Meritocracy Memang Cina Punya, Melayu Pun Boleh Jika Dididik Sepertinya

Hantu Laut

Every passing day we get all kind of nut cases in this country.

Before I get to the crux of the matter let us stop at Malacca where a huge controversy is ongoing on a faulty decision made by the new Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Idris Haron to close down Jonker Street. 

Why the need to close down something that has been there for 14 years, had become a tourist attraction and a heritage of Malaysian cultures for the world to see? 

Has the Chief Minister caught the Heng Jebat syndrome, or is he in a Malay dilemma for making such inconsiderate and irrational decision? Isn't he chief minister for all?

I always believe in "if it ain't broke don't fix it", if you do, other inextricable problems may come out of it, which is exactly what happened to Idris Haron. 

I have been to Jonker Street many times before, long before upgrading and after its upgrading, hunting for antiques as I like to keep old things. I think it is a wonderful place. 

What plausible explanation had Idris Haron given the people to close down such a beautiful street that embodied the multi-cultural heritage of this beautiful country.

Rightfully so, now the Chinese is saying it is "political vengeance and retaliation" against the Chinese for voting against Barisan National. 

PM Najib, I think you need to keep your boys in check before they do bigger damage to the peace and harmony of this country. One must not cut one's nose to spite one's face.

Now, let get to the crux of the matter.

A recent statement by a Malay educationist, one Ibrahim Abu Shah , a former deputy chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Mara calling on the Ministry of Education to restructure the education system to do away with MERITOCRACY and bring back justice to MALAY students, is, to me, an insult to the Malay race.

Adding salt to the wound implying that Malays are not able to compete on a level playing field, he and a group of Malay educationists asserted that the merit system have created CHINESE SUPREMACY in the country. 

That in itself is an admission that Malays are slow learners. How could the same education system create one race to become more superior than the other?


If this bunch of Malay educationists do not yet know, let me enlighten them that CHINESE SUPREMACY in education have always been there for as long as they have been around. 

Why are Chinese more successful? 

Because Chinese parents care more about education and will spend every penny to educate their children. I have seen Chinese hawkers, fishmongers and petty traders sending their children overseas for further study. They carry out their tasks indefatigably and saved every penny they could to educate the children. They do not waste time seeking government help to send their children for higher education because they know they won't be getting any. 

Ostensibly, not all Chinese are like that, but majority are, giving highest priority to education. Very rich Chinese do not even bother to educate their kids in this country, after primary education the children are sent to Singapore for secondary education and onward to other countries for their tertiary.Unless they have big family business to take over back home,  most of the bright ones never came back to Malaysia.

I always have had reservation about our education system, from primary to tertiary, whether it can prepare our children to compete in the global place. Not being unpatriotic but more being prudent about the children future, all my children were educated in Singapore for their primary/secondary education and in the West for their tertiary education. I am sure, if the occasion arises, they can find a job anywhere in the world.

In ancient China one have to sit for civil service examination before one can enter the civil service. The great Chinese philosopher Confucious asserted that those who govern should do so because of merit, not of inherited status. His notion sets in motion the creation of imperial examinations and bureaucracies open only to those who passed the tests

To help Malays gain greater height in education it is not by lowering the standard but by constantly raising the notches up to make it competitive for the Malays in order to put them at par with the best in the world. 

Unfortunately, our few learned Malays are looking the other way, to reduce Malays to become moronic students.

What's the point of churning out thousands of mediocre graduates that no one would want to employ other than a government that set up itself a middling education system under a gross misconception that it is helping it own race to achieve better educational standard. These Malay professors need to have their heads examine. 

It is common knowledge in this country that local graduates find it hard to get jobs in the private sector, which survive on being competitive and won't take the risk employing laggards. 

There are thousands of unemployed graduates, who are also their own worst enemies, they overrated their second/third rate degrees and won't take a 'stopgap' job while waiting for better prospect.

To the Malay educationists, I suggest "don't bring the mountain to Muhammad, bring Mohammad to the mountain"

Malays: On The Horns Of A Dilemma

Hantu Laut 


Malay politicians who deny that Malays do not have to have political power is cheating themselves. They either overrate themselves, already in the comfort zone and lap of luxury, or do it for their own political expediency. 


Malays can only preserve their dignity and co-existence with other races if they adopt the adage "first among equals" in the country's politics. Without political power the Malays will lose economic power. History has shown the two go hand in hand.


The Chinese and Indians have been lucky that the Malays shared political power with them that gave them certain leverage in the formation of policies and running of the country.The minorities in Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines aren't so lucky. They have to resort to terrorism and arm excursions to send the message across, futile as it may be, the struggle continued.


Don't cheat yourselves, without political power you can't compete with the Chinese on a level playing field. After over 30 years of NEP the Malays still could not achieve the economic equity set by the government. To be at par with the Chinese may be a bridge too far. The Chinese have few thousands years history of trade and commerce so it is not fair to compare the Malays with the Chinese.


The business world is a cruel world, it's survival of the fittest, can the Malays compete on a level playing field ? 


A question someone should ask Anwar. He was never a businessman, ask him where his wealth came from. We know where UMNO money came from but do we know where PKR money come from?


The Chinese have economic power, economic sustainability and controlled the economic lifeline of the country. The Malays are still far behind in the economic field and need nurturing to catch up with the Chinese.



Anwar losing his spark, no more spontaneous applause from the audience. People are tired of his theatrics.


Today, the Chinese are united, the Malays are not! No fault of the other races but the Malays themselves. 

..............who divides the Malays? Certainly not the Chinese or Indians. The man responsible for Malay disunity was none other than a Malay man by the name of Anwar Ibrahim..........

.............the Chinese  only saw the opportunity to come together, to be united, for the first time, since independence. Can you blame them?............

The Malays have lost direction, the educated ones think highly of themselves and think they don't need the crutches, but they forgot they are where they are today because of the same policy that helped them that need to help many more unfortunate Malays.


I am against NEP that enrich Malay leaders but those to help the less fortunate much stay.

Today, many successful Malays are the products of government policies and largesse, which they seem to have forgotten.

Do not blame other races for the Malay dilemma, blame Anwar Ibrahim and his personal vendetta against UMNO leaders.

He was instrumental for dividing the Malays for his own selfish agenda to be prime minister at the expense of Malay unity.

Read here sad journey of a Malay politician.

"Divide and Rule" - Dividing The Malays

Hantu Laut

Divide et impera or in the sciences of politics and sociology "divide and rule" or "divide and conquer" if literally translated from Latin.

From Caesar,Napolean,Louis XI, the Habsburgs to colonial Europe, divide and rule have always been the maxim for maintaining a hold on to power or breaking up larger concentration of power into smaller chunks that individually would be less powerful and less effective.

Machiavelli in his book the "Art of War" denotes the same application in military strategy.Infiltrate your enemies and divide the forces by sowing the seeds of mistrust among the ranks and file and the generals.

Colonial Europe imperialist territorial expansion gave them global network of colonies, of peoples subjugation and of divide and rule that have allowed the colonisers to exploit the natural resources and the inhabitants of the colonies to the fullest.

For centuries European colonies straddled the globe with territories changing hands among the European powers either through wars, gunboat diplomacy or treaties.The European were masters and enslavers of poor and undeveloped subordinated territories.

The "sun never sets on the British Empire" it was said at its pinnacle . At its height it was the largest empire in history and for over a century, the foremost global power.It held sway a quarter of the world's population and almost a quarter of the Earth's total land area.It ruled not only the land but all of the world's great oceans as well.That was the British Empire at its greatest, the epitome of divide and rule policy.Today, the empire is gone, the endgame of divide and rule.

The birth of the Federation of Malaya from British Malaya and the eventual formation of Malaysia was no less the same process.

Sabah and Sarawak could have been given independence on its own and many Sabahans and Sarawakians think on hindsight that would be the ideal situation, but as much as I do not wish to agree with the British, it seemed inevitable that we have not much choice but to participate in the formation of a bigger nation to counter the threat of Indonesia's expansionist policy then.Due to its weakening economic power and poor military forces the Philippines which has a claim over Sabah was not seen as a threat, it was Sukarno and Indonesia that the British was worried about.

Divide and rule policy inherited from the British had made this racially diverse nation into a very ethnically divided country and existential policies that failed to bring to fruit a national identity.

The Malays remained Malays, the Chinese remained Chinese, the Indians remained Indians. The Chinese speak Chinese and some looked upon China as the motherland and 20% of the population couldn't speak the national language properly. The Indians speaks the Indian language ( mostly Tamil) and some still looked upon Indian as the motherland and sent their sons to India to marry Indian brides chosen by the parents.

The races still eye each other with suspicion and whatever discomfort they may have with each other had been under the lid for decades but has now surfaced threatening to tear the country to shred if no action is taken to stop the racist mudslingers.

On the economic front the picture is even more dreary.

Tokenism! Rampant in both Chinese controlled companies and government controlled corporations.The Chinese would not employ Malays in critical positions as they do not trust them and perceived them too slow and less competent.It became even worse in family run companies where all critical positions would be wholly Chinese and the lowest rank the preserve of the other races.

Malay run GLCs practised the same discriminatory behaviour, staffing almost the entire organisation with Malays.

The civil service, the military and the police force are almost entirely Malays.The same way the Malays are being treated in Singapore by the Chinese, critical positions are not for those whose allegiance are still questionable.The Chinese and Indians have come to accept that they would never be top brass in any of these vital organisations.Most stayed away.

The Malays, the leading political force had cleverly retained the British divide and rule policy and held sway political control for over half a century until the unexpected political tsunami in March 2008 which jolted the Malay political powerhouse.UMNO never dreamt they would be rejected so badly by fellow Malays.They were still in Lala Land till the morning after.

Breaking up and dividing the Chinese and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak into small and inert political parties gave the Malays perfect political control over the other races under the BN concept, probably, the biggest amalgamation of political parties any where in the democratic world, the brainchild of former Prime Minister the late Tun Razak Hussein.A good concept if there were fair play.

There are no less than six active Chinese based parties in the country, DAP,MCA and Gerakan in the Peninsula, SAPP, LDP in Sabah and SUPP in Sarawak.

Sabah and Sarawak also enjoyed a democratic split of the indigenous people.In Sabah, there are at least three active KDM (Kadazan Dusun Murut) based political parties, PBS, UPKO and PBRS and Sarawak has three, SPDP, PRS and SNAP.

To try register a new Malay based party or revive a defunct Malay party is almost impossible.Various attempts to revive USNO in Sabah was rejected by the Register of Societies without giving valid reasons whatsoever. USNO, still has, among the adult Malay/Muslim population in Sabah, nostalgic reminiscent of days yonder when Sabahans had full control of the state.

Since its inception Malaysia has only two active Malay political parties, UMNO and PAS.Both are competing for Malay anchorage but UMNO has the lateral influence while PAS is confined to areas where the zeal for Islam is greater.

UMNO, the doyen of Malay politics has seen its influence eroding among the Malay population and has to share the Malays votes not only with PAS but with PKR, a multi-racial party headed by Anwar Ibrahim, one of the factors responsible for dividing the Malays.

In the March 2008 General Elections some very disillusioned Malays even voted for DAP candidates to show their anger and frustrations with UMNO leaders seen as high muckety muck and corrupt.

Corruptions and ostentatious display of ill-acquired wealth by UMNO leaders,families and cronies had been the rallying call for the diminution of UMNO political influence.The other big factor for splitting of the Malay votes was Anwar Ibrahim who is seen as a victim of UMNO conspiracy.

Anwar could be immoral as can be but Malaysians are bought that he is innocent even if proven guilty.Majority of French people thought of the same of Dominique Strauss-Kahn who now looked more and more guilty of the alleged crime.

Who divide the Malays?

The answer is simple, the Malays themselves but much of the blame would squarely fall on the shoulders of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed, former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and UMNO.

The division of the Malays started with the sacking and imprisonment of Anwar Ibrahim seen as trumped-up charges by many Malaysians.Very few Malaysians believe Anwar was guilty of the crimes brought against him.It was seen as Mahathir's heavy handedness in getting rid of Anwar to keep himself in power.If Anwar had been sacked without his incarceration the story would have been different.

UMNO, itself, is a big factor in dividing the Malays.The legacy of political largesse and massive corruptions in the government have made the ordinary Malays lose their appetite for UMNO.The cornucopia of wealth has become the monopoly of UMNO and the lapdogs. Even the middle class Malays, beneficiries of the NEP were embattled with such idea of breach of trust.

March 8, 2008 was a wake up call for the Chinese and Indians.Both have come to realise the unrealised political power they have. How, with a little help from the Malays they could change the political landscape.

While Sabah and Sarawak were still in their slumbers the West Malaysians woke up to a new day.A day very few expect the BN to have lost its mojo and a new dawn of change appeared on the horizon.The gradual erosion of Malay dominant.

Racial polarisation has risen alarmingly of late and the 13th General Elections would see greater polarisation.

DAP would become a very dominant player in Malaysian politics after the 13th GE.Most, if not all Chinese seats would go to the DAP.All other Chinese based parties would be decimated.

DAP, which is trying to woo Malay members and voters by recruiting and engaging prominent Malay personalities failed to excite the Malays.The Malays, other than Tungku Aziz, Zairil Khir Johari and few others, would always consider DAP a Chinese party.

The Malays, unless they consolidate before the general elections, would be divided between UMNO, PAS and PKR.

BN may still win but it could well be UMNO,Sabah and Sarawak.

"Divide and Rule" one that would come back to haunt you.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: Raising The Keris

Hantu Laut

This is just the beginning. UMNO beware, given time Perkasa will grow to be a political force to be reckoned with.

As far back as a year ago I predicted the Malays would contemplate the 'Hidup Melayu" once again.

As much as many of us wanted it the other way it would be a long time before this nation reach political maturity and multi racialism politics takes a footing here. The Malays will not give up political powers without a fight.

Do not kid yourself that there is something seriously wrong with our political system.It is the same every where.The majority leads and held on to political power as long as the electorate allow them to do so.

What Perkasa is doing and with the full backing of former PM Mahathir Mohammad, supports for the cause would swell as time goes by.

"Let sleeping dogs lie" means don't disturb a situation as it would result in trouble or complications and it has.

Zaid Ibrahim,Tengku Razaleigh and the likes wanted to be seen as liberals but they are in the minority.

Mukriz/Chua: Jibes Or Jokes?

Hantu Laut

There is a lot of hullabaloo about Mukhriz's contemplation of abolishing the vernacular schools to unify the education system and ultimately fostering national unity among the races.A good dream nonetheless, but certainly not a sure recipe for success.

As sure as the sunrise his rhetoric attracts the war drums of the oppositions and other non-Malay politicians.Although, I don't agree with him I wouldn't go overboard to take him seriously.I have seen this kind of sandiwara happened too many times before. Unless he is his father's son that call is pure histrionic.Whatever people may say about former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, he is very focus on what he does and more often than not,he gets what he wanted.I am not sure about the son.It's too early to make a judgement.

Some politicians in this country seem to have the same standard pea-sized brain implanted in their heads and their eyes above their head that make them far better stargazers (the fish not the flower) than being politicians.They just can't differentiate rhetoric from reality.Rhetoric to fish for votes is common in politics and even more common in UMNO for those who wish to climb the ladder.Than there are some who responded to show concern only for the sole purpose of trying to gain political mileage within their community.

What I find rather amusing are those who are fond of running to the nearest police station to lodge police report alleging sedition over such trivia.Likewise, when Chua Soi Lek made a statement about ketuanan Melayu and relates it as to a master and servant relationship, tempers were flying in UMNO and the same allegations of sedition and police report were made.In the case of Chua they went one step further, the police called him for interview which, surprisingly, they didn't accord the same to Mukriz.

It is common political psychology used by those who wish to climb up the ladder to be seen as champion of Malay rights and ketuanan Melayu and Mukhriz is doing exactly that and nothing more.The gusto will cease after the UMNO elections.

Those shitheads from both sides of the ethnic divide have done more to disunite rather than unite.Just like religion, a common language does not guarantee to unite people.A good moral education at home and at schools are the right recipe to racial harmony, unity and respect for each other culture and religions.

Malaysia should maintain its multiplicity whether in language or education, these are the pillars of our strength that makes us different from other nations.The obstacle to unity is not language or education.The biggest obstacle to integration and unity are politicians.They are the culprits that caused the rift and continue doing so for selfish reason.

Mukriz had not done his homework and see for himself the actual situation in government schools, what integration are there in those schools when some parents tell their children not to mix with others if not their own kind.In fact the division of the races are more visible now than 40 years ago where a Malay would not hesitate to have a cup of coffee in a Chinese coffee shop.

Education is foremost for the Chinese,rich and poor, and the wealthy would donate generously to their schools making them better schools than most government schools.

In Sabah the standard of Chinese funded schools are so high even bumiputras are clamouring to send their children to such schools.

When are they going to grow up and do something more useful for the nation rather than imploding in triviality.

Leave those vernacular schools alone they are not doing any harm.

The Malays Need Honest And Sincere Leaders Not NEP

Hantu Laut

My fellow blogger Jed Yoong asked me do I think the Malays still need the NEP.My answer is no. I don't think they need the NEP and I don't think the NEP are meant for the Malays.The NEP are there only to expedite wealth for politicians,their relatives and friends.

If giving huge contracts to relatives and friends to make easy money are part of the NEP than I think the NEP is a disgrace to the Malays and many ordinary Malays are ashamed that their race are being used to benefits a small group of power hungry and greedy politicians.

After more than 50 years of independence and over 30 years of the NEP it would be shameful to admit that we Malays have still not learned to walk properly to better ourselves in business and other endeavours and have to depend on crutches provided by the government.Those crutches are made exclusively for the use of UMNO and its lapdogs, other Malays are just like the non-Malays, with the exception of priority and privileges given on education and the civil service, have no use of the NEP.

There are many capable Malays who were just unfortunate to be born on the wrong side of the track and not been able to prove themselves.These are Malays who are not in UMNO and, therefore, didn't get the chance to prove it to the world that they are just as good if not better than the non-Malays or the Malays in UMNO.

Unless you are politically connected, getting a government contract is next to impossible.Even if you are a good Malay businessman but do not know how to oil the cogwheels you can wait till kingdom come to get any government job.Only the sycophants,cocksuckers and ball carriers will get what they wanted.It is who you know not what you know.The only expertise you need to know in this business is how to sell your contract to a China man to make that quick profit.If you know some politicians and do not know how to ride the gravy train with him than they would call you stupid.That's what some of my friends and relatives told me.You must use your politician friends to make money.

Even more disgusting are those who made money in this most appalling of ways and think of it as being smart.They can't discern between smartness and craftiness.That's how smart they are.You just have to take a look at the huge mansions and expensive cars of this 'cepat di masak sedap dimakan' instant riches.Some were stupid enough to show off their instant wealth and ill gotten gains by building their huge mansions in the petit bourgeois community and bear the resentment of the hoi polloi. Jack and the Beanstalk would be full of envy for these people.At least Jack had to climb the gigantic beanstalk to steal the giant's treasure and risked getting killed.

The biggest recipients of the NEP would be through nepotism and chronic crony culture.Many government linked companies were privatised and given to cronies on the platter.One shining bright example of where the NEP failed miserably was MAS.The company was given to Tajuddin Ramli to own controlling interest and management at over sweetened price.Within few years he successfully screwed up the company and brought it to the brink of bankruptcy.The government had to rescue MAS and paid him above market price for the shares and took back the company and injected fresh capital to save it from crashing to the ground.Than there were people like Amin Shah who screwed up the Lumut Naval Base and naval vessels contract to the tune of a few billion and abandoned the project.No legal or criminal actions were taken against him for this very expensive blunder that cost the government billion of ringgit.

There are many others like them who had become rich at the expense of taxpayer's money.Are these people true entrepreneurs or they are more suitable to run kedai runchit ?True entrepreneur starts from nothing and built his business empire from the ground up.Is this the kind of NEP the government wanted to perpetuate? Manufactured entrepreneurs with no business acumen that destroy more than they can build.

Another even more strange phenomenon and most noticeable are the business successes of almost all of the male offspring of former and current prime ministers of the country, from the late Tun Razak to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.They all seem to have their own businesses listed on the KLSE or in private holdings.It must be a miraculous coincident that most of them are such good entrepreneurs.

When the late Tun Razak mooted the idea of the NEP he had the noble intention of helping the Malays to improve and be at par with the other races in the country, never in his wildest dream he intented it for amassing wealth.

You don't need the NEP to help poor Malays.What you need are honest, sincere and dedicated leaders.

With the new regime soon to take over let's hope things will change.

What Happened In 2006 ?:Bigot Revisited

Hantu Laut

Sometimes, it's difficult to separate the sheep from the goats.

Whether Ahmad Ismail is a bigot, defender of the faith or Pahlawan Melayu (Malay hero), the man is never short of controversies and strange as it may sound he somehow survives the dangerous waters of politics.People like him and Anwar Ibrahim seemed to have the nine lives.Even the cats would find it difficult to survive such deadly hurdles.

It wouldn't be lack of profundity to say that in every race, group or community there are bound to be the contemptuous black sheep.Ahmad's chauvinistic view is his and not the general perception of the Malay community.

In 2006 Ahmad was again in the limelight over his insolvency status that was widely reported in the media.

1.Umno's leadership will decide the fate of Datuk Ahmad Ismail, who was ordered to relinquish his post as a Penang island municipal councillor because he was bankrupt.
Penang Umno liaison committee secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim said it would leave it to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is the committee chairman, to decide.
He said the matter would be discussed when Abdullah returned from his overseas trip.
It was reported yesterday that Ahmad, who is also a director of a firm linked to the Penang Outer Ring Road, had to relinquish his councillor's position as he was a bankrupt.(New Straits Times 24 May 2006)

2.Umno Bukit Bendera division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail is adamant that he will not relinquish any of his posts.
Ahmad, who was declared a bankrupt, had been ordered to give up his Penang Island Municipal Council position and his Umno post.
He said he had obtained a stay of execution order from the High Court and lashed out at Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon for rushing to announce that he had been stripped of his councillor's post.
"I don't know why a small fry like me has been given such widespread publicity.
"I was declared a bankrupt because of a technicality and I have sorted it out.
"All this could have been avoided if the Chief Minister had checked his facts first," he said
(New Strait Times 26 May 2006 )

3.Bukit Bendera Umno Chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail is not bankrupt and will continue back as a member of the Pulau Pinang Town Council (MPPP).
Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon today said that he had received a letter from the Insolvency Department confirming that Ahmad was not bankrupt.
Yesterday, Ahmad had described the actions of the state government and the MPPP in terminating him from his post of a member of MPPP as being hasty and unreasonable.(Bernama 26 May 2006)

4.)Bukit Bendera Umno Branch chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail will keep his job of councillor in the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP).
Ahmad cleared his name today when the Penang High Court nullified a lower court ruling declaring him a bankrupt.
A jubilant Ahmad said he has received a letter from the state government confirming that he will be retained as MPPP councillor.
He said he was a "victim of circumstances". He acted as a guarantor for a RM1.8-million loan taken by a private company which had defaulted on the repayment.
"I thank Allah that it's all over now. I have cleared my name and now I am looking forward to serving the people of Bukit Bendera (and the MPPP)," he said.(Bernama 27 June 2006)

5.Bukit Bendera Umno division head Datuk Ahmad Ismail claimed that Koh and Chia did not honour their election promises, which included introducing a programme to eradicate poverty and inculcating entrepreneurship among the Malays in the city.
Describing the Malays in Penang as the victimised minority, he asked Koh and Chia to fulfill the pledges they made and asked them to hold discussions with Umno leaders to work out the programme for the Malays.(Bernama 27 Aug 2006)

Time is a great healer. This nasty episode would soon be forgotten and Ahmad would quietly return to his political wheeling-dealing, UMNO unchanged and unrepentant and Anwar still chasing his elusive dream.

This will the closing chapter of Ahmad Ismail's political boo-boo and we should forgive him for the outburst that was probably done in a fit of anger.

My Elusive Dream

Hantu Laut

Despite all those earnest declarations by Anwar of taking over the government latest by 16th September there seemed to be something missing in his calculations of what he called "we have the numbers". There appears to be no logical progression to those numbers under the present circumstances.

Anwar may have to wait until the next elections to try capture the Federal government.His sudden realization that it would be almost next to impossible for him to takeover the government this term unless there is a big exodus from almost all of the non-UMNO and non-PBB components of the BN or a mixture of all including significant number from UMNO.

The biggest stumbling block for him would be lawmakers from UMNO, MCA and PBB in Sarawak who are not likely to switch camp at the moment.

Without the full thrust of MCA and those from Sabah and Sarawak, he wouldn't have a chance of taking over the government.He may only get some of those from Sabah and Sarawak and, maybe, some from MCA, but wouldn't be enough to grab the trophy from Abdullah.It is not as easy as many of us would like to think.

With the exception of Yong Teck Lee of SAPP, other leaders in the BN components may not want to jeopardise their already well-rewarded positions. Only those who have worked out the risk factor, disgruntled and have nothing to lose would cross over to Pakatan.

Without deserters from UMNO and PBB, the maximum he could get from Sabah and Sarawak would be at best only give him 11 from Sabah and 16 from Sarawak, giving him a maximum of 26, not enough to form a simple majority.With only Sabah and Sarawak and without massive defections from MCA, he has very little chance of success.

MCA has 15 parliamentary seats , MIC 3 and Gerakan 2.He has to take at least two-thirds of those seats including the 11 from Sabah and 16 from Sarawak to have a comfortable majority.It is not going to be an easy task for him as he had made it clear he is not offering any monetary benefits or positions to those who wish to cross over.

Politics in Malaysia is all about money, positions and status.Even those who started with a noble value would eventually ended up licking their conscience.It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack to find a politician with one honest bone in them and with strong conviction to only serve the people and nation. Anwar should know this, he came from the same political school.

Would MCA get better treatment if it joins PR (Pakatan Rakyat) with arch rival DAP in there with 28 seats compared to MCA 15 assuming MCA moved over en-bloc? With the two tigers in DAP, Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang, MCA would be food for the tigers.

The political landscape would take a drastic and scary change if MCA and all the other non-UMNO parliamentarians crossed over to Pakatan Rakyat. It would be completely new dawn in Malaysian politics and the end of 'ketuanan Melayu' that our former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad kept reminding the Malays to safeguard.

Below would be the scenario if Anwar can successfully wrestles the Federal government away from Abdullah on the assumption that no UMNO and PBB parliamentarians joined in the crossover.

Pakatan Rakyat new profile:

Non-Malay seats
------------------
DAP 28
Sabah(non-UMNO) 11
Sarawak(non-PBB) 16
PKR(non-Malay) 11
MCA/MIC/Gerakan 20
--------------------------------
Total 86

Malay seats
------------------

PKR 20
PAS 23
----------------------------------
Total 43

That would give him 129 seats, just enough to form a weak coalition and for the first time a government without Malay majority. A true Bangsa Malaysia government widely promoted by Anwar Ibrahim.

The above scenario is based on UMNO and PBB not losing any of their parlimentarians to the crossover and would stay as opposition until the next elections.

Another hypothetical scenario, remote but not impossible, is the making of a new and more powerful all-Malay coalition comprising UMNO, PAS, PKR and PBB with 147 seats in Parliament.

Without significant numbers from UMNO and other BN components joining him there is little chance of Anwar taking over the government in the immediate future.

Another stumbling block for Anwar is from his own coalition partners, PAS and DAP.

Lim Kit Siang of DAP had made it clear that his party would not support defections from the BN if based on promises of money and positions.Without these two incentives and knowing the true nature of our politicians, how many would want to cross over to ground zero ?

DAP knew bringing in other coalition partners would erode their power and influence in Pakatan.They are prepared to wait till the next elections to increase their intake of Chinese seats which they are highly likely to succeed as by then Gerakan and MCA would probably be history.

They have waited for this day of glory and are not going to let a moment of greed to destroy what they have fought for over four decades.With Penang and Perak under its control and significant influence in the Selangor state government and well represented in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur they are not in a hurry to be a player at Federal level.

PAS have also sounded the same sentiment albeit on different issues.If there should be racial imbalance in the Pakatan line-up where Malay representation is not adequately met,PAS is likely to stay away from such move.

Both DAP and PAS are not in a hurry to grab the Federal government. Only Anwar is prepared for a coup de grace against Abdullah's government, all for his secret agenda, under the guises of equality for all Malaysians.

Bangsa Malaysia, maybe, an elusive dream after all.

The month of October will see the massive shifting of support from the Abdullah/Najib's camp to the Mahathir/Razaleigh/Muhyiddin's camp.

The only possible scenario that going to happen before the year end is the ousting of Abdullah and Najib as President and Deputy President of UMNO respectively, if they can't stabilise the tense and dangerous political climate the next few months.

Now Abdullah has to face a bigger problem to his already mounting and insurmountable problems.

Not only he has to play kung-fu with Anwar Ibrahim, he has to face an even more potent opponent, his old guru, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad who had declared to rejoin UMNO.

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?

New Version:Ketuanan Melayu

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.

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

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.

Ku Li: It's Only A Tremor Not Yet An Eartquake

Hantu Laut

It was just a tremor when Ku Li throws the gauntlet that he would challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for the UMNO Presidency. There were disquiet among Abdullah's aides and his faithfuls in UMNO of this open challenge to his leadership. The earthquake will come later.

Tengku Razaleigh or popularly know as Ku Li said the results of the just concluded elections are the worst ever for UMNO.The party is on the brink of losing its undivided and unequivocal supports of the Malays that it has enjoyed for half a century. A sizable portion of the Malay community have thrown their supports behind PAS and PKR. In the urban belt the Malay bourgeois have voted DAP where PKR and PAS didn't contest due to the pact they have.

The politically incarcerated Ku Li has also questioned the hijacking of the NEP by elitist groups in UMNO. The monopolistic control of the gravy train has resulted in inequitable distributions of the nation's wealth.Not only are there poor Indians in the country, there are probably more poor Malays as they formed the majority of the races in the country. The gravy train not only rewards the macais and those in power but has also astonishingly produced some extremely successful children of almost all the prime ministers with big businesses under their control. A Malay friend once lamented " Do you honestly think every prime minister of this country has a son who has great business acumen and a hotshot entrepreneur".

Embattled Prime Minister Abdullah besets with endless problems has denied that he has lost support of the people, instead said he has the support of the majority and that he is still in charge, trying to dispel rumours that his Oxford trained son-in-law has undue influence over many of his decisions. Many Malaysians have the impression that Abdullah has another cabinet, a kitchen cabinet at home where major political decisions are made. It could well be perceptions only but it has done a lot of damage to his credibility.

Razaleigh who challenged Mahathir for the UMNO presidency in 1987 but lost by the skin of his teeth attributed it to Najib's division last minute shift to Mahathir's camp. He left UMNO and started a breakaway party called Semangat 46 which didn't do well.He rejoined UMNO and was in the doldrums for yonks until Abdullah's stumbles at the recent elections.He ran the gauntlet on Abdullah and roared in disgust from his lair at Gua Musang.

Ku Li had made two attempts at the presidency but failed.First, against Mahathir in 1987 which almost got him the coveted title and the second in 2004 against Abdullah but failed to get sufficient nominations to stand as candidate.

The substantial rejections at the polls will need delicate and pragmatic approaches in order to pacify angry voters and rekindle their interests to return to the fold. The present leadership don't have the credibility to convince the people that they will change for the better.Ku Li is probably the only suitable candidate at the moment to heal the wounded pride and to try recover lost ground.

With the sword of Damocles hanging over Abdullah's head, it wouldn't be long before an earthquake will occur that will snap the string that hold the sword. Razaleigh call for an EGM will not succeed.His only chance to challenge Abdullah is at the forthcoming assembly.

It will be another five months before the UMNO Assembly, will Razaleigh find enough nominations to get him to challenge Abdullah ? He will and have the best fighting chance to win if Najib don't upset the applecart. Najib should stay as deputy and let Razaleigh lead the party for at least one term to regain the lost confidence and reassemble its lost supports.

There is little altruism in UMNO nowadays, that's why it suffered a massive dose of rejections. The Malay voters have found alternatives in the form of PKR and PAS.The rule of the games has changed and Malays are now more politically matured and gone are the days when ketuananMelayu was the rallying call to the Malays to close ranks and make sure UMNO stays in power.

Read 'T'ganu Umno rejects Ku Li's offer'