Pengajaran Dari 'Kekalahan' BN Dan 1Malaysia Di Hulu Selangor

Bersambung dari penulisan bahasa Inggeris tentang perkara ini, berikut merupakan luahan hati jurublog tentang apa yang tak kena tentang usaha BN di Hulu Selangor. Di harap ada yang berminat untuk mengambil perhatian dan iktibar dari kalangan pembaca.

Menarik sekali yang tinjauan jurublog tetang 'kegagalan' BN dan gagasan 1Malaysia dalam menang PRK Hulu Selangor dipersetujui peninjau lain. Menurut tinjauan penulis Aganda Daily, BN menang hasil kenaikan jumlah pengundi yang keluar membuang undi berbanding PRU-12. Malah, undi yang diterima oleh PKR lebih tinggi dari calon sebelumnya. Data yang dikongsi sedemikian seharusnya menibulkan cemas kepada BN, memandangkan:

1. 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.


2. 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!


3. 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.


4. 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:

1. 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.


2. 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.


3. 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!


4. 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...

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...

PRK Hulu Selangor Membahayakan Kesejahteraan Rakyat

Sudah cukup lama saya berdiam diri dalam hal ini tetapi sehingga tidak tertahan lagi. Saya merasakan begitu gundah kebelakangan ini kerana kelihatan media arus pelbagai lebih menumpukan perhatian kepada PRK Hulu Selangor sekaligus mengabaikan kesejahteraan rakyat. Tuduhan saya berdasarkan begitu ringkas atau terabainya laporan mengenai perkembangan Gelombang Kedua H1N1 di kalangan rakyat negara kita!

Semua rakyat Malaysia kini pasti sudah disentuh oleh Gelombang Kedua ini. Kalau bukan keluarga rapat yang terkena, pasti kawan atau saudara sekampung sudah, khususnya melalui anak yang dijangkiti mahupun disyaki mengidap H1N1. Jurublog mengetahui begitu ramai anak-anak yang kini sedang dikuarantin malah anak bongsu saya sendiri menerima ubat Tamiflu sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga, walaupun alhamdulillah kini ternyata beliau tidak lagi dihinggapi H1N1.

Mungkinkah apa yang dituduh oleh jurublog ini terlalu tajam dan kurang adil terhadap media pelbagai arus, tetapi tidakkah terlalu ketara, begitu mendadak perbezaannya antara pemantauan H1N1 dahulu berbanding dengan Gelombang Keduanya yang dikhuatiri lebih merbahaya? Adakah kenyataan media dan saranan TS Ismail Merican mengenai H1N1 tidak sepenting lompatknya parti Datuk Dr Halili Rahmat? Tahulah PRK sekarang berita hangat, tetapi...

Adakah perlu ada kematian dahulu dari H1N1 sebelum sensasinya patut dipaparkan pada muka depan akhbar? Bagaimana dengan tanggungjawab media kepada masyarakat? Media apa punlah, termasuk blog seperti ini! Janganlah kerana ghairah PRK kita terlupa tanggungjawab kepada masyarakat. Rakyat lebih menghargai usaha menyelamatkan nyawa, terutama yang kecil serta tersayang, dari suatu lagi drama merebut kuasa...

How Important Is The Hulu Selangor By-Election?

I have only managed to get 2 hours sleep overnight. yesterday was a little better at about 5 hours, but have been driving incessantly over the last 2 days. Am glad I took leave Thursday and Friday as was feeling quite run-down, but I certainly cannot blame the work telecons I still dialed into yesterday if I come in exhausted and late on Monday.

The driving has been incessant as the person who I would usually share the burden of these tasks has had knee problems. Have had to organise food primarily, with so many people coming. And as usual, we've had to cater for a variety of palates; not too much spicy or savoury, not too much sweet, not too heavy... and of course, it doesn't help that we still haven't got a maid...

Maid? Hulu Selangor? What the?

Actually, I'm not in Hulu Selangor today, in line with my view of the pointlessness of 'penamaan calon' as an exercise in support of the party's chances of winning an election. It may help boost the morale of the candidate and party workers, sure, but I have my son's birthday party to worry about today... yes, I have been busy with that, buying food, getting stuff, running around as my wife has to do less. All the above has nothing to do with any PRK.

So, what do I think of this coming PRK? I have no reason not to be consistent where a pattern is set - it isn't really relevant! Both sides may wish to make of it more than it is; proof of 1Malaysia's acceptance, or not, proof of Pakatan support in Selangor, or not. Unfortunately, the proof is IN the pudding, as they say, and frankly, both sides have not shown any 'proof'! OK, BN is ahead due to some developments like 1Malaysia and the NEM whilst Pakatan's accident-prone, but...

So, in the end, it is down to... the quality and acceptance of the candidates! In the end, politics is local, so for the locals, the way heart-strings are pulled may well overwhelm any national-level propaganda. And on this I must say, knowing the candidates for who they are, BN is ahead... assuming Zaid is still to be the PKR candidate for this one...

But in the grander scheme of things? I say we wait till there's more meat on the bone to show from both sides... else, in a national context, DS Najib's apparent popularity and DS Anwar's eminent doom nonwithstanding, status quo will likely prevail, for the most part.

2 Acara Menyingkap Sejarah, Menyentuh Masa Depan

Kesibukan hari penulis penuh dengan hidup berkeluarga, kenduri-kendara mahupun kerja, memberi ruang untuk hanya sedikit masa untuk 'ber-NGO', namun kedua-dua acara yang dimaksudkan tajuk dirasakan cukup bermakna untuk dikongsi.

Khamis lepas penulis ke Seremban bagi menunaikan janji kepada cikgu lama untuk berucap kepada para palajar beliau di Kolej MARA. Topiknya adalah Sejarah dari segi Teori Pengetahun atau 'Theory of Knowledge'. Ucapan penulis kepada para pelajar adalah pentingnya sejarah direlevankan dengan mengambil iktibar kejadian lepas dalam menyelesaikan persoalan yang timbul di masa kini. Antara contoh yang saya berikan:

1. 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.


2. 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.


3. Bagaimanakah memahami sejarah negara-negara dan masyarakat lain serta pengamatan budaya mereka dapat membantu dalam perhubungan kita dengan individu, bangsa, syarikat mahupun kerajaan tersebut.


4. 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!

Keesokan harinya, sejarah sekali lagi menjadi topik apabila penulis mewakili MAYC ke forum MalaysiakiniTV yang membincangkan Model Ekonomi Baru (MEB) atau lebih dikenali singkatan Inggerisnya, NEM. Seperti para pembaca dapat melihat dari petikan video di MalaysiakiniTV tersebut, sejarah menjadi cukup relevan dalam menentukan masa depan Malaysia, terutama sekali dalam penetapan dan perlaksanaan dasar sepenting NEM. Pentingnya:

1. 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.


2. 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.


3. 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.

Dalam masa 2 hari, penulis menyertai 2 acara di mana sejarah menjadi bahan perbincangan dan membuktikan ia cukup relevan dalam membentuk masa hadapan. Diharap dalam tergesa-gesanya belia dan masyarakat muda mengejar masa hadapan, mereka tidak melupakan budi dan teladan yang dapat ditimba dari sejarah, walau betapa silam...

Confusion Reigns On New Economic Model

DS Najib Tun Razak at last unveiled the New Economic Model (NEM) yesterday and... confusion reigns! Well... at least in this Malay Mind it does. And I am really hoping someone will set me right with regards to this confusion as I am sure to be asked at smaller and larger kenduri tables to media forums what I think of the NEM... well... it's confusing!

Lets first defuse the immediate impression from my words that I may not like the NEM's key thrusts. Actually, I don't. The idea of modifying the NEP and NDP statistical focus away from the broader population with targets based on race to a income defined basis makes some sense. Sure, it ignores some cultural aspects of Malaysian communities, but at least it highlights that Malays and Bumis make up almost 80% of the lowest 40% income earners of the population.

I also like some of the broader thrusts of the NEM, such as the call to revamp our education system (again...), an acknowledgement that Malaysian income levels are too low (which explains the government's ramping up of public sector pay, beginning with Doctors and Policemen), subsidies must go and most importantly, highlighting the old system (NEP and NDP) did not fail but IT WAS PATRONAGE THAT WRECKED THE OLD SYSTEM hence the new system must be immune to it!

Whilst the NEP and NDP laid the basis for pushing the nation up from the low income strata in the 70's to middle income by early this century, PATRONAGE, especially during its free reign in the Pak Lah era assisted by the post 90's Malaysian private sector doldrums following the economic crises. These two statements in particular clearly laid the finger on PATRONAGE as the reason for the weakness in our economy:

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”

However, despite all the glory promised by DS Najib's speech, questions remain.

Some would tell me to refer to the 200 page NEM book, which I will, but I have little respect for the thickness of the book, especially policy papers, as the Pak Lah's era has taught us that thick books embroidered by slogans and launched at 6-star expense may well amount to nothing if the content makes no sense. And the NEAC line-up to me is unconvincing. They are smart people I am sure, but their backgrounds risk the NEM being more 'academic' as opposed to practical.

Even at the 'academic' level, why is GDP being used as a measure on its own, rather than Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). On focus, whilst DS Najib proclaims the focus being the 40% lower income groups, how is the privatisation of Petronas' subsidiaries helpful to this group? Isn't this more exciting to the investment community, especially foreign investprs and Malaysia's high to medium net worth individuals? Or indeed how is who buys Pos Malaysia relevant?

The rhetoric justifying claims of the NEAC is also inaccurate. E.g., the exodus of highly skilled professionals from Malaysia is blamed on the absence of high value-add jobs and activities. This is not true. The truth is that MALAYSIAN RENUMERATION LEVELS ARE ARTIFICIALLY LOW! The jobs are there, especially in the public and GLC sectors, as many expats and consultants are hired for these jobs, also proving even GLCs can afford high income professionals! So?

This is the beginning of my analysis. And I am glad the government is seeking input. There will be loads!

Kembalinya Musim Pilihanraya Kecil...

Berbulan-bulan rakyat Malaysia menikmati keamanan hidup tanpa pilihanraya kecil (PRK). Semestinya, ancaman PRK bakal ada senantiasa menghantuo kita, baik hasil perletakkan jawatan, lompat parti, kes jenayah, kes politik mahupun kematian. Kini, seolah-olah PRK bakal masuk musim kembali dengan perletakan jawatan seorang ADUN MCA di Perlis disusuli kembalinya Ahli Parlimen Hulu Selangor kerahmatullah semalam.

Orang politik juga tahu, amnya, ada dua-tiga lagi kerusi yang di ambang PRK. Di DUN Seputeh, PRK bakal dijalankan hasil ADUN-nya dizalimi oleh speaker Dewan dari parti lain manakala seorang Ahli Parlimen di Wilayah menanti pengadilan mahkamah bersabit jenayahnya. Sebagai seorang jurublog, penat rasanya melihat. Kita dalam proses mengalih perhatian kepada isu-isu yang lebih mendalam, tiba-tiba PRK kembali menghantui... hai...

Tak tahulah sejauh mana suara saya ini upaya kedengaran, tetapi ingin saya sarankan di sini kepada Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya, SPR, seboleh-bolehnya, tolonglah aturkan supaya semua PRK ini berlangsung dengan serentak! Setidak-tidaknya, perit hasil PRK, baik dari segi terpesongnya perhatian pemimpin dan rakyat ke arah kawasan-kawasan terbabit sahaja mahupun bahaya di jalanraya hasil rombongan berkoyan-koyan ke PRK-PRK ini dapat dikurangkan.

Harapan saya adalah kita kemudian dapat menumpukan perhatian kembali kepada perkara-perkara yang lebih penting...

Anwar Ibrahim Mengaku Beliau Liwat Melalui Blognya?

Saya tersentak apabila membaca penulisan sahabat saya Jebat Must Die (JMD) yang memetik akhbar Financial Times mengenai kes liwat DS Anwar Ibrahim. Antara yang ditonjolkan oleh JMD adalah bagaimana akhbar tersebut tidak menidakkan berlakunya kejadian tersebut! Malah, akhbar tersebut cuma menidakkan yang DS Anwar kini dituduh merogol Saiful, menurut Financial Times:

"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."

Lihatlah bagaimana akhbar Financial Times tidak menidakkan berlakunya kejadian tersebut, tetapi cuma meng'spin'kan cerita mengatakan Saiful bukan dirogol tetapi rela diliwati DS Anwar! Terlihat juga di sini bagaimana akhbar Barat tersebut sedia mempertahankan 'hak' DS Anwar untuk berzina tak kiralah dengan manusia berjantina apa sekalipun!

Kita mungkin boleh memaafkan akhbar Financial times kerana tidak melihat perbuatan zina mahupun seks sekelamin sebagai kesalahan dari segi moral Barat yang rasminya sudah lama meninggalkan lunas-lunas agama demi 'kebebasan'. Namun, yang peliknya, blog DS Anwar telah memilih untuk memetik rencana akhbar Financial Times tersebut! Betul... tak caya, kilk sahajalah link tu!

Memandangkan akhbar Financial Times tidak menidakkan berlakunya hubungan kelamin antara DS Anwar dan Saiful dan cuma menyangkal tuduhan yang ianya perbuatan rogol, bukankah ini merupakan sejenis pengakuan? Setidak-tidaknya, dengan membenarkan petikan akhbar tersebut dipaparkan pada halaman web rasmi beliau, tanpa pembetulan, bukankah DS Anwar mengiakan, mengakui, yang memang hubungan seks berlaku antara beliau dengan Saiful?

Tak kiralah sama ada hubungan seks sekelamin tu merupakan rogol, liwat atau kata kerja apa sekalipun, perbuatan sejantina sebegini haram belaka! Adakah akhirnya bibit-bibit kebenaran tentang peribadi comot DS Anwar sudah mula terbit dari rekahan imej beliau yang kian menjadi-jadi? Tu lah, hina lagi Allah S.W.T. dengan membenarkan nama-Nya digunakan sewenang-wenangnya oleh penganut agama lain! Kan dah pecah tembelang... konon 'Pejuang Islam'!

Searching For MCA's Soul... Part 2... The Loser, The Disgraced And The Boy Scout...

It has been difficult to fathom how things have come to pass at MCA. From a near ideal appearance of potency in leadership (no pun intended) by the combination of the youthful DS Ong Tee Keat and experienced DS Chua Soi Lek as President and Deputy respectively, augemented with characters such as DS Liow Tiong Lai and DS Ng Yen Yen as VPs, it looked to be ready to recover from the devastation of PRU 12. It is hence unfortunate to see things come to pass as they have.

Now DS Ong Tee Keat is being challenged for the Presidency by the man he succeeded, TS Ong Ka Ting, the man who shouldered the responsibility for the massive losses incurred by the MCA at PRU 12. This presents a particular quandry for MCA. Many would agree that what MCA needs now is a leader who can unite the party, something that DS Ong Tee Keat had patently failed to do. It is no wonder then that we find him trailing in the polls despite being the incumbent!

However, few insiders will really agree that TS Ong Ka Ting is the ideal replacement as President. OK, so, there is all this rhetoric about how he is still 'respected' in the party. Nevertheless, many in the party would quietly agree that it was TS Ong and his brother's manuevering of MCA candidates that shares part of the blame, with Pak Lah's weak leadership, for creating a pre-election rift in the MCA leading to the subsequent Chinese electorate's rejection of BN and MCA.

For MCA, this leaves the party with only one other choice to unite the party, the 'Hollier Than Thou' DS Chua Soi Lek! However, this is a man that, having being caught with his pants down, remain unrepentant! OK, so, if he needed care only of the moral sensitivities of his more forgiving core Chinese constituemts, he may be fine, but as a senior BN leader, DS Chua has to be a morally acceptable to all religions and creeds... and he wants to be THE Chinese leader for ALL Malaysians!

And so, MCA is now left to choose as their President, an Election Loser, a Disgraced Poltician and a Boy Scout! Boy Scout? Well, everyone knows that what redeems DS Ong Tee Keat to the Rakyat in general is his apparent steadfast course in resolving the Port Klang Free trade Zone (PKFZ) issue, including bringing all the corrupt involved to book! That the MCA Youth Chief, somewhat implicated in the scandal, is opposed to DS Ong adds further spice to it.

Unfortunately, the Rakyat's sympathy towards DS Ong Tee Keat is not in line with political reality. You see, DS Ong, being a 'Boy Scout', has been rather naive in his years in power. There is an attempt to 'reform' MCA being pursued whilst he's been its president. The effort may have started as something else, but at least at present, the aim is to make MCA a 'true' political party, divorced from special interest groups, such as not just triads, but also business and education...

... hold on, MCA not representing Chinese business and education groups? What the...? So, what's the point of the MCA then!? Hello, putting aside that a political party not tied to 'special interests' is an oxymoron... how is it even conceivable that the MCA would not be working hand-in-hand with Chinese NGOs and 'special interest' groups like in the past? Kicking out any triad influences is OK, but surely cutting off Dong Jiao Song would be political suicide... oh... DS Ong...

In addition to all the mess described above, it seems no one serious about who leads the MCA in the long term is really focussed on the 28 March MCA Presidential elections. This is because, whoever becomes President this time around will only hold the post for 1 year, following which there will be another election, where... jeng, jeng, jeng... the TRUE PRESIDENT of MCA that will lead the charge into PRU 13 will emerge...

So if we don't focus on the next MCA President, should we be focussing on the candidates for Deputy then? One candidate has already declared his rival should really be running for President! Perhaps DS Liow simply being cautious when running for Deputy? Perhaps DS Liow is continuing to take advice from his mentor and some time protector, TS Lim Ah Lek? Perhaps knowing what a mess this election will be, TS Ong Ka Ting was asked to contest to protect DS Liow?

Whatever it is that is really happening behind the scenes, to an outsider, even an informed one, it appears MCA is still lost. Ironically, I believe TS Lim Ah Lek himself should take over the MCA rather than leave it to TS Ong simply to protect his protege of unproven worthiness. If it is only for 1 year, why not? Else, the second irony is, perhaps DS Chua Soi Lek is the best choice after all! Disgraced to some, perhaps, but at least he's neither as divisive nor a puppet President.

Searching For MCA's Soul...

I get confused about my party UMNO, often-times, but have to say, MCA's recent turmoil beats PKR's mess even! At least PKR is not confused about who leads it... its President right? No... its Advisor... eh? How can? Both are busy with PKR Advisor's case now, so is it the Deputy President? What, that socialist? No la, PKR is now run by the VP who's the husband of the party Advisor's ex-ehm-ehm... eh? Aiya, confuse la! Let's focus back on MCA!

Well, the MCA of today would be is a GREAT example on how too much democracy is NOT a good thing. Here we have a party that was synonymous with 'big business', which should be securing the Chinese cake from erosion under the New Economic Model. On top of that, its President, from being a champion of chair throwing youths of the past, survived recent failure in cyberspace, to have evolved into a champion against corruption by his handling of the PKFZ issue.

Instead of charging along strongly into the future, we have with MCA a party that is exercising democratic destruction in all its pride and glory! OK, it must be admitted, the handling of Holier Than Thou 'strong'man DS Dr Chua Soi Lek could have been better in the past, but the 'peace plan' seemed to be working. DS Dr Chua was having the time of his life grinding DS Liow Tiong Lai's political reputation into the ground by ridicule... in open press as well!

Now, everyone has to wait and seewhat is to become of the MCA. And whilst many may smack their lips at the weeks of headlines sure to showcase myriad twist and turns that is also part of over-democracy's crass appeal, I lament. I kinda liked the Ong Tee Kiat - Chua Soi Lek Combo. It felt right somehow for the Chinese. A younger reformist partnering with an old-guard grassroots man. The resolution of the PKFZ scandal would have been the beginning of many things...

Which then leads to the question... is PKFZ the reason why OTK's leadership has always been on shaky ground? Is PKFZ or its beneficiaries the real killers of MCA? And when the dust settles after the 28 March MCA AGM, after its orgy of over-democracy, would MCA be left stronger? Or would 'democracy' leave MCA an empty shell... still searching for its soul?

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah: Saya Setuju Dengan Pak Lah!

Teramat jaranglah perkara ini berlaku, sehingga tergerak saya dari fokus kerja untuk merakamkannya... saya setuju dengan Pak Lah! Jangan salah sangka, ini bukan bermakna saya sekarang sudah berubah haluan, tetapi kalau musuh terkeji pun cakap betulnya kita harus sokong, apatah lagi nasihat pemimpin lama yang walaupun banyak salah, telah pun kalah dan budi lepasnya masih dikisah.

Kenyataan Pak Lah yang manakah menggerakkan saya untuk menulis perkara ini? Kenyataan yang saya petik di sini:

Abdullah bagaimanapun mengingatkan BN supaya tidak menganggap kerapuhan pakatan pembangkang ketika ini secara automatik akan menjadikan BN lebih kuat.

''Yang lebih penting saat ini ialah BN dan UMNO kena pastikan ia lebih kuat dan mampu untuk berjasa memperjuangkan program-program pembangunan untuk rakyat," katanya.

Kata beliau: ''Setakat nak kuat hanya apabila pembangkang menghadapi masalah, kekuatan itu kelak akan meleset.

''Yang penting, biarlah apa yang kita cakapkan sebelum ini hendakkan pembaharuan dapat meyakinkan rakyat bahawa BN tetap teguh dan mampu membela nasib mereka."

Saya rasa ahli politik dari planet Marikh atau mana-mana alam songsang lain sahajalah yang ada kemungkinan tidak bersetuju dengan pendapat Pak Lah di atas. Malah, kepimpinan BN kini harus waspada akan kelekaan yang mungkin mula menular di kalangan akar-umbi mahupun diri mereka sendiri apabila melihat Pakatan, terutama PKR, begitu kucar-kacir.

Kalaulah saranan untuk bermuhasabah diri ini tidak cukup, ingatlah yang tunjang kekuatan Pakatan bukannya PKR, tetapi PAS, dan parti tersebut masih utuh walau dilanda gelombang-badai dalamannya sendiri. Jangan diharap kekuatan parti PAS akan terhakis sepertimana PKR dengan terserlahnya kerakusan kuasa dan dosa liwat DS Anwar. Malah, PAS mungkin menjadi lebih kuat dengan punahnya PKR!

Akhir kata, apakah mungkin Pak Lah kini sudah bangun dari lena yang hampir menghancurkan negara di bawah tampuk kepimpinannya dahulu? Kata-kata di atas mengingatkan kita akan Pak Lah yang lama, pasca PRU-11! Apa yang berbeza dengannya dahulu dengan sekarang ya? OH YA! TINGKAT 4 DAH TAK ADA! Silap-silap, KJ pun dah lama tak bisik kat dia! Alhamdulillah....

When Good Democracy Will Be Poor Governance In Perak

I like analogies involving football. In football, the running criticism of club owners has been on the poor habit of sacking team managers too quickly, sometimes, mere months from taking over the job. The argument for keeping a manager in place for a long period, for good or bad in the short term, but ultimately for long term gain, is backed by the long tenure of many successful managers, such as Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and Arsene Wenger.

The idea of retaining managers for a longer period for long term gain whilst forgiving early hiccups is not unique to football. In major corporations, whilst managers are under pressure to deliver from the moment they enter their new offices, there is some tolerance for error, as one understands the learning curves these managers have to climb. In fact, a more recent trend has been to retain managers longer so they may face the long-term consequences of their actions.

It has also been variously touted since trade began that 'stability of government', a country's 'manager' so to speak, is essential for the nation's economic growth. This is continuously emphasised on development of 'third world' countries. In the 70s and 80s, the stability of government, was seen as a key differentiator between Asian economies and that of Latin America. Why? Well simply put, if the government is unstable, it'll be excessively distracted by survival issues!

With history and the knowledge above in the minds of 'intellectuals' such as Khoo Kay Peng and Wong Chin Huat, one would expect them to consider the stability of government, whether it be BN or Pakatan, to be in the best interest of the Rakyat of Perak. One would expect them to undertstand that it doesn't matter that 70% of those polled by the Merdeka Centre wants fresh polls, as in the end, the more populist 'democratic' choice may be the poorer one here.

Perak needs stability after more than a year of political upheaval in the state. It is not true that without a further demostration of 'democracy' through fresh polls that investors will not find Perak attractive. Democracy in of itself does not attract investors; compare Communist China against Democratic India and you will soon conclude that 'Democracy' is quite irrelevant to investors! If anything, it is the political stability that Democracy usually brings that is the key.

With the courts deciding that the BN Perak Government is legitimately in power, the best thing for the Rakyat would be for DS Dr Zambry and his team to get on with their job. Ironically, if Pakatan is truly Rakyat-friendly, the best way for them to demonstrate this is now is by stopping all their efforts to further destabilise the situation in Perak. With the resultant stability from all parties respecting the court ruling, investors will assess Perak in a more positive light.

I understand that intellectuals have politic leanings too. Sometimes, the leanings are not political but intellectual, and unfortunately just as dogmatic! However, intellectuals should not allow their own opinions, such as that Democracy is the bearer of all things good, get the better of them. Just like any other good thing, like sunlight, medicine or satay, too much of a good thing can be bad. Certainly, too much more Democracy in place of Stability will be bad for Perak now.

With that in mind, DS Dr Zambry should be confident in ignoring the Merdeka Centre poll beyond what it is, a sample of the state of mind of the populace at the time. The Perak government should then just proceed to govern as Democracy and the courts have mandated them to. Then they could focus on what truly matters to the Rakyat... Good Governance. That is what will lead to re-election, not populism...

Hijack Atau SABOTAGE?!

Sejak semalam lagi, ada ura-ura yang usaha mengumpulkan rakyat bagi menyerahkan memorandum membantah tindakan 50 Ahli Parlimen Australia yang menyibuk mendesak pembatalan perbicaraan kes jenayah rogol homoseks DS Anwar Ibrahim akan bakal di 'hijack'! Yang menibulkan kebingungan kepada ramai dari kami adalah:

1. 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!)


2. 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!

Awal pagi tadi, saya menerima sms yang mengesahkan serta menjawab segala persoalan di atas. Rupa-rupanya, yang ingin meng'hijack' usaha tunjuk perasaan dan penghantaran memorandum ini adalah tidak lain dari YB Hj Khairy Jamaluddin! Patutlah nampak lembap sekali usaha ini terlaksana, dan sememangnya adalah lojiknya yang YB KJ tergerak hati untuk mencontohi idolanya DS Anwar. Malangnya, bakat KJ memang dari dahulu tak kesampaian...

Masalah bagi penganjur asal tunjuk perasaan dan penghantaran memorandum bantahan kepada Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Australia pula adalah, takut bila orang nampak sms baru jemputan KJ untuk tunjuk perasaan bersama-sama, nanti orang naik berbulu dan tak pergi! Faham-fahamlah, mana ada makhluk yang mahu dilihat bergaul dengan idola korupsi seperti KJ sekarang! Maka adalah yang tertanya-tanya, KJ ni, nak 'hijack' acara ini kah atau berusaha men'sabotaj'?!!!

Wallahualam...

Woi KJ, dari sibuk nak 'hijack' perahan peluh orang lain, kenapa tak menjuarai Bakri sahaja oi! Bukan kerja engkau ke nak memperjuangkan nasib anak muda Melayu?! Ke ADUN Sekinchan tu pun kawan akrab kau juga?! Dia pun 'black crow' ke, sebab dilanggarnya Bakri dengan 4WD juga?!

MP Malaysia: (Pendatang) Australia Patut Menjadi Manusia Dahulu Sebelum Mengkritik Orang Lain

Dipetik dan dialih-bahasa beredit dari blog Marahku.

Ribuan MP (Manusia Penduduk) Malaysia mendesak Australia menghentikan penindasan terhadap golongan aborigin, menuntut pampasan ke atas segala jenayah keji terhadap masyarakat aborigin, menggesa pemberhentian diskriminasi terhadap pelarian baragama Islam dan secara amnya menjadi Orang atau Manusia dahulu.

Semata-mata kerana mereka baru sahaja meminda undang-undang melarang liwat tidak menjadikan mereka lebih 'bertamadun', is cuma bermakna masyarakat Australia tak kisah kalau seorang lelaki meliwat lelaki lain! Apakah ini petanda ber'tamadun'... Kalau berlandaskan ide ke'tamadun'an ini, adakah 'hak' seorang penagih dadah menghancurkan hidupnya atau 'hak' seorang anak berumur 12 tahun melakukan kegiatan seks patut diterima? (TIDAK!)

Keputusan Australia melupuskan undang-undang yang melarang liwat dan perilaku homoseks paling-paling adalah tindakan rambang dan menurut kelaziman terkini masyarakat Barat.

Sekiranya Australia kini merasakan dirinya berperibadi tinggi, ia seharusnya membayar ribuan juta sebagai pampasan kepada aborigin kerana menggangu kehidupan aman dan harmoni masyarakat tersebut malah menindas dengan begitu kejam sekali penduduk asal negara mereka tanpa berperi-kemanusiaan. Berikan pampasan dahulu kepada 'generasi yang hilang' dan juga keturunan mereka yang dibunuh secara suka-suka oleh peneroka awal berkulit putih berketurunan banduan dari Britain.

LUNASKAN DAHULU TANGGUNGJAWAB TERHADAP MASYARAKAT ABORIGIN SETELAH MEREKA MENGALAMI PENINDASAN BERATUS TAHUN LAMANYA DAN PENIDAKKAN HAK-HAK ASASI MANUSIA SEPERTI PENDIDIKAN, PEMBANGUNAN EKONOMI DAN KEMUDAHAN AM SECARA TERSUSUN OLEH KERAJAAN AUSTRALIA!

JADILAH MANUSIA DAHULU, BARULAH BOLEH SIBUK NYURUH ORANG LAIN BUAT ITU DAN INI!

Sehingga menjadi orang... nikmatilah hak kamu untuk meliwat satu sama lain dengan diam... wahai Australia...

Di Manakah Juara Rakyat Di Selangor?

Saya dipohon teman-teman blogger untuk mewar-warkan rancangan membantah tindakan anggota parlimen Australia yang menghalalkan tindakan DS Anwar merogol Saiful sebelum selesai perbicaraan untuk menentukan salah-betulnya menurut undang-undang Malaysia. Walaupun tertarik dengan isu ini, saya rasa ada baiknya ia dibiar terwar-war melalui blog-blog yang sudah pun aktif melakukannya supaya boleh blog ini boleh menumpu kepada isu lain.

Ingin saya persoalkan di sini, DI MANAKAH JUARA UNTUK RAKYAT SELANGOR YANG TERGAMBAR DI SINI?

Bila buat pelancaran program Juara Rakyat, berkoyan-koyan orang turun. Saya yang tak minat pun siap ditalipon member yang bertanya kenapa saya tak turun! Soalnya, nak jadi Juara Rakyat, bukan dengan pelancaran majlis sahaja! Juara Rakyat akan jelas apabila Rakyat yang teraniaya orang berkuasa, seperti sdr Bakri ini, yang dilanggar semasa bermotosikal oleh seorang ADUN MABUK, tak kiralah ADUN DAP ke, PAS ke, BN ke, budak Melayu, India atau Kadazan ka, KENAPA BELUM ADA YANG MENJUARAINYA!

Nak tunggu buat majlis ka? Tak payahlah nak ajak orang turun ramai-ramai lagi dah kalau Juara Rakyat tu setakat slogan, retorik dan wayang semata-mata. Bukan 1Malaysia tu, Rakyat tak nampak diutamakan kalau begitu. Tak ubah macam hipokrit lembap Pakatan Rakyat Selangorlah jadinya... Dahlah Ketua Pemuda bila gereja dibakar, tak sabar-sabar sibuk nak jaga hati orang Kristian konon, tapi ini anak muda Melayu sampai dah masuk koma pun tak peduli ka!

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...

Asking The Wrong Questions To The Right Man...

Questions have been asked of Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK), specifically about who may be his 'backers'. These are interesting questions, now asked by senior politicians. However, I am not sure whether these are the rights questions for politicians, who also ostensibly have backers to be asking RPK, unless of course if these questions are rhetorical... what am I saying, of course it's rhetoric!

But politicians should be careful in asking these questions, they may be asked to reveal their own backers, and some may find themselves unable to answer!

As the innocence or guilt of DS Anwar Ibrahim is a matter of far greater public interest at this present time, I would suggest politicians ask a more pertinent question, specifically, WHY DID RPK VIA MALAYSIA TODAY PUBLISH THE FAKE PUSRAWI REPORT BY DR OSMAN ABDUL HAMID THAT DID NOT EXAMINE SAIFUL FOR SODOMY?

Those that have been following Saiful Bukhari Azlan's testimony at DS Anwar's sodomy trial in the papers would know that it is in conflict with the claims of Dr Osman, suspected of having links to DS Anwar, that Saiful was not sodomised. Saiful's account, conveyed properly, via legal channels as evidence in a sodomy or homosexual rape case should be, clearly states the same Dr Osman advised Saiful that he cannot be examined for sodomy at Pusrawi, a private hospital!

So, will YB Karpal Singh in all his glory choose to introduce Dr Osman as a rebuttal witness with this revelation? Clearly, Saiful's testimony has been very convincing, judging from Karpal rushing to request that testimony on how DS Anwar sodomised his victim be 'in camera', or restricted from public view. So much for the 'open government' that DAP espouse! Will Dr Osman be as convincing as Saiful, or will he wilt when his lie is laid bare?

Going back to our politicans, they should certainly ask questions of RPK, but their questions should be aimed at why he is involved in this sodomy case in such a way? How involved was RPK in fabricating the evidence from Dr Osman? And ultimately, if it is proven true that he fabricated evidence simply to protect the rape of a young man by his powerful friend, what other 'truths' have RPK and Malaysia Today been fabricating over these many years?

Malaysia The Racist-Phobic State...

I have been reading the news of the resignation of Datuk Nasir Safar with much regret at the hypocricy as well as the twisted values Malaysian leaders and opinion-makers seem to proudly hold. What do I regret? Datuk Nasir's alleged words that seemed to have offended those who attended a 1Malaysia forum? No! I can't quite regret that seeing as the words weren't mine. However, I DO REGRET DATUK NASIR SAFAR HAS RESIGNED SO SWIFTLY! Why?

1. 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...


2. 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.


3. 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?


4. 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...?

Sayunya Pabila Adab Melayu Pudar Di Alam Maya...

Difikirkan episod hilang peradaban Melayu dengan penghinaan Al-Marhum DYMM Tuanku Iskandar Syah, Sultan Johor, yang mangkat pada 22/1/2010, berakhir dengan penangkapan blogger Aduka Teruna. Namun, diperlihatkan oleh teman-teman blogger bahawa fenomena hilang adab di kalangan warga web Melayu memang menjadi-jadi. Tak kiralah penghinaan tersebut terhadap Sultan mahupun arwah Presiden negara jiran yang juga beragama Islam, semua ini tak beradab!

Bila difikirkan lagi, hilangnya adab terhadap Sultan Johor merupakan kemuncak penghakisan adab para penulis blog, terutama sekali blog politik, dalam sepak-terajang di alam maya. Mungkinkah ada baiknya kita semua merenung penulisan sendiri. Kiranya penghakisan adab ini juga sudah tertera di laman blog sendiri, mungki kita juga telah menyumbang kepada hilangnya adab Melayu sehinggakan Sultan yang mangkat boleh dicerca begitu rupa.

Ini menyalahi adab Melayu, mahupun Akhlak Islam melarang kata-kata buruk terhadap arwah, tak kiralah Sultan yang disemadi beristiadat mahupun si papa yang mayatnya berhari terbujur kaku di kaki lima.

Walaupun peribadi sudah membenci, mungkin cara meluahkan perasaan harus berpada-pada, diiringi fakta semata-mata. Contohnya, pembaca lazim blog ini mengetahui yang saya 'kurang setuju' dengan 'kepimpinan' Khairy Jamaluddin sebagai Ketua Pemuda UMNO. Namun, dari saya menghetamnya seperti dahulu sejurus setelah beliau dilawan exconya sendiri, lebih baik saya menyatakan yang dia sudah tidak relevan lagi dan beredar ke topik lain.

Kembali ke topik pokok yakni adab Melayu di alam maya yang kelihatan terhakis; marilah kita bertekad yang apabila sudah arwah seseorang, maka haruslah dikenang dengan hormat, baik dan penuh teladan, tak mengira kawan atau lawan. Kalau ada yang ingin mempelajari dengan bercontoh, sudilah membaca warkah mengenang Al-Marhum Sultan Iskandar nukilan seorang rakyat dan sahabat Baginda.