Hantu Laut
Will supporters of Ali Rustam shift their weight to Mohammad Taib to show their anger and displeasure at the Disciplinary Board and the top leadership for their inconsistency and double-standard ? A good question and the answer may come in the next few days.
Muhiyyudin's may not be all that safe and sure of bagging the deputy president post if the unhappy delegates decide to teach the top leadership a lesson.There are rumblings throughout the party. Chairman of the Disciplinary Board Tengku Rithauddin has came out with a poor and unconvincing explanation.Some are calling for the Board to be disbanded.
This is no more an UMNO under Mahathir's charge. It is now more liberated and members have no more fear of the top leadership as they did when Mahathir was in charge. Than there is the choice of an alternative party that they can join unlike before when the oppositions were weak and couldn't make an impact. Today, the oppositions have gained prominence.
Should that occasion arises what would the disciplinary board do, disqualify Mohammad Taib too or send warnings to delegates not to vote for him ?
They might have overlooked this factor when they decide to only dispose off Ali Rustam and kept Mohammad Taib because he is a distant third in the race and not seen as a threat.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Anwar's Lamentation: Hantus And Bomohs
Hantu Laut
They came in all shapes and sizes and from the brilliant to the weirdos. Are politicians born or made ? Look like a bit of both.
Anwar Ibrahim claimed that UMNO, in desperation, has resorted to sorcery and abused government machinery to improve it public image to bring down the Pakatan Rakyat government with one chop of the axe.
Why is he complaining ? As much as it is his job to bring UMNO and the BN down, it is also Najib and UMNO job to bring him and the PR down.As veteran politician Anwar should know that. At least, UMNO didn't brag about it like he did when he lied through his teeth that he would grab the Federal government by 16 Sept 2008 that kept the whole nation in suspense.
It is not illegal to bring a government down by democratic process, it only become an offence if it was done by force or armed struggle.
I like the sorcery part.I am not sure whether this is illegal as there was no mention of it in the Federal Constitution.
Maybe, Anwar should elaborate more on this subject like how many bomohs is UMNO using to cast spell on the people and turn them into zombies to vote for UMNO in the next general election.
Reported in Malaysian Insider:
The Opposition Leader also cited a report in Sin Chew Daily, a Chinese-language newspaper which today front-paged a report saying a police bomb squad had found a piece of wood wrapped in white cloth and two sheets of paper with Jawi writing, suspected to be items of sorcery under the desk of the Umno president in the party headquarters here a few days ago.
They came in all shapes and sizes and from the brilliant to the weirdos. Are politicians born or made ? Look like a bit of both.
Anwar Ibrahim claimed that UMNO, in desperation, has resorted to sorcery and abused government machinery to improve it public image to bring down the Pakatan Rakyat government with one chop of the axe.
Why is he complaining ? As much as it is his job to bring UMNO and the BN down, it is also Najib and UMNO job to bring him and the PR down.As veteran politician Anwar should know that. At least, UMNO didn't brag about it like he did when he lied through his teeth that he would grab the Federal government by 16 Sept 2008 that kept the whole nation in suspense.
It is not illegal to bring a government down by democratic process, it only become an offence if it was done by force or armed struggle.
I like the sorcery part.I am not sure whether this is illegal as there was no mention of it in the Federal Constitution.
Maybe, Anwar should elaborate more on this subject like how many bomohs is UMNO using to cast spell on the people and turn them into zombies to vote for UMNO in the next general election.
Reported in Malaysian Insider:
The Opposition Leader also cited a report in Sin Chew Daily, a Chinese-language newspaper which today front-paged a report saying a police bomb squad had found a piece of wood wrapped in white cloth and two sheets of paper with Jawi writing, suspected to be items of sorcery under the desk of the Umno president in the party headquarters here a few days ago.
Anwar said the steps set a dangerous trend and indicated the level of desperation within the party to boost its image, adding Umno should not assume Malaysians are stupid.
“Only an Umno insider will have access to the meeting room. This is the kind of culture, ‘budayarosak’ they have in the party,” he told reporters later.
Full text here.
Wonder what that small bundle of white cloth doing under the PM's table and what the writing says ?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
An Ill Wind That Blows Nobody Any Good
Hantu Laut - (An UMNO watcher)
Obviously, Najib will be landed with a weaker and a more divided party and a possible revolt. The selective prosecution will have far-reaching implications on the party's chance of salvaging its tarnished image. In fact, the decision of the UMNO Disciplinary Board is seen to be even worse than the corruptions and money politics that they are trying to stamp-out. It's a shameless bid to protect one man who feared he may lose the contest against his opponent.
With only one big fish in the net it can't be seen as a purge or a clean-up drive against corruptions and money politics. The Supreme Council may have to step in to save possible revolt and discontent that can throw the party in disarray and it losing its chances of winning any of the three by-elections.
The top leadership should not underestimate the power of the rank and file. It happened in March 2008. Anger and frustration will prevail among those who are not happy with the partial decision of the Board.
UMNO must make it clear whether the party principles are based on democracy or fascism.Democracy and its principles are based on what the majority want and decide not what a handful of unhappy warlords wanted.It's a contest of popularity and the most popular would naturally win. You don't need binoculars to see what they are doing has anything to do with cleaning up corruptions and money politics.
Some of the reasons given for not preferring Ali Rustam apparently were his poor command of English and lack of experience.Since when and under which theory that says intelligence can only be expressed in the English language. Certainly, knowing the language is an asset as it is the lingua franca of the world and the most common and most convenient form of communication. It's certainly not a yardstick for measuring a person's intelligence quotient.
Many world leaders spoke in their mother tongue when they deliver speeches at international conferences with interpreters translating into English or other major language. The irony is most of them can speak English but prefer to speak in their mother-tongue.Malaysian leaders can do the same if they wish to and nobody will call them stupid.
This kind of shallow thinking is even more dangerous to the party than money politics.Quoting inexperience and lack of good English as being unsuitable candidate for deputy president and deputy prime minister is convoluted argument. He is not applying for a job. He is running for political office and no where in the world you need prerequisite to be a politician or to run for political office. In a democracy the people decide whom they want.Academic qualifications are useful assets but not compulsory.
There are many highly qualified people who are lousy politicians. Robert Mugabe is probably the most highly qualified politician on the face of this earth.He has seven degrees including a Master of Laws and has nicely screwed up his country. Zimbabwe, once the pride of Africa and was the 'bread basket' of the continent is now among the poorest nation of the world.Its farms lay in ruins, its economy shattered and Mugabe doesn't care.
The Board decision only to disallow Ali from contesting the elections but did not suspend him like they did to those in the lower rank is telling of the kind of people who sit on the Board. What kind of discipline do you wish to instill in the members when members of the Board themselves have no discipline, self-contradictory and incompetent in making sound judgement.
More puzzling is the case of Khairy Jamaluddin who was charged under the same offence but was let off with just a warning. Even more puzzling was the case of Khir Toyo, rumoured to be the one using the most money but was found not guilty by the Board. Maybe, Chairman Rithauddin could enlighten Malaysians how the Board arrived at a decision for two people that have committed the same offence but were given different judgement, one was punished and the other let off.
Doesn't matter whether it is Ali Rustam, Mohammad Taib or any other candidate, the decision of the Disciplinary Board is highly questionable.Frankly speaking, the Disciplinary Board should be replaced with new members that can do their work impartially and without malice.
When are the leaders in UMNO going to behave like gentlemen and allow fair competition in the party.
Obviously, Najib will be landed with a weaker and a more divided party and a possible revolt. The selective prosecution will have far-reaching implications on the party's chance of salvaging its tarnished image. In fact, the decision of the UMNO Disciplinary Board is seen to be even worse than the corruptions and money politics that they are trying to stamp-out. It's a shameless bid to protect one man who feared he may lose the contest against his opponent.
With only one big fish in the net it can't be seen as a purge or a clean-up drive against corruptions and money politics. The Supreme Council may have to step in to save possible revolt and discontent that can throw the party in disarray and it losing its chances of winning any of the three by-elections.
The top leadership should not underestimate the power of the rank and file. It happened in March 2008. Anger and frustration will prevail among those who are not happy with the partial decision of the Board.
UMNO must make it clear whether the party principles are based on democracy or fascism.Democracy and its principles are based on what the majority want and decide not what a handful of unhappy warlords wanted.It's a contest of popularity and the most popular would naturally win. You don't need binoculars to see what they are doing has anything to do with cleaning up corruptions and money politics.
Some of the reasons given for not preferring Ali Rustam apparently were his poor command of English and lack of experience.Since when and under which theory that says intelligence can only be expressed in the English language. Certainly, knowing the language is an asset as it is the lingua franca of the world and the most common and most convenient form of communication. It's certainly not a yardstick for measuring a person's intelligence quotient.
Many world leaders spoke in their mother tongue when they deliver speeches at international conferences with interpreters translating into English or other major language. The irony is most of them can speak English but prefer to speak in their mother-tongue.Malaysian leaders can do the same if they wish to and nobody will call them stupid.
This kind of shallow thinking is even more dangerous to the party than money politics.Quoting inexperience and lack of good English as being unsuitable candidate for deputy president and deputy prime minister is convoluted argument. He is not applying for a job. He is running for political office and no where in the world you need prerequisite to be a politician or to run for political office. In a democracy the people decide whom they want.Academic qualifications are useful assets but not compulsory.
There are many highly qualified people who are lousy politicians. Robert Mugabe is probably the most highly qualified politician on the face of this earth.He has seven degrees including a Master of Laws and has nicely screwed up his country. Zimbabwe, once the pride of Africa and was the 'bread basket' of the continent is now among the poorest nation of the world.Its farms lay in ruins, its economy shattered and Mugabe doesn't care.
The Board decision only to disallow Ali from contesting the elections but did not suspend him like they did to those in the lower rank is telling of the kind of people who sit on the Board. What kind of discipline do you wish to instill in the members when members of the Board themselves have no discipline, self-contradictory and incompetent in making sound judgement.
More puzzling is the case of Khairy Jamaluddin who was charged under the same offence but was let off with just a warning. Even more puzzling was the case of Khir Toyo, rumoured to be the one using the most money but was found not guilty by the Board. Maybe, Chairman Rithauddin could enlighten Malaysians how the Board arrived at a decision for two people that have committed the same offence but were given different judgement, one was punished and the other let off.
Doesn't matter whether it is Ali Rustam, Mohammad Taib or any other candidate, the decision of the Disciplinary Board is highly questionable.Frankly speaking, the Disciplinary Board should be replaced with new members that can do their work impartially and without malice.
When are the leaders in UMNO going to behave like gentlemen and allow fair competition in the party.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Is UMNO Killing Itself ?
Hantu Laut - (An UMNO watcher)
This could be 'the straw that broke the camel's back'. Rumours abound that some top contenders for the top posts in UMNO may be disqualified and barred from contesting the party elections for involvement in money politics. Names mentioned are Ali Rustam who is running for deputy president and said to be leading in the race.Others are Khairy Jamaluddin, Khir Toyo, Mohammad Rahmat, Azalina Othman and Norza Zakaria. Khir Toyo was also said to be the leader for the Youth race.
Has Mahathir played a big part in influencing the disciplinary committee to act accordingly. If the story is true than the return to Mahathirism is now becoming more obvious and the demise of UMNO may be faster than what many have expected. The days of unfair play, intimidation and coercion are over and 8 March 2008 was a wake up call.A call for change but UMNO remains unfazed.
Did Najib succumbs to Mahathir's persistant demand that those involved in money politics should not be allowed to contest the party elections ? If all are true and those names mentioned will be suspended from the party than without any doubt UMNO is moving back into that territory and it is clear which candidates are being protected.
To remove these candidates from contesting just about a week away from the party elections is definitely not in the interest of the future PM and a sure recipe for disaster.Most people see it as unfair actions and a move to protect certain candidates and allow them to win uncontested. The party will come out even weaker than before as disgruntled members will be working against the party and some elected representatives may even cross over to the oppositions to show their displeasure at the undemocratic means to boot them out. These people have been nominated to stand for elections in accordance with party rules.How they get there should not be a contention at this point of time.It only goes to show that the top leadership are afraid of competition and live in a time warp of primeval feudal system using money politics as an excuse to pave the way for an easy win.It's about time the leadership teach the Malays in UMNO how not to fear competition.
It would be wrong to take such hasty and harsh decision to punish those that you feel are guilty based on assumptions, allegations, suspicion, hearsay and without concrete evidence.
Not that I believe those names mentioned are completely innocent but in the dirty world of politics witnesses can be bought and sold and without substantive proof one must be given the benefit of the doubt.
If the rumours are true than Najib is going to inherit a much weaker party. I can already see a big grin on Anwar Ibrahim's face.
The 8 March Elections should be a lesson to be learned but UMNO seems unaffected and continued with their old-fashioned ways of doing things. It will pay a high price for this folly just to save one or two favoured candidates.
Time has changed and those who refused to change will be changed.
UMNO should take heed.
This could be 'the straw that broke the camel's back'. Rumours abound that some top contenders for the top posts in UMNO may be disqualified and barred from contesting the party elections for involvement in money politics. Names mentioned are Ali Rustam who is running for deputy president and said to be leading in the race.Others are Khairy Jamaluddin, Khir Toyo, Mohammad Rahmat, Azalina Othman and Norza Zakaria. Khir Toyo was also said to be the leader for the Youth race.
Has Mahathir played a big part in influencing the disciplinary committee to act accordingly. If the story is true than the return to Mahathirism is now becoming more obvious and the demise of UMNO may be faster than what many have expected. The days of unfair play, intimidation and coercion are over and 8 March 2008 was a wake up call.A call for change but UMNO remains unfazed.
Did Najib succumbs to Mahathir's persistant demand that those involved in money politics should not be allowed to contest the party elections ? If all are true and those names mentioned will be suspended from the party than without any doubt UMNO is moving back into that territory and it is clear which candidates are being protected.
To remove these candidates from contesting just about a week away from the party elections is definitely not in the interest of the future PM and a sure recipe for disaster.Most people see it as unfair actions and a move to protect certain candidates and allow them to win uncontested. The party will come out even weaker than before as disgruntled members will be working against the party and some elected representatives may even cross over to the oppositions to show their displeasure at the undemocratic means to boot them out. These people have been nominated to stand for elections in accordance with party rules.How they get there should not be a contention at this point of time.It only goes to show that the top leadership are afraid of competition and live in a time warp of primeval feudal system using money politics as an excuse to pave the way for an easy win.It's about time the leadership teach the Malays in UMNO how not to fear competition.
It would be wrong to take such hasty and harsh decision to punish those that you feel are guilty based on assumptions, allegations, suspicion, hearsay and without concrete evidence.
Not that I believe those names mentioned are completely innocent but in the dirty world of politics witnesses can be bought and sold and without substantive proof one must be given the benefit of the doubt.
If the rumours are true than Najib is going to inherit a much weaker party. I can already see a big grin on Anwar Ibrahim's face.
The 8 March Elections should be a lesson to be learned but UMNO seems unaffected and continued with their old-fashioned ways of doing things. It will pay a high price for this folly just to save one or two favoured candidates.
Time has changed and those who refused to change will be changed.
UMNO should take heed.
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