of course this doesn't apply to UMNO people lah :-)

We'll use sedition act, says Syed Hamid who incidentally didn't see anything wrong with the mob that uttered anything but seditious words during the "attack" on Bar Council. You must be really ignorant to think that the rakyat will believe you.

We’ll use Sedition Act, says Syed Hamid
The Star
BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Government will invoke the Sedition Act against anyone who fans racial or religious sentiments during the 10-day Permatang Pauh by-election campaign, said Home Minister Datuk Syed Hamid Albar.
He said a 3,000-strong police force had been deployed to Permatang Pauh to keep watch and prevent any untoward incidents.
“We will nab those using extreme provocation tactics and playing with emotions to create tension for political mileage.

Hamidah Osman continues to make a fool out of herself

After making racists remarks a few days ago, she must have been on so much heat that even the excuses she's giving sounds pure idiotic, befitting her status of course.

Today she comes out and says she asked that question with a pure heart to prove to her "friends" that the slur is not true.

Well Hamidah, a lot of my friends has been telling me that you are a bitch and you were fathered by 24 bastards. I don't agree to that statement and could you please tell me it's not true ?



===================================================================

The assemblymen had walked out because Sivakumar had barred Kubu Gajah assemblyman Datuk Seri Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar from debating first as promised, she said.
“After we walked out, I received many responses from friends and observers who uttered that statement, saying it was true.
“That’s why I stood up the next day to bring it up. I didn’t agree with that statement and I wanted the speaker to agree with me,” she told reporters here on Monday.

The full context here

Hamidah Osman proves she's Umno's BITCH!

This is the respect that an indian in the country gets from one of the dogs of UMNO.

Hamidah Osman, I have a few words for you. Your mother was in all probability was fucked by 24 men before and after she reached puberty. That's that only explanation as to why you are such a BITCH!

===================================================================

......One by Hamidah Osman (BN-Sungai Rapat) particularly earned the wrath of the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen when she asked whether Sivakumar “agreed to disagree” with the well-known fable of whether a snake or a man from a certain racial community should be killed first.

More here

Freakin' RM50.00 for a sack of rice !

Went to do my shopping today and ...Oh my GOD! A 10kg sack of rice which used to cost RM25.00 about 4 months ago now costs freakin Rm 49.00. An increase of almost 100%.

Botox Boy strikes again!

Well well, Khir Toyo says that Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim must take responsibility for the corruption charge against one of his aides. Hem...wasn't Toyo the MB when the whole country was crying over the fouls committed by the infamous Dato Zakaria ( famous for Istana Z) ? Did he take the responsibility for that?

=======

KHIR TOYO: Khalid should take responsibility for actions of special aide

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim should take responsibility for the actions of his special officer, who solicited funds from private companies for Pakatan Rakyat’s 100-days celebrations.

Read more here

And we thought this only happens in movies...

Raped in a police lock-up by POLICE. I've always thought this only happens in movies but this is just too much to swallow! I say we need to hang this monters in public!

KUALA LUMPUR: A policeman was detained for allegedly forcing a 17-year-old girl to perform oral sex and raping her in a police station in Selangor recently. It was learnt that the policeman, in his 20s, had stopped the girl and her boyfriend, who were riding a motorcycle, while making his rounds about 5am on June 18.Upon questioning, the policeman, who was with a colleague, discovered that the girl's boyfriend did not possess a licence and the couple was taken to a police station for further questioning.

Read more here

Suffer the children ... of some - By Azmi Sharom

Suffer the children ... of some
BRAVE NEW WORLDBy AZMI SHAROM
Originally appeared on the star

Without exotic foreign holidays, life will no longer be the same.

The sun was setting as the Proton Perdana crunched up the gravel driveway of the bungalow on Jalan Kia Peng. The man sitting in the back seat was oblivious to the gentle glow of dusk that bathed the large well-manicured gardens.
His heart felt heavy and his stomach was knotted.
He was going to break their hearts and there was no way out.
“We are here, sir.”
The voice of the driver shook him out of his deep thoughts. With a barely audible grunt of thanks, he stepped out and with leaden feet walked towards the door.
Before he reached it, the huge oak edifices swung open. A small woman in a blue uniform retrieved his suitcase and collected his shoes as he slipped them off. He hardly noticed her, either.
From within the house, there were sounds of a loud X Box game in progress and young children shouting. The man walked into the living room. Expensive Italian furniture was arranged around a 40-inch plasma TV, its sleek modernity a stark contrast to the gaudiness of the sofas and armchairs.
A boy and a girl were transfixed by the screen, watching monsters get beheaded. A woman lounged in an armchair, her diamonds glittering.
“Listen, everybody, I must speak to you,” said the man.
“Not now, Papa, we are reaching level five,” said the boy.
“No, now,” said the man.
The sombre tone of his voice cut through the shrill screams from the video game. The children and the woman looked to the man, their normal indifference suddenly replaced by unfamiliar concern.
Seating himself, the man leaned on his elbows and stared at the floor.
In a voice quivering with barely suppressed emotion, he started to speak.
“Darling, children, I am afraid we can’t go to Orlando Disneyland this year.”
“Where are we going then?” asked the girl. “England? Europe?”
“We can only go to somewhere in Asean.”
The gasps from the family just about drowned out the crack in his voice as he finished his sentence. Then the barrage of questions started. Why? What happened? How can this be?
As the voices rose to a crescendo, the man snapped, tears running down his face as he screamed, “The oil price has gone up and we can’t go on holidays around the world any more!”
“But, darling,” said the woman, “I already told the girls I would bring back for them oranges from Florida. How can I face them in Carcosa at our high tea tomorrow?”
“Papa, you promised Disneyland. I hate you! I hate you!” shrieked the boy as he stormed out of the room.
“Wait, boy!” he called out. “You must try to understand. The whole nation is suffering. We must make sacrifices. It is for the good of the country and for the future.”
But it was too late; the boy had already disappeared into his bedroom. Soon, the sound of heavy rap played at full volume could be heard.
“Oh, darling. Think about the children. How are they going to face their friends at the international school? Where are we going to go on holiday?”
The man wiped away his tears of frustration and held his head as he thought of what to say.
Suddenly, he looked up and with a smile bordering on the maniacal, he said: “What about Singapore? Or we can even go local. Let’s go to A Famosa in Malacca. It’s fun, they have a theme park and an animal and cowboy show. Malaysia Truly Asia! Heh heh heh ...”
His laugh petered out as the girl and the woman stared at him icily, slicing through his forced jollity.
For the longest while, nothing was said. Then the rap music abruptly stopped. The three looked up as the boy walked back to them.
“I understand sacrifice, Papa. And I think I have the solution,” he said.
The family stared at him, hope shining in their eyes. “We can all go to Hong Kong Disneyland!” he exclaimed excitedly.
The man broke down again and buried his face in his hands. Between his gasping sobs, he cried,
“Oh, my son, my poor, poor boy. Don’t you know? Hong Kong is not in Asean.”
“Arrrgghhh!” the boy screamed and ran back to his room, wailing, “I hate you! I hate my life! I want to die!”
The girl, unable to bear the pain any longer, stood up. She loomed over the broken shell that was her father and said, “I know we all have to suffer because of the oil price, Papa. But why do WE have to suffer SO MUCH?” Then she too stalked away.
The man stared into the middle distance.
His pain was almost too much to endure. The only sound in the room was the clinking of his wife’s diamonds as her bosom heaved with racking sobs.
It barely smothered the sound of his shattering heart, for without their exotic foreign holidays, life would never be the same again.

When do we start paying "real market price" for cars ?

That was the question posed by MalaysianInsider to Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad. And the answer was ;





Q: Now that we're slowly moving towards paying "real" market prices for fuel, when can we expect to pay "real" market prices for cars?



Shahrir: Real market prices for cars ... that's very interesting. We'll certainly have to look at that because I think, as you well know, we have to operate under Afta (the Asean Free Trade Area is a trade agreement whereby all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations promise to support local manufacturing in the region) so certainly there are realities we have to confront and accept.

Read here

Been some time...

It's been some time since i blogged, bogged down with work is one of the reasons. Of course some of the recent events has made me turn to my filial friend Blogspot again...he he he...

Let's see what has happened recently ;

• Petrol price has gone up to RM 2.70 per litre. That means an increase of RM200++ per month for me. Add the other indirect increases such as food, groceries and so on the likelyhood is I'm looking at close to RM300++ additional expenses a month. PM Badawi says the mantra again - change your lifestyle. I really am running out of "styles" to change now. Thinking of installing an NGV kit in my car.



• Christiano Ronaldo is continuing is fine drama queen act by wooing Real Madrid. I'm a loyal fan of Manutd and I say sell the bugger for 100m pound if he's not loyal to the club anymore. And before doing that, put him in room with Wazza Rooney for a couple of hours so that Wazza can do some payback!



• My close friend/colleague is contemplating taking over an overseas position. Bummer!



• I'm in the midst of spending almost half year salary one something which might turn out to be completely wonderful OR a complete waste of money.

Hem.....

MONSTER !!!

Google for Josef Fritzl

Driver of bogus taxi admits to stabbing and robbing woman

Even taking a taxi is note safe nowadays...sigh...

Driver of bogus taxi admits to stabbing and robbing woman
BY STEVEN DANIEL (source)

KUALA LUMPUR: An unlikely chain of events led to the arrest of a suspect who was believed to have stabbed a woman four times and left her to bleed to death. The victim, Lee Hui Fun, was found unconscious in Jalan Maktab, Kajang, on Friday morning by policemen on patrol duty.
Coincidentally, a man driving a taxi, was involved in an accident with a motorcycle at 4pm along Jalan Ipoh.

The motorcyclist, who confronted the driver of the taxi, saw a bloodstained handbag on the rear passenger seat. The suspect then panicked and made a run for the Perkim Building car park.
However, he was caught and beaten up by several passers-by. It was then that the suspect, in his 30s, shouted “saya bunuh satu orang sahaja (I only killed one person)”.

The suspect apparently believed he had killed Lee, not knowing that she was fighting for her life in hospital.

The suspect was handed over to the police and during interrogation, admitted to have committed the offence in Batu 9/11, Kajang, hours earlier. He was later taken to the Kajang police station for further investigations.

Kajang OCPD Asst Comm Shakaruddin Che Mood yesterday confirmed that the suspect had been arrested. He said police were still investigating if there was a second suspect involved.
A source said there was a possibility that Lee was driven to a location where another person was waiting, before she was robbed. It was also believed that Lee put up a struggle before she was stabbed and left for dead.

The 33-year-old clerk from Taman Kencana, Pandan Indah, had boarded a taxi on Friday morning to go to a monorail station on Jalan Sultan Ismail. However, the taxi took another route, prompting Lee to call her husband Chow Chee Ming, 34, at 8.40am.

Chow, when met at the University Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital yesterday, said she called a few times as he could not hear her clearly the first few times. “I managed to hear her clearly during her last call at 8.50am, saying the taxi driver was taking her somewhere else. “She also gave me the number plate of the taxi she was in,” Chow said. “Then, I heard her shouting in Chinese ‘he's got a knife, he's got a knife', before the line got cut off.”

Lee, who has two children, is reported to be in stable condition. The taxi's number plate was shown to be false when checked against the Road Transport Department's online system.

Read also here

Cue for Damai Malaysia to show it's face ?

PM Badawi says "I'm also told that others - Malays and non-Malays - who respect the constitution, also feel slighted by what has happened. They may also complain to the relevant authorities,"

Writer's note : This may be a cue for Damai Malaysia and Reezal Merican to show his face again.

PM denies blocking Dr M-Najib meeting
Malaysiakini

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today denied claims that he recently thwarted a meeting between ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak."Tak ada halang, tak ada (didn't block, didn't block)," was all that the premier said when he was asked to comment on the claims made by Mahathir yesterday.The former prime minister yesterday told reporters that he tried to set up a meeting with Najib immediately after the general election to discuss about current affairs."He (Najib) said he would first have to get the permission of the prime minister. Apparently he did not get permission. So until now, he has not seen me," said the former premier who is now Abdullah's harshest critic.
Mahathir has openly called for Abdullah to take responsibility for Barisan Nasional's heavy defeat in the March 8 general election and step down from both the premiership as well as from Umno presidency.

Until recently, Mahathir has been openly pitching for Najib to take over from Abdullah. However more recently, he has said that there were also other capable candidates to take over the top posts.

Abdullah also said that he has instructed Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor to lodge a police report against DAP chairperson Karpal Singh over his allegedly seditious remarks against the Sultan of Perak. "The statements that he (Karpal) has made gives the impression that the sultan does not know the law," he said."As such, many (including Umno) are upset.""I'm also told that others - Malays and non-Malays - who respect the constitution, also feel slighted by what has happened. They may also complain to the relevant authorities," said Abdullah at the sidelines of the 5th Malaysia International Halal Showcase at Matrade.

Double Talk....Again

When the Agong rejected PM Badawi's choice as Terengganu Chief Minister, he was accused as acting unconstitutionally, and this were the choice of words from the PM and his supporters ;

“Most of the state assemblymen support Datuk Seri Idris. This fact remains unchanged. They are in agreement. Therefore, appointing anyone else is not right constitutionally" - PM Badawi

"The palace has to accept Barisan Nasional's decision as it is in accordance with our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democratic system" - UMNO vice president Ali Rustam

source here


Later on, the Pakatan Rakyat now runs into problems with Perak Ruler, and DAP vice chairman repeats what PM Badawi said earlier, that the Ruler has acted unconstitutionally. Here is where the fun begins when the BN wolves smells blood and start attacking. Here below is their attack ;

"So the power or decision made by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, was in line with the decision made by the government. It cannot be disputed" DPM Najib (source)

"This strong anti-Sultan sentiment is the real trait of the DAP, and it can no longer hide its true self. The DPMP award received by Ngeh should be withdrawn because of his attitude in challenging the Sultan’s call" - Zahid Hamid, UMNO leader ( read more about him here ) (source)


The REAL issue now here is of course ;

1. Royalties are being used as pawns by UMNO led BN to hit at opposition parties.
2. Non-Malays ( such as Karpal ) are being used as bogeyman to create a climate of fear among
the rural malays, to indirectly strengthen UMNO influence over them. Utusan Malaysia's
headline yesterday screamed "KARPAL PERSOAL SULTAN".
3. Royalties are increasingly flexing their muscles.

Muslim 'pub' ???

Muslim 'pub' proposal

Interesting suggestion but who's going to tbe patrons ?? The fellas from the state jabatan agama (religious council)??

Source :NST

Kuantan Municipal Council president Datuk Azizan Ahmad has proposed that a Muslim pub be opened where patrons could enjoy soft drinks and fruit juices."I think we should have a Muslim pub as it will allow those who want clean entertainment to unwind at such an outlet," he said when closing a dialogue between the police, council and entertainment outlet operators yesterday.Azizan said it was not a new idea as such a pub was already operational in the United Kingdom.The first Muslim pub opened in Oldham, Greater Manchester, last month where visitors are served non-alcoholic drinks.

The pub, which caters mainly to men, has a restaurant and prayer and steam room. Customers only listen to traditional Islamic music. Azizan later said the council wanted to encourage entertainment outlet operators to improve their image as the industry has always been associated with vice and other negative elements."It's a good concept. I hope some entrepreneurs will be interested in opening a Muslim pub here." Azizan said the council would not approve new entertainment licences as there were already 135 entertainment outlets here including discotheques, night clubs, karaoke centres and "dangdut" pubs.He said the council also planned to relocate all entertainment outlets to a designated area to enable enforcement agencies to monitor the industry.Among areas under consideration included Jalan Datuk Wong Ah Jang, where most of the outlets were located.

Azizan had earlier presented anti-drug bunting to 80 entertainment outlet operators who attended the dialogue.The distribution of the bunting, with the "Happy But No Drugs" tagline, is part of a campaign to curb drug trafficking at entertainment outlets here.State Police Anti-Narcotics Department chief Superintendent Baljeet Singh reminded operators to inform the police if their premises were being frequented by drug traffickers or criminals."We will raid such premises and ask the relevant agencies to close them if the operators refuse to co-operate," he added.

Zahid Hamidi

The post of "Minister in Prime Minister's Dept" is normally given to loud mouthed politicians who double up as gangsters for PM Badawi. During the previous term, the title was well carried by Nazri Aziz who made a number of gaffes. He's still there but now being given a run for his money by Zahid Hamidi, who's trying hard to show Badawi how bad he is (read here, here and here).

The name Zahid Hamidi will ring a lot of bells because this was the guy that had his posterior kicked by Dr.M during one of the UMNO general assembly.

Group Rejects Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is defined as the doctrine that several different cultures (rather than one national culture) can coexist peacefully and equitably in a single country.

However, there is a new group in town called Majlis Muafakat Melayu Malaysia now demanding that this concept should be rejected altogether. In the same topic, they have the audacity to say that sikap perkauman should be rejected. Read more here

Let me tell you, PRACTICE what you preach you uneducated fools.

Royals & Politicians Clash Again

Sigh..here we go again with another clash that highlights ;

i. The rulers seeking to show their power.
ii. Politician not getting their steps right
iii. Ambiguity of the division of power between royals and the executive.

Perak royal rejects Perak MB decision. Here.

Perak MB apologises. Here.

Loudmouth Nazri ( yes, he's still around ) steps in for a bit of self promotion and a bit of membodek (malay word for apple polishing). Here.

Thumbs-Up From Karim Mansor

Up there is Karim Mansor, UMNO guy for Tanjung Sepat, Selangor showing thumbs up to a pig farm while on a all paid vacation-cum-learning trip to Germany.

But here back in Malaysia, he puts on the mask and protests vehemently the location of a pig farm at Tanjung Sepat.

a kick on the backside sometimes really does wonders

The esteemed Prime Minister Badawi sounded out his MP colleagues today that they must behave in the Parliament.

Where was he when the rowdy cowboys where running wild with talks of bocor, telling non-malays to get out of malaysia, insulting the handicaps and so on. He kept an elegant silence over all this nonsense but now suddenly after the whacking he received at the polls, he's turned a new leaf and trying to act as a leader.

Too late Mr.Badawi, the sheriff is already in town to kick you out!

Keynote speech from a form 5 drop out.

While HRH Raja Nazrin studied far and wide and is a distinguished gentleman, this HRH Tengku Faris Petra must have studied at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra and dropped out after form 5!




Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality
Andrew Ong Apr 12, 08 2:10pm MalaysiaKini

Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had given into granting non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment .He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity” organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.

Speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 people, Tengku Faris said the Malay rulers would be an umbrella to foster unity among all Malaysians, based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara. “Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text.

However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion. As an example, Tengku Faris said non-Malays are allowed to practice their respective religions in peace ( wow, that is so generous of you). They must however do so in accordance with the law and “not be provocative towards Islam”. “The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (negara Islam), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others,” he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

He added that the effort to instil Malay unity and defend Malay special rights does not mean that other races would be ignored. “In fact, if Malay rights and special privileges are taken care of and is not disturbed, it would ensure national harmony. It does not just benefit the Malays but all ethnic groups,” he said. In his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority. “The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and facing other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically,” he said.

As the constitution provides that the Malays are the natives (penduduk asal) of Malaysia, Tengku Faris said every Malay must defend the constitution and Islam and this can only be achieved through Malay unity. “We have to make an effort to unite. Don’t spilt up. Avoid polemics that can distance us. Ideology (and) having different interpretations does not contribute to Malay unity.“Discussing about polemics such as Islamic state, secular state, welfare state... confuses the people... Resulting from this confusion, Malays are becoming more disillusioned,” he added.

Coming Soon : Khairy's Blog

See also :

Bloggers are monkeys

UMNO Youth candidates must have blogs

Muslim conversions: No need to inform family, says Nik Aziz

KOTA BARU, April 13 — Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yesterday said it was not necessary for non-Muslims to inform their family of their wish to embrace Islam.
He was reacting to the proposal by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to make it compulsory for non-Muslims to inform their family before converting to Islam to avoid problems in future, like tussles over the remains of a deceased convert for burial.
Nik Aziz said the requirement for would-be Muslims to do so could hinder them from converting to Islam.
The PAS spiritual leader said nobody should stop anyone from embracing Islam.
"It is not right to impose the requirement (to inform family members) of one's desire to embrace Islam because it concerns an individual's right."
He felt that if informing family members was to maintain relations and harmony among the country's multiracial society, it can be done so after the conversion. — Bernama

==============================================


Well, dear Tok Guru, I'll save some real harsh words for you ONLY because of your association with Pakatan Rakyat.

How would you feel if one day, in an alternate universe, when you are called back to Almighty, The Jabatan Agama (Kristian or Hindu or Buddha)Malaysia comes and snatches your boday away from your grieving Muslim family. Then they say that ;

a. You had converted to another religion (when you had never mentioned it to your family).
b. All the family properties does not belong to your immediate heir, but instead, to the
State.Which means your wife is a sebatang kara now.
c. The 10 year old kid from your second wife who all along brought up as a Muslim, is now taken
away by the state from the mother, and asked to live a new life in another religion.

Dear Tok Guru, this is not a question of individual's right, THIS is about that individual being responsible about HIS actions and how it may affect the people who care for him, and who had cared for him all his life.

==============================================

Just a thought

I was thinking, since MIC is in a bit of trouble right now because they don't exactly have capable leaders in their succession plan, would it not make sense to get imported politicians. I can readily think of a few personalities in Malaysia who are young, bright, talented and more importantly have established good strong contact with the all mighty UMNO. Importantly they are also Indians. Who are they, you ask? I say, here are they ;

1. Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim - Also well connected with the powerful Mat Rempits.

2. Datuk Reezal Merican Naina - An important aide to Badawi. Much easier to convey Indian issues to Ol' Big Ears.

PS : With a pinch of salt please.

Malaysia prime minister in deeper crisis as 4 Cabinet ministers seek leadership reforms

The Associated Press Published: March 31, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Four Cabinet ministers have endorsed demands by ruling party dissidents to hold an open contest for the party leadership, highlighting the prime minister's weakening control over power in Malaysia after disastrous election results.

The four — from the International Trade and Industry, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Higher Education and National Unity ministries — have come forward to say everybody should be eligible to run for the post of the United Malays National Organization party's president, news reports said Monday.

At present, a contestant must be nominated by 30 percent of the party's divisions, which is hard to secure by someone not endorsed by the party leadership. The party president automatically becomes the prime minister.

The nomination quota encourages an "unhealthy political culture," International Trade Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was quoted as saying by The Star daily.

"I hope that with the abolition, the party at all levels will have a healthy democratic election system," said Muhyiddin, who is also the party vice president.

Today in Asia - PacificOlympic torch begins uncertain journey from BeijingU.S. defense analyst guilty of delivering Taiwan dataExile groups carry on protests, but divisive march to Tibet ends The Star said Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin also called for abolishing the nomination system. Aides of the two ministers confirmed they made the comments.

Muhyiddin stressed that his call did not mean he was against the current leadership or was encouraging members to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah is facing the biggest crisis of his political career after the March 8 general elections, in which the ruling National Front retained power but lost its traditional two-thirds majority. It also conceded five states to the opposition.

Being the dominant party in the coalition, Abdullah's party took most of the blame for the losses. The pressure on Abdullah increased after critics called on him to resign, a demand he rejected.
He also postponed party elections, which had been due in August, until December. But it will be difficult for a challenger to dislodge Abdullah in the elections because of the quota system, which was introduced by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1987 after he narrowly survived a challenge by then-Finance Minister Razaleigh Hamzah.

Mahathir, now an ordinary party member, is one of those calling for abolishing the nomination system. Among the others is Razaleigh, who has openly declared he will try to challenge Abdullah.

"I have never been for the ruling. But what to do? It was introduced by Dr. Mahathir himself. When I criticize the decision, everyone says I am critical of (Mahathir). But now it seems he has realized that what he did was not right in the first place," Shahrir Abdul Samad, the domestic trade minister, was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times daily's online edition.

National Unity Minister Shafie Apdal said the system should be abolished because "delegates are now mature enough to decide who they want to lead the party," the national news agency Bernama reported.

Critics say the quota system ensures that members dissatisfied with the prime minister's leadership cannot challenge him democratically. Supporters say it is necessary to ensure only serious candidates contest.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also the party deputy president, denied it was an impediment to democracy in the party.

"It is not aimed at deterring democracy. Even though there is a quota system, democracy still flourishes in our party," he told reporters.

Abandoning the system would also mean changing the party constitution, which can only be done at an extraordinary general meeting. Party leaders have so far rejected calls for such a meeting.
In this respect, he expressed support for Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to be held immediately.

.

Gan Pei Nei

Saw this nice little story about Gan Pei Nei, the new Rawang assemblywoman from PKR still using a kapchai to move around.

But, wasn't there another leader who also move around with a brand new bike, an expensive registration number (if he had paid for it) and without crash helmets during the recent election ?

DrM speaks up on Rulers and politicians

This appeared on The Sun online edition today.

PETALING JAYA (March 27, 2008): A Concerned Malaysian has expressed his worry over the role being played by Sultans in the appointment of the Mentri Besar.
His Royal Highnesses have clearly refused to take the advice of the Chief Minister i.e. the Prime Minister. Instead, they have chosen on their own a member of the state legislature to head the Government.

We hear a lot of opinions on the propriety of the action by the Sultan. Some say he has the right to do this while others point out that as a constitutional ruler, he could not do this.
The Constitution says that the Ruler or Head of State must choose the elected member who enjoys the support of the majority of members in the legislative body to be the Prime Minister or the Mentri Besar. Subject to this provision, the Ruler it is who chooses and appoints the Prime Minister or Mentri Besar.

The Prime Minister, as Prime Minister, has no role in the choice of the State Mentri Besar or Ketua Menteri. His naming of candidate who should be the Mentri Besar is purely a party matter. Obviously, if the State is captured by the Opposition Party, he cannot name the candidate.
However, if the Ruler chooses someone who does not enjoy majority support, he could be deposed at a sitting of the legislative body through a vote of "no confidence".

After that, another member can be appointed by the Ruler to take his place. But if for some reason, there is no other candidate or the candidate with majority support is considered unsuitable by the Ruler, a new Government cannot be formed. The Ruler may then dissolve the legislative body and a new election may be held.

This new election may lead to the same impasse. The Ruler may not like the member with majority support.

However, it should be noted that this kind of thing had never happened during the premiership of the four previous Prime Ministers. Concerned Malaysians should wonder why.
Is it just that the particular Ruler is being difficult, unwilling to accept the principles of democracy, wanting to return to feudalism and the absolute authority of the monarch?

I do not think so. There must be a reason why the Ruler refuses to accept the candidate named by the party. But the Ruler chooses not to reveal the reasons and indulge in public debates. He merely expresses his displeasure by refusing to do what normally the Rulers would do.
Concerned Malaysians must ask what has the particular candidate done which is so wrong that it incurs the displeasure of the Ruler.

There are lots of talks in the town. Terengganu is blessed with petroleum deposits. It should get 5% of the total earning from oil production. The Federal Government; fearing the previous PAS government might use this money wrongly had withheld payment.

But when the Barisan Nasional (BN) regained Terengganu the money, now called "Wang Ehsan", was lavishly spent by the Federal Government on Terengganu. It is not a small sum. Over these years "Wang Ehsan" totalled several billion.

We know that since the BN regained Terengganu in 2004, all kinds of projects have been developed in Terengganu. This includes The Monsoon Cup, luxury housing for sale to foreigners, Crystal Mosque and theme park, university, etc. Some of these projects are very good but many are totally unnecessary and wasteful.

But what the Terengganu people are saying is that all these mega projects costing billions of Ringgit have been contracted out to people outside Terengganu. Terengganu contractors got practically nothing.

But additionally, they say the contracts all went to one person and they are suspicious that behind this person are members of the first family.The rumours also say that the previous Mentri Besar was responsible for these things happening and of course, they think that he might have benefited financially.

The rumours went on to say that the Prime Minister might have influenced the Mentri Besar into doing wrong things. These are all rumours. It will be quite impossible to prove anything as the perpetrators are skilled in hiding themselves.

This is not good for a Government keen to abolish corruption and be transparent. To clear its name, an investigation should be made.

But the public is leery of investigations by Government agencies and departments. Even Royal Commissions are not highly regarded. The people believe, not true of course, that the Government has been interfering with the work of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), the Police and the Attorney General (A-G)'s Chambers. The say this is borne out by the results of investigations by these agencies.

When a Deputy Minister was accused of accepting money for the release of a detainee, the A-G said there was no case because the detainee said he did not give any money to the Deputy Minister. It is so easy. If you have a case involving someone, all the enforcement agencies need to do is to ask him whether he was involved. If he says "no", then there is no case.

For some reason, judges are finding that people accused of murder are not guilty because of insufficient evidence by the police. Yet people who are totally not involved in a case, who were not accused of any misdeeds and who did not appear in court at all and been given a hearing are found guilty and publicly condemned.

The public cannot be blamed for not having faith in Government agencies doing investigations. The public cannot be blamed for suspecting cover-ups by the Government or worse still the Government may be using these enforcement agencies to threaten people.

To clear its good name, the Government should get credible foreign agencies to do the investigation. Of course, they must be given full access to the documents etc.

Now my detractors are going to say I did worse things when I was Prime Minister. Well, if that is so, let us have the foreign agencies investigate me also. I am aware that people are looking into possible misdeeds by me during my 22 years so as to threaten me and ask me to shut up. So far they have not found anything.

Not only have I not taken anything that was not due to me while I was Prime Minister but I have given back to the Government and the people everything that I had received as gifts during my tenure of office.

The Government had offered me land in Kedah and Langkawi and I had refused to accept. I have a 5-acre plot in Putrajaya which I paid for even though the Government was offering it to me free.

Unless there is a frame-up, I think there should be nothing to pin on me. Even other accusations against me, including the dismissal of judges, were not my doing and I do not feel obliged to apologise. Ask the Tribunal to apologise.

The person asking that the Government should apologise for what happened to Tun Salleh Abbas may have forgotten that as President of the Muslim Lawyers Association, he fully supported the action that was taken. He castigated the Bar Council for condemning Tun Hamid Omar over the dismissal of judges. Now he wants to be more correct than correct. I wonder why.

T'ganu MB Tusle : Badawi Concedes Defeat

Another "lose face" scenario for Badawi after the Perlis MB saga. The score now is 2-0 to the royals. The Star has the news.

I'm thinking if this really good for the country in the long run ? I'm not a BN supporter but Badawi does have my sympathy in this. His chosen representative-Idris Jusoh is the democratically appointed leader but is being brushed aside by the royalty.

What would Dr.M have done if he had been in Badawi's shoe ? I'm sure as hell the score would have been a lot tighter.

People's power is greater than any other power, any time, any place.

Another group of NGOs ? Or are they ?

A so called group of "NGOs" had expressed their dissapproval (not that it matters) over the composition of the Perak EXCO. Read here .

Of course now being the season of UMNO operatives masquerading as NGOs to slam the Barisan Rakyat's governed states, I was compelled to google the two main names mentioned as the leader of the NGO pack, one Nonee Ashirin Mohd Radzi & one Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim. Well, what a surprise....they are not NGO after all.

Nonee Ashirin Mohd Radzi - Is a Kampar Wanita Umno committee member. Click here.
Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim - An UMNO member as well. She spoke the all too repeated "jangan bermain dengan api" catchphrase at the recent UMNO assembly. Click here.

When will these clowns learn.....sigh.

Azmi Sharom : BRAVE NEW WORLD

Azmi Sharom came out with a gem of on opinion letter on the Star. Some of it was quite hard hitting.

• Some still unable to come out and accept the verdict of the rakyat
• Khir Toyo, the temple terminator, being one the impetus for the change of S'gor Govt
• NEP was meant to help the poor and not meant to be corrupt, inefficient and wasteful
• There are also many malays for whom the NEP has not helped
• Umno members have shown the Barisan government that protesting really is part of our culture (my note:contrary to what Najib said earlier during Bersih/Hindraf rallies)
• This is the time for the opposition turned government to act like statesmen and not like rabble-rousers

Time to act as statesmen

It's a whole new type of politics out there and the new state governments and the country too need time to adjust to this change.
After the excitement of the election results (yes, I’m still writing about the election, apologies to those of you with insatiable appetites for the new and the “now”), certain unease seems to be creeping into the collective consciousness.
Headlines scream about cracks in the loose coalition of the Opposition, constitutional crises hang over the horizon of at least two states. Are things going to go tumbling down?
Well, a week is a long time in politics as they say, and by the time this article comes out five days would have passed since I wrote it, so I could end up with egg on my face.
However, I just want to say; cool it, chill out, relax, it's early days and the poor little politicians have no idea what hit them.
Some of them have never been out of power and some of them have never tasted it.
They are still stuck in their old mindsets. We, the people seem to have leaped forward but they are still trying to wrap their heads around this new world; poor dears.
For example, the Opposition leader in Selangor; after days of petulant silence he comes out with this grand plan to watch the new state government with beady eagle eyes.
They are going to register the old folks and the young ones and make sure they all get what the ex-Opposition promised them (healthcare and child care respectively). Well, good on you Khir!
I always said a strong opposition is what we need.
But, a word of advice to the handsome ex-Mentri Besar.
Accusing the new state government of being likely to be racially insensitive is rather rich coming from you.
If I am not mistaken, and I am not, some of the most publicised temple destruction that caused such anger and uproar in the Hindu community, and which was one of the impetuses to the heavy setback suffered by the Barisan, happened in Selangor; when you were in charge.
Besides, Khalid and co have not even managed to settle in their new offices. It’s going to take some time to clean up all those shredded documents.
Give them a while to settle in before you threaten to “take action.”
Meanwhile in Penang, Lim Guan Eng had barely sat down when he had to jump up again and put out a fire that is the NEP.
I watched the interview he gave on the NEP and he said that he wanted to weed out the corrupt, inefficient and wasteful aspects of the policy.
Nothing was said about marginalising the poor, of whatever race. Surely this is a good thing. Surely the NEP was meant to help the poor and not meant to be corrupt, inefficient and wasteful.
The NEP’s time is over. For the Malay professional classes, they should be able to stand on their own feet, and if they can’t, then they should not be in that position in the first place.
For the Malay poor, and there are many of them, making up as they do the vast majority of low income families, it would appear that a new approach is needed.
If a policy has been implemented for nearly 40 years and the main group it is aiming to help is still in the same position, it is high time to look at new policies.
The trouble with the NEP and the way it has been enforced is that it promotes Malay interest over national interest. Let’s take a look at public institutions for example; Malay people staff them overwhelmingly.
This is because non-Malays feel they don’t have a fair shot at promotions in the civil service. A worry that is quite valid.
We are too small a nation to shut out talent based on race. The country has to be run by the best people or we will all suffer and the Malay supremacists will then be the supreme masters of rubble.
Obviously not all Malays feel like me. Some were so angry at Guan Eng’s misquoted statement that they have taken to the streets of Penang and Shah Alam. I think this is super.
A democracy needs dissent as long as it is peaceful. The sight of Umno members thronging around Komtar warmed the cockles of my heart.
Umno members have shown the Barisan government that protesting really is part of our culture.
They made a mistake condemning the Bersih and Hindraf rallies. Malaysians do take to the streets when they want to express their feelings.
The country is on the cusp of a new type of politics. It is perhaps no accident that amongst the Opposition in Parliament, the one with the largest number of seats is a multi-racial party that calls for a non-racial method of affirmative action.
And the other two Opposition parties, although more mono racial in their make up are also making similar overtures.
It is odd therefore that the response to the election results by the Barisan component parties has been to reinforce the racial based policies and politics that a very large proportion of the citizens appear to have rejected.
It is also odd to see the old warhorses of the Opposition act like they are still in the Opposition. People, you are in charge of five states now. This is the time to act like statesmen and not like rabble-rousers.
Yes, there is a degree of uncertainty in our country after the elections, but at the end of the day we are going to need to give it some time before we press the panic button; time to see how the new state governments work; time to see how the Barisan reacts; and time most of all to let the old dinosaurs rant and rave using the language of race until they come to the realisation that for the future to be bright, outdated and outmoded politics must be discarded.
The country needs time to settle, let’s just hope the politicians do not take too long in doing so.

> Dr Azmi Sharom is a law teacher. The views expressed here are entirely his own.

badawi condemns umno street protests. (will he?)

full text here

full text here

people will flock back to us

The esteemed YB Muhyiddin Yassin has a simple answer on how to bring back the support to his party. Read it here .

Sadly, I believe he has yet to come out of his cocoon to realise that the RAKYAT is smarter now.

malaysia decides but some still can't accept ?

bitterly dissapointed

Two well respected figures in a northern & central region had a great oppurtunity to make a decision that would have shattered the racial divide theory, right from the top of the apex, but alas they also took the path that implies one race is indeed superior to the other.

One of them is a well read scholar has been renowned to talk about integration & unity and all functions that he attends to. The other didnt even bother to give the "good news" himself, rather asked a spokesman to do it.

Bitterly dissapointed.

remember this guy ?

The only word that this Zainuddin Maidin frequently shouted during his short lived tenure as Information Minister was the same one that the rakyat had in mind when they voted him out.

BAN

First

My first foray into the world of blogging....