (shame on the BN for involving the police in the so-called hallowed hall, and shame on the police for interfering with the legislative) ...

... and equally questionable BN speaker R Ganesan had to have six security personnel as bodyguards - see Malaysiakini’s Minor commotion, media confined to viewing room.

This had been the appalling abysmal abject situation in the sitting of the State Legislative Assembly of Perak where the pretender to the State's chief executive position knows how ‘uneasy lies the head that usurps a crown’.

Haw-T’au-Ngeow-Ch’oo-Boey or Tiger-Head-Mouse-Tail

Once upon a time, in a land once known as the Boelay Kingdom, there lived a mythical creature known as Haw-T’au-Ngeow-Ch’oo-Boey. Translated into English, it means (literally) Tiger-Head-Mouse-Tail, implying the creature was ferocious at one end of its body but timid at the other. In modern political parlance, the creature would ‘act tough for show at one end but cringe at the other’.

As we expect with mythological creatures like the dragon, phoenix, unicorns, griffins, etc, they only exist in stories.

But then recently many people spotted a Haw-T’au-Ngeow-Ch’oo-Boey in our local neighbourhood.

Its Tiger-Head made a lot of noise against a hunter named Mahathir but alas, the noise was in Chinese, which means those who don’t understand Chinese won’t be offended. So Tiger-Head tried to show it was brave but only to those who understood Chinese.

Meanwhile its Mouse-Tail obviously didn’t roar but instead made a manja melodious mewing sound (in English) to those Tai-Kohs who didn’t join the Perkasa hunting party – it lauded them. Yes, as we know, ‘lauded’ in English means ‘praised’ or ‘extolled’. Wah, so sweet! Good boy lah!

Unlike its Tiger-Head, it made no mention, let alone criticism, of the hunter named Mahathir.

So it’s a clever creature, making two completely different responses on the same incident. Act tough on it to a particular group, but act bodek-ish to another.

That’s the Haw-T’au-Ngeow-Ch’oo-Boey for you, or as Chinese would say of its roar-mewing, 'hoe knwa boe hoe cheah' (good to look at, but lousy in taste/substance) wakakaka.

But enough of mythological creatures, go get yourself educated by reading Malaysiakini’s Gerakan slams Dr M's 'disgusting' speech at Perkasa AGM.

Meanwhile, over at DAP HQs, when asked what was their reaction to the hunter Mahathir, a DAP man replied 'cheah par boe eng ah?' literally meaning 'having eaten, so busy?'.

In idomatic terms, it implies 'don't we have far better things to do?'.

Liow is MCA No 2

Congratulations to UMNO! Half a loaf is better than none, and Chua can be ........

Related:
Who will be MCA's new president?

Uthayakumar for Hulu Selangor?

Malaysiakini - Manoharan urges PKR to field Uthaya.

DAP Manoharan has set the cat among the pigeons.

Putting aside Uthayakumar’s political prospects in the Hulu Selangor by-election, Manoharan’s proposal if taken up would be a coup, well, at least on the surface. It will bring Hindraf or whatever remains of that once-amazing movement on side with Pakatan, and avoid the vote splitting that Uthayakumar has threatened against Pakatan in a number of crucial seats for the next election.

It will also mollify Uthayakumar as he would feel he has been accepted and acknowledged by Pakatan leaders as not only a peer but a ‘mover’, a big time pollie, so to speak. That has been his siren cry all the while but alas, he did it in such a nasty petulant manner that no one, least of all the DAP (who had fought for him when he was under ISA detention), wants to have anything to do with such a self-centred person.

Of course if he wins in Hulu Selangor, wow, he will see it as vindication of his god-like personality.

But will Pakatan take up on Manoharan’s advice?

If it does, many may feel that Pakatan is kowtowing to an Uthayakumar’s threat of a three-corner fight in some crucial seats in the next election. Does one want to go down such a path, succumbing to threats, when it will set a very dangerous precedent?

Many in Pakatan opine that Uthayakumar as a person is so conceited that he can easily become a frog if Pakatan doesn’t let him have his way, each and everytime he demands something!

I personally feel that Uthayakumar has burnt his bridges with Pakatan, especially the DAP. He crossed the Rubicon when he made unwarranted petulant attacks against Lim GE and Dr Ramasamy, and in the most outrageously vilifying manner against the latter - as Penangites would describe him for that most lamentable behaviour, 'pehboe boe kar see' (wasn't taught good manners by his parents).

Despite Uthayakumar’s potential to lose some seats for Pakatan in the next election I don’t believe it is possible or wise to accept this man in as a Pakatan candidate. He isn't a team player, and the space in Pakatan, wide as it is in housing PAS, PKR, PSM and DAP with their ideological difference, is unlikely to, nor ever will accommodate the size of Uthayakumar's head.

But then, politics is the art of making the impossible possible! Regrets come a second.

Political snippets (13)

Based on news reports from Malaysiakini, Star and The Malaysian Insider.

Case 1 - 24 March 2010

Star reported Anwar's sodomy trial to continue May 10 (Update).

Another postponement? Now, what did I tell you in my letter to MKINI titled The political assassination of Anwar Ibrahim, where I had written:

The strategy of the anti-Anwar force is probably to drag out the court case for as long as possible so as to prolong the embarrassment and discrediting of Anwar through incremental releases of salacious tidbits for public consumption. Thus I wasn't surprised when the Federal Court postponed the trial recently.

The anti-Anwar force wasn't flinching as some asserted, nor was it giving in to international force as others had fantasised. We may expect more postponements and delays.

The longer the trial, preferably drawn out past 2013, the more dirty laundering in public on Anwar can be done. The objective is to continuously slander, smear and slur Anwar Ibrahim and bring his character into disrepute. The trial will be milked for all its worth and potential to destroy his character, credibility and even charisma.

I concluded with: It may not be the '50 dalil' but more likely is the political assassination of Anwar Ibrahim by a thousand cuts.


Case 2 - 25 March 2010

The Malaysian Insider reported PAS wants amendments to Rukunegara to include ‘Allah’ where:

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told reporters outside Parliament that the government should view the debates on the “Allah” issue in a positive light and make appropriate changes to the Rukunegara to refer to “God” as “Allah”, as Christians and non-Muslims also use the word.

“What is wrong with it, it is an achievement in unity following the ‘Allah’ issue. We should not only change the Rukunegara, we should make it more proactive, and at the same time work towards unity.”

“Christians and other religions have realised the glory of the name ‘Allah’, Lord, God and other words do not have the same meaning.”

We are certainly ahead of Indonesia which has the world’s biggest Muslim population but with only its Pancasila No 1 stating: Ketuhanan (no, not Allah) Yang Maha Esa.

But forget about Indonesia. I’m sure Father Lawrence Andrew of the Catholic Church’s Herald Weekly must be ecstatic with this news. Well, he did ask for it, didn't he? wakakaka.

Hallelujah or should I say instead Alhamdulillah?


Case 3 - 24 March 2010

Malaysiakini - 'IGP Musa lied about his law degree'.

According to my uncle, some years ago there was a rather distinguished looking public servant (very elegant, dressed a la haute couture) who held himself extremely well in high circles and was an erudite orator.

Many then had no doubt that he would one day be the Chief Sec to the government (the No 1 public servant), but alas, all came unstuck when it was discovered (someone snitched on him) he didn’t have a PhD though he was known/addressed for years as Doctor So & So.

Unc heard he desperately defended himself by arguing he didn't claim to be a Doctor and that it had been others who called him that (though he didn’t correct those people, and had in fact signed letters/papers with his signature block indicating his 'PhD').

It's all the more sad when he was undoubtedly a very able public servant. My Uncle has never stop wondering why he did such a silly thing? Mind you, I know of a couple of very capable Aussies who did just the very same 'crime'.

It was an unmitigated disaster for 'Dr' Elegant's reputation and career. I hope the same consequences befall upon the current IGP wakakaka.

The Snippets:
(1) Political snippets (1)
(2) Political snippets (2)
(3) Political snippets (3)
(4) Political snippets (4)
(5) Political snippets (5)
(6) Political snippets (6)
(7) Political snippets (7)
(8) Political snippets (8)
(9) Political snippets (9)
(10) Political snippets (10)
(11) Political snippets (11)
(12) Political snippets (12)
(13) Post election snippets (1)

Who will be MCA's new president?

Malaysiakini - Underdog Tee Keat sees fortunes turning!

The description by MKINI of Ong Tee Keat says it all – he’s the underdog, and thus not expected to win.

In simplified maths, based on the last MCA presidential election, he and erstwhile ally Liow had slightly over 50% while Chua Soi Lek has the other (almost) 50%.

Since then Ong and Liow had a falling out, thus in those simplified statistical terms, Chua with his almost 50% party support should roam home to be the new MCA president.

But how does the entry of Ong Ka Ting affect the percentages? As a former party president he undoubtedly has considerable support. But after two years of his absence how many of these would still remain committed to him?

And I wonder what role and influence former party president Ling play, because undoubtedly he’ll seek to enhance his son’s position in the party.

Yes, The Malaysian Insider published a Merdeka Centre poll showing Tee Keat is favoured choice of Chinese voters to be party president, but that means diddly squat because it won’t be the Chinese voters electing the MCA president but party delegates who are already immersed in party rooms’ dealing and wheeling.

Malaysiakini photo

Remember, Chua by right should have around 50% of the delegates support, though of course Ong Ka Ting may upset that consequential logic from the statistics of last party election.

But one thing is for sure, UMNO is hoping for a winning Ong Ka Ting & Liow Tiong Lai partnership. After all, unlike Ong Tee Keat, Ong Ka Ting was well accepted in the pre-March-2008 cabinet; and we sure know Liow Tiong Lai is UMNO's darling boy in MCA - see my earlier post Najib and Muhyiddin fought for Liow Tiong Lai.

The poor odd BN Chinese bloke currently left out on a limb must be Gerakan Koh Tsu Koon wakakaka – sorry lah, UMNO is right now more interested in and wary about a MCA showing signs of insubordination.

Aesop's Fable No 2 - The boy who cried wolf

There once was an ambitious boy who thought of bodeking the boss as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep voters. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!" “Local elections! Local elections! Lim GE doesn’t want local elections!”

The villagers voters came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away cry out for local elections. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf Lim GE actually wanted local elections. The boy quietly laughed at the sight of their angry faces behind their back.

"Don't cry 'wolf', boy," said the villagers voters, "when there's no wolf!" They went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the boy sang out again, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away.

When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your frightened song for we now know it’s really PM Najib who doesn’t want local elections! Don't cry 'Lim GE doesn’t want it' when it’s your BN towkay!"

But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.

Later, he saw a REAL wolf, namely the EC who said it can’t hold local elections for Penang and Selangor (aiyah, because Najib oledy said so lah). Whether he was alarmed or not (after all he’s a BN minion), he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Lim GE doesn’t want local elections! Lim GE doesn’t want local elections!"

But the villagers voters by now knew he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.

At sunset, everyone in kampung Gelakan wakakaka wondered why the boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep votes. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.

"There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, "Wolf!" Why didn't you come?"

An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.

"We'll help you look for the lost sheep votes in the morning year 2023," he said, putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes someone who keeps giving bullsh*t alarms ...!"

See also:

Aesop's Fable No 1 - The fox & the grapes

Diminishing UMNO influence with MCA?

Malaysiakini published Umno's waning influence over MCA which has James Wong Wing Onn, a local political strategist, stating:

“Now, Umno support is seen as a liability rather than an asset because MCA has learnt a bitter lesson in past elections that even those segment of the Chinese community which are traditionally pro-establishment want MCA to be only an ally of Umno - not its 'Chinese Affairs Department'.”

It's not just that, because we must remember that MCA has been brought to its current abysmal status precisely because of UMNO and its total disregard for its BN partner's feelings and credibility. UMNO has continuously undermined MCA's position in the eyes of Chinese Malaysians.

If MCA doesn't show a bit of balls, it'll be totally dead like the Gerakan zombie.

Anyway, we need to note what I posted last year, that Najib and Muhyiddin fought for Liow Tiong Lai when Ong TK had a falling out with his erstwhile ‘ally’.

And we know that former MCA president Ong Ka Ting, in making a move to come back again as president, is deemed to be pairing up with Liow, with the latter as the candidate for the party’s deputy presidency.

We may assume that the pair of Ong Ka Ting and Liow Tiong Lai are looked upon favourably by UMNO’s bigwigs.

Let’s see whether James Wong will be proven correct in the coming party election, that “…Umno support is seen as a liability rather than an asset …” for the MCA party candidates.

I hope so because I can’t stand Liow.

The 'True Malay Warrior' playing safe?

Wakakaka – please read Malaysiakini’s 'Malay warrior' Ibrahim Ali owns shares in gambling company.

PKR's Saifuddin Nasution said in Parliament today that Ibrahim Ali, proclaimed as the so-called ‘true Malay warrior’ has shares in Vincent Tan’s Ascot Sports, a gaming company.

Don’t forget, Ibrahim Ali warned Malays that the Chinese would take over the country. Looks like he has booked himself a berth with the soon-to-be-ruling Chinamen wakakaka.

Defending Anwar Ibrahim - wakakaka

My letter to Malaysiakini titled Dalai Lama shakes hands, Anwar Ibrahim dances where I defended Anwar Ibrahim, yes, gasp, gawd, omigosh, kaytee defended Anwar Ibrahim – hope anwaristas don’t suffer from any heart attacks wakakaka

********

I refer to Malaysiakini report Anwar spars with KJ over 1Israel, tycoon's daughter.

In Parliament last Wednesday, Anwar Ibrahim excoriated BN for giving 'a whole mountain' to the late Lim Goh Tong to build the Genting Highlands casino complex, yet having the brazen double standard nerve to complain about Pakatan's land allocations for Chinese new villages in Perak.

Then Khairy Jamaluddin riposted by accusing Anwar of being the deputy prime minister who gave Lim the land, but I believe he had attacked ad hominem and irrelevantly by raising the issue of Anwar dancing with Lim's daughter.

Never an admirer of Anwar Ibrahim, I wouldn't have dreamed of defending him but I'll take the advice of my uncle who told me that one could always try something new or unusual.

Firstly, Anwar made the allusion to the BN's award of the land in Genting Highlands to Lim Goh Tong in a specific context, and not as an isolated point of attack against BN. He did so in comparing or rather contrasting the BN's double standard in criticising Perak Pakatan's assistance to the landless Chinese new villages.

Genting Highlands

But Khairy's response to the issue of Genting did not in any way explain away the BN's glaring double standard. No, Khairy failed to ameliorate the BN's unsympathetic view of the land needs of Perak's new villagers while it had supported Lim. This may be something for Pakatan to take to the voters in general, and Perakian new villagers in particular.

Secondly, by mentioning Anwar's dance with Lim's daughter, Khairy was punching his parliamentary opponent below the belt, though of course in Malaysian politics there's no Queensberry rule in political fisticuffs, where Thai boxing technique such as kicking the opposition in the groin or elbowing him in the eye are quite acceptable, and in fact the norm which would be applauded by one's own side.

Anyway, back to Anwar's dancing. Before I explain why it's not something scandalous for the opposition leader despite his Islamic stand, have you ever seen the Dalai Lama in action on his campaign trail in the West? He would shake the hands of women, any women who held out her hand. If you are not a Buddhist, you would probably ask, so what?

Initially Buddhists and some like me, who were brought up in Buddhist families and know something about what Buddhist monks can and can't do, were shocked by the Dalai Lama touching women's hands. Buddhist monks are not suppose to be ever in physical contact with anyone of the female gender, either directly like shaking hands or indirectly like receiving a tray (or book, etc) from a female regardless of her age, no, not even from a little sweetheart who's only five years old.

Dalai Lama and Hilary Clinton

Yet the Dalai Lama has done it, is doing it and undoubtedly will be doing it. Why?

Because he is not only the Dalai Lama but a Tibetan politician who depends heavily on and campaign constantly for Western support. So when someone, say, like Cindy Crawford (the former wife of Richard Gere who is one of the Dalai Lama's most devoted followers), Oprah Winfrey and Hilary Clinton extend their hands to the Dalai Lama, what do you think he as a Buddhist monk should do?

(from L to R) Richard Gere, Dalai Lama, Cindy Crawford

Of course, he would (notionally) take off his Lama hat and don his politician's toupee to shake their hands so as to not offend the Western ladies. You can bet it's not wise to appear to the Western world as a religious fundamentalist, not when one needs their support. In most cases they wouldn't know the vows of a monk nor would they care.

Eventually those 'shocked' Buddhists did the prudent thing, by keeping quiet about the embarrassing observation, that one of Buddhism's top prelates has violated his own clerical vow, unless of course they have come to understand that it was merely politics.

Dalai Lama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, former 1st Lady do France

I reckon it was a similar situation for Anwar Ibrahim when he (then DPM) danced with Lim Goh Tong's daughter. I doubt it was Anwar who asked Lim's daughter for a dance; most likely it was the other way around. Then it would have been churlish for a DPM not to accept a woman's invitation to take to the floor, and probably insulting to her father. I do not believe that incident of social and chivalrous obligation had compromised Anwar's Islamic credentials.

It's known that Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail wears a glove for hand-shaking because of her Islamic stand. And if you don't, then you have missed the news of how Zulkifli Nordin, who claimed to be a family friend of Anwar and Wan Azizah, had sneered at her for this.

a right hand gloved Wan Azizah

Obviously, as the wife of a politician and the president of a political party herself (first KeADILan, now PKR) she has prepared herself well for a bit of political campaigning where hand-shaking would be a common and virtually mandatory requirement. But I wouldn't want to recommend wearing a glove to the Dalai Lama as it would still be a form of contact with women, and thus wouldn't help a monk maintain his religious vow.

Dalai Lama with young fans

The problem is, of course, when one has a certain standard of religious observance or is subordinated to a set of do's and don'ts (like the Dalai Lama and Wan Azizah) it becomes quite tricky to maintain that standard in a different socio-cultural environment. For the Dalai Lama this would be the West and Western women, and for Wan Azizah, non Muslim men in Malaysia and overseas.

But the point is that a politician, whether the Dalai Lama, Dr Wan Azizah or Anwar Ibrahim, who depends also on the support of people from a different ethnic group or possess a different religion, has to be prepared to deal with these supporters' different set of values and of course their innocent ignorance about the politician's taboos.

Khairy Jamaluddin

Anyway, let's keep an eye on the ball of the parliamentary debate and ask once again, did Khairy Jamaluddin manage to explain away Anwar Ibrahim's accusation of the BN's double standard in land allocation?

The answer has to be a disappointing 'nay'.

********

wakakaka

Zahrain Hashim a Hang Tuah?

If you read The Malaysian Insider’s Anwar promised DPM posts to PAS, DAP, says Zahrain as well as the previous parliamentary ’revelations’ by Zahrain Hashim, previously of PKR and currently so-called ‘independent’, you can tell he’s been reading from a prepared script, a script which I believe was written for him by you-know-who.

A political pundit claimed that the BN suffered collateral or even greater damage than PKR in Zahrain’s attack on Anwar Ibrahim – see The Malaysian Insider’s Zahrain targets PR but BN is collateral damage, analysts say.

That might well have been the case but my suspicion that his speech was ‘written for him’ was that:

One – the BN MPs were in FULL attendance in parliament during his earlier speech when he named a few alleged BN wannabe frogs, including Ku Li.

Got that, in FULL attendance!

Two – all’s not well within UMNO as those named by Zahrain were obviously the ones certain UMNO bigwigs didn’t like and wanted to slur and damage through Zahrain's accusations.

Ku Li is of course an obvious target for his independent pronouncements, most of which have been against the current UMNO ruling regime, while ‘bocor-ite’ Bung Moktar Radin has been too long an embarrassment and perhaps needed to be replaced in the coming general election. OTOH, he might have been a 'natural' as a frog wakakaka!

Abdul Ghapur Salleh, the Kalabakan MP, is unpopular because he was ostentatiously vocal that he had been pissed off with his Peninsula colleagues by telling AAB off immediately after the new post-2008 GE cabinet.

Ghapur flicked his appintment as deputy natural resources and environment minister back to AAB as he felt UMNO was treating the Sabahans in a patronizing and unappreciative manner, considering it had been Sabah which had propped BN up after the devastating 2008 political tsunami.

On top of that he had demanded for Sabah a whopping increase of oil royalty from 5% to 20%, which translated into an additional RM1.5 billion allocation to RM2billion. It's obvious UMNO wants him to go.

But why Anifah Aman?

The Foreign ministership is of course not as lucrative a ministership as the Finance or Trade post, etc but it is still a prestigious appointment. I wonder who may covet the hi-profile gaya appointment. Don’t tell me it’s Sri Botak? Wakakaka

Three – it’s part of the current UMNO strategy to discredit, humiliate, and smear Anwar Ibrahim – I had posted this as a letter in MKINI, titled The political assassination of Anwar Ibrahim, where I had written, among a number of UMNO’s anti-Anwar tactics, the following:

Former but now disgruntled colleagues of Anwar have been and will be paraded out regularly to disparage Anwar with nasty and damaging gossips. He has already been demonised as a puppet of the Chinese DAP party, with the 'Chinese' emphasised by Anwar's detractors. His stand vis-à-vis the 'Allah' word controversy has seen his Muslim status attacked by the usual suspects. Expect more!

The recent defection of once-PKR members of Parliament and state assemblypersons with their inevitable complaints and criticisms of Anwar would form part of the discrediting programme.

I concluded with: It may not be the '50 dalil' but more likely is the political assassination of Anwar Ibrahim by a thousand cuts.

And so it has come to be, as demonstrated by Anwar’s erstwhile ‘closed friend’, Zahrain Hashim.

Let me now ask, is Zahrain like Hang Tuah, a hero as UMNO would be prepared wakakaka to even call him that? ;-)

Or, is Zahrain like Hang Tuah, the court sycophant who sold his soul to the ‘Sultan’ by obeying the royal command to kill his friend through a death by a thousand cuts? Amin!

The down and up and down of Hang Jebat

I am okay with constitutional monarchy ... on condition the monarch also agrees with his constitutional role and not imagine he is a modern day Sultan Mansur Shah who can sentence the likes of Hang Tuah to death on a mere unsubstantiated rumour, or bash a caddy on the head with a putter, or whack a hockey coach, all because he wasn't too happy.

But of course I am only a Chinese Malaysian and shouldn’t have said the above as the royal person of a Sultan is a sensitive issue for Malays, especially nowadays when there are a couple of guardian organizations for Malay rights like Perkasa etc.

But would I be insensitive in just reading Malaysiakini’s article Some can insult sultans with impunity?

Incidentally, now that I mentioned Perkasa, you may want to know the above MKINI article reported that on 10 December 1992 during a parliamentary session where UMNO chewed up the Malay royalty right royally, Ibrahim Ali, then the BN MP for Pasir Mas, urged the government to amend the constitution to spell out clearly what privileges should be accorded to the members of the royalty.

He made the comment following the most devastatingly speech made against royalty by Dr Affifuddin Omar (BN-Padang Terap).

Yes, the UMNO bloke who took the cake in that royalty-chewing session was reported by MKINI as follows:

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

"The rulers must be reminded that they were not reincarnations of dewa-dewa (deities). They were put in their position as rulers by the people."

"The immunity gave the rulers the status of 'half-man and half-god' and allowed irresponsible rulers to commit serious crimes which tarnished the image of the institution."

"It was about time that the 'false sense of political power' associated with rulers in this country be abolished."

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

"The 'syndrome of religiosity' associated with the rulers was only to cloud the people's view of who the rulers actually were."

Strangely enough, for an UMNO bloke he wasn't exactly wrong on principles. But of course he and people like Ibrahim Ali only had the balls to say above after (then) PM Dr Mahathir pulled out the royal fangs.

With that, Hang Jebat had his final revenge. UMNO rehabilitated him.

I heard that UMNO named the biggest hall in its HQ building after Jebat, while the smallest was assigned the moniker of Hang Tuah. Is this true? If so, then it was the biggest UMNO two-fingers to Malay royalty. I am glad that Tunku Abdul Rahman was no longer around because it would have broken the heart of the nation’s most ardent monarchist.

Years ago during Tunku’s premiership, the RMN's second frigate was originally named after Hang Jebat but subsequently renamed KD Rahmat. The reason provided was that after some fires broke out in its engine room, the renaming was to break the jinx.

But according to my uncle who was in the Armed Forces then, he heard that the Tunku found it repugnant to name a navy frigate after Malay’s most notorious traitor.

Well, after 1992, the rehabilitation of Jebat was complete when a frigate was finally named after the No 2 Malaccan admiral.

Malay pollies quoted with pride his immortal words of "Raja adil raja disembah, raja zalim raja disanggah" (A fair king is a king to obey, a cruel king is a king to fight against).

Jebat finally became the hero that he was, and Tuah was relegated to being a small time palace sycophant.

But did I just say: Jebat finally …?

Maybe that was a wee too soon because Tuah has struck back – apparently there’s still a use for disused hero, especially when UMNO needs him.

Yes, today UMNO is the world’s greatest defender of Malay royalty, especially the one who is reputed to have the Taming Sari.

Gerakan doesn't support local elections in Penang?

I am not surprised that some people are getting irritated by Gerakan Tan Keng Liang’s mosquito-like buzzing around Lim Guan Eng.

His latest gimmick may be read in Malaysiakini’s Gerakan to Lim: Get house in order before meeting PM.

To put it briefly, because that’s all it merits, Tan ‘…has dismissed Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's attempt to meet Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak over the local elections issue as pre-mature.

He advised Lim to first meet with his superior, PR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim over their coalition's stand on local government elections before meeting the prime minister.’

No doubt Tan wants to make a name for itself, especially in a political environment where the Gerakan Party has been decimated, and cleansed from Northern Peninsula which was once its birth ground with Penang as its spiritual home. Incidentally, have you heard a peep from any Gerakan bloke on this issue?

Thus we may ask, today where/what/who is Gerakan Party other than the plaintive whimpering of one Tan Keng Liang – I suppose in that he is some sort of noisy hero in a very silent party – when one is very dead one is undoubtedly silent wakakaka.

Its president, as I had mentioned, is humiliatingly just a mere assistant ce to Idris Jala. Sayang saja, Koh Tsu Koon, a man who graduated from Princeton University with a degree in physics and a PhD in economics and sociology of education from the University of Chicago is now nothing more than an 'assistant ce' minister in report cards.

Forget about Koh, and let’s examine Tan’s most recent mosquito-like buzzing. Now he doesn’t want Lim GE to meet with Najib to resolve the possibility of holding local council elections in Penang and Selangor.

We all know that Najib is the principal obstacle or objector to having local council elections restored to the Malaysian political structure, yet Tan doesn’t want Lim GE to talk to Najib. It looks as if Tan in reality doesn't want Penang to have local election, which makes him a hypocrite – wait, not just that but a noisy hypocrite!

Not only that, this political nobody is attempting to prescribe to Lim GE, the CM of Penang, what steps the latter should adopt towards the holding of local elections.

Tan is attempting to set for Lim GE a task that belongs to Kedah PAS. Thus why should Lim even listen to the Kedah mosquito?

Unlike BN where a component party like the Gerakan Party has to constantly kowtow like a serf to its lord and master, UMNO, to get approval for every decision it wants to make, the Pakatan doesn’t work that way where there is a bullying TaiKoh a la UMNO. The Pakatan is a loose alliance where each component party is a sovereign party which cooperates rather than subordinates itself to a master.

If PAS is reluctant to have local council elections, assuming it had promised this in its election campaign, then it must answer to its own electorate for its broken promise.

Similarly, the DAP and PKR shall similarly answer for its their own actions, or lack of. There’s no uncertainty that both DAP and PKR are fully committed to the 3rd vote. It’s only UMNO preventing them from fulfilling their campaign promise.

Thus, UMNO and BN, which includes the walking dead Gerakan, shall eventually answer to the voters for its refusal to support the DAP Penang government (remember, Tan doesn't want Lim GE to meet with Najib) and PKR Selangor government holding local council elections.

Tan Keng Liang as a member of Kedak Gerakan would have failed miserably to (a) marshal BN support for Lim GE’s proposal and (b) pressure his state’s PAS government to do likewise.

A double failure and a noisy one, but I concede he may well be the only man (politically) alive, just barely, in Gerakan Party wakakaka.

Back-stabbing boleh-ness of ex PKR men

We Malaysians all know the story of Hang Tuah, yes, even non Malays do.

I blogged on this in Hang Jebat lives again, but ...!

You can choose whether you support Hang Tuah as the hero, loyal and faithful to the crown regardless, or like Kassim Ahmad, support instead Jebat as the loyal brother-in-arms who was not awed by those who wielded power. Jebat’s loyalty was based on what he saw as right or wrong (or the system) rather than the figure of royalty.

Kassim believes Jebat is the true hero, and Tuah the palace sycophant who willingly sells his soul to the sultan to the extent he killed Jebat, the man who defended his honour when he was down and out, on the orders of the Sultan who had earlier ordered Tuah's death.

Of course, the more traditional perception has been Tuah as the faithful and loyal warrior and Jebat the loose cannon traitor.

Today we read more of a Tuah-Jebat saga fast forwarded into the future in the form of Zahrain blasts Anwar, PKR in Parliament.

Hell hath no fury like a Zahrain scorned by PKR wakakaka.

This man claimed to be a close friend of Anwar, as did the Kulim Wonder. And didn’t the Kulim Wonder push for Anwar to be removed from his position as the Opposition Leader?

With friends like Zahrain and Zul, Anwar doesn’t need enemies at all.

The aim of these two, Zahrain and Zul, is of course to convey the messages to the heartland that Anwar Ibrahim is a stooge of the Chinese dominated DAP. The strategy is to frighten the heartland into voting only UMNO, and not PKR for that would be akin to voting for DAP. So ... can you say UMNO has not been involved?

You know, I have been thinking of directing a stage play of the Tuah-Jebat saga, a rather eternal favourite. And if I want to help UMNO, I’ll get Ibrahim Ali to play Tuah, albeit a rather ‘prosperous’ Hang Tuah wakakaka who likes sub-50 women ;-), and Ridhuan Tee to play Jebat.

Wakakaka, nothing stirs the heartland than to see a Jebat who is a Chinese, no matter how much Ridhuan wants to camouflage himself.

But back to topic, much as I don’t take to Anwar Ibrahim, I find Zahrain’s and the Kulim Wonder’s back stabbing of Anwar revolting, repulsive and repugnant, and in the most treacherous tradition of the Hang Tuah-Jebat tale.

Anyway, PKR needs an enema badly to rid itself of such rottenness so it’s better for them to have Zahrain, Kulim Wonder, etc out in the open now rather than 2013.

Why PAS is lukewarm towards local elections

In a previous post, a visitor asked: “Do you think Tan Keng Liang's move to continue to pressure Pakatan Rakyat to keep their promise on local council elections is good or bad?”
Then he thought better of it, since we all know Tan Keng Liang is Kedah Gerakan, and qualified his question: 

“Assume Tan Keng Liang is not from Gerakan. Do you think his move to continue to pressure Pakatan Rakyat to keep their promise on local council elections is good or bad?” wakakaka.


But my response is, is there really any need to pressure Pakatan? After all, Lim Guan Eng has been the one to start the ball rolling, and Khalid Ibrahim saw fit to follow, so really, what need is there to pressure them?

The very same people who want (or pretend) to 'pressure' Lim GE are the very people who had claimed Lim was only grandstanding when he proposed local council elections - well, that's politics for you.

In fact it's UMNO and its apparatus the EC which need pressuring. If Tan is so keen, that’s whom he should be pressuring, if he has the gonads, wakakaka.

OK, admittedly the 3rd component of the Pakatan, PAS, has been lukewarm, but then PAS has never committed itself whole heartedly to local elections. Only the DAP and PKR were the ones.

So Penang and Selangor, namely the DAP and PKR led state governments can go ahead with council elections without Kedah or Kelantan, that is, if PM Najib supports that. But haven't we been told that PM Najib is not in favour - he's scared of the BN being shown the boot. The demoralising effect would be tsnunami-c (again), to say the least.

By the way, don’t expect the Perak MB to make a similar declaration (i.e. wanting local elections), unless of course Tan Keng Liang has the balls to urge/advise/pressure Zambry wakakaka.

Back to PAS – I can see why PAS is not so keen. Let me wander around (again wakakaka) before I explain.

In 1961, the ruling party which formed the Penang State government was Perikatan (predecessor of the BN) which was then made up of only 3 parties, UMNO, MCA and MIC. Wong Pow Nee (MCA) was the CM.

Yet when local elections were held in 1961 for the City Council of Georgetown, Penang, it was not the Perikatan who won. The Socialist Front (known to Penangites as goo t’au tong – parti kepala lembu) won 14 of the 15 seats, in any language a humongous landslide.

Why?

Because many sectors of Georgetown was the socialist heartland, places like Weld Quay, Beach Street, the Magazine Road - Bricklin Road area and the Campbell Road – Prangin area, Carnarvon Street, etc. It was Karn-neen-nare Land wakakaka. The MCA which depended on the middle class and above had a snowflake chance in hell of winning.

The 1st mayor was, according to my family, a Socialist Front man named DS Ramanathan, a Penang teacher of Sri Lanka origin. He was subsequently succeeded by another Labour man, Ooi Thiam Siew, who was quite urbane and spoke very eruditely in both English and Chinese (Hokkien, maybe even Mandarin) even though his cohorts were from the socialist heartland.

14 out of 15 seats won by the Socialis Front! This is what PAS fears because local elections by its urban nature can be and will probably be in the general case (except for places like KB) dominated by the Chinese pollies. Even in Kedah, places like Alor Setar and Sungai Petani could well see the town councils manned by mainly Chinese.

PAS doesn’t want this to come about because (a) it wants to appoint its own people, (b) it is petrified of UMNO making hay out of Chinese sunshine at PAS’ gloomy expense and (c) it is in the final analysis a Malay party inasmuch as it claims to be an Islamic party.

Just look at people like Hassan Ali of Selangor and even Hadi Awang, who were both pro Malay-unity in the immediate aftermath March 2008, though Pak Hadi Awang has lately embraced, perhaps grudgingly, more of Pakatan's multi-ethnic policies because he has been shown and accepted the ‘bigger picture’ [of PAS riding on Pakatan’s back to a true Islamic State].

That has been why PAS has been lukewarm towards local council elections. Equally it explains why Najib doesn’t even want to think about it, unless Tan Keng Liang can 'pressure' him wakakaka (sorry lah, can't help it) as he (Najib that is) realizes that he cannot depend on the MCA, what more when the man who, together with his brother, lost the Chinese votes for the BN (save in Johore) is now coming back in a hope to head his party again wakakaka.

Gerakan people like Tan Keng Liang are desperate, and really can you blame them when their party has been decimated and their party president is sadly and humiliatingly reduced to virtually carrying a briefcase for Idris Jala wakakaka (sorry for my wakakaka-ing, can’t help it lah).

Hence they pretend to ‘pressure’ Pakatan to proceed on with local council elections for 2 reasons, (a) to show how 'brave' they are in making Pakatan live up to its election promise (knowing full well that Najib is the real power and thus the culprit in denying such elections) and (b) just in case Najib does allow local elections, they can have a second stab at a meaningful political role as a people’s representative, even if only at the level of local governments. Better than zero role, I suppose wakakaka!

I don’t think the MCA will have a chance in both Penang but quite frankly Gerakan just may as there is still a soft spot amongst some Penangites for a once-upon-a-time Gerakan.

Gentlemen in ungentlemanly Malaysian politics

Today I want to talk about my Gerakan matey Hsu Dar Ren. But before I do that let me wander around a bit.

For example, when I read readers’ comments at various places – Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, my matey Susan Loone’s blog, etc – I seldom see a reasonable and balanced or civil comment. The comments would in general be feral, ferocious, and frightening, not unlike rabid salivating attack dogs unleashed ;-). It seems these are worse at RPK’s Malaysia-Today wakakaka.

It wasn’t surprising that Kenny Sia was pissed off when he was attacked severely just for blogging in favour of AirAsia’s own aerodrome and terminal to be built on a plot of land owned by Sime Darby land. The comments made various (and quite libellous) accusations against Kenny and his motives. As Kenny said, there was no rhyme or reason in those comments.

Why must those people be so rude when Kenny was merely expressing his opinion? Don’t read his post if you don’t like it, or be brave enough to challenge his opinion, points etc with intelligent arguments or better still, facts. But alas, they had to behave like mindless Myrmidons, as if synthetically raised in labs to be feral attack cybertroopers.

They adopted George W Bush’s doctrine of "either you’re with us or against us", just black or white with no grey in between.

Likewise the attacks against Lee Lam Thye were scurrilous, sleazy, sickening and by some scumbags whose pubic hair weren’t yet in sight when Lee LT was already performing sterling services in KL.

Lee was virtually a demigod in the eyes of his constituency and woe betide any political challenger for his seat – my uncle told me in each general election he actually felt sorry for those MCA pollies who were ‘nominated’ by MCA leaders to stand against Lee. They were probably unpopular members, good only as cannon fodders wakakaka.

Maybe the following poem by kamikaze pilot, the late Matomi Ugaki, should be dedicated to those foolish or 'pushed forward' to stand against Lee Lam Thye:

Flowers of the special attack are falling
When the spring is leaving.
Gone with the spring
Are young boys like cherry blossoms.
Gone are the blossoms,
Leaving cherry trees only with leaves.

MCA cherry blossoms? Totally crushed by Lee Lam Thye! Wakakaka!

Of course Lee retired from politics but these young punks couldn’t, wouldn’t respect his decision and let him be as he went about his Malaysian way. He was only ‘acceptable’ if he was like them, feral, ferocious and frighteningly moronic in blind hatred against anything and everything UMNO and BN.

Same stuff happened to my matey Hsu Dar Ren in my post Gerakan hopes to snatch a new breath of life. Just because I refer to him as my matey, a commentator called him a ‘running dog’, just as some others had so termed Lee Lam Thye.

Though I dislike the BN for its terrible governance and divisive antics, I do have friends in Gerakan, MCA, UMNO and wakakaka even MIC. I don’t see the need to maul them as well though of course I would certainly challenge their political policies if these are not supportive of fairness, transparency, accountability and not wasteful.

In fact I was delighted to see that Hsu had written a letter to Malaysiakini titled The ascendancy of right wing politics. Read it if you think he is a ‘running dog’.

Some people like Lee Lam Thye and Hsu Dar Ren are gentlemen through and through, civil, soft spoken, well-mannered and treat even their political enemies as fellow Malaysians. In politics one doesn’t have to assume one of the extreme positions like the general UMNO apparatchiks or anwaristas.

And I am glad Lee and Hsu aren’t.

Malaysian Double Standards

Utusan can, China Press cannot.

Perak Mufti could send mob to church, Hindraf couldn't lead rally to British Hi-Comm.

Cow head mob could, candlelight vigil couldn't.

Raja of Bali can, Zakaria Deros could also... [so far no one on opposite side, but anyway cannot lah - even RM2,000 of legal expenditure would be comprehensively investigated by MACC ].

3 women could be caned for illicit bonking; no need for someone in Malacca [on top of that, Lim GE had to go to jail for daring to criticise a pariah's statutory rape of an underage Malay girl]

Perak Sultan could ignore advice of MB Nizar; Agong couldn't those of PM Dr Mahathir.

Punjabis in Police can wear their turbans without appearing non-standard in a parade but Chinese and Indian women officers cannot avoid wearing Muslim head-gear to appear uniformed in dressing.

Kartika can be caned for drinking alcohol but someone won't be, even for pinching a hostess' bum - dapat plum posting juga.

The truth about Ibrahim Ali

Recently in Facebook I commented on a friend’s posting about Ibrahim Ali stating he wasn’t a racist – see Malaysiakini’s Ibrahim Ali: I'm not racist!

I was probably the only one who said that I believe him, but that would then make him a hypocrite to his Perkasa followers and supporters, and an opportunistic exploiter of politics to get him where he wanted to go, back into UMNO.

Remember Ibrahim Ali was the one who warned the Malays that the Chinese would take over running the country after the next election – see The Malaysian Insider’s Chinese will take over in the next election, warns Perkasa.

Of course Ibrahim Ali’s assertion on the surface appeared stupidly moronic but Ibrahim is not stupid – he was merely playing to the heartland’s right wing gallery, scare-mongering to arouse their inherent prejudice and ire and of course win their support.

Alas, no matter how outrageous and preposterous his allegations against the Chinese might have been, there would always be a willing captive audience.

Whether Ibrahim Ali is acting on his own as Malaysia’s Pauline Hanson wakakaka or on behalf of someone is the question many are wondering.

But Today Malaysiakini proved me correct by publishing Ibrahim Ali laughs off link to Vincent Tan where it reported our dear famous RPK revealing Ibrahim Ali sitting on the board of director in Dunham-Bush Malaysia, a company once owned by Tan.

As I said, Ibrahim Ali is just an opportunistic hypocrite, especially to his own followers and supporters.

Incidentally I blogged on this sort of politicians' behaviour before, on 23 September 2009, in Malaysian prejudice where I said:

You know, talking about pollies (that’s ‘politicians’) I had written on what one of my uncles told me about a then-young Najib.

Once Unc overheard Najib making some sort of off-handed apology to his non-UMNO BN colleagues about the unavoidable necessity of him as Head of UMNO Youth using harsh and aggressive (meaning ‘racist’) remarks, particularly at a time when the Youth Wing was having its wing elections.

It reminded me of an old Chinese kungfu movie, where the forces of two warlords were engaged in a violent battle. While the warriors were fighting each other in mortal combat to the death, the two ar$eh*le$ warlords were partying together, dining, yamseng-ing, joking, laughing, and womanizing in a private cozy retreat.

Yes, they weren't unlike pollies.

Don’t think for a moment that Najib and Anwar Ibrahim won’t do what the two movie warlords did (okay, perhaps minus the yamseng-ing and womanizing) because that’s politics, the art of the possible.

And believe it or not, that actually has happened, yes, Najib and Anwar had met, well at least the meeting minus the joviality, frolicking and feasting - wakakaka.

Pollies would not hesitate to bersandiwara (indulge in theatrics) if such sandiwara, even making racist comments, allows them to achieve their political objective.

Of course it’s bloody unethical (and I don’t condone it) but apart from not being able to do anything, I console myself that it's a political sandiwara, though of course should that get out of hand, alas, Malaysian blood would tragically flow.

But what worries me far far far more than pollies making (politically motivated) bigoted comments, would be a well-educated man, who supposedly isn’t about to become a pollie, but who makes uninformed, unfair and unhelpful remarks about one ethnic group, probably right straight from his prejudiced heart – see my earlier post Bakri Musa confused about Confucianism.

Well, that’s Ibrahim Ali, a man who once told all and sundry that Old men still wanna have fun and that “… there would be fewer marital problems and a lower divorce rate if Muslim women were taught to accept polygamy.”

I had blogged on his ‘preferences’ in Ibrahim Ali said 50-year old women no longer fun – I just wonder whether he likes sub-50 Chinese women wakakaka!

3rd vote vital to knockout 'unrepresentative swill'

There is an interesting article at The Malaysian Insider titled The lost third ballot written by Lim Sue Goan. The article was originally at mysinchew.com

Lim wrote (selected extracts): The garbage, ditches, roads, street lamps and grass in front of your home are all under the management of the local government. It will be the local government’s fault if there is a killing trap on the road.

Even so, it is ridiculous that we pay taxes but enjoy no right to replace the local government.

Local government elections were abolished following the declaration of the state of emergency during the confrontation with Indonesia in 1965. Malaysians have lost the third ballot since then.

The people have no right to question the appointment of local governments by the state governments. It all depends on the people’s luck whether the local governments carry out their duties well.

Lim then blasted the federal government’s arguments against local councillors being elected. He continued, giving an example of unaccountable local government:

There are local government elections in other democratic countries and their experiences have proved that the central, state and local governments can be separated while they are working together.

Layers of oversight mechanisms can stop local governments from making mistakes, so that they are more accountable and transparent, achieving the goal of checks and balances.

At the same time, through their votes, voters can replace district officers and city councillors with poor performances. Because they are afraid of being replaced, local government officers will be more responsible and work harder.

Currently, the lack of oversight and checks and balances have resulted in poor management and financial deficit, as well as corruption.

Many local governments have been spending large sums of money from time to time to carry out landscaping projects but these projects ended up as “white elephants projects”.

It is simply a waste of public money. For example, the former Kuala Lumpur Mayor was alleged to have signed a RM32.4mil contract with a private company to supply flowers to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for three years.

In other words, a total of RM900,000 would be spent each month to beautify the DBKL’s tower. Would the former Mayor do that if there was a local government election?

My uncle told me that in his time there was a government appointee (thus not an elected representative) heading the local council in Sebarang Prai (Butterworth). He decided to conduct a ‘study tour’ purportedly on low cost housing, BUT ...

... his tour took him to First World European countries, yup 1st World countries, when at that time the World’s most successful authority on low cost housing was just next door, our southern neighbour.

Under whatever council procedural clause, he and his kutu councillors were entitled to take along their wives on this extensive European tour, and so they did, and one happy huge group of unelected local councillors and staff plus wives went on an European tour with all expenses paid for by the Penang taxpayers.

That was the precursor of the infamous Disney World ‘study tour’ but it was far far worse than 'Disney World' because none of those jollying kakis were elected, yet permitted to spent oozes of taxpayers' money without any need to validly justify for the tour nor account for the expenditure.

Despite public outrage he didn’t give two hoots – he knew he didn't have to account at all to the Penang public as his appointment was by the BN ruled government.

The Penang Gerakan CM didn’t (or more likely, didn't dare) do a single thing!

And if Lim Sue Goan’s allegation of the contract signed by the KL mayor is true, then we have basically another outrageous non-accountable nonsense of a non-elected mayor signing a contract to spend nearly a million ringgit of public money each month for 36 months, just to beautify the DBKL’s tower with flowers!

It's obvious some Malaysians have a total lack of civic responsibility and/or a propensity for expensive gaya taste at public expense. And isn't it a jolly happy beautiful world when you are allowed to spend other people's hard earned money without any need to account for the expenditure to them.

Our current system of local councils are undoubtedly pariah-ishly prodigal and profligate, and also corruption-prone. This lamentable state of affairs has come about because of the Perikatan-BN - read this as UMNO because MCA, MIC and Gerakan didn't have a f* say at all - has reneged on its promise to restore elections for local councils after Konfrontasi.

And it sure as hell didn't help when our successive BN governments have, for the last 25 years, virtually closed one eye to the rot taking place in the nation's system of governments, ministries and departments.

To borrow someone's immortal words, those councillors are just 'unrepresentative swill'.

Perhaps PM Najib should stop worrying about Pakatan sweeping the council elections and reconsider the good of the nation, that is, if he is sincere in his efforts to curb corruption.

Rock bottom Gerakan attempts to re-surface

Yesterday I posted Gerakan hopes to snatch a new breath of life where I mentioned Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang making a timid appeal to PM Najib to have 3rd tier local elections, BUT only in Pakatan States.

His supporters have been extolling his ‘ingenuity’, ‘daring’ and ‘self-sacrifice’ for his boldness ;-)

The cold fact has been that Tan has cautiously limited his request to only Pakatan States because he is hopeful Gerakan could, after being calamitously annihilated at federal and state levels wakakaka, make some headway at the 3rd tier at (he dreams) Pakatan's expense BUT without offending the BN-UMNO MBs, or the PM.

Today we hear of Gerakan at odds with DPM over Zul Noordin where Penang Gerakan chairperson Dr Teng Hock Nan has urged UMNO not to accept the Kulim Wonder into its ranks.

Once again, like Tan’s case, his (Teng’s) supporters have been ooh-ing and aah-ing at his ‘bravery’ in going against DPM Muhyiddin’s open signal to the Kulim Wonder to join UMNO.

Quite frankly there is no bravery involved in Teng’s appeal to UMNO. He knows that:

(a) Unless he speaks out against the Kulim Wonder joining UMNO, his party will be even more dead when Penang, Perak and Selangor voters flog its dead corpse vicariously in a show of anger against a person like the Kulim Wonder being in Gerakan’s BN, and

(b) he like Tan knows that Gerakan as a walking dead has nothing more to lose. When one is at rock bottom (in a very dry cesspool), how more can UMNO push it under?

So let’s not be too precipitously hasty in applauding Gerakan as if its members have finally found their gonads and backbone.

Gerakan hopes to snatch a new breath of life

If you read Malaysiakini’s news headlines 'No local elections': Gerakan, Pakatan tick off PM you would be startled and perhaps even mildly pleased to think that someone in the Gerakan Party (my matey Hsu Dar Ren excepted) has suddenly discovered where he left his gonads and backbone since 1990 when Koh Tsu Koon became the Island CM.

But on reading the news article more carefully I realize Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang was more grovelling to the PM than ticking him off wakakaka.

Dear Tan said while he understands the premier's concern (how sweet) that such elections would lead to too much 'politicking', the “advantages of local government elections outweigh its rejection”.

“I hope that our prime minister would reconsider to allow local government elections in Pakatan states.”

Good boy (pat on head) – wakakaka!

But wait, why only Pakatan governed States?

A Malaysiakini letter writer by the handle of ‘Mike’ in wishing Good luck to Tan Keng Liang of Gerakan went about ‘justifying’ Tan’s selective proposal in begging the PM to have local council elections in Pakatan states.

Dear Mike wrote so endearingly of Tan: That's a smart politician and I don't find many these days. But again, I believe he is risking his political career in Gerakan for the sake of democracy.

Going against PM is not a wise idea for Gerakan leaders! So good luck to Tan Keng Liang of Gerakan.

Wow, we have a hero in Gerakan Party wakakaka!

The more likely story is the Gerakan, a totally spent political force without a role anymore other than for its party president to carry a briefcase for Idris Jala wakakaka, hopes to snatch a few breaths of political life by winning a few seats in the local Penang (and perhaps Selangor) councils elections.

Buit Tan lacks the courage to call for the third tier local elections as a norm throughout Malaysia. Instead he tiptoes delicately through the UMNO briar bush by timidly limiting his so-called derring-do wakakaka to only Pakatan States.

But then he's from the Gerakan Party wakakaka.

Federal Court ruling - black yesterday, white today

I could have died laughing if the matter wasn’t so serious.

I’m referring to a particular sentence in the Star Online news article headlined Anwar's dismissal as DPM is lawful, says court.

It reported that Federal Court judge Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, sitting together with Federal Court judges Mohd Ghazali Mohd Yusof and Abdull Hamid Embong, stated then-PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had the authority under the Federal Constitution to sack his cabinet minister.

OK, that’s fine, and I'm not getting into it … but now get their following ruling:

He said that the king, as a constitutional monarch, was required to act in accordance with the advice of the prime minister.

If you recall, exactly one month ago, and surely this is not too long a period to forget for the same three judges who were also on the appeals bench to hear Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin’s appeal against the unconstitutional sacking of him as the MB of Perak and the parallel appointment of Zambry Abd Kadir as the new MB by the Sultan of Perak, that they had ruled ...

... it was not necessary for a vote of confidence to be done in the state assembly as the Sultan can conduct his own inquiry to determine which party or coalition has the majority.

In other words HRH was NOT required to act in accordance with the advice of the menteri besar at that time, namely Nizar. For more read Malaysiakini’s Perak MB - it's Zambry!

In that situation where he had ruled in favour of the BN, he declared that the sultan would have had sufficient evidence as to who commanded the majority in the Perak assembly or who suffered a lack of confidence …

... which is the same as saying (& I do not apologise for repeating my statement) HRH, notwithstanding the cold fact that he was only a constitutional monarchy, had the right NOT to listen to MB Mohd Nizar’s advice to dissolve the DUN, and act on his own royal discretion.

Then, contrary to the State Constitution, the 'most learned' judge even pronounced that the sultan could, on arriving at his royal decision, call for the MB (Nizar of course) to vacate the post, when HRH has no such constitutional power.

This was what had led Nizar to warn us to expect absolute monarchy from now on.

Now these three same judges - just as a reminder that they, together with two other, had ruled the Sultan of Perak, even as a constitutional monarch, could ignore the advice of MB Nizar to dissolve the Perak Assembly - tell us that the Agong, as a constitutional monarch, was required to act in accordance with the advice of the prime minister.

“Squealer could turn black into white” – George Orwell, Animal Farm, Chapter 2, pg 11