Pakatan Perak Schizophrenic?

I have been following and occassionally commenting on the situation in Perak without having a clear description sussed out for the Pakatan leadership which used to rule the state. However, recent pronouncements by DS Nizar, the former DAP-puppet MB of the state, has me convinced that, whilst Pakatan Selangor is Incompetent and Pakatan Penang is led by Hypocrites, Pakatan Perak appears to be Schizophrenic!

Consider these points:

1. After blatantly ignoring the views of not just state BN legislators, but even BN sympathisers among community leaders when they were in power, now that the courts have decided for BN's DS Dr Zambry's state government, Nizar and co have gone back to their pre-PRU12 claims of wanting to 'work with' BN?


2. Whilst they are willing to 'work with' the Perak BN government, DS Nizar laid down 'conditions' if BN 'wants' their cooperation! Wah, as if Pakatan Perak will be doing the BN government a favour by 'working with' DS Dr Zambry's team. Why, DS Nizar wants to claim joint credit is it when BN Perak successfully runs the state? Why, Ngeh and Nga just advised Nizar that DS Dr Zambry have FDI coming into the state soon, despite Pakatan's lies is it?


3. Whilst Pakatan Perak wants to 'work with' DS Dr Zambry, DS Nizar also states that,"...but we (Pakatan Rakyat) are not conceding." So, which is it, is Pakatan happy to accept the court ruling by 'working with' BN in Perak, or are they rejecting the court ruling? The two scenarios are mutually exclusive! In the meantime, DS Nizar and an Ipoh MP from the DAP is clearly opposed to the court's position, but in doing so, may have bitten off too much to chew:



4. We saw symptoms of this Pakatan Perak schizophrenia even when they were in power. They had in the past accused BN of abuse of power and corruption, then when they were in power, timber concessions were given to Pakatan leaders in the state, even those who knew nothing about the business. So ignorant were they that they turned to BN members from the business to develop the timber concessions! Schizo!

Actually, I don't really know if being Schizo is necessarily that bad for a politician. Certainly it isn't as bad as being Incompetent or a Hypocrite. At least Pakatan Perak have a better excuse for not fulfilling their promises or for not behaving in a civilised manner... THEY"RE NUTS! But of course, in the end, it is up to the people of Perak to truly judge them for what they are...

Kepimpinan Baru PKR Pasca Malapnya Era DS Anwar Ibrahim... Hasil Musibah Dari Allah...

Tidak boleh dinafikan yang DS Anwar Ibrahim bijak dalam memilih dan mengasah bakat kepimpinan muda. Di UMNO sendiri, terlalu ramai pemimpin generasi DS Najib ke bawah yang bertunas bakat kepimpinan organisasinya di bawah didikan DS Anwar. Ini termasuklah mereka yang kini berada dalam barisan kabinet, seperti Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi, Datuk Shabery Cheek dan DS Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mahupun Menteri Besar seperti DS Dr Zambry Kadir.

Malah, adalah menarik dilihat yang pemimpin bawahan DS Anwar yang berkualiti dan celik mata seperti disebut tidak menurutnya keluar dari UMNO apabila beliau dipecat dahulu. Pemimpin seperti ini berpegang kepada prinsip perjuangan lebih dari setiakawan, maka apabila timbul percanggahan pendapat tentang halatuju agama, bangsa dan negara, tak hairanlah apabila mereka berpecah barisan dengan DS Anwar memandangkan beliau mula berlaku terlalu liberal dan populis.

Kemudian dilihat, DS Anwar mampu mengumpulkan barisan baru yang berbakat, lebih muda serta cukup bertenaga untuk menggerakkan agenda Reformasinya pada suatu masa dahulu. Namun, tulang belakang barisan tersebut, seperti para pemimpin ABIM veteran seperti Dr Siddiq Fadzil dan Dr Mohd Noor Manuti serta anak-anak buah mereka, mahupun pemimpin politik muda seperti YB Zulkifli Nordin, kini tidak kelihatan di sisi Anwar menghadapi Sodomi II. Kenapa?

Hilangnya sokongan terhadap DS Anwar pada hemah saya adalah kerana pendirian beliau yang kalimah 'Allah' boleh dikongsi oleh umat Islam di Malaysia dengan para penganut agama lain. Malah, DS Anwar memberi hujah bertubi-tubi, menyatakan pendapat yang memesongkan hujah dari para ulama terkemuka atau lebih buruk lagi, seolah-olah bersekongkol dengan Islam Liberal Indonesia pimpinan Nurcholish Majid yang tiada kredibiliti di kalangan umat Islam Malaysia.

Pada masa yang sama, kepimpinan PKR yang benar-benar membawa nilai yang disokong oleh rakyat kebanyakkan, seperti YB Tan Tee Beng, YB DS Zahrain Mohd Hashim, YB Wee Choo Keong, YB S. Manickavasagam dan juga YB Zulkifli Noordin semakin menjauhkan diri dari kepincangan kepimpinan DS Anwar yang merugikan PKR. Ia semakin menjadi-jadi apabila Ketua Menteri DAP, Lim Guan Eng, tertuduh sebagai 'diktator bersifat perkauman' di negeri DS Anwar sendiri, Pulau Pinang.

Sekiranya YB Saifuddin Nasution terbuka hatinya untuk berpaling tadah, maka tak mungkin mereka yang mencengkam kuasa semata-mata kerana kasih DS Anwar, seperti YB Azmin Ali, Tian Chua, Sivarasa Rasiah, mahupun Syed Husin Ali, dapat kekal ditampuk kuasa parti, apatah lagi menyelamatkan PKR untuk Anwar. Menarik sekali, PKR mungkin kemudian akan ada masa depan sebagai sebuah parti politik berdasarkan prinsip, bukan sebagai pentas peribadi DS Anwar!

Lebih menarik lagi, mungkin sudah ada pun pengganti kepada DS Anwar sebagai pemimpin ulung yang diakui walau di peringkat antarabangsa ... YBM Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (KuLi)! Dan DS Anwar juga yang tak semena-mena membuka jalan untuk KuLi dengan menjemputnya untuk memimpin 'kaukus' royalti minyak!

Menarik...

Mari Berceramah Kepada BTN...

Tempohari, saya dijemput untuk memberi ceramah kepada pemimpin-pemimpin Biro Tata-Negara yang menjadi bahan kecaman Pakatan baru-baru ini. Topik yang di minta saya bincangkan adalah bersabit 'Cabaran Pendidikan' pada masa kini. Saya menganggap topik ini cukup bebas untuk menyentuh pelbagai perkara, termasuklah perlunya:

1. Cabaran yang timbul hasil dakyah anti-1Malaysia yang menidakkan sejarah, malah memperindahkan dusta semata-mata untuk menarik minat masyarakat muda.
2. Perlunya BTN mengemaskinikan CARA perisiannya DISAMPAIKAN kepada generasi muda bagi menyahut cabaran tersebut.
3. Menjelaskan bagaimana generasi berteknologi maklumat harus dihormati 'kelainannya' serta untung-rugi di sebalik layanan tersebut.

Sebagai seorang yang pernah dikursus mahupun memberi ceramah dalam aktiviti BTN, peluang diberi tidak saya sia-siakan dengan mempersoalkan perisian BTN. Ini terutama sekali memandangkan BTN kini dipimpin oleh seorang veteran pembina program jatidiri, Datuk Saghul Hamid dan tokoh-tokoh Belia lama seperti 'Pak Long' Wahab yang sudi hadir pada ceramah saya.

Soalan tentang 1Malaysia timbul juga pada sesi dialog saya, dan hubungan antara konsep 1Malaysia dan pengajaran Tata-Negara dahulu jelas pada saya. Pada saya, 1Malaysia merupakan usaha DS Najib untuk memperingatkan rakyat Malaysia tentang sejarah perpaduan kita sebagai sebuah negara-bangsa yang tidak mengamalkan asimilasi, tetapi menghormati kelainan dalam persekutuan pelbagai dalam 1 gagasan. Paksi sejarah ini sesuai dengan peranan BTN.

Kerana itulah saya merasa agak kecewa mendengar cerca keluar semula dari mulut DS Nazri Aziz menuduh kononnya Tun Dr Mahathir seorang bersifat perkauman atau 'racist' kerana amnya bersependapat dengan saya, bahawa BTN tidak perlu dirombak kurikulumnya, cuma sekadar diperbaiki sahaja mungkin. Kita tahu DS Nazri mungkin kepingin menelan malu dari latahnya tempohari tentamg perlunya kurikulum BTN dirombak, tetapi kenapa harus dihina Tun Dr M?

Apakah DS Nazri sudah lupa yang Tun Dr M-lah yang membuka jalan politik luas untuk beliau, semata-mata kerana mengingati kawannya, arwah Tan Sri Abdul Aziz dahulu? Atau mungkin DS Nazri masih membawa dendam lama kerana pemimpin kesayangannya Pak Lah sudah tiada lagi di tampuk kuasa? Atau mungkin juga DS Nazri malu kerana menyedari beliau salah dan sudah terjebak dalam perangkap pembangkang yang lebih licik dielak oleh Datuk Ahmad Maslan?

Bukti kesalahan DS Nazri Aziz menjadi jelas apabila beliau kini disokong sekaligus diperkudakan pendakyah-pendakyah yang mengapi-apikan perbalahan antara kaum di Malaysia. Seperti biasa, contoh 1-2 diketengahkan yang memutar-belitkan bisa dirasa pendakyah menindakkan sejarah apabila hadir dan dipersembahkan kebenaran beralaskan sejarah dalam kursus BTN.

Kalau hendak dikatakan BTN itu maksum dan tak pernah salah langkah pun tidak. Pada zaman BTN dikuasai oleh DS Anwar Ibrahim pada suatu masa dahulu, ia digunakan untuk menyebarkan dakyah yang beliaulah pemimpin bagaikan nabi yang akan menyelamatkan negara dari salah langkah Tun Dr M! Pak Lah juga banyak menyalah-gunakan BTN pada zaman beliau Perdana Menteri. Tetapi BTN sekarang kelihatan sudah kembali kepada tujuannya yang asal.

Mungkinkah ini merunsingkan pihak Pakatan, yang BTN kini sudah kembali ke niat asalnya dan kian berjaya membetulkan dakyah palsu pembawa perpecahan. kalau tidak, kenapakah kerajaan Pakatan Selangor dan Penang takut bebenar untuk membolehkan kakitangan dan para pelajar hadir kursus-kursus BTN? Saya rasa atas dasar ini, ada baiknya para pemimpin Pakatan sendiri dijemput menyertai program BTN!

Mungkin DS Nazri Aziz pun patut hadir ke kursus BTN itu sama...?

Budget 2010: Suspicious Quality Of Criticism Detected...

I have always thought Malaysians deserve a quality opposition. What happened during Pak Lah's regime further justified why, and it is without irony that I observe quality and effective opposition against it only emerged from the ranks of Barisan Nasional itself, not from the formal opposition parties in Malaysia. It is in fact ironic that whilst Pak Lah was eventually toppled, it was not by the formal opposition, who had pleaded for him to stay!

Some of the quality opposition against Pak Lah who rose among BN, such as Jeff Ooi, then joined the formal opposition. Whilst it was sad to see Jeff and others such as 'kickdefella' go, I had some hope that these would add much needed quality to the opposition ranks. My litmus test included how the opposition would respond to a BN National Budget, largely due to the pathetic responses of the past, including Lim Kit Siang's past insignificant ravings about 'TV licenses'.

Unfortunately, the quality of our opposition continues to be shallow into the new generation! At least Lim Guan Eng, now Chief Minister of Penang(!) no less, was talking about income taxes when commenting on the 2010 Budget right after its tabling. However, the commentary, fine perhaps in the ears of ignorant liberals, was still shallow, criticising the 15% rate for knowledge workers at Iskandar as being unfair and that it should apply to all knowledge workers nationwide!

This reminds me of Guan Eng's similarly shallow complaints before about how flying MAS from Singapore to another foreign city can be cheaper than flying MAS from KL to the same city. Again, fine criticism to the ignorant, but pretty pathetic as he fails to appreciate economic factors such as competitive forces. In the case of the Iskandar's discounted income taxes, is he failing to understand that it is specifically to build the area's competitiveness vis-a-vis Singapore? Does he even know that this is not new, with tax exemptions a favourite tool of Tun Dr M's?

Or maybe Guan Eng, having failed to improve the economic lot of the workers in Penang since he took over, is so desparate that he is hinting for DS Najib to cut income taxes for Penang's knowledge workers too? Maybe he is now facing the stark reality of his incompetence, despite loyal assistance from ex_BN man Jeff Ooi and other gerakan 'cross-overs', that he needs help from DS Najib's government? Ah... but he can't ask directly... malu beb!

Then again, one has to perhaps excuse Guan Eng. Considering the shallow economic basis passed on by his father, he must have been looking at the new opposition leader, DS Anwar Ibrahim for guidance... unfortunately, so called 'economic wizard' DS Anwar also FAILED! His press conference started well, with some interesting general commentary about the size of the deficit, until you realise:

1. DS Anwar was reading from text, and the material must have been very unfamiliar as he seemed to stutter in presenting some technical stuff. he is a very practiced parrot though, so many probably would forgive him this.


2. DS Anwar was more comfortable then speaking off the cuff, without aid of the text and all the technical economics material, speaking about 'transparency' and 'governance'. Same old story then, with no real criticism of the budget's salient points...


3. DS Anwar also made mistakes ala-Lim Kit Siang, but on credit card taxes rather than TV licenses. He complains that some 2 Million rakyat now have to pay taxes on credit cards, stating this as being 'significant', as opposed to 'small' benefits elsewhere. Hmmm, I get a RM500 tax rebate for my broadband in 2010, the smallest of the benefits, and only have to pay ~RM200 of credit card taxes... and only the high income folk pay... Hmmm...


4. Even as DS Anwar attempts to criticise by being 'global', he fails. E.g. he compares Malaysia's reduced ability to attract FDI to China and India's supposed recent strength. In the first place, what he is impliying is WRONG, all countries have suffered reduced cross-border investments over the course of the crisis, and China particularly weathered it the same way as Malaysia, by increased local activity. The there is size of economy, phasing, etc...

Don't believe me? Judge for yourself how shallow these two great opposition leaders are here, in their own words, with DS Anwar coming first followed by Guan Eng. What is scary now is that Guan Eng is running Penang state whilst DS Anwar is in power in Selangor, controlling Khalid Ibrahim by remote-control in the form of his former pegawai khas...

Meanwhile, I continue to lament that Malaysia does not have quality opposition, at least not of sufficient quality to make significant observations regarding this budget, and believe me, there are things worth questioning... things which I will question in private to those close to power that do appreciate quality opposition. In the meantime, here is a good precis of the budget offerings presented by StarTV. Worth more that any commentary from both sides of the floor...

These observations come a tad late as my back has been troubling me again of late. Ta!

At Last, Somewhere To Put MIC's Spare Garland Of Slippers...

Ever since DS Samy Vellu effectively grovelled for forgiveness at Tun Dr M for an AGM delegate proposing to award a garland of slippers to our former PM, knowing full well that the good doctor probably has more influence on Indian voters than MIC does these days, there has been a spare garland of slippers lying around. I have always thought that there are 2 great candidates for this garland, TS koh Tsu Koon or YB Lim Guan Eng.

TS Koh is of course a renowned racist among the people of Penang, what with his favouring of Chinese business interests well ahead of Malay or even Indian ones! Howerever, we are now seeing Lim Guan Eng fast catching up with TS Koh, with quotas for Malays to compete against each other on projects (a bastardisation of the DEB based system TS Koh used to ignore), his closing one eye to aides insulting Muslim NGO's and now with the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco.

These men have debated before and the two showcased excellent Bahasa Malaysia skills with an ability to command it to such heights of boredom, even when slinging mud at each other, resulting in little real value. So, to spice things up, now that everyone, including the Kg Buah Pala residents, are keen on the debate taking place, I propose that the MIC contributes their spare garland of slippers as a prize for the loser of the debate, to be decided by Kg Buah Pala residents of course!

I know that some people out there now have a view that the Kampung Buah Pala residents had gone too far and ended up asking or even daring to 'milk some profit' from the whole issue. I tend to disagree however, and hope that the following excellent short movie brings home what I mean... no mean pun intended! Also hope you all agree that racism should be opposed across all political divides...