The Power of Eyes and Brains

I am not gonna talk about politics today. We need a break right? From all the news and accusations and politicians making sweeping statements, we all seriously need a break.

Come. Let me show you some websites that my pal introduced to me. He got the links from his Graphic Data Analysis Statistics lecturer.


Websites
1. http://viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu/grafs/demos/15.html

Now before you go to this website, read this first. You will see a video of 6MB loading. And there will be a group of youngsters with two balls in a room. They will be passing both the balls simultaneously. Count the number of times the balls are passed around. Try to be as accurate as possible.

Then, watch the video again without counting the balls. Just stare at the video clip. And you will understand what I mean. Normally, we will focus all our attention and stare at the two basketballs passed around and we will not notice the "special" thing. We will only notice it the 2nd time we watch the video when we merely stare at the video.

You will understand what I am trying to say once you watched it. And introduce this video to your pals !


2. The Right Brain vs Left Brain. Check it out here.

3. Medical updates. Read more here.

4. I am sure many have seen this before but for those who haven't, please visit here. This video clip is about Christian, the lion. It is a true story and a touching one indeed. The music was suitable too and enhanced the emotions. Well, I leave it for you to watch and enjoy.

5. For those who enjoy optical illusions, explore the world of illusions here. In particular, I liked the Lincoln one, Munker White Illusion, Dr Angry and Mr Smile, and a few others. Take your time exploring.


Enjoy the links.

Politik Malaysia

Permatang Pauh, Najib dan BN

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, bakal pemimpin parti terbesar di Malaysia - UNITED MALAYS NATIONAL ORGANIZATION (UMNO), telah memilih Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah sebagai calon parti Barisan Nasional untuk bertanding dalam pilihan raya kecil kerusi Parlimen Permatang Pauh.

Pertama sekali, saya berharap BN sedar yang kerusi Permatang Pauh ini merupakan kubu kepada keluarga Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Kerusi ini bukanlah kubu Parti Keadilan Rakyat tetapi kubu Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Saya juga berharap BN sedar bahawa DSAI, PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat makin lama makin popular atas sebab isu-isu yang berlegar di sekeliling parti-parti komponen BN dan pemimpin-pemimpin BN.

Namun setelah mengumumkan calon BN itu, lihatlah betapa banyaknya blog dan laman web yang mengungkitkan cerita Tan Sri Amin Shah. Ingatkah anugerah gelaran "Datuk" Amin Shah ditarik balik oleh Istana Selangor? Ingatkah isu perkapalan Tan Sri Amin Shah? Ingatkah isu bankrupt Tan Sri Amin Shah? Banyak lagi berita yang sedang dikaitkan.

Maka atas isu-isu ini, apakah justifikasi BN mengumumkan Datuk Arif Shah sebagai calon? Hanya kerana YB pandai berbahasa Cina? Cukupkah itu? Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hanya perlu berkata "Ni Men Hau" kepada golongan Cina. Maka satu kampung Cina akan memberi tepukan. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim juga ada Tian Chua dan Dr Lee Boon Chye untuk membantu beliau menarik hati pengundi Cina.

Berkemungkinan besar Datuk Arif ini merupakan calon "terbaik" BN. Tetapi, Parti Keadilan Rakyat tidak akan duduk diam. Bersedialah, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Ini bukan sahajalah perang BN-PKR, tetapi perang Najib dan Anwar.



PAS, DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat

Ya. Saya berani berkata bahawa manifesto Pakatan Rakyat belum lagi mantap untuk meyakinkan rakyat Malaysia. Mentadbir kerajaan tidaklah semudah menurunkan harga minyak sebanyak 50-70 sen, tidaklah semudah menjerit "REFORMASI !", tidaklah semudah menjerit "Kerajaan Barisan Nasional korup".

Saya juga bersetuju dengan kata-kata Nasharuddin. Mengapa PAS boleh bersalam mesra dengan DAP dan "tidur sekatil" dalam Pakatan Rakyat tetapi PAS tak boleh berbincang dengan UMNO di mana ahli-ahlinya umat Islam. Saya ni tak lah pakar sangat isu Islam tapi tak bodoh juga. Tanyalah sesiapa, semuanya tahu agenda DAP bertentangan dengan agenda PAS.

Datuk Seri Nik Aziz merupakan tokoh politik yang saya hormati. Namun, masa telah berubah. Datuk Seri lihatlah wakil-wakil Pemuda PAS dan ucapan-ucapan mereka. Kebanyakan daripada mereka meluaskan ketidakpuasan hati terhadap arah PAS baru-baru ini. Saya rasa dah tiba masanya Datuk Seri Haji Hadi Awang dan Datuk Seri Nik Aziz menyerahkan pucuk kepimpinan kepada generasi professional PAS yang baru.

Parti PAS tidaklah salah sekiranya berjuang atas dasar dan agenda Islam. Namun rakyat lebih cenderung ke arah pembangunan negara, kemajuan rakyat dan perpaduan yang berkekalan. Tanyalah mana-mana umat Islam dan bukan Islam. Sudah tentu inilah yang diinginkan. Izinkanlah generasi baru PAS untuk memimpin.

Walau bagaimanapun, saya tidak berapa setuju dengan undang-undang hudud diperkenalkan di Malaysia. Kadang-kadang kita perlulah lihat. Apa yang lebih penting? Keputusan atau cara mendapatkan keputusan? Yang pentingnya keputusan.

Sekiranya undang-undang berperlembagaan diRaja Malaysia kini mampu membawa keputusan yang sama seperti undang-undang hudud, apakah salahnya kami meneruskan institusi perundangan yang sedia ada? Saya percaya umat Islam dan pemimpin beragama Islam tentu tidak akan membantah hujah saya ini.

Extradition of Thaksin

Do a popularity poll all throughout Thailand, make sure every single registered Thai is in it, and I am almost certain that Thaksin will come out as "popular". Run an election with Thaksin in the hot seat of probable Prime Minister if his party wins, and I am almost certain he will lead the kingdom of Siam under the Constitutional Monarchy of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

A once successful billionaire who decided to "retire" from business and hand his holding interests to his family members led by his wife, Khunying Potjaman. Thaksin joined politics with Thai Rak Thai and won two landslide victories. If I am not mistaken, he created history on that part.

Assuming Khunying Potjaman is merely a proxy for Thaksin Shinawatra in business transactions and interests, then the Rachadaphisek land deal scandal is certainly not her fault. The Court sentenced her to 3 years jail recently. She was said to have won the land bid at one third of the appraised value, with "help" from Thaksin.

Also, the Attorney General Chamber is piling up lawsuits against Thaksin. They include the Thai Exim Bank loan to Burma, legalisation of underground lottery, tax changes to benefit the then Shinawatra family owned Shin Corp, and others. To be honest, I have not read enough on these lawsuits and the full details. However, allow me to comment on the legalisation of underground lottery and changes in tax regimes.

Now, sex trade was once banned in Thailand but now legalised. The spread of sex trade is so great there that it seems almost impossible to eradicate. Money that changes hand there are not accounted for in the Government statistics, thus creating a measure of growth, income and employment that is no where near the true measure. Also, the Government loses a great amount of probable taxation revenue if sex trade is not legalised.

No. I am not saying that I support sex trade and neither am I against it. There are two sides of me, an ethical man and an Economist. So to come up with a stand from my part will mean that I need to split myself into two.

Anyway, we always say freedom is the foundation for human rights. Many in Thailand enter the sex trade to earn more money (men and women), to have a job, and I am sure some of them did it voluntarily and involuntarily. We can also think that there exists syndicates that provide sex workers to the industry there.

Because of these reasons, the Thai Government had to legalise sex trade. By doing so, they can monitor the companies that provide such services, the welfare of sex workers, earn Government taxation revenue from both the sex workers and the companies and also increase awareness about sex education.

These can include the health of sex workers, the education to the young (perhaps) to avoid sex trade, to educate the public on sex education, to curb STDs among the people, and to ensure that everything in the economy is accounted for.

Yes. The same goes with the legalisation of underground lottery. Basic economics will tell you that GDP can be calculated from the Income Approach, Production Approach or Expenditure Approach.

Either way, the "black market" is never accounted for. You can imagine how much money is circulated in the "black market" of underground lottery and previously the sex trade. For the record, gamblers in Malaysia know clearly that underground lottery in Malaysia is a huge business.

I wonder if the Malaysian Government will look into either a crackdown or a legalisation of underground lottery.

Over to tax regimes, I certainly do not know why Thaksin's Shin Corp is the only one who benefits from the changes in tax regimes. Did the taxation law specifically mentioned the word Shin Corp in between the lines?

I doubt the Parliament of Thailand and not even his supporters in Thai Rak Thai would have loved it and what more to say approved it. Moreover, if tax regimes are changed, it will benefit all the companies in the same bracket as Shin Corp. So, I voice my suspicion on this lawsuit.

One can only wonder what is happening in Thailand and the truth behind the curtains, just like in Malaysia. A country where the junta is so powerful that it can overthrow democracy is certainly not very credible, what more to say about the Attorney General's chamber.

Do not forget that the military Government removed Thaksin from power while he was in Thailand, and they handled the Government their way with many changes in Government departments and staff as well as passing a legislation that protects themselves when the election was coming up.

I guess they knew the Thais are unhappy with them and wants Thaksin's policies back. And so it came true, where the Thais voted for the People Power Party that is said to be heavily influenced and tied to Thaksin Shinawatra.

Analysts are beginning to look forward to a Thailand without Thaksin, politically, and many said that the economy will have a clearer path than before. Is that true? A day later after the many analytical comments from brokers, Economists and investors, Thailand is beginning a taskforce to extradite Thaksin and Potjaman from London under the Siam - Great Britain Extradition Treaty signed in 1911.

From hero to zero, and that is how Thaksin is treated. All these came right from the start of the military Government that threw Thaksin out of office, till now. Not only his reputation is being stained but also his assets are beginning to bid good bye to Thaksin. His 76 billion baht assets will be confiscated by the Thai Government, pending a Court judgement. That will be approximately USD 2.2 billion.

As far as I remember, Thaksin and the Shinawatra family was worth USD 1 billion at least when he was Premier. So, personally I do not see the justification in seizing all assets, assuming that the Prosecutors have concrete evidence that Thaksin abused power and accumulated wealth for the Shinawatra family.

Nevertheless, whatever happens, I wish Mr Thaksin Shinawatra, Khunying Potjaman, and the Shinawatra family all the best in the future of their freedom, political career and businesses. I support no criminal or offenders of the law. However, my support stays with Thaksin's contributions to the Thais, his policies that care for all income groups of Thailand with greater distributional weights to the poor, his vision for Thailand and of course his leadership.

Standing Ovation

First of all, allow me to make things clear. I do not hide the fact that I am an ardent and loyal supporter of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. However, I also recognize the fact that Tun has his own weaknesses, mistakes and slips. Yes, I admit that.

No one in this world is 100 percent the ideal model of a leader. This includes Lee Kuan Yew, our friend down there in Singapore. Read the Singaporean politics and you will understand the definition of democracy in Lee Kuan Yew's dictionary.

Secondly, I envy the great leadership and visionary mind of Tun Dr Mahathir. We do not support leaders blindly for who he is but we support his ideas, policies and knowledge.

Just like how we praise the great and brave leaders (warlords) of the Europeans and Chinese such as the Qin Emperor and Napoleon Bonaparte. Underneath their success is an ocean of blood, cries, screams and deaths. However, these great leaders have enviable minds that not everyone is blessed with.

It is because of the leader that can make us progress. "Do not walk behind me, walk with me, do not work for me, work with me" are words that can never see Malaysia progress. A body cannot have too many heads, a company cannot have too many CEOs, and a country cannot have too many leaders.

For if that happens, the theory of a State's existence will fall. The country will split into the many directions that each wants to lead her to. And that is why, perhaps, we see the rise of Anwar Ibrahim under the leadership of Pak Lah.

We used to have Dr M vs Anwar, where Dr M held the country firmly with him and he stood in front to lead the country. Remember the Buy British Last policy? The famous Dawn Raid of Guthrie that caused the London Stock Exchange to reform their rules?

Yes. But in times of Pak Lah vs Anwar, people see Anwar as a stronger leader who leads the pack, just like the role of the President of the United States as compared to Pak Lah's total democracy style where he allows his team and party to work with him, not for him.

You might think that I am wrong given that the principle that formed United States is a country that provides a home for those who are from another country that has less freedom than the United States of America. And one would surely expect the President of United States to practise total democracy.

No. The President of United States leads and his words have to be obeyed by his team. The role of his advisors and Cabinet are just to advise the President and govern their departments on policies set by POTUS.

Pak Lah needs to change his administration style as soon as he can. For there are too many of the sailors wanting to be Captain, and perhaps there are too many Captains already onboard this "sinking" ship. There can only be one Captain, Pak Lah.

Now, reading several articles in CheDet.com, I am lost for words but I shall give Tun a standing ovation with claps ! Semoga Allah panjangkan usia Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ! I pray and hope that Malaysia will have another charismatic and visionary leader one day again !

The following article was written by Dr Mahathir in Chedet.com, his personal blog page.

1. I am very touched by the response to my article "The Country We Love" (July 27, 2008). We may have our differences, we may be of different races but it seems that we all love this country.

2. I have been abroad hundreds of times but I never fail to look forward to returning home. And as I step off the plane I would feel that sense of belonging that almost move me to tears. I am quite sure that every Malaysian feels this way upon returning to this, our very own homeland.

3. As Malaysia we are not an old country for we came into being only slightly more than 50 years ago. But it had been a very eventful half a century.

4. No one gave us much of a chance when in 1957 we lowered the Union Jack and flew the Jalur Gemilang. We were of many races, cultures and religions, divided again by our economic functions, by extreme disparities in material wealth.

5. But our wise founding fathers, our Tunku Abdul Rahman, our Tan Cheng Lock and our Tun Sambanthan worked out a unique form of racial cooperation that staved off any violent confrontation between the races.

6. That cooperation, embodied in the coalition of racial parties and the Alliance/National Front Governments enabled the country to remain peaceful, bar one or two hiccups for 50 years.

7. Those were glorious years. The country grew and prospered. It became the model of the development of a developing country, a model of racial cooperation. It became known throughout the world where once no one could evenpronounce its name. It was the envy of other developing countries.

8. Malaysians abroad felt proud because the moment they identified themselves as Malaysians, immediately people talked of F1 in Sepang and the twin towers.

9. There seemed to be nothing to stop us from achieving our goal of becoming a developed country by 2020.

10. Now all these dreams seem to have faded away. We are involved in political wrangling of all kinds, our leaders seem to be uncertain about what to do, our foreign policy is in disarray etc etc.

11. We have lost our direction. And we get no guidance.

12. We can withdraw into ourselves and merely wish our problems would go away or would solve themselves.

13. But that is wishful thinking. They will not solve themselves, they will not go away. If at all they will become worse, become much more difficult to resolve, as our people become more deeply divided.

14. The organisations created by our founding leaders which we were once confident could handle every problem have now deteriorated. Everything is about what is in it for me. Even the ordinary members of once respected political parties want something for themselves. Jobs, posts, titles, contracts and filthy lucre are the only things which matter.

15. Sacrifice? What sacrifice?

16. Who cares to sacrifice whatever. For most of the people we put our trust in to steer this beloved country to greater heights, the only sacrifice is to give up the Mercedes Benz for Proton Perdana, and that too very reluctantly.

17. I wasn't the best of leaders when I was in the hot seat.

18. But I did try my best. If my best is not good enough I am sorry.

19. But Dato Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Tan Siew Sin, Tun V.T. Sambanthan cannot be faulted in terms of the sacrifices they made, their contributions to building racial harmony, peace and stability for their country.

20. Could it be that we forgot to teach this generation of leaders about the sacrifices made by our founding fathers.

21. Could it be that we cannot handle wealth as we did poverty?

22. Could it be that our leaders lack honour and the sense to accept responsibility and to retire gracefully?

23. Some simply cannot accept the realities, the role they had played in the destruction of a near perfect system which had done so much for our country.

24. Yes we should "Cry the Beloved Country" as Alan Payton said of his South Africa of the Apartheid past.

25. But crying would take us nowhere.

26. It is time the silent majority stop being silent.

27. It is time to speak up and be counted.

28. If we love our country we must not allow crooks and charlatans to rape and steal it from us.

29. It is ours, this country of many races and religions.

30. We must stand together, we the concerned Malaysians, and defend our heritage.

A Statesman Sent Into Exile

I read with great disappointment of how Thailand has treated their statesman, Thaksin Shinawatra. Allow me to stress and remind those who look at him as a corrupt leader that there is no need for him to embezzle any money, give any bribes, or take any kickbacks. He is after all, a billionaire.

Also, allow me to highlight that under Thaksin's rule, Thailand have progressed economically when he governed Thailand with his Thaksinomics. Thaksin administrated Thailand the CEO management way.

The policies of Thaksin's administration covers a vast range policies that include affordable healthcare, stimulus economic packages, soft cheap loans to the poor, Government subsidies and assistance to Northern Thailand and the farmers, infrastructure development and many more. I believe the icing would be the success of Thailand in repaying the IMF debts 2 years ahead of schedule.

This debt to IMF was incurred during the Thailand Asian financial crisis. No, I am no expert of Thailand's economy. But I have said it many times. Thaksin is a great leader and he has led Thailand to better days.

Yes, I do agree Thaksin had his fair share of ugly side. The primary issue here is that, as an apprentice in Economics, I strongly believe in the partition of financial assets into two zones - national security assets and non national security assets (i.e. commercial, private, etc). I leave the rest of the breakdown of these assets to you.

Shin Corp is a group of companies that has a massive interest in Shin Satelite, telecommuncations sector and information systems. These companies can be listed as national security assets. Thaksin is to be blamed for selling these assets to Temasek. Yes, I do agree with that from a nation's point of view.

The Criminal Court of Thailand recently sentenced Potjaman Shinawatra (wife of Thaksin) to 3 years in jail, although she has already left for political exile (some say asylum) in Beijing. It is strongly tipped that Thaksin will also leave Thailand on a trail of a pile of lawsuits from the Attorney General's chamber of Thailand. My deepest sympathy for Potjaman Shinawatra for she is merely a proxy in this case. I do not know the whole case presented in Court so I do not want to comment whether or not the judgement and the case was politically motivated.

Despite these, I would say that it is the legislation in Thailand that provided Thaksin's team of accountants, financiers and lawyers to evade taxation on the sale of Shin Corp. The sale did not break any law. How then can the people blame it on Thaksin? The noble House in Thailand should instead focus on improving their taxation legislation, review policies on controlling national security assets, and work on their economy.

Moreover, Thaksin's removal as PM is unconstitutional, although if we said that at that time, it will be a seditious remark against HRH King Bhumibol since the junta had the informal backing of King Bhumibol to take over the administration. Also, it seems like although Thaksin's allies are in power now under the banner of People's Power Party, Thaksin and his family is not a free man.

In the beginning, it was widely tipped that Thaksin will return home from exile in Hong Kong and United Kingdom once PPP govern Thailand. And it all happened. Rumours begin to go around that Thaksin's return to Thailand is merely a show and he will be let off for all the alleged crimes he did. No, that did not happen when evidently, Potjaman was sentenced to jail.

Nobody knows if Samak's administration tried to intervene in the Criminal Court case. For the record, Potjaman left for Beijing on board a Thai Airways flight along with Thai PM Samak recently after being sentenced to 3 years in jail with the motive of seeking asylum overseas.

No matter what it is, Thaksin will leave Thailand again and this time, we are not at all certain if he will be given the chance to return or not. For all he did, he is a revered man or perhaps a Saint to many in Thailand. For the Bangkok elite, Thaksin is their enemy and he must be removed.

Thailand, honestly, needs Thaksin and his policies. The high living costs globally are being felt in Thailand also. The farmers are already beginning to face financial crisis with banks, institution and Government agencies unable to assist as much as during the time in Thaksin's era. One solution? The Palace needs to come forward to once and for all solve the political crisis in Thailand.

This is one crisis that have been bugging Thailand for far too long. The PAD and PPP have been locking horns over this matter with accusations thrown at each other. If you ask me, I hope to see Thaksin make a return to Thailand.

If the people of Thailand believe he has committed wrongdoings such as abuse of power or implementing unconstitutional policies, then limit his powers as the leader of Thailand with a Special Select Committee led by The Palace of King Bhumibol with members that consist of academicians and politicians from PAD and PPP.

Otherwise, if there are fair and unmotivated evidence that he has committed crimes under the law of Thailand, then, I have nothing to say except to let the Prosecutors to do their job.

Nevertheless, I do not hide the fact that I am an ardent supporter of Thaksin's policies. We can always look at the good side and all his beneficial policies to the millions of Thais in education, healthcare, anti-drug schemes, IMF repayments, economy and many more.

A grand statesman, Thaksin Shinawatra. Just to deviate a little, I am wondering if this is a season or the century where billionaires fall due to politics. Remember Silvio Berlusconi - the former Italian PM, AC Milan club owner, tycoon and entrepreneur? Well, good for him, he is still the PM of Italy now. He held the position in 3 different times. Kinda rocky huh?

Also, of course we have not forgotten the Yukos tycoon in Russia. Mr Mikhail Khodorkovsky. His billions, if the reports were accurate, have been eroded to a millions at an approximation of USD 500 million. Yes. It is true. This man was once the 16th richest man in the world. He claims that his sentencing to jail was politically motivated because he stood with the Opposition against the Kremlin of Putin and Co. However, Russian Government prosecuted him firmly for crimes of tax evasion and fraud.

Nevertheless, we can see the link where tycoons are best not to step their legs into politics. Politics is not a ground for everyone to play. Not even the most successful businessman on Earth can. From the history and the information of global events, we can see empirically that business and politics are two different world. So, perhaps it will be a lesson for future aspiring politicians from the business world?


Note

I read from the papers yesterday that Penarik Beca's blog owner have been detained under the Sedition Act. Yes, my blog articles do appear in Malaysiakita-Bakaq as some have already noticed. He comes to my blog once awhile and leaves some comments. Although we do not know each other personally, we are friends in the blogosphere. I wish him all the best in his trial for sedition. Take care, my friend.

Chess Pieces

Life is like a board game. Every movement we make, every thought we have, every decisions we make and every actions we carry out, they are like pieces on a board of chess game, or perhaps like strategies in a game of Go. Description of life, as time ticks away, can best be mirrored by strategic games.

Yes, we all plan our moves. But as the Joker says in The Dark Night movie, when we upset the order, the result is just chaos. It is, in some sense, true. Everything we do, we justify our actions and convince ourselves that these are planned actions with foreseeable results.

However, how many times have our planned course of action produced the desired results? Be honest. As for me, not many of my plans went well. Nevertheless, we cannot blame God, ourselves or the exogenous factors such as the people around us for everything that goes awry. These are after all, valuable experience and lessons in life that can be used to make better informed decisions at various decision nodes in any strategic decision making in the future.

I admit I do not know what I am doing in certain segments of my personal life, adoption of specific political ideology, future of my studies etc. I also cannot deny the fact that a once clear path of my future is now a little bit misty, foggy, and clouded with secrecy and uncertainty.

But that intrigues me. I want to walk down the path, though slowly, to see what is there for me to explore and to experience. The chess pieces that I move, the beads of Go that I place, and the uncertainty of my life path, have piled pressure on me to move in ways that nobody can understand.

We all might not understand why I am doing this, or why you are doing that. We all might not understand why I am saying this, why you are saying that. We all might not know why I see things this way, and why you see things the other way. We never know until the end result is shown. Then only we will know why things have happened that way.

As seconds go by, we make our moves and decisions for the moment with a desired outcome in mind and in our prayer. But have we not thought that even the happiest and care free person in the world makes decisions?

He or she has to make decisions every day. And no, he or she is not carefree. Being a rational person, every single one of us (even the most care free person in the world) makes decision based on historical information. We weigh our options and decide which is best for us to pick. We can only do so based on previous experiences.

Yes. And that is how I make my decisions. Pardon me if the words I use are not melodies to your ears. Forgive me if my actions are not what you would like. Teach me if what I have done is wrong. If I have done right things in your opinion, then praise me, pat my back and motivate me.

After saying all these, the phrase “someday we will all understand” bears a lot of meaning and weights that can make one ponder the whole day about matters related to life. And that is what I did with this phrase today.

Parliament and Oscar Awards

Soon, latest by October, Dewan Rakyat will have a new Member of Parliament. His name is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who will sit in the front bench from the Opposition side.

Yes, no matter what Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi says, regardless of what Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon claims, and whatever BN and UMNO try to do in Permatang Pauh, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) will step into Parliament as an elected MP for Permatang Pauh by October at the latest.

No one can deny that Permatang Pauh is a safe seat for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. From Kuala Kangsar (vs Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz) to Bandar Tun Razak, now he is home in Permatang Pauh. It will be two giants in Penang. It wasn't that "safe" for Datuk Seri Wan Azizah in the previous (not the recent) election. But for DSAI, it will be.

I am sorry to say this, but I don't think Datuk Pirdaus will get to run again as a candidate in Permatang Pauh. No matter what characteristics he has, or whatever background he is from, he will not be able to win against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Without Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, we already have lots of fun in Parliament. Dr Tan Seng Giaw will always be "entertaining" the MPs with his slow and steady speech. Haha. He is always being reminded by the Speaker and Deputy Speakers about his time allocation and about how he needs to utilise his time better with a "quicker" pronunciation, going right into the point etc.

We also have YB M Kulasegaran around, Datuk Mukhriz, YB Lim Kit Siang vs Khairy, Cabinet Ministers vs Opposition, YB Azmin Ali with his cool and fiery speeches. And we shall not forget the sole Independent MP YB Datuk Ibrahim Ali from Kelantan. He seems impartial so far.

The Speaker had a lot of work to control the MPs, the approval of questions, educating young MPs, disciplining senior MPs and ensure a proper debate session in Parliament all these while.

Believe me, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin. When DSAI steps into Parliament, I believe you will have to scream on top of your lungs and exert every inch of your power written in your portfolio as Speaker of Dewan Rakyat very frequently.

And the current MPs? There will be two effects. The Opposition Leader of course will be DSAI. He will run the show and work behind the scenes also. Some Opposition MPs might see that they will suffer a thing called "lack of attention" be it from the Press or Opposition leaders or party members. Why? Simply because everyone will be looking at what Anwar does only.

He winks, everyone winks. He raises his hands, everyone from the Opposition follows suit. On a lighter note, if he farts, I hope all the other MPs do not follow him to fart ! Because if 80++ Opposition MPs fart along with DSAI, then the Parliament will need to be postponed to a later time. Take it lightly okay? Dont send me any legal letters. Haha.

So, now what about the BN MPs? Yes. I will say what others are saying. They will tremble, they will have fear, and they will be experiencing a form of stage fright. No, not because of the eyes and ears focusing at them. But because they are up against DSAI and he will have his hawk eyes on them. We have to be honest on this. Only Dr Mahathir managed to be superior to DSAI when he was PM. The way Pak Lah's image is these days, and how his image has been portrayed by his advisors (not strong enough), I think it will be hard for anyone including Pak Lah to stand up against DSAI.

All is not lost for UMNO. Pak Lah can still have his team of advisors to change his image into someone superior, worth voting for and is good for Malaysia. Or, UMNO's two leaders in waiting - Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin - might be able to at least reduce DSAI's shining star and popularity.

Hmm. The game is on in Malaysia. As I just told Aimran, a buddy of mine in ANU, Malaysia lately is full of accusations from all parties. And in my words, allow me to say this. "And the Oscar goes to ... Malaysia !"

A Different Perspective

Now, I am not here today to comment on anything but allow me to introduce some interesting articles to you. I read these articles and although I have different opinions with some of the authors, but nevertheless, the pieces were good !

Politics
1. Agendadaily ( on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, questions, press freedom )
2. Bigdogdotcom ( Wayang Tinggi )
3. Rockybru ( on Dr Osman - Anwar )
4. Kickdefella ( Pakatan Rakyat - PAS )
5. Chedet ( on Pulau Batu Putih and our sovereignty )
6. Ends and Means Out of Malaysia' Stalemate
7. Return Power Back To Rakyat
8. Malaysia Today ( on the sodomy medical report issue )

Relationship Economics
How Can I Find True Love With Game Theory? ( by Presh Talwalkar ) - will look at the modelling part later if I have the time.


I am being indifferent here and not taking sides, politically. All of us have our rights to believe in whatever we want to believe. There is no right or wrong, allow me to stress that. Nowadays, many of us dont know what to believe in.

Is it time for the Palace to step in like what King Bhumibol did? That is something playing in my mind now. I will leave it to all of you to judge and decide what is right and what is wrong.

Have a good day everyone !