Hantu Laut
Everything with Pak Lah is always a little too late. Now ketuanan Melayu takes on a new meaning.
“So when we talk about that (Malay supremacy), we mean we must be successful in many fields. It is never about ruling over others, or forcing our power upon them,” said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“We are not going to be a race that dominates others. We want to be a party that represents the Malays and that is ready to co-operate for the future of Malays and the people, as Malays will also succeed when all Malaysians are successful.That is Malay supremacy and I hope people will understand it,” he said.
He says Malays must not be coolies but must be tuan. Well, that's what supremacy is all about, isn't it, the tuan lord over the lesser mortals and in the case of ketuanan Melayu, the Malays lord over the non-Malays. No matter how hard he tries to re-define the meaning of ketuanan Melayu, the apprehension of the non-Malays will always be there.
Words are not enough to change people's mind.What the PM should do is to follow up his statement with sincere and credible actions.
“We must acknowledge that we are friends in Barisan. This is Umno’s assurance to the other component parties,” he said.
That assurance came a little too late.
Providing mere lip service is not going to convince people to accept the new version of ketuanan Melayu.In fact there was not ketuanan Melayu, it was all made up by UMNO to frighten the non-Malays and to remind them who are the masters in this country.
The Chinese and Indians have no problem with ketuanan Melayu.They have accepted the fact that being in the majority the Malays would naturally be taking leading roles in governing this country.What they want is fairness and preservation of their rights as citizens of this country and not be constantly reminded that they don't belong here.
Not playing the devil's advocate, I think I prefer the original version of ketuanan Melayu.
There is nothing wrong to rule over others.All we need to do are to learn to be good masters.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I Came,I Saw, I Shall Conquer
Hantu Laut
Veni, vidi, vici or in English I came, I saw, I conquered was what Julius Ceaser told the Roman Senate after his victory at the Battle Of Zela.
I came,I saw,I shall conquer should be the parody for Anwar Ibrahim after his recent visit to Sabah if he can hoodwink the frogs with his bluff.
I have the numbers he says but I am not in a hurry to take over the government. Really?
"I don't think we have established a definite clear time frame when I will take over as prime minister but it certainly wouldn't reach three years" he said to a crowd of benighted Sabahans. Than in complete contrast he said it could be next month, the month after that, it could be in July or it could be during Merdeka... but I think it should not exceed Merdeka day.Than he chose the 16th of September as a date of the highest possibility for the coup to take place.
Anwar Ibrahim is a man always in a hurry and sometimes he trips, stumbles and falls as was the case when he tried to topple Mahathir with his stealthy campaign against the then prime minister. He became very popular with the younger members in UMNO at that time and it was even rumored that many of his supporters wore rings given by him to show their royalty to him, the making of a personality cult. His allegation of trump up charges against him could have been the result of his disloyalty and treachery against his boss who was not yet ready to hand over power to him at that time.
Mahathir is a man who doesn't take kindly to disloyalty and treachery. He had been responsible for the meteoric rise of Anwar in the party hierarchy, at the expense of more senior party stalwarts. He believed Anwar would make a good leader and prime minister until he found out the dark side of Anwar Ibrahim. The man who just couldn't wait his time to get to be prime minister of the nation.
This time he wanted to steal the premiership from Abdullah Badawi, a weaker opponent compared to gutsy Mahathir.
Anwar is back in his element after the minor windfall his party won at the recent polls. His party and his position can only survive politically as long as the coalition with PAS and DAP stays intact.Any discord and dismembering of the coalition could put Anwar back in dire straits and a miss as good as a mile at the coveted title.
The emergence of stronger oppositions at the last elections was more accidental rather than a true reflection of the wishes of the masses. The shift was more due to disillusionment and disdain for Abdullah's weak and incapacitated leadership.
The shift towards Islamisation underwent a major change under his leadership and one of the many reasons for the non-Malays to abandon the BN. His openness had opened the Pandora's box where act of corruptions were nicely locked up before under previous administration.
In trying to compete with PAS Abdullah had fallen victim to radical Muslims in his government.He allowed them free reins in strengthening of the Sharia and its interpretation and brought it into conflicts with other religions. Even Muslims are beginning to wonder and worry where the Islamists in the government are going to take the nation to next. This was done in the hope of keeping the Malay votes with UMNO and away from PAS.The whole exercise of getting the Malays to close rank under UMNO backfired. Internal squabbling in the party, lack of consensus in selection of candidates and sabotage aggravated the situation.
To show what a staunch Muslim and a Malay nationalist he is, Abdullah theatrically took over the role of Imam and led worshippers at mosques when ever there is a need to remind the Malays where their faith and their future lies.
Abdullah's myopic view of the changing political landscape has done extensive erosion of support for other coalition partners in the BN.The Chinese and Indians almost completely abandoned the BN in favour of DAP and PKR. Majority of Malays are still with UMNO and pockets of very disgruntled Malays voted for PAS and PKR in other states with the exception of Kelantan which is its stronghold.
The Malay support for UMNO will continue to erode if Abdullah doesn't change his style of leadership or step down as prime minister.
His recent announcement of making the ACA fully independent is typical of the Badawi's syndrome.Next day he qualifies his previous statement by saying although the Commission would be required to table its annual report to the parliamentary committee, he would be responsible for the Commission. In other word they would still be taking directives from him.
Has he got a kitchen cabinet that advises him to change his statements after having made them or it is just his style ?
What's the point of making such announcement when you are only playing with words thinking
Malaysians are such an ignorant bunch that we can't differentiate between fact and fiction. It makes one wonder when will Abdullah be able to speak in a frank, honest and unambiguous manner.
Has Anwar the numbers or is he pulling the bluff ? I would say a bit of both.
Anwar would have formed the government yesterday if he had enough of those kataks. He probably has a few disgruntled BN MPs shopping around on what he has to offer if they cross over. The number is no where near as many as he made it out to be. Anwar is putting the cat among the pigeons.
Anwar is using psychological warfare to entice those MPs not happy with the BN but were afraid to make a move individually. Without solid proof from Anwar on the number of BN lawmakers that have confirmed to cross over very few will take the risk of leaving the BN and end up in a worse position. In the case of Sabah the state can only benefit if the whole status quo changed completely.
The only way Sabah can benefit from this 'katak' exercise is to ditch the BN completely and all elected assemblymen and members of parliament move to one multi-racial party. It means the end of UMNO in Sabah.
Sabah alone is not enough to form a simple majority for Anwar to grab the trophy.He would need additional number from Sarawak or the whole of Sarawak to follow suit to give him a comfortable majority.
Both Musa Aman and Taib Mahmud are BN loyalists.Would they dare make such a move ? Would they be deserted by their elected representatives in favour of Anwar?
Would Sabah gets the 20% oil loyalty and all the other promises made if Anwar succeeded in forming the central government?
There are many questions but can only be answered if Anwar formed the government.
"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain
Latest release: Anwar is now not sure of the numbers.
Sabah MPs joining Pakatan Rakyat only a possibility: Anwar
Veni, vidi, vici or in English I came, I saw, I conquered was what Julius Ceaser told the Roman Senate after his victory at the Battle Of Zela.
I came,I saw,I shall conquer should be the parody for Anwar Ibrahim after his recent visit to Sabah if he can hoodwink the frogs with his bluff.
I have the numbers he says but I am not in a hurry to take over the government. Really?
"I don't think we have established a definite clear time frame when I will take over as prime minister but it certainly wouldn't reach three years" he said to a crowd of benighted Sabahans. Than in complete contrast he said it could be next month, the month after that, it could be in July or it could be during Merdeka... but I think it should not exceed Merdeka day.Than he chose the 16th of September as a date of the highest possibility for the coup to take place.
Anwar Ibrahim is a man always in a hurry and sometimes he trips, stumbles and falls as was the case when he tried to topple Mahathir with his stealthy campaign against the then prime minister. He became very popular with the younger members in UMNO at that time and it was even rumored that many of his supporters wore rings given by him to show their royalty to him, the making of a personality cult. His allegation of trump up charges against him could have been the result of his disloyalty and treachery against his boss who was not yet ready to hand over power to him at that time.
Mahathir is a man who doesn't take kindly to disloyalty and treachery. He had been responsible for the meteoric rise of Anwar in the party hierarchy, at the expense of more senior party stalwarts. He believed Anwar would make a good leader and prime minister until he found out the dark side of Anwar Ibrahim. The man who just couldn't wait his time to get to be prime minister of the nation.
This time he wanted to steal the premiership from Abdullah Badawi, a weaker opponent compared to gutsy Mahathir.
Anwar is back in his element after the minor windfall his party won at the recent polls. His party and his position can only survive politically as long as the coalition with PAS and DAP stays intact.Any discord and dismembering of the coalition could put Anwar back in dire straits and a miss as good as a mile at the coveted title.
The emergence of stronger oppositions at the last elections was more accidental rather than a true reflection of the wishes of the masses. The shift was more due to disillusionment and disdain for Abdullah's weak and incapacitated leadership.
The shift towards Islamisation underwent a major change under his leadership and one of the many reasons for the non-Malays to abandon the BN. His openness had opened the Pandora's box where act of corruptions were nicely locked up before under previous administration.
In trying to compete with PAS Abdullah had fallen victim to radical Muslims in his government.He allowed them free reins in strengthening of the Sharia and its interpretation and brought it into conflicts with other religions. Even Muslims are beginning to wonder and worry where the Islamists in the government are going to take the nation to next. This was done in the hope of keeping the Malay votes with UMNO and away from PAS.The whole exercise of getting the Malays to close rank under UMNO backfired. Internal squabbling in the party, lack of consensus in selection of candidates and sabotage aggravated the situation.
To show what a staunch Muslim and a Malay nationalist he is, Abdullah theatrically took over the role of Imam and led worshippers at mosques when ever there is a need to remind the Malays where their faith and their future lies.
Abdullah's myopic view of the changing political landscape has done extensive erosion of support for other coalition partners in the BN.The Chinese and Indians almost completely abandoned the BN in favour of DAP and PKR. Majority of Malays are still with UMNO and pockets of very disgruntled Malays voted for PAS and PKR in other states with the exception of Kelantan which is its stronghold.
The Malay support for UMNO will continue to erode if Abdullah doesn't change his style of leadership or step down as prime minister.
His recent announcement of making the ACA fully independent is typical of the Badawi's syndrome.Next day he qualifies his previous statement by saying although the Commission would be required to table its annual report to the parliamentary committee, he would be responsible for the Commission. In other word they would still be taking directives from him.
Has he got a kitchen cabinet that advises him to change his statements after having made them or it is just his style ?
What's the point of making such announcement when you are only playing with words thinking
Malaysians are such an ignorant bunch that we can't differentiate between fact and fiction. It makes one wonder when will Abdullah be able to speak in a frank, honest and unambiguous manner.
Has Anwar the numbers or is he pulling the bluff ? I would say a bit of both.
Anwar would have formed the government yesterday if he had enough of those kataks. He probably has a few disgruntled BN MPs shopping around on what he has to offer if they cross over. The number is no where near as many as he made it out to be. Anwar is putting the cat among the pigeons.
Anwar is using psychological warfare to entice those MPs not happy with the BN but were afraid to make a move individually. Without solid proof from Anwar on the number of BN lawmakers that have confirmed to cross over very few will take the risk of leaving the BN and end up in a worse position. In the case of Sabah the state can only benefit if the whole status quo changed completely.
The only way Sabah can benefit from this 'katak' exercise is to ditch the BN completely and all elected assemblymen and members of parliament move to one multi-racial party. It means the end of UMNO in Sabah.
Sabah alone is not enough to form a simple majority for Anwar to grab the trophy.He would need additional number from Sarawak or the whole of Sarawak to follow suit to give him a comfortable majority.
Both Musa Aman and Taib Mahmud are BN loyalists.Would they dare make such a move ? Would they be deserted by their elected representatives in favour of Anwar?
Would Sabah gets the 20% oil loyalty and all the other promises made if Anwar succeeded in forming the central government?
There are many questions but can only be answered if Anwar formed the government.
"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain
Latest release: Anwar is now not sure of the numbers.
Sabah MPs joining Pakatan Rakyat only a possibility: Anwar
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Saving PM Abdullah
Hantu Laut
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is moving at the speed of light to save himself by introducing radical reforms never seen before under the UMNO led coalition.With radical changes he hopes to endear the people and the oppositions to him.This sudden change of heart although may be seen as flippant by some people could actually restore Abdullah's lost credibility.
Within a span of one week he has announced three glistering changes.
At the end of last week he feted former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and the other sacked judges at a dinner hosted by the Bar Council where he, short of an apology, announced ex-gratia payment to Tun Salleh Abas and all the judges who had been wrongfully dismissed by the previous administration. He also promised the setting up of a judicial appointment commission but with him still having the last say if he finds the recommedation unacceptable. He was given a standing ovation for the speech he delivered that evening.
Another small surprise announced through his Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar was the granting of permit for PKR's own party's paper.Although not a permit for main stream and full-fledged newspaper it is a good start towards more freedom of expression.Whether his government would give a permit for a full-pledged newspaper to the oppositions is any body's guess. The oppositions should give it a try and see whether his giving more freedom of expression is sincere and extend to a full-blown media for the oppositions.
The most welcome announcement this week is the proposal, which he has accepted in principle, to make the ACA fully independent and report directly to Parliament.It also proposed remodelling of the ACA in ways similar to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong, which is seen as the best in this region.
A Select Committee should be formed in Parliament to oversee and monitor the functions of the ACA. It should also be the watchdog to ensure it is administered judiciously and with the highest integrity. There had been cases of corruption in the ACA before and a vicious watchdog committee is imperative to keep the place squeaky clean. Members of the committee should come from both the ruling party and the oppositions.
Giving away the Anti-Corruption Agency to Parliament is a big sacrifice for the prime minister.Former prime ministers have used this agency to keep party members in line or those who opposed them.As there are not many clean politicians in this country the ACA is a good weapon for the prime minister to keep.As an independent body it can also investigate the prime minister. Well done Pak Lah !
Abdullah is fighting back to show his detractors that he is now beyond the diffidence that they have made of him. He has now re-emerged to show those in his party who had been calling for his exit that he would not be belittled and will not take their ignominious and insolent remarks anymore.If more reforms amiable to the people are coming their way Abdullah may be able to save himself from going into oblivion and carry on as prime minister and business as usual.
The diehards in UMNO will continue to cry foul of Abdullah's reformation and would do every thing possible to hinder or sabotage policies that are likely to curtail their tight grip on power and their access to the gravy train.Those who had burned the bridges are most ardent and will continue with their war cry for him to step down. Hot and hard to handle former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir, a perennial pain in the neck, will intensify his campaign to demolish him. Najib, the prime minister in waiting, may have to wait a little longer if Abdullah succeded in re-establishing himself.
It will be a long and winding road with dangers lurking every where before Abdullah can hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Abdullah biggest problem is still dissatisfaction among BN parliamentarians who can, to show their displeasure, cross over to the oppositions and which can either weaken or bring total collapse of his government.
Although his frog-legged protagonist Jefferey Kitingan denied it is going to be a fishing trip, Anwar Ibrahim is going to Sabah and Sarawak next week hoping to cast his net and catch a few frogs.
The next few months would be crucial for Abdullah to find a formula or the help of a bomoh to keep him in office.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is moving at the speed of light to save himself by introducing radical reforms never seen before under the UMNO led coalition.With radical changes he hopes to endear the people and the oppositions to him.This sudden change of heart although may be seen as flippant by some people could actually restore Abdullah's lost credibility.
Within a span of one week he has announced three glistering changes.
At the end of last week he feted former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and the other sacked judges at a dinner hosted by the Bar Council where he, short of an apology, announced ex-gratia payment to Tun Salleh Abas and all the judges who had been wrongfully dismissed by the previous administration. He also promised the setting up of a judicial appointment commission but with him still having the last say if he finds the recommedation unacceptable. He was given a standing ovation for the speech he delivered that evening.
Another small surprise announced through his Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar was the granting of permit for PKR's own party's paper.Although not a permit for main stream and full-fledged newspaper it is a good start towards more freedom of expression.Whether his government would give a permit for a full-pledged newspaper to the oppositions is any body's guess. The oppositions should give it a try and see whether his giving more freedom of expression is sincere and extend to a full-blown media for the oppositions.
The most welcome announcement this week is the proposal, which he has accepted in principle, to make the ACA fully independent and report directly to Parliament.It also proposed remodelling of the ACA in ways similar to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong, which is seen as the best in this region.
A Select Committee should be formed in Parliament to oversee and monitor the functions of the ACA. It should also be the watchdog to ensure it is administered judiciously and with the highest integrity. There had been cases of corruption in the ACA before and a vicious watchdog committee is imperative to keep the place squeaky clean. Members of the committee should come from both the ruling party and the oppositions.
Giving away the Anti-Corruption Agency to Parliament is a big sacrifice for the prime minister.Former prime ministers have used this agency to keep party members in line or those who opposed them.As there are not many clean politicians in this country the ACA is a good weapon for the prime minister to keep.As an independent body it can also investigate the prime minister. Well done Pak Lah !
Abdullah is fighting back to show his detractors that he is now beyond the diffidence that they have made of him. He has now re-emerged to show those in his party who had been calling for his exit that he would not be belittled and will not take their ignominious and insolent remarks anymore.If more reforms amiable to the people are coming their way Abdullah may be able to save himself from going into oblivion and carry on as prime minister and business as usual.
The diehards in UMNO will continue to cry foul of Abdullah's reformation and would do every thing possible to hinder or sabotage policies that are likely to curtail their tight grip on power and their access to the gravy train.Those who had burned the bridges are most ardent and will continue with their war cry for him to step down. Hot and hard to handle former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir, a perennial pain in the neck, will intensify his campaign to demolish him. Najib, the prime minister in waiting, may have to wait a little longer if Abdullah succeded in re-establishing himself.
It will be a long and winding road with dangers lurking every where before Abdullah can hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Abdullah biggest problem is still dissatisfaction among BN parliamentarians who can, to show their displeasure, cross over to the oppositions and which can either weaken or bring total collapse of his government.
Although his frog-legged protagonist Jefferey Kitingan denied it is going to be a fishing trip, Anwar Ibrahim is going to Sabah and Sarawak next week hoping to cast his net and catch a few frogs.
The next few months would be crucial for Abdullah to find a formula or the help of a bomoh to keep him in office.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Is It Wrong To Say "I Am Sorry" ?
Hantu Laut
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahamd Badawi was a guest of honour at the Bar Council Dinner on Thursday.Special guests were Tun Salleh Abas, Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin and Datuk George Seah.
The late Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdolcadeer and Tan Sri Wan Suleiman (Pawanteh) represented by their respective families: representing Tan Sri Wan Suleiman are Puan Sri Siti Nurhayati and his son Wan Noor Azli; representing Tan Sri Eusoffe are his granddaughter Brenda Lim and her husband.Tan Sri Wan Hamzah (Mohamed Salleh) was unable to attend.
Abdullah fairly lenghty speech among other things offer to compensate the judges for the pain and loss they have endured for wrongs done to them two decades ago and he said "In recognition of the contributions of the six outstanding judges, the government has decided to make goodwill ex gratia payments to them. Gentlemen, I do not presume to equate your contributions, pain and loss with mere currency, but I hope that you can accept this as a heartfelt and sincere gesture to mend what has been".
It was reported earlier that the government will not apologise to the judges for what happened to them 20 years ago. The man who was deemed responsible for the judicial sacrilege refused to apologise stating that he wasn't the one who sacked them. The fact that he orchestrated the whole thing didn't bother him one least bit. The former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad is always in a state of denial whenever it suits him.
The sacking of the Lord President and the three judges was consequential of the court declaration of UMNO being an illegal association.The fast and furious Mahathir quickly used his authoritarian power to punish the Lord President. He was furious when the then Lord President wrote to the Agong about interference in the judiciary by the executive. The Agong agreed to appoint a tribunal to look into alleged misconduct of the Lord President.
The tribunals that removed Tun Salleh Abas and the judges that defended him were constituted of fellow judges chosen for their allegiance and compliant to Mahathir. From that day onwards the judiciary with a very compliant new Lord President had been whipped into total obedience and had to look upon the executive as its masters. It's the dawn of a new era for the judiciary .A shameful period of conspiracy, corruptions and unconscionable judgements. The 'Hall Of Justice' became the 'Hall Of Fear'. Those with money can buy justice.
Then there were shameless legal scoundrel like Mr Correct, Correct, Correct who befriended filthy rich merchants to finance and influence the appointment of judges.
The crisis of confidence in the judiciary had gone so bad some foreign companies doing business in Malaysia insisted on their legal disputes to be settled outside Malaysia.
Isn't paying ex-gratia payment or compensation a form of apology ?The Prime Minister and his deputy don't think so.So is the Oxford Dictionary.
The Oxford Dictionary defines 'ex-gratia' as "given or done as a gift or favour, not because there is a legal duty to do it"
"The ex-gratia payment does not tantamount to revisiting whatever that has been decided. It is not to be construed as any form of apology but this is our way of addressing some of the personal considerations and experiences and hardship they have gone through.It should be seen in that light and should not be construed as anything beyond that," said Deputy Prime Minister NajibRazak.
It may not be appropriate to ask Mahathir to apologise now because he believes he was right in what he had done.
Since the present government had taken the bold step to resuscitate the case and pay ex-gratia to the victims, it may be more appropriate for the government to apologise. Would an apology hurt the government more than the harm and shame it had placed on the former Lord President and the three judges ?
The government refused to apologise because of possible legal implications, I am not sure whether they can be sued if there was an official apology, which could be even more costly to the government in term of compensation.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was given a standing ovation for his speech by the very same people who a few months back admonished him for failure to conduct investigation into corruptions and fixing of appointment of judges in the judiciary.
Was it a show of support for him from the legal fraternity or they were only applauding his speech. Let's hope Abdullah don't misconstrue it as a support of his leadership and would jettison his succession plan.
Paying ex-gratia and paying penitence would be more appropriate to vindicate all the victims of the injustice.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahamd Badawi was a guest of honour at the Bar Council Dinner on Thursday.Special guests were Tun Salleh Abas, Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin and Datuk George Seah.
The late Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdolcadeer and Tan Sri Wan Suleiman (Pawanteh) represented by their respective families: representing Tan Sri Wan Suleiman are Puan Sri Siti Nurhayati and his son Wan Noor Azli; representing Tan Sri Eusoffe are his granddaughter Brenda Lim and her husband.Tan Sri Wan Hamzah (Mohamed Salleh) was unable to attend.
Abdullah fairly lenghty speech among other things offer to compensate the judges for the pain and loss they have endured for wrongs done to them two decades ago and he said "In recognition of the contributions of the six outstanding judges, the government has decided to make goodwill ex gratia payments to them. Gentlemen, I do not presume to equate your contributions, pain and loss with mere currency, but I hope that you can accept this as a heartfelt and sincere gesture to mend what has been".
It was reported earlier that the government will not apologise to the judges for what happened to them 20 years ago. The man who was deemed responsible for the judicial sacrilege refused to apologise stating that he wasn't the one who sacked them. The fact that he orchestrated the whole thing didn't bother him one least bit. The former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad is always in a state of denial whenever it suits him.
The sacking of the Lord President and the three judges was consequential of the court declaration of UMNO being an illegal association.The fast and furious Mahathir quickly used his authoritarian power to punish the Lord President. He was furious when the then Lord President wrote to the Agong about interference in the judiciary by the executive. The Agong agreed to appoint a tribunal to look into alleged misconduct of the Lord President.
The tribunals that removed Tun Salleh Abas and the judges that defended him were constituted of fellow judges chosen for their allegiance and compliant to Mahathir. From that day onwards the judiciary with a very compliant new Lord President had been whipped into total obedience and had to look upon the executive as its masters. It's the dawn of a new era for the judiciary .A shameful period of conspiracy, corruptions and unconscionable judgements. The 'Hall Of Justice' became the 'Hall Of Fear'. Those with money can buy justice.
Then there were shameless legal scoundrel like Mr Correct, Correct, Correct who befriended filthy rich merchants to finance and influence the appointment of judges.
The crisis of confidence in the judiciary had gone so bad some foreign companies doing business in Malaysia insisted on their legal disputes to be settled outside Malaysia.
Isn't paying ex-gratia payment or compensation a form of apology ?The Prime Minister and his deputy don't think so.So is the Oxford Dictionary.
The Oxford Dictionary defines 'ex-gratia' as "given or done as a gift or favour, not because there is a legal duty to do it"
"The ex-gratia payment does not tantamount to revisiting whatever that has been decided. It is not to be construed as any form of apology but this is our way of addressing some of the personal considerations and experiences and hardship they have gone through.It should be seen in that light and should not be construed as anything beyond that," said Deputy Prime Minister NajibRazak.
It may not be appropriate to ask Mahathir to apologise now because he believes he was right in what he had done.
Since the present government had taken the bold step to resuscitate the case and pay ex-gratia to the victims, it may be more appropriate for the government to apologise. Would an apology hurt the government more than the harm and shame it had placed on the former Lord President and the three judges ?
The government refused to apologise because of possible legal implications, I am not sure whether they can be sued if there was an official apology, which could be even more costly to the government in term of compensation.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was given a standing ovation for his speech by the very same people who a few months back admonished him for failure to conduct investigation into corruptions and fixing of appointment of judges in the judiciary.
Was it a show of support for him from the legal fraternity or they were only applauding his speech. Let's hope Abdullah don't misconstrue it as a support of his leadership and would jettison his succession plan.
Paying ex-gratia and paying penitence would be more appropriate to vindicate all the victims of the injustice.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Samy: Shut Up And Go To Hell
Hantu Laut
If you see a cobra and Samy Vellu which one would you put in the cage first ? I think I would rather take my chance with the cobra and deal with Samy Vellu first. If you are bitten by the cobra at least there are serums available that can save your life. Unfortunately, there is no antidote for Samy's bite.
Samy Vellu hasn't stopped talking since his party suffered massive losses at the polls.He has everyone to blame except himself. He is now pointing fingers at the very same people he has had intercourse with for the past thirty years.The very same people he was comfortable with in bed for over three decades and everything was hunky dory for the Indian community.
He denied being subservient to UMNO but accused them of not treating him as equal. Short of calling them by names he is now accusing UMNO and the Malay civil servants of discrimination against the Indian community.
He says the Malay civil servants are racists and do not consider non-Malays as Malaysians. Everyone knows the Malay civil servants are a bunch of racist katak dibawah tempurong and are there merely because of the ketuanan Melayu policy.You know this but yet you love and worship them before. You ever said it was UMNO that gives you your jiwa, not MIC. Why suddenly you see wrongs in them and none in yourself.
Since you feel the Indian community was so badly treated why didn't you leave the BN then and fight them as an opposition fighting for the rights of the Indians in this country. You and your MIC would have been the champions today and not Hindraf if you had taken the bold steps to save the Indians from their miseries.
When Hindu temples were demolished, where were you, did you do anything to help them to rehabilitate the temples ?
You didn't, because you were more concerned with saving your own skin and the wealth you have amassed under that regime. You didn't, because you wouldn't want to upset your Malay masters.
You say you saw it coming six months before the election, the Indians will abandon MIC due to poor treatment they get from the government. Why you stood as a candidate if you knew you are going to lose ? Didn't you assure the PM that the Indians are doing well, happy and fully support the BN government ?
Now that the BN government has cancelled the licence of the Tamil daily, Makkal Osai, what are you going to do to show proof that you really love the Indian community and the action taken by the government was wrong ?
Samy, you are disgusting, are you going to do the right thing ? Shut up, resign or self-immolate.
Related article:
Najib wants Samy to explain outburst
If you see a cobra and Samy Vellu which one would you put in the cage first ? I think I would rather take my chance with the cobra and deal with Samy Vellu first. If you are bitten by the cobra at least there are serums available that can save your life. Unfortunately, there is no antidote for Samy's bite.
Samy Vellu hasn't stopped talking since his party suffered massive losses at the polls.He has everyone to blame except himself. He is now pointing fingers at the very same people he has had intercourse with for the past thirty years.The very same people he was comfortable with in bed for over three decades and everything was hunky dory for the Indian community.
He denied being subservient to UMNO but accused them of not treating him as equal. Short of calling them by names he is now accusing UMNO and the Malay civil servants of discrimination against the Indian community.
He says the Malay civil servants are racists and do not consider non-Malays as Malaysians. Everyone knows the Malay civil servants are a bunch of racist katak dibawah tempurong and are there merely because of the ketuanan Melayu policy.You know this but yet you love and worship them before. You ever said it was UMNO that gives you your jiwa, not MIC. Why suddenly you see wrongs in them and none in yourself.
Since you feel the Indian community was so badly treated why didn't you leave the BN then and fight them as an opposition fighting for the rights of the Indians in this country. You and your MIC would have been the champions today and not Hindraf if you had taken the bold steps to save the Indians from their miseries.
When Hindu temples were demolished, where were you, did you do anything to help them to rehabilitate the temples ?
You didn't, because you were more concerned with saving your own skin and the wealth you have amassed under that regime. You didn't, because you wouldn't want to upset your Malay masters.
You say you saw it coming six months before the election, the Indians will abandon MIC due to poor treatment they get from the government. Why you stood as a candidate if you knew you are going to lose ? Didn't you assure the PM that the Indians are doing well, happy and fully support the BN government ?
Now that the BN government has cancelled the licence of the Tamil daily, Makkal Osai, what are you going to do to show proof that you really love the Indian community and the action taken by the government was wrong ?
Samy, you are disgusting, are you going to do the right thing ? Shut up, resign or self-immolate.
Related article:
Najib wants Samy to explain outburst
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Will Najib Be The 'Braveheart' ?
Hantu Laut
His former mentor turned arch-enemy, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed was exalted when Abdullah finally made the announcement to step down.Mahathir thought he has succeeded in destabilising his bete noire and would see UMNO come under a new and stable leadership. He was wrong.
Last week he assured the nation he would step down and hand over the mantle to his solemn-faced deputy, Najib Tun Razak who has, albeit superficially, stood steadfastly behind him and refused to indulge in any conversation regarding succession and his ascent to the premiership.
One have to read Najib's body language to understand how frustrated and annoyed he is with his fickle-minded boss who is becoming even more unpredictable lately. Flip-flopping seems inherent in Abdullah's character.He has made a series of inexplicable blunders which would have caused great embarrassment and concern to most leaders but does not appear to have caused any anxiety to Abdullah.
When rumours were flying around about his intention to marry Jeanne Danker he catergorically denied it. He married her a few weeks later.The biggest shocker was when he assured the nation that he was not ready to dissolve parliament and call for elections and pronto!.......the very next day and in less than 24 hours, he did exactly the opposite, dissolved parliament and called for election. His astounding ability for contradiction and inconsistency is exasperating.
With the latest bout of Abdullah's vacillation, Mahathir may have to re-scramble his demolition team. As Lord Acton famous quote says "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", and Abdullah finds it hard to let go even after numerous calls from his own party stalwarts and from some of his ministers to step down.
Abdullah had made an about turn and said he would continue until the party general assembly in December and he would also contest the president post and thereafter hand over the helm to Najib.
It would not be too difficult to predict where Abdullah is heading for.If he won the elections in December why should he hands over the helm to Najib.Abdullah is betting on chances that he may be able to garner enough votes to retain the presidency of the party and proved to all and sundry that he still has the support of the majority and, therefore, will not step down as prime minister.
If Abdullah is challenged, likely to be Muhyiddin, than Najib wouldn't be prime minister in waiting anymore, unless Najib openly declared his candidacy before the party elections to keep away other predators from joining the fray.
If Najib or Muhyiddin takes on Abdullah at the party elections than Tengku Razaleigh is likely to stay away from the tussle. If Abdullah changed his mind and refrain from contesting the post, giving way to Najib, there are strong likelihood of others joining the fray.
On the other hand Abdullah may not last until December, a coup in Parliament could remove him from office.
Keeping Abdullah as Prime Minister is good for the oppositions. Anwar Ibrahim had indicated that the oppositions will not pass a vote of no confidence against Abdullah in the August house.
His survival as prime minister depended on the undivided support of the BN lawmakers. The longer Abdullah stays as PM the better it would be for the oppositions and precarious for the BN. More and more disgruntled BN lawmakers who are fed up with Abdullah may want to join the opposition giving Anwar the added strenght of a bigger majority for a new federal government. Anwar knew where Abdullah's weakest link is. At the moment it is with the BN elected members in Parliament.
The support of the ordinary members of UMNO to keep Abdullah as prime minister is not crucial and is irrelevant at the moment.
After the poor showing at the polls, UMNO was in the doldrums, a ship with a captain but no rudder to guide its direction. It has lost the esprit de corps among its members.The elections results sent shock waves throughout the party with most members still in a state of daze and are shocked that the invincibility that they thought they always have had been smashed.The arrogance and complacency of the UMNO leadership had been their own biggest enemy.UMNO leaders think Malaysians owe them a living and would vote for them at every general elections.
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time" is the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln the 16th President of the United States. After fifty years of political incarceration by UMNO overlords the people had spoken albeit not as strong as it should have.
Abdullah wouldn't have this crisis of confidence if not for the bickerings and back stabbings from UMNO members.The campaign to discredit him by certain members of the party has brought him immensely damaging public contempt.
The thorn in the flesh for Abdullah is Mahathir.His incessant attack on Abdullah has shredded Abdullah's credibility to pieces and created divisions in the party. Some members are still loyal to Mahathir.The party is divided between the devil ( Mahathir) and the deep blue sea(Abdullah). His tenure as PM has become untenable and extremely precarious to BN's survival as a central government. BN is walking the tightrope between life and death. If it does not take remedial action now it may not be the government when Parliament convenes.
The race to Parliament has just begun. It would not be a marathon, it would be a 100 meter dash and the fastest runner will take the government.
It would be a race between Anwar and Najib.
If Najib can't convince Abdullah to step down or make a move against him, the probability of Anwar taking over the federal government could become a reality.
Anwar is holding out the carrot to entice Sabahan MPs, especially those from the KDM group who are famous for selling out their souls to the devil, to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat with a promise to give Sabah 20% royalty on oil, gas and timber. Timber ? Timber has always been state resources and Sabah collects 100% royalty from timber.As an ex-finance minister Anwar should have known this and should check his facts before making promises that look stupid and unreal.
Giving 20% on gross revenue ? I wouldn't bet my bottom dollar on it becoming a reality.Giving 20% on gross before deducting production costs and profit sharing with foreign oil companies would be an economic nightmare for Petronas. Most Sabah politicians are just too dumb-headed and would believe the earth is flat.
Living by tradition is no more an option for UMNO.
It is now survival of the fittest.
'Braveheart': Is based on a 1995 Academy Award film directed and acted by Mel Gibson that portrays the legendary Scot, William Wallace who led a revolt against the oppressive rule of Edward I of England.
His former mentor turned arch-enemy, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed was exalted when Abdullah finally made the announcement to step down.Mahathir thought he has succeeded in destabilising his bete noire and would see UMNO come under a new and stable leadership. He was wrong.
Last week he assured the nation he would step down and hand over the mantle to his solemn-faced deputy, Najib Tun Razak who has, albeit superficially, stood steadfastly behind him and refused to indulge in any conversation regarding succession and his ascent to the premiership.
One have to read Najib's body language to understand how frustrated and annoyed he is with his fickle-minded boss who is becoming even more unpredictable lately. Flip-flopping seems inherent in Abdullah's character.He has made a series of inexplicable blunders which would have caused great embarrassment and concern to most leaders but does not appear to have caused any anxiety to Abdullah.
When rumours were flying around about his intention to marry Jeanne Danker he catergorically denied it. He married her a few weeks later.The biggest shocker was when he assured the nation that he was not ready to dissolve parliament and call for elections and pronto!.......the very next day and in less than 24 hours, he did exactly the opposite, dissolved parliament and called for election. His astounding ability for contradiction and inconsistency is exasperating.
With the latest bout of Abdullah's vacillation, Mahathir may have to re-scramble his demolition team. As Lord Acton famous quote says "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", and Abdullah finds it hard to let go even after numerous calls from his own party stalwarts and from some of his ministers to step down.
Abdullah had made an about turn and said he would continue until the party general assembly in December and he would also contest the president post and thereafter hand over the helm to Najib.
It would not be too difficult to predict where Abdullah is heading for.If he won the elections in December why should he hands over the helm to Najib.Abdullah is betting on chances that he may be able to garner enough votes to retain the presidency of the party and proved to all and sundry that he still has the support of the majority and, therefore, will not step down as prime minister.
If Abdullah is challenged, likely to be Muhyiddin, than Najib wouldn't be prime minister in waiting anymore, unless Najib openly declared his candidacy before the party elections to keep away other predators from joining the fray.
If Najib or Muhyiddin takes on Abdullah at the party elections than Tengku Razaleigh is likely to stay away from the tussle. If Abdullah changed his mind and refrain from contesting the post, giving way to Najib, there are strong likelihood of others joining the fray.
On the other hand Abdullah may not last until December, a coup in Parliament could remove him from office.
Keeping Abdullah as Prime Minister is good for the oppositions. Anwar Ibrahim had indicated that the oppositions will not pass a vote of no confidence against Abdullah in the August house.
His survival as prime minister depended on the undivided support of the BN lawmakers. The longer Abdullah stays as PM the better it would be for the oppositions and precarious for the BN. More and more disgruntled BN lawmakers who are fed up with Abdullah may want to join the opposition giving Anwar the added strenght of a bigger majority for a new federal government. Anwar knew where Abdullah's weakest link is. At the moment it is with the BN elected members in Parliament.
The support of the ordinary members of UMNO to keep Abdullah as prime minister is not crucial and is irrelevant at the moment.
After the poor showing at the polls, UMNO was in the doldrums, a ship with a captain but no rudder to guide its direction. It has lost the esprit de corps among its members.The elections results sent shock waves throughout the party with most members still in a state of daze and are shocked that the invincibility that they thought they always have had been smashed.The arrogance and complacency of the UMNO leadership had been their own biggest enemy.UMNO leaders think Malaysians owe them a living and would vote for them at every general elections.
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time" is the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln the 16th President of the United States. After fifty years of political incarceration by UMNO overlords the people had spoken albeit not as strong as it should have.
Abdullah wouldn't have this crisis of confidence if not for the bickerings and back stabbings from UMNO members.The campaign to discredit him by certain members of the party has brought him immensely damaging public contempt.
The thorn in the flesh for Abdullah is Mahathir.His incessant attack on Abdullah has shredded Abdullah's credibility to pieces and created divisions in the party. Some members are still loyal to Mahathir.The party is divided between the devil ( Mahathir) and the deep blue sea(Abdullah). His tenure as PM has become untenable and extremely precarious to BN's survival as a central government. BN is walking the tightrope between life and death. If it does not take remedial action now it may not be the government when Parliament convenes.
The race to Parliament has just begun. It would not be a marathon, it would be a 100 meter dash and the fastest runner will take the government.
It would be a race between Anwar and Najib.
If Najib can't convince Abdullah to step down or make a move against him, the probability of Anwar taking over the federal government could become a reality.
Anwar is holding out the carrot to entice Sabahan MPs, especially those from the KDM group who are famous for selling out their souls to the devil, to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat with a promise to give Sabah 20% royalty on oil, gas and timber. Timber ? Timber has always been state resources and Sabah collects 100% royalty from timber.As an ex-finance minister Anwar should have known this and should check his facts before making promises that look stupid and unreal.
Giving 20% on gross revenue ? I wouldn't bet my bottom dollar on it becoming a reality.Giving 20% on gross before deducting production costs and profit sharing with foreign oil companies would be an economic nightmare for Petronas. Most Sabah politicians are just too dumb-headed and would believe the earth is flat.
Living by tradition is no more an option for UMNO.
It is now survival of the fittest.
'Braveheart': Is based on a 1995 Academy Award film directed and acted by Mel Gibson that portrays the legendary Scot, William Wallace who led a revolt against the oppressive rule of Edward I of England.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Pak Lah Fooled The Malaysian People
Hantu Laut
On 12th April I wrote an article "UMNO Supreme Council To Decide Who Should Be Prime Minister" whereby I mentioned not to take Pah Lah's promise to step down and hand over the helm to Najib seriously.
Now Pak Lah had made a 360-degree turn and said he will contest for the UMNO President post in December.
Is he misquoted? Read below....
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday he would seek re-election as the governing party's leader this year, defying critics and dissidents who want him to resign immediately in the wake of massive election losses.
Abdullah repeated that he would hand over power to his deputy, Najib Razak, but not before party elections in December, in order to ensure a smooth transition. The party president normally becomes prime minister.
"Of course I want the transfer to be smooth. That's very important," Abdullah said. "I do not want to leave the party in a state of chaos. I would not say 'Najib, good luck. That's your problem, not mine.' That's not the way."
His comments were made to reporters after a party meeting to discuss plans in the wake of the March 8 general elections in which the governing National Front coalition suffered its worst losses ever. Carry on........
On 12th April I wrote an article "UMNO Supreme Council To Decide Who Should Be Prime Minister" whereby I mentioned not to take Pah Lah's promise to step down and hand over the helm to Najib seriously.
Now Pak Lah had made a 360-degree turn and said he will contest for the UMNO President post in December.
Is he misquoted? Read below....
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia at a press conference, after a meeting with elected representatives of the ruling party in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday. (Lai Seng Sin/The Associated Press)
Published: April 14, 2008
Malaysian prime minister plans to run again for top party post
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday he would seek re-election as the governing party's leader this year, defying critics and dissidents who want him to resign immediately in the wake of massive election losses.
Abdullah repeated that he would hand over power to his deputy, Najib Razak, but not before party elections in December, in order to ensure a smooth transition. The party president normally becomes prime minister.
"Of course I want the transfer to be smooth. That's very important," Abdullah said. "I do not want to leave the party in a state of chaos. I would not say 'Najib, good luck. That's your problem, not mine.' That's not the way."
His comments were made to reporters after a party meeting to discuss plans in the wake of the March 8 general elections in which the governing National Front coalition suffered its worst losses ever. Carry on........
Tale Of Two Princes
Hantu Laut
In Malaysia the changing political landscape has brought, out of the wood works, an assortment of political wannabes.If Charles Dickens had his 'Tale Of Two Cities', we have our 'Tale Of Two Princes'
From ex-politicians,ex-prisoners to vengeful bloggers, happy gays,politico whores and lately crown princes, all dishing out samplings of their political thoughts, some with disastrous results.
Sometimes, you can see where good and bad genes will take you to.
The Perak Crown Prince Raja Nazrin in his keynote address at "Prospects and Challenges for Nation-building" conference in April 2007 said all Malaysians are equal under the law and stressed the importance of defending the integrity of the Federal Constitution.
“Malaysians of all races, religions, and geographic locations need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun. Only when each citizen believes that he or she has a common home and is working towards a common destiny, will he or she make the sacrifices needed for the long haul.”- Raja Nazrin
This voice of moderation and reasonableness can only be appreciated by those who stand for equality and freedom.
The latest addition to the long list of political wannabes is the Kelantan Crown Prince who made a dreadful speech and a battle cry for the preservation of ketuanan Melayu and Malay rights and privileges.
Tengku Faris who apparently is still living in the past and share the same wavelength as those in UMNO said the recent elections results shows that the Malays are being challenged and non-Malays should not question Malay rights.
He said “Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,”
My goodness where have this guy been all these years.Didn't he know it was not only the non-Malays that wanted change, a big segment of educated and sensible Malays wanted similar change to escape from the corrupt and feudalistic UMNO regime.The ordinary Malays know ketuanan Melayu, the NEP and the Malay special rights (whatever it was)are the preserves of the top echelon in UMNO and their cronies.The Malays in the streets, if they are lucky, will only get the crumbs.
Should the prince adds insult to injury by reminding the non-Malays that they don't belong here in the first place and should be grateful that the Malays had benevolently given them citizenship.
As much as the Indians and Chinese were migrants,so were many Malays.Just take a good look at most of the leaders in UMNO, which one of them you can deservedly called true Malays.Those with ancestry from Indonesia would probably came closest to being called Malays.One that crosses my mind would be Khir Toyo, because of his Javanese ancestry.What about people like Mahathir,Abdullah Badawi,Syed Hamid Albar,Hishammudin Hussin Onn,Mohd Nor Yaakub and thousands if not millions like them in this country with mixed parentage.Mahathir is not even a Malay name, translated in Urdu or Hindi it would mean "Great Arrow". Badawi and Albar are Arabic names.
What about people like Raja Petra Kamaruddin,Karim Raslan,Kam Raslan,Diana Yusof,Maya Karin and the likes of them who by conventional definition would normally be categorised as Eurasians but would also be Malays by definitions in the Constitutions.Are they less privileged than the Malays.
At least Raja Petra didn't hide his true roots and had openly declared his mixed ancestry.Unfortunately, not all so-called Malays are proud of their mixed parentage and tried to hide it due to insecurity.Why should the Malays be more privileged than others?
The prince and the perpetrators in UMNO forgot that this is no more Tanah Melayu, this is now a nation called Malaysia.It is a federation of states, including Sabah and Sarawak and belong to Malaysian of every race, colour and creed.
If there is such thing as ketuanaan Melayu, what are the status of the people of Sabah and Sarawak, are they reduced to being colonies? The two states joined Malaysia as part of a sovereign nation and share the same status as any other state in the Peninsula.
The BN suffered badly at the polls due to the same reasons, ketuanaan Melayu,special rights and privileges for the Malay and discrimination and marginalisation of the other races.Harping on the same issues would drag UMNO deeper into the quagmire.
If Ghandi,Martin Luther King and Nelson Mendela didn't fight tooth and nail to bring changes to their people, do you think those in power would willingly give them the freedom ?
When the British gave independence to Malaya it was on conditions that the other races be made citizens and to be given equal rights as the Malays with the exceptions of certain protection accorded to the sultans and certain privileges for the Malays.When Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaysia the same conditions apply.Walloping a big slice of the economic cake for few individuals wasn't one of them.
Now, the smart prince is helping to rub salt into the wound.
In Malaysia the changing political landscape has brought, out of the wood works, an assortment of political wannabes.If Charles Dickens had his 'Tale Of Two Cities', we have our 'Tale Of Two Princes'
From ex-politicians,ex-prisoners to vengeful bloggers, happy gays,politico whores and lately crown princes, all dishing out samplings of their political thoughts, some with disastrous results.
Sometimes, you can see where good and bad genes will take you to.
The Perak Crown Prince Raja Nazrin in his keynote address at "Prospects and Challenges for Nation-building" conference in April 2007 said all Malaysians are equal under the law and stressed the importance of defending the integrity of the Federal Constitution.
“Malaysians of all races, religions, and geographic locations need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun. Only when each citizen believes that he or she has a common home and is working towards a common destiny, will he or she make the sacrifices needed for the long haul.”- Raja Nazrin
This voice of moderation and reasonableness can only be appreciated by those who stand for equality and freedom.
The latest addition to the long list of political wannabes is the Kelantan Crown Prince who made a dreadful speech and a battle cry for the preservation of ketuanan Melayu and Malay rights and privileges.
Tengku Faris who apparently is still living in the past and share the same wavelength as those in UMNO said the recent elections results shows that the Malays are being challenged and non-Malays should not question Malay rights.
He said “Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,”
My goodness where have this guy been all these years.Didn't he know it was not only the non-Malays that wanted change, a big segment of educated and sensible Malays wanted similar change to escape from the corrupt and feudalistic UMNO regime.The ordinary Malays know ketuanan Melayu, the NEP and the Malay special rights (whatever it was)are the preserves of the top echelon in UMNO and their cronies.The Malays in the streets, if they are lucky, will only get the crumbs.
Should the prince adds insult to injury by reminding the non-Malays that they don't belong here in the first place and should be grateful that the Malays had benevolently given them citizenship.
As much as the Indians and Chinese were migrants,so were many Malays.Just take a good look at most of the leaders in UMNO, which one of them you can deservedly called true Malays.Those with ancestry from Indonesia would probably came closest to being called Malays.One that crosses my mind would be Khir Toyo, because of his Javanese ancestry.What about people like Mahathir,Abdullah Badawi,Syed Hamid Albar,Hishammudin Hussin Onn,Mohd Nor Yaakub and thousands if not millions like them in this country with mixed parentage.Mahathir is not even a Malay name, translated in Urdu or Hindi it would mean "Great Arrow". Badawi and Albar are Arabic names.
What about people like Raja Petra Kamaruddin,Karim Raslan,Kam Raslan,Diana Yusof,Maya Karin and the likes of them who by conventional definition would normally be categorised as Eurasians but would also be Malays by definitions in the Constitutions.Are they less privileged than the Malays.
At least Raja Petra didn't hide his true roots and had openly declared his mixed ancestry.Unfortunately, not all so-called Malays are proud of their mixed parentage and tried to hide it due to insecurity.Why should the Malays be more privileged than others?
The prince and the perpetrators in UMNO forgot that this is no more Tanah Melayu, this is now a nation called Malaysia.It is a federation of states, including Sabah and Sarawak and belong to Malaysian of every race, colour and creed.
If there is such thing as ketuanaan Melayu, what are the status of the people of Sabah and Sarawak, are they reduced to being colonies? The two states joined Malaysia as part of a sovereign nation and share the same status as any other state in the Peninsula.
The BN suffered badly at the polls due to the same reasons, ketuanaan Melayu,special rights and privileges for the Malay and discrimination and marginalisation of the other races.Harping on the same issues would drag UMNO deeper into the quagmire.
If Ghandi,Martin Luther King and Nelson Mendela didn't fight tooth and nail to bring changes to their people, do you think those in power would willingly give them the freedom ?
When the British gave independence to Malaya it was on conditions that the other races be made citizens and to be given equal rights as the Malays with the exceptions of certain protection accorded to the sultans and certain privileges for the Malays.When Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaysia the same conditions apply.Walloping a big slice of the economic cake for few individuals wasn't one of them.
Now, the smart prince is helping to rub salt into the wound.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Murdering The English Language
Hantu Laut
How many languages are there in the world ? It is not an easy question to answer. The 'Cambridge Encyclopedia Of Language' puts it at a hypothetical figure of between 3,000 to 4,000, but estimates have varied from 3,000 to 10,000. In Papua New Guinea alone there are an estimated 800 over languages spoken by small pockets of inhabitants scattered all over the island archipelago without any contact with other tribes and the rest of the world until recent times. Deep in the Amazon there are possibilities of people and languages not yet discovered by the outside world. Than there are dead and semi-dead languages like Latin and Sanskrit, not spoken but are still, in varying degree, used in writing. The world of flora and fauna for some unknown reason seems to prefer Latin to name species of animal and plant. Most works of science also used Latin for their nomenclature.
The only language that came close to be universally spoken and had become lingua franca in many parts of the world would be English. It is also a language that had been slayed, stolen, borrowed, bastardised and occasionally murdered. It has also borrowed much of its vocabulary from other languages.
It is probably the most inconsistent language in words and grammar. Same word and spelling can carry as much as 5 to 6 different meanings and are completely unrelated. Words of same spelling can sound differently to carry a different meaning. For the uninitiated the pitfalls are aplenty.
In some part of the world where the country was once colonised by the British and where the local inhabitants found English too intimidating and hard to digest, they have cleverly made a potpourri of the language........strange as it may be but Melanesian Pidgin, which is a concoction of English and local language is the lingua franca in Papua, Soloman Islands and surrounding islands in the South Pacific. English is the official language but only spoken by 1%-2% of the population.
In the Soloman if somebody tells you "I go swim", he is telling you he is going for a shower. If he says "I malis" he means "I am lazy", so buzz off don't ask him to work or he may decide to "kill you".Don't panic he just want to whack you in the face and not literally kill you.
Pidgin is also getting popular in Singapore and Malaysia especially with the younger generation, Singlish in Singapore and Manglish in Malaysia.
In Singapore if Ah Beng tells you are "all fart but no shit" don't get offended.It is not about shit or fart, he is just telling you that you are full of empty promises and if you want to know who Ah Beng is, see below.
"An unsophisticated Chinese boy, usually Hokkien. Stereotypically, he speaks gutter hokkien and likes neon-coloured clothes, spiky, moussed hair and accessories such as handphones or pagers, all of which are conspicuously displayed. He also likes to squat, even when a seat is available.
So you see English can be creolized to form pidgin andemic to a country, community or region.
Most European languages have their form of pidgin spoken in their ex-colonies.The French, Spanish and other Europeans all have their form of Creole, mostly mixed with African languages in parts of Africa and the West Indies. Creole spoken in Jamaica would be entirely different from Creole spoken in Mauritius.
In Malaysia and Singapore we have our own bastardised English. It is quite common for people to mix English with Malay or Chinese.There is nothing wrong using it in casual conversation but putting it in writing is ........not good lah! and shouldn't be encouraged bah!.It is also common to hear politicians in Malaysia speaking English at official functions sprinkled with Malay or Chinese words when they couldn't find the English version of the word.
The Singapore government discourages the use of Singlish as it believes in the need for Singaporeans to be able to effectively communicate with the other English users in the world.The government runs the "Speak Good English Movement" to empahsise the point.
In Malaysia the standard of English has dropped to such an appalling level it got the government worried and decided to bring back the use of English in Maths and Sciences in all schools. The degradation of the language was due to inconsistency in the education policy that changes every time a new minister is appointed to the Ministry of Education.
The Malay language being vocab poor didn't have its equivalent of scientific terminology. The Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka had been slow in converting scientific terms from other languages to Malay.It is also lacking in etymological research.
I have been beating around the bush a bit too long. Let's get to the point now.
The purpose of this writing is that I received an email a few days ago from some unknown person with an attachment which makes interesting reading. The letter which I believe is a poison-pen letter aimed at a lady working in Sabah Foundation who claimed to be a confidante of the Chief Minister and name dropping his name to bully other employees.
Needless to say the letter could have been written by someone who pretended that his or her English is poor to hide the true identity or it could be a fact that her grasp of the language is actually what she had claimed it to be, that she is a product of a local university and apologised for her bad English.
Below is copy of the letter:
KAWAN YAYASAN SABAH
Kita kawan of Yayasan Sabah staff an ex-scholars of YS and not happy with what we hear from them. We want to help our friends end their suffering. Lot of staff complained they scared of one lady in charge of Human Resources Division. She was CM confidential secretary before and close to him and use his name all time to get advantage. She use her position to threaten people and use CM to get many advantage for herself. She say CM trust her and use CM name to bully staff and outside people. Why this happen for so long? Itu pengarah very week bah and not competent too long in the job and do not want to work hard because long retired from government. English say "retirement mode" dan sifat tak mengambil berat tentang management Yayasan Sabah ketara sangat sebab dia jadi "yes man" to this lady-'defecto direktor'.
Dia orang punya strategi ialah tindas orang yang pandai (buat keja) dan kasih naik pangkat orang yang tak pandai atau tak cukup qualification. Ini adalah "rule by fear" contohnya; Encik Alex Suinggi admin manager telah diganti oleh si Encik Johnny Billy. Yang sekarang memerah kontraktor- kontraktor atau supplier Yayasan Sabah.
Recently a new organization structure was announced by the Pengarah. My friend in YS showed me the new organization structure but seem not endorsed by the Board of Trustees and the Pengarah acting without authority from Board of Trustees again. They told me that the lady designed the organization chart with the Pengarah and few close staff and implement immediately without discussing with management. She promoted herself to Senior Group Manager without any letter of appointment without any endorsement from Board of Trustees. The management staffs very demoralised and demotivated now and we want to help them.
Kami tunjuk organasasi structure YS yang baru to our friend who have Phd in Management Orginazation in UMS and he laugh. He has not seen such kind of structure before. He says this is against management princip and for Yayasan Sabah must keep the social side and corporate side different entity according to the YS encatment. Both have different roles and objectives. Social is to help people and corporate to make money for social. Combine the two makes it difficult for corporate to succeed. Also social managers are not trained or have experience to run business. Also the corporate entities have their own Board of Directors and CEO so why should they report to Human Resource. It is against company regulation as Board of Directors are accountable for the company operation and not this lady.
With many workload for her as Senior Group Manager failure will come very quickly. My Phd friend also confused whether secretariat is a divison? and why give equal status in the chart. For example Transport Division who have 5 operating companies reports to YS Senior Group Manager of Financial Services & Investment and the same status as YS Investment Committee Secretariat. Very confusing. His opinion that the new organization structure make the Senior Group Manager lady more powerful but can she telan all these things? In the end she cannot perform and efficiency suffer and people blame YS for poor performance. People already complain of poor service from her division, Sometimes takes three months to make a decision. We wonder why this lady was promoted over the Group Manager such as Forestry. Forestry contribute over 70% of YS Group profits but the Group Manager of Forestry now hold a lower rank to the Senior Group Manager of Human Resource s.
We hear the lady is already busy with Hotel and Convention Centre, the new Kenigau Handicraft Centre, the Women Conference, the CEO Conference, and banyak other projects. Not much time spent on human resources activities to support the organization. Also she has most number of staff in YS. These projects involve a lot of money and resources and not helping the people of Sabah directly. She uses these things to make herself look good so that CM promote and Puji her. CM already give her pangkat ASDK in 2006 and JP in 2007. Do not know what she do to deserve this title except angkat kaki CM. She tell staff close to her, now she aim for Datukship and become Pengarah of YS by 2009.
People tell us these conferences lose money and very few international participants attend. Many local participants from the government agencies and NGOs forced to pay and attend just to make up the numbers to make her look good. Last year there was so much noise in the local newspapers about some London investors interested in building hotels and convention centre. YS Staff told us some RM 300,000 was spent to entertain them and the state cabinet was asked to attend luncheon and dinner with them. What happened to these London investors? It seems that there are so many abuse of power by this lady. She travels to London, Brussels, Egypt, Korea first class to do other things not connected with her work and direct responsibility and for what?
If you care about the welfare of all the good people in YS who are long suffering please help. Do not let her destroy Yayasan Sabah. People are scared of her. She is already featured in Malaysia Today and famous. Click on Hajjah Rosmawati Lasuki and you will reach the website and article about her.
All has been said is the truth and anybody can investigate. English saying the truth will prevail. Sorry for my poor engish as I am product of local university. Hope everbody understand our concern.
How many languages are there in the world ? It is not an easy question to answer. The 'Cambridge Encyclopedia Of Language' puts it at a hypothetical figure of between 3,000 to 4,000, but estimates have varied from 3,000 to 10,000. In Papua New Guinea alone there are an estimated 800 over languages spoken by small pockets of inhabitants scattered all over the island archipelago without any contact with other tribes and the rest of the world until recent times. Deep in the Amazon there are possibilities of people and languages not yet discovered by the outside world. Than there are dead and semi-dead languages like Latin and Sanskrit, not spoken but are still, in varying degree, used in writing. The world of flora and fauna for some unknown reason seems to prefer Latin to name species of animal and plant. Most works of science also used Latin for their nomenclature.
The only language that came close to be universally spoken and had become lingua franca in many parts of the world would be English. It is also a language that had been slayed, stolen, borrowed, bastardised and occasionally murdered. It has also borrowed much of its vocabulary from other languages.
It is probably the most inconsistent language in words and grammar. Same word and spelling can carry as much as 5 to 6 different meanings and are completely unrelated. Words of same spelling can sound differently to carry a different meaning. For the uninitiated the pitfalls are aplenty.
In some part of the world where the country was once colonised by the British and where the local inhabitants found English too intimidating and hard to digest, they have cleverly made a potpourri of the language........strange as it may be but Melanesian Pidgin, which is a concoction of English and local language is the lingua franca in Papua, Soloman Islands and surrounding islands in the South Pacific. English is the official language but only spoken by 1%-2% of the population.
In the Soloman if somebody tells you "I go swim", he is telling you he is going for a shower. If he says "I malis" he means "I am lazy", so buzz off don't ask him to work or he may decide to "kill you".Don't panic he just want to whack you in the face and not literally kill you.
Pidgin is also getting popular in Singapore and Malaysia especially with the younger generation, Singlish in Singapore and Manglish in Malaysia.
In Singapore if Ah Beng tells you are "all fart but no shit" don't get offended.It is not about shit or fart, he is just telling you that you are full of empty promises and if you want to know who Ah Beng is, see below.
"An unsophisticated Chinese boy, usually Hokkien. Stereotypically, he speaks gutter hokkien and likes neon-coloured clothes, spiky, moussed hair and accessories such as handphones or pagers, all of which are conspicuously displayed. He also likes to squat, even when a seat is available.
So you see English can be creolized to form pidgin andemic to a country, community or region.
Most European languages have their form of pidgin spoken in their ex-colonies.The French, Spanish and other Europeans all have their form of Creole, mostly mixed with African languages in parts of Africa and the West Indies. Creole spoken in Jamaica would be entirely different from Creole spoken in Mauritius.
In Malaysia and Singapore we have our own bastardised English. It is quite common for people to mix English with Malay or Chinese.There is nothing wrong using it in casual conversation but putting it in writing is ........not good lah! and shouldn't be encouraged bah!.It is also common to hear politicians in Malaysia speaking English at official functions sprinkled with Malay or Chinese words when they couldn't find the English version of the word.
The Singapore government discourages the use of Singlish as it believes in the need for Singaporeans to be able to effectively communicate with the other English users in the world.The government runs the "Speak Good English Movement" to empahsise the point.
In Malaysia the standard of English has dropped to such an appalling level it got the government worried and decided to bring back the use of English in Maths and Sciences in all schools. The degradation of the language was due to inconsistency in the education policy that changes every time a new minister is appointed to the Ministry of Education.
The Malay language being vocab poor didn't have its equivalent of scientific terminology. The Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka had been slow in converting scientific terms from other languages to Malay.It is also lacking in etymological research.
I have been beating around the bush a bit too long. Let's get to the point now.
The purpose of this writing is that I received an email a few days ago from some unknown person with an attachment which makes interesting reading. The letter which I believe is a poison-pen letter aimed at a lady working in Sabah Foundation who claimed to be a confidante of the Chief Minister and name dropping his name to bully other employees.
Needless to say the letter could have been written by someone who pretended that his or her English is poor to hide the true identity or it could be a fact that her grasp of the language is actually what she had claimed it to be, that she is a product of a local university and apologised for her bad English.
Below is copy of the letter:
KAWAN YAYASAN SABAH
Kita kawan of Yayasan Sabah staff an ex-scholars of YS and not happy with what we hear from them. We want to help our friends end their suffering. Lot of staff complained they scared of one lady in charge of Human Resources Division. She was CM confidential secretary before and close to him and use his name all time to get advantage. She use her position to threaten people and use CM to get many advantage for herself. She say CM trust her and use CM name to bully staff and outside people. Why this happen for so long? Itu pengarah very week bah and not competent too long in the job and do not want to work hard because long retired from government. English say "retirement mode" dan sifat tak mengambil berat tentang management Yayasan Sabah ketara sangat sebab dia jadi "yes man" to this lady-'defecto direktor'.
Dia orang punya strategi ialah tindas orang yang pandai (buat keja) dan kasih naik pangkat orang yang tak pandai atau tak cukup qualification. Ini adalah "rule by fear" contohnya; Encik Alex Suinggi admin manager telah diganti oleh si Encik Johnny Billy. Yang sekarang memerah kontraktor- kontraktor atau supplier Yayasan Sabah.
Recently a new organization structure was announced by the Pengarah. My friend in YS showed me the new organization structure but seem not endorsed by the Board of Trustees and the Pengarah acting without authority from Board of Trustees again. They told me that the lady designed the organization chart with the Pengarah and few close staff and implement immediately without discussing with management. She promoted herself to Senior Group Manager without any letter of appointment without any endorsement from Board of Trustees. The management staffs very demoralised and demotivated now and we want to help them.
Kami tunjuk organasasi structure YS yang baru to our friend who have Phd in Management Orginazation in UMS and he laugh. He has not seen such kind of structure before. He says this is against management princip and for Yayasan Sabah must keep the social side and corporate side different entity according to the YS encatment. Both have different roles and objectives. Social is to help people and corporate to make money for social. Combine the two makes it difficult for corporate to succeed. Also social managers are not trained or have experience to run business. Also the corporate entities have their own Board of Directors and CEO so why should they report to Human Resource. It is against company regulation as Board of Directors are accountable for the company operation and not this lady.
With many workload for her as Senior Group Manager failure will come very quickly. My Phd friend also confused whether secretariat is a divison? and why give equal status in the chart. For example Transport Division who have 5 operating companies reports to YS Senior Group Manager of Financial Services & Investment and the same status as YS Investment Committee Secretariat. Very confusing. His opinion that the new organization structure make the Senior Group Manager lady more powerful but can she telan all these things? In the end she cannot perform and efficiency suffer and people blame YS for poor performance. People already complain of poor service from her division, Sometimes takes three months to make a decision. We wonder why this lady was promoted over the Group Manager such as Forestry. Forestry contribute over 70% of YS Group profits but the Group Manager of Forestry now hold a lower rank to the Senior Group Manager of Human Resource s.
We hear the lady is already busy with Hotel and Convention Centre, the new Kenigau Handicraft Centre, the Women Conference, the CEO Conference, and banyak other projects. Not much time spent on human resources activities to support the organization. Also she has most number of staff in YS. These projects involve a lot of money and resources and not helping the people of Sabah directly. She uses these things to make herself look good so that CM promote and Puji her. CM already give her pangkat ASDK in 2006 and JP in 2007. Do not know what she do to deserve this title except angkat kaki CM. She tell staff close to her, now she aim for Datukship and become Pengarah of YS by 2009.
People tell us these conferences lose money and very few international participants attend. Many local participants from the government agencies and NGOs forced to pay and attend just to make up the numbers to make her look good. Last year there was so much noise in the local newspapers about some London investors interested in building hotels and convention centre. YS Staff told us some RM 300,000 was spent to entertain them and the state cabinet was asked to attend luncheon and dinner with them. What happened to these London investors? It seems that there are so many abuse of power by this lady. She travels to London, Brussels, Egypt, Korea first class to do other things not connected with her work and direct responsibility and for what?
If you care about the welfare of all the good people in YS who are long suffering please help. Do not let her destroy Yayasan Sabah. People are scared of her. She is already featured in Malaysia Today and famous. Click on Hajjah Rosmawati Lasuki and you will reach the website and article about her.
All has been said is the truth and anybody can investigate. English saying the truth will prevail. Sorry for my poor engish as I am product of local university. Hope everbody understand our concern.
UMNO Supreme Council To Decide Who Should Be PM ?
Hantu Laut
Has the badly battered Pak Lah comes to his senses ? He has indicated handing over power to his deputy Najib Tun Razak without giving any time frame on the transition of power.He only hinted he may hand over power to Najib and said he would discuss the matter with his deputy.
I wouldn't at this juncture take that hint as a promise, which was probably uttered just to cool down the harangues coming from increasing number of UMNO divisions for him to make an exit.
A hint is not a decision or a promise.
With a track record of having sailed close to the wind I hope Pak Lah is not waiting to see which way the wind blows and again changes his mind when the opportune time comes.
Abdullah has, by his own admission, blamed himself as one of the factors for BN losses. It sounds a bit strange that he said it now instead of at his valedictory speech. Most leaders would make such admission and seek apology from the nation on the day he steps down.It's certainly sounds weird to incriminate yourself and still carry on as Prime Minister.
In a smooth transition of power or demise of the Prime Minister or President, succession traditionally goes to the deputy. In a political turmoil, which is what UMNO is facing now, it would be best not to use the conventional method of succession.
It is not that Najib is less capable but he may not have the majority support of the rank and file in the party. The best possible way for a stable leadership is to allow the Supreme Council members to decide among themselves who should take over as prime minister.
The Supreme Council is representative of the voices of the rank and file and its decision to appoint the most suitable person among them as prime minister wouldn't be admonished by the members.
It wouldn't be fair to condemn Najib at the moment and before he takes over the helm and proved himself worthy of the position. Although there have been implications to Najib's character, most were mere allegations and nothing have been proven on his relationship with the murdered Mongolian girl, mistress of his close associate Razak Beginda who is now languishing in jail out of sheer arrogance, greed and stupidity.
Like most animals at the top of the food chains, humans behave the same way when they are at the pinnacle of power, some obviously think they are untouchable and can get away with murder.
If Pak Lah hands over only the PM post and retains the UMNO President post until the UMNO Elections in December than the possibility of Najib being challenged would be fairly slim.Should he hands over both positions before the party elections and Najib didn't fare well during the short period the likelihood of him being challenged would be pretty good.
Although nothing proven, the rumours of shady dealings in military contracts have stained his image and could become a liability to him at party elections.His opponents could use it as campaign materials to discredit him.
Likely candidates to challenge Najib would be Razaleigh or Muhyiddin that is if Pak Lah kept his promise and actually give up his posts as PM as well as UMNO President sooner than later.
Has the badly battered Pak Lah comes to his senses ? He has indicated handing over power to his deputy Najib Tun Razak without giving any time frame on the transition of power.He only hinted he may hand over power to Najib and said he would discuss the matter with his deputy.
I wouldn't at this juncture take that hint as a promise, which was probably uttered just to cool down the harangues coming from increasing number of UMNO divisions for him to make an exit.
A hint is not a decision or a promise.
With a track record of having sailed close to the wind I hope Pak Lah is not waiting to see which way the wind blows and again changes his mind when the opportune time comes.
Abdullah has, by his own admission, blamed himself as one of the factors for BN losses. It sounds a bit strange that he said it now instead of at his valedictory speech. Most leaders would make such admission and seek apology from the nation on the day he steps down.It's certainly sounds weird to incriminate yourself and still carry on as Prime Minister.
In a smooth transition of power or demise of the Prime Minister or President, succession traditionally goes to the deputy. In a political turmoil, which is what UMNO is facing now, it would be best not to use the conventional method of succession.
It is not that Najib is less capable but he may not have the majority support of the rank and file in the party. The best possible way for a stable leadership is to allow the Supreme Council members to decide among themselves who should take over as prime minister.
The Supreme Council is representative of the voices of the rank and file and its decision to appoint the most suitable person among them as prime minister wouldn't be admonished by the members.
It wouldn't be fair to condemn Najib at the moment and before he takes over the helm and proved himself worthy of the position. Although there have been implications to Najib's character, most were mere allegations and nothing have been proven on his relationship with the murdered Mongolian girl, mistress of his close associate Razak Beginda who is now languishing in jail out of sheer arrogance, greed and stupidity.
Like most animals at the top of the food chains, humans behave the same way when they are at the pinnacle of power, some obviously think they are untouchable and can get away with murder.
If Pak Lah hands over only the PM post and retains the UMNO President post until the UMNO Elections in December than the possibility of Najib being challenged would be fairly slim.Should he hands over both positions before the party elections and Najib didn't fare well during the short period the likelihood of him being challenged would be pretty good.
Although nothing proven, the rumours of shady dealings in military contracts have stained his image and could become a liability to him at party elections.His opponents could use it as campaign materials to discredit him.
Likely candidates to challenge Najib would be Razaleigh or Muhyiddin that is if Pak Lah kept his promise and actually give up his posts as PM as well as UMNO President sooner than later.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Pak Lah In A Pressure Cooker
Hantu Laut
Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give up the PM's post.This time the call came from home, from 20 divisions in Johor UMNO. It wasn't a direct call for him to resign but they urged him to take a sabbatical and let DPM Najib takes over for a while to cool down the very overheated resistance to his presence as prime minister.
Not invited to the meeting were 6 divisional heads who also happened to be ministers in the Federal cabinet. They were Hishammuddin Hussein,Shahrir Abdul Samad, Khaled Nordin,Syed Hamid Albar,Muhyiddin Yassin and Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad.
The meeting was held at the residence of the Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman and the absence of the six divisional heads/ministers and Tourism Minister Azlina Othman and Deputy Minister of Human Resources Noraini Ahmad clearly shows the party is divided on the issue.Those in Pak Lah's cabinet do not want to be seen as traitors although many discreetly wanted him to go and go quickly.
More and more dissenting voices are now coming out from the rank and file.It's apparent that Pak Lah is now confronted with bigger domestic problem within the party.The pain in the neck Mahathir has achieved the objective of destabilising him. The darling of the 2004 Elections is now the most hounded man in the country.
How did Pak Lah's fortunes decline in such dizzying speed ? He is probably the only prime minister who had become unpopular in the shortest span of time. Even the cold-blooded Mahathir managed to retain power for 22 years and didn't go through such agonising moment of embarrassments. There was no spontaneous call for him to step down. Malaysians generally have a love and hate relationship with him. Members of UMNO either despise him in silence or had high regard for his leadership. He is also an enigma and can be full of surprises which kept his enemies in awe or in fear. He has managed to keep his opponents and distractors at bay through fear or favour.
When Abdullah took the helm from Mahathir he was seen as a god-fearing, clean and amiable man. His Mr Clean image and amiability strengthen by his promise to clean up corruptions was the drawing power to his massive electoral victory in 2004. Unfortunately, he failed miserably in his promise and continue to make mistakes without any attempt to correct it. He behaves like a minor thinking making promises is a game that you need not play by the rules. His natural disability of making correct statements when addressing the nation has put him in a bad light and demolished his god-fearing image. His inconsistency and contradiction are appalling.
When he was asked about his son's business and whether he has used his influence to help bolster the son's business he responded by saying that his son doesn't do business with the government and almost all his business were with foreign companies outside the country.He probably didn't realise that many people knew most of his son's businesses are with Petronas overseas operations. When he was asked to confirm the rumour that he is getting married to Jean Danker, he replied in the negative and shocked the nation when he got married a few weeks later.
Like the weather he is notoriously fickle and his state of the art fickleness was played out when he stated in no uncertain term that Parliament wouldn't be dissolved yet to make way for elections, and pronto !.......he dissolved Parliament the next day. The people were horrified in disbelief that a prime minister of a nation can make such infuriating blunders. His series of political blunder leaves a lot to be desired.
Abdullah is not made of grits and guts, he can easily give in to threats and demands.It was not untrue when Mahathir accused him of ignoring some of the candidates recommended by menteri besar and chief ministers.There were no discussions held between him and the menteri besar/chief ministers on changes he made to the list. He unilaterally took the decision to replace it with candidates of his choice.
His handling of the recent controversy with Sabah clearly shows he can buckle under pressure.The rumblings in Sabah BN necessitates him to make a journey there to meet Sabah leaders and he met the leaders separately instead of as a coalition group.He has made certain promises which Sabah BN hopes he will make good.
The appointment of Pendikar Amin Mulia as Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is most puzzling.There are many elected member who deserved to be given that position instead of Pendikar who is not even an elected member. Pendikar is an UMNO divisional head of a very small community of people called the Iranun, a name changed by him from Illanun which is a connotation for pirate. Pendikar is well known for his abrasiveness and threatening manner, a kind of uncultivated Long John Silver.
Pendikar, Salleh Said Keruak,Amir Kahar Mustapha,Yusof Yacob and Ghafur Salleh were dropped by Chief Minister Musa Aman.Ghafur managed to wriggle he way back in through his connection with a Sabah businessman who has strong link with Syed Hamid Albar who talked Abdullah into putting Ghafur back on as candidate.
Pak Lah has also promised to give more ministerial posts to Sabah which means he has to create new posts just to fulfill that promise, a reversal of the scrapping of a few ministries when he announced his cabinet line-up.
Although Pak Lah is not an evil man and has been quite liberal in his ways, his lack of leadership and inconsistency has made him very unpopular.
Will he survives till the UMNO General Assembly in December ?
Johor, Sabah and Perak have the biggest number of divisions in UMNO. Losing the support of these three states would spell trouble for Pak Lah.
Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give up the PM's post.This time the call came from home, from 20 divisions in Johor UMNO. It wasn't a direct call for him to resign but they urged him to take a sabbatical and let DPM Najib takes over for a while to cool down the very overheated resistance to his presence as prime minister.
Not invited to the meeting were 6 divisional heads who also happened to be ministers in the Federal cabinet. They were Hishammuddin Hussein,Shahrir Abdul Samad, Khaled Nordin,Syed Hamid Albar,Muhyiddin Yassin and Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad.
The meeting was held at the residence of the Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman and the absence of the six divisional heads/ministers and Tourism Minister Azlina Othman and Deputy Minister of Human Resources Noraini Ahmad clearly shows the party is divided on the issue.Those in Pak Lah's cabinet do not want to be seen as traitors although many discreetly wanted him to go and go quickly.
More and more dissenting voices are now coming out from the rank and file.It's apparent that Pak Lah is now confronted with bigger domestic problem within the party.The pain in the neck Mahathir has achieved the objective of destabilising him. The darling of the 2004 Elections is now the most hounded man in the country.
How did Pak Lah's fortunes decline in such dizzying speed ? He is probably the only prime minister who had become unpopular in the shortest span of time. Even the cold-blooded Mahathir managed to retain power for 22 years and didn't go through such agonising moment of embarrassments. There was no spontaneous call for him to step down. Malaysians generally have a love and hate relationship with him. Members of UMNO either despise him in silence or had high regard for his leadership. He is also an enigma and can be full of surprises which kept his enemies in awe or in fear. He has managed to keep his opponents and distractors at bay through fear or favour.
When Abdullah took the helm from Mahathir he was seen as a god-fearing, clean and amiable man. His Mr Clean image and amiability strengthen by his promise to clean up corruptions was the drawing power to his massive electoral victory in 2004. Unfortunately, he failed miserably in his promise and continue to make mistakes without any attempt to correct it. He behaves like a minor thinking making promises is a game that you need not play by the rules. His natural disability of making correct statements when addressing the nation has put him in a bad light and demolished his god-fearing image. His inconsistency and contradiction are appalling.
When he was asked about his son's business and whether he has used his influence to help bolster the son's business he responded by saying that his son doesn't do business with the government and almost all his business were with foreign companies outside the country.He probably didn't realise that many people knew most of his son's businesses are with Petronas overseas operations. When he was asked to confirm the rumour that he is getting married to Jean Danker, he replied in the negative and shocked the nation when he got married a few weeks later.
Like the weather he is notoriously fickle and his state of the art fickleness was played out when he stated in no uncertain term that Parliament wouldn't be dissolved yet to make way for elections, and pronto !.......he dissolved Parliament the next day. The people were horrified in disbelief that a prime minister of a nation can make such infuriating blunders. His series of political blunder leaves a lot to be desired.
Abdullah is not made of grits and guts, he can easily give in to threats and demands.It was not untrue when Mahathir accused him of ignoring some of the candidates recommended by menteri besar and chief ministers.There were no discussions held between him and the menteri besar/chief ministers on changes he made to the list. He unilaterally took the decision to replace it with candidates of his choice.
His handling of the recent controversy with Sabah clearly shows he can buckle under pressure.The rumblings in Sabah BN necessitates him to make a journey there to meet Sabah leaders and he met the leaders separately instead of as a coalition group.He has made certain promises which Sabah BN hopes he will make good.
The appointment of Pendikar Amin Mulia as Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is most puzzling.There are many elected member who deserved to be given that position instead of Pendikar who is not even an elected member. Pendikar is an UMNO divisional head of a very small community of people called the Iranun, a name changed by him from Illanun which is a connotation for pirate. Pendikar is well known for his abrasiveness and threatening manner, a kind of uncultivated Long John Silver.
Pendikar, Salleh Said Keruak,Amir Kahar Mustapha,Yusof Yacob and Ghafur Salleh were dropped by Chief Minister Musa Aman.Ghafur managed to wriggle he way back in through his connection with a Sabah businessman who has strong link with Syed Hamid Albar who talked Abdullah into putting Ghafur back on as candidate.
Pak Lah has also promised to give more ministerial posts to Sabah which means he has to create new posts just to fulfill that promise, a reversal of the scrapping of a few ministries when he announced his cabinet line-up.
Although Pak Lah is not an evil man and has been quite liberal in his ways, his lack of leadership and inconsistency has made him very unpopular.
Will he survives till the UMNO General Assembly in December ?
Johor, Sabah and Perak have the biggest number of divisions in UMNO. Losing the support of these three states would spell trouble for Pak Lah.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Would Sell Your Soul To The Devil For RM65 Million?
Hantu Laut
At what price would you be tempted to sell your soul to the devil? 1 million no !, 5 million no !,10 million no ! What about a whopping RM65 million ?
Which right thinking man will not accept RM65 million just to cross the floor over to the other side of the political fence.
DAP assemblyman Sivakumar alleged he has been offered up to RM65 million and round-the-clock police protection. He didn't specify who made the offer and how the offer was made. That's a lot of money for one miserable assemblyman.
Anyway, even if it is true where would you keep the money because no bank will accept such huge sums without tangible explanation on where the money came from. It would also be a mind-boggling exercise to move RM65 million cash from one bank to another without catching the attention of Bank Negara if the money is in Malaysia, unless whoever made the offer has huge amount of slush fund stashed overseas.
Another DAP assemblyman A.Sivasubramaniam claimed he was offered RM5 million by BN leaders if he crosses over to BN.Since he knows the identity of the BN leaders why didn't he lodge a report to the police giving the names of those who offered to buy him.If it is true, wouldn't it be nice to catch some BN leaders with their pants down.
Whether the orgiastic offer of bribery are true, fabricated, figment of a wild imagination or the work of pranksters only the two assemblymen would know.It seemed only the Indian assemblymen in DAP were offered the windfall and only in Perak.
It does make some sense because the BN needed only two seats to grab the state government from BR (Barisan Rakyat). However, would they pay RM65 million to get a state government? Why not spend the money to get 8 more parliamentarians to get two-thirds majority in Parliament. With two-thirds they can change the law or introduce new law to whack the states in opposition control.
It is without any doubt that Sivakumar and Sivasubramaniam are men of the highest integrity and should be emulated by other politicians.
Those from Sabah have some lessons to learn from these two gentlemen, especially the "Enam Jahanam" who have been giving Pak Lah hell of a time.
Does every man has a price ? I believe at least 99.999 percent has. It would be looking for a needle in a haystack to get the .001 percent.
At what price would you be tempted to sell your soul to the devil? 1 million no !, 5 million no !,10 million no ! What about a whopping RM65 million ?
Which right thinking man will not accept RM65 million just to cross the floor over to the other side of the political fence.
DAP assemblyman Sivakumar alleged he has been offered up to RM65 million and round-the-clock police protection. He didn't specify who made the offer and how the offer was made. That's a lot of money for one miserable assemblyman.
Anyway, even if it is true where would you keep the money because no bank will accept such huge sums without tangible explanation on where the money came from. It would also be a mind-boggling exercise to move RM65 million cash from one bank to another without catching the attention of Bank Negara if the money is in Malaysia, unless whoever made the offer has huge amount of slush fund stashed overseas.
Another DAP assemblyman A.Sivasubramaniam claimed he was offered RM5 million by BN leaders if he crosses over to BN.Since he knows the identity of the BN leaders why didn't he lodge a report to the police giving the names of those who offered to buy him.If it is true, wouldn't it be nice to catch some BN leaders with their pants down.
Whether the orgiastic offer of bribery are true, fabricated, figment of a wild imagination or the work of pranksters only the two assemblymen would know.It seemed only the Indian assemblymen in DAP were offered the windfall and only in Perak.
It does make some sense because the BN needed only two seats to grab the state government from BR (Barisan Rakyat). However, would they pay RM65 million to get a state government? Why not spend the money to get 8 more parliamentarians to get two-thirds majority in Parliament. With two-thirds they can change the law or introduce new law to whack the states in opposition control.
It is without any doubt that Sivakumar and Sivasubramaniam are men of the highest integrity and should be emulated by other politicians.
Those from Sabah have some lessons to learn from these two gentlemen, especially the "Enam Jahanam" who have been giving Pak Lah hell of a time.
Does every man has a price ? I believe at least 99.999 percent has. It would be looking for a needle in a haystack to get the .001 percent.
I Love Being A Happy Hooker
Hantu Laut
Now that she comes out openly and says she actually enjoys her work as a prostitute, I wonder where are all the good Samaritans in the Malaysian government who hastily publicised their desire to help her.
She said "People think escorting is sleazy and terrible but I don't see it like that," she says. "I've always had a high sex drive—and now I'm getting all the sex I want—and guys are much better in bed with an escort than a girlfriend.I have men who are thrilled about my passion for mathematics. In fact one made me recite equations while he pleasured me, then I gave him oral sex while he chatted about algebra. It drove him wild."
She went on and said "My clients treat me like a princess. One guy I see in London took me shopping on Bond Street. He bought me a beautiful black Gucci dress for £700 and then took me to Selfridges and told me to pick any handbag I liked."
Sufiah is enjoying her new found freedom and career and has no desire to change it.
I hope the nitwits in our government do think twice before they open their big mouth to make statement that can be embarrassing to the government.
We still have some abject poverty in the country and also cases of young girls being forced into prostitution due to poverty.This are the areas that the government should look into and lend a helping hand and certainly not to a promiscuous girl who enjoys being a whore.
She is a very liberated Muslim girl.Read her full confessions here and her explicit photos here.
Now that she comes out openly and says she actually enjoys her work as a prostitute, I wonder where are all the good Samaritans in the Malaysian government who hastily publicised their desire to help her.
She said "People think escorting is sleazy and terrible but I don't see it like that," she says. "I've always had a high sex drive—and now I'm getting all the sex I want—and guys are much better in bed with an escort than a girlfriend.I have men who are thrilled about my passion for mathematics. In fact one made me recite equations while he pleasured me, then I gave him oral sex while he chatted about algebra. It drove him wild."
She went on and said "My clients treat me like a princess. One guy I see in London took me shopping on Bond Street. He bought me a beautiful black Gucci dress for £700 and then took me to Selfridges and told me to pick any handbag I liked."
Sufiah is enjoying her new found freedom and career and has no desire to change it.
I hope the nitwits in our government do think twice before they open their big mouth to make statement that can be embarrassing to the government.
We still have some abject poverty in the country and also cases of young girls being forced into prostitution due to poverty.This are the areas that the government should look into and lend a helping hand and certainly not to a promiscuous girl who enjoys being a whore.
She is a very liberated Muslim girl.Read her full confessions here and her explicit photos here.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Mahathir: The Enigma
Hantu Laut
Well done Pak Lah! You should have lashed out much earlier. From Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh, the late Ghafar Baba , Anwar Ibrahim and lately you, none of you are good enough for him.
Nobody is good enough for this man.None of those who had the misfortune of becoming his deputy can measure up to his high expectations and his immeasurably excessive demand for loyalty, right or wrong, he expects total subservience.
When he was in power and to protect himself from being challenged he changed the contest rules in UMNO. Now, he wants to change it back to suit his new political agenda.
When he had problems with the sultans he changed the law to keep them in line.
When he had problems with the judiciary, he arranged for tribunals to sack the Lord President and three judges.
When he perceived a challenge from Anwar, the poor chap suddenly turned to become a closet homosexual.
When Abdullah cancelled his crooked bridge, Abdullah is the most useless prime minister this country ever had.
He plays a major part in UMNO's poor showing in the recent polls because he started an opprobrium on Abdullah which eventually effected the party's support at the polls.
Most of all he loves the two-thirds majority because he can do almost anything with it.
Mahathir is a man of mysterious behaviour and at times difficult to understand.Even his smile is enigmatic.
I was a great fan of him once, now I changed my mind.
Well done Pak Lah! You should have lashed out much earlier. From Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh, the late Ghafar Baba , Anwar Ibrahim and lately you, none of you are good enough for him.
Nobody is good enough for this man.None of those who had the misfortune of becoming his deputy can measure up to his high expectations and his immeasurably excessive demand for loyalty, right or wrong, he expects total subservience.
When he was in power and to protect himself from being challenged he changed the contest rules in UMNO. Now, he wants to change it back to suit his new political agenda.
When he had problems with the sultans he changed the law to keep them in line.
When he had problems with the judiciary, he arranged for tribunals to sack the Lord President and three judges.
When he perceived a challenge from Anwar, the poor chap suddenly turned to become a closet homosexual.
When Abdullah cancelled his crooked bridge, Abdullah is the most useless prime minister this country ever had.
He plays a major part in UMNO's poor showing in the recent polls because he started an opprobrium on Abdullah which eventually effected the party's support at the polls.
Most of all he loves the two-thirds majority because he can do almost anything with it.
Mahathir is a man of mysterious behaviour and at times difficult to understand.Even his smile is enigmatic.
I was a great fan of him once, now I changed my mind.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Don't Let The Despot (Mugabe) In
Hantu Laut
I used to admire our former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad to a fault. I still do to certain extend but with some reservations to some of his recent outbursts which has kind of put me in a dilemma. Call it disappointment if you wish but I certainly do hope he tones down a little and minces his words before he says them.
Honesty and frankness are good virtues and helping a friend in distress is no less a good virtue too. As the saying goes "A friend in need is a friend indeed"
Does Robert Mugabe fits as that kind of a friend.A despot who robbed and ruined his country and shattered the economy that will take generations to recover.
Mugabe was once hailed as a symbol of the new Africa.During his 28 years rule the well-being and health of his people has dropped dramatically.It has the world's shortest life expectancy....37 for men and 34 for women, the highest percentage of orphans and abuse of human rights using arbitrary arrest and torture of political opponents.
When Zimbabwe gained independence 46.5% of the country's arable land was owned by around 6,000 commercial farmers.Mugabe accepted a "willing buyer, willing seller" among other concessions to the white minority.The compensations were paid by the British government to white settlers to return land to poor Zimbabwean farmers. As part of this agreement, land redistribution was blocked for a period of 10 years.
In 1997 the British government led by Tony Blair unilaterally stopped funding the "willing buyer, willing seller" land reform programme on the basis that the initial 44 million pound sterling allocated under the Thatcher government was used to purchase land for members of the ruling elite rather than landless peasants.
Mugabe's family owns three farms: Highfield Estate in Norton, 45 km west of Harare, Iron Mask Estate in Mazowe, about 40 km from Harare, and Foyle Farm in Mazowe, formerly owned by Ian Webster and adjacent to Iron Mask Farm, renamed to Gushungo Farm after Mugabe's own clan name.These farms were seized forcibly from their previous owners.
He has allowed seizure of white-owned farmland without compensations.This are the very people he asked to stay back and guarantee them security of their land when the country gained independence.
Zimbabwe once the "bread basket" of southern Africa is now economically crippled and its farmlands lay in ruins. It now depend on food program and help from outside to feed at least one-third of its population.
Mugabe who has a string of academic degrees hanging around his neck is one of the most useless and corrupted African despots. He is responsible for the freefall of the country's economy by his appalling economic mismanagement, corruption and brutal repression.
It's so disheartening to hear our former Prime Minister Mahathir to ask our government to give asylum to this crook who had destroyed a nation and makes its people suffer immeasurably.
I don't think we need this kind of despot in our midst and I urge the government not to let him enter the country let alone give him asylum.
Mugabe: I will quit, as long I do not face prosecution
Zimbabwe backlash starts as Mugabe thugs march
I used to admire our former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad to a fault. I still do to certain extend but with some reservations to some of his recent outbursts which has kind of put me in a dilemma. Call it disappointment if you wish but I certainly do hope he tones down a little and minces his words before he says them.
Honesty and frankness are good virtues and helping a friend in distress is no less a good virtue too. As the saying goes "A friend in need is a friend indeed"
Does Robert Mugabe fits as that kind of a friend.A despot who robbed and ruined his country and shattered the economy that will take generations to recover.
Mugabe was once hailed as a symbol of the new Africa.During his 28 years rule the well-being and health of his people has dropped dramatically.It has the world's shortest life expectancy....37 for men and 34 for women, the highest percentage of orphans and abuse of human rights using arbitrary arrest and torture of political opponents.
When Zimbabwe gained independence 46.5% of the country's arable land was owned by around 6,000 commercial farmers.Mugabe accepted a "willing buyer, willing seller" among other concessions to the white minority.The compensations were paid by the British government to white settlers to return land to poor Zimbabwean farmers. As part of this agreement, land redistribution was blocked for a period of 10 years.
In 1997 the British government led by Tony Blair unilaterally stopped funding the "willing buyer, willing seller" land reform programme on the basis that the initial 44 million pound sterling allocated under the Thatcher government was used to purchase land for members of the ruling elite rather than landless peasants.
Mugabe's family owns three farms: Highfield Estate in Norton, 45 km west of Harare, Iron Mask Estate in Mazowe, about 40 km from Harare, and Foyle Farm in Mazowe, formerly owned by Ian Webster and adjacent to Iron Mask Farm, renamed to Gushungo Farm after Mugabe's own clan name.These farms were seized forcibly from their previous owners.
He has allowed seizure of white-owned farmland without compensations.This are the very people he asked to stay back and guarantee them security of their land when the country gained independence.
Zimbabwe once the "bread basket" of southern Africa is now economically crippled and its farmlands lay in ruins. It now depend on food program and help from outside to feed at least one-third of its population.
Mugabe who has a string of academic degrees hanging around his neck is one of the most useless and corrupted African despots. He is responsible for the freefall of the country's economy by his appalling economic mismanagement, corruption and brutal repression.
It's so disheartening to hear our former Prime Minister Mahathir to ask our government to give asylum to this crook who had destroyed a nation and makes its people suffer immeasurably.
I don't think we need this kind of despot in our midst and I urge the government not to let him enter the country let alone give him asylum.
Mugabe: I will quit, as long I do not face prosecution
Zimbabwe backlash starts as Mugabe thugs march
Friday, April 4, 2008
Look ! Who Is Talking Now
Hantu Laut
Samy has changed and is a reformed man. He wears the BN badge but speaks like an opposition.
Samy has found his voice again.He is now singing the same chorus as the oppositions, though a little too late
According to Samy the government failure to act on issues affecting the Indian community has turned the Indians against MIC and the BN and warned Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi that if the situation is not rectified it could lead to greater losses for BN.
Now Samy wanted the government to release the 5 Hindraf's detainees and warned PM Abdullah that refusing to do so would be at the government own peril.The Attorney General has said that the government should not release the 5 as they are threats to national security.
For 28 years at the helm of MIC, exactly the same period Robert Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe, both of them have done the same thing, one destroy a political party out of self-glorification and greed and the other had destroyed a nation out of personal glory and greed.
Although Samy's sins are comparably smaller than that of Mugabe, it has nevertheless hemmed in the Indian community into a valley of despair. Hindraf and eventually Makkal Sakthi at the polls that nearly wipe out MIC, was the result of the state of despair of the Indian community in this country, neglected and looked down upon by the leaders in MIC and the government.
For 28 years Samy who claimed to represent the Indians in this country didn't know that they have been marginalised because Samy lives in the comfort zone, in a palatial home away from the dirt and filth of poverty. He didn't know that Indian temples have been demolished because he is more concerned with preserving himself by constantly sucking up to his masters in UMNO.Some years ago he said "UMNO kasi saya jiwa" when he was trying to curry favour with the than Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.
What the point of shouting his head off now when he had all the chances to speak and do something for the Indians when he was holding ministerial position.Why didn't he force through his demand on Abdullah to release the 5 detainees before the elections. He could have issued an ultimatum to the PM to take MIC out of BN if the demand is not met, if he really cares about the Indian community. It would have saved MIC from the massive desertion by the Indians.
Samy, it's too late now, the Indian community know you are fooling them again.You only dare to speak now because you think Abdullah's government is weak and there are no more benefits you can get from him.
The best for you, MIC and the Indians in this country is for you to hand over the helm to another person and disappear from the scene.
Samy has changed and is a reformed man. He wears the BN badge but speaks like an opposition.
Samy has found his voice again.He is now singing the same chorus as the oppositions, though a little too late
According to Samy the government failure to act on issues affecting the Indian community has turned the Indians against MIC and the BN and warned Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi that if the situation is not rectified it could lead to greater losses for BN.
Now Samy wanted the government to release the 5 Hindraf's detainees and warned PM Abdullah that refusing to do so would be at the government own peril.The Attorney General has said that the government should not release the 5 as they are threats to national security.
For 28 years at the helm of MIC, exactly the same period Robert Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe, both of them have done the same thing, one destroy a political party out of self-glorification and greed and the other had destroyed a nation out of personal glory and greed.
Although Samy's sins are comparably smaller than that of Mugabe, it has nevertheless hemmed in the Indian community into a valley of despair. Hindraf and eventually Makkal Sakthi at the polls that nearly wipe out MIC, was the result of the state of despair of the Indian community in this country, neglected and looked down upon by the leaders in MIC and the government.
For 28 years Samy who claimed to represent the Indians in this country didn't know that they have been marginalised because Samy lives in the comfort zone, in a palatial home away from the dirt and filth of poverty. He didn't know that Indian temples have been demolished because he is more concerned with preserving himself by constantly sucking up to his masters in UMNO.Some years ago he said "UMNO kasi saya jiwa" when he was trying to curry favour with the than Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.
What the point of shouting his head off now when he had all the chances to speak and do something for the Indians when he was holding ministerial position.Why didn't he force through his demand on Abdullah to release the 5 detainees before the elections. He could have issued an ultimatum to the PM to take MIC out of BN if the demand is not met, if he really cares about the Indian community. It would have saved MIC from the massive desertion by the Indians.
Samy, it's too late now, the Indian community know you are fooling them again.You only dare to speak now because you think Abdullah's government is weak and there are no more benefits you can get from him.
The best for you, MIC and the Indians in this country is for you to hand over the helm to another person and disappear from the scene.
A Demonised Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Hantu Laut
The once affable Abdullah Badawi has been so much demonised by the oppositions, by some of his party members and most of all, the most vocal of all his critics, his former mentor and ex Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.
His seemingly weak leadership, irresolution and people's perception of him allowing his family of getting involved in affairs of the nation, notably his unpopular son-in-law, has smudged and damaged his political image. Mahathir's relentless call for him to resign or be removed is making his tenure as prime minister untenable and UMNO divided.
The ex-premier has again called for Abdullah's resignation and accused him of having 'no sense of shame' for hanging on to a job that most people think he should give up. He also accused the PM of poor selection of candidates that led to the substantial erosion of support for the party by letting his son-in-law interfered with the list submitted by state leaders.
“Of course, everyone knows that the list of candidates is chosen and submitted to 'Sultan' Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) by state leaders but once it reached to the party president, somebody else takes over,” he said, referring to Khairy as the culprit.
Mahathir's sarcasm is completely lacking in finesse. Calling Abdullah Sultan only shows his irrational nature and his grudge against the man.
Pak Lah is not fully responsible for UMNO's eroded support. The Mahathir's legacy that he inherited played significant role in its making.The culture of corruptions, nepotism, cronyism and abuse of power have always existed in that regime. Mahathir had always swept the dirt under the carpet if it is not in his favour.
During Anwar’s second trial in June 2000 before Justice Arifin Jaka, then ACA director Shafee Yahya had given sworn testimony when asked about an investigation on the director-general of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU).
Transcript of the notes recorded by the judge of this part of the testimony (excerpts are unedited):
Counsel: Adakah you search the EPU chief’s office?
Shafee: Yes, I did.
Counsel: Was a big sum of money found in the drawer of the EPU director-general for which he could not explain?
Court: What is the relevancy? No need to answer.
Counsel: Did Anwar Ibrahim directed you to raid the office of the EPU chief?
Shafee: No.
Counsel: Did Anwar ask you to close the case against the director?
Shafee: No.
Counsel: Did anyone ask you to close the case?
Shafee: Yes, the prime minister did.
Counsel: Narrate the circumstances under which the PM asked you to close the investigation.
Counsel: Were you called up by the PM?
Shafee: Yes. I was told off, 'How dare you raid my senior officer’s office?' I was taken aback and I replied 'This was based on official complaint by an aggrieved party'.
I did what was officially required under the law. He accused me of trying to fix the former DG of EPU.
I replied that is totally wrong because it is wrong in law to fix anybody. As a Muslim it is a big sin to fix anybody.
He asked me, 'Did Anwar Ibrahim ask you to raid the office?' I said, 'no'.
It was based on an official complain and to be fair to Anwar when I mentioned the complain against the EPU chief, I inform Anwar of my intention to raid but he said, 'Have you cleared this with the PM?'.
I said, 'I mentioned this to PM, the PM kept quiet'.
Counsel: What was the tone of PM when he asked you whether Anwar asked you to raid? Was it in an angry tone or normal conversation tone?
Shafee: The tone was rather accusatory.
Counsel: The EPU was directly under the PM’s Department.
Court: No more questions on the investigation on the EPU chief. I am not satisfied of the relevancy of such evidence.
Counsel: Was the EPU responsible for awarding privatisation of projects?
Shafee: As far as I know, it is.
Counsel: After you were scolded by the PM did you inform anybody about this?
Shafee: In my whole career with the government, this was the first time my boss accused me of trying to fix somebody and also my dissolution in the way the PM was interfering with my duty.
Mahathir was never investigated for interfering with the ACA investigation and Shafee had never been charged for perjury, if he had actually lied about his testimony.
Like most cases involving high level corruption by his men, the case was closed.
Pak Lah's biggest mistake was the promise he made to kill corruption before the 2004 polls. Without giving it much thought he made the promise and later realized the monstrosity of the problem and the difficulty in arresting it. It was so widespread and deeply entrenched a full disclosure would have caused the collapse of his entire administration.
The second biggest mistake he made was to allow certain amount of freedom of disclosure of corrupt practices in his administration where high-level personalities were involved but did not take appropriate actions to push through the cases and charge those involved in the court of law.
If he had followed his predecessors style of putting on the lid on every case that's likely to ruin the name of his administration , he wouldn't have the kind of problem he has now.
Another big mistake he made was to ignore the Internet, the blogging community.
In a country where freedom of the press is only free for the government. The Internet was godsend. The new found vehicle for freedom of expression has created an alternative media that penetrates millions of homes, unrestricted and uncensored. The oppositions which have no access to the mainstream media was quick to jump on the bandwagon. They not only utilised it directly themselves but also have cleverly engaged independent bloggers to their sides. Many well-known bloggers are allied to the oppositions.The government on the other hand looked at bloggers as pests and considered them unworthy of any respect.
Having a self-indulging Minister of Information didn't help either.Instead of advising the PM the benefits of engaging bloggers, he did otherwise, reviled them with all kind of names and declared them enemies of the nation.
The government, of all people, should have known that the urban areas are well wired up. Many households in the urban belt have computers and ready access to the internet.It would be safe to say at least 40 to 50 percent of BN electoral losses would have been attributed to bloggers.E-news websites like Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today had become household names and have strong followings. Those like Raja Petra Kamaruddin who was so convincing with his story, even his fictional writing sounds plausible and readily believed by his readers.
After 22 years of Mahathir's Machiavellian rule most Malaysians are not quite used to Badawai's amiable style which is translated as weakness of character.Neither is he a forceful speaker unlike the former prime minister, who has better oratory skills.
The problems in UMNO are combinations of many things, past and present, and the follies of many leaders including Mahathir and Abdullah which culminated to the current political crisis.
Is it fair to blame it just on one man?
Note:Court's transcript taken from Malaysiakini
The once affable Abdullah Badawi has been so much demonised by the oppositions, by some of his party members and most of all, the most vocal of all his critics, his former mentor and ex Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.
His seemingly weak leadership, irresolution and people's perception of him allowing his family of getting involved in affairs of the nation, notably his unpopular son-in-law, has smudged and damaged his political image. Mahathir's relentless call for him to resign or be removed is making his tenure as prime minister untenable and UMNO divided.
The ex-premier has again called for Abdullah's resignation and accused him of having 'no sense of shame' for hanging on to a job that most people think he should give up. He also accused the PM of poor selection of candidates that led to the substantial erosion of support for the party by letting his son-in-law interfered with the list submitted by state leaders.
“Of course, everyone knows that the list of candidates is chosen and submitted to 'Sultan' Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) by state leaders but once it reached to the party president, somebody else takes over,” he said, referring to Khairy as the culprit.
Mahathir's sarcasm is completely lacking in finesse. Calling Abdullah Sultan only shows his irrational nature and his grudge against the man.
Pak Lah is not fully responsible for UMNO's eroded support. The Mahathir's legacy that he inherited played significant role in its making.The culture of corruptions, nepotism, cronyism and abuse of power have always existed in that regime. Mahathir had always swept the dirt under the carpet if it is not in his favour.
During Anwar’s second trial in June 2000 before Justice Arifin Jaka, then ACA director Shafee Yahya had given sworn testimony when asked about an investigation on the director-general of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU).
Transcript of the notes recorded by the judge of this part of the testimony (excerpts are unedited):
Counsel: Adakah you search the EPU chief’s office?
Shafee: Yes, I did.
Counsel: Was a big sum of money found in the drawer of the EPU director-general for which he could not explain?
Court: What is the relevancy? No need to answer.
Counsel: Did Anwar Ibrahim directed you to raid the office of the EPU chief?
Shafee: No.
Counsel: Did Anwar ask you to close the case against the director?
Shafee: No.
Counsel: Did anyone ask you to close the case?
Shafee: Yes, the prime minister did.
Counsel: Narrate the circumstances under which the PM asked you to close the investigation.
Counsel: Were you called up by the PM?
Shafee: Yes. I was told off, 'How dare you raid my senior officer’s office?' I was taken aback and I replied 'This was based on official complaint by an aggrieved party'.
I did what was officially required under the law. He accused me of trying to fix the former DG of EPU.
I replied that is totally wrong because it is wrong in law to fix anybody. As a Muslim it is a big sin to fix anybody.
He asked me, 'Did Anwar Ibrahim ask you to raid the office?' I said, 'no'.
It was based on an official complain and to be fair to Anwar when I mentioned the complain against the EPU chief, I inform Anwar of my intention to raid but he said, 'Have you cleared this with the PM?'.
I said, 'I mentioned this to PM, the PM kept quiet'.
Counsel: What was the tone of PM when he asked you whether Anwar asked you to raid? Was it in an angry tone or normal conversation tone?
Shafee: The tone was rather accusatory.
Counsel: The EPU was directly under the PM’s Department.
Court: No more questions on the investigation on the EPU chief. I am not satisfied of the relevancy of such evidence.
Counsel: Was the EPU responsible for awarding privatisation of projects?
Shafee: As far as I know, it is.
Counsel: After you were scolded by the PM did you inform anybody about this?
Shafee: I informed the Chief Secretary to the Government.
Counsel: What was your reaction when the PM scolded you and told you to close the case against the DG of EPU?
Shafee: I was highly dissolution and when I went home I told my wife I wanted to resign. But in view that I have two or three months to finish my extension - my wife persuaded me not to resign.
Shafee: In my whole career with the government, this was the first time my boss accused me of trying to fix somebody and also my dissolution in the way the PM was interfering with my duty.
Mahathir was never investigated for interfering with the ACA investigation and Shafee had never been charged for perjury, if he had actually lied about his testimony.
Like most cases involving high level corruption by his men, the case was closed.
Pak Lah's biggest mistake was the promise he made to kill corruption before the 2004 polls. Without giving it much thought he made the promise and later realized the monstrosity of the problem and the difficulty in arresting it. It was so widespread and deeply entrenched a full disclosure would have caused the collapse of his entire administration.
The second biggest mistake he made was to allow certain amount of freedom of disclosure of corrupt practices in his administration where high-level personalities were involved but did not take appropriate actions to push through the cases and charge those involved in the court of law.
If he had followed his predecessors style of putting on the lid on every case that's likely to ruin the name of his administration , he wouldn't have the kind of problem he has now.
Another big mistake he made was to ignore the Internet, the blogging community.
In a country where freedom of the press is only free for the government. The Internet was godsend. The new found vehicle for freedom of expression has created an alternative media that penetrates millions of homes, unrestricted and uncensored. The oppositions which have no access to the mainstream media was quick to jump on the bandwagon. They not only utilised it directly themselves but also have cleverly engaged independent bloggers to their sides. Many well-known bloggers are allied to the oppositions.The government on the other hand looked at bloggers as pests and considered them unworthy of any respect.
Having a self-indulging Minister of Information didn't help either.Instead of advising the PM the benefits of engaging bloggers, he did otherwise, reviled them with all kind of names and declared them enemies of the nation.
The government, of all people, should have known that the urban areas are well wired up. Many households in the urban belt have computers and ready access to the internet.It would be safe to say at least 40 to 50 percent of BN electoral losses would have been attributed to bloggers.E-news websites like Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today had become household names and have strong followings. Those like Raja Petra Kamaruddin who was so convincing with his story, even his fictional writing sounds plausible and readily believed by his readers.
After 22 years of Mahathir's Machiavellian rule most Malaysians are not quite used to Badawai's amiable style which is translated as weakness of character.Neither is he a forceful speaker unlike the former prime minister, who has better oratory skills.
The problems in UMNO are combinations of many things, past and present, and the follies of many leaders including Mahathir and Abdullah which culminated to the current political crisis.
Is it fair to blame it just on one man?
Note:Court's transcript taken from Malaysiakini
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Politics of 'no shame'
Hantu Laut
There seems to be no difference between the politicians from both sides of the political divide.Malaysians would soon again be disappointed with their elected representatives from both sides of the political fence.
The case of "I quit....now I don't" by Buntong assemblyman A.Sivasubramaniam shows how blackmail and extortion can be used by disgruntled elected member to make demands on a fragile government.
Sivasubramiam resignation from the party could have caused the collapse of the BR coalition government in Perak.The party and coalition partners have succumbed to his demands because they stood on very weak ground, an insufferable marriage of convenience that can up in dire straits.
On the other side of the political fence some elected BN members have refused to accept minor ministerial positions and in one case a deputy minister resigned his position in less than two weeks after having accepted it, giving less than plausible excuse for his actions.
Although unspoken by them it is without any doubt that they think they deserve better and more important positions.They are sending subtle threat to weak Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi not to take them lightly.
In Sabah the 'wayang kulit' (shadow play) gets even more luminously amusing and ludicrous. A candidate dropped by Chief Minister Musa Aman in the recent elections is trying to lead a revolt against him by calling on elected members to pass vote of no confidence against Musa in the next assembly sitting.
Former Chief Minister Salleh Said Keruak has been calling on those whom he thinks are not aligned with Musa to openly revolt against him and support Rahim Ismail as chief minister, with promises of lucrative contracts and positions for those who jumped the Musa's ship.
Six of the 'topple Musa' team have seen the prime minister.The six are Salleh, Bung Mokhtar,Ghafur Salleh,Pandikat Amin,Rahim Ismail and Dr Yusof Yacob, apparently to impress the PM to change the chief ministership.
The PM may have been called by many names but wouldn't be that stupid to remove a man who delivered 24 out of 25 parliamentry seats and 59 out of 60 state seats to the BN.
Rahim Ismail,Salleh Keruak and Pendikar have been trying to take over the CM seat since two years ago but failed to convince Pak Lah to change, a decision that probably saved the BN from being thrashed in Sabah.As Pendikar and Salleh are now out of the picture, it is now only left for Rahim to go for it, which appears unlikely to see the light of day.
In the meantime, the ever caustic and witty former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad has accused Abdullah of having no shame at all.
He said "Anyone else would have already resigned but (Abdullah) has no shame" His son, Mukhriz made the same call for Abdullah to step down. The gathering was attended by over 1000 UMNO members including Khir Toyo.
Is Mahathir going to make a comeback and contest against Abdullah at the UMNO elections if he doesn't step down before the UMNO General Assembly ? It is a possibility you can't ruled out if there is no other candidate whom he thinks doesn't have enough punch to unseat Abdullah.
Mahathir looked the most eligible choice at the moment and would easily get the required nominations to take on Abdullah. If he wins, he probably stays on for one term and hand over the baton to another successor, hopefully not another wrong choice.
There seems to be no difference between the politicians from both sides of the political divide.Malaysians would soon again be disappointed with their elected representatives from both sides of the political fence.
The case of "I quit....now I don't" by Buntong assemblyman A.Sivasubramaniam shows how blackmail and extortion can be used by disgruntled elected member to make demands on a fragile government.
Sivasubramiam resignation from the party could have caused the collapse of the BR coalition government in Perak.The party and coalition partners have succumbed to his demands because they stood on very weak ground, an insufferable marriage of convenience that can up in dire straits.
On the other side of the political fence some elected BN members have refused to accept minor ministerial positions and in one case a deputy minister resigned his position in less than two weeks after having accepted it, giving less than plausible excuse for his actions.
Although unspoken by them it is without any doubt that they think they deserve better and more important positions.They are sending subtle threat to weak Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi not to take them lightly.
In Sabah the 'wayang kulit' (shadow play) gets even more luminously amusing and ludicrous. A candidate dropped by Chief Minister Musa Aman in the recent elections is trying to lead a revolt against him by calling on elected members to pass vote of no confidence against Musa in the next assembly sitting.
Former Chief Minister Salleh Said Keruak has been calling on those whom he thinks are not aligned with Musa to openly revolt against him and support Rahim Ismail as chief minister, with promises of lucrative contracts and positions for those who jumped the Musa's ship.
Six of the 'topple Musa' team have seen the prime minister.The six are Salleh, Bung Mokhtar,Ghafur Salleh,Pandikat Amin,Rahim Ismail and Dr Yusof Yacob, apparently to impress the PM to change the chief ministership.
The PM may have been called by many names but wouldn't be that stupid to remove a man who delivered 24 out of 25 parliamentry seats and 59 out of 60 state seats to the BN.
Rahim Ismail,Salleh Keruak and Pendikar have been trying to take over the CM seat since two years ago but failed to convince Pak Lah to change, a decision that probably saved the BN from being thrashed in Sabah.As Pendikar and Salleh are now out of the picture, it is now only left for Rahim to go for it, which appears unlikely to see the light of day.
In the meantime, the ever caustic and witty former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad has accused Abdullah of having no shame at all.
He said "Anyone else would have already resigned but (Abdullah) has no shame" His son, Mukhriz made the same call for Abdullah to step down. The gathering was attended by over 1000 UMNO members including Khir Toyo.
Is Mahathir going to make a comeback and contest against Abdullah at the UMNO elections if he doesn't step down before the UMNO General Assembly ? It is a possibility you can't ruled out if there is no other candidate whom he thinks doesn't have enough punch to unseat Abdullah.
Mahathir looked the most eligible choice at the moment and would easily get the required nominations to take on Abdullah. If he wins, he probably stays on for one term and hand over the baton to another successor, hopefully not another wrong choice.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Dropped Desperadoes Trying To Mount A Frivolous Coup
Hantu Laut
New rumour circulating in Sabah of some dropped candidates in the recent election going round asking elected members of the Sabah State Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence against Chief Minister Musa Aman and support Rahim Ismail as CM, who was dropped by Musa from the State cabinet recently.
The main plotters rumored to be from an ethnic association who have records of switching parties many times are planning to unseat Musa first and than Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. They have also apparently met the PM recently to demonise Musa hoping Badawi would listen to them.
The plan is to get Musa, an UMNO loyalist out of the way and a grand plan to shift the balance of power to the oppositions.
The coup which has little hope of success is rumoured to also include a deputy minister who resigned from his post recently and a former chief minister.
The frog culture is making a come back to Sabah. It will intensify when Anwar gets elected.
Details in the pipeline.
New rumour circulating in Sabah of some dropped candidates in the recent election going round asking elected members of the Sabah State Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence against Chief Minister Musa Aman and support Rahim Ismail as CM, who was dropped by Musa from the State cabinet recently.
The main plotters rumored to be from an ethnic association who have records of switching parties many times are planning to unseat Musa first and than Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. They have also apparently met the PM recently to demonise Musa hoping Badawi would listen to them.
The plan is to get Musa, an UMNO loyalist out of the way and a grand plan to shift the balance of power to the oppositions.
The coup which has little hope of success is rumoured to also include a deputy minister who resigned from his post recently and a former chief minister.
The frog culture is making a come back to Sabah. It will intensify when Anwar gets elected.
Details in the pipeline.
Are There Plenty More Fish In The Sea ?
Hantu Laut
As promised, it would be churlish of me if I don't deliver the story of my weekend fishing trip.
Sabah is blessed with rich fishing grounds and its close proximity has made it a favourite fishing spot for many fishing kakis (anglers) from as far as Singapore, Peninsula Malaysia and Hong Kong. Going by speedboat would take between forty minutes to an hour to reach the fishing grounds. Overnight fishing would require bigger trawler-type boat which would take between three to four hours from Kota Kinabalu.
Since there were 10 of us we opted for the slow boat which only travels around 8 to 10 knots and is ideal for trolling.
We left KK on a bright sunny morning and trolled all the way towards Mengalum Island.After almost four hours of trolling it was more deep frustrations rather than exhilarating fun as there were still no sign of the elusive marlin and sailfish. Even the more common Spanish mackerel(tenggiri) didn't make an appearance.
The sea was flat calm and looked almost lifeless.Maybe we just have to accept that the open ocean is a mighty big place and not every area in the ocean is jammed with hungry predators.In fact only a small portion of the sea is populated with game fish. These are predators that travel the ocean's highways from their breeding grounds to their place of adulthood and demise which could be thousands of miles apart. Those in Sabah waters are mostly juveniles passing by on their way to other parts of the world's oceans. Therefore, to catch them is a rarity and a dream of every sport anglers.
We were also lucky to have spotted some pilot whales in the vicinity.There were about 4 or 5 of them looking for their usual food, squids and krill (bubuk). The whales always make their annual appearance at this time of the year, usually between March to June.
Fishing in Sabah waters can be as unpredictable as its politicians. The seabeds can spring lots of surprises.
After four hours of zero catch at the end of our trolled lines, we decided and probably a wise move to do bottom fishing. To our surprises, we were catching fish like no body's business. With the excitement of a bumper harvest of bottom fishing we decided to abandon our plan of hunting for the big quarry.
At our first stop we caught respectable amount of 'kerisi bali' (Malay) or 'kim-sein' (Chinese), in English it is called by many names, gold-banded job fish,white snapper or sharptooth snapper.This is considered a good eating fish and popular with the Chinese and occasionally with the Indians for fish head curry.
Erbwest Oil Rig
After about an hour when the activity ceased, we moved to another spot near to Erbwest, an oil rig. This spot produced fish of various species.After ten minutes of catching a dozen of uninspiring species I landed a prize eating fish.It was none other than the much sought after coral trout or sunoh(Bajau,Malay) or chee-sien-pan or tung-sing (Chinese). This is the type of fish you pay hundred of dollars in the seafood restaurants in town.My catch weighs about 2.3 kg which is just a nice size for a small family.It's usually eaten fresh and steamed the Chinese way.
The sea again gave us another shocking surprise.My past experiences tell me that night fishing usually are more active than daylight fishing.This one must be the most horrendous night fishing I have ever experienced in my entire life. After 6 p.m the fish completely stopped biting.We shifted spots at least 5 times during the night and every spot bore nothing.It was zero take for the whole night.
At about daybreak the eerie silence of dawn was deeply shaken by the sound of a ratchet running wild on someone' reel at the back of the boat. Someone shouted "The fish are back". True to his word the fish did come back from that time onwards. We were again catching fish, mostly kerisi bali, groupers and breams.
Something at the bottom of the sea has definitely changed the habitual nature of the fish. What it is, I really don't know. Maybe, the scientists from UMS Sabah should do some research on it.
At about noon we decided to head back home, happy and fully satisfied that all our eskies were full of good eating fish. While on the way we put down two trolling lines and after about an hour and a half into the journey we were alerted by the sound of the ratchet on one of the reels and saw a big splash in the water but was to fast to make out the type of fish. I first thought it was either a marlin or sailfish doing it usual tail walk. However, there was no further jumps when my friend Jimmy was fighting it, so it couldn't be a marlin or sailfish. As he brought the fish nearer the boat I caught a glimpse of it under water. The striking gold and green colour of its body can only unmistakenly be one fish, a dorado or mahe-mahe.
Finally after less than 10 minutes of battling the fish on a 30 lbs line, Jim brought it in.It was a bull dorado. It is a pity, such a beautiful fish should be in an aquarium not in our stomach.
In a small way and when we least expected it, we did have one game fish after all.
Note:Practice catch and release all billfish except in competitions if it is needed for judging purposes.
As promised, it would be churlish of me if I don't deliver the story of my weekend fishing trip.
Sabah is blessed with rich fishing grounds and its close proximity has made it a favourite fishing spot for many fishing kakis (anglers) from as far as Singapore, Peninsula Malaysia and Hong Kong. Going by speedboat would take between forty minutes to an hour to reach the fishing grounds. Overnight fishing would require bigger trawler-type boat which would take between three to four hours from Kota Kinabalu.
Since there were 10 of us we opted for the slow boat which only travels around 8 to 10 knots and is ideal for trolling.
We left KK on a bright sunny morning and trolled all the way towards Mengalum Island.After almost four hours of trolling it was more deep frustrations rather than exhilarating fun as there were still no sign of the elusive marlin and sailfish. Even the more common Spanish mackerel(tenggiri) didn't make an appearance.
The sea was flat calm and looked almost lifeless.Maybe we just have to accept that the open ocean is a mighty big place and not every area in the ocean is jammed with hungry predators.In fact only a small portion of the sea is populated with game fish. These are predators that travel the ocean's highways from their breeding grounds to their place of adulthood and demise which could be thousands of miles apart. Those in Sabah waters are mostly juveniles passing by on their way to other parts of the world's oceans. Therefore, to catch them is a rarity and a dream of every sport anglers.
We were also lucky to have spotted some pilot whales in the vicinity.There were about 4 or 5 of them looking for their usual food, squids and krill (bubuk). The whales always make their annual appearance at this time of the year, usually between March to June.
Fishing in Sabah waters can be as unpredictable as its politicians. The seabeds can spring lots of surprises.
After four hours of zero catch at the end of our trolled lines, we decided and probably a wise move to do bottom fishing. To our surprises, we were catching fish like no body's business. With the excitement of a bumper harvest of bottom fishing we decided to abandon our plan of hunting for the big quarry.
At our first stop we caught respectable amount of 'kerisi bali' (Malay) or 'kim-sein' (Chinese), in English it is called by many names, gold-banded job fish,white snapper or sharptooth snapper.This is considered a good eating fish and popular with the Chinese and occasionally with the Indians for fish head curry.
Erbwest Oil Rig
After about an hour when the activity ceased, we moved to another spot near to Erbwest, an oil rig. This spot produced fish of various species.After ten minutes of catching a dozen of uninspiring species I landed a prize eating fish.It was none other than the much sought after coral trout or sunoh(Bajau,Malay) or chee-sien-pan or tung-sing (Chinese). This is the type of fish you pay hundred of dollars in the seafood restaurants in town.My catch weighs about 2.3 kg which is just a nice size for a small family.It's usually eaten fresh and steamed the Chinese way.
The sea again gave us another shocking surprise.My past experiences tell me that night fishing usually are more active than daylight fishing.This one must be the most horrendous night fishing I have ever experienced in my entire life. After 6 p.m the fish completely stopped biting.We shifted spots at least 5 times during the night and every spot bore nothing.It was zero take for the whole night.
At about daybreak the eerie silence of dawn was deeply shaken by the sound of a ratchet running wild on someone' reel at the back of the boat. Someone shouted "The fish are back". True to his word the fish did come back from that time onwards. We were again catching fish, mostly kerisi bali, groupers and breams.
Something at the bottom of the sea has definitely changed the habitual nature of the fish. What it is, I really don't know. Maybe, the scientists from UMS Sabah should do some research on it.
At about noon we decided to head back home, happy and fully satisfied that all our eskies were full of good eating fish. While on the way we put down two trolling lines and after about an hour and a half into the journey we were alerted by the sound of the ratchet on one of the reels and saw a big splash in the water but was to fast to make out the type of fish. I first thought it was either a marlin or sailfish doing it usual tail walk. However, there was no further jumps when my friend Jimmy was fighting it, so it couldn't be a marlin or sailfish. As he brought the fish nearer the boat I caught a glimpse of it under water. The striking gold and green colour of its body can only unmistakenly be one fish, a dorado or mahe-mahe.
Finally after less than 10 minutes of battling the fish on a 30 lbs line, Jim brought it in.It was a bull dorado. It is a pity, such a beautiful fish should be in an aquarium not in our stomach.
In a small way and when we least expected it, we did have one game fish after all.
Note:Practice catch and release all billfish except in competitions if it is needed for judging purposes.
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