Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani triumphed over Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi ’s racialist politics

No matter what happens, Malaysians must now put the electoral results behind us and try to look forward. It is time for national reconciliation. For those who have won should do as much soul-searching as those who have lost

Malaysian politics is changing. “Produce results that will benefit the country and we will support you,” is the thinking of the  Malaysian voters today.

Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin  minister was defeated.BN’s Lembah Pantai candidate Raja Nong Chik political communication  in Election 2013t See the mess that is TTDI today.Of course the Federal Territory Minister has abandoned his duties to strengthen his bid to BULLY Nurul.It becomes apparent that this same situation would befall the residents of Lembah Pantai, especially upmarket Bangsar should they reject the incumbent Nurul … Read more

BN’s Saifuddin Abdullah was also defeated in Temerloh but Khairy Jamaluddin won big. Both represent the liberal side of UMNO.

Election epitomized the change that is now embracing Malaysian politics: we are now a development-democracy, looking towards the next generation for leadership and effective delivery  become pivotal in politics. More important than race  or religion! become the change we wish to see

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.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.

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.

Getting the opportunity to express ones ideas, shares ones expertise or even identify the issues that they young people in the existing system will open up communication and create channels of access with our political leaders for the next generation.

They need to know what we are thinking and we need to become a part of the solution.

Our goal is that youth will be directly working with political leaders and have the opportunity to express what they think might become a part of the solutions. Eventually we hope that all MPs and Ministers will seek out support from youth and fresh voices and faces will enter the political system.

Each generation has a defining political moment. For our generation it is the Hazaare movement where thousands gathered to express their dislike of the existing political system. The question remains what will the change be and who will be the change agents?

Najib (left) is calling it a “Chinese tsunami” but the reality goes beyond merely Chinese disenchantment. It is a swing away from the BN’s race-based formula in the cities.

Pakatan continues to bite at the BN’s heels. It has convincingly denied the BN its customary two-thirds majority, and made inroads into bastions Johor and Sabah. It continues to make inroads into fortress Sarawak. It is time that the BN begin to accept the reality that the days of a strong government and of strongmen are now over.

There were moments when many of us allowed ourselves to be carried away by unofficial reports that Pakatan was surging towards a victory. But the reality is that the odds were always stacked against the opposition coalition.

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

En Saifuddin, sorry you lost. we  have preferred to see you continue as MP.we believe the Chinese didn’t reject you, but your mahathirism. webelieve you’re much respected by many non-bumis. Too bad you’re party has sleeping with mahathir

yes  the prime minister is genuinely sincere about national reconciliation, he will put together his team of  team-mates and get feedback from citizens on the street about what kind of anti-racist action  want to see in this country.

There are only three politicians in BN that I have respect for and you are one of them. The other two are Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  and Ong Tee Kiat. Please don’t take your defeat in the GE13 too personally. Its not you, its your party that the voters are not happy with. Please continue to speak up for the rakyat whether you are in not out of UMNO and thank you, sirFor 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 … Read more

.Now  that the people has given the mandate  our PM must do what he’s promised. Take action after reading the voters comments. For now, the AG must go. Maybe next week, depending on what the voters says  give us a clean cabinet you on the right trac our PM should worry more about his  – and stay focused on that. We the people in the meantime should ,be careful not to mix issues….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

En Saifuddin, sorry you lost. we  have preferred to see you continue as MP.we believe the Chinese didn’t reject you, but your mahathirism. webelieve you’re much respected by many non-bumis. Too bad you’re party has sleeping with mahathir

“There has got to be a new version of BN if the coalition plans to further win the hearts of the voters in the next general election.”

Those were the words of former deputy higher education minister Saifuddin Abdullah after losing the Temerloh parliamentary seat to PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan.

Nasrudin managed to obtain 28,267 votes, whereas Saifuddin garnered 27,197 votes.

“What is talked about on social media is real. However, the impact of social media is only in certain areas,” said Saifuddin.

“BN won in rural and predominantly Malay areas. For the next general election, BN has got to plan to win the popular votes… something I have pointed out for a long time now.

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 …Read more

“We’re lucky to still be in government at the federal level. To strengthen our position, we need to re-brand; there needs to be a new BN.”

Saifuddin admitted that he was shocked with his defeat to Nasrudin (right), describing it as the “Chinese tsunami”.

“I know I won most – if not all – of the Malay areas, but when it came to the Chinese areas, I lost big time. It was unexpected. I call it the ‘Chinese tsunami’.

“I don’t know what’s next for me. I guess it’s back to my business ventures and writing.”

He is, however, still ready to serve BN.

“I’m not going anywhere and I’m ever ready to help if required,” he added.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 … Read more

first  he loot, then he blame  others, then his endless then therefining game, reports are ‘refined’ and justice is rarely served. A familiar never-ending process that continues to play untill  day.shuns power; the other can’t wait to grab it. What contrasting styles!

The race-baiting begins, a day after talk of “reconciliation”

Tun Daim Zainuddin said Pakatan Rakyat de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement that he will forgive Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad but not him was because he was scared of the truth.

Returning to the question of elections, it is absurd to say that  mahathir  electoral victories are a testimony to his innocence. Just as ridiculous as it is for .In this universal , there is a law called the law of karma which is very similar to Newton third law . The law of karma basically state that ” you reap what you sow ” . Newton 3rd law states that to every action there is an equal an opposite reaction .Mahatir is very afraid of this law of karma now which will manifest when the time is right . This law is very fair in the sense that once you reap what you sow , you are considered paying back and you get even  a great part of the reason why citizens want a change of gov’t is that they want to see justice done to treasonous and corrupt officials. So you will be right in saying that many people will be arrested if Pakatan comes into power. The people would demand no less. Quote.”But I don’t think they will do that.What is wrong with that? Criminals must be brought to justice, including you! Unlike under current corrupted and racist regime, corrupted leaders of the regime or corrupted individuals who lick the regime’s ba,,, are allowed to romp free and crewarded/ompensated for meritorious service to the regime

Daim said he knew Anwar very well and the latter knew he was speaking the truths about him ( Anwar).

He said Anwar should actually apologise to him as he had wrongly accused him of conspiring against him in the case of the sodomy case involving his wife’s driver Azizan Abu Bakar when he was not involved at all.

Daim said when Anwar entered Umno his main target was to become Prime Minister but Dr Mahathir had to sack him as he had a lot of problems.

Speaking at a ceramah at Felda Raja Alias here last night Daim said: “Parti Keadilan Rakyat was also formed mainly so that Anwar can become Prime Minister of the country.

“That is Anwar’s way as he is not bothered about anyone else.”

Daim said Anwar was also expert at lying, citing as an example when Anwar was fighting to topple Tun Ghafar Baba.

He said Anwar had taken over the coordination of the media like TV3, NST, Berita Harian etc from his (Daim’s) charge and used them to topple Ghafar.

“But now he is criticizing these same media now saying they are conspiring against him.”

He said Anwar was an artiste extraordinaire who was a good orator, singer dancer and was a good actor so people should not trust him as a leader.

He said Anwar was like Indonesia’s Sukarno who had also been a good speaker, adding the the only difference was that the latter was interested in women.

He added: “Now Anwar is telling the world that he will win in this general elections and form the government although he knows he will lose.

“That is his way because when loses, he can blame the government for robbing him of his victory and take to the streets to demonstrate.”

Daim said Pakatan Rakyat was not fit to form the government as they were not even able to manage the states they now controlled.

He said Pas, DAP and PKR were not united as they each had their own agenda and could not therefore form the government.

He added that if Pakatan forms the government it would be a disaster for the country.

“What is important is that we want Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be the Prime Minister and I believe after this elections BN will continue to rule as long as Umno, MCA and MIC work together,” he added.

Barely a day after Umno leader Najib Razak spoke of the need for “national reconciliation”, Utusan Malaysia is back to race-baiting, picking up from where Najib had left off, blaming a so-called “Chinese tsunami” for the Barisan Nasional’s poor showing at the election.

As many have pointed out, it was not Chinese voters alone who deserted the Barisan Nasional, it was urban voters in general. The Chinese population is less than 30% of the total population – and even if you consider the DAP to be a Chinese party (ignoring Karpal Singh & Sons, Sakmongkol AK47 Ariff Sabri, and others) the party’s 38 seats in Parliament amount to only 17% of the total number.

Yet Utusan is already whipping up racial fears about the Chinese community trying to topple the Barisan Nasional, and trying to break Umno’s hold on power.

No doubt that falls into the same logic as the DAP trying to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation. The DAP has only 17% share of political power, Christians form only 10% of the population – and the Malay Rulers will need to approve any such important changes to the Constitution.

But trying to talk sense to Utusan Malaysia falls in the same category as throwing pearls before swine.

Utusan’s racist filth

» Apa lagi orang Cina mahu?

with all due respect, the very reason Bersih is formed is to do something that common people like you and me cannot achieve alone. No one is criticizing what Bersih had done, but it’s just simply not enough, and you, me and Ambiga needs to acknowledge that, we cant be giving us pats on our (or their) shoulders and say they have done so much and endured so much, and just continue as it is. Don’t ask where was I or anyone else here, if there are anything that Bersih needs from commoners here, i believe it will be given, but we need Bersih to lead us forward, and looking at how GE13 came out, it is not enough. Period. while I respect all those involved in Bersih, but please, you are not doing enough. We had these issues years back, we had these issues before GE13, we had these issues during GE13 and we are left with these issues after GE13, and Bersih? Still Bersih. While Bersih will say they have no power and such, well you knew you had no power when you were formed, you borrowed power from the people in numerous rallies, and what do you have now? Still powerless, and still failed to address all these elections issues. So what now? Another rally? What is that going to achieve? Please, Bersih needs to be more creative and adamant in fighting for clean & fair elections.

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

“Bersih will take steps to convene a People’s Tribunal to consider the evidence that we have and will receive, and to hear from the witnesses,” Ambiga told a press conference this afternoon.

The tribunal will call those with first-hand information from the ground on irregularities and electoral fraud, as well as the candidates, to tell their experiences, she said.

“The tribunal will comprise eminent personalities from within the country and outside, with a minimum of three in the panel,” she said.

Ambiga said Bersih, through its Pemantau initiative, has been made aware of incidents of violation of election laws, electoral fraud, phantom voters and irregularities in the voting process.

Legitimacy of some results questionable

“The extent of these reports have led us to question the legitimacy of some of the results. We have no doubt that the election was not clean and fair,” she said.

“Bersih is withholding recognition of the new government that will be formed,” Ambiga said, adding this is until the group has the time to study the report done by the tribunal.

Bersih is calling for a boycott of newspapers New Straits Times,Utusan Malaysia, The Star and Berita Harian, which it accused of “aiding and abetting the uneven playing field” for the next one month, she said.

“The stance (of the newspapers) during the campaign was wholly unacceptable in a democratic society. I think we need to express our disgust,” she said, adding that being the fourth estate, the press has a duty to defend justice for society.

Bersih also called on Malaysians to wear an item of black clothing for the next one month, as a sign of protest against the election fraud.

However, Ambiga said, Bersih “has no plan” for a Bersih 4.0.

“There is no plan for a rally. We need to do the fact-finding first,” she said, referring to the people’s tribunal.

She said the people coming out to vote took to defend the integrity of the electoral process into their own hands, a task that supposedly lies in the hands of the relevant authority.

As such, she renewed Bersih’s call for all the members of Election Commission to resign immediately, for the EC has failed to ensure a clean and fair election.

“The people have moved forward, but unfortunately the system has not. I have never seen such blatant instances of fraud,” Ambiga said.

She said it would be difficult for the EC to ignore the instances of fraud as there were a number of pictures and video clips which Bersih would compile as evidence.

‘Najib may face pressure’

She had expected a “very close fight” between the BN and Pakatan in this general election and therefore the BN’s winning of 133 parliamentary seats was beyond her expectation.

She believes electoral fraud, an uneven playing field and the whole process since first day of the election campaign led to a change in final result.

Ambiga also opined that BN chairman Najib Abdul Razak may face pressure within his party, Umno, for him to step down, since he fared worse than his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Pemantau was the 13th general election monitoring team that was jointly set up by Bersih, Pusat Komuniti Masyarakat (Komas) and Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel).

Also present at the press conference were Pemantau coordinator Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, Komas executive director Arul Prakkash, Bersih co-chairperson A Samad Said and Bersih steering committee members Maria Chin Abdullah, Wong Chin Huat and Andrew Khoo.

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghan said one were to try and tease out some patterns underlying the events of G13, 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 other pattern that has emerged is the deepening divide in society

What would you make of a set of people who have never ever received a word of appreciation – they are in fact reviled by the public at large.Theodore Roosevelt  in mind “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” 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.

No matter what happens, Malaysians must now put the electoral results behind us and try to look forward. It is time for national reconciliation. For those who have won should do as much soul-searching as those who have lostA 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 Malaysia 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.

The Najib emerged victorious after a most gruelling fight at the 13th general election.

Najib Abdul Razak, a simple majority of 112 seats, finally has his own mandate. In the next couple of weeks, a lot of analyses will be made and a lot of soul-searching done as the battered   wrestles with the huge urban swing to Pakatan Rakyat.

Pro-Umno blogger Papagomo has been arrested, according to a tweet by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) on Twitter.

Pro-Pakatan blogger King Jason has also been arrested.

“Papagomo and King Jason were arrested to facilitate police investigation,” the posting read.

The latest posting by Papagomo contained racial remarks against Chinese Malaysians, while King Jason’s posting accused BN of buying votes.

According to Free Malaysia Today, a PKR member in Sarawak had lodged a police report against Papagomo over a comment in his blog which urged Chinese Malaysians to be harmed.

Police sources in Bukit Aman also said that they are also looking for two other bloggers who may have allegedly posted articles or statements which touch on racial lines.

Police also tweeted that it had received a report against Utusan Malaysia over the front page headline ‘Apa lagi Cina mahu’ (What else do the Chinese want?).

The police have classified the report against Utusan under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1946.

Utusan Malaysia’s pitting of the Chinese against the Malays on its front page today flies in the face of the national reconciliation process promised by Datuk Seri Najib Razak, former Umno deputy minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah has said.

The outspoken politician said a more intelligent approach should be used to dissect the outcome of last Sunday’s polls, disagreeing with the simple notion that it had merely been a “Chinese tsunami” that caused the Barisan Nasional (BN) to bleed seats.

“This kind of headline is totally uncalled for. More so when the PM, in his victory speech, spoke about national reconciliation.

“I feel very, very sad that Utusan came up with such a thing,” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

Saifuddin (picture) said that while it was true that many among those in the Chinese community had voted against BN, it did not make these voters “ungrateful” or anti-Malay.

“We need to look at the results in totality. Maybe there was the Chinese vote… but it was not against the Malays and certainly not about being ungrateful.

“It was more like they wanted to teach the MCA a lesson. Some of them told me frankly — we like you, but we want to teach the MCA a lesson,” he said.

Saifuddin was responding to today’s front-page report in Umno’s Utusan Malaysia where the paper posted the question “Apa lagi Cina mahu (What else do the Chinese want?)” in what appeared to be an attempt to shape the results of Election 2013 as a Chinese-vs-Malay vote.

The Malay-language daily, which is known to represent the right-wing forces aligned largely with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, published a number of stories blaming the Chinese for dividing Malaysia.

In the wrap-around front page, it featured a number of photographs which allegedly showed Chinese-looking youths wearing black to protest the results of the election.

The photographs are believed to have been lifted from the Internet and were also used by many right-wing bloggers aligned with Dr Mahathir.

Other stories highlighted on the front page include a quote attributed to former Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam that “they (Chinese) are very racist”.

In bullet points, the newspaper blamed the DAP for race politics, and said the secular party wanted Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister so that it could rule the country.

Saifuddin pointed out that it was no secret that Umno owns the controversial Malay- language daily and by using such headlines, it appeared as if this was the stand taken by the BN lynchpin and its coalition partners.

In a Twitter posting earlier today, Saifuddin publicly expressed disagreement with the headline, saying, “Sy tak setuju tajuk “apa lagi Cina mahu?” Utusan Msia hr ni.Kita mesti bijaksana menilai keputusan PRU13. Sy kalah,tp x salahkn sesiapa.”

[Translation: I disagree with the headline ‘What else do the Chinese want?” inUtusan Malaysia today. We must be smart when evaluating the results of the 13th general election. I lost but I did not blame anyone.]

In Sunday’s polls, Saifuddin lost by a marginal 1,070 votes in his defence of the Temerloh federal seat to PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan.

At the national level, BN cemented its place in Putrajaya with a smaller majority than in Election 2008, winning 133 seats to Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 89.

But the ruling pact lost in terms of the popular vote, a factor that analysts are using to disagree with the notion that it had merely been a “Chinese tsunami” that caused the vote swing towards PR.

MIC leader Datuk M. Saravanan has backed Utusan Malaysia’s attack on Chinese voters, calling them ungrateful for voting against the Barisan Nasional (BN) government which he said had served the community well.

The Tapah MP also suggested that the government not help Chinese voters who rejected the coalition in Sunday’s polls.

“I agree with the views of Datuk Seri Ali Rustam because even in my constituency, I have fulfilled my responsibility as MP well.

“I can’t find any reasons why they should reject me… I share his view,” Saravanan (picture) told reporters after attending a closed-door meeting between BN lawmakers and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the PWTC here.

Ali, the former Malacca chief minister, was defeated in the contest for the Bukit Katil parliamentary seat in Sunday’s polls.

The Umno supreme council member, who joined a list of big casualties in a polls battle that bloodied the ruling coalition’s nose, blamed the Chinese for his loss, calling them “ungrateful” for rejecting BN despite his contribution to the community when he was chief minister.

Saravanan noted that Najib instructed BN lawmakers not to turn the 13 party coalition’s failure to win a bigger mandate into a race issue.

However, the MIC vice-president was quick to point out that BN had done all it could to meet Chinese demands but the community has not been appreciative and appeared adamant to vote the coalition out.

“(Najib) said we should approach them based on issues but I don’t until when… we have given the best. How are they to realise?” he said.

Umno’s Utusan Malaysia front-paged today the question “Apa lagi Cina mahu (What else do the Chinese want?) in what appeared to be an attempt to shape the results of Election 2013 as a Chinese-vs-Malay vote.

Analysts have said data from voting trends showed the outcome of Election 2013 was not simply the result of a “Chinese tsunami” as Najib has claimed but a major swing in the urban and middle-class electorate that saw Malaysia’s urban-rural rift widen.

But Utusan Malaysia, a newspaper that has represented the right-wing forces aligned largely with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, decided today to publish a number of stories blaming the Chinese for dividing Malaysia.

Utusan Malaysia’s front page also suggests that Najib will have his hands full dealing with the powerful right-wing faction in Umno from which he received strong backing in the elections.

An analysis of how the vote went shows a country with rural-urban and class divisions that will make any reconciliation and necessary reforms even more difficult to implement.

Anwar also said that the Selangor Pakatan had already decided on  Azmin Ali the choice of menteri besar for Selangor but refused to divulge details.

“As a courtesy, we need to talk to Tuanku Sultan Selangor first,” he said.

WHO will be Selangor’s next mentri besar?

If Khalid is not MB PR. will lose support. Come on DAP ensure the sensible thing is done. It is because of Khalid PR is able to improve performance in Selangor. PAS needs to learn lesson from Kedah. done a Good Job. Khalid Has governed Selangor effectively by having obtained the Cooperation of his fellow State Reps. Why Rock the Boat. The Opposition was most probably voted back in due to this.
Khalid was the best MB Selangor ever had! I voted for PR because of him. Please listen to the Rakyat! Khalid for MB!! Selangor caretaker Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim will be reappointed to be MB for the State of Selangor….by 98% of the popular votes!Salute MP Khalid Samad, A person who practice a faithful religion be Islam, Buddhist or others will definitely have the right thinking with open heart to compromise any issue, keep it up and be united PR. I strongly propose Khalid Ibrahim to be reappointed as MB considering the proven track record and expertise which had gain him the creditability. PR, delay no further. Just name Khalid as MB. He has done an excellent job since 2008 and this is shown by the overwhelming support from the Selangor rakyat during the recent GE13 elections. Do not disappoint the rakyat. Let him resolve the water takeover issue. Khalid will deliver! PR hold on Selangor will be strengthened further comes GE14!

Although Pakatan Rakyat swept to power in the state, gaining eight seats for a total of 44 out of 56 in the state assembly, there might be instability as the previously dominant PKR is now the junior partner.

Selangor caretaker Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim’s position remains in limbo, as there is no decision yet as to whether or not he will continue to lead the state government.

State PKR chairperson Azmin Ali told a joint press conference with other state Pakatan Rakyat leaders today that a meeting would be convened soon.

The meeting will decide on the appointee for the menteri besar’s post for the next term, and the decision will then be conveyed to the coalition’s leadership council.

“We will discuss and we will follow the decision of Pakatan leaders. We will defend (Pakatan’s) spirit of consensus and consultation to ensure that it will be stronger in the future,” Azmin said when fielding questions from reporters.

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad (left) said there was no issue of his party, PAS, being stronger than PKR in the state, although it won 15 state assembly seats compared with DAP’s 15 and PKR’s 14 in Sunday’s general election.

“In Pakatan Rakyat, we are all of the same strength,” Khalid said.

Khalid, the Selangor PAS deputy chief, added that PKR should have obtained 16 seats, except for ‘mistakes’ that have led to multi-corner fights in Kota Damansara and Semenyih.

‘Review electoral system’

On a separate issue, Azmin called for a review of the electoral system to better reflect the people’s support, given that BN won the parliamentary election even though Pakatan holds more than half of the popular vote.

“Since we use the first-past-the-post system (FPTP), we cannot get enough parliamentary seats to form the (federal) government,” he said.

“Therefore the system needs to be reviewed to better represent the people’s support and sentiments. If we use the FPTP system, then this is our problem: The party with 46 percent of the votes can form the government but the party with 51 percent cannot.”

Azmin said the parliamentary select committee  on electoral reform had recommended last year, that the Election Commission should review the system and consider alternatives such as the mixed-member proportional system practised in Germany.

While both PAS and DAP scored 15 state seats each, PKR won one less with 14.

Those aligned to incumbent Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim point to the massive gains as a sign of approval.

But Pakatan has not decided who will lead the nation’s richest state and indeed, whether he will be from PKR.

Khalid has assured the rakyat that Pakatan’s top leaders will make a decision within a week.

“The decision has not been made (yet),” he told reporters.

However, it is expected to be a straight fight between two men Khalid and PKR firebrand Azmin Ali.

Azmin, the party’s deputy president, has allegedly been gunning for the mentri besar post for years.

The highly-publicised spat between him and Khalid’s political secretary Faekah Husin who is fiercely protective of her boss is touted as proof of the rivalry between Khalid and Azmin.

There was further controversy last October when Azmin told a Malay daily that Khalid would be made a minister if Pakatan seized Putrajaya and would be vacating the mentri besar’s position.

Azmin is very much Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s man but whispers of friction between him and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar only serve to add fuel to the fire.

It’s common knowledge that the younger generation of Pakatan supporters are split between Team Izzah and Team Azmin.

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, too, is said to have issues with Azmin.

Rumour has it that Dr Wan Azizah was not fielded in Selangor because of this.

Despite his clashes with Anwar’s wife and daughter, Azmin still has the Opposition leader’s ear.

And thanks to Anwar’s backing, the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman may take on Khalid.

Behind closed doors, elected representatives and candidates make no secret of their allegiances.

A source close to Khalid said Azmin had picked candidates he could control.

“He chooses his own people to make sure everyone is in his pocket. But Azmin needs to realise the rakyataccept Khalid.”

The source accused him of putting his candidates in safe seats.

The source said it was an open secret Azmin frequently meddled in Selangor matters for his own political mileage.

When Khalid, who won the Port Klang state seat in GE13, first entered the scene, he was viewed as a political novice but a seasoned corporate leader.

A member of the National Productivity Council, he was also chief executive of state-run investment fundPermodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and CEO of what is now Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad.

Azmin has been close to Anwar since the age of 23, serving as his special officer in 1987 when the Permatang Pauh MP was Education Minister.

When Anwar was convicted of sodomy and corruption, Azmin was one of PKR’s founding members.

His loyalty knows no bounds, to the extent of being convicted for lying in court during Anwar’s trial. He was later acquitted. However, the court proceedings effectively ensured he could not participate in the 2004 general election.

Some have questioned if Azmin can and should be mentri besar as he was born in Singapore, not Selangor.

But according to a national-level PKR leader, Azmin is allowed by the Selangor constitution to become mentri besar.

“Pakatan did well in Selangor thanks to Khalid. The rakyat retained us because they thought they’d continue with him as mentri besar.”

The leader said that as PKR’s seats had been reduced, the party would have to consult DAP and PAS closely.

“DAP and PAS are both very much behind Khalid. Azmin will make an attempt to grab the post but he doesn’t have the popularity.”

However, there have been whispers that PAS is eager to submit a name for consideration although sources say the party will not push for it for the sake of preserving Pakatan’s unity.

But the PKR leader confirmed that in closed-door meetings, Khalid had support. The caretaker mentri besar also met the Selangor Sultan yesterday.

“It will probably be Khalid. Azmin may have had a chance before but now the political landscape is different.”

One of  Malaysia’s most well regarded editors recently asked me, albeit rhetorically,why was there no full ministers post for P119 Titiwangsa ever the biggest loser of the just-ended general electionSHOULD NOT BE GIVEN MINISTERS POST

take on the election results was revealing- felt that the problem lay in the absence of a strong   FT Chinese grassroots network  which did not convert positive intention into delivered votes what is interesting is that the analysis is in effect a reiteration of a  Titiwangsa ,that is pre-existing. What is in effect being said is that the top-down approach of NONG CHICK works just fine; the only hitch is that there is no one at the bottom to utilise that advantage. When it is said that there are too many leaders, the subtext is that the party has all the leaders it needs in the members of the family; what it lacks are committed followers who are able to convert charisma into votes.More intriguing than the silence ofPM is the reluctance of business to market the market. Its dominant reaction has been to play the existing system to its advantage, and the torrential tumbling out of skeletons from the corporate cupboard is evidence of the opportunistic stance taken by significant sections of the business .Reform has thus been sneaked in, one wink at a time. In a small enclave of the like voiced, it stands for  staggeringly self-evident wisdom, and any regime is measured largely from this standpoint. But because reform is enacted so stealthily, and cheered so noisily by the very visible, it neither gets meaningfully debated nor genuinely accepted. The great tragedy of reform in India is that it has few believers but many users. As a result reform in India is an occasional starburst of policies, but without the kind of systemic support that it needs. There are reasons to embrace the market and reasons to curb its influence, but without an open and transparent conversation on the subject, no one’s purpose will be served- neither of its proponents nor of its critics.

From the evidence at hand, it would seem that the market, is not particularly marketable. The default position of most political parties borders on a deep mistrust of reform, and even those that fly under the flag of right-wing policies are no different. A curious paradox is on display- at one level, most dominant political alignments seem to implicitly agree on the broad market-facing economic direction that the country has been taking for a while now, at another level, they are extremely reluctant to take definitive positions on the subject- if anything all the noises that they emit hark back to what is seen as a crowd-pleasing version of the old reflexive socialistic tendencies. Reforms when they do happen, seem to be a product of having no other options, and no time to waffle on any longer. Long term policy constipation gives way on these occasions to a flurry of reform evacuations, and the cork is then back, jammed as tightly as ever. The Congress rally might have backed the initiatives announced but no longer term roadmap for continued reform was outlined. It would seem that the new found public affection that the party has expressed for reform is largely an act of desperation- having been pushed to the wall by an endless succession of scandals, it is seeking to regain some semblance of control over the discussion about its poor performance on all fronts.

The reluctance to market the market needs greater examination. Why have such few attempts been made to market the benefits of economic reform? It is true that the manner in which the market mechanism works is not self-evident- the link between opening out the market to multinationals, for instance and delivered prosperity on the ground is far from clear at first glance and is open to challenge. Politicians have preferred their own mechanism- political transfer payments like that selectively create and nurture constituencies, using power to chisel out a mutuality of interests.  Reform in its purest sense, needs too much transparency and involves shedding transactable power. It needs institutions to work as intended across the span of delivery systems. It calls for the building of a new political grammar, one  where a new cause and effect relationship must be established, this time between overall development and economic growth with an individual feeling of goodwill. The general must convert into the specific and policy must become experience. This calls for a longer term orientation and great belief in one’s ability to bend the system to a new way of working. There are some who have attempted this with some success at the state level, but the degree of difficulty here is daunting enough for this not be emulated on a larger scale.

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.The real question that the elections throw up might well have to do the state of leadership in India today. It appears that the need for strong local leaders cuts across parties. Wherever, at the state level we see strong local leadership, we find that the party in question, be it regional or national seems to be in good shape. The challenge for national parties, particularly in states with strong presence of regional forces, is to build credible and empowered local leaders. But in the magic mirror called election results, it seems that we can all see exactly what we want to see.

For instance, one could use the current results to contend that identity politics has finally run its course and that the voter is now seeking real governance. In spite of attempts to garner the Muslim vote, it appears that there is no longer any such vote bank that transfers its vote en bloc to a single party. As an election plank, most agree that Hindutva is dead, and it is argued that caste too is beginning to play an ever diminishing role in the electoral outcome. Of course, the opposite too can and has been inferred from the same results. Only those parties with a core constituency have any hope of winning power; the incremental votes can come from considerations other than identity but without a large dependable voter base, the task of collecting votes from different constituencies might prove to be unviable. The performance of the national parties that do not have this base seems to bear out this contention, particularly when we speak of state elections. Following through with this argument, it could be said that if anything, it is the national parties that will strive harder to find voting blocs using identity as a plank while the regional parties, sitting pretty on established bases will find it profitable to contest on a plank of better governance. Again the flailing attempts by the Congress to shore up the minority vote might well be evidence of this.

How Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani won P119 Titiwangsa

UMNO  made spectacular come back in P119 Titiwangsa obviating the need for crutches and belying predictions. PAS the most racist partye 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

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.

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.

The ‘cornered tiger’ Startling ironies mark the results of the elections Mahathir benefited  Najib’s  simple majority otherwise with Pakatan victory Mahathir will be rotting in Jail FORrecord of abject greed during his years in power.How many more years can Mahathir live? Mahathir, we tell you now when you are still alive, the way you behave at this moment, your legacies and whatever history would be written of you would not be pretty. You go the way of dictator like Philippine’s Ferdinand Marcos. Mahathir is the real cause of BN doing worse in GE13. He spews racist venoms against the Chinese and he gets away with it.Mahathir, for campaigning for BN. Because of you, Pakatan secured a few more parliamentary seats, in particular Gelang Patah. They could not have succeeded on their own.Sorry to hear about your good friend, Ibrahim Ali, losing his Pasir Mas parliamentary seat. You win some and you lose some, I guess.
You thought Najib would do better than Abdullah and I thought you were some very savvy politician. Me? I thought Najib would lose the election which he did in actual fact.He should kiss your feet for initiating Project M. How else could he have “won”.His open support for the two Perkasa leaders led to the open rejection of non-Malays for BN. But obviously Mahathir’s game plan is to oust Najib and prop up his man, that is the DPM.What would you make of a set of people who have never ever received a word of appreciation – they are in fact reviled by the public at large.Theodore Roosevelt  in mind “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” 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 withMahathir organic act of intensely felt outrage. A spontaneous movement without any leaders or political affiliation, it is a sign that something has finally given way. The idea of living in constant fear, and having to make do with the platitudes of those in charge is no longer going to be met with stoic indifference.The … Read more

Then Mahathir essentially gets to control the country once again. Perhaps Najib should beat Mahathir to it and slap a charge against the ex-PM.Datuk Johari Abdul Ghan said one were to try and tease out some patterns underlying the events of G13, 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 …first  he loot, then he blame  others, then his endless then therefining game, reports are ‘refined’ and justice is rarely served. A familiar never-ending process that continues to play untill  day.shuns power; the other can’t wait to grab it. What contrasting styles! The race-baiting begins, a day after talk of “reconciliation” Tun Daim Zainuddin said Pakatan … Read more

Is it so simple? Congress fought a very difficult election e. Of course, preventing going to jail on corruption charges, and the same influential leader breaking away from the party, splitting the  UMNO votes, it can be argued that  UMNO should have an intimidating majority in the PALIAMENTSo how do you counter a less-than-moribund,  which has a wily father-son leadership that conveniently claims an anti CHINESE pro-rural stance, and enter electoral fray as a natural contender for anti-incumbency votes? That too at a time when at the Centre, the Barisan government is battling corruptionThis election was difficult for UMNOand the results have proved it so.Mahathir organic act of intensely felt outrage. A spontaneous movement without any leaders or political affiliation, it is a sign that something has finally given way. The idea of living in constant fear, and having to make do with the platitudes of those in charge is no longer going to be met with stoic indifference.The … Read more

Newly elected Prime Minister Najib Razak said he would press ahead with a multibillion-dollar modernization program for Malaysia’s economy, adding that he hoped it would help reunite the Southeast Asian nation after the most fiercely contested election in its history.

Mr. Najib’s National Front coalition secured around 60% of the seats in Sunday’s ballot, but the vote was heavily split between Malaysia’s thriving cities, which largely voted for opposition parties, and rural, mostly ethnic-Malay areas that threw their support behind Mr. Najib, the 59-year-old

The plans include investing in new industries such as health care and strengthening its logistics and energy capabilities. Mr. Najib is also hoping for a further lift after earlier easing some race-based quotas and repealing a repressive colonial-era security law that allowed for detention without trial.

The British-educated aristocrat’s approach is a more modest version of overhauls than those pushed on the campaign trail by Mr. Anwar, who is 65 years old and contesting what he said would be his last election. The prime minister’s chief rival argued for a “big bang”-style transformation that would remove affirmative action and replace it with a more-inclusive welfare system, along with immediately freeing up the country’s heavily state-influenced media.

Mr. Najib’s election win buoyed financial markets, and the Prime Minister viewed their response as a stamp of approval for the direction he is trying to take the country. The benchmark stock index rose 1.4% to a record 1776.73 on Tuesday, after surging 3.4% on Monday, while Malaysia’s ringgit currency gained 1.9% against the dollar in the first two trading days of the week.

“I was happy to see the market strengthen so much. The word is out that Malaysia is now on the ‘buy’ list,” he said.

Still, many political analysts described Sunday’s vote as polarizing, deepening many of the divisions that run through Malaysia, as the well as the gulf between those who have benefited from years of rapid growth, and those who have been left behind.

Mahathir you are one of the major cause of Najib’s poor performance. You and Perkasa have caused BN to loose thousands of votes. I do  expect Najib to do the right thing now because  unmoved by shenanigan Mahathir trading starts in Umno. Newly installed PM Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin are out in the market wooing warlords and the ‘emperor’ (ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad) to gain favours to take over the crown of Umno president in the coming Umno general election expected at the end of the year.Mahathir is also in the market to put his son, now Kedah MB, Mukhriz, in a good position, possibly as a running-mate as deputy president, either to Najib or Muhyiddin. That way Mahathir junior can be on the fast track to power before his father kicks the bucket as he is now 88 years old.

If anyone asks me today what the three great virtues are that drive the world, I will list hypocrisy, lies and bullshit, the greatest of them being bullshit. Without these, there would be no hope left, people will lose faith in everything they cherish and yes, there would be no charity either because there will be no reason for it.Patience is one of the most difficult virtue to embrace. Humility and patience is what is needed in a good leader. Onceyou have proven yourself, you turn will come. Do it in an honourable way, you will truly be respected, just as Khalid did. You are destined for a great future if only you canAnwar Ibrahim’s right-hand man Mohamed Azmin Ali is purportedly set to ditch PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. Year in year out we have to bear this kind of internal politics of PKR. I am so tired of some of the personalities in PKR. Just go and leave us alone to carry on the battle against Umno and if worst come to worst the breakaway faction of PKR too. We voted for PR and not some egoistic personality in order to have a better Malaysia for our children and future generations of Malaysians to come.

Azmin, you are partially right. The PR has to move on. Let a group of people headed by you take on that job, while whatever fraud that had happened must be challenged, else come GE14 (if re-election is unsuccessful) the same tactics would be applied again and how much resistance can you put up? Remember, democracy was not won over night. You have to have dual approach – while the next GE is prepared for from now, let DSAI fight the questionable results. as one commenter has put it: if your daughter is raped, would you accept the rapist as your son in law? What is the guarantee that he will not rape your wife next? Once allowed to suppress, the goons in BN would continue the suppression, GE after GE. Fight it out, fight till the rakyat wins, but keep the long term objective in sight. I have heard many positive comments about you, but if you have something to say about the rally, please do not say it publicly and bring a negative picture to the entire PR. handle it the right way.
According to party sources, the 48-year-old politician wants to leave the coalition “due to his dissatisfaction over the allocation of Selangor state executive committee seats among Pakatan members.”

Not convinced? But that’s because we have all lived with lies for so long that we have come to believe them. Lies commission hope. So everyone lies. The politician lies when he promises us a future you and I know he will never deliver on. The economist lies because he knows if he spoke the truth, the entire truth, it would bring the economy to its knees. The Government officer lies because his job is to hide the truth behind bureaucratese. Long before the system crashes, as it does once in a while, all the symptoms are there for us to see. But few do. We use complex statistical models to obfuscate the simple fact that many nations are today not only consuming all that they have and more, but most are already hocked way into the future.

Faith is the biggest lie of all. The funny thing is we all know this but will never admit it.  More people have been killed in the name of religion than by disease, hunger or natural calamity. Yet we still swear by faith. Who knows, if there was no faith, may be the world would be an even more dangerous place. And even as faith divides us into different religions, different communities it also unites us in our hypocrisies. That’s what ultimately makes the world a better place. Every lie makes life easier for you and me. Every bit of arrant nonsense we speak to console ourselves and each other in this despicably selfish, arrogant and greedy world makes life that much more bearable, gives us hope in the possibility of a better, more enriching life. So we romanticise love, dream of immortality, see science as a saviour that allows us to escape the pitfalls of our limitless avarice.

Every sexy new car we buy, every new model of phone we desire, every fashion accessory we acquire, every time we watch a filmed love story and cry, we enrich our myths. We convince ourselves we are but one step away from nirvana. But nirvana doesn’t come easy. Every disease we beat after years of research and experiment is instantly replaced by six new ones. And where do they come about? But ofcourse the enriched lifestyle we yearn for. So it’s the science, the very technology that helps us fight back our greatest fears that takes our lifestyle towards greater dread, more unknown dangers. The saviour is the killer. The killer, the saviour. And knowledge, in which we trust so much, keeps telling us every day that what we knew yesterday as true is no longer as true as we thought it was. The greatest wisdom, I think, lies in recognising that there is no wisdom. Each one of us discovers our truths through our own lives.

The problem begins when we try to pass on these truths to others. For my truth is not the same as my father’s and can never be the same as my son’s. Every truth lies embedded in the process of self discovery. In short, you find your own verities and they remain yours as long as you are around and then, one day, when like Puff the magic dragon you disappear, your truths go along with you. What remains is an unupdated Facebook page, a twitter ID gone silent, a book or a song you loved, a poem you carried in your heart, or a dream you once saw and never forgot. Or best of all, the love of a woman you lost, a child you watched growing up, an enchanting lie that died with you.

Yes, there is much to be said for hypocrisy, lies and the sheer artistry of bullshit. After all, that’s what creativity is all about. Making the ephemeral, eternal. Or at least trying to.

2013: Time for a societal dialogue?Calling our Chinese a caged parrot with multiple masters.

PAS, like any other political party all over the world is founded on a political idealogy, in its case the Islamic theocratic idealogy. The raison d’être for the founding of PAS is the promotion, advancement and establishment of an Islamic theocratic society. Without this mandate, PAS has no legitimate purpose to continue its existence.

Hence, like the communist idealogical platform, the liberal social political philosophy, the capitalism system, the authoritarian right-wing fascism, the democratic securalism of the DAP, the open laissex-faire free society concept, and even the contemporary green movement, PAS has a very social, civil, human and constitutional right to promote and advance its Islamic agenda, more so when our country is a Muslim-majority state.

The problem is not the PAS Islamic agenda per se, but the stupidity of its leaders, who are not too intelligent, let alone intellectual.

Despite so many of them having purported doctorate degrees, they are going about promoting their PAS Islamic ideology the wrong way, by stressing and emphazing on petty irrelevant matters of non substance such as protesting against concerts by foreign artistes, moral policing of personal behaviour, banning fo Valentine celebration, objection to even healthy entertainment joints like cinemas, enforcing dress code on the women folks, and going on witch-hunting at Christian churches for so-called apostates, etc. In the process of such silly and senseless practices, they frighten off the non-Muslims and brought about a lot of ill-wills and caused a lot of anger among the non-Muslims.

The tone of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia’s post-election coverage continued today to be focused on blaming the Chinese community for Barisan Nasional’s poor showing.

Soi Lek and his MCA have been harping on this PAS issue consistently, persistently, and tediously since early 2011, trying to score political points rhetorically to undermine the credibility of Guan Eng and the DAP, using in particular the party-owned newspaper The Star in his unrelenting determined campaign against the DAP.

But does Soi Lek truly understand what the whole matter of the Islamic agenda is all about?

Utusan Malaysia also maintained its defence of its incendiary front-page headline on Tuesday “Apa lagi Cina mahu? (What more do the Chinese want?)” by soliciting comments from Malay leaders to say the newspaper was not racist but merely championing the majority race of the country.

Analysts have said data from voting trends showed the outcome of Election 2013 was not simply the result of a “Chinese tsunami” as Datuk Seri Najib Razak had claimed, but a major swing in the urban and middle-class electorate that saw Malaysia’s urban-rural rift widen.

But Utusan Malaysia, a newspaper that has represented the right-wing forces aligned largely with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has been highlighting a Chinese-versus-Malay theory of the election results.

Today, the newspaper’s front-page headline was “Pengundi Cina jerat diri (Chinese voters trapping themselves)” and featured arguments from MCA and Gerakan leaders to suggest Chinese voters had scorned Najib’s overtures to the community.

“The prime minister has a right to be disappointed with Chinese voters… after he had worked so hard to win over the community through various programmes and aid,” Prof Dr Ho Khai Leong, the Chinese Studies Institute’s dean at the MCA’s Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, told Utusan Malaysia.

Perak MCA secretary Datuk Tan Chin Meng said the rejection of BN by Chinese voters showed the community was still easily duped.

Gerakan’s deputy Perak chief Liew Yew Aw was quoted as saying that Chinese voters had trapped themselves and their future by voting for the opposition parties.

The newspaper emphasised the Chinese vote swing against BN, but steered clear of mentioning the Malay shift.

The newspaper also did not note the point that BN lost the overall popular vote count for both federal and state seats, depending largely on rural votes in smaller constituencies for its victory.

In a separate article inside the newspaper, a senior lecturer from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) said the newspaper was only reflecting the reality of the country when it published the words, “What more do the Chinese want?”

The police said they had started investigating Utusan Malaysia for sedition hours after the Umno-owned daily sparked a nationwide uproar with its incendiary front-page report seen to blame the Chinese for BN’s weaker score in Election 2013.

The prime minister was seen as deflecting criticism against the broadsheet, claiming the predominantly-Chinese DAP had misled the Chinese into greater racial polarisation by making them think that voting the party would lead to a change of government.

“You blamed Utusan but you don’t ask about the Chinese papers,” Najib told a press conference on Tuesday when asked how he plans to achieve national reconciliation if the daily kept harping on race issues.

He did not say what was objectionable in the Chinese-language newspapers.

Najib had alluded to a “Chinese tsunami” in an immediate speech just after midnight on Sunday when the Election Commission announced BN as winners by a simple majority.

One can drive a very large truck of suspect cargo through the door marked ‘patriotism’. Once the integrity of the nation is invoked and the spectre of social and communal unrest is seen as being at stake, the state buys for itself a lot of room for actions that might have otherwise seemed unpalatable. In that sense, the decision to impose some kind of regulation on social media in the aftermath of the Assam violence and the events that followed, might have passed muster on the whole, despite its problematic nature.

But instead, the government has chosen to act with staggering incompetence and transparent dishonesty, in deciding to use this discretion by trying to block  a reported 300 items that include websites and 21 twitter handles, many of which have nothing to do with Assam or what happened thereafter. As persuasively demonstrated by Shivam Vij and Sadanand Dhume among others, the list of those blocked is a bizarre one, as it includes journalists and politicians among others, and the names indicate that the Government ‘s intentions are mala fide in that there is a clear attempt to muzzle dissent as well as plain stupid given that there are some on the list who by the widest stretch of imagination, cannot be seen as a threat to anything, let alone something as lofty as the integrity of the nation.  What the state has effectively done is to confirm all anxieties that existed about its real intentions. That it has a fundamental discomfort with criticism and a deep hostility towards any attempt to ridicule its actions and that it will use any excuse it gets to launch an attack on the freedom of expression on the Internet. Besides, even if the attempt had been honest in trying to stop rumour-mongering, the actions taken were hardly likely to have the desired impact. The digital world is too agile and inventive for the lumbering machinery of the government to match up to, and would easily bypass these crude attempts at blocking the flow of information.

But there is an issue with social media that needs some introspection. When all readers turn broadcasters, what happens to the rights of those who are being written about? Earlier the freedom to expression was effectively outsourced to mainstream media and while it strove to represent public opinion, it did not allow the public to express itself directly, except in highly controlled ways. Getting a letter published in the Letters to the Editor space, for instance, was often a heroic struggle. Traditional media is governed, on paper, by a set of guidelines and rules that attempt to provide protection to those impacted by what they publish or broadcast and legal redress is available to those that feel aggrieved by the same. In reality, particularly in India, the act of going to court and pursuing a case of defamation is so difficult, expensive and time-consuming that the right for redress often  remains theoretical. The protection, such as it is exists, comes because news organisations have some internal guidelines about what they will or will not publish, and imperfect as they increasingly might be, at least they exist.

But when it comes to social media, even this filter is effectively absent. The question that might well lie at the heart of this debate is about the changing nature of the public and the private. Social media promotes a form of private musing that gets picked up by microphone and relayed all over the world; in its intimacy and immediacy it gives us the illusion of a private opinion expressed softly, but in its real time connectedness it makes the private extremely loud and public. We superimpose the codes of privately expressed opinion on a public platform in the name of freedom, without acknowledging that such freedom has never been available to us. In private thoughts and conversations, we are free to abuse people, make inappropriate jokes, wish them grievous harm, fantasise luridly about them and impute motives but we cannot do so in our public utterances without attracting potential consequences. Even in private conversation, we do not enjoy absolute anonymity as is often the case with social media. As the private becomes more public both wittingly and otherwise, the need to mark the boundaries and guard them zealously will grow. The real issue is here as much about the demarcation of the private, the ‘freedom from impression’, as it were,  as it is about freedom of expression. While the right to personal expression has always been an integral part of democracy, the right to a public platform with enormous reach, velocity of transmission and permanence has certainly not.

The sense that any public utterance can, in the name of freedom of expression, come without consequences is what drives a significant strand of behaviour on social media today. in theory, such consequences might exist, but we have seen very few examples of these being visited upon those that are guilty of crossing the lines that have been laid down. As last week’s column argued, in the new world of democratised and decentralised  information flows, the reflexive support for the freedom of all expression that is rooted in the assumptions of an earlier era need to be revisited. Till that happens social media will remain a space that bristles with the anarchic energy of freedom without providing adequate protection against the misuse of this freedom. This time, the government’s incompetence might have made it easy to summon up outrage and push back hard, but more subtle and insidious efforts are likely to follow. The fault line that exists between the technologies of democratisation and power structures that seek centralisation is a defining one in our times, and the battle between the two is by no means over.

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One swallow, famously, does not make a summer, but when an ideological bird peeps out from the bush, it is time to check the thermometer for possible signs of climate change. Nor was this bird plumed in irrational racial hatred .

Brand Mahathir did not win Kedah for BN, but it was rather a case of PAS losing the state,As a conundrum, this one is hard to beat, possibly because it is uniquely Mahathir’Perkasa. Why has appeasement of hardliners in malaysia,become a touchstone avowedly communal state  in India? If this were limited to an irony it would doubtless find its level in the varied folds of public discourse. As an artful strategy to legitimize the presentMahathir’s weak knees, it has more disturbing implications.

In one of Hermann Hesse’s novels, an Oriental sage makes the observation that “Movement creates obstacles”. The implications of this are obvious. It is the desire to move – in any direction, forwards, backwards, sideways – that gives rise to obstacles, to impediments to movement. If we remove the desire to move, we at once remove obstacles along with it

This profound insight of the sage seems to have been internalised by Mahathir while conventional wisdom might deplore what appears to be perverse obstructionism to progress on the part of Mahathir, the reverse might hold true. Having realised that as often as not they are part of the problem rather  tha part of the solution, our elected representatives could well have taken Mahathir’s advice to heart and adopted a policy of masterly inaction based on abstention from all movement.serve who only stand and wait. Or, as in the case of our MPs, they also serve who remain immobile while letting others get on with the job of serving the country, in more ways than one

Election 2013 has laid bare the declining influence of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a political force, an analysis of where and how he campaigned has shown.

The former prime minister campaigned incessantly but Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates whom he backed or shared his ideals – such as the controversial Zulkifli Noordin and Ibrahim Ali – all lost.

In Kedah – where his son Mukhriz is now Mentri Besar on the back of a BN victory – local politicians and observers have pointed out that voters gave PAS the boot because of poor governance by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party

Dr Mahathir’s attempt at painting the battle for Gelang Patah in Johor as a Malay versus Chinese battle also failed miserably.

Many analysts and BN politicians have said that his incessant playing of the race card for the Election 2013 campaign saw support for him deplete.

“He still has his niche group of supporters in the Malays, they wouldn’t simply demonise leaders whom they feel have been there for them long enough.

Abdul Rahman said Mahathir is not the PM of the day.“But yes… at times, it may be true that his time is over. What he says, how he says it, may not have traction among the younger generation, in the urban areas. But let us not forget – he is not the PM of the day,” Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan told The Malaysian Insider.

But other leaders were not so kind, believing the 87-year-old Dr Mahathir should finally enjoy his retirement and stay out of current day politics where they say he is fast growing irrelevant.

They said that in the age of social media politics, Dr Mahathir’s influence is waning quickly as Malaysians prefer the more liberal, moderate and inclusive brand of politics brought by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Dr Mahathir’s strong support base among the traditional, older Malay voters would likely be insufficient to win the votes for Barisan Nasional (BN) again.

They said that it would be the fast-growing urban, middle-class and young voters who will soon form a larger part of the electorate.

And going by the vote trend of Election 2013, it is this key demographic that BN must win over if it wants to return with an even stronger mandate in the next general election.

“I hope by looking at the analysis of the elections, he will realise that his time is over,” said Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

“He should leave the administration of this country to the new generation of politicians led by Najib.

“He has had his time and he has done tremendous things but his day in politics is over. Before he destroys his legacy, perhaps it is time to leave gracefully,” he added.

Election 2013 saw Dr Mahathir backing right-wing Muslim hardliners like Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali and vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin but neither one emerged victor in their contest.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider recently, Shah Alam Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Nawawi M. Zin admitted that if Dr Mahathir had not campaigned in Shah Alam, BN may have earned more votes.

Rafidah agreed that the use of racism to win support should be rejected.“On the whole, in the cities, I feel Dr Mahathir’s influence is no longer relevant as the issues he brings and his opinions do not really suit with the current generation, especially with his backing of Perkasa.

“Perhaps BN has to review this,” he said.

While his foes in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) made sure their leaders worked hard to eschew racism while on the hustings, it was race that dominated nearly all of Dr Mahathir’s speeches over the stretch of the 15-day campaign period.

He repeatedly singled out his long-time parliamentary foe Lim Kit Siang for leaving his seat in Ipoh Timor to contest the Chinese-majority Gelang Patah seat in Johor, calling the DAP veteran an “extremist racist” for allegedly attempting to sway the Chinese to hate the Malays.

“I will say it out as vocal as possible. Lim Kit Siang is a racist. Lim Kit Siang is a racist. Lim Kit Siang is an extremist racist,” he had said during a ceramah in Shah Alam three days before polling day.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider recently, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, a veteran Umno leader who served under Dr Mahathir’s administration agreed that the use of racism to win support should be rejected.

Without singling out her ex-boss, the outspoken former Wanita Umno chief toldThe Malaysian Insider that racial diversity should be wielded as a strength and not a weapon to divide and rule.

“Gone are the days when we can become champions of a certain race. I never subscribe to it. We are Malaysians first and foremost.

“I am a Malaysian who happens to be Malay… but it is our Malaysian-ness that we carry proudly when we are out there,” she said.

Merdeka Center for Opinion Research director Ibrahim Suffian, however, noted that while Dr Mahathir’s methods had been rejected by the urban and middle-class electorate, the leader still commands a huge following among Umno’s traditional support base in rural, Malay Malaysia.

Wan Saiful insisted that Dr Mahathir should bow out from the political scene and make a graceful exit.But he agreed the influence was not as far-reaching as Umno and Dr Mahathir himself may have estimated, noting that many Malay voters in these exteriors had also swung to the opposition.

“Voters are more discerning. They reject this brand of ethnic chauvinism,” he observed.

But Ibrahim said Dr Mahathir still has much influence within Umno, the BN lynchpin, a point that fellow political analyst Wan Saiful agreed with.

“I agree… but he is influential among only Umno members and when it comes to an election, what you need to do is not just to pursuade your own side,” he pointed out.

Wan Saiful insisted that Dr Mahathir should bow out from the political scene and make a graceful exit, saying this was necessary for the former prime minister to ensure his legacy as Malaysia’s ‘father of modernisation” is not marred by mistakes he may make today.

“Najib is the PM of today and Dr Mahathir is of yesterday. Najib has sensed the need to move into a different direction and this is what he is doing,” he said.

Agreeing, Ibrahim reminded of the vast changes in the flow of information in today’s political landscape, saying this had largely affected the results of Election 2013 and Dr Mahathir’s influence.

“There is that challenge because Dr Mahathir is used to running a country when there was no social media and the population was more easily controlled and was smaller.

“Today, you have a much younger generation who live in times when information is free-flowing. The environment has changed and with it, many of our leaders must change too,” he said.

As the proverb about the swallow indicates, nature is a cycle of seasons. Political nature is seasonal as well.Muslim anger soared whenMahathir slept whilereformasi, and snored through the subsequent riots.  Chinese and the Indians mobilised to ensure a Mahathir victory; and gave it a second chance in 1998. Today’s mood seems more reminiscent of1998, when chinese spurned UMNO and shifted to third parties even though there was no clear alternative anchor.

Any thaw demands the sunshine of spring. There is certainly a spring in CHINESEi’s step, but  Najib needs much more warmth to melt the Chinese mood.

There are some familiar and very vocal arguments that have been put forward againstThat it sacrifices merit and severely hampers the quality of output generated by the organisation in question, that it perpetuates social divisions, by deepening the fault lines that already exist between RACES and that it is yet another example of the type of cynical PAKATAN political transfer payments aimed at building vote banks. The argument for this move comes in the form of a reiteration of the deep-seated nature of prejudice and discrimination,Strong as this argument is, it makes some assumptions that need examination. The whole point of affirmative action is to enable the marginalised to use the same system that everyone else does to better their lives by helping them overcome constraints. The key strategy is to use a mechanism that has been proven to provide a vehicle for self-betterment, but to tweak it so that it does not discriminate between its participants. The system itself is not altered, for an attempt to do that suggests that the desire is to create an alternative universe rather than make the disadvantaged better able to participate in this one. At the risk of trivialising the argument, a cricketing metaphor might be useful. Getting the so-called minnows into the mainstream involves including them in championships and making them compete with historically advantaged teams, precisely because the process of competing pushes the teams to do better. Teams from the sub-continent, seen earlier as pushovers are proof that this system works. To see competition as intrinsically discriminatory, and to seek refuge from it is to forego a principal advantage of the system.

Johari said UMNO must continue talking to the Chinese but with firmness on matters of our national interest the trust level needs to be restored, as it has dipped to a new low It’s an ironical reflection on the BARISAN government’s credibility that nobody is ready to concede that the Chinese support withdrawal could have occurred there are explanations  of the young and the rising urban middle class, sickened at the unfairness, Nong Chick cronyism and corruption they see around them

http://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com interview few voters after they had voted this is what they have say

“For example, Nurul alleged that my son got a RM30 million job when I was minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing when it was given before I became a minister.First things first. How come the 30 million job went the way of your son? Does it matter what you were or where you were when that happened? Corruption is how we perceive it to be, unless you can convince us otherwise.

“Moreover, the project was under the Youth and Sports Ministry.”In the Star Online, Nong Chik was also quoted as saying: “”I already knew had I lost, so there was no attempt to smuggle in ballot boxes into the tallying centre when counting was already finished.

hmm…. reading between the lines, what would happen had he not known..readmorePKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar faces a tough challenger in minister Raja Datuk Nong Chik Zainal Abidin of Barisan Nasional to retain the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat. Today’s  Malaysiansider talks about  in an unauthorized manneris that  UMNO are on a self-chosen path to self-destruction. The Lembah Pantai voter must be watching  and wondering if democracy is indeed  UMNO … Read more

. Mr Najib has taken to Facebook to court these groups. All things to all Malaysian voters, he is more popular than his party.

a rekindling of the ethnic animosities that led to bloody rioting in the 1960s. Mr Najib has said he wants to be prime minister for all Malaysians. Barisan’s ethnic-Chinese parties did lamentably at the election. Mr Najib has blamed Barisan’s losses on a “Chinese tsunami”, encouraging disgraceful anti-Chinese headlines in the Malay-language press.

if UMNO is to have a future in a prospering Malaysia it needs young urban voters,  poor ones. To counter his opponents in the party, Mr Najib therefore needs to capitalise quickly on his Transformation Agenda  to reform more boldly: to complete the demolition of the affirmative-action edifice; to go further in improving civil liberties;

Startling ironies mark the results of the G13 elections Our long-term goals must make us move ahead. The immediate

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

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 agendaDatuk Johari Abdul Ghani triumphed over Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzaimi ’s racialist politics No matter what happens, Malaysians must now put the electoral results behind us and try to look forward. It is time for national reconciliation. For those who have won should do as much soul-searching as those who have lost Malaysian politics is changing. … Read more

task,

 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!

 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

 

you are wrong to think  Najib will not last in office long, as the UMNO elite are busy now sharpening their knives for the long unheld UMNO elections, postponed repeatedly by the testicularly challenged Najib.

There’s been plenty of chatter lately about UMN Ooutsourcing their  new Prime Minister elected by the people. The argument, like the mythical Sarasvati river, requires more faith than reason and runs dry quickly.This duality of power – or diarchy as one senior editor cogently termed it – is unprecedented in a parliamentary democracy where the elected Prime Minister should have the last word on government policy. Mr. Najib’s National Front coalition secured around 60% of the seats in Sunday’s ballot, but the vote was heavily split between Malaysia’s thriving cities, which largely voted for opposition parties, and rural, mostly ethnic-Malay areas that threw their support behind Mr. Najib, the 59-year-old

Here’s how it goes: in the  event of the  forming the next government,while, Mahathir, he controls the remote.

Did Najib performs worse  than Badawi did it 2008, No Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said Najib saved  UMNO by winning G13 in hard fought battle and now we  should give the mandate to be president of  UMNO why should ‘night of the long knives’ will be re-enacted soon by UMNO, thankfully, Najib has responded magnificently:

This duality of power – or diarchy as one senior editor cogently termed it – is unprecedented in a parliamentary democracy where the elected Prime Minister should have the last word on government policy.

an old victory and a wife of similar vintage recently; had he been smarter, he would have stopped at making such a remark about the current UMNO team, which is on the brink of its ultimate humiliation:  ‘Whether he’s my nominee or somebody else, I will campaign if somebody does not perform and in my view, Pak Lah didn’t perform.’Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has denied practising double standards in campaigning for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, but against the fifth prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

 hero father fights a lone battle, against Najib for his son’s political servival

Mahathirl plays many roles, some of them quite well. But he is inimitable when he turns caustic. Sarcasm descended from his heavy eyebrows with the full force of a waterfall when he taunted the  middleman during his rule Shakespeare was never so bitter about Shylock

as Mahathirwas about the Lobbying

Read between the lines……He is saying he will go against Najib soon. Watch your back Najib

Just as you campaigned against Badawi, Malaysians who have seen through your self-serving crookedness and who have experienced the destruction of all institutions and standards are now campaigning against you, your proxy Najib and everything you represent. This campaign will not end until all vestiges of you and the poison you have spread through the land are removed.

The problem with Mahathir is very simple. He was just an ordinary person but fate has made him the PM and Malaysians especially the Malays accorded him with such high status that he started to take advantage of the situation very well making him almost untouchable. But life is strange, today you are revered tomorrow you can be a hated figure(once they found out the truth). I believe his last days will be very very sad and painful especially if Umno/BN fall.And, the Malays  have the privilege to go against you too!What he is saying is he will go against who does not do his bidding and protect his and his family interests. Who does he think he is? God? It is the rakyat who is the determinator not him alone.Dr.M’s you step down because you know that the Malays are not supporting you or else you will still hold on to powers.Do not blame Pak Lah.During your reign many politicians was put under ISA and your abuse of power.Dr.M’s you step down because you know that the Malays are not supporting you or else you will still hold on to powers.Do not blame Pak Lah.During your reign many politicians was put under ISA and your abuse of power.Najis also cannot perform. He cannot debate and he is is still deciphering his own 1Malaysia slogan. RoastMama can perform though. And she’s overperforming, especially in the arena of shopping, private diamond exhibitions, gracing Genneva parties, accumulating titles from ivory towers, overshadowing grooms and brides at their weddings, etc.Mahathir himself dd not perform! Perwaja Steel, MAS, Bakun, Proton. etc.. are clear examples of his failures. Anyone can talk big

Mahathir chose Badawi to take his place because he thought Badawi was a simpleton whom he could control after he stepped down and continue to get his multi-million ringgit kickbacks from various projects like the crooked bridge. Unfortunately for him that simpleton on gaining power turned out to be not that simple and he also came under the influence of his ‘Rasputin’ son-in law. Thus all his well laid plans to continue with the plunder of the country went down the drain and this infuriated him as his dream of stealing a couple of more billions of the people’s money was shattered. His continuous demonization of Badawi up to today indicates the depth of hatred in him for Badawi for not allowing him to steal for 5 years. But Najib with things like ‘Scorpenes’, ‘Altantuya’ and ‘Port Dickson’ hanging over his head cannot do a ‘Badawi’ on him and so Mahathir is very happy with his ‘performance’ as now his children can continue with the crooked business of making easy money.

Its not about Badawi that Malaysians kicked out BN in 2008. It is all about Dr.M’s ill gotten wealth and his abuse of power. Its about corruption and the abuse of power of the highest magnitude under his tenure. Thats why Malaysians are angry today

Mahathir you are one of the major cause of Najib’s poor performance. You and Perkasa have caused BN to loose thousands of votes. I do  expect Najib to do the right thing now because  unmoved by shenanigan Mahathir trading starts in Umno. Newly installed PM Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin are out in the market wooing warlords and the ‘emperor’ (ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad) to gain favours to take over the crown of Umno president in the coming Umno general election expected at the end of the year.Mahathir is also in the market to put his son, now Kedah MB, Mukhriz, in a good position, possibly as a running-mate as deputy president, either to Najib or Muhyiddin. That way Mahathir junior can be on the fast track to power before his father kicks the bucket as he is now 88 years old.