A Case of Accidental ‘Terlanjur Kata’

Timbalan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO negeri, Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah berkata, apa yang diperkatakan oleh Ahmad mengenai ‘orang Cina adalah menumpang’ merupakan satu fakta sejarah yang tidak patut diragui mana-mana pihak.

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Ahmad yang turut hadir pada sidang akhbar itu bersama-sama para penyokongnya melaungkan ungkapan ‘Hidup Melayu’. Para pemimpin UMNO Pulau Pinang itu juga mengetuk meja secara serentak tanda menyokong Ketua UMNO Bahagian Bukit Bendera tersebut.

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The Extinction of UMNO as a Malaysian entity could happen because of the uproar over the statement by Bukit Bendara Umno division head Datuk Ahmad Ismail during the campaigning at Permatang Pauh given the sentiments that ‘Hidup Melayu’ is not perceived to be necessarily ‘Hidup Malaysia‘. What can Pak Lah do with both hands are tied?

Tun M has an interesting take that UMNO as a party should not apologise as it is the fault of the individual and not that of the party. Click here to read Chedet’s explanation where he counter-balances the current issue out with Hindraf & Namawee.

The challenge to all readers of blogs & mass media is ‘have you heard or read the original statement by Datuk Ahmad Ismail?’

See below an excerpt from the Star:

‘I am not denying that I made the statement but I had merely said that the Chinese were squatters in the country then because that is a fact and furthermore, at that point in my speech, I was referring to the pre-Merdeka days,” he said.’

If we could rewind the tape, Datuk Ahmad Ismail should hopefully realise that the politically unnecessary statement caused more ‘political pening kepala’ than potential mileage claimed.

Ibrahim: PAS should lead Pakatan Rakyat

Regardless of whatever non-Muslims think of PAS (favorably or unfavorably), Pasir Mas MP Datuk Paduka Ibrahim Ali’s statement that PAS should lead the opposition coalition if only to form a stronger counter balance to BN will put many political strategists in BN to shame. Truly, a classical strategem from Bismark’s school of thought in dividing, isolating & conquering the enemy bit by bit. We can attempt to second-guess UMNO’s contingency plan if this scenario really pans out (with PR post-DSAI giving way to PAS to win the Malay votes). Of course, it’s unlikely DAP will ever allow this to happen unless PAS can show restraint over Avril Lavigne & Inul Dangdut concerts.

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PASIR MAS: The Pakatan Rakyat should be led by PAS instead of PKR because the former had more grassroots and a greater Malay membership, said Pasir Mas MP Datuk Paduka Ibrahim Ali.

He said PKR, although led by a Malay and had more MPs in Parliament, is perceived by many to be a multi-ethnic party, similar to DAP.

“This does not fit in well with the Malay psyche. To balance insecurities and fears, PAS should be appointed to led the Pakatan,” he said in an interview.

Ibrahim said this move would reflect the actual demographics in the country where Malays were dominant in terms of numbers.

He added that this would appease all communities and lead to the birth of a practical two-party system where no single coalition is strong and each side can become the watchdog of the other, he said.

In such a situation, he said the people would benefit the most as both sides would be competing with each other.

Asked about Anwar’s attempts to lure Barisan MPs to defect by Sept 16, Ibrahim said he did not think it would become a reality.

“Firstly, Parliament is not in session on Sept 16. Secondly, to achieve a secure majority, Anwar needs more than just 30 MPs which means he has to fish a sizeable number of MPs,” he said.

Thirdly, he said any change of the Federal Government must involve the Rulers’ Council and specifically the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Ibrahim said Sabah and Sarawak MPs knew they stood to benefit from a weakened Umno and could seek the Federal Government’s attention since they were now more valuable to Barisan than they were to the Pakatan.

“Why should they give it all up for incentives promised by Anwar?

“A few Sabah MPs spoke personally with me. We had a frank chat and some swore that there is no need to join a coalition led by Anwar now,” he said.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin- the voice of reform?

The war drums are being sounded- can the other UMNO leaders maintain a graceful silence on game-changing strategies? With Tun M, Ku Li & Muhyiddin being more vocal, is this now setting a scene for battle royale come November?

KUALA LUMPUR 30 Ogos – Format dan pengisian Barisan Nasional (BN) perlu diolah semula bagi menarik sokongan generasi muda sekali gus mengekalkan statusnya sebagai parti pemerintah.

‘‘Saya ambil pedoman daripada keputusan pilihan raya umum dan kecil yang lalu, seolah-olah terdapat satu pandangan bahawa mereka (generasi muda) tidak berapa setuju dan berminat untuk terima konsep BN.

‘‘Saya berpendapat dalam situasi sekarang, mungkin ada keperluan untuk BN disusun dalam format dan pengisian baru yang lebih diterima masyarakat kita,’’ katanya.

Muhyiddin berkata, usaha mengolah semula format dan pengisian BN perlu dimulakan oleh UMNO sebelum diikuti oleh parti-parti komponen BN yang akan mengumpulkan maklum balas kehendak kaum yang diwakili mereka.

Read full article

Ku Li: PP defeat shows UMNO must change

Enough said- here’s some common sense from Ku Li. Will the real leaders please stand up?

Statement on the Result of the Permatang Pauh By-Election

26 August 26, 2008
YBM Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Member of Parliament, Gua Musang
31 Jalan Langgak Golf
55000 Kuala Lumpur

Today, five months after we met with the biggest General Election loss in our history, UMNO has suffered a landslide loss at Permatang Pauh. This despite the mobilization of the entire leadership and resources of a party that has held the machinery of government without pause for fifty years. This despite a campaign that embarrassed and divided the nation with its ugliness. It is time to face the music: it is we who have been buried:

- Our leadership is rejected by the rakyat and, moreover, is rejected by our own members. BN’s vote count was less than the number of UMNO members in the constituency.

- Within and among our component parties we ran a poorly coordinated and listless campaign against a motivated Opposition.

- What scraps of credibility the Prime Minister and his Deputy had left after March 8 are gone.

Today’s report card, delivered to a Prime Minister who is accountable also as Liaison Chief of UMNO Penang and Chairman of BN, is impossible to hide: he does not have the minimal credibility needed to run the country day by day, let alone to take it in the new directions we need to go in a complex world. He may not have the credibility needed to keep the country together. This dangerous situation cannot continue, and it will not.

I appeal to the members of UMNO and of BN’s component parties to stand by UMNO in our hour of crisis, and to take a sober historical perspective. The people of Malaysia and along with them, Umno’s ordinary members, have found their democratic voice. They demand leadership that can be trusted to unite our people, to restore confidence in our institutions, and forge a clear national direction. Today is proof that this wave cannot be held back. UMNO must change. We must begin by renewing our Party leadership. I am confident that by December, we shall.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

Gandhi’s wise words

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win- Mahatma Gandhi

Banning RPK’s Malaysia-today.net is an act of desperation & an insult to many of the online portal’s readers. This is a disgraceful act by a government that does not have the confidence to use all the facts & figures in its arsenal to deflect allegations of purported misreporting & sensationalised journalism.

If the allegations reported by MT are false (as stressed by BN politicians), why can’t the government win in its psywar to gain the trust of the blog readers?

A few possibilities (need not be mutually exclusive):

• Allegations could be true (no smoke without a fire)
• More skeletons in the closet to be disclosed
• BN have crappy marketers, strategists & advisers if allegations are untrue

What can the government do before heading down the point of no return? Either way, this action has caused irreparable damage to BN’s credibility.

The Hope of Reform & Moderation?

We do not officially endorse nor selectively criticise individual leaders as we believe the best mode of governance is through the democratic process- beyond a party & within a party.

However, the faces in the poster below (besides DSAI) deserve more air-time- for positive reasons of course.

Minutes from Operasi ‘Minyak’

On 17th August 2008, BN London organised a bi-partisan forum focusing on the reduction of fuel subsidies in Malaysia.

Based on the discussion, the forum participants agreed that the Federal Government could have improved on communicating reasons for the price hike and provide more buffer time for lifestyle adjustment. The key point is benefits of the fuel subsidy reduction should have been systematically and transparently broken down in brief & simple terms, with FAQs & pre-emptive explanations prepared to lay out the objectives of sound economic decision making.

For example, the Government could have had a point for point rebuttal on differences in opinion with Pakatan Rakyat using objective arguments backed by black & white figures instead of focusing on personal attacks on Opposition politicians. The debates between DSAI & Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Chik, Dato’ Shahrir Samad & Salahuddin Ayub and the live interview of Tan Sri Hassan Merican on live telecast are much lauded as symbols of unprecendented transparency- however, the usage of mass media in a more intelligent fashion to clearly outline the rational of prudent decision making would have made the argument the more compelling.

This first Kopitiam session brought participants together from various backgrounds who are keen to push for more open discussions on Malaysian issues in London. Suggestions of topics for the next Kopitiam Session include objective evaluation of ISA, education in Malaysia and the issue of religion. It was recommended that BN London should be reformed & restructured into a more bi-partisan organisation in order to function as a fully independent lobbying group straddling both sides of the Parliament.

Download Full Meeting Report

Download Warren Leow’s Presentation Slides on ‘Minyak’

Interesting extracts from Malaysian Press

With the Permatang Pauh by-election being just around the corner (and DSAI’s return to Parliament almost imminent), now comes Gus Dur & the Jews as a side topic to influence Malay thinking. Our challenge to the person who linked campaigning for votes with disrespect for another religion of the Book is ‘dude, get a life’. Sheesh- the amount of anti-semitism/racism within some people. And you call this responsible journalism?

True- Gus Dur was taken to be ‘weak’- but under him, there grew to be more openness. Is there no similarity with the situation right now in Malaysia? In addition, Gus Dur showed a willingness to speak to others irrespective of religion. What the article reeks is just senseless racism.

We do agree that Gus Dur should not interfere in Malaysian politics- but surely there must be better ways to deflect his ‘unwelcomed’ canvassing for DSAI.

Siapa Gus Dur mahu ajar kita?

KUALA LUMPUR 22 Ogos – Beberapa hari lepas, bekas Presiden Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid tiba-tiba saja muncul di Malaysia dalam apa yang dilihat sebagai cubaan untuk membantu kempen Parti Keadilan Rakyat dalam pilihan raya kecil Permatang Pauh.

Namun, untuk PKR bergantung kepada seorang personaliti yang bercelaru dan tidak lagi berwibawa, adalah sesuatu langkah yang dianggap kurang wajar.

Gus Dur, yang terkenal dengan kelakuan bercelaru dan kenyataan yang bercanggah, cuba berbaik-baik dengan pertubuhan Yahudi walaupun beliau mempunyai latar belakang agama yang kuat.

Orang seperti inikah yang boleh memberi perangsang kepada kita rakyat Malaysia?

Read more

UMNO: Shooting myself in the foot?

With DSAI’s return to the Parliament almost imminent, can we get assurances that UMNO has the ability to drive total revamp?

Pak Lah & Dato’ Seri Najib have agreed to a smooth transfer of power, but with most Malaysians distrusting or are, at the very least, indifferent to Najib, the only way for UMNO to regain the trust of swing voters (assuming they have not permanently lost faith in BN) is to have a showcase of democracy. Forget about the potential split along the lines of UMNO Baru/S46. This is about ensuring UMNO (& thus, BN) remain relevant.

If UMNO members love the party as much as professed, they should realise that the greater danger lies not with a potential split between Najib and challenger but with the risk of total irrelevance & annihilation! This is further exacerbated with the ‘covert’ talks with Pas leading to greater distrust amongst the non-Malay BN sympathisers (the biggest bloc of swing voters).

All posts must rightfully be contested in a fair & open manner, even if UMNO splinters into different camps, because democratic institutions with strong foundations will always prevail.

We must not default to just one candidate as PM-anointed for UMNO. We must have plurality of candidates because that is what grassroots are demanding.

Not only is this a golden opportunity to buang yang keruh, ambil yang jernih, an open & sincere UMNO which provides a PM chosen directly by the ordinary members (thus, not prescribed as best medicine from top-down) is the only way to regain the trust of the non-Malay & Malaysian (non-ethnocentric) voters.

The cepu emas questions are ‘have you got the guts to make that call?’ & ‘where is Hang Jebat in times of need?’

Download Merdeka Survey slides

BN London: Kopitiam Session on 17/08/2008

Kopitiam:Minyak- what’s up doc?

Date suggested : 17^th August 2008, 1000-1530 hours

Venue : Malaysian Hall, Malaysian Students Department, 30-34 Queensborough Terrace, London, W2 3ST

Targeted Attendees : 30 people (6 groups), general mix

Objective :

• Encourage knowledge sharing & discussion on fuel subsidies in Malaysia
• Provoke bi-partisan debate & ‘out of the box’ thinking
• Networking platform for future events
• Convey constructive input (where possible) to the government

Four modules:

• What is happening with the international oil markets?
• How can we analyse both views (pro & anti subsidy reductions) objectively?
• Can we adapt using PEST approach?
• WTI Crude Futures Trading Game

To express interest, kindly email barisanreform [@] gmail dot com. Strictly RSVP only.

Download Draft Agenda

Disclaimer:

Any view expressed does not in anyway represent official opinion & policies from the Malaysian government or any legal entity. All views expressed are a matter of personal opinion and therefore open to transparent discussion. Participants are hereby required to respect differences in opinion to encourage constructive debate.