Are they listening?

Much has been written, a lot has been said.

And yet, it seems like no one's paying attention.  We'll see if they end up feeling sorry for themselves after the next GE. 

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LET'S GET OUT ACT TOGETHER

Americk Sidhu

I have refrained from saying anything for some time now in the hope that matters would resolve themselves sooner rather than later. But this has not happened and I cannot see anything being done in the near future to rectify the situation. So consider this to be a much-needed prompt to PKR in particular and PR in general.

Please remember your successes in March 2008 were precipitated by the support of 50% of the voting population in this country who invested their future in you based on your promises of a better tomorrow for them and their children and their children’s children.

Much work had to be done prior to the last GE to ensure you had a good opportunity of changing things for the better. Many people sacrificed much to ensure you had a fighting chance and with these sacrifices we gave you the mandate to begin the transformation of this nation.

This is not something you should take lightly. It is a once in a lifetime deal not only for yourselves but for the entire diaspora of Malaysian citizenry, a great many of whom have placed a tremendous amount  of trust in you to steer the Malaysian ship in the right direction and to rid the country of the cancerous malfeasance which  has become endemic within the governing regime.

We want a brighter future and that is why we are all relying on you. That is why we supported your struggle and that is why we placed our trust in you. Do not let us down. You owe it to us to do the right thing and to do it now. We cannot afford to wait any longer to see how things develop (or be swept under the carpet in the hope they would be forgotten). That’s not how things are supposed to work in the new Malaysia we are trying to kick start. Reaction to a problem has to be immediate and decisive.
 
I have often enquired into the reason why Pakatan Rakyat had yet to form a Shadow Cabinet. I consider this fundamental and imperative in any opposition coalition worth its salt. It should have been set up from day one.

We should have had a shadow Foreign Minister, a shadow Finance Minister, Defence Minister, etc., to monitor current government policy and to comment when necessary. We could have shown our political maturity by supporting good policy and hitting back at what we considered to be bad policy, but with our well thought out counter proposals.

Being in the opposition does not mean we have to incessantly hammer the government just to make life difficult for them. This is not a pub brawl. We should be able to use our heads a little and display some political sophistication in commenting intelligently on current government policy whether for or against it.
But we are unable to even begin doing this without a platform upon which we can work.

At present what seems to happen is a mass slinging match every time some Government Minister makes a proposal, the purpose of which is to try and gain political mileage without any proper analysis of the merits of that proposal in a mature and appropriate way. Instead, all we get is a rabblerousing crowd of noisy Parliamentarians who are rewarded for their efforts by being ejected from the House not so infrequently. Admittedly there are times when this has been necessary and I concede that point.

When I questioned the lack of a Shadow Cabinet, this is the response I received:

“Well you know lah…it’s not like in Australia where there is funding for all this shadow stuff….here we have to do it all on our own. And besides, how do you expect us to set up a Shadow Cabinet….who will we place in it? If we place one fella, someone else will make noise and there will be internal fights between the parties and all that. So better we just leave it and sort it out once we get into government”.

My answer to this is very simple. How much does it cost to have a shadow Minister? All he has to do is monitor what is being planned on the other side of the fence and make a stand. If there is no funding just make the best of the situation. It is better than doing nothing at all.

Secondly, if you are unable to reach a consensus as to who is supposed to be a Minister in waiting when you are not yet in government, how on earth do you think this will get any easier once you are?

You have to prove to the people that you really are a “Government in Waiting” and that you will be able to hit the ground running once you take over. This is serious stuff and we need to know you are serious about this whole thing.

Which brings me to the recent PKR party elections?

Evidence has been presented that the polls were rigged. I am still waiting for an explanation from somewhere within the hierarchy. None has been forthcoming. If there was no rigging please come out and say so in no uncertain terms. Keeping quiet and hoping the issue will go away on its own is Barisan Nasional behavior. They have the monopoly on sweeping things under the carpet. This is NOT what the opposition is supposed to be about. Remember this transparency thing being bandied about?

Well the situation appears to be a little opaque at the moment. I for one would like to know whether the voting process was really democratic or was engineered to suit the wishes of those in power. I don’t know the answer. I have heard the accusations but I have not heard the rebuttal. What am I supposed to think?

And because of all this, both PKR and PR have lost one of their most loyal sons upon whom much hope had been placed. There was really no reason for this to have happened. Instead, sour grapes and Trojan horses have permeated the battlefield. This, however, is a battle which never should have begun in the first place if things had been done properly. It is a battle no one will win. What a waste. It is not a question of being a sore loser because Zaid wasn’t losing. From my reading of the situation, he was totally unimpressed with the way things were being done, which ran contrary to the basic principles of fair play; a supposed cornerstone of all that you stood for. Can you blame him? It boils down to a question of principles. Nevertheless I live in hope that bridges may be mended.

Accepting criticism is part and parcel of politics. Accept it, take it on board, digest it, assimilate it and then act on it in an appropriate manner. Logical and pragmatic thought processes are imperative if you want to out manoeuver the enemy. Strategic planning is absolutely essential and this can only be achieved if it is devoid of emotion, chicanery and unnecessary rhetorical posturing.

Just remember you have all been elected to do one job and one job only. That is to wrest power from the government and to ensure that you run this country as promised. This is what we have entrusted you with. It is a formidable undertaking but certainly achievable with the right frame of mind and proper policies put into place.

Which brings me to the “Peoples’ Declaration” (see link below) painstakingly prepared a number of years ago by some very eminent personalities which I thought had been the blueprint for the entire opposition structure. Why are we not constantly referred to this very important document to remind us where we are heading and why we are heading there? Why has this document never been ratified by the opposition coalition?

Please read its contents. You will understand why it is so important. It is basically the constitution upon which the entire opposition philosophy is supposed to be based and we don’t ever hear of it. This I find very strange indeed. Shouldn’t it be the blueprint for all opposition policy?

So let’s get our act together. There is no time to waste. I know deep down inside you are good people but you have to manifest this constantly in a format easily understandable by the masses. Consistently sound and basic ideals have to be portrayed in a fashion that leaves no doubt in the minds of the populace that what you preach is what you practice.

Please take all of this on board in the spirit in which it is written. Accept the criticism for the purpose it is intended and that is to ensure the right path is adhered to and that the aims and aspirations of all those who support you are maintained and perpetuated for the common purpose of creating a much better Malaysia.

We deserve this so don’t let us down.

Wake up to the anger, Dollah!

The election may be over, but the anger is still bubbling.

Everywhere I go, I hear people scolding and scolding the government of Abdullah Badawi, the MCA, the MIC and even the almost dead & buried Gerakan.

At the petrol station, I hear people muttering curses at Dollah over the high petrol prices they have to pay now.

At the makan stalls, you can hear how the people have come to view MCA and Gerakan leaders as a huge embarrassment to the Chinese community.

While waiting for the kids to come through the school gates, the topic of conversation invariably includes a favourite question, "What the h*** is Pak Lah doing?"

The people are worried about bread and butter issues. Not exactly about whether Anwar will or will not allow the police to take a sample of his DNA.

The brouhaha over Anwar is mostly a joke. But they get angry when they start to discuss how the country seems to grind to a halt with so much government focus being given to derail this one ambitious man.

And disgusted when talking about the joker in Terengganu who admitted that Proton cars are really lousy and if you can have Mercedes Benz paid for by taxpayers, why not?

And the perennial favourite, ketuanan this and ketuanan that, what was that for? If so geng, how come nobody wants to employ your university graduates? Ketuanan is just another word for big bully, isn't it?

My ears are burning and the collective anger has dampened my mood.

Buat Kerja, Pak Lah!!

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Updated:

Malaysian Inflation hits 7.7 percent, a 26-year high

Jul 23, 08 5:54pm

Malaysia's annual inflation rate jumped to a 26-year high of 7.7 percent in June due to a substantial rise in fuel prices, according to official data released today. Nor Mohamed Yakcop, second finance minister, had already said that a 41-percent hike in subsidised fuel prices last month was set to boost inflation in June and July. The figure came as something of a surprise as economists had predicted June inflation of 6.6 percent. - AFP

You call this a debate?

Rule no. 1 - you don't score brownie points with your audience if you keep hitting your opponent below the belt with personal attacks.

Rule no. 2 - keep your cool. It is not a pretty sight to see someone frothing from his mouth. In fact, it is downright distracting.

This debate is interesting. I didn't know my opinion of UMNO could sink any lower until just now.

The heat is on, and the bitches are running in circles

I don't really care if that PI guy did or did not speak the truth in his conflicting statutory declarations.

And I don't care much either what Anwar does in the privacy of his bedroom. But what he said as published in The SUN is most interesting:-

Anwar: I just want to move on
by Zainon Ahmad and Llew-Ann Phang

PETALING JAYA (July 3, 2008): Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said when he takes over as prime minister of the country, all he wants to do is to forgive and forget the past, and to move on and be an effective leader of the country.

...

See, I have highlighted the word "when".

Interesting, isn't it? We are getting a glimpse of the kind of pressure he is under now. And the kind of pressure he is hoping to heap on his opponents with all these mind games.

But what do we have so far? Not a whole lot to show, just words and more words being bandied around. Kinda like a bitchy soap opera with a bad script.

I am getting bored. Are you?

If this goes on any longer, I'll be glad to see him move on to something else for the sake of his family, like taking up gardening in a Turkish backyard.

Maybe then, the people who are supposed to look after the country and us taxpayers will get on with their jobs.

The general election was over months ago, remember?

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I didn't know that some people build hotels on the premise that it is the government's responsibility to keep them afloat. I guess they are just lucky to have this particular person helm the Tourism Ministry.

Sickening, isn't it?

When many people in Sabah and Sarawak are still deprived of basic amenities like tarred roads, electricity and piped water supply because the government don't have enough budget for such things.

An amazing old tale

Do you really believe in this?

Someone commented in kaytee's blogpost on this subject matter:-

malayamuda said ...

a 23 yr old strong youth was sodomised by a 62 yr old man ?

u must be kidding .......... fabricate story pun tak tahu .... bodoh punye UMNO

12:26 PM, June 29, 2008

Exactly my sentiments.

This 62 year old man has been running all over the place trying to convince enough Barisan MPs to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat.

Are we to believe that he still has enough strength at the end of a tiring day to wrestle down a healthy young man and perform doggie-style pushups to de-stress?

Duh, if it's true, he could sell tonnes of his secret jamu even behind bars.

The political landscape may seem rather hazy now, but that guy who lodged the report have succeeded in spoiling many peoples' plans for a lazy Sunday.

All wrapped up in silliness

I am actually in favour of a change in our national school uniform design.

My kids are wearing the same kind of clothes I wore to school more than 20 years ago, and that ought to be enough reason for the fashion police to make an arrest, don't you think? ;)

And someone from an association I've never heard of before (until this came out in the news) thinks our school uniforms are too sexy for our young sirens, oops I mean girls.

National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia vice-president Munirah Bahari's wise quips:

"The white blouse is too transparent for girls and it becomes a source of attraction. This could see them getting molested, having pre-marital sex and all sorts of things. It becomes a distraction to men, who are drawn to it, whether or not they like looking at it."

"All this leads to babies born out of wedlock and to an extent, even prostitution."

"This is the source of the problem, where we can see that schoolgirls themselves are capable of using this to attract men to them."

Can someone file a police report for slander against men in general and our schoolgirls in particular?

Or should we just give in to this fear mongering and redesign our school uniforms to look like this:-

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Look Ma! No Whites!!

Letting Go

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Ong Ka Ting
Samy Vellu
Mahathir Mohamad
Lim Kit Siang
Lim Keng Yaik
Chua Jui Meng

all have one thing in common. They need to learn how to let go ...

Be brave, be wise

The losers are going all out to create a rift among the winners by playing the race card to the hilt.

Even the Sultan of Perak's prerogative is being threatened by this game of communal politics.

But haven't the electorate spoken loud and clear that we are all ready for CHANGE? If the voters can be so brave, why shrink from taking the lead and doing away with old practices?

The last thing I expect is for the leaders in Barisan Rakyat to agree that we are not ready for it.

That is like telling us that it is gonna be same ol' same ol' for the next 5 years, isn't it?

BN's early Deepavali message

There's a letter in the mail for our dear Prime Minister from his beloved Hindu community here.

And our police force also wants to send a message to the Hindus here.

Finally, Miss Lulu has some high hopes for the coming election (which I believe many believe to be next month) which will take place after the Festival of Lights.

Certainly, I hope this early Deepavali message delivered by the Barisan administrators will shed much LIGHT unto all of us so that even the blind can feel the vibes.

"Selamat Menyambut Hari Deepavali Daripada Kerajaan Barisan Nasional"

Eschew obfuscation?

Well, Nazri certainly won't subscribe to plain speak if it doesn't quite suit his purpose.

As Mave noted, he tried hard to use "linguistic philosophy" in shooting down the suggestions made by His Highness Sultan Azlan Shah for Judicial Reform.

And when is an apology not an apology for calling (MP for Bukit Gelugor) Karpal Singh’s use of a wheelchair as “a punishment from God”?

Mr Bad from Jerai finally tendered his "sincerest apology to Bukit Gelugor" and the handicapped community.

But Mr Bad made a point to remind everyone that he is "... a kind and loving person but I felt I was being provoked during the debate with Opposition members."

“Since it’s the Syawal month, it’s the right time to seek forgiveness for the wrongs that we have made. I don’t want to offend anyone. I’m a caring person. Sometimes, tears well up in my eyes when I see a disabled person who had to be carried by his mother,” he added.

Oh boy ... how touching ...

and this is the best part of Mr Bad's little speech:-

Asked if this meant that he would not repeat those words in the House in future, Badruddin replied: “Oh no, I cannot say this. I’m only human.”

He certainly didn't leave us guessing as to his intentions, did he?

Sometimes, I get so much entertainment from the local papers that I wonder why I still need to subscribe to ASTRO!

Since I'm feeling light-hearted already, I'd like to share a little story here with you on how guarded language can be used to your advantage:-

A man was filling out a lengthy form in a doctor's office. He came to the part where he was asked to indicate his father's cause of death.

He was reluctant to state that his father had been hanged as a horsethief: so, after considerable pondering, he wrote:

"My father died at a public function where he was the guest of honour, when the platform on which he stood suddenly collapsed."

Is this what public funds are meant for?

This morning, I was heading to Allson Klana Resort for an appointment and I cannot help but notice an election-like feel to this sleepy town.

All the way from the town centre to the hotel, UMNO flags have been planted on both sides of the roads. And a whole lot more fluttered inside the compound of the hotel.

In case you are not aware, this hotel is now owned by Negeri Sembilan's very own latest private entity, Menteri Besar Incorporated.

At first I assumed it has something to do with an UMNO gathering of sorts. A pre-election gathering of the faithful?

But no.

I was told the hotel was closed to the public in order to host the 2007 National Agricultural Convention from 27-28 October.

I could see tents covering most of the open-air car park and banquet tables laid out in preparation for (I believe) a grand feast for the invited guests.

I wonder why a National Agricultural Convention should be so closedly tied to a political party. I mean, who foots the bill? And who gets all these free publicity so close to election time? And who are all these people who get the privilege to attend and be treated to free dinner anyway?

And, given all these UMNO flags flying around, I wonder what the theme of the speeches will be? The latest agriculture technology?

Machap - business as usual

Did any of you notice that today's Friday the 13th?

Probably not, eh? Well, if you did, jangan pandang belakang lah, okay?

So, after all the fanfare and expenses have been tabulated, I hope BN is happy with the results they received in Machap. Victory is, of course, a given. And guess what? PUNDAK received 166 votes without even turning up!

Let's compare the results.

In the 2004 General Election, MCA received 5,847 votes compared to DAP's 1,285 votes. This means, between both parties, MCA received 81.99% while DAP received 18.01%.

In this 2007 by-election, MCA received 5,533 votes compared to DAP's 1,452 votes. This means, between both parties, MCA received 79.22% while DAP received 20.78%.

The turnout this time was 74.35% of the 9,623 registered voters in Machap.

Despite spending so much money and laying so many bricks in Machap for the past few weeks, BN saw their majority REDUCED.

Despite so much purported dissatisfaction with BN and its CEO, despite so much MCA-bashing that we have seen and heard through the various media and blogosphere, DAP only managed a measly improvement in getting the non-Malays to vote for them.

So, what does this tells us about non-Malay sentiments?

A slightly clearer picture will emerge after the Ijok by-election results are out. Samy Vellu ought to get ready to lay some bricks. It really works.

What about the NEP?

So, this survey has revealed that many of our youngsters are not too concerned about racial integration, meaning they don't give a damn if they don't have any friends from a different race.

And what do you know? Someone was quick to blame it on the vernacular education system.

National Unity and Integration Department director-general Datuk Azman Azmin said the most “probable” reason some teenagers did not have friends of different races was because of the “environment they are in, especially in schools.”

He said parents’ tendency to send their children to vernacular schools instead of national schools meant students lacked the opportunity to mingle and interact with their peers from other races.

Did someone suffer from constipation for weeks and thus off-loaded this massive pile of crap to add to the stink of this whole messed-up issue concerning our education system and national unity?

Tell me, what is the racial makeup of our civil service? Especially those who hold the highest ranked positions in their respective departments?

Do we have a fair representation of our multi-racial population in the teachers' room of our national schools? In our MARA junior science colleges? In our polytechnics? In the matriculation classrooms of our pre-U students?

Do we get the same opportunity to have our voices heard and our talents appreciated and utilised for the benefit of the nation?

Does anyone even want to consider what the implications of years of NEP have done to two generations of our people, resulting in those shortchanged looking to the future of a borderless world to escape the misery of discrimination in their backyard?

The NEP has been an economic success to those who are protected under its umbrella but at a great price to something else which holds all of us together as a nation.

It has resulted in the birth of a superior race, one who does not feel ashamed to declare lordship over all others by a wave of a sharp weapon.

Tell me, is the Education System vis-a-vis vernacular schools the one to be blamed for driving our youngsters apart along the lines of race? Anyone else missing the bit on religion?

I can go on and on.

Of flood concerns to some, and draught concerns to others

Right now, the country is facing a crisis of massive floodwaters creating hardship to thousands of residents, in particular those residing in the states of Johor and Sabah.

So today's news item about the Selangor MB warning of dry times ahead and taking steps to overcome the expected dry spell from February to August is rather peculiar, given the timing of his advice to residents of this developed state to "... start conserving water". (The Star, N10 today)

Maybe it's just me.

A new hole in the ship

So the news is finally out.

Bahau state assemblyman Mr Lim Fui Min has finally thrown in his towel after more than 18 years of service to the Democratic Action Party.

Was it a surprise? But of course, some people are so good at feigning surprise.

While there's going to be a bit of damage-control PR work to be done by the opposition party, elsewhere someone is putting up a big WELCOME banner to entice the new independent. Talk about rubbing salt on a festering wound.

Another hole in the ship?

Just heard it from a little bird.

Someone intends to exercise his democratic right to jump ship. Unless he's truly unaware of what's brewing (or worse still, had been seriously misled by his machais), the leader gotta seriously take a look at what's missing in his kit box.

But then again, it's not like it never happened before. You might not be so surprised to hear about it when it does get in the news, IF it does get in the news next week.

There's still time to plug the hole though before the weekend's over.

Of Nik Aziz, Umno & MCA

I found a good joke on page 4 of theSUN today. The heading reads:-

Umno man: We're not being racist

Of course not, brother! You are just being GREEDY.

And then I found another one on the same page:-

Act of political cowardice, says MCA Youth.
Kuala Lumpur: MCA Youth has labelled Umno Youth's behaviour at the opening of Tanjung Umno building as "an act of political cowardice".

Whahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is even funnier. A case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Please - spare us your childish games. I'd rather join Mave and hear Nik Aziz's sermons. He literally stripped these jokers off their sarongs and lay their hides bare.