Jumping ship?

Being the head of government in Malaysia is a tough job. There's a lot of balancing job to do. But this does not mean that I sympathise with Pak Lah over the recent development in the Malaysian politics.

The appointment of ministers in the federal government requires a great deal of consideration. You've got to make sure that there's a right composition of appointments from all the member parties. And then, you got to have the right number of representatives from every state.

Now, Sabah and Sarawak were the best performers in BN during the recent general election. And they're not given enough seats in the current cabinet.

Thus, the demands by politicians in those two States. Good thing they made it public. And Pak Lah must respond to their demands before 11 April.

Pak Lah must act fast. The allegations that some BN MPs are expected to jump party must be taken seriously if BN wants to retain its simple majority in the Parliament.

Are these politicians in Sabah and Sarawak giving Pak Lah the indication that they might switch camp if not enough seats given to them in the cabinet?

Then, Pak Lah must think real hard.

I think Pak Lah should just say that he's not going to defend his post in Umno in December.

Where are you running to?

After a terrible performance in the general election, Pak Lah the president of Umno and BN, didn't bother to call for a post-mortem.

Now, there's a proposal for the Umno AGM which is scheduled to be held this August, to be postponed to next year. He's obviously avoiding something.

Why can't Pak Lah end all these dramas now and forever? And now, another deputy minister resigned from cabinet. This is really a shitty situation. Already, two other MPs declined appointment as deputy ministers when the cabinet lined-up was announced. It's like these people are disappointed with Pak Lah and don't want to be associated with him anymore.

Pak Lah should have made the effort to call for an EGM or post-mortem to find out what went wrong during the 12th general election and not wait for someone like Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to make that suggestion.

Even Ong Ka Ting publicly asked not to be reappointed as a minister because he wants to concentrate on party matters. And G. Palanivel also realised how the BN machinery has undermined the people's wish.

I think, Pak Lah should have the decency to at least stick to the AGM date in August and not postpone it. And he should allow for the posts of President and Deputy President to be contested. In other words, he should step down. Let the party members decide for themselves. After all, already a lot of members who are not happy with the current leadership.

Pak Lah is not effective. He must do something smart now. Urgently. We cannot have a PM which keeps on making mistakes.

Ah...Ku Li again

Once upon a time, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah a.k.a Ku Li was seen as the prince who could bond various sects in Umno. In Gua Musang where he is the MP, Ku Li can't be shaken there. It's like his very own little kingdom.

Following the letter he sent to Umno division leaders by Ku Li, yesterday he made a statement offering himself to lead Umno and that he'll contest for the presidency post in Umno's AGM this August.

Ku Li's quest to be Umno's president will never end. It was a close fight in 1987. Too bad, the internet was not around yet back then. Otherwise, Ku Li could have won. Then, he too didn't have access to the mainstream media or his speeches were heavily butchered. Pretty much like cut a paste to make him look bad.

Anwar Ibrahim used to ridicule what was known in the early 1990s, as information superhighway. Today, it's better known as internet. Anwar used to say, "I only know how to push the button to switch on the computer. I don't even know how to switch it off." He just couldn't understand the hype about "information superhighway" and the usage of computer. And you expect this guy to lead us into the digital world? No way.

Sorry, sidetracked a bit. Anyway, I hope Anwar now realised that it was the power of the internet that helped him launched Reformasi. He should thank the internet for allowing him to use it as a platform to communicate his "ideology".

It is the power of the internet, too, that provides the rakyat with alternative source for news to help them make informed decisions.

So, Ku Li, I don't know if you still have the charm to unite the Malays in Umno. But if you insist, remember, you have a powerful tool, now.

Crippling ripples

Pak Lah in his lets-test-your-popularity a la Akademi Fantasia sans sms way, dropped Rafidah Aziz from the cabinet. She's a performer and she was excluded. I just realised that Pak Lah wasn't being fair to her.

At her age, asking her to contest in the general election when he doesn't have the intention to keep her in the cabinet is a very bad taste. What's worse is that, she's the Wanita Umno head. I suspect, during the Umno elections in August, Rafidah is expected to withdraw from the race because she's no longer a minister. That is very typical of Umno.

Shahrizat Jalil lost in the general election. But she's been appointed as an advisor to the PM on women's issues with the status of a minister. What is this? What about Dr Ng Yen Yen who's been appointed as Minister of Women, Family and Community Development (is that the official title?)? Shahrizat's appointment is an insult to Dr Ng, I think.

Looks like Rafidah will have to give way to Shahrizat for the post of Wanita Umno in August. While Azalina Othman Said will be the deputy. It's so funny how Rafidah asked the media to check with Umno HQ if Azalina is in Wanita Umno.

To me, this act of Pak Lah is ripping Umno apart. But it's okay. Someday, Umno and other racial based party in BN must be dissolved to form a truly Malaysian party.

Crackey Umno

Pak Lah can deny this, but there's definitely a crack in Umno. Here's why:

• Poster war among Umno sects. Some asked him to quit (with the Umno emblem on the banners) and some (obviously apple polishers) want him to stay.
• Pak Lah appointed Shahidan Kassim as Perlis' MB but some quarters in the state must have lobbied the palace to appoint Md Isa Sabu
• As I write this, there's ding dong as to who will be appointed Terengganu's MB
• Radzi Sheikh Ahmad (the power broken in Perlis), quit as Umno and BN's sec-gen. Read his statements in the past few days prior to his resignation
• Mukhriz Mahathir's personal letter to PM (as an Umno member, I believe he has the right to let his leader know how he feels. He's not a hypocrate)
• Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's letter suggesting an EGM not accepted by some Umno members (EGM is a good venue to find out what's wrong)

The gap in the crack is getting bigger. Don't wait till August to mend that.

And the casts are....

It's a trimmer cabinet line-up. But Pak Lah increased the number of ministers in the PM's Dept. I'm not surprised Nazri Aziz gets to keep this portfolio. He should have been dropped. The appointment of Zaid Ibrahim and Amirsham Aziz are most welcome. My only hope is that Pak Lah will listen to their advise. And of course, Zaid and Amirsham are expected to give Pak Lah quality counsel.

But what is Muhammad Muhammad Taib a.k.a Mike Tyson doing in the cabinet? Why him? I disagree with his appointment. He makes stupid remarks. For example, in response to the letter sent by the MP of Gua Musang, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to Umno division leaders with a suggestion to have a party EGM to study what went wrong in the recent general election, Mike Tyson said not to listen to such thing.

If not all, most of the division leaders of Umno know about the letter. And what is wrong about calling for an EGM? Usually, a leader would avoid having a post-mortem if he fails miserably. And in this case, Pak Lah couldn't be bothered to hold one. He's in denial. He refused to acknowledge his flaws.

I had a big laugh when I heard Pak Lah said in a press conference today after announcing his cabinet line-up that he read reports that his policies are good but lack on implementation. Obviously, he was fed only with good feedbacks by his apple polishers.

I'm glad that Shahrir Samad is back after over a decade out of the cabinet. He's in a really tough portfolio - Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. Not easy keeping prices of essential goods as low as possible.

Rafidah Aziz did a very good job while at MITI. It's sad to see her go because I heard, only the directors under her ministry had to work within a short turnaround time compared to other ministries. Will Muhyiddin Yassin work as fast as her?

Lets see how they perform.

Going to the streets, again?

Pak Lah, you ignored Bersih, and Hindraf. They had to go to the streets to express themselves.

When the Opposition took control of five states during the recent election, I received calls from friends asking if the situation was calm. Checks with reliable sources said, everything is under control, no riots, no demonstrations.

The rakyat is clearly pleased with the outcome of the elections. No need to be emotional that BN lost in those states.

And your homestate lost to the Opposition as well. What does that tells you? BN not just lost five states to the Opposition, you win simple majority in Parliament. You fielded candidates who are not efficient at all. They all lost. You know that people hate them, but you let them contest anyway. Because you wanted the rakyat to decide, right? Well, the rakyat has decided.

Now, the Umno banners around the city asking you to quit is just the beginning. If you don't quit, they'll go to the streets just like Bersih and Hindraf. What say you? You want to accuse them as trouble maker? You're the trouble maker, Pak Lah. You incited street demonstrations.

Listen to them. Don't wait. Quit.

Glitches, glitches

We don't know now, who's going to be the new Perak MB. And as I write this, I'm also confused as to who is actually the MB of Perlis now. Shahidan Kassim or Dr. Md Isa Sabu?

While Pak Lah has already sworn in as our new PM for the second term, will he be sitting there for long? Pressure is mounting for him to quit even in Umno. Banners by Umno are hoisted all over Kuala Lumpur, expressing their demand for Pak Lat to resign.

So Pak Lah, you still want to stay on? Even people in Umno wants you to go. For once, do the right thing. Quit now.

Good for you

Lim Kit Siang issued a statement apologising to the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah over the issue of Perak MB. Read this http://www.thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/13/election2008/20080313104151&sec=election2008

Hope all is well. We want to see change. We want the new government to study all the top secret files. We want to know why the multi-million aluminium smelting plant which was supposed to be built in Lumut was moved to another state. Also, why the multi-million bio-technology hub was scrapped.

Perak is in dire need of investment.

It's time to start working

I'm so glad that Lim Guan Eng is not like his father, Lim Kit Siang. Kit Siang is forever making noise. Guan Eng is the rational politician. I'm saying this because Kit Siang shouldn't ask the DAP reps in Perak to boycott to the swearing in of the new Perak MB, PAS man, Nizar Jamaluddin.

The DAP reps in Perak are comfortable with the choice. And I applaud them because they're focus in their mission. They contested, won and ready to form a mixed government using the allowance in the existing state constitution. So what if PAS has the least number of reps. The constitution said that the MB must be a Malay. For as long as they can form a government, it really doesn't matter who's the MB.

After all, there's a deputy MB from DAP. Nizar and his deputy MB, Ngeh Koo Ham can always have a gentleman's agreement about the State affairs. And PAS has no intention to implement hudud in Perak because it's not in absolute power.

I guess, Kit Siang is just being Islamic-phobic. That's why he'd rather have someone from PKR to be the MB.

Say a little prayer

Let us all pray that Pak Lah will not appoint Khairy Jamaludin to be a cabinet minister. But if he does, lets pray it would be the end of his premiership in Malaysia.

Lets pray for all BN component leaders, to have the strength and guts to protest against Khairy's appointment as a minister.

Lets also pray that Samy Vellu and his gang step down from holding the top posts in MIC. I hope he's biting his fingers now. Even M.Manoharan, the Hindraf leader currently detained under ISA won in Kota Alam Shah state seat.

So, pray hard. Pray very hard.

Just being thankful

We all should be thankful that Samy Vellu has made a statement that he will not accept any offer to the Senate. And hopefully, Pak Lah will not harass him to take up that post (who knows, right?).

Condolences to the family of the late Zakaria Deros of "Istana Zakaria" in Klang. They should also be thankful that he passed away just after BN crashed in the hands of PKR-PAS-DAP coalition in Selangor. If he's still alive, he might have to go to jail if the new Government decides to probe his case and take him to court. So, let him rest in peace.

Of course, I'm thankful to all Malaysian voters who made a very wise choice in the recent election. You all made better decision that Pak Lah, you know.

Tears in Umno

Samy Vellu's defeat is Malaysian Indians' victory. For Umno, the greedy cronies are crying their hearts out.

A whole new world

After Perak was conquered by DAP-PKR-PAS in the recent general election, it was quite apparent that Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of PAS would be the new MB for the state.

Today, the three parties had an audience with the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah but they came out with their lips sealed as to who will be the MB.

Did they submit several names for the royal consent? They must have been overwhelmed with the results of the election which favours them that they kinda fumbled.

As we all know, the Sultan will never meddle in the political affairs. I guess, that's why the Regent advised them to submit to him the definite names (for the post of MB and exco members) and he will exercise his royal duty to give his consent.

We still don't know if Nizar is still going to be the MB. But because the Perak constiutution says that its MB must be a Malay, I suspect, there'll be a deputy MB from the DAP sect. After all, DAP won most of the state seats.

Hopefully, Tajol Rosli will be an effective "opposition" in the state assembly. As a former MB, he should be able to come up with constructive criticism. It's really a nice change. Really.

He ain't heavy, he's my son-in-law

It wasn't a rumour that Pak Lah would quit and give way to Najib Tun Razak to helm the Government yesterday. I'm not surprised if Khairy Jamaludin told Pak Lah to change his mind. So, he sworn in this morning to be the PM for the second term.

Since that's the case, I hope Pak Lah will appoint Khairy as a full minister. Because, Khairy has been assistant PM for way too long now. Give him a portfolio and let him focus on his new responsibility while Pak Lah should spend time away from Khairy and think for himself over his favourite teochew porridge.

What can I say? Pak Lah is still the PM and Khairy won the Rembau parliamentary seat. Do you think Khairy wants to be an ordirnary MP? Do you think he'll settle for the post of parliamentary secretary? Of course not.

I still don't understand why Pak Lah has to listen to Khairy. The people has spoken. Why can't he listen to the voice of the people. Look what happened to Samy Vellu, his deputy and vice presidents. It's no longer an indication that people don't want them. The message is loud and clear.

Lucky for the MCA leaders that they survived the strong current. Other MCA candidates along with some Umno personalities were toppled.

If only Pak Lah listened to Bersih and Hindraf, and dropped all the dirty fellows from contesting in the recently concluded election, Barisan Nasional could have got the 2/3 majority. But no. He prefers to listen to Khairy.

Better still, if Pak Lah himself withdrew himself from contesting. Or is he waiting for the Umno election in August to test his popularity?

But since he's sworn in this morning, we'll see how he's going to redeem himself. It should be easy now that there's no more Samy Vellu, Zainuddin Maidin, Aziz Shamsuddin, Shahrizat Jalil dan lain-lain.

Can't wait to follow the debates in Parliament with more voice from the Opposition (and Khairy).

Drop, drop, drop

Whoever forms the Government after the elections must not pick someone who's racist and sexist. Please find out, who's the cheeky MCA representative who put up the sexist billboard.

And I wonder why Melaka Chief Minister, Mohd Ali Rustam is contesting. Nevermind. Pak Lah, I give you another chance. If Ali Rustam wins, please don't let him hold the office.

Ali Rustam told off the Malaysian Indians to "balik India" if they don't like it here. How to "balik India"? Their birthplace is probably in the Hawthethorne estate (now known as Wangsa Maju) or Golden Hope estate at Perang Besar (now known as Putrajaya).

So, please. For the sake of Malaysia, we don't need someone like Ali Rustam. Oh by the way, he's given out too many Datukship to the media people lah. As if the Datukship is a door gift at a press conference.

Enemy Side?

Who coined the term "opposition party" in Malaysian politics? Whoever came up with the terminology was very smart indeed. It could be someone from the then Alliance pact (now Barisan Nasional).

In Britain, the Conservative and Labour Parties sort of alternated to rule the government. There's no such thing as "opposition party".

Likewise in the United States of America, the Republican and Democratic parties are the popular ones. Whichever party is in power never refer the other parties as "opposition".

In Malaysia, when you use the term "opposition party", psychologically, the ruling Government can scare the rakyat that the other party is a trouble maker.

That's why BN can control the mainstream media. And the opposition parties will never get a fair share of coverage.

Too bad, the Barisan Alternatif did not take off. Otherwise, we can already abolish the term "opposition party" and they could alternate with BN or takeover BN for the next 50 years.

Do you know what "opposition party" is called in Tamil? The "enemy side". And the "opposition parties" in Malaysia are not enemies.

How much is enough?

The Malays are pathetic. They think they can be like the Japanese. If the Japanese can rebuild Hiroshima from ashes without the ability to speak in English, the Malays think they can do the same.

But they forgot that the Japanese would commit harakiri if they feel they're the source of failure of a certain effort. Even that, they would give their all to make their effort a success.

The Malays are always complaining. They objected when English was chosen to be the second language after Bahasa Kebangsaan (back in the 1960s). But they didn't realise, that the Government of the day then was only thinking of the interest of the Malays.


No academic books were written in Malays. There were no or not enough Malay academicians. Then, English was a tool to acquire more knowledge. The Malays were expected to master English so that they can acquire the necessary knowledge to then educate they're own people. When the Malays are knowledgable enough, there will be a day where R&D, journals, case studies and textbooks be written in Malay.


Today, the Malays are still making a big fuss about English language being used in schools. When Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed directed that maths and science to be taught in English, he was thinking of the Malays. A lot of Malay students rejected offers to study abroad although they'll be financed by the Government. This is because they're weak in English.


And they still think they can be like the Japanese.


In Japan, there's no such thing as bumiputra privilage. But they presevere. They don't have to pay Ford to transfer its technology to them. The Japs developed their own car. First they copy (yes, Japanese used to be copycat), and improvised them. If continental cars are petrol guzzlers, Japs' car are gas-saving. That's their selling point.

Now, I'm not about to bash Proton. The point I want to make here is that the Malays lack of business mentality. They prefer to be spoon fed. No matter how much handouts you give to the Malays, it'll never be enough.

And because of them, our cost of living is high. Too many "atas angin".

Excuse me, we're Kelantanese

Awang Adek who's been promised to be the Mentri Besar in Umno-led government in Kelantan if BN wins the election this Saturday was telling the folks there that there'll be multi-million development if mandate is given to BN.

You think the Kelantanese will buy that? BN can throw the whole country's budget into Kelantan but they're not bothered with physical development in their state.

Kelantan is a self-contained state. The Malays there are very enterprising. They're born to do business. They have their own industries - fishery, textile (batik, songket, silk), food (budu, keropok, salted fish), gold, woodworks etc unlike other states.

They're happy that business is thriving without the support of the Federal Government. They probably pay RM30 per month for a stall to hawk their goods. If they have to move to a nice, huge building with air-conditioning built by an Umno crony, they'll have to pay RM300 or even RM3,000 per month. They have to hike the price of their products and they'll find it difficult to pay the rent.

Because to BN, development means providing avenues to for Umno cronies to make a quick buck. BN, or Umno to be precise, is always on the lookout for opportunities to enrich their families and friends.

If BN wants to win in Kelantan, it should use a different approach. The word "development" in Kelantan is cliche. It should offer Kelantan "pembangunan ummah" or human development. That is the true sense of development.

Smart Men Don't Join Umno

One of the most respectable Malay is Royal Professor Ungku Aziz. But he's not an Umno member. Good for him.

Hot, hot Khairy

Khairy Jamalaudin is hot. Not politically hot. But sexy hot. His intelligence makes him hot, at least to me when I first saw him on Dateline Malaysia long time ago. He was wearing an oversized blazer. Poor boy, I thought then.

When he got hitched with Nori Abdullah, I didn't know it was the "Khairy" formerly of Dateline. Only when there's a lot of noise about him I came to realise that it's the "Khairy" I "fell in love with" before even Nori knows of his existance.

Anyway, going back to his Dateline days, he just blew my mind away. I could see the rawness of his youth but he asked matured questions.

Unlike other young broadcast journalists or comperes, Khairy didn't rely on a set of prepared questions by his producer. He posed questions like a veteran. He peeled the subject of discussion layer by layer.

If you watch Undi 2008 on Astro Awani, you'll know what I mean. Those young punks other than Suhaimi Sulaiman and Amir Mahmood Razak, would have been yelled at by Ghazali Shafie aka King Ghaz during this heyday. They're so hopeless. Don't know the issues well.

I didn't know then that Khairy was from Oxford. So, I wasn't influenced by his academic qualification. He does seem like a refreshing addition to Umno.

But his intelligence has also hurt him, at least partially. In his hurried effort to reach the top, he has made a lot of mistakes. Khairy being away from the country for way too long, detached him from the values of the local politics.

In Umno, you have to have the grassroot. If you're up there by appointment, it's a lot of hardwork just trying to be accepted. And Khairy can't even use his fingers to eat rice like the Malays. That makes him an alien to the heartland Malays for a start.

So, he thinks by making ultra Malay statements would make him more Malay. That's the saddest part. When I thought that there's finally a Malay who could inject fresh ideas into Umno, he wants to be just one of them.

Khairy courted and later married Nori while her father was the Deputy Prime Minister. He was following the footsteps of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed who married Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali who comes from a very prominent family in Selangor then.

The wedding of Dr. Mahathir to Dr. Siti Hasmah came out on the front page of Straits Times not because he's Dr.Mahathir. But because Dr. Siti Hasmah's father who was a very respectable man. Khairy even quoted what apparently was said by Dr. Mahathir once upon a time. "You must marry into a good family to gain respect for yourself," was Dr. Mahathir's quotable quote, Khairy's favourite.

Hmmm.....seems like this is how you launch yourself into a grand political career if you don't come from the family of historically important people.