“What we saw when we were invited in was a model of transparency, with many checks and balances to assure integrity. People must show identification, their serial number is then entered into a digitial device and their photo comes up, then they give a thumb print to verify their identity again. They then proceed to vote electronically, receiving a paper receipt which they check and deposit in a box for later auditing. They then sign out, give a thumb print next to their signature, and dip their pinky finger in a vial of indelible ink to assure that they can’t vote again. All of this is facilitated by randomly chosen registered voters and witnessed by representatives of the political parties. There is an audit of 55% of the voting tables to check the paper receipts against the electronic returns,” wrote the American election monitor.

A Malaysian spring may sound like too far-fetched at this moment. But certainly a conspiracy to subvert democracy in Malaysia is unfolding in .

It looks like a conspiracy because Venezuela’s high-tech electoral system is considered the most advanced in the world. Former US president Jimmy Carter, who goes to Venezuela as an observer in all elections, has called it the “best voting system in the world”. There is no room for error in this system, and recounting can’t change the result.

On Sunday, as polling was taking place in Venezuela and later the votes were being counted, a set of independent election observers were blogging live on the website of Centre for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR), a Washington-based think-tank whose Advisory Board includes Nobel Laureate economists Robert Solow and Joseph Stiglitz; and Richard Freeman, professor of economics at Harvard University. This is what an election monitor blogged on the CEPR’s website: “8:23 PM — Now watching the citizen audit at Fermin Toro, a high school in Caracas. There were 12 voting stations and the turnout was 73.3%. [4,773 out of a possible 6,465 voted]. After reading off all of the ballots and putting them in stacks they are counting each stack and comparing them with the number on the tape. 9:26 PM – The count matched perfectly.”

In keeping with the unhealthy obsession withcerita hantu (ghost stories) and the supernatural, which is displayed by the rakyat – especially the Malays – caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should be applauded for converting some Malaysians into zombies.

The living dead are characterised by their lack of self-awareness and the inability to think for themselves. Najib’s zombies may not crave human flesh, but they do feast on cash handouts and freebies. In the zombie culture, human brains are considered a delicacy.

Perhaps UMNO has seized on the rakyat’s minds as a means to spread their evil. They have mentally enslaved us and used this exploitation to satisfy their greed for material goods, and hunger for power.

Six decades ago, Malayans had to decide – either continue to be ruled by the British, or accept change and take charge of running the country. The operative word was change.

We had to manage the nation’s finances, defend the country and administer self-rule. It was no mean feat. Malayan brains, intellect, and toil made Malaya (later Malaysia), a success story. Change to self-rule required the combined effort of Malayans, and not just one particular section of the community.

Change took place in 1957. It can happen again in 2013. Today, the word ‘change’ is anathema to our leaders. Our great-grandparents were more open-minded and embraced change more readily, but Najib and former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad are trying to deceive us when they say that change is not necessary.

Najib may have promised to deal with corruption after GE-13, but why should we believe him? For years, we witnessed his failure to address problems in society.

If he was worried about graft, why did he employ leaders who were corrupt? Najib appointed Mohd Isa Abdul Samad as chairperson of FELDA despite objections from the public and criticism from Mahathir, who is no stranger to money politics.

Going to the Polls

In three weeks time, we go to the polls. What will happen then?  If we elect BN, aren’t we condoning a government which is corrupt, and which breaks the laws whenever it chooses? The corruption network involves people from the junior office boy to the PM. Those at the bottom make petty sums whilst those at the top amass huge rewards. There has been little enforcement despite plenty of evidence, but the complaints of the public have been completely ignored.

Restoring confidence in the Government?

If the Opposition were to win GE13, what steps should they take to restore confidence in the government? Anwar has reiterated that he will not go on a witch-hunt; but he cannot ignore the rakyat’s desire for justice. Many lives have been crushed, families destroyed, livelihoods devastated and communities ravaged, because of corrupt BN leaders.

Many people have painful experiences to relate. The business deal of one acquaintance was scuppered by allegedly dodgy people in the Defence Ministry. After years of maintaining a good working relationship with his American and Taiwanese partners, millions of ringgits were lost when the ministry supposedly reneged on a deal.

Despite spending vast sums on engaging lawyers and waiting at the court’s pleasure, this man learnt – after a brief appearance in court – that his case had been dismissed. He lost everything.  In Malaysia, justice goes to the highest bidder. There are presumably several cases of miscarriages of justice like this in the country as well.

So, should a new government purge all officials and businesspeople connected with the previous BN regime? To what extent should this process be continued? Should the top brass and business cronies only be punished? Should the crony business be made to cease operations?

It is easier to deal with those at the top, whose personal gain and lust for power broke several laws. Their unexplained wealth can be traced, by the paper trail, to offshore bank accounts and overseas properties.

Will the more educated among us adopt a different approach to the cleansing ritual? Mahathir’s brand of politics left deep trenches in the minds of many Malaysians.

How will the different sections of the community react to the purge post-GE13? How should we treat the junior civil servant, who in the old regime, took advantage of a crooked system?

Perhaps, the more obscure cases will be found in the private sector, where businesses helped prop up the UMNO government in deals that enriched both corrupt politicians and business people. How should the new regime resolve these cases? It would be naive to think that any government contract came without strings attached.

How should civil servants or businesspeople who denounced the corrupt practices of the old regime be dealt with in the new order? Should their positions be enhanced? What if their actions were entirely self-serving when they jumped ship?

How would you deal with the civil servants who refused to become involved in corrupt acts of the previous government? Do you promote them despite their lack of expertise and seniority? How would the new government deal with false accusations? How would they deal with politicians who are Trojan horses of frogs?

Not enough time, resources

After GE13, we cannot go after everyone whom we perceive to be corrupt because we do not have the time and resources to manage this laborious process. Anger and resentment will simply build and this will feed into the rakyat’s racial and religious prejudices, as well as accentuate other insecurities.

To add to the problem, our judiciary and police force have been corrupted by Mahathir. We will have to find a system to maintain law and order in the transition from the old guard until a just and effective police force and judicial system is formed.

We certainly must recover the large sums, several of which are said to be in excess of RM40 billions which have been allegedly stolen by several BN ministers and tycoons acting in collusion with them.

Najib’s incessant refrains of “I help you, you help me” to the rakyat has created a zombie apocalypse in Malaysia. Therefore, radical change is necessary to reclaim our souls and save the nation.

This attitude has come come under criticism from some of the brightest and most talented Americans too. According to legendary Hollywood director Oliver Stone, Venezuela is the top target for US media, “not to mention the State Department”. “I would say that Venezuela is the number one target of the United States media and the State Department that exists today. The covert actions that are going on in Venezuela are very scary. I don’t want to be in Nicholas Maduro’s shoes. I’d hate to be him because he’s in a new spotlight,” the director of such legendary films as JFK, Platoon and Born of Fourth of July said at an event recently.

Stone is not the only one who can see a conspiracy behind the demonisation of Hugo Chavez and, now, Nicolas Maduro. Some Latin American experts see a bigger threat here. Last week, when asked by a TV channel if a Capriles’ presidency would lead to Washington dominating and even dictating Venezuela’s domestic policies, Adrian Salbuchi, a political analyst, author and radio/TV commentator in Argentina, said: “Absolutely, they tried to do that exactly eleven years ago when on April 11 and 12, 2002, they staged a coup d’état where Mr. Capriles was one of the key people. He was only too young then and that’s why they chose another guy by the name of Pedro Carmona, a businessman who only lasted 48 to 72 hours. But Mr. Capriles is definitely the face of Washington inside Venezuela.”
Then he dropped a bomb. “But either way the prospects are not good for Venezuela because if Capriles wins there will be a complete realignment in favor of the US, and if Maduro wins, which is the most likely outcome, I wouldn’t be surprised if America tried to engineer a Latin American Spring starting in Venezuela.”

Compare this system with America’s, where in the year 2000 black voters were turned aways from polling booths in Florida and George W Bush became the president despite losing the popular vote to Al Gore; or for that matter with India’s, where the voter has to live in suspense about the result for weeks after pressing a button on an electronic machine. Forget audit, in India’s stone-age voting system, there is not even a record of who voted for whom and where.

But if despite such a foolproof system in place, Capriles is raging like a bull and hoping to change the result in the recount, there has to be a reason behind this madness. The reason for his confidence is the backing he is getting from the western capitals and their media. This was wonderfully exposed by Corey Robin, the American author of ‘The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin’.  In a glimpse of what the US media coverage of the election results is likely to look like, Robin compared the New York Times’ treatment of Venezuela’s election with George Bush’s similarly close victory over Kerry in the 2004 US elections. “In November 2004, 50.7% of the American population voted for George W. Bush; 48.3% voted for John Kerry. The headline in the New York Times read: “After a Tense Night, Bush Spends the Day Basking in Victory”, wrote Robin on his blog on Sunday.

“The NY Times News Analysis read as follows: It was not a landslide, or a re-alignment, or even a seismic shock. But it was decisive, and it is impossible to read President Bush’s re-election with larger Republican majorities in both houses of Congress as anything other than the clearest confirmation yet that this is a center-right country – divided yes, but with an undisputed majority united behind his leadership…”

Then Robin goes on to analyse NYT’s treatment of the Venezuelan election. “Tonight, 50.6% of the Venezuelan population voted for Chavez’s successor Nicolas Maduro; 49.1% voted for his opponent Henrique Capriles. The Times headline this time: ‘Maduro Narrowly Wins Venezuelan Presidency’. And here’s how the article begins: “Nicolás Maduro, the acting president and handpicked political heir to Hugo Chávez, narrowly won election to serve the remainder of Mr. Chávez’s six-year term as president of Venezuela, officials said late Sunday…”

“I love the focus on ‘hand picked successor’. Pretty sure ‘son of former president’ sounds more nepotistic,” wrote Robin on his blog. The NYT is not the only newspaper which has completely dropped all pretensions of objectivity while covering Venezuela. It’s the pattern in almost all western media, barring a few exceptions like the Guardian.

This attitude has come come under criticism from some of the brightest and most talented Americans too. According to legendary Hollywood director Oliver Stone, Venezuela is the top target for US media, “not to mention the State Department”. “I would say that Venezuela is the number one target of the United States media and the State Department that exists today. The covert actions that are going on in Venezuela are very scary. I don’t want to be in Nicholas Maduro’s shoes. I’d hate to be him because he’s in a new spotlight,” the director of such legendary films as JFK, Platoon and Born of Fourth of July said at an event recently.

Stone is not the only one who can see a conspiracy behind the demonisation of Hugo Chavez and, now, Nicolas Maduro. Some Latin American experts see a bigger threat here. Last week, when asked by a TV channel if a Capriles’ presidency would lead to Washington dominating and even dictating Venezuela’s domestic policies, Adrian Salbuchi, a political analyst, author and radio/TV commentator in Argentina, said: “Absolutely, they tried to do that exactly eleven years ago when on April 11 and 12, 2002, they staged a coup d’état where Mr. Capriles was one of the key people. He was only too young then and that’s why they chose another guy by the name of Pedro Carmona, a businessman who only lasted 48 to 72 hours. But Mr. Capriles is definitely the face of Washington inside Venezuela.”
Then he dropped a bomb. “But either way the prospects are not good for Venezuela because if Capriles wins there will be a complete realignment in favor of the US, and if Maduro wins, which is the most likely outcome, I wouldn’t be surprised if America tried to engineer a Latin American Spring starting in Venezuela.”

Do men really hate women? It would seem they do; why else would there be so many cases of aggression against women — rape, acid-throwing, wife-beating, burning for dowry? Short of such crimes, men also get a kick out of scaring a woman. A shaken friend recounts an incident in the car park, when four men in a car drove right up to her, leering and laughing, as she struggled to open her car door with trembling hands. Then, they just drove away, laughing out loud, egos stoked well.

Why would a group of men take pleasure in scaring a woman or torturing her, subjugating her in the worst possible manner? The woman-hating tormentor that came to the fore in the Nirbhaya tragedy can neither be wished away, nor ignored. He now looms large in the mind’s eye — on the streets, driving buses and autos, selling vegetables, or even in the guise of an executive, a teacher, a cop, a CEO or a politician. And he is a scary phenomenon.

Psychoanalysts opine that deep down, men are convinced of a woman’s inferiority, and are traumatised when she seems to hold power over them through her sexuality. The act of sex brings out the worst in men because men fear the sexual power a woman holds over them. A man’s desire and need for a woman, brings with it his dependence on her, and he fears she may reduce the male sense of power and control, which he wields in almost every sphere of life — politics, society, home, office. And so, he sees her as the enemy who must be beaten down, subjugated in order to establish his own sway.

In trying to deal with his distress, it is easy for the man to blame a woman for the bestiality she arouses in him. Hence, you witness policemen, judges, politicians and most other men blaming the victims for rape, acid attacks, harassment or stalking, rather than the male aggressor.

The act of sex itself has the male as aggressor and woman as recipient; it allows the man to keep alive the myth of his superiority and the woman’s subjugation. This is the man’s moment of glory, of power after a day of hits, and as a counsellor admits, a lot of men like to use dirty language and in some cases, even abuses during the act.

Male slang for sex acts and for a woman’s body are all indicative of the need to batter down the woman and establish male power over her. Men bond over boasting about female “conquests” and are appreciatively termed “studs” or “rakes”, while women are embarrassed about their sexuality for fear of being branded “sluts”, “whores” or “easy lays”. See how language has been devised to humiliate women and empower men? I read somewhere that the English language has 220 words, mostly derogatory, for a promiscuous female and only 22 appreciative ones for the male equivalent. Another nugget — while terms like “Master” and “Lord” still retain a respected status, female equivalents such as “Mistress,” “Madam” or “Dame” have acquired derogatory meanings. And guess who has controlled communication historically?

But, why just men? In the woman-hating saga, even women seem to have a gender bias against their own sex. This is sometimes so subtle that you may not even be aware of being prejudiced till the same is pointed out. And this implicit gender bias affects the lives of women all over the world — their standing in society, education, their careers and paychecks— and yes, their very security and existence.

Fresh research from Yale recently proved that scientists ranked candidates lower for competence, hiring or for mentoring, when they thought the applicants were women, and higher when they were given male names. And disturbingly, the biased scientists included men as well as women.

Religion too has played its part in keeping the hatred for women alive with underlying woman-hating motifs, when women who had traditionally been associated with wisdom and fertility, were portrayed as sinners and sexual beings.

Media has played and continues to play a critical role in perpetuating sexist myths. Contemporary Western media is no better, with prominent women like Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin having to deal with their share of sexist name-calling, which is reserved by media only for women politicians. Women are objectified and the frequency of sexist advertisements is dismaying. Movies and television continue to mindlessly portray established conventional stereotypes, further confusing people. Repeated exposure to these stereotypes shapes people’s behaviour.

And so, we need to pay attention to these subtler, everyday prejudices, the little things that lead to the bigger hateful picture. Not all sexism and bias against women is in-the-face. It can be a subconscious discrimination, which many of us may not even be aware of. And till we accept the problem, we cannot work to fix it.

It is love poetry, fervent, sensuous, charged with emotion. But it’s like no other love poetry ever written or sung. For it deals not with the foredoomed love of one mortal for another but with the undying love of the soul which longs for reunion with its Creator from whom it has been separated by the accidental circumstance of matters

Goodness, are we on our way to becoming cynical with regard to matrimonial bliss minus special divine blessing? I hope not. But the number of unhappy, disgruntled couples one comes across does make one wonder. A few years into matrimony, once the initial charm wears off, most start believing they have married the wrong partner. As the march of years weighs one down and the panic of approaching mortality strikes, it is common to list marriage to the ‘wrong’ person as one of life’s biggest regrets. This is the easiest way of externalising all blame for what one perceives as failures of life. It is easy to imagine that you could have achieved more and been a happier person, had you married someone else.

This regret is not unlike the hypothetical thought — “Had I been born richer, wealthier, better looking, I would have done far better in life!” The only difference is that you cannot hold yourself responsible for the facts of your birth, but you have only yourself to congratulate orblame for your choice of a partner.The more choice one has, thegreater the stress and scope for regret and what-ifs. You do not blameparents, siblings or children as being ‘wrong’ for you; since you never got to choose them, you just accept and work around them. But that doesn’t hold true of your spouse. You choose him or her out of many, and so keep wondering all through life, if you did actually end up with the ‘right’ one. And the fact that you wonder, is what causes the problem.

Also, romantic literature and art have infused unhappiness in love with a certain romanticism that seems attractive. So, it is not uncommon to see lovers of literature indulging their romanticism by imagining themselves trapped in marriage with the wrong partner. One such ‘sufferer’ dramatically told me in a conversation, “I am leading a suffocating life, with no ventilator for self-expression.”

However, truthfully, the only cases where we can say one is stuck with a wrong spouse are those of domestic abuse, unhealthy practices such as substance abuse or chronic infidelity. The rest, I believe, can all be overcome.Maudlin self-pity, the resort of the weak and cowardly, keeps us from taking a hard look at ourselves and examining if we really made the effort to do better in life and marriage, or were just content with our lot? Did we even make an effort to make the marriage work, rather than take refuge in declaring we got married to the wrong person? Do we even know who is, or was, the right person to marry? The truth is that there is no such one right person to marry. It is all very romantic to believe in soulmates and the one person God made for you, but the practical truth is that the success of a marriage lies not so much as in marrying the right person, as in adopting the right attitude towards your marriage and partner.

What then is the right attitude that ensures your marriage isn’t wrong? The most important is the sincere intention to make your marriage work. Mutual respect comes a close second, followed by patience and the ability to strike an emotional interdependence and so, form an enduring attachment. It is important to surmount your ego and never stop making efforts to keep up a channel of constant interaction and some shared interest. The important thing to remember is it is never too late, if you make the right effort. You would be surprised; scratch the surface and you may find your partner just as eager to meet you half-way.

It is easy to figure out the health status of a marriage by just watching a couple when they are together or out amongst other people. Indeed, my respect for a man goes up several notches after studying the body language of his wife. Is she confident and fearless as she talks? Does she have an opinion to share? If yes, then she has surely been given due regard and space in her marital home. And if a man is well-groomed and steady, surely he is well-looked after and respected at home.

So either all of us are married ‘wrong’ or all of us are married ‘right’. I tend to believe the latter.

Veysel was a 20^th century poet who followed in the tradition of Turkish Sufi poetry which traces its roots back to the 13^th century, which produced two great poets and spiritual masters: Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi and Haji Bektash Veli.

At that time, like much of central Asia, the Anatolian region of what is now Turkey was in a state of turmoil. It was an era of wars, crusades, and mass migration. These  social and cultural upheavals created a climate of deep-seated instability and a desire to seek an all-embracing order beyond the narrow boundaries of conflicting faith systems. This was the birth of Sufism, a mystical offshoot of Shiite Islam which passionately proclaims the intimate relationship between the worshipper and the Worshipped, the lover and the Beloved. It is a rapturous romance,  a whirlwind love marriage that has no need of official sanction, or church, or temple, or mosque, or priest, or any intercessor.

While Rumi and his followers wrote in the court language of Persian for the urban intelligentsia, ‘Baba’ Bektash wrote – or rather sang, like a wandering baul minstrel of Bengal – in Turkish, for rural folk, many of whom were illiterate.

The Bektashi poets exhorted their followers to turn their backs on the organised religion of mosque and maulvi, temple and priest, in a rhapsody of love set to song and music and seek the oneness with the Creator which already exists within us but which the blindfold of ignorance prevents us from seeing.

 readmore A Beginner’s Guide to Nostalgia live Altantuya, is Najib Guilty ..

“Your beautiful face would not be seen,
This love would never take shape in my breast,
The rose would have no special place
If love and the lover did not exist.”
- Asik Veysel, 20th century

A literally well-versed introduction to Sufism, the poems have been selected with care so as to present an overview of this spiritual school and have been translated – or rather transcreated – to retain, as much as possible, the emotional intensity and rhythmic cadences of the original.

“The Sufi way is to die a thousand times.
and return to life each moment…
They say it is to surrender
your soul to the Beloved –
The Sufi way is to become
the soul of your Beloved.”

Seldom has love, human or divine, been so lovingly expressed. For this is a love which is in love with Love itself.

Love is the key to the ecstasy of the Sufi, the universal love that would bind all of humankind if only we were to free ourselves from the shackles of sects and schisms and recognise this love as nothing more, or less, than the passionate yearning of all beings for the One from which all being springs and to which it longs to return.

Recognising  no authority of scripture or ritual, Sufi spiritualism is an impassioned love affair with the Creator, the One, who is more often than not addressed as the Beloved. The tone is always intimate, sometimes indignant, sometimes ironic and jesting. It is like a lover’s quarrel, which lovers seek to make up.

“The pious bow to the niche in the mosque.
I bow at the Beloved’s doorstep…
What of it?
“My enemy says loving beauty is sinful.
I love my Beloved, so I’ll gladly pay that price.
What of it?
“‘They ask Nesimi,
are you and your Beloved getting along?’
Whether we get along or not, my Beloved is mine.
What of it?”
- Nesimi, 15th century.

Branded as heretics by orthodox Islam, several Sufi poets and mystics were tortured and executed. But like all star-crossed lovers, this only made the Sufis even more unswerving in their devotion to their Beloved:

“The wine of this love is a sin, the orthodox think –
The sin is mine, I fill my glass and drink.
What of it?”
-  Nesimi, 15th century.

As befits those addressing their Loved One, the poet’s tone is often taunting and teasing:

“You made rivers run without legs or feet.
The ground without foundation, the sky without pillars,
You made them stand, just like that.
Are you a prize-winning engineer?”
- Azmi, 16th century.

Did a ‘man’ called Jesus Christ exist? Why does Mona Lisa have that enigmatic smile on her face? Did the Americans really land on moon, or was it only a hoax?

These are just a few mysteries that have perplexed mankind and history over years, if not centuries; we can now add one more to this line of great, unanswered conundrums:

RAJA PETRA
RPK@GMAIL.COM
115.66.201.150

THIS BLOG IS A PIECE OF CRAP SHIT in response to my article

Wong Choon Mei of Malaysia Chronicle watch your words our words are weapons

The volatile pacer, who responds to even simple things in life in inexplicable ways, opened the Pandora’s Box, no less,

“I have had enough,” or something to that effect,  RPK  cried once again. “I don’t know why I  have to spin every time there is acontroversy or anything untoward on the politics.” Clearly,  RPK doesn’t understand the way media functions.

Or maybe he didn’t hear the old theory: once you pick up a stigma, it sticks with you for ever.

You could have excused him under the pretext of naivete; you could even have ignored his outburst (44 tweets in under two hours, apparently) as a cunning attempt to cover  his spinning woes. But then, this is RPK: he will come up with something out of this world. The ‘spinning-gate’ never took place, he claims.

 TILL CONSPIRACY DO US PART

LEAVING ASIDE ANWAR’S SUPERIOR ORATORY SKILLS AND EMPOWERING PERSONALITY, WHAT ELSE HAS HE PROVEN HIMSELF TO US?

AFTER ALL, THE ONLY THING YOU STAND TO LOSE IS YOUR SANITY AND CREDIBILITY!

 HELLO, EVERYONE, GOD RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN  HERE AGAIN. ALTHOUGH YOU MIGHT NOT THINK IT TO LOOK AT ME, I AM OFTEN GIVEN TO DEEP INTROSPECTION, AND THIS TIME OF YEAR FINDS ME JUST AS CONTEMPLATIVE AS THE REST OF YOU. IN FACT, MUCH LIKE MY SUBJECTS, I FIGURE I BETTER GET THESE RESOLUTIONS DOWN NOW BECAUSE IF I DON’T COMMIT TO THEM I WILL JUST BREAK THEM WITHIN THE WEEK. IN ANY CASE, I HOPE YOU APPRECIATE MY SHARING MY GOALS WITH YOU. EVEN A SUPREME BEING NEEDS A LITTLE ACCOUNTABILITY. PEACE OUT

getting a bit confused, he he!

YOURSAY ’RPK is feeling homesick. He just wants to come home without going straight behind bars. In the end, he sold out his principles.’

RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN (RPK) THE BLOGGER NOW-IN-EXILE IN BRITAIN HAS BEEN WRITING SOME ARTICLES HIGHLY CRITICAL OF PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT, ESPECIALLY REGARDING ITS DE FACTO LEADER DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM, BUT I TEMPERED MY CONCERN WITH GIVING BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT TO THE BLOGGER NOW RESIDENT ABROAD THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN MISINFORMED OR DISINFORMED BY HIS CRONIES BACK HOME INCLUDING CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER-CUM-BLOGGER HARIS IBRAHIM.

There’s an interesting story in Malaysia today’s on a study which argues that Facebook can have an impact on general elections in India. It’s an interesting hypothesis but not one, in my view, borne out by the study.

The fairly crude statistical analysis goes like this: look at the number of FB users, voters and margin of victory in a constituency, and look for constituencies in which the number of FB users exceeds the margin of victory. Conclusion: in those constituencies, FB could sway an election.

These are what I see as the problems in this analysis:

1. The study does not measure what if any is the overlap between FB users and voters, without which the analysis is incredibly crude.
In fact, since internet penetration in Malaysia towards the rich, and the rich are less likely to vote, an FB user is probably less likely to vote and by extension sway an election.

2. The study does not look at the types of conversations people are having on Facebook. In my experience of FB and Twitter, people with existing preferences for a political party ‘follow’ the party and have discussions with like-minded people. If the study was able to demonstrate that FB was swaying voter beliefs, then its ability to swing elections could be discussed. But it doesn’t.

The most compelling statistic I’ve seen on this came from a Pew Research survey on social media and politics in the US. One question asked respondents: “Have you, personally, ever…changed your views about a political issue after discussing it or reading posts about it on a social networking site?” Over four out of five said no.

Moreover, the proportion of FB users who are talking politics is probably lower than those talking Bollywood and sport. The most ‘liked’ Indians on Facebook are A R Rahman, Sachin Tendulkar and Salman Khan.

More generally, I feel this study – and many commentators – make the mistake of seeing Facebook as a “thing” that can “do” things to its users (sway/ convince) rather than a “place” where, like a tea-shop, people have conversations, more often than not with people like themselves.

The potential of the social media in influencing Indian politics is immense and fascinating. Unfortunately, I don’t think this study proves it.

But eventually ANWAR lost  patience with  UMNO. Najib was speaking about the Umno’s crony agenda. Not the Malay agenda. For those reasons we must do the exact opposite. Deny these so-called Malay leaders a chance to concentrate power. It’s power which they shall apply to the misfortune of the majority of Malays and to . …Read more

Our politicians disprove the charge that we don`t care for relics of the past

 Cynics might say that, considering the deplorable condition of many misrule  remaining victims of the not-so-benign neglect of its officially appointed protector. Horror stories abound about  Barisan misruleThe walls of fortresses, palaces and havelis which have witnessed the romantic pageant of history now bear witness to a more modern romance in the form of ROSMAH which, in a triumph of graphic design over grammar, proclaims ‘WE LOVE PM’, with the word ‘love’ replaced with a heart

“Not a country for goons” true for politicians;

For the UMNO media is increasingly filled with the same kind of tactics that UMNO politicians have forever been accused of: hyper aggressive, unbothered about the law, abusive in language, attackingOPPOSITION other without any proof, etc etc. The truth is that even more than politicians, it is the media now that should be accused of adopting such tactics.

Suara Keadilan Malaysia blogged Nurul warns Nong Chik; Real men fight wars in battlefield,not old women and children in the street 1 month ago

Shariffah Jamalah, who has been running a despatch service in Bangsar for 25 years, dismissed 60-year-old Nong Chik as “arrogant”, compared to the “humble” Nurul Izzah.

“Raja Nong Chik only appears when election is coming,” she told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

“I was a BN supporter for three to four terms. I became a polling agent. But when I talk to them about my problems, they don’t listen. You don’t listen and you want us to support you,” Shariffah, 56, said.

Shariffah pointed out that Rela members were only deployed in Bangsar recently to fight a spate of crime in Lucky Garden in Bangsar, like snatch theft and robberies, saying: “Don’t do it just during election time.”Sabarlah pakcik.. moga kepala Dato’ Raja Nong Chik bin Datuk Raja Zainal Abidin yang melastik ball bearing tu pulak pecah kena lenyek lori..aminYes, Khairy, and I can categorically state that you have reduced yourself to the status of an apologist for all of Umno’s crimes against common decency – albeit a very well-dressed one with a posh imported accent.

 Read moreuara Keadilan Malaysia blogged Nurul warns Nong Chik; Real men fight wars in battlefield,not old women and children in the stre

et

Several Bangsar residents whom The Malaysian Insider spoke to called Nurul Izzah an “approachable” politician, while some — who were not even living in Bangsar — said they chose to volunteer for the “Malaysian Spring” campaign to end corruption and government abuse of power.

To date, 18,400 “flowers” have been planted, with Malaysian Spring organisers led by landscape architect Ng Seksan planning to plant a total of 28 million “flowers” in the country.

“It shows that she actually cares what we think as residents. She’s adopting a residents’ initiative, not the other way round,” said pharmacist Mithra Singam.

Mithra also pointed out that DBKL’s actions might have tipped some voters towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

“Some people may be neutral at first, but they see what happened and they get agitated and irritated and that’s when they start reacting and favour the opposition more,” she said.

Her sister, Simitha, an activist, said Nurul Izzah was a very helpful MP.

“Everything is just one tweet away with her. You know, there’s a pothole, you tweet her, you send her the picture and she’ll get it fixed,” said Simitha, referring to Nurul Izzah’s Twitter account, @n_izzah.

Retired landscape architect Carolyn Lau said she was happy that Nurul Izzah had made “Malaysian Spring” part of her campaign.

“She hasn’t had the financial goldmine, the piggy bank that the other party has, and she’s had to do things as effective and efficiently as she can,” said the 48-year-old.

Lembah Pantai, which has 72,553 voters, is a constituency of sharp contrasts, comprising the wealthy Bangsar where urbanites eat expensive macaroons, along with the low-cost homes in Kampung Pantai Dalam and Bukit Kerinchi.

Since his appointment as FT minister in 2009, Nong Chik has worked on various projects to uplift the constituency that includes the upscale Pantai and Bangsar neighbourhoods, as well as poorer sections in Brickfields and Pantai Dalam.

A residents’ initiative planting coloured flags to support Nurul Izzah Anwar is now part of the incumbent Lembah Pantai MP’s campaign to defend her seat against Umno strongman Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal.

Miniature blue, white, and red flags — the PKR vice-president’s party colours — as well as electoral reform group Bersih’s bright yellow were planted at a Bangsar roundabout as part of residents’ “Malaysian Spring” campaign for political change over the weekend.

But the same group had to stand up to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officers who had plucked the “flowers” hours later on Sunday, citing transgression of city by-laws.

The residents later replanted the flags, after criticising the City Hall officers for ignoring similar transgressions by Nong Chik’s Barisan Nasional (BN) campaign officials with their billboards and flags.

Nurul Izzah said the idea to make the “Malaysian Spring” as part of her campaign came after “one of the residents called me and said, ‘We’re going to fight for this place’.”

“Then the suggestion came from resident lawyers — they said one of the ways to mitigate this is to adopt it formally as part of my campaign material. So if you (DBKL) would like to remove them (the flags), you first and foremost have to remove the other paraphernalia belonging to Barisan Nasional,” the 32-year-old lawmaker told The Malaysian Insider.

Nurul Izzah — the eldest daughter of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim — is facing interim federal territories and urban wellbeing minister Nong Chik in the May 5 polls, the second minister she is contesting against after defeating then-women, family and community development minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in Election 2008.

readmore Raja Nong Chik and Dato Saravanan Embroiled In Prostit

Shah Alam voters, please pay attention. The last time people voted Zulkifli, he cheated them big time.

: Mohd Zin claims that he has got Selangor in his hands already. The people of Selangor may have been bombarded with BN propaganda but remember we are a state which braved the storm and chose Pakatan. We had reasons and we are not stupid.

The people of Selangor have transformed to become a very well informed lot, we know how to differentiate a cheat from an honest person. Selangor will not revert to BN.

fiction is safer to applaud than the actual badlands of PERKASA-UMNO where generations have been exploited by the State and criminal warlords, often working together. Law enforcement itself is a lie. Ask any victim, and there are thousands rotting in our jails without trial or justice, and they will tell you why. Much as I hate to admit it, even our democracy is a lie. We all know people in politics and business who manipulate the system through power and pelf. Even when they are caught, they sidestep justice because they know how to play the rotten, corrupt system. The funny thing is we survive all this because our lies that offer us hope in this darkness.

There are always superheroes who magically spring up to fight back evil. There are always placebos offered by religion, cults, alternative histories, articles of faith that we keep discovering in the hope they will lead us to deliverance. And that’s how every generation endures every injustice and finds a way to make their lives look better, their dreams look more real, their hopes glitter. If there indeed is a God particle, I would like to believe it exists in every lie we speak or live. For these lies fulfil us, make us who we are.

The perfect society is an imperfect lie. Those who sell it to us do so with the clear intent to manipulate. And when we buy into that dream, we do so knowing fully well that we are buying a Chinese-make fake. But, as in the movies, there’s a wilful suspension of disbelief that makes the trade possible. The buyer is aware he is buying into a lie. The seller knows he is selling a dud. But the conviction with which the seller sells the lie is matched only by the credulity of the buyer.

In politics this happens all the time. We hated the Left Front so much, not for what it did but what it did not do for West Bengal despite ruling for three decades  Did we think it was actually possible? I doubt it. We are not so gullible. This nation has lived with disillusionment for decades. But yes, we desperately needed hope

What we fail to realise is nations don’t change like this. Hope is a great thing but it cannot, by itself, transform a political system that is moribund. Did we really believe thatNajib was equipped to bring about the change Malaysia so acutely needed? Do we really think Najib, young and charming as he may be, can and will change the destiny of UMNO?.

The problem is: We do not want change. We love to kick out those who fail. It gives us a sense of power. Then we have a brief honeymoon with the successor which soon gives way to despair and rage. Never do we make a serious effort to seek out people or parties with a genuine agenda for transforming Malaysia. Everyone knows exactly what the problems are. But when elections come, we celebrate the tamasha. Politics today is just another form of entertainment. We love the rush of adrenaline in our blood, the buzz, the excitement, the thrill of watching celebrities beg for votes. Beyond that, there’s no serious thought. Reforms haven’t taken place for five years now. And I doubt anything will happen in the next two.

What we are missing out on is opportunity. A nation all set for stardom has opted to limp along because you and I get carried away by the glitter of politics, not the tough, difficult business of making  Malaysia better.

This is a political strategy, let’s not lose the plot. Najib fielded him to ensure his political aspirations is dead. This is because former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad nominated him.

A case of killing two birds with one stone. Give Mahathir what he wants, and make sure his guy don’t make it into power.

If you want a liar, a racist and a religious bigot (all-in-one like those coffee or bubble jet printers that they sell at the supermarket) to represent you, then by all means vote for him.Najib, this will go on record as the biggest blunder ever made in the history of Malaysian politics. Transformation candidate? Yeah right!

He will help transform Bolehland into Bigotland. It looks like BN is also not keen on offering good candidates to the people. So be it. People, you have to make your stand with your votes. Shah Alam constituents, please show this bigot the door.

But if you want someone with squeaky clean reputation, someone who doesn’t cheat and respect people regardless of race and skin colour, then choose incumbent MP Khalid Samad.

These two candidates are so different – like heaven and earth – so to make the right choice should not be difficult. Heck, I can’t believe BN would put someone like Zulkifli to go against Khalid… talk about poor decision.

We now have a better understanding of what Najib was talking about when he invokes the word “transformation” – it is just to package the old ideology into a more marketable wrapping and then slap a label on it.

This is totally stupid idea. Why? The voters are smart, they can read, analyse and think hard about their choices. If Zulkifli represents the best “transformation” BN can dish out, then I think Umno cannot change.Mukhriz as MB can sway fence-sitters,Sending a strong signal that Jerlun incumbent Mukhriz Mahathir will be menteri besar if BN takes over Kedah, “could sway fence-sitters in favour of BN”.According to a paid Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia political scientist Samsu Adabi Mamat, this was the feedback received when the university conducted a yet-to-be-published survey in Kedah …Read more

ALl these Universities never been published in the papers locally, which means not recognised or doesn’t exist. JPA and MQA should confirm whether these degrees from these universities are recognized. These universities are in website but are they Recognized is the question. Surprise that even those bn goons have to resort to fake degress. There are countless uni all over the world which provide easy courses and dish out degrees upon completion. Why buy one and dig own grave? No wonder bolehland is in a mess with high debts, massive corruption from top to bottom, increase in crime rate, rampant bigotry, bloated and inefficient civil service and on the path to bankruptcy and ruins.And fake degrees are in keeping with Najib’s fake 1Malaysia transformation which is in keeping with Mahathief’s fake Bangsa Malaysia visi 2020 all of which are as fake as that heavily Botoxed first woman.Fake degree is cheating. This is serious and a step to ….. I felt cheated when I had a good working staff with the same,and we have to dismiss him wehen we found out later for this unethical action. sad…

DAP election strategist Ong Kian Ming has questioned the academic qualifications of five Selangor BN candidates, which he claims come from questionable foreign education institutions.

Ong (left) named two parliamentary and three state candidates and questioned how BN could claim to have a “competent, dynamic and progressive” line-up when these candidates had degrees from bogus universities.

The BN candidates were revealed yesterday with great fanfare by Selangor BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak, the DAP election strategist said.

Even Selangor BN coordinator Mohd Zin Mohamed, Ong pointed out, also had said that its candidates “are highly competent, dynamic and progressive qualified individuals from various backgrounds who can take the state to greater heights in tandem with the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)”.

Selangor BN coordinator Mohd Zin – you can’t even do a simple QC check at this level; habis, macam mana to trust & expect UMNO/BN to perform at state level? Aiya….this is what happens when you spent more time sending unsolicited SMS to us, rather than providing a team with unquestionable integrity.

“It is highly disappointing that five BN candidates, two at the parliamentary and three at the state level, listed academic qualifications from institutions that can be best described as ‘degree mills’ – in other words, fake universities and colleges that issue bogus academic degrees for a payment,” Ong said.

“I call upon these five BN Selangor candidates to explain and to refute the fact that all of them have listed qualifications from reported degree mills. If they cannot properly explain to the voters, I urge them to withdraw themselves from contesting in the 13th general election.”

Of the five named as possessing qualifications from the “degree mills”, one is from Gerakan, one from Umno and three from the MCA.

Meanwhile, caretaker Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohillan Pillay, who is one of the five named responded immediately, asking Ong to provide the evidence to his claim.

“Anyway I will see about suing Ong for making such an allegation,” Kohillan told Malaysiakini. readmoreOur police should investigate Kohilan Pillay the Psychopat

 Voters remains unconvinced about Barisan Nasional candidate P Kamalanathan’s educational qualification.

MCA believes the sudden protest by Pakatan Rakyat-linked NGO Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) against BN’s use of the 1Malaysia logo in GE13 is a sure sign of the opposition fearing the success of the concept as it has won the hearts of the rakyat. MCA leaders are more concerned about preserving their jobs and avoiding going to jail for PKFZ and other fiascos like AES cameras that enrich cronies. They have no love for the people. That’s why they are willing to sell off their colleagues seats to Others instead of passionately focused on service to the Rakyat.

” MCA publicity bureau chairperson Heng Seai KieHeng Seai Kie, pls teach me how to lie with a straight face

This lady already learned how to talk cock like CSL. Ukinana, kanina This is the typical beauty of MCA, the Chief is a Tryst and this Heng Seai Kie is ever keen to save face for her tainted party, after being slapped on the right cheek she eagerly offer her Left cheek, these are Selfish self serving ” Or Yue Thunk ” as the Hokkien people call.

Using a strategy it has undertaken in peninsular Malaysia, the BN has taken up advertisements in Chinese language dailies distributing in Sabah and Sarawak to attack PAS on the issue of hudud.

“If SAMM is so quick and eager to claim 1Malaysia as a national property, then why was it that the Selangor Pakatan state government had rejected it and barred its citizens from flying or displaying this logo on billboards advertisements or in shoplots since 2010?” Heng asked

At that time, she said, SAMM had kept silent – in a display of “double standards and bias” – which she said casted doubts on the motive of its complaint to bar BN from using the logo.

If SAMM disputes its allegations and insists that 1Malaysia is national property, she challenged it to convince Pakatan to start wearing the 1Malaysia symbol on shirts and incorporate it into banners, flyers and posters, as well as ask DAP to change it “Malaysian Malaysia” concept to “1Malaysia”.
The half-page advertisements have been spotted in major Chinese dailies including See Hua Daily, Overseas Chinese Daily News, andAsia Times over the past few days.

“Never assume that a PAS take-over will never affect your lifestyle!” the advertisements read.

Yesterday’s edition features a picture of a person wearing red lipstick and red nail polish with the caption “Now you life is colourful”.

Next to that is a picture of a finger without nail polish on pale lips, captioned: “It would be like this if or when PAS takes over!”

On Monday, the advertisement featured a group of young people having alcoholic drinks, warning that a PAS rule will see an end to this.

Today, the BN advertisement showed a man getting a haircut from a pretty woman in one picture, while the other shows him getting a haircut an from unkempt-looking man.

This is likely a reference to a local council ban in Kelantan against unisex hair salons.

‘Scare tactic’

Referring to the advertisements that were also featured in Sandakan’s local Chinese-language newspaper Merdeka Daily News, PAS’ Tanjong Aru candidate Hamid Ismail has today condemned the adverts, adding that BN is engaging in a scare tactic to divide and rule society.

“This is a scare tactic to frighten non-Muslims. I challenge them to put up these ads in the Malay and English newspapers in Malaysia.

“Let the Muslims decide. It is an insult to Islam,” Hamid (right) told reporters at a press conference.

The lawyer said added that Pakatan Rakyat’s agenda is not hudud but “justice for all as stated in the federal constitution”.

“PAS has been consistent about this in the peninsular and Sabah and Sarawak.

“I advice against the use of hudud, race and religion to get votes. Sabah is a very harmonious place… don’t try to create racial tension,” he said before launching the party’s operation room in Asia City, Kota Kinabalu.

The newcomer will be contesting against PBS vice-president and double-term incumbent Edward Yong.

In 2008, Yong won in a three-corner fight against PKR and DAP, with a majority of 2,960.

Sabah DAP publicity secretary Chan Foong Hin, in a statement yesterday, accused Sabah BN of intimidating voters with unfounded accusations.

Chan pointed out that these tactics are aimed at creating fear among Chinese voters, hindering them from supporting PAS or Pakatan, and hence the possibility of regime change in this general election.

He added that PAS-ruled Kelantan has a wide tolerance for non-Islamic culture, religion and ways of life, for example having the tallest, biggest and longest Buddha figure in Malaysia.

Tanjong Aru is a Muslim-majority constituency within the parliamentary constituency of Putatan, with Muslim bumiputera making up 58 percent of voters, while the Chinese make up 27 percent and non-Muslim bumiputera 12 percent

Dr Chua Soi Lek and woman getting ready for annal sex why was he not arrested for anal sex bloody barisan musa hassan

Do you also fall in this category? Read on to find out…

t comes to female orgasms, it is the size of the penis, and not the duration of foreplay, that increases the likelihood of fulfillingreadmoreM.C .A ducks political hurricane Ride, Beggars, Ride on Malay Muslims for your votes

women’s sexual fantasies, suggests a new study.readmoreYou’re irresistible!Datuk Heng Seai Kie Sex Sex secrets sure to drive Chai Kim Sen wild!

Caretaker de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz today welcomed “principled” ex-PKR Zulkifli Noordin, who is contesting on a BN ticket in the Shah Alam parliamentary seat.he has little support outside of  Perkasat. Never mind, his UMNO public relations agency has subdued even the new media reporters

“He is a winnable candidate,” said Nazri at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.READMOREThe Ghost Darren Kang Tien Hua out to trap his murder at the place where he was mudered

He added that he has always liked Zulkifli personally, calling the Perkasa vice-president a good speaker, a good politician, a good principled man and one who can draw crowds and gain support for the coalition.Roll up, roll up…for the Perkasa Hype Tour that is dying to take you away…from reality, from conciliation, from tolerance, from grace, from the Constitution. Roll up, the Perkasa Tour will provide strong leadershipREADMOREINSP AZILAH HADRI, 30, AND KPL SIRUL AZHAR TOLD LAWYER ZULKIFLI NORDIN ORDER COME FROM NAJIB

I have this on good faith from a friend , who is neutral about Zulkifli . He affirmed a story I heard  about a bunch of Hindutva thugs, who chased a car because they had determined it was carrying pork. They seemed to have had intelligence…no, information, because intelligence is not part of the Perkasa, only bigotry.  They chased this butcher but he managed to escape into Petaling street market, a chinese neighborhood, where they dare not venture.ALl these Universities never been published in the papers locally, which means not recognised or doesn’t exist. JPA and MQA should confirm whether these degrees from these universities are recognized. These universities are in website but are they Recognized is the question. Surprise that even those bn goons have to resort to fake degress. There are countless … Read more

What has been the unique feature of the last decade (2000-2009)–the first decade of the new millennium–that ended four years ago? In the first world, where such events are duly kept record of, it has been the sociological debate between multiculturalism and assimilation.

Because there has been no clear outcome of this debate (perhaps, since it largely concerns the large immigrant and non-native populations in developed countries), the ghastly and morally outrageous crime of what is known as honour killing (but can be really be termed hubris killing) continues to take place also on their soil. For fear of being labeled ‘culturally insensitive,’ governments fail to identify, adequately report or solve this problem.

The cultural argument against multiculturalism countering the ethical and legal one of the universal nature of human values is that culture is merely a direct result of the unique geography rather than history of a particular place. Cutlery, dishwashers (which never took off in India), wines and sunbathing in the northern hemisphere offer specific illustrations of this principal at work while closer home it is the wok, the handloom gamchha and paan. To start living in cold Norway from the scratch, one has to learn to build a house. Hence, the need for adaption, acclimitization, learning of new habits, integration. When in Rome, do as Romans do, so goes the proverb.

In an assimilationist victory in November 2010, Switzerland voted to proscribe minarets following a four-year local opposition to a construction by the resident Turkish association, which may be short-lived, however, as the UN has slammed the ban as ‘discriminatory’. But west of the channel, the British Nationalist Party, which seeks to restore the overwhelmingly white ethnicity of Britain that existed prior to 1948, welcomed one ‘Mr Singh next door’ as its first Asian-origin member. And though the far-right Dutch Party for Freedom, whose leader Geert Wilders advocates banning the Quranand curbing Muslim religious freedom, ranked second in elections to the Netherlands parliament (he was subsequently snubbed by Turkey whose politicians refused to see him citing his views so that he was forced to cancel the trip. He performed poorly in the 2012 general election), there is a sneaking suspicion somewhere that the Establishment has at last appropriated a beautiful movement that started off as a clutch of robust, neoconservative voices that called for the return of foreign emigrants to their respective lands. For the success of a nation, at the root of it, is based on the strength of the morals of its people which directly influence the quality of their life. This campaign said to the migrant gold digger: If you want to preserve your ethnicity, go back to your country and make it on its soil. And help your country do the same. Or else become one of us. There is no middle path.…Read More →BAL KESHAV THACKERAY, FOUNDER OF SHIV SEN INSPIRED SO MUCH FEAR IN PEOPLE.JUST LIKE UMNO’S MAHATHIR AND PERKASA

But the strongest and most robust of these voices (Jorg Haider of Austria who died in 2008, Jean-Marie Le Pen of France who finished fourth in the 2007 national elections, Pia Kjaersgaard of the Danish People’s Party that has been the country’s third largest party in three successive elections since 2001 and Umberto Bossi, the incumbent Italian reforms minister) was that of former Marxist, homosexual and pragmatist, the flamboyant Pim Fortuyn. Portrayed as a Far Right populist, Fortuyn fiercely rejected this description of himself. Calling Islam “a backward culture”, he said if it were legally possible he would close the borders for Muslim immigrants to prevent what he saw as corruption of the Dutch way of life. He formed his party, LPF (Pim Fortuyn List) in February 2007, swept the preliminaries and was on the cusp of victory in the general election when he was assassinated just nine days prior to the polling. His party went on to win an unprecedented debut in Dutch parliament.

It was Fortuyn’s, and not George W Bush’s, that was the first, unequivocal and clearly unapologetic voice against radical Islam. What’s more, he offered the only viable solution — legal recourse and not invasion — a little prior to the time when Bush began to swallow his by-then infamous words, ‘war against Islam’.

Today, LPF has no presence in Holland. But since March 1, 2006, people who want to settle in the Netherlands are required to pass the “integration test” in their own country which includes a film which exposes the would-be immigrants to scenes of kissing homosexual men and topless women. Themessage is, “If you can’t tolerate gay lifestyle and public nudity, you are not allowed to be here.” So Europe which stopped the march of Islam in the medieval times would seem set to play a similar role, that of blocking Islamic radicalism, in the present era.

In 2004, the painter’s great grandnephew and filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and the Somalian-origin intellectual and politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, both critics of Islam, shot Submission, a 10-minute documentary on women in Muslim societies, that provoked strong reactions from the audience. Van Gogh, who refused protection, was shot two months after the film’s release while he was bicycling to work. Two years later, Hirsi Ali became the centre of a new controversy surrounding her citizenship when a television channel reported that she had given false information when applying for asylum and had covered the fact that the main reason for her migration had been threat of forced marriage. She was forced to resign from parliament and currently lives in the United States.

Amartya Sen’s 2006 treatise Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny (Issues of Our Time) puts forward the concept of multiple identity and roles at the individual level as a critique of Samuel Huntington’s seminal The Clash of Civilizations written a decade ago but fails to satisfactorily determine an answer to the dilemma of social loyalty should a national or political conflict of interest arise. Cases in point include US president Barack Obama’s initial policy on BPO jobs, Jaguar spurning Tata Motors in 2007 (insinuating that the US public was not ‘ready for ownership out of India of a luxury car brand such as Jaguar&rsquo and the rise of Nicki Haley and Bobby Jindal.

The escapism of Hirsi Ali (whose father, too, is a political figure in Somalia) that sparked her identity fraud in real terms was essentially a result of her defeat to sociopolitical forces in her native land. She remains a divided, contentious figure: one who was neither allegiant to nor nurturing of her natural identity but who protested its shortcomings.

If Hirsi Ali criticised Islam by becoming an outsider and pointing out along with others its exclusive need of reform, Iranian-Canadian Muslim refusenik Irshad Manji (The Trouble With Islam Today, St Martin’s Press, 2004) has fulfilled that objective by becoming the sole person, man or woman, worldwide, to have actually donned that difficult mantle, attempting to reinterpret and amend the religion from inside and stressing on upholding what she finds original and true in it, particularly where the roles and responsibilities of the sexes are concerned.

Irshad’s documentary, Faith without Fear, follows her journey to reconcile faith and freedom. Released in 2007, the film depicts the personal risks Manji has faced as a Muslim reformer. Disturbingly, her detractors dismiss her scholarship as coming from a western and hence privileged background.

On the ground, though, Iran’s Neda Agha Soltan is not the only martyr for the cause of Muslim renaissance, much hoped for but yet to arrive in 2010 or even in 2012, as the country goes to polls again this year. The Arab Spring has travelled to Bangladesh where it has taken a unique form. For the first time, some Muslims have recognized the argument for atheism and secularism if not reconciled it with their faith and for the first time a modern oriental culture has eschewed both escapism and atavism and looked history in the eye.

Flashback again to 2010-end when a rights forum reports the story of a 10-year-old Afghan girl whose face was disfigured with acid for going to school by the Taliban. She still goes to school today. Her parents, she said then, had told her that so long as she is not killed by them she must continue to receive her education and attend those classes.The powers that be in UMNO have repeatedly dressed up vindictiveness as a virtue, but if the king is naked, he deserves to be told that. I know that anyone can be sent to jail for at least a day if someone powerful doesn’t like something—like this blog.http://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com Everybody knows kerismudin is a macho samseng … Read more

Former Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shariff Omar will be expelled from Barisan Nasional (BN) component party Umno if he stands for elections as an independent on May 5, said Penang Umno chief Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman today.

“Any Umno member or leader who stands as an independent or chooses to support Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the upcoming polls, will be expelled from the party,” he told a press conference today.

Responding to Mohd Shariff’s statement last night that he will contest as an independent candidate for the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seat, Zainal said Mohd Shariff should be guiding the chosen candidates and helping them to win the campaign instead of doing this.

“He should be giving them the chance to contest as before this, they were the ones who had helped him to campaign and win the seat previously,” he said of Mohd Shariff.

The Umno veteran had openly criticised BN for choosing candidates that the “people do not want” when announcing his plans to contest for the seat.

He had said all four seats in Tasek Gelugor, one parliament and three state seats, will be lost since BN did not pick the “right”candidates to contest in Election 2013.

Yesterday, Penang BN announced its candidate line-up in which 33 our of 53 candidates were new faces.

Former Permatang Berangan state assemblyman Shabudin Yahaya has been picked to defend Tasek Gelugor after Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop decided not to defend his seat.

Mohd Shariff, who is also the former Agriculture and Agro-based Industries deputy minister, has been wanting to re-contest in that seat and was displeased that he was not picked this time around.

He had held the Tasek Gelugor seat for two terms between 1999 and 2008 before he gave way to Nor Mohamed Yakcop to contest for the seat in 2008.

Zainal said Mohd Shariff should be sharing his experience and giving guidance to the candidates instead of criticising the party for its choice of candidates.

“He has held so many positions in Umno for over 20 years so it is time that he give way to the young and to show his loyalty to the party by helping the party win this elections,” he said.

Zainal also urged other disappointed members, who had wanted to be candidates, not to contest as independents or under any of the PR component parties’ ticket.

The Penang BN deputy chief said they should all consider the party’s interest instead of thinking of their own interests.

“They should be helping the BN machinery to ensure that the chosen candidates win in the upcoming polls,” he said.

He reiterated that the list is finalised by the Prime Minister and BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak and believed that those chosen are the best to serve the people.

However, Zainal said the party leaders will be meeting with the disgruntled members soon to listen to their grouses, talk to them and advice them to continue serving BN.

Ong remains popular with Pandan constituents. — ―

Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is exploring a run for the Pandan constituency as an independent, days after he was dropped as Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for Election 2013. In a post on his Facebook page today he asked voters: “Pandan voters, will you support an Ong Tee Keat candidacy as an independent?” Earlier this morning a handful of his followers were seen parading around a wet market in Pandan in support of him. Tonight, another group is planning a demonstration to express their backing for him. But with nomination day on Saturday looming, Ong has so far not committed himself to contesting. Speculation over what Ong will do is being played out against the backdrop of his rivalry with MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who has been singled out as the man behind the decision. Dr Chua was quoted earlier today by the Chinese-language Nanyang Siangpau newspaper as saying the reason Ong had been dropped as a candidate was because he had been allegedly criticising BN and MCA.READMOREWhistleblower vs whistleblower can Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek last without sex?

Ong said last week he would “cross the bridge when [he comes] to it”. —If Ong decides to stand as an independent, he will face his replacement from the party, 39-year-old lawyer Garry Lim Chin Yee, and PKR’s Rafizi Ramli. “I will cross the bridge when I come to it. MCA list will be judged by the people soon,” Ong told The Malaysian Insider earlier this week. Ong, who has been at loggerheads with his successor Dr Chua, is the five-term MP for the Pandan federal seat but was unceremoniously left out of the running

Former Tasik Gelugor MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shariff Omar announced last night he will still contest the seat despite Barisan Nasional (BN) choosing another candidate for the May 5 general election.

Shariff had expected to regain the berth after Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop agreed not to stand again despite winning there in Election 2008. It was one of two federal seats that BN won in Penang in that general election.

The former deputy minister with a strong following in Tasek Gelugor criticised the BN leadership for picking candidates that were against the people’s wishes.

“I will be a Pakatan Rakyat-friendly candidate for this seat,” the 65-year-old told reporters after an impromptu gathering of some 2,000 supporters outside his house here.

“I can be an independent, can be on DAP ticket, I can stand under PKR or PAS because all their leaders are my friends,” he added, hours after BN announced that Shahbudin Yahya will contest the Tasek Gelugor seat.

Shariff predicted that there could multi-cornered fight in Tasek Gelugor and the three state seats in that constituency.

Former Sungai Dua state assemblyman Datuk Jasmin Mohamed, who was dropped, could be defending his seat as an independent as BN has already picked a new face, Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor, to defend the state seat.

When asked if he was willing to face the consequences of being expelled from the party for contesting as an indedendent, Shariff said the party leadership could do so anytime.

“If they want to expel me, then by all means do so, do it tonight and don’t just threaten us,” he said.

Shariff insisted that he will stand as a candidate “no matter what” before warning BN that it may lose Tasek Gelugor, which is considered the coalition’s stronghold.

“If they are not careful, they should not expect Tasek Gelugor to be a safe constituency but actually a big risk that they’ve taken here,” he said.

The former deputy minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industry first stood in Tasek Gelugor in 1999 where he won with a majority of 4,236 votes. In 2004, he beat PAS candidate Mujahid Yusof Rawa by a landslide 10,183-vote majority.

But he gave up the seat in 2008 for the then second finance minister Nor Mohamed, who kept the seat for BN with a 4,547-vote margin, defeating Ismail Salleh of PAS.

Mohan said “BN did not consider the sacrifices [he] made”.Another BN leader, A. Mohan, told a press conference earlier of his intention to contest the Batu Kawan federal seat and to resign from Gerakan.

“BN did not consider the sacrifices I made in these past four years to serve the people but the party obviously did not appreciate my hard work,” the BN Batu Kawan co-ordinator said.

Visibly upset, Mohan said he has also decided to quit from his party but he currently has no plans to join other parties.

“I was confident that we (BN) could win back the Batu Kawan seat if given the chance but now that they are going for a candidate who is new even in this area, we may not win,” he said.

when BN’s final list of contenders was finally handed over to component party chiefs. Aside from Ong, other political heavyweights dropped from the contest include MCA vice-presidents Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen and Gan Ping Sieu. Ong and Ng are the incumbent MPs for Pandan and Raub, respectively, while Gan was appointed senator after losing his Mengkibol state seat in Johor. Gan was once said to be on Ong’s team during a fractious faction war in MCA that took place shortly after the tumultuous 2008 polls saw the party’s parliamentary representation slashed by half. Dr Chua deposed Ong as MCA president in 2010, but the latter remains popular with independent Chinese voters and significant numbers within BN.READMOREPandan MP Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat have only himself to blame the perfumes of Barisan Ong insisted last February that he would contest as a BN candidate in Pandan ― going up against PKR strategy director Rafizi, a well-known opposition politician ― after Dr Chua dropped him from the party’s nominees list for the 13th general election. Ong had at the time also brushed off a question on whether he would choose to stand as an independent candidate should BN decide against selecting him to defend Pandan. He also would not say if he felt he was BN’s or Najib’s choice candidate for the seat. Both points, he said then, were merely speculation that he should not dwell on until a concrete decision is announced by the BN leadership. It is understood that Ong is favoured by senior leaders in Umno to defend his Pandan parliamentary seat because of his personal popularity among constituents there. Observers also believe that the best chance for BN to retain the seat was to field Ong, especially in a contest against Rafizi, known as PKR’s “exposé man”. MCA won only 15 out of 40 parliamentary seats that it contested in Election 2008; seven of the seats it won are located in Johor.READMOREDulu 56 kini 20 PAPAMUGOMO decodes selama-lama zero

Jayanthi Devi Balaguru’s husband a King Con

Social media and elections: a developing story

The Prime Minister is as serious about reforming Government through generational change as he is about fighting corruption and to that end he has announced that all potential Barisan Nasional candidates at GE13 must be vetted and cleared by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) before they can be endorsed.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak made the announcement in New Delhi saying: “We will refer their names to MACC, and if they have doubtful files, they will not pass the vetting process.”

This is a brave move by Najib given that it comes with some risk because no one within the BN federal leadership knows what such checks will uncover. But it is a course of action utterly consistent with his commitment to tackle corruption and weed out corrupt individuals on both sides of politics.

Najib’s pledge to submit his candidates to this degree of unprecedented scrutiny is a response to a call by the Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel (CCPP) which Thursday invited all parties to voluntarily submit to vetting by the MACC at a state and federal level.

CCPP Chairman Datuk Johan Jaafar said: “We were encouraged by the spirit that all parties have stated their support to fight corruption. Therefore we hope to get the support of all parties on this question.”

And he said it should not be a one-off process, but should be on-going.

“They should not just do so before taking the post but also each year after taking the post. There should be no exception on this matter,” he added.

Barisan Nasional candidate, Jayanthi Devi Balaguru of Gerakan is confident of winning the Segambut parliamentary seat in the 13th General Election.

“I’m quiet certain that we (BN) will wrest the Segambut this time around,” said the high spirited first timer.

Though a newcomer, Jayanthi believed that is not a yardstick to determine her abilities to help Segambut constituents and residents.

Few things excite us more than lies. We constantly lie to ourselves. We lie to those around us, particularly those close to us. In fact, the closer they are, the more we lie to them. We lie to perfect strangers as well. Entire professions and industries have grown around the art of the lie. The more we lie, the better we lie, the more brilliant we are seen to be.

“In the last four years, Segambut residents and constituents have seen for themselves the struggle and effort put in by BN, even though the opposition held the seat,” said the 52-year-old lawyer.

Jayanthi, who is the Secretary-General of Gerakan Women’s Wing and BN Segambut coordinating chairman will be contesting the Segambut parliamentary seat against DAP’s incumbent Lim Lip Eng,  who won with a majority of 7,732 votes in 2008.

Segambut is one of the hot seats in Kuala Lumpur which BN hopes to secure in this election, after it lost its grip of the stronghold in the 2008 General Election.

Creative people lie because that’s what all art is about. More people watch feature films than documentaries. More people switch away from news to entertainment channels because after a while reality begins to spook us. Fiction is easier to live with because we know it’s a lie. Readers prefer it as well. So, most non-fiction books today are almost fiction. We read what we find more exciting, not necessarily what is more truthful.Fifty Shades of Grey excites us more than Putin’s biography. Not only is fiction more attractive, more popular, in fact sexier; it’s more enduring. Even great actors are remembered more by the roles they played. Marlon Brando is remembered more as Stanley Kowalski or Terry Malloy or Vito Corleone, the Godfather, than as Calcutta-born Anna Kashfi’s husband or Christian’s father. The lie has outlived the truth.

“We are colour blind in providing services and this is easily proven by the hard work put in by BN to address some of their problems in the last four years.”

Jayanthi said with the help of City Hall and Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry, BN Segambut has managed to help residents of a housing scheme along Jalan Segambut overcome flood issues.

“We proposed some upgrading works to the respective authorities and now it’s being carried out in stages,” she said.

Jayanthi said they also have plans to turn one of the villages into “Kampung Warisan’.

“We are half way there. BN Segambut has more suggestions and improvement plans in the pipeline. However, we need a mandate to continue with the hard work,” she stressed.
Jayanthi added that she is confident that the constituents in Segambut are also aware of BN’s commitment and hard work.No marriage can work on the basis of absolute truth. No employer would ever hire an employee if he or she sent in a CV that listed nothing but the truth. No woman would ever love a man if she knew only the truth about him. No politician would ever win an election if he simply spoke the truth. No business would survive if the entrepreneur valued the truth more than opportunity. In fact, no nation would endure if its leaders told the people the actual state of the economy or why the most crucial political decisions were taken. Lies are an integral part of our survival strategy. They are what make this world go round.

The calculus of all faith is a lie. The history we read is often a lie. It’s almost entirely documented by court historians hired by ruling dynasties to make them look good.. So their crimes are glossed over. The ugliness is airbrushed. So is the wanton bloodshed and brutality. Much of what we call civilisation is a lie created to defend what is actually colonisation of the mind. Most nations are born out of carnage and tears. Yet we create new mythologies that lend a purpose to our sense of nationhood. The America that boasts so much about its role as a global peace keeper is the same America that was built on wiping out its original occupants. Look at us. Do we know or even want to know the truth about what is happening in Kashmir or Manipur or the tribal hinterland? It’s far more comforting to believe the lies the State tells us.

The Wasseypur of fiction is safer to applaud than the actual badlands of Bihar where generations have been exploited by the State and criminal warlords, often working together. Law enforcement itself is a lie. Ask any victim, and there are thousands rotting in our jails without trial or justice, and they will tell you why. Much as I hate to admit it, even our democracy is a lie. We all know people in politics and business who manipulate the system through power and pelf. Even when they are caught, they sidestep justice because they know how to play the rotten, corrupt system. The funny thing is we survive all this because our lies that offer us hope in this darkness.

There are always superheroes who magically spring up to fight back evil. There are always placebos offered by religion, cults, alternative histories, articles of faith that we keep discovering in the hope they will lead us to deliverance. And that’s how every generation endures every injustice and finds a way to make their lives look better, their dreams look more real, their hopes glitter. If there indeed is a God particle, I would like to believe it exists in every lie we speak or live. For these lies fulfil us, make us who we are.

“I’m sure the residents can compare the changes brought by BN and the opposition. I guess the grassroots are also aware of who is more capable,” she said.

Jayanthi has been actively involved in Gerakan since 2004 and was elected as the Federal Territory Wanita Head in 2008.

			Jayanthi Devi Balaguru Pengerusi Barisan Nasional Segambut
			Other Political Positions:Professional Bodies:Non Governmental Organizations: Pledge: Vision: Objective:	Central Committee Member of PGRM Secretary General of Wanita National PGRM State Chairman of Wanita FT PGRMMember of Bar Council Malaysia Member of The Chartered Institute of Arbitration of LondonSecretary of Persatuan Gerak Wanita Malaysia President of Persatuan Pengguna Wanita Nasional Committee Member of Rumah Kebajikan Kanak-kanak Our HomeInspired by People, for the People. Colour Blind-1Malaysia All Malaysians are created equal and that no Malaysian should be judged by the color of their skin nor creed.

What was Maya Kodnani’s fault? She may have been the foot soldier who indulged in gruesome acts of violence in Naroda Patiya. But she could hardly have acted alone. Here was an “efficient” CM who must have been directing the state police machinery to supposedly control the violence. Surely he could have instructed his partymen to maintain calm and peace. If Kodnani had been told that, would she have still continued with her misdeeds? No way. On the contrary, Kodnani was brazen in the way she wielded a sword and attacked poor and helpless muslims in her constituency. Clearly, she had the “blessings” of her CM.

For her to be now junked by Modi in this way must hurt. Modi is driven by his own interests. In his desire to be seen as secular, he must have found merit in junking his colleague. After all, this will give him the talking points to neutralize those who accuse him of shielding the perpetrated of the crime. It will to some extent blunt Nitish Kumar’s charge against him. Modi supporters can be expected on TV panels tonight, promoting Modi’s cause of being “impartial”, and punishing “all those who are guilty”, irrespective of whether they belong to his party or not. Except of course for himself. For Modi, Kodnani is a mere “pawn” in the elaborate battle that is being fought. Kodnani is a sacrifice worth being made. In the larger battle, Kodnani is an irritant. Even an irritant offers an opportunity to the savvy politician. Modi always realized that. Kodnani is only now realizing it.

Ditto the other man who calls himself Bajrangi. Even his colorful and suggestive name couldn’t give him protection from the aspirations of Modi. The man – for whom no one should have sympathy but who deserves better than this – will now repent having sided with Modi. Like Haren Pandya’s family does. And like Advani and Kodnani no doubt do too.

The more the spotlight shines on Modi, the more we get to see his true colors. Modi is desperate to change the dialogue, and talk of development. Already, he is being countered there, being branded “feku” (gas bag). Modi’s PR driven push for PMship is putting off not only the party’s allies (the relationship with JD(U) is all but over), but also upsetting many in his own party. Advani and Sushma Swaraj are keeping quiet for now; but this to me, looks like the proverbial calm before the storm. The Congress needn’t worry about Modi. His own party and allies will finish him off.

The real truth is that Modi is untrustworthy as a friend. Even dangerous. Haren Pandya, Advani and now Maya Kodnani have all experienced what it means to be Modi’s friend. Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley could well be next in line. Let time pass. The truth – the real truth – will become well established….

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has urged Indians to return BN its two-thirds majority in the forthcoming general election.

In pledging full support for the ruling coalition, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy said that all Indians must start spreading the word that their welfare will only be taken care off by BN.

He was speaking during an event in Brickfields today which saw BN chairperson Najib Razak signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hindraf to implement the BN-Hindraf five-year blueprint for the Indian community.

It covers four main areas – the upliftment of displaced estate workers, resolving the issue of statelessness, the  provision of both education and business opportunities.

However, the Hindraf-BN agreement apparently did not address a number of key areas of the movement’s blueprint, especially racism and deaths in police custody.

According to the agreement, should BN retain federal power, it would set up a new unit under the Prime Minister’s Office to implement the details of the MOU.

Waythamoorthy said that change must not only take place in terms of “faces that leads the country” but the changes must take place in the lives of Malaysian, especially the Indian poor.

Pakatan ignored us

Gujarat cop Sanjeev Bhatt’s revelations, contained in his affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, may come as a surprise to many. But for all those who lived in Gujarat during those fateful days and were in the thick of things, the contents only provide substantiation of what they had heard then. A top police officer of the state told me a couple of days after the riots started how director general of poice K Chakravarthy was uncomfortable on being told by Narendra Modi at a meeting to allow Hindus to vent their feelings.Though perturbed, Chakravarthy, a naturally timid person, could not muster the guts to stand up to his boss. So, instead he lamented to top police officers like the person to whom I had spoken. Or at least that is what the officer told me It was also being speculated that not only had “Hindus” been allowed to vent their feelings, they had been given “three days” to do this. Then defence minister George Fernandes who had been sent to Ahmedabad by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also knew of this “three days” and I personally can vouch for this. With a view to figure out what he was up to, I had called on Fernandes on Saturday, March 2, 2002, in Circuit House in Ahmedabad. Initially, I had some apprehension about how much time the minister would give me because he was on a mission and the riots were on full blast. But I was pleasantly surprised that he had all the time in the world for me. Very soon I could figure out the purpose Fernandes was so keen to engage me in conversation: he wanted to cross-check the facts of the riots that he had heard. It was a long three-hour meeting. At one point the chief secretary, G Subba Rao, and additional chief secretary Ashok Narain, along with a senior army officer, came into the room. They had been confabulating with the minister before I dropped in. Leaving them behind, Fernandes took me to his room. Now the officials wanted to know if they should wait or could leave. The minister asked them to leave and resumed his conversation with me. Fernandes spoke about a whole lot of things, how Ahmedabad had changed, how he had come to the city when there was a massive riot in 1969, how he had walked to the Governor Shriman Narayan’s house from the airport at that time, etc. With the evening advancing and the need for me to go back to the office, I excused myself. Fernandes persisted but I went out. As I climbed down the stairs, the defence minister beckoned me once again from the top of the stairs and said that I should have dinner with him. In the end, I retraced my path. While having an early dinner, Fernandes who was beating around the bush for so long suddenly let it out: “ I have heard that the rioters have been allowed three days time before any action is taken?” I shot back: “ Ya, I have also heard it.” The minister said: “Humm. I see.” We continued on the dinner silently. I must admit that there was no talk about the Modi meet about which Sanjiv Bhatt has now filed an affidavit. But very soon our meeting was broken. Harin Pathak, the minister of state for defence and the BJP MP from Ahmedabad and a hardliner himself, walked into the room with decisive steps and plonked himself on the sofa. In the manner that he walked in it seemed that Pathak was aware that we were having a long meeting and wanted to be privy to the conversation. Immediately after the dinner, I left the place.

A couple of months later, the Outook magazine ran an exclusive report on a serving minister of the Gujarat government having deposed before a citizens’ commission about the Modi meeting on the evening of January 27 where the chief minister had talked about allowing the Hindu reaction. The minister was not named but I instinctively knew that it was Haren Pandya. So I called Pandya and said: “So you tendered evidence before the commission?” Pandya demanded: “How do you know?” I said: “I can make out because you have told me this before. Though I am not sure about others because there is some speculation that it is Suresh Mehta ( another minister). But I am sure your boss Modi can make out too.” The minister said in a dismissive tone: “Who cares about him.” Then I told Pandya: “But your testimony is second hand. Why don’t you get me somebody who attended the meeting and confirm this to me?” Pandya thought for a moment and replied: “Chakravarthi (director general of police ) can.” I told him: “I don’t know him. But since you were close to him and once were his boss as home minister, why don’t you set up a meeting.” Pandya said: “Let me get back to you.” He was back on the line in 10 minutes. “I have spoken with him. Here is his cell number. You have to ask him the questions but he will answer only in yes or no. He is not willing to go any further.” OK, I said and kept down the phone. In the event I did not call up Chakravarthi. The reason: I had written an article for the edit page about the guilty men of Gujarat and had named Chakravarthi and this was going to appear in the paper the next day. I did not think it morally right to get information from a source one day and next day publish an article that would put him on the mat. Moreover, the prospect on a yes or no answer did not appeal to me.
A few months later when I came to know of the names of officers who were present at that fateful meeting, I asked one of them about what had transpired. The officer, Anil Mukim, then private secretary to Modi and now a joint secretary to GOI told me: “Not while I was there.” My specific query was: “Did Modi say that a Hindu reaction be allowed?”. I noted from media reports recently that this is also exactly what Mukim told the SIT on the Gujarat riots. If I recollect correctly Ashok Narayan, the additional chief secretary (home) who had attended the meeting told the Nanavati Commission that there were instructions that the bodies of all those perished in the Godhra train carnage be allowed to be brought to Ahmedabad. This is what Sanjiv Bhatt has also said as part of his affadavit about what had transpired at the meeting.
Incidentally, it seems that on the evening of February 27 there were two meetings that had been convened by Modi. The first one was a law and order meeting with top cops and secretaries, which Sanjiv Bhatt is supposed to have attended. The other was a meeting of ministers. Haren Pandya had told me that at this meeting some of the ministers said that the bodies of those who died in the Godhra carnage be brought to Ahmedabad. Haren said that he resisted because he felt that this could lead to an outpouring of sentiments leading to a serious law and order situation. Pandya said that he was outshouted at the meeting and mentioned a minister (I am withholding the name, but it was not Modi) who said that this is what we want. “Our party strength is in Ahmedabad. We want everything to happen here. It will help our party.”
Haren Pandya was murdered under mysterious circumstances in early 2003, so he cannot come back to life to testify whatever is attributed to him by me. I am acutely aware of this. I am also aware that George Fernandes is suffering from Alzhiemer’s, a disease that robs its patients of all his memoriesreadmore.

Of all the things that are impacting the Indians in Malaysia, this low life uneducated corrupt bastards is fighting for a tamil movie…just don’t know what to say…

If this fools game plan is to use the movie sentiment to gather Indian support then he is showing how dumb he is…another symptom of panic becoming sidelined and loosing everything in the next GE or he is now the mouthpiece of our dear architect Tun…don’t worry Vella Pariah, you are already irrelevant as much as Indians are concerned…go back to spending your dad’s ill earned money and duduk diam lah…

In case there are any Hindus who read this article, I have good news for you! You can get saved and know it. Here is how:

1. Realize that you are guilty and deserve hell because of your sins:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Read more

It is for this reason that many persons with criminal background have often been elected. Democracy was never meant to be run in this manner, and this has blocked our progress. Hence fundamental social and political changes are now required.  not feudal, society. But the intention of our founding fathers, was that democracy and other … Read more MICS’ DEATH WISH IN GI3 THE ULTIMATE DEBATE DON’T BE SHORT-CHANGED!

Emraan Hashmi accused a housing society in Bandra of “religious discrimination”  DNA The stampede at Allahabad Railway station that killed 36 (and counting) pilgrims last evening is sad, but anyone who expresses surprise that it happened is not in sync with ground realities. In a country that is insensitive … Read more

The stampede at Allahabad Railway station that killed 36 (and counting) pilgrims last evening is sad, but anyone who expresses surprise that it happened is not in sync with ground realities. In a country that is insensitive to the hilt when it comes to crowd management, where common man is herded around like cattle, claims to great organisation notwithstanding, the only surprise is that at events of the magnitude of Kumbh, so few accidents take place.

“They said there will be a meeting, but none of the leaders showed up,” he said, adding that Pakatan had “insulted” Hindraf.

“I thought of them as friends,” he added.

He admitted that there will be criticism over this deal, and acknowledged that some might accuse the movement of “selling out”.

“But I hope the prime minister will prove all of them wrong by seeing through with this agreement,” he said.

He claimed that 1.5 million Indians stand to benefit from this new arrangement.

Najib inks ‘new deal’ with Hindraf

He also took dig at the opposition, saying that Hindraf had “begged” Pakatan Rakyat to endorse its blueprint even after five years of non-delivery towards Indians in Pakatan-administered states.AS MY FEET WALK THRU DRY AND BARREN PLACES AND MY SOUL HAS FELT NO RAIN FOR A WHILE BUT I BELIEVE IN THE WIDOWS EMPTY BARRELS SHE HAD FAITH ENOUGH TO BRING A VAST SUPPLY AND IM HUNGARY FOR ANOTHER WAVE OF GLORY ITS A FRESH TOUCH YOU HAVE PROMISED COULD BE MINE, I …Read more

“Even after they failed to deliver in five states, I told them we can do it right this time, in this election. Until few days ago, I was still begging them.

Mainstream media discourse is unethically lopsided with scarce informed analyses of state affairs or bold initiatives to expose corruption in the public and private sectors. Standards of journalism continue to slide because of weak editorial leadership and poor professional training.This mess must be addressed if May 5 ushers in a new regime. And, if the miracle does happen, I hope the new government – after the euphoria – will not evolve to become what they have relentlessly opposed. However, if BN continues to rule, but with a smaller majority, we will endure and build more windmills to catch the winds of change and keep the momentum turning for another five years

It’s an interesting hypothesis but not one, in my view, borne out by the study.

The fairly crude statistical analysis goes like this: look at the number of FB users, voters and margin of victory in a constituency, and look for constituencies in which the number of FB users exceeds the margin of victory. Conclusion: in those constituencies, FB could sway an election.

These are what I see as the problems in this analysis:

1. The study does not measure what if any is the overlap between FB users and voters, without which the analysis is incredibly crude.

an FB user is probably less likely to vote and by extension sway an election.

2. The study does not look at the types of conversations people are having on Facebook. In my experience of FB and Twitter, people with existing preferences for a political party ‘follow’ the party and have discussions with like-minded people. If the study was able to demonstrate that FB was swaying voter beliefs, then its ability to swing elections could be discussed. But it doesn’t.

The most compelling statistic I’ve seen on this came from a Pew Research survey on social media and politics in the US. One question asked respondents: “Have you, personally, ever…changed your views about a political issue after discussing it or reading posts about it on a social networking site?”

More generally, I feel this study – and many commentators – make the mistake of seeing Facebook as a “thing” that can “do” things to its users (sway/ convince) rather than a “place” where, like a tea-shop, people have conversations, more often than not with people like themselves.

The potential of the social media in influencing Indian politics is immense and fascinating. Unfortunately, I don’t think this study proves it.

Emergence of right-wing demagogues. PERKASA propagates a Malay birth-right to rule and perpetuates a sense of entitlement, regardless of the lack of merits or needs. UMNO fights for Malay rights and Islam. Chinese NGOs fight for Chinese rights. The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) fights for Indians and Hinduism, although we recognise that the movement was born from the plights of Malaysia’s poorest Tamils

• Money drives the politics. Corruption creates the connections. Politics open the pathway to ill-gotten wealth. Hence, the jostles and backstabs for nominations. Overlooked candidates feel short-changed, so they sell their soul to any party or anyone just to stay in politics for self-gain than for public service.

• Iconoclasts are demonised as threats to national security. Sedition laws are invoked or courts approached to silence political dissent.readmore ‘Flirtatious’: SEX, LIES, AND EMAIL Who Owns My Brain?

• Government cabinet comprises more corrupt imbeciles than intelligent technocrats with integrity.

• Poor land and sea border control – evident by the invasion of Lahad Datu – and the influx of illegal immigrants by sea and land. The country’s intelligence and surveillance forces are in doubt.

• Rising violent crime in the city targeted at the elderly and young vulnerables. This is symptomatic of a failed and corrupt police force.

• Continuing brain drain, exacerbated by the influx of unskilled labour from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Petaling Street of today is no longer one that I remember in the 70s.

• Budget deficit is in its ninth year, which means grave implications on public services and taxes.

• Mainstream media discourse is unethically lopsided with scarce informed analyses of state affairs or bold initiatives to expose corruption in the public and private sectors. Standards of journalism continue to slide because of weak editorial leadership and poor professional training.

readmore Nurul Izzah anwar In search of a better Malaysia

 

Najib :self-inflicted Sex, lies and abuse

Ziana Zain reply toNajib’s valentine song

Ziana is still turning heads in the local music industry,  Najib’s valentine song to Ziana Zain    Ziana Zain reply toNajib’s valentine song There are certain things which deserve to be regulated, but banning them outright leads to unintended effects. The repressed will return in ugly and distorted forms, posing problems for governance and leading to social, economic and cultural stagnation. The four best examples … Read more

but Altantuya was killed in 2006 by two of Najib’s former bodyguards amid speculation that she had threatened to expose his corruption in the government’s RM7.3bil acquisition of 2 Scorpene submarines.

Now there is Flora.

News that the mysterious Flora was another lass in the PM’s ‘harem’ is bound to reverberate and seal his already shaky fate in Umno, where purportedly there are already a dozen plots to oust him by leaders including his own deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and former mentor Mahathir Mohamad.

“We did a background check on Flora. She is a Malaysian Chinese and her address at that time was listed as being from Ampang,” said Deepak.All the perfumes of Businesswoman Flora Ong Is Najib shockingly judgemental? It is clear Deepak has more details than he has revealed so far, and these are bound to be even more sizzling. “When Rosmah found out, she was very angry and we were sent to locate Flora and bring her to Rosmah. However, the … Read more

“When Rosmah found out, she was very angry and we were sent to locate Flora and bring her to Rosmah. However, the situation was defused a few days later with the sacking of a senior political secretary from the Ministry of Finance,” said Deepak.Ever so often I come across a man I bestow with the MBA tag. It’s not an academic credential; it’s just an abbreviation for Married But Available! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out when a man’s hitting on a woman. It’s flattering when the gentleman in question is a single male who is more interested in who you are than someone who is bombarding you with an “in your face” display of raging hormones, middle age crisis, and marital dissatisfaction. I’m a tough cookie who can masterfully handle the overtures of strangers, colleagues and acquaintances, and I can eyeball to eyeball, politely but firmly tell them there are boundaries that can never and should never be crossed. The problem is when it comes to telling off married friends or spouses of close friends. It’s such a tricky space! On instinct you want to match their gleaming ring finger with a visual of your middle finger, but realise it’s so easy to break bonds that are special, but with a little effort can actually not just strengthen it but possibly save relationships, so I just give them a tight hug. I tell them I feel so sorry they’re going through a bad space, remind them of all the crazy fun times they’ve had with their spouses, create a dream space of what they were as a couple, area as parents and what they will be like as happy, loving grandparents with loads of family love and support around them. I remind them that whilst I may be a genuine well wisher, there may be others that that might succumb or fall prey depending on the head space of the individual, but infidelity can only lead to unhappiness and I would certainly not want to be the architect of someone’s grief. Because I care

!

encounters with Women’s Day in the real world. On the internet, however, all sorts of people are celebrating Women’s Day with many different types of activities. They are so self-righteous, they could almost be men. Must be a different Women’s Day online, from the one offline and in the real world? I mean, world’s largest … Read more

Hypnotising people to the truth Now there is Flora.

. “It’s a queer sensation, this secret belief that Najib-Rosmah and  Soi Lek stands on the brink of the Malaysia’s greatest catastrophe. For it means the fall of UMNO-Barisan,

Najib is a charmer and an articulate man. “ Women would always be floored by him,” says internationally acclaimed Dom Moraes whether the bond that Najib shared with Ziana zain chartered a new course for UMNO will always remain a subject of intense speculation for many years to follow. A relationship that flourished in the hill station of Malaysia is probably the biggest thorn in UMNO’s Rose today.

Some weeks back, we read news reports in various newspapers about Papagogo and OutSyed blogger who shot an obscene video of his wife and threatened to blackmail her for more dowry. Actually, we read a little more than just that — newspapers pointed out that the act that was filmed was one of ‘unnatural sex’ according to some and sodomy according to more detail-oriented accounts. As far as news goes, perhaps there is nothing wrong about the reports — the facts had been stated, not sensationalised, and certainly the story, tragic as it is, was newsworthy. readmore Our politicians disprove the charge that we don`t care for relics of the past  Cynics might say that, considering the deplorable condition of many misrule  remaining victims of the not-so-benign neglect of its officially appointed protector. Horror stories abound about  Barisan misruleThe walls of fortresses, palaces and havelis which have witnessed the romantic pageant of … Read more

The question is whether it was necessary to point out what the precise nature of the infraction was. How necessary was it to highlight the fact that the husband sodomised his wife and filmed her? Was the fact that a husband would stoop to filming any act of sex with his wife and threaten to circulate a video not disturbing enough? The specific nature of the offence might increase reader interest given its apparent unnaturalness, but is there not a line that mainstream newspapers should respect and stay within?Najib :self-inflicted Sex, lies and abuse   Ziana Zain reply toNajib’s valentine song Ziana is still turning heads in the local music industry,  Najib’s valentine song to Ziana Zain    Ziana Zain reply toNajib’s valentine song There are certain things which deserve to be regulated, but banning them outright leads to unintended effects. The repressed will return in … Read more

Peopled by a younger, more aspirational, more impatient and more demanding generation. Our people are expecting much more from their political parties. Today’s malaysia is better informed and better equipped to communicate. This is a phenomenon, a churning that we must understand and continue to respond to.”

the principal political challenges before the party and the government at a time when UMNO 2′s credibility is seen to have taken a beating due to corruption scandals, an anemic economy and demoralizing electoral system. “Is it not the case that we have squandered many opportunities that people are willing to give us simply because we have been unable to function as a disciplined and united team,”Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin, or more popularly known as ‘Kak Listen’ after a video showing her berating University Utara Malaysia (UUM) law student KS Bawani during a forum last month went viral on the Internet, will respond to the issue soon. “We will win, because we are right, and because reason is on … Lifting the CURFEW in theBrains of our youth to kick the UMNO-BARISAN OUT

For media in particular, the need to draw sharper boundaries between real and fake  These UMNO agents are a group of depraved sexual psychopaths. Unlike UMNo of its founding fathers, todays party is morally bankrupt and has to resort to thuggery, racism and sex videos to stay in power.When are they going to release the “Port Dickson tryst” between Najibjiji and  Zianna zaian and between Nazri  and Marina MahathirThe majority of Pandan MCA’s committee members came out today to refute their party president’s claim that Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has been excluded from the Election 2013 contest, insisting the division has not decided on its choice candidate yet. The leaders revealed that the division has not even met a single time to …Read more

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz  caught with his pant down is the biggest joke in Malaysia your guess his lady partner in LondonIt’s time to acknowledge some of the ‘stand out’ performances of the year.Well, Raja Nong Chik  can bury the past, but you cannot bury wounds. Wounds need to be healed. Unfortunately, we have not done so.We don’t want to face the ugly truth. We don’t really want to understand what is about us Now how on … Read more

WOMEN ADMIT SEX WITH  THIS PORNSTAR SOI LEK ALWAYS BETTER

The Internet has been the greatest single disruption in the way we create, organise, access, process and re-circulate knowledge. The idea that knowledge,  could be accumulated, assimilated, stored permanently, and made accessible free of cost for the most part, at the click of button anywhere in the world is a truly radical one. When such a discontinuous new mode of knowledge gathering and sharing becomes so widely available, one would expect, even without being an expert in the field, for it to have far-reaching impact on a whole range of human endeavours, Are UMNO politicians who do not denounce but may support this kind of low mental activity sexually deprived maniacs? This is definitely not something found in the behavioral pattern of normal human beings. Just tell the public what are your manifestos, we will compare and contrast. Dont be too busy body developing videos. We are just fedup.This is the state of UMNO politic. Sad…….Look like our politic are still very much like  Chow Kit road. This is all Umno knows, sex sex and more sex. Just like their boss who had sex in PD all the way to Paris and Ulan Bator.  level while we are talking about making the country  sex hungry leaders .

Now   Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim are among PKR leaders who stand to be implicated in new sex videos that may be released by Umno agents in the future, claims PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution. ow about videos of the BN minister with the actress…whose driver ran away with the money…any video available??…please upload to you tubeThe word maverick is derived from  UMNO cattle rancher named ShaRizat Maverick who was best known for NOT branding her cattle at a time when marking them for ownership was the done thing. Those wild west days are gone. In recent times, in the days of corporate farming, young calves are branded or tattooed or …Read more

First we have a sex offender distributing sex videos and now we have ex-convict wanting to contest against Anwar. It is so clear who are the people associated with BN?  Papagomo the perfect recipe for the desirable state of perfect imperfection!

A state of perfect imperfection!In an ever-evolving world, why should a state of static perfection be a desired goal at all? Beauty and progress lie in imperfection

Ever noticed the intensity that actor Aamir Khan brings to work? It is an intensity that has in its grip not just him, but entire audiences as well. Aamir confessed on a television talk show that his work exhausts him so much that he contemplates giving up his career after the completion of each movie! Can you imagine the stress of being ‘Mr Perfect’?

Striving for ‘perfection’ is not the same as trying to do the best you can. While to try your best is an attempt to make the most of your potential, trying for perfection is an attempt to meet goals and ideals that have no set definition. Even if you are able to score a ‘perfect’ goal in a game, there could still be something lacking in your technique. You can always do everything better, and if that is so, nothing can be perfect. What is perfect to you may not be perfect to another.

And who is to judge anyway? When you do the best you can, the only judge you are submitting to is yourself. However, when you strive for perfection, you lay yourself open to judgement from the whole world. And yet, we all want to be perfect humans, perfect spouses, perfect parents, perfect professionals, and strive for perfect homes and perfect lives. Continuously measuring yourself against an unachievable ideal can have a negative impact and probably reverse the possibility of becoming a better person. Such an attempt would leave one frustrated and dissatisfied, far from the state of contentment that is considered a prerequisite for happiness.

The search for perfection is as old as human history. Humans have always strived to rise above their present condition and achieve a better, flawless version of themselves and their lives. Perhaps, this is an attempt to rise above the pain and banality of human existence.    In ancient Egypt, kings were represented as ideal, perfect humans equal to gods in looks and manner. A quest for the ‘perfect’ human body has been the occupation of many cultures. In ancient Greece, this was one of the most important pursuits defined for everyday life; the same quest was translated into art by the Romans, and by our ancestors in Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta and Karli caves. Artist Leonardo Da Vinci used geometry to create the ‘perfect’ human male figure. In Indian mythology, Maryada Purushottam Ram is the concept of perfection — the finest specimen of a disciplined human being. Sir Thomas Moore’s coinage of the word “utopia” meaning a society or community with highly desirable qualities, created yet another ideal to be aspired to.

Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to give a definition of “perfection”. He gave it three meanings — that which is complete (has all requisite parts); that which is so good that nothing of the kind could be better, and that which has attained its purpose.    Philosophers found a duality in this definition — something that is complete by itself is not the same as something that is perfect for a certain purpose. As the definition evolved, Italian freethinker Lucilio Vanini came up with the concept that “the greatest perfection is imperfection,” since there would be no scope left for progress.

Indeed, the greatest excitement of life is in development and progress. If one were to ever achieve the unachievable and become perfect, it would wipe out all excitement and anticipation from life. In contemporary times, when we talk of perfection, we do not think of it in terms of ethics, moral or social good. It is more in connection with the self, in perfecting ourselves and being several notches above the rest. It is a pursuit that doesn’t just leave one frustrated but takes away from present pleasures as well. For truly, in our imperfection lies the greatest perfection.

The allure of a beautiful face is the mole that adorns it, the sexiest smiles are the asymmetrical, rather than ‘perfect’ ones. Size zero was never as beautiful as a curvy figure. Even the most lovable of gods, Lord Krishna, has his imperfections. They bring a certain reality and humanness that is attractive.    In an ever-evolving life and with our ever-evolving minds, how can we seek perfection in any static state? It is far more desirable to be yourself, do the best you can and bring passion to everything you do. And who better to tell us this than “Mr Perfect” Aamir Khan who says, “I don’t see myself as a perfectionist. I don’t think anyone is perfect or anyone can be. I am someone who enjoys doing what I am doing and I do it with lot of love and passion.”

Following the announcement yesterday on the possibility of Papagomo contesting against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, many have begun to question if the Umno-linked blogger is even qualified to do so.Checkmate by 100 million law suit by Anwar and the revelation to the public of his crimes Papagomo is just looking for some publicity. He is a liability to his bosses and knowing that he just trying to gasp some air. So lets move as in the case of liabilities this man is a compulsive liar. That should make him a consummate politician! Unfortunately for him,Read more

It was a highly inspiring speech from Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani one with the impression that he is a man with a great vision and a lot of ideas He spoke impressively, eloquently and animatedly, often using colloquial expressions like “boss”, about how we need to change the political structure of our people ,he spoke impressively, eloquently and animatedly, often using colloquial expressions like “boss”, about how we need to change the political structure of our people.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghan is treading the path with abundant caution, knowing well the inertia he is up against, and trying to learn from the past mistakes . Whatsoever be the case, UMNO is pinning hopes on Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani he needs to be a lot more visible, a lot more interactive, a lot more clear on specific issues that confront the country, and demonstrate the changes that have been brought about.

Indeed our lot is as much to wonder why as it is to do and die! As humans with a critical reasoning faculty, we have an insatiable intellectual curiosity that needs to be indulged. It would have been disastrous if Newton had accepted that apples fall off trees and never wondered why! Or if man had accepted that birds can fly and not wondered why he can’t! It would truly be a pity to believe the false compliments of a tricky person and be unprepared for the hurt that follows.

Many times, people say “I vote for the candidate, not the party.” Some take pride in assessing individuals of both parties, and then voting for the more personally impressive candidate. The rationale for this is that the personalities come first into consideration before they cast their votes. It is also based on the need for the country to have decision-makers who are capable of delivering results and, generally, boosting their living standards economically.the most crucial thing to do now is to exercise your vote because each vote counts. The 13th GE is definitely a different battleground compared with the previous election. This time around, a great number of new faces in the politics are well expected Certainly, the quality of candidates can enhance the trust of voters. However, elections are not all about selecting between sets of constituencies. Most importantly, it is about choosing, more or less of policy choices. So, make your vote and your voice count.
You are perfectly average, quips the happy-go-lucky voter to the uptight in Ek Main aur Ekk Tu. Understandably, he doesn’t known how to respond! To be average is anathema, but to be perfect at anything is considered wonderful — even if it is perfection at being average!

Why does perfection need to be a punishing routine, leading to obsessive, rigid behaviour? Why should it rely heavily on judgement, and exclude normal life? Obviously, it isn’t meant to be a human trait. Human beings are designed to have flaws; perfection is meant for the Gods. I believe in 1 Malaysia. As far as I am concerned, 1 Malaysia is not just a concept or an ideal. It is something that I practise in my everyday life.

You see, I am the managing director and a major shareholder of a public listed company. The chief executive officer of the company is an Indian. The director of sales is a Chinese, so is the head of finance, the head of production is Indian, and the various heads of department are a mix of Malaysians, born and bred in this country of ours. I recognise and reward talents and performance when I see it. I live in 1 Malaysia.

The quest for perfection actually is a search for certainty, for a sense of control. Anything that stays within specified limits is under our control. The moment shapes shift and take on a life of their own, we lose control and hence, power. We force ourselves to conform to set practices and standards to the extent we forget our true selves in the quest to be “perfect.” Here then is a new look at perfection. Let’s call it the perfectly imperfect! Perfectly normal. A letting go of rigidity, of fastidiousness, the obsession of being the best. To achieve perfection is not to be obsessive and punishing; it is a letting go and allowing natural flaws to be as they are. It is perfectly fine to be perfectly average! Imperfection is fluid, perfection is cast in stone. Progress requires imperfection. Cultures around the world have embraced the concept of the perfect imperfect, often introducing deliberate flaws in works of art, either for religious or aesthetic reasons. The world famous Amish quilt makers deliberately leave an imperfection in their quilts because God alone can be perfect. Turkish shipbuilders and carpet weavers reportedly do the same to remind themselves that perfection is the sole prerogative of Allah. One of the central principles of Islamic art is not to compete with God for perfection.

* Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani is the acting chief of Titiwangsa Umno division.

YOU Titiwangsa voters are not dead. Long live the titiwangsa voters !

One of the first lessons we learn as marketers (as we do in life) is that people don’t really value what comes to them easily or free of cost. Strange as it may sound, this is a truism that holds good for organization and individuals alike. And, while much has been written about the increasingly philandering ways of the young, upwardly mobile, spoilt-for-choice Indian consumer, I wonder if enough has been written about the cavalier way in which companies treat their customers today. How else could you explain why more and more companies seem to be treating their customers as relatively easy to come by, expendable commodities – despite all the lip service around increasing customer service standards and customer satisfaction indices?

Most of us today own a couple of mobile phones that are connected to ‘better run’ private and global telecom companies. Come the end of each month and all of us are plagued by countless phone calls from call centre agents who believe that you are always free to talk to them – whenever they choose to call and however many times during the day they decide to call; that you must be willing to share with them all the personal information they want, while they refuse to share any details themselves; that you must be carrying and should be willing to share all the details of the cheque you dropped into their drop box last week, which they have failed to collect; that you must be willing to listen to their advice to move to a higher plan; and must be willing to give up the printed bill that you have asked for in favour of an e-bill. Strange that the same phone companies should take forever to activate a number, respond to a customer complaint, change your billing address, or help you with an itemized statement, which you need to submit to the office.

An earlier discourse suggested that this social transformation would be met by Gen-Next politicians who didn’t share the fuddy-duddy assumptions of earlier leaders. , labelling someone as the “youth icon” or proclaiming a young to be MP’s familiarity with the social media didn’t qualify them to respond to the anger with purposeful politics. The people are changing and the political class isn’t. This mismatch will not be unending. Sooner, rather than later, the yearnings of an assertive  Malaysians will find political expression.

Can an election ever throw up the right candidate? Or to put it more moderately, is an election the mechanism best suited to throw up representatives that will strive to work for their constituents and attempt to better their life? Are there in-built into the electoral process, a set of imperatives that help pre-determine one kind of outcome, irrespective of the quality of the candidates?

Increasingly, it would seem that what it takes to win an election is not only very different from what it takes to govern, but might well be at odds with the idea of providing governance. The privileging of representativeness in our democracy, with an emphasis on caste and religion, has meant that electable candidates are chosen with a view to who has the biggest electoral draw in terms representing the interests of a community rather than select those that have a view on issues of policy or administration. At one level, democracy does not require its practitioners to come equipped with a track record, and representativeness is perhaps the most vital element in the idea of democracy, but over a period of time, what representativeness has come to mean identity rather than action; the leader resembles his or her constituents, speaks for them and on the occasion that he or she acts on their behalf, it is often through the same narrow lens of community. Under these circumstances, the election abets the process of weeding out those that see their role in more secular terms, and focuses its attention narrowly on those with more sectarian agendas.

Winning elections requires a peculiar kind of caste and community arithmetic, multiplied by financial resources and propped up by on-ground muscle. The reason why the incidence of criminality in politics has been such a visible presence is partly due to the fact there are great similarities between the two skill sets. It is easier for a local tough to become a politician than it is for a local schoolteacher, to use a crude stereotype, not only because it easier for the former to mobilise resources and numbers far more easily but also because the electorate sees more advantages in being represented by someone who can thump the table on their behalf rather than someone who is not seen to have a realistic chance of winning.The prospect of winnability makes unsuitable choices rational, for it is seen to be smarter to align with those that could win rather than root for those that might act on one’s behalf much more usefully if elected, but are seen with little real chance of doing so. Money is the other reason why only those that already have the ability or are able to generate it, are found suitable to be offered as candidates. The political system wards off change at the point of entry itself, by making the entry level conditions unsuitable for anyone but those that toe the existing line and play by the rules already laid down.The election requires that a large number of people exercise their preference for one candidate over the others on the basis of some knowledge and familiarity with the individual’s previous track record, the party that he or she represents, the promises made, and the overall feeling of empathy and trust generated by the individual. Given the sizes of constituencies and the scale of the geographies involved, it is difficult for someone who is already not a visible presence in at least part of the constituency to mobilise adequate support.

Papagomo no-show

The Election Commission’s returning officer Jusni Ismail had earlier estimated they could finish processing the nominations by 10.30pm. However, it was not to be and Jusni could only finalize the process an hour after his targeted time.

“We are ready to take in the papers of whomsoever wishes to contest,” Election Commission’s returning officer Jusni Ismail had earlier told Malaysia Chronicle outside the IKBN hall.

“At 10am, we will stop accepting nomination papers and around 10.30am, God willing, we should be able to announce the candidates.”

Umno sex blogger Papagomo, who had previously declared intentions to challenge Anwar at Permatang Pauh did not turn up. Papagomo had recently posted several videos on his website that PKR leaders have condemned as gutter politicking and a “barefaced” bid by Najib’s Umno party to tarnish Anwar’s credibility.

First we have a sex offender distributing sex videos and now we have ex-convict wanting to contest against Anwar. It is so clear who are the people associated with BN?  Papagomo the perfect recipe for the desirable state of perfect imperfection!

Despite the occasional speeches spliced with some liberal phrases, Musa Hitam is an Umno man, someone who is part of the political party which has pillaged this country and created the poisonous environment which pits Malaysians against Malaysians.

The former deputy prime minister was reported by Bernama as voicing his concern that the greater freedom enjoyed by Malaysians since 2008 is being threatened by the tone of campaigning and no-holds-barred nature.

“All arguments are simply put in black and white… very, very, very black and white as I had never seen before,” he said.

Perhaps someone schooled in the Umno system of shadow play prefers gray but I prefer black or white, calling it like it is. Instead of money politics, just say corruption. Instead of direct cash aid, just say bribery. Instead of leakages in the system, just say outright theft. Instead of privatisation, just say cronyism.

If the tone or nature of these elections has gone up, it is because this is a very important contest which will decide the future of the country. Either we carry on the Umno way of closing an eye to the theft by the rich and connected or we shake up the system before historians remember Malaysia as a country once blessed with natural resources and wealth.

I notice that some opposition politicians are enamoured with what Musa says. Let us clear up all the fudge. The man loves the trappings of being a former DPM, a former chairman of this and that. Flying around in private jets and living in the lap of luxury.

Bernama quoted him as saying that credit should be given to Umno and BN, which was headed by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, for “opening up” the democratic space. As usual, this is a self-serving statement by an Umno man.

Abdullah opened up the space because he knew that if he offered up the same autocratic rubbish of the Mahathir era, he would have been sent packing by the voters. So he had to something different. We the voters swallowed that ruse hook, line and sinker.

He was bashed by the voters in 2008 because we caught on to the wayang. That so-called democratic space has been closed significantly by the Najib government. The mainstream newspapers print lies, hardly give any space to the opposition and TV3 and RTM would make even state-run TV in China and Russia blush.

So, please Musa. Save your self-serving stuff for the Umno assembly. You are no different from the likes of Daim, Mahathir, Abdullah and other Umno veterans being trotted out to save the tottering regime.

Some observers speculated that it could have been due to pressure from former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is the patron of PERKASA. However, political observer and author Kee Thuan Chye said the move was probably part of Najib’s plan from the start.

UMNO had named its Pasir Mas division deputy chief Che Johan Che Pa as the candidate.But Che Johan, who was present at the nomination centre this morning, did not file his papers.

UMNO’s eleventh hour decision to pull out of the Pasir Mas race has dealt another blow to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan. By doing so, UMNO has paved the way for PERKASA President Ibrahim Ali to defend his seat in a straight fight with Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, the son of PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

Once upon a time there was a giant beehive. It was located on an ancient tree, situated amidst meadows and gardens filled with bright and colourful flowers.

The beehive had a queen bee, who along with some senior bees, had been chosen to run the hive. Collectively, the elected were called the Government. Worker bees entrusted the Government bees to store their honey and keep them safe. The Government also had to discover new gardens, to provide new sources of flowers and nectar for the new generation of baby bees.

To ensure stability and avoid chaos, the Government bees made rules and passed laws. The worker bees had to follow them, else they could be punished. This was parti-cularly important because the beehive had different kinds of bees, who could end up fighting with each other. The black bees and the brown bees for instance, were the two main kinds. They essentially did the same work. However, they had slightly different looks and practiced their own prayer habits.

Umno Wanita deputy chief Kamilia Ibrahim is standing as an Independent for the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat.

She will be in a three-cornered fight with Khalil Idham Lim (PAS) and Wan Mohammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad (BN).

In a Facebook posting after her candidacy was confirmed, Kamilia announced that she is no longer an Umno member and relinquished all party posts.

Kamilia is known as a staunch supporter of former Umno Wanita head Rafidah Aziz, the former MP of Kuala Kangsar.

She is also known for her calls for current Umno Wanita head Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to step down over the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal.

“We can see through the subterfuge in Pasir Mas. Najib didn’t dare name Ibrahim outright for fear the non-Malays would crucify him for naming someone largely seen as a racist.Najib would have been exposed for contradicting his own 1Malaysia hogwash. He named Che Johan Che Pa instead,” he said in a Facebook posting.

When Che Johan did not file his nomination papers, Kee said it was obvious that the UMNO leader was not meant to do so from the start.

“It was all a sandiwara [charade] to let Ibrahim Ali contest in a straight fight against the PAS candidate. Najib shows once again his adeptness at trickery and his gutlessness in presenting the people with the truth. Does such a person deserve to win and be prime minister again? He said a few days ago, ‘If you love me, please help me’. Does he deserve our love? Should we help him?” he asked.

Ibrahim had been embroiled in a string of controversies, with the latest being his call to burn Malay-language bibles that contained the word Allah.

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Despite UMNO distancing itself from PERKASA, certain observers claim that the political party, in order to placate the non-Malays, had outsourced its extremism to the movement and therefore the latter’s leaders were never hauled up for their often seditious remarks.

Even Mahathir had defended PERKASA on the grounds that such groups mushroomed following UMNO’s failure to defend Malay rights.

Ibrahim’s detractors also often label him as a “frog” due to his tendency for party-hopping. In the 2008 general election, the former UMNO supreme council member won the Pasir Mas seat under the PAS ticket after defeating Ahmad Rasdi Mahmed from UMNO-BN with a 8,991 vote majority.

Noordin as its candidate for Shah Alam, a Malay-Muslim majority seat.

The decision drew widespread condemnation. Zulkifli, a former PKR member, landed in the spotlight after a video of him insulting Hindu deities went viral on You Tube. His candidacy had even upset MIC, with its Strategy Director S Vell Paari warning that it could lead to an electoral backlash from Indian voters.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday defended Zulkifli as a candidate with calibre and pointed out that he had apologised for his remarks. Zulkifli, the former Kulim Bandar Baharu MP, would be facing PAS incumbent Khalid Samad in Shah Alam.

Mahathir stirred an hornet’s nest

Once upon a time there was a giant beehive. It was located on an ancient tree, situated amidst meadows and gardens filled with bright and colourful flowers.

The beehive had a queen bee, who along with some senior bees, had been chosen to run the hive. Collectively, the elected were called the Government. Worker bees entrusted the Government bees to store their honey and keep them safe. The Government also had to discover new gardens, to provide new sources of flowers and nectar for the new generation of baby bees.

To ensure stability and avoid chaos, the Government bees made rules and passed laws. The worker bees had to follow them, else they could be punished. This was parti-cularly important because the beehive had different kinds of bees, who could end up fighting with each other. The black bees and the brown bees for instance, were the two main kinds. They essentially did the same work. However, they had slightly different looks and practiced their own prayer habits.

In good times, it was the perfect beehive. Over time, however, things changed. Government bees had their own kids, relatives and friends. Most could not join the Government. They had to become worker bees like everyone else. However, one day, a senior Government bee’s son told his father being a worker bee was too much work. “Why not let me take a bit of honey from our reserves?” he said to his father. “But that would be wrong,” the father bee said.

“Nobody would find out. What happens in the Government, stays in the Government,” replied the Government bee’s son. He was right. Worker bees trusted the Government more than they did themselves. A bit of honey lost would not be noticed at all.

And then it started. Slowly, all Government bees’ children, cousins, relatives, friends and well-wishers started stealing a bit of honey everyday from the reserves. They didn’t have to slave in the gardens all day anymore. The worker bees did notice the honey levels were not going up as expected. When some worker bees pointed this out, the Government just ordered everyone “to work harder and not be lazy”.

The worker bees worked harder to make more honey. However, honey levels refused to rise. In fact, they started to fall.

Soon, Government bees started another practice. Whenever they found a new garden, they gave it to their children, friends and relatives first. “What the worker bees don’t know, the worker bees don’t miss,” was the hushed conversation in Government circles.

Over time, not only did honey levels fall, the discovery of new gardens stopped for the kids of worker bees. They remained idle and hungry. Sometimes, the queen bee tossed some scraps at the worker bees, and everyone praised the queen. However, the scraps were not enough.

“Who is stealing the honey?” one day, an influential worker bee finally said. The Government noticed the influential protesting bee was black. So, the Government said, “The brown bees are doing it.” Then, the Government called the brown bees, and told them, “We think the black bees are stealing all your hard work.”

Hungry and tired, the black and brown bees were filled with anger. They fought with each other. The Government bees enjoyed the distraction and continued to steal. As brown and black bees died and suffered, the Government tossed some more honey scraps. Worker bees praised the queen again.

Soon, there was a drought. The flowers became few, and it was time to turn to the honey reserved over all these years. However, to everyone’s shock, there was no honey in the reserves at all. Worker bees, normally trusting of the Government, went to check in the Government bees’ and their relatives’ homes. They found everyone fat and sitting on their own private reserves of honey. What’s more, they also found maps of hundreds of new gardens that were discovered but never shared with the worker bees.

Dismayed and shocked, the worker bees came back to their poor homes. The brown and black bees looked into each other’s eyes. They realised they had been fooled. They hugged each other and apologised for all the hurt they had caused each other.

“We will teach them a lesson,” the black and brown bees said in unison. The worker bees realised the time had come to use their sting, not against each other, but against those who had cheated them.

Meanwhile, the queen bee sensed the tension. She presented her beautiful young son, “He will save you now. Like i did all these years.”

However, the brown and black bees were too smart this time. They gathered together in a swarm and unleashed their stings on the Government and their fat cronies. The Government bees barely had any time to collect their belongings. They simply had to run away from the hive. Soon, they were all gone.

The brown and black bees decided to select their best people to be in charge. Also, they decided to never blindly trust, but monitor everyone. The hive recovered, and the new generation worked hard to restore the honey stores. New gardens led to new prosperity, and the beehive became the most successful beehive in the world.

A few years later, an old bee, talking to her grandson at night, said “Did you know we had a queen bee at one time?” “Yes. But we don’t anymore. Because deep down, there’s a little king in all of us,” replied the baby bee.

The truth – the real truth – will become well established…. is that is untrustworthy as a friend. Even Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang … dangerous. ,The new P word resulted in verbal incontinence, with everyone jumping in to empty his blather. PKR went on a fast ostensibly to atone but actually to tone down electoral damage. That pressure will ease, but the non-newsmaking fact will remain: urinate,

PAS is proving that they are still not a strong coalition despite the fact that a good majority of people supporting them. Clash between partners is a disappointment for their supporters which in turn will be disastrous for them. If you can’t agree on seat allocation, how you are going to agree on policy matters in the government. You have to sort it out immediately and let your supporters know if you are interested in their support. pas please look at bigger picture. Putrajaya is your aim and seeing PR at putrajaya is our aim too. Losing rm5000 deposit is just a matter Small matter but don’t confuses the Rakyat. Rakyat is watching and remember your only one enemy should be BN. Please make decision!

PKR has fielded Badrul Hisham Shaharin – or better known as Chegubard – whereas PAS’ candidate is Mohd Yusni Mat Piah.

The incumbent for the seat is Umno’s Mahmud Zakaria. He had previously won the seat by a razor-thin majority of 250 votes in 2008.

PKR and PAS are facing off in one parliamentary seat in Sabah and six state seats in Penang, Selangor, Johor and Terengganu.

The two opposition parties will vie for the Labuan parliamentary seat, the Sungai Acheh state assembly seat in Penang, Kota Damansara state seat in Selangor, Panti in Johor and Kota Putera, Bukit Besi and Seberang Takir state seats in Terengganu.Shift from politician to voter, and you get a pattern. Despite the multiple identities of Malaysian  electorate, voters are no longer disparate. They now vote decisively. Whoever wins, does so by a comfortable distance.

This is not as obvious in prospect as it might seem in retrospect. Pundits get paid a pittance compared to pollsters , but neither predicted PAS huge victory .

So, is there a case for going back to the old ways, preserving Deception and launching a full-scale onslaught at the voters? Don’t be surprised if method eventually becomes more important than madness again. After all, Raja Nong Chik has never been more serious than now.in the current context of the controversy created about…The details of this futile rearguard action are well known to those who are tuned to the political grapevine. Political messaging holds the key to   Nurul’s  campaign. There has to be a dominant theme that touches voters in every corner of To all Lembah Pantai folks, you have to view the big picture. Don’t fall for all these short – term goodies. Apparently, from this article, many simple minded folks have fell into BN’s trap. Obviously, FT Minister RNC under BN controls all financial resources, while Nurul had been denied her financial allocation all these years. Very unfair indeed!!! All this assistance by RNC is just to win the election only. Remember, if you grant Raja Nong Chik a win in the 13th GE, all the assistance will definitely stop.

Please don’t be taken in by visits to the market. I went to Canning Garden market on the second day of Chinese new year. there was a big crowd at the entrance. They waved me aside and was only concentrating on the Chinese. They were wearing the BN blue and had video cameras and they were stopping the Chinese shoppers, carrying their bags and taking photographs. I am not Chinese so I was told to move aside. That is the truth. The truth lies in the past 56 years of what you have seen and experienced. Not in the money they hand out and the promises that they make now. Listen to your heart and hear the truth. Change.

Nurul Izzah told  that her she stands firm by her record, and that her activities are all recorded on her blog and her website.

“We do what we can and I believe he should really be ashamed for being responsible and blocking my access,” she said, alleging the advantage Nong Chik has over her as Federal Territories minister.

“I’m not concerned at all because you’re talking about a minister who has been abusing government resources. And you know, it’s important that people understand to a large extent he is the man responsible for DBKL and if the service is not up to par, he should be blamed.”

Responding to Nurul Izzah’s call that he and Rusli declare all their financial assets, Nong Chik said, “I have already declared to the prime minister. Ask her father to declare his assets.”

He also dismissed any challenge Rusli might pose to his candidacy, saying, “I think the fight is between the two of us (Nurul Izzah).”

Several Lembah Pantai voters who The Malaysian Insider spoke to at the market seemed to indicate that it would be a close fight between the two candidates.

One Malay father in his thirties, a resident of Flat Bukit Angkasa, said that he would vote for Nong Chik in the upcoming elections because he had brought a lot of change to the surrounding area, such as installing air-conditioning in the flat’s surau and subsidising new facilities so residents only have to contribute a small amount.

However, a 30-year-old Malay mother who works in a cafe said that as a first-time voter, she would be voting for Nurul Izzah as a fellow woman and because she does not agree with some of the things BN does.

“I have never asked Raja Nong Chik for help. I never applied for BR1M because I feel that’s like bribery,” she said.

She also said that Nong Chik liked to “tunjuk hebat”, but admits that he comes to the area often to spend time with the people.

The heat is on for the 13th general elections, especially in the political battleground of Lembah Pantai, as PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar and Umno’s Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin jockeyed for the hearts and minds of voters in a low-cost housing area in Pantai Dalam yesterday.

At a walkabout around the Kampung Kerinchi pasar malam, the incumbent Lembah Pantai MP and the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister took turns greeting shoppers and stall owners, entourage in tow, without crossing paths.

“This is where I come from. My opponent is only using this as a base. For me, this is my home, do or die I’m here,” Nong Chik told reporters, beaming as he shook hands with market-goers, accompanied by his wife Datin Nafesah Raja Nong Chik.

He seemed to be confident of the community’s support as he weaved briskly through the market, stopping traffic to shake hands with people driving by in their cars, and even pausing to holler and wave at residents looking out of their high-rise flat windows.

PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar posing for pictures with market-goers.

Later, when he had left the scene, Nurul Izzah arrived and handed out a plethora of items: her blue candidate name card, a flyer directed at women with the slogan “Wanita Dihargai”, and Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) ubiquitous cartoon manifesto.

As Nong Chik acknowledges that the voters he needs to woo are the middle- and upper-middle-class Bangsarians, so Nurul Izzah admits she needs to win over voters in low-income areas.

“Yes, he’s strong here because he’s created this ecosystem of those subservient to financial renumeration, but does it mean that everyone will fall for it? No,” she said, referring to the Barisan Nasional (BN) government’s People’s 1 Malaysia Aid (BR1M) annual handouts for low-income families.

“Certainly, in their plight right now, the short-term solution is of course provided by Umno… But there has been no meaningful change in the increase of wages in the last 10 years, and they have failed to improve people’s opportunities to get a better life,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

“I think he’s addressing their current needs but we are trying to showcase that for three terms, BN had the opportunity to change lives in Lembah Pantai but they only started improving their services post-Pakatan win,” she said.

Nong Chik did not hand out any informational titbits or promise any ceramahs, which seemed to be in line with his view that his work in Kampung Kerinchi has been done and is self-evident.

When asked about Nurul Izzah’s challenge to him and Independent candidate Rusli Baba for a public debate after nominations yesterday, he told The Malaysian Insider, “No need to debate anymore. Only two weeks left, what more is there to debate? She always wants to debate that’s why she doesn’t do any work.”

“If she has done work, for five years not five months, record should have. Show it to us and compare with what BN has done, right?”

Watch this space?

Nong Chik love traffic jams

Kuala Lumpur “Tut-tut,” goes my neighbour, Ms X. “Imagine, we were stuck in a wretched traffic jam for more than 25 minutes! The traffic lights weren’t working, the policeman was nowhere to be seen, and life came to a halt. I tell you, what a waste of time!” And so she spent the next 20 minutes hyper-ventilating over her ruined morning, in the process using up 20 minutes of my time as well. I consoled myself  (and her) by thanking God that at least, no one whipped out a pistol and fired shots that could have killed lives. Remember, the Capital is infamous, among other things, for its highly volatile road rage prone owner-drivers.

But most of all, we need to make the last mile connectivity better, especially for cyclists and pedestrians. Otherwise, many of us have forgotten what it is like to walk on our roads, and I will give an anecdote here.

Walking from my home along Ring Road, I was crossing one of the side roads, when a huge SUV came barreling upon me, horn blaring, lights flashing. I am big built, stocky, there were three of us, and the car was not going that fast that we would get hurt, so we simply stopped in its path, till it came to a halt. The driver got tough, but that’s not the real issue – so did the educated couple in the back seat.

What we did is another blog entry, or maybe I will let readers guess, but that is the larger issue. Anywhere else in the civilised world, the pedestrian and cyclist get primary concern and right of way, and public transport gets the next highest priority. In India, we all know, that it is the other way around.

But matters are changing. Around 3.5 to 4 million public transport trips in Delhi, bus, train and metro, is a lot of voters. Add to that the growing number of cyclists. And cycle rickshaws.

Mark my words – this will be solved only when it becomes an electoral issue. And that is happening. And requires just a little bit of help, direction, push. Ofcourse, you won’t hear about such matters in long winded speeches given at 5-star hotels to industry stalwarts. But guess who was in the back of that SUV and apologised profusely, when he saw the crowd building up in seconds around his car.

As FT Minister, Raja Nong Chik is responsible for attending to the relevant needs of the people within FT and has included under him Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) to assist him in performing his duties.

Exactly how well has he performed in discharging his duties?

One would reasonably expect that with him living in TTDI and thus being present there regularly, if not daily, he would ensure that TTDI is well-managed by the authorities that answer to him, principally DBKL.

Seeing him always smiling one would think he is pleased with his performance.

I was however appalled during a recent visit to TTDI to visit an aunt, to find that TTDI is poorly managed.

There are illegal stalls operating everywhere and I understand from residents there that this has been going on for ages, with the authorities turning a ‘blind eye’ to them.

Rumour has it that some DBKL personnel are on a ‘retainer basis’ with these stall-holders and hence no action is taken against these stall-holders, despite many complaints by residents.

Illegal stalls

Some (repeat, some) of the numerous illegal stalls found in TTDI along pedestrian paths and back lanes.

Why is this so, Nong Chik?

Are there those on the take?

There is a dire shortage of parking lots for motorists and to compound matters many of these illegal stalls operate from parking lots, thus reducing the number of available parking lots for motorists. They operate from the same parking lots each day without any hindrance from DBKL.

Why the dereliction of duty, Nong Chik?

Parking lots

Typical daily scenes of several TTDI parking lots.

Chaotic parking

Parking has become so chaotic in TTDI that motorists park so haphazardly and in an inconsiderate manner and yet hardly any action is taken by the authorities.

Why, Nong Chik?

Double-parking throughout the day just 50 metres from DBKL’s branch office at TTDI.

Vehicles parked right around a junction causing a danger to others.

Vehicles parked along the pedestrian pavement, forcing pedestrians onto the road. Incidentally, the jeep belongs to the Jabatan Hasil Dalam Negeri with “Hasil” painted on its side.

Back-lanes full of illegally-parked vehicles. How will Bomba gain access in the event of fire, Nong Chik?

Even a DBKL van is parked at a bus stop.

Illegal banners

Illegal banners pinned to trees seem to enjoy immunity. Clearly this is wrong, Nong Chik!

Scenes of uncollected rubbish

Heck, even those involved in less than savoury activities get to promote themselves.

See the stencilled graffiti for massage services, Nong Chik?

Now, Nong Chik, seriously, should you not give priority to these matters, for which you are paid by the rakyat, rather than have spent the last few years campaigning at Lembah Pantai to take on Nurul Izzah?

Remember, responsibility and duty should come first before ambition.

At best I will give you a ‘D’ on your report card.

A residents’ initiative planting coloured flags to support Nurul Izzah Anwar is now part of the incumbent Lembah Pantai MP’s campaign to defend her seat against Umno strongman Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal.

Miniature blue, white, and red flags — the PKR vice-president’s party colours — as well as electoral reform group Bersih’s bright yellow were planted at a Bangsar roundabout as part of residents’ “Malaysian Spring” campaign for political change over the weekend.

But the same group had to stand up to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officers who had plucked the “flowers” hours later on Sunday, citing transgression of city by-laws.

The residents later replanted the flags, after criticising the City Hall officers for ignoring similar transgressions by Nong Chik’s Barisan Nasional (BN) campaign officials with their billboards and flags.

Nurul Izzah said the idea to make the “Malaysian Spring” as part of her campaign came after “one of the residents called me and said, ‘We’re going to fight for this place’.”

“Then the suggestion came from resident lawyers — they said one of the ways to mitigate this is to adopt it formally as part of my campaign material. So if you (DBKL) would like to remove them (the flags), you first and foremost have to remove the other paraphernalia belonging to Barisan Nasional,” the 32-year-old lawmaker told The Malaysian Insider.

Nurul Izzah — the eldest daughter of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim — is facing interim federal territories and urban wellbeing minister Nong Chik in the May 5 polls, the second minister she is contesting against after defeating then-women, family and community development minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in Election 2008.

Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin today slammed news portalMalaysiakini for allegedly twisting facts about his involvement in an offshore company, RZA International Corporation.Tell us, Raja Nong Chik, how much of our money is sitting in your bank account? Would Raja Nong Chik please explain how his family make its millions? Hopefully not another cronyism or cow-shit … Read more

TRANSFORMATION TEAM: BN’s campaign will be built around Najib and his team of young, experienced and proven leaders

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani one with the impression that he is a man with a great vision and a lot of ideas He spoke impressively, eloquently and animatedly, often using colloquial expressions like “boss”, about how we need to change the political structure of our people ,he spoke impressively, eloquently and animatedly, often using colloquial expressions like “boss”, about how we need to change the political structure of our people.What will be his main message to the voters? Najib’s dominant theme will be: “Now is not the time to experiment and put it at risk.” “Don’t make the wrong decision.” Otherwise the nation’s economy will be ruined and the livelihoods of millions of Malaysians will be in jeopardy.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghan is treading the path with abundant caution, knowing well the inertia he is up against, and trying to learn from the past mistakes . Whatsoever be the case, UMNO is pinning hopes on Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani he needs to be a lot more visible, a lot more interactive, a lot more clear on specific issues that confront the country, and demonstrate the changes that have been brought about.

Indeed our lot is as much to wonder why as it is to do and die! As humans with a critical reasoning faculty, we have an insatiable intellectual curiosity that needs to be indulged. It would have been disastrous if Newton had accepted that apples fall off trees and never wondered why! Or if man had accepted that birds can fly and not wondered why he can’t! It would truly be a pity to believe the false compliments of a tricky person and be unprepared for the hurt that follows.

Many times, people say “I vote for the candidate, not the party.” Some take pride in assessing individuals of both parties, and then voting for the more personally impressive candidate. The rationale for this is that the personalities come first into consideration before they cast their votes. It is also based on the need for the country to have decision-makers who are capable of delivering results and, generally, boosting their living standards economically.the most crucial thing to do now is to exercise your vote because each vote counts. The 13th GE is definitely a different battleground compared with the previous election. This time around, a great number of new faces in the politics are well expected Certainly, the quality of candidates can enhance the trust of voters. However, elections are not all about selecting between sets of constituencies. Most importantly, it is about choosing, more or less of policy choices. So, make your vote and your voice count.
You are perfectly average, quips the happy-go-lucky voter to the uptight in. Understandably, he doesn’t known how to respond! To be average is anathema, but to be perfect at anything is considered wonderful — even if it is perfection at being average!

Why does perfection need to be a punishing routine, leading to obsessive, rigid behaviour? Why should it rely heavily on judgement, and exclude normal life? Obviously, it isn’t meant to be a human trait. Human beings are designed to have flaws; perfection is meant for the Gods. I believe in 1 Malaysia. As far as I am concerned, 1 Malaysia is not just a concept or an ideal. It is something that I practise in my everyday life.

You see, I am the managing director and a major shareholder of a public listed company. The chief executive officer of the company is an Indian. The director of sales is a Chinese, so is the head of finance, the head of production is Indian, and the various heads of department are a mix of Malaysians, born and bred in this country of ours. I recognise and reward talents and performance when I see it. I live in 1 Malaysia.

The quest for perfection actually is a search for certainty, for a sense of control. Anything that stays within specified limits is under our control. The moment shapes shift and take on a life of their own, we lose control and hence, power. We force ourselves to conform to set practices and standards to the extent we forget our true selves in the quest to be “perfect.” Here then is a new look at perfection. Let’s call it the perfectly imperfect! Perfectly normal. A letting go of rigidity, of fastidiousness, the obsession of being the best. To achieve perfection is not to be obsessive and punishing; it is a letting go and allowing natural flaws to be as they are. It is perfectly fine to be perfectly average! Imperfection is fluid, perfection is cast in stone. Progress requires imperfection. Cultures around the world have embraced the concept of the perfect imperfect, often introducing deliberate flaws in works of art, either for religious or aesthetic reasons. The world famous Amish quilt makers deliberately leave an imperfection in their quilts because God alone can be perfect. Turkish shipbuilders and carpet weavers reportedly do the same to remind themselves that perfection is the sole prerogative of Allah. One of the central principles of Islamic art is not to compete with God for perfection.

* Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani is the acting chief of Titiwangsa Umno division.

THE race is on. The general election, the pivotal moment in our democracy, is upon us. After the two-week official campaign, which kicked off yesterday, voters will cast their votes on May 5 to elect the party that they can trust most in running the country.

Simply, it is a choice between the experienced and the inexperienced. The proven and the unproven. The tested and the untried.

Even before the start of this campaign, there were already deep cracks in the Opposition

Najib’s message to voters is clear: Between Najib and Hadi Awang, whom they can trust to be their prime minister? The leader who can deliver his promises and tackle the hard issues facing the country will win the vote from the rakyat. In four years as Prime Minister, Najib has proven he can deliver.

side, stemming from the infighting, walkouts and protests that caused anxieties even among the most ardent opposition supporters.

The record number of candidates contesting as bebas, or independents, has revealed the huge dissent within the ranks of Pakatan Rakyat.

The truth – the real truth – will become well established…. is that is untrustworthy as a friend. Even Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang … dangerous. ,The new P word resulted in verbal incontinence, with everyone jumping in to empty his blather. PKR went on a fast ostensibly to atone but actually to tone down electoral damage. That pressure will ease, but the non-newsmaking fact will remain:PAS  urinating at PKR,

The tone of the Barisan Nasional campaign was set by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he launched a comprehensive BN manifesto a fortnight ago and unveiled the candidates well ahead of yesterday’s nominations.

Flanked by leaders of BN component parties, Najib introduced his team as the “transformation team” that not only reflected the aspirations of the people but also set the foundation for his new cabinet team post-GE.PAS is proving that they are still not a strong coalition despite the fact that a good majority of people supporting them. Clash between partners is a disappointment for their supporters which in turn will be disastrous for them.

It’s said “to err is human, to forgive, divine”. We feel benevolent and “bigger” when we forgive others for their mistakes and consider ourselves “better for it”. But when it comes to atrocities we have committed to others or mistakes we have inflicted onto ourselves, we rarely look within and ask for forgiveness from ourselves. It’s so damn hard to acknowledge we are responsible for the misery of others and ourselves. So many of us give up love for an arranged marriage because the “financials” of it were better, or perhaps because we were “pressured” into it. We berate our fate and blame others for it, when in truth it was our lack of resolve and strength to do what was truly best for us. We let ourselves down repeatedly with our choices and actions and then blame the world for it. It’s okay to say “I made a mistake”, it’s okay to say “I want to change realities”. It’s okay to apologise, especially to yourself. If you can do it, you can undo it. Whether it’s life, love, career or any other choices… just remember, it’s okay to make bad decisions, it’s not okay to live with them.

Any politician who gets elected thanks to the worst financial crisis since America’s Great Depression in 1929, and needs the most violent hurricane in a century to get re-elected , obviously has the vote of the Almighty. Many Americans remain convinced that the divine benevolence Barack Hussein Obama enjoys is from a God called Allah, rather than the bearded old man of Christian iconography . Barack is not an English word, let alone an American one; it derives from the Arabic baraka,meaning blessing. Others, and Donald Trump comes to mind, ask their Lord why, if Obama had to be born at all, he was born in America.

Obama faced three potentially fatal obstacles, two of them snake-pits : race and religion. Certainty about his colour, and uncertainty about his faith, cemented the outraged determination of conservatives to limit America’s first black President to one term. The third hurdle, the economy, was colour neutral in theory, but whites reacted more negatively than other voters. Obama lost the white vote in every category: 45 to 51 among those between 18-29 ; 38 to 59 among the 39-44 group; 38 to 61 among the middle-aged , 45-64 ; and 44 to 65 in the old. But you can also see a new America emerging from this barren chrysalis. Obama’s vote increases as the voter gets younger. The future is with him. Overall, Obama got 60% of young support as compared to only 37% for Mitt Romney.

Romney was straight from Republican central casting: wellbrushed hair, a moderate public voice, a mean private discourse, all things to all people, and a business CV straight from a tax consultant’s manual. What he did not have was sufficient population. The white electorate in America has dropped from 84% in 1984 to 72%, and will dip to 69% by 2016 as the demographic easel continues to mix colours. Romney invested in geography, as a look at any results graphic will confirm. Obama placed his bet on demography, and sliced Romney along the jugular.

Leadership is the art of extracting diamonds out of a coal mine. In a remarkable display of reverse engineering, with advice from that professor emeritus of American politics Bill Clinton, Obama mobilized the margins through positive discrimination, from rights for children of illegal immigrants to support for same-sex marriage and unprecedented health care for the impoverished, mainly blacks. Every vote he got was obtained by commitment and craftwork through his term in office.

Obama could depend on the insular and insensitive Republican right to rescue him when he needed help most, as when the argument seemed to be fading from his grasp. One American satirist, Andy Borowitz , described the Republican message with less exaggeration than humour normally demands: ‘We’re strongly opposed to FEMA and health care but basically OK with rape… When God wants to create a hurricane or make a woman pregnant, big government should get out of the way.’

The antediluvian Republican challenge to abortion helped Obama cleave enough of the white women’s vote to ensure that 2% margin which made his election safe. Any disappointment with Obama was not enough to dissolve their fear of the ruthless anti-abortion lobby.

Obama rearranged his base into a sparkling coalition of minorities, till the sum became greater than its parts. It is entirely consistent that white liberals, women and men, who voted for Obama were also a minority within their demographic.

But no engineering has ever been reversed as adeptly as Obama’s repositioning of a still convalescent economy. He tried to display some green shoots: IMF has projected that the American economy will grow at 3% next year; 900,000 jobs a month were being lost in 2004, today 170,000 are being added. But they were lost in the incandescent rage of election advertising. Obama deftly turned the argument into a contest between the possessed and the dispossessed. Obama remains in the White House because of support from who suffered most in a faltering economy, the poor, the deprived and those struggling toenter the middle class.

Obama united the differences of America and inspired the collective to rise above snake-pits to claim a new centre. He has reset politics on a fulcrum that just might send Republicans into oblivion. In 2016 Democrats will have a white candidate sailing in the breeze of economic recovery, and anchored in the grateful commitment of diverse minorities . Republicans were once the party of Abraham Lincoln, guardians of national unity and uplift. Obama is Lincoln’s child now, and Democrats the Lincoln vehicle. If Republicans do not change they will be forgotten like the Whigs of Lincoln’s time.
A sigh of relief was audible across the world when Obama won. There was sullen anger in only three places: Republican America; Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office; and drone-peppered Pakistan. But that is a thought for another day.

A wheel that began to turn in , when Mahathir split UMNO and changed the fundamental structure of a party shaped by  Tengku, has come full circle.UMNO collapse will leave a dangerous vacuum at the heart of  Malay’s politics. A historic inflexion point has arrived. Najib should seize this moment.

UMNO politics is NOT moving towards the centre. It began with elephant steps. There is nothing like a general election to turn it into a jog old soldiers, goes the saying, never die; they just fade away. Unless their career includes a spell as dictator Mahathir , in which case they fantasize about a Napoleon-style comeback, cheered on by an adoring public now deeply regretful about having thrown the chap out. Mahathirf, who ruled for 22 years like an unforgiving sultan, has returned from self-sought exile because he wants to “save” Perkasa Ibrahim Ali.

Aspirant prime ministers often forget the first rule of Putra Jaya : the Centre can only be ruled from the centre. Even in an age when ideology no longer sits on certain ground, there is still broad separation between ‘left’ and ‘right’. It may be only as thin as a comparison, but it exists. as finance minister can lean left or tilt right, but a prime minister must have the flexibility to take whichever lane offers a solution. When BN president Najib Razak did not name Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali as BN candidate earlier in spite of former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s open endorsement of him, my wife remarked that Najib for once has a bit of guts not to listen to the ‘de facto PM’.

Delusion is a curious disease. It does not affect the afflicted, since they are unaware of their condition. Mahathir cannot recognise an irony:  It does not make sense! BN is making blunder after blunder. This plot in putting up Ibrahim Ali obviously to represent Umno is sending shockwaves not only in Peninsular Malaysia but also to the most remote places in Sarawak and Sabah.Now I begin to believe that the possibility of Pakatan forming the next government is real indeed.

This only goes to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Ibrahim Ali, Zulkifli Nordin and Perkasa are part and parcel of Umno’s election machinery and that Umno is a racist party to the core.

All right-minded voters should reject this racist party which has torn apart the country’s racial and religious fabrics for 55 years.TRANSFORMATION TEAM: BN’s campaign will be built around Najib and his team of young, experienced and proven leaders Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani one with the impression that he is a man with a great vision and a lot of ideas He spoke impressively, eloquently and animatedly, often using colloquial expressions like “boss”, about how we need … Read more
: Najib is a wolf in sheep’s clothes. He is as sly as they come. Wooing the non-Malays with one hand and holding the keris with the other. Ibrahim will be his barking dog while Zul will be his poster boy.

He named instead Perkasa vice-president Zulkifli Noordin, the one who uttered anti-Indian and Hindu sentiments, for the Shah Alam parliament seat. We thought it was the compromised deal to placate Mahathir to at least put one Perkasa leader to contest.How wrong we were. Indeed, Najib is even worse – now he has two racist and bigoted Perkasa leaders contesting on the side of BN, with Ibrahim Ali been given a safe passage as BN-friendly Independent following the engineered withdrawal of the Umno-chosen candidate.If I remember correctly this is the first time in the history of BN (or Alliance in the past) that a chosen BN candidate withdraws his or her candidacy on nomination day – for whatever reasons.

So we would like to ask all the Indians who believe in Hindraf and its chief, P Waythamoorthy, can you still believe Najib for his promise

‘Waytha, are you going to Pasir Mas to campaign for Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali? You should, to please your new master.’

Najib pact unimaginable and historic, says Waytha

Hindraf has splintered into different groupings each vying for a share of the crumbs which BN has thrown at them since 2007.

RS Thanenthiran (remember him?) was loaned Hindraf leader P Wathyamoorthy’s photogenic daughter as a publicity stunt for his grubby agenda. He was co-opted by BN chief Najib Razak and became leader of the BN-friendly Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP).

Now it is Waythymoorthy’s turn. His conniving brother P Uthayakumar, also from the MIC fold, will feign disappointment at his brother’s ‘treachery’ of the Indians and try to carve another niche for himself on the back of ‘the original Hindraf’.

Pakatan Rakyat was fully aware of the Hindraf leaders’ duplicitous agenda and therefore could not take them seriously. The crux of the issue was Hindraf is in the mould of BN, which fights only for race and religion.

Pakatan is for all Malaysians. What is “unimaginable” is that Hindraf has agreed to drop ‘racism towards Indians’ and ‘custodial deaths’ in their MOU (memorandum of understanding) with BN.

Kgen: Was it enough for Pakatan to merely sign the blueprint? Hindraf also wants seats from Pakatan but the same condition was not applied to BN. Obviously the negotiation with Pakatan was intended to fail by setting such unpalatable conditions.

Anonymous #76965586: Waythamoorthy, why do you allow only parts of the blueprint be adopted by BN while you insisted that Pakatan must adopt all of it?

It is obvious that you know no political party will accept the blueprint completely. Hence, you have misled the Indian community.

Onyourtoes: I feel sorry for you, Waytha, if this is the way you look at issues and solving them.

Did we not have a written constitution? Is that constitution more supreme than any written law and agreement? Did the ruling regime which governed this country for more than 50 years give any respect to that sacred document.

What was the original intent of the New Economic Policy (NEP)? What happened to the eradication of poverty and the removal of the identification of race with economic functions?

When we assess the sincerity of any counter party, we look at track records and consistent pattern of behaviour. What track record has BN got? What consistent pattern of behaviour have they persistently shown?

If you want to play politics and seek your fortune, it is within your right. But please don’t use the poor and ignorant people.

Anonymous #58815597: Waytha, are you going to Pasir Mas to campaign for Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali? You should, to please your new master.

Cala: The marginalisation of the Indian community under the Umno-led BN regime has been going in the last 56 years.

So what forces Najib to claim that change is underway when pressed by Hindraf on something MIC has failed for over five decades?

Simple, Najib realises that Hindraf may influence the vote on May 5. Once past the general election, the utility of Hindraf will be drastically reduced. By then, our Indian community will be left on the side of the road to fend for themselves.

Thus, the only way forward is to make sure that there is an equal and opposing opposition in place. For Waytha to claim that he has succeeded is sheer childishness. An autocratic regime is not known to take care of the minorities.
we get it that like me, many of you guys are seething at the way things have turned out in this whole issue.

Let’s show some maturity in not tarring all Indians with the same brush. Profanities and insults merely get a like response and resolves nothing. There are rotten apples in every barrel but let’s not throw away the whole barrel because of a few bad ones.

we are sure Waythamoorthy is also very much looking forward to the ‘historic’ and ‘unprecedented’ honour of becoming Malaysia’s first minister of minority affairs.
Indians gathered in thousands on the streets of Kuala Lumpur in 2007 due to the discrimination and marginalisation they faced for over 50 years perpetrated by no other than Umno-BN.

The Hindraf movement so happened to be the coincidental ‘banner’ for these thousands to come together and do what they did in 2007.

To say that all these Indians will go back and vote for Umno-BN just because a piece of paper, called the MOU, was signed on Thursday and that Waytha said so, would be too simplistic and grossly underestimate the intelligence of these Indians.

From the many Indians I know, their enemy number one is Umno-BN. They tell me that their first and most important priority is to defeat it, come what may.

Fifty years of manipulation, humiliation and suffering under Umno-BN cannot be so easily forgotten by just signing a MOU or by saying sorry.

I therefore think that the present Hindraf move is not in line with the general feeling of the Indians. For the Indians, Umno-BN is the problem, not the solution.

When is a MOU a legally-binding document?

See how he cheated the people with such a farce of indirectly supporting a known racist by pulling out the BN candidate to ensure a win for Ibrahim Ali?

Che Johan Che Pa, who did not submit his nomination papers after being selected by Barisan Nasional (BN) to contest the Pasir Mas parlimentary constituency, may face stern action including expulsion if his failure to submit his papers had been a deliberate act.

BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor said the party would carry out an investigation on the action of the Pasir Mas Umno division deputy head.There had been no leader in many millennia with a deeper commitment to the eradication of  hateful curse, racial oppression,

“Umno will not compromise with anyone who has committed a wrongdoing and breached party regulations including acts of sabotage or going against the Umno constitution, especially to ensure victory for the BN in the 13th general election,” he said in a statement, here today. the very least, BN candidate Che Johan Che Pa could have gone missing and come out with some excuses why he did not made it to the nomination centre, but he turned up and did not submit his nomination paper despite duly given the authorisation from the BN chief and caretaker just show that the real PM (puppet master) is pulling the strings.

Che Johan caused a surprise when he did not submit his nomination papers at the nomination centre at the Operations Room of the Pasir Mas Land and District Office yesterday although he was present at the centre.

His action resulted in the incumbent for the seat, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who is standing on an independent ticket, facing the son of the PAS spiritual leader, Nik Mohd Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, in a straight fight.

There had been no leader in many millennia with a deeper commitment to the eradication of poverty and that hateful curse, caste oppression, but was Gandhi a leftist? Not by the logic of Marxists and their fellow travellers, who were convinced that the means must justify the ends, rather than the other way around. The Left has rather lost out on historical determinism in free India. Instead of striding along a shining path lit by dialectic debate, it became hopelessly tangled in that powerful British invention called a file-stricken, deskbound bureaucracy. The Indian right, untroubled by either doctrine or morality, placed its faith in the simplicity of greeddriven enterprise. It was naïve and self-defeating, particularly in a land diseased by poverty, but never waste your time arguing with the rich. Every morning their money whispers in their ears that they are always right. Even a self-made billionaire who started by asking splendid questions, switches to sermons with success. Money is an intellectual laxative.“What we saw when we were invited in was a model of transparency, with many checks and balances to assure integrity. People must show identification, their serial number is then entered into a digitial device and their photo comes up, then they give a thumb print to verify their identity again. They then proceed to …Read more

Nothing happens in the PII9 PAS election waiting room.. Do not expect too much excitement. Time will disappear through the passage of the predictable, occasionally diverted by a faint dread of what might happen once the great surgeon of democracy, the voter, gets his scalpel on the body politic in a general election. . woman support is crucial to Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani, and even a few months ago the shrill buzz provoked by this claim would have rattled window panes in every television studio. But no one took him seriously. The voter’s question about Joe is uncomplicated: A waiting room does, however, provide both opportunity and time for prayer.PAS should pray very hard that PAS runner do not go berserk 5 May 2013.24 hours past and still no outcome. Now that you have shot yourself in the foot, for better or worse, instead of both opposition losing, you should refrain from attacking each other but direct your efforts against each other. However, both parties and their leaders deserve a good spanking on the backside for not exercising common sense. Some may say it is sheer stupidity and gamesmanship that are likely to end in disaster.that this PAS grass root can never compromise we strongly support Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani’ irrespective and show our powers even after they have been designated as our “lawmaker”. PAS Even before winning the election, these people are already fighting for power, If they are not going to sort this issue out before the polling day, we are goign to cast our votes to Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani we beleive they are many like-minded voterslike us, then Pas will be in trouble!We voters are not dissappointed at all cos we know PAS with its common understanding among themselves will NOT be able to overcome this small issue

.

Our votes are for Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani we will take P119TITIWANGSA from PAS

Sometimes alliance parties find it convenient to simulate conflict, but this is public posturing to satisfy populist opinion before an election DAP and PKR are the new templates of posture-politics.

Power is the glue of politics. That is why PAS  is expected to be in array and opposition generally in disarray. Ideology is a fickle custodian of unity in an age of convenience. Its absence has eliminated the difference between single-party rule and coalition government. Both are held together by individual or sectarian self-interest, which is why they last. Ideology is a differentiator; it makes a partnership untenable even if the partners consider it sustainable. Sentiment is irrelevant to any political marriage.  This is true of all democracies where coalitions become necessary.  Politicians live for power; why would they invite a premature death? PAS politics, reduced to minimalist, notional ideology, devoid of individual or party accountability, is peculiarly suited to coalitions.  If there were accountability, t

Does PAS needs as many seats as possible so that they can use numbers to push through their Islamic agenda? Is this their ulterior motive and the very reason for Anwar NOT wanting to give in

‘They want to prove to their parties that they are winnable. However, history shows that very rarely do Independents win!’

Hundreds of Independents flood final tally

As Malaysia braces for the nominations of candidates for the 13th general election (GE13), let us as citizens pray that the event will be peaceful and fair.

Judging from what the BN is capable of, our fears of underhand tactics to upset the democratic process are not unfounded but indeed genuine.

Let’s uphold the laws and at the same time implore divine intervention for justice and peace to prevail during this election. God bless Malaysia.

According to the Election Commission (EC), there are 269 Independents in this general election, fighting for either parliamentary or state seats.

Each parliamentary seat costs RM10,000 and each state seat costs RM5,000. Even if each Independent paid for a state seat, the deposits will be RM1,345,000. That is a big sum in any language!

This deposit shows that many people want to serve the nation or they want to serve themselves.

Whether it is national service or self-service, their contributions show that democracy is working; and that they wish to voice the silent cries of the poor and marginalised; or that they are poor and marginalised themselves.

Since their parties do not want them, because they are deemed to be unwinnable, they will want to show that they are indeed winnable; and they want to prove to their parties that they are winnable.

However, history shows that very rarely do Independents win. In fact, most of them lost their deposits. I am sure the government is thankful for their ‘contributions’.

We can expect more than 50 percent of the independent candidates to “vanish” from the election scene within a week. I believe both BN and Pakatan will work towards weeding out these “hindrances” to ensure their victory in the respective constituencies.

we have just read all the comments in Malaysiakini and it’s so sad to notice that the EC and the Registrar of Societies (ROS) which are supposed to be apolitical as civil servants have lost all their credibility.

Why can’t they have some self-respect and dignity? Don’t they understand that Malaysians will respect them and back them if they dare to reject BN’s evil request to play any dirty tricks?

Why is it so difficult for them to understand that they are supposed to be loyal to the country, and to serve the rakyat who are paying their salaries?

Don’t they have the desire to be respected and trusted just like the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong? Don’t they have the desire to build a fair and just society as taught in their religions, and make Malaysia a proud nation?

It’s truly beyond my imagination that these people are so contented to be political tools of an incurable corrupt regime such as BN and doing all these at their own expense. Don’t they feel guilty when they do their prayers to the Highest Almighty?

DAP uses the rocket. See, it’s clear that DAP will never compromise with PAS. Think again, people. This ‘pakatan’ between PKR, DAP and PAS is a disaster in the making.

They will never be able to work together should they come to power. There isn’t one clear leader between them who can exert authority when issues surface. This alliance between these three parties reminds me of the three stooges.

, it is better to see the three parties openly agreeing to disagree than quietly agreeing behind scene like BN to cheat the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sarawakians and Sabahans.

Nowhere in this world are you able to see three parties with three different ideologies agree on a controversial subject.

It is much better to discuss, disagree and finally come to a consensus than to cheat the people by saying that 14 different parties in a coalition have no problems. And that they all agree unanimously. Bullshit.

Who are we to judge? To say that DAP is hesitant to use PAS’ logo is silly because DAP could use PKR’s logo. Instead DAP chose PAS. Hence there is no doubt DAP and PAS have a very close working relationship. Please use more grey matter.

: Out of all the coverage on nomination day inMalaysiakini, this phrase stands out. “Two busloads of Raja Nong Chik supporters are seen being ferried to their gathering point near Jalan Bangkung.”

Focus on the party’s choices and avoid the dropouts like Jenice Lee and Sim Tong Him in order not to spoil the soup.

No matter how friendly they are, there must be reasons why the party didn’t field them. They should work closely with the party and serve according to their abilities after capturing the government.
Now, what they are doing is spoiling the chance for the party to win. It is a sign of selfishness. That could be the reason why the party dropped them.

Many Chinese supporters are seen carrying PAS flags while Malay supporters hold the DAP’s rocket flags. This is the real 1Malaysia spirit where race and religious boundaries are broken after 55 years of brainwashing by the BN machine.

Let this be the rise of a new generation of Malaysians. Let us work for a more prosperous and progressive nation. Let the political bigots, chauvinists and hypocrites be silenced into oblivion.

 As 1,900 candidates poured into nomination centres around the country yesterday to file their papers, the excitement for the May 5 general election has intensified. For the first time in history, every seat is being contested.

One seat, Kalabakan in Sabah, even has a seven-cornered fight. The mass entry of candidates into politics speaks of Malaysia’s heightened political involvement, with more and more Malaysians wanting to be part of the action. However, this at the same time points to underlying challenges facing political parties across the spectrum in managing the egos and interests involved.

The nominations show that many would like to enter the fray, despite the potential damage this would cause for either side. Let me highlight a few issues arising from the nomination results, focusing on independents, multi-cornered fights and warlords.

(Mis) managing Independents

The most striking factor is the increase of independents from 115 in 2008 to a whopping 270. This nearly three-fold increase points to some underlying shifts in national politics.

Based on the published list of independents, 39.2 percent of the parliamentary seats and 35.8 percent of the state seats have an independent or smaller party from outside of the two coalitions running. Most of these are independents and this raises questions why.

First and foremost is the important shift within the BN itself. There are a record number of BN, especially Umno candidates, contesting as independents. The behind-the-scene sabotage and shoddy treatment has now come out into the open, as candidates who were not fielded have taken to contest.

The example touted is the Umno Wanita deputy, Kamilia Ibrahim (above) of Kuala Kangsar, who was crudely dropped by the caretaker Prime Minister and Women’s Minister, Najib Abdul Razak, but the examples are multiple, such as Mohd Shariff Omar in Tasek Gelugor in Penang.

This speaks of the failure of the party leadership in Umno to address the concerns of party members. Unlike in the past, when the promise of contracts and alternative positions were secure, this election has increased risk for Umno and members are willing to be more openly daring by fielding themselves.

Already, behind the scenes, there are offers to accommodate individuals who have used the weapon of the nomination paper to send a lesson, and in the days ahead it will be interesting to see who sticks to principles and who opts for the resolution package.

Umno is not alone in facing internal party woes. Independents are also affecting the opposition, where the placement and dropping of candidates has led to the entry of a record number of former candidates contesting.

Attention has centred around Jenice Lee  (left) of DAP, who was dropped due to concerns raised over the management of finances in her former district of Teratai in Selangor.

Lee has labelled herself as ‘Pakatan-friendly’. Rather than graciously accept the party decision, she has fought back foolhardily, exposing herself and her record to greater scrutiny, party expulsion and possible legal challenges.

There are a multiple underlying forces in many of the independent races – party mismanagement, weak party discipline, disgruntlement and unresolved internal party-infighting.

We see the latter in Malacca for example, where long-standing squabbling between Lim Guan Eng and the state party leadership has manifested itself in the state seat of Kota Laksamana contested by DAP stalwart and current Malacca MP Sim Tong Him.

We see a similar dynamic where the beloved former state assemblyperson for Aulong, Yew Tian How, was dropped by the state party leadership. In this case, the cut-off-the-nose-to-spite-the-face decision at the state level has the potential to affect the chances of Nga Kor Ming contesting in the Parliament seat of Taiping, under which Aulong comes.

The clashes of personalities between the national and state leadership have persisted and extended into the public arena. Every one of the major national parties has this underlying dynamic, as testimony of the record number of independents.

There is also the independent as genuinely independent factor. Traditionally, the largest number of independents has been in Sabah and Sarawak. Here, personality and persona are important factors shaping voting behaviour, as family and personal ties are strong.

This time round the most number of independents are still present, especially in Sabah, with a count of 32 percent (or eight) of the Parliament seats and 46.6 percent (or 28) of the state seats. It is telling that many Malaysians feel empowered by the excitement of the race to join, with some hoping potentially to be bought out.

National phenomenon

The rise of contests has become nationwide, as shown in the table below. It has been accentuated by the presence of smaller parties, such as Kita, PCM, Berjasa, SWP and PSM. We see multi-cornered races in places usually unheard of in quite some time, such as Kedah, Terengganu, Pahang, Penang and Selangor.

Many of these contests will be interesting to watch, such as Sungai Petani and Padang Serai in Kedah, Sungei Siput and Tapah in Perak, Hulu Selangor in Selangor and more. There is clearly more competition in the Malay heartland than in recent elections, reminiscent of earlier decades.

However, it is important to note that not all of the independents and entry of smaller parties are the product of empowerment. There appears also to be the placement of independents and smaller parties to undercut the chances of different candidates in the coalitions.

The aim is to pull away votes from either side, weakening the chances of the candidates to win. Sometimes this involves placing a person of a different ethnic group as a candidate to pull away votes.

Disproportionally, this is affecting the opposition, where behind-the-scenes financing may be operating. It is important to note that many of these independents and smaller parties are contesting in seats with small margins, such as Arau.

It is impossible to know with certainty which independents and small parties are the product of planting and positioning, rather than other factors, but this dynamic cannot be ruled out, as it has played a role in other contests in the past as a strategic tool.

Opposition’s multi-cornered fights

Attention has riveted on the seven contests between the Pakatan Rakyat coalition partners PAS and PKR. It is important to put this in perspective. Only one of these is for Parliament – Labuan or 0.5 percent of the seats contested.

The others are at the state level, six out of 505, or 1.1 percent out of the national state contests. By any numerical measure is it small. Yet, at the same time, this is symbolic.

The problems of internal party dynamics, notably within PAS, and the heated intra-party negotiations led to this blight on Pakatan cooperation. After the hard-fought resolutions of differences elsewhere, these contests taint the resolution of battles elsewhere.

The test for these parties now is to resolve this issue to show that Pakatan is indeed able to make good faith efforts for the electorate.

In any battle there are different sides and both sides can be blamed. Yet, what appears to be one current is PAS Terengganu’s unwillingness to give way to new faces. Three of the state contests are concentrated in this state, where PAS traditionally has shown an unwillingness to accommodate new faces and allow the other opposition parties entry.

This inability of PAS at accommodation has been the main reason Pakatan is at a disadvantage in this state. In the days ahead, the ability of PKR and PAS to reach a solution on the multi-cornered fights will be a measure of cooperation and be important symbolically.

The other major arena where multi-cornered party fights in the opposition is taking place is East Malaysia, especially Sabah. This was expected. In Sabah only one of the Parliament seats and two of the state seats are straight fights.

Nearly 55 percent of the Parliament seats to be contested in Sarawak have multi-cornered fights. Notably, Star (28 Parliament, 49 state) and SAPP (eight Parliament and 41 state) are fielding multiple candidates at the Parliament and state levels.

Star is contesting in both Sabah and Sarawak, while SAPP is only contesting in Sabah.

This is a battle between the Borneo opposition and the national opposition over Borneo candidates and it has been going on for a while. The real test will be whether Sabahans want to redefine their role with West Malaysia and do so through the more extreme position of independence advocated by Star, especially, through the locally-rooted SAPP or through Pakatan, which has fielded local candidates.

In Sarawak multi-cornered races are expected to have less of an impact in the wake of the Sarawak 2011 state election, where most (although not all) of these candidates were wiped out. However, the main contest and impact, electorally, will be in Sabah.

It is noteworthy that despite the level of infighting and bruising before nomination, Pakatan Rakyat was able to provide a slate that avoided three-cornered fights in East Malaysia, except in the federal territory of Labuan.

An important part of this election will be how state voting patterns contradict or support national trends. How parochial voters are in states like Sabah, for example, will shape the national outcome. Sabahans and Sarawakians have considerable choice; they will have more power to decide the country’s future than ever before.

Mahathir a factor

The BN on its part grapples with another persistent feature, the power clout of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. His influence is shaping the contest in Kedah, fuelling infighting within Umno.

Mahathir in this election too continues to play a major role, nationally, as shown by the predicted but nevertheless shocking unprecedented action of the BN making way for known ultra-chauvinist Ibrahim Ali (right), who is openly supported by Mahathir.

Supposed explanations after the fact only raise more questions. After the decision to field Zulkilfli Noordin, this action further aligns caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s BN with these Mahathir-linked reactionary positions and highlights the challenges the BN faces in reaching out to non-Malays.

The large list of candidates adds more ambiguity to the race. This is part of the broader pattern of more contests expected in this heated contest. As the campaign evolves, the race will remain essentially a two-coalition contest nationally.

Smaller parties are likely to be wiped out. The real exception, and unknown, will be in Sabah, with its more powerful non-coalition aligned parties. The multiple contests show that an underlying sense of political empowerment has taken root and extended into the candidates themselves.

At the same time, this broader democratising dynamic places a greater burden on the main coalitions, especially the opposition, to woo the electorate and show that they deserve to be in power.

DR BRIDGET WELSH is associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University. She is travelling around Malaysia to provide her GE13 analyses exclusively to Malaysiakini. Bridget can be reached at bwelsh@smu.edu.sg.