Act Of Treason Against Sabahans, Where Was Anwar Ibrahim In 1994?

Hantu Laut

It's now becoming a fashion of sort to blame the dead.As we all know "dead men tell no tales." A dead man also cannot wake up from his grave, kick you in the ass and defend himself. So it's a win-win situation.

Former Sabah NRD director Ramli Kamaruddin said former Deputy Home Minister Megat Junid told him, here, to issue receipt to allow illegal immigrants to vote in the 1994 state elections. Megat Junid died on 24 January 2008.

Former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Monammad had been implicated with the issuance of Malaysian I/C to illegal immigrants dubbed "Project M". Mahathir must be really stupid to allow his name to be used for illegal activity.

The question is was Mahathir complicit in this illegal activity or was it people below him who took upon themselves to do the malfeasance?

Anwar Ibrahim, the great pretender and man of conscience was then the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, why did he not stop this act of treason against Sabahans? 

Was he also complicit to the illegal activity in the 1994 Sabah state elections?

We know what he did in 1994!

He was the man on the ground not Mahathir. He was very much involved in the programme to destabilise the then PBS government and was the mastermind of the crossing over of PBS assemblymen to BN at that time.

As they say "what goes around come around", the same frogs have now joined him to do exactly the same exercise and this time to destabilise the BN government.

The unfortunate thing is Malaysians still think this man is worthy of trust. 

Self-Serving Cowards: Aptitude Of Sabah Politicians

Hantu Laut

Not that I agree with former PM Mahathir's take on the thorny issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah but it has become a laughable KDM politician's bogeyman every time elections is round the corner. A KDM pudding to win brownie point with KDM voters.

When the frogs were in power and busying themselves stripping state assets and looting the state resources there was no illegal immigrants problem then. Everything was hunky-dory.

Here, Mr Toad Bamburing called Mahathir a 'traitor' and forgets he is a village 'frog' equally to be blamed for Sabah woes. Why did he not called Mahathir a traitor when he was in the government?

Don't blame Mahathir, it is you Sabah politicians who have no balls to stand up against him when he was in power. What Sabah is today is the consequence of your cowardice and selfishness.

"The world is full of cravens who pretended to be heroes" George R.R.Martin in his "A Game Of Thrones"

If you haven't read the book watch the HBO tv series.

Self-serving cowards, the apt description of most Sabah politicians.

Will History Be Kind To Mahathir?

Hantu Laut

Mahathir still carries that mixed aura of love,hate and fear.This is the man you either love or hate and both feelings can be just as intense. He has had the greatest influence over the lives of Malaysians, more than any other prime minister before him. He has been the longest serving prime minister and one that have brought the nation to greater height.

As long as Mahathir lives, friends and foes , will not hear the last of him.His blog, is a testimony of his popularity.Whatever the political pundits say or write about him, he is an indelible icon of Malaysian politics.

Malaysians will remember him, in awe or in contempt, but the fact remains that he has done more for this nation than any of his detractors.

When he became prime minister in 1982 I was still in my youth. Now, almost 27 years later I must admit I have less stamina than our octogenarian ex-premier, a man endowed with so much energy and sound mental faculty, putting many younger men to shame.

Many books have been written about him, favourably or otherwise.The latest addition to the realm of Mahatirism was written by former Asian Wall Street Journal reporter Barry Wain.A review of the book was done by John Berthelsen of Asia Sentinel, which you can find in my earlier posting below.I have yet to get a copy.

I wrote the article below in September 2007, a few months after I started blogging.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

A TRIBUTE TO MAHATHIR; ARCHITECT OF MODERN MALAYSIA

HANTU LAUT

Tun Mahathir had his second heart bypass a week ago, eighteen years after his first. Not many man of his age could physically and emotionally be strong enough to go through such operation without fear of complications.The doctor operating him proclaimed him an octogenarian in a sexagenarian body. A man endowed with good physical and mental health that can only come from someone who leads a disciplined lifestyle.A close friend once joked and told me "Mahathir refuses to die before he sees Badawi out of office".

The day he was sacked from UMNO by the the late Tungku Abdul Rahman and his controversial book, the 'Malay Dilemma', which the Tungku took as an insult to the Malay race, was actually a book of self-examination and self-criticism... where and why the Malays have gone wrong and how to correct the social imbalance with other races in the country. He hasn't stopped trying ever since.

Mahathir, probably didn't realize that he has gone against the natural flow of Malay culture. The culture of subservience. An 'adat' of not questioning the elders, no matter how wrong they were. Such 'adat' exists, not only in the Malay culture, but in many other Asian culture as well.

During his tenure as Prime Minister he was probably the most misunderstood man. He has become an enigma to his own people.During his twenty two years in power he was also not short of controversies.He has thrown in prison opposition leaders, politicians to professionals and anyone whom he perceived as subversive element endangering security of the nation.Many Malaysians took this as an unpleasant behaviour of a dictator.As those who read Shakepeares would remember what Brutus told the people of Rome "Not that I loved Ceaser less, but that I loved Rome more." Mahathir has the same notion. He is prepared to sacrifice your personal liberty if he thinks you are a risk to the bigger number.

Any deviant Islamist movement that posed threats to national security would be nipped in the butt during his time.On hind sight, we may have to thank him for his foresight and prompt action to arrest those deviant groups before they become too influential and irretrievably entrenched in the Muslim community. Malaysia, so far had been spared from terrorist's attacks. Al-Qaeida had not been able to make any foothold here. The Philippines and Indonesia weren't as lucky.Pakistan, a country with strong Islamist movement is now becoming a hot bed for terrorism and a potential candidate of a failed state. Civil disobedience and suicide bombing are growing with each passing day.

On the 19th November 1985, a chartered MAS Airbus full of government officials, politicians and Malaysian businessmen was on it way to Beijing, China. Also on board was Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.It was a trade mission and the first visit by a Malaysian Prime Minister to China.I was one of the passengers on that aircraft.

Two hours out of Kuala Lumpur we received a terrible news about a massacre in Memali.The initial report was sketchy and gave heavy casualties on both sides. A much clearer picture emerged when we arrived Beijing.The toll was 14 Islamists dead, 4 policemen killed and an unknown number injured.

Mahathir, by the stroke of good luck escaped the tragic moment and the eventual blame. Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam has to carry the burden for the tragic loss of lives and was accused of gross negligence and mishandling of the crisis. Incidentally, the leader of the group, Ibrahim Mahmud, also known as Ibrahim Libya used to worked as a prosecutor in the Religious division of the Prime Minister's Department.A graduate of Al-Azhar University in Cairo he pursued further religious courses in India and Libya. He must have picked up the extreme version of Islam while in Libya. He was also an active member of PAS.

Another dark chapter in the nation's political history was the Sabah state elections in 1985 where PBS, an opposition party in the state won the elections with a simple majority. A power grab ensued,engineered by sore losers in Berjaya. Having won only 6 seats the dawn raiders used Tun Mustapha of USNO which won 16 seats giving them a coalition of only 22 seats to justify Mustapha to be sworn in as Chief Minister. The rightful candidate Joseph Pairin whose party garnered 26 seats was barred from entering the Istana for swearing in as the rightful chief minister.

By a stroke of good luck, Mahathir was again outside the country.It fell on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Musa Hitam to deal with the crisis. With a clear conscience and respect for democracy Musa averted an international outcry by advising the Yang Dipertuan Negeri to swear in Joseph Pairin. Mustapha, who has been sworn in earlier took the case to court but lost.After 11 months in office, PBS decided to call a fresh election and won with a bigger majority, collecting 34 out of 48 state seats.

Mahathir, certainly has not been free from faults. The rotation system for the Chief Minister of Sabah was a bad political decision.The system had put back the development of the state significantly behind other states in Malaysia due to break in continuity of a stable administration.If not for his high-handed ways people like Yong Tet Lee, Bernard Dompok and Chong Kah Kiat would never had a chance to be Chief Minister.

The constant bickering amongst the Sabah leaders and their selfishness were probably the reasons for the unconstitutional decision. I wouldn't completely blame Mahathir for it, he probably saw it as a suitable solution to the Sabahan problems.It's the greedy Sabah leaders who should take much of the blame. Even now, they are still harping on the issue of rotation. More ridiculous, there are people in Sabah UMNO who think the seat should be rotated amongst UMNO state leaders, a kind of Sabah UMNO musical chair.

Whatever wrongs he has done during his tenure as Prime Minister, he has done more for the good of the nation.The accelerated development of Malaysia from a tropical backwater into a modern nation was due to his visions and efforts. The whole GDP outlook changed during his time, from an agricultural based economy to multi-sector economy. Great emphasis was given in infrastructural developments. Major development of highways, ports, airports and other infrastructures were given priority.

The Penang Bridge at one time condemned and criticised by the oppositions as a megalomania and wasteful project has now reached maximum capacity. A second bridge is now needed to ease traffic congestion. Some of his seemingly grandiose projects, the butt of jokes and unfair criticism, are now the pride of the nation.

In 1982, when he took over office of Prime Minister, the Malaysia's GDP(at official exchange rate) was US$26.79 billion.In 2006, the GDP was US$138 billion.Much of the momentum for growth was set during his time.

In the early eighties, travel time by car from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore would take six hours or more.A nightmarish drive behind endless convoy of slow moving trucks and cars with little space for overtaking. A depressingly tense journey.Overtaking another vehicle is a risky business and a gamble with your life. Now, with the new highways, Singapore is just a stone's throw away from KL, a drive of less than 3 hours. When he first announced a toll system for the highways there were huge uproar from the opposition political parties and general public.Would anyone complain now that the new highways have cut down their travelling time and safer than before? Yes, they do.Malaysians want everything free.

Mahathir, is a man who learned a lot from observations.Things he sees on his visits to other countries which he thinks benefical to Malaysia would be introduced. His never ending search to pull the country out of the rut and on to the world stage have been met with scepticism, not only at home but also from the international community, particularly the West, whom were not exactly friendly with him.

Mahathir is a man of true grit. He will do what he had to do.No amount of criticism can discourage or stop him.

This man has a burning desire to rehabilitate the Malays.He had diagnosed the problem and believed he has the right prescription. He wanted them to excel in every fields particularly in commerce and industry.He wanted them to be good businessmen and leaders of industry. He wanted to build up the number of wealthy Malays in the hope that they would one day be the biggest contributor to the Malaysian economy and would then help other Malays to climb the corporate ladder. Many government owned companies were privatised to selected Malays whom he believed to have entrepreneurship qualities.He wanted them to be respected by their non-Malay peers.Unfortunately, many of those he helped had disappointed him. Good companies given on the platter were eventually wrecked by mismanagement, incompetence, greed and selfishness. MAS was one of his biggest mistakes. Others, like Pewaja, UEM and many others have incurred huge losses due to mismanagement and corruptions.

Towards the end of his fifth term in office, Mahathir had become very unpopular with his own people. The very people he tried very hard to help to change their mindset and progress with the time.The Malays have no more room for him.They have had enough of his domineering ways and often insulting remarks about his kinships. They wanted him out but nobody has the balls to tell him. Nobody knew how much support he stills has.Many complained that he had become a liability to the party but none dare tell him in his face.

On June 22, 2002, Mahathir dropped the biggest bombshell and made a big sacrifice by announcing his resignation as prime minister at the 56th UMNO General Assembly. The delegates were caught by surprise and were in shocking disbelief as there wasn't even a whimper of what they just heard.There was chaos on the floor as delegates tried to make sense of what they just heard.

Sobbing Mahathir was quickly surrounded by senior UMNO officials. The first to reach him were Rafidah Aziz and Hishammudin Onn, pleading and sobbing that he reconsiders his decision. Abdullah Badawi, his deputy requested the delegates to reject his resignation. Mahathir was shunted out of the hall to a closed door meeting. Behind closed doors deals were worked out.

The 'sandiwara' ended with slight deferment to the date of his stepping down. It was later announced that Mahathir will stay on until October 2003 after hosting the OIC Summit.

Mahathir finally stepped down in October 2003 and was replaced by his anointed successor, Abdullah Badawi. Within less than two years the two men have drifted apart.Mahathir continually attacking Badawi for having reneged on his promises.

Mahathir, once the most powerful man in the country, revered and feared by some, hated and feared by some, had become a thorn in the flesh of Abdullah and members his cabinet.The very same people who kissed his hand when he was the giver and the Prime Minister. Mahathir lamented "Melayu senang lupa"(Malays easily forget)

Mahathir didn't have to resign.With his good health he could still carry on for at least another term or two.

Without the slightest doubt, the man resigned to save UMNO from the humiliation of not doing well at the poll because of him. A good leader knew when his tenancy has expired, the one who didn't tend to overstay.

Abdullah's government is now fighting an uphill battle to keep its creditability.The recent exposure by the the Auditor-General of massive mismanagement and corruptions in a number of Ministries and the costly bail-out of the PKFZ would have serious repercussions on the BN in future general elections.

Whatever his enemies say, history will be kind to Mahathir.

Will It Be Chop And Change ?

Hantu Laut

I wasn't wrong when I said there were subtle signs that the new PM is going to turn the clock back, to the good old days when evils stayed in the Pandora's box and Murphy was not allowed to go to war. The days of Abdullah's openess and freedom of expression may be over.Now it's not subtle anymore, it obvious we are in for a change.

First, suspend the opposition party publications without giving valid reasons, than ban internet based media from covering the party assembly because they are the most dangerous and never reported the truth and next ban all bloggers and makes it a crime to criticise the government or any of its leader.

So now we know what kind of change he was talking about.

Mahathir spent 22 years transforming this nation from a tropical backwater into one of the fastest growing economy in this region. He built first class infrastructures and brought peace and prosperity to the nation.Though, dictatorial at times, harsh, abrasive, uncompromising and to some people seemingly cruel he has brought about the most accelerated economic development and turned Malaysia into one of the top trading nations of the world.This is a man you either love or hate. A man much misunderstood said one of his sons.

At his ripe old age and after two heart by-pass operations he still has the energy that put some much younger man to shame.In his vision of a better Malaysia he may have trampled on some basic human rights notably freedom of speech but his autocracy has worked well in keeping racial tension under wrap.Another element that helped him in maintaining peace and harmony was the prevailing prosperity.When a nation is prosperous it would naturally be peaceful and he has successfully achieved both.

What Mahathir did may have worked well during his time and as much as he was feared he was also highly respected by majority of Malaysians.

Mahathir entered the scene as PM with a clean slate, didn't carry any excess baggage, other than being called a Malay ultra which proved to be wrong label.Though, he had used that labeling to get to a higher level he became prime minister for all Malaysians.Using the race card every now and then is not to incite the Malays to go against the other races but more to ask the Malays to rise to new height and challenges.The other races mistook this gesture as inciting racial tension. I believe that was not his intention.

Mahathir is in the same mould as Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore...both are benevolent dictators, which I would rather have than a free nation with the people going hungry.

It's different strokes for different folks.Can Najib emulates his style and succeed in restoring the dignity, respect and integrity to a government that has lost its credibility?

Malaysians want delivery not rhetoric.Let's hope he delivers.

The Return To Mahathirism

Hantu Laut

Members of UMNO are beginning to show some political maturity and greater sense of democracy.Gone were the days of Mahathir's autocratic style of leadership where challenge to the top leadership were frown upon and made difficult by changing the party constitution to increase the height of the hurdles making it a daunting task for a challenger to take on the incumbent.

The no challenge concept for the two top positions had given UMNO a stagnated political mindset.Political ideology more suited for the 18th century rather than in today's modern democracy.The party is in dire need of new ideas and new democratic ideals.

Although, I must admit it has worked well during Mahathir's tenure , times are changing, a liberal policy and more freedom should be allowed in the rank and file to choose leaders of their choice.The hurdles should be removed to allow for new crop of political thinkers and leaders to reach the top tiers of the party.

There are new kind of political awareness in the country.People are more conscious of their rights.The old ways will not work anymore, in fact the old ways had worked against the party.The outcome of the 8 March General Elections was the telling sign that Malaysian are generally fed up with the way the country are being run.

With the party nomination of candidates closed, the stage is set for a fierce battle for positions of the Deputy President and Youth Chief, the two most to be closely watched races.Those predicted to reach the chequered flag first may not make it if money politics ruled the day.

In pole position for the deputy president is Muhyiddin Yassin.For the youth chief the leading contender is Mukhriz Mahathir.

Muhyiddin who initially thought it would be plain sailing for him now found himself challenged by two others, Ali Rustam of Melaka and Muhammad Taib of Selangor.Although he is the favourite to win, an upset shouldn't be ruled out by any of the other two contenders.He has been portrayed as the most qualified due to his educational background and better command of the English language.

Speaking good English may not be a criteria to winning party elections and is not the yardstick to judge a person's intelligence.Like any other languages it is just a medium of communication and happened to be widely spoken and understood internationally.

Muhyiddin is also seen as playing it safe and has not been vociferous in pursuing the Malay agenda as much as the others.The other most crucial element in this game is which of the three will throw the most money.To think that only those at the lower level used money to buy favours is blissful ignorance.

In 1987 when Mahathir was challenged by Tengku Razaleigh for the Presidency, Mahathir got three-fourth of the division nomination but only won by a measly majority of 43 votes.In his case the huge nomination he got was meaningless and misleading, he won by the skin of his teeth.Will Muhyiddin face the same situation or worse still loses out to the so-called non-starters.

If money and return to Mahathirism are not the deciding factors than Muhyiddin would win handsomely but if money is the object and the delegates wanted a balance between Mahathirism and Pak Lah's openess policy than Muhyiddin may have a challenge on his hand.

With Najib as President and Muhyiddin as Deputy President, if he won the election, the return to Mahathirism is imminent as both candidates were endorsed by him.Greater emphasis would be given to the Malay agenda,ossifying the social contracts and die-casting the ketuanan Melayu.Najib would not make the same fatal mistakes as Pak Lah, ostracising Mahathir can be deadly as Pak Lah has just found out a little too late.

One only need to see the number of hits the former premier gets for his blog to know how popular he is out of office than when he was in office.From reading the comments on his blog one can safely assume that majority of his fans are in their youth.Since its inception some eight months ago his blog has received 9.4 million hits.In comparison the Deputy Prime Minister who started his blog recently didn't seem to attract that many comments and has no hit meter to show the traffic to his blog.

Mahathir still has widespread support in UMNO and had been the catalyst in the forthcoming departure of Pah Lah as Prime Minister and President of the party.Over the past three decades he has serially destroyed the politicial career of Musa Hitam,Tengku Razaleigh,Anwar Ibrahim and now Abdullah Badawi.

After his departure as PM, Abdullah is unlikely to be playing significant role in the party.

Anwar Ibrahim had made a political comeback due to a weakened UMNO but as good as it gets he would likely be staying in the opposition for a long while or worse in prison.His sodomy case is still hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles.

His son Mukriz whose political future looked bleak when he followed his father's foot step and started to decry Abdullah's incompetence after the March General Election has now taken a sudden upswing in support from the Youth wing of the party.He is leading in nomination for the post of Youth Chief and is expected to win against Khir Toyo and Khairy Jamaluddin, the bright rising star that's beginning to dim and falling out of favour with the rank and file because he soon won't be the Prime Minister's son-in-law.

Ironically, among the three, Khir Toyo seems to be the most popular if blogs were to play party to winning an election.His blog attracts hundreds of comments and have had reasonably good hits while the other two have very few comments and didn't install visible site meters. Khairy posted most comments good or adverse,Mukriz only posted selected comments in praise of him.

Some called him the most hated man in the country, aggressive,arrogant and too smart for his own good.Khairy Jamaluddin had been accused of pulling the rugs from under other UMNO warlord's feet and stole their lucrative contracts.How much truth to these allegations ? Khairy called it an 'urban legend' in his recent interview with the Star newspaper.He has also denied his ambition to be PM by 40.True or not he certainly has what it takes and UMNO should not ignore his ability to return as Khairy the son of Jamaluddin and not as Khairy the son-in-law of Abdullah Badawi.

The real fight may be between Mukriz and Khir Toyo but things can change as they approach nearer elections day.Mukriz may have the highest number of nominations but, unlike his father, he lacks the grit and forcefulness of a leader.When proposed to a debate with Khairy he refused to take up the challenge and said:

"Pemilihan UMNO adalah soal keluarga dimana kita tak seharusnya berbincang mengenainya untuk tontonan umum, lebih -lebih lagi untuk tatapan pembangkang. Perjuangan UMNO ialah sesuatu yang tersirat dan ianya tak perlu dibahas-bahaskan secara terbuka dan disensasikan.Kita menggunakan pemilihan ini untuk memperkukuhkan parti, dan perlu elak dari membuat sebarang perkara yang mampu melemahkan parti tatkala kita dalam keadaan yang agak tidak kuat berbanding dulu. Dengan pencalonan yang sedang dilaksanakan dan pengundian yang bakal dijalankan, terbukti perwakilan dah kenal calon-calon dengan rapat dan matang untuk buat pilihan".

Ikhlas,

Mukhriz Mahathir

With the return to Mahatirism there would be greater emphasis on the Malay agenda and tightening of the noose on the liberal opposition currently allowed in the country.

Mahathir:Cut The Nose To Spite The Face

Hantu Laut

If the saying 'pride goes before a fall' befitting anybody it would be former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.A man befuddled with so much rage and hatred against his hand-picked successor Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, he is prepared to kill off his legacy just to get rid of Badawi by whatever means possible.

Why would an octogenarian like him, retired from the highest office and one who has transformed the country from a tropical backwater to a modern and successful nation be bothered by the dismal performance of his successor and the party and goes to such great length to tire himself and become a thorn in the flesh to the Prime Minister and the nation?

Mahathir has reached a point of despair and desperation and did the unthinkable, resigned his life membership from his party. The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohammed Nazri Aziz called it a case of blackmail. The only sensible conclusion to his charade of caring for bangsa, ugama dan negara.

Mahathir might have 'cut his nose to spite his face' by resigning from his party and called on party members to leave the party.His tactical move to split the party to get rid of Abdullah by asking members to leave the party and only return after Abdullah's departure as party president and prime minister is damnable.He didn't get what he wanted.It didn't trigger off a mass exodus.It has the opposite effect, most senior party leaders closed ranks to show their support and loyalty to Abdullah.

Mahathir of all people should know from his twenty two years experience at the helm the kind of political patronage practised in UMNO and the invisible whip in the hand of the Prime Minister.He had used it more vigorously than any other prime ministers before him to keep his boys in line.So far there has been little indication of a mass exodus.

It certainly makes no sense to 'kill the goose that lays the golden egg' because of one old man lost legacy and vindictiveness. All of what Mahathir wanted to happen are perilous to the continued existence of UMNO. To do as suggested by him is suicidal for the party. There are predators waiting in the wings.

Mahathir is a man not short of conflicts,controversies and contradictions.He has picked a quarrel and parted ways with almost all of his deputies.

His tussle for the UMNO presidency against Tengku Razaleigh Hamza in 1987 where he won by a slim majority resulted in UMNO being declared an unlawful society by the court and emergence of a splinter party under Razaleigh called Semangat 46 and UMNO Baru under him.Semangat 46 was later dissolved and Razaleigh returned to the fold and to political wilderness.

The court ruling on the illegality of UMNO resulted in the sacking of the Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and a number of judges and the beginning of a dark chapter in the judiciary.Thereafter, the judiciary had been transformed from an independent body to one that is seen as subservient to the executives.

Last year a video tape of a lawyer trying to fix judicial appointments was released by Anwar Ibrahim to the public by posting it on YouTube which shocked the nation and eventually resulted in the setting up of a Royal Commission.The findings and recommendations of the Commission to investigate the six including Mahathir could have triggered off his latest reaction.

Mahathir thinks he has been unfairly treated, the Malays have abandoned him and that he had not broken any law in the course of his duty as Prime Minister although some of his actions in the past are considered as misdeeds by many Malaysians.

In 1987 a growing rift between him and Musa and misunderstanding and disagreement on policies led to the resignation of Musa as deputy prime minister.Many Malaysians called the government at that time the '2M government' which stands for Mahathir and Musa.Mahathir didn't like the version and were visibly annoyed and didn't want Musa in the limelight.Frustrated with Mahathir's autocratic style, Musa left the government and Malaysian politics on a sour note.

His next deputy was the rustic and less ambitious Ghafar Baba who posed no threat to him. Ghafar was eventually challenged by Anwar Ibrahim for the deputy president of the party and deputy prime minister.

In 1993 Anwar took over from Ghafar as Deputy Prime Minister and was also made the Minister of Finance. Anwar was seen as the blue-eyed boy of Mahathir and his meteoric rise to the top, overtaking other more senior party stalwarts, was not without the blessings of Mahathir.

The firebrand Anwar would soon become a cause for concern for Mahathir.Before he knew it, Anwar was already getting very popular with the rank and file and the Malay grassroots.Anwar's oratory skill and charisma attracted the young Turks in the party, a significant force to be reckon with and substantial political clout to make changes in the leadership.Talks had it, through the grapevine, that Anwar would challenge him at the next UMNO elections, which was vehemently denied by Anwar.From a protege Anwar had suddenly become an adversary and a threat to his position.

A mysterious book made its appearance at the UMNO General Assembly titled"50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM "(50 Reasons Why Anwar Should Not Be Prime Minister).The slanderous books were found inserted in the dockets of some delegates without their knowledge.Finally on 2 Sept 1998 Mahathir dropped the bombshell, asked Anwar to resign which Anwar refused.At about 7 p.m the same day Anwar received his letter of dismissal.Chain of events led to Anwar arrest on charges of corruption and sexual misconduct and was incarcerated for a few years but was later released from prison under Badawi's administration.

Anwar claimed they were trumped up charges brought about by Mahathir and tried under a judiciary subservient to him. Other than the abandonment of the crooked bridge, releasing Anwar from prison was another sore point he had with Badawi.

Now back to the present crisis with Abdullah Badawi.Why did Mahathir chose Abdullah as his successor and not Najib? Although he said he favours Najib over Abdullah but chose Abdullah because of age and seniority he has not been completely honest about what he said. When he said he actually wanted Najib, it was not all that true.At that time he sees Najib as a young man of his own mind and less likely to carry on his legacy and sees in Abdullah a soft, self-deprecating and amenable man whom he thinks he can manipulates and make use of to carry on his legacy.His underestimated Abdullah's capability of being not what he seems to be, as seen with the naked eye.Abdullah is not temperamental and can take criticism in his stride which Mahathir misconstrues as a weakness. It's the idiocy of 'judging the book by its cover'

It is, therefore, more difficult to read Abdullah's true character because he hardly display his temperament and has never been on the defensive or strike back when criticised. His liberalism was also taken as a sign of weakness.One has to admit that today, Malaysians have more freedom to criticise the government than during Mahathir's time, where any form of criticism or dissent, vocal or in writing, is seen as seditious and a threat to national security.During his time the press are more muffled than it is today.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed may have forgotten what he practised when he was prime minister.His contradictions are just appalling and makes one wonder whether he meant what he says.

He wanted the party to remove the prerequisite for any candidate to contest the president and deputy president posts which was introduced by him to protect his position during his time but have now suddenly found it not expedient anymore.During his time he preached about loyalty to leaders and party. Today he is asking the very same people to abandon the party, be disloyal and get rid of the Prime Minister.

He complains about lack of press freedom, party members not allowed to meet him, no freedom to speak out within the party and the practices of cronyism and nepotism in Abdullah's government.If we care to look back, open our eyes and look at the distant mirage we would see our former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad in it, doing exactly what he says Abdullah is doing.It's a throwback from the past that's haunting him now.

The sad thing is many Malaysians have taken Mahathir's propaganda hook,line and sinker without looking at the situation now and those during his time.

The government today is working under intense pressure as compared to his time when the global economy was bullish and price of crude oil was substantially lower compared to what it is today.Not only the world is facing an energy crisis, it is now facing a serious food crisis. The only reason we have not suffered any catastrophe yet is because the global economy is more resilient now than before. The worse is yet to come and Malaysians should ready themselves to buckle up for a rough ride and live without subsidy mentality.

During his tenure as prime minister the average price of crude oil was less than US$20 per barrel.Today the price has exceeded US$130 per barrel.Prices of most commodities have spiralled up without any end in sight. The price of Thai White Fragrance Grade B Rice last week stood at US$1020 per ton F.O.B.In 2002 the price was below US$300 per ton F.O.B.In the building industry the price of steel bar has increased almost double since three years ago.To continue subsidising these commodities is not an easy task for any government especially when the price increases to very high level where huge amount of subsidies become a drop in the ocean and unappreciated by the consuming public.

It is probably better to increase the salaries of the work force and let the commodities find its own price level.Most Malaysians are more concerned with the amount they take home rather than the amount they have to spend.

If not for Mahathir unrelenting attacks on Abdullah and his government there would be no crisis in UMNO.Mahathir was partly responsible for the BN poor showing at the recent polls.His campaign against Abdullah and the BN was worse than that of the oppositions.He had actually helped the oppositions to garner more votes by his endless bickering at Abdullah and his government.

It is appalling that an ex prime minister is using the race card to rally support of the Malays to his undemocratic attempt to topple a duly elected prime minister and his government. It goes without saying that Mahathir thinks he is indispensible and only he and UMNO should rule this nation and only UMNO is a Malay party that can protect Malay interests.

When it suits him he whacked the Malays, calling them ungrateful, Melayu mudah lupa lah! dan macam-macam lagi, with complete disregard for decorum expected of a man of his stature.When he needs them he has no qualms about using the race card.

What about PAS and PKR, aren't they Malays too?

In many democratic countries the kind of elections results Abdullah got would be considered more than enough to form a stable government but unfortunately Mahathir didn't want to see it that way, he always wanted it "His Way" and his way has nothing to do with the love for this nation, it is for the love of personal glory.

It is also sad that a so-called veteran UMNO politician proposed for the Agong to intervene in the feud between Mahathir and Badawi and joined by some really smart bloggers who think likewise that the Agong should be dragged into this crisis.How could you call somebody like Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Tapa a veteran politician when he has absolutely no idea of the working of the constitution of this nation.The Agong is not a Penghulu or Ketua Kampong to be bothered with a long running personal feud of two politicians.It is not a government in crisis,it is not Badawi in crisis, it is not the Malays in crisis, it is only Mahathir in crisis.The constitution is very clear on who can remove the prime minister.The Agong can only accede to it if there were sufficient votes of no confidence passed in Parliament.

Abdullah may not be the best man for the job, but has he actually done that badly, would there be major change and improvement if Najib were to take over now?

The Politics Of Federalism

Hantu Laut

Sabahans have always had an ambivalent relationship with the central government. This love and hate relationship goes as far back as the time of the USNO (United Sabah National Organisation) government under Tun Dato Mustapha Harun, a flamboyant, unmanagable and most feared Chief Minister Sabah ever had. The only leader of a state who had 2 stated-owned private jets (Grumman 2) and purchased another 2 customised Boeing 707 for his private use.At that time even the Prime Minister have to take commercial flights.

Mustapha, a tin-pot dictator was given wide-ranging power by the then Federal government under first Prime Minister Tengku Abdul Rahman. His wide ranging power included the power to arrest political opponents and throw them in prison without trail.

Desirous of perpetuating Malay power in Sabah, the Federal government allowed Mustapha to do as he pleases and was assigned a special aide dispatched from Kuala Lumpur to be his special adviser. A lawyer by profession, Syed Kechik eventually became the most powerful man in Sabah, as powerful as the Chief Minister if not more.

He was also the most hated and was practically running the state on behalf of Mustapha, who spent most of his time in the play grounds of Europe and the Middle East.Mustapha spent most of his time in casinos in Beirut and London.

Mustapha not only collected private planes but also collected overseas properties, wives and mistresses at the expense of state resources. He was also responsible for opening the back door and allowed illegal immigrants to come in from southern Philippines to increase the Muslim population in the state and was notoriously responsible for mass conversion to Islam of some indigenous tribes in the state.

When Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister, Mustapha had become too powerful, completely out of control and was planning to take Sabah out of Malaysia and install himself as sultan. The authenticity and the truth of this story had not been established till today.

His refusal to sign the Petroleum Act agreement giving the Federal government and Petronas full power over oil resources and giving the state only 5 % in oil revenue angered the central government.Despite repeated attempts by the Federal government to get him to agree, Mustapha refused to negotiate any further. Razak was on the horns of a dilemma on how to deal with him.The Federal have to find an excuse to get Mustapha out of the way. The only way is to topple him democratically using his own men.

In 1975 the Federal urged Harris Salleh to leave USNO and form a new political party. Harris formed Berjaya with full blessing of the Federal government.Harris was later joined by Tun Fuad Stephen who resigned his head of state position and along with other Mustapha's trusted men ditched USNO for Berjaya. The machinery to topple Mustapha was launched and massive defections from USNO and other political parties to Berjaya followed.Election was held the following year and Mustapha was ousted.

The Federal backed Berjaya won the elections and formed the state government with Tun Fuad Stephen as Chief Minister. Unfortunately, Stephen, his son and some of his ministers died in a mysterious plane crash soon after his appointment. A tragic loss of Sabah's most colorful, amiable and down to earth leader. Harris took over the helm.

His first task as Chief Minister was to salvage the extensive damage to the state economy under Mustapha. He embarked on massive public expenditure to rebuild the shattered economy and made Sabah one of the most prosperous states at that time.His relationship with the Federal was excellent and helped in bringing more federal expenditure to the state. After a massive landslide victory for the second term of office and more than cordial relationship with the Federal, Harris got an illusion of invincibility and made some very unpopular decisions.

In spite of his success as a leader of a multi-racial party and outstanding performance as Chief Minister, there is a dark side to Harris Salleh, only known to those close to him.He can be very temperamental, aggressive and profoundly unreasonable.

The sacking of Joseph Pairin Kitingan, abrogation of Tambunan as a district, the giving away of Labuan to the Federal without any compensation to the state and erosion of state rights embodied under the 20 points was the straw that broke the camel back and one that brought him nemesis at the state elections in 1985.The election was won by PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) led by the estranged Joseph Pairin. USNO led by Mustapha took significant number of seats and was later accepted into the BN.He later brought UMNO into Sabah and almost all members of USNO automatically became members of UMNO.

Having obtained a simple majority PBS reneged on its promise of a coalition with USNO and formed the government on it own but not before overcoming the cloak and dagger antics of Berjaya and USNO and attempted coup.

The thumping defeat of Berjaya must have shocked Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad who had promised Harris to sink or swim with him.Sink or swim ? Harris soon realised there was no such thing in federal politics, there is no love and affection only desertion if you failed.

The defeat at the polls did not stop them from staging an Istana coup to swear in Mustapha as Chief Minister in spite of the fact USNO and Berjaya didn't have simple majority to form the government.They almost got away with it if not for the interference of Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam who still have respect for the democratic process and avoided an incident that could have given Malaysia a bad name internationally.Prime Minister Mahathir was away overseas and Musa was acting on his behalf.

Sabah had two chief ministers for a while until the case went to court and Mustapha lost. The incident also brought violent street demonstration in Kota Kinabalu organised by leaders of Berjaya and USNO and purportedly supported by a few federal leaders.

Sabahans have always felt marginalised and remained at the lowest rung in term of economic development.

When it was in the opposition under the PBS government it received very little developmental expenditure from the Federal government.All development funds from the Federal were channelled through JPPS (Jabatan Pembangunan Persekutuan Sabah), which was specifically formed to avoid channelling funds through the state government. Trengganu got the same treatment when PAS took over the state in 1999.The double standard and undemocratic actions of the federal government is unbelievable in a country that practises democracy and a Westminster-styled parliamentary system. It is a brand of politics called Mahatirism.

In Sabah the federal development expenditure which used to go through the state before the PBS era is still being channelled through JPPS.Many Sabah members of parliament had complained about the way these funds have been administered and that many big federal projects were given to companies from the Peninsula with Sabah contractors only getting the crumbs, if they are lucky to get any. Most federal departments also deployed their senior officers from the Peninsula to the ire of Sabahans who felt they are as much qualified if not better. To make matters worse some officers were abhorrent and treat Sabah more like a colony rather
than as an integral part of Malaysia.

Sarawak didn't have this problem as most things agreed upon when it joined Malaysia are still intact and under state control.

In the 1994 Elections, PBS won the election with a simple majority of 25 seats against BN (Barisan Nasional) 23 seats. Joseph Pairin had to wait 36 hours outside the istana (palace) gate before he was sworn in as the Chief Minister.The PBS government only lasted two weeks before it was ousted by undemocratic menouvering of the BN. Majority of its assemblymen defected to BN parties with some of its leaders forming new Kadazan-based parties.Pairin resigned as Chief Minister on 17 March 1994 and handed over the government to the BN who won the government through manipulations and undemocratic menouvering. The then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad introduced the rotational system of chief minister among the major races in the state, which many Sabahans deemed as unconstitutional and an attempt to divide and rule.

Now, without two-thirds majority the BN government can hang in the balance if there were defections to PR ( Pakatan Rakyat) of dissatisfied BN members of parliament.The irony is the BN or particularly UMNO is contemplating passing an anti-hop law when it had in the past abolished a legislation by a 1992 High Court ruling on anti-hop in the 'Sabah State Constitution' that was passed by the PBS government on the excuse that it was ultra vires the 'Federal Constitution' and are,therefore, illegal and that it contravened the freedom of association enshrined in the Constitution.

What about freedom of speech, isn't it part and parcel? If the Federal Constitution allows freedom of association than it must also allow freedom of speech in totality, without any restriction,hindrance and persecution.

In March 1999 State Elections PBS still managed to get 17 seats against the might of the BN and got 213,432 total votes against the combined BN total votes of 240,110.It showed that the PBS had maintained its popularity.

On 22 April 2000, six PBS Assemblymen led by Jeffery Kitingan(brother of Pairin) defected to PBRS, a BN component party.In January 2002 PBS was re-admitted into the BN.In April 2002 five PBS Assemblymen who defected to PBRS returned to PBS.

The KDM politics has for a long time strive more on self interest rather than interests of the community.There are three predominantly KDM-based parties for a community of less than 500,000 people. It definitely does not believe in "united we stand, divided we fall".

A Kadazan friend once opined to me and said "the biggest enemy of the Kadazan community is Jeffery Kitingan, all he does is bring infamy and disgrace to the community for his selfish act, and the sad thing is many of our people think he is fighting for them tooth and nail"

In 2004 General Elections the BN won the biggest landslide victory under the new leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and delivered a crushing blow to the oppositions. It was Abdullah glorious moment and the beginning of his soured relationship with his predecessor, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.

The bitter falling out of these two men would eventually weaken UMNO and the BN, partly due to Abdullah own faults and boosted by Mahathir incessant "remove Abdullah" campaign which has effectively divided UMNO into two camps.

The consequence of Abdullah's failure to keep his promise of reforms and Mahathir's unrelenting attacks on him are shown in the results of the 8 March 2008 Elections.

In the March 2008 Elections, Sabah and Sarawak outstanding performance were nothing less than admirable especially Sabah, which held both its parliamentary and state elections simultaneously, while Sarawak only had its parliamentary.Unlike Sabah, Sarawak stills control its state election and does not need Puterajaya's consent.

The was huge outcry of unfair treatment from politicians and ordinary Sabahans soon after Prime Minister Abdullah announced his cabinet line up. It didn't reflect the contributions of Sabah and Sarawak and gratitude for saving the BN from biting the dust.Without Sabah and Sarawak delivering almost all of the parliament seats, UMNO would, today, be seating on the opposition bench. MCA, MIC and Gerakan with whatever seats they have won would have abandoned the BN if they can't form the government.

The first to express dissatisfaction over the unfair treatment was the MP for Kimanis Anifah Aman (brother of Musa Aman) who turned down the offer of deputy minister and subsequently followed by the MP for Merotai Ghaffur Salleh who had accepted a deputy minister post but resigned two weeks later.

Ghaffur Salleh was initially dropped by Chief Minister Musa Aman but was later included in the list of candidates upon his appeal to Abdullah.It must have made Abdullah see red for someone he had helped to embarrass him in such a way.

At a recent Parliament sitting Kimanis MP Anifah Aman spoke his mind after being taunted by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi whether Sabah backbenchers were tempted to crossover to the oppositions.

This is another example of stupid politician asking stupid question and forgot if not for Sabah and Sarawak he wouldn't be in the cabinet and so are the rest of his colleages.There seems to be plenty of them in the Federal cabinet who think they are smarter but came out sounding pathetically stupid.

Anifah response was most appropriate and the most serious note so far coming from a Sabah politician.He said if there were no more room in the big bungalow what's is wrong to move to a smaller house.If you are ignored, marginalised and treated like a stepchild what's the point of staying.You can read "Anifah speaks his mind" here.

What Anifah brought up in Parliament has reverberated throughout the state with many politicians and the people of Sabah starting to speak up. Former Chief Ministers Harris Salleh and Yong Tat Lee have thrown their supports behind Anifah and described his speech as worthy of praise and support.

Harris said he hopes the Federal will take heed and seriously implement some of the ideas presented by Anifah for the two East Malaysian states.

The voters in Peninsula Malaysia had shown their displeasure at the arrogance and antics of those in power and there is strong possibility that Sabah and Sarawak would be tempted to change even before the next general election if nothing palatable coming out from the Federal government.

Sabah has lost its decision-making autonomy since UMNO assumed power in the state.It has lost the power to administer the state independently. The basic functions of government embodied in the State constitution are no longer the authority of the Chief Minister and the cabinet. Unlike Sarawak, it has lost its independence to dissolve its Assembly and call for elections.

The BN is safe at the moment but the picture might change once Anwar Ibrahim is elected to Parliament.

The kataks (frogs) waiting at the front gate at the moment may decide to change ponds when Anwar enters Parliament.