Orde Baru, Politik Usang

Termenung sejenak saya selepas melayan dengar lagu M.Nasir "Anak-anak kita" selepas sahur sebentar tadi. Hebat lagu tersebut tambahan pula jika kita terjemahkan dengan senario politik watan masa kini.

Anak-anak kitakah yang berlari telanjang
Di bawah mentari sumbing
Sambil bernyanyi lagi
Ketakutan hari-hari ini

Anak-anak kitakah yang memikul beban
Kesilapan kita
Hingga dia tak kenal
Budaya canggung bangsa sendiri

Selamatkan anak kita
Dari padang jerangkap samar
Selamatkan anak kita
Orde baru politikus usang

Anak-anak kitakah yang bermain
Di hutan belukar
Dengan senapang kayu ubi
Cambah tak kenal bahaya

Anak-anak kitakah
yang tak tahu nak pulang bila petang
kerana terlalu sibuk main lastik
Dan berpistolan Pistol-pistolan

Kita begitu sibuk sehari-dua ini, dengan agenda masing-masing. Demi survival masing-masing, bertungkus-lumus para politikus dan pengikut-pengikutnya menari dan menyanyi lagu dan gurindam mengikut rentak dan irama masing-masing.

Kita lupa, yang muda sedang melihat, yang remaja sedang memerhati yang kanak-kanak sedang menonton. Kita ghairah sehingga lupa golongan yang akan menjadi kesinambungan apa yang kita gurindamkan, apa yang kita tarikan.

Siasah sempit, siasah bankrap dan siasah bertopeng kita sajikan. Sayembara dan dongengan kita angkat dan letak di atas batu jemala masing-masing.

Ketaksuban tidak bertempat dan siasah jumud kita pertahankan. Kita mabuk, kita mengamuk, kita merajuk.

Jaga-jaga anak kita
Jangan sampai jadi hamba
Jaga-jaga anak kita
Kita ini orang merdeka

Panggillah mereka pulang
Ayah nak ajar
Tentang kurang ajar
Jadi mereka takkan sendiri lagi

Panggillah mereka pulang
Ayah nak ajar
Tentang kurang ajar
Jadi mereka takkan dimomok lagi

Fikir
Selamatkah kita di tangan tukang karut itu
Fikir
Selamatkah kita di tangan dalang wayang itu
Fikir
Selamatkah kita di tangan ahli koporat itu
Fikir
Selamatkah kita di tangan doktor jiwa itu
Fikir
Selamatkah kita di tangan pakar kitab itu
Fikir
Selamatkah kita di tangan tuhan-tuhan itu

Sampai bila kita mahu terus dimomokkan sebegini? Kita rela jadikan ini sebagai warisan yang akan diwaris oleh mereka selepas kita?

Panduan warisan turun-temurun ada di tangan kita. Jamung penyuluh zaman berzaman ada di tangan kita. Takkan kita hendak sesat dan terus-menerus disesatkan lagi? Jangan kita wariskan kesesatan kepada anak-cucu kita.

Setiap yang indah ada kudisnya.

"The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say."-Khalil Gibran

Sukar sangatkah untuk terimamasuk bekas Presiden sendiri?

Saya sempat menonton Buletin Utama TV3 malam tadi. Selain daripada berita ekonomi dunia yang sedang merundum, berita utama yang memenuhi ruang slot awal adalah berita mengenai seorang yang begitu taksub hendak menjadi Perdana Menteri ke 6 dan berita seorang lagi yang sedang bergelut menjustifikasikan kenapa dia masih lagi Perdana Menteri ke 5. Letih menontonnya.

Kemudian ada sedikit temuramah dengan Setiausaha Agung UMNO berkaitan permohonan kemasukan semula Che Det, Perdana Menteri ke 4 memerangkap Presiden UMNO yang ke 5. Pemberita bertanyakan perihal berkaitan permohonan kemasukan semula beliau. Jawapan S/U Agung UMNO, Mesyuarat MKT 18.9.2008 tidak membincangkannya. Kenapa? Ringkas jawapannya, mereka belum lagi menerima borang permohonan Che Det sebagai ahli.

Begini, kalau sayalah yang memohon maka saya fahamlah justifikasi yang dikemukakan oleh S/U Agung UMNO tersebut. Siapalah saya untuk MKT bincangkan perihal permohonan menjadi ahli daripada saya dalam mesyuaratnya.

Tetapi ini adalah permohonan semula yang telah diuar-uarkan sendiri oleh bekas Presiden mereka. Bekas Presiden UMNO sendiri selama 22 tahun. Bekas Presiden yang juga bekas Perdana Menteri Malaysia. Bekas Presiden yang telah menerajui dan mengemudi UMNO selama lebih 2 dekad. Bekas Presiden yang telah mengangkat secara langsung dan tidak langsung kesemua mereka di dalam MKT tersebut ke kedudukan mereka sekarang. Bekas Presiden yang dahulunya disanjung dan dipuja.

Tidak bolehkah diputuskan permohonan Che Det sebagai satu "kes istimewa"? Mustahak sangatkah borang permohonan tersebut? Tidak bolehkah diputuskan di dalam Mesyuarat tadi satu undang-undang kecil atau peraturan istimewa khas untuk bekas Presiden mereka sendiri? Tidak bolehkah dikecualikan segala birokrasi dalam menerimanya semula? Sukar sangatkah untuk dipermudahkan permohonan beliau atas dasar mengenang budi dan bertindak sewajarnya di atas faktor "budimu dikenang" tersebut?

Sedangkan di dalam undang-undang pun ada "exception to the general rule", kenapa tidak di dalam perkara ini?

Perkara sebeginlah yang sering membuatkan saya dan ramai lagi yang di luar ini bertambah musykhil dengan pembesar-pembesar di dalam MKT ini. Takkan begini peradaban dan budaya yang mahu dijadikan contoh dan teladan bagi mereka yang di di dalam dan luar UMNO, bukan?

Ketahuilah, tidak semua perkara perlu dipolitikkan. Tidak jatuh maruah diri jika kita mengalah sekali-sekala dengan orang yang lebih tua, yang telah banyak berjasa. Malahan apa yang pasti, kita akan lebih dihormati kerananya.

Berbudi-bahasa masih lagi amalan hidup kita, bukan?

Dikemaskini (6.15pagi)

Mungkin sibuk sungguh petang tadi dengan perkara lain agaknya? Baca sini dan sini.

Another dose of Anwar, anyone?

1431: ”There is no reason for me to be arrested under the ISA,” says Anwar. “We have a major economic crisis… it is therefore imporant for them to think of the nation and not for themselves. This is now a minority government. The majority of MPs are now with us.”

Above excerpt from Anil Netto's blog. He's blogging live on the current Press Conference by Anwar, live video available there.

Basically, he's upping the ante. Asking for a special parliament session coming Tuesday. Read more Anil Netto's Pakatan seeks special session of Parliament on Tuesday

Updated (3pm)

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claims he sent a letter to the Prime Minister on Thursday requesting him to call an emergency Parliament session no later that Sept 23 to deliberate on a vote of no-confidence against Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s leadership.

The Opposition leader said this at a press conference at the PKR headquarters here Thursday afternoon.

Further reading, Pakatan seeks special session of Parliament on Tuesday (The Star Online-Latest)

With this, Anwar is playing it smart. He is not talking about jumping frogs anymore instead he's hitting hard on the issue of "no-confidence vote" via * special/emergency motion to be tabled in parliament. Theoretically no one has to jump ship to vote for the motion. It's a shame our PM has been treating the act of SAPP puling out of the BN coalition in such a condescending manner and dismissing them as nuisance only along the way. He should have played his (limited) cards well and amplified on the fact that despite going out, the party has remained as independent and did not immediately joined the Pakatan Coalition. There are obvious points to score on that fact alone.

Updated (4.25pm)

By the way, blogger JMD reminded me that someone has to attend court on the 24th. Another red herring perhaps? Letih-lah like this, especially so during times like this.

*What is a Motion of Censure?
Read here (US) and from westminster system's nation, go here and here. From Wikipedia, an overview of Motion of No Confidence.

Updated 6.35pm

PM: No need for emergency session of Parliament

The End!

(Who should decide on that actually? The PM or.... Nevermind-lah!) ;-) Selamat berbuka puasa to those fasting and to others, enjoy your dinner, ya!

The Brotherhood of KJ

REMBAU: Deputy Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin on Wednesday officially announced his candidacy for the top post in the movement, adding that “friendship and unity” would be his platform to win delegates’ support.

Read Khairy announces candidacy for Umno Youth chief post

Young man in a hurry indeed. Read A Voice and BigDog's recent take respectively on probability of KJ announcing his candidacy and the impact it may have to the political landscapes of UMNO and the nation, here and here.

Updated (7.21 am-Sept, 18th):

If you think that in the last 48hrs when we were served cold, with 2 dishes (versions) of "transition of power" were to the extent of ad nauseam, then you should think twice before swallowing this, another dish of (the real) transition of power, despite it has "esprit de corp" as the main spice.

This is the actual transition-of-power-is-a-process, borrowing the words of the father-in-law. The process will be faster than the length of time that Anwar had taken when he "almost" done it the last time around (after he was elected as UMNO Youth Head). If many perceived Anwar rise to power back then as "meteoric", they will have to redefine the phrase to "light speed" for this young man, if left unchecked. With that in mind, if you think UMNO will survive for another 60 years, you better think again. People say, speed kills.

Read what JMD and A Voice thinks about this latest development here and here.

That Deadly Tai-Chi (4): Earlier Transition?

The PM said;

The timing is flexible. It is possible, if I may want to leave earlier but not beyond 2010,” the prime minister told a news conference at his office here.

Now, now Najib don't get excited just yet. Look at all provisos that came with the job descriptions. Paklah never stop to amaze me. He's really a wily old sly. Really.

That's why in the end, it's him who becomes the 5th PM, not like some (supposedly with more finesse) who can only dream and continue to dream.

Abdullah said the transition plan however, would depend, among others, on Najib’s performance.

Nice, just look at the current global economy. Perfect timing! O! Najib, thou shall show us the way!

Mindef? Smart move! Nice.

On the transition time frame.

When asked further on the timeframe, Abdullah said, “It is not for you to ask and for me to say.”

Abdullah said the matter would be decided accordingly as the succession process takes place.

Errm, who decides then? The members of UMNO, I don't think so. Who else, eh?

Read more ABDULLAH: Early leadership transition possible

Expectedly, the master of U-Turn is at it again

Najib also said that he would not accept any nomination for the president’s post as he was commited to the succession plan.

Ooppss... whither dream team? Then again, Murphy's Laws, remember?

Najib added further;

He said the finance portfolio was important, especially in light of the current economic instabilities.

Najib, he said, could spend some time acclimatising himself to the duties of being a prime minister.

Yeah, rite!! Read more Pak Lah, Najib swap portfolios, transition intact

Sources: NST & Malaysian Insider-For obvious reason and purpose ;-)

Updated

Will Najib be the "hercules" that diverted rivers through an extremely dirty stable? Read SAKMONGKOL AK47: Najib for the Augean Stables.

Anwar & UMNO: Satu Simbiosis

Tadi saya membaca tulisan Sakmongkol bertajuk What the Stars foretold. Beliau memberi saranan yang amat menyedarkan, sebagaimana komen oleh blogger JMD di dalamnya. Tidak perlulah bagi UMNO untuk terus bersorak dengan kegagalan Anwar untuk membentuk kerajaan dambaannya pada tanggal 16 September 2008. Memang sudah terbukti beliau gagal mengotakan janjinya dan dan omongannya. Apapun ianya akan tetap terus menghantui perjalanan politik Anwar. Sepertimana yang saudara JMD utarakan di dalam nukilan terkini di dalam blognya, Anwar’s play acting is encyclopedic (Part 2), luar dalam permainan politik Anwar adalah sesuatu yang ensaiklopedik dan dalam pengetahuan umum. Tiada yang novelti dan bersifat baharu mengenainya.

Kini apa yang harus difokuskan oleh UMNO adalah untung nasibnya sendiri. Tenggelam timbulnya sendiri. Jangan dicaci dan dihina kegagalan orang lain apabila kegagalan jugalah sebenarnya sedang memandang tepat ke muka sendiri.

Sebenarnya, sedar atau tidak, Anwar dan UMNO adalah sesuatu yang tidak boleh dipisahkan lagi. Kedua-duanya saling mendambakan. Satu jenis simbiosis wujud antara keduanya. Mungkin kedua-duanya tidak menyedarinya. Malah kedua-duanya mungkin pasti akan menyangkalnya. Tetapi percayalah, hakikatnya UMNO dan Anwar adalah umpama ombak dan pantai, lagu dan irama. Kedua-duanya tidak boleh dipisahkan lagi.

Anwar perlukan UMNO. Dia perlukan UMNO untuk terus di dalam keadaan caca-merba halatujunya. Dia perlukan UMNO yang di dalam keadaan panik dan haru-biru. UMNO yang kalut adalah suatu keperluan kepada Anwar dan "Impian 916"nya. Anwar amat memerlukan UMNO yang daif kesihatan untuk tonjolkan kehebatan dirinya, yang sebenarnya tidaklah sehebat mana pun. Keadaan terumbang-ambing UMNO masa kini adalah pada hakikatnya merupakan talian hayat politik Anwar. Kegawatan UMNO amat diperlukan Anwar untuk dijadikan resipi utama hidangan politiknya.

UMNO pula pada hari ini mungkin amat ghairah untuk terus mencerca dan menghina kegagalan misi 916 Anwar tanpa menyedari mereka amat perlukan Anwar. Acah dan Ejek politikal Anwar & Co. sebenarnya adalah tonik yang amat diperlukan oleh UMNO. Mahu tidak mahu politik Anwar akan tetap seperti itu. Hanya dengan ejek, omok dan acah politiknya secara berterusan begini barulah UMNO boleh sedar keperluan untuknya berubah. Keperluan untuknya bertindak segera mengikis dan menghapuskan kanser dan segala macam penyakit kosmetik dan dalaman yang telah lama dihidapinya. Acahan dan omokkan dengan "Impian 916"nya adalah sepatutnya membantu UMNO untuk lebih matang dan bersemangat untuk segera melenyapkan segala kebobrokkan yang sedang melandanya kini.

UMNO dan Anwar sebenarnya saling terhutang budi. Kedua-duanya "saling memerlukan".

Sebelum subuh....

Mamanda Bendahara: Tuanku ada perkhabaran mustahak.

Sultan Aminurrashid: Apa dia memanda bendahara?

Mamanda Bendahara: Besok pagi, ada rombongan ingin memohon limpah duli tuanku memperkenankan kerajaan baru Antah Berantah dan memohon tuanku mencemar duli untuk merasmikannya.

Sultan Aminurrashid: Baiklah kalau begitu Mamak Bendahara, Besok pagi SEBELUM SUBUH beta akan sampai di sana...

Tuan Direktor: CUT, CUT, CUTTTT!!!!! ..yang engkau nak pergi sebelum subuh tu nak buat hape...???!!! Bahaluuul.....!!!! ...sebelum subuh mana ada orang bangun lagi, SESUDAH SUBUH, SESUDAH subuh... Macam ini boleh rosak filim aku!!

..akan bersambung



Baca lagi, mengenai pembikinan filem terhebat musim ini di blog The Antics of Husin Lempoyang: Sept 16 12:30: Anwar angkat sumpah pukul 5:45 pagi ... Jangan tidor!

Untuk mendapat "feel" filim ini pergi baca blog Anil Netto “We have the numbers; the process has begun” dan baca juga Tukar Tiub ZAID IBRAHIM MENTERI PAKATAN RAKYAT ?

Dengar nasihat Husin Lempoyang- JANGAN tidur!!! ..tungguuuuu...

Paklah's shambolic cabinet

While Prime Minister himself was putting a brave face last two nights defending the recent ISA's hullabaloo, the de facto Law Minister yesterday appeared adamant to go against the tide and positioned himself on a head-on collision with his boss. Caught in his own brand of populist politics, he has no other alternatives but to break rank and defend his reform agendas which by the way are not taking off as it should. Zaid Ibrahim has this to say;

“I will seek a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to have a frank discussion about this issue to seek his views as soon as possible,” he told reporters.

“I know I am breaking rank here ... I am prepared to face the consequences. If I am told to resign, I will do so.

"I am not a trouble maker and I don't want to cause any trouble for the Prime Minister, but I have my principles and will always be a vocal critic of the use of the ISA.

"I joined his administration to make changes and everybody knows, I am also for a more open form of media reporting," he added.

Read more Wrong use of ISA: De facto law minister (update 3)

Of course there are those lauding the action taken. One example here is Zahid Hamidi. He was obviously talking with his foot instead of his brain in order to justify the infamous draconian law. In overly-glorifying the action taken, he was reported to have said the followings;

Sehubungan itu, beliau turut berpendapat agar polis memperluaskan lagi penahanan individu yang menyentuh isu sensitif yang mencabar Perlembagaan Persekutuan mengikut ISA dan tidak mengehadkan kepada tiga orang sahaja.

"Tidak wajar hanya dikenakan (akta ISA) ke atas tiga orang sahaja kerana yang timbulkan perkara sensitif ini ramai lagi termasuk pengendali blog.

"Polis telah beri amaran sebelum ini, tetapi tidak diendahkan dan apabila tindakan diambil, maka mereka mengatakan kononnya bahawa polis dan kerajaan zalim. Mereka yang menzalimi diri sendiri kerana tidak mengendahkan amaran,’’ katanya.

Read more Tahanan ISA zalimi diri sendiri-Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

Disorderly and chaotic, that's how I would summed up the current state of the Malaysian Cabinet and its members under Abdullah Badawi. The cabinet members are breaking ranks like nobody's business. And for those coming to his support, they are not doing him any favours either, not with the invidious remark and uncanny justification coming from their mouth, case in point are the above Ministers in the PM Department.

To top that up, Paklah's topsy-turvy cabinet and its members have the penchant for cheap publicity where they are more inclined towards quarelling in the newspapers instead of doing it in the comfort of their own weekly cabinet meetings. No thrill I guess doing it the conventional way. Don't expect "elegant silence" from these boys, no sir-ee! That's only for the biggest kahuna of them all, the big boss himself. For the boys its all about fame, no matter how cheap!

It is obvious that Abdullah does not have any more grip on the members of his own cabinet. His writ does not run in his own shambolic government for quite some time now and the situation has worsen by the day since March 8, 2008.

Any other Prime Minister on his right mind would call it quit without giving it much thought, but not our dear Paklah. He is more than willing to soldier on. To any reasonable man on the street, Paklah's never-say-die attitude and uncalled-for tenacity (in clinging on to power) despite the precarious position he's in, can be mind boggling to say the least.

Is he really that out-of-touch to reality? Is he that detached? No, I don't think so. He is pretty well aware of everything that's been going on. What we are witnessing maybe just a symptom of a normal sickness of most politicians called "obsess with power syndrome", that's all.

Look Who's Talking!

Anwar Ibrahim was reported to say the followings;

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Rakyat wants Umno to stop playing the race card for the sake of political stability, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

Anwar said the opposition coalition did not want to allow the Government to create uncertainty or instability by using the race card whenever they were pushed into a corner.

“This is clearly an act of desperation. We urge the Government to respect the laws of the land,” he told reporters Saturday at an impromptu press conference at the PKR headquarters here.

Read more Stop playing the race card: Anwar

Who is actually playing the race card here? All the while deliberately touching and harping on the subjects of Articles 121, 152 and 153 of the Federal Constitution, without due consideration to the sensitivities of the people concerned just to gain that extra mileage in his political comeback. And now "Stop playing the race card", he said. Can't we say the same thing about it to him then?

I guess respecting and revering the laws to him and the gang only applies to the ones that cannot do much when it comes to probabilities of stoking sentiments and provoking the masses.

Now, what about the unambiguous intention and action thereof to over-throw a duly elected government via back-doors? Is that another mark of proper respect towards the laws of the land?

Liverpool 2 Man Utd 1!

1422: GOAL Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd Terrific, terrific work from Javier Mascherano, getting to the byeline and winning the ball despite the attention of two defenders. Dirk Kuyt picks it up and crosses for Ryan Babel to stroke it into the top of the net. Anfield goes crazy.

And it stays like that until the final whistle. This is going to be a beautiful night after all!

And to think that we didn't even have Torres playing in that game. Magnificent!

(Sources/Pics: BBC Sport Football & LiverpoolFc.TV)




P/S

By the way, I didn't see Hypia sulking away when came out as sub in the dying minutes of the game. He too played his heart out. Consequences of "UEFA's Affirmative Action" did not get to his head! He played like a champ still. That's what a team player is all about! Rafa the gaffer surely knows how to lead the team. Malaysia as a nation needs a gaffer of that calibre!

Blaze of Glory & Murphy's Law

Just like a scene from the wild west, PM's loyal cowboys came out with guns blazing in defence of their boss against recent pot-shot made by Muhyiddin Yasin against their boss.

BLAZE OF GLORY

The de facto Law Minister -
"It is very simple. If Muhyiddin is not happy with the prime minister, he can resign from the cabinet, as it means he has no confidence in Pak Lah (Abdullah), or Pak Lah should sack him." Read more Either Muhyiddin Resign Or Be Sacked, Says Zaid

Negri Sembilan MB -
Negeri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Hassan tonight fired the first salvo at Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin - telling him that he should resign from the Cabinet if he had lost confidence in the Prime Minister. The former corporate player urged Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to be ruthless against those who want to be heroes for own self interest. Read more NS MB ticks off Muhyiddin for PM broadside

The boss also issued a subtle warning today hoping to curtail the uprising of another gang of gunslingers in town, read ‘Not proper for power transfer plan to be raised again’

Whether the above is sufficient to tone down and impede the foreseeable Battle Royale, I dare not say. Hey, this is UMNO we are talking about! Blowing hot and cold is a norm nowadays. What is clear though is the emergence of two factions in UMNO, just like the UMNO of the old, of Team A & Team B. Looking at Najib sitting pretty beside Muhyiddin on TV tonight when announcing that he will leave it to the grassroots to determine the "feasibility" of power transition plan makes me wonder how will he fits in with the possible Ku Li, Muhyiddin and Mukhriz's team.

Will Najib be 100% committed towards the "uprising"? Or will he again leave Muhyiddin high and dry just like he did before when he said that he is committed towards the 2010 power transition plan (despite Muhyiddin's signals that he will be supporting him if he is making the move for the No. 1 post then), which made Muhyiddin to take off his feet of the gas pedal and announced that he will be contesting for VP post only.

Najib is actually looking more superfluous by the day for the benefits of the UMNO's uprising and will only add unnecessary load to the cause. Muhyiddin (Ku Li and Muhkriz too for that matter) must play it right this time around. They must bare in mind there will always be tendencies for Najib to make an abrupt U-Turn when the tides are against him. As I said previously, flip-flopping is highly contagious and Najib does have a tendency to catch that disease.

MURPHY'S LAW

Muhyiddin, Ku Li and Mukhriz must subscribe to Murphy's Law that, "If there's more than one possible outcome of a job or task, and one of those outcomes will result in disaster or an undesirable consequence, then somebody will do it that way" and the most famous adage of them all, "if anything can go wrong, it will."

What they can do now is to minimize those possibilities and identify as early as possible the role of the DPM and how will he fits in the equation. Will he flawed the team? They must anticipate all possibilities. After all they say politics is the art of the impossible! It is always within good measure for them to make the necessary precautions to make sure that those flaws cannot happen. Even to an extent of leaving out Najib from the team.

"Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way". Now, Ku Li, Muhyiddin & Mukhriz, you guys don't want that to happen do you?

Sudah tukar ka?

Bahagian tentukan pelan peralihan kuasa PM, TPM

12/09/2008 12:00pm

KUALA LUMPUR 12 Sept. – Sebarang perubahan dalam pelan peralihan kuasa antara Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Perdana Menteri seharusnya ditentukan melalui mesyuarat bahagian UMNO, kata Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita pada Persidangan Perniagaan China Guandong-Malaysia di sini hari ini. - Utusan

Pelan peralihan kuasa yang kini sudah boleh diubah, kata Najiblah. Dulu dia kata macam lain, sekarang macam lainlah pulak. Kalau dulu dia 100% komited kepada pelan peralihan kuasa, sekarang ini dia kena tukar persenlah. Ikut angin, ikut musimlah katakan....

Flip-flopping: It's contagious!

Pakatan Rakyat yakin mendapat bilangan ahli Parlimen yang mencukupi untuk mempunyai majoriti dalam Parlimen yang membolehkan penubuhan kerajaan baru. Bagaimanapun tarikh sebenar penubuhan kerajaan mungkin terpaksa dilewatkan dari 16 September sebagaimana rancangan awal akibat beberapa ahli Parlimen telah dipaksa ke Taiwan.

Read more of Pakatan Rakyat's latest Press Statement here.

Change of script! It's now kind of official (despite the big guns of PR i.e., Anwar, LKS or Haji Hadi themselves, are not the ones co-signing the Press Statement concerned, for obvious reasons of course!), from the look of it there will be no 916 after all. For those expecting it to happen, don't hold your breath anymore. Breath easy now! Folks, I guess you can stop with the countdown too.

Seriously Pakatan Rakyat, enough with the shenanigans already!

The Press Statement also came with special dedication to UMNO's supporters. Wow!

Kami menyeru kepada rakyat Malaysia termasuk penyokong UMNO untuk bertenang dan tidak terperangkap dengan retorik perkauman. Marilah kita rakyat Malaysia bersama-sama berusaha keras untuk memperbaiki keadaan ekonomi kita yang semakin teruk dan menyambut perubahan yang akan memberi harapan baru kepada kita semua.

Muhyiddin Tak Patut!

Apalah Muhyiddin Yasin ni bagi Paklah terkejut.... tak patut betul! Biarlah dia tidur lena lagi sampai time buka puasa nanti!

PM terkejut kenyataan Muhyiddin

11/09/2008 4:10pm

PUTRAJAYA 11 Sept. - Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hari ini terkejut dengan tindakan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mempersoalkan tarikh peralihan kuasa pucuk pimpinan tertinggi negara yang telah dipersetujui akan diadakan pada 2010.

``Saya terkejut kerana dia adalah sebahagian daripada ahli Kabinet saya,'' katanya kepada pemberita selepas mempengerusikan Mesyuarat Majlis Pelaksana Koridor Raya Multimedia (MSC) Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Semalam, Muhyiddin dilaporkan menggesa Abdullah supaya memikirkan semula tarikh peralihan kuasa yang dijadualkan pada 2010 kerana tempoh tersebut terlalu lama.

Muhyiddin mendakwa, pelan peralihan yang telah diumumkan dua bulan lalu itu kini telah `tenggelam' dan rakyat tidak lagi memikirkan mengenainya. - Utusan

Movies over, fade to black!

What are you waiting for? Get over it, movies over folks! Now on to the next show, latest installment of the series, titled "Crouching MKTs, Hidden MPs".

After that (for the "Next Change") they'll screened an equally good show, a sequel to "Crouching MKTs, Hidden MPs", as continuance to the series titled "The Day after 16th September '08" (the title of the movie could change though, it could be "The Day after 20th September '08" or whatever depending on the leading man's whim and fancy!).

Why? Still glued to your seat? Not happy with the ending is it? What do you expect? This is a lowly budget sandiwara, not even a C rated movie. Everything's predictable. Oh, you want to see more brutality do you? Wrong movie bro & sis! This is as good as it gets.

Then again, count your blessings! All that tai-chis and silats, you would not find them anywhere else in other C rated movies. What about those special effects? Mesmerizing ain't it?

What about its box-office status? Millions of adoring fans. They just can't get enough of it. It's perplexing how this low budget movie could achieved such a feat. Must be the cult followings that it has over the years. This is a 51 years running cult classics, re-run over and over again, and despite all that, the crowd keep asking for more.

Peter Jackson, you have met your match! Martin Scorsese, who? A good review on recent movie, read Sakmongkol's Uncle Lah's Cabin

Movies over and you want what? "I want my money back!!"

"Denied, next show please!"

Don't blog, tell it straight to Paklah, Najib or the VPs....

...they all are good listeners! They'll listen to you. And folks remember this, blogging is NOT the proper channel!! Why-lah you guys blogged so much? There are willing ears up there in Putrajaya... "Open minded" some more!

Instead of blogging them, Zahid said it was better for Dr Mahathir to discuss them through the proper channels.

“Personalities like Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak or any of the party’s vice-presidents are very good listeners and very open-minded people,” he said.

Read more of Munteri Zahid's Dr M’s return to Umno welcomed, says Zahid

Anyone can arrange for me to meet up with these people personally? Need to get something off my chest-lah!

Whither Judicial Independence?

“In fact, my own position will be reviewed to Minister of Law to give me more authority but that will take time. You can’t have responsibility without authority,”

“When you want to effect change you need to coordinate and re-organise. For example, if you want magistrates to be re-trained today I can’t do much about it. I will have to go to the Judicial and Legal Commission.

Read (The Star Online) Zaid may be made full-blown Law Minister

The independence of judiciary or Judicial independence is the doctrine that decisions of the judiciary must be impartial and not subject to influence from the other branches of government or from private or political interests.

Not long ago, there were polemics in the legal fraternity and Malaysian generally when the cabinet decided to establish the Law Ministry during the time of TDM. The simple argument is that with judiciary answerable to a member of the executives (in this case, the Law Minister), we have breached the basic principle of "Separation of Powers" which is essential in any system of constitutional democratic and governance such as ours. On that score, the ministerial post was later abolished.

With this latest news, are we now in the midst of revisiting the same? All the talks about judicial reforms, is this another case of one step forwards, two steps back? As if there weren't enough interference with the administration of justice already that we now need another one! Are there ulterior motives behind the moves, now that the present CJ is on his way out of office? I hope not.

To digress a bit, here is something from Suara Keadilan on comments made by our future "full blown" Law Minister concerning "party hopping" Read Tidak ada undang-undang larang pindah parti - Zaid Ibrahim

He was quoted to say the followings;

“Dulu saya pernah mencadangkan supaya buat undang-undang ini tetapi tidak ada siapa yang mahu,” katanya ketika sidang media Hari Persidangan Hak Asasi Manusia di salah sebuah hotel pagi ini.

Katanya mengenai ura-ura penghijrahan beramai-ramai Ahli Parlimen BN ke Pakatan Rakyat Zaid enggan mengulas lanjut tentang perkara itu dan hanya berkata “Lompatlah.”

While Paklah explicitly said that he'll do whatever he can to prevent the same, the de facto Law Minister seems to have other ideas. Bravo Mr. full-blown-Law-Minister-to-be!

Permainan "robust" sesama sendiri dalam BN

Boleh menang ke, boleh ke jaring gol ni?

“Tidak, anda silap mentafsirkannya. Kami sesekali tidak akan membenarkan perkara itu berlaku (BN berpecah belah atau menuju kehancuran). Kami seperti pasukan bola. Sangat agresif tetapi kami bermain permainan yang sama.

“Kami mensasarkan kepada satu gawang gol lawan supaya kami menang,” kata Abdullah, yang juga Pengerusi BN, kepada pemberita selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Dewan Tertinggi BN di Menara Dato’ Onn di sini hari ini. Baca lagi (Utusan Malaysia-Terkini) BN tidak berpecah belah kata PM

Jangan sampai mencederakan team-mates sendiri cukup lah... Jarang dengar satu pasukan bolasepak bermain agresif (robust) terhadap sesama sendiri ni!

Baguslah jika sudah kembali kepada konsultasi, kompromi dan konsensus semula.

Tetapi jangan main terlalu agresif sesama sendiri, nanti foul! Kena kad merah sebab kasari team-mates sendiri, untung besar pasukan lawan nanti bukan?

Never-ending Politics or Bread & Butter, you choose!

All these unnecessary tensions should be stopped immediately. Like it or not, by law there will not be any 916. Like or not, as of now, Pak Lah is still the PM. Like it or not BN is still the ruling government.

Too much hype and attention has been center on these unnecessary political ploys. It has been overly played up for nothing. The fact remains that BN holds the majority in the parliament and Pakatan Rakyat is the opposition coalition in parliament which has lost in GE-12. What Anwar has been trumpeting all the while, the 916 target, has now been politically out-maneuvered , out-played by the BN. There will not be any changes of seat location in parliament regarding the two factions, the government and the opposition. Not for now, not until the next GE.

What Anwar & Co. is trying to create will only leads to unhealthy precedent where in future there will be endless uncertainty in determining the ruling government of the day. It will be an infinite game. What if the very next day BN is toppled by this party hopping madness, they decided to start playing the same game against PR? There will be no foreseeable ending to it.

Changing government via party-hopping politicians may not be "evil" as someone described it, recently. But it is not only unethical it is also unconstitutional. Actually, there are no loop holes that can makes the action constitutionally legal, not in the case of 916 at least. It strikes to very basis of the constitution where it is clearly stated that government of the day must be, at all time, determined by the General Election.

Even you as voter has the right to put a stop to party hopping antics. Most of you voted for the party it represented not the politician personally. Especially so in the last general election. Where votes were given just because you just don't want to vote for the other party. Heck, most of us did not even know who was that fellow that we voted recently. As long it is not a rep from that party, that's where the votes will be, case in point is the boy in parliament with the camera. For those who have voted for the boy in camera for example, what do you feel if he the one that is jumping ship? Don't you want to put a stop to that?

We voted the political party not the politician per se. Most of us did. And on that score alone, if your elected parliamentarian jumped ship and joined the other side, I am of the opinion that you have the locus standi to put a stop to it.

You alone as legitimate voter can do this or better still, get some other voters from your constituents, together with them, you file a class action. File an injunction against the said elected representative, a permanent one, to put a stop to this madness. Yes, the other side will raised defences claiming there are no laws from stopping him or her to jump ship. No worries, you still have the constitution as legal authority to dispute that.

Firstly, it is constituted that government of the day is chosen vide General Election and no other means. Secondly, the fact that this opportunist parliamentarian jumping ship with intention to get around the law shows bad faith on his part and the party accepting him. Both are trying to get around the supreme law of the nation to achieve something which is clearly against the spirit of the constitution. They are actually deceiving the voters.

Now, they may also argue that there are no precedents in law to support your claim. Hey mister, that is what law is all about, it is not stagnant, it is a living thing, developing from time to time. "Ever heard of test case?", you should ask them back. Think outside the box for once.

It's all about respecting the wishes of the voters and upholding the constitution. It's about putting a stop to bad faiths and deceiving acts. The law does not condone such acts.

Constitutionally, government which is created by illegal means and unethical conduct of the parliamentarian concerned is open to challenges in the court of law. The people have voted therefore their wishes must be respected and the court as the guardian of the constitution must see to it.

Because of that, the same government established through party hopping parliamentarians will never be an effective government and it will be drag into endless legal tussles. Not just from the other political faction but from you as well as the legitimate voter. With that, could the same government function as it should in the first place?

Governments that are on perpetual lookouts over its MPs and members are not an effective governments. Governments that continuously dance to the tune of constant political mocking of MPs going to jump ships are not an effective government. Government that constantly on its toes and keep sending MPs for "study trips" is not an effective government. Today this may be the case with the BN government, likewise tomorrow the same could be happening to the PR government. The melee will never stop!

Without an effective government, the people will be the one suffering not the politician. Nothing gets done and nothing works. Just look at our government presently. The people must make these politicians to work for them not the other way around. We cannot fill our belly with incessant politickings, no?

Kalut (2)

Akhirnya Memanda Perdana sedar akan graviti permasalahan yang sedang melanda partinya. Namun begitu, setelah dibiarkan berlarutan, usaha terkini beliau untuk hanya memanggil sepihak sahaja adakah memadai untup mengurangi kekalutan atau sebaliknya akan menambahkan kekalutan sedia ada?

“He will be asked to explain himself, after which we will decide what action will be taken against him,” Abdullah said.

“I’m very unhappy with what has happened and will take a firm stand on the issue,” he told reporters after meeting ambassadors and foreign dignitaries at Wisma Putra on Monday.

When briefed on a meeting earlier Monday in which Ahmad had asked Gerakan to leave the Barisan Nasional coalition, Abdullah said, “Ahmad should not blame other parties; it’s not for him to ask a component party to leave Barisan.” Baca lagi PM to Ahmad Ismail: Explain, or face action (The Star Online-Latest)

Seharusnya, Paklah memanggil kedua-duanya, Ahmad dan Koh, dalam bidangkuasanya sebagai Pengerusi BN. Kedua-duanya patut menunjuk sebab, bukan seorang sahaja. Paklah masih Pengerusi BN bukan?

Macam mana tidak dikatakan kalut, kedai-kedai Nasi Kandar pun menjadi mangsa kah? Zalim sungguh..haha! Tetapi petang tadi masa saya membeli juadah berbuka puasa di Nasi Kandar Sharif di Gelugor (warung), panjang lagi yang beratur membelinya, sehinggakan di dalam hujan renyai-renyai pun masih ramai yang sanggup beratur dan menunggu....haha

Laporan berita berkaitan insiden yang membawa kepada amarah Mamanda Perdana boleh dibaca di Malaysiakini bertajuk Ahmad: Saya sanggup hadapi risiko dan di Malaysian Insider bertajuk Ahmad Ismail blames Koh for tensions . Di bawah ini adalah video berita NTV7, yang memaparkan insiden berkenaan (ihsan blog Thinking of Life)

Kalut

Bagaimana tidak dikatakan kalut, lihat sahaja reaksi kedua pemimpin teratas UMNO terhadap isu Ahmad Ismail. Presiden kata terdapat salah laporan terhadap ucapan kontroversi tersebut . Kemudian 13 Bahagian UMNO yang lain di Pulau Pinang pun menyatakan sokongan terhadap tindakan Ahmad tidak memohon maaf. Semua maklum, Presiden adalah salah seorang ketua bahagian di situ dan Pengerusi Perhubungan Negeri, maknanya dia salah seorang yang berpendirian serupa.

Namun begitu, Timbalannya pula keluarkan kenyataan, pendirian 13 Bahagian UMNO adalah bukan dasar UMNO.

Itu maknanya pendirian Presiden UMNO masa kini adalah bukan lagi dasar parti dan ianya disanggah dengan terang oleh Timbalannya. Tetapi satu Malaya tahu, Timbalan tetap komited dengan presidennya. Maka ahli-ahli pun semakin pening dibuatnya, yang mana satu dasar yang mana satu pendirian? Yang mana satu hendak disokong?

Tidak kalut lagikah begitu?

Seterusnya, pada masa sekarang bila mana parti-parti komponen mula menunjukkan taring dan bertindak mengugut UMNO, apa tindakan yang dilakukan? Masih keluarkan kenyataan, bahawa tidak nampak unsur ugutan di situ.

Payah sangatkah untuk UMNO sebagai tonggak dan tunjang BN, mengorak langkah serta-merta memanggil kesemua komponen parti dalam BN terutama Gerakan dan MCA yang begitu ghairah bersuara untuk duduk semeja dan mencapai satu kata sepakat secepat mungkin? Ini tidak, dibiarkan api di dalam sekam terus berlarutan.

Polisi permuafakatan dalam BN tidak diutamakan sebaliknya, polisi turun padang bila banjir pula yang diuar-uarkan.

Tidak kalut lagikah begitu?

Dalam menghadapi permainan perang saraf Pakatan Rakyat dan 16 Septembernya, apa pula strateginya? Anjurkan percutian sambil belajar. Lari dan sorokkan semua rakan-rakan komponen mereka. Bukannya tergerak di hati untuk menganjurkan satu "show of solidarity".

Tidak kalut lagikah begitu?

Nah, sekarang ada pula yang hendakkan 4 TPM? 4 orang, hendak buat apa?

Kalut bukan?

Hendak dikatakan tidak ada konvensyen (kebiasaan praktis dan prosedur) samada yang tersurat ataupun tersirat, peraturan dan kod etika untuk mengawal ahli ataupun parti komponen, sudah tentu tidak betul bukan? Berbagai peraturan, perlembagaan, konvensyen , prosedur dan kod etika telahpun dikanunkan, masakan tidak UMNO dan BN bukannya persatuan setahun jagung. Inilah mungkin yang dipanggil "dalam kalut ada peraturan, peraturan cipta kekalutan"....

Latest UMNO membership application: Che Det?

Read Tangents: Restless Musings Of A Malay Mind: Tun Dr M Akan Menyertai Semula UMNO Untuk Menyokong Usaha KuLi Merebut Jawatan Presiden UMNO

The torn is coming back into the flesh? Excellent news! That should put some pressure on the one now helm the party.

After all, he has never really left UMNO. As they say, it's already in the blood. UMNO really need direction and inspiration currently instead of having guns pointing at its head by other component party members. UMNO, are you up to it?

Read also Mat Tomoi's Nana Non, Tun Mahathir & Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

Aiyaaa, ini macam punya kawan pun ada ka!!?

Acting Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon says the party will review its role in the Barisan Nasional (BN). And if the review finds Gerakan no longer has a "meaningful" role in BN, then it would pull out of the coalition.

Baca juga Gerakan may quit Barisan (updated)

Tak habih-habih lagi ka brader sorang ni? Ingat dah settle dah semalam...

Kalau sudah tiada "peranan bermakna", jangankan Gerakan, UMNO sendiri pun kena keluar BN, brader....

Cakap kuat sangat, nanti kawan sendiri meluat!

Semangat setiakawan ala BN ke ni? Lupa dah kot "consultation, consensus & compromise"?

Updated (11.45pm, Sept 7th):

Najib responded toward the above, he said the followings;

Meanwhile, commenting on Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon's remarks at Selangor Gerakan delegates meeting today that the party might review its position in the BN, Najib said: "They have not made any decision to pull out of the BN and we value the contributions of all component parties in the coalition. Should problems arise, they can be discussed in the BN spirit and we will be having a meeting of the BN Supreme Council soon."

Asked if the remarks sounded like a threat, Najib said: "I do not view it such... what is important is that any issue that arises be resolved amicably the BN way to preserve team spirit and harmony."

Read more here for the above and on important announcement pertaining to "BN's Banjir Policy" from the man. Haiyaaa, ini "policy" pun mau kena highlight ka? Macam mana mau maju, mau jadi dynamic ni?

Kondisi Perekonomian Malaysia-Pasca 16 Sept 2008?

Berikut adalah laporan Kompas berikutan lawatan Ketua Umum PKR ke Indonesia baru-baru ini yang bertajuk Anwar Ibrahim "Gulingkan" Badawi Tanggal 16 September .

Antara lain ia melaporkan;

Selain memaparkan tentang manuver-manuver yang digunakan lawan politik untuk menjatuhkan dirinya, Anwar juga menyinggung kondisi perekonomian Indonesia. Menurut dia, Indonesia harus menyadari tidak bisa menyingkirkan diri dari perkembangan ekonomi global. “Wacana yang berkembang di Indonesia terlalu ekstrem. Terima IMF dan Bank Dunia atau tolak sama sekali. Saya tidak sependapat dengan pandangan itu. Indonesia menurut saya agak ekstrem. Saya tidak percaya dalam situasi global begini kita bisa berjalan sendiri,” katanya. Baca lagi di sini.

Tongkat dan tali daripada IMF dan Bank Dunia; previu apa yang mendatang kelak?

The Zulkifli Nordin Conundrum

This morning YB Zul Nordin issued a statement in his blog concerning the charge to be preferred against him come this 9th September 2008 before PKR's disciplinary committee. He said, inter-alia;

Saya mengambil sikap dalam keadaan Islam dihina saya akan tetap mempertahankan Islam, walaupun akan bercanggah dengan pendirian mana-mana pihak. Kalau tiba masa saya perlu memilih antara Islam dengan parti, saya tetap akan memilih Islam walaupun saya tahu akibatnya saya akan kehilangan & kerugian, tambahan dalam keadaan Pakatan Rakyat dijangka mengambil alih kerajaan pada 16 Sept. Pada saya biarlah rugi duniawi daripada rugi disisi Ilahi.

Saya pasti akan berdepan dengan Jawatankuasa ini yang dijadualkan pada 9 Sept @ 10am nanti. Insyallah yang hak tetap akan dilindungi ALLAH..

Read more here.

Now, I wonder what will PAS reaction be towards the upcoming disciplinary proceeding against the parliamentarian. Will they take the safest stance possible and decline comment by citing that's an internal matter within PKR's household or will they stand by Zulkifli Nordin's side as there were support from PAS big guns and direct involvement by the party itself when the incident took place?

Furthermore can Pakatan Rakyat keep compartmentalizing issues which strike to the core of each its component parties ideologies and not deal with it on the pretext of minimizing the differences in ideologies among the Pakatan's component members? After all, politics are all about perception and if action is to be taken against the parliamentarian concerned will it not be perceived as that PKR does not endorsed PAS very own basic struggle and ideology?

What will DAP's reaction be? Will they support PKR's action against the said YB if the sentence to be meted out happen to be a lighter one? Will they keep quiet too if that is the eventual outcome? As we all know DAP was quite vocal in condemning the incident. The recent spat in parliament between Chong Eng and Zulkifli shows how strong DAP's objection is against Zulkifli's involvement in the demonstration.

And why on the 9th September? Just a day before Anwar's criminal case mention date and just 7 days before the most "anticipated event" of the year, at the time where solidarity in the said coalition is needed the most?

Will PKR's disciplinary committee reserved its judgment to a later date and risk itself the negative perception from DAP's all and sundry or will they instead condemned Zulkifli Nordin once and for all and risk itself the wrath of PAS and its members?

As for the public at large, the outcome of this proceeding, and how will PKR approach such a delicate issue which is closely related to the sensitivities of the masses, shall be interesting indeed as it is sort of a foretaste of what to come if and when Anwar is to become the chief executive of the nation.

Updated

From The Star Online;

When contacted, Zulkifli confirmed that he received the letter at his office in Kuala Lumpur.

"Maybe I will have to ask them to postpone the date to Sept 15 as I have a matter in court on Tuesday," he told The Star's Malay news portal mStar.

Read it here and SusanLoone's takes on the same issue here.

Gauging the numbers?

The Star today reported BBC chief: 48 MPs have said aye to trip

Haha, now what's that tell you. Out of the possible 79 only 48 reverted with an instant aye to the most ridiculous trip ever. 79 less by 48 is 31, is it not? Is these 31 the one? Or is it the other way around? All from the BBC? The X-Men? The would be mutating lot? Hahaha....

The trip organiser said

“The other 48 MPs have confirmed that they are going and they include those from peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. We are opening the trip to everybody,” he said here yesterday.

Tiong was responding to reports that response from the MPs for the study trip, scheduled for Sept 7 to 19, had been lukewarm.

Lukewarm? ouchh.... Hahaha!

Here's the giveaway;

“It is not like the 1960s or even the 1980s when you took a group of MPs and holed them up overseas,” said a Sabah MP who declined to be named and felt that the certain groups within Barisan were overreacting to the Sept 16 talk.

Aiyaaa, MPs ke ni?

Of Consultation, Compromise & Consensus

1. Consultation: a meeting for discussion or the seeking of advice; The act or process of consulting; A conference at which advice is given or views are exchanged.
2. Compromise: A settlement of differences in which each side makes concessions; A concession to something detrimental or pejorative; accomodation
3. Consensus: An opinion or position reached by a group as a whole; General agreement or accord
   

The above are simple definitions of the three basic tenets (in bold) which have been the bedrock of Malaysian politics for over half of a century now. It's fairly plain and simple. Nobody can take away the fact that BN being the institution that introduced and work the concept, and it has done so since the days of Parti Perikatan, has been able to steer their party and with it the nation away from the trap of racial politics . The same trap which had claimed many victims in other developing nations such as ours.

Even developed nation such as the great US of A was not spared from becoming a victim of the same. Albeit being a nation that has been championing the idea of democracy for over 200 years they still succumbed to the same trap. Their tumultuous era of the 60s stand as evidence to that. In 1963, Martin Luther King has this to say (after 300 years of American Independence) among others:

"I have a dream that my four children will one day lives in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

It was still a "dream" for the Afro-Americans, nearly 200 years after their nation declared its independence.

Being 51 this year, Malaysia still has a long way to go if we are to compare relatively to the American. Then again we have managed to scrape through using our own blend of democracy, our own recipe. And only at 51 years of age we are actually better off then the American , not to have been made to wait all that long just to have a dream. Now, all that has happened these few weeks show how we are now being tested to live up to the idea envisaged and propounded by the founding fathers of the nation. We shall overcome, God willing, as what we have done previously time and time again. We shall continue to triumph in the face of adversity if we continue practicing without qualifications the idea mooted by the nation past leaders, the 3C of Malaysian politics i.e., consensus, compromise and consultation, and as long as we do not stray away from what have been enacted in the Federal Constitution. Now if only politicians such as Ahmad Ismail, Lim Kit Siang, the Hindraf 5 and the likes would strictly adhere to the same.

For me, if the BN even within the compound of their own house cannot show us the way anymore, then it is obvious that Malaysian shall have no other choice but to let the other coalition be the beacon that light the way for the nation. You may not agree to Pakatan Rakyat's current tactics to form the government via back doors and they may not actually at this instant have the numbers to form a government by 16th September 2008, but come next General Election the prize will be theirs for the taking. That's the price BN has to pay if they are to continue their current dismal performance and fumbling ways. And that's a fact.

The only advice I can offer for these politicians are for them to go back in time and dig deep into history of the nation and their party struggles, at times where the nation has evidently come as one regardless of race, the pre-31st August 1957 era (run-ups to Merdeka Day) and the post-13th May 1969 era, when our past leaders have successfully managed racialism and sidestepped calamities during those time. Therefore my dear politicians, please get your acts together. Shape up or ship out!

(updated 5.46 am)

Islah hanya melalui Pakatan Rakyat?

Islah (Arabic: اٍصلاح‎) is an Arabic word meaning to repair, often translated as to reform or reshape

Anwar Ibrahim di dalam perutusan ramadannya menulis;

Ramadhan ini mengingatkan kita akan kisah para anbiya yang tetap istiqamah memperjuangkan kebenaran dan melakukan islah. Ayat Surah Hud 88: “…hanya yang aku mahu ialah melakukan islah (reformasi) dengan segenap daya dan upaya,” sering saya tekankan kerana kita mesti kekal memperjuangkan perubahan, untuk menjayakan keadilan ekonomi, membela rakyat dan menegakkan demokrasi.

Beliau tekankan islah dan peringatan kisah istiqamah para anbiya dalam memperjuangkan kebenaran. Beliau hubungkaitkan konsep Re For Ma Si angkatan politik dokongan beliau dengan surah tersebut. Cantik bukan bila perjuangan politik dikaitkan dengan ayat suci Al-Quran, dengan merujuk kepada para Anbiya? Terus terasa sesuatu itu seakan-akan direstui, automatik ianya dihalalkan, bukan? Jadi tidak hairanlah kenapa YB Zul (yang akan dihadapkan ke badan disiplin PKR) masih lagi berjuang disamping beliau bukan? Bak kata orang kuat PKR sendiri, Din Merican; "Great political changes do not come from zero-sum equations."

Oleh itu adakah "islah" dan perjuangan kebenaran hanya sememangnya sinonim dengan perjuangan PR sahaja? Bagaimana pula dengan puak yang satu lagi yang masih lagi pada saat ini memegang tampuk pemerintahan negara? Tidak ada tercetus keinginan untuk memperbaiki diri dan kumpulan ataupun hanya sibuk dengan percaturan kuasa dan pangkat semata-mata?

Lupakah puak yang sedang memerintah negara ini bahawa satu ketika dahulu parti mereka sebenarnya adalah pelopor apa yang sedang di bawa sekarang oleh Anwar Ibrahim dengan Pakatan Rakyatnya? Ianya sama sahaja seperti yang berlaku 51 tahun dahulu, perjuangan kemerdekaan berbagai kaum yang telah diterjemahkan kepada satu formula dengan sebuah parti yang dinamakan sebagai Parti Perikatan dan kemudiannya, natijah dari bala 13 Mei 69, ianya dijenamakan semula sebagai Barisan Nasional berpaksikan kepada keluhuran perlembagaan dan konsep perkongsian kuasa di atas dasar konsensus, tolak ansur dan konsultasi bersama.

Apa yang dijaja sekarang oleh puak Pakatan Rakyat adalah produk yang sama, ia cuma dipakejkan semula dengan pakej yang lebih menarik mengikut peredaran masa. Itu sahaja!

Spam SMSes for your local YB!

Just woke up for sahur. There's an sms from an unfamiliar number in my mobile. It reads (reproduce herewith in verbatim except for the "To:" mobile number)

To: 019#######

Sent:Friday, 5 September 2008 2:13 AM

+60133872980

SMS YB kaw anda: YB, sy adlh penyokng Tuan. Namun saya sudah muak dgn kerjn BN. Minyak & brg naik. Sy gesa tuan menyrtai Pktn Rkyt demi masa depan rkyt. Sebar!

Is the sender beseeching me to forward that spam SMS to my "YB kaw anda"? We got a problem there dude! I don't have my YB's mobile number! Furthermore I think he is already a member of the Pakatan! And what if he is not, would he listen to me? Hasn't the Ketua Umum already taken care of all this "jumping froggy" business? He sounded optimistic the other day.

And do you seriously think that by flooding the YB's mobile inbox, he would be mutating himself into a frog today?

By the look of it, the fact that Pakatan Rakyat is even resorting to "spam SMSes" tactic, speaks volume of their much anticipated and overly-hyped "16 September 2008 Berarak ke Putrajaya" event.

Wonder who is the desperado really?

Politik DAP yang Memualkan! Overkill-lah!

Saya baca tulisan Lim Kit Siang dan jeff ooi di dalam blog mereka masing-masing. Apa hal yang sampai ke isu BTN hendak dijadikan peluru agenda politik dangkal dan sempit kalian? Siapa sebenarnya yang sedang menghasut? Sudah tidak ada modal sangatkah Pakatan yang kononnya akan membawa Malaysia ke satu "New Dawn" ini?

Wahai pembesar-pembesar DAP, saya baru lepas berbuka puasa di Pulau Pinang, di warung Ikan Bakar dekat dengan Queensbay Mall, ramai rakyat Penang bangsa Cina yang makan bersama-sama berbuka puasa tadi. Ada yang duduk semeja dengan rakan berbangsa Melayu, sabar menunggu azan Maghrib, baru sentuh makanan enak yang telah terhidang. Tiada masalah, tiada terasa hati antara kami. Tidak ada yang terbawa-bawa tersentuh hati terasa diri mereka sebagai pendatang. TIDAK ADA!

Jangan hendak menbobrokkan suasana dengan menjadi batu api tidak bertempat. Tidak perlu panjangkan isu kepada isu-isu lain yang tidak bersangkutan. Cukup dengan main politik, JANGAN MAIN API!

Ini sudah sampai ke tahap ad nauseam, MEMUALKAN!

Integrasi nasional tidak berhenti setakat pemimpin-pemimpin DAP sahaja, tidak diwakili oleh manusia bernama Ahmad itu sahaja. Ada lebih 20 juta manusia lain di Malaysia ini, negara masih dipenuhi dengan manusia pelbagai kaum yang beradab, saling memahami dan mempunyai tahap toleransi yang teramat tinggi, yang sudah boleh membaca politik lapuk kalian.

Cukuplah! Retorik dangkal jajaan kalian kali ini sudah menjadi "OVERKILL"!

Dikemaskini (10.48PM)

Baca juga nukilan terkini Mat Tomoi bertajuk Mat Ismail yang degil! PM cari hang!

Sedekahkan juga Al-Fatehah terhadap tokoh kewartawanan negara Tan Sri A Samad Ismail yang telah meninggalkan kita kembali ke rahmatullah petang tadi. Takziah saya ucapkan kepada keluarga allahyarham, semoga terus tabah menghadapi ujian Allah ini. Inalillah Wa Inaillahira'jiun.

Sabah On My Mind

Georgia or rather Sabah On his Mind?!

Read A Voice's "Crossover" Looming, ACA Follow-up ... Gelabah Pak Lah Flew to KK?, BERNAMA's latest on Paklah's visit to the land below the wind; Sabah BN Is Strong, Unaffected By P. Pauh By-election Results Says CM, and also Abdullah Wants Sabah To Speed Up Implementation Of Projects for context.

Now, picture Paklah singing this to the tune of Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind"...

I said Sabah, Sabah
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

I said Sabah, Ooh Sabah,
no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Sabah on my mind

UMNO-Hybrid, anyone?

Why go Hybrid? In a car, the reason is twofold:

1. to reduce tailpipe emissions (less emission; less pollution); and
2. to improve mileage.

If these could be safely adapted by UMNO, where the old conventional UMNO is transformed to a hybrid kind, the future will certainly be brighter (than Doris Day!) for UMNO and BN. More "environmental friendly" shall we say!

Let's start with reducing tailpipe emissions. There is too much pollution emitted by UMNO these days. Corruption, arrogance, abuse of power, you name it, UMNO has it! The ever so often follies and silliness showed by its leaders are the jokes of the town currently. The problem with UMNO is its just like your conventional car. Conventional car burns twice as much gas to go a mile. They generate about twice as much pollution.

With hybrid car, pollution will be removed by the emission control equipment on the car. So decreasing the fuel consumption of the car is one surest ways to decrease emission. The twofold goals are actually tightly interwoven when it comes to Hybrid cars. And the same goes with UMNO-Hybrid!

Therefore UMNO-hybrid must have the mechanism, an effective one to that effect, much like an emissions control equipment. A presidential advisory body could be one of which. A body of advisers , council of wise men for the president. Not the 4th floor boys! Not the present MT! Old guards, veterans like Tun Dr Mahathir (if he ever comes back to UMNO) and the likes. Even the not so old but good, intellectual folks in UMNO. People that do not have any thing more to gain but everything else to lose! I know some will argue that there exist current political bureau and a management committee which channel their suggestions and advice directly to the president. For me, simply put, they have not done enough. If they suffice, UMNO will not be in that quagmire and sad state as it is now.

Secondly is all about improving mileage. More mileage or greater political reach to all levels of society without having to resort to higher "fuel consumption". If you look at hybrid cars, they are all futuristic in features. Aerodynamics et al. Same with politics. You must keep up with time. It's all about being dynamic. Able to comprehend what's in and what's not. You don't have to transform it altogether, in toto to something it is not. What you need to do is to just assimilate the prevailing trends of politics, the prevailing culture of transparency and change. Be that agent of change instead letting others dominating the field. UMNO currently fighting the other side on two different level of playing fields. How to win?

Hybrid car has smaller engine than conventional one. In a small engine, however, the efficiency can be improved by using smaller, lighter parts, by reducing the number of cylinders and by operating the engine closer to its maximum load. Enough with conventional ideas that you need relatively big engine to produce enough power to accelerate the car quickly. Same with current sets of senior politicians in UMNO. Those that are heavily laden with excess political baggage. They are what I would consider as big engine. . These people must go!

In conventional car, the bigger engines usually have more cylinders, and each cylinder uses fuel every time the engine fires, even if the car isn't moving. The pistons and other internal components are heavier, requiring more energy each time they go up and down in the cylinder. The displacement of the cylinders are larger, so more fuel is required by each cylinder. The same applies to UMNO politics. In UMNO politics, these are the minions that come bundled together with the "bigger engine". The little napoleans!

They do not do much except contributing towards the drag in the "car movement" whenever UMNO is speeding and even in idle speed! They are the "pistons and internal components" that are heavier and requiring more "energy" (monetary and other worldly incentives) each time they go "up and down" for the engine, requesting "more fuel" each time. UMNO can do away with these people.

Identify the good one, the "lighter", "smaller" parts that are actually in abundance in and outside UMNO. The talents are out there, it's just the culture of "cantas kaki" and these "mysterious fear" towards intellectuals (in UMNO) that have been stopping this good folks from going in or coming up that strata of hierarchy in UMNO. These people should be wooed and roped in on the pretext to form parts of that engine we now call the new UMNO-hybrid.

More on UMNO-Hybrid and how it could help to lessen the contribution of the "greenhouse effect", the "global warming" in BN and the nation itself later on. Not tonight-lah! That's for another day, another night.

For now, let's go hybrid. Anyone?

Kemelut onar si Ahmad

Ahmad baru sudah membuat onar. Dia dicerca ramai akibat perbuatannya. Habis satu kampung marahkan beliau. Jiran tetangga diapikan pula oleh geng kampung sebelah, begitu semangat marahkan si Ahmad sampaikan habis satu kumpulan pak Dolah, ketua si Ahmad, diamuk. Pak Dolah cuba berdiplomasi. Dia gagal. Ramai sudah tidak percaya dengan diplomasi lapuknya.

Sedar kemelut yang semakit kusut akibat onar si Ahmad, Pak Najib pun mencuba nasib. Maaf dipohon. Dia sebut bahawa dia wakil kumpulannya. Aib dengan onar si Ahmad, malu dan gundah gulana satu kumpulan dibuatnya. Seribu kemaafan dipohon. Najib begitu pasti ini sajalah resolusi terbaik masa kini, hanya dengan cara masuk moda kawalan kerosakan ("Damage control mode") sebegini. Pohon maaf bagi pihak si Ahmad! Mungkin bagi najib bertahan sebegini adalah yang terbaik. Mungkin juga Najib patut belajar dengan Ketua Kampung sebelah, Pak Anwar, pakar segala moda kawalan kerosakan.

Selepas ini, kawalan kerosakan sebegini akan menjadi prisiden (precedent)? Bagi Najib, mungkin inilah cara terbaik menangani kemelut natijah dek onar si Ahmad. Tetapi Najib terlupa. Pihak yang dipohon maaf masih lagi di dalam kecenderungan untuk menghukum ketua kampung dengan konco-konconya. Alang-alang sudah menari mengikut rentak orang kampung, kenapa tidak dihukum si Ahmad terlebih dahulu? Kata orang sayangkan anak tangan-tangankan. Kemudiannya barulah minta maaf dengan jiran tetangga. Jangan pula dibiarkan si Ahmad menyorok diri, suruh juga empunya badan merapatkan sepuluh jari pohon maaf kepada seluruh jiran tetangga!

Jangan nanti disebabkan anak seorang ini, habis seluruh jiran tetangga pindah kampung halaman. Tinggallah awak nanti terkantoi-kantoi seorang diri.

Kalaulah, Che Det, ketua kampung terdahulu hadapi masalah ini, pasti ada cara lain yang dia lakukan. Tambahan pula bila ada "kanser" yang dikesannya sedang merebak di dalam kampung. Sudah tentu dibuangnya terus kanser tersebut terlebih dahulu, al-maklumlah Che Det ini kata orang bekas tabib satu ketika dahulu.

Kisah 6 orang buta dan gajah

Apa yang sedang berlaku di dalam arena politik negara baik dari dalam sesuatu parti politik seperti UMNO dengan krisis identiti dan kepimpinannya, permasalahan perhubungan parti-parti komponen di dalam sesuatu pakatan politik itu sendiri (PR atau BN) mahupun pada skala yang lebih besar permasalah lapuk yang ditimbulkan dan pertembungan persepsi yang dijaja oleh pakatan-pakatan politik samada oleh BN ataupun PR terutamanya dalam isu-isu menyentuh perlembagaan, keistimewaan orang Melayu, isu Sabah dan Sarawak hatta kepada isu cuti 16hb September sekalipun adalah saya umpamakan seperti kisah "6 Orang Buta dan Gajah".

Anda tahu kisah tersebut? Kisah 6 orang buta yang diminta untuk menentukan bagaimana rupanya seekor gajah. Orang buta yang memegang kaki mengatakan gajah macam tiangseri, si buta yang memegang ekor gajah pula mengatakan gajah itu seperti seutas tali, yang merasa dan memegang belalainya mengatakan gajah adalah serupa dahan pokok, si buta satu lagi yang memegang perut gajah pula mengatakan gajah ini sebenarnya macam sebuah dinding, yang pegang gading pula katakan gajah macam paip yang keras dan si buta terakhir pula yang memegang telinga gajah pula terus mengisytiharkan gajah adalah sebenarnya macam kipas tangan!

Mereka kemudiannya bertengkar dan bertekak berhari-hari menegakkan versi rupa seekor gajah masing-masing. Kesemua si buta tidak mahu menyerah kalah dan berdebat mengatakan dialah yang betul manakala yang lainnya adalah salah. Maka bermasam mukalah keenam-enam mereka berhari-hari selain dari bertengkar dan bertekak sehinggalah satu hari datang seorang yang bijaksana menerangkan kepada mereka.

"Kesemua kamu adalah betul. Sebabnya setiap kamu menceritakan versi yang berbeza adalah kerana setiap dari kamu telah memegang bahagian gajah yang berbeza. Gajah sebenarnya mempunyai kesemua ciri-ciri yang setiap dari kamu sebutkan"

Setiap seorang daripada sibuta tersebut adalah "betul sebahagian" dan mereka juga adalah sebenarnya "salah keseluruhan" ("Each of the blind men was partly right, but they were all mostly wrong.")

Terpulanglah kepada faktor "seorang yang bijaksana" kumpulan masing-masing untuk menamatkan perbalahan pendapat dan persepsi ini. Wujudkah "seorang yang bijaksana" tersebut di dalam parti atau pakatan masing-masing? Adakah wujud "seorang yang bijaksana" dalam memimpin negara keluar dari kemelut ini ataupun kesemuanya mereka ini hanyalah "6 orang buta" semata-mata?