Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Hell In A Handbasket ?

Hantu Laut

As I have said in my earlier posting in the "Demagogues" PM Najib mishandled the Bersih crisis.The ball was at his feet and he bears full responsibility for the adverse fallout for himself and his government.

The oppositions had a field day disparaging his government within and outside the country which is becoming more difficult for him to gloss over.

Here, this pesky lady writer even lied that Najib has left the country, presumably, running away from his problems, when all the times he was in Malaysia, attending a meeting in Trengganu.

Similarly, the International press also had a field day bashing him and his government .

Below are collections of what have been reported internationally.None of them are good news for Najib and the Malaysian government.


Tear Gas Erupts as Malaysia Detains Hundreds of Protesters - Time Magazine

Malaysia Rally Turns Ugly - The Diplomat


Bersih 2.0, Malaysia 0.0 - Asia Sentinel



Thousands of Malaysians Rally for Changes to Elections - The New York Times


Malaysia Protest Lifts Opposition- Asian Wall Street Journal


Malaysia: Rich but not free - The Jakarta Post


Malaysia ‘overreacts with mass arrests - The Jakarta Post


Malaysia nips an hibiscus uprising - Asia Times


Crackdown in KL - The Economist

There are umpteen more, all painting dark pictures of Malaysia and the slew of unjustified arrests and detentions of protesters, use of tear gas and water cannons indiscriminately on the public and locking down the city centre.The opposition has done a fantastic job demonising Najib and the government.

Najib would need some kind of a miracle to survive the onslaught which has effectively convinced the whole world of an evil regime, if not already, is in the making.

The oppositions are pulling all their aces to make sure this message stays alive until the 13th General Elections.They have already collected over 130,000 names on Facebook asking Najib to resign and firmly believe even if the BN won the next elections Najib would be out in a matter of time.On the other hand, there are 783,158 names that like Najib on Facebook.

What goes around comes around.The prevailing wind of change would blow harder as we approach the general elections.

Even if there were free and fair elections, which many Malaysians are now in doubts would ever happen and Pakatan failed to garner enough seats to take over Putrajaya, there would be political chaos in the country.

Anwar has threatened more rallies
if Najib do not guarantee a free and fair elections.

Does the 'Law of Relativity' (not Einstein, the comparative type) comes to play here.What I see as fair not fair to you? Nothing is good or bad until you relate it to something.

It's explicit that, Anwar and Mohd Sabu push the buttons in Bersih, Ambiga is just a stooge.

Is the BN going to flounder?

Monday, July 11, 2011

Yeah! Let's Ape The West!

Hantu Laut

Those were peaceful protests that turned unruly and violent.

Students protest in London.
WARNING: This video contains strong language








U.K.police brutality in a riot.



The Rodney King's verdict.



The riots after the Rodney King's verdict.



Rioting in French.




Lastly,the one in Malaysia.



Do you see any difference how riot police in the West treated protesters and how the Malaysian police treated them here?

So, don't let the blind lead you blindly.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Demagogues

Hantu Laut

Demagoguery or demagogy was first used by ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes to describe Athenian statesman Cleo as a warmonger and a demagogue.

Today, the word applies to politicans who used impassioned rhetoric and propaganda encompassing prejudices,emotions, fears and expectation of the public to attain political power.

American social critic and humorist H.L.Mencken described a demagogue as "one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots."

Demagoguery also emphasizes the use of lying and falsehood, skilled demagogues can sway their uncritical listeners to their sides.Classical Greek philosopher Plato who acknowledges that persuasive communication isn't inherently evil, just destructive when abused and demagogues can poison the well of public opinion.He argues that when demagoguery takes the truth out of persuasion, the art exits as well and rhetoric, in order to be art, must be based on the truth.

One of the most successful demagogues in history was Adolf Hitler who truly believed in his own anti-Jewish diatribes that led to the Holocaust, the mass murder of European Jews by Nazi Germany.

Malaysia has a fair share of demagogues and rhetors who can spellbound the audience with their impassioned rhetoric.The most successful demagogue is Pakatan Rakyat's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, who can deliver excellent histrionics with great credulity.



"Minyak naik harga, harga makanan naik" which is a global phenomenon.Can Pakatan Rakyat really bring down the prices of these items if they form the government.

Bersih rally has Anwar's name written all over it.It's a diversion he needed to divert attention away from his personal problems and at the same time availing Pakatan the lost momentum they suffered in the last few by-elections.Their over-confidence that Sarawak would fall to them in the recent state elections, in spite of all the atrocious mud-slinging against Taib Mahmud, ended in one huge disappointment.

Except for the Chinese community the people of Sarawak have not yet accepted Pakatan.It makes one wonder if the elections were as dirty as alleged by Bersih how in heaven's name DAP managed to win 12 seats and PKR 3 seats?

Fair,free and clean elections is just a ploy, the whole thing stinks of Anwar's brand of politics.It is a roadshow for Anwar,PKR and PAS.Other than some over-zealous politicians in DAP, majority of Chinese prefer the ballot box rather than taking their grievances to the streets.

Obviously, DAP do not feel threatened by Bersih alleged cheating at the polls.Their sterling performance in Sarawak state elections was testimony that if the people support you no amount of cheating can deprive you from winning.DAP support is growing and is even considering to field Malay candidates in Malay areas, which shows that they have no confident in PKR and PAS.There will be insignificant Chinese presence at today's Bersih rally.

Anyway, Najib screws up big time.I am now beginning to wonder whether there are anymore smart people left in his cabinet.He mishandled the Bersih issue.


Today, is D-Day for him and his government.It will have serious repercussions at the next polls.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Bribe probe hits former Malay PM

Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker
July 5, 2011


...........................................................................................

...........................................................................................


The Reserve Bank of Australia's banknote firms are suspected of attempting to bribe former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi in order to get his help to win a $31 million currency contract.

Mr Abdullah is one of a several highly influential Malaysian political figures whom anti-corruption authorities believe Securency and Note Printing Australia— firms respectively half and fully owned and overseen by Australia's reserve bank— allegedly sought to bribe using part of $4.2 million in commission payments made to two Malaysian middlemen.

Malaysian sources confirmed to The Age that the Australian Federal Police have gathered information about attempts to bribe Mr Abdullah by Securency and Note Printing Australia, which are respectively half and fully owned and overseen by the RBA.

The Age sought comment from Mr Abdullah last night.

Asked about the approach to Mr Abdullah yesterday, an AFP spokesman said: "Given that matters relating to investigations into Securency International and Note Printing Australia are currently before the court, the AFP is unable to make any further comment."

It is understood the attempt to bribe Mr Abdullah related to contract negotiations that occurred around 2003, the year he became prime minister and finance minister. He served as prime minister until 2009.

Before becoming prime minister, Mr Abdullah was deputy to long-serving Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad.

The alleged attempt to bribe of Mr Badawi, who remains a serving MP, adds to the list of high-profile Asian politicians and central bank officials targeted by the RBA firms.

The AFP last week alleged Securency bribed Vietnam's former central bank governor by paying his son's English university tuition fees. Authorities in Malaysia last Friday arrested a former Malaysian central bank assistant governor accused of receiving two bribes from NPA.

The revelations about the attempt to bribe Mr Abdullah come as the fallout from Australia's plastic note bribery scandal continues to spread, with The Age reporting yesterday about the intimate involvement of senior officials from the Australian government trade agency Austrade in Securency's allegedly corrupt Vietnam dealings.