Monday, April 30, 2012

Ground Zero of the Bersih 3 Riots and an Obituary


This letter came with many other mails and text messages from Malaysians who have seen  the Schelling Incident unfolding in front of their eyes on YouTube and blogs, not just on the mainstream media, and who now demand a stop to this nonsense. Like Mr Lim Chee Wei, most Malaysians believe in democratic progress but not by burning down the city. My friend Big Cat puts it simply in Punish them at the ballot box (and in court) : "The so-called Bersih riots opened the eyes of many, especially those in the middle ground, of the dangers faced by this beautiful Malaysia."

But everything happens for a good reason, she says ...
Chaos and the Beginning of the END
Lim Chee Wei
29 April 2012
An obituary is something that is not easy to right. One never knows what to say as consoling those that have lost a loved one is nearly always an exercise in futility. The violence and chaos rained down by thousands of bused in Opposition members led by Keadilan’s Deputy President Azmin Ali yesterday was the final nail in the coffin of the political life his mentor, Anwar Ibrahim. 
I am not a fortuneteller but the writing is clearly on the wall. This is the beginning of the end of the political career of Anwar Ibrahim which has spanned more than 40 years. What should have been the natural support base of Pakatan Rakyat marching in KL on Saturday now, more than ever, has begun to count the toll of damage Anwar has done to the argument that all rallies are peaceful. 
The advent of a full democracy in Malaysia is not dependent on Ambiga’s unreasonable demands for the resignation of the entire Election Commission or the implementation of all reforms demanded before the next GE. Full democracy in Malaysia is dependent on the setting up of a sustainable and viable two-party system. People seeing Anwar lose control and sending his storm troopers in to destroy everything in their way has led many peacefully marching to believe that for democracy to face the BN, Anwar has got to go.  
The sheer desperation and willingness to cause the BN political damage at any costs, even causing damage and injury, shows that Anwar knows this GE is his LAST chance. It is the final salvo of one of the most divisive figures in Malaysia’s political history. Anwar will be 65 this year and waiting for the 14th election will see him just a shade under 70. This is his time, after GE13, it will be the time of the true leaders of Pakatan. Younger leaders who don’t want their families to dominate their parties, who are not singularly driven by a desire for power to take revenge on Tun Mahathir etc. and leaders who don’t have the baggage that a former Deputy President of UMNO will always surely have. 
It is sad to see an otherwise intelligent man blind to the fact that he will never be Prime Minister. The destructiveness he unleashed on Kuala Lumpur this weekend is the final act of desperation of a man hoping in vain that he has still got one final act to play. What he does not realize is that his audience has left and moved on to something, or someone, that far more closely resembles an ideal of leadership with which they want to spend time and watch. 
Datuk Ambiga herself conceded that the Police acted after the political segments of the rally intimidated and attacked the Police. In her own attempt to salvage what has become an irreparable situation of chaos and violence, she naively asks the Government to think about why some people would act so extremely. The motives of men smashing cars lies not in a desire for electoral reform. Rather, they were doing so because Anwar told them to do so. He told them to do so because he knew that if they rained chaos on the streets, the Police would be forced to act. Only then would his friends in the foreign media be able to dedicate many minutes of coverage to chaos in yet another Muslim majority country. 
Datuk Ambiga has to take some of the responsibility despite her attempts to ask the crowd to disperse before the trouble started. She herself repeatedly requested PAS and Keadilan to bulk up her numbers in the event that ordinary non-partisan Malaysians did not show up. It is as clear as day that Bersih has been entirely taken over by the Opposition. This could have been avoided if Datuk Ambiga never started on that slippery slope of sharing the Bersih stage with Anwar in particular. 

I am Chinese and the first trait of my people is pragmatism which is why we felt that there needed to be a much stronger Opposition in 2008 given the wanton corruption and abuses of the BN then. Pakatan would do well not to take my pragmatism for granted for this way of thinking does not know political loyalties. Chaos and desperation are not pragmatic. For the first time since 2008, Anwar does not seem like a pragmatic choice for Prime Minister. 
Democratic progress is NOT upturned cars on the streets and vigilante rowdies running riot in our cities. Democratic progress is the setting up of a true two party system. Pakatan needs a real leader who believes in the ideals of democracy and has NEVER practiced otherwise. With this, I hereby write the beginning of the end of Anwar Ibrahim’s political career on 28 April 2012.

p.s. The foreign media were among the most frustrated by the outcome of Bersih 3, I think. They wanted to see violence against the people. They wanted Tahrih Square and Tianeman. They were hoping for police brutality (read here, Aljazeera's reporter reading from a prepared script) They did not expect images and footages like these:





And if Aljazeera was as good as it claimed to be, it would have gotten this and proof of who started it all. The "why" we all know, unless the Aljazeera's reporter is so dumb we have to spell it out to him:

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Jejadi 2


Jelajah Janji Ditepati. While the Opposition rides on Bersih 3 to bring down Najib, the PM goes down to the people in Sarawak to rub shoulders and be reckoned with. It's the second Jelajah - the first in Batu Pahat, Johor - a roadshow for the PM to directly inform the people of what the Government has done for them so far as well as to get feedback on what else needs to be done.

Najib has taken the opportunity to bear some good news to the people of Sarawak, including those who did not vote for his government. In Sibu, where the BN lost to Pakatan in a recent by-election, the PM announced the setting up for a university.

Great gesture. Our politics should not come in the way of our children's well-being.

Follow Apanama and Big Dog for live coverage.

Bersih and the law: Tunku Aziz was right


Bersih 3.0 Thugs. Watch the latest videos sent out by the Police at StopTheLies. Ambiga guarantees it would be a peaceful assembly. Normal, peaceful people don't mock the cops and kick a police car.  Good thing the cop(s) in the car did not stop to say hello.

A response to OKM's "merapu"

Ong Kian Ming is PKR/Selangor
political/policy consultant, a fact
often omitted byb our media
MERAP's Ong Kian Ming, who came up with the fantastic 3.1 million-voter claim against the Election Commission earlier this week, sees himself as, er, quite valuable, actually. In one interview, he brags: I believe I can have access to any politicians whom I want to meet within a certain period of time, including meeting the Prime Minister because I can offer a value to them. 

He was certainly able to convince the people at MCA and Gerakan of his value as he worked for both Insap and Sedar, the BN component parties' think tanks after returning to this country. Now, though, Kian Ming is with PKR or/and the Selangor government, meh. He's helping MB Khalid Ibrahim come up with the state's much-awaited (or long overdue) economic blueprint while be builds his own portfolio as an academic and his own political consulting firm, OKM Consulting.

But value is subjective, and after you've read SatD's Internal Migration and Electoral Roll Accuracy Rate: A Quick Look on Merap's 3.1 million "Preliminary Analysis", which totally ridicules and destroys Ong Kian Ming's claims and theories that Malaysia's electoral roll was rife with errors (millions of them!), you'd be left wondering what exactly is the value this Singapore Raffles'-educated chap was supposed to bring to the Malaysian table.

Firstly, SatD points out that Kian Ming was relying on 10-year old data. Too old, the anonymous blogger writes:
The NRD Data given to EC was in 2002
Hell it could even be 10 Million now or maybe just a few hundred thousand.
Would Ong Kian Ming of the MERAP project be able to provide an accurate number to be included in its "Reseach Project" Report
To do that MERAP will need the IC Number of All Voter, the Voting Area Location Details and the Address in the IC....
I can do that in 10 Minutes via a simple SQL Query if I have access to the Data.
But does MERAP have access to the Data?
That data resides in the system below

You seriously think MERAP got the access?
Let us look at another data to understand the magnitude of the problem
First we must look at the data of Internal Migration during prior to NRD giving EC 3.1 Million people with IC Addresses not equal to their Voting Area.
Internal migration in Malaysia is driven primarily due to Rural Urban Movements ... READ MORE
In an interview, Ong Kian Ming said, he is in a unique position to offer a value that most people in Malaysia can’t, through his own political consulting company, OKM Consulting. “For example, I’ve access to election polling data that I’ve gathered and collated as part of my PhD research over the years that enables me to make detailed analysis analyses and predictions, which I doubt most people can."

Well, Ong Kian Ming, maybe most people are not half as clever as you are but when you take them for fools, you'd find that they can teach you a thing or two, as well. Read SatD's posting at the risk of finding you might need to go back to school, mate.

For the rest of you, go here to leave comments.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Has UMNO got to Tunku Aziz?

Updated: SIXTY of the 81 NGOs taking part in Bersih are ILLEGAL! No wonder Tunku Aziz is against it. Read H E R E.


Original Article:
They are going to call Tunku Aziz names now. How dare the old man openly  opposes Bersih 3.0? Has he lost his marbles or has he gone over to the "dark side"? How much did they pay him to label Ambiga and Samad Said "irresponsible"? Sheeesh! 

Me, I'm surprised there are still leaders in the Opposition who dare voice out their concerns against the party. And in DAP! And a Malay, too!

Read the Malaysian Insider's piece here

Exceprts of what Tunku Aziz said:


In all fairness, I am sure Tunku Aziz made his point with the late Baharuddin in mind. Baharuddin was the taxi driver who died of a heart attack while taking part in Bersih 2 last year. Ambiga and gang blamed the police for his death and never accepted responsibility for the death. Only last week, after The Mole's constant hounding, did Ambiga promise that the organisers of Bersih will issue a heath advisory to all protesters. That was the closest she and Pak Samad S got to assuming responsibility over Baharuddin's tragic and untimely demise. 

Tunku Aziz is right. If something goes terribly wrong, the tendency is to blame the authorities. 

Now, seriously, how much did UMNO or BN or Najib pay you to say that, Tunku?


Thursday, April 26, 2012

Anwar's "independent" foreign observers are here to tell us we are not free nor fair

But despite being invited by the office of Parliament's Opposition Leader Anwar, the group's members insisted today on their independence, even claiming that their expenses for the mission are being borne by themselves or their respective governments. 
"We were invited by the leader of the opposition (Anwar), but the invitation could have come from anyone because there are important principles here and we know that these are concerns that have been raised. 
"We will be providing a report, all of us here on the panel, we are fiercely independent and we want to provide a report that is fair, based on facts and balanced... but the whole concept has to be one that we come here as great friends of Malaysia, of Malaysian democracy," said Nicholas Xenophon, an independent Senator for South Australia, during a press conference in Parliament this afternoon. - The Malaysian Insider, read full story

The same Nick Xenophon heading Anwar's "independent" foreign observers
Read more about Anwar Ibrahim's good friend here on supporting civil union of same-sex couples.

A Dec 2010 forum: Nick Xenophon in Msia to support Anwar Ibrahim

Independent? Hahahaha. Bo Lancao (to borrow pro-Bersih chant, here). This Nicholas Xenophon is the same one who's openly supported Anwar Ibrahim in the past (see the screenshots I've independently chosen to show he's a faithful follower of DSAI).

Don't know about the others on the team, but I think Nick Xenophon is here to gaily do what Anwar Ibrahim tells him to. But you, Dear Readers, judge for yourselves lah, OK? 

Dec 10, 2010 report. Nick X is Malaysia's opposition leader based Down Under

The kind of people Najib does not need at PRU13


18:29, Apr 26 Updated, with correction and apology
IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION minutes ago that "the guy who is supposed to be an aide to the PM" ("the aide") DID NOT offer any cash to any of the reporters who covered the event mentioned in my original posting below. Someone did hand out RM100 to the reporters but none of the reporters had seen the guy before.  
My sincere apology to "the aide".  


Original article
Journalists in this country may not be well paid, but they get paid. They are the most poorly-paid professionals in Malaysia, but there are perks: the New Straits Times Press provide monthly book allowances to its journalists while The Star is known to pay huge bonuses to its staff. Top journalists get to travel, car allowances, drivers, security guards at home. A few editors even went on to become overnight multi-millionaires but this was when Anwar Ibrahim was a powerful DPM and Umno deputy president. 

Once in a while, however, a moron in the government gets the idea that our journalists must be so poor that they need "hand-outs". Like yesterday, when this guy who is supposed to be an aide to the PM, a wannabe candidate at the next General Election, he handed RM100 in cash to all journalists covering his event in Subang Jaya.

One or two of the reporters refused to accept the money. They have informed their editors and I hope their editors have lodged a formal complaint with the politician or with the Prime Minister's Office.

Or, better still, the MACC.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

No erection allowed in Dataran Merdeka, according to the law

No kidding! Courtesy of SatD, again:- 



By-Law 4. OffencesNo person shall, unless approved by the Commissioner in writing, in the Dataran Merdeka ...
 (o) erect any tent, booth, shed or other structure; 
(r) lie down or sleep in any part of Dataran Merdeka; or 
(s) allow any animal which is under his control to enter or remain in any part of Dataran Merdeka

You may not want to respect the law, but at least know what the law is. 
To stop being ignorant, refer to the full by-laws in The Setingarden: Evaluating "The Occuption" and the planned "Sit in"(... and leave your comments there, please)

So they want to do a MAS on Malaysia Airports now?

Bashir's record is making it difficult for "them" to Syed-line him
Hostile takeover attempt at MAHB. A month ago, I wrote of how the discontent at Malaysia Airlines had become a General Election issue for the Prime Minister. In other words, Najib Razak would want the issues involved to be resolved before he calls for PRU13. This was confirmed a few days later by The Malaysian Insider. In trying to end the dispute, the PM has met with the management and the trade unions of the national carrier. I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Reminds me of the massive Qantas industrial action when I was in Perth last year; the Australian PM stepped in and provided a solution to the problem. National carriers deserve such precedence!

But even as Najib works to resolve the MAS issue, another huge political migraine awaits the PM at the Malaysia Airports. The same people who planned the Air Asia-MAS share swap want Tan Sri Bashir the Malaysia Airports boss out of the way. His term ends in June and they haven't told him if he's staying or going. 

The stealth. The intrigue. 

What irks me is that all these people are doing is prop up another failed government-linked company CEO crony to take over Malaysia Airports, which is doing fine and making money and just a couple of days ago bagged yet another award.

Really, once in a while, these people should try and help Najib Razak a little bit: by not creating problem after problem for the PM to have to resolve.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Why Chinese students stay away from anti-PTPTN demo

"Ada pinjam, ada pulang". The Chinese newspapers in this country are rarely sympathetic towards the Government; the harder you hit the authorities, the more copies you sell. On the anti-PTPTN protest ignited by Anwar Ibrahim, the Nanyang daily turns its guns on the Opposition pact of Pakatan Rakyat. In its editorial "Pakatan Rakyat Perbodoh-bodohkan Rakyat", the newspaper says it the Chinese are steadfast about one thing, it is about the need to repay one's debts. The writer describes this as "basic decency" and accuses Pakatan Rakyat politicians of failing to observe this and two other "basics".

Read the translation of the article H E R E.

Stickier yellow note: Why we cannot Occupy Dataran Merdeka, according to the law


Most of our lawyers may not know this, but SatD says if we go strictly by the law, NOBODY can hold any event on Dataran Merdeka because it is too close to a place of worship. As today is Sunday, the day my good Christian friends go to Church, I'd like to ask Ambiga S and Pak Samad S to read SatD's posting h e r e. 

What the law says ...

To leave comments, go to Above the Law: The Immunity of  "law-abiding" civil society

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Yellow sticky note 2: Avoiding another Baharuddin

Ambiga and Pak SS say they will issue health notices to their fellow protesters who may have chronic illnesses but stop short of saying they will take responsibility for any untoward incident, or another death like Baharuddin Ahmad. They may also deploy a medical team at the rally later this month. "The plan is in discussion at the moment," Pak SS told The Mole, here, yesterday. He and Ambiga were responding to the Bru's post A yellow sticky note to Bersih re Baharuddin (April 14).

That's a start, at least. If you want others to be responsible, you must show that you can be responsible too.

A "student" at OccupyDataran, Picture courtesy of a Bru reader

And those involved in the anti-PTPTN rally by "students" who do not want to repay their study loans, I wouldn't be too concerned with those dudes you called "thugs" who attacked you guys the other day. I saw the clip of the so-called attack. Real thugs don't push and shove. Looks to me like really poor acting. 


Friday, April 20, 2012

Bad Drivers

Bad drivers are not better than bad politicians - Anon

I don't have a driver and I sometimes envy those who have. Only people with spare change or those who are senior enough in a corporation or government are chauffeur-driven. Most drivers these days are Malays and Indians, though many years ago Dr Mahathir Mohamad did have a Chinese neighbor to be his driver. I knew of a senior flamboyant diplomat who briefly had a female driver. 

Malaysia's most famous driver is probably Azizan Abu Bakar, the man who was allegedly sodomized by a politician in the 90s. Since Azizan, drivers have been viewed suspiciously. But they have not been making headlines, until this week when two personal drivers linked to two well-known politicians lodged fantastic police reports:

Driver No 1: Abdullah Sani Said
(Personal Driver: There is attempt to assassinate Anwar)

Driver No 2: Nor Azman Azemi
(Artiste's driver tells on minister who pays RM100 thousand for each mating)

Both articles are courtesy of Keadilan Daily, the official website of Anwar Ibrahinm's PKR party, unfortunately. Driver no 2's police report was also highlighted by a PKR MP during a press conference yesterday.

Confirmed lah, Malaysia has the worst drivers in the world!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Felda settlers give IPO a big nod at EGM

VOTE COUNT FOR/AGAINST FELDA KPF Extraordinary General Meeting
Dewan Perdana, Felda Headquarters Kuala Lumpur

1,102 FOR

   120 AGAINST
Clearly, an overwhelming majority of Felda settlers and staff (89.8 per cent) want the IPO to happen. At their Cooperative's EGM today, their delegates finally defeated repeated attempts by outsiders, led by politicians from Pakatan Rakyat, to scuttle the proposed listing, which is designed to give 112,000 Felda settler families a greater say in the running of a more global Felda. The listing of Felda, first proposed by Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the national budget in 2003, was given a new lease of life by Najib Razak as soon as he became PM 3 years ago. Anwar Ibrahim's coalition have accused Najib of trying to use the proceeds from the IPO to give business to crony banks and brokers. The Felda IPO will be one of the biggest the country has ever seen.

There were 5 spoilt votes and 15 ballots were not returned.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

PTPTN: Anwar, Kit and Guan Eng supported Bill in 97

You can fool some people some of the time. But as this story by The Mole tells us, the truth will prevail. And the truth lies in the Hansard. The Mole did a simple check with the Hansard and guess what?! 

1. Anwar Ibrahim was the man responsible for the PTPTN. He was the Acting Prime Minister of Malaysia when the Bill on the PTPTN was tabled in 1997

2. Lim Kit Siang supported the Bill. In fact he the RM100 million startup allocation for the PTPTN as contained in the bill was insufficient and it should be increased to RM500 million. 

3. Son Lim Guan Eng, who is now Penang Chief Minister, was even better. He said RM500 million was not enough, it should be increased to RM1 billion!!

And today they all say that the PTPTN is not good and that  if we vote them in as the Government of Malaysia, they will do away with the PTPTN.

We should do away with lies and hypocrisy. Read The Mole's revelation H E R E.

Mahathir and Obama

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is in HUKM recovering from a minor surgery, and I wonder if he won't be in stitches if he'd read about Obama's very un-American, a little Mahathirish, statement against speculators. Read Obama proposes new action on oil speculation.
"We can't afford a situation where speculators artificially manipulate markets by buying up oil, creating the perception of a shortage and driving prices higher, only to flip the oil for a quick profit," Obama said. "We can't afford a situation where some speculators can reap millions, while millions of American families get the short end of the stick." 
Calling for "more cops on the beat to monitor activity in energy markets," Obama also proposed an increase in civil and criminal penalties for illegal energy market manipulation and other activities. As a means of discouraging speculation, he proposed having Congress require that Wall Street traders put more money aside to pay off the bets made on oil contracts. And he called for toughening financial penalties tenfold and imposing penalties for every day a violation occurs.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/17/2754308/obama-proposes-new-action-on-oil.html#storylink=cpy

We still remember the currency crisis of 1998, when Malaysia and its Prime Minister raised eyebrows with incessant attacks on Bersih's George Soros and the currency speculators. The Americans had a description for this blame-the-speculators behavior then: Denial Syndrome.

The US has also been bailing out big businesses that had gone bad, something Dr Mahathir was lynched for doing. They bailed out their financial institutions a couple of years back. 

When even the Americans are doing what our Statesman did years ago, that tells us something about the man. Only here we have Malaysians who are too shy to admit that Dr Mahathir has done a great many things so that millions of Malaysian families don't get the short end of the stick, as Obama would put it.

Here's wishing the Tun a full recovery fast. 

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

MH 002, a lost engine, and the best cabin crew


Lucky escape for Virgin passengers, too. Read the story.


Original article
This engine explosion on a Qantas flight recently cost Rolls-Royce A$90m 

I was on board the Malaysia Airlines' 11.40 flight to Heathrow last night that lost an engine mid-air during take-off at the KLIA. Ten or 15 seconds in the air and there was this huge, ugly "thud" and immediately those who had flown enough times knew something had gone awry. The big bird shuddered and then someone said "Fire!". A stewardess was running up the aisle to the First Class cabin, followed by a male colleague. I did not see any fire; I was at the window seat on the 16th row, just a few seats before the four engines of the 747, and the engine that we lost was on the left wing. Moreover, my eyes were trying to locate the ground about 5000 dark feet below. The worst did cross my mind ...

It was the scariest two hours of my flying experience. But those two hours reaffirmed one thing for me and my fellow passenger (other than the fact that life is fragile), that Malaysia Airlines has the best cabin crew. The Captain took too long to make the announcement about the engine failure but salute to stewardess Wai Soh and her colleagues, for they allayed the passengers and were cool despite their own fears, and continued to engage us well throughout the 90 minutes that the aircraft had to circle low over KLIA to dump fuel for the landing.

MH 002 is scheduled to fly out to Heathrow this morning at 1030. Another plane will be used. But the one day's delay means we will miss our scheduled programme in Lisbon so we decided to cancel the flight. 

We live to fly another day. Amin.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

After her Kerinchi fiasco, Nurul Izzah looks for redemption

If only the Felda settlers were more gullible than the Kerinchi flat dwellers, YB. Unfortunately, for you, they are not.

And neither were the Kerinchi folks. If they had all listened to Nurul Izzah, the 467 families in Kampung Kerinchi low-cost flats would have lost the opportunity to move up in life. Fortunately, 93 per cent of them did not and, instead, stuck to what they had agreed to before their young MP emerged to derail the redevelopment project. Yesterday, these hard-working people and their families moved out of their "cheap flats" into new homes and a new beginning.

The 35 families that put their future in her hands ended up the biggest losers. All 467 are Malay households.

Nurul Izzah, the MP for Lembah Pantai where Kerinchi is, was not there to congratulate the 467 families or to help the 35. Read Nurul Izzah and Kg Kerinchi shall never twain? and find out how her constituents tracked her down to a futsal game instead of helping the residents. One Kerinchi resident was so contemptuous of the young MP:
Nurul cuma timbul bila masa nak buat kecoh dan merusuh. Masa tu dia datang dengan samseng-samseng Cina dan India, sedangkan kawasan ini 100% Melayu. Dia datang dengan orang luar macam Adam Adli yang tak pernah tunjuk muka sebelum ini di Lembah Pantai, tapi cuma datang untuk wujudkan huru-hara.
After the mess in Kerinchi, Nurul Izzah is hoping to fare better with the Felda settlers. Read her posting Peneroka Felda: Durian Runtuh atau Durian Reput? 
Jelas sekali apa yang disifatkan oleh PM Najib sebagai “lonjakan berganda” ini sebenarnya lebih cenderung ke arah membuka peluang niaga baharu dan memberi kesempatan kepada institusi kewangan terbabit mendapat hasil atas titik-peluh dan keringat peneroka dan pekerja FELDA, terutamanya 5 bank pelaburan yang dilantik menyelenggara kesemua perkara berkaitan penyenaraian, 7 bank yang dipilih untuk memberi pinjaman membiayai pembelian saham, dan beberapa syarikat pembrokeran saham yang dilantik untuk menjalankan urusniaga jual-beli saham di pasaran terbuka.
Basically, what Nurul Izzah is trying to do is, in the words of the Kerinchi blogger, "buat kecoh dan merusuh". She made no mention that this is not the first time Felda is doing an IPO. And what is wrong with  the MP? You have to involve the pros in any IPO lah. At least we know the Prime Minister is not giving "business" to one party; quoting what she herself wrote, the Felda settlers will have the help of 5 investment banks, 7 commercial banks, and several brokerage firms!

Surely politicians from both sides must know by now, you can't fool all the people all the time? Obviously, Nurul Izzah thinks she still can. No wonder talk is rife that come PRU13, Anwar Ibrahim's daughter may be sent by the Pakatan Rakyat elders to Kelana Jaya to replace a worse-performing MP from PKR. 

Saturday, April 14, 2012

A yellow sticky note for Bersih re Baharuddin Ahmad

At Bersih 2.0 in July last year, the organisers of Bersih and their die-hard supporters were quick to blame the Police for the death of a middle-aged man who collapsed and died while taking part in the demonstration. They claimed he died in a scuffle with our boys in blue. Post-mortem showed that Baharuddin Ahmad died of a heart attack. 

I don't remember Ambiga or any of her political sponsors assuming responsibility for the death on 9 July 2011. I do remember her declaring Bersih 2.0 a success, notwithstanding the death. Not even a year on, Baharuddin has been reduced to just a news filler.

With Bersih 3.0, Ambiga and fellow organisers should act more responsibly. Start by making sure that all necessary precautions have been taken to cover the protesters (not themselves and their political masters) in the unlikely event of another death.

p.s. And please tell your protesters not to fake their deaths lah. Remember this stupid stunt [read h e r e]? 

The Bersih death faker, flanked by a foreign jounalist and a YB, no less!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

NUR(IN) Alert: Why it's not working

Updated, Sat 14/4: Did bureaucracy screw things up?
Original post
...And why the Home Minister must take over. Jalan Sudin has all the reasons to be sad and angry with the manner the authorities react each time a child is abducted. In 2006, it took the police EIGHT days after the abduction of  little Nurin Jazlin Jazimin before a search was launched. Last month, the nation mourned the abduction-murder of another child. The cops have a special team to look into missing kids under the Women and Community Ministry's NUR Alert (a watered-down version of the NURIN Alert some ordinary Malaysians proposed to the ministry in 2007) but they are not doing as good a job as they would had they been properly briefed by the ministry.

A magazine cover in 2006, the call for NURIN Alert

We can't blame the cops but some of the top cops and half-baked politicians (read Why Missing Children May Never Be Found ... to know who these politicians might be) should keep their mouth shut and do their homework.
The cops need our help to make NUR Alert work. Jalan Sudin's Nuraina made some suggestions as to how we can beat the predators and killers. I would like to add two things:

1. Replace NUR Alert with Nationwide Urgent Response Information Network (NURIN) Alert which those bloggers - with the help of local NGOs concerned with crime - adopted and proposed to the government in 2006. NUR Alert is too associated with a ministry; we need to bring back the initiative that was started by those concerned parents

2. Get the Home Minister, no less, to lead the NURIN Alert initiative. Hishammuddin Hussein has the clout to make this a TOP PRIORITY project within PDRM and bring in the other stakeholders - the media, MCMC, Women's Ministry, NGOs, private sector - to really make this work.

Tomorrow it might be your kids.

Monday, April 09, 2012

Pitting a BN elder against another

When I read this piece on the Malaysian Insider yesterday, I wasn't surprised. The general election is near. Pitting a BN elder against another would be a good way to undermine the enemy. It's an old tactic: the Americans do it in Iraq, pitting the Sunnis and Shiites against one another.


I read on and, well, looks like I owe my friends at The Malaysian Insider half an apology: It wasn't their original article.  (Can't blame the pro-Pakatan portals for lapping up the story, see Mkini and MToday. It  has gone viral on blogosphere, too).

Malaysia Today
Right there with the other pro-Bersih/anti-BN articles
Eight years after Dr Mahathir Mohamad voluntarily stepped down as our PM, the country's media still entertain people who take potshots at him. It is something I find hard to understand. Why can't they let Dr M retire in peace?

When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was PM, his media barons demonized Dr Mahathir. But that's because there was bad blood between the two. That's past. Those barons have even apologized to Dr M. 

Dr Mahathir may be critical sometimes of Najib Razak but there is no bad blood between them and Dr M has never openly attacked Najib. In fact, he has defended Najib's policies when they come under attack.

Samy Vellu must realize that he lost because he was no longer popular. Blaming Dr M for his 2008 defeat is lame. He was powerless then. Abdullah was the powerful one and Samy Vellu had Abdullah's trust and support. At the time, Dr Mahathir did not even have a blog. The newspaper quoted Samy Vellu as saying that Dr Mahathir had incited Malays in Sungei Siput not to vote him in the 2008 GE. Think, guys! The Tun could not even win the UMNO G7 election at Kubang Pasu level in September 2006, so what influence did he have over Sg Siput voters?

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Stand By Me




STAND BY ME has been performed by many greats, from Ben E. King (in 1962) to John Lennon. I don't know what Najib Razak's favorite song is but the group of young local grads who came up with this montage thought it should be made the theme song for the PM, especially with the general elections around the corner and as a tribute to his accomplishments in the last 3 years.

Advisory: There is a VOTE FOR BN liner at the end of the clip.


UPDATES: Najib kicks off Jelajah Janji ditepati in Batu Pahat, report and pic by Big Dog, Kita Menepati Janji Bila Berjanji


midnight update: A Voice has proposed the song SELAMAT JALAN, ROMEO for Najib's challenger

Friday, April 06, 2012

PKR, DAP, PAS and BERSIH



Updated: Ambiga, I'm afraid you're not a very bright lawyer because ... by Hantu Laut


Original posting:
A quick and easy political IQ test for Bru readers: Take a quick look at the photograph of the poster representing Pakatan leaders, ie PKR, DAP and PAS. Now answer the question: Which political party does Ambiga represent?


Stumped? Yep. Many were shocked by the naked political ambitions of Ambiga as pictured by the billboard. I was told that this poster, pasted on billboards around Selangor, has been ordered to be brought down after the Pakatan chaps realized that they had unnecessarily exposed Ambiga ...  


Extremism in our Education Part One

A huge blow to Dong Zong

"The mentality of thugs and bullies can now be seen clearly in Dong Jiao Zong, the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia. 
"It is very disturbing to see an NGO like Dong Jiao Zong, which is supposed to be looking after the education of our children, having the mentality of gangsters and bullies by being intolerant and arrogant, demanding to have it all their ways and their ways alone. Instead of leading the children towards unity and instilling patriotism, this education-related NGO is doing all the opposites .. "
"It is not an exaggeration, I guess, to say that Dong Zong actually represents the majority, if not 100% of the Malaysian Chinese mentality."
-[6 April 2012, mynewshub.my]
Dong Jiao Zong has been around a few years before Merdeka. Since its inception, it has openly been opposed to the British and later the Malaysian government's policies on education. Today, there are Malaysians who view it as "extreme" and many, like the writer of the article Dong Jiao Zong: The Real Danger? above, blame Dong Zong for the few times that we Malaysians had to live dangerously on the edge. Me, I believe Dong Zong will breed more 
I cannot agree, however, with Azuardi Alias' conclusion that Dong Zong represents the majority, if not 100%, of the Malaysian Chinese mentality. I think the reason Dong Zong is screaming at the top of their lungs today is because they are losing their appeal, especially to the young and more educated Chinese.


Still, some politicians in the Opposition are making sure that Dong Zong does not stop the pressure on the government that is led by their rivals from the BN. Yes, politics again, In Malaysia, money is not the only root to all our problems. 


And here's where the authorities responsible for our nation's security ought to watch closely and not blink, not even once. If anyone from Dong Zong or the politicians cross the line and put multiracial Malaysia in jeopardy, bring them in.

Read also Joceline Tan's The Other End of the Blog (The Star, April 1)
and Pasquale's ... Or Malays should be equally Chauvinistic? (Barking Magpie, April 6)

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Walk for MAS?

Forget Bersih 3.0. Blogger Big Dog is instigating stakeholders of Malaysia Airlines and the ordinary people to take to the streets to  demonstrate their utmost displeasure and discontent on how the national carrier has been systematically structured to die.


The blogger, who is a freqent flyer of MAS, writes:

If they can allow issues like ‘unfair elections’ be taken to the streets for the third time, then the pride the Jalur Gemilang carrier of the skies should be championed too. This time, by the ordinary blokes on the streets. This is not at all political. Be clear and loud about it. It is about the unequivocal pride of the nation.

Well, he also pointed out that the issue could put paid Najib Razak's dream of recapturing Selangor in the next General Election. Read on It's time for rakyat to voice their displeasure for the MAS-AirAsia CCF, on the streets.

Malaysia's Educational Excellence Part lll: Outside looking in

Malaysian blogger in the US, Dr (medical doctor, not Yap-kind of doctor) Bakri Musa, has posted two or his six-parter which I think my friends at the Education Ministry should follow closely. Never mind Dr Bakri prefers the word "reform" to "transform", his outside-looking-in ideas and wisdom are valuable for the Ministry's efforts to revamp the education. And his message is clear: We must improve further the education quality that we give our children [notwithstanding the good scores the WEF has given us].

Read:

Certainly a more constructive approach than the Guanengs' rantings against the Minister.



Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Malaysia's Education Excellence Part ll: The unhappy Malaysians


Perception is good, so why is Lim Guan Eng unhappy? For someone who says he wants the best for Malaysia, Lim Guan Eng ought to be proud with the way Malaysia scores the World Economic Forum's global 2011-2012 survey. We are far from perfect (we ranked 21st most competitive in the world, overall) but we are up there, bros and sis, not down there.

Instead of congratulating his fellow Malaysians, Guan Eng is angry and upset. Or unhappy. With the Deputy Prime Minister, especially. How dare Muhyiddin Yasin said the quality of our tertiary education is better than the UK and Germany! But, hello, that is what the WEF statistics say lah. If Guan Eng is not happy, he should lodge a complain with the WEF...

I used to "process" these WEF reports as a journalist with Business Times. It was not a chore I enjoyed. But for the sake of enlightening Guan Eng and Gang, I've taken out the part in which the WEF ranks Malaysia ahead of Germany and the UK. I have added Singapore here (although Abang Din did not mention Singapore) to assure Guan Eng that Singapore is still ahead of us and for those who just love to compare Malaysia with Zimbabwe, I have also added Zimbabwe's scores here.


Malaysia: 14th
Germany: 17th
The UK: 20th

Singapore: 2nd in the world
Zimbabwe: 33rd

Once again, boys and girls, remember that these are WEF's statistics and findings, not the Government of Malaysia's. For more detailed comparisons with Germany, click h e r e, and with the UK, here. If you would like to look at the entire WEF report page by page, click h e r e.

Quality vs Quantity. The data show other information as well. Enrollment is a question of QUANTITY and not quality. The WEF report differentiates the two. The weightage 33% is given for quality and 33% for quantity. Take page 48 of the report: tertiary enrolment rate is 36.5 per cent. The reason is not because the quality of our education is low, but the places at tertiary institutions are limited and admission is highly competitive. Quantity is straight forward and based on hard facts/official data. WEF gathered official data and distribute scores based on it. The hard fact is our enrolment rate is low so we got low score on quantity. 

Quality, on the other hand, is subjective. There is no available data on the overall quality of educational system. So WEF uses Executive Opinion Survey to measure quality. And the fact is those who participated in the survey viewed the quality of our educational system as superior than that of US, Germany and UK. So if Guan Eng does not agree with them, take it with them. 

But then again, we have to ask Guan Eng, why are you so against them if they think highly of the quality of education?

Does he want people to  believe that we are not as good as we actually are or perceived to be?


Tony Pua also not happy