YOU happen to be charitable and buy Haraka , you’ll notice the headlines this past week has about Islamic criminal law hudud and rising violence in the GE13 campaign.

Add to that explosion of murders involving guns and knives. Today, the MCA-owned The Star daily front-paged the surge in electoral violence across the country, none of which occurred in the past 24 hours.

The popular English-language daily also reported Inspector-General of Police Secretariat’s Assistant Head Assistant Commissioner Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said 1,166 cases of polls-related violence and intimidation had been reported since nomination day on April 20, with 43 people arrested so far.

Yet, campaign violence has been on-going for the past year in many ceramahs\hat are often rattled by hired hooligans.\

To what purpose is this fearmongering about the spike in violence in the election campaign? If anything, the authorities have kept a firm hand to ensure most if not all ceramahs are conducted peacefully without any untoward incidents.

Let’s be clear about one thing.Haraka must help and encourage everyone to come out and cast their ballots. Not create an atmosphere of fear that will stop people from fulfilling their duty as a citizen on polling day.
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Datuk DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI want everyone to vote, naturally for him. A lower turnout will not do good for him or his political opponents in the May 5 polls.

Apart from the focus on electoral violence, the newspaper and the PAS controlled hARAKA have been reporting widely on the Islamic criminal law hudud championed by PAS explained today by party Secretary-General Datuk Mustafa Ali.

Hudud has been an electoral issue to frighten non-Muslim voters for the past 23 years since PAS took the Kelantan government in 1990. Hudud helped break the Barisan Alternatif (BA) two years after the 1999 polls and it continues to haunt Malaysian politics.

It isn’t an issue that will go away if continued to be dredged up.Veteran MCA leader Datuk Lee Hwa Beng and even former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have however pointed out that it is impossible for hardline or Islamist politicians to ensure hudud is implemented in the country.

For one, there aren’t enough Muslim MPs in the federal parliament to get the law passed on their own accord. They would need the assistance of non-Muslim MPs who have gone on record to protest and not vote in any Islamic enactments in the state legislatures except perhaps the MCA in Selangor in 1988.Last night, One of the most fascinating, if not disturbing, aspects of  Ammal PAS Malaysia threat in recent dayts has been the emergence of a diverse, yet very small group of radical Salafists in Titiwangsa and all over the nation  that to create havoc during the G13 Barisan candidate P119 Titiwangsa3 DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI received a timely boost … Read more

American politicians discovered the power of social media early. Barack Obama was an early adopter — and adapter — when he used the medium to not just gain up support from his younger constituents and supporters, but also to raise money. His rise to power came on the backs of a generation that felt politically empowered by the fact that he reached out to them in a medium and language they were most familiar and comfortable with. Some of his messages started off with a “Hey” or a “Hi” — hipster lingo or dude-talk to many, an unthinkable way to address constituents a generation ago. and mobile mastery has leapfrogged India into a position where its pols can tap social media to some extent to reach constituents. Of course, most mobile devices are still basic units, and so text or SMS — and not Facebook or YouTube — remains the principal mode of outreach. But increasingly,an unthinkable way to address constituents a generation ago. and mobile mastery has leapfrogged India into a position where its pols can tap social media to some extent to reach constituents. Of course, most mobile devices are still basic units, and so text or SMS — and not Facebook or YouTube — remains the principal mode of outreach. But increasingly, pols are starting to realise that even the few thousands or few hundred people they can reach out to through social media are influential — and often moneyed —

The lightning fast lanes of the information superhighway had made this travel even quicker — and the lie even more fleet of feet. We saw it earlier this week when a cyber-intruder hacked into the Twitter account of the news agency Associated Press, and falsely tweeted from its account (@ AP) that there had been explosions in the White House and President Obama had been injured. The lie was heard at the same instant in Washington DC and Wellington, New Zealand, in New York and New Delhi. A denial and clarification followed at equal speed, but in the brief seconds or minutes it took for it to put its shoes on, the lie had already been heard and believed by millions across the world.

Despite this mishap — there have been more before and there will be many more hereafter — few doubt that social media is here to stay

Today, there isn’t a politician worth a byte in the US who does not use the internet — in particular social media — for outreach and communication. To get a sense of how pervasive this is, look up the website of Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera, a first-time lawmaker. On his homepage, aside from the cookie cutter layout that offers biographical details in “About” and sundry legislations, issues, and resources, there are links to his Twitter feed, his Facebook page, and to his You Tube and Flicker uploads. In other words, his constituents have more than half a dozen ways of reaching him and interacting with him, beyond the 20th century tools of phone, fax, and email.

Since nomination day, Harakahdaily has come under severe DDOS (distributed denial of service) attacks. But lately, our IT team found that there was more to it.
Having tested broadband services from all local internet service providers (ISP), we discovered that only YES4G and Time Internet have no problems accessing our web.

Users of ISPs such as TM Broadband, Unifi, Streamyx, Maxis, Celcom and Digi however have complained of unusually slow speed when accessing the Harakahdailyportal.

A pageview chart screened by us also revealed that connection was being ‘dropped’ every now and then when using these ISPs.

“If the matter is true, such dirty tactics must be stopped. ISPs should focus on their job to deliver the best service to its customers any desired websites without restriction,” said Zulkifli Sulong, Harakahdaily‘s editor-in-chief.

Harakahdaily is not alone. Malaysiakini’s IT team reportedly observed similar trend. The portal today questioned whether ISPs had been ordered to reduce access or restrict some websites.

Malaysiakini chief executive officer Premesh Chandran was equally serious in urging ISPs to butt out of politics.

“ISPs should stay out of politics and make sure their staff do not follow illegal instructions which undermine the accessibility of their networks. They should also ensure shared gateways are free of tampering and restrictions,” said Premesh.

Harakahdaily’s readership has meanwhile overtaken other major news sites, including UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia’s internet edition.

As a precaution to future attacks, all our news will be also posted in full on our popular Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/harakahdaily.

“Users who find it hard to access our portal, please tell your friends to get our news from our Facebook page as well,” said Zulkifli.

As the world is becoming more intricately connected, its relationship with information is changing in a fundamental way. Three unconnected events -the killing of innocent Sikhs at a Wisconsin gurdwara, the exodus of North-Easterners from many parts of India following rumours and the continuing saga of Julian Assange and Wikileaks all shed light on changing nature of our engagement with information and the new anxieties that surround its use and abuse.

In the case of the gurdwara shootings, what is striking is the power of ignorance that is determined not to know better. In a world overloaded with information, it would have taken a few milliseconds to find out a little more about Sikhism and come to the conclusion that it had nothing to do with 9/11 or any attacks on Americans. Horrific as all hate crimes are, here the horror is given an added edge by the fact that the shooter got his hate wrong by targeting people, who even by his warped standards, were unconnected with the imagined grievances he harboured in his mind. The incident suggests that no amount of information, however widely circulated and easily accessible can by itself overcome determined ignorance and pre-conceived prejudice. In a larger sense, in spite of the dramatically higher volume of information that circulates through the world today, it has made little dent on the volume of prejudice.

The sudden exodus from the North East from many Indian cities is almost entirely the result of a surfeit of information, the multiplication of motivated rumour by social media. Both the Mumbai violence and the North Eastern exodus were enabled by social media, in the former case, by way of morphed pictures and videos using footage from incidents outside Assam and in the latter by falsehoods and exaggerations. Even when the state uttered many assurances and for once politicians across parties closed ranks, the rush to leave continued unabated. The power of unsubstantiated rumour is hardly a new phenomenon; we have many instances of it in India. it occurs in almost every riot, political scandal and once in a while in the form of miracles like Ganesha drinking all over the country, but in this case the key role was played by a new technology, one that promises to free up information from being controlled by a few, enabling greater transparency.

In the third instance, we see how the truth too can be deeply contentious. The attack against Assange is unprecedented in the naked use of every instrument that is available to governments in shutting him down and locking him up. His offence is one that strikes at the heart of the anxieties of the state in having its inner mechanisms revealed. Wikileaks tells us for sure what we have otherwise suspected – that the state acts in ways vastly different from what it professes, and does so quite cynically. But the issue is not merely about showing us the true colours of most regimes; it has to do with the presumption that all information has automatic value.

By demonising all private information as a sinister form of secret, and making the truth, no matter how private or how sensitive, a public commodity, Wikileaks builds a crude model of our reality, one which ignores the need sometimes for information to be cloaked and for appearances to be maintained. Not all truth sets us free, and while the withholding of information has undoubtedly been used to create power asymmetries, not all information can carry an air of presumptive righteousness. By setting it free in its rawest form, Wikileaks shows us that truth too has limits on its value. Wikileaks makes the truth pornographic, by making it a titillating display of undifferentiated wares, a laying bare of the inner for the satisfaction of sight alone.

In an earlier era, when the transmission of information was centrally regulated, it was easier to think of it as a resource that needs to be shared more widely and made more accessible. More information was almost always better, and the battle to extract more was often a heroic one. The reason why journalism was seen through a lens of romance was because it represented the act of extricating the truth from the jaws of the powerful and the corrupt. The RTI act in India for instance has been a key instrument in enabling greater transparency and accountability of powerful and hitherto opaque institutions. But with the greater penetration of the market into media and the dramatic democratisation of information, not just in terms of being able to access but also in being able to broadcast it, the default belief in its inherent and limitless legitimacy needs to be rethought.

As media gets seen as having an axe to grind, its coverage of issues gets to be consumed with a filter in place. This creates many parallel narratives of truth, each claiming that it represents reality better. We don’t really know what happened in Assam for the news comes to us contaminated and our 0doubts about it taint it even further. And social media, which bypasses traditional channels of information, is in the name of freedom of expression, able to re-circulate rumours that speak to the deepest anxieties of those vulnerable. The valorisation of the freedom of expression is a product of its context; as information becomes less scarce, more motivated and less inhibited in its expression of human frailties, it might be time to evaluate whether we need more robust mechanisms for creating some sense of order. The value of free expression was derived in part from its scarce availability; today’s problem is the one that comes with its chaotic plenty. Not regulating this in any way may not be as a romantic an idea as it once was.

Neither changing circumstances nor people can affect your balance so long as your essential self as a human being remains the same

There is this type of person I find amusing beyond belief — the one who varies his behaviour based on how useful a person can be to him. He will refuse to acknowledge an acquaintance with either a smile or a wave, waiting for the other person to come up and greet him. But then in the next minute, he will spot someone he stands to gain from, and forgetting all pride, rush to grovel at his feet!

His smiles are measured and stingily allocated, his words are thought through, his gaze Shylock-like. You can almost see the business ledger ticking in his mind as he eyes a person, and decides upon the look he will bestow.

Retired bureaucrats often complain that it is this type of person who serves to highlight their changed status overnight as they retire from service. Most of us have experienced ‘changing eyes’ to paraphrase in Hindi “badalti aankhen” as we shift from portfolio to portfolio, job to job. The person who swore allegiance as you held one portfolio disappears from your life along with the post, and then reappears again when you take on the next portfolio, with a completely valid excuse for the disappearance.

The other obnoxious kinds are the ones who wear the arrogance of their status like a cloak, looking down superciliously at rest of the world. Both these types just do not seem to learn the one lesson that life teaches us again and again — time never stands still; it changes for everyone, and we must make allowances for the same.

What guarantee do you have that you will always enjoy the same power and position? Time changes, situations change, people change. The ones that do not change become extinct, frozen in time. The only thing that remains constant is your core as a human being, and this is what defines you — whether you are in power or out of it! What matters is your growth as an individual, the experiences you gain, and the lessons you learn. There is a lesson to be learnt when you are at the helm of power, and another to be learnt when you are out of it. Both lessons are equally important to the growth of an individual, and life ensures that we get a chance to learn both.

The most respected and evolved people are those who are able to maintain a balance and keep a steady mien through ups and downs, through times when they are feted and times when they are sidelined; at moments of pride, and moments that may be dark and despairing. Through all this, the core, the person you are essentially, must not change. That is the only guarantee you can have for a peaceful existence that is unaffected by the many paths that life traverses, the many people who attempt to upset your balance. That is what helps you stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Here are a few pointers to help you remain true to your core…
• Keep in mind long-term goals. Plan for work, life as well as for a meaningful life beyond work.
• Do not try to please everyone; you never can!
• Be your own critic; do not be affected by others’ praise or ridicule.
• Recognise your self-worth. Focus on what or who gives meaning to your life!
• Never trust blindly — neither your circumstances, nor people around you!
• Create and indulge in meaningful activity away from work.
• Invest in good personal friends.

Malaysia  media has some of the best journalists in the world. But we also have a diverse lot who differ in their beliefs on what’s worth reporting and how to report. Some merely report how Jack and Jill went up the hill and what happened thereafter; some others probe the reason for Jack’s fall; yet … Read more

YOU happen to be charitable and buy Haraka , you’ll notice the headlines this past week has about Islamic criminal law hudud and rising violence in the GE13 campaign. Add to that explosion of murders involving guns and knives. Today, the MCA-owned The Star daily front-paged the surge in electoral violence across the country, none … Read more

At the most basic level, it is possible to challenge even the overall understanding we have about who won and who lost.P119 DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI will gain in terms of vote , which means that as a proportion of their existing vote share,. If we were to, for the sake of simplicity, argue that … Read more

“brings the narrative that everyone wants to return to — that MALAYSIA is the land of extraordinary opportunity and possibility, Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said“To those  P119 Titiwangsa hardcore PAS voters whose support I have yet to earn,” he said, “I may not have won your CONFIDENDENCE but I hear your voices , I need …Read more

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be right.Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to … Read more

The brave visionary and future PM from Pasis keen to shun P119 Tiiwangsa, Knowing perhaps that his party has no chance of winning there.PAS PRESIDENT ABDUL HADI AWANG have  nothingto gain by going to Titiwangsa? What does his parachuted  candidate Ahmad Zamri from hot Sentul to lose? A lot, considering how the media would jump to say that … Read more

Who is the real you PAS  AHMAD ZAMRI  ? In hindsight the magnitude of opposition was surprising. PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRIis not an intellectual in the sense that understanding of economics. In that sense is the personification of the ‘stupid party’— the familiar Left-liberal caricature of the Right. The real redevelopment plans problem was that the ideas … Read more

Who is the real you PAS  AHMAD ZAMRI  ? WHERE THE MALAYS IN KAMPONG BARU AND KAMPONG PANDAN GONE TO? ALIEN HAS TAKEN OVER DURING PAS LAST TERM IN TITIWANGSA Why   PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang always the issue ? That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly … Read more

Introducing the Vibrant PAS campaign All that large sections of the P119 TITIWANGSA  voters want to do is vote out  PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI’. But if that rage and hope coalesce into a movement the voices from the street of Titiwangsa, the country, its politics and its people will have a lot to answer – … Read more

Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to be. Pas Muslims remain a minority though,Muslims making up 65 percent of  Malaysia population the most part, they have been living in harmony with Malaysian of other faiths, and protected by a somewhat fragile secular democracy. But all has … Read more

Last night, One of the most fascinating, if not disturbing, aspects of  Ammal PAS Malaysia threat in recent dayts has been the emergence of a diverse, yet very small group of radical Salafists in Titiwangsa and all over the nation  that to create havoc during the G13 Barisan candidate P119 Titiwangsa3 DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI received a timely boost … Read more

Simply put, your core is your real, essential self — the authentic you, the person you are when you shed all pretences. That’s the easy part; what is more difficult is tearing down the perception you have of your real self! For, all of us come to adopt an image of ourselves that we believe in very early in life, and then live trapped in that image for the rest of our lives. In doing so, we forget to understand who we really are, what makes us tick and what is true happiness or the real purpose of our lives.

Modi , Rajapaksa and  Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang  are clearly around for some time to come. Both are clearly hoping to expand their constituencies and speak to larger audiences. Both are ambitious men and believe they can cut a deal with posterity. Unfortunately, history has this terribly bad habit of coming in the … Read more

And so, a child who may have had to deal with difficult parents withdraws into himself and lives the rest of his life convinced he is an introvert; a girl who may have been complimented for little else than her looks, may start focusing on her looks to the exclusion of all else. Someone who is appreciated for their sense of humour, may start believing that is their calling card. If smartness benefitted you in early childhood, you start believing yourself to be clever. But how sure are you that this is the real you? Most probably the person you really are is hidden within the layers you have built over the years.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has demanded that PAS president Hadi Awang explain his allegation in a Youtube video that the Islamic party cannot cooperate with a “Marxist” party. PSM secretary general S Arutchelvan said that Hadi’s statement alluded to PSM even if he did not mention it by name. “We want to ask, is Hadi …Read more

Add to that the pressures of fitting into predetermined slots and measuring up to expectations — of punishing fitness
routines, cosmetic surgery, and makeovers; of faking it to measure up, pushing yourself beyond limits, and doing things that you intrinsically don’t agree with — and your core self is too deeply hidden to even flutter in protest! Everyone wishes to be someone he or she isn’t. Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like clawing the walls in frustration or getting out of your body, so to speak, and walking away? At such times, you are obviously being forced to do something that runs contrary to your true self; something your very being rebels against!

PKR kecewa terhadap kenyataan Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang yang menyifatkan sesetengah calon PKR bermasalah. Presiden PAS pada ceramah di Kampung Tebakang di Marang malam tadi, berkata mengikut maklumat, mereka khuatir ada antara calon PKR menjadi pengedar pil kuda selain mendakwa ada calon yang meletakkan gambar pemimpin komunis seperti Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin … Read more

Psychotherapist Stephen Cope, author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, says that people are aware of a sense of self-estrangement, and understand that they are not living lives according to ‘their true authentic selves, their deepest possibilities in the world. The result is a sense of near-desperation.’ Healing this, he feels, would lead us to a new sense of purpose and to a deeper, more satisfying life.

My foot Only PAS can lead M’sia to Islam, declares Mat Taib Collective identity is not produced by one man overnight. Mat Taib alone cannot create a culture which is deviating from PAS. After all, one hardly see any of their elected wakil rakyat jumps ship. Oh wow, so now he is all conscience clear … Read more

Being true to your real self, psychiatrists tell us, induces psychological well-being as it leads to a feeling of higher self-esteem and satisfaction, and hence happiness. People who are true to themselves also have better coping skills and are mentally and physically, healthier.

The underlying principle involved concerns not the arithmetic of fairness, but the calculus of morality. It is when a civilisation puts the prospect of   a person who deserves the death penalty according both humanity and humility, but it needs to be rooted in a moral conviction about a society’s values.Can an election ever throw up the … Read more

Fatwas produced by politicians cannot be used. Don’t practise the fatwas, they’re wrong and deviant, our faith will be distorted,” Muhyiddin  Muslims nationwide should shun ‘PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang , Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today Islamization of campaign makes no sense while praising the government’s role in defending Islam. The caretaker deputy prime minister had …Read more

But how can one discover one’s core self? Read on…

• Understand that to be the real you a certain amount of selfishness is necessary! Your focus has to shift to yourself.

• Who are you really? And what do you want? The first step is to understand yourself and know your priorities — listen to your mind and body language.

PAS closed political system with its focus on elections and on intra and inter- party collisions as its centrepiece is becoming outdated. The combination of traditional media particularly television becoming shriller and more persistent, the coming of age of social media which atomises the right to be heard and do so in real time and … Read more

• Know your strengths; more important, know your weaknesses.

• Have the confidence to be yourself and not copy anyone else.

• Make it a habit to look your best and feel good all the time. Nurture your mind with stimulating conversations, reads, and other challenging activities.

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 …Read more

• What are the things that give you happiness? Indulge in them. Often.

• When are you most uncomfortable and irritated? Shun those activities.

• Focus on your most important relationships and don’t waste time with negative souls.

• Dream big, and empower yourself to fulfil those dreams!

That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law,

2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile is Muslim vote polarization that will work against it in the next general election. But the Muslim vote bogey is just that – a bogey. while deeply religious themselves, have moved beyond wanting to see religion used as a political tool.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said that Islam was being hijacked by some people in Pas who were trying to strip it of its spirituality.

“Anybody who is using religion to control you, they consider themselves a better Muslim, Christian, Jew than you are, so you have to follow,” Youssef said, adding that although members of the Muslim Brotherhood call themselves Islamists, he doesn’t know what that means.

“I don’t know what ‘Islamists’ is,” said Youssef, who is the host of a comedic show in Egypt called “El Bernameg” (“The Program.”) “I know one religion: Islam.”

PAS, which has changed its Islamic state struggle to that for the welfare state, is a party that is becoming more confused and is increasingly confusing its members and supporters, a political analyst said today.

“PAS is in this situation because it believes in the lies it created, the most obvious being that DAP is ready to accept the implementation of hudud in the country, although DAP had repeatedly rejected it,” Dr Ibrahim Ghafar said.

He told Bernama that those who repeated their lies would end up believing them as true.

Commenting on a statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that PAS was naive in believing that DAP accepted the implementation of hudud, he said it was true that come election time PAS would play up the hudud issue for fear of losing the support of Malay voters.

Ibrahim said DAP would issue a statement at the same time saying that it strongly opposed implementation of the hudud because it did not want to lose its non-Muslim supporters.

“Actually, both parties are playing games and making this an issue for election. There is no mention of implementing the Hudud law in the opposition’s manifesto,” Ibrahim said.

He said this also applied to DAP’s readiness to use the moon symbol in the 13th general election, which the PAS leaders and supporters believed without thinking about the actual message being conveyed by DAP.

“The DAP’s message is easy…that PAS not only bows to the DAP in allowing the word Allah to be used in Malay language bibles but also in other matters,” he said.

He said DAP, which had already got PAS to change its struggle, also knew how to take advantage of PAS’s current confused state.

Because of this, he said, voters must be extra cautious in deciding which party to choose.

He said PAS could not be counted on to champion Islam and the interests of the Malays because currently there was no PAS leader capable of acting wisely on police issues for the Malays and Muslims.

Unlike in PAS there was calmness and intelligence in Umno and its component parties which were consistent with its struggles for national development and the people’s wellbeing, he added.

“We have less than seven years to work hard to achieve Vision 2020, to turn Malaysia into a high-income nation, and the Barisan Nasional government has already put the country on the right track.

“Let’s not gamble our fate in the disunited opposition coalition which has become more confused and is far from achieving anything,” said Ibrahim.

 ONE WOULD IMAGINE THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE REAL OR SOBERING THAN ELECTION RESULTS FOR NOTHING MAKES REALITY MORE NAKED THAN HARD COLD NUMBERS. AND YET, BECAUSE IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO DISAGGREGATE ELECTION RESULTS AND TEASE OUT DIFFERENT STRANDS OF INFLUENCES AT WORK, WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN IS THAT THE RESULTS SERVE TO REINFORCE EXISTING POSITIONS RATHER THAN ACT AS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE PARTIES IN QUESTION. DAP SHOULD NOT CHEAT ON THE NON-MUSLIMS AGAINST ISLAMIC SYARIAH AND COMES CLEAN ON HUDUD LAW!

P119 TITIWANGSA THE RED LINE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISLAM ,DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI AND POLITICAL ISLAM PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be right.Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to … Read more

To be tempted is normal. Whether you give in to that temptation or not is what determines your character!

Have you ever been tempted to do what you should rightfully be doing? Most probably not! For, the very definition of temptation is wishing to do that which you are not supposed to do! You are tempted to do the very things that you are warned against, eating what you are advised not to, and wondering about places that are declared danger zones! As old as Adam and Eve, temptation is what led the original First Couple to taste the fruit of that one forbidden tree, and commit the Original Sin that led to the Fall of Man! Temptation is very easy to give in to, and near impossible to resist.

The Devil outside may be easier to resist than the Devil within, which makes temptation a natural state of existence for us. Our natural urges are all set to be tempted and lead us astray. We give in to temptation when we rationalize the outcome and convince ourselves that we are doing the right thing by giving in. The body craves pleasure and so, all the wrong things; the mind, which knows better, tries to resist, but then rationalizes the craving and gives way. Curiosity is a huge factor in temptation. Curiosity, which is basically a function of the mind, is aroused by denial or unapproachability.

The mind kicks in and starts wondering about the denial, wishing to discover what would happen if we did exactly what we are warned not to do! When a man hears colleagues rib each other about extra-marital affairs, he starts wondering if he is missing out on something, an experience he may regret not having had? His curiosity and competitive spirit are aroused and he becomes a vulnerable candidate for infidelity. The mind plays tricks on us and we convince ourselves of the reasons we do certain things.

 NORMAN FERNANDEZ  IS NOT IN DANGER OF THE SACK, WHICH MAY WELL BE WHAT HE WANTS GIVEN HIS ROILING DISCONTENT AGAINST THE PARTY AND HIS PERCEPTION THAT DAP HAS LOST ITS WAY. AND RISK ITS FUTURE WITH PAS

Passion is the lever that helps lift the mundane to extraordinary, the mediocre to excellent.

you cannot help but be inspired.  No, I’m not talking as much about the records and milestones that are so much a part of the legend, as of his consistency, his dedication, his forbearance under pressure and his humility when on top. And more than anything else, his unwavering passion for his chosen game!

Passion is everything. You give that one emotion to anything and you are bound to excel. Passion helps you enjoy the journey as much as achieving the goal! Like Sachin, who plays the game for the love of it, not to chase numbers! Passion, a powerful, compelling emotion which implies investing more of yourself – body, mind and soul – into life, love, work and relationships, spells the difference between boredom and excitement, between mediocrity and excellence.

Certainly passion is never a prerequisite for anything, but the lack of this emotion renders everything mediocre — be it work, leisure, adventure or romance. People can and do lead entire lives without being passionate about anything, but in order to truly drink deeply of life, intensity is a must! When a 26-year-old software techie ended her life in Bangalore recently because she was “bored with life,” one wished she had looked within for a passion that would have given her life a new meaning!

How do you know what you are passionate about? Ask yourself and you will know!  Anything that you love doing or which makes you happy! The most successful people are those who are able to select careers matching their passion!

Indeed if you have not loved or even hated with passion, you have neither reached the heights, nor plumbed the depths of emotion! If you have not worked with passion, you have been unfair to yourself.

In an age of intense competition, everything gets reduced to numbers. Maybe things are easier to understand when they are presented as data that can be compared favourably or unfavourably to something else. So facts and records become far more important than the effort and passion that went into achieving them. Everyone wants to be a Sachin because they note the records he breaks to become a world figure; they do not want to emulate his passion and dedication!

Unfortunately, education too has been reduced to a game of numbers. At the end of school years, all you are worth is the score you achieved at the Board Exams! It doesn’t matter how passionate you were about your studies or how you gained mastery over an aspect that particularly intrigued you!

Consider Sufi music. It is the passion of the rendition that carries us along on a musical journey into a spiritual realm. The best poetry and songs are the result of intensely felt emotion. The level of passion is what differentiates a consistently powerful performance from a weak one.

However part of the deal is that when your passion has spent itself, you withdraw and look for something else to invest your intensity in. And that is what Sachin promises to the obsessive mathematical minds, which also obsess about his retirement! When his passion is spent and he is “not in a frame of mind to contribute to nation,” is when he intends to retire, he announced!

What are the issues that will really matter when we near the end of life?

The untimely death of a colleague, someone with whom you interacted, exchanged pleasantries and indulged in some healthy competition, is bound to leave you regretful and reflective on the uncertainty of life. And when the one who passes on had known the end was near, you wonder what went through the person’s mind in the days and weeks before the end.

Those who have reported near-death experiences, have talked of experiencing a vivid rendering of their entire lives played out like a movie, the light they see at the end of the tunnel and of love and acceptance. While doctors have dismissed these as delusions, what science has failed to dismiss is identical surges seen in brain activity of terminally-ill patients moments before death, which seems to provide evidence of the near-death experiences.

However, even if we were to allow the scientists their skepticism, it does seem plausible that when life nears end, we would most likely take stock of the way we lived and the impact we made, if any. Did we make the most of the gift of life that was given to us? Did we achieve whatever we came here to achieve? Do we have any major regrets? Are we leaving behind unfinished tasks? And yes — did we make a difference?

Think of the panicky feel as a holiday nears end. Did we make the most of the days? You try to pack in as much as you can in the last few hours and promise yourself better organization next time! Only now, as life is ending, there is no next chance – at least none that you can be assured of.

One of the most meaningful thoughts on this issue I have come across is that of leading world motivational trainer, Brendon Burchard’s, “At the end of our lives, we all ask, ‘Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?’” In his book, The Millionnaire Messenger, Burchard goes on to say, “At the end of your life you will want to know if you really lived your life fully – your life, too, not the hopes and dreams of your parents or teachers or peers or spouse…. ”

Christopher Hitchens, English-American journalist who died of cancer in December 2011, wrote in Vanity Fair, “It does concentrate the mind, of course, to realise that your life is more rationed than you thought it was…one thing that grave illness does is to make you examine familiar principles and seemingly reliable sayings….”

Let us reflect on the things that one would want to be assured of before hitting the bucket. Surely you would like to know that you drank deep of life’s nectar and lived a full life with all your senses alive to the beauty and possibilities offered! That you dreamt big, fought for your dreams and achieved the potential you were endowed with. This would answer the first question Burchard poses – Did you live?

Love, they say is what makes the world go round. We enter life to learn all about love; love is not just a balm for the soul but also helps us onwards in our spiritual journey. So what lessons in loving did you learn? Did you love deeply enough, and were you loved back intensely in return? Did you, at least once in your life, experience an intense love, that blocks out all reason? Consider this — nobody who is dying has ever regretted giving lesser time to work, though many have regretted giving lesser time to love and family! Were you able to give love and loved ones your all – be it a parent, sibling, spouse, lover or child? So, Did you love?

And lastly, nobody wants to feel insignificant. We all have our own place and importance in the Universe. So never doubt that your existence serves a certain purpose and you are important in your own way. Did you take your role seriously enough and try and make a dent in the Universe, as Steve Jobs put it? Did you take risks and follow your heart when it dictated things that reason raised eyebrows at? Did you touch lives and make a difference? In effect – Did you matter?

As Ian Fleming put it, “You only live twice. Once when you are born and once when you look death in the face.”  We do not know whether we prepared for our birth. But surely we can start preparing ourselves with answers for life’s posers as death stares us in the face?

GE13 WATCH SELANGOR BN’s Shah Alam parliamentary candidate Zulkifli Noordin believes that he is now “reborn”, having chosen to join BN after leaving the opposition in 2010.

“This is ‘marupiravi’ (Tamil for rebirth) for me,” he told a crowd of watchful MIC members during a small ceramah in Shah Alam yesterday.

Zulkifli, who gained notoriety after he was caught on video insulting Hindus – an incident he claims was filmed 10 years ago – appears to have armed himself with a handful of Tamil words to show he is capable of bonding with the Indian electorate, who make up 14 percent of the 100,076 voters in Shah Alam.

He is not shy to discuss the controversial video whenever he takes the stage, using it as “evidence” of the “indoctrination of hate” by PAS and Pakatan Rakyat, on which he is now blaming his racist indiscretion.

“This is what they preach. They teach Malays to hate Chinese and Indians, and vice versa.

“And they even pit Malays to hate each other. For them, anyone who is not with them is an enemy,” he told some 300 Shah Alam MIC members.

He uses “amma, appa” (mother, father) liberally in addressing the crowd during his spiel, and has an offbeat analogy to describe the role of Indians in Malaysia’s nation building.

“Malaysia is like ‘sireh’ (betel leaf). The betel leaves are the Malays, the betel nut (pinang) are the Chinese, while the Indians are the ‘kapur’ (Malay for limestone paste).

“The portion for ‘soonambu’ (Tamil for limestone paste) might be small but it’s very important for the betel,” he said.

Zul to save Shah Alam from sin

BN chief Najib Abdul Razak’s choice of Zulkifli as the candidate in the Selangor capital has raised eyebrows as his vitriolic remarks in the video had hardly dissipated when the announcement was made.

And despite his reputation as a hardliner and a firebrand in the Malay supremacist group Perkasa, he has rather mellowed down during his campaigning.

He hardly appears in solo programmes, preferring in his packed daily schedule to tag along BN’s state seat candidates Mohd Yusof Din for Kota Anggerik and Ahmad Nawawi Zin for Batu Tiga under Shah Alam.

Their strategy is to appear together for small ceramah to target audiences, whether Malays, Chinese or Indians, and usually involve other members of the BN component parties in the constituencies.

When asked about his chances of unseating PAS’ incumbent Khalid Samad, Zulkifli remained confident and bullish.

“If people are not happy or not satisfied with me, I ask them to tell me face to face when we go for ceramah. We’ll explain to them.

“I think the people here are well informed enough. They are intelligent and they would want to choose someone of their own standing.

“They don’t want us to insult their intelligence, they already know which side is full of lies,” he said of his opponent.

Asked about his plans if he elected, he said he would like to restore the “morality” of the city.

“Shah Alam has always been a place free of immoral activities. But once the opposition took over, all sorts of activities began taking place here.

“I will restore that morality here,” he said, while claiming that there are not many telling issues in this constituency because a majority of the voters come from middle class and upper middle class groups.

MIC shaken and stirred

Zulkifli’s candidacy has however undeniably caused a stir in MIC’s ranks in Shah Alam.

Shah Alam MIC’s vice-chairperson C Supayah and 104 other members quit the party in protest over his candidacy last week, and Supayah said he would ask his followers to throw their weight behind the opposition.

“As far as Shah Alam is concerned, I will be telling everyone not to vote for Zulkifli Noordin,” he told Malaysiakini yesterday when contacted.

He also said that resentment over Zulkifli’s candidacy is running deep among the Indian community, though many may not express it outright.

“The kind of support I have received for my actions (resignation) is so overwhelming that even I did not expect it,” he added.

But the bigger risk for BN is the spillover effect of the Perkasa veep’s candidacy to the neighbouring Kota Raja parliamentary seat, contested by MIC’s S Murugesan (left), with a huge 29 percent Indian voter population.

Some MIC party workers in Kota Raja told Malaysiakini that Zulkifli’s candidacy is a real concern, and that any possible presence by him in any of MIC’s events there would only complicate things further.

However, Shah Alam MIC chief KS Suppiah has been making a passionate case for the community to “accept” Zulkifli as he is Najib’s personal choice.

“We (Indians) never had a prime minister who would give us whatever we wanted.

“(But) I spoke to him the other day, and within 20 minutes, he approved allocations for a temple and to upgrade a school here,” he said at the same ceramah yesterday.

“Can anyone insult Hinduism just like that? Plus, forgiveness is a human quality. Even opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim once threatened to close down temples.

“But we forgave him, so it’s only fair we forgive Zulkifli, too,” he said, urging his members not to vote with their emotions.

“‘Mannipom marappom’ (forgive and forget),” Zulkifli told the crowd, again trying to impress with his newfound knowledge of Tamil.

Ahmad Zamri  don’t dream That PAS would win more support in the 13th general election than in 2008, noting that 30 per cent of the Titiwangsa electorate are young voters aged 40 years and below.

PAS candidate for the Titiwangsa federal seat inplanted those  pamphlets  in-need of sympathy votes  stop your lies that pamphlets, which attack PAS for partnering the DAP, were found this morning in the Malay enclave, just six days according to P119  voter’s club investigation it conformed that is you inplanted those  pamphlets  in-need of sympathy votes 

our surveys show that  DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI is leading with 70% of popularc vote you trailing with 30%now you tell me why would UMNO do your dirty job

The 38-year-old lawyer also stressed that the controversial Kampung Baru Development Corporation Act 2011 would be reviewed if PR won federal power.

“If we’re in the government, we have to review this Act and call the people,” said Ahmad Zamri.

Landowners and heirs of Kampung Baru are worried about losing their 111-year-old land amid the government’s plans to develop the settlement located on prime real estate, under the shadow of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

“There is a lot of anxiety because the method of redevelopment was never tabled properly. There was no explanation of the method of redevelopment, whether the land can be acquired, if they need to move, and if so, where and how long. They were not properly informed,” said Ahmad Zamri.

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant
self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be
right.Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to be.MISSED OPPORTUNITY EARNING A REAL RETURN ON REAL INVESTMENTIt was precisely because  Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani couldn’t be neatly pigeon-holed that  he aroused the unrelenting opposition of the intelligentsia. The hostility was so visceral t to refashion Kampong Baru into what they were clearly not. It will be said that what mattered to Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani was drive and enterprise the landowners want a value-for-money deal that is on par with the surrounding areas like KLCC but the value of their land must also be on par with the value of the surrounding areas. This would not be possible if Kampung Baru remains as it is.   attributes that bypass the great majority of plodders.inspiration from a time when Malays nurtured generations of individualists hungry for success and adventure.For Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  , an individual’s station in life wasn’t determined by the accident of birth: it was shaped by energy and enterprise. To him, the state didn’t exist as a safety net or a cushion: it existed as a facilitator to help people better themselves. however, stressed that the interests of the Malays would not be affected in any way

DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI have excellent suggestions for calming and resolving that turmoil – and for going beyond toremain an effective, highly resonant leader.Barely in his  Mid 40s, he has a quick smile and restless inclination to act that makes him seem to be perpetual motion. ’s business acumen, emotionalintelligence and energy enabled  Read more

One of the pamphlets accuses the DAP of insulting the Perak monarchy and features a picture of DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang with the words “Hapuskan hak Melayu” (Destroy Malay rights), as well as a picture of the DAP’s Rocket logo puncturing the middle of the PAS moon symbol with blood dripping, accompanied with the words: “Inilah DAP sobat sejati PAS (This is DAP, a true friend of PAS).Another pamphlet features the faces of PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Lim, and states that under a PR government, all religious groups will be able to call their god “Allah”, Islam will no longer be the country’s official religion, the monarchy will be abolished, government agencies like MARA, FELDA, FELCRA and RISDA will be dismantled, and that there won’t be Malay soldiers or police officers any more.

While the pamphlets raise emotive issues among the Malays like the “Allah” issue and their special rights, the MCA has played up religious sentiments among the Chinese instead by alleging that PAS will implement hudud law under a PR government.

With regular reports of the hudud and ‘kalimah’ (Allah) issues supposedly dividing the opposition featuring prominently in the mainstream press, and older stalwarts in the opposition being provoked to react often by a swarm of mainstream media journalists peppering questions to misquote and take out of context, the aim is to show that the opposition cannot govern while simultaneously stoking fears of religious marginalisation across communities.

PAS is continually painted as the harbinger of the dark ages, cutting off hands and wiping out non-Muslim freedoms. While the DAP is characterised as an enemy of Islam, which will undercut the position of the religion. These are very strong negative caricatures that do a disservice to the complexity of the issues and are just plain wrong.

Everyone appreciates that there are differences between the Islamist PAS and DAP, and these differences are part-and-parcel of the reality of the diversity in the country. Malaysians themselves are divided over religion, with many Malays supporting the introduction of hudud laws and others opposing them. Views also differ on the contentious ‘kalimah’ issue.

One has to distinguish between the right to have different beliefs and the introduction of these in government. Pakatan Rakyat’s manifesto is clear that the opposition agrees to support the religious freedom of all communities and decisions would be made on consensus. Many devout Muslims also appreciate that the country’s moral foundation needs priority.

Legally, any hudud measure has multiple obstacles, from the passage from the Royal Council to a two-thirds vote in parliament. This is not going to happen in today’s political context. As such, the fear provocation is just a political ploy harping back to early decades of misunderstanding and distrust.

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Neither changing circumstances nor people can affect your balance so long as your essential self as a human being remains the same There is this type of person I find amusing beyond belief — the one who varies his behaviour based on how useful a person can be to him. He will refuse to acknowledge … Read more

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That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law, 2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile … Read more

• READMORE Prize catch or stinking fish?
• Trying to save his own skin.

Where got swing voters?
The majority of the Malaysian population had already decided who or which party to vote for come GE-13. There are actually very few undecided ones…or the fence-sitters. There may be some among the first time voters.
voters have taken sides.

Ahmad Zamri asked whether there are still middle voters at this stage.Ahmad Zamri don’t dream That PAS would win more support in the 13th general election than in 2008, noting that 30 per cent of the Titiwangsa electorate are young voters aged 40 years and below.
1Malaysia
Why did it prefer the symbol of a party whose goal of a hudud oriented Islamic state it vehemently opposes? Is it because Pas has much more Malay support on the Peninsula than PKR and the DAP was hoping to capitalise on its support? Isn’t this rank opportunism?

Isn’t this what the PAS-DAP-PKR grouping is all about? An opportunistic grouping hell-bent on power but opposed to each other. If an illusion on the one hand, and a misconception, on the other, makes the grouping a catastrophe, its opportunism renders it an even greater catastrophe.
the mainstay of the ruling coalition in Malaysia since 1957 was PAS and not UMNO, what would be the socio-economic situation of the Malays today? Would poverty have been reduced from 64% to 1.7%? Would there have been the phenomenal transformation of an entire people, sustained over two generations, which has resulted in a significant Malay role in education, the professions, commerce and industry, compared to what it was at the time of Merdeka? Would the Malays have emerged as an important component of the Malaysian middle-class which has undoubtedly helped to stabilise ethnic relations and politics in the country and allowed democracy to function?

One just has to look at PAS’s 22 year rule in Kelantan to get an idea of what its version of Islam can do to a people. From its dismal failure to provide jobs for tens of thousands of well-qualified Kelantanese to its utter inability to curb rising drug addiction, Kelantan is Malaysia’s first and only failed state. Malaysian voters should have no illusions about the type of Islamic State that PAS seeks.
Everything considered, the actual flaws with the NEP are related to its implementation — its excesses and its abuses. These should be rectified. In the last four years, Prime Minister Mohd Najib has made a concerted attempt to do so. Federal scholarships for students are based largely on academic merit; there is a serious endeavour to increase the number of Chinese and Indian public servants; and their mobility in the public services has improved through some high profile appointments. At the same time, all 1Malaysia ventures — from its retail trade outlets to its affordable housing programme — are non-ethnic. 1Malaysia in its concrete manifestation is an all-embracing, inclusive idea. Najib is also paying close attention to the needs of different ethnic and sub-ethnic communities and engaging them at the social and cultural level as part and parcel of his 1Malaysia drive.

There is a lucid message he is attempting to put across. There must be understanding and empathy among us, whatever our religious or cultural differences. We must respect one another. Respecting one another means that we should never ever manipulate each other. This is what happened in the recent DAP symbol episode. Though there was no question at all about whether the DAP could use its own rocket symbol, in the high drama that the leadership staged it opted to use PAS’s symbol, rather than the PKR symbol on the Peninsula. Wouldn’t it have been more logical for the DAP to use PKR’s symbol since the DAP wants PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim, to be the Prime Minister if PR won the General Election?

If some Malays are under an illusion about PAS’s Islam, a lot more non-Malays, especially many middle-class Chinese and some middle-class Indians are labouring under a huge misconception about what their vote would deliver. They are convinced that it would be able to “eliminate ethnic discrimination” and bring to an end alleged “Malay supremacy.” Since those who have been pedalling these cliches, have never really explained in detail what they mean by eliminating ethnic discrimination or Malay supremacy, non-Malays exposed to this rhetoric have drawn different conclusions.

For many, the perception is that PAS is going to set aside the Special Position of the Malays and the Bumiputras of Sabah and Sarawak. This can NOT be done. The Articles in the Malaysian Constitution pertaining to places in the public services, licences, scholarships and land reserves (like some other Articles) cannot be amended or abrogated by Parliament even if the PR wins 100% of the seats. Special Position is safeguarded by the Conference of Malay Rulers.

Publicly,PAS, including the DAP, have NOT endorsed Special Position. However, at the hustings some of the DAP and PAS activists give the impression that it is discriminatory and is therefore unacceptable. This is why their leaders should be honest with their members and supporters. Tell the whole truth. Neither Special Position nor any of the other iron-clad Articles in the Constitution pertaining to citizenship, language and the Rulers will change one iota if PAS comes to power.

Since PAS cannot do anything about Special Position, what sort of discrimination is it going to eliminate? Will it abolish the NEP? In theory, the NEP does not exist anymore. It came to an end in 1990 though one of its twin objectives of restructuring society in order to reduce the identification of ethnicity with economic function continues in certain specific areas. Given the nature of this objective, it would be wrong to view it as ethnic discrimination. Rather it is an attempt to enhance national integration.

Theoretically, middle voters exist until votes are cast. However, as the polling day is approaching, the number of middle voters will gradually decrease. The latest opinion poll of the Universiti Malaya Centre for Democracy and Elections (UMCEDEL) has reflected such a phenomenon. Compared to March, the number of middle voters has fallen by 6% to 9%, with most of them Malays.

If the poll is credible, it has then conveyed an important message, namely the 9% middle voters is going to be the final kingmaker of the 13th general election.

When it comes to the key role of middle voters, the most commonly known would be the Median Voter Theorem. According to the theory, if there is only two candidates with well-matched support base in an election, the campaign strategies of the candidates must focus on middle voters to gain more votes.

When it comes to implementation, however, there is no absolute standard to define “middle” line. Moreover, there are more than one election issue and thus, it is not easy to accurately strike the balance and meet the expectations of middle voters.

Moreover, even middle voters can be divided into different groups according to their racial identities, family backgrounds, education levels and political awareness.

As I know, middle voters are not necessarily fence-sitters with no political stand or party preference. Instead, they might be members of a political party without a strong party spirit and are not willing to be controlled by the party. Therefore, they insist to be independent voters.

Of course, there are also middle voters who have no political party preference. They are well-educated and reject blind obedience. They can think rationally before making prudent judgement. They refuse to blindly follow and thus, are more careful in making comparison in terms of political platform and election manifesto of various parties, while observing the words and deeds, as well as qualities of candidates, before making a decision and cast their votes.

In addition, there are also some so-called “middle voters” who are not interested in politics at all. They do not care about politics, and some are even indifferent to politics. Of course, they have no political knowledge, not to mention political ideal. Such kind of voters either choose not to vote or can easily be affected by their families and friends. They might even just follow the majority’s preference to vote for the party with a higher winning odds.

When the opinion poll showed that the BN and Pakatan Rakyat are well-matched in strength, I must again stress that if the poll is accurate, the final decision of the 9% middle voters can indeed affect the outcome of the election and play the role of the last straw. The question is, who can tell Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim where the middle voters are?
Islamic party PAS cannot distinguish the tree from the woods with its stubbornness in wanting only a Muslim leader to serve as prime minister.
In his pre-election ceramah or speech recently, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the party stand was that only Muslims can be the prime minister of this country.
Saying that anybody can be a minister regardless of whether the person was a Muslim or a non-Muslim if the opposition pact under the Pakatan Rakyat banner formed the next government after the May 5 general election, Abdul Hadi added:
“Non-Muslims can work with Muslims to administer this country on condition the prime minister must be a Muslim.
“The person in charge of policies must be a Muslim in an Islamic nation. If he is a non-Muslim, then he should embrace Islam.
“For instance, for the Works Minister’s post, if the person picked is a non-Muslim, but he has the knowledge and expertise in road and building construction, we will appoint him, but we will not appoint a non-Muslim to take charge of mosques.”
With only days to go before Malaysians step out to choose the government of their choice, Hadi’s defiance and acerbic remarks have not gone down well with Malaysians.
But then Hadi is not alone. PAS deputy spiritual leader Haron Din says that hudud will take effect if Pakatan comes into power upon winning the 13th general election.
PAS’ move to implement hudud never sat well with DAP, but Haron could not care less and says hudud it is if Pakatan makes it to Putrajaya, regardless of whether DAP is against the move.
“I’m confident that DAP will accept hudud because of its willingness to contest under the PAS symbol. However, this can only be done after Pakatan is given the mandate to rule the country.
“Pakatan must take over the federal government. Only then can we amend the (Federal) Constitution to implement hudud,” Haron had said.
Haron, who is the candidate for the Arau parliamentary seat, is of the opinion that Pakatan parties must “give and take” in order to work together.
Whose cause is PAS championing?
PAS a few years ago had enacted hudud (prescribed Islamic penalties) in Kelantan, to be imposed only on Muslims who represent about 90% of the state’s 1.5 million population.
The laws introduced Syariah punishments for theft, robbery, adultery, liquor consumption and apostasy.
It is not just hudud. Haron also wants DAP to concur with PAS’ decision not to allow the use of the term “Allah” by non-Muslims.
Looks like both Hadi and Haron have forgotten that their existence as politicians is not to serve vested interests but that of the rakyat.
If PAS continues with its “Islam superior” stance, there is little chance for Pakatan to win big in the May 5 general election dubbed as the “mother of all elections”.
It is not just the hudud and “only Muslim prime minister” that PAS has set its sight on. The party’s “new kid on the block”, the former Selangor menteri besar, Muhammad Muhammad Taib, has wasted no time in declaring that Islam is the way of life, saying that all Muslim women should wear the tudung.
Muhammad, the former Umno vice-president, is unhappy that Muslim women newsreaders and schoochildren did not wear the tudung.
“They say Islam, but look at the newsreaders not wearing headscarves. They say Islam, but there are schoolchildren who wear skirts,” Muhammad was quoted by Bernama as saying.
Not only that, Muhammad thinks he has “seen the light” when he remarked that albeit its development, Selangor’s progress was one that lacked “soul” which had resulted in the (moral) decline among children of affluent families in the cities.
How Muhammad came to that conclusion is anyone’s guess. If he blames the Selangor government for the moral decay of its children, whom does he assign blame to in the case of off-springs of politicians going astray, indulging in vices of all sorts?
Will Muhammad dare blame the federal government over its failure in emphasising “soul” in the success of the nation?
In case Muhammad forgets, moral decay was present way back during his 11-year tenure as Selangor menteri besar when he eloped with the then Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah’s daughter, Tengku Puteri Zaharia Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah to Thailand where they reportedly got married.
It was also Muhammad who claimed that he could not understand English to escape sentencing after he was charged in Australia over currency irregularities amounting to RM3.8 million – an incident which forced him to resign as Selangor menteri besar.
It is another matter that an investigative committee later found that the court had erred in its judgment.
Was Muhammad’s “reputation” good enough for PAS to welcome him on board to help enlighten fellow Muslims out there?
PAS has to stop being dogmatic
The general election is only days away and no thanks to remarks coming from Hadi, Haron and Muhammad, the rakyat’s willingness to support PAS is questionable.
Instead of a display of arrogance, it will do PAS much good if it took the trouble to understand the needs and sentiments of the people and not court one controversy after another through its scandalous edicts.
While PAS remains adamant over the hudud issue its ally in Pakatan, the DAP, insists that it rejects PAS’ proposed hudud.
DAP national chairman Karpal Singh in reacting to Haron’s statement said: “PAS allowing us to use its party logo does not mean we have shifted our stand on the establishment of an Islamic state or hudud.”
Karpal said the introduction of hudud would mean a system with two laws, “which is impossible to impose”.
“Although PAS has said hudud is only for Muslims, the implementation of two systems will cause conflicts and chaos,” Karpal said.
“If PAS wants to amend the Federal Constitution, DAP or PKR will not allow it. I don’t think PAS would insist on amending the Federal Constitution,” he added.
That said, if PAS refuses to mellow down and settle for a political compromise by way of toning down on its demands, there is little hope that Pakatan will succeed gloriously in the much talked- about 13th general election.
The verdict is clear: should PAS choose to disrespect the wishes of the rakyat, the show of disunity taking place is sure to end up in BN’s favour.

ANWAR KHAN  THE VOICE  FROM TITIWANGSA  THE FOXY PAS GAME PLAYS WITH, UMNO  GAME OF CHECKMATING PAS IN TITIWAMGSA

PAS kingdom of noise, deafness is the only abiding condition. When words stop being signifiers of intent, and get read as actions, then the distinctions between opinion and fact, representation and event become irredeemably blurred. If anything, the hierarchical relationship between word and event is reversed, particularly if the word belongs to a celebrity or is located in an event that enjoys celebrity status.  is a victim of its own success, for anything that happens there is imbued with a sense of portentous significance.

PAS’ strategy is simple. They are playing to the gallery of Malays in the super Malay-majority states/seats. These seats have very small numbers of non-Malay voters.The trouble is that the opposite of manufactured noise is imposed silence. The state and the apparatus at its disposal cannot differentiate one kind of noise from another, and finds it safer and politically more expedient to impose pre-emptive silence. The political reward that accrues from the appeasement of a few is almost always deemed to be greater than the cost of foregoing abstract principles. When faced with protests, its instinct is to shut everything down. Stop the metros from plying, ask women to dress conservatively, close offices at ten pm for women, ban films that might attract inconvenient protests, prevent writers from attending literary festivals, in fact prevent them from entering the city at all Moreover, it is very likely that within these groups of non-Malays in the super majority-Malay seats, there are only a very small number of Christians.So, the gamble is to appeal to the Umno Malay fence-sitters and undecided Malays via religion. It wants to come across as champions of Islam while pissing off only a few Christians.It is a fine knife-edge gamble but PAS did not account for a majority of non-Muslims being pissed-off.

So, the simple clarion call to all non-Muslims is NOTE to vote PKR or DAP. Just remember to  vote out the PAS symbol 

There must be sufficient numbers of protest votes for PAS to realise that they cannot back stab non-Muslims and get away with it.

If they can do this when they are fighting to get into Putrajaya, imagine what PAS will do when they get in. There might be Malays too who will protest.

Have you noticed two types of confident people at gatherings — those who seek out others, indulge in back-slapping joviality and show great concern, and those who maintain a distance and dignity, and yet are no less caring and giving? The first are popular and liked by all, while the second earn a lasting respect. Who doesn’t want to be liked? Ironically, the need for respect is far higher in the former back-slapper than that of the latter dignified type, who is probably higher on substance and self-esteem.

As per psychologist Abraham Maslow’s theory ‘Hierarchy of Needs’, once the basic needs of food, shelter, security and sex are dealt with, human beings look for one more critical need — before aiming for the highest level of self-actualisation — and that is the fundamental need to be liked and be held in high esteem by others.

Indeed, to be accepted and valued by others is a driving force that influences most of our actions. From an early age, a child is made conscious of the need to be liked by others. “Don’t be greedy, what will Uncle say?”, “Come on, you don’t want others to think you are a naughty girl, do you?”

Children carry forth this need for approval into adulthood, making critical choices of education, careers, even love and marriage with an eye on the approval metre. ‘What will people say’ becomes such a huge issue that many an ambition, out-of-the-box thought or intuitive plan is sacrificed at this altar. Those who can overcome this need are the solitary marchers, the mavericks, the real achievers.

At the risk of alienating other siblings, a child vies to be liked and admired best by his or her parents. To become the teacher’s pet, a student willingly sacrifices the trust and friendship of classmates. In order to win approval and acceptance from peers, adolescents indulge in acts of revolt. As age advances, the desire to be liked and approved by others becomes more pronounced, especially amongst those who lack self-esteem, and have a constant desire to be reassured that their life has been worth something. This trait is commonly observed amongst famous people who live on a diet of admiration and adulation. As age advances and their popularity declines, celebrities make desperate attempts to retain their status in the eyes of others, failing which, they slip into depression or alcoholism, which allows them to dwell in a fanciful world as life ebbs away.

Interestingly, when Maslow talks of ‘esteem’, a critical component of his theory is ‘self-esteem’. He distinguishes between ‘lower’ esteem and ‘higher’ esteem, the former being the need to be liked by others, and the latter being respect for one’s own self. To achieve the higher self-esteem, one needs to turn focus from others to one’s own self, from outside to within. What others think of you becomes irrelevant as you start trusting your own judgment and strictly following your own code of ethics. From a follower you become a role model, from an “also was”, you move to “the one”!

This doesn’t however mean that if you develop self-esteem, you do not care for others. A certain amount of societal approval is always necessary. We all love to be liked, and so, we inculcate pleasant manners and behaviour towards that end. We smile at another, hoping for a smile back; we help others, hoping one day to be helped back. And it is these niceties that make life worth living.

What is important is to understand that there are plenty of ways to make people notice/like you and seek your company. Actions, critical decisions and your behaviour must never be dictated purely by what others will think of you. No matter how you mould yourself to the casts set by others, the world will still admire the man who marches to his own drum and follows his own set of rules and principles; the one who maintains his dignity and doesn’t spread himself too thin in an attempt to please the world. Attract people by your width of substance, depth of knowledge, strength of moral fibre, and vast wisdom, rather than by making shallow gestures that people can see through.

What matters at the end of the day is — Did you achieve your full potential? Did you live with dignity and self-respect? Did you stay true to your own principles? If yes, don’t worry about others liking or disliking you. Your own self-esteem will be so high that it will attract the greatest regard from all.

by Terence Netto

The media is also certain that 2013 will be a battle between Najib and Anwar,and currently and currently Anwar appears to have a distinct edge.. The battle is often stupidly oversimplified into a confrontation between two adversaries, one who stands for our Mahathir identity, a strong, muscular government that gives no quarter to corruption, refuses to appease the minorities, and actually delivers on promises of development and the other, who has failed to make his mark in recent elections, does not stand for anything specific, is soft on most issues, pampers a different set of vote banks, and allows his cronies to steal from the public exchequer.Women in the video love pole-dancing on the subway train, strip-club style- Gangnam-style much to the the amazement perhaps of Reverand Sun Young Moon of the Korean Unification Chuch — if he were still alive marrying people off by the hundreds. But hey …, we are in Malaysia — where everything, including degenerating culture, can … Read more
Journalists, channels, newspapers are all seen as having already taken a side in this battle. Every article is being judged as hostile or friendly. You cannot even make a comment on social media without it being instantly judged. Both sides are so sensitive at present that their supporters and bots (one never knows who are more) often read motives where none exist. Almost everything that appears everywhere seems to suggest that the battle lines have been drawn even though neither an-war AnWAR nor Najib are the official candidates of their respective parties for the nation’s top job. It’s all by innuendo and even the silent majority that usually plays its cards close to the chest, I suspect has also made its choice. For now.Nurul Izzah: We Have Good Laws, What We Don’t Have Are Good Leaders, Hope to see you to be the first Lady Prime Minister of Malaysia Insyahallah This is what it takes to build Malaysia for all Malaysians. for UMNO voters. The parliamentary system is not as personality-driven as the presidential, so local variations will …Read more

COMMENT:HARDLY ANYONE SEEMS ABLE TO TELL WHAT THE MEETING LAST MONDAY BETWEEN PAS DEPUTY SPIRITUAL HEAD DR. HARON DIN AND PKR ADVISER ANWAR IBRAHIM WAS ALL ABOUT OR WHAT IT PORTENDS.

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DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI: SOCIAL MEDIA AND ELECTIONS A DEVELOPING STORY

Neither changing circumstances nor people can affect your balance so long as your essential self as a human being remains the same There is this type of person I find amusing beyond belief — the one who varies his behaviour based on how useful a person can be to him. He will refuse to acknowledge … Read more

PART2 DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI: SOCIAL MEDIA AND ELECTIONS A DEVELOPING STORY

That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law, 2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile … Read more

The meeting in Kuala Lumpur was requested by Haron who came unaccompanied, while Anwar was there with a colleague. All three are certain to treat the encounter as private and confidential.

That makes speculation about it as difficult as deciphering the rise and fall of apparatchiks in the Chinese Communist Party’s hierarchy used to be for China watchers stationed in Hong Kong as they scrutinised reports in the People’s Daily on party affairs during the Cold War years.

No statement was issued and no talking on background to journalists has been initiated by either of the principals since the meeting took place.

Haron (left) is not exactly renowned for accessibility to the notepad-and-recorder crowd and Anwar can be staunchly discreet when the situation demands it.

Thus what transpired at the meeting is likely to stay immured in the attendees’ consciousness for some time before ongoing events intervene to prompt the participants to give one or the other interpretation to the substance of what was discussed.

Only then would the gist of the meeting spill out and unravel as developments spurt and twist in the political arena, making P&C discussions of a receding past weaken the demand it places on the attendees’ discretion.

This was what happened to the substance of the meeting in a Munich hospital in September 2004 between Haron Din and Anwar, who was then recuperating from back surgery after his release from a six-year stay in prison on trumped-up charges. The third person at the meeting was PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang.

Only some years later did it emerge that the meeting, arranged on the initiative of Haron, discussed the offer of the post of PAS President to Anwar (left in pic), with Hadi stepping down to Deputy President, should Anwar return to the political arena after convalescence from intricate back surgery.

It was an extraordinary offer, reflecting Haron’s high estimate of Anwar’s leadership mettle and Haron’s intercessory panache at securing Hadi’s acquiescence in what would have been, had the offer been accepted by Anwar, a demotion for Hadi.

Sacrifices of this kind are not the done thing among politicians, save for those who view their mission in supra-secular terms.

In earnest discussion

If memory serves, there was at that time only one photo of the meeting of the three of them, probably having appeared in Harakah, the PAS organ, showing a track-suited Anwar in earnest conversation with a solicitous Haron and an attentive Hadi.

But this was a picture that wasn’t what is sometimes said about the genre’s more graphic examples – they are worth a thousand words: you could not divine the gravity of its import from what was captured on print.

It showed the three of them in earnest discussion, their arched expressions redolent of the weight of their concerns. But only a clairvoyant could have lit upon the proffer that was made by the PAS pair.

It was not known whether Anwar declined the offer expressly or asked for time to mull the proposition.

But it’s not difficult to speculate what would have been his reasons for not acceding to it: he was committed to building up PKR, a multi-racial political vehicle at a time when he felt that mono-racial parties, and their analogue in the religious sphere, were becoming obsolete in an evolving national scenario.

It was the second time that Anwar would turn down an offer to lead PAS; the first was when he was preferred leader of the party about three decades ago when their long-time leader Mohd Asri Muda, of nationalist more than theocratic inclinations, was ejected by the ulama wing of the party who blamed him for the party’s decline in strength in its parliamentary and state assembly redoubts in Kelantan and parts of Kedah.

Anwar was then still President of ABIM and only in his mid-30s, but already regarded as PAS’ favoured candidate to lead it. To a party that was already moving towards leadership by ulama, the choice of a non-ulama to lead it was extraordinary.  But in April 1982, Anwar caused a sensation when he accepted newly-installed Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s offer to join UMNO.Is our constitution meant to be acquiescent to law and order? This raises a very fundamental question whether the government’s in power at the center and states are duty bound to uphold and protect the values enshrined in the constitution at all costs or if it is contingent on factors such as law and order … Read more

In the name ofTitiwangsa Umno’s pride ’s pride

The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of  PAS introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did not set up shop in  KG BARU – under the brand name of the –  PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMBRI which can helpe him now and them get on with his  PAS REDEVELOPMENT Revolution?

PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD  was confronted with this ticklish query: Will  Anwar no longer be the only candidate for PM post, often addressed  no as the “Pride of PAS is PRESIDENT ABDUL HADI AWANG ”?

Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to be

This is why the rhetoric of so-called hardliner like PAS deputy spiritual leader Haron Din (left) brings into sharp focus, the fragile nature of religious alliances. On the campaign trail, Harun claimed that hudud laws would be implemented if Pakatan came into power even over the objections of the DAP.

Furthermore, he was confident “that DAP will accept hudud law because of its willingness to contest under the PAS symbol.” That Islamic impulse which has always been simmering in the background is best summed up by this quote from the good doctor, “Pakatan must take over the federal government. Only then can we amend the (federal) constitution to implement hudud law.”

Now of course they are those who would dismiss people like Harun Din as Umno sub rosa provocateurs (sic) but the reality is that this is a very real dialectic within PAS.

PAS has been extremely politically astute post-2008 but because they are facing rumblings from their own ranks and the political ineptitude of the DAP; they fumble around always attempting to maintain their Islamic credentials against Umno.

Umno meanwhile unfortunately for their critics, could make a credible argument for religious stability, what with all the nonsense coming out from PAS, in their wilderness years, where they were the Islamic bogeymen du jour. It was a poisonous kind of stability but then again there are few ‘Islamic’ countries in the world that boast the same.

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant
self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be
right.Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to be.MISSED OPPORTUNITY EARNING A REAL RETURN ON REAL INVESTMENTIt was precisely because  Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani couldn’t be neatly pigeon-holed that  he aroused the unrelenting opposition of the intelligentsia. The hostility was so visceral t to refashion Kampong Baru into what they were clearly not. It will be said that what mattered to Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani was drive and enterprise the landowners want a value-for-money deal that is on par with the surrounding areas like KLCC but the value of their land must also be on par with the value of the surrounding areas. This would not be possible if Kampung Baru remains as it is.   attributes that bypass the great majority of plodders.inspiration from a time when Malays nurtured generations of individualists hungry for success and adventure.For Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  , an individual’s station in life wasn’t determined by the accident of birth: it was shaped by energy and enterprise. To him, the state didn’t exist as a safety net or a cushion: it existed as a facilitator to help people better themselves. however, stressed that the interests of the Malays would not be affected in any way

DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI have excellent suggestions for calming and resolving that turmoil – and for going beyond toremain an effective, highly resonant leader.Barely in his  Mid 40s, he has a quick smile and restless inclination to act that makes him seem to be perpetual motion. ’s business acumen, emotionalintelligence and energy enabled  Read more

Johari, who was born in a squatter area in Kampung Pandan here in 1964, said that he did not want to see Kampung Baru residents living in the slums, surrounded by modernity and glittering towers.

There are 55,388 voters in Titiwangsa, with the Malays forming the majority at 68 per cent, while the Chinese and Indians comprise 20 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

A billboard near a dingy flat in Kampung Baru here proclaims that Titiwangsa Umno will defend every inch of the city’s oldest Malay enclave from being taken forcibly.

But he noted that the Kampung Baru Development Corporation was set up to recruit investors who could help provide funds to interested landowners who lacked capital, as well as to ensure that they continued receiving financial assistance during the development process.

The businessman slammed his contender for Titiwangsa, PAS’s Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi, for exploiting Kampung Baru voters’ fears of BN “stealing their land”.

“I have already defended this a long time ago, but the opposition is not hearing my voice. We have changed the Act so many times in Parliament because certain clauses we don’t agree. Finally we come to a stage when everyone compromises and says, yes, this is the best,” said Johari.

The 113-year-old land originally belonged to Selangor royalty but was bequeathed to the Malay community by Sultan Abdul Samad.

It was in Kampung Baru, the symbol of Malay culture, that the founders of Umno held their early meetings. The historic place was also the starting point of the May 13 race riots in 1969 and later witnessed Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Reformasi protests in 1998.

Johari pointed out that the government could not “simply acquire the land”, saying that the National Land Code needed to be referred to before the land could be acquired for public purposes.

“Then you have to pay the price for commercial value. If KLCC price is RM2,000, Yap Kwan Seng is RM1,200, Jalan Tun Razak is RM800, so you have to play within that level. You cannot simply take people’s land just to build a road and pay RM200, RM300,” said Johari.

as Kampung Baru landowners fear that their 230-acre land — which is billion-ringgit prime real estate located under the shadow of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers — will be acquired for development.

“There is only one issue that the opposition plays — if landowners and beneficiaries of the land vote for BN, the government will steal the land,” said Johari at a walkabout in Taman Maluri here yesterday.

“It’s real manipulation. In the Kampung Baru Act, nowhere is it stated that the government will acquire the land. It’s to facilitate landowners to develop the land,” he added.

Johari stressed that the ruling coalition merely wanted to assist landowners to develop the century-old Malay village, a haphazard tangle of decaying houses and shops caught against the tide of development in the capital city, just a stone’s throw away from the upscale Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) mall.

Johari, however, admitted that only about 25 to 30 per cent of the landowners agreed to develop the land, with most wishing to do nothing.

e message is signed by Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Titiwangsa federal seat Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani,DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI have excellent suggestions for calming and resolving that turmoil – and for going beyond toremain an effective, highly resonant leader.Barely in his  Mid 40s, he has a quick smile and restless inclination to act that makes him seem to be perpetual motion. ’s business acumen, emotionalintelligence and energy enabled  Read more

RELATED ARTICLE Prize catch or stinking fish? Trying to save his own skin. Hairun Nizam said Abdul Hadi was the ‘best person’ to lead the nation.  This is the weakness of PAS. Religion is not amenable to argument based on logic! The administration of a country cannot be left in the  Read more IS PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI SLEEPING IN THE REFRIGERATOR? IS TOO HOT OUT THERE

The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of    introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did not set up shop in  KG BARU – under the brand name of the –  PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMBRI which can helpe him now and them get on with his  PAS REDEVELOPMENT Revolution? meanwhile is Muslim vote polarization that will work against PAS  it in the  general election. But the Muslim vote bogey is just that – a bogey.

There is a belief that in the 2013 elections those who favour  a business-friendly climate will vote for the  UMNO ‘JOHARI – and those who favour communal forces will vote for the PAS . Such a formulation is a fallacy for several reasons.So the choice before voters between DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI and PAS Parchuted Ahmed Zambri

‘JOHARI points to the PAS’s islamic agenda in general, and to the   riots in particular.as an economic miracle-worker who, if given a chance, could do  alot for  REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU what he claims to have done for  his business  in terms of wealth creation.

At the national level, PAS  will continues to be a stumbling block in the path of economic reforms The choice  of  PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMBRI  which e equally  unreal, equally mirage-like. But in the political desert of today’s Titiwangsa under PAS, mirages seem to be the most that voters can hope for.

His party PAS promoted real inclusiveness in Malaysia, would distrust between non Muslins and Muslims be at flashpoint? Why is it that the vast majority of violent communal incidents in the past five years have taken place in

In its purest form, Islam  means rejecting both favouritism and discrimination on religious grounds. Religion is a private matter and politicians have no business introducing it into public discourse through constant reference to community-based quotas. A secular state must be religion-neutral.

This is why the rhetoric of so-called hardliner like PAS deputy spiritual leader Haron Din (left) brings into sharp focus, the fragile nature of religious alliances. On the campaign trail, Harun claimed that hudud laws would be implemented if Pakatan came into power even over the objections of the DAP.

given this false choice: do you want to vote for PAS that can guarantee “secularism DAP”– but not one square meal a day? Or do you want to vote for a “communal” party and forever live in fear – only UMNO will  give  freedom of worship, physical safety,, good housing, roads, jobs and a reasonable standard of living?

Furthermore,   sneeky snakey politician PAS Parchuted Ahmed Zambri is confident “that DAP will accept hudud law because of its willingness to contest under the PAS symbol.” That Islamic impulse which has always been simmering in the background is best summed up by this quote from the good doctor, “Pakatan must take over the federal government. Only then can we amend the (federal) constitution to implement hudud law.”

Now of course they are those who would dismiss people like Harun Din as Umno sub rosa provocateurs (sic) but the reality is that this is a very real dialectic within PAS.

PAS has been extremely politically astute post-2008 but because they are facing rumblings from their own ranks and the political ineptitude of the DAP; they fumble around always attempting to maintain their Islamic credentials against Umno.

Umno meanwhile unfortunately for their critics, could make a credible argument for religious stability, what with all the nonsense coming out from PAS, in their wilderness years, where they were the Islamic bogeymen du jour. It was a poisonous kind of stability but then again there are few ‘Islamic’ countries in the world that boast the same.Rich electoral dividends have flowed from such fear mongering. In the process, over the years

That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law,

2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile is Muslim vote polarization that will work against it in the next general election. But the Muslim vote bogey is just that – a bogey. while deeply religious themselves, have moved beyond wanting to see religion used as a political tool.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said that Islam was being hijacked by some people in Pas who were trying to strip it of its spirituality.

“Anybody who is using religion to control you, they consider themselves a better Muslim, Christian, Jew than you are, so you have to follow,” Youssef said, adding that although members of the Muslim Brotherhood call themselves Islamists, he doesn’t know what that means.

“I don’t know what ‘Islamists’ is,” said Youssef, who is the host of a comedic show in Egypt called “El Bernameg” (“The Program.”) “I know one religion: Islam.”

PAS, which has changed its Islamic state struggle to that for the welfare state, is a party that is becoming more confused and is increasingly confusing its members and supporters, a political analyst said today.

“PAS is in this situation because it believes in the lies it created, the most obvious being that DAP is ready to accept the implementation of hudud in the country, although DAP had repeatedly rejected it,” Dr Ibrahim Ghafar said.

He told Bernama that those who repeated their lies would end up believing them as true.

Commenting on a statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that PAS was naive in believing that DAP accepted the implementation of hudud, he said it was true that come election time PAS would play up the hudud issue for fear of losing the support of Malay voters.

Ibrahim said DAP would issue a statement at the same time saying that it strongly opposed implementation of the hudud because it did not want to lose its non-Muslim supporters.

“Actually, both parties are playing games and making this an issue for election. There is no mention of implementing the Hudud law in the opposition’s manifesto,” Ibrahim said.

He said this also applied to DAP’s readiness to use the moon symbol in the 13th general election, which the PAS leaders and supporters believed without thinking about the actual message being conveyed by DAP.

“The DAP’s message is easy…that PAS not only bows to the DAP in allowing the word Allah to be used in Malay language bibles but also in other matters,” he said.

He said DAP, which had already got PAS to change its struggle, also knew how to take advantage of PAS’s current confused state.

Because of this, he said, voters must be extra cautious in deciding which party to choose.

He said PAS could not be counted on to champion Islam and the interests of the Malays because currently there was no PAS leader capable of acting wisely on police issues for the Malays and Muslims.

Unlike in PAS there was calmness and intelligence in Umno and its component parties which were consistent with its struggles for national development and the people’s wellbeing, he added.

“We have less than seven years to work hard to achieve Vision 2020, to turn Malaysia into a high-income nation, and the Barisan Nasional government has already put the country on the right track.

“Let’s not gamble our fate in the disunited opposition coalition which has become more confused and is far from achieving anything,” said Ibrahim.

 ONE WOULD IMAGINE THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE REAL OR SOBERING THAN ELECTION RESULTS FOR NOTHING MAKES REALITY MORE NAKED THAN HARD COLD NUMBERS. AND YET, BECAUSE IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO DISAGGREGATE ELECTION RESULTS AND TEASE OUT DIFFERENT STRANDS OF INFLUENCES AT WORK, WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN IS THAT THE RESULTS SERVE TO REINFORCE EXISTING POSITIONS RATHER THAN ACT AS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE PARTIES IN QUESTION. DAP SHOULD NOT CHEAT ON THE NON-MUSLIMS AGAINST ISLAMIC SYARIAH AND COMES CLEAN ON HUDUD LAW!

P119 TITIWANGSA THE RED LINE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISLAM ,DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI AND POLITICAL ISLAM PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be right.Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to … Read more

To be tempted is normal. Whether you give in to that temptation or not is what determines your character!

Have you ever been tempted to do what you should rightfully be doing? Most probably not! For, the very definition of temptation is wishing to do that which you are not supposed to do! You are tempted to do the very things that you are warned against, eating what you are advised not to, and wondering about places that are declared danger zones! As old as Adam and Eve, temptation is what led the original First Couple to taste the fruit of that one forbidden tree, and commit the Original Sin that led to the Fall of Man! Temptation is very easy to give in to, and near impossible to resist.

The Devil outside may be easier to resist than the Devil within, which makes temptation a natural state of existence for us. Our natural urges are all set to be tempted and lead us astray. We give in to temptation when we rationalize the outcome and convince ourselves that we are doing the right thing by giving in. The body craves pleasure and so, all the wrong things; the mind, which knows better, tries to resist, but then rationalizes the craving and gives way. Curiosity is a huge factor in temptation. Curiosity, which is basically a function of the mind, is aroused by denial or unapproachability.

The mind kicks in and starts wondering about the denial, wishing to discover what would happen if we did exactly what we are warned not to do! When a man hears colleagues rib each other about extra-marital affairs, he starts wondering if he is missing out on something, an experience he may regret not having had? His curiosity and competitive spirit are aroused and he becomes a vulnerable candidate for infidelity. The mind plays tricks on us and we convince ourselves of the reasons we do certain things.

 NORMAN FERNANDEZ  IS NOT IN DANGER OF THE SACK, WHICH MAY WELL BE WHAT HE WANTS GIVEN HIS ROILING DISCONTENT AGAINST THE PARTY AND HIS PERCEPTION THAT DAP HAS LOST ITS WAY. AND RISK ITS FUTURE WITH PAS

Local police say hundreds of angry Buddhists participated in mobs that burned hundreds of homes and injured 10

PAS and MCA dirty tactics on hudud and fear

– PAS is fighting to retain support in the city’s historic Malay village Kampung Baru in Election 2013 as its ally DAP is accused of curtailing the community’s special rights.

PAS candidate for the Titiwangsa federal seat Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi said that pamphlets, which attack PAS for partnering the DAP, were found this morning in the Malay enclave, just six days before polling day on Sunday.

“Umno is playing very dirty politics,” Ahmad Zamri told The Malaysian Insider at his service centre in Kampung Baru here today.

One of the pamphlets accuses the DAP of insulting the Perak monarchy and features a picture of DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang with the words “Hapuskan hak Melayu” (Destroy Malay rights), as well as a picture of the DAP’s Rocket logo puncturing the middle of the PAS moon symbol with blood dripping, accompanied with the words: “Inilah DAP sobat sejati PAS (This is DAP, a true friend of PAS).

Pamphlets have been found in Kg Baru that attack PAS for being allies with the DAP that allegedly wants to abolish Malay special rights. – Picture by Choo Choy MayAnother pamphlet features the faces of PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Lim, and states that under a PR government, all religious groups will be able to call their god “Allah”, Islam will no longer be the country’s official religion, the monarchy will be abolished, government agencies like MARA, FELDA, FELCRA and RISDA will be dismantled, and that there won’t be Malay soldiers or police officers any more.

While the pamphlets raise emotive issues among the Malays like the “Allah” issue and their special rights, the MCA has played up religious sentiments among the Chinese instead by alleging that PAS will implement hudud law under a PR government.

Ahmad Zamri is contesting in Titiwangsa against Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani, a seat that the late PAS’ Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohd Ghazali had won in Election 2008 with a 1,972-vote majority.Read more

MCA president Chua Soi Lek has blamed  PAS for allegedly sowing hatred against umnoas the cause behind the attacks against Mobs in Malaysia torch Rohingya homes

“That (political violence), I can understand, because PAS encourages and practices politics of hatred against the BN,” he told a press conference after a walkabout in Jementah, Segamat this afternoon.

Chua (in blue shirt) was responding to the recent Mobs in Malaysia torch Rohingya homes

Chua warned that if PAS continues to be aggressive it may provoke further reaction.

“If they practise aggression, then maybe our members will also not be able to control themselves and react the same way, then this country may descend into chaos,” he said.

However, Chua said MCA has not made any effort to increase security at its own operations room as it still “believed in the wisdom of the opposition members”.

This morning, two cars belonging to the daughter of PKR’s incumbent Sri Andalas state assemblyperson Xavier Jeyakumar were also torched.

‘20,000 is impossible’

Commenting on Pakatan’s ceramah in Segamat on Wednesday, Chua rubbished claims that 20,000 people had turned up.

“That field cannot take in 20,000 people, we had a dinner two months ago and it can take at most 4,000 people if they are sitting and at most 6,000 to 8,000 if they are standing,  no way it can take 20,000 people,” he said.

Chua added if MCA wanted, it can similarly pull off the same feat.

“It if not that difficult to get 20,000 people, MCA can also do it, we just need to mobilise people in Sekijang, Ledang, Bakri, Labis, Muar, if each one MCA sends 1,000 people, we’ll get a large number, not counting Umno yet.

“We’ll even be able to get a more multiracial crowd than them (Pakatan) which only had mostly Chinese and is a dangerous trend of political division,” he added.

On Chinese support for MCA, Chua said it was difficult to evaluate as they would normally decide at the last minute, but he was confident about the support from the Malay and Indian community.

He also declined to evaluate how many parliamentary seats MCA could win in this general election, stating that unlike the opposition, MCA does not boast.

Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to be.MISSED OPPORTUNITY EARNING A REAL RETURN ON REAL INVESTMENTIt was precisely because  Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani couldn’t be neatly pigeon-holed that  he aroused the unrelenting opposition of the intelligentsia. The hostility was so visceral t to refashion Kampong Baru into what they were clearly not. It will be said that what mattered to Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani was drive and enterprise the landowners want a value-for-money deal that is on par with the surrounding areas like KLCC but the value of their land must also be on par with the value of the surrounding areas. This would not be possible if Kampung Baru remains as it is.   attributes that bypass the great majority of plodders.inspiration from a time when Malays nurtured generations of individualists hungry for success and adventure.For Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  , an individual’s station in life wasn’t determined by the accident of birth: it was shaped by energy and enterprise. To him, the state didn’t exist as a safety net or a cushion: it existed as a facilitator to help people better themselves. however, stressed that the interests of the Malays would not be affected in any way

DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI have excellent suggestions for calming and resolving that turmoil – and for going beyond toremain an effective, highly resonant leader.Barely in his  Mid 40s, he has a quick smile and restless inclination to act that makes him seem to be perpetual motion. ’s business acumen, emotionalintelligence and energy enabledRead more

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Barisan Nasional has ruled since independence [AFP/Getty Images]

 In a cavernous Chinese restaurant, overlooking the highway and squeezed between tile shops and car showrooms, a celebration is going on.

The lanterns, raucous laughter and banquet-style food might hint at a wedding, but the more than 1,000 guests are being welcomed to a fund-raiser for their local MP, an opposition member standing for re-election in Malaysia’s general election.

“We’ll probably raise about 150,000 ringgit ($49,000) from this,” said Democratic Action Party candidate Charles Santiago, before bounding on stage to tell his audience why he deserves another term. The guests tuck into their Thai-style deep-fried chicken and shout raucous approval. “This is not about politics,” Santiago says as he paces the stage. “This is about the future of Malaysia, the future of our country, the future of our children.”

Outside, souvenir sellers do a brisk trade in soft toys, t-shirts and books, adding to the party coffers.

For political parties around the world, elections are an expensive business – and Malaysia is no different. Although official campaigning started on April 20, unofficially, it’s been going on for months. But beyond a 200,000 ringgit ($65,970) cap on each candidate’s official campaign spending there are next to no laws on electoral funding, and no requirements for parties to reveal their sources of funds or publish their accounts.

International IDEA, the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, analyses democratic systems and the conduct of elections around the world. Its Asia-Pacific director, Andrew Ellis, is in no doubt about the potentially corrosive effect of the way a country finances its politics.

“Money clearly has the ability to influence elections and even distort outcomes,” he told Al Jazeera. “Worldwide, there is more of a realisation that political finance is an issue.”

Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world where political parties actually own businesses, notes Terence Gomez, an academic at the University of Malaya and an authority on the subject.

The Barisan Nasional, led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has dominated Malaysian politics ever since the country secured its independence from Britain. While UMNO has developed a complex web of businesses, and controls most of Malaysia’s mainstream newspapers and television stations, its junior partner, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), is also involved in businesses from education to media.

Influence over the media

UMNO has its headquarters at the 40-storey skyscraper that’s part of the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. MCA has a prime spot on Jalan Ampang in the city centre. Opposition parties have more modest headquarters in more suburban locales.

In a 2010 report on reforming political financing in Malaysia, the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International valued MCA’s assets at 2bn ringgit ($659.7m). The party’s president, Chua Soi Lek, said it was getting at least 50m ringgit ($16.5m) every year in dividends from its investment in the Star newspaper, the country’s largest English-language paper by circulation.

Together, “they control almost all the media in this country”, said Josie Fernandez, the secretary-general of Transparency International, who helped draft the report. “They give money to the media, they get money from the media and they have influence over the media. For the opposition it’s an uphill battle. Money makes politics possible and elections winnable.”

Opposition MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is fighting to retain her Lembah Pantai seat against Barisan’s Raja Nong Chik, a man who made a fortune in engineering and investment and was revealed recently revealed to have an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands.

Nong Chik was appointed to the government as federal territories minister in 2009, a job that effectively puts him in charge of Kuala Lumpur. His flags, banners and billboards remind residents of what he’s done for the area have mushroomed across the constituency. It’s his council that approves permits for such advertising and also his council that’s responsible for the upkeep of the area.

Nurul Izzah has no access to the city council, and is so cautious about money that she leaves her car on the side of the road rather than spend a couple of ringgit on parking. Her staff are volunteers.

At rallies there are regular appeals for cash. Volunteers pass a party flag, tied Dick Whittington-style at the end of a bamboo pole, around the crowd. A recent event raised 2,017.20 ringgit ($666). “It’s make or break time,” she told the few hundred people in the crowd.

Analysts say it was Malaysia’s New Economic Policy, introduced after race riots in 1969 and designed to help lift ethnic Malays out of poverty, that helped feed the country’s culture of money politics. Aggressive privatisation compounded it.

“Patronage contributed to the emergence of a new breed of well-connected Malay businesspeople with extensive ownership of the corporate sector in the early 1990s,” Gomez wrote in the academic journal Modern Asian Studieslast year.

“Government leaders who had exploited their influence to help businesspeople expand their corporate interests and cultivated close ties with businesses had an advantage in party elections. Political patronage was a key factor in numerous business scandals.”

A slew of giveaways

Such networks have also muddied the separation between what is rightfully the government’s and what belongs to the party. Since Najib Tun Razak assumed the premiership in 2009, his administration has offered a slew of giveaways from pay rises to civil servants, cash handouts to low earners, book vouchers for school children and even new tyres for taxi drivers.

Singapore Management University’s Bridget Welsh estimates the cost at some 57.7bn ringgit ($18.8bn). Then there’s the advertising blitz, not only in the mainstream media, but on roadside billboards, public transport, online and through “promoted Tweets”. In March, in the lead-up to the dissolution of parliament, the prime minister’s office spent more than twice as much on advertising as multinationals Nestle and Unilever did in the country, according to Nielsen.

Still, some of the incumbent coalition’s candidates insist money remains tight come election time. Frankie Gan is battling to take back the Kuala Lumpur city centre seat of Bukit Bintang in Sunday’s poll. He’s hired a small truck that he can use as a stage and has colourful lights and a sound system. Gan’s helpers hand out flags, Barisan-branded clappers , caps and t-shirts to the modest crowd. Those hoping for a spot of karaoke – his team’s rendition of “Love is in the Air”- were disappointed, but he has DVDs on hand.

The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of    introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did not set up shop in  KG BARU – under the …Read more

“The party gives me some money but it’s not enough,” Gan said before rushing off to another event. “We have to get sponsors from our friends and in business.”

But with the changing political climate, some businesspeople are beginning to hedge their bets, creating new concerns for those who would rather companies were required to be more transparent about their funding initiatives. Last month, the opposition leadership addressed more than 350 bankers, investors and chief executives at an all-day event in the ballroom of Kuala Lumpur’s newest five-star hotel.

Stanley Thai, who heads publicly traded rubber gloves manufacturer Supermax, organised the forum. He says he funds the opposition from his personal fortune and doesn’t expect privileged treatment in return. “Barisan’s strength is money,” he said in an interview in his office on the outskirts of the capital. “Their weakness is corruption. What is the strength of Pakatan? It’s the people behind them.”

Taking a cigarette break from Santiago’s event, small businessman and local resident Richard Teo is at his first dinner. He’s pleased with the way in which the opposition has run his state for the past five years and is mindful of the financial challenges the opposition faces. “For Barisan, it’s easy,” he says. “They have all the corporates. They are using money to give BR1M [a government scheme promising 500 ringgit ($165) to-low income families], buying votes. I’m going to go to the DAP ceramahs [political rallies] and contribute to their funds. I want change in Putrajaya.”

On stage, the latest speaker shouts “ ubah “, which means “change” in Malay and is the rallying call of the opposition. The crowd shouts back in agreement. “ Ini kalilah ,” they chant – “this is the time”.

The financial odds may be against them, but there’s no doubting the enthusiasm of Malaysia’s opposition supporters.

In the name ofTitiwangsa Umno’s pride ’s pride The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of  PAS introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did … Read more

Seven reports have been lodged against Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali over his controversial call for the Malay and Jawi version of the bible containing the word ‘Allah’ be burned.

A cartel of secular shamanists, love to stand with murderer Jihadis, anti-democracy and constitution burner Naxals, but through a control over media and money, they try to portray a different ideological stream members as sinners and pariahs.But still it has the cheek to question  PAS on RSS support.

Why?

Simply because patriotism is a hateful word in PAS lexicon.

Anyone who works against the  Malay unity and integrity becomes a natural buddy of the party. Like PAS-DAP, gang,  Jihadis and Maoist mafia..

Hence RSS must be an obvious target of the  UMNO  crowd.

It may be a non event but Malaysians are watching in earnest if the government dares take any action against these evil creatures and their political masters Even the lame duck PM and the useless cousin of a Home Minister have not enough guts to touch Abraham Ali.… Read more Touch him and suffer the wrath of the ultra Malay nationalists and those who have transformed themselves constitutionally into more Malays but ironically are portraying themselves as more Malays than the original Malays. Ibrahim Ali is the paid UMNO troll. He is paid precisely to stir up religious and racial unrest. Therefore, he is untouchable…. for now. Remember this Katak… the rakyat will not forget your shenanigans.

Kulim Bandar Baru Member of Parliament Datuk Zulkifli Nordin’S informal Insufficiently thought on Islam

 may appear to be the most defining moment for PAS  his fomer party

refer to the claim by Zulkifli Noordin on 29 April 2013 that his insulting remarks against Indians and the Hindu religion were made during the time he was with PAS.

This is a blatantly false and dishonest statement by Zulkifli Noordin. We have video evidence that Zulkifli Noordin had continued insulting the Indian community after he had joined BN.

A recent video shows Zulkifli Noordin insulting Indians at a ceramah(political rally) on 6 March 2013 which is less than month before the dissolution of the Parliament.

VIDEO Zul mocks ‘Keling’ ‘Tuhan gajah’ ‘Tuhan tongkat’

Lied for Zulkifli: How should the Indians trust PAS ?

Whereas Zulkifli Noordin is no longer welcome in PAS, but leap frog to PAS

By failing to take action against Zulkifli Noordinan. We call upon the Indian community and all fair-minded Malaysians to reject the BN’s discriminatory and divisive rule.

N Surendran is the PKR vice president and candidate for the Padang Serai seat

Related Stories:

VIDEO Zul mocks ‘Keling’ ‘Tuhan gajah’ ‘Tuhan tongkat’

Washout of DAP its part of a PAS strategy…that PAS is responsible for making politics inside Malaysia  so murky. Well, it’s a trend that it has started. If it gets to rule Parliament ever, the need for spite and retribution will drive the UMNO to pay back in the same coin. So forget good governance; what we are in for is a period of great turmoil in the future. This is why . The problem goes much beyond 2013…

Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to be 5th may 2013 is an important day in the lives of Malaysians

The sun never sets in the land of the unbroken outrage. The trouble is that PAS  manufactured noise is imposed silence. PAS and the apparatus at its disposal cannot differentiate one kind of noise from another, and finds it safer and politically more expedient to impose pre-emptive silence. The political reward that accrues from the appeasement of a few is almost always deemed to be greater than the cost of foregoing abstract principles. When faced with protests, its instinct is to shut everything down. Stop the metros from plying, ask women to dress conservatively, close offices at ten pm for women, ban films that might attract inconvenient protests, prevent writers from attending literary festivals, in fact prevent them from entering the city at all, the list is a long one. In the case of the  scandals, the organisers are being investigated for  statement fromPAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali . Apparently, as per Papagomo reports, they were made to sign a categorical undertaking that ‘the sentiments of no community would be hurt’ at the Festival before being granted permission to hold it. By all accounts, this is ridiculous; how can an event that celebrates artistic expression be made to give such an undertaking and how can organisers be held responsible for what a participant says? Essentially, this is nothing but a form of pre-emptive censorship where the organisers are being blackmailed into avoiding controversial subjects.

Between television and social media, outrage has become common currency. The people who come to the fore are those skilled at making noise, be they belligerent television anchors or flatulent panellists, bursting at every seam with unspecific anger. Outrage is a beast that needs to be fed quickly and visibly, but it is also one that is content with the illusion of substance. The power of noise is that it is self-sustaining. Not outraging against an assault on freedom like in is not an option, but doing so continues to raise the threshold level of noise in the system. Every subsequent protest needs to up the ante on the volume if it has to register.

In the PAS kingdom of noise, deafness is the only abiding condition. When words stop being signifiers of intent, and get read as actions, then the distinctions between opinion and fact, representation and event become irredeemably blurred. If anything, the hierarchical relationship between word and event is reversed, particularly if the word belongs to a celebrity or is located in an event that enjoys celebrity status.PAS is a victim of its own success, for anything that happens there is imbued with a sense of portentous significance. The keenness to cover PAS ‘s statement lies in stark contrast to the desire to report actual atrocities against womans. Infractions involving words and representation invite punitive action more readily than infractions involving deeds. There is an inescapable asymmetry at work here – while media can only deal in words and images, the state deals in action.

Do we want fear or hope in these eyes!

Johare  advice to P119 Titiwangsa voters Here are a few pointers to help you remain true to your core…
• Keep in mind long-term goals. Plan for work, life as well as for a meaningful life beyond work.
• Do not try to please everyone; you never can!
• Be your own critic; do not be affected by others’ praise or ridicule.
• Recognise your self-worth. Focus on what or who gives meaning to your life!
• Never trust blindly — neither your circumstances, nor people around you!
• Create and indulge in meaningful activity away from work.
• Invest in good personal friends.

Apart from civil servants, another decisive group in GE13 are women. They comprise 51.7 percent of the electorate and regularly turn out in high numbers, especially in semi and rural areas.

In close races, how women vote can make the difference. Numerically, women are largely in the urban areas, but disproportionately they are more influential politically in the more rural areas, as men are often outstation for employment.

Let’s take a look at how women can shape and have shaped the election so far, recognising that they will make an important impact this election and the trends are moving against the BN.

Traditionally, women disproportionately support the incumbent government more than men in the range of 5-8 percent.

The BN gender advantage varies by ethnicity; it is more pronounced among Malays, Indians and East Malaysians, although almost non-existent among Chinese. The gap also varies by class, as it is most pronounced among women in the lower classes.

The reasons for this gender gap are multiple, but four factors stand out. First, traditionally the Umno campaign has had the strongest women’s branch, Wanita Umno, and this group has played a major role in winning support. It has been the female face for the BN.

It is important to note that Umno historically was the first to include women actively in politics.

Second, women have less access to alternative forms of information outside of the mainstream media, as they often have less time to surf the Internet due to family responsibilities and do not attend ceramah at night in as high a number as men due also to the same family responsibilities.

Third, women, particularly those in the lower classes, are more responsive to the incentives of money. On the front line of managing the household economy, women find the extra funds useful for families and at the same time feel more obliged to repay the support.

Finally, women are also seen to be more responsive to the fear tactics adopted by BN, and worry about the impact on their families. From information to fear, women generally appear more risk-averse and this favours the incumbent government.

Yet, over the past few elections, this gender gap has been narrowing. The trend has been toward more women supporting the opposition. In fact in the urban areas among the Chinese, women are more likely to support Pakatan than BN.

Polling has also found a sharp increase of ordinary women engaged in politics in Malaysia from 2003 onwards, as seen by the composition of the rallies, protests such as Bersih and anti-Lynas and a female expansion of civil society at the local level.

From the broad trends, the gender gap this election will likely narrow further. Trends suggest more women in Malaysia are awakening politically, and clamouring in favour of change.

More attuned to local issues 

One of the reasons for this movement in the voting pattern of women has to do with the salience of different issues in the GE13 campaign, as well as the outreach efforts by both camps.

Among women themselves, different groups, such as single versus married, have different sets of concerns. Yet, there are a few broad commonalities across women.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today Umno was not an “assabiyah” (racist) party as certain political parties claimed.

The prime minister said the government had never rejected Islam in the national administration and, in fact, the Umno national spirit was founded on Islam.

“Assabiyah is when we collude to do wrong, meaning we gang up with one group to suppress or oppress other groups,” he said when addressing about 6,000 people at a gathering in Mengabang Telipot, here.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who accused Umno a racialist party of masterminding the May 13 racial riots in 1969.the bloody racial riots 44 years ago were orchestrated by Umno to cling on to power.Hadi told a political rally in Kuala Kangsar,without any hard evidence.he further said Only those who were members of Umno or associated with it were involved. DAP and Gerakan members had nothing to do with May 13.

the riots in Kuala Lumpur started even before the counter-procession was held by Umno in response to opposition victory marches in the wake of the unprecedented gains by PAS, DAP and Gerakan in the 1969 general election.so as Muslim leader working with infidals accuses a fellow Muslim leader as a  racialist

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.

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.

DAP remain a key strategic pas partner. It had diplomatically supported PAS on various issues of concern None of us would doubt that in recent years, is the arm of our democracy working diligently?, it is the  voters Court. Time and again, the Highest…will decide who is the right candidate who serve them with dedication and honestly.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?

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.

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant
self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant
self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be 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.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.

The other pattern that has emerged is the deepening divide in society. it is PAS plan that went awry. Pas’ strategy of fielding  PAS parachute candidate  Ahmad  Zambri  in P119 Ttiwangsa ,  looked puzzling in the first place 2013 Iis the year in which some fundamental structural issues with PAS political system were exposed, 20123seems to have not only deepened our  understanding  of those shortcomings,…but also made us alive to the deepening fissures in societyIf one were to try and tease out some patterns underlying the events of this year, they might broadly fall under two, somewhat related heads. For one, we are beginning to see the tentative first steps towards the formation of the idea of citizenry; the notion that as citizens there exists a reciprocal responsibility to not only respond to one’s immediate environment, but also play an active role in managing it. Over the last couple of years, the  interest in directly influencing modes of governance has grown; democracy as a practice is increasingly detaching itself from the narrow idea of elections. The political class has not understood this change; one has only to  look  at  the fact that in the recent protests in Delhi, virtually no elected representatives, not even local politicians, were involved. When a movement that holds the nation’s attention with such intensity fails to stir  the  representatives of people even a little bit, the schism between citizenry and the polity can be deemed to be enduring

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.

2012 saw many incidents that underline the struggle to reconcile the many contrasting pulls and pressures that have followed in the wake of sweeping change over the last few years. It is now clear that the new came without any accompanying compass, and asked questions of the old that  it  did  not have answers to. The larger question of change penetrating beneath the skin of the modern, into our everyday lives, and finding genuine and widespread acceptance is the really big one that we are left grappling with.Along with pushing for comprehensive reform that makes the legal framework more effective both in concept and delivery, it is also important to carry out a sustained societal  dialogue.  This  is  not  the  same  as  one  section lecturing to another or ‘educating’ them from a superior vantage point, but a genuine dialogue between peers that addresses each other’s anxieties and aspirations. So many Indians are experiencing things for  the  first  time  in their lives. New freedoms need new boundaries, which in turn requires a framework that is relevant for the times. The old sources of authority that drew boundaries cannot make sense of the new,  and  no  institutions  are  either facilitating a dialogue or stepping in to fill the void. The problems facing society have a lot to do with old mindsets being amplified by new freedoms, rather than being re-defined by them.

Najib said Umno not racist party unlike enemies like PAS,Gerakan,MCA and MIC are real racialist to the core There is a sense of horror that pervades the news in recent months.  It seems as is a basic form of humanity has been lost as one horrific instance of…PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang    It is as if routine exploitation and violence is no longer enough; we are seeing a new brutalities of a political kind that are difficult to comprehend. What kind of a human being violates just  to become as PM, he is even willing to to prostitute his islamic belief. will you voters want PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang being chosen as prime minister

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who accused Umno a racialist party of masterminding the May 13 racial riots in 1969.the bloody racial riots 44 years ago were orchestrated by Umno to cling on to power.Hadi told a political rally in Kuala Kangsar,without any hard evidence.he further said Only those who were members of Umno or associated with it were involved. DAP and Gerakan members had nothing to do with May 13. the riots in Kuala Lumpur started even before the counter-procession was held by Umno in response to opposition victory marches in the wake of the unprecedented gains by PAS, DAP and Gerakan in the 1969 general election.so as Muslim leader working with infidals accuses a fellow Muslim leader as a  racialist

Umno meanwhile unfortunately for their critics, could make a credible argument for religious stability, what with all the nonsense coming out from PAS, in their wilderness years, where they were the Islamic bogeymen du jour. It was a poisonous kind of stability but then again there are few ‘Islamic’ countries in the world that boast the same.Rich electoral dividends have flowed from such fear mongering. In the process, over the years

That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law,

2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile is Muslim vote polarization that will work against it in the next general election. But the Muslim vote bogey is just that – a bogey. while deeply religious themselves, have moved beyond wanting to see religion used as a political tool.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said that Islam was being hijacked by some people in Pas who were trying to strip it of its spirituality.

“Anybody who is using religion to control you, they consider themselves a better Muslim, Christian, Jew than you are, so you have to follow,” Youssef said, adding that although members of the Muslim Brotherhood call themselves Islamists, he doesn’t know what that means.

“I don’t know what ‘Islamists’ is,” said Youssef, who is the host of a comedic show in Egypt called “El Bernameg” (“The Program.”) “I know one religion: Islam.”

PAS, which has changed its Islamic state struggle to that for the welfare state, is a party that is becoming more confused and is increasingly confusing its members and supporters, a political analyst said today.

“PAS is in this situation because it believes in the lies it created, the most obvious being that DAP is ready to accept the implementation of hudud in the country, although DAP had repeatedly rejected it,” Dr Ibrahim Ghafar said.
A lot has been said about the sickness that lies within society and the need to change mindsets. The trouble is that society cannot be hectored into change, no matter how just the cause. Social change needs a whole  ecosystem  of actions, but above all it needs a real dialogue. We have seen unprecedented change in India that has come without any mechanism to justify itself or explain its implications. A small section of society has embraced enormous change and now looks at the  rest  of India with uncomprehending and often judgmental eyes. No intermediary mechanisms exist that would interpret this change and find place for it in the traditional way of life. The state does  not  function  adequately  nor  do  its institutions offer clear benchmarks, the market creates a sense of surface modernity while simultaneously reinforcing existing prejudices, and traditional institutions like the panchayat and religion have not  really  done  their bit in making the new intelligible to the old, often acting to the contrary.brings the narrative that everyone wants to return to — that MALAYSIA is the land of extraordinary opportunity and possibility, Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said“To those  P119 Titiwangsa hardcore PAS voters whose support I have yet to earn,” he said, “I may not have won your CONFIDENDENCE but I hear your voices , I need …Read more

For the last few months one would be forgiven for believing that the lunatics have been running the asylum called the PAS, so inconsistent and muddled their actions have been. But after yesterday, it is worth asking if even the lunatics are in charge. Enough has been said about the incomprehensible strangeness of the government’s actions, and in any case this level of mismanagement is so self-evident that additional comment is unnecessary. What is interesting however is to ask what would make a group of reasonably savvy, seasoned politicians used to exercising and staying in power act in such a self-defeating manner.

Najib Abdul Razak has urged the people of Kelantan to reject PAS in the 13th general election on Sunday as the party leader had deceived the people by making promises which were not fulfilled throughout its 23-year rule in the state.

He said the party’s leader only knew how to shout slogans but they had not done anything to bring development to the state as aspired by the rakyat.

“Twenty-three years of lying to the people is enough. (It) wants to construct the Kota Baharu-Kuala Krai expressway, sets up a fund, they think they can build a highway by setting up a fund (collecting donations from the rakyat), how much had been collected, the cost is RM2 billion… cannot implement,” he said at a programme ‘Himpunan Rakyat 1Malaysia’ at the SMK Sungai Petai in Pasir Puteh today.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today Umno was not an “assabiyah” (racist) party as certain political parties claimed.

The prime minister said the government had never rejected Islam in the national administration and, in fact, the Umno national spirit was founded on Islam.

“Assabiyah is when we collude to do wrong, meaning we gang up with one group to suppress or oppress other groups,” he said when addressing about 6,000 people at a gathering in Mengabang Telipot, here.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who accused Umno a racialist party of masterminding the May 13 racial riots in 1969.the bloody racial riots 44 years ago were orchestrated by Umno to cling on to power.Hadi told a political rally in Kuala Kangsar,without any hard evidence.he further said Only those who were members of Umno or associated with it were involved. DAP and Gerakan members had nothing to do with May 13.

the riots in Kuala Lumpur started even before the counter-procession was held by Umno in response to opposition victory marches in the wake of the unprecedented gains by PAS, DAP and Gerakan in the 1969 general election.so as Muslim leader working with infidals accuses a fellow Muslim leader as a  racialist

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.

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.

 What really irks me the most is that such people, despite your prompting them, reasoning with them or even pleading with them are predictable to a fault: they will have to speak as surely as night follows day every time they find themselves in such a situation, and will continue to speak till everyone else in the room shuts up or turns away in sheer frustration. Little do they realize (or perhaps care about) the impression they create through their determined, more often than not completely uncalled for verbal jousting. The next time the twain meet, the audience, if intelligent, is better prepared for the ensuing verbal duel and either completely ignores the person or walks away from the discussion with ‘its  perhaps better for all of us to fight another day’ writ large on their faces.

What worries, is that the number of such people that I seem to be bumping into – as I pass through life – seems to be increasing exponentially. I meet such people at work, in my professional circles, in the housing society, when I am on holiday and even at parent-teacher meetings. What such people fail to realize that this rarely helps accomplish anything other than create a fragile equilibrium that is disturbed by the slightest tremor.

DAP remain a key strategic pas partner. It had diplomatically supported PAS on various issues of concern None of us would doubt that in recent years, is the arm of our democracy working diligently?, it is the  voters Court. Time and again, the Highest…will decide who is the right candidate who serve them with dedication and … Read more

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has demanded that PAS president Hadi Awang explain his allegation in a Youtube video that the Islamic party cannot cooperate with a “Marxist” party. PSM secretary general S Arutchelvan said that Hadi’s statement alluded to PSM even if he did not mention it by name. “We want to ask, is Hadi (right) referring to us? If so, please show us the evidence (that PSM is Marxist),” he told a press conference in Kota Damansara

None of the mainstream political parties, including the secular groups, has promised to eliminate or at least enervate the influence of political Islam. No party manifesto envisions the separation of religion from politics and the affairs of the state. Malaysia’s democratic institutions are willingly offering enormous space and unquestionable concessions to Islam in everyday life. I have always believed that mixing up religion with politics is PASS ‘s greatest tragedy in Malaysia

There are three critical areas where PAS PRESIDENT ABDUL HADI AWANG needs immediate improvement in order to become  the next prime minister state. Islamization is the last thing that will help PAS to achieve stability, progress and prosperity. Any future government that gives in to the Islamists or helps the youth achieve their desired Islamic form of governance or encourages the influence of religion over democratic institutions will significantly increase Malaysian’s woes.:  Malaysia has come under tremendous national and international criticism   for the appalling state of human rights. Without containing the influence of state policies tolerant of violence in the name of religion and operations by the non-state actors,  PAS will constantly risk its religious and sectarian minorities.All political parties must commit to internal stability (leading to economic growth), respect for human rights and a balanced foreign policy. In order to accomplish that, PAS  must secularize its democratic institutions. Without sticking to these goals,PAS PRESIDENT ABDUL HADI AWANG  cannot find a road-map to stability. Elections should change policies, not only the regimes. Policy overhaul is precisely what  Malaysian, on its part, requires at this juncture for its survival.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has demanded that PAS president Hadi Awang explain his allegation in a Youtube video that the Islamic party cannot cooperate with a “Marxist” party.

PSM secretary general S Arutchelvan said that Hadi’s statement alluded to PSM even if he did not mention it by name.

“We want to ask, is Hadi (right) referring to us? If so, please show us the evidence (that PSM is Marxist),” he told a press conference in Kota Damansara.

PSM president Nasir Hashim expressed disappointment on Hadi’s statement.

“We are saddened by this baseless allegation. The Quran says defamation is more cruel than killing.”

In the video posted byTerengganukini, Hadi, in an unnamed location, said PAS was involved in seat overlapping with PKR in order rescue Pakatan Rakyat from a repetition of 2009 Perak crisis.

He also said some candidates were suspected to be drug dealers although he did not reveal any names. “How can they be candidates?” he asked.

“Some candidates have portraits of (Vladimir) Lenin, (Joseph) Stalin and (Karl) Marx, how can PAS support them? PAS is cooperating with PKR and DAP, not with the party of Lenin, Stalin and other Marxists,” he continued.

“How can our party members work under the portrait of Marx? Marx is the prophet of Russians and believed in communism. This is forbidden in Malaysia.”

Asked if Hadi should retract the statement and apologise, Nasir said Hadi should be a gentleman and retract the statement.

contentious issue is the move by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to try and usher in a future where the Islamic way of life becomes a part of every day life in Malaysia. PAS says they are willing to discuss the issue, but the implementation of the Hudud law is a matter beyond question and not up for negotiation or debate of any kind.

Despite disagreement with its partners over this, it has started pushing for the implementation of hudud in the state of Kelantan which it had been ruling for the last 20 years. Several Islamic practices are already in place there.

It says hudud would address a multitude of issues affecting Muslims. However, the non-Muslims fear that there will be long-term direct and indirect effect on them although on the surface it is meant only for the Muslims.

The opposition alliance is now in a bit of a fix over this – supporting the plan will mean losing non-Muslim votes while opposing it will see a backlash from Muslim voters. Depending on how the opposition alliance handles this issue, it will affect not only the thinking of Muslim voters but also the stand of the fence-sitters and new voters.

‘Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle’ PAS  Ahmad Zambri said’Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle it will be implemented in The Federal Territories in Malaysia comprise three territories: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, governed directly by the federal government of Malaysia..

He said this in response to reporters pressing the PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub on whether the Islamic party would push for the implementation of hudud if  the Pakatan were  to take over the Johor government.

Initially Salahuddin refused to answer the question, asking the reporters to refer it to the party president.He then conceded that hudud was indeed an agenda in the PAS’ struggle, but the party was sticking to the common manifesto of Pakatan for the general election, .

However the reporters were not satisfied, pointing out that voters needed to know whether the Islamic system of punishment for crime would be implemented if Pakatan took power.

While   was finishing his explanation, Salahuddin interrupted and warned a reporter from a mainstream English daily, in a stern voice, not to distort P119 Titiwangsa candidate  Ahmad Zambri’s statement. at a PAS  Ceramah in TITIWANGSA
“You want to manipulate the statement. You don’t…. You have malicious intention…,” he said in a stern voice, pointing his finger at the reporter.Salahuddin then ended the subject matter.

“Hudud is PAS’ agenda. Whatever happens tomorrow, we will discuss in the Pakatan leadership council. Full stop. No more hudud, please. Any other question?”

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Washout of DAP its part of a PAS strategy…that PAS is responsible for making politics inside Malaysia  so murky. Well, it’s a trend that it has started. If it gets to rule Parliament ever, the need for spite and retribution will drive the UMNO to pay back in the same coin. So forget good governance; what we … Read more

The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of    introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did not set up shop in  KG BARU – under the …Read more

In the name ofTitiwangsa Umno’s pride ’s pride The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of  PAS introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did … Read more

Someone from somewhere must come out and take p119 Titiwangsa out of this insensible dark PAS box of despondency and self-flagellation is  giving a false dose of some hope.  Are we are neither cowards nor aggressors?. Then why should we doubt our win?

The present crisis, the Chinese belligerence, fifth tent after the fourth and an inhuman attitude of the PASS and DAPi bubble gum politics shouldn’t surprise us. But what surprises is the consensual mood of the nation not being read by the PAS. It’s time to speak in one voice, yes, we all agree, and  Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani.must get the sense of people’s support now, rather than a crowd making noises in a hundred voices. But what that voice should be? into confidence about such grave incidents paving a way for a national consensus?

The Chinese say they like Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and agree that he has been an able and hardworking Prime Minister, The Chinese mood, after 2 week of  campaigning, has   softened forP119 candidate  Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani.

This is especially so in cyber space and in urban centres like Penang, the Klang Valley and Kinta Valley where the Chinese dominate political discussion and harangue anyone who does not toe their line.Some call it an urban wave, others say it is a largely Chinese wave. It is nothing as devastating as the political tsunam2 of 20013 where the Indians and Malays also came along to give  Datuk Johari Abdul Ghan big win but  is giving PAS  a big urban headache.the voters are solidly not behind them and the rhetorical, shrill voices must be stopped. They serve no purpose. The safeguarding of Malaysia must be the top priority, much more important than the interests of our individual parties and ideologies.

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant
self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant
self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be 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.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.

A fundamentalist Muslim group in PAS that controlled much of  PAS

Ahmad Zambr  have turned to the fundamentalist groups  PAS for support and solace. At the same time, a growing pressure for emancipation presses for fundamentalism. Which force will triumph?

The other pattern that has emerged is the deepening divide in society. it is PAS plan that went awry. Pas’ strategy of fielding  PAS parachute candidate  Ahmad  Zambri  in P119 Ttiwangsa ,  looked puzzling in the first place 2013 Iis the year in which some fundamental structural issues with PAS political system were exposed, 20123seems to have not only deepened our  understanding  of those shortcomings,…but also made us alive to the deepening fissures in societyIf one were to try and tease out some patterns underlying the events of this year, they might broadly fall under two, somewhat related heads. For one, we are beginning to see the tentative first steps towards the formation of the idea of citizenry; the notion that as citizens there exists a reciprocal responsibility to not only respond to one’s immediate environment, but also play an active role in managing it. Over the last couple of years, the  interest in directly influencing modes of governance has grown; democracy as a practice is increasingly detaching itself from the narrow idea of elections. The political class has not understood this change; one has only to  look  at  the fact that in the recent protests in Delhi, virtually no elected representatives, not even local politicians, were involved. When a movement that holds the nation’s attention with such intensity fails to stir  the  representatives of people even a little bit, the schism between citizenry and the polity can be deemed to be enduring

‘Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle’ PAS  Ahmad Zambri said’Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle it will be implemented in The Federal Territories in Malaysia comprise three territories: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, governed directly by the federal government of Malaysia..

He said this in response to reporters pressing the PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub on whether the Islamic party would push for the implementation of hudud if  the Pakatan were  to take over the Johor government.

Initially Salahuddin refused to answer the question, asking the reporters to refer it to the party president.He then conceded that hudud was indeed an agenda in the PAS’ struggle, but the party was sticking to the common manifesto of Pakatan for the general election, .

However the reporters were not satisfied, pointing out that voters needed to know whether the Islamic system of punishment for crime would be implemented if Pakatan took power.

While  Ahmad Zambri  was finishing his explanation, Salahuddin interrupted and warned a reporter from a mainstream English daily, in a stern voice, not to distort P119 Titiwangsa candidate  Ahmad Zambri’s statement. at a PAS  Ceramah in TITIWANGSA
“You want to manipulate the statement. You don’t…. You have malicious intention…,” he said in a stern voice, pointing his finger at the reporter.Salahuddin then ended the subject matter.

“Hudud is PAS’ agenda. Whatever happens tomorrow, we will discuss in the Pakatan leadership council. Full stop. No more hudud, please. Any other question?”

related article

DAP remain a key strategic pas partner. It had diplomatically supported PAS on various issues of concern None of us would doubt that in recent years, is the arm of our democracy working diligently?, it is the  voters Court. Time and again, the Highest…will decide who is the right candidate who serve them with dedication and … Read more

Washout of DAP its part of a PAS strategy…that PAS is responsible for making politics inside Malaysia  so murky. Well, it’s a trend that it has started. If it gets to rule Parliament ever, the need for spite and retribution will drive the UMNO to pay back in the same coin. So forget good governance; what we … Read more

The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of    introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did not set up shop in  KG BARU – under the …Read more

Don’t get bitten twice by a snake, warns Najib

 Lawyer Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi’s bad personal ethics?

PAS P119 Frog Designer  Frog at blockD DesaPandan  Titiwangsa –  design and innovation  named after the acronym of the founder’s PAS .In this election the Islamist party has placed lawyer Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi, who is also Federal Territory PAS deputy commissioner of PAS his hard act to follow the gender  discrimination  with the blanket ban girl 8pm jinx proposed by him A fundamentalist Muslim group in PAS that controlled much of  PAS Ahmad Zambr  have turned to the fundamentalist groups  PAS for support and solace. At the same time, a growing pressure for emancipation presses for fundamentalism. Which force will triumph? The other pattern that has emerged is the deepening divide in society. it is PAS plan that went awry. Pas’ strategy of fielding  PAS parachute candidate  Ahmad  Zambri  in P119 Ttiwangsa ,  looked puzzling in the first place 2013 Iis the year in which some fundamental structural issues with PAS political system were exposed, 20123seems to have not only deepened our  understanding  of those shortcomings,…but also made us alive to the deepening fissures in societyIf one were to try and tease out some patterns underlying the events of this year, they might broadly fall under two, somewhat related heads. For one, we are beginning to see the tentative first steps towards the formation of the idea of citizenry; the notion that as citizens there exists a reciprocal responsibility to not only respond to one’s immediate environment, but also play an active role in managing it. Over the last couple of years, the  interest in directly influencing modes of governance has grown; democracy as a practice is increasingly detaching itself from the narrow idea of elections. The political class has not understood this change; one has only to  look  at  the fact that in the recent protests in Delhi, virtually no elected representatives, not even local politicians, were involved. When a movement that holds the nation’s attention with such intensity fails to stir  the  representatives of people even a little bit, the schism between citizenry and the polity can be deemed to be enduring ‘Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle’ PAS  Ahmad Zambri said’Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle it will be implemented in The Federal Territories in Malaysia comprise three territories: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, governed directly by the federal government of Malaysia.. He said this in response to reporters pressing the PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub on whether the Islamic party would push for the implementation of hudud if  the Pakatan were  to take over the Johor government. Initially Salahuddin refused to answer the question, asking the reporters to refer it to the party president.He then conceded that hudud was indeed an agenda in the PAS’ struggle, but the party was sticking to the common manifesto of Pakatan for the general election, . However the reporters were not satisfied, pointing out that voters needed to know whether the Islamic system of punishment for crime would be implemented if Pakatan took power. While  Ahmad Zambri  was finishing his explanation, Salahuddin interrupted and warned a reporter from a mainstream English daily, in a stern voice, not to distort P119 Titiwangsa candidate  Ahmad Zambri’s statement. at a PAS  Ceramah in TITIWANGSA “You want to manipulate the statement. You don’t…. You have malicious intention…,” he said in a stern voice, pointing his finger at the reporter.Salahuddin then ended the subject matter. “Hudud is PAS’ agenda. Whatever happens tomorrow, we will discuss in the Pakatan leadership council. Full stop. No more hudud, please. Any other question?” After the Taliban’s rise to power, women and girls were systematically discriminated against and marginalized, and their human rights were violated. This resulted in the deteriorating economic and social conditions of women and girls in all areas of the country, in particular in areas under Taliban control. Women and girls continued to be severely restricted in their access to education, health care facilities and employment. During the Taliban’s rule, only about 3 per cent of girls received some form of primary education. The ban on women’s employment also affected boys’ education, as the majority of teachers had been women. Poor health conditions and malnutrition made pregnancy and childbirth exceptionally dangerous for Afghan women. The Taliban’s policies also severely limited women’s freedom of movement. Women could travel only when accompanied by a male relative, which put a particular strain on female-headed households and widows. In May 2001, a decree was issued by the Taliban, banning women from driving cars, which further limited their activities. The resulting seclusion of women to the home constituted a form of solitary confinement and also created obstacles to women meeting with each other. Women were harassed and beaten by the Taliban if their public appearance was perceived to be in contradiction with Taliban edicts. Women’s removal from the public space also meant that women could not play any role in the political process and were excluded from all forms of formal or informal governance. Afghan women suffered domestic and other types of violence for the past 25 years, not just under the Taliban regime. Prior to September 2001, the United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, with the UN agencies on the ground and UN senior staff within the UN Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA) continued to address issues related to the discrimination against women and girls. They made numerous efforts to negotiate the withdrawal of various discriminatory decrees, including those banning women’s employment, which nevertheless remained in effect. The Afghanistan 2001 consolidated inter-agency appeal emphasized that the assistance community would collectively aim to expand access for Afghan women to education, health services and employment and income-generating activities. Despite many years of concern about the situation of Afghan women, it is only now, under conditions of extreme tragedy, political violence and destruction, that the situation has propelled Afghanistan and the plight of its women and girls firmly back into the global spotlight. For the first time outside of the setting of the United Nations and of the international community, there is a groundswell of concern, from Parliaments to First Ladies, from entertainers and media stars to non-governmental organizations, all calling for the full recognition of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.  

To understand the how people view politic in different cultures   takes a walk through some of the  corruption ridden streets of Selangor  during Mat Taib and tries borrowing money from loan sharks in Malaysia.Political activity costs money. Party offices have to function, full-time workers have to be paid, leaders must travel, publicity material has to be printed, meetings and rallies held. The reality is that parties spend tens of thousands of riggit now PAS HAS GOT A NEW MONEY  BAG Only an experienced and shrewd politician, like the odious former UMNO Vice-President Muhammad Muhammad Taib aka Mat Taib, can change his colours like a chameleon. When Mat Taib joined PAS last week, he was not showing contrition, but was merely trying to save his skin. At his first public appearance on the Opposition hustings, he failed to impress the wider public (and this columnist); he was patronising and sexist when he equated a lack of religious values with newsreaders not wearing the tudung and schoolgirls wearing skirts. Mat Taib is in no position to preach about Islam or good governance. When he was the Menteri Besar of Selangor, he had broken the law and was caught with RM4 million in his suitcase in Australia – just small change to an UMNO politician. He has little respect for royalty and the institutions of marriage and syariah law. He eloped to Thailand with a Selangor princess, married her without her father’s consent nor his first wife’s permission. People who have fallen from grace should be allowed to redeem themselves and be given a second chance in life, like the former UMNO members who have successfully revived their political careers in the Opposition. It would be disingenuous to claim that PAS members are “opportunists” in parading Mat Taib as a prize catch. Isn’t Mat Taib (right in photo) the opportunist who has joined PAS? Did he observe the changing tide of public opinion and hope that when the crunch comes, he may escape the severest of punishments? In Victorian times, traveling fairs had freak shows, like the bearded lady, the Siamese twins or the Elephant Man, to attract the public. Perhaps, PAS is exhibiting a modern version of this freak show. Mat Taib can endear himself to the increasingly cynical public by earning our respect. He cannot expect to evade punishment when true justice is finally dispensed, but for now, he could reveal all that he knows about the corruption in Umno and in the government. Can Mat Taib explain? He could also explain how he, and other UMNO politicians gained their vast wealth, whilst seemingly surviving on a civil servants’ salary. Will he return some of this stolen money to the rakyat? During the Cold War, spies who defected were milked for information and were never placed in positions of power or trust in their adopted homeland. As someone who once belonged to the UMNO inner circle and was privy to its internal workings, Mat Taib would have had access to highly controversial and confidential information. What can he tell us about Najib and his corruption? He can work his way down the list of politicians, including the ones in Sabah and Sarawak and provide the names of top civil servants, cronies and their companies, all of whom act for UMNO. He can expose the mechanisms by which UMNO cheats the public and provide details about the people – like Altantuya Shaarriibuu – who were bumped off to protect certain individuals in high office. If Mat Taib is sincere about helping the opposition, he must discard the yoke of UMNO’s divisive techniques because his talk sounds like an UMNO or MCA campaign, where religion is the main weapon used to divide Malaysians. In one ceramah, he blamed the “Jews and white men” for tarnishing the image of Islam and for giving rise to the label, ‘militant Islam’. He has upset many by accusing Christians of killing more people, as compared to Muslims. Mat Taib’s understanding of Islam can only be described as puerile, but his depth of historical knowledge is very shallow. He said that in the Second World War, Christian Germans were killing the French, whilst other European Christians were also killing each other. His quote of 50,000 Christian casualties in WWII is incorrect, especially as it is believed that around 60 million people had died. Has Mat Taib heard of Hitler, the Nazi occupation of Europe and the reason nations went to war? Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s judicious selection of the ignoramus Mat Taib as menteri besar was not without good reason. He was aware that the appointment of smart and able men would have serious consequences. He knew that efficient men may covet the throne, whereas dolts are easily sated with money and women. Did Mat Taib litter his speech with Islamic ideals to ingratiate himself with the conservative Malays and the ulama? He claimed that PAS is the only enlightened party which could unite the Malays, and create an Islamic state. Isn’t this an UMNO tactic to scare the non-Malays into the arms of BN? Mat Taib’s stance has reignited fears of an Islamic state and the most contentious argument, which is the implementation of hudud law. Was he deliberately trying to scare the rakyat? Apprehension about hudud Malays are outraged by the corruption and the injustice in Malaysia, but they are more apprehensive about hudud. They have been told that PAS would implement hudud law, if the opposition were to come to power. Ironically, the same people have also been told that with the opposition in control, a non-Malay prime minister could also be installed. The number of refugees trying to escape to the west or Australia from oppressive Muslim nations like Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan – some of which have adopted hudud law – are reportedly on the rise. Many of these places are lawless. If hudud were to be implemented in Malaysia, then 99.99 percent of the UMNO hierarchy and their family members would have their hands chopped off, whilst a fair number would be stoned to death for adultery. The nation’s debt is already crippled by Najib’s handouts, like the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M), and his excessive spending. Will the nation’s finances bear the extra cost of taking care of these amputees under a welfare scheme, since they would have no means of driving a vehicle or getting employment? All the protagonists in the hudud law argument have neglected to seek the opinion of the Malays. Why don’t we settle this uncertainty with a nationwide referendum? My unscientific survey amongst Malay friends and relatives, whose ages range from their teens to their eighties, has revealed that most Malays do not want hudud. The non-Malays have little to fear, but it will be the Muslim women who will fare worst of all. They cannot expect fair treatment under hudud. So, is Mat Taib an UMNO plant set to damage the chances of the Opposition at GE13 – by harping on Islam – or is he a naive person who is playing to the Muslim crowd? Former tainted UMNO members who jump ship at the eleventh hour will invite criticism of their actions if they treat their PAS membership as a way to expunge their wrongdoings. Joining the opposition is not like entering a confessional to seek absolution for their sins.

AR Rehman is so polite and humble….. like   DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI  that is what makes him different from rest
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.

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 race 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 levels is perhaps the most vital element in the idea of democracy, but over a period of time, what representativeness has come to mean identity  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 agenda

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who accused Umno a racialist party of masterminding the May 13 racial riots in 1969.the bloody racial riots 44 years ago were orchestrated by Umno to cling on to power.Hadi told a political rally in Kuala Kangsar,without any hard evidence.he further said Only those who were members of Umno or associated with it were involved. DAP and Gerakan members had nothing to do with May 13. the riots in Kuala Lumpur started even before the counter-procession was held by Umno in response to opposition victory marches in the wake of the unprecedented gains by PAS, DAP and Gerakan in the 1969 general election.so as Muslim leader working with infidals accuses a fellow Muslim leader as a  racialist

Umno meanwhile unfortunately for their critics, could make a credible argument for religious stability, what with all the nonsense coming out from PAS, in their wilderness years, where they were the Islamic bogeymen du jour. It was a poisonous kind of stability but then again there are few ‘Islamic’ countries in the world that boast the same.Rich electoral dividends have flowed from such fear mongering. In the process, over the years

Do we want fear or hope in these eyes!

That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law,

2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile is Muslim vote polarization that will work against it in the next general election. But the Muslim vote bogey is just that – a bogey. while deeply religious themselves, have moved beyond wanting to see religion used as a political tool.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said that Islam was being hijacked by some people in Pas who were trying to strip it of its spirituality.

“brings the narrative that everyone wants to return to — that MALAYSIA is the land of extraordinary opportunity and possibility, Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said“To those  P119 Titiwangsa hardcore PAS voters whose support I have yet to earn,” he said, “I may not have won your CONFIDENDENCE but I hear your voices , I need …Read more

In the name ofTitiwangsa Umno’s pride ’s pride The huge ads are everywhere in  P119 TITIWANGSA. With a full-face photograph of  PAS introducing  himself and inviting you, personally, to vote for PAS  on May 5th, Come to think of it, didn’t have something to do with  guy lying about REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU,, way back when? why he did … Read more

At the most basic level, it is possible to challenge even the overall understanding we have about who won and who lost.P119 DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI will gain in terms of vote , which means that as a proportion of their existing vote share,. If we were to, for the sake of simplicity, argue that … Read more

Johari, who hails from Kampung Pandan, is a certified accountant who has been leading the Umno division since 2010, and will pose a big obstacle for the young Ahmad Zamri to retain P119 Titiwangsa for PAS Someone from somewhere must come out and take p119 Titiwangsa out of this insensible dark PAS box of despondency and self-flagellation is  giving a false dose of some hope.  Are we are neither cowards nor aggressors?. Then why should we doubt our win? The present crisis, the Chinese belligerence, fifth tent after the fourth … Read more

.

Caretaker Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (centre in photo) was present to lend support t on Wednesday night and his presence at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman had resulted in a turnout of close to 3,000 people,  mainly comprising non voters from surrounding areas and from outside KL.where are the voters who  Ahmad Zamri claim has big support

Now compare this is what  real support is 

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Do we want fear or hope in these eyes!

That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law,

2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile is Muslim vote polarization that will work against it in the next general election. But the Muslim vote bogey is just that – a bogey. while deeply religious themselves, have moved beyond wanting to see religion used as a political tool.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said that Islam was being hijacked by some people in Pas who were trying to strip it of its spirituality.

Rich electoral dividends have flowed from such fear mongering. In the process, over the years, regional parties have grasped the fraudulent

Impact of Communalism

What affected the secular character of Indian society most decisively was the intervention of Hindu communalism, which has a long history dating to the 18th century even though riots became frequent only during colonial rule. By the 20th century, communalism had made inroads among both Hindus and Muslims, considerably undermining the secular ethos in society and, finally, leading to Partition.

The assassination of Mahatma Gandhij by a Hindu fanatic was a severe setback to secularism. After this Hindu communal organisations were rather dormant, which, however, did not mean they were inactive. The Gandhi assassination did not dampen their spirits, and under the leadership of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) they soon regrouped and reinvigorated their cultural work and physical training.

The communal organisations were aware that communalism could thrive only by undermining secular consciousness. As a result, the main thrust of the communal agenda was to eliminate the fairly powerful secular hegemony present in most domains. The communal attack on secularism was, therefore, intended to delegitimise it, accusing it of being an alien ideology without roots in Indian soil.

Moreover, secular activists were physically intimidated and secular artists and intellectuals were defamed. The purpose was to ensure that the public prestige and acceptability that secularism enjoyed was tarnished so that communalism could occupy the secular space. The campaign was not without any impact.

In the face of communal aggression, secularism considerably lost out politically in the 1990s. Martha Nusbawm, an American scholar, observed that during this period India slipped into religious terrorism but managed to slip out of it. This ‘escape’ from the possible continued communal subjection was mainly, though not exclusively, because of the strength of its secular tradition.

Middle class Titiwangsa has few heroes. Once in a while we find someone. But even before he can settle in, we are disenchanted. Either he fails to live up to our high‘Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle’ PAS  Ahmad Zambri said’Hudud an agenda in PAS struggle it will be implemented in The Federal Territories in Malaysia comprise three territories: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, governed directly by the federal government of Malaysia.. He said this in response to reporters pressing the PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub on whether … Read more

To be born, raised and schooled in Sentul always herd together in their ethnic enclaves, whether at work, play or in the neighbourhood. Ahmad Zamri here’s something seriously wrong with you. You cannot impose patriotism on people. It must come from within. There was a time when our hearts swelled with pride every time we saw the tricolour wave or heard the national anthem play. That pride has gone out of our lives today. What remains is but a gaping void and a shining rage. We are angry with everything with PAS. But, above all, we are angry with ourselves. How could we have allowed the rot to set in so deep? Why were we blind for so long? Why did we not protest before protest itself became an ineffective tool?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 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.the battle for the 2013 election will be fought between “secular and communal forces”. But is – for instanceSomeone from somewhere must come out and take p119 Titiwangsa out of this insensible dark PAS box of despondency and self-flagellation is  giving a false dose of some hope.  Are we are neither cowards nor aggressors?. Then why should we doubt our win? The present crisis, the Chinese belligerence, fifth tent after the fourth … Read more

In Malaysia, an inclusive vision is often the product of a gregarious individual’s interactive experiences across the country’s racial and religious divides.If we are to fight the rot, we must stand up, each one of us, and try to reclaim our India. We must reclaim ourP119 Titiwangsa from Pas.We must find our dreams again. We must look in every nook and cranny where beauty, talent, faith and hope lie. We must reclaim our imagination. We must challenge ourselves to rise above the faithlessness around us and seek that courage which we have ignored while drooling over instant success.

Tien Chua another wolf in sheep’s clothing

 

Racially diverse inexperiences

These days Sentul comes under the parliamentary constituency of Batu, a PKR-leaning constituency where the party’s vice-president Tian Chua holds the fort.readmore

PAS who are used to inefficiency and corruption is a good trait which today’s voter  needs very badly said Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi in high praise for former UMNO Vice-President Muhammad Muhammad Taib aka Mat Taib, at his final mesage to  P119 Titiwangsa voters

. Titiwangsa has had enough o PAS. I do not think that the country would like to gamble the stakes of  TITIWANGSA  for the second time at AHMAD ZAMRI hands. Not free from divisive and partisan influences. Qualifications, experience, capabilities and  shady character of individuals have very little impact in the present muddy and opaque system of selection of candidates. After the votes are cast, the voters are forgotten and even despised.

 ONE WOULD IMAGINE THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE REAL OR SOBERING THAN ELECTION RESULTS FOR NOTHING MAKES REALITY MORE NAKED THAN HARD COLD NUMBERS. AND YET, BECAUSE IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO DISAGGREGATE ELECTION RESULTS AND TEASE OUT DIFFERENT STRANDS OF INFLUENCES AT WORK, WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN IS THAT THE RESULTS SERVE TO REINFORCE EXISTING POSITIONS RATHER THAN ACT AS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE PARTIES IN QUESTION. DAP SHOULD NOT CHEAT ON THE NON-MUSLIMS AGAINST ISLAMIC SYARIAH AND COMES CLEAN ON HUDUD LAW!

P119 TITIWANGSA THE RED LINE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISLAM ,DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI AND POLITICAL ISLAM PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD

How does a leader quell the everyday, inner conflicts caused by the heavy responsibility, the need for constant self-control and the inevitable crises – and still remain an effective leader? One could answer, “Not easily,” and be right.Voters must Knock PAS CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMRI Out and make Pas a fringe party that they used to … Read more

DAP and its allies has proved a disaster. The so called “coalition dharma” has proved to be an “adharma” to the nation, opening up the gateway to corruption and nepotism. The peoples’ sufferings have been ignored. The Government and the elected representatives have remained mute spectators “brings the narrative that everyone wants to return to — that MALAYSIA is the land of extraordinary opportunity and possibility, Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said“To those  P119 Titiwangsa hardcore PAS voters whose support I have yet to earn,” he said, “I may not have won your CONFIDENDENCE but I hear your voices , I need …Read more

Don’t get bitten twice by a snake, warns Najib

 Lawyer Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi’s bad personal ethics?

our country can no longer tolerate corrupt politicians with criminal background designing laws for us. The old and the tired legislators need to give way for the young and those of the present generation. Routine standard responses to grave situations and issues of national importance no linger impress people. The country has been deceived enough by feeding on divisive stories and issues such as secularism, fascist forces, religion, race, language etc.

To understand the how people view politic in different cultures   takes a walk through some of the  corruption ridden streets of Selangor  during Mat Taib and tries borrowing money from loan sharks in Malaysia.Political activity costs money. Party offices have to function, full-time workers have to be paid, leaders must travel, publicity material has to be printed, meetings and rallies held. The reality is that parties spend tens of thousands of riggit now PAS HAS GOT A NEW MONEY  BAG

 Only an experienced and shrewd politician, like the odious former UMNO Vice-President Muhammad Muhammad Taib aka Mat Taib, can change his colours like a chameleon. When Mat Taib joined PAS last week, he was not showing contrition, but was merely trying to save his skin. At his first public appearance on the Opposition hustings, he failed to impress the wider public (and this columnist); he was patronising and sexist when he equated a lack of religious values with newsreaders not wearing the tudung and schoolgirls wearing skirts. Mat Taib is in no position to preach about Islam or good governance. When he was the Menteri Besar of Selangor, he had broken the law and was caught with RM4 million in his suitcase in Australia – just small change to an UMNO politician. He has little respect for royalty and the institutions of marriage and syariah law. He eloped to Thailand with a Selangor princess, married her without her father’s consent nor his first wife’s permission. People who have fallen from grace should be allowed to redeem themselves and be given a second chance in life, like the former UMNO members who have successfully revived their political careers in the Opposition. It would be disingenuous to claim that PAS members are “opportunists” in parading Mat Taib as a prize catch. Isn’t Mat Taib (right in photo) the opportunist who has joined PAS? Did he observe the changing tide of public opinion and hope that when the crunch comes, he may escape the severest of punishments? In Victorian times, traveling fairs had freak shows, like the bearded lady, the Siamese twins or the Elephant Man, to attract the public. Perhaps, PAS is exhibiting a modern version of this freak show. Mat Taib can endear himself to the increasingly cynical public by earning our respect. He cannot expect to evade punishment when true justice is finally dispensed, but for now, he could reveal all that he knows about the corruption in Umno and in the government. Can Mat Taib explain?Don’t get bitten twice by a snake, warns Najib  Lawyer Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi’s bad personal ethics? PAS P119 Frog Designer  Frog at blockD DesaPandan  Titiwangsa –  design and innovation  named after the acronym of the founder’s PAS .In this election the Islamist party has placed lawyer Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi, who is also Federal Territory PAS … Read more

If we fail to make use of this general elections to bring about the much needed transformation, Malaysia runs the risk of becoming a failed state under a fake democracy.

The answer is change,   peoples’ choice.

t 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.

There is a belief that in the 2013 elections those who favour  a business-friendly climate will vote for the  UMNO ‘JOHARI – and those who favour communal forces will vote for the PAS . Such a formulation is a fallacy for several reasons.So the choice before voters between DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI and PAS Parchuted Ahmed Zambri

‘JOHARI points to the PAS’s islamic agenda in general, and to the   riots in particular.as an economic miracle-worker who, if given a chance, could do  alot for  REDEVELOPMENT in KG BARU what he claims to have done for  his business  in terms of wealth creation.

At the national level, PAS  will continues to be a stumbling block in the path of economic reforms The choice  of  PAS PARACHUTED CANDIDATE AHMAD ZAMBRI  which e equally  unreal, equally mirage-like. But in the political desert of today’s Titiwangsa under PAS, mirages seem to be the most that voters can hope for.

His party PAS promoted real inclusiveness in Malaysia, would distrust between non Muslins and Muslims be at flashpoint? Why is it that the vast majority of violent communal incidents in the past five years have taken place in

However part of the deal is that when your passion has spent itself, you withdraw and look for something else to invest your intensity in. And that is what Sachin promises to the obsessive mathematical minds, which also obsess about his retirement! When his passion is spent and he is “not in a frame of mind to contribute to nation,” is when he intends to retire, he announced!

What are the issues that will really matter when we near the end of life?

That’s a lesson political parties which preach secularism but practise communalism will have to learn quickly before 2014 closes in on them.The DAP has rubbished the efforts of its opponents to reignite the debate on the aims of PAS’ hudud law,

2013  election will be fought between “secular and radical fundamentalist   forces,  fear meanwhile is Muslim vote polarization that will work against it in the next general election. But the Muslim vote bogey is just that – a bogey. while deeply religious themselves, have moved beyond wanting to see religion used as a political tool.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said that Islam was being hijacked by some people in Pas who were trying to strip it of its spirituality.

“Anybody who is using religion to control you, they consider themselves a better Muslim, Christian, Jew than you are, so you have to follow,” Youssef said, adding that although members of the Muslim Brotherhood call themselves Islamists, he doesn’t know what that means.

“I don’t know what ‘Islamists’ is,” said Youssef, who is the host of a comedic show in Egypt called “El Bernameg” (“The Program.”) “I know one religion: Islam.”

PAS, which has changed its Islamic state struggle to that for the welfare state, is a party that is becoming more confused and is increasingly confusing its members and supporters, a political analyst said today.

“PAS is in this situation because it believes in the lies it created, the most obvious being that DAP is ready to accept the implementation of hudud in the country, although DAP had repeatedly rejected it,” Dr Ibrahim Ghafar said.

He told Bernama that those who repeated their lies would end up believing them as true.

Commenting on a statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that PAS was naive in believing that DAP accepted the implementation of hudud, he said it was true that come election time PAS would play up the hudud issue for fear of losing the support of Malay voters.

Ibrahim said DAP would issue a statement at the same time saying that it strongly opposed implementation of the hudud because it did not want to lose its non-Muslim supporters.

“Actually, both parties are playing games and making this an issue for election. There is no mention of implementing the Hudud law in the opposition’s manifesto,” Ibrahim said.

He said this also applied to DAP’s readiness to use the moon symbol in the 13th general election, which the PAS leaders and supporters believed without thinking about the actual message being conveyed by DAP.

“The DAP’s message is easy…that PAS not only bows to the DAP in allowing the word Allah to be used in Malay language bibles but also in other matters,” he said.

He said DAP, which had already got PAS to change its struggle, also knew how to take advantage of PAS’s current confused state.

Because of this, he said, voters must be extra cautious in deciding which party to choose.

He said PAS could not be counted on to champion Islam and the interests of the Malays because currently there was no PAS leader capable of acting wisely on police issues for the Malays and Muslims.

Unlike in PAS there was calmness and intelligence in Umno and its component parties which were consistent with its struggles for national development and the people’s wellbeing, he added.

“We have less than seven years to work hard to achieve Vision 2020, to turn Malaysia into a high-income nation, and the Barisan Nasional government has already put the country on the right track.

“Let’s not gamble our fate in the disunited opposition coalition which has become more confused and is far from achieving anything,” said Ibrahim.

One can only fervently hope that with a change in government, this disgusting manner of governing through race and  ought to be done away with and merit alone be the consideration for jobs

MCA president Chua Soi Lek  had parting shots aimed the Chinese community, which had largely voted against BN.

It is sad to see MCA, a party that was a formidable force in the Malaysian political arena, founded and managed by the great and visionary leaders like Tan Cheng Lock, Sir H.S.Lee, Tan Siew Sin and Dr Lim Chong Eu (who later left MCA and founded Gerakan) is truly in shambles today. It was unfortunate of MCA members to have handed over the party leadership to Chua Soi Lek in early 2010. His decision to stay out of cabinet position and his sheer incompetency to convey to the government the sentiments of the Chinese community’s disappointment and frustration on a host of economic and social issues have all led to the absolute loss of the Chinese community’s trust in MCA. Adding insult to injury was Umno’s high handed tactics in not respecting MCA’s position as the second largest partner in the BN coalition and thumping MCA to simply “follow Umno’s instructions”. Chua Soi Lek did not have the mettle to deal with Umno-BN government and failed to rebuild MCA with confidence and strength.

MCA president Chua Soi Lek ups the ante; UMNO face-off with Chinese voters says don’t lecture us on  face-off with Chinese had parting shots aimed the Chinese community, which had largely voted against BN

the results of the concluded general election and on the issue of the so-called ‘Chinese tsunami’ that seem to have engulfed Umno thinking in Putrajaya.

This decimation of values however continued with subsequent  were unwilling to let go off a privilege that suited them so well. The MCA administration too has begun a most deprecatory practice, of auctioning high profile positions , to be run by the the reality is that the aspirations of a sizeable section of elite Chinese urban population are in conflict with a dominant Malay rural electorate. Therefore, it is a racial game played on many levels but which always revolve around the Malay community. In fact I would argue that barring the possible retributive design of the federal government on the Chinese community, what this election has done is once and for all define the conflict in the context of the Malay community.

The narrative in most pro-establishment blogs is one of retribution to the Chinese community for abandoning the social contract of racial give-and-take of Umno. I am neither shocked nor perturbed by this because seeing the way how pro-opposition partisan operate in cyberspace, especially some DAP supporters (apparatchiks) who engage in the politics of hate, all the while decrying that of Umno’s and the vitriol they heap on pro-establishment partisans, all this is to be expected.

Winning the battle is not as important as what one achieves after the victory. With governance having been given the go by, the most important of all things is to provide a dose of governance, w

Chinese were misguided?

He has the chick to say that the Chinese were misguided. They have been lucky not to be misguided by him who as a medical doctor has no shame morally and is the first MCA President who did not lead his so-called “army” to war. What a useless general (president)!! “No hud” I think he has left his two “huds” in the hotel. Please don’t issue any threat to Malaysians at large especially the Chinese as you have lost your self-respect.. MCA would be better off without you. You are the worst MCA president so far since the party’s inception. That’s right.Maybe you don’t need this job as you are very good in the “other” job….Since you took over the presidency of MCA, its morality and popularity rating has gone down into the toilet bowl. All you know is plot to groom your son Chua Tee Yong to become President of MCA in the near future. Your caliber is nowhere near Ong Tee Keat who no doubt can be arrogant but at least he isn’t a lap-dog.

In other words, there will be no real reconciliation but merely an extension of Umno benefice to Chinese plutocratic interests to maintain the multiracial facade which is important for various economic and propaganda reasons.

The party had in 2011 decided not to accept any government positions – including cabinet positions – if it did worse than in 2008.

Meanwhile, Chua said MCA respects the decision of the voters.

“This is what democracy is all about,” he said.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. MCA is so irrelevant and out-of-touch with the Chinese community it purports to represent due in no small part to Chua Soi Lek’s own lack of real ideas or proper policies to advance the community, excessive scare-mongering tactics especially with regards to PAS’ hudud plans, as well as his personal moral failings as a leader. The only way for the party to regain it’s damaged credibility and relevance is to reinstate principally righteous leaders like Ong Tee Keat as president again. Failure to do so quickly would only exacerbate MCA’s demise.

“It is also clear that the voting was made along ethnic lines with the Chinese believing that the DAP can change the government.

“Voting the Chinese out of the state and federal government will not help solve dissatisfaction with the government,” he said.

However, Chua said that he believed soon-to-be sworn-in prime minister Najib Abdul Razak will continue with his inclusive policy and continue to look after the interest of the Chinese community.

Your long-term relationship or marriage is over and you’re finally free from a life of neglect, dominance, adultery, abuse, boredom, aggression, or whatever it is that you escaped from. You breathe a sigh of relief that you don’t have to spend the rest of your life with someone who was not the ideal life companion for you. But rather than experiencing glee at the thought of “life space” being vacant, for someone whose yin matches your yang, are you filled with dread at the thought of history repeating itself? I believe in a life of no regrets. If you marry, do so for the right reasons, and with all your heart, and if you decide to end it and move on, do so for the right reasons, and do it with panache. The same is to be said for restarting life. We all have our inner demons, stubborn patterns that don’t serve us, and we are condemned to repeat mistakes if we don’t learn from them. So the key is in learning the lesson from every experience, identifying what you don’t want in your partner, because that is far more important than what you do want in your life partner, and also to accept that you are flawed, human, and need to work on your shortcomings. No two marriages are the same, so keep an open mind, a happy heart, choose wisely and be open to new beginnings. Everybody deserves one.

The Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) will carry out a post-mortem on its failure to regain the state from the opposition comprising PAS, PKR and DAP, and loss of more state seats in the 13th General Election.

Selangor BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar who attributed the scenario to a “tsunami of Chinese voters”, said the state coalition would carry out an in-depth study on why the community had aligned itself to the opposition, despite the various BN assistance channelled to them.

“I don’t think I have not helped the Chinese. We were stumped when we lost substantially, especially in constituencies where the majority are Chinese.

“Why did they not vote for us when they had supported us in our activities and programmes? We thought we had a good chance of winning,” he told a press conference at the Selangor Umno headquarters here today.

In the general election yesterday, the BN only won 12 of the 56 state seats and five of the 22 parliamentary seats. The state BN won 20 state seats and five parliamentary seats in the 2008 general election.

Noh, who retained his Tanjong Karang parliamentary seat for the fifth time, said the election results showed that democracy was alive and well in the country.

“The election went smoothly and fairly. In some places, the BN lost narrowly; similarly, the opposition. Judging from the BN’s situation in Selangor and in the country in general, the people can see that democracy is in practice and we should accept the outcome as decided by the people,” he said.

Noh dismissed a suggestion that the choice of candidates had contributed to the loss, saying that in some areas, candidates who were not objected to, during the selection, still lost their bid.

Meanwhile, he left it to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also Selangor BN chairman, to restructure the state BN. —