Dialog bersama Dato' Mukhriz Tun Mahathir

A dialogue was held yesterday with YB Dato Mukhriz Tun Mahathir and Saudara Akramsyah Sanusi discussing about current political issues. Kudos to SMM for organizing. Highlights:

• Malays have forgotten fundamental characteristics of being a malay: Bersopan santun, menghormati orang tua. The young ones are too eager to attain power and ignoring our wise forefathers who have built the foundation for us. The young ones do not understand why certain policies were put in place. Anak2 Muda perlu mendekati yang tua sebelum mereka semua pergi buat selamanya.
  
• discussion on NEP and its relevance: NEP as a whole was formulated to combat poverty, irregardless of race. Only 2 out of 9 principles covered the special privilege (not rights) of the Malays. The quota of 30% was intended for university entry and entry into government service. Young professionals especially the Malays feel that they are superior and able to compete with other races and globally. They must not forget that they are the minority - Dato' Mukhriz welcomes anyone to join him in Jerlun to visit the hard core poor. The NEP also does not discriminate race. The creation of institutions such as MARA, MRSM, UITM and other higher learning institutions are products of NEP - abolishing the NEP would also imply that we have never agreed to create these and that we should demolish these down.
  
• The infamous keris by DSHH: It was suggested that the keris was highly misinterpreted. A lot of quarters are furious about it. No one seems to remember the incident when Lim Kit Siang pissed on the Malaysian flag in 1969 in front of Dato' Harun's house! What is the keris compared to an act of treason and disgust!
• DMM gives his preference to be DNR to be the next PM and urges AAB to expedite the transition of power. It is better for the post of president not to be contested to avoid further split. The rest of the positions should be contested in the spirit of democracy. DNR currently heads 36 cabinet committees and he is literally running the country, although he does not have the final say. It is timely for him to take over because of his vast experience. TSMY will be an excellent deputy.
  
• The huge loss by BN was because of the inability to resolve issues. There were numerous especially in Selangor with the demolition of a temple, Dato' Z's mansion, Bukit Cahaya, Exco houses, flood, etc. Issues are on going but previous administration had the ability to resolve disputes and not just create commissions to resolve something. The election date was also untimely as issues were still hot and BN had one more year remaining in the term.
• Cybertroopers of UMNO were established back in 1998 but fundings were cut because of policies from 4th floor. Pakatan Rakyat has intelligently managed this election and won 80+ seats in Parliament and secured 5+1 states. We need to revive our cybertroopers to also tell our story.
• UMNO and politics are dirty because the 'clean' people leave it to the 'dirty' people to run it. Young pros are normally 'busy' with work and family. Perjuangan tidak bererti sesuatu perkara yang mudah dan memerlukan pengorbanan, seperti masa, mungkin wang, tenaga, dan sebagainya.
  

Questions and comments from the floor:

• Projects are normally awarded to the minority in UMNO and among cronies. No one else has benefited from the 30% quota to generate a strong economic force to be able to compete with others.
• What will DMM do if he wins as KP Malaysia? - DMM will make it easier for people to join UMNO. His own application way back in the 90's took 8 months and that's him being son of President at that time! UMNO people are 'worried' when they see competition. All this mentality needs to change and that will be his drive if he wins. The next election will see 65% being young Malaysian below the age of 40. He will definitely listen to the young ones closely and admits that the voice of the young was not paid attention to. He intends to make a better effort to get to know more NGOs and listen to the grouse of the people.
• Land issue in Perak - how Malays now regret swinging their votes to opposition, in the end, the C have made steps to acquire lands for their empire and also demanding the position of Timbalan Menteri Besar.

Ikatan Keluarga dan Politik; Fenomena Global

Dominasi politik keluarga bukanlah satu prekara baru di dunia dan tidak pula tertumpu kepada wilayah atau negara saja.

Trend itu menjadi satu fenomena global yang wujuk sejak berzaman dan seolah-olah tidak lekang dek panas dan tidak luput dek hujan, ia terus mewarnai suasana politik masa kini.

Dari Asia, Timur Tengah hingga ke Amerika Syarikat, soal anak mengikuti jejak langkah ibu, bapa atau datuk dalam meneraju pimpinan politik dan negara memang tidak asing lagi, malah ada yang menjadikan kepimpinan negaar sebagai 'dinasti keluarga'.

Keluarga Nehru, misalnya, mendominasi kepimpinan politik India melangkaui empat generasi - dari datuk turun kepada anak perempuannya dan kemudian cucu.

Anggota keluarga ini yang diterajui Jawaharlal Nehru "memerintah" India selama 37 dari 53 tahun India merdeka. Semua mereka Nehru (1947-1964), Indira Ghandi (1966-1977) dan sekali lagi daripada 1980-1984 dan Rajiv Ghandi 1984-1989 adalah Perdana Menteri negara itu.

Kini janda Rajiv Sonia Ghandi, wanita keturunan Itali pula meneruskan dinasti keluarga ternama India itu. Beliau kini adalah ketua Parti Kongres dan juga ketua pembangkang di negara itu.

Dominasi politik keluarga ini paling ketara, selain India, ialah di Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka dan Nepal.

Keadaan yang sama juga berlaku di Amerika Syarikat yang mana keluarga Kennedy dan kini Bush meneruskan legasi kepimpinan politik keluarga di mana George W Bush kini menjadi Presiden ke-43 Amerika. Bapanya George Bush senior pula adalah Presiden ke 41.

Nama-nama lain yang tidak asing lagi ialah Megawati Sukarnoputri, anak perempuan presiden pertama Indonesia, Sukarno; Gloria Macapagal Arroyo presiden Filipina sekarang, Lee Hsien Loong, Perdana Menteri Singapura, Bashar Al-Assad, Presiden Syria yang mengambil alih pucuk pimpinan selepas kematian bapanya.

Megawati, wanita pertama menjadi presiden Indonesia mengetuai Negara itu dari 2001 hingga 2004, sementara Arroyo adalah anak presiden Filipina ke-12 iaitu Diosdado Macapagal.

Lee Hsien Loong pula adalah anak sulong bekas Perdana Menteri Singapura Lee Kuan Yew yang kini masih menjadi menteri kanan berpengaruh dalam Kabinet negara itu.

Hakikatnya, memang sudah menjadi tuntutan sejarah bahawa ikatan kekeluargaan dan politik adalah satu perkembangan yang bukan luar biasa untuk dicemburui.

Maka apabila sejarah Malaysia masa kini menyaksikan cucu Abdullah Fatim menjadi Perdana Menteri dan anakanda Tun Razak Hussein bakal menjadi Perdana Menteri selepasnya, tidak wajar menjemput rasa irihati mana-mana pihak.

Begitupun tidak dapat dinafikan ikatan kekeluargaan bukanlah faktor penentu jatuh bangunnya atau maju mundurnya seseorang tokoh politik.

Banyak faktor lain umpamanya, Dato' Seri Abdullah dan Dato' Sri Najib memang mempunyai karisma, punya kelayakan, pengalaman, keterampilan dan personaliti unggul yang menyaksikan mereka maju menjadi Perdana Menteri dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri.

Cerahnya masa depan barisan pemimpin pelapis seperti Dato' Sri Hishamuddin, Khairy dan Dato' Mukhriz juga bukan semata-mata kerana faktor kekeluargaan.

Dato' Seri Hishamuddin seorang peguam lulusan University of Wales, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom, yang mewarisi darah perjuangan datuknya, Dato' Onn Jaafar, terbukti tenang menghadapi segala cabaran politik, punya karisma sesuai dengan citarasa generasi muda seangkatannya dan lenggok politiknya amat dewasa dan matang setaraf rakannya dalam Kabinet dan Majlis Tertinggi.

Begitu juga Dato' Mukhriz Mahathir yang mendapat undi tertinggi dalam pertandingan jawatan Exco Pemuda UMNO. Graduan bidang pemasaran dari University Boston, Massachusetts, Amerika itu bijak melakar imej politik dengan menerajui Gerakan Aman Malaysia tajaan Pemuda.

Di situ beliau memahat nama sebagai insan muda yang penyayang, tangkas bertindak membela mangsa tsunami, mangsa kekejaman peperangan, mangsa gempa bumi.

Begitu apabila tiba masanya anak-anak muda seperti Dato' Sri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein - cucu Dato' Onn Jaafar dan Dato' Mukhriz, anak Tun Dr Mahathir - muncul mewarisi kepimpinan negara. Kita terimalah ia sebagai aturan Allah SWT yang tidak mampu kita sekat, halang atau kita curigai dan yang pentingnya mereka semuanya sama-sama layak, sama-sama memiliki karisma dan sama-sama punya daya juang.

Perkara yang sama berlaku untuk Pihak Pembangkang di mana kita menyaksikan Wan Azizah dan anaknya Nurul Izzah sebagai ahli Parlimen, Lim Kit Siang dan anaknya yang juga Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh dan juga anaknya.

Screw Lim

OK Lim, the report from ASLI is full of shit because:

Are you saying that because the government is controlled by UMNO, and UMNO is a Malay party, and because GLCs are owned by the Government, so naturally the Malays own the GLCs?

Are you saying that because Malays are priveleged to have 30% of stake in companies going for listing and usually they divest their interest for a profit and because of that the companies must maintain the 30% of Malay equity, that it is a leakage in the system, and the Malays are taking advantage of an 'instant' wealth program? When the report states that the divestment by the Malays are usually channelled back to properties and such, that the volume of Malay wealth is not necessarily decreased, what about the volume of Chinese wealth?

"The rise of the Malays in emerging sectors, especially in key executive positions is a good indication that Malays no longer need the NEP" - well, it doesn't mean we own these companies.

I've got more points, but I hate to argue more. I'm not an economist, but I think even my grandma understands that the report is just crap.

_______________________________________________________________

Lim free to resign based on principle, says Mirzan

PETALING JAYA: Asli’s head of Centre for Public Policy Studies Dr Lim Teck Ghee has resigned over the controversial studies on bumiputra equity ownership in Malaysian companies.

Dr Lim: Disagreed with Mirzan

His resignation, effective from the end of the month, came after Asli (Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute) president Mirzan Mahathir issued a statement on Tuesday that the studies by the centre that showed bumiputra equity ownership could be as high as 45% could not be vigorously justified.

Mirzan said that after re-examining the methodology and conclusions of the report, Asli had concluded that there were shortcomings in assumption and calculation that led to conclusions that could not be vigorously justified.

He also expressed deep regret over the “hurt and confusion felt by all Malaysians” caused by the report.

“Since I cannot agree with Mirzan’s statement and because of the need to defend the position and integrity of independent and non-partisan scholarship, I will be stepping down from my position at the end of the month,” Dr Lim said in a four-paragraph press statement here yesterday.

Kuan Yew sends reply to Abdullah

This is Singapore's attempt to destabilize politics in Malaysia and Indonesia. Their attempt to duplicate Israel's way of crushing their enemies is sub par. In addition, this is another attempt to temporarily divert attention from their plans to continue to kill off our effort to build Port Tanjung Pelepas and KLIA to steal more businesses from Singapore. What we need to ponder as Malaysians is this, what can Malaysia offer to the world in the future when we become net importer of oil? 87% of manufacturing work will be setup in China. Almost all IT outsourcing work will be in India. Will we be the provider of food to the world? We can't even be self-sufficient and have a RM1 billion-food bill. Will we be the batik center of the world? What kind of GDP will that generate? Will we be the next Biotech Nexus? How many scores of years and number of failures do Biotech ventures need to go through before hitting it in the bull's eye? Will we be the chosen logistical stop in South East Asia? This is more probable. All we need is another private air courier service, strengthen Senai, connect Senai to PTP, and ensure that the bridge linking Malaysia and Singapore is up to enable ships to by pass Singapore port.

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s founding father and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has written to Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over his recent remarks about the Chinese being marginalised in Malaysia.

The Straits Times quoted Lee’s press secretary, Y. Y. Yeong as saying the letter was now with the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

“(It) is ready to be personally conveyed to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi,” she said.

Abdullah wrote to Lee last week seeking clarification over the controversial remarks.

On Sept 15, Lee, 83, told a forum on good governance that the attitude of Malaysia and Indonesia towards the republic was shaped by the way they treated their Chinese communities.

“My neighbours both have problems with their Chinese. They are successful, they’re hardworking and therefore they are systematically marginalised, even in education.

“And they want Singapore, to put it simply, to be like their Chinese, compliant,” Lee had said.

The remarks drew protests from Malaysia and Indonesia, with the foreign ministries of both countries summoning Singaporean envoys to explain Lee’s remarks. – Bernama.

'Jihad' auto dealer ad upsets U.S. Muslims

CINCINNATI (Reuters) -- A car commercial proclaiming a jihad on the U.S. auto market and offering "Fatwa Fridays" with free swords for the kids is offensive and should not be aired, Muslim leaders said on Sunday.

The radio advertisement for the Dennis Mitsubishi car dealership in Columbus, Ohio, has "a whole jihad theme," said Adnan Mirza, director of the Columbus office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"They are planning on launching a jihad on the automotive market and their representatives would be wearing burqas ... ," Mirza said. "They mentioned the pope in there and also about giving rubber swords out to the kiddies -- really just reprehensible-type comments."

Details of the radio ad, which has not yet been broadcast, have been reported in the local media, but officials at the dealership declined to comment about the content of the radio spot.

Two employees at the dealership said they had been deluged with calls about the commercial.

"The ad has has never been released, it is not out for public listening," said one employee who declined to give his name.

Mirza said several local radio stations had already rejected the ad and he hoped the controversy would convince the dealership to rethink its sales strategy.

"We've made it clear to this dealer that this campaign runs contrary to our company values and we strongly urged him not to run the campaign," Mitsubishi Motors North America said in a company statement released Monday afternoon. "The dealer has agreed not to run it."

Mirza said the Council on American-Islamic Relations would likely contact the dealer to "offer some kind of cultural or sensitivity awareness training."

New IGP on the roll

Tan Sri Musa spared no time to fight for the basic rights of our men in blue. RM650 as a constable! Yikes, so maids even get more than that and you expect these guys to patrol the streets 24 hours a day and stay clean all day. Funny thing is, even Datuk Johari Baharom missed the boat on this. He was too busy with the election in Kubang Pasu that he forgot to do his job. It's quite a rare occassion when your Minister supports a motion by the IGP, not the other way around. And please, Tan Sri KPPA, stop shooting the cops and give them some support. Yea, we understand that now you're saying hospital helpers get less than that, but they don't have to put their lives on the line for the public.

So we wait for our leadership to support this lonely man in blue.

PUTRAJAYA: The police want a salary revision to meet rising living costs and higher public expectations.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that low-ranking policemen, including constables, were now drawing a monthly salary of as little as RM650, putting them among the country's hardcore poor.

Musa: ‘A new salary scale is being studied and will be submitted to the ministry’

A salary review, he added, was necessary not only for these policemen to gain respect but also to prevent them from being enticed with money by criminals in exchange for not performing their duties.

“A new salary scale is being studied and will be submitted to the Internal Security Ministry,” Musa told newsmen here yesterday.

“I understand that we cannot ask too much from the Government as there are many people involved (in the force) but their salary is very low.”

The police had their last salary revision about 10 years ago.

GPMS Nafi Laporan Kaitkan Pihaknya Berkempen Di Kubang Pasu

Kuala Lumpur -- Gabungan Pelajar-Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) kecewa dan menafikan laporan di laman web alternatif yang mengaitkan GPMS dalam kempen pemilihan perwakilan untuk UMNO Bahagian Kubang Pasu yang akan berlangsung Sabtu ini.

Dalam satu kenyataan ringkas kepada laman webPemuda, Setiausaha Agungnya, Mohd Nardin Awang menafikan GPMS telah digunakan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu dalam UMNO untuk berkempen dari rumah ke rumah bagi memastikan bekas Presiden UMNO, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad tidak terpilih sebagai perwakilan untuk ke Perhimpunan Agung UMNO, November ini.

Sehubungan dengan itu jelas beliau tidak timbul isu GPMS menghantar ahli-ahlinya untuk turut serta dalam kempen 'anti-Mahathir' sebagaimana yang di laporkan dalam laman web tersebut.

"Agenda perjuangan GPMS berlandaskan kepada pendidikan. Justeru GPMS akan menumpukan kepada asas perjuangan GPMS dalam memperjuangkan dan menjaga hak-hak, mengemukakan segala permintaan dan memperbaiki keadaan pelajar-pelajar Melayu dari segenap lapisan", katanya.

MPs’ right to immunity ‘Civil servants must not question it’

MP Jasin should be awarded Best Actor or Best Kaki Taichi 2006. What started from him asking favor from Customs to close one eye on his timber import became a barrage on hard working civil servants. Add that with some fiery comments from Nazri Aziz and Bung Mokhtar, some MPs really made the Parliament an august institution in the world (yea rite). Sure Raja Zainuddin, I understand that MPs have priveleges at the Parliament to debate on issues freely, but you must also realize that any ordinary man pushed into a corner naturally would defend himself, as such in the case of Malacca Customs Enforcement Director. You also need to adhere to freedom of speech for the people. So I hope next time if your own flesh & blood gets a threat SMS that you won't go to the Press.

I guess you're scared that people would know that there is a total of 160 names of VIPS who got cars dirt cheap from Customs, ooops, I'm not supposed to say that, sorry, is your name there too? You lambast the civil servants, beat them up real good, and expect the jentera to perform well for 9MP, expect them to be transparent, expect them to service the rakyat efficiently and courteously, expect them to go home with that small salary and be thankful that at least they have a job. I'm sure you sleep well at night dear MPs.

TAIPING: Civil servants should not question the immunity enjoyed by legislators in Parliament, said Backbenchers Club acting chairman Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar.

He said immunity was a right enjoyed by MPs all over the world.

Raja Ahmad Zainuddin said he was concerned over a newspaper report yesterday that Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsuddin Osman would meet the Attorney General to discuss the immunity of MPs who attacked government departments in Parliament.

Samsuddin had said that Government agencies had a job to do and should carry out their responsibilities without fear or favour.

“The proposed meeting with the Attorney General should not happen as immunity is our right in Parliament,” said Raja Ahmad Zainuddin after the opening of the Bukit Gantang Umno delegates meeting by Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin here yesterday.

“Such a move seems as if he (Samsuddin) has no respect for us as the country’s legislators and policymakers.

“I don’t know why this matter (immunity) is being raised as we have been given the freedom to speak and present our views and opinions on every Bill tabled.

“If we don’t play our role, we may be perceived as rubberstamps,” he said.

“Government agencies should concentrate on improving the delivery system and reducing bureaucratic red tape,” he added.

Anwar Simpan Fail Rafidah???

Bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim mendakwa bahawa beliau ada menyimpan kertas pendakwaan terhadap Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz. Beliau berkata demikian ketika menyampaikan ucapan di Dungun, Terengganu diatas jemputan PAS tidak lama dulu.

Menurut Anwar, beliau berjaya mengambil kertas pendakwaan tersebut dipejabatnya sebelum beliau dipecat dari jawatannya sebagai Timbalan Perdana Menteri.

Menurut Anwar lagi, sebelum itu beliau pernah menyerahkan fail tentang Rafidah itu kepada Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (Tun) untuk diambil tindakan terhadapnya.

Sementara itu, difahamkan punca-punca yang boleh dipercayai bahawa Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pernah meminta Rafidah meletakkan jawatan, tetapi beliaau dikatakan enggan berbuat begitu. Dan adakah is mempunyai kaitan dengan pengagihan AP yang bertimbun-timbun kepada dua individu tertentu?

Dalam pada itu bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad baru-baru ini ada menyebut bahawa sebelum beliau mengundur diri, beliau telah diminta Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agar mengambil tindakan terhadap seorang pemimpin tertentu setelah siasatan dijalankan ke atasnya tetapi menurut Tun Dr. Mahathir, Pak Lah tidak mengambil tindakan apa-apa terhadap pemimpin berkenaan. Mungkinkah pemimpin yang didakwa itu adalah Rafidah atau ada seorang lagi?

Sebenarnya, banyak lagi perkara yang membabitkan Rafidah yang tersiar dalam internet dan sesungguhnya menurut ramai pemimpin, Rafidah sebagai Ketua Pergerakan Wanita UMNO Malaysia sudah tidak layak lagi memegang jawatan itu kerana nama beliau sudah tercemar.

So persoalannya ialah, kenapa DSAI simpan fail Rafidah? Untuk sabotaj atau minta favor?

Crisis in the Government

So a little bird has just informed that Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat has gotten both Agong and one Sultan Pahang to do lobbying work for him for the KSN seat. Let's just go through this guy's profile.

During the last general election, he was seen holding a Nokia Communicator for Pak Lah on National TV, standing on the stage at Bilik Gerakan and passing the phone to Pak Lah. Some machai. Not really professional, has got nothing to do with politics and there he was, sucking and licking.

Son was suspended for money politics against the now Ketua Pemuda Putrajaya during the race for Ketua Pemuda Putrajaya. Apparently the son used his dad's position to mobilize some money from Pelita Nasi Kandar.

Reported to have bomoh working for him.

He was so excited about the prospect of becoming the next KSN that he gathered his closed cronies with the senior govt officer group and promised them promotions and kickbacks if they support him.

What does he gain from being the next KSN? Damn, just about everything within the power of KSN. Now that RMK9 is about to kickstart, look out for a lot of land acquisition approvals within Wilayah Persekutuan.

I hope he tries to enter politics after his retirement, would like to see him get stomped and slapped around.

Oh wait, did I mention that his cousin is the KP of ACA, so don't even worry about him getting screwed for corruption. KP himself has 6 petrol stations across the Peninsular.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Now we know the real story behind the foreign labour issue

NEWS FLASH

The Immigration Department is currently facing a dilemma. Azmi Khalid, the Minister under which the department comes, has issued licences to six companies giving them approval to bring in foreign labour. One of the companies is controlled by his son, Johan, while another by Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ from Perak, a close acquaintance of Tan Sri Megat Junid, also a Perakian.

(Megat Junid was the Minister then who was the kingpin of the foreign labour syndicate and who removed Dato’ Syed Daniel from the Immigration Department when he tried to smash the syndicate).

Azmi Khaid issued the licences during the time of the moratorium declared by the Prime Minister. The Secretary General of the Ministry, Aseh Che Mat, says he knows nothing about these licences though copies have been sent to his department.

The Immigration authorities are in a quandary as to whether the letters of approval are genuine or fake though they have been signed by the Minister himself and on official government letterheads. On the other hand, they are also scared of complying with the letter as this runs contrary to the orders from the Prime Minister's office.

Perhimpunan Gabungan Pemuda Malaysia - 22 Aug 06

Baldy: second from left, instigated crowd by promoting Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim during Anti-Israel campaign (get a life bro)

UMNO, MCA, PAS, Keadilan, DAP, Gerakan, MIC in the same room? Sounds far fetched, but that was what happened at Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka tonight. Perhimpunan Gabungan Pemuda Malaysia was organized by DBP to show unity of voice in condemning the Israeli invasion in Southern Lebanon. It's the first time in my lifetime to witness all Ketua or Naib Ketua Pemuda of these parties sitting together with their supporters behind them voicing out the same issue. The Pemuda Malaysia condemns the invasion with their utmost distaste and disgust. All of Ketua Pemuda took the podium and delivered sound speeches on the brutality of the Israeli Defence Force (mind you that only Singapore and Israel carry the word Defence for their Armed Forces).

Of course Naib Ketua Pemuda Keadilan Shamsul Iskandar a.k.a. Baldy (maybe baldi sounds better) had to play spoiler like always. He started his speech with "Salam Sejahtera Tuan2 Puan, Salam Reformasi". He had to include political content in his speech. He said that if it were Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim in power, this whole movement of youth leaders to condemn the attacks would have taken place the minute Israel began their invasion, not a month after! That's when the whole hall started booing and shouting. Keadilan supporters stood up and started protesting, seeing their leader dead on his tracks and being target practice for Pemuda UMNO supporters. Of course there were only a handful of them, so their rationale kicked in and they sat down quietly.

MCA Youth Leader then took the podium and lambasted the fool to dust.

The grand finale was Dato' Seri Hisham's speech, which as always excited the crowd with his fiery words. He took a second jab at Baldy by telling everyone this is not the forum for political purposes.

Baldy, sorry man, it wasn't your night after all.

Hall of Shame

What a mess. I don't know how NST got these figures, but it's shocking. No wonder UMNO suggested earlier that Mayor of cities be elected. Maybe PAC can start auditing these guys one by one to enhance confidence of the people in the authorities involved.

NST Aug 20:
RM10m spent on study tours
RM33m spent on cars

Nobody is perfect. Least of all the local councils. For too long, they have been accused of operating behind a thick veil of secrecy, running the councils as if they were their fiefdoms. Transparency, accountability, consensus - these words don't exist in their vocabulary.

So why are the ratepayers always critical of local authorities? Here's why:

• Kuala Lumpur City Hall spending RM10.5million over five years on trips abroad for its officials; RM33.4million to buy vehicles; and RM5million to fete its employees;
• A RM350,000 flagpole erected at the Ipoh Padang;
• The Seberang Prai Municipal Council gave a multi-million ringgit contract for the supply of fresh flowers to its office;
• A bus and taxi terminal in Cameron Highlands not built to specifications by the district council;
• The Selayang Municipal Council sending some officers and others on a "foreign study" tour although it had no money;
• The Selayang Municipal Council, again, forcing residents to buy bins from it or risk not having their rubbish collected;
• Subang Jaya Municipal Council directing all eateries to engage the services of a seven-company consortium providing pest control services at exhorbitant fees. And the seven were not even registered with the National Association of Pest Control Companies;
  

Freshmen calculus: Socialist =/ Malaysia

So who's really hyped up about forming a Socialist Party in Malaysia? Why should we sponsor the lazy bums and beach bums when we slave ourselves at work or at the farm trying to earn a living?

Thank God Its ROS

OK, here’s the deal Dr Nasir Hashim, first of all, you wish to start up a national political party but you can’t even get representation from 7 states. Well, hard work would pay off, as long as UMNO rules, Malaysia will be a democracy, and as long as democracy strives, you will have a chance to form your own party, with 7 reps from diff states of course.

Court of Appeal says “no” to PSM

Putrajaya: Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s PSM bid to form a political party at national level has again failed after the Court of Appeal dismissed its appeal yesterday. “This is not the end, we will continue to fight”, said pro tem chairman Dr Nasir Hashim. Justice Datuk Gopal Sri Ram said is it the ROS’s policy not to grant national level registration unless there is representation from at least seven of the states in the committee of a political society.

Yikes my 15min WIFI access is almost up!!!

Aiming for Ketua Pemuda or Cabinet seat next?

Hero Melayu, reporting from across the border after a good massage and heavy dinner with ex-gf. Still can't figure out the difference between "no monopoly" and "it was open tender but only one company submitted proposal".

Selangor MB Dato’ Sri Khir Toyo needs to step up against bombardment of attacks since the Bukit Cahaya deal, flooding in Shah Alam after announcement of Selangor Maju, the controversial RM40million Exco residences and now billboard issues. Selangor grass root making noise about representation of Selangor YB’s in the cabinet, which is nil. Well, here’s your chance unless you think MB seat is pretty damn warm and relaxing to leave.

The Sun reported today that Selangor MB indicated “heads will roll after admitting there were material differences between what the EXCO approved and what his officers committed the government to on the issue of billboards. Promising an investigation into who and what caused the mess, the state government has been caught in, he said “I was not aware of this (the discrepancy) until I received the agreement”.

Although Mohd Khir said there is no monopoly, no open tenders were invited and neither was there any competitive bidding – only one company’s proposal was accepted. The letter to Bernam Kiara was signed by a senior officer Azizan Mohd Sidin and a copy was extended to exco member Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Ahmad Dahlan. If there was something wrong, surely Mokhtar would have kicked up a ruckus.

“Everybody can have their own signboard but they need to contribute to the state or to the local authorities. That is our position, we don’t keep changing our word”, he said. “We encourage any company that wants to build bridges. Kalau the Sun nak buat, we are willing. We are very happy because the cost is very high. We have to build about 60-100 overhead bridges and we will stick to our decision. Build a new bridge and you can put up your billboards”.

Wrong info circulated via SMS - Lina Joy

If you happen to receive the following SMS, ignore it!

"Lina Joy dah menang kat court. Pertubuhan Melayu Murtad (IFC) dah diluluskan. Pergi ke www.myislamnetwork.net untuk bantahan. Cukup 1 juta petisyen, IFC akan dibubarkan. Sebarkan msg ni, plz!"

Malay brilliance - Just add water

So who would have thought that our Malay scientist could invent a car engine that uses water as supplementary fuel? Dr Halim Ali from Johor has done just that and the engine boasts 50% fuel consumption saving. 2 models were launched by YAB PM yesterday, the Tourer priced at RM58,888 and the Trekker at RM84,888, both carrying 2.4-litre engines. 80% of the cars will be exported to the Middle East and Asean countries. The launching of the 2 models took place at the Zon, JB, owned by the famous Datuk K. Also present were Dato' Seri Khaled Nordin, MECD minister and Dato' Shahrir Samad, JB MP.

Because of the potential growth in this product, President and chief executive officer Abdul Uzza Shikh Mohamed had asked YAB PM to give JB automotive hub title, same as Gurun or Tanjung Malim.

The night before, YAB PM was at the official residence of Johore MB to meet Johore politicians and businessmen. All 26 Division leaders of Johore pledged undeniable support to YAB PM.

Pemuda PJU: Program Jasamu dikenang bersama Tun Mahathir

So here's the juice. Pemuda UMNO Bhg Petaling Jaya Utara planned to invite Tun Mahathir to officiate their Mesyuarat Perwakilan, without the consent of Ketua Bahagian, Senator Dato' Ikhwan and crew. So after the big hoo haa that Tun Mahathir cannot officiate any UMNO official functions, Pemuda UMNO PJU decided to organize a separate function for Tun called 'Jasamu dikenang'. This program was supposed to be after the Perasmian of Mesyuarat Perwakilan. So we waited patiently this morning for the arrival of Tun M, Dato' Ikhwan and gang. When the MC took over, he gave the normal welcoming speech and passed the mike to Timbalan Setiausaha Pemuda. This guy announced that there was a slight change of plan. They postponed the Perasmian to 3pm and moved up Tun's program. Of course, everyone was happy about it, except for Dato', hahah, should see the look on his face.

Azli, Ketua Pemuda PJU, took the floor. He mentioned that he's not sure why people are afraid of inviting Tun M. He doesn't care about the repercussions because to him, honoring a national hero is more important than to tow the line. Well, good luck to him and his political career.

Don't get me wrong. I respect Tun Mahathir to death, but rules are rules. First, if you're planning to invite Tun to your Bahagian, what's the problem discussing it with Ketua Bahagian. He's not there for nothing. No. 2, if you really want to have Tun to speak, you can always use other platforms, i.e. NGO. No. 3, on top of that, you embarassed your Ketua Bahagian and made his program less important. Remember that you're gonna be long in that Bahagian, you are just Pemuda.

Anyway, Tun started with his appetizers of Malaysia's history, that Malaysia has been colonized for 450 years since some screwed up guy from Portugal came down and conquered Malacca. He then talked about the past leadership and their contemporaries. Although leaders come and go, UMNO will continue to move on.

For his main course, he gave an analogy of imam and saf. If imam fumbles during prayers, the jemaah is obliged to advise. Same with the current political scenarios. He talked about the bridge and why we are offering our kedaulatan to Singapore if we allow planes to fly over Johor airspace and make Singapore 1.5times bigger by selling sand to them and allowing them to build casinos.

For dessert, he talked about the AP kings and how the priveleged few were misusing the concept of helping out Bumiputera in the automotive industry.

Sorry folks, nothing controversial was discussed today.

Sijil Pembaptisan Lina Joy

PEMBELA gabungan NGO-NGO Islam, menyokong penuh inisiatif Hj Taib bin Hj Hashim yang telah membuat laporan polis berkaitan sebuah gereja, Church of Our Lady of Fatima, beralamat di Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, Brickfields yang telah mengeluarkan sijil pembaptisan kepada Lina Joy. Inisiatif beliau ini dilihat sebagai lambang keprihatinan rakyat Malaysia berhubung dengan isu-isu melibatkan kedaultan Islam dalam masyarakat.

Dalam laporan tersebut, beliau juga menyatakan gereja tersebut bercanggah dengan Perkara 11(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan menjadi satu jenayah di bawah Seksyen 298A Kanun Keseksaan.

PEMBELA memohon Polis DiRaja Malaysia menjalankan siasatan serta-merta berhubung laporan tersebut. Sekiranya perkara tersebut mempunyai asas, gereja tersebut perlu dikenakan tindakan sejajar dengan lunas undang-undang negara. Tindakan tersebut secara terang-terangan boleh menggugat ketenteraman dan keharmonian beragama di negara ini. PEMBELA memandang isu ini sebagai satu kesalahan yang serius.

2 times 5 = MP Jasin??

Kereta idaman Datuk

So what's Datuk Mohd Said up to? He is trying to clean up his own mess or is he diverting attention? So it's ok for him to tell Customs to close one eye, but it's not ok for ex-government officers to work for contractors of Govt. 2 kali lima je. He needs a better political advisor to advise him on how to create political mileage or maybe he doesn't have one. MPs, where's the follow up? You're gonna let this guy get away with the timber import? Kalau politician ada girlfriend, gossip satu bulan, but on more serious issues, buat tak tahu.

MP: Ex-senior government staff should not deal with former departments

By NIK KHUSAIRI IBRAHIM

PENANG: Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof said retired senior government officers should be barred from taking up positions in private companies dealing with their former agencies.

He cited an example of some retired senior Customs officers who were now working as advisers to a well-known company that import and assemble cars.

“Their job is to make sure the process of bringing in foreign cars runs smoothly. Networking with former subordinates and colleagues works to their advantage,” he said.

Citing another example, he alleged that a retired senior Immigration officer had been appointed an adviser to an agency involved in securing foreign workers.

Mohd Said, who made headlines in June after allegedly calling Customs officials to “close an eye” on the size of the logs his company imported from Indonesia, said it was wrong for retired officers to take advantage of their networking within the agency for the benefit of the company they were working for.

IMPLICATION FROM THE WORD "INDIVIDUAL" - LINA JOY

Good that everyone is focused on our current political scenario. However, we must not forget the other imminent danger - the status of Islam in the eye of the Constitution. So what if LJ wins her case??!

1. According to the Constitution, Muslims are allowed to convert after the age of 18. This is contradictory to Article 160 which states that Malays in Malaysia are defined as Muslims, someone who live in Malay customs and speak the language.

2. Syariah court may no longer be relevant if Lina Joy wins. So, our future offenders of the religion can just challenge the Syariah court and take it to the Court of Appeals, then Federal.

3. Our king and sultans are no longer the symbol of the Protector and Guardian of Islam in the country.

4. Muslim parents would not be able to guide/force/encourage/convince their kids not to convert should they choose to, after the age of 18.

5. Rukun Islam in principal is no longer valid in Malaysia. If we are really serious in the campaign for Islam Hadhari, we need to give stronger support to Syariah court and whack the shit out of JAKIM and the other Jabatan Agama Islam's and the ustads and officers to work. Start a nationwide roadshow and identify the potential Murtads. Help them out. It ain't moving an inch!

Why this case?

1. This case is supported not just locally, but internationally, especially by enemies of Islam. If this case goes through, let's just say there's going to be a long line at JPN to take out the word "Islam" from people's ICs.

2. It is a clear indication that Islam is under threat. Golongan Kufur can just question the standing of Islam in this country.

3. Another case that challenges the authority of the Syariah court, just like Aishah Bukhari, Hartini Kamarudin, Moorty.

4. After Muhammad Abdullah @ Moorthy, S. Sharmala's case, Article 11 Group has been pushing hard for Lina Joy. We need to be on guard for the next onslaught and ready to defend our turf.

5. The sad thing about Article 11 group or Inter-Faith Commission (IFC) is that most of them are Malays, including the Sister-in-Islam (SIS). WTF?

6. If Syariah court is challenged directly and Article 121(A) is amended to suit the decline of power in the Syariah Court, it is a direct challenge of the rules imposed by our Creator. Masyallah!

7. There are approximately 100,000 murtads in this country according to the Mufti of Perak, waiting for Lina Joy's case to go through.

8. International support for IFC is widespread. Funding is pouring in like it's Tsunami all over again.

9. So who's this Malik Imtiyaz Sarwar, from Bar Council. A Muslim who presented his case supporting Lina Joy in Putrajaya without the consent of BC. Malik agrees that Muslims should have the freedom to choose their religion of choice. Somebody shoot this guy!

This is what Lina Joy's defence council said:

"....it is time that we must knock into the heads of Malays that our country Malaysia has never been an Islamic country. Strong message must be thrown at the Muslims to tell them that in Malaysia, Islam is just a subservient to the Constitution..."