Tuesday, October 24, 2006

SHATTERED HOPES OR SHITTING BRICKS?

I'm not surprised that Kalimullah Hassan had to spend the eve of the Eid making sure his machais Brendan Pereira and Hishamuddin Aun work overtime and get the NST to kill any flickering hope of a patch-up between the PM and his ex-boss. [read here for the tabloid's front page editorial masquerading as a news report entitled "Shattered hopes"].

The former Singapore (Straits Times), who cooked up the June 11 article lies, has everything to lose if Abdullah and Dr M make up.

Anyone who reads the "extracts" of the Dr M press conference could see that all is not lost between Dr M and the PM, not as the NST editorialised. My word, Dr M would even consider a second term for Pak Lah if the PM could perform better!

The spin by NST will get from bad to worse. Kalimullah and his two stooges are getting more desperate. They are no longer spinning the news to promote the PM, or to manage perception of Umno members and the public, or to reassure foreign investors.

They spin to save themselves.

28 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:27 pm

    Spin all you want..like a 'gasing' your spinning days will come to a halt.

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  2. Anonymous9:10 pm

    their reporting is totally negative. so different from the star

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  3. Anonymous10:39 pm

    rocky, i am confused over the saga between mahathir and abdullah. but one thing uppermost in my mind is whether abdullah is still in charge. rocky, can you pse shed some light on this.

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  4. Anonymous12:05 am

    Bru,
    THE NST did well to spoil many people's Raya. They did it without even trying! As you rightly pointed out, if Tun M and the PM patch up, it's likely that a couple of heads may have to go> and that could include the Singapore trained operators in Bangsar.

    The NST didn't do a professional job. One would have expected the tabloid to at least do a decent report after the Sri Perdana 2-hour meeting. Having covered the Tun's statements, the NST should at least have given the readers the flip side of the encounter. With all the connections the NST has, surely they would have got some remarks from the PM as to the PM's impression of the meeting. Don't tell me the NST spin quacks couldn't get hold of the PM! The tabloid wasn't interested in getting the other version. They just want to give a one-sided spin and make Tun M look bad. Unless..unless they get the meat from the PM and found that there's nothing much to report and therefore choose to whack the Tun.

    If NST and BH is bad, TV3 and NTV7 is worse. Using kaki-bodeks like Nazri, they took Tun to task with some quotes like "Tun should shut up." Hahaha! Nazri is more of an irritant and cheap publicity seeker than anything else. People like him should insist Umno Sec Gen to arrange a dialogue with Tun M, as originally suggested by Mubarak and which Radzi agreed but PM doesn't. For Nazri to hit out at the Tun when the latter is miles away speaks much of his 'pendekar' status! This is 'pendekar tahi kuching,' my silat master would say!

    The NST's lackeys say the Tun continue to hit out at the PM barely 24 hours after the meeting. What do they expect? The man is just being true to himself. It's no different with the PM - he just maintain his silence. No lah, if the PM have got answers to the issues raised by the Tun in the last three years, he had every opportunity to rebut the Tun with facts and figures. He just didn't want to! Someone would probably have told the PM to just humour the Tun by having the meeting! Nothing will happen after that. This is quite similar to what some senior civil servants are saying behind the PM's back - just humour him! AS an ordinary rakyat, I don's see where the humour is!

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  5. Anonymous12:05 am

    Dear all, saw the NTV7 news at 8 today.
    Wow, the station had joined the Kali bandwagon today. Interviews of prominent Mubarak members( the emanciated Tok Mat still around but no more SETIA to DrM. I thought after how DrM resuscitated his political career he would have the decency not to give any comment at all)and top UMNO leaders were the typical UMNO parrot answers. And Pak Lah reserves his comments on the meeting last( after getting advises from Tingkat 4).

    We will have to wait how he's gonna hit DrM back.
    Am sure Kali and Brendan's balacis will work overtime to spin the media.

    DrM might have won roud 1. But there are 14 more rounds to go fellas.
    Get your ringside tickets now!

    Ayub Tulakang

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  6. Anonymous12:08 am

    TV 3 news on Mahathir / Pak Lah spat has now included His Royal Highness the Sultan of Johor taking sides. Apparently the Sultan was alleged to have said "kalau sudah pencen diam diam lah" or words to that effect. In the first place I think if this is true,the Sultan should stay out of this, given his role to be above politics and secondly TV3 quoting the Sultan is making a fundamental mistake and compromising the position of the The Sultan.

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  7. Anonymous12:11 am

    Rocky,

    please comment on the 2(so far) MPK councillors who built huge bungalows without approval.
    And Mazlynoor said in Sunday star that there are many more in MPk who did the same.
    And the MPK President wondered why the planning dept and enforcement unit didnot give any stop work orders to these 2 projects.

    I smell rotten fish here( not the ikan pekasam famous in Sungai Patani,Kedah though)

    p.s.: you could open a new thread for this subject.

    Ayub Tulakang

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  8. Anonymous4:25 am

    ayub tulakang: what's there to comment? corruption is corruption. some bigshot will come out, speak out against corruption, chop a few heads off, and retreat back into the darkness from whence he came.

    I am surprised that the national media, hype-crazy and hungry for sensational news to keep their jobs safe, would actually side against the PM's (and by extension the nation's) interests on this one. Surely the PM isn't answering because he's got a whole big fat country to run, whereas Tun is a pensioner. And the national press daring to bring a normally-immune Sultan into the fray!

    I smell a few gag orders in the cooking.

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  9. Anonymous8:19 am

    brother,

    at this point, the NST front page hardly surprises me.
    Kalimullah is a shameless scum. He does not care. He will do whatever it takes to "stay alive" because he knows that he has EVERYTHING to lose if Pak Lah begins to "see the light".
    Kalimullah and the 4th floor boys, including Khairy should be punished for reducing our Prime Minister into the most despised and most laughable figure.
    The Prime Minister is now a subject of ridicule. A butt of jokes. Nobody takes him seriously.
    Kalimullah and his machai friends including Khairy have committed the most serious act of ........(you fill the blank) which is punishable by ......... (you fill the blank).
    And I stand by my belief that the office of the Malaysian Prime Minister has been seriously compromised.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Tok Mat is known for kaki bodek so what do you expect him to say, he will support whoever is in power.

    If what was reported in the news is correct about the Sultan of Johor, in my opinion, a Sultan should stay above and not taking sides. I would have the same opinion even if the statement was made by my Sultan (Sultan Ismail Petra of Kelantan Darul Naim).

    To me, I am better off when Tun M was the PM compared to current PM. I am indebted to Tun M for what he did during the economy crisis -a reason why I do not want Anwar to be PM ever.

    Below is the bernama news report:
    October 24, 2006 15:53 PM

    Johor Sultan Tells Dr Mahathir To Act Like A Pensioner


    JOHOR BAHARU, 24 Oct (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar al-Marhum Sultan Ismail, was Tuesday reported to have publicly said that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should start acting like a pensioner and stop criticising the government.

    The sultan was said to have make the remarks to about a hundred people at the Sultan Abdul Bakar Mosque here after performing the Aidilfitri prayers.

    "If one has already been pensioned, just behave like a pensioner, what is the use of making more noise?," said a source who repeated the quote to Bernama.

    During Umno's 60th anniversary celebrations at Istana Johor in May this year, the sultan had even tried to patch things up between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Dr Mahathir by asking them to be photographed together in a group picture with him and other Umno leaders.

    -- BERNAMA

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  11. Anonymous9:27 am

    If I am a minister, I would be bloody worried! Firstly, my leader is deaf and mute. And secondly, he does not lead! What kind of a leader is this?
    TDM had to clarify that it was Pak Lah who said that their popularity had gone down to the advantage (as Pak Lah sees it) of AI and Nik Aziz. Why? Cos' this reflected Pak Lah's realisation of his dwindling support and how his insecurity is showing. And do I smell here a plea and cry (sob..sob..) of ' please,let's save our reputation!
    Pak Lah still cannot see it. TDM does not care two hoots if his reputation or legacy goes down the drain. People can piss on his grave for all he cares but if he has a point to make he will make the point.Will you address the points raised, pleeze..Mr Prime Minister

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  12. Anonymous9:32 am

    Clark Gable of Pulau Duyong signing in resigned to the fact that the malay interest is going to the dog:

    Angry Medic and Ayub Tulakang has the right to be angry and they represented the big majority of us.

    The major beneficiaries ,UMNOPutra like Dato' Zakaria et al,had placed their family interest above the rakyat welfare whom they represent...are we to play surprise? No...its a known fact .

    Liberalise the paper and create laws to protect them in their reporting,then the whole rakyat can see their wicked ways.

    We can start doing our bit if we can publish many other Istanas built by our representatives.

    In Kemaman there is an Istana that look like Elvis's mansion .Worth about RM3million which I believe built from the salary accumulated over 10 years by an UMNO leader and MP.He must have skipped dinners and other luxuries the whole of 10 yerars to save for this Mansion. Such was the dedication.Amongst UMNO leaders this is the norm.

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  13. Anonymous9:41 am

    This Kalimnullah guy..I'm not shocked at all. After all, NST readership went down significantly because of him.

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  14. Anonymous9:48 am

    Since when does the press have to attribute to a “source” when reporting what a ruler said?

    Why attribute to a source if the Sultan had ACTUALLY said it?

    IMO this is nothing more than a spin to show the so-called mounting support for Pak Lah and with a ruler NOW siding with the PM.


    Read Bernama report:
    -----------------------------------
    "If one has already been pensioned, just behave like a pensioner, what is the use of making more noise?," said a source who repeated the quote to Bernama
    -----------------------------------

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  15. Anonymous10:11 am

    I want my Prime Minister to be ready to answer criticsms IMMEDIATELY, point by point. The PM is the CEO of the country. All the bad spins could have been avoided if the PM confidently faced the media and confidently explained tp the rakyat. But no... have to wait a few days. When Tun was in power, he silenced the critics there and then, local or foreign press. If the PM doesn't look confident, the rakyat will 'hilang' confidence. Just my 2 rupiah worth.

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  16. Anonymous10:14 am

    ayub tulakang...did you watch The Breakfast Show on NTV7 earlier this morning (wed)?
    A lady caller was quoated on the Open House at PWTC by saying; " Pak Lah was not anywhere to be seen while the Cabinet ministers were with themselves only. At least Tun (Mahathir) spent 2 seconds with us during his days and this was appreciated,"
    Are they words of a true Mahathir loyalist, or just another Malaysian laying down the truth....you decide.

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  17. Anonymous10:15 am

    There is an interesting part of the transcript of Dr.M's Q&A session at his residence on Oct 23, published on The Sun (web edition). It's regarding PM and Istana Zakaria.

    http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=15904

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  18. Anonymous10:38 am

    Almost every word TDM said is printed in NST and announced on NTV7,TV3, however it is spinned and skewed. TDM can still make news and the people would still want to hear what he has to say. Why does NST, TV3 and NTV7 allows that ? So if this is about popularity as some claim, he is still leading. There's nothing to write about with elegant silence, is there ? Using the Sultan of Johor only to comment is intrinsically lame.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous10:49 am

    dEAR bRO,

    sHAWAL LAH...nst,tv3 ntv7 spoinl I punya selera ketupat palislah dan rendang toklah.

    ----------
    dear Pak LAH,

    Who leads ni.. Tuanku ke or you?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Are these the kind of human capital (modal insan)quality that PakLah is emulating?

    When journalists and editors of mainstream medias can get scott free with lies and deceptions, PakLah and UMNO MT are doing nothing to stop them. Why that pariah Brendan is still there?. What has he conrtibuted to the Malays and Malaysians as whole to warrant him a place in NST?

    Can't UMNO members see all these?. What kind of human capital quality do these UMNO members are being made into? Can't they see that the pen is mightier than a sword at times?
    Followers...followers...followers...sokong....sokong....sokong that's all what they are capable now.

    The mainstream medias controlled by UMNO coverage on the current TunDrM - PakLah issue is really pathetic. Totally on-sided, biased and lots of spins by the editors.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous12:54 pm

    Salam Adil Fitri Bro,

    We look up at those quality.
    Seek for the 3rd.4th gen who could leads.

    As M.Nasir lyrik 'Anak-anak'
    'mari kemari ayah mahu ajar jangan kurang ajar'

    NST,TV3,Hari Raya hormatlah!!!!

    Kalau tak kita kena'yo-yo' nanti........
    Given facts of the past and presence senario.

    Shawal lah respect sikitlah oiii...

    Al-Farabi defined fifteen characteristics of the ideal leader:

    1. Excellent understanding and the ability to quickly observe and grasp what he is told.

    2. Possesses the power to recollect what he hears, reads, senses; is not forgetful.

    3. Highly intellectual; can understand the direction of a group from which an idea is generated.

    4. Eloquence, and ability to express what is in the heart.

    5. Passion for education and seeks its benefits for all citizens.

    6. Must not tire easily and be exceedingly patient.

    7. Not greedy for food and drink.

    8. Efficient and effective in addressing the physical needs.

    9. A lover of the truth and its supporters; a hater of falsehood and its supporters.

    10. Quickly recognizes duplicitous people.

    11. Extremely generous, above stinginess.

    12. Worldly wealth must not be a factor; whether it is possessed or not should be of no concern.

    13. Loves justice and freedom.
    14. Rejects oppressors and oppression.

    15. Firmly decides the course that will benefit society, despite intense opposition.

    Wassalam.

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  22. Anonymous12:55 pm

    Dear Franklyhonestly, the trail of blogs so fare on this are interesting.

    But why use words like 'pariah' in this intelligent 'discourse' that we are in? Its akin to using words like 'negro' and 'sakai' on people.
    This is bulan syawal - a new month for a new beginning and to start things fresh - and being more decent is one of them?

    We are in the 21st century - lets be more civil and civic minded, walau pun nak lepas geram.

    At the end of the day, kita semua ini Malaysians-kan?

    Our focus now shud be on voters power. These are the issues on which we shud be deciding how to vote in future - and ensure we come out in large droves/numbers to do that.

    Most of the problems we see can be remedied if we have appropriate checks and balances in the legislative bodies.

    Look at the last elections - if another 15% came out to vote, where do you think these clowns will be?

    Yes - in the actual circus, instead of making a circus of the law making and law enforcing bodies.

    Its time now to start telling all eligible voters - to make it a point to go out there and vote according to their concience.

    As for Brendans and Kalis, pity them. They are just obedient servants. Its the dalangs that we should aim for and eliminate from the corridors of power.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous2:46 pm

    I saw TV3 news yesterday. The news segments were editorialized to the max to make Tun Mahathir look bad. Including the SOTs (sound-on-tape) from Tan Sri Tok Mat and Tan Sri Muhyiddin. Never mind Nazri's comments, so predictable.

    And Dr Zainal Aznam’s SOT was taken out of context.

    And why drag the Sultan of Johor in this one? Where is the credibility?

    The editors in Media Prima simply forgot one very important point.

    Making Tun look bad does not achieve the objective of making Pak Lah great.

    Malaysians were waiting for the details of the meeting between Pak Lah and Tun. And was there a press conference after that by Pak lah? NO….

    This is NOT RIGHT.

    Leadership is all about Perception Management.

    With no press conference, and bad sound bites during the open house when asked about the meeting and needing others to help save him, made Pak Lah look weak. A PM cannot be weak as he must lead some 24 million Malaysians. A PM must be seen as someone who is on top of things.

    Now as a rakyat I want to ask the PM the following:

    “Have you called Bapak Yudhoyono personally, yes personally lifting the phone, to discuss fire fighting efforts?’

    The visuals on tele of Pak Lah doing that will make him look great. We are sick of the haze. Kalau dah tak boleh bermusyawarah tentang kerja memadamkan api, susahlah rakyat nak percaya on efforts to bring in genuine FDI.

    Achieve great things lah by making us confident of you not running down others.

    I once saw how Tun Mahathir answered a German journalist during CEBIT 98 in Hanover about the multimedia super-corridor. He explained about the IT infrastructure in details until the journalist commented “I have never seen a Prime Minister so well versed..”

    I don’t really care about who the PM is. Or whether Tun is greater than Pak lah or vice versa. Whatever it is, our PM must be a strong man, on top of things, confident and never waiting for some not so smart advisers to tell him what to say through thick reports and of course biased reports. Oh by the way, I stopped buying Media Prima newspapers. Star is still Ok and The Sun, oklah pasal free. Harakah tak, sebab banyak sangat kemarahan.

    AGAIN, MAKING TUN LOOK BAD WILL NEVER MAKE PAK LAH LOOK GOOD.

    Just take Tun our of the picture, is the PM perceived as a great leader? Hmmm

    And the Malay psyche is that “orang yang teraniaya akan dibela oleh rakyat secara senyap”. Tun is now perceived by Malaysians as a victim of ‘jentera kerajaan’ trying to silence him off.

    Bila teraniaya, rakyat will automatically go to MODE SIMPATI. That’s why Kak Wan Azizah won in Permatang Pauh, REMEMBER? Tapi Melayu mudah lupa.

    I voted for Barisan Nasional in the last election because I believed in all the pledges and such. But now… I don’t have a hero in Barisan. Tell me I’m wrong please…

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  24. Anonymous4:00 pm

    Part of the transcript of Dr.M's Q&A session held on Oct 23 at his house, as published on The Sun's web edition today:
    -----------------

    Q: The most recent controversy is on Datuk Zakaria. As soon as the controversy blew up, Pak Lah lost his temper and wanted to saman RM45,000. Then Pak Lah left for umrah together with Zakaria and Zakaria was his tour leader, then came back, and asked for RM24,000. Doesn’t Pak Lah realise that these are things spoiling his image and reducing his popularity rather than your criticism? Although you have not raised this, the market knows about it.

    A: It’s all over the Internet. Well, I can tell you that I have been told lately that he had actually visited the house because the house had been there three years already. He knows the house, had been there. Here is a palace stuck in a poverty stricken area but he did not make a comment. He makes a comment because this time the public knows.
    ------------------

    I couldn't believe what I've read. Pak Lah went to Mecca with Zakaria??? Strange that I did not read about this in the Star...

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  25. Anonymous6:05 pm

    Ratu Raya, Well said! Making Tun look bad does not make Pak Lah look great.
    So imagine how Pak Lah would look if the media make Mahathir look good?

    Anon who took offence to the use of "Pariah" for Brendan. I took offence too because I think that word is too kind. With traitors, only the worst 4-letter words would suffice, but then again Bro Bru won't allow us to use those foul words to describe even his worst enemies! Not on his blog, at least.

    Google the word, Anon. I simply means "social outcast", a tribute to the rich Tamil language and Indian traditions.

    Brendan is more a - to quote Pasquale, I think - "duck" rather than a pariah! But since I can't say Duck off, Brendan, I'll settle for Pariah. Or Moron, Bodoh and Bangang (words that have been used in this blog, so Bru be fair and don't censor me!).

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  26. Anonymous6:25 pm

    Right about now, they would have dug up about 5 feet of earth, just about that Brendan's height if the Singaporean PR has his shoes on. Another foot, and PakLah's political grave is all ready!

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  27. I think Pak Lah was dozing off during his meeting with TDM that is why he is keeping mum when asked to comment.

    Takkan tak kenal Pak Lahhh...

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  28. AAB has not commented because he can't figure out the doodlings he made during the meeting.

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