The solution is to revamp how we fund politics, to mandate transparency and accountability in political expenditure and source of funds, to reform the justice system, so that all cases are settled beyond final appeal in a matter of months, rather than decades as of today. This would rejuvenate the authority and legitimacy of the political executive and check the tendency for the judiciary to trespass into policymaking and mess up economic activity. A judicial accountability law would reinforce such restraint.

Hostility towards Datuk Seri Najib Razak is set to grow within Umno in the coming weeks after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim acknowledged that the opposition was in secret talks with the prime minister to form a unity government.

The Edge Review digital magazine reported today that Najib’s dual track strategy of rewarding political warlords and key supporters with coveted posts and secret negotiations with Anwar through trusted aides and Indonesian politicians has not worked out well for the country’s sixth prime minister.It is understood the secret talks were handled by Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PKR’s secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail – both of whom are close friends from their Umno Youth days.”His move to shore up his political standing within Umno has alienated key constituencies within the party and drawn the ire of powerful figures, including former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin (pic), who are privately advocating a leadership change,” the digital magazine said in its latest weekly edition.

“Anwar, who was kicked out of Umno by Dr Mahathir in 1998, is seen as a reviled opponent by Umno’s elite, and analysts say that Najib’s move to open talks with the Opposition Leader is surely being seen as a betrayal of the party,” it added in the headline report titled “Malaysia’s political tensions set to escalate”.

The magazine said the latest developments could “lead to a bruising leadership battle when Umno holds its own party elections in mid-October”.

Close aides of the prime minister admit that the next three months will be crucial, the magazine said.

that the proposal made to Anwar was unsanctioned, noting that no aide would dare to move without getting the go ahead from the boss. They also point out to the flurry of trips by Kalla related to the talks.

Talk of a unity government has set off roiling speculation and created some unease among Umno politicians close to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has made it clear that Anwar must not have a role in any BN government.

http://suarakeadilanmalaysia.wordpress.com reported meeting between Najib and Anwar in Jakarta in June but it was denied by both parties although they were in the Indonesian capital city that same weekend.

Anwar recently admitted there were peace overtures from Najib after Election 2013 which Najib’s BN won with a lesser haul of 133 federal seats, seven less than in 2008.

The magazine noted that Malaysia had been trapped in a deep political funk since 2008, when the Umno-led Barisan National (BN) coalition government lost its long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Umno had blamed the poor showing on then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and forced him to hand over power to Najib in April 2009. Najib’s problem was that he has fared worse with voters than Abdullah, said The Edge Review.

The Najib-led ruling coalition not only failed to improve its numbers in Parliament, it also lost the popular vote, securing only 47% compared to the opposition’s 51%. It ranked as the worst showing by the BN since independence in 1957, the magazine said.

“The PM’s main problem is that he hasn’t recovered from the results of the general election. He is coming across as a weak leader, not only to his party, but the whole country,” a prominent Malaysian businessman, who enjoyed cordial relations with Najib and his family, told the magazine.

The Edge Review noted that Najib had maintained a very low profile since the general election, appearing infrequently in public and staying silent on a number of challenges facing the nation like the sagging economy, soaring crime rate and racial polarisation.

He had yet to weigh in on growing religious tensions, particularly among right-wing Islamist groups who are showing little tolerance in multi-religious and multi-ethnic Malaysia, the magazine said.

His government had also failed to come up with a clear plan on how to deal with the worsening security situation in the country, where the number of drive-by shootings and gangland killings has jumped in recent months, it added.

The magazine said another major challenge was the country’s troubled economy, particularly rising public sector debt, which early this month prompted Fitch Ratings to lower the country’s credit-rating outlook to “negative” from “stable.”

“The rebuke by Fitch has pushed the local currency to a three-year low against the US dollar, and unless Najib moves decisively to deal with the country’s public finances in the coming budget, economists say that more foreign funds are likely to pull out.

“Against this backdrop of a leadership vacuum, policy paralysis and deepening social strains, the prospect of a unity government for Malaysia is very appealing, several economists say,” the magazine said.

The magazine said it broke news of the possible peace deal between Najib and Anwar in April, but it had largely been ignored by the country’s compliant mainstream media.

“Umno politicians and close aides of Anwar say that the talks, which are being brokered by Indonesia’s former vice-president Jusuf Kalla, have gained fresh momentum in recent months, with the two Malaysian political leaders each appointing representatives to hammer out details that would shape the reconciliation process,” it added.

The Edge Review reported that politicians said Najib’s representative, Zahid, who was also Home Minister, had held several private discussions with Saifuddin.

“The most recent meeting between the two representatives was in mid-July, after Indonesia’s Kalla held separate talks with Najib and Anwar, sources close to the discussions say.

“At that session, Zahid conveyed a request from Najib that Anwar publicly acknowledge that he was open to reconciliation talks with the ruling party,” The Edge Review said in the report.

Another confidence-building measure suggested by Najib was a request that Anwar publicly recognise the May election result, politicians close to the talks between Zahid and Saifuddin told the magazine.

Anwar broke his silence on the talks this week, when he was quoted by the Asia Sentinel news portal that Najib had reached out to him to explore the possibility of a unity government.

The fear of missing out on your dreams is very different from the fear of missing out on the fun others are having. One enhances life, the other stymies it

the fear of missing out on all you want to do in order to live life to its full potential, is very different from the fear of missing out on the fun, the good times and opportunities that are being enjoyed by others. I see the former as a positive sign, which if handled properly, can only enhance one’s living experience, however, the latter brings in huge amounts of dissatisfaction. Because, while the former fear is inward-looking, the latter fear looks at what others are doing and achieving, and makes you feel inadequate comparatively. No amount of rescheduling or re-prioritising can ever help you take care of a discontent that stems from the achievements or enjoyment of others.

Experts have a term for this fear. FOMO (fear of missing out) is described as a social disorder that causes anxiety at not being able to decide which of multiple equally fun-sounding events to be a part of. So people are glued to their smartphones, obsessively checking mails, WhatsApping, BBMing, texting, or posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or individual blogs. These people are always attuned to the outside world and fear that others are having better experiences.

This is indeed one disorder that we can blame on fast-advancing technology. As people post their minute-by-minute activities, thoughts, spotlight moments and achievements on social networking sites, it causes envy and restless inadequacy amongst others. Says a student I spoke to for an understanding, “Often I go to bed in deep distress after a session on Facebook. The fact that I’m sitting up in bed on social networking sites makes me feel like such a loser compared to friends tweeting photos from holidays or from happening bars or parties where they are rubbing shoulders with the best.” Another says, “I feel restless on evenings I am not meeting friends. I keep getting the feeling that maybe I am missing out on the fun they are having.”

Then of course there are those who make it a profession of hanging out at parties. A lady, when asked what she does for a living, replied, “Oh nothing, I look after home and family” and then brightened up to add, “and then, of course, I’m a socialite, that takes up a lot of my time!” Well…

FOMO victims are always stressed about what they are missing rather than enjoying what they have in hand. They will flit from party to party to ensure they haven’t missed anything. If given some work, they envy colleagues who are free, and if ignored for a project, they start stressing about what they are missing. Everyone wants to be “someone,” someone influential who is looked upon by many “followers” and “friends” , and this is another source of FOMO stress. People will constantly check how many times their words have been retweeted, how many “likes” their status has received or how many times their photos are shared.

So much dependency on the fun others are having is bound to have a negative impact on youngsters, leaving them with no scope to explore their own feelings, talents and potential. And we all know that people exaggerate on social networking sites because everyone wants to project their best side to the world. In that sense, what people with FOMO hanker for isn’t even real.

Instead let’s turn the fear of missing out within and figure out what we would most like to do for our own selves, independent of others. What is it that enhances life for you? What gives you a feeling of completion and satisfaction? Let us focus on our own bucket list, rather than on fake ones created by others!