Why is Anwar Ibrahim STILL the opposition leader?

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jama luddin said this was because Parti Keadilan Rakyat no longer held the majority among the Opposition following the defection of several MPs.

He said political convention dictated that the opposition party with the most number of seats in Dewan Rakyat should have the honour of having one of their MPs become the Opposition Leader.

Source: The Star Online

Sometimes you just want to ask this fellow to put a sock in it. Seriously, KJ; this is the reason why Anwar is still the Opposition leader. He holds the popular vote, not the majority vote.

All because one holds the majority vote, does not mean they can lead effectively. Instead, a popular leader may have the charisma and the personality to hold various entities together because he becomes a point of reference; much like a light-house during a storm.

Obviously, KJ is not the popular or majority vote.

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Would a change in leader fix anything?

I'm being pessimistic. I don't really think a change in leadership would bring any good for Malaysia, if the leader comes from the same political affiliation as the past leader. Reason being? Same baggage.

Najib Razak will carry into his term the same old stuff Abdullah had to deal with and probably have the same support team also. Would this change anything? The same old gang is running the palace and the same practices will still be in place. Nothing has change. Everything is just as it was before. So whether Pak Lah leaves today or in March makes no difference. The same state of affairs will still be dominate over Malaysia. Our economy will be heading south, the people would still be facing bleak times and there will still be political chaos. It doesn't really address the root problem - poor governance at large.

The MPs should be allowed to lead by conscience and by party lines. The MPs should highlight the problems of the citizens living in their areas. Government policies should strive to better the lives of the people of Malaysia rather than enrich a certain group of people or party members. What is really needed is a change in governance style.

Can Najib bring about this? I really do not know. With the Altantuya case coming to conclusion, the results will no doubt haunt Najib not to mention the stigma that case has brought onto the Prime Minister in waiting. It will be Najib that has to face a bleak 13th General Election where the BN may finally be tumbled from its pedestal. At the rate the current government is going, BN may just be opposition after the 13th General Election.

Can Najib handle Anwar Ibrahim? Another case to watch for in the coming months after March 2009. It would be interesting if Anwar Ibrahim can install his government before March 2009 then all this wondering if Najib is capable can be put to rest and at least we know, RPK would be set free from ISA. I do not think Najib can handle Anwar Ibrahim. Left to his own devices Najib may be as weak as Pak Lah.

What we need is a leader who has fire in his belly. Someone who would grab Malaysia by it's collar and say, let's move on. Someone who can tell off the parliament. It should be a leader who inspires the populace to step forward and be counted. This is the leader we need and currently, I don't see that in UMNO.

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Is Pak Lah leaving?

Everyone is looking forward to Thursday (9th October 2008) in expectations of Pak Lah making an announcement on his decision to defend is post as president of UMNO. Most analyst think it is very likely, Pak Lah would opt to not contest the presidential post, giving way to Najib Razak to assume presidency and eventually to take over as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Not all choose to believe Pak Lah would step down unless they see it happen for sure, Tun Mahathir is one of the "seeing is believing crowd" and to be honest, I count myself in that camp too.

Too much talk has been flying about these pass few months and nothing to show for. A lot of hot air yet nothing substantial that can really be attributed to walking the talk by those in high office of governance. To be fair this stance is also adopted by the PR camp too but then they are already up to their necks learning to govern five states and having the full brunt of the BN smear machinery going against them.

So the biggest question now - Is Pak Lah leaving?

It would be something Anwar Ibrahim would be watching for as long as Pak Lah stays in power the better it is for him. The case may be different if another person is in charge but for lack of better candidates, Anwar may have to contend with Najib Razak. But troubled men tend to gravitate to one another, I suppose. Both Anwar and Najib have skeletons out of the closet and in public view. Anwar being the worse of the two yet the big suspicion hanging over Najib over hte Altantuya case may tip the scale Anwar's way.

A friend said something to me, "I prefer a sexually weird person than a (suspected) murderer as PM."

Yet others may want to have Pak Lah stay on because rather than choose between a (suspected) Sodomite and a (suspected) Murderer, they rather have a Sleepy Leader.

Would it make any difference if Pak Lah leaves or stays? The same team is in place regardless of whether Pak Lah or Najib Razak is in place. The same policies and management norms would be carried through under the BN governmental style. In truth, we will still be stuck with the same problems with or without a new PM. Unless a radical change happens within the ruling BN, nothing good is in store and all this is purely a political play being stage out so there's something interesting to talk about over coffee.

Is Pak Lah leaving? We can only be sure until it happens.

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Open Letter by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim to Pak Lah - Abolish ISA!

For those who have not read it yet, there is an open letter from Datuk Zaid Ibrahim addressed to Pak Lah asking the latter to abolished the ISA. I find Datuk Zaid Ibrahim's reasoning on the matter well thought out and an eye opener. It is very clear, the ISA has been abused by those in government in order to remain in power.

Here an excerpt of that letter that I find very interesting:

Pada 2001, aktivis-aktivis 'reformasi' Keadilan telah ditahan dalam satu tindakan yang kemudiannya diisytiharkan sebagai dibuat secara tidak betul dan tidak sah oleh Mahkamah Persekutuan. Penahanan berterusan mereka yang tidak dibebaskan lebih awal di pusat tahanan Kamunting hanya dibolehkan kerana ISA telah dipinda dalam cara yang meragukan pada 1988 bagi tidak lagi membenarkan semakan kehakiman dibuat ke atas arahan Menteri untuk menahan. Rakyat Malaysia dimaklumkan bahawa tahanan-tahanan ini telah cuba menggulingkan Kerajaan melalui cara-cara militan dan demonstrasi-demonstrasi liar.

Tujuh tahun telah berlalu sejak kejadian ini berlaku tetapi hingga kini belum ada sebarang bukti bagi menyokong dakwaan ini dikemukakan. Menambahkan lagi kekeliruan rakyat, salah seorang daripada mereka yang dikatakan "ganas dan militan" itu ialah Ezam Mohamad Noor. Inilah orangnya yang baru-baru ini disambut kembali ke dalam UMNO dengan sambutan besar-besaran, seolah-olah ianya merupakan satu kejayaan besar.

Source: Malaysiakini

Obviously, the BN government can decide how to label you depending if you are for or against them. Take the case of RPK, who claims trial yet is caught under ISA for being the most vocal blogger against the current establishment. What's worst according to Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the courts have no say in ISA detentions. Instead, the guy with all the power is the Home Minister. This minister can determine who gets detained and who goes off free. Yes, folks. The executive that is in charge of ISA is part and parcel of the government. Now, would this strong hand of the government ever use ISA against their own?

This is partly why, Ahmad Ismail, the joker that called Chinese "immigrants" was never detained under ISA for threatening the nations peace. It's an un-written rule - NEVER use ISA against our own people. You can use it against the opposition MPs, reporters and bloggers but NEVER against BN (or UMNO) guys who spew racist comments left, right, front, back and center.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a brave man and I have gain immense respect for him. He made a stand and is now addressing Pak Lah and asking him to abolish this cruel tool of the government. Bear in mind, if Anwar Ibrahim comes into power and PR becomes government, this tool should still be abolished. It is a cruel tool that has no place in a modern democratic country.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, you have this bloggers two thumbs up!

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A fallacy of composition - the immaturity of Malaysian politics

fallacy of composition

noun - the error of assuming that what is true of a member of a group is true for the group as a whole.

Humans are creatures of habit and though change is constant, not everyone would welcome constant. Worst still if change would disturb the established norm and destroy any form of benefits or rewards one would have enjoyed when change was not present.

This is the situation facing the Barisan Nasional government. After 51 years of governance, this group of politicians do not know any other form of life. For those holding the highest position in government, the feel of power is indeed so good, they refuse to let it go even when prompted to do so. Desperate to hold on to power, they use every known apparatus at their disposal to protect their hold on power. The police, courts of law and media are all instruments used to create an image that all is well with the government. While the government goes along the notion, everything is going along well in this country, the discerning public knows better.

In their desperation to stay in power the BN government has lost touch with the very people who voted them in. I am sure, we vote the government of the day because we want to be taken care of. We want a government who looks into the welfare of its people, a government that is interested to see the betterment of its people.

Instead, what we get is totally the opposite. We have a government running scared, detaining people who voice out discontent against them, bent on pulling strings to keep friends and foes at bay, we have politics in our face but no solution for the woes striking the general populace.

Switch on the tele or read the UMNO owned newspapers and what we get is a fallacy of composition.

It may have been a strategy which worked ten years ago but this is 2008 and Malaysians have woken up to the realities of the ruling government. In the 12th General Election, people voted for CHANGE. The people has had enough of talk from politicians only interested to remain in power for financial gain.

We have woken up to the realization that Pak Lah is not all he is cut out to be. All because he has the image of Mr. Clean, does not mean that the whole government is such but the picture is painted in the mass media that everything is dandy and good. The statements coming out of Main Stream Media seems to show that Pak Lah has great support among the UMNO base yet that is not what is evident on the ground.

Only yesterday, we had a collection NGO leaders coming out with resolution warning people not to question the transition plan between Pak Lah and Najib Razak. Looking at the news clip, it is evident that all who were present were UMNO members who were pro-Abdullah Badawi. Where were the Chinese or Indian NGO leaders? Why weren't their views taken into consideration? Even if this group, who say that they represent all NGOs in Malaysia, pass such a resolution, I believe it is not reflective of all NGOs.

Main Stream Media is also painting a picture that if Anwar Ibrahim is flawed then the whole Pakatan Rakyat bunch is flawed. They pump up the image of Anwar Ibrahim as a sodomite yet down play any wrong down by an UMNO member say for instance Ahmad Ismail.

Ahmad Ismail, mind you, has done more damage against race relations in Malaysia than any article Raja Petra Kamaruddin has ever written.

This is the state of Malaysian politics. We are so bent on painting fallacies of composition, all over the place in order to win a vote. There is no consideration of policies that would move the country forward. We elect leaders base on image rather that capacity to deliver. We base voting on a logo rather on the ability of the person to serve his/her constituency. At the end of the day, we have a parliament of career politicians and the sad thing is that we are paying them for sitting in parliament.

It's a fallacy of composition when the idea that only BN can assure us of fair treatment as citizens of Malaysia. Look at the spate of arrest under ISA, where RPK gets sent to detention when Ahmad Ismail is scot free, why? Because UMNO has already slapped a three(3) year ban on him.

It's a fallacy of composition to think that everyone is united behind the idea of detention without trial (ISA) when our everyone knows it is a cruel tool of the government.

It's a fallacy of composition to say this democratic government is mature and on par with other democracies of the world. By saying we practice "Guided Democracy" is akin to saying that Pol Pot's regime was the best government to rule Cambodia.

This government is immature and unable to meet the aspirations of those that voted them in and thus, it is high time for change.

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A weird week in Malaysian governance.

I had network problems from where I normally connect to blog and this has been a point of frustration to me. But that should not keep a good blogger down, so I have found another location where access to my blog is permitted. It seems, the organization I work for has been running some filtering software across the network with some rather queer results. My workplace seems to be practicing selective blocking where Blogger.Com seems to be unaccessible yet just down the hall at another location, access is super-fast. So its a mystery to me, much like the events of the pass week in Malaysia.

16th September came and went and all we have is a bunch of politicians calling each other liars and the sorts. At the rate we are going, all the members of parliament are liars. Since the 12th General Election, the country has been caught in a stalemate and I think the tortoise overtook the rabbit in the race to normalcy. Our economy is headed for hard times as mentioned by Tun Mahathir in his latest posting on Chedet.Com and I agree with him. I have stop watching local news and instead prefer that abomination of networks - CNN. Yet, at least I can get an almost non-bias look at what's happening in the work unlike the spin on our local main stream media.

The American's having a bad financial crisis with several bail-outs initiated by the government. Much like what happened in Malaysia in 1997 but at a larger scale. A scale enough to send the world into the dumps with Malaysia included. We are heading for a time of high inflation rates as already reported sometime in August which lead to the lowering of the fuel prices in time for the Permatang Pauh by-election. Still, I hope there will be another reduction before the Raya celebrations as the price of crude has dropped below USD100 per barrel.

Abdullah Badawi has swapped portfolios with Najib Razak. Now, Najib has to contend with the headache of reviving a sagging economy. I agree with Tun Mahathir's opinion that if anything goes wrong with the economy at this time, Najib would be blamed. Smart move by Abdullah Badawi and as expected his friends in UMNO all lauded the move as wise or a step up for the transition plan to have Najib Razak as Prime Minister by July 2010. Typical UMNO stuff. Divert attention from the root cause of all our problems. In short Abdullah Badawi needs to take responsibility (Japan style) and resign. Call for fresh elections and get the people to choose who they want in charge. Mind you, not many people are keen on Najib Razak.

Anwar Ibrahim needs to get his act together. If he wants to seriously make a charge to Putra Jaya then do it or wait till the 13th General Election. Honestly, just play the waiting game. Anwar has nothing to lose, since by then the people's trust in Barisan Nasional would have gone south and anything either than BN would be good enough for Malaysia. In the pass few years, BN has really been wrong-footed by their own people. They have no-one else to blame except themselves for all the problems hitting Malaysia now. Anwar should just sit back and watch the show. Maybe whisper a little here and there, point out some funny dealings here and there and just allow BN to implode. Come the 13th General Election and Pakatan Rakyat can safely claim that the rakyat has voted them in.

Yet, if Anwar really wants to claim the government now then push for fresh elections. I'm no politician but I think that is a better move. Get the people's backing and BN would have nothing to say about the matter. The people would have decided and made their voices heard.

RPK and Theresa Kok are still under ISA. In Theresa Kok's case, I find it funny that the police reports were lodge after she was caught under ISA for the very things the police reports were made against. It's as if the whole thing is an after thought. Catch the person first and then settle the procedure later. Catch Theresa Kok and then make police reports base on why she was arrested under ISA. What use is the police investigation now, if she is under ISA which means detention without trial.

It's ironic that the ISA has been compared to the Patriot Act of America by our leaders in Malaysia. Clearly a move to justify the ISA but their comparison is flawed to the max. The Patriot Act's main function is to capture terrorists and to date cannot be used against an American citizen. The ISA is used to capture bloggers, reporters and opposition MPs for stuff that can be charged under the Sedition Act.

So what gives?

Our leaders must get their facts straight and don't simply try to justify when they have no idea what they are talking about.

Yes, it has been a weird week for Malaysia and it will get even weirder in the coming weeks. Things to watch for, reduction of fuel prices, Anwar pushing for a parliament session, UMNO or BN's slandering of Anwar as he deals with his court case, the American financial crisis hitting the Malaysian stock market and more calls for the amendment to the ISA. Something for everyone and the day is still young.

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The blame game begins in arrest debacle.

Now a comedy of shorts has begun.

The government via the statement from the Home Minister is saying that the arrest under ISA against the Sin Chew Reporter, RPK and Theresa Kok was purely the decision of the police. The Home Ministry did not make the decision, it was purely and surely only the police. Now, the BN government ministers have jumped up to point fingers at the ISA, obviously sensing that they can now be seen as champions of the people.

I pity the police. They have been left high and dry and are now living to take the blame.

Political Milage is the name of the game and in times of political trouble, such as now, everyone needs any measure they can obtain. Be it the BN or PR, all politicians need to gain it in order to ensure their own political survival. I pity the jokers in Taipei, they miss the party and instead they themselves have been turned into jesters and pawns for the bigger political game to claim the Malaysian government.

This spate of arrest has created ample opportunity for the rakyat to stand up and be counted. I hope the palace sees the injustice being leveled on the citizens of Malaysia and take action. It would be a slap in the PM's face if the palace where to call him in and give him the riot act and I think they should. A leader needs to take charge and if the PM is unable to maintain control over the actions of the agencies under him, then we all have cause to worry. Because there lies the bigger problem.

The government has lapse into a state of internal chaos. Communication between agencies have broken down and I bet you, the PM doesn't know much of what's going on unless someone tells him. I suggest he starts looking around and making sure his advisors are channelling him the correct information because he has no-one else to blame but himself, if anything goes wrong.

The blame game would continue and the matter of running this country would be lost in a swamp of politics. Who is looking after our economy? Who is looking after the needs of the people? Who are raising the issues close to the people's hearts? How to raise, when all this while the politics in the land has be in a state of near-death? Everyone looking out for their own interest and not of the people.

I pray that all Malaysians remember that Malaysia should NEVER be sacrificed as a pawn in a political game.

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The BN government is running scared

It is amazing to watch the BN government lead by Abdullah Badawi stumble over and over again. The recent exercise in arresting a DAP MP, RPK and a journalist is not going to score points with the populace. At a time when they should be busy building bridges with the very people that have kept them in power, the BN government instead has instilled a sense of dread and fear in them. Who would not be outrage at this spate of arrest?

The US government has called the Malaysian ambassador and Anwar Ibrahim will bring up this matter with Abdullah Badawi. International eyes are now focus on Malaysia for all the wrong reason. The BN government has given more proof that a government lead by Anwar Ibrahim is far credible than them. Anwar Ibrahim does not have to do much, the government lead by Abdullah Badawi will do it for him. Anwar does not have to lead a campaign to point out the misdeeds of the current administration, Abdullah Badawi and company will do for Anwar.

It is a mark of a government that is running scared and confused. Instead of nation building, they instead choose to blow up all form of unity. The people are increasingly loosing trust in the administration. How can we trust them, the reporter that reported on Ahmad Ismail's racist comments is imprisoned, the DAP MP is caught on a charge that has not been investigated and RPK is imprisoned for speaking for the people.

The BN government in arresting them, has done them a favor. These three people (minus one, for the reported was released) will become folk heroes, simple folks who stood up against a government bent on maintaining power through whatever means possible. They are not criminals in the eyes of the people, rather as of today, these three have become heroes. Heroes who dared speak the truth and paid the price for it.

I say, Anwar Ibrahim make swift your promise to take over by 16th September. For the rakyat cry out for justice, for a government that is people-centric and a government for the people not one against the people.

Let September 16th be a reality. Let it be!

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The fantasy of Malaysian Unity

MCA and Gerakan has severed ties with UMNO Penang. Not a shocker considering the aloofness of Ahmad Ismail who called for Gerakan to leave Barisan Nasional and continues to play the racial card. I am surprise no immediate action by UMNO has been imposed on him, instead they have chosen to meet him talk to him about his allege remarks that have fractured the support of the chinese for the Barisan Nasional.

This incident clearly shows the rhetoric of the ruling government when they talk about Malaysian Unity. In fact, such a term is a fantasy. It doesn't exist as long as we have leaders who think they deserve to lead and should lord over the citizens of Malaysia.

May I remind such leaders that the non-Malays are the people who are paying for the wages of government servants. 90% of government servants are Malays and tax money paid by non-Malays are support he livelihood of these government servants. We should instead be thankful that the non-Malays contribute towards nation building.

Ahmad Ismail is both dumb and deaf and horribly ignorant to the role of Chinese in Malaysian nation building. To utter statements that undermine the support of the Chinese community is equivalent to hara-kiri. The Chinese hold the economic pulse of the nation and it through their efforts the Malaysian business scene has prospered and bloom. The rewards are enjoyed by all Malaysians and it has been so for the pass 51 years, Malaysia has been around. The typical Malaysian Chinese know no other home yet this Ahmad Ismail calls them immigrants.

Its a sad thing, for this man, a leader within UMNO, clearly does not know what it means to live in a multi-racial country.

The Barisan Nasional who has held on to governance all this while is now living in its twilight days. Pakatan Rakyat is looking more attractive by the day and I hope 16th September would change everything.

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Cut the crap, we're all RACIST!

Let's not be apologetic. We're all RACIST and it's the truth. 51 years on and Malaysia is still grappling with race issues and its no fault of our own. It's is in fact a collage of problems heap into one and perpetuated by a weak government unable to deal with the tide of transparency hitting the populace.

We have a political system with race-centric parties. We have government policies to "protect" various races from exploitation or from getting too weak. We have ideologies that segregate the haves and the have-nots. So is it any mistake that we all turn out RACIST?

So stop pointing fingers at each other and acknowledge the fact that for 51 years Malaysians have been fed by ideas and policies that promote RACISM. We see it in the politicians who create government policies, we see it in division of education, we see it in the banking systems, we see it in the breakdown of civil servants, we see it in the make-up of the arm forces, we see it in the jigsaw puzzle called the Malaysian economy. RACISM has tainted every strata of Malaysian society.

Ahmad Ismail blames his out-of-context statement on Chinese reporters, Now, at least two(2) Chinese reporters have come forward to say he did say those words. Yet Ahmad Ismail refuses to apologist and he's backed up by the Penang UMNO members, and this goes against the opinion of his boss, Abdullah Badawi, who is himself (the PM) from Penang. What gives?

Everyone is crying bloody RACISM yet no-one is owning up to their mistakes. The government has been at naught in tackling this matter because to do so would mean they are siding with the Chinese and Indians and justifying the notion that they have been practicing RACISM all this while.

Scrap all RACE base parties and just setup a two(2) party system. GOVERNMENT and OPPOSITION. The majority wins the label of GOVERNMENT and the minority the label OPPOSITION. Let the politicians play their game, jump or not jump is totally up to them AS LONG AS the people get what they want. Low cost living, high level of education for our children and the opportunity to fulfill a comfortable life. Equal opportunity by merit. The harder we work, the better the opportunity to gain monetary rewards. No hint of RACISM, no hint of FAVORITISM. Instead, everyone living the MALAYSIAN DREAM.

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Damage control BN style - send the MPs away.

The recent actions by the Backbenchers club to organize a study trip to either China or Taiwan is interesting. Smack in the month of Ramadan and over-lapping with the 16th of September dead-line set by Anwar Ibrahim for Pakatan Rakyat to take control of government, the government denies its a way to keep BN MPs from jumping ship.

Of course none of the BN lads would say it is a way to keep their members in check, of course it is a mere study trip, of course Anwar Ibrahim's words are not to be trusted. Yet again BN attempts to insult our intelligence.

It is best for BN to just turn the ship into the storm and ride out the winds. Instead, BN is tripping over themselves and that in itself has proven, to many, that this government is wobbling at the seams. Too many actions point in one direction, Anwar Ibrahim is scaring the wits out of them and totally undermining their credibility as a working government.

At best Anwar Ibrahim has kept them distracted from their role as governors of Malaysia's move into the future. Their is a impending economic crisis and fuel related stress on the ordinary Malaysian citizen which needs managing yet our politicians are busy shifting their sampans about they forget the bigger ship needs a captain.

So while our BN MPs run off on a study tour we are left with a question and answer game. Would those MPs left behind would jump ship and the returning BN MPs would come back to a new government come 16th September? Let's see how the plot twist itself.

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Anwar Past and Anwar Present

It is amazing to hear some BN ministers pointing out that when Anwar Ibrahim was the Deputy Prime Minister he failed to fulfill his promises. The latest reminder coming from the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, Alfred Jabu who reminded people that Anwar had promised the state funds when he was the DPM and Finance Minister and those promises have gone south. With that argument, Anwar is not to be trusted because he would still promise Sarawak funds and what nots and still not fulfill them.

I am amazed at this reasoning primarily because the failure of Anwar Ibrahim as DPM back then is a failure for Barisan Nasional because Anwar Ibrahim was the DPM under the BN government of the day. Any unfulfilled promised was made within his capacity as DPM for a BN government. Thus, Anwar Ibrahim did not failed but Barisan Nasional did collectively. If those promises were not fulfilled, why was a complaint not launch back then? Why bring up these grouses now?

This seems to be the practice of BN at this juncture of time when all they can do is discredit Anwar Ibrahim. Tell of his failings during his time as DPM yet be blind to the fact that he was (back then) a Barisan Nasional DPM. If he made such glaring mistakes back then, why was it not address there and then? Why wait 10 years to point it out to the populace?

The Anwar Past was Barisan Nasional and the Anwar Present is Pakatan Rakyat. BIG difference. If Anwar failed in the past then Barisan Nasional was the one who failed. Collectively Responsibility? That's a term I heard the PM used some time ago. So BN was collectively responsible for all the failings, Anwar had during his tenure as DPM.

So for those minister's who wish to harp on the failings Anwar had when he was DPM should also know that they too were part of the mistake. They should have been responsible enough to point out those mistakes back then and not use it now for political milage.

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Friend or Foe? Abdullah Badawi and Anwar Ibrahim

It would be interesting to see the body language of these two tomorrow when Abdullah Badawi deliver the budget speech. Primarily because both Abdullah Badawi and Anwar Ibrahim are from the same era. Both have served under Tun Mahathir and are no strangers to each to other. They may defer on policy but the two once shared the same camp together during Tun Mahathir's time. No doubt there is no ill blood between them as seen by Anwar's statement in his first press conference after being sworn in as a MP this morning.

Tomorrow would be doubly interesting as Anwar Ibrahim is no stranger to budgeting, Malaysian government style. He was the former finance minister before his in-famous sacking by Tun Mahathir so he would be keenly listening to what Abdullah Badawi's government can offer the people of Malaysia for the coming year.

Anwar Ibrahim is also a better orator compared to Abdullah Badawi and maybe better than anyone else in the house. Anwar is capable of tearing apart the arguments thrown at the opposition by the BN MPs. It would be interesting to see what he has to say about the budget. I am sure Abdullah Badawi would be feeling quite uncomfortable having Anwar Ibrahim stare down at him in the house.

It would be interesting. Anwar may still see Abdullah as a friend outside of politics and I think the respect is mutual but what would the other BN MPs think? I am sure some would feel a bit guilty for slandering Anwar when he was outside of parliament, easy to do when Anwar was at a distance. Now, Anwar sits under the same roof as they do and facing up to the man would be something that would rile them. Shame on them!

It will be interesting indeed. Anwar and Abdullah Badawi under the same roof, staring at each other. I wonder if they would share a round of tea together?

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What next Anwar Ibrahim?

CONGRATULATIONS to Anwar Ibrahim. Though I'm not so great a fan of this fella but anyone other than an UMNO guy is a better guy to me right now. So now, what next Anwar Ibrahim?

Will you make good your promise for September 16th?

Why is Abdullah Badawi so silent in the face of this defeat for UMNO? Only Najib Razak has issued a mild statement. What happened to the other BN ministers that came down on mass to speak out against Anwar Ibrahim, where are their voices now?

So what next?

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PERMATANG PAUH for the people.

It's nearing the end of polling for the people of Permatang Pauh and I feel it in my bones. Unless, Barisan Nasional puils off the most dirtiest of stunts; Anwar Ibrahim has this in the bag. Mine you, BN can still win if they play real dirty because all indications seem to point Anwar Ibrahim's way.

I'm not an out and out supporter of Anwar Ibrahim because I do have my reservations but I'm not a fan of the current establishment either. But I am on for the people and the people are fed-up with the way this country is being managed. The current establishment is cracking up along the seams and the biggest losers are the people. The ones running this country can do just that..run. Run away from being responsible leaders. Run away from the main reason the people voted them in and simple tell us what to do when they are no better (if not worst) than us.

Najib Razak said the stupidest thing the other day. Reminding the people to be thankful to BN for running this country. Hello! BN should be thankful to the people for keeping them around while they rob the country. We are the reason these jokers are in parliament. We are the reason these fellas have a wage to take home every week. We are the reasons these fellas can do business whether legal or illegal. We are the reasons these fellas exist in the higher strata of society.

What we can give, we can take back and I for one want the BN to be taken to task. Forget forming a new government, Pakatan Rakyat may not be ready for it, but the day will come when BN themselves would implode and in turn sit on the opposition side while the people take back control and run this country.

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13 reasons why BN can win Permatang Pauh.

BN has a fighting chance to win Permatang Pauh for very simple reasons:

1. Pakatan Rakyat got lazy and the people of Permatang Pauh can't see beyond the present day,



2. RM200 is good enough to get my vote for BN, cause I can buy groceries and drink coffee after that,



3. EVERYTHING Najib Razak promised for the Chinese and Indians will be fulfilled including giving scrap metal licenses,



4. I believed everything EZAM said about Anwar, not withstanding the fact he really bitter he didn't get all he wanted in BN,



5. I believed everything SAIFUL swore about even when the whole swearing ceremony is turning out to be a scam,



6. I totally believe that BN has got it's act together after the 12th General Election and we're going to see better days,



7. The IMMEDIATE fuel decrease had nothing to do with Permatang Pauh,



8. The Government will not give a BONUS to the 1.2 million civil servant if Anwar wins, even when civil servants are suppose to serve the CURRENT government and not BN,



9. EVERYTHING the main stream media said about Permatang Pauh was true even though Khairy Jamaluddin has a holding stack in Media Prima which has a hand in ALL main stream media you get on television,



10. All the BN ceramah was well attended which means people of Permatang Pauh are throwing their support behind BN,



11. The voters of Permatang Pauh DO NOT MIND waiting another 5 years until the 13th General election when they'll hear the same promises BN promised them for the by-election,



12. Permatang Pauh voters DO NOT LIKE change, so staying with the status quo would mean things would get better,



13. and Permatang Pauh voters just DO NOT LIKE Anwar Ibrahim.

So you think you have more reasons?

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BN propaganda hitting them in their own faces in Permatang Pauh

It's interesting to see that as we are nearing the Permatang Pauh by-election polling day, the amount of pro-BN propaganda churned out by the main stream media and BN ministers has hit a level that skims the bottom of the barrel of human decency.

BN has attacked Anwar Ibrahim both directly and indirectly. Character assassination plots extend further than just the sodomy charges, now there is even a charge that Anwar Ibrahim acted inappropriately towards a datuk's wife. On top of all that, Anwar Ibrahim's pass performance in government is back under the spotlight.

It is ironic why BN never point to the fact that whatever Anwar Ibrahim put into place when he was a BN minister was fully endorsed by the BN administration at that time. It was not a decision, solely, made by one man but a decision made by the establishment; so pining the responsibility on only Anwar Ibrahim is wrong all together.

In-direct action against Pakatan Rakyat has also intensified during the days leading up to and also during the campaign period for Permatang Pauh. The arrest of the Perak Keadilan Exco Members screams bloody "political conspiracy", a charge Najib Razak denied. But the timing of all these things point sole to the under-hand tactics employed by BN to build perception of the negative kind towards Anwar Ibrahim and also towards Pakatan Rakyat. Old tactics are employed with the hope of turning the voters towards their UMNO candidate.

But BN will fail in this regards. These tactics may have worked in the past but not anymore. The voters that stepped out to vote during the 12th General Election for Permatang Pauh are still the same who would vote on the 26th August 2008. The angry sentiments of the voters towards BN are still fresh and these are the sentiments that would guide voters to vote come 26th August 2008. With the blatant attacks by BN, both directly and in-directly towards Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat, the voting public in Permatang Pauh feel their intelligence insulted. All that is portrayed in main-stream-media about the resounding support BN is getting from the Permatang Pauh people does not tell the real story.

PAS was quick to note, the people you see in those pro-government news reports are party workers. The general public's turn out is minimal. The support for Anwar Ibrahim is huge and it does not get reported in main stream media. Such bias reporting by main stream media (an old BN tactic) is actually helping the Pakatan Rakyat's cause.

Having Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) screaming his head off, calling for Anwar to take the oath (much like Saiful did) to prove his innocence is not going to help either. KJ himself has much to answer, over his role in the whole sodomy debacle especially when he had fore-hand news about Anwar's arrest even before the rest of parliament knew about it. Having KJ present in Permatang Pauh would only aggravate the situation because he is really not that popular among the populace who see him as merely getting where he is by virtue of being the Prime Minister's son-in-law. As Kit Siang pointed out, KJ is the richest unemployed man in Malaysia. As member of parliament, KJ is neither here or there, making lots of noise but little to show for.

Najib giving out the RM 300,000 cheque to Lee Chong Wei in Permatang Pauh has not helped anything at all. It merely shows the blatant abuse of power practiced by BN all this while, which the public is very much aware of now. Najib could have presented the cheque in Kuala Lumpur rather than in Permatang Pauh.

So why fly Chong Wei to Permatang Pauh? Propaganda stunt and it was such acts that irked the people during the 12th General Election. The BN never learnt their lessons. The people are not interested in BN's show of power or supremacy, instead they just want a leader who would meet their needs. Not just show or tell them what to do but actually get their hands dirty are really bring about change in Permatang Pauh.

The BN propaganda machine has got it all wrong. Discrediting Anwar Ibrahim in order to gather the Malay votes, pumping funds towards the Chinese and Indian communities and scare tactics in places outside of Permatang Pauh will not do any good for them. The general public has wised up to everything BN has to offer. The blatant abuse of power on all levels of the government is glaring and no amount of bias reporting by main stream media can cover it up. The misdeeds of the BN politicians that have gone unpunished all this while is heavy on people's mind.

All the calls for Anwar to swear his innocence in the sodomy charge should by right be balanced out by calls for Najib to swear his innocence in the Altantuya's case or KJ's to swear his non-involvement in the running of the country by proxy.

Najib was right to say that everything they do now is considered political conspiracy because the rakyat is also looking at your pass deeds not just merely what you are doing now and it is not just limited to things in Permatang Pauh but to everything that the BN government is doing.

Permatang Pauh is going to be more than just a lost of a parliamentary seat for BN. A lost in Permatang Pauh would further erode every inch of credibility BN has as an institution that governs this country.

Permatang Pauh has cemented further the resentment the rakyat has towards BN and this would only translate towards more votes for Anwar Ibrahim.

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The Mud slinging has begun - so Malaysian politics.

Reports from Malaysiakini indicate that the mud-slinging among the candidates for the Permatang Pauh election have begun. Yup, character assassinations are the norm in Malaysian politics. Any and everything can and will be used against you in the public court of opinion. And in truth, the candidates would be voted in on just that - public opinion. Don't you think so?

Everyone has an opinion about someone else and everyone has something to scream about. So the one who can grab the greater crowd of opinion-guided-voters win even if they don't have a track record to show for.

So when the "X" is placed on the ballot paper it will be largely base on impressions, opinions and perceptions. All the voters would know would just be what they have heard. Strange but voter would be voting in someone they may not have seen in action. It's interesting to note (if Malaysiakini is to be believed) that even Anwar Ibrahim is seen as a candidate who doesn't meet his people, especially to those in Permatang Pauh. Instead, some prefer Wan Azizah because she goes down to see her people.

Sometimes it is better to be seen and not heard.

So mud slinging and everything is normal and believe me, when the candidate does not perform; we only have ourselves to fault.

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Hey Najib! Only now do you remember the Chinese and Indians?

This is the state of our government when come election time, they suddenly remember their voters. Come on, don't tell me all this while Najib Razak forgot that in Permatang Pauh there were Chinese and Indian Malaysians? Dishing out RM500,000 for the Chinese and scrapping scrap metal licenses for the Indians would change the fact the BN government forgot about these Malaysians? Or would such promises remain promises cause BN has the tendency to withdraw their election promises should it not be in their favor.

But that's the truth of the matter isn't it? BN forgot about these Malaysians. They FORGOT that these Malaysians also need the same support every other citizen deserves. Or is it because all this while Permatang Pauh has been in the hands of the opposition and giving aid to the enemies camp is really very un-UMNO like. Too bad, UMNO never read Sun Tzu's - The Art of War where it is prudent to be favorable towards the enemies army so you can win them over. The BN government should have done this in their time of plenty. To support the enemies camp, to show a benevolent spirit when dealing with people even those considered the enemy.

Offering such sweets in the time of war would only be a slap in the face of Chinese and Indian Malaysians in Permatang Pauh. It is in the time outside of elections that they should have been remembered. It was during those times before the elections, where these people needed aid for their children, for their schools and their businesses.

Najib Razak and all BN parliamentarians, remember it was the simple Malaysian who voted you all in. When we put that mark on the ballot paper, it did not show our race nor religion but a choice. We did not asked to be discriminated but you all choose to separate development based on our race and religion. So now you want to sugar up to the same people you discriminate?

Please, do not insult our (the Rakyat's) intelligence.

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The Fear of Permatang Pauh

All eyes are on Permatang Pauh and rightly so as Barisan Nasional (BN) goes into election mode and dishes out the norm. The Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has given out aid to the Indian community and has made calls for non-Malays to throw their support behind their UMNO candidate. Fat chance, hasn't Najib learnt anything from the previous election? Non-Malays would rather vote PAS than UMNO.

Abdullah Badawi's government are darn serious in making sure they cut the winning majority votes for Anwar Ibrahim. BN knows that it will lose, the point now is by how much? A small majority lost would show the level of support Anwar Ibrahim has and it would send a signal to the whole country on his standing as a popular leader. A huge majority may spell doom for Abdullah Badawi's government as the writing would be on the wall for the longevity of his stay as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The results for Permatang Pauh is something UMNO fears and knows would determine the future for their shaky party. Already there is talk (as reported by Malaysiakini) that 13 Sabah MPs would join Pakatan Rakyat if Anwar wins. Najib Razak has denied this claim but in Malaysia denials normally point to the fact that there is truth in the claim.

The Rule of Opposites.

If the government say the economy is well, it means it is not; the government denies the sodomy conspiracy against Anwar, it merely means there is a conspiracy and so on, so forth.

So when the government said that Permatang Pauh would not put a dent in their standings, they were actually saying otherwise. It is pretty clear, UMNO would use any means possible to split the voters. To send a clear message to Pakatan Rakyat that support for them is very much, still strong. So UMNO is in fear of Permatang Pauh and such fears will be realized come voting day which falls on the 26th August 2008.

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