Deciphering of difficult de facto hand signals

The Malaysian Insider (TMI) - YouTube video appears to reveal Anwar, Azmin ordered Dataran breach


I am not sure whether the above is the same video by Free Malaysia Today as presented by Malaysiakini and which I mentioned in a previous post Was it worth cordoning off Dataran Merdeka? It discussed a Malaysiakini report that Papers blame Azmin, Anwar for 'instigating' chaos


TMI reported this:

In the very first few seconds of the 19-minute video Opposition Leader Anwar who is standing on top of a truck is seen making a rolling gesture with both hands in Azmin’s direction before the camera pans to the Gombak MP. 

Azmin who is standing on top of the barricade with his back towards the square jerks his thumb over his shoulder and nods back in Anwar’s direction while an Indian male in a yellow T-shirt also makes the same gesture towards the PKR de facto leader.
 

The Selangor PKR chief then looks over his shoulder towards the man who some on Twitter say is a PKR member from Negri Sembilan, who in turn points at Azmin and nods back. 

A few members of the crowd of 15 000 who were sandwiched between the square and Kuala Lumpur City Hall DBKL begin chanting ‘masuk masuk’ (enter enter) and the Indian man pushes the metal gate aside allowing the crowd to burst through.

Anwar had also invited a team of foreigners here. It's no doubt unfortunate that violence had occurred during their visit because they will be reporting to their foreign media of the police violence (which was true) but alas, none of the above, specifically of the video which captured Anwar, Azmin and an Indian bloke conducting hand signals to each other.

Since then Anwar Ibrahim claimed he was signalling Azmin Ali to negotiate with the police, and not for his storm troopers to breach the cordon around Dataran as many had accused him and Azmin of inciting.

Both Anwar and Azmin fulfilled Dr Mahathir's Law of Forgetfulness and claimed they don't remember communicating with Tambee.

Perhaps the Indian bloke was there just to authenticate and decipher difficult-to-read hand signals for the couple.

A while ago I pasted on Facebook the following comments:

Should one 'negotiate' with the police after Bersih had come to a close (on instructions from Ambiga Sreenevasan) or at its very start? I'm going to send a couple a book titled "1001 BETTER excuses" wakakaka.

Was it worth cordoning off Dataran Merdeka?

Bersih 3.0!

300,000 participants.

Really, with such a turnout, was Dataran Merdeka even necessary, other than serving as a convening point for participants (rather than rubbing off on the concept of ‘freedom’ it is supposed to symbolize)?

The point has again been made in no uncertain terms that Malaysians want, nay, demand ‘clean and fair elections’.

That I even have to use quotation marks to emphasize ‘clean and fair elections’ indicates how alien such a process, namely ‘clean and fair elections’, has become in Malaysia, especially in the last thirty years or so. It could have been something we should at least expect, if not take for granted in the way voters in other countries with real democracies do.

It’s an indictment on the absence of the so-called impartiality, independence and integrity in the Election Commission (EC) that I have to use those quotation marks to highlight Bersih’s raison d'être for its mammoth sit-in. The EC Chairperson and his deputy are UMNO members eh, ptui!

Our democratic dues have to become instead a quest through such Bersih campaigns. The two Dirty Rotten Scoundrels heading the EC must resign or be removed.

But alas, Bersih has had its peaceful sit-in blemished by the incident of police tear-gassing a section of the crowd. The men in blue claimed they had to when someone broke through the fenced up Square and was then joined by many.

Now, that a small group breaking through the police barrier has not been disputed. But what Bersih (in the person of Ambiga Sreenevasan) hasn’t been able to confirm yet has been the identity of that unruly mob, who in ignoring Ambiga’s instruction to end the sit-in and disperse, has brought about (or set up the excuse for) the violence.

Naturally Ambiga wants to lay her hands quickly on some facts. She’s very upset that the violence had taken place and spoilt the otherwise perfect profile of a peaceful sit-in. Ambiga demands that the full extent of the law apply to those responsible, regardless of who they are.

Who were they?

Inevitably the authority and PKR are pointing fingers at each other.

PKR, and I suppose Pakatan, claim that they were UMNO agents provocateur sent to incite violence to cast aspersions on the participants, in particular Anwar Ibrahim. I read of this in Bernama which asserted that Anwar gave the order for his people to break through and occupy Dataran Merdeka.


Read also Malaysiakini's Papers blame Azmin, Anwar for 'instigating' chaos which states:

Anwar had in his speech at Masjid Negara told protesters to “proceed to Dataran, whatever happens”, but said it was Azmin’s speech that changed the mood.

“It is believed that the crowd became unruly after a speech by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali who asked the demonstrators ‘if you want to occupy Dataran Merdeka’."

“His question was met with cries of “hancur rempuh, buka pagar” (crash and destroy, open the gates)”

But given the mainstream media’s political allegiance and my lack of confidence in its impartiality I hesitate to accept its pitch wholesale yet though what has been written about Azmin Ali sounds typical of his proclivity.

I said I ‘hesitated’ because, while I am not confident of Bernama,or the Sunday Star or Mingguan Malaysia, it is not totally implausible for a scenario which sees a hot head, fired up by the momentous occasion and with adrenalin on speed, decided to burst through the police cordon in a solo bid for glory. And he could have supporters who too might have wanted to share that moment of exuberant glory. When there were 300,000 participants who could really claim all were in peaceful control of themselves?

Muhyiddin naturally put the blame on Bersih but then he’s so low brow we can just ignore that political Neanderthal's usual mumbling.

Now, I did warn in my earlier post Bersih - "Uncle okay?", Auntie is okay! that:

Pakatan leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Hadi Awang & Lim Kit Siang and their senior lieutenants, must allow Bersih to be seen clearly by the Malaysian public as a non-Pakatan affiliated movement for clean and fair elections, and deserving of support by ALL concerned citizens, thus these Pakatan leaders, while supporting Bersih, must remain in the publicity background and not selfishly hijack the rally for their own political interests.

But Anwar just had to make a speech, didn’t he? Couldn’t he remain quietly in the background and let Ambiga be the main person for the day? Why must he have to make a speech which invariably would overlay the civil movement with the sheen of political parties? Knowing manmanlai's craze for publicity and the spotlight, I had not been wrong to predict his inability to stay in the background.

And I read that there were cries of ‘Hancur Rosmah’. Typical! WTF has that got to do with Bersih?

As I had written:

In the synthesized declarations of Ambiga Sreenevasan and Maria Chin Abdullah: “Bersih is a coalition of 84 NGOs and not a political organization. Civil society will lead its rally and assembly.” The message to Malaysians must be unequivocally and unambiguously clear that Bersih 3.0 in demanding clean and fair elections is a campaign by very concerned and politically-neutral citizens who are neither pro Pakatan nor anti BN, or vice versa. Far more importantly, Bersih’s efforts are pro public interests and anti-corrupt elections. Bersih seeks to prevent nefarious forces from cheating the voters of their choice of representatives.

Alas, that was not to be.

The regrettable observations were the following:

(1) Marina Mahathir made the most striking observation which sent her ballistic – she was wont to write in her blog Rantings by MM:

I saw the photos of the police rolling out the barbed wire and I saw red. Since when did our police, or whoever is their boss, roll out barbed wire - barbed wire!! - against their own people?? Are we thugs? Terrorists? Thieves?

Marina Mahathir at the police razor wired barrier
photo from her blog

(2) Violence against the police which required some cooler heads in the rally to provide protection for a police driver who had hit several participants, and where even his police car was overturned. He subsequently informed Malaysiakini that he had passed out from losing a lot of blood after a "hard object hit his head on the left side" - see MKINI's Driver: I passed out before crash.

As much as I deplore police brutality, and indeed our police have a notorious reputation for such, I have to worry when members of the public attacked the police and police property. This smacked of anarchism or worse, armed revolt.

The last time I heard of police being attacked was from my uncle who revealed that some thirty years ago, a (Indian) police inspector in Alor Setar, known for his brutality and bullying ways, bashed up a Royal Malay Regiment soldier on one of his arrogant kick-ass forays. Wrong person to bash!

The victim marshalled his mates from the barracks and armed to the teeth surrounded the police station where the brute was. Several shots were fired in the air with the soldiers demanding the inspector step out to face the music (rat-tat-tat music?). My Uncle heard that the IGP and Army Chief had to swiftly intervene before Fort Apache with our MGR in it were blasted up to shreds.

In a much earlier incident (in the 70’s?) the IGP was assassinated in the heart of KL by a CT. And even earlier than that, my granduncle who served in the SB was assassinated, also by a CT.

But such violence against the police meant breaking the law, and this was precisely what DAP’s VP, Tunku Abdul Aziz, had been worried about when he refused to back Bersih. Should the authority’s (and Bernama's) allegations against Anwar Ibrahim for egging his people to break the police cordon of Dataran Merdeka prove to be correct, there’s going to be a lot of “I told you so” at DAP HQs.


However, the Sunday Star reported that:

DAP vice-chairperson Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim, who opposed the Bersih 3.0 demonstration being held at Dataran, was “appalled” by the outcome.

“The temptation to say I told you so is compelling but I shall refrain from gloating over it.”

But in the same token, reports (with photos) of the police bashing some protestors out of anger because they (the police) heard a policeman was killed (which turned out to be untrue), was sheer total lack of professionalism and discipline. Such a lamentable state of affairs is even worse than anarchy or violent revolt, because we expect professionals to behave professionally. But then, the PDRM haven’t been exactly noted for professionalism and discipline.

Now, regardless of whether UMNO had sent its agents provocateur or that a PKR supporter decided to do the exact opposite of what Steve McQueen did in The Great Escape, breaking in instead of out, Bersih has been a success, though marred by a situation which saw Malaysians being pitted violently against Malaysians – Malaysian civilians against Malaysian police and vice versa.

So, was it worth cordoning off Dataran Merdeka? Can you cordon off a cry for ‘clean and fair elections’ by a tsunami of 300,000 strength?

The Basil

Last night posted The not-so-humble Basil at my other blog Ktemockongsamkok.

Bersih wins war before battle is fought

The Election Commission (EC) is supposed to be an impartial body, its members appointed by the Agong after consultation with the Rulers. Theoretically it reports directly to HM but after Dr Mahathir has emasculated the royals in 1992, we can safely assume the PM would be the power behind the Throne.

Who do I support, Dr Mahathir or the Royals? Well, it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Wikipedia tells or confirms to us our suspicions, that:

Members of the [Election] Commission are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King), who must consult with the Conference of Rulers and appoint a Commission which has the confidence of the public.

… has the confidence of the public? Wakakaka, don’t make my toes laugh ler!

Although the Constitution does not expressly require consultation with the Prime Minister in this regard, it has been argued that under Article 40 of the Constitution, the King cannot act on his own discretion unless explicitly stated; in all other cases, he must acquiesce to the advice of the Prime Minister, and as such the appointments to the Commission are made with the advice of the Prime Minister. Members of the Commission retire at the age of 65.

If HM must acquiesce to the PM's say so, then effectively the Chairperson of the EC may be also expected to acquiesce to the advice of the Prime Minister, and did we ever doubt that?

There has never been any doubt about the political allegiance of the Chairperson of the Election Commission (EC) and his deputy, but what has far far far exceeded this known fact has been the unbelievable revelation, that of their political memberships in UMNO. The former is a registered member of UMNO Ampang Division while his No 2 man is with UMNO Pasir Mas - read Malaysiakini's EC chief, deputy are 'registered Umno members'

So, with the known membership in UMNO of the EC two top persons, the question of ‘acquiescing’ is no longer relevant because you can rest assure they would be fully and pro-actively supporting their UMNO party chairperson, Najib Razak the PM, and f* the impartiality, neutrality or integrity required of their jobs for which the public has paid them to perform.

And to prove that Dr Mahathir knew what he was talking about when he accused “Melayu mudah lupa”, the EC Chairperson Abdul Aziz Yusof and Deputy Chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar 'couldn’t remember' their UMNO membership when asked.

Memang Melayu berdua ni mudah lupalah wakakaka.

Precisely because concerned Malaysians are aware of the absence of impartiality and integrity in EC top executives, and now proven beyond any doubt, sweetie Ambiga Sreenevasan took it upon her good self to provide the leadership and organization to lead the Bersih protest movement to appeal to both King and country to restore clean and fair elections in Malaysia.

Bersih 2.0 was a resounding success, and as I mentioned in my post yesterday frightened the shit out of UMNO, principally because it was a Malaysian movement, not a Malay or Chinese or Hindraf-ish Indian rally, but a Malaysian one.

In typical moronic imbecility, UMNO thought it could prevent Bersih's 3^rd rally from taking place by blockading Dataran Merdeka, the birthplace of our nation, little realizing by its infantile and idiotic actions, it has already conceded the war to Bersih.

Thanks to headlines such as (Malaysiakini's) Police get court order, Dataran off-limits for 4 days, Bersih 3.0 'now a security issue', says KL mayor and DBKL moves in to enforce Dataran lockdown, every Malaysian will now be more attentive to the actions and messages of Bersih, regardless of whether the protest rally occupies Dataran Merdeka.

Bersih has already achieved its aim, winning the war even before the battle has started.

And if the blue dressed thugs were to be so foolish as to resort to their Brown Shirt type actions, the reputation of Bersih will even move several notches up.

Poor poor Najib, who has been your advisor? You should not sack your cousin but that moronic advisor for helping Bersih more than the movement ever dreamed of achieving.

Yes, Bersih has won more than just a moral victory. How do I know? Just turn around to the person next to or behind you and ask with whom would his/her support and sympathy be.

Bersih - "Uncle okay?", Auntie is okay!

This post is about the conduct of mass rallies. Today most mass rallies in Malaysia would usually but not exclusively be protests against the government. Those which were not were exhibitions of ‘patriotism’ (a la 'last refuge of the scoundrels') or hatred or to instigate fears and revulsions of imaginary solar-powered foes.

Bersih 2.0, second in a series of mass protests against the lack of clean and fair elections in Malaysia, would be considered by the public (except UMNO supporters) as the most relevant, effective and popular protest rally to date.

It’s relevant because the public has lost trust in the supposed impartiality of the Election Commission, viewing that organization as nothing more than just another of UMNO tools.

It’s effective because it was participated by a broad spectrum of Malaysians and personalities, and to name a couple of the latter, social activist (for HIV-AIDS victims, feminine affairs and civil & human rights) Marina Mahathir and Sasterawan Negara (National Laureate) A Samad Said.

It’s popular because of unwitting contribution from the police wakakaka. Malaysians are no different to other people in that they want to see the underdog wins, the David beating Goliath, Zatoichi (Japanese blind swordsman in Japanese movies) or Fang Kang (The One Armed Swordsman) triumphant against impossible odds.

The police turned the underdog Bersih (and its participants) into a David, Zatoichi and Fang Kang all rolled into one.

The unnecessary and brutal oppression of the police against the very people they were supposed to serve and protect vividly projected poignant images of heroic underdogs in the mass rally battling impossible odds against the villainous police shock troops. And despite being hosed with hurtful chemical laced water or bombarded with distressing tear gas grenades even in the universally accepted sanctuary of a hospital, they triumphed.

Naturally folk heros had to emerge from Bersih 2.0 and if not, undoubtedly would have been created. One such folk hero was magnificently personified by the underdog of underdogs, a senior citizen in the person of Madame Annie Ooi, who has become Bersih's icon, the legendary and much admired Auntie Bersih, though, mind you, not of her personal choosing.

This uniquely civic-minded sexagenarian walked through the fire of oppression and rain of chemicals holding a flower, a symbol of peace, to demonstrate her quiet but grave concerns at the continuous erosion of the neutrality, impartiality and integrity of the EC and its sheer incapability of convincing the rakyat that it will provide clean and fair elections.

'Twas just too poignant, too outstanding, too symbolic not to see in her courageous stand the very essence of the rakyat's concerns expressed by the Bersih rally. She more than earns the iconic title of Auntie Bersih through deeds. 

Legends also grew of young Malay Malaysians showing true concerns for the more senior (aged) Chinese men in the rally, like one Lt Colonel (retired) Aw Yeang, in their caring “Uncle okay?” as they ran from the tear gas and water cannons of the Brown Blue Shirts. Common adversity, terima kamsiah to the FRU, bound them emotionally together in common cause.

Such muhibbah unity caused even the most neutral observers to experience goose pimples of awe, admiration and happiness. The caring multiracial fraternity was unlike transient Malaysian unity in sports, being inspired by and elicited in angry protest against the increasingly unacceptable rule and conduct of the UMNO-government, in particular in its gross abuse and misuse of the EC, a so-called public -institution. Thus, Bersih 2.0 and such supra-racial concerns, care and courage under fire shook, shattered and shocked UMNO whose political control over the country has rested on the old British political formula of ‘divide and conquer’.

But UMNO still fails to realize that oppressions of such protest rallies by use of uniformed thugs had been counter productive. Time and time again I had observed the sheer moronic imbecility of the authorities in providing unnecessary publicity and glamour for such protests, whether they be small candlelight vigils by a few sweeties or mass rallies, through their unnecessary employment of force and brutalities, whether by police or samsengs, against the protestors.

Just how much attention will a dozen people holding a candlelight vigil attract if left alone, and for how long? How much sympathy would a few campers in Dataran Merdeka (a public place) win from the general public if not attacked by thugs, and for how long? Has not sabotaging Himpunan Hijau’s chartering of buses from Kuantan for a trip to KL raised extra attention for the NGO and increased dislike for the authorities?

But the authorities, police, DBKL and their attack hounds haven’t learned anything. ‘Tis the nature of the beast where to them, force is perceived as a time-honoured and convenient panacea for neutralizing any opposing the corrupt practice of the UMNO-led authorities. In a less globalized world, far more medieval tactics would have been adopted – May 13 was an example of the unrestrained thuggish mindset of these people.

… which brings us to the coming Bersih 3.0 and what I like to see.

Inevitably UMNO will portray to the heartland that the mass rally is a creation of its political rival, Pakatan Rakyat. Thus I want to see Ambiga Sreenevasan and Samad Said, coupled with folk heroes like Auntie Bersih, stand out as the indisputable unambiguous leading personalities of Bersih 3.0, where their political neutrality will project the ‘civilian’ concerns that form the very heart of the Bersih movement for clean and fair elections.

In the synthesized declarations of Ambiga Sreenevasan and Maria Chin Abdullah: “Bersih is a coalition of 84 NGOs and not a political organization. Civil society will lead its rally and assembly.”

The message to Malaysians must be unequivocally and unambiguously clear that Bersih 3.0 in demanding clean and fair elections is a campaign by very concerned and politically-neutral citizens who are neither pro Pakatan nor anti BN, or vice versa. Far more importantly, Bersih’s efforts are pro public interests and anti-corrupt elections. Bersih seeks to prevent nefarious forces from cheating the voters of their choice of representatives.

Pakatan leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Hadi Awang & Lim Kit Siang and their senior lieutenants, must allow Bersih to be seen clearly by the Malaysian public as a non-Pakatan affiliated movement for clean and fair elections, and deserving of support by ALL concerned citizens, thus these Pakatan leaders, while supporting Bersih, must remain in the publicity background and not selfishly hijack the rally for their own political interests.


Photos borrowed (without permission) from all over, for a good cause wakakaka

EC ensures UMNO will win

In my previous post Cowering Malaysians, I showed my disgust with so-called God fearing people in the EC, after a report from The Malaysian Insider (TMI) One rural vote worth six urban ballots, favours BN: Analysts revealed that:

The Election Commission’s (EC) drawing of electoral boundaries makes a rural voter worth an average of six urban voters, biasing elections towards Barisan Nasional (BN) as it is stronger in the countryside.

With dishonest partiality towards a political party I questioned the EC's integrity, and doubted their God fearing status. They have a lot to answer to their God on Judgement Day, unless of course they are not worried about this, being atheists.


Even now I still spit on these despicable creatures, knowing that Allah swt would bless me.


A visitor to my blog, with the pseudonym of Buttercup, being a pro UMNO person, naturally defended the UMNO-linked EC, commenting (extracts relevant to topic only):

Preparing for Pakatan's impending loss, eh. Well, better accept it that BN will win big this time. No point giving excuses after excuses with EC as the bad boy.

I must grudgingly concede Buttercup will be proven correct because an example of the gerrymandering revelation published in TMI is the undeniable indisputable fact that Putrajaya, where almost all voters are government servants who are pro UMNO, needs only 6,008 voters to make up a federal constituency, while Kapar, whose voters are known to be pro Pakatan, has sardine-zed 112,000 voters into one single federal constituency.


6008 pro-UMNO voters have a say in federal parliament equal to 112,000 not pro-UMNO. The EC has endowed UMNO with a handicap of 20 against one. Thus this favourable odds for UMNO will certainly ensure UMNO (f* those MCA, Gerakan and MIC kutus) wins big, as predicted by Buttercup, to become the majority party in parliament.


Forget about anak jantan, as this must be one of those glorious achievements by 'Towering UMNO-sian' capons. 


With such brazen cheating, surely the slogan of the White Afrikaan-ish 'Ketuanan Melayu' may be realized again and again.


But Allah swt will be waiting for all of you who have been and still are complicit in dishonestly stacking the election cards in favour of UMNO.

Cowering Malaysians

The Malaysian Insider's One rural vote worth six urban ballots, favours BN: Analysts reported:

The Election Commission’s (EC) drawing of electoral boundaries makes a rural voter worth an average of six urban voters, biasing elections towards Barisan Nasional (BN) as it is stronger in the countryside, according to poll analysts.

Election watchdog Tindak Malaysia founder PY Wong said the ruling coalition won 112 out of the smallest 139 federal seats in Election 2008, giving it simple majority in Parliament with just 18.9 per cent of the popular vote. The seats have not been changed for the next general election.

Harrumph! Merely confirming the EC is (has been) without impartial integrity, and its Commissioner, his deputy and their senior officers, complicit in the gerrymandering to ensure a BN victory, without personal integrity.


I wonder whether they will be send to Neraka (Hell) when they eventually meet their Maker? ... unless of course they are aethists.


Read also my posts UMNO's Noah's Ark and Using Constitution to hide non constitutional conduct


No wonder Malaysia's public institutions are staffed by Cowering Malaysians rather than Towering Malaysians.

Blokes Bersih-ed By BERSIH

Malaysiakini - 'Not for Nasha to decide who leads Bersih'

Bersih gave Nasharudin Mat Isa the f* 'bird' when the PAS bloke went ultra-mullah, perhaps under the effect of solar-powered Lynas-ic radiation, and condemned Ambiga Sreenevasan as unfit to lead the coalition of 84 NGOs just because our sweetie of decent human rights values supports the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community - and this from a man who, like the solar powered bloke in Gombak Setia, for all their religious credentials had preferred to work with corrupt UMNO rather than with clean DAP. 

When asked for Bersih's reaction to Nasharudin's vote of no confidence in Ambiga, Maria Chin Abdullah (Bersih's steering committee member) asked: “Who is Nasharudin? Who is he?” 


I wish she had less decorum and courtesy, like kaytee, and spiced up her succinct succulent sarcasm with "Who the fuck is Nasharudin? Who the frigging prick is he?" wakakaka.


She reminded everyone, including presumably and especially Anwar Ibrahim who had tried to hijack the previous Bersih 2.0, that “Bersih is a coalition of 84 NGOs and growing, it is not a political organisation. The NGOs will determine who shall lead (it).”


Anwar had then presumptuously announced that if Najib could guarantee free and fair elections, he would ask Ambiga to call off the  9 July 2011 rally, as if he was in charge of Bersih.

Admirable Admiral Ambiga immediately fired a shot across Anwar’s bow and cut him off with this: “With due respect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, this decision is not yours. Sorry PKR, civil society will lead the assembly.” - from The Malaysian Insider's Bersih rally go-ahead not up to Anwar, says Ambiga 

600 supporters at that launch of Bersih 2 0 went wild with triple overpowering organic orgasms on hearing her sweet smart swatting of the Greatest Man on Earth ….. which immediately doubled, nay, tripled my love for her wakakaka.

[okay lah, kaytee exercised a bit of blogger’s licence by speculating her supporters went into rapt bodily sensations – hey I would have wakakaka]

And sweetie Maria Chin Abdullah has now reinforced Ambiga's firm assertion for politicians to f* keep their hands off Bersih. Bravo.

Nasharudin Mat Isa has joined Anwar Ibrahim as another in that exclusive club 'Blokes Bersih-ed By BERSIH' wakakaka.

Is Gerakan an UMNO branch?

Prior to the 2008 general election I was cruel in my criticisms of Koh Tsu Koon, calling him by a name I swore not to use against him again after he showed good manners, civility and courtesy to an (then) incoming Lim Guan Eng as the new CM. Ah Koon demonstrated himself as a perfect gentleman in the art of Westminster politics. He has indicated he won't be with us in the next GE.

However, I am not sad to see him go because as a BN man he is really not suited for Malaysian politics where you need to be as ruthless, vicious and cunning as … er … one of those BN leaders (present, past and former, wakakaka). Ah Koon is your typical nice and polite Penang boy but he lacks the necessary self-confidence, assertiveness and incisiveness to be a strong political leader.

But what I’m sad to see is the continuing demeaning and humiliation of the Gerakan Party by UMNO. I read in The Malaysian Insider’s Najib finally names Chang Yeow as Penang BN chief the following:

Koh, who recently renewed his term as a senator, had announced that he will not take part in coming general election after BN-linked media spoke about the need for changes in the multi-racial party. It is understood that the view in Putrajaya is that the mild-mannered Gerakan chief should step down as head of the BN component party before the general election if the coalition is to have any chance of wresting back Penang from PR.

I doubt it was the view in Putrajaya but rather an order, meaning from UMNO.

While it is the ultimately the right of the BN Chairperson to decide on and name the BN’s Penang chief, it is not the BN Chairperson’s business to 'suggest' (order lah) the Gerakan Party presidential incumbent should step down, even if the reason is to provide the BN a better prospect of winning the next state and general elections in Penang.

It must be the Gerakan Party itself, and not outsiders, which may decide whether its president should step down. In other words, that should have been a Gerakan Party's internal issue.

But the component parties in the BN have become so subservient to UMNO that it proves my point (which I had blogged on previously), they are merely non-Malay ‘branches’ of UMNO.

In a previous post on 11 Oct 2010 titled MCA - dare to say, dare to do?  I wrote:

I take this opportunity to also advise the MCA and indeed the Gerakan and MIC to bear in mind that the Barisan Nasional is a coalition and not UMNO with several non-Malay affiliates or branches. Therefore MCA (and Gerakan and MIC each) should stand up as a sovereign party that is a full partner in a coalition or alliance. Don't behave like a subordinate branch of UMNO.

What does this entail then?

While the BN as a party should of course, as far as possible speak out together on policy issues, the operative term should be ‘as far as possible’, meaning there may be times the MCA should be able, and indeed dare to speak out differently on an issue of interest to the community or constituency it represents.

When there is a general or state election pending, the seats should be allocated not just as per a coalition formula BUT through meaningful negotiations among the parties. In other words, there is no such thing as the BN chairperson (meaning UMNO) dispensing seats out like Father Christmas and MCA and Gerakan keeping mum.

Also and very importantly, the selection of candidates to seats assigned to MCA shall be only at the discretion of the MCA leadership and should never ever be subordinated to approval by the BN chairperson (eg. Hulu Selangor where the MIC president was humiliated as being no more than a mere UMNO branch leader).

It’s an insult that MCA candidates have to be approved by an UMNO man.

Take our current example being discussed – let’s hypothetically assume that Ah Koon is unaware of his weak leadership, becomes uncooperative at being told to step down and refuses to do so, then that’s entirely for the Gerakan Party to deal with it, for its party members to decide, if they believe Ah Koon should go. It is certainly not for UMNO and Najib to decide, where they should keep their bloody nose out.

Of course then it can be Najib’s prerogative as the BN Chairperson to select another person to be the Penang BN Chair, and it he/she is not from Gerakan, so be it.

The point is Gerakan is not an UMNO branch for Najib to decide who should be its party president, because for him to do so would be the ultimate insult to the Gerakan Party. It is even worse than the BN Chairperson, effective an UMNO man, approving the selection of component party candidates (say Gerakan Party candidates) to seats assigned as the share of that component party (Gerakan).

But Najib and his predecessors have been able to do that at will because those non-UMNO component parties have been willing captives, even to the gravest insult to their respective party sovereignty (or total lack of). Thus, they have only themselves to blame for their cringing serf-like mentality.

The one thing good about some Japanese is their sense of, and commitment to, honour and their willingness to demonstrate that commitment in its ultimate form, seppuku.

But I doubt such a thought would even enter the heads of those Gerakan leaders - unlike Dr Lim Chong Eu who left Perikatan (BN's predecessor) and even MCA because he refused to agree with Tunku's allocation of seats for MCA.


For a start those Gerakan leaders might not even recognize the insult to their Party's sovereignty and dignity, having been conditioned for the last 40 years to accept such abysmal servitude from TaiKoh.


And if they do recognize it, they will keep mum, swallow their pride and accept that insult as, I suppose, quid pro quo for their party's continuing (and lucrative) membership of BN. They have been perceived to be no longer with any sense of basic honour.

Cheen chnea kian seiow – bloody malulah!

Alas, as a member of a family which used to adore, and was ‘Satu Hati’ with Dr Lim Chong Eu’s Gerakan Party, I have to sigh and wince as those Gerakan members play lapdog to UMNO, yapping happily when they are handed some small scraps or receive a pat on the heads.

Chinese Malaysian highest achievements?

It was said that there was a time when Chinese Malaysians numbered almost 50% of Malaysia’s population. Following illegal (but) instituted influx of Indons and Suluks, coupled with low birthrates and migration, today they numbered less than 30%.

No doubt they're good at business, but as citizens of this nation, what have been the highest official offices they had attained thus far?

In the cabinet the real/meaningful posts are of course firstly the Prime Minister - and forget about DPM because in the general case, the most senior and important minister gets the appointment – in the Australian Coalition the leader of the other party in the Coalition is automatically the DPM though they don’t use this title frequently – the Finance Minister (or Treasurer), Home Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs, and only in Malaysia, Education.

Tan Siew Sin was Finance Minister and a highly valued colleague of both Tunku and Tun Razak.

Well, we know no Chinese or Indian will be PM for at least another 25 years or even more, and quite frankly the Chinese don’t give two hoots, though recently I read several Indian NGOs demanded that at least the CM of Malacca should be an Indian wakakaka.

Why did I just wakakaka? Do you know who’s the current and likely still to be the next CM?

Wakakaka again and please read my October 2007 post The total humiliation of PPP - a lesson for BN parties, where I wrote: Alas, for Kayveas and most of all for his PPP members, it was hardly surprising that they were resoundingly, abjectly and severely humiliated to no ends at their Malacca annual general assembly on Monday by an UMNO vice president.

Malaysiakini reported that their guest of honour, yes, the PPP’s guest of honour, Ali Rustam, the Malacca Chief Minister who was invited to officially open the assembly, sneeringly told the PPP to get out of Barisan Nasional now if the party wishes.

He spat out while gesturing at the PPP totally gobsmacked delegates: “PPP can leave BN. All of you can leave. Either today or tomorrow. Why wait until the general election? What’s there to wait for?”

Needless to say, Ali Rustam’s ‘shock & awe’ sneaky attack on a BN component party has left Kayveas and his members totally humiliated (I need to say this word 'humiliated' again), enraged and probably in tears – in tears because as I had blogged last year, Ali Rustam had said what kaytee had predicted, though to be frank, I didn’t expect such a cruel publicly executed UMNO low kick to a helpless PPP’s groin.

And those idiots are clamouring for an Indian to deprive vicious Ali Rustam from his CM seat wakakaka.

So, other than Finance Minister, had or has any Chinese from MCA or Gerakan or one of those numerous mosquito parties in BN ever become minister of Home Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs or Education?

I wonder what will be the chances of a Chinese Malaysian ever becoming a minister of one of these ministries including Finance, or even Chief of the Armed Forces, Army, Navy, Air Force or IGP Police when Pakatan sits in Putrajaya as the new ruling coalition? Wakakaka.

Maybe we should go lower in status.

What about CM other than CM of Penang? Well there was somebody (can’t remember his name wakakaka) who was temporarily CM of Sabah in a bullsh*t rotating/shared CM position of Sabah which ends up with an UMNO man seemingly in permanent appointment, so we may disregard that bullsh*t.

So it’s only the CM of Penang which Chinese Malaysians may expect to be appointed … and if BN wins Penang State next (when the sun rises in the West wakakaka) we may expect that too to go to an UMNO man, probably one who (as Sakmongkol AK47 termed them) sells rancid curry wakakaka.

But does anyone know that once … yes, once upon a time long long ago … there was actually a Chinese Yang DiPertua Negeri or Governor of … wakakaka, of all places … Malacca.

From 1957 (on Independence) until 1963, Tun Leong Yew Koh was the first and only Chinese Malaysian Governor (Yang DiPertua) of a State in Malaysia.

Of course he was a MCA larng, and though born in Malaya, probably had strong connections to the Kuomintang Party of China (now Taiwan). Leong was a very close matey of Tunku, both being law students in UK. When Tunku formed his pre-Independence cabinet he selected Leong to be his Health & Social Welfare Minister, and subsequently recommended his appointment as Governor of Malacca.

We read that Leong spurned a British knighthood offered to him before Merdeka, saying: "I will only kowtow to the sovereign King of an Independent Malaya, not a foreign Queen."

Today very few Malaysians know who was Leong Yew Koh, and I suspect they include the many MCA members.

Though I asserted that not many Malaysian Chinese gives a f* about Chinese being appointed to high government position unless those appointees and/or ministers can help them (the Chinese community) in commerce and education, I have to say many Chinese Penangites have always bemoaned the fact no Chinese has been appointed as the Yang DiPertua Negeri of Penang.

One has to ask, why not?

Does it have to take only an UMNO man like Tunku to do so?

Obviously we must have a Yang DiPertua Negeri of impeccable standing. We don’t want someone with scandals like CSL wakakaka, Samy Vellu wakakaka, Anwar Ibrahim wakakaka or Hishamuddin wakakaka. And God forbid clowns like Ibrahim Ali, Hasan Ali or Apdal or even cop-biting Tian Chua wakakaka.


I personally don't mind even a non-Penangite like the legendary Lee Lam Thye but alas many Pakatan people hate him (for mindless reasons a la 'either you're with us or against us'), especially those mindless moronic Myrmidons who were still sucking rubber or plastic teats when Lee Lam Thye was already labouring away breaking his back and his old trusty (non-electronic) typewriter performing unsurpassed (even until today) sterling service for the Kuala Lumpureans, without biting cops or merely mouthing manmanlai, wakakaka.

Candidates for such Heads of States’ posts would be usually exemplary senior (retired) public servants, former diplomats or military leaders with a distinguished career, outstanding citizens, etc, or even former senior politicians (hopefully without any ‘controversies’ attached to their CV wakakaka).

Some 25 years, when Mahathir became PM, there was a fantastic candidate for the Penang YDP post, but alas, with Mahathir in control (with his BIG chip on his shoulder) that would be an unrealistic expectation not unlike what the Chinese would say ‘sai goo barng gueh’ (a rhino dreaming of the moon, or badak rindu bulan).

7 years ago I wrote of and alluded to this in my post Canada's Enlightening Example, pointing out to Canada and Australia’s excellent examples.

Even earlier, I also posted in my other blog, BolehTalk, Non-Malay Yang Di-Pertua Negeri for Penang & Malacca?

I had then written:

I trust under the Abdullah Bawai Islam Hadhari government, we may soon see a more equitable sharing of the position of Penang Head of State among the various ethnic groups. But I don’t want to see a BN party ‘extra’ being booted up into this post just to keep him or her out of the political arena.

The candidate must be Penang-born for the Penang gubernatorial appointment and of course Malacca-born for the Malacca equivalent. Preferably we should have a non-political person. However, a former political life, if distinguished, should not be an automatic barrier for selection. There must not be any discrimination on the basis of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, former political affiliation, profession (except for illegal ones), background (poor or rich), as long as the candidate has a distinguished career.

Who would be the likely future candidates for both Penang and Malacca? 

I can straightway think of one distinguished Penangite – read here to know who. Admittedly the person is rather advanced in years, but as I have said, we shouldn’t discriminate on the basis of age – instead we should cherish the person’s experience, wisdom and profound knowledge of life.

[Unfortunately since 2005, that Star Online article referred to in my above link who (about PG Lim, the sister of the better known Lim Kean Siew) had been archived and I don't have privileged access. Please read  instead the Bar Council's The woman that is P.G. Lim]

Yes, even as recent as in my March 2012 post 'Half brothers' MCA & Gerakan, & sons & daughter of Penang I wrote:

Lim Kean Siew came from a distinguished Penang family of lawyers. His sister is the very distinguished Datuk Lim PG (Phaik Gan), a sweetheart who was Malaysia's Ambassador to the UN, union champion, director of the KL Regional Centre for Arbitration, feminist and, in many Penangites' opinion, should have been appointed Yang DiPertua Negeri of Penang, but alas, its too late now as she's in her 80's. Read the Bar Council brief of her here.

In a Malaysiakini article Plumbing for Bersih at book launch, to launch her memoirs (that of a legal luminary, according to MKINI), we've been informed that she’s in fact 96.

Malaysiakini reported: Pleasant surprise segued into admiration when Toh [kin Woon] listed the achievements of the Cambridge educated Lim, now 96, who broke several “glass ceilings” as one of the country’s first female political and social activists.

Toh remarked that Lim had deserted her class (meaning, social class) - she was born in London to wealthy parents (her father was from Penang and mother from British Guyana) who met while they were studying in Cambridge during the First World War - to make common cause with Malaya’s (and later Malaysia’s) working class.

Lim represented people condemned to death for sedition and espoused the cause of trade unions fighting for better wages and working conditions.

Toh’s comments were not lost on an audience aware that the fast approaching general election is being viewed as a contest between the appropriative capitalism of BN and the social democracy of Pakatan Rakyat.

But the legal doyenne whose memoirs was being lauded confined herself, in a brief video that was shown of an pre-book launch interview she had given, to terse and playful remarks on the nature of the autobiographical art and of the life she had lived.

It was a reminder that levity is an aid to longevity.

It’s a monumental loss to Penangites that we missed her leadership, probably the best Chinese Penangite candidate ever as our State’s Yang DiPertua (Dr Lim Chong Eu could have been another). Karpal Singh, when he retires, will be a marvellous Indian YDP of Penang to grace us.

I blame Mahathir for the (no doubt as I would suspect, deliberate) oversight in not recommending Ms P.G Lim, a Malaysian giant (though not an UMNO's Towering one) for the post of YDP of Penang about a quarter of a century ago.