Will Sarawak Catch The Flu And Get The Fever ?

Hantu Laut

The battle for Batang Ai has started and guns are blazing from both sides of the war zone.Who would become the casualty will only be known after 7 April 2009.

Will Sarawak eventually go the way Sabah did, surrender its political power to Peninsula-based party or should it maintains the status-quo and keep its autonomy intact.

Sabah's autonomy has been completely eroded which begun during Berjaya days under Harris Salleh and completely sealed when UMNO took over the administration of the state. Internal bickering among selfish politicians was the cause that robbed Sabah of its autonomy.

If one go through Sarawak political blogs one would be amazed that almost all were against Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and are working hard to make sure the message get across, the BN candidate must not be allowed to win.

The more than 30 years of abuses and corruption by those in power may have led to the quest for change. The natives main complaint were the loss of NCR (Native Customary Right) lands to loggers and other developments deemed not benefical to them.

The Sarawak's blogosphere is buzzing with activities and campaigns similar to pre-March 8 General Elections when West Malaysian bloggers came out with guns blazing to decimate the BN that helped the oppositions gain significant ground and capture of 5 state governments.

The article below is from the most vociferous blogger 'Sarawak Headhunter'.

Sarawakians, Here's Where Some Of The Money Stolen From You Went

Rockcliffe 'palace' Ottawa's No. 2 home

The handsome new home of Ottawa developer Sean Murray and his wife, Jamilah Taib, has shot to No. 2 among Ottawa's most expensive private residences, as measured by the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. (MPAC).

The couple's house at 688 Manor Ave. in Rockcliffe Park, completed late last year, is worth $9,609,000, assessors have decided. That puts it second only to that of neighbours Marlen and Michael Cowpland. The Cowplands' modern mansion at 234 Perley Crt. has an updated assessment value of $12,535,000.

The Cowpland residence has been controversial because of its ultra-modern look, which some traditionalists have grumbled is out of place in Rockcliffe Park, where many of Ottawa's most expensive homes are located.

The new home of Mr. Murray and Ms. Taib has a more traditional look, which blends in with older, and much smaller, houses nearby. Its construction has been the talk of Rockcliffe for months.

Well-heeled neighbours were impressed when the couple showed off their new home at a recent house-warming and Christmas party. Read more......

More blogs below:

SARAWAK DAYAK BLOGGERS

• Ai Pengayu (Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban)
• Borneo Warrior (Tedewin Ngumbang)
• Bukit Tunggal (Darah Aku Menua Aku)
• The Dyaks Blog
• The Truth Revealed (Yes Minister)
• Tiyung Dayak
• Uchu Keling (James Guang)
• United States of All Borneo
• The Broken Shield
  

Will Sarawak catch the flu and get the West Malaysian fever?

The Mean Old Man

Hantu Laut

Former Prime Minister Mahathir is known for his abrasive and combative ways.He is not one who is hamstrung with shooting from the hip. A man who never minces his word and called a spade a spade no matter how much it hurts the other person at the receiving end.

The past few weeks have seen him admonishing and belittling the other two contenders for the deputy president of UMNO, Ali Rustam and Muhammad Taib. He said he would have kicked them out in the early stage if it was him at the helm of the party and also commented on their poor command of English.

His strongest criticism is reserved for those whom he disliked intensely and that would be Pak Lah whom he blamed for all that had gone wrong in UMNO, that would see Pak Lah exiting as prime minister by end of this month.

Mahathir, although no more a member of the party is still highly respected by some quarters in UMNO. This is the man you either love or hate.Opposition politicians hate him intensely and wouldn't give him any credit for his achievements. They only remember his bad sides and people like Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and Anwar Ibrahim who had gone to prison during his time see him as the devil incarnate, cruel and unforgiving.

On 27 October 1987 he ordered the police to arrest 106 opposition leaders and social activists for causing racial tension.It was the second biggest ISA swoop since the May 13 riots. The racial tension was brought about by massive protest by Chinese leaders including those from MCA and Gerakan who uttered racially provocative speeches when they found out that the government had posted about 100 school assistants and principals to Chinese vernacular schools who were not Mandarin educated.

Some in UMNO is dreaming of the good old days when the party was all powerful, dissent unheard of and the oppositions in disarray, wish how they would like to bring him back if they could. After the openess allowed under Pah Lah's administration his autocratic style wouldn't work anymore. People are more aware of their democratic rights and wouldn't be easily intimidated by repressive methods.The ballot box is now the most powerful weapon.

The time machine could not take them back to that era and if change doesn't come soon the party losing its grip on power in the next general election is as sure as the sun rises.There is serious crisis of confidence and erosion of credibility in the present leadership.

He is no niggard with words and bluntness when it comes to slamming his opponents on issues he dislikes or doesn't agree with.He has slammed not only local politicians but also world leaders.Former US President George Bust and former Britain Prime Minister Tony Blair had been the bitter pills for him to swallow on the Iraq War and Palestinian conflicts and called both of them war criminals and demanded that they be tried for crimes against humanity.

I couldn't agree more with him on this issue.If the World Court can issue warrant of arrest for Bashir of Sudan why can't they do the same for these two men who had killed just as many if not more innocent civilians.Does the method of how you kill makes a difference? Murder is the taking of human life intentionally, whether you drop a bomb from the air, use a gun or a machete it is still murder.

As much as he is misunderstood he has also been most profound in some of his unorthodox ways of doing things which the West vehemently criticised before. Now, they have shamelessly copied him. He should have copyrighted his methods.

The mean old man still knows best.

Misquoted ?

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How can Pak Lah repeatedly make this kind of mistake? The latest one is most embarrassing as it involved a foreign country.Is it because he is such a simple person he always misunderstood others or he is misunderstood ?

He said the Sultan of Brunei has agreed to drop the Limbang claim here.

Brunei refuted his statement here.

Was he misquoted ?

There was no retraction from him instead he said this.

Will The Chickens Come Home To Roost ?

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The race to be deputy president of UMNO and which by tradition also carry the position of deputy prime minister has taken centre stage and once again embroiled and embattled the party.The political saga continued and the dire economy relegated to the back seat.

Embittered supporters of Ali Rustam who has been barred from contesting the deputy president post have threatened reprisal.How far this threat will go is difficult to tell.

Prime Minister-in-waiting Najib Tun Razak is worried and has deployed his men to try appease the rank and file and restore calm in the party. If Ali's supporters took their threat home than UMNO may have the 'chickens coming home to roost' and more than what they have bargained for, a deputy president from the land of the yahoos.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has promised to meet Ali Rustam on the matter and Ali has indicated that he is appealing against the ruling made by the disciplinary board which most party members think was unfair and had made the party a laughing stock. The judgement and sentences passed had become the butt of jokes among Malaysians, a kind of 'different strokes for different folks', or same poison but given different antidote, one die and the other survive.

"Najib is destined to rule" says the wife."Let's not do anything unethical to stop it. It is his turn,".

"If God says it is his turn, it is his turn," says Rosmah.Is she in a hurry to be 'First Lady'? Maybe, she is right there must be divine intervention and in spite of his unpopularity and excess baggage it must be divine ruling that he be made to lead this nation.

With age on his side, God willing, Najib will be there for a long time if.........he didn't screw it up and let the man every young Malaysian love to have as prime minister takes over.

If Najib is going to be there for yonks why are the disciplinary board and the leadership in UMNO so worried about Ali Rustam competing for the deputy president post? Wouldn't it be better to have a three-cornered fight rather than a one-to-one head on collision? Do they think UMNO can hold the fort until 2013 and thereafter?

Mahathir had change of deputies four times before he handed over the premiership to Abdullah Badawi. Will Najib keep the same deputy all the time, or, like Mahathir, change him when the affection wears out and yet make the same mistake, as Mahathir by his own admission says he chose the wrong successor. Even if Muhyiddin won this round would he be re-elected again next round or would he become prime minister before the term end?

In politics anything can happen, just as nobody expect Ali Rustam to be the front runner in the race for the deputy president. Don't forget it was Muhyiddin who initiated the exit of Pak Lah. He is the 'Braveheart' in UMNO and probably more acceptable to the masses.

The preoccupation with politics have made the government less occupied with finding solutions to the economic crisis that beset the nation.Announcing the stimulus is one thing but if nothing goes on the ground it would be just pure academic exercise. As I have said, time and again, we have lost precious time and the catch up game may be longer and more costly.

The US started their rescue package about eight month ago and they have yet to see results. I wouldn't be surprised if our economy enter negative territory of at least -0.5 to -1.5 percent for the the year 2009 and total export shrunk by 30-40 percent by mid-year.

This is a democracy in peril and a nation that has lost its rudder and is on a perilous journey into troubled waters if the politicking doesn't stop soon.

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