A Man Disgraced

Egypt, a close ally of the US had a shock awakening when young minds rallied the call for their President, Hosni Mubarak to step down. People took to the streets, overcame police brutality and turned their Liberation Square into a makeshift campsite, it still goes on and the worst may yet to come.

After 30 years, their military styled President Mubarak was cornered, scorned and could be lynched if he was to appear at the Square but of course, he didn’t. He just fell out of favour, degraded as a man and blamed for all the unemployment and hardship that many Egyptians went through for the past 30 years.

The man who is a military veteran had lived and played by tactical games to rule and stay in power is eventually tested by his own citizens. Frustration however was shown by him when he admitted that he’s fed-up with his leadership role. Ironically he’s still holding on to power.

Mubarak is actually buying time for him to shuffle his cards although he knows that his aces are all gone. It would be interesting to watch what the man will do next amidst all the calls from world leaders for him to initiate democratic reforms immediately. Not until he does that, the so called pro democracy protesters have indicated that they will stay on at the Square.

As one journalist puts it, he is “a dead man walking”. Wow!

No Harm Done to Talk Politics A Little

Wow, it's great to be back after a long spell!

That's the problem with us, human beings, we can forget things and we come up with all kinds of excuses when things don't turn out to be what we have wished for. Sometimes we cursed, although not intentionally, it is bad. In my case, I will not make any excuses. I just wanted a break and I had it. So I am back.

Our mind is a powerful machine that can turn the world upside down, not physically but in the abstract, if we want it to.We are builders, creators, destroyers of our own.

I have been watching the political scenario developing in Malaysia over the past couple of months and interestingly enough, our PM has indeed been trying his utmost to win the hearts of the rakyat. It also tells me that things are not alright in Malaysia when he started to cross swords with the opposition in the socioeconomic arena besides the normal political gambit. The Budget he announced lately was mildly acceptable by the majority but I thought the 500 ringgit as bonus for civil servants is not helping many "fence sitters" in the civil service who were expecting for more. Poor guys! Oh sure, we do get them, the "fence sitters" in the civil service. Many are sitting there quietly but supporting the PR groups. I have a few friends who are, certainly. Well, that's their choice which is democracy working.

Elections in Sarawak will soon be called and it seems we shall be seeing many "old" faces, tough incumbents facing not a plastic wall this time around but a brick wall being put up by DAP, PKR, PAS and their supporters. They are by far way ahead when it comes to internet strategy based on my personal opinion. Let's see how well our BN friends will climb and overcome the brick wall. Just don't fall!

I am incidentally from SPDP or the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party and the candidates from Miri belonging to the Sarawak United Peoples Party who know me will need my support and the Party's support. As SPDP is very much part of BN unless Datuk Seri William Mawan thinks otherwise, any BN candidates in the 3 Miri State constituencies will be supported by us in SPDP. That's a fair deal.

Politics is politics, sometimes you have to play it by the ear. wow!

Malaysian Political Bickerings

Quarrels play on the headlines of politics in Malaysia over the past months. In Sarawak, we have a share of the storms created by party leaders from within, the President slandered. Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party's (SPDP) problems are far from over, it is still brewing hot. Over in Peninsular Malaysia, the MCA as the spokesman for the Chinese in BN are feverishly looking at the next echelon of leaders. They are bracing for fresh polls.

What is sad to hear and watch are the mud slinging battles that come on media. They can appear in unruly comments, proverbs and all that one can think of in the dictionary of politics. With plenty to read in the morning, it makes coffee breaks interesting.

Throwing mud at somebody’s face, whether he’s a minister or the ordinary ice-cream man is low and ungentlemanly. When it happens, hate is the word. Hate propels us to humiliate the person we dislike in order to break his ego and honour. Politicians do this very often, Sarawak is not an exception, we learn quickly.

If Hate destroys, Love builds. But both Love and Hate are 2 sides of the same coin. Both can be temporary, permanent or authentic. Hence, we can be enemies today and friends tomorrow and vice versa. But when hate is authentic, we cannot be friends. Likewise in religion, we can pray everyday and still be a hypocrite. The praying is permanent but not authentic.

Politically in Malaysia, I am of the opinion that UMNO and PAS are authentic foes and can never come together. I see this as the cue to future politics of our nation, the 2 fronts are already appearing with the PKR leading the opposition and UMNO anchoring the BN government of the day.

Politicians must now sort themselves out. If the Americans have the Democrats and Republicans well rooted in, we are just starting the political music on the same note in Malaysia.

The Saiful vs Anwar Movie

It’s like a James Bond movie with most Malaysians watching closely the Saiful vs Anwar Ibrahim saga, the courthouse you can be sure is packed, I am miles away in Miri, Sarawak, I couldn’t be there. But with the internet, you don't really need to be there to know what is happening.

The politician in Anwar is obvious with his followers calling for reforms while the man plays the hero’s role even in the courts. Of course, he is innocent until proven guilty, that’s the law. The young guy Saiful is all groomed and getting just as much attention from the media as the man he either once “idolized” or “hated”. There are 2 versions really to this part of the story.

Many bloggers have called him names and he’s not at all liked by members of the opposition. He has been degraded by some to dirt but don't you think he has made a name for himself, even the kampong lady knows who's Saiful whom some called the "stupid arsehole". Well, Sodomy is the cause of it all, the dirty "controversial" word which is morally wrong in all its right meaning, something absolutely unacceptable to Muslims, Christians and Buddhists alike.

It would be interesting time for all Malaysians to watch how the court will proceed with the case. The Judicial system in Malaysia is certainly going through an acid test. Whether professionalism prevails will be left to be seen. The intervention of politics, if any will leave a footprint many will not welcome, let's hope our judiciary will remain impartial, free from all ills. And let's all watch, wait and see what will be the outcome. The question many people may ask now is, “Will it be a political one?”.





A friend on facebook says, if you feel SODOMY is IMMORAL, let's called it SAI=DOMY. wow... he's giving me a message...lol...

Upon watching some of the video clips of these 2 unfortunate gentlemen, I couldn't help but come to the conclusion that Anwar played his part well, he's a politician who wanted all the limelight at such times but the young man Saiful, with his body gestures and all seems to be giving himself away.

Busy...that's the word from me

Busy...that's the word, busy, I have been kept busy by lecturing, holidaying and meekly, politics. I owed my self an apology and I felt refreshed again being able to find time to update my blog tonight.

The current political squabble in the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) of which I am a Divisional Chairman in the state constituency of SENADIN, Miri is worrisome for many in the party. It's an unhealthy development, a disadvantage for the BN in Sarawak and surely not helping the 1Malaysia many of us are trying to foster. With all due respect to them, our state leaders from within the fold should realize that no amount of public outcry of who's right or who's wrong could mend the rift that has already surfaced over just a matter of a week. Damage has been done and it will take time for it to be mended and rebuilt.

Of course, political foes fighting from within is not at all new and unheard of. This is politics, a right wing and a left wing is common. MCA has its share of such conflicts and certainly UMNO has some good history of infighting too when Tengku Razaliegh failed in his bid to take over the party.

The next few weeks will be an interesting time. The wisdom of the President Datuk Mawan must not be underrated. He will I am sure be able to calm the storm.

A word on Politics

Politicians who talk from both sides of their mouths lurk both in and out of the government. They are a dangerous lot. We get them in Malaysia too.The message of unity through the ONE Malaysia concept will be a far cry if this is not checked. But people being people, whoever they are, are human beings and we are masters of cloaking ourselves in what we are not. We live in myths, advocate denials and even ingenuously revoke the very principles of justice that keep us as a people. To put it simply, we make laws and we break them. A right can be wrong and a wrong is sometimes right. If this is what makes politics so interesting, certainly politicians cannot be spared from being called "liars". Anyway, we know that not all are and that's the irony of it all!

Extreme thoughts

Malaysiakini carried an article captioned "BN blunders and plunders". Wow...losing its forte, that's what it seems to be for Barisan Nasional at the moment. A noxious thought would make you believe that you have been robbed of your rights. But this is not quite so. We are still better off than most of our neighbours both politically and economically. I can still enjoy my cup of coffee every morning, so what's the fuss about this robbing us of our rights!

This is DEMOCRACY

It's their right to make such a choice. Lest we forget, this is DEMOCRACY, everyone has his or her right and Barisan Nasional has exercise their right not to participate in the PENANTI By Election. Just as we cannot stop people from making their perceptions of the government, we cannot stop or go against the decision which is wholly their right to democracy! wow... politics is colourful, a right can be wrong and a wrong is right!

Come PLAY PLAY

No come play play in politics! If you do it in politics, you will end up like the PERAK house where there seems to be no end to the quarrels. Let's hope it will not make our learned Judges to argue over a senseless dwell! So much time has been wasted to Malaysia's disadvantage internationally. The simple truth is, only the Sultan has the power to stop the whole fiasco. HE holds the trump card. To the rakyat in Perak and Malaysia, enough is enough! Suing is not a way out, forget about face saving and don't talk about principles. There are none as of now.

Dissatisfaction can GROW

Dissatisfaction amongst people are behind the many issues besetting governments the world over. Security issues, social issues, economic issues and of course political issues are not new challenges at all. Leaders will only have to calm the storms with tact and skills. Strategies must fall into place and ideas from all strata of society must be respected. Some countries not practicing democracy adopt other ways rather than listening to their society to solve their problems. And that has led to catastrophic situation. History has the record.
From a proven establishment in the US to the volatile Korean scenario, governments are chosen by the people, good governance is the keyword for progress. Good governance means upholding values. When ethical values erode amongst leaders or when greed engulf the system, we are faced with people becoming dissatisfied and dissatisfaction can GROW. Make no mistake about that.
At home here in Malaysia, I do not see that we have any threat to our security but security is made an issue with the Internal Security Act, somewhat 'abused' in the recent past. Social issues are rare, religious issues almost nil in Malaysia but what is very much disturbing now is the increasing political issues, the PERAK case being a classic example, the speck is already in the eye. This must not be denied by any quarters, please. Doing so will tantamount to sweeping such issues under the carpet.
The 1Malaysia concept, tough as it may sound, has been implemented by our Prime Minister in an effort to bring people of all races together. For it to work, it must first be understood and respected which is the difficult part. And hastily too, our PM has introduced the KPI, not a new thing administratively, the impact is more on sending a clear message to everyone in the system to buckle up or get thrown out.
Threats are always abound in any society and Malaysia is not an exception to this norm. If threats are anything to go by leading on to issues to be solved, it is imperative that leaders remain calm. HOW they solve it is MOST important. And a problem is certainly not solved when systems are manipulated thus creating more dissatisfaction. Think about it!

Don't let it go out of hand

Any dangerous political games played by both people in and out of the government can turn nasty and make people reckless, erode public confidence in the government, create animosity and bring down the economy. Let's hope our political leaders will use their common sense and get on with the business of running the government in a fair and transparent manner. Doing it with an iron fist will never work. Political games can backfire and go out of hand...by then, it's too late!

Here's what not I wrote but what I got...

Wow...tactics, tactics, tactics, so be careful or you will be brainwashed!!!!!
Mind control is the successful control of the thoughts and actions of another without his or her consent. Generally, the term implies that the victim has given up some basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes, and has been made to accept contrasting ideas. 'Brainwashing' is often used loosely to refer to being persuaded by propaganda. wow..a mind game of sort, I don't know.

'POLITICAL' Bloggers' Democracy

There are a handful of 'political' bloggers in Sarawak who do not reveal their identities for reasons only they know best. Some of their blogs are mighty colourful. While some are mild in their tone, many are harsh and whacked the government left, right and centre. Some are undoubtedly unhappy with the Chief Minister of Sarawak and his 'gang' of cabinet ministers. They are indeed the centre of all the talks and one has only to see Sarawak Talk to believe. Calling them names and monsters instead of ministers, some blogs are ironically, popular with the disgruntled lot of Sarawakians who would mercilessly vent their anger at the government. And CORRUPTION seems to be behind it all, the agenda includes land issues and development projects falling into the hands of a selected few.
Many people would find pleasure in following such negative thoughts and many too, on the other hand, would feel disgusted at the unruly language used. Maybe this is what we called democracy, one man, one vote, you have your say, I have mine and the majority rules.

A dirty business ...

I was browsing Sarawak Talk minutes ago and wow...postings of all sorts appear there with low levels of truth...naughty,ugly,dirty,nasty,messy,malicious,vindictive and certainly disrespectful. Politicians are always being bombarded and targets of the verbal attacks, that's the ball game...politics is a dirty business...who's going to argue about that?

the word OPPOSITION in Malaysia

It has spurred me to write from what I gather from around the places ... KL, Kuching, Miri, KK - people are somewhat FED UP with the word OPPOSITION used in the Malaysian political scene. Needless to say BN politicians use it everyday. That's a fact...just watch the TV news channels. The irony of it all is, we are now having 2 different groups of opposition parties in Malaysia...BN is certainly an opposition in Kelantan, Selangor and Penang for that matter. If the British can called them 'Labour' and 'Conservatives' and the Americans having the 'Republicans' and 'Democrats', could we not in Malaysia take a reformed approach to using the word OPPOSITION in political speeches, over the media, etc etc.
I certainly feel disgusted when this word is used loosely by politicians. In Malaysia you may be called an 'opposition' if you stand by your principles...wow too bad!