What is 'Ketuanan Melayu'?

Lately, a lot has been said about Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy). Albeit all these 'discussions' on the subject, I have yet to comprehend the concept. Are Malays born Superior? Are there different statuses of human beings? Who was the first to coin this concept? Right now 1001 questions linger in my mind and none of them has what I would call an appropriate answer.

Therefore I invite all of you, whether you are the proponent or the opponent of this controversial concept, to share your opinions at the comment section. Any facts or opinion regarding the issue are welcomed. Hopefully, with the input that you gave me, I will arrive at an informed conclusion and will be able to blog my stand on the matter.

Meanwhile, I'll be going overseas in an attempt to stimulate the world economy for 10 days :)

Keep it coming, I will post my reply when I reach home.

Road to 16 Sept

Expressing as such only strengthens the notion and giving the perception that even the government doesn’t have faith in our legal system.

Some dismiss it as a baseless rumour 'to create uncertainty in this country' while some affirmed that everything is going according to plan and the plan will materialise as the right time comes (may not be exactly 16 Sept after all). As we get closer to the D-day itself, Malaysians are watching from the sidelines as the politicians from both sides show off their theatrics. First, the cat and mouse chase to Taiwan. Now, the crackdown on activists.

For one 'baseless rumour', the government sure are going to great lengths to thwart it. Even though this motive was denied, who are they to kid us? The desperation of the BN government is as vivid as an ink stain on a white shirt. It just can't be washed off with the water of denial. With the anticipated day looming, the BN should start to admit that that the threats are real and seriously begin their much talked about reform.

Yes, reform. The word that has been frequently used since BN suffered their most embarrassing defeat in the 8th March general election. Ironically, all their proposed efforts of reforming be it through more freedom of expression or transparency and rule of law have gone down the drain with the recent ISA blitz of prominent blogger-Raja Petra Kamarudin, MP-Teresa Kok and a reporter- Tan Hoon Cheng (which was released 20hrs after her arrest due to immense public pressure).

The excuse of using this draconian law in favour of our national security is preposterous. Expressing as such only strengthens the notion and giving the perception that even the government doesn’t have faith in our legal system. And in politics, perception is everything. If the government has no confidence in the judicial process, how could we, the less significant, place our confidence in the similar process?

Perhaps it is true; things will get a whole lot worse before it can get any better. To borrow a quote from the movie The Dark Night, “The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.” Whether the dawn is on the 16th or any other date is another matter. It’s coming.

P.S. My friends ask me if I support the crossovers. I can only answer, "Let them (politicians) do whatever they want. When they are really ready to govern, then you tell me." -NHF

Related posts:

Roadblocks Anyone?
Of Murder and Sodomy
Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things

Top Ten: Signs You Are Approaching a By-election

10. Some groups take to the streets to protest against a concert by a foreign artist.

9. Certain group of supporters launch an event “Beat The Journalist”

8. Muslims spend a lot more time at the mosques, for the ceramah and free praying mat.

7. Every eligible voter is RM300 richer.

6. Bus tickets to the constituency are sold out.

5. Petrol price decreased a few days before.

4. The MB announces that there will be a public holiday for the state.

3. Somebody got sodomized.

2. No ‘real’ news in the newspaper.

1. Someone with the name ‘Arif Shah’ or ‘Anwar’ knocks on you front door.

Check out other Top Tens

Chopping down the cherry tree - M'sian political version

By Vijay Kumar Murugavell

I remember a story told to me by my late father regarding telling the truth and facing the consequences. It has been a story told by many a father to his offspring.I am of the conviction that the truth is not always a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and many of us miss the point when it comes to taking decisive action. Legend has it that George Washington, America's first president, chopped down a cherry tree in his youth. The story goes that George gives the tree a good swing and chops it down with an axe. His father sees the damaged tree and asks his son if he knows who did the deed. George is quoted bravely admitting the truth:‘I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my axe.’

Below is a satire of how some Malaysian politicians circa 2008 may have reacted to the question:

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - ‘I did not cut down the tree , I was just taking a nap underneath it.’

Najib Razak - ‘I swear that I have never MET that tree.’

Hishamuddin Hussein Onn- ‘...but I only own a keris ,not axe, how to cut down the tree?’

Dr Mahathir Mohamd - ‘Apa nama cherry tree, yes, I chopped it down because, I don't like the idea of Pak lah sleeping under it.’

Chua Soi Lek - ‘Yes it was me, I resign as caretaker of this orchard.’

VK Lingam - ‘It could be me, it might have been me but I don't think its me.’

Anwar Ibrahim - ‘I did NOT do it, and I am not giving any DNA sample for you to plant on the axe handle.’

Mohd Khir Toyo - ‘The new state government should just trim the grass and not waste time asking who cut the tree.’

Ahmad Said (Terengganu MB) - ‘I chopped it because cherry trees are more expensive to maintain than durian trees.’

Azalina Othman - ‘The cherry tree is not included under my tourism MOU so I cut it down and besides there were unauthorised signboards put up around the tree.’

Shabery Cheek - ‘I challenge you to a debate on tree cutting.’

S Samy Velu - ‘I chopped it because Hindraf members were using it as a meeting point.

Wira Ali Rustam - ‘We have planted durian trees for 50 years and we will plant them for another 50 years, we do not need cheery trees, apple trees , pear trees and all these other foreign trees.’

Rais Yatim - ‘You must see the bigger picture, Ahmad said cherry trees are expensive to maintain, Ali Rustam said that are against our national identity and I needed to test my new axe, so you see, it is a WIN-WIN situation all around.’

Sharir Samad - ‘I cut the tree because we could no longer afford to subsidise it.’

Karpal Singh - ‘The bigfoot creature did it.’

Bung Mokhtar - ‘The big monkey did it’

Pandikar Amin Mulia - ‘There is nothing in the standing orders against chopping cherry treesKinabatangan duduk, Bukit Gelugor duduk .

Khairy Jamaluddin - I did not do it, neither did the Mat Rempits. By the way, what's a cherry tree?’

Lim Kit Siang - ‘Cherry tree also you don't know, you are an insult to Oxford!’

Nazri Abdul Aziz - ‘Racist, racist, racist! When we cut down durian trees nobody made a fuss. Now...’

Malaysian Citizens - ‘Oh for heavens sake! Somebody plant something before we all starve to death!’

Related posts:

Laugh Out Loud
Top Ten: Police Quotes

Expired DNA

Excerpts from Malaysian Insider:

Putrajaya, July 18 — Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi joined the chorus of
ministers and government officials urging Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to give a sample for a DNA test and prove his innocence.
“If he insists that he is not involved, he should give the sample now and we will see the results as proof,” said the Prime Minister. He noted that police want to complete their investigations as soon as possible but was unable to do so because of Anwar's unwillingness to give a blood sample for a DNA test.The opposition leader has refused to entertain any request for blood samples, saying that he believed that the police would fabricate evidence against. Instead, he suggested that police rely on DNA which was extracted during the investigations into sodomy charges ten years ago.But Abdullah said:
“The DNA sample the authorities have is too old, so they need a new sample, what is wrong in giving?” Speaking to reporters today, he also dismissed talk that the accusation by a former aide against Anwar was part of a political conspiracy. But he conceded that he could not stop the international media from floating the idea of a conspiracy.“Actually what they are accusing us of is not right at all,” he said, adding that he had given his assurance to Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and its vice-president Azmin Ali that the investigation would be conducted professionally.“I can give the
assurance. Even his wife met me for a guarantee that a repeat of the earlier
‘black eye incident’ would not happen.

YB Azmin asked for an assurance and I said he (Anwar) will be safe and that we will investigate according to the provisions of the law,” he said.Meanwhile in Kota Baru, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat criticised the media for going overboard in their coverage of the sodomy allegations against Anwar. He was upset with the wall to wall coverage
in newspapers and wanted to know why his arrest was front page news but his
release was relegated to the inside pages.“Why must the media take pride in shaming him? Anwar is a human being and not an angel or devil. He is a Malay Muslim so I ask why must there be a concerted effort to shame him in the front pages of the media,” he said in his weekly sermon here Friday.

It seems that our beloved PM has little knowledge when it comes to medical related stuff. DNA samples becoming obsolete? Do we really need the sample whereas the pattern of his DNA should already be within the Police's database? Can we conclude that maybe the previous sample is no longer in their possession? Poured on some mattress maybe?

When it comes to explaining the scientific procedures, I would prefer some expert to do the talking. Not someone who listens halfway and sleeps halfway into the explanation. If I didn't know any better I would mistakenly interpret Pak Lah's statement as follow:

"The DNA has expired, we have long exceed its expiry date, there are also concerns that the DNA could have changed (evolution) over the years"

But thank god he didn't really say that. Where would he hide his face?

Flip Flop Plunder

When he said its another two years of reign
It drove into my spine a sharp piercing pain
But its sure worse for the idiot in-waiting
Not to mention Imelda the wife, the queen of shopping

Now that PKR and friends are deep into the game
Not witch hunting but digging their dirt all the same
With Altantuya, the jet and submarine scandals
Nothing the two could do with such a hefty load to handle

What about the punks in Umno who are out for the post
Or those in the know who want covered dirt exposed
Even Pak Lah the flip flop may want him chopped
Like a slow released time bomb waiting to be dropped

Would the nation again believe the same poor liwat script?
With the faggot P.A. getting his behind whipped?
For he could just kick Anwar's 'forefront'
If Anwar really did, and he did'nt really want

The stupid moron must really be a sick spent homo
For he could have advanced but Anwar said No
If it worked, he could've enjoyed a two-in-one hole
One for the script writer, and the other for his gayish soul

Hey is it really that easy to see that 'mighty menteri'?
Just pop in, knock the door for he is ever ready?
Or go to his villa, peep by the gate and you are welcome
As his palace is an open hose;not just for some

Come on dude we're not stupid nor dumb
Even a standard one kid wink an eye to his mom
Upon hearing the news he asked, do they think we are Forrest Gump?
To believe the plot from those unholy scums?

For as long as UMNO Malays keep bowing to any idiot with clout
Always say yes to the boss but at the back cursing him loud
Like the loony Malacca son of Rustam or the progeny of Toyo
That keep only the UMNO Malays dumber with their political yo yo

Whosoever voice out, they brand as power crazy opposition
Fearing their status quo lost, no more chance to rip the nation
For fifty long years they kept promising and pledging
Supposedly fighting for the poor but only their bellies kept bulging

Oh the number 1 was ever so humbly, honest and Godly at the start
Being the imam for prayers and reading religious poetry to win people's heart
As if those were not enough to impress, he boasted Mr Clean ad invented Hadari
But people got depressed as he got more dirty increasing wealth for his family

He cheated election, bribed voters and made the Police and Judiciary tools
To conveniently contrive, manipulate, and made us fools
Forgetting all the promises, pledges and pleading when he needed support
Turning deaf ears, and perennially day-sleep even in court

Enough is enough of UMNO's bulls and fakeries
It's high time we kick their behinds and draw the boundaries
Wipe off theses political maggots and let Malaysia be clean
The future of our children and motherland is not for spin

By Ibn Sheikh Kabeer

Related Posts:

Chopping down the cherry tree - M'sian political version
Why did the chicken cross the road?

Of Murder and Sodomy

If the accusation is in line with the government then it's fact. If it's not then it's just slander.

The recent developments of Malaysian politics just do not augur well for Najib and Anwar. Believe me, they won't hesitate to use any dirt that have acquired to their own benefits. Prior to this, The PM, Abdullah Badawi and the former PM, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed had brought their feud to the public. It started a few years after Abdullah succession, and is still ongoing reaching its climax when Dr. M decided to quit UMNO (baru).

With round 1 ending up in a draw, as neither is yet to quit, the nation's attention is now fixed on round round 2. The Deputy PM, Najb Abd Razak vs the former Deputy PM, Anwar Ibrahim. If this turns out to be another draw, then there better be a round 3 or how on earth are we going to determine whether the winner would be from team current or team former.

To those who are keeping scores, lets do a recap. The first strike was from Anwar's side as Raja Petra made a Statutory Declaration (SD) implicating Najib's wife, Rosmah Mansor at the crime scene with 2 other individuals. Then Najib countered it with allegations of sodomy against Anwar. While he denied in having any part in this, the subsequent revelation which reveals that he met the accuser before is enough proof that he is playing with the strings and calling the shots. Anwar strikes again with another SD but now it is from Razak Baginda's private investigator, P. Balasubramaniam which infers that Najib might have know Altantuya after all and more than in a friendly manner. The next point goes to Najib as Bala 'conveniently' retracted his SD made about Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s alleged involvement with Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

However, the last point might not go to Najib because Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. said that the statutory declaration made by private investigator P. Balasubramaniam linking Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak with Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, cannot be withdrawn. It is also significant to note that some interested party had 'interfered' with the case causing Bala to come up with a second SD. He said he compelled to affirm the said(first) statutory declaration under duress. Nevertheless, it may be logical to say that his retraction was made under duress.

In response to this whole saga Najib confidently stated that Malaysian politics was degenerating to a level of being dirty with the opposition using slander and statutory declaration to achieve their political objectives. By saying this on the other hand affirms he is also playing dirty. Why wouldn't he? Did he not resort to slander to achieve his political objectives? In this case eliminating Anwar from the equation.

Before we go further in discussing whether did he or did he not let's define slander. Slander: Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation. The key word here is false. And how do we determine whether it is false or not? By conducting a fair trial of course. And then and only then would we really know if it's slander or just a fact. Until proven otherwise an accusation should be treated as that, there should be no instances of the Attorney General charging a accuser for false accusation just to cover the behind of someone. Unfortunately, our understanding about rumours and slander are different. If the accusation is in line with the government then it's fact. If it's not then it's just slander.

As before, Najib denied that he ever known or met Altantuya. In retrospect, guess what the 'wise' and 'sage'-like PM said when Anwar denied the sodomy allegation. "The accused will normally deny the allegation,". So it would be normal for Najib and Anwar to deny the allegations as they are the accused. Denials=Accused. Give two thumbs up for the sage for coming up with such remarkable concept.

It will be long before we see the end of this and it's not for us decide on their verdict. It incumbent on our judicial system to heave the burden of proving itself worthy. In the mean time, it would be a delight for the politicians to stop politicking and focus on us instead. A word of advice to politicians regarding statements "whatever you say, can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion". -NHF

Life is now more intersting than any soap opera.

Royal Pain

There are so many things happening in Malaysia's political scene presently that if I were to choose a few simple words to describe it, I would say that "it is anything but dull".

With these circumstances, it's no surprise that political analysts or commentators are most likely to be employed and post 8th of March election, we saw quite a few more blossoming unofficially, including me I guess. Discussions in Kopitiams and Mamaks are as heated as ever. Speculations after speculations have been made but nothing is really certain, yet. Like I said, even a layman could now become a political analyst and speculate Malaysia’s political course albeit with his own unique interpretation.

Saving this matter for later let us move on to another issue. One of the most contentious news this week is regarding Karpal Sigh’s statement which is considered insulting to the Rulers and Islam. This issue comes about when Karpal allegedly questioned the power of the Sultan of Perak over a transfer of a civil servant. Now, let me make things clear by saying that I will not be analysing the legality of his actions and to those who seek just that, pardon me for disappointing you .What I am trying to analyse here is the reaction of the people (political analyst) towards his statement.

In about a few days, 19 police reports was made alleging Karpal to be seditious. Some go to the extent labelling Karpal’s action as tantamount to being disrespectful to Islam. Is it just me or all this seems a tad too dramatic. We never really did bother to lodge any police report when our neighbors’ house got robbed. We never bothered to report the corruption and the abuse of power occurring right in front of our eyes. And yet a meagre statement could somehow attract 19 different police reports against it. In retaliation someone from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lodgeed a report (only one) against Pak Lah under the Sedition act due to his comment towards YDP Agong’s action of appointing his own choice of MB, - “the appointment of anyone other than Idris (as Terengganu’s MB) is unconstitutional and invalid”.

It is clear that both parties here are playing the same game and we as the spectators only hope that justice will prevail. Charge Karpal for Sedition and you just have to subject the PM under the same charges. Isn’t that how justice should work? No one is above the law as Pak Lah always says. If that is the case, then we have to look a little further back into our history books. Recently it was the appointment of MB’s of Perlis and Terengganu. Before that there was Muhd Taib’s ‘conflict’ with the Selangor’s Sultan, the government reducing the power of the Rulers and most importantly the Constitutional Crisis. If we were to dig all this and scrutinise bit by bit, a lot of UMNO members would inevitably be charged with sedition. Even Dr. M would have to worry about a new case in his hands. This would then come under the Sedition Act that categorised “bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government” as having seditious tendency.

On the other hand, I’m no lawyer. You can do a little research yourselves or seek legal advice to confirm that one. Revisiting the first matter on speculations and the likes, it seems that Malaysians, and I do mean ordinary Malaysians like you and I, have a knack for them. When something new surfaces we examine it thoroughly and base on the information available, we arrive at a particular speculation. Until it is definite, it will merely remain as one. While speculations are sometimes harmful to the economy, i.e. 1997 currency crisis, it can also do a great deal of damage to the political stability, either for a certain party or the country as a whole. This is regularly so when political advisors give counsel to the MP’s based on a knee jerk reaction towards sheer speculations.

One clear example is the ongoing news about the crossovers of MP’s from BN to PR. We can see that BN MP’s are now dancing with PR’s tunes by giving unnecessary remarks and comments about the crossovers. It is more disappointing when an entire parliamentary session was focused on the same issue. It seems that they are too engrossed in this speculation and forgot about other important things to discuss about. It does not do to dwell on speculation and forget to live. As a so-called ‘political analyst’ I would say that BN could act proactive by starting to treat their MP’s fairly without discriminating them. Try to win their hearts instead of condemning the act of crossing over because that will not deter anyone from executing their initial intention. To PR, I hope that whatever your next move is, it will be for the sake of the greater good. The earlier the speculation ends (read: confirmed) the earlier our MP’s could get back to work.

To top it up, I reiterate that in Malaysia, there is no such thing as too many political analysts. There is, however, such thing as too many political advisors. In which case one of them might get entangled in a high profile murder involving a foreign model. - NHF

Blogger Opts For Jail Over Bail

This month will surely not be the ever popular merry month of May, but it is a month that will be remembered nevertheless.

Just a week into May, following World Press Freedom Day, we witness the first blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), to be charged under the Sedition Act, after he allegedly posted a 'seditious' article titled "Let’s send the Altantutya murderers to hell" on his website Malaysia Today. The article implicated Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

This and all other information are certainly available in the Mainstream Media or the Alternative Media. Therefore, I would not waste my time narrating each sequence of the events but would only offer you my critical take on it. By saying critical I mean the-one-who-does-not-take-the-government-seriously kind of take.

Before we go any further, it would be crucial for us to get to know the accused a little more. He started writing since his blog started its operation in August 2004. His writing style is often very witty, humorous and straight to the point. In addition, in his most recent post he admitted that if his articles were to be scrutinised, most article could fall under the government's category of seditious.

Hence, arise the question of why now? After almost four years of operation and god knows how many articles posted, why does this particular article that brought Raja Petra to court under the charge of sedition instead of the ones before. Why only after the Barisan Nasional suffer it's biggest defeat in history do the authorities launch their crackdown on 'seditious' bloggers.

Consequently, this merely strengthens my conviction that this entire saga is orchestrated by the powers that be to intimidate free speaking individuals and serve as a lesson to others that fall in the same league. I have to agree 100% with Lim Kit Siang's (DAP) take on this event.

"They (Najib and Rosmah) reserve the right to clear their names through the laws. So why have they used the government facilities to take action against Raja Petra Kamaruddin? This is the abuse of powers. There are other channels for the deputy prime minister and his family to take action against Raja Petra - to use civil action and litigation," he said.

Yes, this is a blatant abuse of powers and if anyone says otherwise, it's time for you to get your eyes, ears and everything checked. On the other hand, this is a perfect time to test the two most important institutions with regards to justice; the Judiciary and the police institution. Are they really independent as professed by the government time and again?

Officially keeping the score, I have to say that the police has been compromised, based on the whole "I take orders from above" incident of course. The Judiciary has yet to be evaluated and I'll be waiting eagerly for the moment to come in October. As for the implications and motives for this saga, I would say that there is more to it than meets the eye.

From the government's point of view, if we take on this maverick, we will make him pay for making us look like losers in the eyes of the people. If he goes down, Malaysia Today will go down with him(how wrong were they). An added bonus, bloggers will be more careful (read: scared) in posting comments critical to the establishment. Finally we will have order.

From RPK's point of view, this the most appropriate time to engage the government and bring down the scumbags in them. It is an opportunity to direct the public and government's back towards the dragging and bound to be forgotten Altantuya murder trial. Additionally, attracting local and foreign media attention towards atrocities done by the establishment.

As we can see, both sides have their own plans but as always man proposes God disposes. For now let us be patient and let fate take its own due course, the truth shall unravel inevitably. Either this will be a beginning of another form of Operation Lalang or the significant beginning of a war against the unjust.-NHF

Blog: Raja Petra Kamarudin

To those who missed it, this was aired on RTM on 27th of April 2008

Raja Petra Kamarudin - RTM Interview 27 April 08 Part 1/3

Raja Petra Kamarudin - RTM Interview 27 April 08 Part 2/3

Raja Petra Kamarudin - RTM Interview 27 April 08 Part 3/3

Yes, you didn't read me wrong. It was aired on RTM. Very unlikely you say? Apparently it was part of the new Minister of Information's plan to recognise bloggers as an important force in the community. Now, every Sunday there will be a 20 min programme featuring a blogger who will then shed some light to some issues asked by the host. Guess the name of the show, it's Blog. Simple as that.

It seems that this programme has aired it's first episode a week ago featuring A Kadir Jasin. And for its second episode it decided, what the heck, lets invite Raja Petra and grill him on air. This will teach him a thing or two about messing with the government, so they thought. It turns out that Raja Petra was the one grilling the host, asking questions in response to the accusations and silly questions that the host has asked.

You can see somehow that he got caught in his own trap that was specifically designed and set up for Raja Petra. I bet that more than his pride was lost that night, his manhood too was stripped off him after the interview ended. He can be described as a rookie ringmaster taming the brave lion.

Enough about the host, lets focus on the show itself. I look at this programme from various different perspective. First, it's a move from the government to make peace with bloggers. Second, they want to put words in bloggers mouth, e.g. admiting that the government is now open and fair, like what they disastrously did to Raja Petra. Or finally, they just want to give us quality entertainment (Grill the Host) and increase the ratings of RTM.

Here is the link to the debut of this show:

Blog (RTM1) - Datuk A Kadir Jasin Part 1 of 4

Blog (RTM1) - Datuk A Kadir Jasin Part 2 of 4

Blog (RTM1) - Datuk A Kadir Jasin Part 3 of 4

Blog (RTM1) - Datuk A Kadir Jasin Part 4 of 4

A point to ponder

Last Wednesday, I got the chance to attend a political talk with my friend Rozairee. The topic of the talk was 'New Political Landscape: Challenges of the future'. The speakers were from PKR, Pas, and UMNO (Their names would not be shown due to certain purposes) . The talk or should I say forum was conducted in such a manner that the organisers has arranged the speakers to talk in order of PKR and Pas taking the offensive stance and the poor guy UMNO would go last taking the defensive stance. Inadvertently, this arrangement showed how far sighted the organisers were in ensuring that the audience would get a pretty much heated debate. Kudos to the organisers in respect to that.

However, even their far sighted arrangements couldn't provoke the speakers to wage an all out war and throw chairs at one another as they discussed each issue maturely and the tension in the room is almost nil. All that could be felt is the excitement as each and every one of them humorously ridiculed one another and surprisingly themselves. They were given 20-30 mins each and were followed by Q&A. Unfortunately, I had to leave early(11.20) as I had class the next morning. With this, I bring to you the summary of the talk and my own take of it.


PKR:

Introduced the concept of Old Politics vs New Media. Old Politics is when the government uses any means at its disposal to achieve its goals i.e. control on media, regulations and etc. New Media however is the emergence of alternative medias due to the partial stance taken by the so-called Mainstream Media i.e. blogs. He stressed, although old politics may be effective previously, with the presence of new media, it will become irrelevant. If a certain group is reluctant to change its ways, in other words stick to the method of old politics, it will definitely ends up like the Barisan Nasional in the recent general election. Malaysia is heading towards a dual party system.

Pas:

Described himself as party member who prefers working in the background rather than in the limelight, he showed to us what Pas is really all about. If you think that they are Islamist radicals who wear rolls of cloths as turbans and would do anything to form an Islamic Government while in the process alienate non-Muslims, then, sorry to say that you are absolutely wrong. He enlightened us that the Islamic State concept upholds freedom of speech, right of every human being and would be non discriminatory. Most of us fear this concept because we take the form(Islam State) over substance(good governance). Whereas the substance is the most important thing.

UMNO:

He admits that there are wrongdoings in UMNO in fact in his own division. Regarding the result of the general election, he stood by the notion like others in his league that the voters voted against Barisan Nasional(BN) and not for Pakatan Rakyat(PR). Although UMNO may be corrupted and perceived as irrelevant, he emphasised that UMNO is still relevant and crucial if there is to be a two party system. He will try with others that share his view to reform UMNO from the inside and assured all that UMNO will be here for the 50 years to come.


R.Iskandar:

This forum shows that individuals from different parties could sit down together and find a common ground for the benefit of the people. I call on those politicians in power out there to heed their colleagues here. The time for campaigning is over. It is now time to work together, not the time to sabotage one another. The federal government should give the 5 PR-led states the same treatment as the other states. Don't punish them because they deem you unfit of managing their states.

Court of a different kind

If we are talking about courts, the first thing that would cross our minds could be the judiciary system, the rot in the judiciary, or even the now-famous V.K. Lingam. Usually, courts would be associated with either seriousness, guilt or sadness. Though sometimes funny things do happen to lighten things up, there only a handful of them and purely accidental. Along came Comedy Court to change the stigma. No, its not the court for comedians to face trial. The 'Court' is short for courtiers, hence the full name would be Comedy Courtiers. Consists of two very intelligent entertainers,Allan Perera and Indi Nadarajah, they embark on a journey to charm and woo the hearts of their audiences with their wit. Thanks to their creative efforts , courts could now be an epitome of satire, joy and laughter. Here is one for you.





Transcript (for those who can't quite understand):

Court : Court Banguunnn!!!

Judge : Anda boleh mula Encik Loganathan..

Loganathan : Yang Bertinggi (Your Highness).. Saya mahu buat ini permohonan untuk cakap dalam bahasa English.. yang ariff..

Judge : Cuba jalankan kes kamu dalam Bahasa Malaysia dulu!

Loganathan : Err..baik yang arif.. Saya si Loganathan bagi pihak pemohon dan ini teman pundeyman saya..

Duraisingham : Saya..saya..Saya punya tuhan (My Lord) Apa macam dia kata sama saya pundaman..??

Loganathan : Mana saya ada cakap!!

Duraisingham : Dia cakap saya pundaman.. Ini si Loganathan, dia dia punya mulut manyak busuk.. Dia tadak kasi sama saya, apa mahu kata saya perkatakan.. Hah! dia tarak kasi sama saya.. 'Firstly nasi dan courtesy kanasi'..

Loganathan : Yang arif, mana saya tidak memprofessionalkan mencourtesy-kanasikan..sikim..
Saya cakap teman Budiman.. Kerana Encik Duraisingham tak tahu apakah dia meaning-kemeaningan.. Tolong cakap ini Duraisingham untuk memdictionarykan apakah dia meaning-meaning ayat.. Jangan menshoutkan sebiji seorang Idiot dinasikan.. Walaubagaimanapun yang arif, saya akan carry-on tuan.. Yang ariff, ini.. Yang arif adalah satu.. 'How the hell do you say..?' Ini adalah satu Jamban..yang ..err.. Ini Jamban ..'Bring a motion' tuan..

Duraisingham : Saya punya Tuhan (My Lord)
Dia cakap, saya itu itu punya jam saya tada cakap itu Bahasa Melayu.. Tapi tengok saya punya saya punya pasal, dia saya ingat dia yang tak tahu cakap ini Bahasa Melayu..

Loganathan : Kalau tahu apa ..??

Duraisingham : Saya cakap sama ini lu..lu kata pigi Jamban.. Itu tada butul, perkataan yang patut ialah 'Pigi Tandas!'

Loganathan : My Lord..Pigi tandas!!!

Judge : Gentleman, gentlemen, before the court interpreted 'Die from Shock' or before I have to hold you for contempt of the National Language.. Please do us all a favour and continue in English...!!

Duraisingham : Very Good Judgement my Lord!

*****************

The best part of this group is that they are not only confined to courtroom humour. Their works range from press conferences to chit chatting at the Spa. Satiring Malaysian lifestyle that we are too familiar of especially politics. Apart from that, they have improvised a few songs with vocalists that could beat the Akademi Fantasia participants hands down. For more of details, you can visit their website or better still watch their videos on YouTube.

Top Ten: Ways to be a 'Great' politician

This is the third Top Ten of the series. To check out previous ones, click on the label-Top Ten. This week, we are going to ponder on ways to be a 'great' politician (note the inverted commas). Ways to ascend the political ladder faster than KJ and keeping you in office longer than Samy Vellu.

10. Divert the real question.
How many times have you read or heard interviews where the interviewer will ask "What is Y.B.'s opinion about......." and the politician will give a totally out of the topic answer? Every time right? Keep the people away from the problems that you cant solve and make them focus on the one that you can or you think you can.Try doing that and you will climb the political hierarchy in no time.

9. Accept and distribute gifts.
Accept holidays, shares or maybe a new car from businessmen and give them contracts, projects and land in return. Focus on your negotiating skills and learn how to bargain. After a few years you will get your income without any effort and you could cover things up by doing charity work e.g. inviting people to your 'palace' for a game of bowling give money at every open house (good investment)

8. Have a good relationship with celebrities
like Mawi or the recently famous Malaysian Astronaut, Dr. Sheikh Muzafar Shukor. Bring them to your campaign. Make them talk nice things about you and your party. Launch their albums or books. Turn them into the party's icon. Most importantly don't forget to give them their 'souvenirs' while you are at it.

7. Deliver long speeches
but with little or no points at all. Keep rambling for hours and hours. The longer you talk the better they think your oratory skills are. One of the PM once did this. The next day, the headlines of the newspaper was 'PM berucap 5 jam tanpa teks (PM gave a speech for 5 hours without a text)' . Good publicity, isn't it?

6. Invent a new word
or a new term. This is another way to ascend the political ladder swiftly. Many have done it and many have succeeded . The people will never forget you as long as the word is being used regularly. Hence, we can assume that the more words that you create, the more your popularity rates are. e.g. the word glocal for 'global but local' (Najib), kesinambungan for continuation (Anwar), dara for blood, dada for drugs (Samy Vellu).

5. Able to do damage control.
Especially if you get caught in a sex scandal like the previous Health Minister. Keep cool and say "It's me in the video but I didn't make the video"

4. 'Yes man' goes a long way.
Say what your superiors want to hear. Support them unconditionally. Criticise their detractors. Rally behind them and show your support. If all goes well, you will smell the promotion that is waiting for you at the end of the road. But if they lose, its time to shift allegiance.

3. Issue contradictory statements.
Lets just say that there were times when you were on the present bos' bad side, for example you wrote a thesis criticising their administration. It is time to make a complete U-turn. distance yourself from your thesis by saying that its just an academic practice and you are now 100% behind his leadership. Hey, even politicians are allowed to change their minds.

2. Make a good comeback.
A life of a politician have its ups and downs. When you are at the most bottom never ever think of resigning.This is an opportunity for you to make a comeback, Remember, quitting politics means foregoing the chance to make easy money, it is a fight worth fighting for. One of the most famous comeback revolves around a politician who had been charged of money trafficking to Australia. He tendered his resignation as MB and head of the Selangor's UMNO. But stayed on until the time is right to pounce back.His excuse of 'I don't understand English' and some fortunate 'investments' apparently saved himself from further investigation. Now, he is a minister and the head of Selangor's UMNO once again.

1. Tell lies directly in your supporters face.
One example that I can highlight is that you tell the people that you wont dissolve the Parliament tomorrow but next day, you announce the dissolution of the Parliament. Do this and without a doubt you will be the 'most respectable' politician in the world. Con men from all over will come to you and learn from the master himself.

Bloggers are individuals

I am writing this as a reply of 'NST: Bloggers must be fair, (30th March 2008)'.

The Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin's challenge to blogger to face the truth by posting the governments comments instead of giving one sided commentaries shows how little he knows about blogging.

I, myself as a blogger find that blogging is not merely about reporting of an issue but more towards commenting on one. It is actually an avenue for individuals to express their views and opinion on certain subjects that they hold dear to their hearts, be it political or just personal. In other words, we are columnists in our own space, writing base on the information that we get from the Medias.

With the exception of Malaysiakini, Malaysia Today and other similar kinds, most of the blogs reflect the sentiment of the individuals who wrote it. For all that I know everyday or every other day a new blog or blogger will appear. These are individuals with ideas who are not afraid to diseminate them. As a result, the authorities will find it difficult to keep them in check.

Therefore I could say that such issue of bloggers do not give fair coverage does not arise as they are only writing with their hearts just like what the Minister of Information pointed out in his Interview on the same day.

I implore Datuk Seri to use reason and stop blaming bloggers for BN’s loss. It is better for him to concentrate on rebuilding and restructuring the party through soul-searching. Better still, why don’t you write a blog of your own and get a taste of it.

(as in NST 2008/04/04)

Demonstration IS Malaysian culture.

They used to say that demonstration is not the way to do it. But now they are the ones who are crowding the streets.


Don’t appoint deputy, protesters urge Selangor MB
by TheStar

Don’t appoint deputy, protesters urge Selangor MB
SHAH ALAM: Several hundred supporters from 12 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) held a peaceful demonstration at Dataran Shah Alam here yesterday asking Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim not to appoint a Deputy Mentri Besar.
The group asked Khalid not to even consider a non-Malay for the number two post, and to maintain the previous number of Malay executive councillors in the state.
The crowd, led by Selangor Umno Youth chief Abdul Shukur Idrus, also hit out at DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang for calling for a boycott of the swearing-in of the executive council in Perak because the act was disrespectful towards the Sultans who were highly respected by the Malays.
Lim later made a public apology over the statement.

Abdul Shukur also said that PKR and DAP had been disrespectful and insensitive towards the Malays when they supported the move to abolish the New Economic Policy which had benefited both the Malays and other races.
The demonstration, which started just after 4pm, ended less than 30 minutes later due to a heavy downpour.

Take a Break

On a less serious note, lets see what the cabinet members were doing before the most humiliating election for BN ever.


Pak Lah: This is the last meeting we are going to have before I make my decision on who our candidates are. First of all, I would like to thank Keng Yaik and Affendi for voluntarily backing out. You are truly gentlemen. Anyone else wants to back out? Think of the party, not of yourself.

Najib: I think Samy should back out la.

Samy: Apa pasai? Why you think I should back out? Why not you?

Najib: You are a liability to MIC and BN la Samy, accept it la.

Samy: What do you mean liability? Give me proof?

Hisham: Ayo Samy, our intelligence report say, we will lose almost 100% of Indian votes if you still lead MIC. If you get lost, maybe we can bring it down to 60%.

Samy: Pakla, don't listen to this two young punks la. Let me read this report just sent to me. After extensive intelligence gathering, we find that 20% of the Indians hated Samy Velu. Ha, only 20% la, where got 100%?

Nazri: Hey Samy I also got the same report la. Why don't you continue?

Samy: Okay, I'll continue, 40% cannot stand to see his face and 35% will kill him if they were to meet him. 5% believe that he is a good leader. Ha, I still got 5% what?

Pak Lah: Come on la Samy, you've been around for a long time already; you have made your money. You are even richer than me, so back out la. Think of the party la Samy.

Samy: Yes, I am richer than you but Najib, 2 deals only is already richer than me, why not ask him also to go? His submarine and Sukhoi and Altantunya also make him a liability what.

Pak Lah: I know that one, but he is from UMNO, that is the difference. The Malays will accept corrupt Malay leaders, as long as they potong, its okay.

Samy: Oh, kalu kasi potong kalu, berapa banyak rasuah pun takpa ka? Mana adil ini macam Pakla?

Najib: That is the way it is in this country Samy. We all from UMNO got immunity, you people, tadak potong punya, don't.

Samy: No, saya akan tetap bertanding.

Kayveas: Adei Samy, listen to them la, what they say is true la. Don't talk about justice all la, as if you are concerned about justice. This is not the place to be talking about justice la old man. We want to win. If that means you will be dropped then so be it.

Samy: Dei Kayveas, you just shut up la. You budak lagi la, you apa tau? What you want to be champions of the Indians ka? If I am forced to back out, I make sure you go down with me. Hey, Mahathir also cannot force me out la.

Kayveas: Tengok Pakla, tadak guna punya orang. Think of himself only. Just shoot him la Pakla, don't give chance. Najib, itu C4 lagi ada ka? Mari kita sekarang taroh itu C4 sama dia. Cilaka punya orang.

Keng Yaik: Samy ah, enough la. So long already you in the cabinet. You want to stay until you die ka? What you think they will bury you in the Makam Pahlawan ka? Every time people curse you la. Now even your own race cannot stand you, give up la Samy. Come join me la. We all retire. After all, we are not sure if we are going to win this time around. BN also not sure going to win or not.

Pak Lah: What are you talking about Kheng Yaik? Why you say like that?

Keng Yaik:No la Pak Lah, If everyone wants to deny us 2/3 majority, then all of them would not vote us la. We may lose more than just 1/3 la. Haiya, that one also cannot see ah?

Pak Lah: Maybe the Chinese or Indians la Keng Yaik, not the Malays la. The Malays love UMNO.

Keng Yaik: Are you sure ah Pak Lah? Now even the Chinese and Indians are willing to vote PAS if it is the only oppositi on available to them, don't you think that there would be Malays willing to vote DAP? Don't be foolish la Pak Lah. Until now still cannot get Kelantan despite all the dirty tricks. Who are majority voters in Kelantan? Malays la, some more what.

Pak Lah: Betoi ka dia kata tu Najib?

Najib: Jangan dengar cakap orang tua penyembur tu la Pak lah. Orang Melayu takkan lupa UMNO punya. Orang Melayu rela mati untuk UMNO

Nazri: Ntah la, ada lojik jugak cakap Keng Yaik tu. Memang la orang Melayu rela mati untuk UMNO tapi rela ka dia mati untuk kita?

Pak Lah: Apa yang orang Melayu tak puaih hati lagi dengan kita? Kita bagi macam-macam kat depa, apa lagi dia mau?

Kah Ting: Lu mau tau ka? Dia olang tengok sumua itu UMNO punya olang besar manyak kaya. Bikin lumah banyak besar. Keleta 4, 5, sumua mahal-mahal punya. Dulu punya Melayu punya UMNO punya olang tak buat itu macam. Kalau dia kaya pun, dia tak tunjuk sama olang. Sekalang punya UMNO punya olang manyak sombong oh. Dia kaya, dia selalu tunjuk. Dia tak takot punya. Itu olang Melayu biasa tak suka la ini macam punya sombong punya olang.

Nazri: Apa, salah ka dia beli rumah besar dan kereta besar? Apa orang Cina saja ka buleh beli rumah besar. Pak Lah, letak Kah Ting kat Tanjong tengok. Jom kita tengok orang Cina suka kat dia ka tak?

Keng Yaik: Tak salah, tapi baru 2, 3 hari jadi menteri sudah kaya ka? Dia punya gaji berapa? Dulu jaga gate keretapi sekarang boleh bikin Istana, orang tak heran ka la Pak Lah? Your weakness ah, is that you think the Malays are stupid. They are not la Pak Lah. Many have opened their eyes la. Many are not ignorant anymore.

Pak Lah: Alah, kalau kalah pun, kalah sikit saja.

Keng Yaik: Sorry ha Pak Lah if I say something. You have been sleeping too much, you have lost touch with reality.

Pak Lah: I think ah Keng Yaik, you don't resign la. This year you stand in Permatang Pauh, mau ka?

Samy: Pak Lah, saya macam mana?

Pak Lah: Meeting adjourn la, semua balik dulu. Saya mengantok ni. Nanti lain kali la.

The Alternative Media

Malaysia opposition win shows power of cyberspace

By Bill Tarrant

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's weak opposition was up against a hostile mainstream media and restrictive campaign rules, but it can chalk up much of its stunning success in Saturday's election to the power of cyberspace.

Voters exasperated with the unvarnished support of the mainstream media for the ruling National Front furiously clicked on YouTube and posted comments with popular bloggers about tales of sex, lies and videotapes in the run-up to Saturday's election.

Jeff Ooi, a 52-year-old former advertising copywriter who made his name writing a political blog, "Screenshots" (www.jeffooi.com) won a seat in northern Penang state for the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Elizabeth Wong, a human rights activist and political consultant who runs a blog (http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com), won a state assembly seat in the central state of Selangor.

YouTube, the phenomenally popular video Web site, did as much damage as any opposition figure could hope to inflict, after netizens uploaded embarrassing videos of their politicians in action on hot-button issues.

One YouTube video in January showed ruling party MP Badruddin bin Amiruldin causing a ruckus in parliament over whether Malaysia was an Islamic state. "Malaysia is an Islamic state", he declared. "You don't like it, you get out of Malaysia!"

Muslim Malays form the majority in multi-racial Malaysia, but ethnic Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population and they deserted the ruling National Front in droves, partly in outrage over the religious debate.

SEX, SLEAZE, CORRUPTION

Another YouTube video that got wide distribution shows a rambling and incoherent Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin, in a live interview with al-Jazeera, excitedly defending a police crackdown against peaceful protesters calling for changes to the electoral process in November.
Zainuddin was one of several "big guns" in the National Front that fell to the opposition's onslaught.

Sex, sleaze and corruption were election issues and they all had video soap operas on Web sites.
Malaysia's health minister resigned in January after admitting he and a female friend were the couple in a secretly filmed sex video uploaded on YouTube. That cost some votes.

"We were concerned about the morality of our leaders," said Maisarah Zainal, a 26-year-old teacher in Kuala Lumpur. "It didn't help that Chua Soi Lek was involved in a sex video."
Loh Gwo Burne, who secretly videotaped a phone conversation, allegedly showing a high-profile lawyer trying to fix judicial appointments with Malaysia's former chief judge, was elected to a seat in parliament from a seat in suburban Kuala Lumpur.

The grainy video hit a nerve in Malaysia, whose judiciary has been under question since the late 1980s.

Malaysia's blogging community offer alternative views in a country where the government keeps a tight control on mainstream media. The government said last year it might compel bloggers to register with the authorities to curb the spread of malicious content on the Internet.

Government backers doubt whether bloggers turned opposition politicians could make their presence felt. "Beyond the major cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, there's not much the bloggers can really hope to accomplish," says Mohamad Norza Zakaria, a leader in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's UMNO party ( www.umno-online.com )

The Chinese-backed DAP, by contrast, appointed blogger Ooi to head the party's "e-campaign."
Even a barely literate 89-year-old grandmother running for parliament with little money and only a bicycle to get around on, hopped the cyberspace bandwagon with a Facebook profile and her own blog, courtesy of some Internet savvy supporters. Mamin Yusuf, however, lost. It wasn't clear how many of her potential voters were hooked up to the Internet in northeastern Terengganu.

Current Scorecard

The day that we've been waiting for is finally here. Enough ceramah. Enough mudslinging. Enough Character assassinating. It's voting time now. And that means, no more campaigning and lets start abusing (verbally). Just kidding. We don't have to start it, it's already started. It doesn't matter whether mengumpat (exposing ones shortcomings) is encouraged or not, it has been our habit for a long time.

Even Pak Lah who said that Hadi's Statement (the one that he allows anyone to talk bad about the opponents as it involves the future of the country) was against the teachings of Islam had done it himself. Yeah, he did. This entire week, all the media has gone full throttle with all its ammunition to attack the opposition and its icon ,Anwar, especially. They dug up all the dirt that they have on him and fixed them on the pages (at least two) of all the government controlled newspapers in the country.

On the other hand, the opposition is also playing the same card. Despite attacking the personalities in BN, they should be strengthening their alliance in order to make real impact. The flimsy ranks of the opposition leave them vulnerable from any external attacks. The recent one , quoting from BN officials,is, that their coalition is nothing but an ‘alliance of convenience’ that only works together during election. If the voters cannot see any potential from the ‘alternative government’, they will surely opt for the existing one for their alleged 'track record'.

Long story short, I'm convinced that there will be no change of government albeit they will have a hell of a fight at hand. With that,I conclude that it is my personal view that we DO NOT have any political party that is worthy to give the 2/3 majority mandate to. Therefore, it is in our best interest to deny BN the 2/3 majority, hoping that they will not be complacent and will not make things worse than they are while waiting for the viable 'alternative government' to emerge.

Lesser of Two Evils

The same kind of adverts, the same reasons, the same audience, yet different treatment. The first one is easily spotted. You can find it in the local newspaper, TV channels (including Astro), radios, billboards, You tube and most surprisingly in Yahoo Insider which label reads 'paid political advertisement'. On the other hand, the second only gets its place in You tube.

This situation can otherwise be known as asymmetric information. Pardon me for the Economics jargon, it is simply a situation where the customers (electorate/ voters) have limited information about a product (choices/ real news/issues) and tend to make unproductive decision by purchasing that product (voting the less capable candidate) without seeking more information i.e. conduct a survey and etc. An easy example is the situation when your mechanic rips you off because you lack the knowledge about your car.

Free and Fair

This particular scenario shows how free and fair our election process is. The government has access to all possible resources while the opposition is left handicapped relying on their tours and Internet campaigns which will only affect a handful of people (middle class, intellects, youths). By the way have you ever wondered where do all the money for campaigning come from? Makes me wonder too, but I won't waste your time rambling about that. Let's waste it on something else shall we.

Voting could be quite a hassle for the 'voting virgin' and the indecisive type. Marking an 'X' might be simple enough but don't take it for granted as it will give power to the victors for another term of 5 long years. Here is another economic solution that could help you to pick the most eligible candidate. I'll try to be as impartial as I can.

Lesser of two Evils

This method is called the cost benefit analysis. For the layman, it is process of listing the pros and cons of something. However, at the end of the day, your decision will depend on what you value most, either more of this or more of that. So let us not waste anymore time and go on with it.

If you vote for BN, you will get more development, more money in pockets (cronies), maybe a Datukship recommendation at the expense of rampant corruption, the government getting complacent and arrogant, controlled media, unequal distribution of wealth and the mismanagement of funds. If you vote the opposition, there will be new fresh ideas, less corruption ( I hope), freer media, make the Barisan more humble, a right to demonstrate at the expense of less development, less experience and maybe a riot by the BN supporters which could only happen if the opposition forms a government.

By comparing both and evaluating them you will eventually choose the lesser of two evils. Its your choice.

To All Malaysians.....Vote for CHANGE‏

Just Spreading the word.


Posted by Raja Petra

Friday, 08 February 2008

By Little Bird

I met a bumiputra CEO of a GLC recently. A GLC means 'Government Linked Company'. He had lots to tell me about some of the things that are going wrong in his sector of the GLC. (Enough material to craft more stories.)

In brief, they are all screwed up. But what I want to say is that this bumiputra CEO said clearly that he will not be voting for the BN. He also said aloud that 'this time we cannot vote for the BN. The opposition must become stronger in Parliament'.

Then there is another bumiputra chairman of another company that does a lot of business with the government. He is a ranking UMNO member in his bahagian. He says that he and his whole family will not be voting for the BN. This will be a first time thing for him and his family in almost 40 years of voting. It's very painful for him, like a messy divorce, but he is determined to not vote for UMNO. Another UMNO member I know is still an office bearer at his UMNO cawangan in the Klang Valley. He too will not be voting for the BN this time around. Another first for him too.

I have already spoken about the other UMNO member in my other article who told me about the Hindraf protesters. He too will not be voting for the BN this time around. In four different constituencies the BN will be losing a bunch of votes from these people. These are not isolated cases. Thousands of UMNO members will be voting against the BN this time. Among them will be Tun Dr Mahathir. Even more thousands of non-UMNO Malays will be doing the same thing.

Tun Dr Mahathir has made it plain that we should not vote for the BN. Dr Mahathir used discreet, indirect language. First he said that we should vote for 'credible candidates'. He then said that 'we cannot change UMNO from within, the change has to come from outside, so vote wisely'. Put together, these two indirect messages become a direct insistence from Dr Mahathir that we should not vote for the BN. He could not have been more blunt.

We are most definitely going to see a very big swing in Malay votes this time around. This is where the Chinese and the Indians must step up to the plate and be ready to swing the bat. The Chinese in Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan and elsewhere have already made it known quite early on that they will not be voting for the BN this time. Let us reach out to our Chinese brethren and help reaffirm their commitment. Let us reassure ourselves that when the time comes, each of us does have the power in our hands to change our destiny and the destiny of this country which is our home. Let us be rid of the morons, imbeciles, the liars and the thieves. Also the murderers who have blown up Altantuya Shaarribuu Setev.

At last the Indians have been woken up from their almost drug induced 'BN, BN, BN, BN' mantra by the Hindraf protests. Someday something like the 'Dodo Bird Prize' will be given to the Indian community for being the most reliable and loyal supporters of the BN for 50 years. Perhaps never before has a community given so much support for half a century to a political party which could not really care less for them. Maybe with the Hindraf protests this 'bugger me BN' craving has come to a permanent end among the Indians.

It is absolutely crucial that the BN is denied its 2/3 majority in Parliament. Even with 51% of the seats the BN will still rule the Government but they will be on their tippy, tippy toes. This is what we all want. We want checks and balances. Firstly, if they lose the 2/3, it will cause a major psychological shock to the BN. It will most likely cause Abdullah Badawi's head to roll. The UMNO boys will replace him. If Badawi goes, the son-in-law, the cronies, the crooks, the thieves, etc., will all go too. And the batch that replaces them will learn to pray to their gods more diligently, speak better Malay, Tamil and Mandarin, eat with chopsticks, sing Kongsi Raya songs and all the other good things that are needed to run this country properly.

Denying the BN the 2/3 is also crucial because it will mean that many BN (especially UMNO) candidates would not have public office. If they lose their MP and ADUN seats, they cannot become Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, State EXCO members, etc. This means their money tree will be cut off. They will no more be in a position to hand out goodies. UMNO and MCA will choke. This will cause great soul searching especially in UMNO and MCA, which will finally lead to body piercing and ultimately head chopping. It will change our politics for ever.

That is why it is absolutely crucial that all Malaysians stand up to bat for the future of this country. We do not need mere protest votes. We must vote for drastic change. Out with the decrepit buggers. They smell and they are filthy. I can't wait for the elections.

Vote for Justice. Vote AGAINST Corruption. Lets rebuild a MALAYSIAN country we call home.