The Devil You Know....Better Najib Than Muhyiddin?

Hantu Laut

Better the devil you know.....better Najib than Muhyiddin. This comment have appeared in my blog a number of times by pro-Pakatan supporters. 

Below is a recent one from a regular commentator.

Purple Haze said...

What you have written was already quite evident BEFORE GE13. The bloggers closed ranks because of the elections and trained their guns on the PR personalities instead.

This is quite unfortunate as we should be electing governments based on ideas and strategies instead of based on character assignation. But perhaps, this is the means to sway the rural voters - so-and-so are "bad", so don't vote for them.

When you have the mainstream media in you pocket, the message gets hammered through.

But you are quite right that the new media is where the battles will be fought as the internet doesn't forget.

If you want to read Rais Yatim's doctoral thesis about the evils of the ISA, you can get it on the internet, as an example. And of course, plenty of idiotic statements made by various little Napoleans.

The pro-UMNO bloggers seem to want him out or take some action. I would rather he stay in the job as the present No 2 (IMO)is not a statesman that Malaysians can trust. Be careful - the people of Sabah and Sarawak might be even more marginalized.

Many seemed to prefer Najib over Muhyiddin, whom they consider  a worse hardliner than Najib and whom many pro-oppositions supporters suspect to be working closely with Mahathir to bring down Najib. To what extent this is true, I 'll leave to it to your imagination. 

To make matters worse for Najib there are also rumours floating around that alleged Najib to have given strict instruction to UMNO divisional heads to ensure Mukhriz do not get enough votes to win as one of the vice-presidents in the recently concluded UMNO's elections and the supposedly esoteric information have been leaked to Mahathir and the old man is not happy with Najib. 

Some say Mahathir is grinding his axe and waiting for the right time to go for the kill. Again, these are rumours circulating around the coffee shops, which I have misgivings about. 

If true, it is a reflection of Mahathir's poor judgement of people's character. Both Pak Lah and Najib's  rise to the helm was orchestrated by him. Mahathir also had a bad record of choosing wrong deputies during his tenure as prime minister, none have fitted the bill.

A win would automatically give Mukhriz a seat on the Supreme Council and high probability of him clawing his way to greater influence in the party hierarchy.

They say Najib is worried more about Mukhriz being the threat than Muhyiddin.

I personally think Najib is not a bad person but a weak leadership surrounded by bad people with selfish agenda, whom he can't resist.A sure sign of weakness on the part of a leader. 

Would Muhyiddin be worse than Najib as PM and why?

Let's have some feed back.

Suddenly,Malaysians Become Smarter Than The Rest Of The World

Hantu Laut

I am not sure what to make of this. Malaysia stands at 14th in the world and 2nd in the Asean region for quality of education.How nice if true!

Scrumptious! Suddenly, with the blink of an eye, Malaysians were smarter than the rest of the world.

Here, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng rubbished the Minister of Education Muhyiddin Yassin for his mumbo-jumbo.

Here, the nerdish Oxbridge fella and Mr Know-It-All also ridiculed the minister.

I am not sure if Muhyiddin actually read the report himself or was spoon-fed by his staffs, who, probably, has little understanding of the reports.I, myself, find it quite difficult to translate some of the report to layman's terms.

It is about global competitiveness and performance.Malaysia came at No.21 on the list, which is not bad for a small country that get rubbished all the times by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.Read the report here.

Not all reports get the right feedback to arrive at a sensible assumption.I don't believe our education system is of better quality than U.S,U.K,Germany, Australia and Singapore.If that was the case, why are we still sending our students to these places? Read world education ranking here.

Malaysia was not even in the top 30.Where the magic number 14 came from I have no idea. Maybe, Muhyiddin should publish his source to salvage his reputation.

For the honorable minister I suggest he checks his fact first before he says something that could embarrass himself.

Elections: No Muhyiddin Against Najib ?

Hantu Laut

As I have said here earlier that there would be no elections in February or March.It's a foregone conclusion.Najib's announced he needs more time for his reforms to bite in here.

Anwar's verdict, unexpected by the Najib's administration, has torpedoed his elections plan. The opposition's claim that the judiciary is guided by the executive is not true anymore.Najib was actually caught by surprise by the court's decision in spite of the fact that the judge had earlier in the proceeding said Saiful was a reliable witness. The general consensus among politicians on both sides of the political divide was that Anwar would be found guilty because the government is out to fix him, to kill his political career.

The judge has, by the acquittal of Anwar, thrown a spanner in Najib's elections plan. A guilty verdict would not send Anwar straight to prison but would put him in the throes of appealing his case, which, by election time, would still carry the stigma of his sodomy case and keep the skeptic away from voting Pakatan.

However, there are both sides to the coin, the verdict has also positive outcome for Najib.It shows that he has not interfered with the judicial system.The Western press have been quick to give positive nod to Najib on the verdict by the court.

So, when would the general elections be held?

It depends on two things. Anwar would have to take a back seat when it comes to Najib's priorities.First and foremost, will his deputy Muhyiddin challenge him for the UMNO presidency in the UMNO elections? If Najib feels he would be challenged that the GE would be held before the UMNO elections.

The opposition's propaganda machines have been working overtime trying to cause a rift between Najib and Muhyiddin, an outcome that would weaken UMNO and cause it to lose the elections.Muhyiddin's supporters in UMNO are employing the same tactic, encouraging him to stand against Najib in the UMNO elections hoping to ride the gravy train should Muhyiddin become prime minister.

These are all wishful thinking.Unless UMNO leaders close ranks before the next GE, neither Najib nor Muhyiddin would be prime minister. The coveted title would be Anwar Ibrahim's.

Muhyiddin is not as stupid as what the oppositions made him out to be.He may, at times, sounds incongruous with Najib but he knew of the danger of rocking the boat that will sink everyone on board.He knew that unless UMNO consolidates before the GE the risk of losing the elections is even greater now with Anwar on the lose.

UMNO leaders should learn from history, from the bad aftertaste of March 2008.

Muhyiddin's supporters would be very disappointed as it is most unlikely that Muhyiddin would challenge Najib for the UMNO presidency.

Only UMNO, with Sabah and Sarawak can save the BN government, MCA and Gerakan would be left out in the cold.The real challenge to BN's Chinese votes is DAP.The Indian votes would be split between BN and Pakatan.

Putting aside any challenge to his presidency the GE would be anywhere between June to December 2012, with the latter being most likely.

Posted:Kuala Lumpur

Why The Bad English?

Hantu Laut

Why is he so adamant to get rid of English in PPSMI in spite of overwhelming demand from the people, particularly parents, to continue teaching the subjects in English.

Should one man be allowed to dictate his will on the whole nation and the future generations?

Muhyiddin finally revealed that the Prime Minister is in the know and has given his assent to make the change.

If Najib and his cabinet think they could win the hearts of the people, particularly the Malays, by this politically motivated decision, they are making a big mistake.Some lazy educationists must have fed them wrong information.

Former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad had asked Najib to overrule Muhyiddin and put the issue to a referendum.

The claim that the standard of education has gone down because of using English as a medium in Maths and Science does not make sense and is hard to believe.The government should publish data to convince the people that what it claimed is true.

Why the bad English?

New Straits Times 20293165.html
Sunday, Aug 07, 2011

By Rizalman Hammim

LABIS – Are teachers incompetent, or school books unsuitable?

The Education Ministry will look at these factors to determine why students continue to have a poor grasp of the English language.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also education minister, said the ministry would review the curriculum with regard to the teaching of English as well as identify the reasons behind students’ poor command of the language.

Muhyiddin said even after learning the language for 13 years at primary, secondary and matriculation levels, some students still could not master English.

“I have no answers for this problem. I will ask the (Education) director-general to review the English curriculum to find out the reasons behind the problem.

“Is it because the teachers are not competent or there are not enough teachers, or because the books are not suitable?We can’t ignore this anymore.” He said this during his visit to SMK Maokil here yesterday.

Present were Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan, Bukit Serampang assemblyman Tahir Taat and school principal Noor Hashimah Hassan.

He said many parents were worried when the ministry changed its policy from the Teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (PPSMI) to the Upholding the Malay Language, Strengthening Command of English (MBMMBI) policy.

“They were concerned that English would be ignored and considered as unimportant.

“This is a wrong assumption.

As the education minister, I have always stressed the importance of mastering English as a second language as it is a language for international trade.” He said students must be given the opportunity and exposure to speak and understand both languages.

During the visit, Muhyiddin presented awards to the school’s top Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia students of last year.

If the standard has gone down it is the fault of the government, not the students or teachers.If you don't provide them with proper tools how can you expect them to do well? Bad teachers make bad students.

"Seperti tikus memperbaiki labu" Why after 13 years of learning English students still can't master the language? Are Malaysians that stupid? As they say "you pay peanuts you get monkeys" The answer is because you employed incompetent teachers who themselves are poor in English.

The whole education system is screwed up and should be revamped.English should be made compulsory subject at least two years before leaving primary level if the government is serious to make Malaysians proficient in the language.

If our coloniser can do it why can't this government.During the colonial days, if you are from Malay or Chinese medium primary school you have to attend two years of "bridge class" before going to English medium secondary school.It teaches you the basic workings of the English language and prepares you for the secondary level.

The government have to invest time and money to make it successful, not simply give in to some myopic and incompetent educationists who prefer to take the easy way out.Just like a business if you don't invest there would not be profit.

Bigger budget should be allocated to education to make the programme successful. What's the point of building nice looking schools that churned out under-achievers and mediocre students.

Speak to some of our local graduates in English and judge for yourself how emasculated the education system is.

The government is taking a defeatist attitude and the biggest losers would be the Malays.This is akin to keeping the Malays under the "tempurong." The future generations would lose out in the job market.Forever, the Malays would be confined to working for the government and GLCs.

Some Malay parents are so disillusioned with the system they prefer to send their children to Chinese vernacular schools where, if they already know English, pick up a third language, Mandarin.

Unlike, majority of Chinese and Indians the Malays in rural areas do not have the means to send their children to private tuition.

It falls on the government to provide the best education for its citizens, particularly the less fortunate, which is a future investment for the nation.

Should we allow 10 or so people decide the future of our children? Do we want a knowledgeable society or one mired in ignorance?

A referendum is one way of going to the people but it would incur unnecessary costs.It would be cheaper and faster to bring it to Parliament and let the parliamentarians vote on the issue.

The Second Fiddle: Fearless Deputy

Hantu Laut

I couldn't agree more with Zaid.There are no two ways about it, there can only be one captain. Members of the cabinet are his crew and should behave like one.Those who tried to undermine him should have the sense of shame and should resign from the ministerial position.

Najib failed to put his foot down not only with his deputy but also his own cousin, the Home Minister, who had equally harmed the administration with his ridiculous political fatwas.Adding to the woes is Minister in the PM department Nazri Aziz who more often than not is more upsetting with his air of arrogance and incredulity.

I have in my previous postings indicated the need for reshuffling the cabinet, but unfortunately, Najib did not do the needful and now the problem has become too entranced.

The trouble with UMNO is the archaic political system where the deputy president of the party by convention would automatically become the deputy prime minister and successor to the prime minister.It begets sycophancy, cronyism and intensive lobbying with the DPM for those waiting for the next gravy train.Anwar Ibrahim was an example of a deputy in a hurry who stumbled and fell flat on his face because No.1 was smarter than he had expected.

I find it very upsetting that he would have made a good prime minister but succumbed to pressures from his subordinates that crippled him from pushing forward his policies.

Running a nation is no different from running a company, there can only be one ultimate boss, the head honcho.

How many of you know who is the deputy president of the US, the DPM of Britain and for that matter the DPM of our next door neighbour, Singapore? They know they can only play second fiddle and stay out of the limelight as deputy.

In the case of Pak Lah it was not Najib who pushed him out, much of the work was done by Tun Mahathir Mohammed and with some help from Muhyiddin.

The Fearless Deputy
Zaid Ibrahim

Aug 18, 2011

---

Someone asked me if there is a power struggle going on in UMNO right now. I said no, only in the Cabinet. This poser was perhaps brought about by the way Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has skilfully contradicted Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Razak on several important issues. When the PM promoted the idea of 1Malaysia, the DPM countered with his now notorious statement: “I am Malay first”. It seems the PM didn’t know what to say in reply. Many people know that the PM would have liked Science and Mathematicsto continue to be taught in English (as it should be), but his Deputy, who is also Education Minister, decided otherwise.

Najib recently made another sensible decision to accommodate – or at least to recognise – some of the concerns raised by Bersih. He has decided that a Parliamentary Select Committee should look into the many complaints in the way elections are being conducted in our country. Not surprisingly, his Deputy quickly reminded him that very little was wrong with the process. It just needed a little “tweaking”, Muhyiddin said.

Now this is not the first time that a Minister in the Cabinet has openly challenged a PM in Malaysia. It happened even in the most recent administration before this one: when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was PM (this was soon after the 2008 General Election), Muhyiddin called on him to step down. He used the phrase “peralihan kepimpinan” — change of leadership. And he did so not once but many times. It was a sorry sight to hear Pak Lah telling Muhyiddin “sabar lah”. Be patient.

Muhyiddin was probably emboldened by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who joined the fray and openly discredited and ridiculed the man he himself had endorsed to lead the country. I believe had Pak Lah reshuffled his cabinet post 2008 to show that the Cabinet was his, he would still be PM today. Sure enough, they took him out soon after.

In the Westminster system of Government, the PM is always the real power. The Cabinet are his advisors. This is why it’s normal for Prime Ministers in other Westminster-based countries to reshuffle their Cabinets whenever they feel that effective government will be compromised without such a change. The Prime Minister is responsible, as head of the ruling party, to make sure that the right policies are implemented. In an ideal situation, the Ministers serve to advise the PM on how these policies should be executed, and they bear responsibility for this.

When there is a charismatic or strong PM, Cabinets can sometimes become overshadowed and individual Ministers might resemble mere “extensions” of the PM’s will. We have seen it here for many years, and Dr Mahathir practised it to perfection. He would not even allow Tun Musa Hitam (the first of his many deputies) to share in the name of the administration: does anyone remember the “2M” Government?

In many ways Dr Mahathir was right. There can be only one captain of the ship. It is not for the PM to agree with his Ministers, but for the Ministers to carry out the vision of the PM in the form of policy. This is why any Minister who disagrees strongly enough with the PM over a particular decision or policy should resign, as I did. This is the convention practised in all Commonwealth countries.Read more.

Is Malaysia Already A Welfare State?

Hantu Laut

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin deriding PAS by saying that the BN had not only achieved but exceeded its benevolence as a welfare state is false and pure histrionic.

Either the DPM do not understand the definition of welfare state or he is trying to bluff his way thinking Malaysians would swallow his unfounded claim hook, line and sinker.

Giving across the board subsidies to the general population does not make you a welfare state if that what the DPM think welfare state is all about.You can't call your country a welfare state if there still exists abject poverty.Malaysia has pockets of abject poverty scattered all over the country.You read about them in the news quite regularly.Maybe, the DPM only read political news and missed this social scourge that still afflict the nation.

A welfare state has the responsibility for the well being of its citizens by ensuring minimum standard of living for everyone.Most Western nations are welfare states because they provide the minimum comfort and standard of living for its citizens.

A welfare state would make available universal free education and medical care, insurance against sickness, disability and unemployment, income supplement and old age pension.Malaysia, by any definition is not a welfare state.Its housing programme for the poor is pathetic resulting in squatter's colonies sprouting all over the country.

PAS proposal is good but can they actually implement it when they took power.It needs a lot of financial resources.The only way is to remove all subsidies for the general population and use part of the savings for welfare purposes.

The present system of subsidies practised by the current government is an unfair system.Its benefits the wealthy and the middle class much more than the lower income and the poor, particularly and food and fuel subsidy which should be scrapped all together and spent the money on providing welfare benefits for the poor, old age citizens and good public transportation system in every major cities.

The lower income do not wish to own a car but some are forced to buy one because of the poor public transport.The government's policy of putting a car in every household is wrong, it's a burden on the poor and lower income group, when they have to pay through their noses for a car that could have cost much less if the protectionist policy is removed.

Owning a car eats major part of your income if you are in the lower income bracket.Even some middle income living in the city find it hard to make ends meet.

It is common in Malaysia for someone earning RM700-800 a month to buy a car.After paying the monthly instalment and fuel they have no money left to maintain the car which is one of the reasons for the high road fatalities in this country.

Let's hear what Muhyiddin means by saying Malaysia is already a welfare state.I hope he can explain in details.

For PAS I hope it is not a political gimmick to fish for votes.

Nik Aziz here.

Muhyiddin Asked Poor Sabahans To Stop Whining

Hantu Laut

Did he say it?

I hope the DPM was misquoted.

What is DPM Muhyiddin trying to do asking poor Sabahans to stop whining and regard themselves as luckier than the poor of India and China.Story here.

Cost of living is the basic measure of the level of poverty line.The poor in China, maybe, less poor than the poor in Malaysia.They may have enough food to eat.The poor in India, maybe, poorer than the poor in China.CIA Factbook put China's below poverty line at 2.8% and India at 25%.China seems better than Malaysia which has below poverty line of 5.5%.

The cost of living in Sabah is high compared to Peninsula Malaysia.Everything costs more here, from toothpicks to cars we have to pay more.Naturally, the quantum used to measure poverty level is higher in Sabah.

None or very few people died of starvation in China and India.Most abject poverty and malnourishment are in sub-Saharan African countries where either poverty or famine were the cause of malnourishment and eventual death.Even in Myanmar where the per capita income is one of the lowest in the world no one died of starvation.Food are cheap and affordable to the poor.If anyone died of starvation in Sabah it would be out of laziness or stupidity.We are also at the mercy of over-exploitation of our resources which have no spin-off effects to the economy.

Muhyiddin also made a rather embarrassing admission, that the BN leaders in Sabah are not doing their job and are responsible for the abject poverty in the state.By his own admission BN have neglected the welfare of Sabahans.

When Sabah leaders made demands for more development expenditure or took to task Federal leaders for their apathy and arrogance these leaders are viewed as anti Federal and would be sidelined.

After 48 years, Sabah should have better infrastructures than what we have now. We should by now have super highways linking all the major towns.

Instead of flying in the comfort of a jet plane and helicopter Muhyiddin should take a ride from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau and see for himself how neglected this state is.Our roads are in shambles due to lack of funds for maintenance.Federal leaders only come here more frequently (like now) when general elections is round the corner.

It is shameful that instead of coming here to find ways and means to resolve the situation of poor Sabahans the Deputy Prime Minister found it appropriate to past the buck for what clearly is the fault of the UMNO/BN government in Sabah. Muhyiddin is the second most powerful man in the country now and has been in the cabinet for donkey years.

As a long serving cabinet minister and now DPM it is a shame that Muhyiddin had no concept of the size of Sabah and its poor infrastructures.He said he had been ignorant until now that the Kinabatangan constituency is much bigger than Pahang, and was shocked to know that Tongod itself was bigger than Selangor.

Sabah is almost two-thirds the size of Peninsula Malaysia, the state did not get equitable distribution of development expenditure in spite of the fact that Sabah is a big contributor to federal revenue particularly oil.

I certainly will not pick him as our next prime minister.

Anything That Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong

Hantu Laut

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.That's the adage known as Murphy's law.

There are probably thousands of candidates UMNO can choose from to be their man for Permatang Pasir and what did they do? Screw up big time? Not according to 'MARAHKU' blog here.

The oppositions is having a field day trying to use the disbarment of Rohaizat Othman as moral impediment for him standing as candidate.

Of course, the biggest noise came from none other than DAP hatchet man, the irascible old coot Mr Lim Kit Siang who claimed himself to be impeccably clean and of high moral standing.

Why choose someone with stain on his shirt? Can't they separate the wheat from the chaff? Maybe, the DPM should give an explanation.

UMNO defended Rohaizat's innocence here.

Pakatan Men A Disgrace ?

Pakatan men a disgrace
By : Zaidi Isham Ismail


Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin talking to Equatorial Hotel’s Chef Ahmad Fairuz Harun at the Malaysia Cocoa fair 2009.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen responsible for the fracas at the Perak assembly should be ashamed of themselves as their behaviour was disgraceful and disrespectful to the people, the monarchy and the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said their behaviour was annoying and that this was not the first time they had acted this way.

"They don't respect the institution, the assembly and the Raja Muda (Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah).

"They are bad examples and Malaysians can judge for themselves how the opposition behaved," Muhyiddin said after launching the Malaysian Cocoa Fair 2009.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said the Pakatan assemblymen did not respect democracy and did not observe basic decorum.
"They are un-Malaysian and have no respect to the regent who had to wait for six hours.

"If they have any issues to raise, do so within limits and respect the law and the Constitution."

Related articles:

Perak Regent admonishes Nizar to respect royal address

Source:NST

Splitting Hairs:The New Kingmakers

Hantu Laut

Malaysian media, opposition leaders and those who are bent on making waves have found a new game called 'Splitting Hairs'.

Some from the Chinese community had taken the new DPM to task for his statement that the Chinese have been unappreciative of what the government have done for the Chinese community all this while and the Chinese were trying to be kingmakers.

The reality is, what Muhyiddin said is true and those who are quick to draw the gun and shoot him down and put him in a bad light were those who likes to split hairs and fish in troubled waters. He was right in his analysis that the Chinese and Indians have deserted the BN, otherwise, how could the BN lose miserably in 4 by-elections in the Peninsula. The bulk of Chinese and Indian votes did go to the opposition coalition. Majority of Malay votes are still with UMNO with exception of certain areas where PAS influence is strong and small section of disgruntled Malays supporting PKR.

Saying the Chinese were trying to be kingmakers was not untrue. The solid Chinese votes for PAS candidates are reflective of their role as kingmakers. Majority of Indians have voted in the same pattern. Muhyiddin was quite right in what he said and I am surprised people like Dr Toh Kin Woon and those from both the oppositions and BN components, MCA and Gerakan took exception to his honest opinion.

There is no fair play in politics and being called a kingmaker is not an insult. It's more a compliment of one's ability.

Thanks to Anwar Ibrahim, the Malays, Chinese and Indians are more divided now than ever before. His 'Bangsa Malaysia' is a call in the wilderness and a pipe dream.It can only happen if he forms one multi-racial party.How can there be racial unity and one bangsa if he uses the same formula as the BN.

For Muhyiddin it may be good for him to know that 'unappreciative' and 'ungrateful' can carry the same meaning depending in what context it is used and as politician, sometimes, these words are better left unsaid.

Those who are hell-bent on making trouble will have their own suternine concoctions of shit stirring.

Anwar's Trojan Horse:The Real Judas ?

Hantu Laut

This deserved a posting on the main page.It was posted by Rahman 332, a commentator, in response to my post - Putrajaya:'A Bridge Too Far'.It's a well written piece. I have no knowledge of the actual source of the article but it's certainly a good read.It could be mere speculation and have no basis.

I would leave it to readers to use their own discretion and make their own judgement.

Anwar's Trojan Horse

The Real Judas

Anwar Ibrahim wants BN to think the defections before 16 September are going to come from Sabah and Sarawak. This explains the focus and frenzy surrounding MPs from East Malaysia. Their movements are being monitored, text messages have been swirling about en bloc defections and some, like Yong Teck Lee and Bernard Giluk Dompok, have been dropping broad hints about wanting to abandon the BN ship.

But the unsuspecting BN leadership is completely unaware of Anwar's actual game plan. Sabah and Sarawak are the great diversions - Anwar's red herrings. Sure, he may eventually end up with some defectors from East Malaysia, but the real trigger that he wants to pull will be right under UMNO's nose. For Anwar, he needs to start with a bang. Something that will cause all other smaller component parties to tremble and quake in their boots leaving them with little choice but to jump en masse.

What Anwar wants to do is to show that he can go for the big scalps. Not your SAPP or UPKO small number of MPs, but from the senior UMNO front bench. What better way of triggering a mass exodus from BN than to show that you have top leaders from BN's biggest party crossing over into PKR? This is the big bang that Anwar has been working on. Two or three front benchers from UMNO plus five other second tier leaders will be enough to precipitate chaos and panic within the BN ranks. It will be the catalyst of a free-for-all ship abandonment as though sailors have spotted a plague-infested rat on deck.

So, who has Anwar marked as the real Judas in this most audacious of power grab in the history of Malaysian politics. Its not that difficult to answer. Think of someone most hard done by Abdullah Badawi and Najib Razak's gentleman's agreement to transfer power in 2010. Someone who had political wind in his sails after the March election only to now see his future in doubt as UMNO gets ready to pick younger leaders in its annual congress. Someone who way back when, had the most coziest of cozy relationship with Anwar.

Yes, Anwar is targeting Muhyiddin Yassin to be the Judas. Muhyiddin is said to have lined up at least three other front benchers and a handful more from the back benches. Many of these MPs are fed up of both Abdullah and Najib, and see the grass being far greener with Anwar. Many of them were also ardent Anwaristas when the Opposition Leader was climbing up the greasy pole of UMNO politics.

These crossovers are said to be mutually beneficial in more ways than one. Anwar knows that the current composition of Pakatan MPs in Parliament is almost half Malay and half non-Malay. If he only manages to woo non-Malay BN MPs to defect, he will effectively head a non-Malay dominated government. This would be hard for the Malay-majority electorate to accept not to mention institutions like the royalty, military, armed forces and civil service. Anwar, therefore, desperately needs Malay MPs to defect from BN. In order for this to happen, he needs a Malay BN leader with enough seniority to attract others to follow suit. Hence, Muhyiddin.

But that's not all. Anwar has already over-promised his buddies in DAP. He knows that he has to make Lim Kit Siang one of his Deputy Prime Ministers. That's not going to sit well with Malays, whether they are UMNO, PAS or PKR supporters. Regardless of the muhibbah rhetoric coming out of Pakatan and its acceptance by the Bangsar Starbucks Melayu, the heartland and grunt Malays cannot stand Kit Siang. To them he and his party stand for everything that is anti-Malay.

That being the case, Anwar has to counter-balance Kit Siang's appoitment as DPM with a heavyweight Malay politician as another deputy. Of course he could appoint Hadi Awang and complete the unholy trinity of Pakatan parties as PM and two DPMs, and he probably would offer Hadi the post anyway. But he knows that Hadi cannot be trusted. After all, it is Hadi and Nasharuddin Mat Isa that almost tore PAS out of Pakatan with their secret rendezvous with Abdullah. Anwar has neither forgiven nor forgotten this act of betrayal by Hadi. He also knows that during the Permatang Pauh by-election, it wasn't Hadi that came to pinch hit for him in the last few days to turn Malay opinion around in the light of Saiful Bukhari's religious oath that he was buggered by Anwar. Hadi came briefly, gave a 10 minute speech complaining of a cough and hot footed it out of there. Instead it was Nik Aziz Nik Mat that came to Anwar's rescue, using his aura as a pondok alim to persuade the faithful in Permatang Pauh not to believe Saiful's oath.

Anwar's preferred choice as DPM from PAS is not an MP. He is the man that whispers instructions into Nik Aziz's ear and he was the most senior PAS leader present when Anwar was declared winner after all the votes were tallied. Husam Musa cannot, for now, join a federal government because of state duties in Kelantan, but he is very much the bridge that Anwar wants to cultivate in PAS.

So with the bad blood between Anwar and Hadi, even if Anwar offers Hadi a DPM post it would be out of courtesy to keep Pakatan together. Which means he would need another senior Malay leader to be a third deputy and the de facto most senior deputy with Anwar's full confidence and trust. He could appoint Azmin, but many would be uncomfortable with that prospect. So who better than Muhyiddin - a senior cabinet minister with experience in government. An UMNO warlord who can attract support from UMNO Malays and prevent Anwar from looking too dependent on non-Malay support. And most crucially, someone who Anwar trusts because back in the days of Anwar as DPM, when he said jump, Muhyiddin jumped.

If BN leaders are looking at East Malaysia for potential jumpers, they are looking far away from where the threat really is. Anwar has secured Muhyiddin and its merely a matter of timing. Muhyddin has to deliver Anwar a handsome number of MPs in return for being made DPM under Anwar. That, according to sources, is underway and the count is increasing by the day.

The plan is simple yet clever. Obvious yet deceptive. BN is about to lose the kingdom from right under its nose.

September 8, 2008 1:49 AM