Monday, March 31, 2008

"Why I lodged the police report against the PM"

New book. Journo-blogger Johari Ismail's latest book, Umno Dikhianati, Kenapa saya buat laporan polis terhadap Pak Lah (Umno Betrayed, Why I lodged the police report against Pak Lah) will be launched today April 1 at The Loaf, Pavilion KL, at 3pm.

Juicy, cover-to-cover. I mean, just look at the pics used for the book. The characters portrayed by Johari are famous or infamous:- AAB apart, you have the KKK [Khairy, Kamal, and Kalimullah], and Lee Hsien Loong.

All are welcomed, members of the Old and New media included.


Where's Jean?


"Sedangkan lidah, lagi tergigit

Apa pula, suami isteri .." - P. Ramlee



Several concerned journalist friends have called me to ask if I happened to know of the whereabout of Jean Danker, the beloved wife of the Prime Minister.

I told them: How the hell would I know?
They told me, Well, we don't either and we thought you're the blogger!
I said, Why don't you ask the Prime Minister? I'm sure he won't say, "I don't know".

But the fact is, I was told, the PM has turned up for official functions without his better half for three days in a row! She was not there for Maulidur-Rasul, not there for the Kraftangan event, and was not see for the Kenduri Kesyukuran in Penang.

All OK on the domestic front, we hope ...

Umno members told to stay away from April 1 forum

Matmat Taib's WARNING: Attend the forum and we'll take you down!
According to myKMU, Muhammad Muhammad Taib,who was recently brought back from the dead to the Cabinet by PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has told Umno members to stay away from tomorrow's forum which will be opened by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and which will feature Mukhriz, Dr Khir Toyo and Dr Fuad Zarkashi as speakers.

Read rabid pro-Umno blogger Bigdogdotcom's latest posting here.

The forum, which will look at what went wrong for Umno and BN in the 12th General Election, starts at 9 am tomorrow April 1 at 9am at the Hotel Singgahsana, PJ. There are no more seats available; those who did not register may view the proceedings via closed-circuit tv at the hotel lobby.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Wee's Q of the Week #2

"SHOULD the Ministry of the Federal Territory be abolished ...?"

Ah, Zulhasnan Rafique, they want your scalp ....!
Click HERE to respond to your blogging MP for Wangsa Maju. This is the second instalment of Wee Choo Keong's Your MP's Question of the Week series.

The first, a burning question about Air Asia/Malaysia Airlines, drew 150 fiery comments (click here). Wee told me he plans to condense the response and comments from readers and send them to Air Asia boss Tony Fernandes for feedback.
Sounds like something good could come out of this.

MIC leader wants Hindraf 5 released

Sam to PM: Let them Go! The outcome of the 12th General Election has brought about many bizarre happenings. Samy Vellu's call for the five Hindraf leaders detained under the ISA to be released is the latest such happening. The MIC boss even admitted that two of the five were "not very much involved (in the rally)". - (Samy Vellu calls for release of Hindraf leaders - Bernama, 30/3/08)

Oh, by the way, he was speaking at this forum on "Rebranding the MIC" in KL. The MIC, you'll remember, lost big time at the GE.

Malaysian a Fab in British-Columbia

Fabian Dawson. NST oldies will remember their former colleague who left for Canada two decades ago. Fabian is in this year's The Vancouver Sun's 100 South Asians who are making a difference in B.C.
Here for the list.

Sufiah: From Genius to Hooker


update 31/3/08:
Dangerous Talent, a book review by Sharon Bakar, The Sunday Star
Tragedi Hidup Sufiah, Utusan Malaysia
Math prodigy now a
£130 hooker claim, The Star



Original post:
Remember Sufiah Yusof, Malaysia's child prodigy in the UK, the girl who gained entry into Oxford at the age of 12? She is now a HOOKER. The following British newspaper article quotes her as claiming that she is studying for a Masters degree in Economics. Perhaps our Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin wants to stop whining and help her (see link after this main story).

SHE was a child maths genius who won a place at Oxford University aged just 13—but now the only sums Sufiah Yusof is interested in are the ones she earns as a HOOKER.

For sad Sufiah the daily equation she has to solve is simply sex equals £130 as she sells her body to punters over the internet.
The gifted girl with the winning smile had the world at her feet ten years ago and should be a rich woman by now—but last week she was busy subtracting her underwear for our undercover reporter in her dingy back street flat.
"Would you like to start your half hour now?" said Sufiah, 23, as she danced on the bed, displaying her body for examination.
Then she listed all the sleazy plus points she would throw in for our man if he took up her offer...

Read the entire story HERE.
You can access the original story at the News of the World
but it contains pictures that may offend some.

Back in Malaysia, our Minister in charge of Higher Education is whining here about some blogs not allowing his ministry's views to be published. Sufiah says she is a student, YB Khaled Nordin, so maybe you are needed there.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Sheih loses Ma

Al-fatiha.

Our bro, Sheih Azidi of Kickdefella, has just lost his beloved mother.

She passed away peacefully at about 5.30 pm.

Sheih broke the news to me on the phone a few minutes ago. He wanted so much to be with his mom now, but he is stranded on an island. It was supposed to be a short, much-deserved break for him.

"I wish I could be with her now but the earliest boat out from here is at 8 tomorrow morning, bro."

Sheih said the family had decided to move out his mother from hospital yesterday.

"The doctors told us yesterday that she would have three weeks to live.

"I was planning to go and be with her tomorrow bro. "

The island has no Internet connection so Sheih has asked me to convey his thanks to all those who have prayed for his mum when she was sick.

Al-fatiha.

10,000 or 25,000?

Bernama says 10,000 welcomed the Agong; The Star has it at 25,000.
In any case, the reception for the Agong at the Kuala Terengganu airport this morning, after the dressing down he gave the PM over the appointment of his state's Menteri Besar, was rousing. A Deputy Minister in the PM's Department was also at hand to welcome home the Agong.
And it seems that the 22 Assemblymen [who said they would resign if the palace appoints anyone else other than Idris Jusoh] will turn up for the swearing-in of Ahmad Said at the istana tomorrow.
Hypocrites, all of them.

Ah, Khir Toyo the Blogger!

Ex-Selangor MB starts blog. The Malaysian blog scene has become that more interesting and diverse today with the addition of former Menteri Besar of Selangor, Dr Khir Toyo. Visit Cetusan Datuk Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo at www.drkhir.blogspot.com

KT will be speaking at a conference on April 1 in Kuala Lumpur, which will feature, among others, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Mukhriz Mahathir. Interesting times ahead.

p.s. Will the present MB of Selangor start a blog as well? After he's done with his series of interviews with the mainstream media, that is ...

de fella's pics



Kickdefella's photo gallery is becoming very impressive. Wonder where he got all these sexy pics? Click here, here and here for more pictures.

Friday, March 28, 2008

A million hits and Borrowed Time

Marina the millionaire! I wonder if Nazri Aziz, the now-quiet Minister, has started reading the blogs. I still remember what he said back then from the peak of Mount Arrogance:
"Our bloggers are really not up to standard. When they put up something, it’s not something that they want to discuss in a very intellectual way. It’s more because of their anger - the language they use. Why should I read all this rubbish? When the standard of our bloggers is upgraded, then probably I will look at what is written. But anyway, they are a minority. My concern is for the majority." - Nazri Aziz, NST, October 28, 2007
One million is BIG for a minority group. And, anyway, the mountain of arrogance has been cut to a molehill by the March 8 political tsunami.

Borrowed time: Soon, even the molehill won't be visible. According to Nuraina A. Samad, who passed her half-a-million mark this week, the PM is on borrowed time. Crisis after crisis, Nazri's boss needs a miracle of God or/and must sack his inept advisers (I think she means the 4th Floor boys and the PM's editorial adviser Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan) in order to survive. Even then, she adds, it might be too little, too late. Read her piece HERE.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

earthquake at pwtc


Update, 8pm:-

No, the earthquake that was forecast didn't happen.
But Ahmad Said is Terengganu MB.
And Umno elections in December.

Original post:-
The Umno Supreme Council meeting ends in half an hour or so.
One of the items on the agenda is to recognize the new MB of Terengganu.
But I've been told to wait for an earth-shattering piece of announcement.
Rumours have been flying about another resignation.

Wait for it.

News blackout: Old Habits Die Hard

Blackout. It's as if the PM never had an audience with the Agong and got the dressing-down that he deserved for letting the Terengganu MB appointment get out of control. If you read the papers or follow the on-line editions of the mainstream media, including Bernama, there's nothing said about the meeting which blogs and the New Media have been reporting on.
Nuraina A. Samad, a seasoned editor herself, suspects that 4th Floor is up to no good again, here.
I agree with her. Too soon and these jokers forget what their spin-doctoring had done to the PM during the March 8 General Election.
Shabery Cheek should get them sacked. The 4th Floor boys have no business ordering the editors around.
Help free the editors from the 4th Floor boys, Shabery!

Underground train for Penang

Penang Tube. Those who miss London's Underground will envy Penangites soon. Their new CM says the state Government plans to build an Underground train network for the island.
It's a very ambitious project, certainly in the multi-billion ringgit league. The people I spoke to said it will cost more than KL's LRT and Monorail projects, combined.
And it would take more than 5 years to complete.
That is looking beyond one term.

Read the story HERE. pic is of Picaddily station in London.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

RM2 million man

update 3pm, 27/3
Others, not you, decide what you are.
Excerpt:
Then Nordin Kardi made his statement and he went on and on about how blogs have smeared the reputation of intellectuals such as himself. Hello.......since when is he an intellectual? If he is an intellectual then Madonna is a virgin.
Original posting:
RPK.
Ringgit two million only? Given his global repute and his role in the last General Election, I believe Raja Petra Kamaruddin will be very disappointed with the quantum. HERE.

Another Dep Minister resigns!

update 27/3, 2.50pm
Bernama confirmed the story just before noon today, here.
The Star was miles ahead, here.

oringal posting
Three in a row. Another deputy minister in Abdullah's new Cabinet has resigned, I hear. He is Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh (Kalabakan MP), 64. He was appointed Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister by Pak Lah after the 8/3 general election. The Tawau Umno chief and former Sabah deputy chief minister (95-97) won the election uncontested for the second consecutive time. Like Azalina Othman Said.

A blog-friendly daily


Sinar Harian's Dari Blog ke Blog.
The Karangkraf's daily started this column yesterday and will make it a permanent feature.
Expect the other papers to follow suit soon.

It's a blogger-friendly world now ...

Pak Lah concedes another defeat

update! 4:15pm
During the meeting with the Agong, my sources told me, the PM was asked to explain how the RM1 billion "wang ehsan" was disbursed by the State Government under former Menteri Besar Idris Jusoh.
Since winning back Terengganu from PAS in 2004, the BN government has been paying the State Government some RM1 billion a year (the "wang ehsan" did not exist when PAS ruled Terengganu). Terengganu has the second highest number of poor people in Malaysia, after Sabah.

The present Yang diPertuan Agong hails from Terengganu.


The PM was also told to meet with Ahmad Said, the Sultan of Terengganu's choice for MB. The Star said half an hour ago that the PM would also meet Idris.


Original Post:-

Idris Jusoh, say bye to the MB's office: -

The PM, who was granted an audience with the Agong before this morning's weekly Cabinet meeting, has agreed to the Palace's choice for MB, Ahmad Said.

Just last Sunday Abdullah said the appointment of anyone else except Idris Jusoh, which was his choice, would be unConstitutional.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Umno's election postponed?

"To avoid havoc and disaster". The Umno elections, initially scheduled for last year, were postponed to this year due to the 12th general election on March 8. The last party elections were held in 2004.
Under the party's constitution, Pak Lah can postpone the elections up to June next year.
Read Bernama's story, quoting Muhammad Muhammad Taib, here. He failed to explain, however, what havoc and disaster would befall us if Umno holds its general assembly and election this August.

Pak Lah to seek audience with Agong

update
Dirty Dozen. Pasquale says HERE that 12 of the 22 Umno Aduns who've pledged support for Idris Jusoh have today given their support to the Palace.

Original posting
Finally! When I told Capt Yusof about what the PM reportedly said this morning - that he would seek an audience with the Agong to end the Terengganu MB "kemelut" - the Ancient Mariner barked: "He should have done that from the start!"

Again, who are Pak Lah's advisers?

Adik-Abang in MCA

Ka Ting hands over to Ka Chuan. MCA president Ong Ka Ting's refusal to accept any Cabinet post after MCA's poor showing in the PRU12 may have conveniently paved the way for his Abang, Ong Ka Chuan, to be appointed to one [here]. It so happened that the Prime Minister has made Ka Chuan the Housing and Local Governments Minister, the Adik's former portfolio.

In the meantime, Ka Ting will focus on rebuilding, reshaping, redefining MCA until his term as president expires in 2012. By that time, Ka Chuan would have enough Cabinet experience. He may even decide to make way for someone else to fill up his Secretarty-General post while he moves up.

Will there be another Adik-Abang handover in 2012?


Monday, March 24, 2008

Muar wants Pak Lah to step down


"Ku Li for President". 80 Umno branch leaders from the Muar division have asked Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down and have pledged their support for Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to become the next party president. Read the Star's story here.
It's still a long way back to the top for Ku Li, who must have the backing of 57 divisions to qualify as a challenger to the top Umno post.

The brave ones from Bandar Maharani aren't alone. Outside of Umno, M. Kayveas and Syed Arabi spoke of the need for "honest re-evaluation" by the BN. Kayveas, the PPP chairman, who lost his Taiping parliamentary seat, blamed Pak Lah and Najib for the BN's poor showing.

Fire-fighting


I spoke to DKL, Jahaberdeen and Zaid for this article. Read the PDF file here.

Blogger-friendly government now?

PM: Govt to change approach towards new media/bloggers. Yesterday morning, veteran blogger Pak Idrus met the PM at Seri Perdana. For nearly an hour, the old friends spoke. The PM brought up the subject of the new media, especially the role of blogging during the General Election. Pak Idrus told Pak Lah that the Government had nothing good to say about bloggers in the past. The PM said this was about to change.

If that is so, can we expect Nazri Aziz, Azalina Othman Said, Shahziman Abu Mansor, Muhammad Muhammad Taib to make their U-turns on bloggers soon. They have said some nasty stuff about bloggers. Muhammad even lodged a police report against RPK.

Read Pak Idrus's Of friendship and Pak Lah.

Rotten land deals in Pak Lah's home state

Land fraud. Just two weeks in the driver's seat, the new Government of Penang has uncovered what blogger-MP Jeff Ooi describes as "severe land improprities".
Jeff said can't reveal findings at this point.
We can wait. And wonder if it's land for an airport, or for a bridge, or for tall towers, or for racing.
But some people better not wait too long to pack up their bags and migrate.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Azalina's former Ministry to set up blog

Blogger-friendly Ministers. The last time Azalina spoke about blogging, on Feb 22, she was in one foul mood ["Azalina slams bloggers"]. Now that she's been transferred to the Tourism Minister, we don't know what will happen of the Umno cybertrooppers that were under her orders.
In any case, her successor at Youth and Sports Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaacob, is quickly defining himself as a blogger-friendly minister, after Information Minister Shabery Cheek spoke last week of a desire to meet and listen to bloggers. Ismail Sabri's "Ministry to set up blog to be close to youths".


Shabery, who was meeting journalists at the National Press Club last Friday night, had a brief word with me. He repeated what I had read in the papers, about really wanting to meet bloggers. I congratulated the Minister for his forthrightness but also told him that:
"I'm the protem President of the All-Blogs, yes, but I don't control the bloggers."

I gave TV9 an interview last night on the subject (Haris Ibrahim, Melvin Mah and Anu aka Galadriel also spoke to the reporter).
I also spoke to AFP on the phone on the same issue, in which I said: "We welcome the government's move to engage bloggers but we are not in a hurry to meet them." Read the whole AFP story HERE.

Apology to Tun Saleh Abas?

Zaid, the new de facto Law Minister. He didn't waste any time to try and deal with the issue that suddenly cropped up on Malaysians' conscience last year - the 1988 Judiciary crisis.
Expressing his view that the government had made a mistake in sacking former Lord President Tun Mohd Salleh Abbas in 1988, he said the interference had brought disrepute to the judiciary, which was hardly restored until today.
"The biggest mistake was to sack Tun Salleh Abbas and suspend several judges. But that was 20 years ago, now we open a new chapter.
"We appologise to those affected... We will repair the damage, change our attitude and our ways," he said.
Mohd Salleh was sacked while five Supreme Court judges were suspended during the judiciary crisis of 1988. - BERNAMA [full story here]
But Saleh Abas' story is not as black-and-white. I met with the man a couple of times some weeks before the general election to assist him with his memoir. He is a man of great honour caught in a web of deceit and lies, and between desperate politicians and corrupt judges.
Dr Mahathir is said to be the man responsible for the Malaysian judiciary's decline. He was the Prime Minister then, the head of the Executive.
But the Malaysian judiciary could not have been brought down without the help of the Judiciary itself. But there were also desperate Judges then who had no qualms about stabbing a friend in his back in order for their own dreams to be fulfilled.

Read Tun Saleh and I which I wrote for the February issue of the Tell magazine.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Wee's Q of the Week

The MP asks, you answer. YB Wee Choo Keong, the new MP for Wangsa Maju, has created a novelty on his blog called Your MP's Question of the Week.

Go to his blog HERE to find out. It's in 3 languages.

Political monsoon in Terengganu

Politicians vs Palace. All Umno state assemblyman from Terengganu DEMAND Idris Jusoh to be Menteri Besar OR they will resign from their post - By-election. Story coming.

Follow the breaking news at Hard-T.

All 22 Terengganu Assemblymen have unanimously agreed to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the Menteri Besar scheduled to be held tomorrow at the Istana Maziah in Kuala Terengganu and insisted that state BN chairman Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh holds that position after the coalition won 2/3 majority in the state during the General Election.

It was said that several of the Assemblymen were willing to resign if someone else becomes MB.

The Palace has announced that Datuk Ahmad Said, 51, the state assemblyman for Kijal, will be made MB. The swearing-in ceremony will be held tomorrow morning.

Terengganu is the only state that has yet to have a MB since the GE two weeks ago.


Friday, March 21, 2008

Ah, Shabery Cheek!

21/3 Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek says he will not control bloggers but will listen to them, hopes to meet them soon to get feedback/STAR

The Malaysian blogosphere has been getting rather good vibes from Zam's replacement. Read here and here. I would like to suggest that Shabery starts a blog. His counterparts in Indonesia have been doing it for quite a while.

The late Tan Sri Basir's book

update 7pm
Dr M backs Ku Li's call for EGM. "I fully support his letter," Mahathir told a press conference after the book launch. When asked if he'd back the Kelantan prince's move to challenge Abdullah for the Umno presidency, the Tun said that is something the EGM can decide.
[Muhyiddin's also fine with Ku Li's EGM move, according to NST on-line]

Other matters that the EGM can discuss, says Dr M:
1/ Amend the Umno Constitution
2/ Set up a Presidential Advisory Council. The advisers are independent individuals who are professionals, brave souls and Umno members
3/ Limit the term for presidency (this was a suggestion by one of the mainstream reporters, actually)

Brave divisions. Back to Ku Li's offer to challenge Abdullah, Dr Mahathir said it won't be easy to meet the requirement that a challenger must get nominations from at least 30 per cent of the Umno divisions. "You need about 60 brave divisions. Umno leaders live in a climate of fear. When I came out and asked the President to step down for the poor General Election result, not one Umno leader came out to support me. Privately and behind his back, they want him to step down."

On his friend's book, Dr M said the late Basir was a "great character" and was responsible for bringing the F1 to Malaysia. "People thought it was me. Actually, it was him. Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama."
Original posting
3pm launch. Tun Dr Mahathir will be doing the launch. The two went back a long way. I had a small part in the making of the book. It's an eye-opener.
Ear-opener is what Dr M might have to say about Ku Li's offer to challenge Pak Lah for the Umno presidency.

Especially in view of what the spanking new Umno sec-gen has told Ku Li: "Don't create trouble".

Thursday, March 20, 2008

"Saving Umno and the Malays"

Ku Li has Dr M's backing. Or so says Pasquale, who claims to have some inside info on a meeting between the two former political rivals just before Ku Li offered himself to challenge Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's presidency last night. Pasquale is convinced [here] that Najib will be "preserved" whatever the outcome of a clash between Ku Li and Pak Lah.
Most queer. Is it possible for the No 2 not to take sides here?

If you didn't catch Ku Li on tv last night (was it in the news, by the way?), check out Kickdefella's clips Pt 1, Pt 2 and Pt 3 of Ku Li's press conference.
And my piece in my paper today, below.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Ku Li: I'll challenge Pak Lah

The knives are out! Finally, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah says it: I will challenge Pak Lah for the Umno presidency.
No more wayang kulit.
Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, the sec-gen, resigned.
Rafidah Aziz said she won't resign. "I was elected by Wanita." She stressed the word "elected".
Khir Toyo resigned as Selangor BN chairman and Umno chief.

Read the NST's piece on Ku LI, HERE.

Today in NEP history

The day Musa Hitam hammered his nail on the NEP coffin. On March 19 last year, the former DPM, who advises Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the Iskandar Development Region, said in an interview with a foreign wire agency that Malaysia would not allow the NEP in the IDR.
"The Malays will have to face competition," he was quoted by Bloomberg.
[Pls also read Bernama's article March 23, 2007, Musa: Brief Umno why it has to give up the NEP].

It sent shivers down the Malays' spine, but the Malays in Umno did not hit the streets to vent their anger. Nor was Musa accused of trying to stoke racial sentiments.

It was a different case when Lim Guan Eng spoke of doing away with the NEP in Penang the other day.

Double standards or political reality?
I wrote a comment piece on this in Singapore's mypaper, the 300,000-copy bilingual free daily, published yesterday. Click HERE to read the whole article.

On Monday, the paper published my speculative piece on Abdullah's new Cabinet on is cover, above. I wrote that the PM will give up his Internal Security portfolio to concentrate on strengthening his position at August's Umno general assembly, reward MCA and MIC for their failures, and save KJ for later.

p/s Thanks, Serama Berkokok, for keeping tabs.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The new Cabinet

Why Mike Tyson?

Rafidah Aziz dropped. Why?
She won the election. She performed as Minister. She is Wanita Chief.
JJ dropped. Why?
He won with a bigger majority. He performed as Minister.

Muhammad Muhammad Taib aka Mike Tyson is IN.
Why-lah?

The post 8/3/08 Cabinet

Prime Minister

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Umno)

Deputy Prime Minister
Najib Razak (Umno)

Finance Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Umno)

Second Finance Minister
Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Umno)

Deputies: Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (Umno), Kong Cho Ha (MCA)

Defence Minister
Najib Razak (Umno)

Deputy: Abu Seman Yusop (Umno)

Housing and Local Government Minister
Ong Ka Chuan (MCA)

Deputy: Robert Lau Hoi Chew (Supp), Hamzah Zainuddin (Umno)
Works Minister
Mohd Zin Mohamed (Umno)

Deputy: Yong Khoon Seng (Supp)

Energy, Water and Communications Minister
Shaziman Abu Mansor

Deputy: Joseph Salang Gandum

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister
Mustapa Mohamad (Umno)

Deputy: Rohani Abdul Karim (Umno)

International Trade and Industry Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin (Umno)

Deputy: Leow Wei Keong (LDP), Yaakob Dungau Sagan

Foreign Minister
Rais Yatim

Deputy: Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar (Umno)

Education Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein (Umno)

Deputies: Dr Wee Ka Siong (MCA), Razali Ismail (Umno)

Transport Minister
Ong Tee Keat (MCA)

Deputy: Anifah Aman

Health Minister

Liow Tiong Lai (MCA)

Deputy: Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad (Umno)

Human Resources Minister
S Subramaniam (MIC)

Deputy: Noraini Ahmad (Umno)

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister
Syed Hamid Albar (Umno)

Deputies: Chor Chee Heung (MCA), Wan Ahmad Farid (Umno)

Women, Family and Community Development Minister

Dr Ng Yen Yen (MCA)

Deputy: Norliah Kasmon

Culture, Arts, Heritage and National Unity Minister
Shafie Apdal (Umno)

Deputy: Teng Boon Soon (MCA)

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister
Dr Maximum Ongkili

Deputy: Fadillah Yusof

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Minister
Noh Omar (Umno)

Deputy: Saifudin Abdullah

Higher Education Minister
Khaled Nordin (Umno)

Deputies: Idris Haron (Umno), Dr Hou Kok Chung (MCA)

Information Minister
Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Umno)

Deputy: Tan Lian Hoe (Gerakan)

Natural Resources and Environment Minister
Douglas Uggah Embas (PPB)

Deputy: Abdul Ghapur Salleh (Umno)

Rural and Regional Development Minister
Senator Muhammad Muhammad Taib (Umno)

Deputy: Joseph Entulu

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister
Abdul Shahrir Samad (Umno)

Deputy:

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister
Peter Chin Fah Kui (Supp)

Deputy: Kohilan Pillay (Gerakan)

Youth and Sports Minister
Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Umno)

Deputy: Wee Jack Seng (MCA)

Tourism Minister
Azalina Othman Said (Umno)

Deputy: Sulaiman Abu Taib (PBB)

Federal Territories Minister
Zulhasnan Rafique (Umno)

Deputy: M Saravanan (MIC)

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department

Zaid Ibrahim (to be appointed senator) - legal affairs
Zahid Hamidi (Umno)
Bernard Dompok (Upko)
Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Umno)
Amirsham (ex-Maybank)

p/s
Afterthought:
Shahrizat Jalil was made an Adviser to the PM, which carries Ministerial powers, half a day after the announcement on the new Cabinet was made by Pak Lah.

Monday, March 17, 2008

When NST french-kiss New Media

The Insider's insider. Interesting, indeed, how the NST is celebrating the role of the new media in covering the 3/8 general election, but I agree wholeheartedly with Shanghai Fish that the NST shouldn't just promote one site and ignore the role of others, such as Malaysia Today and blogs.
More importantly, the NST should not have allowed someone who's related to the people at the site it's promoting to write the piece. It's not good for credibility.
Read Stephen Fish's interesting insight into the NST's Insider.

Ku Li's letter to Umno members

May 11 Umno EGM. On the same day Mukhriz sent his letter to the Umno President, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah wrote to 18,000 Umno leaders nationwide proposing an EGM to discuss Umno's poor performance in the 8/3 General Election. He is suggesting 11/5/08.
Ku Li did not ask for AAB to resign or take the blame for BN's election fiasco.
He didn't have to.

Did someone say Ku Li for PM?

p/s Funny, a senior Umno leader told Umno members not to listen to rumours about a letter from Ku Li. Read here.



Sunday, March 16, 2008

Petition in support of Mukhriz Mahathir

Not enough signatures have been collected. Mine is No 157.

If you believe that Mukhriz Mahathir did the right thing to write to the PM and ask him to step down, not for doing badly in the GE but for daring the People to defy him when they took on the streets to express their unhappiness [read Mukhriz's letter here], click the link below and put down your name and numbers.

Petition Against Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.


Temple in Sime Darby estate demolished


Sime Darby Watch. I didn't know that there was a Limsum Estate in Negri Sembilan, that it's owned by Sime Darby and that there was a Hindu temple there. Now I know. And according to the posting Who ordered Hindu temple demolition at Limsum estate?, they demolished the temple right on the eve of the March 8th polling day!

Interested in the politics of Sime Darby? Add www.simedarbywatch.blogspot.com to your blogroll today.

Tea with bloggers, Latte with the Star


Husam Musa, the PAS vice president, traveled from Kelantan yesterday to have tea with 7 new media practitioners in Bangsar, KL. He is seen here deep in discussion with RPK of Malaysia Today. Not in the picture: Nuraina A. Samad, Marina RPK, Haris Ibrahim, Tony Yew, Zorro, and Kickdefella.
We spent a rainy Saturday afternoon sharing ideas and stories.

While Husam huddles with bloggers, DAP's Lim Guan Eng and PKR's Khalid Ibrahim are going "mainstream". The Penang Chief Minister will have latte with Star group editor-in-chief Wong Chun Wai tomorrow for the paper's Cafe Latte series while the Selangor Menteri Besar will get his fix next week, according to this.
Good luck to the two.

p/s From early Friday, messengers from Umno were trying to arrange for a meeting with prominent bloggers in Kuala Lumpur. So far, I've not heard of any blogger who's said yes.

Malaysian Economic Agenda

MEA = DAP + PKR - PAS? Upon reading the article "Anwar says PKR, DAP planning new economic agenda", I was left wondering where PAS stands in this new scheme of things.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Yong: I did it in Good Faith


Yong Soo Heong, the Bernama Editor-in-Chief who faxed an apology Lim Guan Eng on Friday because the new Penang Chief Minister was not happy with the national news agency's reporting, said he wrote the apology "in good faith".

"I did not expect the letter to be made public," he told me. "But it's OK."

Yong said LGE called him on Thursday afternoon to say that the 3rd paragraph of a Bernama report widely carried by the mainstream media had made it seem as if he said something that he didn't.

[see the 3rd paras in The Star (Pak Lah warns Guan Eng) report and the one in BM carried by Utusan Malaysia (Amaran Kepada Guan Eng) on the same day. Yong said LGE insisted that the line ".. which was introduced in 1971 after the May 13, 1969, racial riots to eradicate poverty and restructure society.." should not have been inserted there because he never said it].

"I told him it's a factual backgrounder that we journalists always include to make something clearer to the reader. He insisted that it should not have been put there and that I owed him an apology. So I said OK, I'll apologize."

Which he did. Yong said it was the first time he had spoken to LGE. "He sounded, er, friendly, quite pleasant."

Yong's apology fax was reproduced in Screenshots, here.

Bernama apologises to Penang CM


March 14, 2008

YAB Sdra Lim Guan Eng
Chief Minister of Penang
28th Fl, Komtar
10502 Penang

Dear YAB,

On behalf of my colleagues in BERNAMA, I would like to congratulate your team and you for the recent victory in Penang.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise for the sloppy editing in the news story of March 12, 2008, which we mistakenly quoted you as commenting on the May 13 incident as well. The inclusion of the fact was intended to give background on the establishment of the NEP in 1971. Nevertheless, upon a thorough review, the inclusion of that fact along with your quote may have been inappropriate.

As we move forward, I would like to ensure you of BERNAMA's co-operation for your newly-formed government and shall always endeavour to help you promote the well-being of Penang and its people.

Yours sincerely,

YONG SOO HEONG
Editor-in-Chief


YB Jeff Ooi has the story. He wrote, "I hope the next time Umno leaders took to the streets to stoke people's sentiments along racial lines, you know who is to blame."
I have something to say about this to my bro but I'll do that when we have a tete-a-tete, or when the Penang Government invites bloggers to a session. We have time.

p/s It's brave of bro Yong to own up, and in black and white. I hope there won't be too hard a backlash from his embattled bosses.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Ah, Noraini of Puteri!

.. Meanwhile, Noraini of the Umno's Puteri wing has lodged a police report on the so-called anti Pak Lah posters that were put up all over the city last night. What a great contribution to this nation's progress!

Noraini, this one was put up in Muar, Johor, your home state.

Shahidan: "Pak Lah Chose Me"

Northern trouble.
AAB wants Shahidan Kasim to be Perlis MB [Letter handed to Shahidan, says PM].
The Sultan had other ideas [Raja Perlis appoints Isa Sabu as MB]. "
But Pak Lah chose me," Shahidan said, as reported in the Star here, and no one should go against Pak Lah's decision, he added.

To add to Abdullah's problems, Shahidan said Azmi Khalid and Radzhi Sheikh Ahmad could be the culprits behind the Raja's decision to appoint Isa.

Pak Lah has asked Hishammuddin Hussein to deal with Mukhriz Mahathir for asking the PM to resign [here]. Now he'll need to someone to deal with Azmi, Sheikh and the Raja Perlis.

Anti-Pak Lah posters, in pics


Posters in KL. Lensman Jinggo was told that posters sponsored by a pro-Reform group in Umno were on display in at least 15 different locations in the city last night.


The message on the posters is not just for the PM to resign but it tells Umno leaders to stop being apple polishers.

View all his pictures HERE.

Chua tells Ka Ting to step down

15/40 and 31/90, so Ong must sack himself. Chua Jui Meng, the former Health Minister, has urged MCA President Ong Ka Ting to resign over the party's poor showing in PRU12. MCA won 15 our of 40 parliament seats and 31 out of 90 state seats it contested. Back in 2004, it was 31/40 and 70/90.

Read the rest here.

The Letter Pak Lah doesn't want us to read

Singapore's mypaper published today my piece on Mukhriz Mahathir asking Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to sack himself.
Here's the entire letter [translated from Bahasa Malaysia] that could mend Umno or break Mukhriz's political career.

12th March 2008

Dato' Seri,

Let me take this opportunity to thank you and the party's leadership for the faith in me and the chance to contest in Jerlun as a Barisan Nasional candidate. With the blessing and hard work of the party's leadership and machinery as well as the people of Jerlun, I have won the elections and am now a new Member of Parliament.

However, sadly enough, my victory is rendered meaningless in view of the defeat that Umno and the Kedah BN suffered in the hands of the opposition. Apart form Kedah, four other states as well as the Federal Territories also received similar humiliation in defeat.

In fact your own state of Penang was wrested by the DAP from the BN. Kelantan is again under Pas rules. In other states, the BN also suffered a similar humiliation when the level of BN support by the people has tremendously reduced. This, Datuk Seri, has never happened in the history of BN rule.

The sole intention of my letter to you is meant to save UMNO and BN from being rejected further by the people and from being no longer relevant to our religion, race and nation.

Dato' Seri, the people are unhappy and the message from them is very clear, and that is they have rejected you as the nation's chief executive.

Contrary to your claim that you still have the support of Umno and other component parties, the reality is that even our own party members had reneged in their voting pattern by supporting the Opposition and inflicting the BN its defeat.

Dato' Seri, when the people held street demonstrations you openly dared them to resort to the ballot boxes to demonstrate.

They took your challenge by coming out, especially tho people in the Peninsular, and they demonstrated their feelings by voting us out at the BN at State and Parliament levels.

It is therefore clear that your leadership and your handling of the issues faced by the people and the nation are no longer accepted. Let's not deny the truth just for the sake of keeping your seat as Prime Minister.

For the love of this country and the people, I beg that you take responsibility for the defeat. We can save UMNO, the BN and the nation only if you relinquish your positions as Prime Minister and the President of UMNO.

Dato' Seri, I hope you will understand that I make this plea with the intention of salvaging a very dire situation. A move has been made to woo the BN representatives to join the Opposition. The enemy needs just 35 seats more to topple the government of your leadership.

If you do not resign in the near future, I fear that the situation will become untenable and that the Malay support for Umno and BN will be a thing of the past.

This plea I make without malice, and I am aware that your reaction and that of other UMNO members could very well be hostile.

But come what may, I am prepared, for the sake of the Malays and UMNO, to face the consequences of my action. With all humility, I leave my fate to Allah SWT.

Dato' Seri, I am sure that you will do the right thing for the sake of the people and the nation. May Allah SWT bless you for the sacrifice you make by stepping down.

Wasallam

Yours Sincerely

Mukhriz Mahathir
Jerlun Member Parlament


I spoke to Mukhriz to confirm that he had, indeed, sent the letter to the PM and Umno President. He confirmed it but declined to discuss details of the letter. It didn't matter because I had already obtained a copy from my own sources.
Since my "teaser" yesterday, mykmu has published Mukhriz's letter here.

updates:-
Nuraina A. Samad's Takut
Big Dog's Pecat?

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Mukhriz's letter to Badawi

Umno members want Abdullah to step down.
A letter by Dato' Mukhriz Mahathir calling for the immediate resignation of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is circulating among UMNO members, raising fear of (or hope for) another wave of politicial tsunami, this time within the BN.

I hear it's a two-page letter dated 12th March. Copies were sent to Najib Razak, Ali Rustam, Muhyiddin Yasin, and Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.

At a press conference on Monday, Mukhriz had told the PM "to do the right thing" after the heavy losses suffered by Umno and the BN in last Saturday's General Election.

Anyone has a copy of the letter? Pasquale seems to suggest here that he knows something. A Voice cites myKMU's story here that a division in Umno FT will also be calling for Pak Lah to resign.

No Perak MB yet, Khalid sworn in for Selangor


"We ask that this composition be discussed again and if the composition is not altered to the satisfaction of all parties involved, KeADILan will not take part in the administration of Perak.
However, we will continue to honour our agreement to support the coalition government of Perak." - Syed Husin Ali

Thanks, Lucia, for pointing me here. PKR's threat is so great that the swearing in of the MB Perak has been postponed.
Btw, fyi, I voted at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Rapat Setia for Perak's Gopeng parliamentary and Simpang Pulai state seats. Both went to the DAP-PKR-PAS coalition, or the "People's Coalition".
I remain confident that common sense will prevail. But I heard that, in the meatime, the Sultan and the Regent hadn't received any letter of apology from Lim Kit Siang.

Khalid Ibrahim is now Menteri Besar of Selangor, here. PKR could get a 2nd MB soon.

Apology .. to Sultan and Regent


The People, who? It won't be fair to lump it all on Kit Siang. The entire DAP's Central Executive Committee MUST apologise to the People, the Sultan and the Regent.

And remember, even then some will be suspicious of the DAP from now.

Personally, I think that perhaps, in Penang, Lim Guan Eng should now take a little bit of time and let everything sink. Let that head shrink back to size. Leave the NEP alone for now, because I am no longer quite with you (as in the DAP and its CEC) on this.

In Selangor, too. Baby steps. Learn to walk first. Don't fucking trip again.

Get your feet back on the ground.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Ah, Kit Siang!

DAP to boycott PAS Menteri Besar.

I thought Bernama had gone overboard in spinning this story, Cracks appear in Perak Opposition alliance.
Then I went to Lim Kit Siang's blog. I read his posting No DAP CEC mandate for PAS Menteri Besar in Perak.
"As the appointment of PAS Assemblyman for Pasir Panjang Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin as Perak Mentri Besar representing the third and smallest political party in the proposed coalition has not received the mandate of the CEC, DAP Perak Assemblymen will stay away from the swearing-in ceremony for Perak Mentri Besar scheduled tomorrow."
I was telling myself, "I don't believe this". Many will be devastated by this turn of events. They weren't even done celebrating the historic victory.

Does power go to everybody's head?

p/s If Kit Siang doesn't take it back, might as well give the MB post back to Umno. BN won 28 state seats in Perak, DAP has 18, PKR has 7 and PAS 6.

Good advice on Bad advisers


Will the bad advisers stand up, please?

Keng Yaik:

“The arrogance of the party in power must stop, such as the wielding of the keris and comments uttered during the Umno general assembly and in Parliament. All this must not be repeated.

“Gerakan, MCA and MIC know how to discipline their own members. Umno must do the same,” he said, adding that the “cowboys” were spoiling the name of the party."

We know that Hishammuddin and KJ are the keris wielders but who are the cowboys? And are the 4th Floor boys, led by Kamal Khalid, the bad advisers meant by Keng Yaik?
The Star's piece: Sack Bad Advisers, PM urged.