There Are Many Subtleties And Hidden Meanings, Patterns Leading to Surprising Outcomes, For Us To Consider As We Ponderously Venture With Hope Still Towards A Better Malaysia
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Apakah Bezanya Perkasa, Dong Jiao Zong Dan Hindraf?
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pengajaran Dari 'Kekalahan' BN Dan 1Malaysia Di Hulu Selangor
- PKR kini kelihatan semakin pincang bukan sahaja di peringkat nasional tetapi di Hulu Selangor sendiri sepanjang tempoh PRK dengan larinya para pemimpin dan wakil rakyatnya keluar parti.
- Faktor 'calon orang luar' yakni terpilihnya Datuk Zaid Ibrahim kelihatan tidak memberi kesan yang ketara kepada penyokong tegar PKR mahupun Pakatan di Hulu Selangor. Ternyata kepada ramai yang sekiranya Datuk Dr Hariri menjadi calon, kemenangan berkemungkinan di tangan PKR!
- Segala tohmahan dan cerca-merba yang dilontarkan kepada DS Anwar Ibrahim juga tidak nampak berkesan. Para pengundi seolah-olah sedia memilih parti pimpinan beliau walaupun penuh dengan kepincangan.
- Kerajaan negeri Selangor tidaklah begitu hebat pencapaiannya setakat ini. Malah, begitu banyak usaha pembangunan yang tertangguh dan isu seperti salah-langkah Pakatan menuduh SPRM sebagai pembunuh Teoh Beng Hock seharusnya merapuhkan kewibawaan kerajaan tersebut.
Namun, walaupun menghadapi semua yang diatas, PKR masih mampu mencabar! Paling membimbangkan sekali adalah penolakkan pengundi Cina di Hulu Selangor terhadap BN, termasuk gagasan 1Malaysia dan tawaran pembinaan Sekolah Cina di kawasan Parlimen tersebut! Sememangnya pengundi Cina lazimnya tidak begitu tegar sokongannya terhadap BN, berlandaskan ide yang kuasa BN perlu ada timbal baliknya. Namun, mungkin sokongan sekadar 50% telah diharapkan.
Tetapi terlihat sokongan Cina kepada calon BN merudum ke hanya ~25%! Sebab kenapa sokongan begitu lemah sekali dari golongan ini masih dalam pertimbangan. Ada yang menuding jari ke arah kelemahan MCA dan Gerakan meraih undi. Ada juga yang menyalahkan Kamalanathan kerana sudi melayan kumpulan pendesak Melayu, Perkasa, yang juga dikatakan menyebabkan penurunan undi India dari 70% ke 60% untuknya.
Penolakkan undi Cina, malah persoalan kenapa corak pengundian begitu dipengaruhi faktor bangsa, seperti kehendak pengundi Melayu, termasuk yang menyokong BN, supaya calon Melayu diketengahkan, haruslah mencemaskan DS Najib dan para penggerak gagasan 1Malaysia. Jelas, 1Malaysia masih belum dihayati secukupnya untuk menebus benteng perbezaan pendapat antara bangsa dalam pelbagai isu. Malah, mungkin akan timbul suara nakal untuk dikecualikan bangsa Cina dari agenda BN, dan ini haruslah dielakkan sama-sekali!
Tetapi jurublog sendiri merasakan dari segi menarik undi, ada intipati kempen BN yang mungkin tidak begitu berhasil dan harus dirombak semula. Usaha mendekati pengundi seperti berkempen rumah ke rumah dan terutama sekali gerak-kerja Datuk Ahmad Maslan yang memberi penumpuan kepada pengundi dari kawasan Felda adalha contoh-contoh positif yang harus dikekalkan. Tetapi, ada juga unsur kempen berbentuk negatif BN yang kini sudah kurang berkesan, seperti:
- Penggunaan bekas pemimpin pembangkang, khususnya bekas ahli PKR untuk 'mendedahkan' salah-laku DS Anwar Ibrahim, PKR dan Pakatan Pembangkang. Ini dilihat oleh ramai pengundi sebagai usaha peribadi melepaskan pekung di dada kerana kecewa dan marah terhadap DS Anwar. Maklumat yang dibawa oleh mereka mungkin menarik perhatian mereka, tetapi cara dan niat pembawa begitu mudah disangsi pendengarnya.
- Penumpuan keterlaluan terhadap kepincangan peribadi DS Anwar Ibrahim sepanjang kempen juga mungkin kurang wajar. Ada pengundi sehingga mempersoalkan relevan tidaknya DS Anwar diserang, dan kerana ianya bertalu-talu, begitu mudah untuk para pengundi berhenti mendengar lagi tentang kealpaan beliau. Mempersoalkan keperibadian calon PKR, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, mungkin lebih relevan, tetapi juga tak seharusnya melepasi had.
- Pemantauan terhadap pengundi luar, yakni 25% dari para pengundi, masih agak lemah. Malah, BN seolah-olah terkejut apabila faktor pengundi luar timbul kembali dan membahayakan kedudukan calon. Kebanyakan pengundi luar tidak berapa memperdulikan apa yang diperkatakan di padang kempen, tetapi lebih peka terhadap isu di tempat bermastautin atau isu-isu nasional. maka Datuk Zaid mungkin lebih relevan sebagai calon mereka!
- Walaupun BN telah berjaya mengelakkan dari turunnya pemimpin-pemimpin BN yang dicemuh rakyat seperti DS Samy Vellu dan YB Khairy Jamaluddin ke medan kempen mengelak tertolaknya BN oleh pengundi, masih ada lagi pemimpin BN yang cuma berdaya 'mentuba' usaha kita untuk menang. BN haruslah memastikan pemimpin sedemikian terus disisihkan dan pemimpin baru yang sedia diterima seperti Datuk Ahmad Maslan terus diketengahkan.
Dalam membuat pemerhatian di atas, jurublog tidak mengakui diri lebih tahu dari mereka yang menggerakkan kempen BN di Hulu Selangor. Tetapi ini menjadi sekadar sumbangan untuk memperbaiki peluang BN menjurus ke PRU-13 kelak. Risiko yang dihadapi BN masih tinggi dan penguasaan 2/3 Parlimen mahupun kerajaan negeri Selangor masih sekadar impian sekiranya kedudukan BN tidak terus diperbaiki.
Lagipun, jurublog pun pasti ada kesilapan semasa berkempen...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Why BN And 1Malaysia 'Lost' In Hulu Selangor
- PKR nominated a Malay for a Malay majority area, supposedly due to feedback from a voter study of the area.
- BN was relieved that a local Malay PKR leader, such as Datuk Dr Hariri, was not nominated as PKR candidate.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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...
Monday, April 19, 2010
PRK Hulu Selangor Membahayakan Kesejahteraan Rakyat
Friday, April 16, 2010
How Important Is The Hulu Selangor By-Election?
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
2 Acara Menyingkap Sejarah, Menyentuh Masa Depan
- Kenapakah 16 September tidak dapat diterima oleh pemimpin generasi lepas untuk diraikan sebagai Hari Malaysia, lengkap dengan sambutan dan cuti awam? Kenapakah ini dapat dilaksanakan oleh DS Najib pula? Ini adalah kerana sejarah sebenar di sebalik 16 September 'ter'pilih sebagai hari Malaysia disatukan yang memeritkan hati generasi lama tetapi kini sudah kurang relevan untuk generasi sekarang, terutama golongan muda.
- Bagaimana usaha penulis dan ramai ahli ekonomi muda untuk menghapuskan subsidi gula pincang sedikit kerana kurangnya pemahaman tentang latarbelakang dan sejarah di sebalik dasar subsidi tersebut. Rupa-rupanya, dasar yang lama telah digubal dengan kajian penuh lengkap, merangkumi bukan sahaja ekonomi, tetapi juga isu-isu kesihatan, selera, keperluan tenaga, demografi dan pemakanan masyarakat miskin.
- Bagaimanakah memahami sejarah negara-negara dan masyarakat lain serta pengamatan budaya mereka dapat membantu dalam perhubungan kita dengan individu, bangsa, syarikat mahupun kerajaan tersebut.
- Dan lain-lain lagi...
Lebih berharga bagi saya adalah peluang duduk sejenak dengan cikgu-cikgu lama untuk bertukar cerita tentang perjalanan hidup masing-masing. Kagum juga saya mendengar yang mereka kini sibuk merancang 'aktiviti cuti', yakni melawat buat kali ketiga 'kampung angkat' mereka di Kambodia untuk berbakti kepada masyarakat! Pada kali kedua mereka ke sana, sekolah telah dibuka, kemudahan moden bersama dibangunkan dan pelbagai buku-buku ilmu dihadiahkan!
Alangkah bahagianya para pelajar Kolej MARA Seremban kerana diajar guru-guru yang pedulinya melepasi benteng rumah mahupun pesisir kolej, sehingga menjangkau masyarakat serantau sekali! Mereka mengambil inspirasi sejarah di mana negara kita pun nyaris sepapa Kambodia. Penulis masih terkedu sewaktu melepak makan tengahari dengan geng-geng MAYC Negeri Sembilan selepas itu, walaupun mengadap juadah ikan keli dan daging salai yang begitu enak!
- Menerima yang bukan semua yang dibawa oleh dasar, perlaksanaan dan usaha 'orang-orang lama' itu buruk. Lazimnya, kebaikan yang dibawa kerana niat telus pencadang dan ikhlas perlaksanaan oleh majoriti penggerak dasar. Janganlah pengalaman dari segelintir golongan atau secebis masa dijadikan panduan semata-mata.
- Janganlah ditidakkan Sejarah dengan label-label yang pelbagai, kerana tiada sumber pengajaran yang wujud selain dari singkapan sejarah. Usaha menggubal dasar seperti NEM akan senantiasa dilambung ombak pergolakan serta perubahan masyarakat. Maka ia haruslah direka dengan mengambil kira maklum-balas terbuka dari setiap lapisan masyarakat.
- Khusus bersabit isu ini, semua setuju yang NEP atau DEB dan NDP BERJAYA dalam memajukan dan menaik-tarafkan hidup masyarakat. Cuma kini, ia perlua diolah semula, sesuai dengan aspirasi rakyat negara kita sekaligus menangani salah-laku segelintir golongan yang mengambil kesempatan dam perlaksanaan-perlaksanaan dahulu. Ini juga pengajaran Sejarah NEP untuk NEM.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Confusion Reigns On New Economic Model
From DS Najib's speech: "There's a need to change rent-seeking and patronage system that has wracked our old system and the NEM must overcome this"From the NEM: “To break the logjam of vested interests through political will and leadership”
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Kembalinya Musim Pilihanraya Kecil...
Anwar Ibrahim Mengaku Beliau Liwat Melalui Blognya?
"Malaysia should be embarrassed that it is threatening to send a man to prison for consensual sex with another adult."Dialih bahasakan (dengan penjelasan): "Malaysia seharusnya malu kerana mengancam untuk menghantar seorang (DS Anwar) ke penjara kerana melakukan hubungan seks saling bersetuju (zina) dengan seorang dewasa (tak kira jantina) yang lain."
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Searching For MCA's Soul... Part 2... The Loser, The Disgraced And The Boy Scout...
Monday, March 08, 2010
Searching For MCA's Soul...
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah: Saya Setuju Dengan Pak Lah!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
When Good Democracy Will Be Poor Governance In Perak
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Hijack Atau SABOTAGE?!
- Siapakah yang mungkin ingin meng'hijack' usaha menunjuk perasaan secara aman ini, memandangkan pakar 'hijack' tunjuk perasaan seumpamanya, yakni DS Anwar Ibrahim, tak mungkin bersetuju isi memorandum tersebut! (Kalau tak, memang DS Anwar pakar yang telah berjaya meng'hijack' tunjuk perasaan dari tahun 70'an lagi, termasuklah 'gelombang kuning' anti-Pak Lah usaha pemimpin UMNO yang rapat dengan istana beberapa tahun lalu!)
- Kenapakah usaha untuk meng'hijack' tunjuk perasaan ini kelihatan begitu lembap sekali, sehinggakan para pengelola asalnya dapat mengesan akan usaha ini sebegitu awal dan pemantauan serta tindak-balas kini sempat dilaksanakan? Kumpulan politik manakah yang berupaya menunjukkan kelembapan tindak-tanduk sebegini rupa, seakan-akan budak-budak membuat kerja orang tua!

Sunday, February 14, 2010
MP Malaysia: (Pendatang) Australia Patut Menjadi Manusia Dahulu Sebelum Mengkritik Orang Lain
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Di Manakah Juara Rakyat Di Selangor?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Pakatan Perak Schizophrenic?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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:
- 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...
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Kepimpinan Baru PKR Pasca Malapnya Era DS Anwar Ibrahim... Hasil Musibah Dari Allah...
Friday, February 05, 2010
Asking The Wrong Questions To The Right Man...
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Malaysia The Racist-Phobic State...
- There was much talk of his allegedly causing offence. However, nowhere was it explicitly reported what it was that he actually said. Could it be that he was foolhardy in the words used rather than going out of the way to offend? It doesn't make sense for him to say these 'alleged' things at a 1Malaysia forum, does it? Furthermore, one must know Datuk Nasir to realise this was likely an innocent gaffe... more on who he is after this...
- If causing offence by hurting the feelings of other races should result in the loss of a government job, why are racist senior members of government still walking around the corricors of power in the Najib era? For instance, why has no action been taken on Datuk Tan Lien Hoe since she insulted Malays by calling us pendatangs? In fact, on recent news, it seems we have replaced one racist Chief Minister with another in Penang.
- Is being an alleged racist in government worse than being corrupt? It certainly seems so when "icons of corruption", those found to be among the most corrupt but allowed to remain in the corridors of power, are seen frowning at Datuk Nasir Safar's alleged racist remarks! So, if corrupt can stick around, but if racist, have to go! Is 1Malaysia open to corruption as long as it isn't racist corruption?
- My recent writings on the Allah issue has had me being called a racist too. However, I found a wonderful context of this being shown when chit-chatting with a bunch of friends on the fringes of a wedding. A Malaysian Chinese friend declared,"You're a racist Akhram, but I still support you! At least you're not a hypocrite!". Another then followed up with,"Besides, Malaysia is a Multi-Racist state!". We all laughed... we were not 'racist-phobic'.
Many who now declare Datuk Nasir a racist don't even know him, and have judged him from some 'alleged' remarks. I admit that I know not what words were said, but this man I certainly know of. I know of Datuk Nasir Safar, the nationalist, who rose first as a leader in a multi-racial youth organisation, MAYC, before joining politics. Datuk Nasir who was deployed repeatedly to speak to the Indian community, such as when I bumped into him at the Bukit Gantang by-election.
I know of Datuk Nasir Safar who has not the slightest smear of corruption against his name. A Najib loyalist who curtailed his rise through the ranks of UMNO Youth in Johor by being the first to suggest DS Najib be DS Anwar Ibrahim's successor to UMNO Youth leadership many years ago. Datuk Nasir, who is approachable and still carries a casual air, despite having had an office on the Fourth Floor.
This is the Datuk Nasir Safar I know. Could he have said the things being so 'alleged' against him? Perhaps. Does this make him a racist? No more than the average Malaysian I would wager. Should he have been reprimanded? Sure, why not? But resign? Sorry mate, I think that would be going too far! I'd rather have the allegedly corrupt Datuk Shafie Abdullah resign first! Unfortunately for Datuk Nasir, Malaysia seems to be racist-phobic, but not corrupt-phobic...
Final thought... knowing who Datuk Nasir is, a clean, capable and loyal aide to DS Najib, why is it then we have icons of corruption helping to push him out of the Prime Minister's Office? If DS Najib was to accept Datuk Nasir's resignation, would this be based on wisdom or populism...?