Bapak Ops Lallang

Many feel that if we aren’t for Anwar yet, we ought to be by now, given that we have no choice in the face of an evil BN.

There’s no doubt the UMNO government has abused the ISA to detain people like Teresa Kok, and merely on the say so of a sore loser trouble maker who claimed Teresa had prohibited the azan call.

The real cause was just a defective loudspeaker at the mosque. Please read Malaysiakini Faulty PA system the cause of 'silent' azan to learn that “… Masjid Kota Damansara officials have denied that their mosque had ceased sounding the azan from its loudspeakers due to pressure from non-Muslims. They clarified that it was a damaged amplifier that resulted in the calls to prayers to be made without the aid of a PA system.”

Of course the government knows it had been a unserviceable loudspeaker but the opportunity presents itself for their nefarious intimidation tactic.

I believe journalist Tan Hoon Cheng was detained to appease the UMNO diehards who weren’t impressed by Najib’s apology or/and Ahmad Ismail’s suspension – it was a quid pro quo bullsh*t. See my earlier post Arrest of Tan Hoon Cheng - Act of gargantuan stupidity.

Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) has been stretching the edge of the authority’s tolerance envelop by his continuous tweaking of the government’s, especially Najib’s nose. While I reckon he fell on his partisan sword, on principle I protest his detention because the government has misused the ISA.

There exist libel laws and indeed there are also religious laws – use one of those against RPK if he had libelled against Najib or insulted Islam, the latter as has been alleged. But the ISA shouldn’t have been invoked against Malaysia’s best known blogger.

But while the UMNO-led authorities have been assholes in its repressive action, we mustn’t allow the real instigator and cause of all these instabilities to go unmentioned, unscathed and scot-free.

History lesson - Who was the minister in 1987 responsible for deliberately and provocatively appointing about 100 non-Mandarin educated senior assistants and principals to vernacular Chinese schools. Who was this minister who wanted to ride up the ladder of UMNO’s top echelon on his blatant ethno-nationalistic act of attempting to destroy non-Malay mother-tongue primary education?

Who was that person whose provocative act led to a storm of protest from Chinese Malaysian politicians and NGOs, which culminated in an unprecedented gathering of the DAP, Gerakan, MCA and the Dong Jiao Zong at the Thian Hou Temple in KL?

… which led to a series of ethnic posturing with the Chinese based parties demanding the resignation of that self-serving Education Minister, and UMNO Youth typically responding?

… which in turn led to the PM, then Dr Mahathir saying words to the effect that, ‘Chinese history warns of the dangers of Chinese groups gathering at a temple to protest against the authorities’.

Every Chinese adult knew he was referring to Shaolin and their defiant resistance to the Manchu authorities.

The political-ethnic climate was sizzling and the police pre-empted another potential May 13 by slamming down with Ops Lallang which saw people like Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh, Chandra Muzzafar, plus a few minor BN and opposition politicians and NGO personalities incarcerated.

Of course, the authorities were killing 2 birds with one stone - neutralized the potential civil disorder, plus throw a few of those they disliked behind bars.

The two public faces of the ethno-centric verbal stoush, Najib and Lee Kin Sai, escaped the ISA though Lee Kim Sai had his Datukship recalled by the (former/late) Sultan of Selangor on the urging of UMNO Youth.

That was Ops Lallang I. But the real culprit by then buat diam diam, as his wont when sh*t hits the fan.

Now – re-examine the root cause of all these current ISA abuses - yes, the root cause, not the reactions to it, which everyone acknowledges are oppressive, repressive and truly depressive. Trace it logically to where it all began.

Again, we see the self-interests of one man agitating, instigating and provoking instability, for his own power-crazy political promotion without a concern for democratic processes or the consequences of the inevitable ugly UMNO reactions. Tan and Teresa have ended up as collateral damage to his sick obsession for power.

I don’t need to go any further – you all know who I have in mind.

But do open your mind and see that in both Ops Lallang’s (though this current ISA clampdown hasn’t yet been named), they started off with the selfish self-centred obsession of just one person who wants to promote himself up, up and f* away.

So tell me, how the f* can I condone jumping to support the Devil, even as Malaysiakini reported in ISA crackdown as PM faces dissension that AAB “… is believed to have launched the crackdown in the bid to bolster his position within the ruling Umno party. He is facing increasing calls from party leaders to step down much earlier than what he has earlier promised - to hand over power to his deputy by mid-2010.”

While UMNO does have its internal war, there is no doubt that a major contributing factor to that war has been the sniping from outside UMNO.

In our nation’s history we called:

Tunku as Bapak Merdeka

Tun Razak as Bapak Pembangunan

Tun Hussein as Bapak Perpadauan

Tun Dr Mahathir as Bapak Modernisasi

AAB as Bapak Mertua

… and now (even if he isn’t a PM),

Bapak Ops Lallang (where the satanic snake slithers)

Related:
(1) Anwar Ibrahim - disruptive and divisive as ever

(2) The torment and impatience of Anwar Ibrahim

Teresa Kok arrested

So WTF, 3 hours after Sin Chew journalist Tan Hoon Cheng was detained under the ISA, the police did the same to Teresa Kok, the DAP MP for Seputeh.

This is outright outrageous to detain a Member of Parliament!

Read Malaysiakini early report ISA dragnet widens: MP Teresa Kok too, which I have reproduced below:

image from Teresa Kok's blog

DAP leader Teresa Kok has also been detained under the Internal Security Act - the third person to be detained without trial today.

It is learnt that the Selangor senior executive councillor and Seputeh parliamentarian was stopped by the police at about 11.18pm on her way back from a function in Kuala Lumpur.

She was arrested after her vehicle was blocked by three police patrol cars.

Deputy inspector-general of police Ismail Omar said that Kok's arrest was made under Section 73(1) of the Act.

In Penang, chief minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the party would be holding an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss the matter.

Earlier today, Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng were also arrested under the Act.

Arrest of Tan Hoon Cheng - Act of gargantuan stupidity

There has always been a government tendency to be heavy handed, and regretfully, in a fashion that has been and still is seen as double standard.

After coming home from Friday dinner, I was pissed off to read in Malaysiakini ISA arrest No 2: Sin Chew journalist nabbed the ISA-ed arrest of Tan Hoon Cheng, the Sin Chew Daily journalist who had reported on Ahmad Ismail’s seditious remarks about Chinese Malaysians being mere ‘squatters’ in this country where many are umpteen generations Malaysians.

malaysiakini photo

Ahmad Ismail is a repugnant bigot and the conspiracy theory running vogue is that he, as an old buddy of Anwar Ibrahim, has deliberately set the racist cat among the BN pigeons to cause dissent within the ruling party, so as to instigate and promote potential tadpoles metamorphosing into frogs for PKR.

That Anwar was slow in condemning Ahmad’s provocative bigotry, not unlike his equally slothful take on the Kulim Wonder (which has now graduated from ‘slothful’ to ‘acting dunno’), hasn’t helped dampen the conspiracy theory. Perhaps we should be kind and say Anwar has been just man man lai.

Leaving aside that conspiracy theory, which to be truthful I haven’t an inkling as to its veracity, what is apparent has been the reluctance of AAB to hammer Ahmad Ismail.

Yes, we all know that party warlords or king-makers, especially those from UMNO, are near invincible, immune and impervious to disciplinary actions. AAB had tap danced around the disciplinary issue, knowing he had to do something to prevent what the conspiracy theory had said was the alleged objective of alleged PKR mole, namely, to split asunder the Peninsula BN.

So he surrendered his presidential prerogative to whack Ahmad Ismail over to the UMNO Supreme Council, which then suspended the alleged musuh-dalam-selimut (mole or sleeper) for three years.

But it wasn’t a popular action within UMNO. Some diehards were flabbergasted by what they saw as perhaps a nouveau sensitive self-hating UMNO?

Perhaps to appease those diehards, a quid pro quo had to be called for – and poor Tan Hoon Cheng copped it sweet, on a Friday night some hours ago, while Ahmad Ismail loiters outside in contrasting free arrogant unrepentance.

With such a stupid action of unmitigated proportion, I think UMNO is in an unstoppable spiral downwards - there seems to be no stopping its domino f*-ups.

Anwar is having his wish to tear BN apart (mind you, not for you or me, but for his No 1, namely himself) virtually handed over to him on a silver platter, because not only the DAP has condemned the ISA action, but the Chinese-based parties, MCA and Gerakan, have leapt into the fray.

Smoke gets in your eyes?

They asked me how I knew

My true love was true

Oh, I of course replied

Something here inside cannot be denied

They said someday you'll find

All who love are blind

Oh, when your heart's on fire

You must realize

Smoke gets in your eyes

- The Platters

In Malaysiakini Early elections if Pakatan takes over we are told that “some experts believe it may be even less ethical for MPs to stick with the same party if their constituents no longer supported the party's agenda or politics.”
And who are those ‘experts’?

Well, apparently one of them as reported by Malaysiakini appears to be Ramon Navaratnam, chairman of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.
He stated: "I don't think it is a pure question of just ethics as to whether to serve wrongly in the same party or to cross over to another party to serve the country and the people better."

"Moving over to another political party out of good conscience and with the ‘niat' (intention) to serve better should in fact be welcomed if the majority constituents generally support the move because of disenchantment they have with the political party they had voted for. The peoples' welfare should be paramount and not that of self serving political parties."
I see the Tan Sri tap-dancing around with his statement. But let’s examine his advice more closely. The crux of his statement lies in “… if the majority constituents generally support the move …”
Now, the burning question for all is: just where’s the proof of that?
If I recall, it was just a mere 6 months ago when Malaysia had its general election. Wouldn’t a general election in a democracy be the instrument by which the nation measures which party enjoys the majority support?
NO?

... or perhaps Yes?

Stop mumbling and shifting your feet!

Yes, those who have been most vocal about democracy and due process have suddenly become mute – parties like the Bar Council, that bloke Param who’s always criticising Dr M, the USA, Aliran, and most of all the Pakatan Rakyat, and disappointingly for me, the DAP.

Even Karpal Singh, Lion of Gelugor has become silent. Maybe his mouth is full of chapati, and yes, his mum did tell him not to speak when his mouth is full.

It’s just amazing and disgusting at the same time, that one snake oil salesman, who had shown his devious subversion of the ballot box before in Sabah in 1994, has managed to stupefy, mesmerize and proselytize all these paragons of democracy into becoming silent supporters of his subversion again.

Indeed, c'mon, prove to us that “… the majority constituents generally support the move …”!
Meanwhile, in another worrying area (regarding democracy), the Armed Forces Chief after his monumental intrusive (into civilian affairs) blunder, which I blogged in Someone's gonna use a sledgehammer?, continues to be defiant.

Malaysiakini in Army chief defends 'stern action' call General Abdul Aziz Zainal defended his rare totally unbelievable, unprofessional and unacceptable call for ‘stern action’ against those inciting racial conflict.

This man doesn’t seem to realize his unforgiveable faux pas in breaching military ethics, professionalism and protocol by meddling with civilian affairs.

I deplore this sort of senior military officer who obviously fails to realize that, while he wears uniform and commands armed personnel, his role does not extend to involvement in civil matters that lie in the jurisdiction of politicians and the police. RMC has gone to sh*t. But worse, such a military bloke poses a real danger to democracy.

And while I suspect the Defence Minister of being behind this unprecedented (hey, Malaysiakini, the general's utterance is bloody not 'rare', it's 'unprecedented' lah, got it?) military illegal intrusion, we have the so-called great Reformer commending the general for his timely warning – sheeesh, sh*t and shades of Suharto!

I also note we have zillions of Malaysiakini readers condemning not only Ahmad Ismail (and rightfully so) but also AAB , who had suspended Ahmad Ismail from UMNO for 3 years, for not doing enough (in this case, debatable).

Yet, I have NOT heard one single beep from the same people for Anwar Ibrahim’s non-action against the Kulim Wonder – Mengapa tu? Takut kurang sebuah kerusi, atau tidak berani menyinggung perasaan heartland?
And it also took him a damn eternity to condemn Ahmad Ismail! Keeping an eye on the UMNO constituencies?

I am disappointed that erstwhile clear thinking people have become so muddle-headed and blind to Anwar’s undemocratic bull that they have even allowed him to get away with shameless declarations that he would be prepared to chase the potential frogs to Taiwan.

'Smokehit gets in your eyes'?
I cringe at the very thought of this so-called alternate PM who has obviously abandoned all forms of propriety and decorum in his burning rage to get his old position of power back.


Related:
The torment and impatience of Anwar Ibrahim

The Pure One

In a quiet lush verdant valley
Where thousand year trees
Reach up to the blue sky
In pure adoration of the sun

Mauve coloured wild orchids
Festoon Nature’s arboretum
Enticing dainty butterflies
To sample their sweet wares

The jasmine blooms battle
Against yellow frangipanis
A war of perfumed fragrance
For affection of honeybees

Thrilling shrill cries of orioles
Mingle with those of doves
While swallows and lyrebirds
Twitter to sweet symphony

Through this valley paradise
The river of silver meanders
Slowly, majestically it ambles
Past banks of bougainvilleas

And there at the bend I see
What I’ve been searching for
The temple on a lonely hill
Aloof in its eternal vigilance














I labour up to the very top
Walking ten thousand steps
To knell at its golden door
And await the High Priestess

She is the Oracle I seek
Sweet Music be her name
The Pure One reigns alone
In the Valley of the Lilies

Anwar's reformasi & the 7 dwarfs

Reforms: v. tr.

1. To improve by alteration, correction of error, or removal of defects; put into a better form or condition.

2. To abolish abuse or malpractice in: reform the government.

3. To cause (a person) to give up harmful or immoral practices; persuade to adopt a better way of life.

… or in Malay, reformasi!

Now, don’t tell me you don’t know who has been promising us that since the night in 1998 when he was kicked out of his cozy position in UMNO?

And what have we been getting by way of his reformasi in recent times?

Well ... there's of course 16 September 2008 when he will form a new government by his usual back door grab (usual = 1994 Sabah state election).

“I will fly to Taipei if needs be if they want to meet me. I am not joining them, but will talk to them!” – yes, if necessary, like a suitor on heat, he will chase those frogs to Taiwan.

Oh, according to Malaysiakini, UMNO has had Ahmad Ismail suspended for 3 years.

I am still waiting for Raja Reformasi to do something about the Kulim Wonder. Dare I wait?

Then the greatest reform of all ... but wait just a tic … let’s see what Pak Haji’s party has to say about the general who instructed the government to take stern action against racist agitations .....

Malaysiakini reported Stay out of politics, PAS Youth tells army chief.

If I recall, yesterday I posted Someone's gonna use a sledgehammer? based on a Malaysiakini news article Racial issues: Army chief tells gov't to act.

I was basically saying what PAS has now said, for the military to butt out!

... oh yes, so what was that about reformasi?

The man, according to a Malaysiakini article titled Expect 'surprise' on Sept 16, says Anwar, actually said 'Armed Forces chief Jen Abdul Aziz Zainal’s call for stern action by the government against those who stoke racial sentiments was a “timely” reminder.'

Reformasi? WTF, this man has the bloody gall to compliment the Armed Forces chief for his so-called 'timely reminder' to an elected government on civilian affairs?

His reformasi is making me sick!

And poor Dr Denison Jayasooria, a freelance socio-economic analyst, wrote in Malaysiakini to appeal the impossible, crying out: Anwar, please accept democracy!

Jayasooria said: However the current attempt to do 'a political coup' by getting forty Members of parliament to cross over to his coalition is an act which is not respecting the wishes of the people.

A foundational leadership quality is patience. Waiting for your time is most critical. Patience is a real virtue but more that this leadership quality is respecting the wishes of the people.

This is the most sacred democratic principle. Political expediency in a manipulative way will never be long lasting. We have to learn the lessons from many countries that have undergone military coups. Respecting democracy and democratic principles is fundamental. […]

Capturing the federal government through a general election is a more honourable way rather than just getting MPs to betray their party, their constituencies and their conscience.

Poor Dr Jayassoria, he should read my post The torment and impatience of Anwar Ibrahim to understand he's casting pearls ...

If he thinks his appeal can influence the world's gratest Political Reformer, the 'Father' of Reformasi, then he must still believe in the tooth fairy … which incidentally reminds me of a fairy tale called ‘Snow White & the seven dwarfs’:

The seven dwarfs always left to go work in the mine early each morning. As always, Snow White stayed home doing her domestic chores. As lunchtime approached, she would prepare their lunch and carry it to the mine.

One day as she arrived at the mine with the lunch, she saw that there had been a terrible cave-in.

Tearfully, and fearing the worst, Snow White began calling out, hoping against hope that the dwarfs had somehow survived.

“Hello ... Hello!” she shouted. “Can anyone hear me? Hello!”

For a long while, there was no answer.

Losing hope, Snow White again shouted, “Hello! Is anyone down there?”

Just as she was about to give up all hope, she heard a faint voice from deep within the mine, singing ..........

“Reformasi! Reformasi! Reformasi! ……..”

Snow White fell to her knees, crossed herself and prayed, “Oh, thank you, God! At least Dopey is still alive ...”

;-)

Someone's gonna use a sledgehammer?

Malaysiakini reports in its news article Racial issues: Army chief tells gov't to act that:

Departing from the norm, the Armed Forces today reminded the government on the danger of allowing racial issues to exacerbate.

Categorising it as a security threat, its chief Abdul Aziz Zainal called on the authorities to take stern action against those who stoke racial sentiments.

He warned that racial issues should not be raised as it had the potential to create chaos and disorder.

Well, I suggest that the General should butt out of civilian affairs and be aware it only has a supporting role to the police in any civil disorder, and not usurp the role of the civilian law enforcers.

Tradition requires the military to stay out of domestic affairs. What the General has just done has been an unprecedented military interference (albeit only a verbal implicit warning) into civilian matters. I don’t bloody like it, no, not at all!

I would like to ask the Defence Minister to explain to the Malaysian public on why the Armed Forces Chief has been allowed to make such a public statement of warning, as if the military was instructing the government on governing.

The military chief shouldn’t break th Armed Forces's apolitical tradition of not interfering with civilian issues or anything of a domestic nature.

Quite frankly I am not sure whether the person pulling the strings (AAB, Najib, ?) has been behind this veiled threat that the military may make a move. But I don’t like the smell especially when Ahmad Ismail has been pressing the racist switch in tandem.

Just a wee too coincidental. I am getting goose pimples. KNN!

Golden Frog - Lim Kit Siang ain't no Moses

And The Lord said to Moses, "Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" - (Exodus 32:1-8 RSV)


In earlier days the word ‘rationalize’ means to ‘treat in a rational manner’ but in the latter part of the last Century, it assumed a completely different meaning, like 'to invent plausible explanations for acts, opinions, etc, that are actually based on other causes'.

The dictionary gave an example of rationalize in ‘He tried to prove that he was not at fault, but he was obviously rationalizing’.

The first time I was taught the use of the word, I recall, was during my teenage school days when my sweet English teacher, Miss Goh (poor dear was in her early 20s but losing her battles with pimples) gave the example of Soekarno (yap, that one) rationalizing to the Indonesian people that ubi kayu (tapioca) was more nutritional than rice and therefore good for the rakyat – ‘twas a time when Indonesia couldn’t supply rice to its own people.

So Soekarno was inventing an explanation for the lack of rice by referring to the ubi kayu’s so-called 'superior' nutritional values.

I see many such examples of rationalization in recent days at Malaysiakini. In my previous post The Silence of the Lemmings (published today) I mentioned the Malaysiakini Vox Populi writers who rationalized that seizing power through insidious froggies a la Anwar's Sabah 1994 would be good because of:

(i) the current economic woes, thus any nation-minded MPs who really care for the people should crossover (despite the author expressing his concerns that the act would be unethical and undemocratic)

(ii) patriotism, so BN MPs who do not crossover are ‘traitors’ to the nation.

That's the appalling nature of rationalization.

In Malaysiakini 'Get people's approval first for 916', there’s a more raw and blunt argument, which is not exactly new, and in fact related to my comments ;-), where in my earlier post, I had stated, rather wryly, if I may add (because some people take me literally – wakakaka) …

that PKR supporters would ….. after they got over their delightful surprise that they had on 08 March 2008 denied the BN its 2/3 majority and the PR controlled 5 States, including premier Selangor ..… condemn the EC for its corruption because the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) didn’t win all 222 federal parliamentary seats, and never mind that the PR didn’t compete in all 222 seats.

… or that they had cursed how corrupt the EC had been in only returning Anwar Ibrahim with a miserly 15,000 plus majority in the Permatang Pauh by-election when rightfully it should have been a majority of 58,459! (BTW, total registered voters in PP = 58, 459)

OK, Malaysiakini tells us that G Mugunthan, Hindu Action Network coordinator, disagreed with those (like kaytee - wakakaka) who questioned the ethics of frogging into power. He asserted that most people want Pakatan to assume power ‘by hook or crook’ because they desire change - aiyah, has to be 'by crook' lah - mana ada 'by hook' lagi, until 2012.

Of course he failed, as to be expected with those who defend the indefensible, to clarify who those ‘most people’ are?

Like one of the Malaysiakini Vox Populi writers, Mugunthan claimed that the rakyat are burdened with the high cost of living (hello, it’s a global phenomenon), political uncertainty (and who’s causing it?) and a tepid economy, and are not willing to wait for general elections (which apart from happening a few months back as he neglected to mention, was actually the democratic reformed process once promised but now ignored by his de facto idol).

He grudgingly conceded that yes, ‘polls are the accepted barometer of public support’, but (a new doctoral thesis on democratic process?) ‘it was not the ultimate yardstick in Malaysia where the cleanliness of the electoral process is viewed with suspicion.’

Aha, again, that corrupt EC who denied PR its victory of 222 parliamentary seats and Anwar Ibrahim its 48,459 votes majority in the Permatang Pauh by-election!

Mugunthan rationalized the froggy ideology by declaring: "The widespread allegations that national polls are marred by fraud itself demands a change of government"

... which (the election 'fraud') incidentally denied the BN its 2/3 majority in Parliament for the first time since 1969, and allowed the PR to control 5 States.

However, Malaysiakini reported that Anwar's critics pooh-pooh-ed his respectable majority in his Permatang Pauh’s victory, stating that it’s just a mere “… home state win, and not a victory in Umno strongholds like Johor”, therefore Anwar cannot claim his (rationalization of his) victory as an indication that Malaysians want him to form the next government.

P Sivamurugan, a senior lecturer at USM has been, as Malaysiakini reported, critical of Anwar attempting to take over power in an unethical and undemocratic way without the people’s mandate.

He stated what I have been saying, no masuk via back door to power please, wait lah for 2012.

Siva is worried that the BN may ‘resist’ with the attendant ‘political and social unrest’. He was too euphemistic – he meant ‘riots’!

Siva also mentioned that “… the Pakatan governments in Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor have yet to prove themselves since their election victory, by producing worthy policies or action plans to inspire optimism amongst Malaysians that ‘the country would be better off under Pakatan".

Indeed, they should be doing what they should be doing, namely govern better and win public support. But alas, someone can’t wait.

Siva indeed supported my perception, and which I crystallized in The torment and impatience of Anwar Ibrahim that the 916 drive has been Anwar’s personal agenda rather than of the PR.

Siva remarked: "He looks to be the one in a hurry to form the government, not other Pakatan leaders."

But to Anwar’s credit (I don’t know whether I should use the word ‘credit’ or ‘evil genius’ – wakakaka), he has even managed to get Uncle Lim tap dancing around the ethics of froggy ideology, when once upon a time Uncle Lim would have without any hesitation smashed it to smithereens, like Moses smashing the Golden Calf.

To my sadness and great disappointment, Uncle Lim also rationalized for the worship of the Golden Frog:

I will have no truck with BN MPs who want to join forces with Pakatan Rakyat because this is an opportunity for them to make money or get other material gain, i.e. for “a pot of political porridge”, for this is clearly unethical, unprincipled and dishonourable which must be deplored by all right-thinking Malaysians.

However, if BN MPs are motivated by noble principles of saving the country from further drift and loss of direction of the Barisan Nasional government and for the political, economic and national betterment of the people, their honourable and principled action to leave the sinking BN Titanic will surely gain the sympathy, support and respect of all Malaysians.

after pontificating meaninglessly on his inner belief, which he stated as ...

I fully agree that Malaysian politics must be kept clean, ethical and principled and there must be no room for elected representatives to be “frog legislators” to defect for monetary gain or other material inducements – or to use Ongkili’s words “a pot of political porridge”.

(sigh) - guess I am politically broken hearted!

The Silence of the Lemmings

Often we hear or read of political analysts or journalists writing about X party being voted out, and rarely about Y party being voted in.

Those are political truisms if we look at the 1969 downsizing of the Perikatan, particularly in the MCA losing badly to Gerakan, and again in 2008, when this time Gerakan was wiped out in the north by the DAP.

Overseas, it has been the same with Paul Keating losing the Aus government to John Howard, whilst the once touted as near-invincible Howard lost not just to Kevin Rudd (a relative lightweight in his own Labour Party), but also his own blue ribbon seat to a Labour newcomer, Maxine McKew.

Right now, like the Aussies last year, some Malaysians want the UMNO-BN government to be overthrown, by hook and if it has to be so, then by crook, and f* the democratic process.

Once they got over the initial delight of winning 5 States and more than one-third of the seats in Parliament, these people have become more ambitious and less, nay, not satisfied with the results of the 08 March 2008.

That may be attributed to the quantum of hatred they have for the BN.

To their mind, that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) didn’t win all 222 federal parliamentary seats was only because of a corrupt EC, and never mind that the PR didn’t compete in all 222 seats.

They cursed and swore at the EC even as they crowed over the 5 States the PR had won, a victory that had actually come as a surprise not to only to themselves but to the PR leaders.

And they cursed at how corrupt the EC had been in only returning Anwar Ibrahim with a miserly 15,000 plus majority in the Permatang Pauh by-election when rightfully it should have been a majority of 58,459!

As one person wrote in Malaysiakini Vox Populi: As much as I think it is unethical and undemocratic, given the present situation and economic woes, this might be the best option we have.

I sincerely think that any nation-minded MPs who really care for the people should crossover. Enough is enough and it’s the dawn of a new era. I am praying hard for a new government by Sept 16.

His internal warring confusion over democratic process versus a desire to see the toppling of BN-UMNO has resulted in that sad confessional appeal.

But hey, he has been mild by comparison to another who wrote words to the effect that those BN MPs who do not crossover are ‘traitors’ to the nation.

Indeed, fuck those silly inconvenient 'unpatriotic' tricky treacherous traitrous democratic process.

And I read one of my fave Malaysiakini columnists, Josh Hong, who very much to my surprise, wrote in There is Ahmad Ismail in each of us, atypically the following:

Political analysts and scholars can argue over the ethical aspect of crossover till the cow comes home, but the people can tolerate the race-based structure imposed by the BN no more.

Admittedly Josh was only making an astute observation ….. but then Josh didn’t clarify who were ‘the people’ he mentioned as no longer able to tolerate the BN’s racist structure? Surely not Ahmad Ismail and his supporters?

Or perhaps all Malaysians other than Ahmad Ismail? Then why didn’t the 08 March polls demonstrate that?

Hmmm, must be the evil EC!

But do Anwar Ibrahim supporters represent ‘the people’? Or will the majority be marginalized by the demands of the exuberant, hubristic and avaricious PKR euphoria flowing since 08 March but now boiling over?

Never mind, let’s examine the other side of the political fence. Today the Star Online reported that:

Umno Youth has questioned the “deafening silence” from the Bar Council, NGOs and bloggers over plans by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to woo Barisan Nasional MPs.

Its secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said these groups, which claimed to defend the rights of the people, have remained silent over Anwar’s move to engineer defections, which he described as undemocratic and an act of stealing the mandate of the people.

“Where are the voices of NGOs, Bar Council and bloggers who had voiced loudly the need to protect the rights of people?” he asked here yesterday.

“Why are they not coming out to criticise Anwar and tell him it is morally wrong to grab power? Does their silence mean that they are being used by Anwar?”

Abdul Rahman said he was also surprised at the silence of the United States, which usually trumpeted the importance of democracy in the world.

The Kota Belud MP said the people of Malaysia voted for a two-party system in the last general election.

“Anwar should accept his role as Opposition Leader and carry out his duty of checks and balances,” he said.

“If Sept 16 does occur, it will not be a surprise if Barisan supporters go to the streets to challenge the legitimacy of a government formed through undemocratic means. And all this is because Anwar wants to be Prime Minister.”

Well … ;-)

Quo Vadis, Gerakan Party?

Looks like the Gerakan has started its walk down the froggie path, again, after a lapse of 35 years.

Born in 1968 and then touted to be the greatest multiracial political party for Malaysians, it brought about, as part of the loose pact comprising itself, DAP, PPP, and even PAS, the 1st tsunamic wave in the 1969 general election against the Perikatan, the BN’s predecessor.

It won rule of the great State of Penang, where the cry at that time in Penang was ‘Hor P’ang Choon Tiam*’ (sink the sailing boat), where the party logo of Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Perikatan was a sailing boat.

* for decorum I omitted the prefixable Karn Neen Nair (best translated in the presence of sweeties as ‘blast it’ ;-)

Together with DAP and PPP, it also threatened the dominance of the Perikatan in Perak and the likely (legal, through the ballot box) seizure of power in the then premier prize of all, Selangor. The threat to the latter was to lead to the May 13 incident.

The accusation regarding May 13 was that (and it's a historical fact) the Gerakan Party celebrators diverted from their planned route to make provocative forays into Malay areas to jeer at the residents (majority of whom were UMNO supporters).

The popular myth amongst the Malays (especially after Gerakan joined the Barisan Nasional), and continuously perpetuated, was that the provocateurs were DAP members – yes, 'twas jolly good not to have a fellow BN party (Gerakan) as the hated biadap Chinese party.

The reality was that certain leaders in UMNO (not Tunku but reputed to be Tun Razak) had initiated the riots to wrestled back full control of the nation, placing it under emergency rule (dictatorship for more than 3 years). Indeed, Tun Razak used the process as a quiet coup d’etat against the Tunku in the immediate aftermath of the May 13 racial riots.

In 1972 Tun Razak formed the Barisan Nasional (BN) to ‘absorb’ (or bring under UMNO’s stewartship and control) the once mighty and highly admired multiracial Gerakan Party, and PAS and PPP.

Only the DAP refused to compromise on its Malaysian Malaysia principles of absolute equality and meritocracy. It wisely remained as the main opposition party - there was no overnight 'Road to Damascus' bull of reformasi.

But essentially, the powerful and great Gerakan Party was effectively ‘neutralized’ or if you want to be cruel, ‘neutered’. As another example of Tun Razak's brilliant castration plan, look at the PPP, once King of Ipoh and that part of Perak, but now a pathetic party which fits Tun Dr Ismail's immortal words of 'mati ta'mahu, hidup pun segan'.

Then the foundation of the Gerakan party was shattered when many founding stalwarts of Gerakan Party left in disgust at the party's entry into the BN – people like its president Professor Syed Hussein al-Alatas, Wang Gungwu (Emeritus Prof of the Australian National University), Dr Tan Chee Khoon, etc.

Wikipedia tells us that Syed Hussein left to help Dr Tan Chee Khoon form Pekemas (Parti Keadilan Masyarakat Malaysia, or Social Justice Party of Malaysia), based on similar principles that Gerakan had been formed on.

But alas, such a party like the 1969 Gerakan party could only come once in a blue moon, because erstwhile supporters of Gerakan diaspora-ed across to the more disciplined and resolute DAP, leading to the collapse of Pekemas. Poor wonderful Dr Tan Chee Khoon was its only MP.

Oh, just in case you anwaristas are thinking of laying claim to inheriting the legendary legacy of the 1969 Gerakan Party, forget about it as my Uncle told me there was then a total absence of racist consciousness unlike PKR, where even the formation of the Selangor exco had so much trouble, let alone having PKR members like the Kulim Wonder or Penang’s deputy CM who wants PKR to be involved in the UMNO-PAS pan-Malay unity talks.

Then two other calamities befell the Gerakan – (i) it degenerated into a Chinese-based party with just a symbolic sprinkling of Indians to continue claim to its multiethnic heritage, and (ii) to Penangites like my family, it was terrible that Gerakan’s power base shifted over to Perak when once-MCA-member Dr Lim KY joined the party to become its president –alamak, how low could it have gone.

In the aftermath of the recent March tsunami, Dr Toh Kin Woon left. Though he didn’t physically froggy over to PKR, he achieved the same effect when he endorsed Anwar Ibrahim.

Then the final blow came yesterday (a sweetie told me about it then) as reported by Malaysiakini in its Out of Gerakan, into PKR.

Yesterday Dr Tan Kee Kwong stated his intention to join PKR and was photo-ed during the announcement with gleeful PKR leaders like Dr Wan Azizah and Khalid Ibrahim.

As Malaysiakini mentioned, Tan’s announcement did not come as a total surprise because he was not only dropped by his party as a deputy minister after the 2004 general election but sidelined from meaningful involvement in party matters just because he had backed Kerk Choo Ting against Lim KY.

I would have respected him more if he had then left before the March general election because he did have a good reason, but to leave after his party had been gutted in the 2008 general election would be seen as opportunistic.

Anyway, the consequence of Tan leaving the Gerakan has a huge symbolic significance for the older generation members as this man is the son of one of its great legendary founders, Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon (notwithstanding the fact that Dr Tan Senior left Gerakan to form Pekemas).

Dr Tan’s departure is far more significant than Dr Toh, not only for the just mentioned reason but for the fact he is joining PKR.

I am not sure what Koh Tsu Koon would do now. But it’s a lesson, that when the going gets tough, while the tough gets going, the towgeh gets goreng.

If the entire Gerakan Party were to leave BN and join PKR, the two BN component parties that will be most delighted would be the MCA and PPP.

The former had suffered continuous backstabbing by the Gerakan (just as it had backstabbed Gerakan in return), and knows that UMNO has used Gerakan as a very effective 'divide & conquer' tool to sabo (undermine) any ambitious aspiration of the Chinese based party that wasn't to UMNO's liking.

So the possibility of Gerakan Party's leaving BN will spell for the UMNO more than just the loss of a member party - it will see a far more assertive MCA.

kaytee's blog roll updates

I have been one lazy bloke regarding updating my Blog Roll - but I pat my own shoulder having just done so to include (in addition to those already on my roll):

(i) Uncle Lim

(ii) Sassy sweetie Teresa Kok

yes yes, I am biased - only DAP ... but wait ... gawd, gasp, omigosh ;-)

(iii) Sweetie Elizabeth Wong

(iv) Sweetie Crankshaft

(v) Sweetie Lulu

(vi) Farish Nor in The Other Malaysia

(vii) Wong Chun Wai

If there is anyone who has blog-rolled me and I haven't reciprocate, please let me know.

Anwar Ibrahim - the new Mahdi, Messiah, Maitreya?

I like to read Malaysiakini because it gives us the news that the Malaysian mainstream media (msm) won’t, but in recent times I have to admit I beginning to understand why some of my blogger mateys have made snide remarks that it should be renamed Anwarkini ;-)

When I read Malaysiakini article The Anwar prophecies dissected, I was somewhat stunned that author Joe Fernandez appeared not to be employing the term ‘prophecies’ just as a catchy headline – as I see it, bloke actually meant it, because he wrote:

PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) Advisor Anwar Ibrahim had prophesized -- predict being too mild a term -- that he would take his seat in parliament as the opposition leader, opposite the prime minister and look into his eyes.

His prophecy has now come true in the aftermath of Aug 26 when he took the Permatang Pauh seat which his wife, party chief Azizah, had kept safe for him through the ten long years when he was a lonely voice in the political wilderness.

Prophesized? Prophecy? Prophet?

That Anwar was already de facto, and would be de jure Opposition leader (after a long awaited by-election) has been known by Malaysians all along, way way before the Permatang Pauh by-election, so what is Joe Fernandez attempting to do … other than to mythologize or deify Anwar Ibrahim as the new Mahdi, Messiah, Maitreya.

It’s understandable when a PKR member or supporter writes like that, but for a journalist or media columnist to indulge in pseudo-religious hyperbole to describe a politician, you may expect more of the same bias in the rest of the article …

… for example … Fernandez writing about the Musa Hassan, the current IGP ...

It is hard to dismiss that Aug 26 was poetical justice and the run-up may have had something to do with the IGP going into emergency surgery with a heart condition. Had his maker been kinder, he would have been spared the embarrassment and sheer humiliation that is sure to follow in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Now, I know Musa is an asshole and I have written about him in:

(1) Malaysian PM must act against deputy IGP (end of 2005, Musa Hassan was still DIGP)

(2) What's AAB up to, extending Musa Hassan's service?

… but for us to wish his Maker would have been kinder to spare him further experiences in the days ahead, is really too cruel (even evil), judgemental and anwarista-ish. And I need to ask whether Joe Fernandez is a PKR card-carrying member.

Then he wrote: If Aug 26 sealed the fate of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government, after the electoral triumphs of March 8 -- when Pakatan took 82 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, four states, one Federal Territory, and retained Kelantan -- how will the finishing touches come for Sept 16?

Well, apparently for this Malaysiakini journalist/columnist, the general elections haven’t completed yet ….. no ….. not until the desired PM Mahdi, Messiah, Maitreya (take your pick but he is one who prophesises) is installed as the scincillating, sublime, supreme Caliph.

Then he mentioned the grandstanding role of PKR MP Gobalakrishnan who stopped buses and reported them as full of UMNO phantom voters:

The sons of the opposition MP, Gobalakrishnan, who spotted a phantom busload were even beaten up in public by the overzealous police on duty for their father’s act of public spiritedness.

As I wrote in Anwar Ibrahim owes EC an apology

Then, Malaysiakini reported in 5 'phantom' buses stopped, MP and sons arrested that PKR leader Gobalakrishnan, MP for Padang Serai, and his two sons plus a supporter, adopted the PKR ‘core’ group’s habit of stopping buses, allegedly full of phantom voters.

OK, where was the evidence that the passengers were phantom voters? […]

Recall the Ijok by-election where PKR supporters blocked the car of Najib by placing flower pots on the road, with one sitting on the bonnet of that car? And in Lunas?

There has been a propensity by some PKR fanatical followers to take the law into their hands like the ruthless lawless vigilante corp of the American Wild West, stringing up people they suspected (only suspected, no proof whatsoever) of crimes whilst forgetting that in their vigilante action, they would be committing crimes themselves.

I am aghast that a member of parliament would stoop to such disgraceful grandstanding antics.

While I deplore police brutality, I do not see ‘… their father’s act of public spiritedness.’ If Fernandez had written ‘…for their father’s act of party devotion’ I might have accepted it.

Joe Fernandezs added: What other prophecies are in store for the people?

Well, September 16 will be celebrated as a public holiday like Hari Raya or Christmas, Malaysian fuel prices will plummet like manna from heaven, the NEP will be transformed into …….. (fill in blanks), and a Thousand Year Reich Caliphate will come into being.

Fnally Fernandez tells us that the ‘marginalized’ Indians have been the influencing factor for the Chinese swing. He wrote:

The Indian community’s almost total withdrawal of support for Umno. The community is the deciding factor in 67 of the Parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia. The community has belatedly realized that they have been squatted on by the system and the government over the last 50 years.

The Indian "desertion" has had spillover effects on the Chinese community. The Chinese have traditionally looked to Indian leadership in trade unionism, NGOs and the law.

Well …….. ;-)

Now, I do wonder whether I should renew my subscription to Malaysiakini when I can get the same dissection of the prophecies of the Mahdi, Messiah, Maitreya free at the PKR website.

Miss Congeniality Ayatollah!

This woman frightens the sh*t out of me, even though she was once a beauty queen, crowned as Miss Congeniality (nope, she isn't Sandra Bullocks)

What she said to ministry students at her former church, Wasilla Assembly of God, in Alaska, may give us an indication of her mentality.

Sarah Palin, the Republican Party's vice-presidential candidate said that United States troops in Iraq were sent on a 'task that is from God'.

It would seem then to her, that sending those Iraqis to hell (innocents or militants killed by US troops) has been God's plan all along.

Palin said: "Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [soldiers] out on a task that is from God."

If John McCain were to be elected President of the USA, and subsequently dies from a heart attack or whatever (he's already 70 plus) while in office, Miss Congeniality Ayatollah could become the President.

The possibility sh*ts the hell out of me.

A doctor's gotta do what he's gotta do ... plus other snippets

From Malaysiakini - Pusrawi's Dr Osman appears in public:

Dr Mohd Osman Abdul Hamid, the Puswari Hospital doctor who examined Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, is back from his (abruptly taken) leave, after his famous statutory declaration.

He was accompanied by his two lawyers - (Balasubramaniam, eat your heart out!).

The purpose of his appearance today was to call a press conference at the Bar Council auditorium, where he assured everyone: "I am not involved in politics. I will always tell the truth."

He affirmed “I am the doctor who affirmed the statutory declaration dated Aug 1, 2008. I have had the chance to read the statutory declaration that has been put up on the website of Malaysia Today. I confirm that it is a true copy of my statutory declaration. I will now confirm that the contents of the statutory declaration is correct.”

“Please be assured that I had merely done my job as a doctor. I am not involved in politics. I will always tell the truth.”

Don’t worry Doctor, everyone knows that a doctor should always make a statutory declaration after a medical checkup on an alleged sodomy case. And the doctor would also check the SD at Malaysia-Today website. Aiyah, all these actions are normal, so why hold a press conference just for this!

“I have never at any time breached my professional ethics. I have always practised doctor-patient confidentiality."

Sayanglah, he couldn’t tell us who had naughtily released the medical report on Saiful into the public domain.

He was very much distressed by that, which might explain why he appeared in public today to stand by his claim that he found no evidence of sodomy on his patient.

Yes, very professional exhibition of medical ethics to assure us the public that Saiful wasn’t violently shafted. Thanks, Dr Osman.

Alamak, this next one is really chea lart (drastic) for AAB. Just imagine, dearest Koh Tsu Koon was reported by the Star Online as having stated that Barisan may be reaching point of no return.

He warned UMNO that if members of the senior partner of the BN continue to spew racist remarks and anti-social behaviour, it may be the end for the BN.

Yes, for dearest Koh TK to utter such words, UMNO better watch it.

OK, back to Malaysiakini again - Mazlan submits evidence against Pak Lah to ACA.

Mazlan is the son of former UMNO strongman, Harun Idris who was MB of Selangor during the May 13 (1969) racial riots. The riots started in front of his official residence, and many Chinese blamed him as the principal instigator.

However, my uncle said the late Dr Tan Chee Khoon wrote in the Star to disagree with that popular (not to Harun) notion. Dr Tan asserted that Harun wasn't the man responsible for staring the riots.

According to Unc, Dr Tan who was known for his pedantic attention to detail and his fine penmanship, virtually wrote a near doctoral thesis to clear Harun Idris. Many KL/Selangor Chinese weren't impressed because they didn't like their favourite villain being given a clean bill.

Additional info I received was that some KL Chinese actually loved Harun Idris because (apparently) he was a great guy who helped them generously, so maybe Dr Tan was right.

We have since then learnt from Dr Kua’s book that the culprit could well be Tun Razak.

Anyway, Mazlan reported to the ACA that AAB had abused government machinery to shore his support up for the coming party elections.

Then, in another Malaysiakini article titled Another dose of racism? Over to you Najib Uncle Lim KS lambasted Najib for what the notorious Biro Tatanegara (BTN) had done.

Apparently those arseholes at the BTN (funded by Malaysian taxpayers, including non-Malays) have been justifying their raison d'être, by progressing racist indoctrination of public servants.

Hey, this is nothing new insofar as the BTN’s indoctrination camps are concerned. It’s not unlike the Hitler Youth indoctrination camp where youngsters were taught who were the Master race, and who were the Untermenshen (subhumans).

But Uncle Lim was so infuriated that he demanded of Najib, whether the DPM would apologise too for the BTN Nazis?

Uncle asked "Is Najib next to apologise for the rank racism of BTN in purveying similar communal poison in its indoctrination courses?"

He was of course referring to Najib publicly apologising for the racist remarks made by Bukit Bendera UMNO division chief Ahmad Ismail.

Good on you, Uncle Lim for calling Najib to account. Afterall, we know that the BTN comes under the Defence Ministry, or was it the DPM office? And therefore, lay it into him as he’s responsible for the BTN!

It seems that the Miasmatic mist of malarkey can be quite contagious. GAN* is beautifully back on track.

* Gerakan Anti-Najib

Bigotry - Najib apologised but will Anwar Ibrahim?

In Malaysiakini Second-hand apology 'unacceptable' Uncle Lim KS said of Najib’s apology for Ahmad Ismail’s racist remarks as inadequate and unacceptable.

Uncle Lim correctly compared the apology by the DPM to the apology by Malaysian student Wee Meng Chee of Negarakuku’s notoriety. Uncle Lim argued the cabinet had set the precedent last year when it ungraciously rejected Wee’s apology.

But I feel that was UMNO, whereas Uncle Lim is DAP, and therefore could be and should be gracious.

Sure, demand that Ahmad Ismail bloody f* well apologize personally and unreservedly, or UMNO should sack the arsehole (sorry for the unintended pun).

Yes, criticize AAB as well for brushing it off under the carpet with a ‘promise’ that the bigot won’t do it again.

But the DAP has been fair, so can Uncle Lim get that Kulim Wonder to apologize for his unbelievable misconduct at the recent but aborted Bar Council’s forum?

Can Uncle Lim ask Anwar why he has not taken any action again that PKR thug, even though he had promised publicly he would do so – see Malaysiakini PKR leader: Action will be taken against errant MP.

Mind you, that was before the by-election ;-)

Can Uncle Lim ask Anwar why Anwar’s right hand man, Azmin Ali had accepted demagogue Zulkifli Noordin’s (unrevealed) explanation in ‘good faith’, whatever that means (see Malaysiakini Zulkifli defends his action at Bar forum), when PKR Deputy President Dr Syed Husin had already asserted that the demagogue would be disciplined?

Deformasi?

Let’s not bloody man man lai and gloss over this outstanding issue – let’s see PKR take some disciplinary action against the Kulim Wonder, a man that Haris Ibrahim has accused (together with Salehuddin Ayub) as 'lying, deceiving and manipulative politicians' for fear-mongering about Article 11.

Or any criticism against Najib for his apology would not only be ungracious but plain double-standard hypocrisy.

Let’s not over ‘reform’ selectivity!

September 16 - Miasmatic mist of malarkey

My favourite Malaysiakini columnist, Dean Johns, is back after a long layoff recuperating. I hope he gets truly well so that we may enjoy again his tongue-in-cheek poke at various current affairs.

I am already jaded by the dull, dry and dead serious articles, and Dean’s return to Malaysiakini hopefully may inject a much needed boost to enjoyable reading. Yes, ‘all attacks and no laugh' make the writer a constipated … ooops, sorry for even mentioning that posterior-related word.

Dean wrote Anwar's spirit reigns, which I agree with, up to Nelson Mandela and Singapore’s JB Jeyaratnam, whence I then leapfrog (pun intended - wakakaka) over you-know-who to a lovely lady, Dr Wan Azizah.

Anwar Ibrahim is very lucky to be married to her, but ‘nuff said!

However, I like to comment on one of Dean’s paragraph, where he wrote:

Meanwhile, in the same 10-year time-frame, Anwar’s defied Mahathir, fired-up the Reformasi movement, got beaten blue-black, locked-up for years in solitary, reinvented himself as an academic, formed a political party, helped forge the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, got hit with another trumped-up morality charge, addressed countless ceramahs, won a by-election by a landslide and taken his place as leader of the Malaysian opposition.

I agree with Dean’s excellent summary of Anwar’s achievements, save the first two points, namely he defied Dr M, and fired–up the Reformasi movement … well, on second thoughts I agree with the latter but in a qualified manner, and I want to clarify on that … but later …

Firstly, his ‘defiance’ of Dr M!

‘Defiance’ sounds so heroic when in reality (we’re back to 1998) he was attempting to push Dr M out of (UMNO’s and the cabinet’s) No 1 spot. Of course he got his then sidekick Zahid to ‘volunteer’ for the hatchet job.

Two weeks ago I posted in The torment and impatience of Anwar Ibrahim (extracts):

But alas his faction started the campaign to associate Dr M with cronyism and nepotism - an act which Dr Mahathir saw as unforgiveable act of treachery by a man he had loved and anointed as his successor.

The subtext of the insinuations by Anwar’s camp was clear, that Dr M should leave because he was ‘guilty’. There wasn't anything altruistic about the attempt at seizing power - it was pure unadulterated backstabbing in the finest tradition of the Machiavellian medieval Malay court intriques.

As RPK said, Anwar’s impatience must have blinded him to the hard fact that Dr M was no Gaafar Baba. Here was a master of political manoeuvring, not one to be trifled with – see my story about martial arts written two years ago, The Master & The Disciple, which may have some similarities.

Anwar made the biggest baddest bodoh-est mistake in his life.

T’was his impatience to reach the top - and he suffered such a humongous loss that he has never quite emotionally recovered from that fall …

… which may explain his obsessive need to reclaim what he thought was his, ought to be his, and shall be his, again.

… by hook or by crook …

… by reformasi or deformasi (frogs) …

What I had written in The torment and impatience of Anwar Ibrahim, above and as follows, may explain what Dean has labelled kindly as Anwar’s ‘never say die’ spirit:

… as they say, ‘There’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip’, and Anwar found that to his invincible distress.

I believe it has been this narrow miss at the highest political office, just by a hair’s breath, that has made the man super-geram, a frustrated anger beyond normal boundaries, even sending him into unbridled rage.

It has been an experience that has tormented him since.

And it’s this torment that has been driving him relentlessly to re-claim what he believes should have been his ..... if only not for his self-centred impatience … and not the myth that he had defied Dr M …

… because till the last part of his UMNO membership, and I was told by an elder, he still attempted to suck up to Dr M, to gain much lost grounds, as was observed during the ceremony to celebrate the opening of UMNO Penang’s (then) new building.

But it was too little too late and the rest is, as they say, history!

Now, on to why I have to qualify his reformasi ...

After he was booted out of UMNO (and thus the cabinet), he thought he could effect his return to power by his 'overnight' created reformasi movement - maybe the Jakarta students had inspired him?

For years in UMNO, in the trappings of power and lap of luxury, we didn't hear a single peep from him about reformasi, but instead lots of nationalistic taunts and Islamisation policies like baca doa for school children.

And may the bells in the Hindu temples ring forever to remind us of that.

As acting PM, he had not only condoned the attacking of the international conference Apcet II, but claimed the credit for it. I posted in Who was in charge when Apcet II was attacked by thugs? that:

This was what that bloke, the one who was then in charge of the nation, said of the UMNO thuggish disruption of Apcet II:

“Our mission was to stop the conference and we did just that.”

OUR MISSION

WAS TO STOP THE CONFERENCE

WE DID JUST THAT

He said that as acting Prime Minister. So you think he wasn't aware at all, or had no part in condoning, if not approving that shameful thuggery?

In case you missed it, read this again "OUR MISSON ...", not 'their' or 'his' but "OUR MISSION".

And why was that allowed to happen where Malaysia’s good name was dragged down into the gutter, all for a foreign nation?

Reformasi?

However, there’s no doubt his silver tongue is mesmerizing because he can sell his katak-fication subversion of the ballot box as reformasi – amazing, isn’t it, where the faithful tries valiantly to explain why his proposed 16-September's re-enactment of his stunt in Sabah in 1994, which turned Pairin from an elected State CM into an opposition leader with just a few froggie croaks, should be considered as 'political reforms'.

Yes, this is a man who can convince you that black is white and white is black, so what’s a little matter like the NEP, fuel price, manna, ambrosia, 16-September as a public holiday, or anything you may desire? Just a wee man man lai and all will be possible.

Deformed politics or deformasi should be the correct label for his brand of snake oil.

September 16 - shall Malaysians 'rise above their goodness'?

I have to confess I like Nathaniel Tan, who writes at periodic intervals for Malaysiakini. He is a nice earnest young man who is apparently sincere in the politics he believes in, and in the man he reckons will deliver (on 916) wakakaka ..... incidentally I share with him some of his former beliefs BUT definitely, absolutely and irrevocably not his latter, wakakaka again.

Nathaniel used to work for Anwar Ibrahim – I don’t know what’s that political relationship now but you may bet he’s an Anwar Ibrahim supporter. He has just written for Malaysiakini an article titled Sept 16: What will 'cornered animal' BN do?

The title itself tells you where his political sympathies lie. To him, UMNO is the cornered animal just because Anwar has been boasting about katak-fication, whereas (again according to Nat Tan) Anwar who fled to the Turkish Embassy had merely dropped in for coffee at the ‘invitation’ of the Ambassador, wakakaka.

Sometimes I feel sad that a bright young man like Nathaniel can be so easily bewitched by a renowned snake oil salesman who will promise anyone anything so long as it serves His Brahma-ic Majesty to ascend the political throne.

Mind you, notwithstanding his bias for Anwar Ibrahim, Nathaniel wrote a number of truths in his article. He reckons UMNO may be about to turn nasty towards Anwar Ibrahim, and enumerated the various possibilities.

But he overstretched himself when he alluded to the possibility of political assassination. He wrote: Assassination, in all honesty, is probably still a bargain as well. Yes, there will be a massive uproar, Anwar will be martyred, and discontent will reach unprecedented levels. Yet, at the end of the day, police investigations will be inconclusive, Anwar will be gone, and Pakatan becomes eminently vulnerable.
I don’t believe Malaysian politics would ever sink down to such a level ..... racial riots (chop up a few Chinamen or Indians), yes ..... but political assassination of an UMNO or former UMNO bloke, absolutely no ..... there is a line drawn in the sands of the heartland that won’t ever forgive the person responsible for that. The assassin might as well politically assassinate himself.

The only assassination which occurred in political circles (UMNO) but mind you, not due to political reasons, was one that occurred many many years ago in Negeri Sembilan. The killer was pissed off with his fellow UMNO bloke for bonking his sister. He shot him. ‘Twas a crime of passion or honour. I wonder whether he aimed at the victim’s dick? Wakakaka!

Then, Nathaniel mulled over the possibility of another May 13. Yes, that could be possible but economically speaking, today such a genocidal act would be like UMNO cutting its own nose to spite its face.

Nathaniel was 95% correct when he said: One of the few factors generating resistance for BN/Umno to embark on any 'adventurous' tactics is the lack of unity amidst its top leadership. Ever since March 8, Umno leaders especially have had to fight battles on multiple fronts, exhausting their already stretched resources.
I haven't awarded him 100% because the UMNO disunity started way before 08 March (BTW, why must Nathaniel or Malaysiakini put the date in American style – I dislike this as much as I do the Malaysiakini favourite word of ‘helm’ - wakakaka).


In fact it has been this UMNO disunity, rather than the Anwar factor, that made their leaders look as if they are in disarray. Anwar has been having a free ride thus far. Will it come to an end before he makes more unrecoverable inroads (for UMNO)? That's what Nathaniel asked, and so do I.

Then towards the end of his article, Nathaniel put in his bid for Anwar Ibrahim. He wrote appealingly: One controversial option to forestall any such drastic measures by the powers-that-be is for Malaysians to push for a change of government – either by crossovers, or calling for a snap general election (a potential last resort for BN, which is good for democracy, but unlikely to forestall the ruling coalition's demise).
In other words, Nathaniel was justifying and asking the public to support the insidious political frog-hunting which Anwar had successfully demonstrated as his speciality in Sabah in 1994, when he turned Pairin from a democratically elected CM into opposition leader with just a few croaks, yes, that disgraceful deformasi subversion of the ballot box to seize power via the grubby back door.

He apologetically rationalized (fooling his own conscience and values): While less than ideal, these remain some of the few ways we can avoid a descent into chaos and desperation within BN, and by extension within Malaysia.
And before I end, a word from Anwar Ibrahim’s favourite author who had, in Anwar’s own words, succoured him while he was in prison:

...Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round ... (Macbeth 1.5.25-28)

We are told that the ambitious Lady Macbeth (who wants to be Queen) said the above to persuade her husband to ‘rise above his goodness and accept her evil ways’ if he wanted to succeed.

Sounds familiar? It’s certainly vintage anwaristas-ism.

51st Merdeka - A tale of two cities societies

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" ... is the opening sentence of Charles Dickens’ book ‘A tale of two cities’.

The book is about events during the French Revolution. It describes the plight of the ordinary French people under the oppressive yokel of the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, and how the people rose up against the brutal upper class.

The book portrays the at-times criminal arrogance of the upper class, treachery, revenge, sinister plots, frame-ups and noble characters.

Sounds familiar? ;-)

Yes, when we read Malaysiakini news article Racism still haunts nation at 51st Merdeka it wouldn't be inappropriate one day to quote Dickens that in the year 2008 "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".

But I hope Malaysians don’t adopt those violent means of the revolution depicted in 'The tale of two cities', that some people here in Malaysia seems to have a preference for. If there is to be any revolution, it must be via a democratic and civilized society's ballot box, or we could end up being Mugabe-ised - wakakaka.

Now, sweetie Helen Ang, a columnist at Malaysiakini, wrote The tale of two MPs, with her article’s title, I suspect, being a pun on Dickens’ book title.

Staring from the recent Permatang Pauh by-election, she weaved her narrative through the parlous state of racist politics in our country, with its over-emphasis on (or exploitation of) religion … and mind you, not religion per se but rather politicised religion with an eye towards ethnic control.

She also commented on Dr Mahathir successfully neutralizing Anwar Ibrahim’s Reformasi 10 years ago.

Reformasi! I have always asserted that this term bandied around since 1998 has a gross misuse of the meaning of reformasi (political reforms), brazenly posing as one of those miraculous, and thus implausible, overnight ‘Road to Damascus’ insight.

To paraphrase W Churchill’s immortal words, ‘never in the field of human political struggle, has so much ideological belakang pusing (about-turn) been embraced by one man in just one night’ ;-)

… yes, that ‘Road to Damascus’ insight which had resulted in frightening road protests, or should it be instead, frightening road protests which propagandised the ‘Road to Damascus’ insight.

Anyway, sweetie quoted what Dr M said when he reminisced about the aftermath of the so-called Reformasi movement, that “the Chinese electorate ensured that I got the 2/3 majority in 1999”.

From her writing, she seems a rather intense sweetie, and she blamed the Chinese electorate for retaining Dr M in power, and consequently (and thus, I suppose, liable too for) Anwar remaining imprisoned and in political wilderness … until his recent phoenix-like rising.

My personal take is that in 1998 Anwar Ibrahim fell on his own UMNO keris when his UMNO faction attempted to nudge Dr M out with an allegation of cronyism and nepotism but which (the occurrence of cronyism and nepotism) ricochetted back on Anwar. Hardly political reforms!

Sweetie said padan muka to Chinese Malaysians (especially if they are Christians) who complained about religious repression because they deserve the 22 ‘vintage Mahathir years’ that have ensured the prevalence of Ketuanan Melayu.

She reminded us that "Exercise of coercive power by Umno administrations (both Dr M and now his successor’s) has had the side effect of empowering the Islamist state apparat. If today, the Christian flock – particularly Chinese – were to complain of religious repression, then they are only reaping what they’ve sown."

She was most sorry for the plight of some Malay 'apostates', trapped by politically erected religious barriers from leaving Islam, and tossed in the interesting question, that if Lina Joy had been a Chinese, would she have faced such virulent vicious vehement opposition to her declaration that she has already left Islam?

Then she mentioned two things that I must comment on ;-). She wrote:

(1) I cannot think of any self-professed ‘democratic’ state, unless this country considers itself a theocracy, where there is similarly such a stringent interference in its citizen’s choice and practice of religion like here in Malaysia, with the exception of perhaps Israel.

Tell me now, which other democratic country in the world brings the full force of the law to bear upon a man for freedom of conscience? Does Ireland mandate that an Irish must be Catholic and nothing else? Does Thailand regulate Thais to observe strictly the tenets of Buddhism?

Actually, until recently Greece, even as a member State of the EU, did not permit complete freedom of worship.

I read a BBC news article Ancient Greek gods' new believers as well as a Sydney Morning Herald piece Modern pagans worship illegally in Athens last year, where a group of Greeks who wanted to worship the ancient Greek Gods (immortal studs like Zeus and sexy yummy Aphrodite) had to take their case to court to demand that they should not be prevented by State laws from doing so. Fortunately for them they won.

Mt Olympus 1 - Byzantium religions 0

Wooooot, I always have a fantasy for a sweetie like cool, cold, freezing Artemis but I read that she doesn’t like men, being a … well, you know … and she would blind them (if they happen to see her naked during her bathing - damn!), castrate them … gulp … or turn them into stags to be … gulp … hunted by her.

Maybe it's best if I restrict my fantasy to the Goddess born from sea bubbles, Aphrodite ;-), or just to older women which I mentioned in Lustful fantasies - wakakaka!

(2) The more strenuously the duplicitous ruling regime is challenged by People Power, the more desperately they sabre-rattle their Ketuanan Melayu jingoism. To his credit, Anwar has eschewed this retrogressive communitarian tack and even in Permatang Pauh where the constituency has almost 70% Malay voters. He has stood by and is still standing on his pluralistic platform.

Well, Anwar has no choice, has he? What do you think his current power base is made up from? And let the bells of the temple ring forever to remind us of this.

I believe that until Anwar gets back to UMNO, he’ll be the most multi whatever there is.

However, I am always forgiving and willing to embrace his noveau politics wakakaka, but I would insist that Anwar read at least the first part of the following line:

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.”

It’s the last sentence from Dickens ‘A tale of two cities.’