Today Malaysiakini reported No Malay veep for Gerakan.
What a shame!
It doesn’t matter that Dr Arsharuddin Ahmad, the sole Malay candidate bidding to be an office bearer in the Gerakan Party’s election, has not proven himself at state level, or that he has never held any junior national post before standing as a VP candidate.
Why?
... because AAB officiating the annual Gerakan congress in Kuala Lumpur this morning informed Gerakan Party members that there have been Malays who prefer a multi-racial party and do not want to join Umno or its rival PAS, both Malay-based party.
Then why don't they join the Gerakan?
Turning to Gerakan president by his side, AAB chided Koh: “Gerakan wants to be multi-racial but it has not become what it should be. You have not achieved the purpose of why the party was founded.”
The point is the Gerakan Party’s claim as a multi-ethnic party is now even more dodgy than ever. It will remain, and be seen mainly as a Chinese-based party with a sprinkling of Indians given the odd senatorial posts.
The natural party for Indian Malaysians is the DAP ;-). Its founder was an Indian and its current national Chairperson is an Indian. The party has an Indian VP (& 1 Malay and 3 Chinese VP), a deputy sec-gen (& 2 Chinese dep-sec gen), and 2 other Indian national committee members. Professor Rama is the deputy CM of Penang.
Just beat that degree of representation for Indians.
Thus it has been such a pity to hear 5,000 Penang MIC members declaring their intentions to over switch to the PKR. Alas!
But my lamentation for the Gerakan’s inability to vote in a Malay VP also applies in another manner to the DAP, where currently there is no DAP Malay MP!
What ever happened to Zulkifli Mohd Noor who stood as DAP’s candidate in Bukit Bendera in 2004 and won a credible 18,000 votes out of 47,000?
As I had blogged previously, the DAP may have partial claim to their avowed multi-ethnic credentials – for example, they have put up many Indian candidates who have been voted successfully into both federal Parliament and State Assemblies.
Unfortunately none of its Malay candidates were ever successful, especially if and when they stood in Malay majority constituencies.
It was in a Chinese majority Bukit Bendera (Penang) that Zulkifli Mohd Noor made a decent mark, by winning nearly 18000 of the 47000 votes, and that’s no mean feat if we look at the ethnic breakdown. The Chinese majority federal seat had 13.82% Malays, 73.97% Chinese and 11.07% Indians plus a sprinkling of 1.14% Thais, Eurasian, etc.
Even if all 14% Malays in that constituency had turned up to cast their ballots for Zulkifli (which was absolutely unlikely), he wouldn’t get more than 5000 votes. This meant that there was a whole lot of Chinese votes for Zul.
I wrote on the possible reasons why Zul didn’t make it in 2004. That could have been due to three factors:
(1) he was exposed/introduced to the locals in Bukit Bendera a wee too late in the game (in 2004). Though the DAP is a powerful brand the party must not assume that is the magic key to winning.
(2) the Gerakan wasn’t exactly sleeping in Bukit Bendera. Though tarnished in recent years (prior to 2004) by Raja Bodek, the Gerakan was (in 2004) still a reasonably popular brand, especially with the middle age population.
(3) then (in 2004), there was that freshly minted ‘Mr Clean’ or Bao Gong.
The sum of it was that Zulkifli did well in a Chinese majority, and that's because of the DAP brand. Under a program of continuous political investments (and not just campaigning on the eve of the election) Zulkifli could be a winning candidate.
Thus I was deeply disappointed to see Zulkifli completely missing from the recent March 2008 general election, when without doubt he would have won and made history as the first DAP Malay MP, giving the DAP its multi-ethnic credentials and legitimacy.
I also note that he has disappeared from the list of DAP national office bearers where he was once a VP. Has he retired or left in fustration?
As a DAP supporter (but not member) I have urged the DAP to rethink its Malaysian Malaysia ideology, which is afterall a policy that had originated from Lee Kuan Yew’s PAP when Singapore was part of Malaysia, and to also reconsider its campaign to abolish bumiputra privileges.
I suggest that the DAP looks at three issues:
(1) develop a new political vision to replace its Malaysian Malaysia that will ameliorate the fears of the Malay.
(2) develop a fresh strategic policy to accept the NEP but one that will be managed fairly and exclusively for bumiputera interest. This does not in any way disregard the currently marginalized Indians or the less fortunate Chinese. Preserve the NEP exclusively for the needy Melayu and other bumis.
Forget about Anwar Ibrahim’s claim that he would get rid of the NEP or that the policy has outlived its usefulness. As has been said, Anwar would speak in human language to humans, and spirit language to spirits. Yes, he’ll say anything to climb up the ladder of power, from 916 to half past six.
I personally believe that the NEP still has use for a large segment of the Malay and Sarawak/Sabah bumis. It’s the misuse of this apparatus for affirmative action that’s the problem, not the NEP per se.
(3) get rid of its socialist label – most Malays don’t understand what it stands for, other than it must be a part of the Satanic communist diabolical plot.
However, I do note that sweetie Teresa Kok has made great progress in winning direct Malay support which has been why she is currently being demonized by UMNO Selamgor who’s sh*t scared of her popularitry.
But once again I lament that the DAP had missed a wonderful to present Zulkifli Mohd Noor as a federal candidate in March 2008.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Anwar sodomy trial - witness dobbed AG Gani Patail
On Wednesday, in the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial, the KL session court was told by an ex police officer, Mat Zain Ibrahim, that the actions of Abdul Gani, then a senior deputy public prosecutor, had delayed the investigation process and concealed facts from the (then) AG, the late Mohtar Abdullah.
The court had earlier barred the media from reporting this until it was satisfied the information could be released to the public without jeopardising the case. Today the court lifted its media block on the news about Abdul Gani Patail's alleged involvement.
So we get to know of the AG’s alleged naughtiness through Malaysiakini news article titled Ex-cop: How AG interfered in 'black eye' case.
But first the personalities involved then were:
(i) The late Mohtar Abdullah - then AG
(ii) Abdul Gani Patail – then only senior DPP but today the AG
(iii) Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof, doctor assigned by Abdul Gani.
(iv) Mat Zain Ibrahim – investigating officer and currently witness telling the court of Gani Patail’s naughtiness
(v) Dr Mahathir Mohamad – if you do not know him, don’t bother to read this post wakakaka
(vi) Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor – then IGP and the bloke who gave Anwar the black eye
This was what Mat Zain reported to the court, regarding the circumstances at the time of the black eye:
After he was appointed by the IGP, that same night the IGP (who bashed Anwar in the eye) met him privately and instructed him to conduct an in-depth investigation and “to leave no stone unturned” in order to uphold the image of the police force.
The IGP also told him that no other senior police officer would be allowed to disrupt him in the investigation.
Then Dr M also sent a similar message to him to do a good job. He stated:
“During that meeting, I explained [to the PM] what actually happened to Anwar and identified the person who hurt him”
… which we all know was the (then) IGP, the man who also told Mat Zain to conduct an in-depth investigation and “to leave no stone unturned” in order to uphold the image of the police force.
“The prime minister advised me that there should be no cover-up in the probe and stated that the government may set up an independent commission to investigate the case if there is any attempt to cover up the incident; (and if a commission had to be appointed) would tarnish not only the credibility of the police force but also mine.”
The above were the nobler parts; now for the grubby component …
He provided 2 two investigation reports to Abdul Gani on Oct 26 and 30 respectively, but the AG, Mohtar Abdullah, was quoted in the media on Nov 7 as saying that his chambers had not received any such report.
According to the Malaysiakini report: “It was only on Nov 20 that Mohtar reportedly said he had received the report. Mat Zain said he believed Mohtar’s statement was made after he (Mat Zain) had ‘pressured’ Abdul Gani a day earlier to confirm the status of his two reports."
So Gani was holding Mat Zain’s reports back from the AG’s eyes.
Then a week later he found out to his amazement that he was reported in Dr Abdul Rahman’s second medical report that he (Mat Zain) had visited the lock-up (where Anwar was held) to ‘reconstruct’ the incidence.
Mat Zain said there was no such ‘reconstruction’, meaning (from his statement to the court) the part on the 'reconstruction' of the 'black eye' incident in the 2nd medical report was sheer bullsh*t.
And Mat Zain revealed further lies being fed to the unsuspecting (the late) AG, who said (incorrectly) that the perpetrator of the black eye was unknown.
According to Malaysiakini, Mat Zain said he “believed Abdul Gani concealed important facts from Mohtar’s knowledge” and had personally appointed Abdul Rahman as the medical officer to prepare the report in October 1998."
It was left to the former IGP, Abdul Rahman to admit to the royal commission on the ‘black eye’ incident that he had been the one who caused the injury to Anwar.
So, more interestingly than the allegations by Mat Zain that AG Gani Patail had been an a$$h*le (which we all know already), his report to the court on Wednesday had absolved Dr Mahathir of having any finger in the pie - au contraire, Dr M had insisted on a fair and impartial investigation.
The witness' report also showed the former IGP in far more noble light.
What we now have a glimpse is that of an IGP who lost his temper with Anwar (allegedly calling the IGP by an insulting word – I heard it was ‘dog’), bashed the former DPM in the eye, then repentantly insisted on the investigating officer (his subordinate) to do a thorough in-depth investigation (“to leave no stone unturned”) and not to be influenced by anyone, and in the absence of any identification of the perpetrator by the (then) AG, who was allegedly kept in the dark by Gani Patail, admitted to the royal commission he was the person who had whacked Anwar.
The (then) IGP lost his job and went to jail for a spell for assault.
And as a last question – what about Zulkifli Noordin, the PKR MP from Kulim, who stormed the Bar Council forum?
Will he be ever disciplined by PKR? Why is Anwar Ibrahim acting dunno after he promised more than a month ago to discipline the hoodlum?
Man man lai bull again?
See also:
(1) We're a 'clean' nation
(2) Corruption allegations - AG more like Defence Attorney?
(3) AG - millstone around government's neck in election?
The court had earlier barred the media from reporting this until it was satisfied the information could be released to the public without jeopardising the case. Today the court lifted its media block on the news about Abdul Gani Patail's alleged involvement.
So we get to know of the AG’s alleged naughtiness through Malaysiakini news article titled Ex-cop: How AG interfered in 'black eye' case.
But first the personalities involved then were:
(i) The late Mohtar Abdullah - then AG
(ii) Abdul Gani Patail – then only senior DPP but today the AG
(iii) Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof, doctor assigned by Abdul Gani.
(iv) Mat Zain Ibrahim – investigating officer and currently witness telling the court of Gani Patail’s naughtiness
(v) Dr Mahathir Mohamad – if you do not know him, don’t bother to read this post wakakaka
(vi) Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor – then IGP and the bloke who gave Anwar the black eye
This was what Mat Zain reported to the court, regarding the circumstances at the time of the black eye:
After he was appointed by the IGP, that same night the IGP (who bashed Anwar in the eye) met him privately and instructed him to conduct an in-depth investigation and “to leave no stone unturned” in order to uphold the image of the police force.
The IGP also told him that no other senior police officer would be allowed to disrupt him in the investigation.
Then Dr M also sent a similar message to him to do a good job. He stated:
“During that meeting, I explained [to the PM] what actually happened to Anwar and identified the person who hurt him”
… which we all know was the (then) IGP, the man who also told Mat Zain to conduct an in-depth investigation and “to leave no stone unturned” in order to uphold the image of the police force.
“The prime minister advised me that there should be no cover-up in the probe and stated that the government may set up an independent commission to investigate the case if there is any attempt to cover up the incident; (and if a commission had to be appointed) would tarnish not only the credibility of the police force but also mine.”
The above were the nobler parts; now for the grubby component …
He provided 2 two investigation reports to Abdul Gani on Oct 26 and 30 respectively, but the AG, Mohtar Abdullah, was quoted in the media on Nov 7 as saying that his chambers had not received any such report.
According to the Malaysiakini report: “It was only on Nov 20 that Mohtar reportedly said he had received the report. Mat Zain said he believed Mohtar’s statement was made after he (Mat Zain) had ‘pressured’ Abdul Gani a day earlier to confirm the status of his two reports."
So Gani was holding Mat Zain’s reports back from the AG’s eyes.
Then a week later he found out to his amazement that he was reported in Dr Abdul Rahman’s second medical report that he (Mat Zain) had visited the lock-up (where Anwar was held) to ‘reconstruct’ the incidence.
Mat Zain said there was no such ‘reconstruction’, meaning (from his statement to the court) the part on the 'reconstruction' of the 'black eye' incident in the 2nd medical report was sheer bullsh*t.
And Mat Zain revealed further lies being fed to the unsuspecting (the late) AG, who said (incorrectly) that the perpetrator of the black eye was unknown.
According to Malaysiakini, Mat Zain said he “believed Abdul Gani concealed important facts from Mohtar’s knowledge” and had personally appointed Abdul Rahman as the medical officer to prepare the report in October 1998."
It was left to the former IGP, Abdul Rahman to admit to the royal commission on the ‘black eye’ incident that he had been the one who caused the injury to Anwar.
So, more interestingly than the allegations by Mat Zain that AG Gani Patail had been an a$$h*le (which we all know already), his report to the court on Wednesday had absolved Dr Mahathir of having any finger in the pie - au contraire, Dr M had insisted on a fair and impartial investigation.
The witness' report also showed the former IGP in far more noble light.
What we now have a glimpse is that of an IGP who lost his temper with Anwar (allegedly calling the IGP by an insulting word – I heard it was ‘dog’), bashed the former DPM in the eye, then repentantly insisted on the investigating officer (his subordinate) to do a thorough in-depth investigation (“to leave no stone unturned”) and not to be influenced by anyone, and in the absence of any identification of the perpetrator by the (then) AG, who was allegedly kept in the dark by Gani Patail, admitted to the royal commission he was the person who had whacked Anwar.
The (then) IGP lost his job and went to jail for a spell for assault.
And as a last question – what about Zulkifli Noordin, the PKR MP from Kulim, who stormed the Bar Council forum?
Will he be ever disciplined by PKR? Why is Anwar Ibrahim acting dunno after he promised more than a month ago to discipline the hoodlum?
Man man lai bull again?
See also:
(1) We're a 'clean' nation
(2) Corruption allegations - AG more like Defence Attorney?
(3) AG - millstone around government's neck in election?
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Priority 1 - free RPK & Hindraf 5
I learned the term ‘sacred cow’ when I was in English class in secondary school. We were then discussing or rather comparing the social-cultural-political-religious backdrops of Indians (in India) and Chinese (in China).
Naturally the term ‘sacred cow’ popped up, with kind Mr Koh explaining its place in the English lexicon to his inattentive students.
Dear elderly Mr Koh – I remember him berating me “kaytee how many times have I told you not to use the word ‘get’. 'Obtain! Obtain! Obtain'”, and with each utterance of ‘obtain’ he would jab his finger in the air for emphasis, though at that time I felt as if he was trying to drill a hole in my poor skull so that he could insert the ‘obtain’ word into it (while no doubt removing the 'get' word).
The dictionary defines sacred cow as “one that is immune from criticism, often unreasonably so” as in the example (in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists): "The need for widespread secrecy has become a sacred cow".
I learn through observations that in Australia there are 3 ‘sacred cows’, namely the veterans of Gallipoli and WWI, the farmers, and sports people.
Sorry to say that the first have become extinct, with the Aussie affection now directed towards WWII veterans and even Korean and the once much despised Vietnam veterans.
The second, the farmers – well, Aussies don’t hear much from them when they are doing well such as when the crops are bountiful and fetching high prices, and Japanese and Koreans are buying Aussie beef and mutton by the mega tonnes.
But when floods and drought play havoc Downunder, oh oh oh, those national icons must be supported (through government funds of course), succoured and suckled, and don’t you dare say anything nasty about them at all, like, "Hey, what happened to those big bucks you guys earned during those 7 years of plenty?"
They sure won't appreciate you narrating to them the story of Joseph son of Jacob and his interpretation of the Pharoah's dreams.
But if you were to, say, open a sandwich shop at the airport and the airline pilots or maintenance engineers go on strike, and bugger your business into bankruptcy, or there have been 40 days and 40 nights of wild raging seas screwing the fishermen and fishmongers real good, you non-farming lot are likely to get a "Tough luck, matey, t’is the hard cruel world of commerce".
The Japs pampered their farmers (and yes, blooming whale hunters too), the Yanks subsidized their farmers heavily, the French try to beat the Yanks in the subsidization game, the Aussies, as mentioned, treat them like ‘sacred cows’.
Given this universal trend, I wonder how we Malaysians treat our farmers.
But please don’t bring up the pig farmers and the episode of the Nipah virus outbreak some years back.
As for the 3rd Aussie ‘sacred cow’ most of them are a bunch of over pampered overpaid oversexed prima donnas who won’t hesitate to bonk their mate’s wife, have ‘quiet drinks’ in a room with Indian bookies (and claimed innocence), or bash up their girlfriends – but nonetheless, at the end of the day, will still be treated by sport fans as heroes.
It's not only some Malaysians who are 'blind' - wakakaka.
So there we are – perhaps now we have an idea of what a ‘sacred cow’ is.
So … who is Malaysia's ‘sacred cow’?
I believe now it has to be Raja Petra Kamarudin or as he is popularly known, RPK. He was once also called Peter, a reference perhaps to his Malaysian-Welsh upbringing.
Leaving aside his UMNO (and perhaps some police) enemies, who would dare say anything bad about him?
Even those who wish to criticize him do so in the most oblique manner, knowing any adverse comments against RPK would be akin to stirring a hornet’s nest. ‘Stirring a hornet’s nest’? wakakaka!
Quite frankly if RPK were to stand for election today, he would probably win with a majority that would make Teresa Kok’s winning margin seem paltry. If Malaysia is a republic with a direct presidential voting system, he could easily become President of Malaysia, winning enough votes to carry over to the next five year term - such is his popularity!
Naturally the term ‘sacred cow’ popped up, with kind Mr Koh explaining its place in the English lexicon to his inattentive students.
Dear elderly Mr Koh – I remember him berating me “kaytee how many times have I told you not to use the word ‘get’. 'Obtain! Obtain! Obtain'”, and with each utterance of ‘obtain’ he would jab his finger in the air for emphasis, though at that time I felt as if he was trying to drill a hole in my poor skull so that he could insert the ‘obtain’ word into it (while no doubt removing the 'get' word).
The dictionary defines sacred cow as “one that is immune from criticism, often unreasonably so” as in the example (in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists): "The need for widespread secrecy has become a sacred cow".
I learn through observations that in Australia there are 3 ‘sacred cows’, namely the veterans of Gallipoli and WWI, the farmers, and sports people.
Sorry to say that the first have become extinct, with the Aussie affection now directed towards WWII veterans and even Korean and the once much despised Vietnam veterans.
The second, the farmers – well, Aussies don’t hear much from them when they are doing well such as when the crops are bountiful and fetching high prices, and Japanese and Koreans are buying Aussie beef and mutton by the mega tonnes.
But when floods and drought play havoc Downunder, oh oh oh, those national icons must be supported (through government funds of course), succoured and suckled, and don’t you dare say anything nasty about them at all, like, "Hey, what happened to those big bucks you guys earned during those 7 years of plenty?"
They sure won't appreciate you narrating to them the story of Joseph son of Jacob and his interpretation of the Pharoah's dreams.
But if you were to, say, open a sandwich shop at the airport and the airline pilots or maintenance engineers go on strike, and bugger your business into bankruptcy, or there have been 40 days and 40 nights of wild raging seas screwing the fishermen and fishmongers real good, you non-farming lot are likely to get a "Tough luck, matey, t’is the hard cruel world of commerce".
The Japs pampered their farmers (and yes, blooming whale hunters too), the Yanks subsidized their farmers heavily, the French try to beat the Yanks in the subsidization game, the Aussies, as mentioned, treat them like ‘sacred cows’.
Given this universal trend, I wonder how we Malaysians treat our farmers.
But please don’t bring up the pig farmers and the episode of the Nipah virus outbreak some years back.
As for the 3rd Aussie ‘sacred cow’ most of them are a bunch of over pampered overpaid oversexed prima donnas who won’t hesitate to bonk their mate’s wife, have ‘quiet drinks’ in a room with Indian bookies (and claimed innocence), or bash up their girlfriends – but nonetheless, at the end of the day, will still be treated by sport fans as heroes.
It's not only some Malaysians who are 'blind' - wakakaka.
So there we are – perhaps now we have an idea of what a ‘sacred cow’ is.
So … who is Malaysia's ‘sacred cow’?
I believe now it has to be Raja Petra Kamarudin or as he is popularly known, RPK. He was once also called Peter, a reference perhaps to his Malaysian-Welsh upbringing.
Leaving aside his UMNO (and perhaps some police) enemies, who would dare say anything bad about him?
Even those who wish to criticize him do so in the most oblique manner, knowing any adverse comments against RPK would be akin to stirring a hornet’s nest. ‘Stirring a hornet’s nest’? wakakaka!
Quite frankly if RPK were to stand for election today, he would probably win with a majority that would make Teresa Kok’s winning margin seem paltry. If Malaysia is a republic with a direct presidential voting system, he could easily become President of Malaysia, winning enough votes to carry over to the next five year term - such is his popularity!
But of course, RPK is under ISA detention now.
Malaysiakini columnist sweetie Helen Ang wrote in Keeping up RPK's spirit:
Whether one believes in RPK’s exposes and statutory declarations, the fact of the matter is that he has successfully provided an alternative reading diet, both in politics and philosophy, and weaned a multitude away from the official-line info sources.
RPK had been a one-man media industry, single-handedly exposing the shenanigans in the corridors of power. More than that, his writings tackled the practice of Islam here, which few dare. The fact that he is a Malay-Muslim pushing the envelope is what makes him a serious threat to the Umno hegemony, rather than if a ‘non’ were to rant and rave.
While there is a lot of truth in what sweetie has written, I beg to differ slightly (just slightly) with her second paragraph.
I reckon the issue of RPK ‘pushing the envelope’ in his exposé of UMNO or even the practice of Islam, rather than being the serious threat to the UMNO hegemony, has been the excuse to detain him under the ISA.
It has been his series of anti Najib articles culminating in the Statutory Declaration of “I have been reliably informed …” which was the last straw for the authorities, particularly RPK's target, the DPM and now PM designate.
And who knows what or who had put private investigator Balasubramaniam to follow up RPK’s Stat Dec with another almost similar anti-Najib Stat Dec, which included a ‘revelation’ of a sexual manoeuvre ‘coincidentally' similar to the one Najib's political Nemesis had been accused of.
Strangely, the principal beneficiary of RPK’s campaign and general thrust of his folk-popular articles has been relatively silent about RPK’s present predicament.
Yes, he has made the odd "free all under ISA" statements, which have been no diffferent to what other PR leaders have done.
Surely we should expect more from Anwar for RPK - like, has Anwar visited RPK in Kamunting? Maybe leaving a copy of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' for good olde Peter to read?
Or perhaps Shakespeare's other book, 'The Twelfth Night' which tells us that Viola declared:
I hate ingratitude more in a man
Than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness,
Or any taint of vie whose strong corruption
Inhabits our frail blood.
But alas, we witness Anwar's greater keenness in attacking the new PM designate.
I applaud sweetie Helen Ang’s timely article where, as she so sweetly wrote, ‘Whether one believes in RPK’s exposes and statutory declarations’ or not, we must punch home the message to the government that RPK and the Hindraf leaders must be freed a.s.a.p!
Unlike Anwar Ibrahim, I am more worried about RPK’s and the Hindraf leaders’ continuing detention than Najib’s political ascendancy.
Please join me in getting our political priorities right!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Goodbye to an unrealized Bao Gong redux
“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg.”
That’s the story of AAB.
Today he announced his intention not to contest UMNO party’s presidency, effectively announcing his stepping down from the premiership in March 2009, but he couldn’t resist taunting Najib with a taste of the latter’s medicine, that it’s up to the party members to elect the next party president.
In Malaysiakini PM not contesting, to quit in March AAB was reported to have remarked:
"At some point I will have to hand over to my successor. Why do I say 'at some point'? It is because Najib will have to win the party election first. Once he has won, then we can discuss (the transition)."
Wakakaka!
AAB came with a lot of promise but alas, as CS Lewis said about the eggy thing: “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”
Yes, unless one produces results, as a PM should for the people, he would be out pretty pronto. The late Tunku suffered that fate (though he was ‘helped’ along the way out by his deputy).
AAB won the general election in 2004 by a landslide, and almost wiped out PKR but for a mere hundred votes or so. But 4 years later, his BN lost 4 States and its two-thirds majority in federal Parliament.
Strangely he achieved the above BN disasters while being, by comparison to his predecessor, a reasonably liberal PM.
His critics see him as indecisive, and his enemies propagated his image as one not unlike two of Snow White’s dwarves, namely Dopey and Sleepy.
There’s no doubt he had leaned too heavily on his children’s advice which might have been devious but lacked the strength, subtlety, and slyness of the politically crafty, a hallmark of earlier UMNO leaders (except for Hussein Onn).
In the end he paid the ultimate price for accepting those bad advice.
Additionally he had the bad luck to earn Dr M’s wrath, in major part because of his children.
He also had the equally bad luck to lead Malaysia into an unstable world’s economic situation.
He might have survived all these if he hadn’t suffered the ignominy of losing 4 States and the BN 2/3 parliamentary majority. Whatever support he had enjoyed within UMNO was eroded overnight when the grand olde party went into shock, with its members realizing the once unthinkable, the prospect of spending a few many years in opposition politics.
Dr M, once-marginalized by UMNO, began to regain his influence as frantic, panicky and hysterical UMNO members look around for a saviour to save them from what they believe to be their impending political doom.
Poor Anwar, how he must have loved to take charge, but apart from UMNO's old factional interests, there were far too many new interests in the party. Thousands of bridges had been crossed in the last ten years, bringing about new landscapes, new alliances and new party factions, and very very few UMNO members wanted Anwar back for a variety of reasons.
But AAB had not only allowed the March 2008 tsunamic disaster to occur on his beat, he had been in large part responsible for it. As one silly example, he had permitted the overly ambitious ones in his party to publicly rail bigotry against his BN partners and their supporters.
That might have been good for gaining internal party support but defintely a strange way of expecting the same 2004 Malaysian support, particularly from the Chinese and Indians.
Sadly, he didn’t have the character, personality nor the inclination to slap those bigots down. But apart from his personality, how could he do so when his own SIL had resorted to badmouthing the Chinese to divert attention from his (SIL’s) unusual and fortuitous but unexplained investment.
Then he overreacted (no doubt through bad advice) against the Hindraf rally, and for what?
Those people were marching towards the British High Commission to lodge a grandstanding and symbolic claim against the British colonial government (not Malaysian government!) for the former's shameful neglect of the Indians and their descent into the community's current woeful economic predicament.
What would have happened if the rally had been permitted to continue untouched, unmolested and unhindered?
We would never know because, but I personally believe this, the unnecessary heavy-handed brutalities against Hindraf protestors had been the last straw on the Malaysian camel’s back. It wasn’t just the Indians who were outraged – most Malaysians (save the most dedicated BN supporters) made a firm and committed political decision to vote against the BN.
We could tear him apart in our analysis but suffice to say, he didn’t become the PM we had expected him to be, the Bao Gong redux.
To end this post I present two more egg quotations:
"Love and eggs are best when they are fresh" - Russian proverb, to which I say 'in 2004 the AAB egg was still fresh, but now it’s 2008!', and ...
"An egg is always an adventure; the next one may be different" - Oscar Wilde
Wakakaka!
That’s the story of AAB.
Today he announced his intention not to contest UMNO party’s presidency, effectively announcing his stepping down from the premiership in March 2009, but he couldn’t resist taunting Najib with a taste of the latter’s medicine, that it’s up to the party members to elect the next party president.
In Malaysiakini PM not contesting, to quit in March AAB was reported to have remarked:
"At some point I will have to hand over to my successor. Why do I say 'at some point'? It is because Najib will have to win the party election first. Once he has won, then we can discuss (the transition)."
Wakakaka!
AAB came with a lot of promise but alas, as CS Lewis said about the eggy thing: “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”
Yes, unless one produces results, as a PM should for the people, he would be out pretty pronto. The late Tunku suffered that fate (though he was ‘helped’ along the way out by his deputy).
AAB won the general election in 2004 by a landslide, and almost wiped out PKR but for a mere hundred votes or so. But 4 years later, his BN lost 4 States and its two-thirds majority in federal Parliament.
Strangely he achieved the above BN disasters while being, by comparison to his predecessor, a reasonably liberal PM.
His critics see him as indecisive, and his enemies propagated his image as one not unlike two of Snow White’s dwarves, namely Dopey and Sleepy.
There’s no doubt he had leaned too heavily on his children’s advice which might have been devious but lacked the strength, subtlety, and slyness of the politically crafty, a hallmark of earlier UMNO leaders (except for Hussein Onn).
In the end he paid the ultimate price for accepting those bad advice.
Additionally he had the bad luck to earn Dr M’s wrath, in major part because of his children.
He also had the equally bad luck to lead Malaysia into an unstable world’s economic situation.
He might have survived all these if he hadn’t suffered the ignominy of losing 4 States and the BN 2/3 parliamentary majority. Whatever support he had enjoyed within UMNO was eroded overnight when the grand olde party went into shock, with its members realizing the once unthinkable, the prospect of spending a few many years in opposition politics.
Dr M, once-marginalized by UMNO, began to regain his influence as frantic, panicky and hysterical UMNO members look around for a saviour to save them from what they believe to be their impending political doom.
Poor Anwar, how he must have loved to take charge, but apart from UMNO's old factional interests, there were far too many new interests in the party. Thousands of bridges had been crossed in the last ten years, bringing about new landscapes, new alliances and new party factions, and very very few UMNO members wanted Anwar back for a variety of reasons.
But AAB had not only allowed the March 2008 tsunamic disaster to occur on his beat, he had been in large part responsible for it. As one silly example, he had permitted the overly ambitious ones in his party to publicly rail bigotry against his BN partners and their supporters.
That might have been good for gaining internal party support but defintely a strange way of expecting the same 2004 Malaysian support, particularly from the Chinese and Indians.
Sadly, he didn’t have the character, personality nor the inclination to slap those bigots down. But apart from his personality, how could he do so when his own SIL had resorted to badmouthing the Chinese to divert attention from his (SIL’s) unusual and fortuitous but unexplained investment.
Then he overreacted (no doubt through bad advice) against the Hindraf rally, and for what?
Those people were marching towards the British High Commission to lodge a grandstanding and symbolic claim against the British colonial government (not Malaysian government!) for the former's shameful neglect of the Indians and their descent into the community's current woeful economic predicament.
What would have happened if the rally had been permitted to continue untouched, unmolested and unhindered?
We would never know because, but I personally believe this, the unnecessary heavy-handed brutalities against Hindraf protestors had been the last straw on the Malaysian camel’s back. It wasn’t just the Indians who were outraged – most Malaysians (save the most dedicated BN supporters) made a firm and committed political decision to vote against the BN.
We could tear him apart in our analysis but suffice to say, he didn’t become the PM we had expected him to be, the Bao Gong redux.
To end this post I present two more egg quotations:
"Love and eggs are best when they are fresh" - Russian proverb, to which I say 'in 2004 the AAB egg was still fresh, but now it’s 2008!', and ...
"An egg is always an adventure; the next one may be different" - Oscar Wilde
Wakakaka!
Colossus, Kim Il Wah or Brahma?
Why man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves
- W Shakespeare
According to the Star Online, this 12.2 metre high cutout positioned in front of Wisma Keringat at Batu Caves costs the taxpayers RM5,000.
And a sweetie secretly confided to me she though Malaysia had gone the way of North Korea with a Soviet style Kim Il Wah-ish iconic monument.
But Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin told cult supporters to cease and desist in such extreme extent of 'idol-ising' their leader.
He warned them: “The action should be stopped immediately for fear that it would become a practise within the society. It can deviate the Muslim’s faith."
I wonder what the Kulim Wonder, Zulkifli Noordin would say?
Brahma at Batu Caves?
But the greatest sin would be
To do the blasphemous
To question, blame, sneer
At the one & most holy Grail,
The one with the pious wail
Four face Almighty Brahma
Hi to my dear buddy Paul
Assalaimu Alaikum yaa akhi
wo men dou shi yi jia ren
demi bangsa, bangsa & bangsa
Maybe kaytee can offer yet another poem?
I was Darth Vader yesterday
But now I am Luke Skywalker
Tho’ tomorrow, you’ll see me
As I ought to be, the Emperor
Activist in a forgotten history
Then Minister of Parachuting
Yes, I can metamaphose easily
From black, white to anything
Catch me if you can, I am the
Entertainer of the salacious,
Then like a flash of lightning
Becoming Mufti of all pious
My syrupy honey tongue, ten
Metres long – all the better
To catch you common lalat’s
With words sweet and tender
Of many hue, size and shape
Yes, I am indeed a chameleon
Breaking bread with an Islamist
Or bosom buddy of a neocon
Once I wallowed in a cesspool
'ere I was driven out by a tiger
Now I am your white Paladin
Not many can detect my odour
Like a mischievous Eris I flung
Into the anagrammatic KOJI
A Mongolian apple of discord
Which says Altan .. Kallisti
A word meaning ‘to the fairest’
Why, that’s me, aku, I, wah
Sweet words, all ye lemmings,
For your Most Majesty, Moi
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
MCA - still relevant in Malaysian politics?
Today let’s discuss the dilemma facing MCA. Does it have any more relevance in Malaysian politics now that the DAP, and to a smaller extent PKR, has won the Chinese Malaysian community’s political support (except for the State of Johore)?
The other (majority) Chinese based party in the BN, Gerakan had been totally wiped out in the north by the DAP as it had once wiped out the MCA from Penang in 1969.
In yesterday’s Malaysiakini article MCA a 'penumpang' in BN author Foong Wai Fong believed that Ahmad Ismail had been right in his controversial ‘squatter’ comment.
She reckoned Ahmad was “… not targeting the Chinese population at large, but the Chinese-based parties within Barisan Nasional as they are ‘squatting’ in BN and rely on Malay votes and Umno's influence to stay in power.”
How true – it has been said that MCA rode on UMNO’s sarong or coattails to Parliament and most DUNs.
Foong detailed why she made that claim: “The majority of the 20 seats belonging to MCA (15), MIC (3) and Gerakan (2) were elected primarily by Malays and were considered Umno territories. The non-Umno 14 ministers, deputy ministers and parliamentary secretaries were given these positions not because they have won the seats on their right, but were simply riding on Barisan's ticket.”
She reckoned that “… Umno has been kind to them; these parties' electoral performance in no way deserves the number of cabinet positions now bestowed on them.”
But I believe that’s precisely the way UMNO wanted it, a weak and compliant MCA (and Gerakan) to comply with its (UMNO’s) dictates while presenting a façade of multi-ethnic politics.
Many were the times UMNO had undermined MCA or made the Chinese based party lose face with the Chinese community. I had blogged on this several times, and here’s one Stung by hornet, mute as only MCA can be over at my other blog BolehTalk to exemplify the perennial dilemma for MCA.
Every time UMNO humiliated MCA, the beneficiary has been the DAP. It’s little wonder that the Chinese community had overwhelmingly supported the DAP in the last election as they had once abandoned the MCA for Lim Chong Eu’s Gerakan in 1969.
One wonders whether UMNO had aped Israel’s covert creation and financial support of Hamas to weaken al Fatah in its undermining of MCA to DAP’s windfall. But just as Hamas proves to be a thorn in Israel side, now the DAP is a thorn in UMNO's side too.
It has come to such a stage that UMNO Selangor feels it necessary to demon-ize Teresa Kok in the worst sinister ways, because to UMNO she has been making frightening inroads into the Malay constituency.
Should the MCA then leave the BN?
Foong in Malaysiakini MCA 2.0 doesn't need bravery, it needs strategy advised against that.
She warned that it’s dangerous to drive a besieged UMNO into the pan-Malay corner, and consequently cursing Malaysia with a political divide along very distinct ethnic lines.
At a time of UMNO’s greatest need, MCA can play a constructive and meaningful role to elevate its status within the BN by helping UMNO a la 1999. But the MCA must convince UMNO that a strong MCA with a meaningful political role (rather than that of a subservient subordinate) can help restore the BN and thus UMNO to its former glory.
Foong wrote: “The demise of MCA will also bring an end to Umno’s or BN's reach to the Chinese community; throwing all the Chinese votes into the welcoming arms of PKR and DAP. MCA has inherent strengths which can be put to effective use; it has a very broad-based membership, over 1.3 million members, a matured organisation and network throughout the country.”
“The Chinese-based party has over RM1 billion in party assets and a long history - many Chinese in Malaysia still would like to see the MCA return to play an effective political role to advance the national agenda.”
Foong advised MCA against the temptation to demonstrate to the Chinese community its bravery by "dare to get angry and dare to speak up” (gan nu gan yan) and in the process rile UMNO.
A tough talking tough acting MCA would be too bitter a pill for UMNO to swallow and thus counterproductive for the MCA.
She said at a time when UMNO is feeling besieged, the MCA behaving excessively assertive would be the wrong medicine to treat the terrible disease the BN is currently suffering from, namely the detested UMNO hegemonic uni-ethnic politics, policies and polemics, and all its attendant ills, corruption and cronyism.
Related: MCA at a crossroad
The other (majority) Chinese based party in the BN, Gerakan had been totally wiped out in the north by the DAP as it had once wiped out the MCA from Penang in 1969.
In yesterday’s Malaysiakini article MCA a 'penumpang' in BN author Foong Wai Fong believed that Ahmad Ismail had been right in his controversial ‘squatter’ comment.
She reckoned Ahmad was “… not targeting the Chinese population at large, but the Chinese-based parties within Barisan Nasional as they are ‘squatting’ in BN and rely on Malay votes and Umno's influence to stay in power.”
How true – it has been said that MCA rode on UMNO’s sarong or coattails to Parliament and most DUNs.
Foong detailed why she made that claim: “The majority of the 20 seats belonging to MCA (15), MIC (3) and Gerakan (2) were elected primarily by Malays and were considered Umno territories. The non-Umno 14 ministers, deputy ministers and parliamentary secretaries were given these positions not because they have won the seats on their right, but were simply riding on Barisan's ticket.”
She reckoned that “… Umno has been kind to them; these parties' electoral performance in no way deserves the number of cabinet positions now bestowed on them.”
But I believe that’s precisely the way UMNO wanted it, a weak and compliant MCA (and Gerakan) to comply with its (UMNO’s) dictates while presenting a façade of multi-ethnic politics.
Many were the times UMNO had undermined MCA or made the Chinese based party lose face with the Chinese community. I had blogged on this several times, and here’s one Stung by hornet, mute as only MCA can be over at my other blog BolehTalk to exemplify the perennial dilemma for MCA.
Every time UMNO humiliated MCA, the beneficiary has been the DAP. It’s little wonder that the Chinese community had overwhelmingly supported the DAP in the last election as they had once abandoned the MCA for Lim Chong Eu’s Gerakan in 1969.
One wonders whether UMNO had aped Israel’s covert creation and financial support of Hamas to weaken al Fatah in its undermining of MCA to DAP’s windfall. But just as Hamas proves to be a thorn in Israel side, now the DAP is a thorn in UMNO's side too.
It has come to such a stage that UMNO Selangor feels it necessary to demon-ize Teresa Kok in the worst sinister ways, because to UMNO she has been making frightening inroads into the Malay constituency.
Should the MCA then leave the BN?
Foong in Malaysiakini MCA 2.0 doesn't need bravery, it needs strategy advised against that.
She warned that it’s dangerous to drive a besieged UMNO into the pan-Malay corner, and consequently cursing Malaysia with a political divide along very distinct ethnic lines.
At a time of UMNO’s greatest need, MCA can play a constructive and meaningful role to elevate its status within the BN by helping UMNO a la 1999. But the MCA must convince UMNO that a strong MCA with a meaningful political role (rather than that of a subservient subordinate) can help restore the BN and thus UMNO to its former glory.
Foong wrote: “The demise of MCA will also bring an end to Umno’s or BN's reach to the Chinese community; throwing all the Chinese votes into the welcoming arms of PKR and DAP. MCA has inherent strengths which can be put to effective use; it has a very broad-based membership, over 1.3 million members, a matured organisation and network throughout the country.”
“The Chinese-based party has over RM1 billion in party assets and a long history - many Chinese in Malaysia still would like to see the MCA return to play an effective political role to advance the national agenda.”
Foong advised MCA against the temptation to demonstrate to the Chinese community its bravery by "dare to get angry and dare to speak up” (gan nu gan yan) and in the process rile UMNO.
A tough talking tough acting MCA would be too bitter a pill for UMNO to swallow and thus counterproductive for the MCA.
She said at a time when UMNO is feeling besieged, the MCA behaving excessively assertive would be the wrong medicine to treat the terrible disease the BN is currently suffering from, namely the detested UMNO hegemonic uni-ethnic politics, policies and polemics, and all its attendant ills, corruption and cronyism.
Related: MCA at a crossroad
Monday, October 06, 2008
UMNO 4-Ekor?
Malaysiakini in In for a hectic week as PM decides poses a lot of questions on UMNO’s coming party election.
First and foremost is whether AAB will go, though the majority of political pundits think he will. But Dr M reckons he will not.
Second and more interesting than the above is whether Muhyiddin Yassin will go for broke and contest the No 1 position rather than the deputy president post as 'shotgun' to Najib, which many have already accepted as a virtual fait accompli in the same manner as they've reckoned AAB will step down for good.
Thirdly, as a bit of a sideshow but nonetheless quite intriguing is whether Ku Li will face a déjà vu by leaving UMNO to join PKR, as is now rumoured.
Let’s discuss the third case first. With the current belief that AAB will go in favour of a Najib-Muhyiddin leadership, Ku Li knows his last stab at UMNO No 1 post is virtually as good as lost, sadly forever.
With AAB now touted as the sacrificial goat to be sembelih (ritual slaughter) at the altar to appease the Ketuanan Melayu ideology for his unforgiveable leadership responsibility for the last general election ‘disaster’*, the UMNO caucus and membership may be mollified enough to grant Najib a honeymoon period to show his leadership mettle.
* in arrogant avaricious assessment, still considered a ‘disaster’ despite the BN coming out with 140 seats in a 222 seat parliament
And Dr M may be expected to stop his undermining campaign once his blue-eyed boy is PM. So, where does that leave Ku Li?
Both Star Online and Malaysiakini have told us that Ku Li just had a tête-à-tête with Pakatan Rakyat leaders, including Anwar Ibrahim, Abdul Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang. Where Anwar Ibrahim is concerned, UMNO smells froggie danger.
Ku Li he said the meeting had been 'in the context of old friends meeting up', and that he had met the Opposition leaders in his capacity as a statesman – wow!
This has been the part which made a sweetie laugh rather sweetly, when Ku Li claimed the PR leaders had ‘sought appointments to see him for discussions over the country’s future’.
Ku Li did a man man lai stating: “As a statesman, I am open to meeting all politicians, regardless if they are from Barisan Nasional or Pakatan. This is especially crucial when we have to steer in a storm of political and economic uncertainties, made worse with global issues such as the US financial meltdown.”
I wonder whether Anwar had offered him the No 1 spot if he crosses over, with Anwar accepting the No 2 spot in a new PR government ….. well at least for a short while ;-)
Theoretically it’ll be a coup of sorts for PR if Ku Li walks across. Maybe some UMNO MPs may follow, though of course Anwar will be hoping for a tsunami.
The argument for Ku Li walking across will depend on his presidential prospects within the old party, but once he senses he has been left by the wayside he may feel, at his age of 70, he has nothing more to lose if he joins PR.
What about Muhyiddin? With a far younger Najib holding UMNO’s No 1 position he won’t have a chance in hell of ever ascending to that post and the PM-ship, save if Najib stumbles or the BN loses badly in 2013.
If he challenges Najib and loses, the consequences will be fatal for his political career a la Ku Li.
No doubt Dr M had earlier encouraged him to ‘go for it’ but I suspect that was within the context of his (Dr M’s) frustration with Najib for not being assertive enough to openly challenge AAB. Perhaps Dr M had believed that a wee nudging by ostentatiously switching his backing (temporarily) to Muhyiddin might give Najib a scary shove to his backside.
Najib is just not that sort of person to 'openly' challenge someone (unless he is a Chinese wakakaka), but that doesn't mean he hasn't been manoeuvring, manipulating and machinating Machiavellian-ly within his party.
Now that it appears Najib will be taking over shortly (though Dr M still suspects AAB may yet have something up his sleeves to stall that), I reckon Dr M’s provisional support of Muhyiddin has passed its ‘use-by’ date.
Anyway, does Muhyiddin have the numbers? Or, as has been suggested, will he team up with Ku Li to challenge Najib? Ku Li at 70 gives a far brighter career prospect for 61 year old Muhyiddin.
Perhaps Ahmad Zahid’s surprising announcement of his candidature for the No 2 job has been a warning shot across Muhyiddin’s bow, that he (Muhyiddin) will be better off by remaining as Najib's partner?
There is of course a new bizarre conspiracy theory, that Zahid, once a very close political colleague of you-know-who, and who was detained under the ISA for speaking out for that person, could well be a ‘sleeper’ wakakaka. Da? Nyet?
Zahid's rapid ascendancy in UMNO from political pariah to political power within 10 years surely must be a testimony to his political ability, manoeuvrings and connections.
If in that remote possibility of him becoming the new No 2 in UMNO, and assuming he has been indeed a ‘sleeper’, will he bring back you-know-who?
kaytee believes that even if the preposterous conspiracy theory of Zahid being a 'sleeper' has some substance, the overriding reality is that there’s no long term loyalty in UMNO or for that matter, any political party.
Just ask Dr M, Ku Li, Ling L.S and they would tell you that such is the nature of the political beast where it’s every man for himself (sorry if I leave out the ladies but look upon it as a compliment rather than an insult).
Thus if Zahid becomes the new UMNO No 2 by one shot in a million, he’ll be definitely preparing, promoting and presenting himself for the No 1 position rather than worrying about an old association which in the last 10 years had already crossed far too many bridges.
First and foremost is whether AAB will go, though the majority of political pundits think he will. But Dr M reckons he will not.
Second and more interesting than the above is whether Muhyiddin Yassin will go for broke and contest the No 1 position rather than the deputy president post as 'shotgun' to Najib, which many have already accepted as a virtual fait accompli in the same manner as they've reckoned AAB will step down for good.
Thirdly, as a bit of a sideshow but nonetheless quite intriguing is whether Ku Li will face a déjà vu by leaving UMNO to join PKR, as is now rumoured.
Let’s discuss the third case first. With the current belief that AAB will go in favour of a Najib-Muhyiddin leadership, Ku Li knows his last stab at UMNO No 1 post is virtually as good as lost, sadly forever.
With AAB now touted as the sacrificial goat to be sembelih (ritual slaughter) at the altar to appease the Ketuanan Melayu ideology for his unforgiveable leadership responsibility for the last general election ‘disaster’*, the UMNO caucus and membership may be mollified enough to grant Najib a honeymoon period to show his leadership mettle.
* in arrogant avaricious assessment, still considered a ‘disaster’ despite the BN coming out with 140 seats in a 222 seat parliament
And Dr M may be expected to stop his undermining campaign once his blue-eyed boy is PM. So, where does that leave Ku Li?
Both Star Online and Malaysiakini have told us that Ku Li just had a tête-à-tête with Pakatan Rakyat leaders, including Anwar Ibrahim, Abdul Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang. Where Anwar Ibrahim is concerned, UMNO smells froggie danger.
Ku Li he said the meeting had been 'in the context of old friends meeting up', and that he had met the Opposition leaders in his capacity as a statesman – wow!
This has been the part which made a sweetie laugh rather sweetly, when Ku Li claimed the PR leaders had ‘sought appointments to see him for discussions over the country’s future’.
Ku Li did a man man lai stating: “As a statesman, I am open to meeting all politicians, regardless if they are from Barisan Nasional or Pakatan. This is especially crucial when we have to steer in a storm of political and economic uncertainties, made worse with global issues such as the US financial meltdown.”
I wonder whether Anwar had offered him the No 1 spot if he crosses over, with Anwar accepting the No 2 spot in a new PR government ….. well at least for a short while ;-)
Theoretically it’ll be a coup of sorts for PR if Ku Li walks across. Maybe some UMNO MPs may follow, though of course Anwar will be hoping for a tsunami.
The argument for Ku Li walking across will depend on his presidential prospects within the old party, but once he senses he has been left by the wayside he may feel, at his age of 70, he has nothing more to lose if he joins PR.
What about Muhyiddin? With a far younger Najib holding UMNO’s No 1 position he won’t have a chance in hell of ever ascending to that post and the PM-ship, save if Najib stumbles or the BN loses badly in 2013.
If he challenges Najib and loses, the consequences will be fatal for his political career a la Ku Li.
No doubt Dr M had earlier encouraged him to ‘go for it’ but I suspect that was within the context of his (Dr M’s) frustration with Najib for not being assertive enough to openly challenge AAB. Perhaps Dr M had believed that a wee nudging by ostentatiously switching his backing (temporarily) to Muhyiddin might give Najib a scary shove to his backside.
Najib is just not that sort of person to 'openly' challenge someone (unless he is a Chinese wakakaka), but that doesn't mean he hasn't been manoeuvring, manipulating and machinating Machiavellian-ly within his party.
Now that it appears Najib will be taking over shortly (though Dr M still suspects AAB may yet have something up his sleeves to stall that), I reckon Dr M’s provisional support of Muhyiddin has passed its ‘use-by’ date.
Anyway, does Muhyiddin have the numbers? Or, as has been suggested, will he team up with Ku Li to challenge Najib? Ku Li at 70 gives a far brighter career prospect for 61 year old Muhyiddin.
Perhaps Ahmad Zahid’s surprising announcement of his candidature for the No 2 job has been a warning shot across Muhyiddin’s bow, that he (Muhyiddin) will be better off by remaining as Najib's partner?
There is of course a new bizarre conspiracy theory, that Zahid, once a very close political colleague of you-know-who, and who was detained under the ISA for speaking out for that person, could well be a ‘sleeper’ wakakaka. Da? Nyet?
Zahid's rapid ascendancy in UMNO from political pariah to political power within 10 years surely must be a testimony to his political ability, manoeuvrings and connections.
If in that remote possibility of him becoming the new No 2 in UMNO, and assuming he has been indeed a ‘sleeper’, will he bring back you-know-who?
kaytee believes that even if the preposterous conspiracy theory of Zahid being a 'sleeper' has some substance, the overriding reality is that there’s no long term loyalty in UMNO or for that matter, any political party.
Just ask Dr M, Ku Li, Ling L.S and they would tell you that such is the nature of the political beast where it’s every man for himself (sorry if I leave out the ladies but look upon it as a compliment rather than an insult).
Thus if Zahid becomes the new UMNO No 2 by one shot in a million, he’ll be definitely preparing, promoting and presenting himself for the No 1 position rather than worrying about an old association which in the last 10 years had already crossed far too many bridges.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Racist states and racist States
Sadly, it’s not just an individual’s angry but stupid and unacceptable racist outburst which I posted in Racist Malaysians based on a Malaysiakini article Blogger apologises over controversial remarks.
Much earlier we had learnt of a school teacher shockingly deriding her Indian students for their ethnic origins.
Both were pathetic exhibitions of unmitigated racism, deformed states of mind, where the former suffered a theft of her personal belonging to bring to the surface her latent prejudices, whilst the later was raw hatred or/and scorn for another race poured out in arrogant surety that she would be, by virtue of her superior position, immune from punishment.
The former apologized, no doubt in fearful realization of the enormity of her shameful act, whilst the latter (I heard) was posted to a far superior position. Maybe the latter had been correct in her arrogant confidence?
I have personally witnessed the most shameful exhibitions of racism by people I know, Chinese, Malays, Indians and strangely Eurasians, whilst I have been the victim of overt racism which fortunately for me didn’t end in violence.
Oh racism, even the Indians practice racism among themselves as I posted in Malaysia's Economic Pariahs?
Much earlier we had learnt of a school teacher shockingly deriding her Indian students for their ethnic origins.
Both were pathetic exhibitions of unmitigated racism, deformed states of mind, where the former suffered a theft of her personal belonging to bring to the surface her latent prejudices, whilst the later was raw hatred or/and scorn for another race poured out in arrogant surety that she would be, by virtue of her superior position, immune from punishment.
The former apologized, no doubt in fearful realization of the enormity of her shameful act, whilst the latter (I heard) was posted to a far superior position. Maybe the latter had been correct in her arrogant confidence?
I have personally witnessed the most shameful exhibitions of racism by people I know, Chinese, Malays, Indians and strangely Eurasians, whilst I have been the victim of overt racism which fortunately for me didn’t end in violence.
Oh racism, even the Indians practice racism among themselves as I posted in Malaysia's Economic Pariahs?
I am going to quote something that I once wrote to Malaysiakini, which we should be mindful of when discussing or judging anyone of racism:
I recall one of the characters in the Akira Kurosawa classic ‘Rashomon’, narrating his grievances according to his perception, and undoubtedly self interest.
Kurosawa's great tale had intended to show, a narration of either a crime, or a grievance would be seen differently by each individual party. We may confidently assume all would be generally unreliable, with a mixture of those dangerous half-truths.
How much spice each would have added on, no one knows. As Kurosawa's film had moralised, there is no such thing as an objective truth, which is also a timely reminder when we talk about racism.
On the other side of the coin, I also have among my closest friends blokes and lassies from the Malay, Indian (including Punjabi), Eurasian, Kadazan, Iban, Singhalese, Thai, Ang Mor communities.
We can be friends, in fact close friends ….. provided of course we learn to understand, appreciate, respect, tolerate and accept one another’s customs, cultures, mores, practices, beliefs, etc.
But the most insidious form of racism (bearing in mind of course that all forms of racism is evil) would be politically instigated or sanctioned racism. Take the example of the former South African Apartheid regime or the current Israeli State. Some countries are less obvious, nations like Japan where even Korean Japanese domiciled for several generations are still regarded as ‘lesser’ citizens.
Where does Malaysia stand in this regard?
Some say we are like the former SA Apartheid regime, but I disagree because those who said that have no idea of what the blacks in SA had undergone – yes sir, no idea at all of the degrading humiliating abuses the coloured people had suffered under the (Dutch Reformed) Church sanctioned Apartheid.
What about Israel? Now, that’s food for thoughts!
Related: Malaysian Racism & The 3 Baskets of Crabs
Steering thro' troubled waters?
I have just posted Malaysiakini's Great Helmsman over at my other blog BolehTalk, which takes a light hearted look at a word frequently used by Malaysiakini wakakaka.
Hope you'll take a break from the more serious stuff here to visit BolehTalk.
Hope you'll take a break from the more serious stuff here to visit BolehTalk.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Racist Malaysians
When I read Malaysiakini Furore over racist blog posting I thought to myself, f*, this is just the sort of stuff someone will seize on to divert attention from Ahmad Ismail … or the Kulim Wonder.
Another version of Namawee, so to speak, though the offending issue is different.
Mind you, not that it didn’t happen. Blogger Sammy, alas a sweetie, of Life is a Drama is certainly living up to her motto of ‘A life without a dash of conflict and colour will not be a complete one’, except she chose the theme of colour a wee too literally, and consequentially is now reaping the ugly conflict.
According to Athi Verenggan of Malaysiakini, Sammy went ballistic when two alleged Indian youths snatched her mobile phone left on a table while she was having lunch.
She did the silly thing by resorting to cynical stereotyping of Indians in the worst ways, and then made things worse for herself by posting the entire racist raving rant on her blog.
I don’t intend to repeat her words here for two reasons: (1) they are all available on Malaysiakini and (2) they have been most hurtful. I am truly disappointed by such racism and worse, sheer stupidity.
After she had ‘woken’ up from her rage she realized the enormity of what she had done and apologized, but when I read her blog this afternoon I thought she could have closed the whole issue (or at least most of it) by making an unreserved apology, instead of qualifying it by stating she apologized to ‘educated’ Indians, whatever that meant.
Much later in another post she admitted being told that her apology had been ‘grudging’.
She posted:
I realised this is getting way out of hand. I was also dubbed as 'grudgingly apologised' in my later post. Since text has no tone and emotions, I don't know how to make it sound sincere but I do hope to get this out as sincere as I can. Again, I will apologise and say sorry to those I've offended, Indian or no Indian. I hope this official apology does not sound 'grudgy' again.
I was not racist and was acting out of my anger the last few days. If i've to face the police, then yes i will to explain the whole situation. If i were to hate indians, I would not wear saree on my Indian friend's birthday party because that would be ridiculous. Whatever I said earlier, I have no intention to hurt any Malaysians. It was merely out of anger so I did not construct my sentences properly. Maybe it was my bad English
Once again, I'm sorry for what I did and I will face the consequences.
(Update): I might be constructing sentences quite badly now. I do not know what sentence is right or wrong anymore.
Here, I offer an unconditional apology to every single person out there who I've offended. I'll not be unfair to other races again and I'll learn to only get angry at those who really hurt me instead of generalising them according to race.
Well Sammy, if you apologised only to ‘educated Indians’, then one wonders whether you are saying ‘uneducated Indians’ aren’t worthy of your apology?
Then that’s not an apology. You shouldn't have tried to be a smartie cat and hold back for a bit of 'face'. You were not and should not be in any position to merit and enjoy 'face' as you did something very very evil.
But I am glad you've the commonsense to upgrade your apology to one that's unconditional. But more important than your unconditional apology, you must never ever make any racist remarks, or better still, don't entertain racist thoughts.
kaytee sees Sammy as a young (still immature) person who has not given real thoughts to what she had published in ‘black & white’, but look, there’s no excuse for venting one’s anger by badmouthing an entire ethnic group.
But should she be forgiven?
While I am glad Hindraf had raised the issue, I think we all should forgive her because she has apologized, though we shouldn’t forget the incident, as a reminder to all of us to be careful of reckless remarks against anyone’s ethnic belongings.
Unfortunately, while I believe Hindraf and Indians in general may bring themselves to forgive her, the authorities may not for the reason I stated at the very start of this post.
In the end, we need to remind ourselves too that the majority of Malaysians have prejudices because of our upbringing, cultural indoctrination and environment.
Some of us have managed to rein in those prejudices but we should not yet congratulate ourselves until we have eliminated the evil lying dormant within us.
More than 2 years ago, I posted All types of racism to show that racism lies within most of us.
Related:
Beautiful rojak rejected as Malaysians
UPDATE: RS Thanenthiran of Hindraf said they would accept Sammy Chan’s apology.
“We understand now that it was a ‘spur of the moment’ outburst. We sympathise with her loss of her phone. We hope that the lesson learnt from the controversy will help her to be more careful in future."
Good on you matey.
Another version of Namawee, so to speak, though the offending issue is different.
Mind you, not that it didn’t happen. Blogger Sammy, alas a sweetie, of Life is a Drama is certainly living up to her motto of ‘A life without a dash of conflict and colour will not be a complete one’, except she chose the theme of colour a wee too literally, and consequentially is now reaping the ugly conflict.
According to Athi Verenggan of Malaysiakini, Sammy went ballistic when two alleged Indian youths snatched her mobile phone left on a table while she was having lunch.
She did the silly thing by resorting to cynical stereotyping of Indians in the worst ways, and then made things worse for herself by posting the entire racist raving rant on her blog.
I don’t intend to repeat her words here for two reasons: (1) they are all available on Malaysiakini and (2) they have been most hurtful. I am truly disappointed by such racism and worse, sheer stupidity.
After she had ‘woken’ up from her rage she realized the enormity of what she had done and apologized, but when I read her blog this afternoon I thought she could have closed the whole issue (or at least most of it) by making an unreserved apology, instead of qualifying it by stating she apologized to ‘educated’ Indians, whatever that meant.
Much later in another post she admitted being told that her apology had been ‘grudging’.
She posted:
I realised this is getting way out of hand. I was also dubbed as 'grudgingly apologised' in my later post. Since text has no tone and emotions, I don't know how to make it sound sincere but I do hope to get this out as sincere as I can. Again, I will apologise and say sorry to those I've offended, Indian or no Indian. I hope this official apology does not sound 'grudgy' again.
I was not racist and was acting out of my anger the last few days. If i've to face the police, then yes i will to explain the whole situation. If i were to hate indians, I would not wear saree on my Indian friend's birthday party because that would be ridiculous. Whatever I said earlier, I have no intention to hurt any Malaysians. It was merely out of anger so I did not construct my sentences properly. Maybe it was my bad English
Once again, I'm sorry for what I did and I will face the consequences.
(Update): I might be constructing sentences quite badly now. I do not know what sentence is right or wrong anymore.
Here, I offer an unconditional apology to every single person out there who I've offended. I'll not be unfair to other races again and I'll learn to only get angry at those who really hurt me instead of generalising them according to race.
Well Sammy, if you apologised only to ‘educated Indians’, then one wonders whether you are saying ‘uneducated Indians’ aren’t worthy of your apology?
Then that’s not an apology. You shouldn't have tried to be a smartie cat and hold back for a bit of 'face'. You were not and should not be in any position to merit and enjoy 'face' as you did something very very evil.
But I am glad you've the commonsense to upgrade your apology to one that's unconditional. But more important than your unconditional apology, you must never ever make any racist remarks, or better still, don't entertain racist thoughts.
kaytee sees Sammy as a young (still immature) person who has not given real thoughts to what she had published in ‘black & white’, but look, there’s no excuse for venting one’s anger by badmouthing an entire ethnic group.
But should she be forgiven?
While I am glad Hindraf had raised the issue, I think we all should forgive her because she has apologized, though we shouldn’t forget the incident, as a reminder to all of us to be careful of reckless remarks against anyone’s ethnic belongings.
Unfortunately, while I believe Hindraf and Indians in general may bring themselves to forgive her, the authorities may not for the reason I stated at the very start of this post.
In the end, we need to remind ourselves too that the majority of Malaysians have prejudices because of our upbringing, cultural indoctrination and environment.
Some of us have managed to rein in those prejudices but we should not yet congratulate ourselves until we have eliminated the evil lying dormant within us.
More than 2 years ago, I posted All types of racism to show that racism lies within most of us.
Related:
Beautiful rojak rejected as Malaysians
UPDATE: RS Thanenthiran of Hindraf said they would accept Sammy Chan’s apology.
“We understand now that it was a ‘spur of the moment’ outburst. We sympathise with her loss of her phone. We hope that the lesson learnt from the controversy will help her to be more careful in future."
Good on you matey.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
SELAMAT HARI RAYA
WISHING EVERYONE,
I MEAN EVERYONE ;-),
HAPPY AND VERY SAFE
SELAMAT HARI RAYA
AIDILFITRI
The peacock & his missing egg!
Well, my old mate, Dean Johns is back to form, at his playful yet caustic best as he lambasted the BN and its draconian ISA, and worse than the ISA per se, the UMNO party leader’s wanton use of the Act for political rather than national security interest.
In Malaysiakini Waiting for Hari Raya Rakyat his theme was ‘eggs’ as well as the associated ‘fowls’!
Some snippets:
And the very sight of salted telur might have made me sick to my stomach at the memory of Umno Youth’s making a police report against Ms Kok for not only casting aspersions on prison catering but also allegedly insulting eggs.
At first I thought the Umno juniors were only yolking, if in somewhat bad taste, but of course they were totally serious, squawking like panic-stricken chickens in frantic support of the increasingly lame-duck Barisan Nasional regime. […]
The more they egg the police on to persecute and punish the opposition, and the more openly they display their bigotry, thuggery, and intellectual beggary, the sooner and harder the government is likely to fall. […]
… if Malaysia’s economy comes a cropper as a result of the crash of the biggest, lamest duck of all in the world right now, the George W Bush administration. To mix metaphors as madly as he and his neo-con hawks have mismanaged the US in the past eight years, he’s let the bulls, bears and buzzards run so wild on Wall Street that they’ve started looking like a bunch of turkeys.
But alas, Dean like a number of well-intentioned Malaysians had placed all their hopeful eggs in the Anwar basket … Dean had waited for Anwar’s 916 which as we know didn’t hatch, but many sure got a jolly blast of hydrogen sulfide - the 916 was as foul a floater as could be.
As I have often reminded Dean, that bloke is just a rotten egg, repackaged as pei-tan (century old eggs), and Mr Boastful now has eggs all over his face for his world 'famous'(?) in-egg-xact deadlines.
Joe Fernandez wrote of a political secretary describing Anwar in Malaysiakini Malaysia enters realpolitik era in days:
"This guy, having been fed on a Bollywood diet, loves to dwell on the theatrics too much for the entertainment value. No wonder he had himself photographed Rajnikanth-style as ‘Anwar the Boss’ – actually Bachelor in Social Science – in posters for his daughter (Nurul’s) March 8 campaign in Lembah Pantai.’ (Rajnikanth is a popular hero in Tamil and Hindi movies who fights for social justice).
Instead of dealing with his Kulim bad egg, which he promised to crack more than a month ago, he has shown he is worse than UMNO who had at least dealt with Ahmad Ismail, light as that may be but it’s better than the no action of (or refusal to take action by) Anwar against Zulkifli Noordin.
Well, if my mate Dean is reading this, let me tell him a Chinese saying about eggs andfoul fowls.
After a turtle lays hundreds of eggs (very silently), the creature quietly crawled away back into the sea without any funfare or boasting.
… whereas when a hen lays just one egg, wow, the racket would be incessant and raucous, just to make sure everyone knows of her achievement.
Guess which, turtle or hen, best describes the world's greatest political reformer who wants to seize power through the subversion of the ballot box a la Sabah 1994?
Actually neither - because they couldn't beat the de f-egg-to premature crowing, when not even an egg (foul as that may be) could be found!
In Malaysiakini Waiting for Hari Raya Rakyat his theme was ‘eggs’ as well as the associated ‘fowls’!
Some snippets:
And the very sight of salted telur might have made me sick to my stomach at the memory of Umno Youth’s making a police report against Ms Kok for not only casting aspersions on prison catering but also allegedly insulting eggs.
At first I thought the Umno juniors were only yolking, if in somewhat bad taste, but of course they were totally serious, squawking like panic-stricken chickens in frantic support of the increasingly lame-duck Barisan Nasional regime. […]
The more they egg the police on to persecute and punish the opposition, and the more openly they display their bigotry, thuggery, and intellectual beggary, the sooner and harder the government is likely to fall. […]
… if Malaysia’s economy comes a cropper as a result of the crash of the biggest, lamest duck of all in the world right now, the George W Bush administration. To mix metaphors as madly as he and his neo-con hawks have mismanaged the US in the past eight years, he’s let the bulls, bears and buzzards run so wild on Wall Street that they’ve started looking like a bunch of turkeys.
But alas, Dean like a number of well-intentioned Malaysians had placed all their hopeful eggs in the Anwar basket … Dean had waited for Anwar’s 916 which as we know didn’t hatch, but many sure got a jolly blast of hydrogen sulfide - the 916 was as foul a floater as could be.
As I have often reminded Dean, that bloke is just a rotten egg, repackaged as pei-tan (century old eggs), and Mr Boastful now has eggs all over his face for his world 'famous'(?) in-egg-xact deadlines.
Joe Fernandez wrote of a political secretary describing Anwar in Malaysiakini Malaysia enters realpolitik era in days:
"This guy, having been fed on a Bollywood diet, loves to dwell on the theatrics too much for the entertainment value. No wonder he had himself photographed Rajnikanth-style as ‘Anwar the Boss’ – actually Bachelor in Social Science – in posters for his daughter (Nurul’s) March 8 campaign in Lembah Pantai.’ (Rajnikanth is a popular hero in Tamil and Hindi movies who fights for social justice).
Instead of dealing with his Kulim bad egg, which he promised to crack more than a month ago, he has shown he is worse than UMNO who had at least dealt with Ahmad Ismail, light as that may be but it’s better than the no action of (or refusal to take action by) Anwar against Zulkifli Noordin.
Well, if my mate Dean is reading this, let me tell him a Chinese saying about eggs and
After a turtle lays hundreds of eggs (very silently), the creature quietly crawled away back into the sea without any funfare or boasting.
… whereas when a hen lays just one egg, wow, the racket would be incessant and raucous, just to make sure everyone knows of her achievement.
Guess which, turtle or hen, best describes the world's greatest political reformer who wants to seize power through the subversion of the ballot box a la Sabah 1994?
Actually neither - because they couldn't beat the de f-egg-to premature crowing, when not even an egg (foul as that may be) could be found!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Teresa Kok - Whose bête noire?
Yesterday Malaysiakini reported Petrol bomb attack on Kok's home, where in an unprecedented incident, an unknown wannabe assailant threw two Molotov cocktails (spiked with nails as shrapnel) into Teresa Kok’s family home at the unholy hour of nearly 3 a.m.
Teresa’s family are living there. Her father recovered a threatening note full of vulgarities directed at Teresa. The coward sped away on a motorcycle after committing the crime.
Fortunately no one was hurt, as the petrol bombs didn’t explode.
Recently Teresa Kok has been painted as a chauvinistic anti-Melayu anti-Islam Chinese (additional horrors – she’s a woman too!) and accused of intimidating a Selangor mosque to tone down its broadcasting of the azan.
Despite the mosque authority coming out to clarify that the loud speaker in the mosque was not working, the unholy trio of the Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia, its senior editor Zaini Hassan and former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo continue to target her as anti this and that.
I recall in the press conference after her release from the ISA detention, a reporter from Utusan Melayu asked whether she was prepared to take a lie detector test against the accusation she had intimidated the mosque authority into toning down the azan bradcast.
Yesterday when Malaysiakini reported the crime of which Malaysia had hitherto been fortunately free from (but no more), and whilst even BN leaders such as Gerakan Koh Tsu Koon condemned as a barbaric act, guess what Utusan Melayu reported?
Teresa kurang sopan pakai skirt di masjid!
What arseh*les!
It reported that Zakariah Isa, the Deputy Mufti of the Federal Territory criticised Teresa for lacking manners in wearing just a skirt while attending the breaking fast get-together with the imam and the members of the Masjid Nurrusaadah committee at Cheras Baru.
However, Zakaria Isa tap danced around a bit by also stating: "Mungkin juga Teresa baru balik dari majlis lain dan singgah sebentar ke masjid itu untuk memenuhi jemputan berbuka''.*
* Maybe she had just returned from a meeting elsewhere and on the way back, stopped at the break-fast to which she was invited
He chided the organisers too, that they could be a bit more responsible and anticipate the likely dressing of non-Muslim visitors and arrange a jubah (cassock) for Teresa to wear.
Teresa’s family are living there. Her father recovered a threatening note full of vulgarities directed at Teresa. The coward sped away on a motorcycle after committing the crime.
Fortunately no one was hurt, as the petrol bombs didn’t explode.
Recently Teresa Kok has been painted as a chauvinistic anti-Melayu anti-Islam Chinese (additional horrors – she’s a woman too!) and accused of intimidating a Selangor mosque to tone down its broadcasting of the azan.
Despite the mosque authority coming out to clarify that the loud speaker in the mosque was not working, the unholy trio of the Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia, its senior editor Zaini Hassan and former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo continue to target her as anti this and that.
I recall in the press conference after her release from the ISA detention, a reporter from Utusan Melayu asked whether she was prepared to take a lie detector test against the accusation she had intimidated the mosque authority into toning down the azan bradcast.
Yesterday when Malaysiakini reported the crime of which Malaysia had hitherto been fortunately free from (but no more), and whilst even BN leaders such as Gerakan Koh Tsu Koon condemned as a barbaric act, guess what Utusan Melayu reported?
Teresa kurang sopan pakai skirt di masjid!
What arseh*les!
It reported that Zakariah Isa, the Deputy Mufti of the Federal Territory criticised Teresa for lacking manners in wearing just a skirt while attending the breaking fast get-together with the imam and the members of the Masjid Nurrusaadah committee at Cheras Baru.
However, Zakaria Isa tap danced around a bit by also stating: "Mungkin juga Teresa baru balik dari majlis lain dan singgah sebentar ke masjid itu untuk memenuhi jemputan berbuka''.*
* Maybe she had just returned from a meeting elsewhere and on the way back, stopped at the break-fast to which she was invited
He chided the organisers too, that they could be a bit more responsible and anticipate the likely dressing of non-Muslim visitors and arrange a jubah (cassock) for Teresa to wear.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
More limericks but from Kelantan
There is a nice bloke from KayBee
Whom we respectfully call Pak Haji
He heard about our dear Teresa
Who was forced to eat nasi ISA
So he sent flowers to our sweetie
wow, Pak Haji, you're turning out to be a real smoothie ;-)
There is another bloke from KayBee
Once we'd affectionately call him Li
He wants just one more, a last stab
At the No 1 spot which is up for grab
Alas, no one seems to hear his plea
There is one other bloke named Ali
Who wants to play only with sub 50
He claims the dangle of his meat
Depends on the temp of the heat
Or he needs to wank himself fiercely
There is a stuff called yummy budu
That will send your ‘bro’ real cuckoo
You don’t need any sub 50 sweetie
To make a ‘real’ man out of poor Ali
Just get the wanker a bottle or two
Whom we respectfully call Pak Haji
He heard about our dear Teresa
Who was forced to eat nasi ISA
So he sent flowers to our sweetie
wow, Pak Haji, you're turning out to be a real smoothie ;-)
There is another bloke from KayBee
Once we'd affectionately call him Li
He wants just one more, a last stab
At the No 1 spot which is up for grab
Alas, no one seems to hear his plea
There is one other bloke named Ali
Who wants to play only with sub 50
He claims the dangle of his meat
Depends on the temp of the heat
Or he needs to wank himself fiercely
There is a stuff called yummy budu
That will send your ‘bro’ real cuckoo
You don’t need any sub 50 sweetie
To make a ‘real’ man out of poor Ali
Just get the wanker a bottle or two
Friday, September 26, 2008
Don't misuse the King!
In Malaysiakini King and politics, ball is in the royal court the author, Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, seems just too eager to involve HM the Yang Di Pertuan Agong in politics and, as I see it, on the side of Anwar Ibrahim.
He wrote:
It appears that the public now seems to think that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong should intervene to put certainty and order back in the country. Some quarters however felt that such is not desirable, arguing that it is not appropriate to get the king involved in it.
Apparently this view fails to take into consideration various facets of the king’s role and functions under the constitution. On top of that the intervention seems the only available option given that the prime minister has already refused to consider, let alone allow, the convening of parliament to see whether he still has the majority behind him.
What nonsense! Don’t 138 MPs beat 82, or can’t the esteemed professor of law at the International Islamic University Malaysia count?
Why would or should the political ball be in the royal court when it's obvious the BN holds majority power in parliament. And I thought he was familiar with Westminster parliamentary system?
Indeed, given that it's patently clear which party holds the majority in parliament, why would the PM bother to convene parliament on the say-so of a man who claimed but couldn’t demonstrate he has the numbers.
In fact I am shocked that Dr Abdul Aziz hasn’t made a single comment the onus should be on Anwar Ibrahim to prove he indeed has the 31 BN MPs on his side, as he so boastfully announced to the entire world. Perhaps the good professor has inadvertently overlooked this fundamental process?
If Anwar Ibrahim really possesses those numbers, all he has to do would be to call for a press conference, to include especially the presence of the international press, and introduce those 31, 41, 51, or 101 BN MPs to the media. Then we can see whether AAB would have the bloody nerve to harass those MPs who indicate they have switched.
Thus Anwar should throw everything or everyone out into the open instead of playing poker bluff. If he wants to take the stake, he must reveal the 5th card. Otherwise he's just bluffing. In fact those 31 BN MPs, alleged to have switched over to PKR, will be safer that way.
Even setting aside the disgraceful bull of having Muhyiddin Yassin on his list of frogs, would it be too much for Anwar Ibrahim to practise this fundamental transparency?
The sad and annoying fact is Anwar has zilch, but alas, the good professor might have missed considering this damning point.
He continued: In the light of democracy and constitutionalism the issue now is not whether the king’s involvement is political or otherwise. What matters most is that something needs to be done in order to put the country back on the democratic process which at the moment means the testing of the claim made by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim that he has got the numbers to form the new government. As parliament has been denied the opportunity, the ball is now at the king’s court.
I have never heard such poppycock. If he wasn’t a professor of law, I would even suspect him of being an anwarista who is indirectly encouraging the King to step in when it’s obvious the BN has been and still is the political party with the majority in parliament. And I do wonder how he could talk about putting “… the country back on the democratic process.”
This is not the first time the professor has urged appealing for (or resorting to) royal intervention. Last week he penned in Malaysiakini Anwar's takeover - king or Parliament? about Anwar playing the constitutional game of taking over the government through the vote of no-confidence in parliament … yadda yadda … being a futile effort because of "... the legal and political culture prevalent in this country."
... of course without even commenting on the fact that Anwar couldn’t demonstrate his claimed majority.
Take as an example a country like Italy - There, small parties leaped around from one side to another without keeping their sitting members anonymous, or expecting the ruling party to just take the opposition's words the latter has the majority.
And that has been what the professor had virtually expect AAB to do, to convene parliament because Anwar demanded it on the mere verbal claim he possessed the numbers.
I am utterly shocked the good professor hasn’t mentioned this fact about defectors remaining under wraps whilst expecting the PM to accept Anwar's mere words he held the majority in parliament.
AAB may not be clever or an intellectual but he isn't as stupid as those people who have bought Anwar's claim wholesale without even demanding from Anwar some accountability and transparency. Dei kawan, the proof of the pudding is in the eating lah!
And some even rationalized Anwar's abject failure of 916 had been a brilliant tactic - wakakaka. I've never witnessed such blind idiocy.
He said: It seems that the option preferred by Anwar was recommended by advisers close to the palace. Yeah, right!
Sources told that they had some misgivings about Anwar going straight the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the king, to get the permission to form the new government. It was pretty obvious that they wanted to avoid the king from being dragged into the murky waters of politics.
Too right mate! And no one should ever misuse or mis-coopt the King into a political camp please.
Then the professor put in his argument, coincidentally benefitting Anwar’s cause - mind you, just a coincidence, that’s all.
The advisers have apparently ignored the guardianship role of the king; something that is common in all Westminster democracies.
And this is not only limited to kings or sultans: even in republics like India ceremonial head of states may assume some extraordinary powers in crisis situations. Indeed some allusions to such a role were also apparent in the Reid Commission Report.
However given that this is the first time we have a regime change at the federal level
'Regime change'? I am amazed by this professor of law who has already accepted as a fait accompli the PKR leader would be the PM of the 'new regime'.
And to close, I have a piece of advice for the good professor: don’t try to be too clever and open the royal Pandora box.
He wrote:
It appears that the public now seems to think that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong should intervene to put certainty and order back in the country. Some quarters however felt that such is not desirable, arguing that it is not appropriate to get the king involved in it.
Apparently this view fails to take into consideration various facets of the king’s role and functions under the constitution. On top of that the intervention seems the only available option given that the prime minister has already refused to consider, let alone allow, the convening of parliament to see whether he still has the majority behind him.
What nonsense! Don’t 138 MPs beat 82, or can’t the esteemed professor of law at the International Islamic University Malaysia count?
Why would or should the political ball be in the royal court when it's obvious the BN holds majority power in parliament. And I thought he was familiar with Westminster parliamentary system?
Indeed, given that it's patently clear which party holds the majority in parliament, why would the PM bother to convene parliament on the say-so of a man who claimed but couldn’t demonstrate he has the numbers.
In fact I am shocked that Dr Abdul Aziz hasn’t made a single comment the onus should be on Anwar Ibrahim to prove he indeed has the 31 BN MPs on his side, as he so boastfully announced to the entire world. Perhaps the good professor has inadvertently overlooked this fundamental process?
If Anwar Ibrahim really possesses those numbers, all he has to do would be to call for a press conference, to include especially the presence of the international press, and introduce those 31, 41, 51, or 101 BN MPs to the media. Then we can see whether AAB would have the bloody nerve to harass those MPs who indicate they have switched.
Thus Anwar should throw everything or everyone out into the open instead of playing poker bluff. If he wants to take the stake, he must reveal the 5th card. Otherwise he's just bluffing. In fact those 31 BN MPs, alleged to have switched over to PKR, will be safer that way.
Even setting aside the disgraceful bull of having Muhyiddin Yassin on his list of frogs, would it be too much for Anwar Ibrahim to practise this fundamental transparency?
The sad and annoying fact is Anwar has zilch, but alas, the good professor might have missed considering this damning point.
He continued: In the light of democracy and constitutionalism the issue now is not whether the king’s involvement is political or otherwise. What matters most is that something needs to be done in order to put the country back on the democratic process which at the moment means the testing of the claim made by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim that he has got the numbers to form the new government. As parliament has been denied the opportunity, the ball is now at the king’s court.
I have never heard such poppycock. If he wasn’t a professor of law, I would even suspect him of being an anwarista who is indirectly encouraging the King to step in when it’s obvious the BN has been and still is the political party with the majority in parliament. And I do wonder how he could talk about putting “… the country back on the democratic process.”
This is not the first time the professor has urged appealing for (or resorting to) royal intervention. Last week he penned in Malaysiakini Anwar's takeover - king or Parliament? about Anwar playing the constitutional game of taking over the government through the vote of no-confidence in parliament … yadda yadda … being a futile effort because of "... the legal and political culture prevalent in this country."
... of course without even commenting on the fact that Anwar couldn’t demonstrate his claimed majority.
Take as an example a country like Italy - There, small parties leaped around from one side to another without keeping their sitting members anonymous, or expecting the ruling party to just take the opposition's words the latter has the majority.
And that has been what the professor had virtually expect AAB to do, to convene parliament because Anwar demanded it on the mere verbal claim he possessed the numbers.
I am utterly shocked the good professor hasn’t mentioned this fact about defectors remaining under wraps whilst expecting the PM to accept Anwar's mere words he held the majority in parliament.
AAB may not be clever or an intellectual but he isn't as stupid as those people who have bought Anwar's claim wholesale without even demanding from Anwar some accountability and transparency. Dei kawan, the proof of the pudding is in the eating lah!
And some even rationalized Anwar's abject failure of 916 had been a brilliant tactic - wakakaka. I've never witnessed such blind idiocy.
He said: It seems that the option preferred by Anwar was recommended by advisers close to the palace. Yeah, right!
Sources told that they had some misgivings about Anwar going straight the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the king, to get the permission to form the new government. It was pretty obvious that they wanted to avoid the king from being dragged into the murky waters of politics.
Too right mate! And no one should ever misuse or mis-coopt the King into a political camp please.
Then the professor put in his argument, coincidentally benefitting Anwar’s cause - mind you, just a coincidence, that’s all.
The advisers have apparently ignored the guardianship role of the king; something that is common in all Westminster democracies.
And this is not only limited to kings or sultans: even in republics like India ceremonial head of states may assume some extraordinary powers in crisis situations. Indeed some allusions to such a role were also apparent in the Reid Commission Report.
However given that this is the first time we have a regime change at the federal level
'Regime change'? I am amazed by this professor of law who has already accepted as a fait accompli the PKR leader would be the PM of the 'new regime'.
And to close, I have a piece of advice for the good professor: don’t try to be too clever and open the royal Pandora box.
Limericks revised
When I posted 31 3 limericks I was told that limericks should be 5-liner rather than the 4-line attempts I made. I did a bit of research and accept that critical comment. Thanks.
I also found out that my a b a b rhyming was not correct, where limericks take on a a a b b a structure.
I have now revised my limericks toconfirm conform (thanks, Penang larng). Enjoy ;-)
There was a man from Batu
Who was exiled to Timbuktu
He claimed he spoke to AMNO
But his leader said ‘not so’
Wasn’t that just bloody malu
The man who had thirty one
Now thinks it’s no longer fun
He says deadline's not an issue
I guess he now needs a tissue
Sob sob! He actually has none
The princessista kissed a slimy froggie
Hoping to turn it into Prince Reformasi
So hubristically she started to gloat
But was shocked to get instead a toad
She didn’t, couldn’t see the deformasi
To make amends I have written 2 more, with one daringly in Bahasa (hope you’ll be kind to my try)
I’ve cast a fine web of bullshit
Admit it man, it’s quite a feat
Every minute there’s one born
Lapping up my chong and con
I'm grateful for their .. er .. wit
Aku yang mempunyai 4 kepala
Syok dengan umat2 yang berbuta
Kalau aku kata putih adalah hitam
Mereka jawab, wahai, dah malam
Untuk mu kita sedia ber-intifada
Wakakaka
I also found out that my a b a b rhyming was not correct, where limericks take on a a a b b a structure.
I have now revised my limericks to
There was a man from Batu
Who was exiled to Timbuktu
He claimed he spoke to AMNO
But his leader said ‘not so’
Wasn’t that just bloody malu
The man who had thirty one
Now thinks it’s no longer fun
He says deadline's not an issue
I guess he now needs a tissue
Sob sob! He actually has none
The princessista kissed a slimy froggie
Hoping to turn it into Prince Reformasi
So hubristically she started to gloat
But was shocked to get instead a toad
She didn’t, couldn’t see the deformasi
To make amends I have written 2 more, with one daringly in Bahasa (hope you’ll be kind to my try)
I’ve cast a fine web of bullshit
Admit it man, it’s quite a feat
Every minute there’s one born
Lapping up my chong and con
I'm grateful for their .. er .. wit
Aku yang mempunyai 4 kepala
Syok dengan umat2 yang berbuta
Kalau aku kata putih adalah hitam
Mereka jawab, wahai, dah malam
Untuk mu kita sedia ber-intifada
Wakakaka
Thursday, September 25, 2008
31 3 limericks
There was a man from Batu
Who claimed he spoke to AMNO
He was exiled to Timbuktu
When his leader said ‘not so’
BTW, Timbuktu is in the nation of Malu … oops … sorry … Mali – wakakaka
The man who had thirty one
Now says deadline not an issue
He thinks it’s no longer fun
So can you give him a tissue
BTW, he has ‘re-formed’ his deadline – Malaysiakini said he changes tune - wakakaka
Having kissed & kissed a froggie
The princessista started to gloat
Thinking she’d get Prince Reformasi
She didn’t expect an ugly toad
Quote "In this country it does not happen because there is a blatant disregard for democratic values and democratic principals." - Values? Principles? - wakakaka
Who claimed he spoke to AMNO
He was exiled to Timbuktu
When his leader said ‘not so’
BTW, Timbuktu is in the nation of Malu … oops … sorry … Mali – wakakaka
The man who had thirty one
Now says deadline not an issue
He thinks it’s no longer fun
So can you give him a tissue
BTW, he has ‘re-formed’ his deadline – Malaysiakini said he changes tune - wakakaka
Having kissed & kissed a froggie
The princessista started to gloat
Thinking she’d get Prince Reformasi
She didn’t expect an ugly toad
Quote "In this country it does not happen because there is a blatant disregard for democratic values and democratic principals." - Values? Principles? - wakakaka
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Eleven-foot pole required!
Scene: House on a beautiful island
Actors: Son and father
Dialogue
Son: Ah Papa, will you be passing by the hardware shop when you go out for your walkabout?
Father: Yes, what do you want from the shop?
Son: I need an 11-foot pole.
Father: 11-foot? The standard length is 10 feet what! Why non-standard one?
Son: Aiyah Papa, haven’t you heard of that saying?
Father: What saying?
Son: Alamak, common one lah, no one would want to touch him with a ‘ten-foot pole’.
Father: Ah, I see. Yalah, and also blast that bloody bullsh*t Batu larng lah!
Son: We better distance ourselves. Our own larng oledy pissed off with our fraternization.
Father: KNN, limpeh oso fed up lah. Boe been liao*. Real tua hau siow one.
* no face
Son: Just act dunno lah, especially on that Kulim bigot.
Actors: Son and father
Dialogue
Son: Ah Papa, will you be passing by the hardware shop when you go out for your walkabout?
Father: Yes, what do you want from the shop?
Son: I need an 11-foot pole.
Father: 11-foot? The standard length is 10 feet what! Why non-standard one?
Son: Aiyah Papa, haven’t you heard of that saying?
Father: What saying?
Son: Alamak, common one lah, no one would want to touch him with a ‘ten-foot pole’.
Father: Ah, I see. Yalah, and also blast that bloody bullsh*t Batu larng lah!
Son: We better distance ourselves. Our own larng oledy pissed off with our fraternization.
Father: KNN, limpeh oso fed up lah. Boe been liao*. Real tua hau siow one.
* no face
Son: Just act dunno lah, especially on that Kulim bigot.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Humbug mathematics
Change change change
The mob cheered, spurred on by their proclaimed reformasi
Roused by incited fervour
In chucking out the bathwater they threw away the poor baby
Burning with opiate rage
Befuddled, besotted, bewitched by the hypnotizing siren call
The ugly crowd ignored
Having a hard look at themselves in the mirror on the wall
In pompous self righteousness
Exempting themselves through pseudological propaganda
From all rules, proof and ethics
Forgetting what’s good for goosey should be good for gander
Their democracy is a poker game
Upping the ante with bluff, bluster and bamboozling antics
Where 82 is somehow greater than 138
Spinning out a new doctoral thesis on humbug mathematics
50% wishful hope, 50% hopeful wish
And another 31%, 31 parts, 31 tonnes, just 31 of anything
Why not 31 plastic Taiwanese frogs
To realize their dreams of making 4-face Brahma the King
De facto, De ceitful, De vious
His ‘Majesty’ demands democracy must close one bloody eye
The end justifies the means
16 Sep, 23rd, Hari Raya, Christmas, New Year, man man lai
The mob cheered, spurred on by their proclaimed reformasi
Roused by incited fervour
In chucking out the bathwater they threw away the poor baby
Burning with opiate rage
Befuddled, besotted, bewitched by the hypnotizing siren call
The ugly crowd ignored
Having a hard look at themselves in the mirror on the wall
In pompous self righteousness
Exempting themselves through pseudological propaganda
From all rules, proof and ethics
Forgetting what’s good for goosey should be good for gander
Their democracy is a poker game
Upping the ante with bluff, bluster and bamboozling antics
Where 82 is somehow greater than 138
Spinning out a new doctoral thesis on humbug mathematics
50% wishful hope, 50% hopeful wish
And another 31%, 31 parts, 31 tonnes, just 31 of anything
Why not 31 plastic Taiwanese frogs
To realize their dreams of making 4-face Brahma the King
De facto, De ceitful, De vious
His ‘Majesty’ demands democracy must close one bloody eye
The end justifies the means
16 Sep, 23rd, Hari Raya, Christmas, New Year, man man lai
Sedition? Depends on who you are
Malaysiakini tells us that the Cops grill Negarakuku rapper, who's more popularly known as Namewee.
He is of course Wee Meng Chee, who became the target of UMNO apparatchiks when he rapped his own version of Negaraku with a social-political message. Weren't they just delighted because they were looking for a jolly good ‘punching bag’ ... and it was delightful (for them) that Wee fulfilled all their desired 'qualifications'.
That was quite some while ago, and the affair should have been correctly consigned to the dustbins of history, so I wonder what purpose is there now in the police interrogating him or making him translate his version of Negaraku into Bahasa, as if those men in blue don’t have Chinese language translators …
… if not to just show the heartland that UMNO is ever vigilant.
We call on the police to deal with those people who incite or have incited inter-ethnic hatred, acrimony and suspicions among Malaysians, rather than a youth who had taken some creative socio-political liberties with the national anthem ... which is not unlike flying the Malaysian flag upside down.
Why wasn’t Ahmad Ismail dealt with under the Sedition Act?
And what about that Kulim Wonder, Zulkifli Noordin of PKR?
Besides the police non-action, why hasn’t Anwar Ibrahim taken any disciplinary action against his party thug?
C’mon reformasi towkay, why haven’t you taken action against your party’s MP for his unacceptable hooligan-ish conduct?
He is of course Wee Meng Chee, who became the target of UMNO apparatchiks when he rapped his own version of Negaraku with a social-political message. Weren't they just delighted because they were looking for a jolly good ‘punching bag’ ... and it was delightful (for them) that Wee fulfilled all their desired 'qualifications'.
That was quite some while ago, and the affair should have been correctly consigned to the dustbins of history, so I wonder what purpose is there now in the police interrogating him or making him translate his version of Negaraku into Bahasa, as if those men in blue don’t have Chinese language translators …
… if not to just show the heartland that UMNO is ever vigilant.
We call on the police to deal with those people who incite or have incited inter-ethnic hatred, acrimony and suspicions among Malaysians, rather than a youth who had taken some creative socio-political liberties with the national anthem ... which is not unlike flying the Malaysian flag upside down.
Why wasn’t Ahmad Ismail dealt with under the Sedition Act?
And what about that Kulim Wonder, Zulkifli Noordin of PKR?
Besides the police non-action, why hasn’t Anwar Ibrahim taken any disciplinary action against his party thug?
C’mon reformasi towkay, why haven’t you taken action against your party’s MP for his unacceptable hooligan-ish conduct?
Don't man man lai in this required reformasi action ... unless you condone and thus accept his bigotry?
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