What To Wear On 16 September?... Not?!

16 September, or Malaysia Day, was declared a new public holiday by DS Najib soon after he came to power. It was supposed to be a sign of solidarity with Sabah and Sarawak that the day we supposedly joined as one nation should be commemorated in this way (the 2 states gained independence on different dates, but in Najibite politics, who cares?!). It turned out to be a popular move, but till today this blogger wonders if this was more because we Malaysians got a new public holiday rather than what it was supposed to commemorate!

 

This year, a section of our community has decided to redefine Malaysia Day as a day to celebrate Malay Unity, Solidarity, Dignity, Power, ... all sorts of things Malay! I understood originally it was an idea of some Silat groups to do some sort of gathering partly in response to the Bersih 4.0 rally on Merdeka eve, with red being their preferred colour. However, the 'RED-shirt' movement was soon hijacked by elements of UMNO, led by Dato' Jamal Yunos, Head of UMNO Sungai Besar Division in Selangor and famous for his Sekinchan Ikan Bakar chain!

 

Since then, the 'red-shirt' movement has evolved into new heights of confusion. It is understood that the police have forbidden the 'red-march' from taking place, especially with its rather provocative plans to march from Low Yatt Mall at Bukit Bintang, recently a scene of racial tensions and typically dense with foreign tourists! However, the original silat groups involved are claiming that they were not planning any marches, but just gathering at Padang Merbok and performing activities there!

 

At the same time, adding to the confusion as is the norm of late, according to DS Najib, whilst UMNO's leadership is not supporting it, it has no objections to UMNO members joining it! So, I suppose UMNO's leadership is agreeing with the police... but they just don't mind if their members join the 'red-march'! The UMNO President's opinion on this may change though if rumours of #UndurNajib red-shirts being distributed like hot-cakes for the 16 September march rings true! And what if Tun Dr M decides he wants to join the reds at Padang Merbok?

 

Of course, RED is not your only option if you want to make a fashion statement on 16 September. Last week, a new group emerged, protesting against continued demos happening in KL, citing the negative impact to hawkers, small businesses, daily affairs of city-folk and the national image. They are now calling for ALL MALAYSIANS to wear BLACK on the 15th & 16th September in protest of these demos, especially the reds! It was interesting to note that this group is also led by Malay grassroots leaders from their own NGOs!

 

Not to be outdone, this blogger has seen yet another social media message doing the rounds citing a man with a family concerned about the state of the nation and his future descendents, wanting people to wear WHITE on 16th September! In the meantime, someone from among the Silat groups planning to gather at Padang Merbok is now claiming there is no colour code! i.e. they will be multi-coloured in their gathering!

 

Ironically, with the Haze, besides the risk from breathing, one should be worried about visibility when going around the city. And any Health and Safety professional worth their salt will inform you that the safest colour to wear in situations of poor visibility is... YELLOW! So will we see safety conscious Malaysians wearing yellow as well in the Haze if it persists to 16 September? Of course, 'safety' in wearing yellow on the day may be relative...

 

So, we appear to have choice in what we can wear in KL on Malaysia day... Red if you wish to champion or celebrate Malays or if you support #UndurNajib (arguably the same thing!), Black if you wish to protest against demos, with a bonus that you can start wearing black on the 15th, White if you are worried about your kids' future, Yellow if you wish to be safe... or unsafe... depending on where you think the danger may be coming from, or just wear anything you like even if you wish to join the gathering at Padang Merbok!

 

Much as we would like all this colour to mingle, or not, in good fun on 16 September, one fears the propect of Dato' Jamal's reds and the #UndurNajib reds actually clashing on on the day, bringing to life the 'Melayu bunuh Melayu' fears of ANY Malay community leader, turning the city streets red... with blood! At the same time, if the reds descending on 16 September are a nasty lot, maybe we should wish the Haze on them... not so they would choke to death... just so they get lost in it with screams turning into fits of coughing!

 

As an aside, science-fiction fans would be particularly alarmed by the presence of so many red shirts, knowing the fate that befalls most of these characters!

 

Either way, DS Najib's apparent indifference, bordering on subtle support to the reds on 16 September have the hallmarks of another failure of leadership; with the risk of the day turning from a day of commemoration raised by him as a public holiday signifying national unity, into a potential black date on our history much like 13 May! And even if it does turn to bloodshed, will the man finally realise that it is well past time for him to resign? ... one despairs...

Race, Trade And The GST

It is GST-day in Malaysia, and whilst the shops are mostly yet to open, this blogger has not as yet experienced any signs of meltdown, at least not between my home in Taman Tun Dr Ismail and the Brickfields area where I work.

 

As usual, there has been an eruption of user generated material on social media, thankfully most in jest or poking fun at the GST... it is a new tax after all, and no one likes any tax, however good it is supposed to be! Back at home, I only had to suffer my wife returning from last minute pre-GST shopping at about 11pm last night. I have a couple of new belts and a new pair of shoes as well bought 2 nights ago. Interesting to note Malaysians NOT rushing to buy stuff pre-GST either, at least not at OU or Masjid India where were!

 

So are we seeing the normal storm in the teacup or have all partisan sides and the social media now been so discreditted that Malaysians have just decided to wait and see first before judging which side of the 'GST is good for you' vs 'KitaLawan GST' debate is right?

 

What this blogger does find distrubing though is the racial slant that the GST debate has taken especially in the last few months. We have social media material flying around claiming that the UMNO/Malay-led government is using GST to get more money from the rakyat to buy private jets and other nonsensical items of expediture. All unsubstantiated of course, and conveniently forgetting the much lauded PAP/Chinese-led Singapore government introduced GST 3 decades ago... can be trusted ka? Coz... ?

 

Then there is the reverse rhetoric about how Chinese businesses are using several strategies to 'dodge' GST, like breaking up firms into smaller enterprises, each with revenues less than the RM500k GST threshold - also not making sense as such an action results in other costs to escalate for the broken up enterprises and ignores other elements like loan liabilities. Still, this plays to the mantra of GST being good as it supposedly will make the 'Chinese traders' more 'honest' when dealing with 'Malay consumers'!

 

Now we hear that there is a 200,000 strong volunteer force out there to help authorities monitor against businesses profiteering from GST. So this volunteer force comprises of... multi-racial group ka? Got target businesses for them to 'monitor' ka... multi-racial owned also?

 

This can get really ugly very quickly, but this is what it is coming to in multi-racial Malaysia. So, the real risk to GST may end up being racial tension and disharmony escalating! Brings the hatred of taxes to new levels!  

Making Matters Worse After The Death Of 1Malaysia

Winston Churchill once said that a week is a long time in politics. And so with this in mind, and following a need to rest and re-focus after 10+ days of campaigning (I took a break in middle of first week after nomination day), I left it till today to put down my commentary. Ironically, as I lay these words down, matters, at least at the face of it seems to have gotten worse for DS Najib Tun Razak since the night 1Malaysia 'died'.

Observe the photo below:

This is an image taken from 'election night', when a rather sombre DS Najib thanked all those who have voted such as to allow BN to continue to govern another term. DS Najib appeared exhausted and his face at the beginning reflected much disappointment. Only on his second round at the mike on the podium did he have a more jubilant smile. I doubt he would smile as wide if he realised be hind him stood 2 individuals initimately linked to his 'loss'.

No one can deny that BN won, albeit by a majority smaller that in 2008. BN won, but DS Najib's mood reflected clearly that he felt he had personally lost! He pretty much admitted to this when in his initial speech that night, I could not recall him saying '1Malaysia', though my mother said he did mention it once, and instead, he very clearly admitted that in large part, the Chinese voters had rejected BN.

In hindsight, this is to me, no surprise. It is no surprise that the Chinese rejected BN and embraced Pakatan Rakyat. Why? It is because:

BN Promised 1Malaysia - which the Chinese Community DID NOT NEED!

Pakatan Rakyat Promised the end of Corruption and Crime - which the Chinese Community has repeatedly demanded!

I choose to judge here at face value and purposely discard all notions of conspiracy which is no less racist than some of the racism exhibited by Chinese politicians during the elections. In the end, even if there were racist leaders driving the Chinese votes in a certain direction, they had to be driven by good intentions, and Corruption and Crime remain as issues still unaddressed by DS Najib's government.

The Chinese Don't Need 1Malaysia

Don't get me wrong, the rhetoric around 1Malaysia is beautiful! Unity, delivery of what the people need by a high performing government, everyone judged by needs and means, not race, religions, creed, all very nice stuff. The problem is that since the arrival of '1Malaysia' products, 1Malaysia has transformed from being the values espoused to material things of value given out to people, be it BR1M, KR1M, the 1Malaysia Clinics, meals, vouchers, etc, etc!

Unfortunately, whilst some Chinese may have bought into 1Malaysia in spirit and indeed DS Najib has grown in popularity as a person and an individual leader to the community, the problem is, teh Chinese for the most part do not need 1Malaysia products! What they have been asking for is an end in high level corruption and a reduction in crime SINCE BEFORE PRU12!

The Chinese Want To See An End To Major Corruption!

However, the BN campaign, full of fluff and feelgood factor and riding on the popularity of 1Malaysia and DS Najib personally never really got serious about addressing corruption in particular. Many Chinese are angry still of specific cases, such as the PKFZ scandal, which saw a raft of Chinese leaders including the former MCA President brought to court BUT NOT A SINGLE MALAY ACCOMPLICE CHARGED! So much for 1Malaysia!

Then, as if it was bad enough that only the Chinese get punished for big scandals like PKFZ supposedly, the Chinese and Malaysian Hero that caused the PKFZ scandal to be brought to trial, Datuk Ong Tee Keat, another former MCA President, was dropped from his winnable Parliamentarian seat of Pandan! Pakatan Rakyat was smart enough then to offer the voters of Pandan another anti-corruption hero to vote in as their MP, Rafizi Ramli of NFC fame!

As the problem of Corruption is seen by the Chinese nationwide, then of course, the Chinese chose to vote against Corruption, against BN, NATIONWIDE! Observe how DW Ali Rustam, so called hero and moderniser of the state of Melaka was defeated by a strong swing of votes against him especially by the Chinese in Bukit Katil. This was because his being an Icon of Corruption, by allowing his state agencies to part fund his child's wedding was corrupt!

How DS Najib Could Make Things Worse?

There are 2 creatures on stage during the BN Victory 'celebration', very visible behind DS Najib - they are seen clearly in the photo above. The 2 creatures are the Icons of Corruption, Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) and DS Shahrizat Jalil of NFC infamy. DS Shahrizat has no Parliamentary seat and I believe can no longer be a Senator, so best that she retire. The real problem is with KJ, who's lust for power sees him lobbying for a cabinet post in the press - TAK MALU BETUI!

The Chinese rejection of BN was able to mask also the rejection of BN by the young urban youth, in particular young urban Malay youths. They hate BN as the face of BN Youth is KJ. Whilst some may admire him at the outset of knowing him, many are then corrected by their elders by the retelling of KJ's corruption, such was his negative influence on Pak Lah's administration. DS Najib risks losing the support of ALL Malaysians by PRU14 if he chooses KJ!

Instead, DS Najib should give a clear signal to all by NOT selecting KJ. Give the signal such that UMNO picks up on this signal and also rejects KJ and the like. Let DS Najib's non-selection of KJ be the beginning of the re-birth of BN and UMNO! In PRU14, DS Anwar Ibrahim should no longer be a factor, but lets not have KJ as the new spectre to haunt UMNO and BN, driving it to oblivion.

And maybe hence when we are really cleaner for Corruption, we can begin to really cleanse the country of Crime, and the Chinese will return their votes to BN without need of any new rhetoric such as 1Malaysia...

My Calon Is Najib! ... BN's Answer To Unwinnable Candidates?

This blogger had an interesting phone conversation with an UMNO stalwart from Langkawi recently where I thought the discussion would invariably lead to a detailed discourse on who was his preferred or 'winnable' candidate. However, to my surprise, the discussion on this was kept brief when he declared:

Calon saya Najib! Yang sini ni tak kisah la. Yang saya tau, saya undi Najib!

 

I was struck by how such a simple statement had such great import and in one stroke encapsulates how the value of DS Najib's personal 'brand-building' to becoming quite a popular PM can actually be translated to votes in the ballot box! Basically, such a mindset at the polls may, at least in part, address the issue of BN having an unpopular or 'unwinnable' candidates or even sway those who like DS Najib but dislike BN or UMNO to still vote BN!

Suddenly, the very personalised campaigns such as I (heart) PM and his very strong association with 1Malaysia, including the inventiveness of having a Chinese name (Ah Jib Gor) becomes relevant. For of course, in a Parliamentary democracy, who the likely candidate for PM of a party would be is typically subsidiary to the popularity of the candidate for the contested Parliamentary seat. This is why despite DS Najib's popularity, there is much anticipation over the final candidates list for PRU13.

In the 2008 election, the removal of a majority of the local UMNO leaders from the ballot even led to sabotage voting by otherwise loyal party members. Certainly, Pak Lah's own lack of popularity further contributed to the demise of his replacement candidates. However, in the case of DS Najib, the opposite may be true. I have heard too often these days of people appreciating Najib whilst disliking their local BN leaders, so maybe this time it is the PM's popularity that will carry the ballot for BN!

Well, if the mantra Calon Saya Najib! Saya Undi Najib! or its like captures the imagination and 'goes viral', assuming Najib retains or indeed enhances his popularity during the campaign period, we may see BN within more than touching distance from the coveted  2/3 majority in Parliament. As of course, a vote for a BN MP is a vote for DS Najib as PM! And certainly Pakatan is in to shape to mount an equivalent challenge with their 'icon' being 'Papagomoed'!

I am of course talking about the votes for Parliament. The votes for the state governments would be another matter. Perhaps one state can pull it off though... Kedah... if BN uses Calon Saya Mukhriz! Saya Undi Mukhriz! as well!

MRT Co Not In Control Of Its Contractors? Then Who Are?

Following on from the incidences of last week, when residents of Pinggir Za'aba were given a good sampling of how noisy and distrubing life would be for many months over the next 2 years of MRT construction, we were treated to freshly recycled promises from MRT's Director of Strategic Communications and PR, Amir Mahmood Razak. These were his and hence his organisation's, re-assurances to this blogger's good neighbours:

Date: Thursday, November 8, 2012, 11:14 AM

Dear Xxxxxxx, Xxx and Xxxxx,

I believe works has stopped in the area. My commitment remains that we will re-start works after we complete the engagement we promised.

Again, my email and my number (017 6xxx 5xxx) remains accessible to all of you for contact.

Thank you again for the patience displayed.

Warm regards,
AMR

Such assurances are said to have followed earlier excuses that MRT Co had supposedly not allowed for these works near Pinggir Za'aba to begin in the first place. I mention this as a note or 'aid memoir' for the events that follow as whilst I have this coming from several sources along the neighbourhood, I find it highly unbelievable that MRT Co could be so incompetent as to have allowed a contractor to begin its works without their express knowledge!

Please also note that the 'commitment' Amir Mahmood mentions about an engagement with Pinggir Za'aba residents was promised to us on an earlier engagement on 3 September 2012. Amir Mahmood and a raft of nodding reps from MRT Co's contractors declared that they would invite us back for a follow up engagement 2 weeks from that date as they could not at the time address our concerns. Amir Mahmood and co are now some 2 months late, based on whatever Calendar, Gregorian, Lunar, Muslim, etc... known to this man.

What follows is however most unfortunate, and is probably best reflected by the following e-mail from a neighbour to Amir Mahmood Razak which he had copied all of us on the street:

On 15 November 2012 20:03, Xxxxx wrote:

Dear Amir Mahmood,

Last week I complained to you about sudden start of construction work, the excessive noise and the late hour that the construction work was being carried out by your contractors. You told me that you would take immediate action, and on November 8, 2012, 11:14:15 AM had given us, the residence of PZ the assurance via e-mail, Quote " I believe works has stopped in the area. My commitment remains that we will re-start works after we complete the engagement we promised." (Meaning a dialogue between the residents of PZ and MRTCo was to be held before any construction was to begin )

Yesterday to our utter horror we received a written notice telling us that work will resume on Friday,16 November 2012 with work hours 7.00am to 12.00 midnight (Monday to Saturday) My phone had since been ringing non stop by calls from furious residents demanding to know just what is going on. We consider this a serious breach of promise and cannot accept this latest turn of events. Can you please explain your self.

Regards
Xxxxx

The plot then thickens when we then received the following e-mail from another neighbour that further showcases just how 'Strategic' communications regarding this MRT has become!

Sent: Thursday, 15 November 2012, 22:23

Dear All,

On Monday night (12/11), i received an sms from Bhavani from MMC-Gamuda informing me they are scheduling a follow-up engagement session with PZ residents on Friday (16/11) at TTDI Info Centre and will be sending out invitation letters to residents and email to me by 14/11 morning.

This afternoon, Bhavani send me another sms stating that the engagement has been postponed to a later date.

Regards,
Xxxxx (A different one from above)

Perhaps Amir Mahmood has not been communicative due to the public holidays. The problem he has is that this hardly looks like there is barely any Communication let alone Strategically being Directed on this MRT, which is his job. Well, perhaps if he was not so busy trying to cover up for his boss Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid's broken promises to neighbourhoods affected by the MRT, like Pinggir Za'aba, he would have more credibility and even time to perform what should be his real job!

One of course hopes MRT Co is not now descending to the depths of communications incompetence of its governing body SPAD, led by the somewhat more epicly incompetent TS Syed Hamid Albar, which started communicating to residents affected by the MRT with notices stuck onto trees... in a country where it rains daily... 

In the meantime, the residents of Pinggir Za'aba remains steadfast in waiting for the promises MRT Co has been making to be fulfilled - with some suspense as well now thrown in due to recent events. We are ever ready to share with anyone, especially past, present and future, even potential, victims of the MRT our experiences thus far.

Why Is Pakatan Rakyat Campaigning So Early?

I was undertaking one of my infrequent forays into Twitter on Saturday when I found PKR (not Pakatan but PKR) leaders busily inviting people to view their new PRU13 posters. There is just one problem, PRU13 hasn't been declared yet! Which begs the question, why are PKR leaders 'campaigning' for PRU13 so soon? The following are in my view the more 'interesting' potential reasons...

1. It's a budgetary issue! PKR budgetted for PRU13 to be held this year and had received financing from their overseas funders for campaign paraphernalia to be spent before year end. If PKR does not spend the money, they may have to return the money to Soros and co! So, might as well spend first meh before year end!


2. Some of the PKR folks with kids in Government schools are freaking out seeing scenes like this in schools all over the country.
   
   
   
   PKR feels pressed to react... doesn't matter how, just react!


3. PKR has come to a realisation that it cannot be too linked to its de-facto leader, DS Anwar Ibrahim, any more as he is starting to become a liability now what his many 'peculiarities'. So? Time to 'brand-build'! No wonder you have PKR posters with no DSAI around! (One distinct possibility related to this is that they have conceded losing PRU13 and are planning for PRU14 already!)


4. PKR has come to realise it cannot compete with PAS and DAP for many seats in the elections because, it doesn't have enough members to generate enough viable, let alone winnable, candidates! So, its actually a desparate recruiting exercise they are in - not campaigning for PRU13 la!

OK, I am having a little fun here, but seriously, numbers 3. and 4. above may not be far from the truth!

Investment Choices: Kids' Activities! 1Malaysia Too!

Chess weekends coming fast and furious over the weekends of April, beginning yesterday as March closes actually! My two elder sons r on the final Swiss round of the KL Scholastic where a lower turnout than expected by organisers is compensated by the appearance of some 40% of 'new faces'!

No surprise that numbers of circuit 'regulars' are down as mothers and even kids reprioritise. My son's regular sparring partner had to go to Maths tuition after weeks of missing and even my daughter had to favour Tunas Puteri this weekend in order to get her 'Calit Emas'.

A few observations here. One is on how parents will see the choices to invest their own and their kids' time presenting increased challenges over time. Sure, if a child displays extraordinary talent, choices become obvious, but for the common parent, it is the toil, time and money that will help grow their child's abilities.

One would also think that choices favouring academics are also obvious, but really, they are not always so. Lets say your child has a chance to become a state player then perhaps even play internationally, many parents would allow the skipping of classes and tuition surely.

Another observation today was how 1Malaysia the Chess tourney looked. Having been used to a Chess field being so predominated by Chinese players, it seemed that a more 1Malaysia mix seen at the venue, ironically being Asrama 1Malaysia at Titiwangsa. A slightly Chinese majority still, but a better mix.

Photo is taken using Paper Pictures app. Cool huh?

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Malaysia Youth Empowered By Tsunami In Japan

Alhamdulillah, my short piece on MAYC Global Relief's efforts in Ishinomaki last October was published in Utusan Malaysia on Thursday with relatively minor truncations for brevity, which nevertheless did deliver the majority of the message intended. I am hence posting my full submission below as much for the record as to ensure the entire message does appear in some media in complete form; e.g. one of the quotes was from a non-Malay participant of the team, which showcases MAYC as still being 1Malaysia in nature.

Antara tanggungjawab utama mana-mana pemimpin organisasi belia adalah melaksanakan program membina jati-diri, mengasuh nilai-nilai murni seperti budipekerti dan mendedahkan golongan muda kepada ilmu serta pengalaman yang tak dapat dikecapi dengan usaha peribadi.

Pada 16 October tahun lepas, 20 belia sukarelawan dari kelab-kelab gabungan MAYC seluruh negara telah ke Jepun untuk menyertai kerja-kerja pemulihan pasca tsunami yang melanda pesisir Timur Laut pulau Honshu pada 11 March 2011. Pemergian mereka ke Jepun selama 10 hari adalah hasil kerjasama MAYC Global Relief bersama rakan NGO kami di Jepun, Peace Boat.

Sepanjang masa di Jepun, para sukarelawan Malaysia bertindak bukan sekadar tenaga-kerja tugas pemulihan, tetapi juga secara langsung mengharumkan nama baik negara sambil menaikkan semangat para penduduk setempat yang melihat golongan belia dari negara asing pun sedia berganding bahu membantu mereka dalam usaha baik-pulih, walau 7 bulan sudah berlalu sejak bencana melanda.

Kenapa MAYC Global Relief Ke Jepun

Bencana kekadang melanda di setiap penjuru dunia dan lazimnya, sukarelawan dari Malaysia menumpukan usaha dan sumbangan pemulihan ke negara-negara membangun atau serantau. Contohnya, apabila berlaku tsunami di Acheh, Indonesia dan bencana banjir di Thailand, sukarelawan Malaysia dilaung sebagai antara kumpulan sukarelawan dari luar negara bencana yang pertama sampai serta terserlah keikhlasan menyumbang dalam usaha pemulihan.

Namun MAYC Global Relief memilih untuk menghantar sukarelawan ke Jepun, sebuah negara yang lebih maju dari segi teknologi mahupun ekonominya berbanding negara kita. Sebagai pemimpin belia, ini kami laksanakan atas dasar memupuk nilai membalas budi dengan mengirim tenaga-kerja seberapa mampu kepada sebuah negara dan masyarakat yang amnya telah banyak menyumbang kepada pembangunan negara kita dari sejak Malaya merdeka lagi.

Kebetulan juga, negara Jepun sebagai sebuah negara yang kaya serta maju teknologinya, walaupun ditimpa bencana, ia tidak memerlukan apa-apa sumbangan peralatan mahupun kewangan untuk membaik-pulih kawasan yang dilanda tsunami. Malah, jemputan untuk melabur ke kawasan tersebut yang dilaporkan mediamasa tempohari juga lebih untuk mempercepatkan pembangunan semula. Tetapi apa mereka benar-benar kekurangan adalah tenaga-kerja belia untuk melaksanakan kerja-kerja yang sudah pun dikenal-pasti.

Sesungguhnya kepada warga MAYC, sumbangan negara-bangsa Jepun menjangkau lebih dari apa yang dikecapi oleh rakyat Malaysia amnya hasil dari pelaburan ekonomi mahupun perpindahan teknologi dari syarikat-syarikat terkemuka negara tersebut. Sejak mantan Naib Presiden MAYC, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, mengemukakan Dasar Pandang Ke Timur sebagai salah satu dasar pembangunan negara, MAYC telah menerapkan nilai Bushido kepada ahli-ahlinya melalui pendekatan MENJAROH.

MENJAROH, atau pendekatan MENtal, JAsad dan ROH, menerapkan ciri-ciri Amanah, Berani, Disiplin, Rajin serta Setia dalam program-program belia yang merangkumi aspek-aspek politik, ekonomi dan masyarakat. Ke lima-lima ciri ini seiras dengan pembawaan Bushido yang diterapkan ke seluruh masyarakat Jepun dari zaman, pra-Sengoku Jidai, yakni hampir 10 abad yang lepas, hinggalah ke sekarang, menerusi prinsip-prinsip koprat syarikat-syarikat gergasi seperti Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo dan sebagainya.

Maka budi yang dibalas oleh para sukarelawan MAYC Global Relief di kawasan tsunami adalah dari jasa penerapan nilai jati-diri organisasi belia kami sendiri sepanjang lebih 3 dekad lamanya. Pada masa yang sama, ia juga memberikan peluang atau jalancara baru untuk golongan belia Malaysia merapatkan silaturahim dengan para belia Jepun. Sesungguhnya hubungan yang terjalin hasil bantuan pada masa mereka kesusahan kami harap akan menghasilkan talian yang utuh buat usaha jangkamasa panjang.

Mengejar Ilmu, Menyelami Budaya

Manfaat tambahan yang juga dikecapi oleh sukarelawan ke Ishinomaki, Jepun tersebut adalah ilmu dalam bidang penyelenggaraan sukarela serta baik-pulih bencana. Walau tempoh mereka ke sana hanyalah beberapa hari, ilmu yang ditimba dengan penyertaan dalam misi pertama ini sudah pun kami mula terapkan dalam rencana pembangunan organisasi MAYC Global Relief, termasuklah perancangan misi kedua kami ke sana yang dirancang untuk penghujung bulan April atau awal Mei tahun ini.

Selain itu, kebetulan kerja-kerja pemulihan ekonomi yang melibatkan sukarelawan mendedahkan mereka kepada pengalaman yang tak mungkin dialami di negara sendiri. Contohnya, sukarelawan di Ishinomaki telah ditugaskan untuk membantu masyarakat nelayan mempercepatkan process penyemaian tiram-tiram di pesisir pantai. Tugasan tersebut bukanlah ringan kerana cabaran fizikal, termasuklah menahan dari kesejukan yang tak lazim dirasai di Malaysia. Namun sukarelawan bersemangat hasil dari pengalaman baru yang dikecapi.

Sukarelawan juga dipupuk dengan budaya-kerja Jepun yang berdisiplin tanpa mengira tugasan mahupun jawatan. Menurut saudara Vimal, seorang sukarelawan beragama Hindu yang terlepas sambutan awal hari Deepavali akibat menyeratai misi tersebut,"Deepavali kita dapat raikan setiap tahun, tahun-tahun sebelum ini dan tahun-tahun kemudian pun dapat saya alami semula, tetapi pengalaman bersukarela ke Ishinomaki seperti ini mungkin sekali seumur hidup dapat peluang untuk dirasai."

Misi Kedua

Maklum-balas seperti ini dari para sukarelawan berserta dengan penghargaan yang kami terima dari rakan NGO Peace Boat telah memperkukuhkan azam kami di MAYC Global Relief untuk memberikan peluang kedua bagi para sukarelawan belia untuk menyertai usaha baik-pulih sekali lagi. Ini sebahagian dari rencana jangkamasa panjang MAYC Global Relief untuk membina organisasi yang menawarkan pengalaman bersukarela yang berlainan bagi golongan belia.

Menurut Ketua Misi Pertama, saudara Saiful Anuar Baig,"Sebagai sukarelawan, MAYC Global Relief menggunakan pendekatan berlainan yakni pergi membantu selepas keadaan bencana sudah reda, tetapi masih ada lagi keperluan bantuan tenaga-kerja belia untuk memulihkan kembali kawasan yang terjejas. Ini juga memberi peluang sukarelawan kami menimba ilmu dan pengalaman yang boleh dibawa pulang seperti proses mengkitar semula sisa bencana tsunami yang diamalkan di Jepun."

Seperti juga Misi Pertama, kejayaannya hanyalah boleh dicapai dengan bantuan para penaja koprat dari Malaysia seperti CIMB Islamic dan kumpulan Dynac bersama-sama organisasi-organisasi Jepun seperti Peace Boat serta Kumon. Adalah menjadi harapan kami untuk menjalin hubungan jangkamasa panjang juga dengan para penaja yang sedia-ada, mahupun yang baru, untuk terus menjayakan lagi program-program kami, bermula dengan Misi Kedua ke kawasan tsunami Jepun.

Segala usaha kami sebagai pemimpin belia adalah untuk membina jati-diri anak-anak muda yang merupakan masa depan negara. Walau tsunami amnya membinasakan, di Jepun kami harap pengalaman menyeratai kerja baik-pulih pasca tsunami ini melambung nilai kualiti dan taraf anak-anak muda kita ke tahap yang setanding dengan mana-mana kumpulan belia di peringkat global.

Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah bin Tan Sri Sanusi

Pengerusi, MAYC Global Relief

Menanti Galas... Dan Batu Sapi Juga Agaknya... Sementara 1Malaysia Dilupakan Sahaja...

Saya semakin kecewa yang keutamaan masih sering tidak diberikan kepada kepentingan rakyat majoriti di Malaysia. Contoh terkini yang dirasai oleh MAYC ialah kelewatan pihak berkuasa memutuskan sah atau tidaknya Mesyuarat Agung MAYC, sama ada yang 31 Julai atau 26 September. Surat pembatalan Mesyuarat Agung 26 September contohnya dikatakan kini hanya menanti tandatangan YB Menteri Belia dan Sukan sejak awal minggu lepas.

Alasan terkini kedengaran tentang kelewatan segala tindakan ini adalah kerana kesibukkan Menteri di PRK Galas. Ini menimbulkan kerunsingan dan kehairanan begitu ramai ahli MAYC, terutama apabila terlihat Menteri Belia dan Sukan hadir di pertandingan akhir Piala Malaysia pada malam 30 Oktober 2010. Ada yang bertanya sama ada masa depan MAYC sebagai sebuah gergasi Belia tidak sepenting sebuah pertandingan bolasepak!

Adakah para penasihat Menteri Belia dan Sukan merasakan semua pemain malah termasuk penyokong bolasepak akan merasa terhutang budi kepada beliau hasil kehadirannya di pertandingan tersebut? Bukankah beliau hanya sekadar seorang penonton VIP di kacamata para peminat dan pemain bolasepak tersebut? Padahal, warga belia MAYC kini ternanti-nanti seorang Menteri yang begitu terserlah kepimpinannya sehingga memilih pihak yang benar dalam isu MAYC!

Para pembantah Mesyuarat Agung 26 September juga kesal tindakan hasil lebih 50 bantahan mereka ke atas Mesyauarat Agung tersebut masih belum dilaksanakan manakala tindakan hasil dari 2 bantahan ke atas Mesyuarat Agung 31 Julai dilaksanakan 'sepantas-kilat'! Ada yang tertanya-tanya sama ada sebabnya adalah kerana salah seorang dari 2 pembantah kepada Mesyuarat Agung 31 Julai merupakan seorang YB dari BN yang bukanpun lagi Belia?

Apakah bantahan seorang YB lebih bernilai dari bantahan sebegitu banyak kelab belia gabungan yang mewakili ribuan ahli MAYC? Apakah sebuah perlawanan bolasepak patut didahulukan berbanding keputusan masa depan sebuah organisasi belia yang ulung? Apakah sebuah Pilihanraya Kecil (PRK), walau betapa simbolik, patut menjadi keutamaan masa seorang Menteri berbanding tugas-tugas yang bakal membawa impak besar kepada PRU13 nanti?

Apakah Kementerian Belia dan Sukan benar-benar menghayati prinsip 1Malaysia, Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan? Warga MAYC semakin sangsi dan berharap ini segera ditangani pihak Menteri.

Too Good Not To Share: That Okay Song

Some things are too good not to share! Youths of today expressing themselves. Sit up and listen oh siapa perasan are 'leaders'! Don't judge, just listen, and TRY to understand!

Namewee, Hassan Skodeng Dan Realiti Media Belia Pasca 53 Tahun Merdeka

Saya mengunjung halaman blog Namewee apabila diberitahu tentang bidasan terhadap video terbarunya. Kelihatan Namewee sendiri terasa terhimpit selepas dibidas lebih sehari, sehingga beliau menarik balik video tersebut dari paparan Youtube. Saya telah membuat tiga pemerhatian, yakni:

1. Namewee kelihatan seakan tidak menyedari kesilapan yang dilakukannya. Beliau dari awal lagi menyatakan niatnya adalah untuk menentang perkauman menerusi kepakaran medianya.


2. Namewee menulis dalam bahasa Cina dahulu. Malah, blognya memang mengamalkan bahasa Cina sebagai bahasa utama. Ini mungkin boleh dibilang rasis kerana ia mengecualikan mereka yang bukan berbahasa Cina untuk menikmati penulisannya, namun ia juga ironis memandangkan pernyataan Namewee yang beliau anti-perkauman. Lagipun, ini pilihan peribadi untuk blog sendiri.


3. Melalui link ke Facebook, terlihat beliau mempunyai >230,000 pengikut. Apa? Namewee ada >230,000 pengikut di Facebook! Rasanya Puteri UMNO ahlinya pun tak seramai itu! Itu dah ~0.8% rakyat Malaysia, boleh menentukan keputusan pilihanraya di banyak tempat!

Selang seminggu, Namewee menerima pelbagai teguran, amaran, malah terpapar dalam TV serta ditemuramah Polis berjam-jam. Namun Namewee tak kelihatan seperti beliau sedar akan kesalahannya. Walaupun beliau belum lagi diberikan apa-apa hukuman, jumla pengikut Facebooknya semakin mendadak meningkat. Namewee kini mempunya >300,000 pengikut (1.1% penduduk Malaysia!) di halaman Facebooknya.

Mungkinkah terlalu banyak tumpuan telah diberikan kepada perbuatan Namewee sebagai seorang individu dan perlumbaan suara menghentam perbuatannya. Namun beliau masih tidak merasa bersalah. Malah beliau didukung 300 ribu pengikut di Facebook, majoritinya golongan belia Malaysia! Bukankah seharusnya tumpuan diberikan kepada sebab kenapa Namewee boleh begitu popular walau atau mungkin kerana beliau begitu dibidas?

Sekitar masa yang sama, seorang lagi blogger bergelar Hassan Skodeng diheret ke mahkamah atas tuduhan merosakkan nama baik seorang tokoh koprat negara melalui fitnah di internet. Namun apabila dibaca, ternyata coretan kelakar beliau sama-sekali tak masuk akal sehingga pembaca pasti sedar yang ia hanya buat-buatan berunsur sindiran. Apakah mungkin sindiran tersebut terkena sasaran terlalu tepat sehingga tokoh koprat GLC tersebut tergerak untuk bertindak-balas?

Dalam kes Hassan Skodeng juga, terlihat simpati golongan Belia, terutama sekali para pelayar alam maya, lebih kepada Hassan. Amnya, golongan Belia memahami seni bahasa sindiran berjenaka yang digunakan untuk memaparkan kerakusan seorang tokoh koprat. Tidak ada yang merasakan salah tokoh koprat tersebut dipaparkan demikian, kerana ia sesuai dengan imej 'stereotype' atau kelaziman tanggapan Belia terhadap 'tokoh-tokoh koprat' negara.

Dalam kedua-dua kes ini, yang dipersalahkan adalah pempelopor media muda di bawah umur 40 tahun. Yang dipersalahkan adalah mesej mereka yang difikirkan kurang sesuai pemaparannya, sama ada kerana bahasanya terlalu kesat atau sindirannya meruncing tajam. Namun, bahasa dan cara yang digunakan adalah yang sudah menjadi kelaziman dipergunakan oleh Belia untuk menjerit rasa hati serta melontar bantahan ke arah mereka yang 'berkuasa'.

Tindakan pihak berkuasa ke atas Namewee dan Hassan Skodeng tanpa mengakui intipati atau mesej yang dibawa akan dilihat bukan sekadar hukuman terhadap individu berkenaan, tetapi juga penolakkan luahan hati dalam realiti media persekitaran Belia pasca 53 tahun Merdeka. Adakah mungkin dalam apa-apa kesalahan yang dituduh terhadap mereka, ada juga bibit-bibit kebenaran yang harus mengambil kira?

Malah, menurut peraturan MCMC sendiri, kemungkinan besar Hassan Skodeng akan didapati tidak bersalah pun dalam perbuatannya, cuma salah di mata tokoh koprat yang terguris sindirannnya. Manakala Namewee pula... jurublog ini pun sebenarnya tak setuju dengan cara beliau, terutama perbuatan-perbuatannya terdahulu, seperti mengherdik melulu kakitangan TNB dan mempermainkan lagu Negaraku. Namun anggapan 300,000 pengikutnya harus difahami.

Inilah realiti media yang dipelopori oleh golongan Belia pasca 53 tahun Merdeka. Merdeka bukan sekadar mengibar, menaikkan, melukis dan mencatkan Jalur Gemilang sahaja ke mana-mana. Merdeka harus membawa makna lebih dari itu. Makna yang melampaui pembangunan fizikal atau kemakmuran semata-mata. Merdeka membawa peluang untuk masyarakat Malaysia berkembang kematangan dan identitinya.

Identiti Belia Malaysia Merdeka kini sedang diolah menerusi media kita. Soalan bagi pihak berkuasa semestinya adalah, adakah mereka mahu terlihat sebagai penghalang perkembangan identiti ini sehingga ditolak oleh golongan Belia? Atau adakah pihak berkuasa bersedia duduk mencari kesefahaman bersama sebagai 'orang dewasa' yang memimpin tanpa mengekang perkembangan identiti Belia Malaysia Merdeka? 1Malaysia hanya kan tercapai jika kita duduk bersama...

Apakah Bezanya Perkasa, Dong Jiao Zong Dan Hindraf?

Pelbagai helah sudah mula keluar akan kenapa masyarakat Cina menolak BN dan gagasan 1Malaysia di Hulu Selangor. Kononya antara faktor penting adalah kelemahan parti-parti komponen BN yang mewakili kaum Cina dan juga layanan terhadap Perkasa oleh para pemimpin UMNO. Ada juga yang mengatakan kaum Cina lebih memberi penumpuan kepada masalah negara dan tak tergerak isu-isu remeh yang dibicarakan pada PRK tersebut.

Bagi jurublog, helah-helah sedemikian amnya cakap karut yang diadukkan dengan cebisan kebenaran. Antara yang menyakitkan hati adalah lontaran cemuhan kepada Perkasa sebagai kumpulan pendesak Melayu. Apakah salah Perkasa wujud untuk mendesak supaya hak-hak orang Melayu dipelihara? Apakah bezanya Perkasa dengan Dong Jiao Zong? Tidakkah Dong Jiao Zong sama ekstremis dalam tuntutannya, malah ada yang mengatakan ia lebih ekstrim lagi!

Adakah Perkasa sebuah organisasi yang terbukti mengipas api perkauman sehingga semarak membawa kepada keganasan? Bukankah Hindraf sebagai suatu organisasi lebih terbukti membawa keributan dan mengancam ketenteraman awam? Malah, parti politik PKR lebih terkenal membawa keganasan di jalanan dengan aktivitinya, tetapi kenapakah majoriti kaum Cina masih sedia menyokong PKR di peti undi? Berbeza dengan Perkasa, yang telah berjaya mendesak supaya Model Ekonomi Baru diperincikan lagi, pastinya untuk kebaikan seluruh rakyat!

Saya juga berasa cukup terhina apabila diberitahu pengundi Cina amnya mahukan isu-isu peringkat nasional ditangani sebelum sedia menyokong semula BN. Apa, bangsa lain tidak begitu 'maju' ke? Adakah PKR terbukti berupaya menangani isu-isu pembangunan ekonomi, perkauman dan sebagainya? Mana ada buktinya di Selangor! Yang adapun bukti, adalah bagaimana Pakatan Selangor masih gagap dan tak habis-habis menuduh BN atas segala kepincangan usaha kerajaannya.

Yang saya boleh percaya sikit pun adalah kekecewaan kaum Cina terhadap usaha kerajaan menangani rasuah, yang ternyata masih ada kepincangan. Pengamal rasuah mahupun mereka yang mengambil kesempatan dari ketirisan usaha kerajaan harus dihalang dari terus mengecapi nikmat duit rakyat. Contohnya, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim yang kaya-raya berlebihan akibat terlalu banyak mengaut untuk dari DEB patut ditolak! Tapi eh, eh, kaum Cina mahu pula mengundinya!

Apa lagi isu nasional? Kalau kaum Cina benar-benar mahukan isu nasional yang dianggap penting kepada mereka ditangani, kenapakah mereka tidak memberikan kekuatan menerusi sokongan jitu mereka kepada BN semata-mata untuk memberi muka kepada pemimpin politik mereka? Ini tidak, lari begitu banyak undi Cina dari BN, sehingga kini, relevan tidaknya MCA dan Gerakan di dalam BN menjadi persoalan! Malah, tak hairanlah sekiranya kaum Cina hilang kerusi kabinet kelak!

Sepatutnya, pemimpin, pemikir dan pengulas kaum Cina harus mengaku sahaja yang penolakan BN di Hulu Selangor kerana pendapat yang menular di kalangan masyarakat tersebut bahawa lemahnya BN membawa keuntungan. Keuntungan kepada siapa? ... Fenomena ini tidak lain dari yang dilihat di Kelantan; kesukaran BN merampas negeri tersebut berkait dengan pendapat yang wang pembangunan akan terus dicurah selagi BN berusaha untuk merampas kembali negeri tersebut.

Jadi helah lainnya semua sekadar helah sahaja, kerana kan malu bagi kaum Cina sekiranya pemikiran sedemikian jelas terdedah kepada kaum Melayu, India dan yang lain akan kebenaran di sebalik kecenderungan pengundi di Hulu Selangor? Tetapi ahli politik dan pemimpin BN harus menerima ini sebagai suatu realiti. Mungkinkah kerana ini, kaum Cina akan melihat perubahan sikap dari kerajaan DS Najib yang sebelum ini kuat berusaha menarik hati masyarakat tersebut?

Wallahualam... bagi jurublog adalah kelaku sebegini oleh mana-mana kaum di Malaysia tidak boleh diterima-pakai, bukan sahaja atas dasar 1Malaysia, tetapi dari segi sopan-santun antara kita. Mungkin sudah masanya para pemimpin Cina, dari memberi helah, mengingatkan masyarakatnya akan sejarah. Tak perlu tinjau jauh ke prinsip jusoli, tetapi ke PRU 1990 dan 1999 sudah memadai. Pada masa itu, pemimpin Cina cukup berpengaruh kerana kaum mereka kuat menyokong BN.

Why BN And 1Malaysia 'Lost' In Hulu Selangor

I'm going to be 'punished' for this posting, especially by those who read the title only and choose to draw conclusions without reading further. They will likely be joined by 'kaki ampus' as well. However, as much as the Hulu Selangor by-election win by BN was a welcome result, the victory carries reminders of a similar by-election some 3 years ago, in Ijok, where a local boy from the MIC also once trounced a PKR 'Giant'.

This posting will not touch on how BN's machinery assured a win ahead of Pakatan's 'meagre' means, which will be among Pakatan's excuses. Time and again previously, BN had been losing by-elections despite its large machinery. In fact, in Bagan Pinang, the BN candidate's machinery drove things ahead of BN's own. And of course all who were present at Hulu Selangor and even Bagan Pinang would agree that Pakatan's recources are now far from meagre. So, moot...

This posting also will not talk about the quality of candidates. It was rather obvious that Sdr. Kamalanathan would be more appealing to locals than Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. Kamal is quite a personable fellow, humble yet with intelligence discernable beneath his warm smile. So, despite being an 'unknown', it would be easier for fence-sitters who wish for a Wakil Rakyat that connects with them to Kamal ahead of the rather aloof and 'superior' Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

This posting is meant to highlight that the reason for the small majority in this BN by-election victory, hence my conclusion that it was a 'loss' is the poor quality of voters that we may have in Malaysia. Why would I deem these voters of poor quality for the job of deciding their Parliamentarian? I'll present a few anecdotes with the hope you will draw the same conclusions:

1. PKR nominated a Malay for a Malay majority area, supposedly due to feedback from a voter study of the area.


2. BN was relieved that a local Malay PKR leader, such as Datuk Dr Hariri, was not nominated as PKR candidate.


3. BN spent a lot of time, energy and effort convincing Malay voters to vote Kamalanathan despite his race. It was variously implied that voting Kamalanathan was effectively supporting Malay leadership to which Datuk Zaid is known to have undermined.


4. Kamalanathan was rumoured to have lost 10% of the Indian votes (from 70% to 60% support) due to reports of his joining a Perkasa event.


5. In the last days of the event, PKR spread a document supposedly from Perkasa, urging Malays to vote Datuk Zaid Ibrahim as a Malay candidate. (This is to be verified and this blogger find this dubious knowing how hated Datuk Zaid is hated by Perkasa for being a sell-out)


6. The preference of each race group for which candidate was apparent from the outset, leading to the tactics above. With the Chinese likely supportive of PKR due to the overwhelming influence the Chinese-led DAP has over Selangor state government policy and the Indians plugging for the candidate of their race (with no real link with DS Samy Vellu being seen), the Malays held the deciding vote.


7. Questions are now being asked on whether promises to build a Chinese School in Ulu Selangor should fulfilled seeing as 75% of Chinese voters supported Datuk Zaid.

BN may have won this by-election battle, but they have not won the war for the hearts and minds of the Rakyat. Remember that the PKR they were battling is no stronger, and if anything, is much weaker than the one that beat BN for the Parliamentary seat in 2008. Nevertheless, despite policies meant to cure BN of many of the perceptions of the electorate towards it, such as 1Malaysia, BN's win is surprisingly small.

As hinted above, the problem may not lie with BN or indeed policies of DS Najib's government to allay fears of economic favouritism of Malays and indeed promote unity through 1Malaysia. The problem may simply lie with the way Malaysians think, act and behave. The problem may be than Malaysians are still 'racist'...

There is an Arabic word, asabiyyah, which is often given a negative context as tribalism, clannishness, nationalism and indeed... racism. Ironically, the concept of asabiyyah according to Ibnu Khaldun, the great Muslim thinker, is not necessarily negative as it exists as a driving force for communities to develop with social cohesion towards civilisation. However, asabiyyah become truly negative when it is applied to the detriment of other groups, tribes or races.

Much of the racism in this country is spread by PAS, Gerakan and DAP. These parties don't do it necessarily by practicing racism, but more by labeling BN's predominantly race-based or regional then race based parties as racist! They do so by labeling UMNO, MCA, MIC and other BN partners as practisioners of negative asabiyyah. They should instead highlight that why BN is made up that way is to reflect the reality on the ground, that we still cluster in racial groups.

To some extent, despite near sectarian propaganda attacks, most viciously by PAS, Gerakan and DAP pre-May 13, 1969 then repeatedly over the course of the 80's and 90's, BN has been able to hold fast against the onslaught as the many communities are convinced that for Malaysia to succeed, all races must cooperate, just as their political leaders do in BN. However, this message failed in the dark Pak Lah years. Racism is now rampant again at the ballot box.

How does the BN government address this? It is ironic that despite being the party trying to resolve multi-racial tensions that it and its components are the ones labeled racist! Coversely, Pakatan appear could be as negatively asabiyyah as they like without blame! The blame was repeated time and again at Hulu Selangor, when voters were repeatedly reminded that the DAP dominated exco curtailed the BN building of an ITM, an institution to directly benefit Bumiputras.

Such blame may be an effort to shine truth to who is really racist. However, it is disagreeable to me that such truth is revealed and emphasised to Malays, inciting their group anger towards a Malay MB led by the nose by Chinese DAP state exco members. In a sense, the revealing of truth of Pakatan's racism is in itself an act of racism when done this way. Racism here begets racism!

On the Chinese side, there were whispers coming to me, some conveyed in apparent triumph, of non-Malay anger, when Kamalanathan met with Perkasa. Supposedly, this incident would shift votes from the Indian firmly towards PKR, threatening BN's position. The impression given by these whispers are that the Chinese like to keep Selangor as it is, with an MB led by the nose by Chinese DAP exco members. The impression also was that Indians didn't like Perkasa.

But really, if we are truly buying into 1Malaysia, what is so wrong with Kamalanathan meeting with Perkasa? As a future Parliamentarian, surely he has to be open to the views of Malay pressure groups as well, even supposedly 'ultra' ones like Perkasa. What's so different with Kamalanathan then meeting with Dong Jiao Zong? Oh, can't Malays have extreme pressure groups and NGOs like Dong Jiao Zong to further the Malay cause?

Maybe there would have been greater happiness if Kamalanathan met with Hindraf? Sure, Hindraf is proven to be violent in conduct, but hey, Kamalanathan is an Indian, so of course he should speak to Hindraf, right?

All this is sick! Kamalanathan is now Parliamentarian for all of Hulu Selangor and will make a difference to national policy-making, so... he should take in ALL points of view, whether it be Malay, Chinese, Indian, Murut, Iban etc.So what if he meets Perkasa? is it such a sin that he wants to know what Malays want? Isn't it responsible for him to do so as he move towards 1Malaysia.

In the end, what sickens me about the events and outcome at Hulu Selangor is this. The winner is not an only an Indian from MIC but a Malaysian from BN representing all Hulu Selangor voters in Parliament. Problem is, how many voters still see him as an Indian from MIC? Problem is, how many struggled to vote for him because of despite of this? Until our voters improve in quality such that race is not front and centre of their concerns, we would never have 1Malaysia...

Menjelang MERDEKA, Punca Pertelingkahan Antara Kaum Terpampang Buat Rakyat Selangor

Saya hanya mendengar 2 kali sejak 1Malaysia dilancarkan, pendapat jelas akan apa dimaksudkan slogan tersebut yang bolehlah masuk akal sedikit sebagai pencinta sejarah. Terus-terang, kita pernah berdenyut senadi sebagai rakyat 1 Malaysia, dan ini jelas sepanjang alunan sejarah sebelum kepimpinan Pak Lah. Mungkin ada juga segelintir rakyat, terutama yang membangkang, terus menerus membawa modal ketidaksama-rataan kaum, tetapi ini kerana mereka tak reti...

Malangnya bagi kita, kelembapan pentadbiran dan keunggulan ikon-ikon korupsi pada zaman Pak Lah, membuka jalan untuk kegusaran rakyat diasak dan ditujukan ke arah propaganda ketidaksama-rataan antara kaum yang dicanang PKR dan DAP. Malangnya, kepimpinan lama disokong oleh pemimpin-pemimpin komponen BN yang sama ada lemah, seperti TS Koh Tsu Koon, atau diakhir hayat politik, seperti DS Samy Vellu.

Dalam kelemahan ini, tiada yang dapat terus mengingatkan rakyat apakah punca harmoni kita yang lama: kompromi yakni tolak-ansur yang berpada-pada! Tidak mungkin dalam suatu masyarakat berbilang kaum boleh wujud keharmonian tanpa kompromi. Kompromi antara hak, dan kehendak, selagi tidak melanggar keperluan mana-mana kaum adalah formula yang telah menjayakan Malaysia sejak 13 Mei 1969. Tidak ada mana-mana kaum yang mendapat segala-galanya...

1Malaysia-lah usaha untuk mencetus kembali ingatan tua dan mencanang hingga generasi muda faham yang bersatunya kita sebagai rakyat bukannya berdasarkan prinsip setiap kaum, agama malah rakyat mengecapi semua 'hak' dan kehendak mereka, seperti dibawa oleh ide Malaysia-Malaysia DAP. 1Malaysia seharusnya membawa dengan lebih jelas... ingat kembali! Kita sudah pun 1 Malaysia dahulu! Kita menghormati tuntutan hak semua dan berusaha dalam kompromi...

Kompromi adalah kata-najis politik. Ia diconteng ke muka pemimpin yang kononnya menderhakai perjuangan. Oleh itu, susah mungkin untuk pemimpin BN mengakui bahawa kompromi dalam mengejar hak antara kumpulan rakyat yang diwakili parti-parti komponen adalah antara sebab BN berjaya mengekalkan keharmonian antara kaum selama ini. Sudah tentu, tidak ada satu-satu kaum yang benar-benar puas... tetapi amnya tiada yang berasa ketinggalan...

Pra-PRU 12, isu menegangkan keharmonian antara kaum, yakni perobohan kuil Hindu yang dibina tanpa kebenaran tuan tanah, seperti biasa timbul. Kepimpinan BN yang kuat dan berhemah, disokong majoriti, sudah pasti dapat membawa kompromi untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini. Mungkin masyarakat Hindu diberi kuil ganti sebagai tawaran perdamaian oleh pemimpin Melayu yang terlibat. Ini kompromi. Tak mungkin semua puas, tetapi keperluan diisi dan harmoni kembali.

Kini kita melihat, di Selangor, propaganda Pakatan memakan diri. Propaganda inilah yang dicanang sewaktu rakyat gusar atas salah-silap Pak Lah dahulu. Dikatakan bukan korupsi sahaja membawa merudumnya kemakmuran rakyat kebanyakan. Dikatakan, ini akibat 'politik perkauman' yang diamalkan selama ini! Dikatakan DEB tidak menguntungkan sesiapa selain yang berkuasa. Dihapuskan dari ingatan yang kompromi harus ada untuk kita makmur dalam harmoni...

Sudah berbulan-bulan kita melihat bagaimana kerajaan Pakatan negeri Pulau Pinang GAGAL menyelesaikan isu sekular yang juga berbau perkauman, yakni pengambilan tanah Kampung Buah Pala. Dalam isu tersebut, sebuah pengusaha Cina ingin membuang penduduk India dari tanah milik antara lain koperasi pekerja kerajaan negeri yang amnya Melayu! Padahal, penyelesaiannya merupakan antara janji-janji pokok Pakata sewaktu PRU-12!

Buat masa ini, kerajaan Pakatan Pulau Pinang yang kepincangan dari pelbagai hal terselamat akibat kelemahan kepimpinan BN negeri diterajui TS Koh Tsu Koon. TS Koh dibenci kaum Melayu dan India kerana sifat perkaumannya sehingga disangsi bangsanya sendiri! Tetapi, kejadian menyepak kepala lembu sebagai bangkangan terhadap pembinaan kuil Hindu oleh pemimpin Islam PKR Selangor menunjukkan betapa pada dasarnya, Pakatanlah golongan yang bersifat perkauman!

Bagaimanakah mungkin suatu parti yang berpropaganda hangat akan penolakkan politik kononnya 'ala-perkauman' BN boleh bersifat begitu kurang ajar sekali terhadap kaum lain? Ini kerana idealisma yang dipropaganda oleh Pakatan Rakyat dan parti komponennya adalah yang serong. Ia suatu idealisma kurang matang dengan melulu menjanjikan hak mutlak segalanya bagi setiap kaum, tanpa memberi kesedaran akan perlunya benteng kompromi berpada-pada!

Perbincangan tentang hal ini harus diteruskan oleh semua rakyat Malaysia. Tak kiralah politik mana yang disuka, jelas, rakyat Malaysia harus memahami apa itu maksud 'perkauman', apa baiknya 'kompromi' dan kembali ke masa di mana 1Malaysia bukan slogan semata-mata. Pada hemah saya, Pakatan Rakyat sendiri harus dibetulkan paksinya, kalau tidak, giliran mereka pulalah untuk ditolak rakyat yang dahulu dibuta-tulikan pemimpinnya dengan janji-janji manis-palsu.

Sekadar merenung, mengisi:

MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

Najib Harus Menunjukkan Kekuatan Ala Obama, Mengelak Flip-Flop & Rebut Kuasa

Saya baru menyaksikan siaran lansung ucapan Presiden Barrack Obama di Universiti Georgetown menerusi CNBC. Dalam masa ~45 minit, beliau berjaya menerangkan sebab ekonomi Amerika dan dunia kini merudum, rancangan pemulihannya sekaligus menyangkal kritikan terhadap gerak-kerja pentadbirannya sepanjang 3 bulan pertama memerintah.

Kritikan terhadapnya semestinya akan terus ada. Namun, penjelasan telus berlandaskan keputusan serta gerak-kerja berpaksikan visinya yang jitu cukup meyakinkan. Ini penting dan saya rasa berhasil memperkukuhkan lagi kedudukannya sebagai Presiden.

Pada saya, saranan yang para pemimpin negara kita, terutama sekali Datuk Seri Najib haruslah menimba pengajaran dari pendekatan Obama untuk menghadapi krisis ekonomi dan sosial di Malaysia. Kejayaan menangani isu sosial dan ekonomi inilah akan membawa kejayaan politik untuk pentadbiran DS Najib.

1Malaysia kini sedang digembar-gemburkan sebagai dialog sosial yang penting. Mekanisma ini diharapkan akan membawa kembali perpaduan antara kaum, namun ianya satu pendekatan yang memerlukan masa untuk diolah, diwar-warkan dan diterapkan kejiwa masyarakat Malaysia.

Sementara menanti 'masak'nya dialog 1Malaysia, DS Najib perlu meneruskan usaha menjanakan kembali ekonomi negara. Fokus terhadap ekonomi seharusnya akan membuahkan hasil yang lebih awal. Ia juga akan memberi peluang untuk DS Najib menunjukkan kepimpinannya sepertimana dilakukan oleh Obama.

DS Najib sudah pasti mengelakkan diri dari politik 'flip-flop' Pak Lah, tetapi kekuatan politiknya juga akan terserlah sekiranya beliau mengelakkan diri dari dijerat ke dalam permainan politik 'rebut kuasa' ala Anwar Ibrahim.

Fokus kepada masalah ekonomi dengan pelan perlaksanaan yang jitu adalah apa yang diperlukan untuk meyakinkan rakyat sekarang. Lambat-laun, kejayaan dalam menangani isu ekonomi digandingkan dengan dialog sosial demi perpaduan semestinya akan mengatasi agenda politik rebut kuasa Anwar yang kian basi...

PS: Saya masih di Hospital dan memblog dengan serba kekurangan menggunakan HTC TytnII