100 Days with the YBs

Yup. It’s happening.

28 JUNE 2008
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Is my race better, or is yours?

Last week, I came home to find my young housemate sitting in front of the TV, glassy eyed. I had a bad day too. I decided my misery can wait, and listened to her.

This young Malay girl, when she first moved to my place, struck me as rather innocent in the ways of the world, in a way that I found refreshing. Her mother, when she left the young daughter at my place, said, “Jaga anak makcik ya.” That plaintive appeal moved me.

I felt protective about this girl, b, whose family is away in Pahang. So I share what I can with her when the occasion arises.

This time she needed a shoulder and an ear. She said, “I heard from my colleague that my superior doesn’t like me because I’m Malay. And she doesn’t trust anyone who wear a tudung.”

I felt both angry and helpless. B’s complaint is all too familiar. I’ve encountered racism is all manner of appearances since I came to Kuala Lumpur. Ironically, even though my family was of a minority back in my kampung, I’ve never encountered this ugly facade of Malaysia until I came to KL.

Look at us. B is Malay, L (my other housemate) is Chinese and I’m Indian. We co-exist. We cook and eat each other’s stuff. We watch TV together. And it’s barely months since we knew each other.

Yet, all around the condo where I live, I see a lot of House to Let or Room to Let notices with caveats like “Chinese Only”. I understand if it says ”Females Only” since not many girls I know would feel comfortable sharing a house with strange male. In the case of B, that would be inviting trouble in the form of “khalwat” raids.

Why did it happen this way? A close friend of mine sometimes makes racist remarks that make my skin crawl. I confront her about it and she says, “I’m a product of my surrounding. They started it first.”

Call me a grass-smoking Spread-the-Love type if you wish (I don’t do weed, btw), but I think my friend’s reactionary manner is also wrong.

What is this about race supremacy? It is crap and really unapplicable in this modern, borderless world. Why this hate? I know that in a big way, NEP, or rather the way it was implemented, is to blame.

The sloganeering political parties shouting racial epithets and dividing themselves along racial lines,  are to blame. We hardly have people who truly fight for the betterment of their people.

Those things died with the likes of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Sambanthan, Tun Dr Ismail perhaps, Tun Tan Siew Sin.

The Malaysian-ness of us started dying out when truly Malaysian Icons like P.Ramlee and Sudirman left us without replacements. And yet, in the absence of true Malaysian-ness, it is not as if the Indians, Malays, Chinese and others grew more powerful racial identity-wise.

The Indians and Chinese (typical of the diaspora) of course lost more of their original ways. This is not bad at all; assimilation and adapting is only natural if you wanna survive and thrive. 

Now, Pakatan Rakyat must ensure that they never again go the race way. Because this will lose them support of the people and a disillusioned rakyat is dangerous.

Umno’s brand of benign autocracy hid a whole world of ills that many other bloggers have written more and more eloquently about. And it is no longer benign.

I don’t care if Tun Dr M wants Pak Lah to go, him from outside Umno and his son from within. The many cracks in Umno only goes to showcase a part without a sound ideology that was kept together since 1988 by the iron will of the old man. They all suck!

Ong Ka Ting and his band of merry fat-wallets can go fly kite. This is the guy who used to negotiate behind closed doors for crumbs and bits from Umno masters. Now he is crying for Hindraf 5′s release. What about the rest of the ISA detainees Mr Ong?

Gerakan, despite its token “multiracial” line, is a Chinese party brought about to check the influence of MCA, way back then. It should amuse you readers that a Gerakan man who was snubbed for an electoral seat in 2004, was fobbed off with a senatorship a couple of months before GE 2008.

After the elections disaster, there was barely any Gerakan reps standing. So one Senator Kohilan Pillay from Selayang makes it to the Cabinet. Heh Heh! There is only two other Gerakan reps in Cabinet (if I’m not mistaken) and only one (tan Lien Hoe) is elected.

DAP has its own old guard who persist in this Chinese-rights thing under the guise of socialistic aims. I’m not fooled. Plus of course the dynastic politics that makes them quite unqualified to call the Umno kettle black.

MIC? I dunno what to say. Samy Vellu has no shame and no sense of accountability. I think he should just fade away quietly. MIC itself should just die. All this rebranding business is just stupid, needless and irrelevant in the face of today’s realities.

I salute the guy who lodged a police report against Samy regarding Maika Holdings. However, in these times when every Ahmad, Ah Loy and Arumugam lodges a report at the slightest provocation, would it matter? There are dozens of reports against Karpal (plus a bullet).

And so I wonder, why aren’t there many more reports against Samy and Maika? After all, there must be many many people affected.

Why ah?

Why don’t we the rakyat, send these corrupt relics to hell in a mengkuang basket?

Between National Security and Public Order, We Malaysians Get Trampled

I know, I know, I sound like a cross between a  ”tree-hugging hippie crap” my friend IZ used to describe, and an American ACLU-type.

But that’s the nice thing about free flow of information. You get to read what other people think. The Industrial Revolution about 200 years ago resulted in so much exchange of ideas that it had a profound effect on society as a whole.

Why? Because knowledge was suddenly available to many, and inventors were followed up by innovators, improvement upon improvement took place and the modern age was ushered in with modern conveniences and in many ways, modern thought.

Modern norms brought out women to work and today, women are an integral part of any nation’s economy. Even in the societies largely “protective” of its womenfolk.

Civilisation is a dynamic thing. It has to go on. Hey, it is part of mankind’s evolution as a race. For civilisation to move forward, it has to have ideas. Ideas have to be communicated. Communication has to be free if an idea is to bloom all the way to fruition.

Discourse has to be free. Just think…if Isaac Newton was strung up the nearest apple tree for heresy when he propounded his theory about universal gravitation…where would we be today?

The point of my meandering writing so far is, when you curb free speech, society as a whole will suffer. We Malaysians would do well to remember that.

In the wake of 9-11, many countries fearful of the Twin Towers’ scale of horrifying terror acts, have instituted tough preventive laws and measures to ensure this senseless carnage doesn’t happen again.

This has led to many instances of injustice as we all have seen, from the shameful Guantanamo Bay chronicles to the enaction of tough laws like POTA in India, Prevention of Terrorism Act in Britain among others.

To be fair, India has been a target of terror attacks too long for its government to just sit back and watch, while Britain had its own terror bombings and attacks thanks to the friendly folks from IRA.

Malaysia and Singapore however, have been content to rely on the colonial relics that are the Internal Security Act and Seditions Act to take care of these fears. In Malaysia’s case it has been used more to curb any deviation from government-instituted normal behaviour than to incarcerate actual terrorist types.

Which is why over the years we Malaysians have seen such a motley crew of characters as guests in that government-run retreat that is Kamunting, under ISA, which allows for detention without trial.

 For instance we had Hilmy Mohd Noor who was ISA-ed because he wanted to renounce Islam. We had the current Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as imprisoned under Sedition Act for not knowing the difference between “imprisoned” and “detained”.

There were the Jemaah Islamiah member, Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (now who calls their own group “militant”, this name is a no-brainer lemme tell you).

There is alleged Al-Qaeda middleman BSA Tahir, apparently still inside. Not to mention the Hindraf Five, the current posterboys of government persecution. For a more comprehensive list, go here.

You see, I’m sure there are existing laws to charge people who have flouted our laws in court and punish them with sentences if found guilty.

But both the Mahathir and Abdullah administrations have found it more expedient to incarcerate people without the benefit of a trial.

Abdullah could have set so many things right when he had his overwhelming mandate in the 2004 elections. But he did little things of significance. His omissions more than actions have led to the rising disenchantment among the electorate.

This weak leader might as well be the catalyst of destruction for UMNO and indeed the so-called multiracial coalition that is Barisan Nasional.

Which may be good news for Malaysians and indeed Bumiputeras, who hope for a better tomorrow. However, it is imperative that we, the rakyat,  keep a sharp lookout. Let us not forget that some of the election pledges of Pakatan Rakyat coalition looks like a drunkard’s promise. Let’s keep them on a tighter leash.

Otherwise, three years down the line you will think of this line…

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss.

You Give Them Mandate…Then You Bend Over

For 50 years, (ok, maybe more since the first elections was held in 1955), Malaysians have been returning the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to power with this two-third majority. Even in 1969. Until March 8, 2008 that is.

What most Malaysians have done is basically give carte blanche to a government that increasingly thought our job is to elect them and no one else, and then shut up for the next four years.

Because we gave them the two-third majority, the BN government saw it fit to repeatedly rape the Federal Constitution; the sacred covenant of the people of this country.

Not one, not even 10, but a staggering 650 amendments have been made 42 times over the 50 years since Merdeka. So much so, scholar Dr Shad Salim Faruqi stated beyond doubt that the spirit of the original document has long been diluted.

How was that possible? Your two-third majority, dear Malaysians. Most of the MPs you elected sold you out, just to toe the party line.

These legislators have put party first, pocket second (or is it the other way around) and you, the elecorate, last. How does constitutional amendments and passing of laws affect your life, you ask.

For one, since the 90s, a Malaysian accused lost the right to be tried by a jury of his/her peers. Parliament did away with it. So, your fate as an accused rests solely with the judge.

Get a judge like ”Irrelevant” Augustine Paul, and man…you are screwed. Ask Anwar Ibrahim, he learnt first hand. I must tell you though that Anwar’s was not a capital case so he would not have had a jury trial anyway.

Jury trial for capital cases was the norm in Malaysia until it was abolished on 1 Jan1995.

 The Official Secrets Act was an effectively used instrument to shut the more vocal of you people. This has ranged from an NST journo in the 80s to Ezam (formerly of PKR) in the 90s and blogger Nathaniel Tan of Jelas.net just last year.

All the toll concession agreements came under OSA, so you cannot question why you have to pay more toll every year.

Some reading on Human Rights in Malaysia, just to refresh your memory and to remind you voters NEVER EVER give any political party/coalition an absolute majority.

Your mandate gave among others, the power to Dr M to detain Lim Guan Eng on a technicality, under the Printing Presses and Publications Act, mostly because he championed the cause of an underaged Malay girl who was the victim of Lolita-loving Rahim Thamby Chik. Rahim should have gone to jail for screwing a minor but Lim Guan Eng did for publishing a pamphlet saying he did.

We still don’t know the exact nature and the details of the AP scandal. We still don’t know how much crony companies have kapak-ed us Malaysians. You know why? All those sweetheart deals you cannot read, they are OSA-ed.,

Any questioning of people in power gets the individual in trouble. They beat, black-eye, torture, intimidate people into silence. They used to regularly seize the

All because you and I have given the same gahmen mandate again and again. Umno folks thought ruling Malaysia was their birthright.

You have, on March 8, told them “No Such Thing”.

I’m telling you why you shouldn’t support them unequivocally.

Think.

Don’t ever write away your rights as citizens again.

PAS Supporters Club?

First I’ve heard of of such a thing. Is it because non-Muslims can’t become members of Parti Agama Islam Se Malaysia?

Whatever it is, to my wee knowledge of my surroundings, this is the first such reported incident of an entire MIC branch “crossing over” to the other side.

But then the March 8 Elections Tsunami (I’m using this cliche for the first time here) aftermath has yielded some really strange stories.

This I guess, is just another slap in the face for Samy Vellu, who until now still doesn’t get it that MIC lost so badly because of him.

What is more important is the MIC grassroot mindset that “voting PAS will mean you will be forced to convert to Islam, and kena sunat (get circumcised), is changing.

I will choose to see it as a herald of times to come when people of all racial and religious backgrounds get the assistance they need, without their colour and faith being brought into question.

Bukit Gantang MP Roslan Shaharom is making the right noises so far.

 Don’t assume that without (MIC president Datuk Seri S.) Samy Vellu and the MIC, your welfare will be neglected.

“We will take care of you because any problem affecting the Indian community, will affect members of other communities too,” said Roslan.- The Star

This would be a bonus for the Indians in the constituency, because I doubt many received any help at all in the past.

Let’s hope for more people in politics to come and not just bridge the racial/religious divide, but one day make this divide non-existent.

It is a hope. It is my right to be romantic and hope for a nicer future for Malaysia. And I’m not alone.

Sabah: Fixed Deposit, Small Returns

 The Land Below the Wind i.e Sabah , has for a sizable part of its existence in Malaysia, been the Land Below the Radar for the Barisan Nasional coalition. They’ve shut up all these while because the power base has for the large part remained with Umno.

Read more about Sabah, rich in natural resources, but with the highest number of people living below poverty line,  in this exhaustively researched Wikipedia entry.

I’ve said before in this blog that after the GE 2008, BN owes its hold on federal power (however tenuous) thanks to Sabah and Sarawak, and the Cabinet appointments must reflect this fact, for equitable representation if not sheer gratitude.

The BN coalition won 24 out of 25 Parliament seats, and 58 out of 60 State seats in Sabah. That is almost carte blanche. If these 24 seats went to the PAS/PKR/DAP alliance, the difference would have been razor thin. Can you imagine a ruling the country with BN: Opposition ratio like 116:106? And that is just Sabah.

You would think that a state that had supported Barisan for a long time would be taken care of. But no. The announcement of the Cabinet by Pak Lah last week was highly anticipated, but delivered little in terms of Sabah representation.

And the Sabahans are tired of keeping quiet about it. Read this report from last week.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has reportedly described Sabah as a “fixed deposit” for BN.

Sabah Umno Assistant Secretary Masidi Manjun said yesterday,

“We (Sabah) have been dubbed Barisan’s fixed deposit (bastion). At the moment, we feel that we are not getting enough interest from our fixed deposit. 

“If the interest is not good, people will put it elsewhere,” said Masidi, adding that many people in the state were disappointed with the current representation.

Thinly veiled threat, that. Although Pak Lah named the same number of cabinet ministers as he did in 2004 (three), he upped the number of deputy ministers from two to four.Three of the deputy minister have since quit, including Ghapur Salleh, who left his Natural Resources and Environment posting yesterday.

Some say it is a sign that the Sabah representation in the federal government needs a re-look. What I’ve been reading indicates so much more needs attention in this country

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang talked about the worrying hardcore poverty levels in January this year and asked what Pak Lah was going to do about it.

Mat Tyson said after he was named to the Rural Development portfolio that he was going to tour the country to hear people’s woes. Maybe he should start in Sabah.

The population boom in Sabah is explosive. I could choose to think that Sabahans breed like rabbits. But that would make me an idiot. There is a more sinister reason, as was suggested in this Daily Express story.

Richard Leete of UNDP has some interesting charts to show you the demographical shift as well as other statistics in Sabah. At least 23 % of Sabah’s 3.3 million population lives below poverty line, in 2004. This is 8% down from the 1990 statistics. Eight percent in 14 years. Four more years have passed since than. How much do you think, the poverty levels would have fallen by now?

Maybe the situation wouldn’t be so bad without the “New Sabahans” that got bumiputera status because some Peninsular-based political behemoth wanted supremacy over the Kadazandusuns in Sabah? Read this story and weep. 

There are people in the Peninsular Malaysia who have lived here for more than 50 years, but are still just penduduk tetap. There are lots of people in Sabah who barely even speak Bahasa, and have been here less than 10 years, but are part of the voting population.

Go figure!

Clean Cabinet?

Dah empat tahun baru nak cerita pasal hindarkan rasuah. Sounds such a buang tabiat statement.

Oops…I’m wrong. He started four years ago pledging to wipe out corruption. That verve petered out less than a year later.

Pak Lah, if you are serious about that statement, why did you take in Mat Tyson?

Ku Nan, who is the new UMNO sec gen, was a well known proxy with so many directorships under his belt when Dr M published his crony list in the 90s.

I could go on….but tak payah lah. The public has said what it thought of BN governance. Much of what I would say here would be like flogging a dead horse.

A New Cabinet of Curiosities

From 32 ministries to 27. This is a dieter’s Cabinet. Or should I say the Cabinet of Reduced Circumstances.

Curious additions and glaringly obvious omisions. Some observations

1. Zaid Ibrahim wasn’t even fielded as a BN candidate in Kota Bharu. Now he is in the Cabinet. Someone came to his senses perhaps.

2. Joseph Pairin Kitingan, a significant force in Sabah politics, not only won his seat, but his state, Sabah, together with Sarawak, made it possible for BN to form a government after the disastrous showing at the March 8 polls. He was not in the Cabinet. Sad dismissal, could prove disastrous for Pak Lah next elections.

3. Syed Hamid Albar and some of the Umno insiders tried to get rid of Rais Yatim by sending him as Malaysia’s nominee for Commonwealth Sec Gen’s post. Rais refused to play ball. He almost wasn’t named to defend his Jelebu Parliament seat. Finally named, he won his seat comfortably in a shaky state that lost much of its seats to the opposition. Now he got Syed Hamid’s job at Foreign Ministry. Heheh!

4. Wanita Umno tadak representation in Cabinet. Reprehensible considering Rafidah Aziz won her Kuala Kangsar seat. Quite apart from the shady AP scandals, this iron lady was once described by the foreign media as the “only person in the Malaysian Cabinet with balls” is conspicuously missing from the Cabinet. Pak Lah’s loss.

5. K. Devamany, the only Indian leader from MIC who came out in defense of the Hindraf rally in parliament, is one of the surviving MIC reps. He made it as a Deputy Minister.

6. The dark horse of MCA, Ong Tee Keat, long sidelined for various reasons including his Team B past, is one of the BN survivors from Selangor. Popular with his constituents, he finally makes Minister, taking Chan Kong Choy’s former portfolio.

7. Ong Ka Chuan takes brother Ka Ting’s portfolio. So, Ka Ting’s “noble” overtures in not accepting a ministership, looks to me like clearing the way for his brother. Heheh.

8. All those maneuverings and underground work paid off. The erstwhile pariah of Selangor makes a comeback to the mainstream politics big time. Muhamad son of Muhamad (also known as Mike Tyson or Mat Tyson for backhanding his then 2nd wife Ku Yah, in public) becomes a federal minister. Why? He didn’t do jack in Selangor did he?

9. Umno seg gen Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Azmi Khalid, from Perlis,(all were parties in the Perlis power struggle that saw Shahidan Kassim sidelined as well) were both dropped. So was Jamaluddin Jarjis who won his Rompin seat in Pahang. But then JJ is already kaya raya. Enuff with politics eh JJ?

10. The wildly popular MP of JB who won his seat despite quitting Umno after the Salleh Abbas debacle and standing as an independent candidate. A controversial that follows what is right more often than what the party thinks is right, can only bring credibility to this Cabinet. A much-appreciated addition.

11. Khairy Jamalludin wasn’t named. Thank God. I guess there would have been an open revolt in Umno ranks if he was. Earn your spurs KJ, maybe you can take over as Backbenchers Club Chairman. But then beware, Kak Pidah from Kuala Kangsar might join you, and you don’t play play ah!

Here is the Lineup proper.

Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak 

Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz
Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim
Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz
 

Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department
Datuk Johari Baharom
Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
K. Devamany
Datuk Hasan Malek
 

Finance
Minister – Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Second Finance Minister – Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Deputies – Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Datuk Kong Cho Ha 

Defence
Minister – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Deputy – Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop 

Internal Security and Home Affairs
Minister – Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Deputies – Datuk Chor Chee Heung, Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh 

Housing and Local Government
Minister – Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Deputies – Datuk Robert Lau, Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin 

Works Minister
Minister – Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad
Deputy – Datuk Yong Khoon Seng 

Energy, Water and Communications
Minister – Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy – Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum 

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry
Minister – Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy – Datin Paduka Rohani Abdul Karim 

International Trade and Industry
Minister – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies – Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan 

Foreign Affairs
Minister – Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy – Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar 

Education
Minister – Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies – Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Razali Ismail 

Higher Education
Minister – Datuk Khaled Nordin
Deputies – Dr Hou Kok Chung, Datuk Idris Harun
 

Transport
Minister – Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy – Datuk Anifah Aman 

Human Resources
Minister – Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam
Deputy – Datuk Noraini Ahmad 

Women, Family and Community Development
Minister – Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy – Noriah Kasnon 

National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Minister – Datuk Shafie Apdal
Deputy – Datuk Teng Boon Soon 

Science, Technology and Innovation
Minister – Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy – Fadilah Yusof 

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development
Minister – Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy – Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah 

 Natural Resources and Environment
Minister – Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy – Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh 

Rural and Regional Development
Minister – Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Deputy – Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, Joseph Entulu Belaun
 

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Minister – Datuk Shahrir Samad
Deputy – Jelaing Mersat 

Plantation Industries and Commodities
Minister – Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy – Senator A. Kohilan 

Youth and Sports
Minister – Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob
Deputy – Wee Jeck Seng 

Health
Minister – Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy – Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad 

Information
Minister – Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy – Datuk Tan Lian Hoe 

Tourism
Minister – Datuk Seri Azalina Othman
Deputy – Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib 

Federal Territories
Minister – Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique
Deputy – Datuk M. Saravanan

List is sourced from The Star

Bursa Malaysia halts trading, and resumes

I guess, there was panic this morning in the financial market as trading opens after an eventful General Elections over the weekend.

However, statements from the Bursa Malaysia and Securities Commission assures that things would not get worse. It was just a circuit breaker mechanism to stop trading if volume loses 10% of total trade.

Read more here.

Market reaction to a drastically reduced political mandate for BN is only expected. However, it has been two days after GE 2008 and there has yet to be any reports of riots or politics-related fights and rallies.

That means we Malaysians can hold our peace. Stability is not an issue here.

For all we know, the results of this elections may be far-reaching. Who knows, pushing for greater accountability and less of needless bureaucracy may lead to a renewal of investor confidence.

Lim Guan Eng promised to address that part, in Penang. I hope he delivers.

The Silent Majority Roared…and it said Makkal Sakthi!

There was no war cry, just the Malaysian voters’ simple exercising of their democratic right. And the good people of Malaysia said BALLS! to the Barisan Nasional behemoth.

Lest we forget the Silent Majority part, let me remind you of the BN government’s response to the Lawyers March on Sept 26, Bersih rally of Nov 5 and Hindraf’s Nov 25 rally (all in 2007).

Silent Majority has spoken on Dec 12 as reported in The Star.

Now I want to ask, where is DAMAI, the “umbrella body” representing 395 non-governmental organisations?

Living in denial, somnolence and plain ignorance of people’s aspirations is what brought Pak Lah’s government to its knees.

Humble old me, nothing more than a voter and citizen, has a piece of advice for Pak Lah.

Fire all your son-in-law’s sycophantic cronies in the 4th Floor. They are elitist as well as clueless on how to do their jobs, despite being educated young fellas.

Apart from leaning on the media to keep out all negative publicity, what have they done to ensure the good image of the Prime Minister.

Read this Wikipedia entry on Pak Lah. We all know that Wikipedia allows its entries to be edited, so, why have the PM’s image consultants not done anything to address the disparaging stuff written there?

Because they believe it’s true? Heheh. Or is it because Pak Lah’s aides and advisors are lousy at public relations?

I guess we can allow a couple of days for them to stand again after being sent reeling by the Malaysian electorate, but when they get to the business of governing now, they have to to actually do some work, not spout outdated rhetorics.

If they don’t, there are 82 voices in Parliament to question them.

The Cabinet pit bull Nazri Aziz (he really should do something about this nasty Wiki on him) won’t be able to say Bodoh Bodoh Bodoh, Duduk Duduk Duduk any more and get away with it.

Ku Li probably sums it up about BN

Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said the results were “not just a blow to Barisan and Umno but to the nation as a whole.”  

“Alongside losing our two-thirds majority in Parliament, we have lost a record number of states to the Opposition, including the home state of the Prime Minister,” he said in a statement.  

“The honesty with which we interpret this result, and the decisiveness with which we act on it, will determine whether we still have a future with the people. 

“We must face it without further denial, self-deception or media spin.” – The Star

I dunno about the “blow to the nation as a whole” part, Ku Li. If it is a blow, then it is BN’s fault, isn’t it?