Mentally-unstable Azmin Ali lack of respect. And it starts at home first.

Have you ever noticed how some people are determined to always get the last word in in every argument, discussion or debate? How they seem to wait till everyone is just about finished, when everyone but him / her has put their pens and writing pads away and pushed their chairs back to stand up, when this person decides to launch a fresh torrent of ideas that set things off on a tangent?

If this were all and such people had a valid observation to make that would lead a discussion forward or lend a fresh perspective to a problem, such people would have been bearable and definitely an asset to have on your team; but often times, such people either lurk in the sidelines waiting for the opportune moment to disrupt things or are every ready to launch a tirade against the windmills even when their isn’t an opposition in sight.

Such people speak because they like to hear the sound of their own voices; because they believe other’s expect them to speak; because they believe they should be considered the last word in everything being discussed however little their knowledge or experience of the subject; because they believe keeping quiet would equal defeat and they don’t believe in losing; or they simply don’t understand that their speaking at that time will virtually jeopardize the whole argument that the erstwhile speaker had striven to establish.

Arrogantly yours…Mentally-unstable Azmin Ali i

Power is the glue of politics That is why  Azmin Ali  is expected to be in array and opposition generally in disarray. Ideology is a fickle custodian of unity in an age of convenience. Its absence has eliminated the difference between single-party rule and coalition government. Both are held together by individual or sectarian self-interest, which is why they last. Ideology is a differentiator; it makes a partnership untenable even if the partners consider it sustainable. Sentiment is irrelevant to any political marriage. This is true of all democracies where coalitions become necessary. Politicians live for power; why would they invite a premature death? SELANGOR VOTERS want  Khalid to head the Government of Selangor for another term effective now. Why is this so. Well he has proven it not olny to the people of Selangor but the world. So Azmin Ali, please wait for your turn young man. Don’t you dare cause any havoc and mess yourself up.

Ummi Hafilda Ali has threatened to continue attacking the “Three As” in PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, her brother Azmin Ali and Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail - if they continue to be unrepentant.

She said she had yet to unveil a “secret” that would expose more wrongdoings allegedly involving the PKR leaders.

“Such evidence will be saved for the coming general election. As long as the three A’s continue to be a threat to the nation and race, my allies and I will go all out to attack them,” the 44-year-old businesswoman told reporters at a restaurant here yesterday.

However, she said that if Anwar, who is Opposition Leader, admitted to his “sins”, he would be forgiven and she would put a stop to her campaign against him.

Holding back tears, Ummi Hafilda, who was a main witness in Anwar’s first sodomy trial in 1998, also urged Azmin to repent and reunite with the family.

Centre of attention: Ummi Hafilda speaking at a restaurant in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“Even though I am angry, deep down in my heart I know that Azmin is still my brother. If he repents, I will not expose his wrongdoings to the world. But if he continues to push me, I will be left with no choice,” said Ummi Hafilda of Azmin who is PKR deputy president.

She also alleged that Anwar had promised Azmin he would be made Finance Minister, Prime Minister and Home Minister if they took over the Government.

Previously, Ummi Hafilda had claimed that Anwar abused his power as deputy prime minister in 1997 by ordering her arrest.

Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and later convicted of sodomy and corruption charges. He spent six years behind bars before being released in 2004.

Azmin, when contacted, said PKR would only discuss real issues for the good of the country and economy rather than entertaining dirty politics.

“We are more concerned about issues like the high cost of living and how to end poverty and corruption. Anyone who wants to criticise us can continue to do so but we are committed to helping the rakyat,” he said.

Anwar,Broke the silence Loudly, clearly and coldly

– Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appeared to have backed his confidant Azmin Ali in calling for a consultation process for the Selangor mentri besar post after the latter claimed Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s candidacy had bypassed the democratic process.

The PKR advisor also appeared to have suggested that the party were considering removing Abdul Khalid when he told Sinar Harian that the consultation should include discussions on other possible candidates for the job.

“I have no problem with Tan Sri Khalid. But the problem is… there is no problem but there should be consultation. Are there other names? New faces? Do we continue?” Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.

however, added that they will solve the debacle within these few days.

The tussle over the mentri besar post has pushed PKR into a leadership crisis with its deputy president now openly accusing the party of “nepotism” when he alleged it had bypassed the consultation process in picking Abdul Khalid for the job.

Azmin also appeared to question Abdul Khalid’s leadership at a press conference yesterday, and said he was seeking a meeting with PKR’s national leaders for a consensus decision to be made on who gets to be the new Selangor MB.

The debacle has sparked talk that Azmin, who is also said to be vying for the position, would leave PKR following the party’s supposed endorsement of Abdul Khalid’s governance.

Azmin dismissed the speculation at yesterday’s press conference where he was flanked by some of the party’s Selangor line-up in what appeared to be a sign of protest against Abdul Khalid’s likely reappointment as the state’s chief executive.

Although the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman was evasive when bombarded by questions for his view on the candidacy for the post, the PKR deputy president made several insinuations that leaders from the party’s Selangor chapter were against Abdul Khalid’s reappointment.

However, a majority of Selangor PKR lawmakers and division chiefs want Abdul Khalid to be reappointed as the state’s mentri besar, party sources have said, amid protests by a faction led by Azmin.

The Malaysian Insider understands the endorsement was made at a closed-door “gathering” held at Empire Hotel in Subang Jaya on Monday where most of the 14 state assemblymen, 16 division chiefs and a few federal MPs who attended felt that Abdul Khalid should be allowed to lead the PR Selangor government for a second term.

The two other Pakatan Rakyat component parties, the DAP and PAS, have also backed Abdul Khalid for the job despite winning more seats than PKR in Selangor.

The DAP and PAS each won 15 seats in Selangor at the May 5 general election, with PKR netting 14.

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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 … Read more

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani bersama YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said Najib has said he wants to be prime minister for all Malaysians. unlike –Pakatan is clearly tired. No one wants to do the hard job of fielding….but everyone wants to become the PM!. The economy too has turned the corner, with exports on the rise, the Ringgit gaining against the dollar  I started out last week with the question, “Does anyone in India know how much households really earn and spend?” and in the course of writing I found that the answer was: not so much, but there’s some good reasons why.So much of the understanding of a country comes from statistics on how much citizens earn and spend – these numbers should show you how many people fall below the country’s poverty line, as well as how money is distributed among its citizens. In countries like the US where income data is precise and well-documented, illuminating patterns of change can emerge from the numbers. The Washington Post has begun an occasional series on income inequality in the US and, was able to use new data to show that an exponential rise in the salaries being paid to CEOs was a major contributor to widening income inequality.

All of this gives rise to two dangers. The first is of a loss of faith in the political process itself. Mr Najib argues that, in a parliamentary system, it is not the popular vote that matters. But in any system it is time to redraw boundaries when distortions have reached this level (something for others, such as Britain and Japan, to note). And Mr Najib owes it to Malaysians who backed the Opposition—more than half of the electorate—to investigate the alleged frauds.

The second danger is of 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. Sadly, however, he presided over an ugly campaign by his United Malays National Organisation, UMNO, the main component of Barisan. In the rural Malay heartlands, UMNO was as negative, racially divisive and pro-Malay as ever. 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.

The economist this point many many times over the last few years, and he and others often seem to be hinting that the NSS – or more broadly the government – is fudging the numbers. The divergence in the data seemed inexplicable to me but I’ve never really bought the number-fixing theory. After a long interview with the affable TCA Anant,I understand the reasons for the divergence so much better (as I’ve explained in my story). That’s not to say the NSSO isn’t to be criticised – there’s a lot they need to improve in their consumption surveys,. I also think that they need to get their act together about measuring income; it is not impossible, though potentially highly manpower and resource intensive.

CI Holdings Bhd’s next acquisition target is one where management is weak and has limited abilities to raise funds. Size does not matter, and the acquisition target could even be a small company.

Casting the election in such racial terms is neither wise nor accurate. The tsunami washing over Barisan is of the young and the rising urban middle class, sickened at the unfairness, cronyism and corruption they see around them. Mr Najib has taken to Facebook to court these groups. All things to all Malaysian voters, he is more popular than his party.

Some times, the best part of working on a story is realising that there’s a good reason why something doesn’t work, and that armchair criticism is so often too glib.

 Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said Najib has said he wants to be prime minister for all Malaysians. unlike –Pakatan is clearly tired. No one wants to do the hard job of fielding….but everyone wants to become the PM!. The economy too has turned the corner, with exports on the rise, the Ringgit gaining against the dollar  I started out last week with the question, “Does anyone in India know how much households really earn and spend?” and in the course of writing I found that the answer was: not so much, but there’s some good reasons why.So much of the understanding of a country comes from statistics on how much citizens earn and spend – these numbers should show you how many people fall below the country’s poverty line, as well as how money is distributed among its citizens. In countries like the US where income data is precise and well-documented, illuminating patterns of change can emerge from the numbers. The Washington Post has begun an occasional series on income inequality in the US and, was able to use new data to show that an exponential rise in the salaries being paid to CEOs was a major contributor to widening income inequality.

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

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

Is the predictability of their behavior, and their desperate need to be heard a sign of their competitiveness, their intelligence or their mediocrity? Aren’t the brilliant supposed to be somewhat unpredictable and eccentric? Is this a reflection of some childhood insecurity – as my psychiatrist friends would say – when their parents never allowed them to get a word in edgeways? Or is this a veiled arrogance that makes them believe the world must sit and learn at their feet even when they know precious little about the subject at hand? Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that very few things infuriate a thinking person more than coming across or having to co-exist with such an individual in his / her immediate vicinity – a fact that is fast becoming the case in most walks of life.

G13 was a turning point for UMNO’s political history

When people run short of ideas, they reach out for other things.There’s money, the first crutch of all fools. For all those who lack self esteem, the first argument is: If I had enough money, I could have done it. This is untrue. Money can make nothing happen unless you will it. And you can will nothing without a precise premise, a strategy or game plan that you have clearly thought through. In short, an idea. Without the idea, without the intellectual or emotional muscle that goes with that idea, any idle dream based only on the availability of money is always doomed. That’s why angel investors do due diligence. Not only of the idea to invest in but also of the person who will deliver it. Does he or she have the grit, gumption, dedication and leadership? Or the persistence to see the idea through its initial days when all that can go wrong always does, following Murphy’s Law?

the most important steps that should be taken by Umno was to give extra focus on the aspirations and needs of the middle-class Malays. For that,Umno should prepare a more inclusive framework for the group.appointing Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani as the minister for  Federal Territory Minister. the number of middle-class Malays are increasing and they mustn’t be sidelined by Umno.“The aspirations and expectations of these middle-class Malays also differ from the aspirations and expectations of the rural community and other groups,” Johari  told his voters At the same time,  said Umno must also continue reaching out to other races, including the Chinese, so that it will not be seen as an unfriendly Malay party. “Umno must find ways to maintain racial harmony in the country,” he said.

The other crutch, very popular in Malaysia, is connections. Most people think they can achieve anything if only they had a godfather to see them through. The truth is, much as we may like to believe the opposite, few success stories of modern Malaysia have anything to do with godfathers. Except in politics and business, where it has been a tradition to mentor heirs from within the family. So it’s tough to break in. It’s far simpler to go out and make your own road. To do that, the first important step is to stop looking for godfathers. Mentor yourself. The rich uncle will always come to you once you have demonstrated your ability to deliver on your own promise. But if you hang around him hoping he will give you the first break, be sure that he will soon start avoiding you.

The third crutch is fate. We believe so much in it that we spend the best years of our life chasing those who pretend they can predict it. Fortune telling is big business out here and there’s a large contingent of charlatans who make their money telling us how we must live our life, what coloured stones to wear, which God to pray to, and on what days we ought to fast. The same person who is vegetarian five days a week to appease a certain God is also ready to slaughter a hapless animal to please another God on another occasion. We would rather go with what others tell us to do than follow our own heart. We are not ready to think through our own solutions. We need intermediaries to advise us on how to live, how to invest, how to seduce luck. Curiously, the richer people become, the more they depend on fake gurus and fraudulent fortune tellers.

This is what r exactly  Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani said: “If this functionary is to carry out the duties – and his duties, I submit, are far more important than the duties even of the judiciary he should have been certainly as independent as the Judiciary. But, comparing the Articles about the Supreme Court and the Articles relating to the Auditor General, I cannot help saying that we have not given him the same independence which we have given to the Judiciary, although I personally feel that he ought to have far greater independence than the Judiciary itself.”

n 1992, Francis Fukuyama, famous American political scientist wrote The End of History and the Last Man. Fukuyama argued that the worldwide spread of liberal democracies in the late nineties marks the end point of humanity’s socio-cultural evolution. He was referring mainly to the collapse of communism. It may be an exaggeration to call this The End of History.  But the year 1989 which saw the dismantling of the Berlin Wall was no doubt a radical turning point in global history. It heralded the dominance of democracies, and the triumph of Washington in the Cold War between the American and Soviet blocs

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

In politics this happens all the time. We hated the Left Front so much, not for what it did but what it did not do for Kelantan despite ruling for three decades, that we wilfully chose to buy into the belief that  PAS will usher in real, tangible change, revive the true glory of KELANTAN. Did we trust the idea? Did we think it was actually possible? I doubt it. We are not so gullible. This nation has lived with disillusionment for decades. But yes, we desperately needed hope and  PAS appeared to symbolise that. So we bought into that symbolism. Eleven months later, we have had enough of her. Not just PASl but Malaysia seems sick and tired of her endless tantrums. The only change Kelantan has seen is the hustlers hanging around the Left have migrated to Singapore.The problem is: We do not want change. We love to kick out those who fail. It gives us a sense of power. Then we have a brief honeymoon with the successor which soon gives way to despair and rage. Never do we make a serious effort to seek out people or parties with a genuine agenda for transforming India. Everyone knows exactly what the problems are. But when elections come, we celebrate the tamasha. Politics today is just another form of entertainment. We love the rush of adrenaline in our blood, the buzz, the excitement, the thrill of watching celebrities beg for votes. Beyond that, there’s no serious thought. Reforms haven’t taken place for five years now. And I doubt anything will happen in the next two.

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

Anwar, you are losing your credibility. Azmin, you are a pain in the neck. Some exUMNOs seem to have the ’corrupted’ and ‘power crazy’?

Anwar Ibrahim  don’t practice democracy but racial supremacy. In a democracy , its very clear that he who received the highest votes shall be the head and leader . This being clear , PKR had no right to appoint the MB of Selangor, since they received the lowest numbers of votes. The party receiving the highest votes shall decide and appoint the MB as its only fair that the MB received the supports of the majority.
If this style of government is to continue in Malaysia , it will be many more years before Malaysia sees the light.

predisposition to cause conflicts. If Azmin is made MB, I will never vote for PKR ever again.We vote for Pakatan and not individual. who is Azmin when we have a proven and capable Menteri Besar. Wait for your turn Azmin, you are young and raw need more wisdom and less fire power.Most disappointed to read that the selection of the MB is causing a rift in Pakatan. Khalid did a good job so far so let him continue. When a another party also eyes the job, one cannot help but wonder of their objective. Is it for the good of Pakatan or is it good for one self. Azmin should look at the bigger picture. Such differences give a wrong impression to the rakyat. If we are having such problems now just choosing the MB, imagine the chaos if Pakatan does win the GE. Don’t shoot yourselves in the foot. Think of GE 14. If this problem is not solved soon, don’t dream of ever taking Putrajaya. It will always remain a distant unachievable dream am beginning to regret supporting Anuar Ibrahim. He is starting to betray what he says. There is already consensus among DAP, PAS & PKR that Tan Sri Khalid is/should be the MB. What nonsense is Anuar talking now? Is he saying he has the final say? If so, I will withdraw my support for PKR and convince all my friends to do so! So, Anuar please adhere to the consensus/agreement made which by the way is what all the Rakyat wants. We DO NOT want Azmin!

Malaysian politicians don’t practice democracy but racial supremacy. In a democracy , its very clear that he who received the highest votes shall be the head and leader . This being clear , PKR had no right to appoint the MB of Selangor, since they received the lowest numbers of votes. The party receiving the highest votes shall decide and appoint the MB as its only fair that the MB received the supports of the majority.
If this style of government is to continue in Malaysia , it will be many more years before Malaysia sees the light.

it is disappointing, when we expect to see leadership to uphold what the Rakyat wants. if PKR can not even fix a small problem and with only a limited success, already getting into UMNO style warlord politics, that will be the beginning of the end. if Azmin wants to go, that may be a good thing, clean the tumour early, and there is not much to be lost this time. remember the MCA lesson, they picked a president that no rakyat like, and they are still paying the price. so let’s not politics and feel good within the party and lose the people support. DSAI, time to show leadership and firmness!

The polemic of who is going to be the Menteri Besar of Selangor appears to be hotly debated by Pakatan Rakyat component party leadership namely PKR, PAS and DAP as no final decision has been made to date.

Despite the storm brewing up among the leadership of the three parties, the political factor is not the determinant of who will be appointed as menteri besar because it is the absolute right of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

As recorded in history, the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was very firm on deciding who was the replacement for Tan Sri Muhammad Muhamad Taib who resigned as Selangor Menteri Besar on April 14, 1997 as the Sultan wanted a candidate that had been screened and reviewed to ensure the person was really clean.

The late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz stressed that the candidate should be honest and sincere and the Sultan would reject a Menteri Besar who enriched himself.

In a meeting between the Sultan and the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on April 21, 1997, the Sultan said the suitable candidate had not been selected and on May 2, he chose Tan Sri Abu Hassan Omar as Selangor Menteri Besar.

Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) professor and legal advisor, Prof Datuk A. Halim Sidek said the impending appointment of the Menteri Besar of Selangor by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah is based on the 1959 Selangor State Constitution and two important articles.

“Firstly, the Sultan has the right to appoint a member of the State Legislative Assembly who in his judgment enjoys the confidence of the majority of the assembly. Secondly, the person appointed must be a Malay and a Muslim,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

Prof A. Halim said this in reference to Article 51 (1) and based on Article 53 (2)(a); and Article 51 (2) subject to Article 53 (4) of the state constitution 1959.

Also of interest is Article 51 (1A) which mentions the Sultan having the right to appoint a deputy Menteri Besar of Selangor.

The outcome of the 13th general election (GE13) showed both PAS and DAP obtaining 15 seats in the assembly while PKR obtained 14 seats.

“It is clear from the seat count, the three parties are equally eligible but with the power of the Sultan based on the articles above, DAP is not eligible as it does not have a Muslim Malay candidate in Selangor.

“Whether the candidate is from PAS or PKR is not the question even though PKR has one seat less than PAS but they could come to an agreement to nominate one candidate.

“But eventually, the power of consent for their candidate rests in the hands of the Sultan, which shows the Sultan has absolute power to choose the Menteri Besar of Selangor,” said Prof A. Halim.

Malay Consultative Council’s Muslim Transformation Bureau chief, Datuk Dr Mohamed Ghazali Md Noor said the importance of the Selangor Menteri Besar being a Malay and a Muslim is to ensure the Sultan has a capable advisor on the issue of Malays and Islam.

“The Sultan is an umbrella for the Malays and a pillar of Islam and therefore needs a Menteri Besar of Malay origin and a Muslim. If otherwise, how is one going to advise the Sultan?” he said.

Dr Mohamed Ghazali said one more factor which should be considered is the historical factor that this country was built by the Malay Sultanate and the government formed by the Sultanate has survived till today as the government of Malaysia.

The Malaysian Council of Former Elected Representatives (MUBARAK) president, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman said the power to select the Menteri Besar of Selangor is clearly with the Sultan and the three parties should not make it a political game among themselves.

He said they needed to stop being arrogant by saying they can choose who is to be Selangor Menteri Besar when the right to choose is in the hands of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

In every beginning is the end; but doesn’t every end also promise a new and better beginning?

With a shawarma platter and an array of sauces in front of him, a young boy declared, “I am already feeling bad that this shawarma will soon be over. It upsets me so much that I cannot get myself to start eating!” Everyone at the table had a hearty laugh and the boy was subjected to much ribbing. However, there was undoubtedly a universal truth in what he had said.

Indeed, in every beginning is the end. At the start of life, when one is born, the only surety is that life will end one day. The rest is all shrouded in a mystery to be unfolded as life goes on. The fear of ending is experienced in so many, much smaller things as well.

Whenever you sit down to read a good book or watch a movie you’ve been looking forward to, do you not dread that it will end soon? The ending of a good book or movie, if you have genuinely been caught up in the magic, leaves you bereft and empty for a while. I feel like the young boy with the shawarma each time I have a good book in my hand. I pile up such good reads at my bedside table, looking at them as a promise of many hours of delight that I would rather hoard than end. The same goes for movies, DVDs of which I plan to watch but keep putting off, happy to look at the accumulated treasure. Strange, isn’t it? Because we are afraid of the good times ending, we would rather not begin.

Passionate lovers, the legendary American writer Ernest Hemingway and German actress Marlene Dietrich never made love. In Hemingway’s words, “We have been in love since 1934… but we’ve never been to bed. Amazing but true. Victims of unsynchronised passion.” It makes me wonder if they never started a passionate affair for fear that it would end; preferring to stand on the brink and enjoy what they had all their lives, frozen in time.

What a shame to be standing at the edge of the ocean, and never jump in and plumb the depths. It shows a lack of confidence and trust in life because you fear that your life may have no better experiences to unfold. The only excitement and novelty is in moving on from experience to experience. Yes, there is great fun in anticipation too because it gives you a great high with a dopamine release. However, anticipation should not become an end in itself, it should be the beginning of a new experience.

A friend shared an interesting thought, “Sometimes, I can see the end, but not the beginning!” She went on to explain how this could happen when she covets a man she can never have, or a life she can never live. In such cases, she considers she has seen and experienced the “end” even before she had a chance to make a “beginning”. This should make us realise how lucky we are to be allowed beginnings and how important it is to get started without fearing the end.

Not fearing the end doesn’t mean not being aware of it. All things — good or bad — end. And “this too shall pass” is a wonderful principle to live life by. So long as we are aware that all states of life as well as mind are temporary, we achieve equanimity and a balanced life. If only one understood that all happiness and grief, success and failure are temporary phenomena, in sad times we would bide our time till they end; in happier ones, we would be more balanced and empathetic towards the less fortunate.

Then there are those lucky few who feel they have found their end in the beginning. This could happen when a dream is realised, a perfect relationship or career launched. At least for a while one would feel that “this is it!” However perfection is rare to find, and even that doesn’t last. Our best bet would be to see life as a series of small cycles of beginnings and endings. When one book, movie, experience, job, relationship, or even a shawarma ends, another is almost always waiting for us ahead. Meanwhile, the pleasurable experience we just underwent for each cycle leads to further growth and evolution, making us better, stronger individuals and souls. When one assignment ends, one needs to switch anticipation towards looking forward to the next. Some people are smart enough to realise when an ending is near, and instead of waiting for and dreading it, they find the strength within themselves to end a cycle, so that another may begin. Creative destruction leads to fresh, more promising beginnings.

And so, if in the beginning lies the end, it is important to understand that in every end, there lies a better, more promising beginning. The end of childhood is the beginning of a promising adult life; ending of passion in a marriage can be the beginning of abiding love and care; the end of novelty in a friendship can lead to a new cycle of maturity, the end of one assignment means you move onto another with more value addition.

please join and support NURUL. The time has arrived for us to stand up to be counted to take charge of PKR

These colour-blind people appear to be facing a lot of problems in their own party. First it was Khalid. Then Zaid. And now Ronnie too appears to be facing the prospect of getting killed off by his own party.

In Selangor,did Anwar rape of innocence voters Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim  a master, not an accidental apprentice

why is Anwar and Azmin being recalcitrant about the choice endorsed by DAP, PAS and a majority of PKR in Selangor?

There seems to be a lack of understanding what consensus means in Selangor.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appeared today to have backed his confidant Azmin Ali in calling for a consultation process for the Selangor mentri besar post after the latter claimed Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s candidacy had bypassed the democratic process.

The PKR advisor also appeared to have suggested that the party were considering removing Abdul Khalid when he told Sinar Harian that the consultation should include discussions on other possible candidates for the job.

There are different types of leadership. The problem with charismatic leadership is that it does not survive the charismatic leader. The problem with Anwar is that he is more of a charismatic leader. Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim  has none of the charisma but makes up for it in terms of his ability to lead based on pure leadership and organizational skills.

He urged Malaysians, especially the Youth to reject Umno and BN, for pursuing mediocrity rather than excellence and fostering a culture of dependency and fear of all that was modern and progressive.

G13 was a turning point for UMNO’s political history

When people run short of ideas, they reach out for other things.There’s money, the first crutch of all fools. For all those who lack self esteem, the first argument is: If I had enough money, I could have done it. This is untrue. Money can make nothing happen unless you will it. And you can will nothing without a precise premise, a strategy or game plan that you have clearly thought through. In short, an idea. Without the idea, without the intellectual or emotional muscle that goes with that idea, any idle dream based only on the availability of money is always doomed. That’s why angel investors do due diligence. Not only of the idea to invest in but also of the person who will deliver it. Does he or she have the grit, gumption, dedication and leadership? Or the persistence to see the idea through its initial days when all that can go wrong always does, following Murphy’s Law?

Najib did pull off the trick in 2013

What UMNO need is a collection of unified charismatic leaders to go to the grounds, inspire the young, and persuade the rural Malays to another point of view- one that is in harmony with the rest of right thinking Malaysians. Once that’s done, UMNO will undertake that long and painful journey at self reform,see the lights of the corridors of power ever again.Turning deficits into assets — a skill johari learned in his 20s as a community organizer — could well be called the motto of his rise. With his literary gifts, he transformed aSquatter childhood into a stirring coming-of-age tale. He usedTtiwangsa as the foundation of his political career. He mobilized young people — never an ideal base, because of thin wallets and historically poor turnout — into an energetic army who in turn enlisted parents and grandparents. And even though his exotic name, Joe the plumber, has spurred false rumors and insinuations about his background and beliefs, he has made it a symbol of his singularity and of Titiwangsa’s possibility.When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.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 … Read more

 SELANGOR WAS WON WITH PROMISE OF INCUMBENT MENTRI BESAR TAN SRI KHALID IBRAHIM By this act of Anwar cheating they turned the brightest hour in Selangor’s history into its darkest.

Pakatan’s Azmin Ali has distanced himself from the Kelana Jaya rally and he tweeted: “The rakyat are tired with politics that are over the top. Accept results. Scrutinise yourself. Admit weaknesses. Move forward. Focus on the rakyat, not yourselves.” For Anwar and his PR colleaugues, GE13 would only be clean if they manage to clean sweep all the states and won majority Parliament seats…right? What a standard hypocrisy!

Blame Selangor voters if you have to (blame someone, that is), but this cool dude Anwar isn’t the only one hankering after perfectionism, though he probably made it a cult culture—what may have started off as a character trait in a few, is now an obsession with one too many. As if the existing stresses of life weren’t enough, now we have this absolute craze for perfection to worry about! Everyone, it seems, is driven by some or the other ambition and high achievers no longer constitute a rare breed. But that’s a good thing, a healthy sign of progress, you might say. Sure it is, provided it is not overdone! Unfortunately, perfectionism has captured the people’s collective “zeitgeist” and by Jove, that means trouble ahead, and I am not being the Voice of Doom

Firstly, get your mind straight.

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.

“But why did DAP win more seats than PAS? Well that is because PAS, PKR and Umno are sharing the 60% Malay votes while DAP monopolises the Chinese voters. Hence DAP gets more than 90% of the Chinese votes (in some saluran it was actually 100%, which shocked Umno) while PAS, PKR and Umno have to split the 60% Malay voters three ways.

And this is what concerns Umno. Umno can see that DAP now has a monopoly on the Chinese votes whereas Umno needs to compete with PAS and PKR for a share of the Malay votes.”

we were having BN vs PR except in Sabah, so where do you get the UMNO need to share or compete for the Malay votes??

We did not have PKR or PAS candiddates where DAP won the seats, did we?

Barisan Nasional was not competing against one single entity as itself. BN was competing against the allies of DAP, PKR and PAS. These three parties were not in a coalition spirit. They have different views and are not in one single entity. So, please review your thought and see how many popular votes won by BN, DAP, PKR and PAS.

Then, you will know that BN is still the popular one.

Whether this opportunity is seized may not only be up to them, it may also be up to us. nstitutionally, Pakatan is not a strong coalition. Those privy to the inside workings of the Pakatan secretariat in the lead-up to GE13 may have some first hand experience of this.

Many worked hard, and many did their best, but I am not sure the top leadership did their efforts and willingness justice. Now is a good time to reverse that trend, and invest more resources, and more importantly, better leadership, into strengthening Pakatan as an actual institution, not a loose coalition.

Let us see what each component party faces, post-GE13.

Where are the Erdogans?

How tragic for so many of us to see the titans of moderation in PAS lose their seats: Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Mat Sabu, Husam Musa and Salahuddin Ayub, among others.

This may spark off a crisis in PAS, even as we speak, for PAS faces the realities ahead. Having not made significant inroads into the rural areas, some hardliners in PAS may start to reconsider their prospects in Pakatan.

They may fear that the current trends will only relegate them to junior partner status. I hope they realise, however, that they have a much higher chance of being a senior partner in Pakatan (as in Selangor) than they ever will in Barisan Nasional (BN).

UMNO and PAS share a core demographic base (rural Malaysia), one that is relatively alien to PKR and even more so to DAP.

Staying with Pakatan gives them hope of winning back that base one day, whereas UMNO is unlikely to dilute their own power by sharing it with PAS.

PAS will also lose all hope of winning urban seats if they join BN. Needless to say, the worst part of it is, if PAS were to move to BN, the already worsening racial climate in the country will just become worse.

For PAS, the core challenge will be finding an ideological ‘product’ that will appeal to rural Malaysia while steering clear of the bigotry of UMNO. It will be hard, but perhaps taking a more service oriented approach that emphasises building real grassroots bonds with the community may yield a better result than previous approaches.

Everything will pivot on PAS keeping the faith these next few days and weeks, and then after that, on PAS’ next party . I hope they will not read too deeply into the electoral losses of their key leaders, and instead stay their extremely admirable course.

Grace and Humility in Victory?

What a sweep for DAP – undefeated in Penang and Selangor state assemblies, for starters, and winner of the most seats in Parliament. Luckily, father and son Lim are not inclined to public haughtiness, and they seem to realise the potential minefield of their recent victories.

Perhaps there is not much to say regarding DAP save two short things. Firstly, follow the leadership’s example of humility in victory. At present, it will gain us nothing if DAP wins every seats it contests everywhere, while the rest of the coalition lags behind. Indeed, that may only serve to fan racial flames.

Of course, perhaps this need not always be the case. Granted, it remains to be seen whether DAP can shed its more negative connotations of Chinese chauvinism that go back decades.

Nevertheless, the second point is that all the evidence suggests that they must certainly try. Their new Malay elected representatives are an excellent start, and a trend that begs vast expanding.Imagine if DAP fielded more and more Malay candidates, while PAS fielded more non-Malay candidates? A new Malaysia indeed.

Reforming the reformer?

People like to say PKR is the weakest link. An MP once told me: “It is not the weakest link, it is the only link.” Anwar stated openly and in no uncertain terms that should GE 13 be lost, he will step down and make way for new blood.

If so, then an era of new possibilities for PKR will come to pass. Of course, while it can move in the direction of institutional strengthening and deepening its internal democracy, it can also move in the direction of UMNO style feudalism.

PKR has long been shaped by personalities. Perhaps the time has come for it to be shaped by a combination of grassroot-led determination and leaders who are more statesmen and stateswomen than ambitious politicians – people who realise the importance of building something that will long outlive them.

This may yet be the most involved post-GE13 front, but as a member myself (last I checked) I think it would be wiser for me to leave my commentary at that for now.

On May 5th, millions of Malaysians called out in a single voice that you wanted change. Change from a corrupt regime of UMNO-BN that has held on to power for more than five decades. It was a voice that was strong and clear.

You said to the UMNO-BN leaders: Enough! Enough of corruption and abuse of power! Enough of racism, bad governance and mismanagement of the nation’s wealth! Let Pakatan Rakyat take over now!

But they refused. To stay in power they cheated. They want to continue to rob from the nation. Working hand in glove with the Election Commission they resorted to all kinds of fraud and declared themselves the winner.

Anwar Ibrahim’s statement above is interesting mainly for the reason that it is merely rhetorical but lacks details. Anwar was very vague as to what type of cheating he was referring to. We must remember that most Malaysians do not understand how the electoral process works so this may not only confuse people but will mislead them as well.

If you have worked as an election worker in an election then you would know how the process works. You would then not be satisfied with mere allegations of fraud but would like details about how this fraud was perpetuated.

It is not that easy to cheat during an election but it is possible to cheat before the election. But then some of this cheating is not really cheating. It is called gerrymandering and is quite easy to do plus is perfectly legal. Everyone does it, even in advanced and civilised societies, and that is how parties get into office with less than 40% of the popular vote, but just as long as they win 51% or so of the seats with those 40% votes.

Anwar’s knee-jerk reaction when the results were announced on Sunday night was that Pakatan Rakyat won 51% of the votes so this means Pakatan Rakyat won the election. In 1933, Adolf Hitler won only 43% of the votes and 33% of the seats and yet his party took power. Al Gore won 48.4% of the votes but George W. Bush took power with 47.9% of the votes. In 1969, the Alliance Party won 49% of the votes and still managed to form the government.

So it does not mean if you win 51% of the votes you have won the election. Hence Anwar should not confuse the people by saying that since Pakatan Rakyat won more votes than Barisan Nasional then Pakatan Rakyat won the election. The winner is not based on how many votes you win but by how many seats you win, and Anwar knows this.

Now, how do you run an election to make sure you are not ‘cheated’ and you win? If Anwar does not know the answer then he should just retire. Actually he does know the answer to this question but he is mischievously leaving it vague. And this is very naughty of him.

First of all, you need to buy the list of the registered voters from the Election Commission (SPR). Your election workers then study this list to see whether there are any dubious voters on this list.

For example, you may find 300 voters registered at the same house address. Your election workers then visit this house to determine whether it is true that there are 300 people living in this one house. Most likely there are less than 10 people living in that house so this would mean the 300 registered voters are ‘phantom’ voters.

Now, this does not mean these 300 people do not exist. It could mean these people are living somewhere else but have been ‘moved’ to this area and since they do not have a home in that area they are ‘tompanging’ (‘squatting’) in this address.

These are what they refer to as ‘phantom’ voters — people living somewhere else from where they are registered to vote. But they do exist. They are not really phantoms in the sense they are non-existent people.

If you are sure of winning in a certain area and your majority in that area is traditionally very large (say like Marang in Terengganu), then you can afford to shift some of your voters to the neighbouring area where the situation is normally 50:50 (say like Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu).

You are not worried about Marang. That is PAS President Ustaz Haji Abdul Hadi Awang’s area and no one can defeat him there. But Kuala Terengganu always swings between PAS and Umno (and even Parti Negara and Semangat 46 at one time) so you need to ‘strengthen’ that seat. So you shift some of the Marang voters to Kuala Terengganu so that you can win both seats instead of winning one and losing one.

That was why PAS won 15 of the 32 state seats in Terengganu (Umno won 17) and 4 of the 8 parliamentary seats (a tie). PAS very cleverly spread out their voters.

Kelantan is another case in point. Thousands of Kelantanese no longer live in Kelantan. They work and live all over Malaysia, many even in Singapore. But they do not transfer their place of voting to where they work/live. They remain registered in Kelantan and then go back to Kelantan to vote. This is to make sure that PAS can retain Kelantan.

Umno can, therefore, call these voters PAS’s phantom voters.

So PAS and Umno are actually cleverer at this game than DAP or PKR. DAP and PKR lump their voters in one place. Hence they win large majorities. PAS and Umno shift their voters and spread them out strategically. Hence with lesser votes they can win more seats whereas the reverse would happen for PKR and DAP.

But why did DAP win more seats than PAS? Well that is because PAS, PKR and Umno are sharing the 60% Malay votes while DAP monopolises the Chinese voters. Hence DAP gets more than 90% of the Chinese votes (in some saluran it was actually 100%, which shocked Umno) while PAS, PKR and Umno have to split the 60% Malay voters three ways.

And this is what concerns Umno. Umno can see that DAP now has a monopoly on the Chinese votes whereas Umno needs to compete with PAS and PKR for a share of the Malay votes.

Nevertheless, while Umno has to share the Malay votes with PAS and PKR, Umno won 88 seats versus 51 for PAS and PKR. And not all PKR seats are Malay seats. Some are Chinese/Indian seats. Hence, if you minus these seats, then Umno won 2:1 versus PAS and PKR.

By this act of cheating they turned the brightest hour in our nation’s history into its darkest.

But last night YOU responded. Hundreds of thousands Malaysians from all races and walks of life, young and old – came to Stadium Kelana Jaya to show your outrage against the injustice and fraud. You showed courage and determination. You braved the traffic jams, walked kilometres and stood in the pouring rain because you believe your cause is a noble one.

You were peaceful. You showed your allegiance to the Yang diPertuan Agong and sang the national anthem with pride. You demonstrated clearly that we are a nation united as Bangsa Malaysia.

Some say that you gathered because you cannot accept defeat. This is a gross insult and lie. The truth is that your victory has been stolen from you. It is they who cannot accept defeat and who have resorted to cheating to stay in power. You are on the side of truth and truth will triumph over falsehood.

You have every right to be outraged that your vote for change has been hijacked. You have every right to feel hurt and insulted by the accusations of being ungrateful and greedy just because you voted for Pakatan.

Factions are endemic to the politics of democratic parties. A survey of party politics in the democratic world would confirm this to be true.

Even in nations facing grave peril to their national security, there are factions within parties that are in contention with rival parties for the right to rule their imperiled polities.

Hence wise is the leadership of democratic parties that seeks to co-opt factions rather than ostracise or ban them. “Come, come, let us reason together” would be a more constructive guide in the placation of party factions than a hortatory “You are out of order, so put up or shut up.”

The best way to tackle the latest irruption of factional politics in PKR is to allow deputy president Azmin Ali’s side a full airing of their grievances against the top leadership of the party and against the style and content of Khalid Ibrahim’s stewardship as Selangor menteri besar.

In fact, if it’s true that there was no consultation within Selangor PKR in the prior commendation of an MB to the Palace, it’s best to admit the fault and assure the aggrieved that there would not be a repetition in the future.

Rather than ignore the fault, or worse, deny that there was one, this admission would help douse the embers of inter-factional strife and reduce the chances of their being fanned to a renewed blaze in another irruption sometime down the road.

Astute acceptance of the inevitability of factions affords wisdom in how to co-opt, cajole and divert them such that their periodic and inevitable irruption in a democratic party does not capsize but is contained by them, rather.

Bloodless Coup in Kelantan

Witness how Kelantan PAS has neatly done in Husam Musa, the star performer in the state executive council for at least half of the 23-year reign of just-retired Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

The faction jealous of Husam’s position – jealousy is ineradicable in democratic political party affairs – could not discharge their rancour while his patron, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, was around.

The Tok Guru was too charismatic for the envious to do anything about Husam (left) who was head and shoulders – intellectually and morally – above the rest of the state executive council.

They bided their time, waited until Nik Aziz helped Kelantan PAS win their sixth successive general election before he called it a day, the latter thereby implicitly refuting criticism that he would hold on to power forever.

Nik Aziz held on for such a long time (22 years and six-and-a-half-months) because only a leader of his aura was able to keep UMNO at bay.

Depend upon it that if new MB Ahmad Yaakob cannot find another Husam to refresh and rejuvenate the administration and policies of PAS in Kelantan, UMNO will be back in power in the state at GE14.

And why not? In a democracy, no party should be allowed to rule uninterruptedly for anything as long as a quarter of a century, as Kelantan PAS would have when it completes its current sixth term at the helm in Kota Baru.

It is in the nature of a democracy to refresh and replenish its leadership and the ideas that animate it periodically. Over-extended rule by one party is a negation of the democratic process.

The way the faction in Kelantan PAS that’s now in power did in Husam is a classic example of a bloodless coup. They dispensed with the courtesy of informing him of a meeting – that’s one hell-of-a-feat of cooperation or, as one might say, complicity – to appoint the members of a new state executive council under a new MB, and confronted Husam with a fait accompli of a new set-up without a role for him and then implied that it was the palace that did not want him.

Meanwhile, the Palace is keeping its counsel on the matter while Husam has discounted the story of Palace interference as inherently incredible.

A Display of Ingratitude

One can say that the way the victorious faction in Kelantan PAS has behaved towards Husam, to whom the party owes so much, is a finessed display of ingratitude.

But then wasn’t it the Greek philosophic writer, Plutarch, who observed that ingratitude towards their great leaders is a mark of strong peoples?

The Kelantanese are an extraordinary people; just their production of people like Nik Aziz (right) and Husam is enough to prove the point – that, together with their people’s tendency to cock a snook against the federal government, makes them a remarkable people.

The past 23 years they have constituted a faction against the federal government and in the past few days, a certain faction within that overall one has pulled off a putsch against one of their better products.

One is almost tempted to say that factions are the lifeblood of democratic politics; let’s have more of them. But no, that would not be wise or true. It’s merely that factions are inevitable and if some conduct themselves with as much panache as the one that blindsided Husam, well what can you say!

As for Husam, one of the bright lights of the Malaysian political scene the last 15 years at least, the man has been far too intelligent a politician not to go with the drift of things, and not to bow and accept the end of a season.

They are now playing with the fire of racism and hate-mongering and trying every means possible to intimidate you. As long as we stay united there is nothing to fear. Together we will show the illegitimate UMNO-BN government that our voice is not easy to silence. We will show them our resolve and the courage of our convictions. We will not stop until justice and victory is returned to us.

If you believe in this mission I give you my word that the Pakatan Rakyat is with you. We will stand firmly with you all the way. We will never surrender.

Thank you,

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  thanked P119 voters for their trust in giving a victory 

If anyone asks me today what the three great virtues are that drive me to PAS, 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.

ask you, ‘How could you put up with that?’ ‘Why didn’t you say something?’ “How can you let them do this?’ If you aren’t seen screaming and protesting and doing a sort of a war-dance, sword in hand, at all the perceived injustices being handed out – being a P119  PAS candidate, basically – you’re seen to be passive, timid, a rollover. You are supposed to make yourself seen, heard, known – to let people know, with collars up, who you are. What do they think you are, anyway?We equate brashness and cockiness with strength, and a dignified keeping quiet and carrying on with timidity. That is akin to equating a calm sea with an absence of water. The strongest of men have learnt to keep their egos under check and not be affronted when in situations where their presence is not heralded with pomp and show. It’s not easy.

Let the world not know me. I do not feel the need to answer to anyone who asks – ‘but how can you not raise this? How can you let them do this to you? What do they take you for?’ Not even when I am sometimes, in an ego-driven moment, asking myself the same questions. It seems to me too close to the typical existential Delhi query: don’t you know who I am?The problem begins when we try to pass on these truths to others. For my truth is not the same as my voters’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.

My take on it is: Maybe you don’t need to know, maybe you won’t understand even if I told you.

I know who I am, and that is quite enough

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. … Read more

Leading the pack was in the social media,NAjib faced a barrage of hostile criticism, much of it lampooning him for his conceited ambitions. Seldom had cartoonists and stand-up comics had such a field day. The leitmotif of the commentators was tha Najib was disconnected with the public mood. He simply could not come to terms with the way the country had evolved during his 4 years rule. People may have had sound reasons to deplore the deterioration of governance in every field of endeavour under Mahathir’s dispensation.

Why do some people just cannot accept defeat gracefully and fight another day? Pakatan’s acceptance of the constituencies won by them will not absorb your frauds and cheats

Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani concurred with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak It may sound odd, even preposterous, to suggest that the one individual who has contributed, though unwittingly, to the quite unprecedented developmentswho described the opposition leaders’ refusal to accept the results of the 13th general election (GE13) which were in favour of BN, as the greatest hypocrisy. Who is the greatest HYPOCRITE? I am sure the rakyat are able to form their own conclusion without you,as ANWAR, telling them… They aren’t kindergarten kids..They see with their own eyes: the speech you gave before and after General Election- They contrasted each other when they compare them. You became an instant racist the moment the General Election was over and the results were made known. You tried to camouflage the mother of all frauds and the Selangor rakyat saw them with their own eyes which are so evident. Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga your tool and SHE has taken for granted the rakyat who are very angry with anwar and PAS for indulging such hideous acts of electoral fraud. You can’t fool the rakyat. To them, you are not fit to be the PM of Malaysia as your words and promises

voters Learn from others’ mistakes, rather than make your own

Of course you can stick your finger into an electrical socket, get a massive shock and learn from the experience to never do so again. Or you can read about it, perhaps watch it in a movie, or even see someone do so in front of you and learn to never do so. The same goes for relationships. There are so many situations you encounter which in hindsight you wish you had done so differently. Losing your virginity too early, doing drugs, getting involved with a married person, not making a will or insuring your family, neglecting your health, neglecting your partner are just some examples of choices and experiences that should have been made without learning the hard way. It just takes common sense and the experience of others at every crossroad or fork in the road, to show you which road leads to happiness and which road courts disgrace, punishment, a pricking conscience and many moments of regret. The wisest are those that learn from the mistakes of others.

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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 … Read more

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There is nothing like soap opera for cleansing emotional bath. A brilliant, contemporary instance is the very British, very 1920, class-skirmish series, Downton Abbey. Name a cliché, and there it is, squeezing one teardrop after another. The lord of the manor is lost between two worlds; the grand dame, his mother, pours scorn on both like Oscar Wilde on steroids. The butler has a heart of gold and purse of copper. One daughter marries an Irish nationalist, who has the temerity not merely to be working class but also Catholic. A second daughter descends further in the social swamp. She becomes a journalist. As the acid-sweet grandmamma notes across the dining table, now that the family includes a country solicitor and car mechanic it was only a matter of time before someone became a journalist.

Yes, and it can be found where you least expect it, in the obvious. Polls require money but never as much as the candidate demands. The simple truth is that money cannot buy you the vote, or no government would ever lose. It is axiomatic that those in office will always commandeer a disproportionate share of available liquidity, but if this alone settled the issue then every election would be over before it began.

Anwar seem to think Azmin deserves to be the Selangor MB. But on what basis? The man who helms this most important state in the country must not only be a good administrator, but a good businessman. Khalid Ibrahim has done a sterling job and it is no surprise that Selangorians want him back to finish what he has started.Really? Show evidence. Show us your worth, why you think you are better than Khalid. We have seen none.

On the other hand, Selangorians can round up a dozen reason why Azmin would not get their vote to be MB. For one, the extreme lack of tact in handling the MB issue shows a severe lack of leadership, maturity and lack of values such as humility, foresight and selflessness that we expect from the head of state.

Now, what has Azmin got to bring to the table? What is his experience as compared to Khalid’s? Well, we have not heard any reasons for his desire to be MB except tantrums that the party members had not been consulted and vague allusions to “nepotism” should Khalid continue a second termIt is embarrassing enough for PKR that Selangor after one week has still not settled on its menteri besar, thanks to one individual who sticks out in his party politics like a sore thumb.

After a dramatic general election and PKR-Pakatan’s failure to win the election, owing to a number of factors both outside and within, it seems people like Azmin Ali and his band of supporters still have not learnt the painful lesson.

The road to Putrajaya is long ahead and fraught with difficulties and obstacles. Yet it seems all is forgotten as some people in PKR are only setting their sights on their short term goal – power, as instant gratification.

We have had enough of such leaders in the past, that is why many want BN-Umno out. Azmin, sadly, is following the footsteps of the very leaders Malaysians are sick of seeing and hearing from. If he continues to behave in this way, I have no doubt voters will send him to the dustbins in the next election

He puts his own interest ahead of those of his party, the coalition and the people when just after the GE he makes public statements and holds a press conference that embarrass the opposition. He shows a total lack of respect for the views of his party elders and those of his coalition partners.

Why have journalists been in such bad odor with every pillar of any establishment? Because they ask too many questions and never have enough answers? Or is it because they dip their snoot so often into the trough of corruption?

Journalism is possible only in a democracy; anywhere else information is propaganda. But a democratic establishment is no less caustic about this profession than the old order. Editors never seem satisfied with the occasional private dinner or periodic gong handed out by government; they keep probing into the mutually rewarding relationship between wealth and power, to the great distaste of politicians.

Their rationale is cogent. There is no democracy without elections. Elections require money. Such cash does not grow luxuriantly on legal trees. This primary lubricant can only be generated by businessmen through deceptive accountancy. The quid pro quo is that such businessmen must be protected and rewarded. Case settled.

This argument is being nourished in drawing rooms across borders as the Indian subcontinent lurches its way towards a mammoth election season. Pakistan’s vote is in May; India, Afghanistan and Maldives will follow, with Bangladesh just a little behind and Nepal in permanent maybemode. Is there any ethical solution to this septic conundrum?

Yes, and it can be found where you least expect it, in the obvious. Polls require money but never as much as the candidate demands. The simple truth is that money cannot buy you the vote, or no government would ever lose. It is axiomatic that those in office will always commandeer a disproportionate share of available liquidity, but if this alone settled the issue then every election would be over before it began.

Voters are very wise; they will accept every little bribe thrown their way, and then vote on the basis of policy, politics and perhaps character. When candidates turn beggars or extortionists, it is not because they want to win, but because they want to knit a fat financial cushion that will comfort their posterior for the foreseeable future. Elections are the appropriate time for accumulation since ‘donations’ have become legitimized during this heartbeat moment in a democracy. The true algebra of spending offers different equations. Losers, driven by anxiety, tend to spend more than winners, all other aspects being equal.

Every election does offer one or two high-profile examples where money has been used to fashion a result, but this requires enormous political muscle and some very careful government engineering. Exceptions prove the rule rather than undermine it. The most dramatic election in Indian history was surely one after Emergency, in 1977. The principal opposition alliance, called Janata Party, had very little money in either north or south India. Janata won every seat in the north, and lost almost every seat in the south. Neither the presence nor absence of money changed the outcome. In the last Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, many DMK enthusiasts believed fervently that Jayalalithaa would be humbled by DMK’s money power. We all know who won.

The electoral excuse for corruption falters on facts. Will this change anything? Probably not. For parties and their candidates, cash collection has become too pleasant a habit. Businessmen might be aware of what is going on, but continue to feed this goose in the belief that it will lay golden eggs very soon. The existing system is their best insurance in an environment where profits can depend on manipulation. This cozy partnership explains why politicians are so desperate to get nominations, even when they are certain that they will lose. They know that whether they become MPs or not, they will always become richer.

The ancient lords, whether in aristocratic Britain or princely India, squeezed their peasants directly and built palaces served by butler and retinue. Their successors are more discreet. They bow before the voter and harass private sector plutocrats. But one thing has not changed. In the end, it is always the people who pay.

Tien Chua another wolf in sheep’s clothing

 

Given a choice, Tien Chua  will commit a crime than do any good. I wish I were wrong, but simply can’t help feeling this way. In ,

Wong Choon Mei  said

This is a most unpleasant situation with racial overtones. Not all who have been dropped are Chinese but most are  we Chinese  very concerned. Who will be next?””At the end of the day, it’s the way they make decisions at the top. It is just like the BN. PKR is the new Umno and DAP the new MCA. Anwar talks about creating a new Malaysian identity but when push comes to shove, he sells out his own members. You can’t blame me for being angry because  Tien Chua and me spent the past 3 years investing a lot of time and money to build a following in their designated constituencies. But it is Anwar’s betray that really hurts,”Several of PKR’s most senior Chinese leaders had even convened a meeting a few months ago to discuss the grouses of their grassroots. Their complaints were then formally presented to Anwar but it appears he has not seen fit to take their views seriously.

Perhaps, it is time for the PKR adviser to come down to earth and realize that his greatness came not only from God but from millions of unseen Malaysians who supported him in good faith and without condition

but 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 

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.relatedarticleSuara Keadilan Malaysia blogged Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani public anger against Najib is misplaced?

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 Badawiyou 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 … Read more

the most important thing that Najib must now do is to set up a Cabinet and this is not an easy task because those who are not chosen will definitely look at what the Opposition can offer. Maybe Najib is contemplating forming a bigger Cabinet than the one he had, with a ministry for every possible sector. But that would be ridiculous and it will need extra budget allocations even as our soaring national debt hits the RM470 billion level. Furthermore, as part of his election promises, the amount of cash aid under his BR1M program has to be increased. Najib must realize now that it is easier said than done but the question is – does he care? Or is he just keen to be PM for as long as he can and take as much as he can while the nation hurtles into bankruptcyG13 was a turning point for UMNO’s political history When people run short of ideas, they reach out for other things.There’s money, the first crutch of all fools. For all those who lack self esteem, the first argument is: If I had enough money, I could have done it. This is untrue. Money can make … Read more.

So due to his short-sightedness in still trying to hold onto the mandate by himself, Najib now has to face the prospect of unhappy BN MPs being lured by the Opposition to jump ship. Najib’s only possible move is to counter-offer, but this will create a huge opportunity amongst the BN MPs to make as much money as they can and practically blackmail Najib into a corner. Their price will surely be very high. But maybe Najib has already prepared for this event. Remember, he has somehow managed to hide the RM500 million commission he allegedly took for the purchase of the useless Scorpene submarines. Or perhaps, Raja Ropiaah – the corruption-tainted Selangor Wanita chief – can help with the millions she has been accused of having pilfered.

Perhaps, Najib was hoping that PR would be too stunned by the GE-13 results and entrap themselves by squabbling over posts. But unlike UMNO which has not been able to close ranks, PAS’ Husam Musa has accepted the decision to drop him from the Kelantan state government and PKR No. 2 Azmin Ali has agreed that Khalid Ibrahim continues as the Selangor chief minister.

Worse of all for Najib, UMNO, BN and Mahathir Mohamad, the people are still behind Anwar Ibrahim. This is evident in the huge numbers that come to any PR gathering, including the gigantic May 8 Kelana Jaya ‘Post GE13 Rally’ and the May 11 record breaking rally in Penang.

PR is ready for the next stage of their action plan. It is Najib, UMNO and BN who are at loss on what to do next. Ironic is it not?Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani bersama YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani  said Najib has said he wants to be prime minister for all Malaysians. unlike –Pakatan is clearly tired. No one wants to do the hard job of fielding….but everyone wants to become the PM!. The economy too has turned the corner, with exports on …Read more

So due to his short-sightedness in still trying to hold onto the mandate by himself, Najib now has to face the prospect of unhappy BN MPs being lured by the Opposition to jump ship. Najib’s only possible move is to counter-offer, but this will create a huge opportunity amongst the BN MPs to make as much money as they can and practically blackmail Najib into a corner. Their price will surely be very high. But maybe Najib has already prepared for this event. Remember, he has somehow managed to hide the RM500 million commission he allegedly took for the purchase of the useless Scorpene submarines. Or perhaps, Raja Ropiaah – the corruption-tainted Selangor Wanita chief – can help with the millions she has been accused of having pilfered.

Perhaps, Najib was hoping that PR would be too stunned by the GE-13 results and entrap themselves by squabbling over posts. But unlike UMNO which has not been able to close ranks, PAS’ Husam Musa has accepted the decision to drop him from the Kelantan state government and PKR No. 2 Azmin Ali has agreed that Khalid Ibrahim continues as the Selangor chief minister.

Worse of all for Najib, UMNO, BN and Mahathir Mohamad, the people are still behind Anwar Ibrahim. This is evident in the huge numbers that come to any PR gathering, including the gigantic May 8 Kelana Jaya ‘Post GE13 Rally’ and the May 11 record breaking rally in Penang.

PR is ready for the next stage of their action plan. It is Najib, UMNO and BN who are at loss on what to do next. Ironic is it not?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 … Read more

if UMNO-BN had lost in the recent GE-13, Najib would have just a few things to worry about, such as how to step down gracefully as the UMNO president, what will become of his family’s business empire and how prepare himself to face the worst possible repercussions from the Altantuya murder and Scorpene corruption cases.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 questionDatuk Johari Ghani Najib was at wrong place at wong timea mythological, yet, public were exposed to crime and sex crime, sex and controversy Najib have repeatedly denied to the … Read more

In Malaysia, “move on” is the chant of investment sharks and developmentalists. They discharge their incantations at anyone begging for a cure for traumas caused by prejudice, hate, or indifference. And Malaysai is only 56 years old.

Indeed, “move on” is the mantra which, some socioeconomic pundits believe, will exorcise Malaysia of its ghosts — such as the displaced, the riot-hit, and the race-war casualties. But as Malaysi  has shown, moving on is not as easy as treating a victim of a moral cataclysm to developmental ice lollies like smooth roads — even if Malaysia cars can reach 200 kilometres per hour on them.The example of Najib’s transformation is ordinary, and therefore is evident everywhere.

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 a disaster ; 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..

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.

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

A week is a long time in politics, but for Malaysians it has seemed a lot longer following the 13th general election (GE13).

The final score was Barisan Nasional (BN) — 133 and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) — 89.

Usually the winners would be busy cobbling a cabinet together and the losers would be licking their wounds and sitting in front of the drawing board to scheme a plan for the next one.

However, the “most serious threat” to the BN since Merdeka has turned matters on its head. Losers PR is still planning protests, claiming that the election was stolen from them.

On the other side, winners BN seems unsure how to handle a victory in which it retained power, by a comfortable margin, in parliament but lost the coveted two-third majority.

For Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, his work has just begun

Najib’s long-term work would be to reconcile a seemingly divided nation after the polls and to ensure BN’s election promises get delivered in the next five years — a monumental task in itself with a bill that has been estimated at about RM225.6 billion by bean counters.

G13 was a turning point for UMNO’s political history

When people run short of ideas, they reach out for other things.There’s money, the first crutch of all fools. For all those who lack self esteem, the first argument is: If I had enough money, I could have done it. This is untrue. Money can make nothing happen unless you will it. And you can will nothing without a precise premise, a strategy or game plan that you have clearly thought through. In short, an idea. Without the idea, without the intellectual or emotional muscle that goes with that idea, any idle dream based only on the availability of money is always doomed. That’s why angel investors do due diligence. Not only of the idea to invest in but also of the person who will deliver it. Does he or she have the grit, gumption, dedication and leadership? Or the persistence to see the idea through its initial days when all that can go wrong always does, following Murphy’s Law?

the most important steps that should be taken by Umno was to give extra focus on the aspirations and needs of the middle-class Malays. For that,Umno should prepare a more inclusive framework for the group.appointing Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani as the minister for  Federal Territory Minister. the number of middle-class Malays are increasing and they mustn’t be sidelined by Umno.“The aspirations and expectations of these middle-class Malays also differ from the aspirations and expectations of the rural community and other groups,” Johari  told his voters At the same time,  said Umno must also continue reaching out to other races, including the Chinese, so that it will not be seen as an unfriendly Malay party. “Umno must find ways to maintain racial harmony in the country,” he said.

The other crutch, very popular in Malaysia, is connections. Most people think they can achieve anything if only they had a godfather to see them through. The truth is, much as we may like to believe the opposite, few success stories of modern Malaysia have anything to do with godfathers. Except in politics and business, where it has been a tradition to mentor heirs from within the family. So it’s tough to break in. It’s far simpler to go out and make your own road. To do that, the first important step is to stop looking for godfathers. Mentor yourself. The rich uncle will always come to you once you have demonstrated your ability to deliver on your own promise. But if you hang around him hoping he will give you the first break, be sure that he will soon start avoiding you.

However Najib’s immediate task to assemble a Cabinet is more important. Compared to the cabinet before dissolution, he has 11 vacancies to fill. Seven members of the previous Cabinet did not contest the parliamentary elections and three were defeated.What UMNO need is a collection of unified charismatic leaders to go to the grounds, inspire the young, and persuade the rural Malays to another point of view- one that is in harmony with the rest of right thinking Malaysians. Once that’s done, UMNO will undertake that long and painful journey at self reform,see the … Read more

How Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani won P119 Titiwangsa PAS thanks Chinese for voting in Malay reps how PAS made the Chinese voters as ‘caged parrot’ PAS has expressed gratitude to Chinese voters who backed Malay Pakatan Rakyat candidates in the recently concluded general election, even if it meant having to vote against a fellow Chinese. Like MCA … Read more

How he fills these vacancies is very important, not least because he will be scrutinised by members of his own Umno party who will vote whether he will stay as president in the next general assembly later this year.

The question is already being asked, would he assemble a cabinet to win party votes or one to win the next general election, and the two seem to be mutually exclusive.

In this, Najib is faced with precedents in Umno set in 1970 when Tunku Abdul Rahman stepped down after losing many seats in the 1969 general election and in 2009 when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was the first prime minister to fail in securing a two-thirds majority, made way for Najib.

Since then, Najib has done a lot to correct some of the shortcomings that have driven young voters away from BN.

Some of these steps, like his 1Malaysia branding and the abolition of the hated Internal Security Act have been successful in putting a new face on BN and Umno as a more tolerant organisation.

Other steps, however, such as the rolling back of Malay privileges and spending to raise the lot of the poor has been treated with suspicion.

Retribution politics

It is telling that while Najib has called for national reconciliation, there are some in BN who are still bent on punishing the voters who did not support them.

On Saturday newly appointed Terengganu Mentri Besar Ahmad Said said areas where BN lost in the state would not have the benefit of having the services of local development officers nor state funded affordable housing projects. It is back to the day of retribution politics that is losing traction now.

Someone who lost but has not blamed voters is BN’s Saifuddin Abdullah, who is an Umno Supreme Council member. Saifuddin admitted that his loss was due to Chinese votes but added that his analysis showed that he also lost because some Malay votes did not come his way.

“Records show that some 3,389 Umno voters stayed away on election day, and if you do the maths, it could have easily offset the 1,070 votes I lost to my opponent,” he said.

“More importantly I think the trend is that a large portion of voters have moved away from development-based aspirations towards democratic aspirations.”

Saifuddin said it is now more crucial than ever that BN embraces the changes needed to keep up with the aspirations of the new Malaysia, the one on the ground today and not the one of 10 years ago.

He said it may be that more Malaysians hold democratic aspirations, which through accident or design seem to be represented by the Opposition, than those who hold development aspirations, which the BN relentlessly pursued in all its election campaigns.

He said the prime minister had seen this coming and instituted moves to counter the trend and steer Umno and BN towards transformation by engaging his 1Malaysia agenda.

“Because the transformation process must go on and we must not abandon this track for the sake of short-term expediency,” he said.

“In the next general election, the people’s desire for democratic aspirations would be even greater than today.”

He said BN must come up with a fresh look and channel this energy and need for a non-racial platform by introducing direct membership into BN.

“This is important for people who for one reason or another are not comfortable about joining any race-based party.

“I see this as a chance for party leaders to take responsibility and rise above race politics.”

He admitted that there will be voices raised against Najib within the party and that it may even lead to Najib facing the same fate as Abdullah.

“But the situation is not the same in this election. Najib actually delivered more seats to Umno.

“I think he should be re-elected as party president, preferably uncontested so that he may continue his transformation agenda, which is crucial for the party’s future.

“Najib is Umno’s best product, how can Umno remove its best product?”

Saifuddin said the second part of the equation would be for Umno to elect a Supreme Council of young and new faces, with women well-represented.

“We must learn fast how to adapt to this new reality.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch this space?

Nong Chik love traffic jams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exactly how well has he performed in discharging his duties?

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

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

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

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

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

Illegal stalls

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

Why is this so, Nong Chik?

Are there those on the take?

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

Why the dereliction of duty, Nong Chik?

Parking lots

Typical daily scenes of several TTDI parking lots.

Chaotic parking

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

Why, Nong Chik?

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

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

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

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

Even a DBKL van is parked at a bus stop.

Illegal banners

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

Scenes of uncollected rubbish

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

See the stencilled graffiti for massage services, Nong Chik?

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

Remember, responsibility and duty should come first before ambition.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The residents of Lucky Garden Bangsar put up flags of Bersih and PKR at the roundabout but was removed by DBKL.

However they [ residents] took all the removed flags and replanted when they confronted the enforcement officers indicating that there is NO obstruction of traffic and further more Nong Chik ‘s banners are bigger and no approval seeked from DBKL but are all over Bangsar..

Thats people power… viva … the people of Lucky Garden…

Never before have we seen such unity … awesome solidarity!!!

Who would have sent DBKL’s staff to do this dirty work?

Sabarlah pakcik.. moga kepala Dato’ Raja Nong Chik bin Datuk Raja Zainal Abidin   yang  melastik ball bearing  tu pulak pecah kena lenyek lori..aminYes, Khairy, and I can categorically state that you have reduced yourself to the status of an apologist for all of Umno’s crimes against common decency – albeit a very well-dressed one with a posh imported accent.

WILL YOU VOTE RAJA NONG CHIK WHO LET THE DOG AT YOU

BN-UMNO Gov’t, in power for 55 yrs, is rotten to the core, rotten & stinking inside out. Mahathir & Taib Manmud’s wealth is each rated at approx RM45 billion, Najib RM30 billion, Daim’s? Taib’s Uncle Yakub before that? And all the other cronies’ wealth? All the losses and mismanagement in 55 yrs? If you crunch the numbers, every single Malaysian has lost a fortune. (For the understanding of Sarawak’s interior natives: 1 billion is 1000 million). These are mafias, crooks & criminals by any standard. Now Jesse Jaskson Junior in US faces 3 yrs in jail for misuse of US$750,000 in election funds. In China people are shot for embezzling US$100,000. Your Malaysian Giant Criminals? You estimate the punishment to befit the crimes! I’d say 5,000 strokes of the rattan and 10,000 years in jail.

Shenaaz Khan

‘Twas a glorious day indeed as devilry had ceased momentarily and I was met at my neighbourhood street junction by the fine featured face of the legitimate Lembah Pantai lawmaker. This was rather unorthodox of course, given the vile vindictive vandalism perpetuating through my Pakatan-held constituency.

Having been a resident of Bangsar Baru for 38 years now, I have never quite witnessed such unashamed UMNO unlawfulness as I have in the last 2 years. The blatant breaching of by-laws has been bolstered with barefaced belligerence and Bolshevik brute! At every street corner, a pasty face with creepy veneers and still hair would pounce out at unsuspecting motorists without woeful warning of the wimpy visage! Public property has been plastered with pimping portraits of bribe-brocaded BN bumpkins. And patches of grass outside private homes have been plunged with BN billboards, erected on the directive of (SPOILER ALERT!) the Federal Territories Ministry! This nugget of information came as a terrible horrible shock to ABSOLUTELY NO ONE!!

For awhile now, many Bangsar folk have been subjected to this menacing modus of a moustached mooching marauder called Raja Nong Chik. A non parliamentarian and kitchen entrance minister, Raja Nong Chik is, for all intents and purposes, a perfidious politician who offensively plies the peasants of Pantai Valley with his patrician pity! And with hideous regularity, he is seen bouncing about and brunching with the Bob’s and Betty’s of Bangsar, venturing to vulture votes. Hardly acts of hardiment one would think!

If there is one thing that I hate to death, it is spam. Getting spam email is one of the most annoying things ever.

Even more annoying are spam SMSes… you know, the ones that tell you about cheap beer at various nightclubs or discounts at popular restaurants.
But recently, the most annoying spam SMSes I have received are from a certain politician and Cabinet minister who goes by the name of Raja Nong Chik.
It started when I decided to register to vote slightly less than a year ago. Registration went fine with no glitches (i.e. suddenly finding out I’m registered to vote in Sabah!)
My constituency, according to my IC address, is Lembah Pantai. As we know, the current MP in that area is PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Since I didn’t vote in the last general election, I can’t claim to have played a role in getting her into office.
And now that the 13th general election is coming up, rumour has it that Umno will be fielding Raja Nong Chik in Lembah Pantai.
Now right after I had registered to vote (at the Election Commission office in Shah Alam), I started receiving the SMSes.
The first one wished me Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha, signed off with “RAJA NONG CHIK.”
I was quite shocked! I had only just registered a couple of weeks ago and now this Cabinet minister already had my mobile phone number.
I was about to cry “personal data theft!”, but quickly restrained myself. Good thing I did because, apparently, there is no such law against that in Malaysia.
After that, it just went on and on. I started receiving New Year greetings, advice on how to spend my Ramadan and even an invitation for Lailatul Qadar prayers.
Last month, I even received an SMS that had the hash tags #MERDEKA55 and #JANJIDITEPATI! He could be using the same bot service as #YORAIS!
The last straw came last Tuesday. My iPhone blew out the fog-horn ring tone, indicating that an SMS had come in so I quickly checked my phone.
When I noticed it was from Raja Nong Chik, I just got annoyed. But what pushed me to the edge was the content of the SMS itself.
“SLMT HARI LAHIR. Moga terus berjaya. Sama2 kita berdoa di hari lahir anda, agar agama, bangsa & tanahair terus terpelihara. Ikhlas: Raja Nong Chik, Menteri WPKB.” (Happy birthday. May you have continuous success. Let us pray on your birthday that our religion, race and homeland are protected. Sincerely: Raja Nong Chik, FTUW.)
I couldn’t take it anymore and although I knew it was useless, I immediately typed and sent a response to the bot mobile phone number.
“You got it wrong. My birthday is in June.”
Now, every time I’m in Bangsar or its surrounding vicinity, and I see a poster, banner or bunting with Raja Nong Chik’s face on it, I get turned off.
I literally feel sick and this is without even listening to him speak about his policies and promises. So much so that I’m inclined to vote for the other candidate.
I guess his plan to garner votes (that is if he really is going to contest in the Lembah Pantai constituency) is back-firing.
What he needs is someone with a decent enough level of intelligence to advise him on his A&P campaign. It’s really simple actually and I think I’ll SMS him my advice: “Don’t irritate your voters.”

Nonetheless his blog boasts a sudden stellar track record of service to the people of Lembah Pantai and could lead one to believe that Nong can do no wrong!! His catalogue of kindness includes stalking, soliciting and spamming the simple people of Lembah Pantai! Yes, everywhere a voter wanders, there he is. Just a fortnight ago, I received a box emblazoned with his smug mug, filled with festive fruit. Actually for this, I was rather thankful as I quite enjoy ingesting oranges and my cats love turning cardboard into confetti.

But the endless stream of text messages, mails and postcards pointlessly piled onto Pantairians carrying the “Nong Chik is no chickadee” chants has all but made many quite sick of Nong Chik. Yes, much like the Great Mustachio Prime Minister NAJ1B, who drums for support with a demeanour that demands a diuretic, Nong Chiks ballot begging has produced bile in many bellies. And Bangsar bellies are further upchucked by Chiks bastionhood of banner bullying. Yes, BANNER BULLYING! Tis a riveting game of brashly binning banners of one’s foe and then brandishing beastly banners bearing BN blockheads! The cheek of him!

Now the Nong-Nurul imbroglio has courted much contempt from both campaigning camps! Hence, last week, the democratically elected Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar, invited the resident rounding Raja to a public powwow on policies and performances. She proposed a date and a bipartisan mediator. But the foul fowl frowned upon the offer as he has a debilitating disdain for democracy and diplomacy! This was abundantly justified of course, as a debate debacle could easily prove Nong to be one humongous nought!

To those who have beheld the idiocy of indignation, it was delightfully obvious that Nuruls’ debate demand dilemma-ed dear Nong and frightened the faeces out of the FT fronter, who favours flibberti-gibberti falsehoods to irrefutable facts! Now I don’t mean to get philosophical, but Nong is no Nietzsche and is more accustomed to spin than Spinoza. So he says NO to his nemesis, feebly fearing that Nurul, the novice, would nimbly numb his neurons with nuanced knowledge of his niggling nepotism.

A King among cowards, he instead opts to spinelessly spew spiteful slander from platforms made of plastercine and pipes and trumpet his trivial triumphs to troupers, trustees and Tamagotchis. Mindful that any public debate would expose Nurul’s natty nature against his nonsensical natter, the mischievous minister maligns my MP’s movement with madcap monologue.

Two days ago, amidst a barrage of barren bollocks, the cowardly Chik commanded us to feverishly fear the onslaught of dingling democracy should those tongue twisting, freedom frothing, homosexual hosting Opposition win the next general elections! The ninth circle of hell will then be upon us and we shall become the Nubian slaves of Godless heathens! Malaysia shall be imperilled, for the Opposition is going to Khmer our Rouge and hurl us into Das Kapital damnation! How very tragic!

Yes, Nong certainly neighed some knee-slapping nuttiness when he compared the Opposition to the Khmer Rouge. My, my, such asinine assertions would confound both Mulder and Scully alike! One can’t help but be nonplussed by Nong’s nonsense. His chid of the Khmer Rouge is like the pot calling the Pol Pot black! It is after all the BN regiment that represses the rights of its rakyat with racial and religious discrimination and rampant abuse of power! And they do this all while taking a whack at the nation’s wealth. Poor Raja- his thoughts must have been stuck at the taxidermist and he must have confused the Khmer Rouge with Moulin Rouge.

But if Raja Nong Chik wishes to invoke horrible histories, he ought to reflect upon these hard-hitting truths of yesteryears- Elmer Fudd never killed Bugs Bunny, Wile E Coyote never out ran the road runner and Gargamel could not impede the smurfs from becoming Ipad icons, even if it was the last thing he ever did!

And Raja Nong Chik best remember that on March 8th 2008, the people of Lembah Pantai handed divorce papers to the malfeasant Madam Shahrizat and retained custody of our pride. We value our vale far too much to ever let anymore thieving, smirking BN overlords leech on to our land. So, so long Nong! And may the rest of the nation bid adieu to the BN blisters and their rotting residue!

While maintaining that there has yet to be proof of who started the Pantai Dalam fracas on last Thursday, Lembah Pantai Umno division chief Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin speculated that it happened because PKR brought outsiders into local politics.

related articlehttp://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/taxidrivers-street-sources-says-raja-nong-chik-has-given-a-blank-cheque-to-mayor-ahmad-fuad-to-organise-to-c

 I dare say Khairy is not in the inner circle of Umno to confirm whether directives were issued or not. The problem is that Malaysiakinidoes not report the news accurately. They do not tell you of the PKR supporters throwing and starting the violence, but show one side and report only one side.
Just like the butt hooligans who masqueraded as army veterans outside Bersih co-chair S Ambiga’s house have been traced to Rela members under the home minister’s purview, these attacks are well-coordinated using similar tactics of throwing stones, eggs and water bottles.
Umno may want to portray incidents like this as Malays being unhappy with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, but till the day thugs like the Sekinchan Ikan Bakar owner can manage to draw 100-200 loafers for his protests and not thousands of Malays, we could safely conclude that Umno’s so-called Malay support and support from the silent majority are fairy tales. Keep dreaming.

 Who but Umno encourages and gets involved in this type of thuggery? Give credit to the opposition and the public that they have not retaliated to this ‘samseng’ culture.

http://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/raja-nong-chik-says-desperate-measures-the-national-feedlot-centre-nfc-scandal-a-maximum-jail-term-of-20-years-hanging-over-datuk-seri-sh

More interested in mega-business

related http://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/raja-nong-chik-shining-lembah-pantai-voters-drowning-can-we-afford-another-unquestionable-sharizat-in-name-

Now how on earth do our politicians have the time to be involved in healthy and wise politics serving in the best interest of the rakyat and the nation if they are also into mega-buck businesses?

Besides, one also wonders how on earth can they place rakyat first before self if they have their own profits to worry about, day and night. Should the government of the day not ban all politicians from indulging in business deals and leave business to the business world?

It seemed that BN/UMNO has already won the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat before it begins with the registration of 15,000 new voters which appears to be exceptionally high !

Would the Election Commission cares or dares to make public the electoral rolls for the public to scrutinize if no underhand tactics or methods are intended.realated articlehttp://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com

/2012/04/28/it-is-a-war-now-the-fight-for-dataran-in-k-l-raja-nong-chik-vs-the-people/

The public has every right to check the lists of names and addresses of the new voters to ascertain that they are genuine and bona-fide new voters It is here that the shift in voter support is happening. Raja Nong Chik has been active in cultivating voters at the PPR flats and the numerous crowded urban housing schemes in Kampung Kerinchi, Pantai Dalam and Brickfields.

relatedhttp://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/raja-nong-chik-laughing-lembah-pantai-voters-drowning/

Mr. Baradan,how much you were paid by Raja Nong Chik the bastard who unleased the dogs at his voters . As usual it will be buttering a BN candidate, this time Raja Nong Chik, the backdoor representative. You have left out an important point ( deliberate or by ignorance). Whose money is Raja Nong Chik using to ” win” the hearts Lembah Pantai voters. And every candidate will display the most caring attitude before election except for Nurul Izzah who remains humble as ever.relatedhttp://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/mr-mayor-fuad-you-are-fucked-nong-chik-sodomised/

The constituency also has a strong PAS presence among the rich and poorer sections and they are expected to back Nurul as they did in 2008.

But many of the electorate are moving away from  lies transformation programmes introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Grassroots workers are seeing a shift in voter perception for Nurul

Both sides have registered voters in large numbers in this Malay-majority constituency that they hope would tip the balance in their favour.

Whatever the outcome, the battle for Lembah Pantai will be one of the hottest in the upcoming general election.

But this time around Nurul has a tough fight on her hands to retain this urban seat that has a mix of voters – urban poor, middle-of-the-road civil servants and the urban rich.

Shahrizat and her supporter, who are  expected to re-contest the seat that she had held for three terms, was removed from the political scene by the “Cowgate” scandal, will give  maximum trouble to  Raja Nong Chik  so that he will loose his deposit leaving the political scene for ever

Against the backdrop of several scams, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor  said a perception has evolved in the public that government was not serious about eradicating corruption from the country. is still in a nascent stage and I am sure  he said that in few years, the walls of secrecy will crumble in all walks of life. No institution can protect their misdeeds by secrecy because of Najib’s cronies. This will help in eradicating corruption,”"Corruption is a menace… However, despite our serious efforts, the general perception among people is that the government is not serious about eradicating corruption. Howeve this is illustrated by Najib

Dr M warns Najib Barisan-UMNO mired in misgovernance, deserves to lose an opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win at the polls is possible, ushering a new regime into power for the first time since Independence in 1957.howeever missed boat

BY SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 – Umno’s “six million dollar man” Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who was tied to allegations of corruption in the award of a RM1.3 billion 23-year concession to … READ MORE

Dr Mahathir was yesterday reported by international news agency AFP as suggesting that Najib may be unseated by unhappy Umno warlords if he fails to improve on BN’s performance during Election 2008, which had also helped unite the disparate opposition parties into a cohesive political force.

Dr Mahathir also told the news wire that he was worried about a possible regime change, suggesting there would be chaos and religious strife if the BN lost Putrajaya.

“Of course, if he (Najib) does not perform, there will be some necessity to switch horses.

“There could be a lot of disappointment and maybe a move to challenge him. That is normal,” the ex-prime minister who was in office for 22 years was quoted saying.

Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, also said Dr Mahathir should not have aired Umno’s dirty laundry with the election just weeks away.

But the son of one of Dr Mahathir’s staunchest supporters, the late Datuk Mohamed Rahmat, suggested the 87-year-old was only seeking to protect his legacy by campaigning for a BN win.

“Tun shouldn’t be talking about something negative at this point… I suppose he wants his legacy to continue by making sure BN wins.

“We can win actually (but) we need continuity to ensure BN can continue with its transformation and rejuvenation of its ministers and mentris besar,” Nur Jazlan told The Malaysian Insider.

Dr Mahathir was credited as the political force behind successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s premature retirement from office in April 2009 ― despite winning the 12th general elections albeit with the loss of its parliamentary supermajority ― and paving the way for Najib’s rise to the top.

Previously, Dr Mahathir had repeatedly warned the country’s majority Malays that a weak government like Najib’s would give rise to non-Malay dominance, alluding to the liberal policies pushed by Najib and reading them as signs of growing non-Malay encroachment into Malay rights.

But the former prime minister had also called on voters to give Najib a chance, saying restoring BN’s parliamentary supermajority would help the Umno-led federal government consolidate the Malays’ position in the country.

But for some Umno members, Dr Mahathir’s statements could undo Najib’s vigorous push to maintain the party’s Malay powerbase and court the critical young ― seen to be the new kingmakers, according to the results of several surveys conducted in the past few months in the run-up to Election 2013.

“I am not saying he is wrong. I respect him. He is my former boss. But I believe we should be focusing on winning now. I would prefer to stick with positive things for now. Let’s support Najib,” said Padang Besar MP Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid, a former Umno supreme council member and an ex-minister.

Genius businessman  Mokhzani Mahathir more suitable for PM post than Najib. (Mokhzani Mahathir who is ranked No 15 Malaysia richest man, has a fortune of US$980 million (RM 2,940,000,000.00), just US$20 million shy of joining the billionaires’ club.)

Dr M:” If the opposition wins, this country will face a lot of difficulties.” Well, he was right there – coz there will be a lot of ‘Spring Cleaning’ to do to reinstate and bring this country back to the right path. Our nation, for that matter, the whole world knows what and how this country had degenerated to what it is today! After years of plundering, robbing, deception and other criminal indulgences, it is natural to feel ominous what will result when Pakatan rules after GE13. Dr M, for one, will feel uneasy for the legacy he so unwittingly inherited. It is no less under Najib administration with more heinous deeds to add on. Inevitably, the rakyat felt repulsed and demonstrated their sentiments as evidenced in the historical rally over the last many months. The rakyat had spoken, and this time around, the present regime have reasons to worry and be prepared for the worst. Crime must pay for evils wrought. God is great as “he who sows must reap”.

Umno has made the ridiculous claim that they did not cheat in GE12. They say that the claim is “proven” because the opposition won control of five states. Umno is afraid to say that without the cheating, more states would now be under the control of the opposition.

‘Mahathirism’ being used now and then, and we don’t know what it means. Does it means pretending to a champion of the race while enriching yourself, your family and your cronies, killing off your eligible opponents and anyone who stands up for what’s right against you or any successor who opposes you, pitting the races against one another using scare tactics to your own advantage and generally being a lousy person who wasted a lot of the people’s money? If it does, it’s a good word. Beats writing this lengthy description over and over again. If not, I cannot imagine what it means.

7 Sins of Mahathir: 1) Project IC – Now Sabahans are 85% Sulu, should it be Sulu Empire or not, ask Dr M 2) Corruption – No need to say further, check out his accounts 3) Nepotism – Mahathir and CO, check how wealthy his assets and his children 4) Cronyism – He who knows Mahathir well, gets the contract, self-explainitory 5) Racism – Bumiputera and Lain-Lain, need we say more?? 6) Ketuanan Melayu – Don’t fool us, it should be Ketuanan UMNO 7) Perkasa – Adolf Hitler Style Malay Facis Party 7 Sins of Najib: 1) Scorpene Scandal – 1 Cannot selam, 1 Cannot Naik 2) Jet Engine Scandal – Tuan, engine kat Uruguay 3) Altantuya – Tak boleh, cakap. I swear, I don’t know her. 4) NFC – No case for CowRizat. Case Close. 5) I help U, U help me – Sibu is not that stupid 6) Bribery – BR1m, KR1M, BL1M. U intent is so superfake 7) Ceramah Sabotage – Telur, Batu, Cat Merah, Tomahan and Sex Video is your Modus Operadi.

In every beginning is the end; but doesn’t every end also promise a new and better beginning?

With a shawarma platter and an array of sauces in front of him, a young boy declared, “I am already feeling bad that this shawarma will soon be over. It upsets me so much that I cannot get myself to start eating!” Everyone at the table had a hearty laugh and the boy was subjected to much ribbing. However, there was undoubtedly a universal truth in what he had said.

Indeed, in every beginning is the end. At the start of life, when one is born, the only surety is that life will end one day. The rest is all shrouded in a mystery to be unfolded as life goes on. The fear of ending is experienced in so many, much smaller things as well.

Whenever you sit down to read a good book or watch a movie you’ve been looking forward to, do you not dread that it will end soon? The ending of a good book or movie, if you have genuinely been caught up in the magic, leaves you bereft and empty for a while. I feel like the young boy with the shawarma each time I have a good book in my hand. I pile up such good reads at my bedside table, looking at them as a promise of many hours of delight that I would rather hoard than end. The same goes for movies, DVDs of which I plan to watch but keep putting off, happy to look at the accumulated treasure. Strange, isn’t it? Because we are afraid of the good times ending, we would rather not begin.

Passionate lovers, the legendary American writer Ernest Hemingway and German actress Marlene Dietrich never made love. In Hemingway’s words, “We have been in love since 1934… but we’ve never been to bed. Amazing but true. Victims of unsynchronised passion.” It makes me wonder if they never started a passionate affair for fear that it would end; preferring to stand on the brink and enjoy what they had all their lives, frozen in time.

What a shame to be standing at the edge of the ocean, and never jump in and plumb the depths. It shows a lack of confidence and trust in life because you fear that your life may have no better experiences to unfold. The only excitement and novelty is in moving on from experience to experience. Yes, there is great fun in anticipation too because it gives you a great high with a dopamine release. However, anticipation should not become an end in itself, it should be the beginning of a new experience.

A friend shared an interesting thought, “Sometimes, I can see the end, but not the beginning!” She went on to explain how this could happen when she covets a man she can never have, or a life she can never live. In such cases, she considers she has seen and experienced the “end” even before she had a chance to make a “beginning”. This should make us realise how lucky we are to be allowed beginnings and how important it is to get started without fearing the end.

Not fearing the end doesn’t mean not being aware of it. All things — good or bad — end. And “this too shall pass” is a wonderful principle to live life by. So long as we are aware that all states of life as well as mind are temporary, we achieve equanimity and a balanced life. If only one understood that all happiness and grief, success and failure are temporary phenomena, in sad times we would bide our time till they end; in happier ones, we would be more balanced and empathetic towards the less fortunate.

Then there are those lucky few who feel they have found their end in the beginning. This could happen when a dream is realised, a perfect relationship or career launched. At least for a while one would feel that “this is it!” However perfection is rare to find, and even that doesn’t last. Our best bet would be to see life as a series of small cycles of beginnings and endings. When one book, movie, experience, job, relationship, or even a shawarma ends, another is almost always waiting for us ahead. Meanwhile, the pleasurable experience we just underwent for each cycle leads to further growth and evolution, making us better, stronger individuals and souls. When one assignment ends, one needs to switch anticipation towards looking forward to the next. Some people are smart enough to realise when an ending is near, and instead of waiting for and dreading it, they find the strength within themselves to end a cycle, so that another may begin. Creative destruction leads to fresh, more promising beginnings.

And so, if in the beginning lies the end, it is important to understand that in every end, there lies a better, more promising beginning. The end of childhood is the beginning of a promising adult life; ending of passion in a marriage can be the beginning of abiding love and care; the end of novelty in a friendship can lead to a new cycle of maturity, the end of one assignment means you move onto another with more value addition.The first reform Najib must put in place if he values democracy above family. If he doesn’t, we will know where he stands. Here’s how it goes: in the unlikely event of the UMNO-led BARISAN  forming the next government, The bad habit of a dynast calling the shots while a CEO-PM (or CM) does the … Read more

The first reform Najib must put in place if he values democracy above family. If he doesn’t, we will know where he stands.

Here’s how it goes: in the unlikely event of the UMNO-led BARISAN  forming the next government,

The bad habit of a dynast calling the shots while a CEO-PM (or CM) does the bidding has spread.

This duality of power – or diarchy as one senior editor cogently termed it – is unprecedented in a parliamentary democracy where the  unelected Prime Minister should have the last word on government policy.In a democracy, voters elect a political party to govern in the expectation that its legislative leader – the PM – will set final policy. If he is second-guessed by the  de-factor party president Mahathir, it amounts to short changing the electorate. What they voted for and what they’ve got don’t add up. That flies in the face of fundamental democratic principles. It doesn’t happen in any mature democracy worldwide. It didn’t happen in Malaysia either

n response to the explosive video evidence of how Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s family members and business associates abuse logging licences, an Australian scholar commented that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has “failed spectacularly” in fulfilling his anti-corruption promise.

Greg Lopez, Visiting Fellow of the Department of Political and Social Change, Australian National University, made the scathing remark during his interview with Al Jazeera after the influential international news TV channel reported on the video evidence.

“Well, I think there is sufficient evidence in the public sphere that Prime Minister Najib Razak has failed spectacularly in trying to curb corruption,” he replied when asked about Najib’s track record in fighting graft.

To back his argument, Lopez cited the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal that hit the family of former women, family and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

“The Prime Minister merely asked her to step down and did not take any action. That is just one example to show that corruption is entrenched in the political system and Prime Minister Najib Razak has failed to actually make any dent in corruption,” he said.

The video evidence of Taib’s family members’ involvement in land graft was obtained by Global Witness, a London-based NGO that investigates and campaigns against environmental and human rights abuses.

In the discreetly filmed video, two of Taib’s first cousins, a family member of Taib’s key business partner and a lawyer who represented the cousins, were caught abusing logging licences given by Taib’s government to enrich themselves, and explaining the mechanisms of circumventing existing laws to profit from the scheme. However, Taib’s lawyer has dismissed all the allegations as “entirely untrue”.

The video also showed that one of his two cousins, Fatimah Abdul Rahman, defending Taib during her meeting with an investigator sent by Global Witness who posed as a foreign investor.

“I am not making any excuses or whatever, but you know, I mean if you look at the good he’s (Taib) done for the state, it outweighs all the things that people have said about him.

“I know people are talking about him being corrupted and all but I think who isn’t in this world, when they’re leaders (laughs),” she says.

‘Land under logging licences encroached into ancestral land’

Global Witness found that the land under the logging licences issued to Taib’s family members encroached into the ancestral land of the indigenous people. They were, however, never consulted by the government or companies on plans to clear their land for plantations.

“We will fight on at all cost. We let them take timber in the past. We had no idea they are planning to take our land,” Vincent Balingau, a farmer in the land affected, told Al Jazeera.

Villagers at Long Napir, a settlement of Penan and Kelabit indigenous people, blamed their plight squarely on Taib.

“He lives, the rest of us suffer,” Tamin Sepuluh Ribu, a former village headman, said during an interview with Al Jazeera.

“We have no land to farm, our rivers have become muddy, there’s hardly any fish left any more.”

Despite historical documents having proven their land rights, Fatimah and Norlia, in the video, described the local folk as “naughty people”.

“They are pretty naughty people… they try to make money. So the minute they hear… they have people in the Land and Survey Department who will tell them, look this land has been given, has been titled to this company to do palm oil and what-not, they’ll plant themselves there. Technically they cannot claim at all but they could make life difficult if you don’t accommodate them,” Fatimah says.

Norlia added that, “They may harass you, that’s all. They are actually squatters on the land, because the land doesn’t belong to them. It’s government land. So they’re squatting.”

One of them was quoted in another part of the video as saying, “You know they’re very very poor. When leaders come they look at leaders like their kings and they always expect some handouts and things like that, you know.”

Strong, decisive leadership separates nations that command voters respect  PM  Najib does not have absolute power – and the absolute accountability that goes with it – we open ourselves to misgovernance. It’s no coincidence that the 4 years from 2009 to 2013 have witnessed more corruption scandals than during any other similar period of government in the past. When the head of the government has to shut his eyes to financial malignancy at the adharmic behest of his party or coalition, corruption is the intended consequence.(Adharma is the Sanskrit antonym of Dharma. It means ‘that which is not in accord with the law’ – referring to both the human written law and the divinely given )In 2013 we will have to draw a line beneath this diarchy.  PM Najib has understood this. He knows the UMNO will not win enough seats in the paliament next year to lead a stable government. At best,

Three major failures in the 13th General Election is set to put prime minister Najib Razak on a torturous path to defend the UMNO presidential post in the coming party election.

Including both minister and deputy minister posts, the prime minister rewarded Umno with 18 posts (including the party’s lawmakers in Sabah) and also gave East Malaysia 13 posts.

But with the exception for Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaludidn and technocrat Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, it’s the same old, same old.

There were no exceptional faces, unless you count Transparency International chief Datuk Paul Low as a minister, the only Chinese in the Cabinet. Or Hindraf chairman P. Waytha Moorthy as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department to reward the Indian vote.

Fact is, there was too much consideration given to rewarding those who gave victory to Barisan Nasional (BN), i.e. Umno and East Malaysia. The MCA had given up their seats although one, Transport, has been reserved for them.

Najib could have experimented by putting in new faces rather than those like Umno and BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor and Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili; or non performers such as Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

The other non performers in the past Cabinet include Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Like Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi before him in 2004, Najib appears to have stocked the Cabinet in order to secure the Umno presidency.

The prime minister better known as Pak Lah of course never did much with the Cabinet even after winning the top Umno post, which led to the Election 2008 massive losses.

But Najib is better than Pak Lah.

Muhyiddin’s power has been halved by sharing the Education Ministry with Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh and all the senior ministers are Najib’s men.

Also, Johor only has Muhyiddin and Hishammuddin in the Cabinet now when they used to have six before. That will count for something if there is a race for the top Umno post.

And what is Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim doing in the Cabinet? It is disappointing and unlikely to inspire confidence that things will change in the country with such a Cabinet.

For sure, one Khairy does not a summer make… not with this Cabinet.

According to PAS Research Centre director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, the three failures of the BN were in its failed bid to revert to the two-third majority in parliament, to wrest back Selangor, as well as its loss of popular votes making the current BN administration Malaysia’s first minority government.

“Worse for Najib, the people now know that BN won by frauds, similar to a schoolchild who copied in his exam but was hailed as high achiever and wanted acceptance from his peers.

“So is Najib’s government. Many factors and evidences are being gathered, some even published, including buying and bribing voters for RM300 to RM1000 a vote,” said Dzulkefly, who narrowly lost the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat.

Dzulkefly predicted that Najib’s ‘victory’ meant that he would find it difficult to defend his presidency.

On the current probe launched by Pakatan Rakyat on electoral frauds in 27 parliametary constituencies won by BN, Dzulkefly said the BN minority government could fall before the end of this year on condition that the courts are credible.

“If the court still has credibility, the minority government will fall in the first six months. We accept the outcome but not the cheatings, how long should we continue this path?” he asked.

The PAS central committee member also said that the best option for Najib was to allow for fraud allegations to take the legal course and not stifle the process.

“Determine a timeline of 3 months to get it done and over with. The people want to move on with real reform and nation rebuilding,” he stressed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mahathir stirred an hornet’s nest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good in principle or just an expensive vote-catcher? Two, how much will it really cost the exchequer incrementally per year?

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has weighed in favour of the NFSB. His ideological rivals, the equally eminent Columbia University economists Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya, have argued caution, pointing out that, like the Public Distribution System (PDS), the NFSB will be leaky and benefit corrupt politicians and middlemen.

Ku Nam con man seeking revenge  against Mahatir teams up with a master of the big con Najib to help to  win UMNO PRESIDENT POST

But if the voting public recognizes that it is being burdened with Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s choices for his new Cabinet named today appear dictated by elections – the Umno polls later this year and concern that Sabah and Sarawak will not tolerate any more snubbing in the government.

Including both minister and deputy minister posts, the prime minister rewarded Umno with 18 posts (including the party’s lawmakers in Sabah) and also gave East Malaysia 13 posts.

But with the exception for Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaludidn and technocrat Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, it’s the same old, same old.

There were no exceptional faces, unless you count Transparency International chief Datuk Paul Low as a minister, the only Chinese in the Cabinet. Or Hindraf chairman P. Waytha Moorthy as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department to reward the Indian vote.

Fact is, there was too much consideration given to rewarding those who gave victory to Barisan Nasional (BN), i.e. Umno and East Malaysia. The MCA had given up their seats although one, Transport, has been reserved for them.

Najib could have experimented by putting in new faces rather than those like Umno and BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor and Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili; or non performers such as Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

The other non performers in the past Cabinet include Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Like Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi before him in 2004, Najib appears to have stocked the Cabinet in order to secure the Umno presidency.

The prime minister better known as Pak Lah of course never did much with the Cabinet even after winning the top Umno post, which led to the Election 2008 massive losses.

But Najib is better than Pak Lah.

Muhyiddin’s power has been halved by sharing the Education Ministry with Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh and all the senior ministers are Najib’s men.

Also, Johor only has Muhyiddin and Hishammuddin in the Cabinet now when they used to have six before. That will count for something if there is a race for the top Umno post.

And what is Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim doing in the Cabinet? It is disappointing and unlikely to inspire confidence that things will change in the country with such a Cabinet.

For sure, one Khairy does not a summer make… not with this Cabinet.

“I regret the various allegations made against BN, even after we kept our mandate as the federal government.“All activities and duties carried out in the war room were secret, and internal discussions were carried out with integrity and precision,” he was quoted saying today in the Umno-owned daily.

Tengku Adnan was responding to an earlier accusation by Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kasim who had said that BN’s war room strategists had failed in their bid to win over the hearts of voters.

The Malay rights leader had also reportedly accused the ruling coalition of failing to respond to the various allegations made against it in the social media.

Tengku Adnan pointed out that despite the accusations, BN had not only kept Putrajaya but also recaptured Kedah and Perak, two states that the federal opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had won in Election 2008.

The Putrajaya MP reportedly added any data or information released by these “irresponsible persons” were untrue.

“We in BN will not be traitors to the people, but instead, we will proceed with implementing all our election promises,” he was quoted saying.

The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that questions are being asked about BN’s war room strategists whose plans with a substantial budget did not appear to stop the ruling coalition from losing more federal and state seats in the May 5 general election.

The BN war room was tasked with selecting the candidates and advising various strategies to win the polls. It counts Rompin MP Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis, PWTC chairman Datuk Seri Dr Alies Anor Abdul, Petronas director Omar Mustapha Ong, Tengku Adnan, Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan and former minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh as among its members.

“It was just a crapshoot. Their ideas didn’t work and their white list predictions were wrong,” a senior Umno divisional leader told The Malaysian Insider on condition of anonymity.

The war room had stuck to its prediction of BN winning between 145 and 150 federal seats and also getting back Selangor in Election 2013 although some senior BN leaders were privately doubtful of the figures.

And by noon on Polling Day, the war room had issued its “white list” of 118 federal seats it was sure to win, but some like Pasir Mas, Shah Alam and Lembah Pantai were lost, which some Umno divisional leaders said reflected the disconnect between the leadership and the ground.

The Malaysian Insider had also learnt that Jamaluddin was behind BN putting Perkasa vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin as their direct Shah Alam candidate despite his controversial remarks that offended Indians about their Hindu faith.

It was understood that Jamaluddin felt that Zulkifli’s candidacy would not be too much trouble as the latter had already apologised to the Indians for his remarks which he claimed were made when in PAS.

But sources said the strategist did not consider that Zulkifli would become the poster boy of Umno’s disregard for sensitivities of non-Malays.

PR lost its bid for Putrajaya in the May 5 polls last week by a small margin, polling 89 seats to BN’s 133, a good seven seats more than it scored in Election 2008.

But the federal opposition pact cried foul when the overall results failed to reflect the popular vote trend, which saw PR polling 51 per cent to BN’s 48 per cent, an outcome they blamed on gerrymandering and vote-rigging by their political foes.

Ku Nam con man seeking revenge  against Mahatir teams up with a master of the big con Najib to help to  win UMNO PRESIDENT POST

But if the voting public recognizes that it is being burdened with Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s choices for his new Cabinet named today appear dictated by elections – the Umno polls later this year and concern that Sabah and Sarawak will not tolerate any more snubbing in the government.

How najib con his voters to make sense when tainted corrupt politicians are made. Ministers?

Frauds that have Najib’s official sanction in Malaysia

Despite I being the person who sits on the fence and watches the fun, I salute Najib in my own weird way.

Let me confess. There are  politicians on the planet who has never come in the vicinity of my idiosyncratic, critical eye.

Even among the greatest of zombies  you could ever see, very few are interested in fightling lost battles. The tendency of mere mortals is to go for either targets within your reach; or targets which are a touch difficult. try and fight for  causes despite the knowledge that Najib may not be alive see them, orhis ideology, win.he is idiosyncratic  of the highest order and have put UMNO on the line in his  mission.Looks like the dismal show of support received by  Najib has failed to teach the  his cronies a thing or two about ‘eating the humble pie’., Najib has unleashed his fury against its rival, thePerkasa founder Ibrahim Ali  pact, accusing the latter of misleading the Malayst into thinking that BN’s dominant arm Umno is a racist party out to sabotage the welfare of the non-Malays.

The greatest fear of the Singapore government is a Malaysia that is better governed and less corrupt. The extraordinary events in Malaysia over the past few years, plus the courageous stand of her citizens in the last few days, has been closely monitored from across the causeway.

If the infection spreads, the pent up feelings of Singaporeans may be unleashed. The two nations have a shared history.

The biggest irony of our times is that people perceive all politicians as ‘thieves’ but at the same time they are also forced to elect them  to Parliament again and again to rule the country.  And, these ‘thieves’ pick up people similar to them from all walks of life and every profession to build a nexus they need to loot the country. Do we have any choice as expected, the  Najib is putting all the blame of corruption under UMNO The question is whether people will actually believe that Najib unaware of whatever happened under Mahathir? Can anything move in the party and the government without Najib’s  approval?

Singapore may be a first world nation, but when it comes to an outpouring of feelings, the Singaporeans still look up to their cousins in Malaysia.

Dictatorship could be described as the new democracy in our neck of the woods; UMNO Baru’s Najib Abdul Razak together with his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, have every reason to be rattled by the ‘Anwar Ibrahim phenomenon’.

Not since independence has Malaysia been rocked by a political force which has captured the rakyat’s sense of frustration at the nation’s existing archaic order.

The older generation are weary of the wanton waste of resources, the lack of discipline shown by its leaders and the disintegration of society. The young yearn for a new order where their contributions are acknowledged, where everyone is treated as equals and where they are rewarded for hard work, rather than their connections or lineage.

Anwar has articulated their needs and galvanised the rakyat into action. Two weeks ago, some Malaysians residing in Singapore were cautioned by the Singapore Police for reminding Malaysians to return home to vote. A few days ago, some were arrested in Merlion Park for protesting about the fraud perpetrated during GE13. The Singaporean government does not like its citizens to have a mind of their own.

Najib wants Malaysia to be “the best democracy in the world”, but the hallmarks of his version of democracy are cheating, intimidation and bribery. In Singapore, the authorities also intimidate and take legal action against anyone who dares besmirch the characters of its leaders.

In Malaysia, insecure Malays reject the DAP because of the implied threat that Malaysia will be swallowed up by Singapore. Their fears are enhanced by some Chinese Malaysians, who look up to an idealised version of Singapore. Singapore absorbed many of them into learning institutions, gave them scholarships and jobs. These Malaysians forget that the price paid for Singapore’s transformation into a first world nation has been high.

‘Soulless inhabitants’

What use are towers that reach up to the sky when deep down, its inhabitants lack a soul?  Children suffer from mental health issues because of academic pressures. Adults complain of a poor work-life balance. Many Singaporeans are unhappy and a number of them have migrated.

When Anwar held a talk at the London School of Economics a few years ago, the event was oversubscribed and several hundred participants were accommodated in an adjoining lecture theatre to listen to him via video link.

The audience were mainly young adults in their early twenties, but the most amazing thing, was that a sizeable proportion were Singaporeans.

Many people disagreed with me, when in an article, I mentioned the possibility that Singapore feared a strong, successful and less corrupt Malaysia, and that the People’s Action Party (PAP) would prefer UMNO Baru to govern Malaysia, rather than an Anwar-led administration.

Without a doubt, Singapore is clean, its public transport is efficient, the entertainment and the promotion of the arts is good, English is widely spoken, it is very safe, local and international cuisines are easily available, and the island state is an important international transport hub.

In many ways, Singapore is like Malaysia. Both have state-controlled media, its Armed forces are dominated by one race, and they are ruled by autocratic governments. The cost of living is high, housing and car ownership are expensive.

Both Malaysia’s UMNO Baru government and the Singapore PAP have alienated themselves from the population.

Although change is within the grasp of the ordinary Malaysian, change in the near future is only a dream for many Singaporeans. Wasn’t it Lee Kuan Yew (left) who once said, “…I spent a whole lifetime building this, and as long as I am in charge, nobody is going to knock it down.”

Like Dr Mahathir Mohamad, will Lee ever relinquish his hold on the island?

Last month’s Global Witness exposé highlighted the flip-side of the financial world of Singapore. It appears that dodgy South-East Asian governments and drug barons find Singapore a convenient place to launder money.

To add to Singapore’s woes, there are the worldwide syndicated football rigging and sex scandals which have rocked the world.  Only the naive would think that corruption does not exist in Singapore – they are simply better at concealing their underhanded practices. An acquaintance who handled the Malaysian side of business for a Singapore firm, alleged that he was given a sizeable allocation to sweeten any business deals in Malaysia.

The Singaporeans like to project a clean image, but it is the Malaysians who gets the bad  reputation.

The government of Singapore is concerned by the moral awakening in their people, but they fear most the economic repercussions if UMNO Baru were to be replaced. If Anwar’s administration gave Malaysians meritocracy, and excellent learning institutions were open to all, the majority of Malaysians would not need to go to Singapore to study.

No more brain drain?

There are tales of children being woken up at 4am to travel to Singapore to go to school because their parents could not enrol them in a local Malaysian school. Bright children are deprived of scholarships because they belong to the wrong race or religion. Families are broken up when some family members moved to Singapore for employment.

Singapore has every right to be scared if UMNO Baru were ousted. The brain drain would stop. If working conditions in Malaysia were improved, the daily migration of workers to Singapore would be stemmed and Singapore might suffer a shortage of workers. If corruption was reduced, Malaysia would attract more foreign investment.

The feeling of xenophobia is high in Singapore, and is mostly directed at the Chinese from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Singaporeans consider them to be loud, brash, arrogant and lacking in culture. They are wary of their government’s desire to attract more people from the PRC to increase the dwindling population, to take care of the elderly and to bolster the economy.

The recent wave of xenophobia in Malaysia was generated by UMNO Baru because it gave away identity cards (ICs) to foreigners – like the Filipinos and Indonesians – in exchange for votes to stay in power.

Leaders in UMNO Baru have lost valuable Malaysian land to the Singaporeans, such as the Pedra Banca island off Johor and the land swap deal involving Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) land in Singapore.

To increase their land mass, Singaporeans have obtained sand from Malaysia, through legal and illegal means. The buying power of the Singapore currency means that they can buy property cheaply in Malaysia and in some places, have priced the locals out of the housing market.

In Ipoh, Singaporeans have built skyscrapers beside limestone hills and many locals fear that this has set a precedent and before long, the natural beauty of Ipoh will be marred forever. The Perak UMNO Baru seem oblivious to the concerns of the locals.

A clean and efficient government can improve our economy, but UMNO Baru will continue to hamper our progress. Without cronyism and corruption, Malaysia will emerge a stronger, richer nation, no longer the poor relation of Singapore.

They claim that these child prostitutes, who number in thousands, are as young as 13 and are victims of human trafficking.

Some, according to these activists, are Malaysian kids while others come from Indonesia, Thailand and India.

To avoid being arrested by the police, child rights workers say these kids do not work in the brothels but are housed in dilapidated low-cost apartments.

Prostitution is illegal in Malaysia but child rights advocates claim that the child sex industry is a lucrative market as clients pay double the amount paid to an adult.

This could be as much as 100 US dollars per child.

And they also say that the kids usually come from a poor background or are tricked into selling their bodies.

Government leaders acknowledge that the mushrooming of child prostitution in Malaysia is a serious problem.

But they also say that the government has been working closely with the police to weed out this growing phenomenon.

Child rights workers also say that Malaysia has seen an increase in child prostitution with an average of 150 kids being forced into the industry every year.

Rights activists in the country have welcomed the move by the Malaysian government to work closely with enforcement agencies to curb the child sex industry. But they also say that the authorities must work closely with non-governmental organizations to ensure that the rights of these children are protected.

Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin has been accused of spending a disproportionate amount of ministerial allocations on the Lembah Pantai constituency.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua said that this might be because Raja Nong Chik is widely tipped to be the Umno candidate for the Lembah Pantai seat in the next general election.

“There seems to be misappropriation of funds. I challenge the minister to explain that this is not because he is intending to contest in Lembah Pantai (in the general election).

“Come clean… if it is, then what he did so far… is an abuse of government resources for hispolitical interests,” Tian Chua (right) told a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.

Among others, he said, the minister has been providing assistance of more than RM50,000 weekly to “leaders and organisations close to Umno”.

The money is issued through the Kuala Lumpur City Hall bank accounts.

“This was shown to us by a witness, and we can provide the person’s testimony if need be,” said Fahmi Fadzil, political secretary to PKR Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Raja Nong Chik, who heads the Lembah Pantai Umno and BN divisions, was appointed a senator in 2008.

Raja Nong Chik ‘intensifying efforts’ in Lembah Pantai

During the 2008 general election, Umno suffered a shock defeat in Lembah Pantai, where heavyweight incumbent Shahrizat Abdul Jalil lost s the seat to Nurul Izzah, then a PKR greenhorn.

Fahmi said while Raja Nong Chik has focused his efforts in Lembah Pantai for “a while now”, his efforts have been intensified in the past month.

“If you go to his Facebook page, you will find that for every 30 programmes he hosts, only one will be be outside Lembah Pantai,” he said.

The other programmes held by the minister in the constituency include Projek 1 Komputer 1 Murid, Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia, 1 Sumbangan 1 Keluarga, tuition centres and student loan (PTPTN) allocations.

PKR claims that all of these programmes are organised through Umno or Umno-friendly NGOs, most prominently Pusat 1Malaysia Lembah Pantai, with there being no differentiation between government service and party work.

“Raja Nong Chik (left) should take care of the well-being of all federal territories… or else he is neglecting his job.

“(But) if all these programmes in Lembah Pantai are purely coincidental, then we hope he will also look into Batu, Wangsa Maju, and so on so that all voters in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur will receive similar benefits,” Tian Chua said.

On his official website, Raja Nong Chik or RNC is described as “a true local boy”, having spent most of his teenage years in Lorong Limau Manis 2, Bangsar.

“Lembah Pantai has always been the place where it all began for RNC. His social and political activism all started there… RNC has seen how Lembah Pantai has transformed itself.

“He remembers the days when he started out in his social activism work during his early 30s… he feels proud to have come from here and witnessing the changes that have occurred over the years,” the website reads.

Taken aback by allegations

Meanwhile, in an immediate reaction Raja Nong Chik denied Tian Chua’s allegations.

“I am not focusing on Lembah Pantai. I also went to Labuan and Wangsa Maju. The Nur Ramadhan program is a norm that we do every year all over the federal territories,” the minister told the crowd at PPR Kerinchi during a Buka Puasa event at the Al-Ikhlasiah Mosque in Lembah Pantai.

Raja Nong Chik said he was taken aback by the allegations but understand that some parties seek to politicise everything for their gain.

“I also go to Labuan and Putrajaya. So does that mean I want to contest there too?” he asked.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who also spoke at the event, also came to his colleagues defence.

“I don’t think we should react to Tian Chua, why don’t we ask Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar if she has served the people of Lembah Pantai as dilligently for 20 years like my pal over here,” Hishammuddin lashed out.

All throughout the speeches of the two Umno leaders, supporters chanted that they wanted Raja Nong Chik for their area and cheered both leaders loudly.

Raja Nong Chik continually referred to Lembah Pantai as where he was born and lived, and said he believes there is nothing wrong that he should look after the place since he now has the resources of a federal ministry behind him.

Hishammuddin repeatedly referred to his pal as the person closest to the people in the area, well-received by residents and committed his full support behind Raja Nong Chik in whatever he is doing.

To you all Indians out there who fought for Hindraf & Waytha …. please look at your Indian political history, especially its MIC leaders. Many of them free-ride the poor naive Indians to get what they want for themselves only. Fighting for your own race is not the way. Indians should learn how to work together for all races. Humble by knowing your weaknesses and gain encouragement from other’s strength. Don’t sulk for being marginalised. Go forward to fight not base on race or religion but for justice and righteousness. The Malays and Chinese are with you. When Najib finds that Waytha cannot get Indian’s support, he will get other Indian to take over.

Can’t help to think there’s hanky-panky behind his appointment. Najib has set a bad precedence, like the kind of “You “help” me, I “help” you” motto that Najib has been preaching in this election. This is another BN way of buying votes!

This is by far the most brilliance move design by BN, Put one guy in the pocket the others millions indian silence.This is much more cost effective compare to having to spend on the million of Indian on the streets. He learn fast from Samy

P Waythamoorthy’s appointment as a deputy minister has drawn scorn from Hindraf de facto leader P Uthayakumar, who insisted that the former no longer represented the Hindraf movement. Poor Indians have found a New Messiah now will get our blue I.C. in days and will find jobs and opportunities for our children’s education will be able to buy house over our head. Crime rate will be down or disappear among Indians. Oh how we will this new Messiah. The truth is dear friend this will be boxed minister. He will not be able to do anything but drive a Merc and called YB and who will his pocket. Indians be prepared for more sufferings With a stroke of the pen, with a snap of the finger, 56 years of Indian marginalisation is be wipe out. Hail to the new Indian chief,Wayang-tha! MIC, you may have branches all over Malaysia to help you service the Indians but, you won’t be able to beat this new superman Deputy Minister who will single-handedly solve all the half-century-old problems for you. See? He’s in the PM’s department, a favoured one now. Eat your heart out, MIC. This newly-minted DM should write a book on how to be worm your way into elite society in Malaysia.