Monkeying Around in Parliament

Thus far, we've had MPs complaining about not getting invitation cards, not being able to park their cars in their proper places, others not swearing in properly, not getting enough questions....when are we going to get down to real business, folks?

Maybe they should have an MP Idol competition where we vote for best MP? But guess that won't happen if Shabery decides that even the measly 30 minutes of live telecast is too much.

The show begins....

(Am posting this at KLIA where the wifi is useless.....)

Wednesday April 30, 2008 MYT 12:40:11 PM

Parliament proceedings disrupted (updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Proceedings at the 12th Parliament started 30mins late Wednesday morning as Opposition MPs raised several procedural issues, with led to some name-calling between representatives.

First Gombak MP Azmin Ali asked about why Barisan Nasional representatives were allowed seven questions, and Pakatan Rakyat only three.

Based on the number of backbenchers each coalition had, he said Pakatan should have been allowed six questions.

Then Bukit Gelugor Karpal Singh brought up the issue of MPs not following the proper process in oath-taking and also questioned the seating arrangements.

This led to an altercation between Karpal and Bung Mokhtar, with Karpal calling the Kinabatangan MP "Big Foot."

Bung Mokhtar hit back, saying, "If I'm Big Foot, you're a Big Monkey." (and he should know...)

This was the first time Parliament proceedings were telecast live.

Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek later said he may have to reconsider the live telecast of Question Time at Parliament.

He said the morning's delay was probably because some MPs "were playing to the gallery."

Speculating into the Mirror

One of the peculiarities of human beings that I have found in my experience is that they often expect other people to behave in the way they themselves would in a particular situation. I often get people telling me that if they were in the position I was in for 22 years they'd 'sapu' everything and really enjoy life, and can't believe that I walk around like a normal person. Likewise, people who are normally kind and generous also expect other people to be the same and are often disappointed.

So when I see people speculating about how 'the other side' will behave, to me it suggests that they expect that because that's how they themselves would behave. Dr Khir Toyo's statement is rather revealing: “There was some worry after Pakatan Rakyat won the state that the new government might remove some of the students from the list (of recipients) and the poor students would not be able to continue their studies,” Now why would he think that? Unless this is what he himself would do if he took over the state after being in opposition, no?

I'm sure the Balkis ladies did work hard for their various charities so I can understand having some attachment to money they raised. However they obviously were under the impression that they would be there forever. But it's the speculation about what other people will do with it that gets me. What does it matter if it is going to go to a good cause anyway? Besides, being out of office should not stop anyone from doing good works, should it?

Maybe the way out of the impasse is to turn to BAKTI, the Association of Ministers' Wives, headed by Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah. If they now have Balkis' money, then they should return it to Selangor and simply say that they hope it will be used to continue support for the charities and the underprivileged that previously benefited from it. End of silly story.

Saturday April 26, 2008

‘RM9.9mil belongs to Balkis’

PETALING JAYA: The RM9.9mil in the bank account of the Wives of Selangor Assemblymen and MPs Welfare and Charity Organisation (Balkis) belonged to it. And Balkis was within its rights to hand the money over to another organisation.

This is the stand of the president of the organisation at that time, Datin Seri Zahrah Kechik.

“We have sought legal advice and our lawyers advised us on the options available – either to put the money with any organisation or give it to the state.

Balkis members are proud of our work for the poor, we will never take what does not belong to us... DATIN SERI ZAHRAH KECHIK

“After some deliberations, we decided to give the money to the Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti),” Zahrah said yesterday.

The money was moved after a March 11 emergency meeting of Balkis, just days after the state government fell to the Pakatan Rakyat.

The current Selangor government is questioning the legality of the transfer of the funds.

Zahrah’s husband and former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said the organisation consulted its auditors and legal adviser before making the transfer and there was no “hanky-panky involved”.

Zahrah added that Balkis had decided to channel the money to Bakti because the two organisations have similar objectives.

She said the organisation’s constitution allowed for the money to be transferred to the state government or another entity with similar structure and charity orientation like Balkis – provided the recipient is recognised by the director-general of the Inland Revenue Board.

“Balkis was formed by wives of Barisan Nasional elected representatives who wanted to do something for the underprivileged.

“Now that Selangor is ruled by the opposition coalition, the members felt they could no longer serve effectively and that the organisation should be dissolved,” said Zahrah, adding that she chaired the March 11 meeting in her capacity as Balkis president.

“Balkis members worked hard to raise the RM9.9mil through various fund-raising activities over the years. The money is used to help the underprivileged groups in the state.

“All income, expenditure and contributions are clearly documented. Balkis members are proud of our work for the poor, we will never take what does not belong to us,” she said.

She said the wives of elected representatives under Khalid’s administration could also establish a similar organisation if they too desired to help the poor.

Dr Khir said the association was unsure if Khalid’s government would want to go on with the programmes already in place, or use the money for similar intentions,

He said the money was transferred to Bakti with the condition that those under Balkis’ Poor Students’ Aid Programme would continue to receive the aid.

“There was some worry after Pakatan Rakyat won the state that the new government might remove some of the students from the list (of recipients) and the poor students would not be able to continue their studies,” he said.

Dr Khir said the money was also used to fund a shelter home for women in Section 7, Shah Alam.

“The movement may want to establish a new association. The new association will be headed by Puan Sri Asbi Rohani Asnan, in her capacity as the wife of Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib,” he said.

The VIP Guide for Dummies - The Lesser VIP

As with all things, there is a hierarchy of VIPness. I have already mentioned the VVIPPs. Below them there are several classes of VIPs. There are the Ministerial VIPs ie Ministers who do make policy now and then, though not always of the right kind. Still, despite some of these policies, they still get invited to open new buildings, launch projects, etc. Or to lounges where they get to pinch bottoms without getting their faces slapped.

Then there are the lower ranking Deputy Ministers and now the non-existent Parliamentary Secretaries. It must be said that most of us wouldn't know who these are most of the time, so it's really only when they have to stand in for someone else that they get their little VIP day in the sun. And of course they want to be treated that way. Hence, the red carpet must be rolled out, the special seats, the bowing and scraping etc. It makes their day, poor things, so let's not begrudge them too much.

Below them are a special class of VIPs who are the spouses of VIPs (usually refrred to as VIW or Very Important Wife). They don't have much else to their names beside the fact that they happened to marry someone who wound up being a VIP. (Though occasionally you do get the VIP spouse who bristles at the idea that you would think they were ONLY a wife, and not also a person of achievement in her own right. Do be careful how you address this type. She gets very Hilary-ish if you get it wrong.) These types of VIPs also get to cut ribbons, usually of boutiques and jewellery stores but sometimes of charitable foundations. They are decorative and will attract some press but rarely do you get much that is earthshaking in their speeches, since hubby's speechwriter wrote their speech for them.

Then there is the Self-Nominated Important Person (SNIP). These are the sorts who have made their names through some form of notoriety which guarantees some press interest. If you want to attract some attention to your event, inviting these SNIPs is not a bad idea. Just don't expect anything very profound from them and you'll have a good time. SNIPs are usually the sort of people you invite after you've been turned down by everyone from VVIPPs down but they won't mind. It does give them an excuse to dress up and be camera-ready for a few hours.

Then there's the Minorly Important Person (MIP) who's really just important for the couple of hours it takes to launch something at some small event. I occasionally get to be a MIP which leads to awkward moments like having to answer questions such as ,"And how many people will be in your entourage?"

"Um..none?"

What governs VIPs is this thing called Protocol. VIPs live for this. And woe betide you if you don't know your protocol. The first thing you must remember in protocol is what to call your VIP. There is nothing worse than getting their titles and names wrong.

Unfortunately we live in a country where there are several thousand titles and there are some people who are extremely fussy about you getting their titles wrong. For instance, you must know what their new title is the very second it's issued or else your head is on the block. How you're supposed to know this is of course not something the said VIP cares about but the thing is this, never call a Tan Sri a Datuk! (Unless you're my Mum who gets Generals and Lieutenants mixed up and tends to demote people so cheerfully that they don't have the heart to correct her.)

Protocol is a nightmare for normal people who have to do MC'ing or make speeches. That's because you have to address all the VIPs in descending order before you even get to welcoming them to the event. Occasionally the audience falls asleep before they even get to hear the speech, the preliminary greetings were that long. (Having said that, we should be thankful we don't live in Brunei where protocol is even more convoluted than here. As I learnt many years ago in a speech I had to make there once, one never addresses anyone by the word 'you'; each time they need to be mentioned, you have to say the entire name!)

Occasionally people's need to feel important ( and protocol officers' need to earn their keep) results in ridiculous situations. For some reason I remember one Merdeka Day event at Stadium Merdeka when I was a child where the then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was made to give his speech with his back turned towards the public. He apologised for it but apparently at that time, protocol deemed that one shouldn't turn one's back to VIPs. Presumably this is so you know the true meaning of who you should be 'watching your back' for.

One time protocol actually worked to normal people's advantage. I went to one gala event where all the VIPs were seated at a long table facing the stage while the rest of us sat behind them at round tables. This meant that they could not see what we were up to. That was the most fun event I had been to in a long time because we could simply ignore all the VIPs throughout the entire evening. (Unfortunately this also meant we ignored Diane Kraal which is why she'll probably never perform in KL again.) Protocol however caught on to that so nowadays we all get seated in front of VIPs in order to eliminate any high jinks. :-(

Not that it's much fun having to submit to protocol if you're a VIP. For instance, have you ever wondered how come at those Malay weddings which take an eternity to get through, none of the VIPs feel a need to go to the loo? Do they have extra-strong bladders? I can't get through those things without going to the loo several times, if only to relieve boredom.

That's only one of the occupational hazards of being a VIP. In the next episode I will expound on why VIPness isn't all it's cracked up to be. Stay tuned!

I'm Sorry but This Stinks...

Why do I think this smells to high heaven?

Thursday April 24, 2008

Ex-minister had no intention of outraging my modesty, says lounge promoter

By LOURDES CHARLES

KUALA LUMPUR: The woman who alleged that a former Cabinet minister had outraged her modesty now wants to withdraw her report, claiming she “misunderstood” the incident.

The 30-year-old promoter at a lounge in a five-star hotel here, in a statutory declaration sent to Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail through her lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said she was “sensitive and moody” at the time of the incident last Thursday.

She said she had known the former minister over the past five years, and that he had acted in jest without any bad intention. However, she said she felt offended at that time due to her “complicated mood which led to her lodging a police report the next day.

“I realise now that I may have misunderstood the entire episode that took place last Thursday.

“When he jokes, he sometimes likes to touch my shoulder or arms but it is something that I accepted as normal among friends especially those we have known for a long time,” she said in her statement.

The woman also said she regretted lodging the police report, as there was no intention on the part of the former minister, who is still an MP, to outrage her modesty or act inappropriately.

She said she was used to the VIP’s jokes and “rough ways” and had never objected to his actions nor felt offended by it previously.

“I cannot remember exactly the conversation between me and the VIP although in my statement to the police I may have said something else.

“I am afraid I may have misinterpreted or misheard (him). The VIP concerned is known to always joke like that and it is normal for him to be like that,” she said, and apologised for lodging the report.

Gani confirmed he had received a fax copy of the statutory declaration from Muhammad Shafee.

“I will forward this request to the police and it is up to them to investigate and get back to me,” he said.

____________________________________________________________________

Well....so sexual harassment is a figment of a woman's imagination, based on her mood, is it? And funny that she had put up with his 'jokes and rough ways' while he was a Cabinet Minister and not anymore, at least for a day ? And what is wrong with not being in the mood to put up with his hands anymore?

He's still an MP though. So we are to put up with an MP who likes to joke this way with women in lounges? With people like these, what's the odds that the proposed Sexual Harassment Act will get passed?

Just Joking Johnny, huh?

Running for Peace

Me and ShaSha just before I had to run.

UPDATE 2: Fellow blogger Hafiz went through a scary experience at Dataran Merdeka.

UPDATE 1:

Well folks, I have to tell you it was a great experience! But it was a looonggg day.

My day started at 7.30am when I got picked up to go to NTV7 to do the Breakfast Show with two of my running mates. We were all invited by Lenovo to run so we also had to do whatever publicity requests came in.

At 12.30, dressed in my white OTR t-shirt and white track pants, I got to Dataran Merdeka where the opening ceremony was to happen. The sponsors had put up big tents and the public could participate in various games and win goodies. It was extremely hot and we were wilting even before we did our run (which was still some time away). There were cheerleaders, rollerbladers, drummers, lion dancers and all sorts of entertainment.

At about 1.30 or so, they finally started the ceremonies. Speeches and more speeches and then the race started. My five running mates and I couldn't watch it much as we had to get into our bus and go off to Stadium Merdeka where we were to wait until our turns to run. The roads were lined with people waiting for the runners. The funny thing was that, like Dataran Merdeka, there were a lot of Chinese nationals with Chinese flags and banners in Chinese. Along the road to Stadium Merdeka, a lot of schoolchildren lined the sides of the road with banners that were obviously pro-China.

The China contingent lining the streets.

In fact that was the odd thing about the run. There were simply more Chinese flags than there were Malaysian ( and very large ones at that). And there were banners which were obviously political in nature, very pro-China. Obviously it was all very well-planned by the Chinese government. Which was a pity when they are always going on about how the Olympics are non-political.

Anyway, we waited for over an hour at Stadium Merdeka though it was made fun because we got to hang out with people like Nicol David, Marina Chin, Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina, Razif and Jailani Sidek and a pop singer called Rynn who had schoolgirls screaming all the time. But soon we were given our numbers and directed to get on the buses.

All of us are assigned a particular section of the route. To get there we have to get on the 'drop-off' bus which takes us to our spot and drops us off. After we do our run, we get picked up by the 'pick-up bus'.

The atmosphere in the bus was one of great excitement. Every time someone's number got called and they are handed their torch before they got to their stop, we all cheered. Each of us gets a torch which is a beautiful scroll-like design and weighs about 985 gms. And the best thing is we get to keep it afterwards!

I got dropped off in front of Sungei Wang Plaza and immediately got mobbed by people wanting to take photos of the torch. It got to be a bit hairy actually because I didn't know when the runner before me was going to arrive. Luckily the police came and cleared the route and soon I saw the camera truck which rides just ahead of the runners. Right behind it was Nick, my running mate. Just as I was waiting for him, one of the Beijing Olympic Committee (BOCOG) staff ran up to me, inserted a key into a tiny hole at the side of my torch and turned it on. (The torch contains a gas canister which must be turned on before ignited). When Nick came up , I had to shout to him because he couldn't see me in the crowd but soon my torch was alight and I was off.

The feeling of carrying that torch and hearing people cheering you on is indescribable. I was screaming with excitement, I was so stoked. My hubby and daughter were in the crowd and I even heard a friend shout my name. I couldn't go very fast and at one time, because the camera truck in front of me slowed down, I was walking. The BOCOG staff member running next to me would remind me to run in the middle of the road because that would get me in the best position for the cameras on the truck ahead.

Far too soon I saw the next torchbearer, Ras Adiba Radzi. She was in her wheelchair of course but the torch was attached to a pole on it so she didn't have to hold it. I lit her torch and soon after that, mine was turned off.

That's when I really got mobbed. Suddenly there were all these people around me trying to touch the torch and take photos of themselves with it. I didn't feel in danger but it was still a bit overwhelming. I was a bit afraid that someone would take my precious torch away from me but soon enough, one of the BOCOG staff came and hurried me off back onto the pick-up bus.On the bus, the canisters in our torches were disposed off and our torches put in their specially-made boxes and given to us as souvenirs.

From then on, it was a slow drive following behind the other torch bearers. I sat with Nicol all the way and we had a good laugh and chat about the whole thing. It was great to see the streets lined by people all happily waving at us. At the KL Tower, things slowed down to a standstill. The buses didn't move at all but apparently there were some official things going on there. While we waited, the rain started. All of us on the bus counted our blessings that our bits of the run were already over. We looked up and saw some parachutes descending down towards us from the top of the tower in the rain, one of them almost impaling himself on a lamppost.

Soon we made our slow way towards KLCC. It poured cats and dogs and we all were given plastic ponchos to wear over our clothes. At KLCC we walked thru the shopping centre towards the closing ceremony in front of the fountains, carrying our torch boxes. People even wanted to touch the boxes!

The crowd at KLCC waiting for the torch in the rain.

The whole event ended with some more speeches and token-giving and afterwards the cauldron of fire symbolising the Olympic Torch was turned off. The Olympic flame however is never extinguished and the lantern carrying it is by now on its way to Jakarta for the next leg of the run.

Even though I only ran a hundred metres, it was still an exhausting day. I think it was all that adrenalin of excitement building up and afterwards, winding down to a normal state again.But it was an amazing experience. I just wished it was longer.


ORIGINAL POST:
Hi folks, sorry haven't updated but as some of you may be aware, I am one of the 80 people doing the Olympic Torch Run today. If you have the time, do line the route and cheer us on. I'm Runner No 46 and will be running in front of Sungei Wang Plaza around 4.15pm and I think I'm handing the torch over to Ras Adiba Radzi.

Yesterday morning, there was a wonderful multifaith prayer for peace for the people of Tibet, for a successful run in Malaysia and also for the Olympic Games. There were also some Tibetan monks in attendance.

Dr Amir Farid Isahak gave a wonderful doa for peace amongst all peoples, quoting the Quran about how God had made us all of different tribes so that we may know one another.

Some Tibetan monks were also there and did some Tibetan chants.




Then we all lit a candle for peace amongst all the people of the world.

(Grateful thanks to Jinggo for the photos.)

The VIP Guide for Dummies

In view of the number of aspiring VIPs these days, I thought I would make myself useful by writing a guide to How To Be A Real VIP. After all I do have several decades' experience in being near one and have been on occasion considered an IP myself. In fact, there is a school of thought (mine mostly) that if only some current VIPs and wannabe VIPs had only consulted me, then they wouldn't be in the pickle that they are in now. Still, it's never too late and besides, since there are some who are of the opinion that any political commentary from me is fast becoming irrelevant these days, I might as well make some useful contribution to society and what better field than in VIPness?

Malaysia is one of those countries awash in VIPs big and small. In fact, every time a Sultan or a Governor has a birthday, more VIPs are squeezed out. At least in the opinion of those receiving various awards, this makes them Very Important Indeed, meriting whole pages in the newspapers of them congratulating themselves on their newly-acquired VIPness.

However this is not to say all these newly minted VIPs know how to be proper ones. And indeed there is a proper way to be a VIP. It is an art. It is a science. It needs to be studied. There should be PhDs in it. And that's why there are some (Dr.) VIPs. Hence a proper instruction manual, such as I am presenting here, is very much required.

We shall begin by first identifying a VIP. Not everybody who thinks they are VIPs, are. Unfortunately, to the uneducated, it's hard to tell which is which. Things like flashy cars, loud jewellery, men in bushjackets and dark glasses always close by, can be deceiving. These may be accoutrements, my dears, but they do not always a VIP make. Here therefore are some tips on how to correctly spot the different species.

The most important type of VIP is actually the VVIPP. That stands for Very Very Important Powerful Person. The operative word here is Power. Most VVIPPs are, unfortunately, politicians, those people who get voted in by about, say, 30,000 people and who then go on to be voted by another couple of thousand, and who then go on and rule over 26 million of us.

Thankfully there aren't too many of them. Two or three at most. We however should consider ourselves lucky if we actually voted these in because of late, we do get the occasional VVIPP who are not voted in. But they get to be VVIPP anyway, mostly by marrying one.

VVIPPs are easily spotted by the fact that they get their mugs in the papers an awful lot, even when they say or do the most inane things. This is the thing about being a VVIPP. People think every tiny thing you do is oh so wonderful, at least if you believe the papers. Even when you do nothing more earthshaking than open a boutique, show off your satay grilling prowess or some other action, just to prove that hey, you may be a PP but really, you are a normal person too! Hence the sight of enthusiastic oohing and aahing from otherwise adult types at what are really mundane activities. Kind of like adults cooing at a child who's just done something grownup.

VVIPPs are however rarely spotted in normal life. You don't see them at the supermarket or post office because they have underlings who buy groceries and post birthday cards for them. To see them, you need to be invited to certain events such as openings, launches and gala charity dinners. Even so, you'll be lucky to get a glimpse because more often than not, they get whisked off to something called a holding room. That's a room filled with exceptional boring stiff people trying desperately to make conversation. But more on the Social Life of a VVIP later.

As previously mentioned, the main characteristic of VVIPPs is power. This is not always obvious if said VVIPP is of the lembek type. But I have seen such power in action. For example, many years ago, I had to attend a meeting in a Ministry. The Minister was late so we had to sit around a table with some officials who clearly were not interested in what we had to say. On the tables in front of them, my colleagues and I had placed our information brochures and some badges symbolising what our organisation stood for ( they were red ribbons, if you must know!).

The conversation, such as it was, was flagging badly when after 30 mins or so, the Minister finally came in and sat down. Everyone perked up a bit. Then the Minister looked down and saw the badges, picked one up and attached it to his lapel. Immediately, his formerly indifferent officers picked theirs up and pinned them to their lapels too! Now that's power! (And he was only a VIPP, not a VVIPP!).

More to come on the VIP life later, folks. I have to get on with some non-VIP things like doing the laundry.

And yet they don't wonder why...

Monday April 14, 2008

Govt study: Youngsters just ain’t patriotic

By IAN MCINTYRE

BACHOK: A recent Government study has revealed that patriotism levels among youth in the country have declined significantly and if left unchecked, could lead to serious consequences for nation building.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the revelation has forced the ministry to re-look its policy on how to engage youth.

The Government has admitted it has lost the support of youths and has been unable to reach out to the technology-savvy generation, he said.

“We need to adapt to changing needs and lifestyles. For starters, we need to re-instil patriotism in youths regardless of their ethnicity or religious backgrounds,'' he said during his inaugural working visit to the east coast state.

Earlier, he held dialogues with youth department officers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at the youth skills institute here.

Ismail said the ministry would now be “result-orientated” with a specific goal of restoring confidence among the young in the Government.

This would include the ministry setting up its own blog as well as channelling funds directly to all youth associations, including youth-based NGOs in the country.

“We have decided to reduce bureaucracy. From now on, all funding for youth NGOs and associations will come directly from the ministry.

“We would ensure the grassroots have funds to conduct activities for youths,” he said.

Character-building programmes that instil patriotism are also needed to shore up support among youths, Ismail said.

**********************************************************************************

The most obvious thing missing from this report is the lack of curiosity as to why the young are not patriotic. The next thing to ask is what they mean by patriotism. Is it simply the ability to march in step, sing one tune, nod one's head in unison? Or to love one's country by wanting the best for it, whether good leaders, good policies, good laws, good education systems, and understanding that this is an ongoing ever-evolving process that they can actively participate in.

Why BN Lost in Perak

Because they have delusional people like this one:

Thursday April 10, 2008

Khairy gets backing for post

IPOH: Khairy Jamaluddin is the most appropriate person to replace Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as Umno Youth chief, Perak Umno Youth chief Zainol Fadzi Paharudin said.

Pledging his support for the Umno Youth deputy chief, Zainol Fadzi said Khairy had demonstrated the qualities of a leader of calibre during his tenure as the movement’s number two.

“He is also an effective and loyal deputy to Hishammuddin. His ability and experience have been proven time and again in the agenda and political struggles of Umno Youth,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Is the Writing on the Wall?

This story first came out in the Malaysian Insider on Monday April 7. Then yesterday in the Singapore Business Times. Of course, nothing in our papers although the Insider is related to the NST.

Just wondering how PM is preparing to react to this?


Johor Umno lobby in move to call for Abdullah's exit
Singapore Business Times - 08 Apr 2008


PRIME Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will probably not serve out his
full term as he is likely to be persuaded to step down in a managed,
but dignified, exit.

According to officials of the ruling United Malays National
Organisation (Umno), of which Mr Abdullah is president, a Saturday
meeting of the Johor Umno liaison committee, the state's highest
policy making body, resolved that Mr Abdullah should step down but in
a manner that should not humiliate him in any way.

'The anger on the ground is just too strong for him to stay,' one of
the officials said, 'but it must be done in a courteous manner.'

On a timetable for succession, the official was less clear, implying
there was either no clear consensus or that Mr Abdullah could map out
his own schedule if he so wished. Umno has decided to hold party
elections in December.

The Johor lobby is immensely powerful in Umno as the state is not only
the historical birthplace of the party but has the most senior office
bearers within Umno so the resolution is significant and carries
weight.

There are six ministers in the Cabinet from Johor, the most from any
one state, and at least one serving Umno vice-president -
International Trade Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

If it pans out, Mr Abdullah's long goodbye will have striking
parallels with the ouster of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the country's first
prime minister, who saw the writing on the wall not long after the
1969 elections when his then ruling Alliance coalition fared dismally
and announced that he would step down in September 1970, a year after
the elections.

It isn't clear if Mr Abdullah can hold out for that long. In addition,
in the Tunku's case, the country was already being led by Abdul Razak
Hussein, his deputy then, in the capacity as head of the National
Operations Council.

Malaysia was then administered by the NOC because an emergency had
been declared after racial riots broke out in the aftermath of the
election. In yet another parallel, Mr Abdullah's current deputy is
Najib Razak, the eldest son of Mr Abdul Razak.

Mr Abdullah is expected to be told formally of Johor Umno's decision
by Umno liaison chief Ghani Othman, the state's Chief Minister, this
Friday when the prime minister makes an official visit to the state.

It isn't clear how he will react as Johor Umno has traditionally been
among his strongest supporters. Indeed, in recent days, Mr Abdullah
has repeatedly vowed that he would not resign, insisting that he
'would stay and fight'

Some Ruminations on Sabotage

I decided to look up the word 'sabotage' today to see what its exact meaning is since it is a word that is in our newspaper pages a lot of late. Here's the definition that is pertinent: Treacherous action to defeat or hinder a cause or an endeavor; deliberate subversion. A saboteur is therefore a person who commits an act of sabotage.

I was thinking about this when reading that the PM decided to blame BN's losses almost totally on sabotage. I am sure he is not completely wrong because certainly in some areas there was sabotage, mostly by people who felt they should have been nominated as candidates but were not. But to blame the wholesale loss of five states plus KL just on sabotage is a complete misreading of the results. Or, total denial of what happened.

If one were to regard every single voter who would normally have been expected to vote for BN but did not, as a saboteur, then I suppose the election results was the result of sabotage. Even more so when those who either voted for non-BN parties or spoiled their votes were card-carrying members of BN parties.

On the other hand, BN did not lose just because there were these 'saboteurs'. They lost because there were a whole lot of people who simply did not want to vote for it, most of whom were not members of any parties. The vote is still a secret vote so there is no reason, apart from force of habit, to assume that everyone must always vote the same way each time. Generally, uneven as it may be, we do have choices and we can exercise that choice at each election as many of us did last March 8. So all these people who did vote for non-BN parties cannot be regarded as saboteurs.

According to Ong Kian Ming's analysis of the results, BN won only 49.8% of the popular vote in 2008, that is, slightly less than half. If you add in the numbers of spoilt votes, then the percentage drops even further to 48.7%. That means that the BN was very unpopular with more than half the voters, even though they still won the majority in Parliament and formed the Federal Government.

What was more, Ong estimated that the Malay vote swing against BN was about 5%. Of course not all Malays are UMNO members. But supposing they all were, that swing would translate into only 150,000 votes out of approximately 3 million UMNO members. Which is not a lot. But that was all it took, if you assume that the Chinese and Indians were already not keen to vote for BN.

Now on the one hand, that's not a lot of people in the overall scheme of things. But if one decides that these were all saboteurs who need to be punished, then it is a lot of people. What's more, as with anything involving human beings, people are never isolated. They are other people's spouses, friends, family members, workmates and associates. Thus any attempt at punishing them would mean alienating not only them but also everyone else associated with them. Punishing them is not going to make them vote BN next time. If anything, it will strengthen their commitment to not vote BN and it may well inspire others to do the same as well.

In other words, this is a great way to lose GE 13.

Much more useful would be to look at why there was this turning away from BN and do everything possible to win them back again. That would be the logical thing to do. But then, we don't seem to have logical leaders at the moment.

I am very interested in words and the psychological underpinnings of words we use. I tried to look up the word 'sabotage' in Malay and funnily enough, could only find 'sabotaj'. Now surely, Malays are not immune to acts of sabotage ever! So I decided why don't we translate the meaning of 'sabotage' instead?

Now, if we translate the word 'treachery' which is implicit in any act of sabotage, you get 'pengkhianatan' or 'penderhakaan'. These are very heavy words indeed. They are not things one accuses people of on a whim. So I find it interesting that Utusan Malaysia only uses the word 'kes sabotaj' or 'mensabotaj' when talking about the PM's accusations. Not 'penderhaka' or 'pengkhianat'.

Why is that? It is I think a case of our leadership not choosing words carefully, coming from minds not fully formed to think things out clearly ( and minds that mostly only think in English I'm sure). To complain about sabotage is to imply that what caused the elections to go against BN, and UMNO in particular, are just acts like perhaps diverting people away from polling stations or telling people not to go to vote at all or other naughty tricks like that.

But the point is that people who did get to the polling stations still voted against them, or spoilt their votes. (I quote the government rag, the NST, on Mar 12: "A whopping 322,461 spoilt votes were cast in the general election, sending a message of displeasure to both the government and opposition..... Johor recorded the highest number with 28,709 spoilt votes for the parliamentary seats and 25,455 for the state seats." Now it's debatable if the spoilt votes really was a message of displeasure to the opposition, rather than just a reluctance to vote for any opposition party. But the BN could obviously have done with another 300,000+ votes. What's more, when an UMNO/BN bastion like Johor records the highest ever spoilt votes, I would certainly treat that as a major message that something is very wrong.)

So if they were to punish saboteurs, it would be like punishing naughty little schoolboys. But if they were to punish penderhaka or pengkhianat, this would be an entirely different thing. In the past such acts were viewed with such gravity that those committing acts of treachery were either put to death or sent off to exile. Now, how do you do that with 150,000 people?

I have to laugh when I read things like this:

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Tuesday April 8, 2008

Perak Umno finds 100 likely saboteurs

IPOH: Perak Umno has identified about 100 members who could have resorted to sabotage in the general election, causing Perak to fall to the Opposition in the March 8 polls.

State Barisan vice-chairman Datuk Ramly Zahari said he received word of members casting spoilt votes, attending Opposition ceramah and even acting as runners for the other side.

“Some of them were even manipulated by the Opposition to work for them,” he told reporters at the Perak Umno headquarters yesterday.

“For instance, one member hears propaganda that the other side was getting RM100 or RM200 to help in the campaigning, when he thinks he was not getting anything,” he said. (Thus admitting that Perak UMNO members can be bought...)

Ramly, who is state Umno secretary, was commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s statement on Sunday that acts of sabotage by Umno members caused Barisan to lose Perak and Kedah.

Ramly said Umno division chiefs had been directed to pinpoint those responsible.

“Of course, we will investigate thoroughly to determine first if they had really tried to sabotage the party. We will only submit the names (for disciplinary action) once there is proof,” he added.

A list of the Umno saboteurs is expected to be ready by the end of next month. (Wow, only one and half months to investigate 100 people!)

Asked if the sabotage had anything to do with the non-performance of the elected representatives in the past, Ramly said that could be one reason.

“After elections, some of them disappear and come back after two years. A politician has no honeymoon. You have to be on call 24 hours,” he said.

On allegations that Barisan offered RM6mil to RM65mil to a DAP assemblyman to cross over, Ramly said: “It is impossible. I advise (Ipoh Barat MP) M. Kulasegaran to think before making such accusations,” he said.

Tronoh assemblyman V. Sivakumar claimed that he had been deluged with offers to change parties since the general election. The highest offer was supposedly RM65mil cash and a state exco post.

Ramly denied that Perak Umno and anyone in Barisan had extended offers to DAP, PKR or PAS to switch camps.

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When are these people going to wake up? Has the sleeping sickness affected all of them?

What they don't seem to get is that we have a right to vote and nobody can tell us how to vote. We decide based on whether we like the candidate and what he/she and his/her party stands for. Or, based on what they don't stand for. It's not a matter of sabotage because most of us don't owe our loyalty to any party. We can choose.

And we did. Get that through your heads, please!

Let's Get the Whips Out!

Thursday April 3, 2008

Proposal to Prosecute Non-Muslims for Khalwat

KUALA LUMPUR: A seminar on Syariah Law review wants non-Muslims found committing khalwat (close proximity) with Muslims to also be held liable.

This was among the proposals made at the two-day seminar organised by the Islamic Institute of Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) and the Syariah Judiciary Department Malaysia.

Syariah Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Asri Abdullah said the seminar had proposed that non-Muslims committing khalwat with Muslims should also be sentenced accordingly, but in the civil courts.

“We don’t have the jurisdiction to sentence non-Muslims committing khalwat with Muslims,” he told reporters after closing the seminar on behalf of department director-general Datuk Ibrahim Lembut at Ikim here today.

“The Muslims can be sentenced in Syariah courts, and the non-Muslim partners can probably be sentenced in the civil courts, to be fair to both parties.”

He said the proposal, contained in a draft resolution at the seminar, would be forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“It is up to the Attorney-General’s Chambers or the relevant authorities to decide how to create such a law,” he said.

However, he declined to elaborate when the proposal would be forwarded to the Government.

Another proposal is to impose heftier penalties – of up to four times the current penalties – on Muslims caught for khalwat, prostitution, consuming alcohol and involvement in gambling activities.

Mohd Asri said Ikim and the department were proposing that the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Amendment) 1984 be amended to impose stiffer penalties of RM1,000 fine, or five years’ jail or 12 strokes of the rotan for Syariah Lower Courts and RM20,000 fine, or 10 years’ jail or 24 strokes of rotan for Syariah High Courts.

Current limits are a maximum of three years’ jail, or RM5,000 fine, or up to six lashes or any combination of these, and different states provide different penalties for these offences.

“This has not been reviewed since 1984. It has been more than 20 years,” said Mohd Asri.

There was also a proposal for Syariah judges to enforce whipping for these offences.

Another proposal calls for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for those convicted of offences related to morals and faith such as prostitution and effeminate men, and enforcement of Section 54 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Act (Act 559) to set up such centres.

The seminar also agreed to a suggestion that a new provision be created for apostates.

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Well, well, well....did they learn nothing from the elections recently? Or is their memory so short? Wasn't all this interference in people's private lives one of the things that Malaysians were rejecting, as well as any attempt to impose Syariah or Syariah-like laws onto non-Muslims?

And how are they to identify 'effeminate' men? By their voices? By their demeanour? By their handsomeness? I can think of many prominent men doomed for the rehab centres already.

And what exactly would the new provision for apostates be? To have them killed?

The Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBHS) has already come out to say that any attempt to prosecute non-Muslims is unConstitutional.

I think the whole thing is unConstituional, whatever religion we might be. Malaysia is still the only country in the world to have such khalwat laws. Unless we want to be like the Saudi moral police who are so zealous that people die because of their excesses. More fodder for the Geert Wilders of the world.

Just when we felt that a new Malaysia was coming into being, it's the same old, same old again. Read Farish Noor's take on it here.

Now They Tell Themselves...

I love all these retrospective studies! This one is reported in the NST today without the slightest touch of irony.

Study shows why BN lost media war

02 April, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional's apathy towards the use of the Internet was a major contributor to its losses in the recent general election, a new study revealed. The study by Zentrum Future Studies Malaysia, conducted from Feb 20 to March 5 and involving 1,500 respondents aged between 21 and 50, showed that the alternative media had a big influence on voters.

Universiti Malaya Media Studies department senior lecturer Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah said in the recent election, BN lost in the "information war" due to its misjudgment on the importance of the alternative media.

"Young people are relying more on these new alternative media rather than the conventional ones like newspapers and television," he said at a forum themed "Society and Media in the 2008 Election" yesterday. (No kidding...)

In the study, 64.5 per cent of those aged from 21 to 30 years trusted blogs and online media for reliable information compared with 23.1 per cent who relied on the television and only 12.4 per cent on newspapers.

Of those between 31 and 40 years, 61.7 per cent believed that the information in the blogs and online media was true while 23.5 trusted the television and 14.8 per cent the newspapers.

But the older generation, those who are from 41 to 50 years old, seemed to trust the traditional media more than the new media.

"Realising how powerful the new media is, the opposition parties have used the opportunity since 1998 when the Internet started to penetrate the country.

"In the mid 2000, the opposition had more than 7,500 blogs and websites while the government had only three," said Abu Hassan who is also a researcher for the study.

Newspaper columnist Datuk Johan Jaafar felt there was a need to have a critical thinking to deal with these new modern media.

"This is a new influence that we need to carefully think of," he said.