Politics in 2009 (must read)

At first, we read Anwar Ibrahim's HEADLINES-GRABBING statement that "We have one policy for all" (The Malaysian Insider).

But, 24 hours later, "The New Dawn" commented that Pakatan Rakyat will not register as a coalition for the moment (SinChew).



All rubbish, if you ask me. Sandiwara, skrip drama, aktiviti cari publisiti. That's the least words I can use to describe the outcome of the Pakatan Rakyat Convention.

Two prominent, upcoming leaders and politicians-to-watch-in-2010 fired shots at DAP throughout the year for their antics (with great success I would say).

First, we had Tan Keng Liang (Gerakan Kedah) pressuring DAP and PAS in Kedah till the Rocket Supremo Lim Kit Siang had to make a trip to Kedah to solve the matters with regards to Pig Farming and Land Quota.

Keng Liang slammed Kit Siang soon after with his Press Statement : Kit Siang must explain what was actually resolved with MB Kedah.

Keng Liang recently urged Pakatan Rakyat to walk the talk in PR-rule States after the dramatic Pakatan Rakyat Convention.

MCA Presidential Council member Datuk Ti Lian Ker also called DAP's bluff with a puff. Easily, the MCA leader pinched DAP on their "abstract relationship" with PAS.


The finale ? Interesting and juicy. Questions are being raised in blogs on the parentage of a little girl as 2009 draws to a close.

The mother is Shamsidar Tahrin, the wife of Azmin Ali but the biological father's identity is "on trial" in the blogosphere.

I dislike the methods of using this little girl as a political chip or tool. It is quite cruel and unfair to the little girl. However, mysteries must be solved as this is also linked to Ummi Hafilda and the 1998 political crisis.

The blogosphere pull the curtains of 2009 with mysteries unsolved and events to look forward to.

1. Is Anwar or Azmin the father of the little girl ?


2. Did Anwar sodomise Mohd Saiful Bukhari ?


3. Did MACC murder their star witness Teoh Beng Hock for a corruption case on DAP leader(s) ?
   


4. Who is the EXCO member in Selangor which Wee Choo Keong accused of having links to secret societies ?
   


5. Where is the fugitive blogger RPK and who are his main sponsors ?


6. Will the "Photoshop" politician Tian Chua furnish his accusation with evidence that Rosmah Mansor received a wired transfer of RM 600,000 to Dubai (when in fact Rosmah could have conveniently used her Credit Card) ?


7. What will happen in MCA between the warlords - Ong Tee Keat, Chua Soi Lek, Liow Tiong Lai and the sleeping giants - Ong Ka Chuan, Ong Ka Ting, Ling Liong Sik ?


8. Will the high profile corruption cases and scandals have a closure - Datuk Norza Zakaria, Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy, Datin Paduka OC Phang, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing ?


9. Who will be the new President of Petronas as a replacement for Tan Sri Hassan Merican who will "retire" in February ? Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar ?


10. Is 1Malaysia Lotus F1 team going to be a successful project ? Or will the businessmen put a dent in the 1Malaysia brand name which they borrowed from Najib ?
    

2010 will be exciting in non political segments with expected financial institutions' consolidation, mergers and acquisitions as well as implementation of strategic business plans by Malaysia Airlines.

A Piece of My Mind wishes you all a Happy New Year.

Perform KPI on BN Kelantan

The can of worms in Kelantan were opened up first by BigDogDotCom back in 2008.

But a miscalculated move by Tok Guru sparked a series of attack on the Kelantan PAS administration. These multiple issues were exposed by Datuk Husam Musa's right hand man himself, Syed Azidi.


Sudah terlewat untuk Nik Aziz berundur
Pembongkaran penyelewengan Abdul Ariffahmi Abd. Rahman, menantu Nik Abdul Aziz membuka mata masyarakat terhadap pembinaan sebuah dinasti oleh keluarga Tuan Guru yang menjadi tonggak PAS Kelantan. Perlahan-lahan satu persatu mula terselak. Lambat laun maklumat terperinci berhubung Sekolah Darul Anuar, Tanah Wakaf Pulau Melaka dan Stesen Minyak berdekatan akan turut hangat diperkatakan.



But since Nik Aziz created a holy and heavenly image of himself since the beginning of his political career, Nik Aziz is still very comfortable in his seat.

We must begin to adopt a more aggressive approach and regain the support in Kelantan. Each time I flip the papers, I only see Muhyiddin Yassin or PAS leaders commenting on Nik Aziz.

I don't see Najib Tun Razak attacking PAS especially when the PM himself has been a subject of name callings such as "Najis" and "Altantuya".


Maybe what people say is true, Najib is a well mannered, discipline man who emphasises the People First, Performance Now concept while the Opposition continue with their wild ambitions to play Politics First, Putrajaya Now.

But that doesn't mean that UMNO Kelantan and MCA Kelantan can rest on their laurels. I hear a deafening silence from Kelantan BN leaders.

Why must we wait for PAS Kelantan members to make the moves to attack Nik Aziz's administration ?

UMNO Kelantan must begin to highlight issues of the PAS Government. There is no need to wait for PAS Kelantan members to attack their own leadership.

Don't just watch the Federal BN Government leaders do the talking while the rest in Kelantan sit back and do nothing.

Orang Kelate tengah buat apa di sana ? Bangkitlah dan tawan Kelantan pada PRU 13 nanti !


Pick up and continue on from here please BN Kelantan.

1. Lojing Highlands
2. Sekolah Darul Anuar
3. Tanah Wakaf Pulau Melaka
4. Stesen Minyak
5. Majlis Perbandaran Kota Baru
6. Nik Ariffahmi
7. Kelantan PAS Scandals

(and there are talks that Nik Aziz will wield the axe soon. Surely, a rebellion will rise and BN Kelantan must provide the pressure as well ! )

The BN Federal Government has "invested" a lot in the State with projects, Universities and even building places for worshipping (Mosque, etc).

When these carrots can only swing us to "near win" in 2004, it goes without saying that we need to do more than just bringing in growth to Kelantan.

It is time we play the strategies adopted by Pakatan Rakyat - talk on issues and policies.

We have walked and sent in investments for development in Kelantan. So now it is important that we take a step back to walk and play the issues in the ears of Kelantanese.

Some leaders are just too comfortable driving their Mercedes Benz in Kelantan.

Najib and BN Supreme Council must do a KPI on BN elected reps in the States where we are the Opposition - ESPECIALLY KELANTAN AND SELANGOR.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, A Piece of My Mind calls for KPI on BN Kelantan leaders. Shape up or ship them out !

READ MORE : Krisis ‘Ariffahmi Gate’ kini mengundang perebutan kuasa di PAS Kelantan ; Husam Musa Bersuara Setelah Lama Mendiamkan Diri ; PAS crisis festers as Nik Aziz mulls sackings

Lotus F1

This article was first published at Klik4Malaysia : Lotus F1

There are two different stories by two top bloggers on Petronas' decision to sponsor Mercedes instead of Lotus F1. I shall let you read and judge on your own.

1. Petronas - Mercedes GP deal is beneficial for the nation
2. Maverick Hassan Merican and Petronas
   

Tun Dr Mahathir has his personal opinion on this, so read : FI team investment pays 100 times dividend, says Dr M

Hmm. If we are among the darkhorses in the F1 races, then certainly Malaysians can lift their heads and be proud.

The "ang-moh" or "orang putih" will be curious to know about the country called Malaysia which is more popularly described as "the country between Thailand and Singapore".

Well, don't laugh or fume and don't say that is not true. Some still don't know Malaysia, some heard of Malaysia but unsure where it is.

In fact, I would say not many people know that Sabah and Sarawak are part of Malaysia as well. Thus, it might be a good idea to be involved in international sports that will consistently promote Malaysia.

But will that be enough to make people Buy Malaysian Products or Visit Malaysia ? Have we ever thought,

• what if we cannot qualify for races during the qualifying sessions ?
• what if we qualified but end up fighting NOT TO BE LAST ?
• what if we qualified but we end up NOT FINISHING RACES ?

That will certainly mean that we will lose the support of Malaysians. I predict millions of Malaysians will turn on their TVs to watch the Lotus 1Malaysia F1 team perform in Bahrain (1st race).

But if we lose or fail somewhere before the race or in the race, things will go awry and downhill.

Malaysians will lose their patience and politicians as well as bloggers will be out for the heads of the businessmen who borrowed the 1Malaysia theme from Najib to boost their F1 business.

Whatever the results of the Lotus F1 team, I personally think that Air Asia won't lose as they will still be a well known airline globally.

In fact, Air Asia will find routes to various countries in the world just through F1. Governments and Airports worldwide will know AirAsia and they will be granted landing rights.

Lotus ? Their business will be dented and people will lose confidence in the car. Those who buy sports cars are those whom are proud of their speedy cars.

But will one really buy a Sports Car that loses in F1 races ? Rich or spoilt folks might shy away from buying a "loser" sports car, although the effect will not be extensive.

I expect that Malaysia Airlines will suffer at the expense of AirAsia's successes. Mind you, Malaysian Government owns a large stake in Malaysia Airlines.

More importantly, win or lose, no one can say for sure if people will flock to Malaysia for Invest Malaysia or Visit Malaysia.

I don't want to see another round of "Government paid, someone else gained".

I hope and I pray that the net winners in the end are Proton, Lotus and Malaysians. So much money is invested and such high stakes "gamble" must bring successes.

Also, Lotus F1 must be well prepared since Petronas had decided to sponsor a "potential winner" in Mercedes instead of gambling their petrodollars in the hands of the untested Lotus F1.

Lotus F1 is surprised that Petronas refuse to sponsor them actually. So, I am sitting here wondering how Lotus F1 will fund their operations and races next year.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone once mentioned that an F1 team requires at least US$300mil to fully participate in all the 17 or 18 races per F1 season.

But 1Malaysia Racing Team Sdn Bhd (1MRT) estimated that they will spend RM 308 million only for the whole year. 1MRT is smarter than Bernie Ecclestone ?

Lies against Najib

People continue to believe lies and the amazing stories spun by bloggers or news sites heavily linked to the Opposition.

We had the amazing story of Najib being linked to Altantuya. One politician even said he has a photo of Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda and Altantuya together in Paris.

In the end, what did we get ? This photo was published by the politician.


Together with this "master piece", there was also a fugitive blogger who claimed Rosmah was at the scene and monitored the murder (or should I say blasting ?) of Altantuya.

These came hot after the failure to connect Najib and Altantuya in Paris. In the end, what did we get ?

A Statutory Declaration by the fugitive who was reliably informed that Rosmah was at the scene during the C4-ing of Altantuya on 19 October 2006.

The SD stated :

"I have been reliably informed that between about 10 p.m. on 19th October 2006 and early hours of the following day, the night Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered, three (3) other people were also present at the scene of the crime"

But another story added :

"From 10.01pm the night Altantuya was murdered until 6.05am the following morning, two army officers visited the Deputy Prime Minister and/or his wife."

I guess the informant could

• at first confirm that Rosmah was there at the scene between 10pm and early hours
  
• but cannot clarify if two army officers met the DPM, DPM and his wife, or just the DPM's wife between 10pm to 6am at the DPM's Official Residence (Najib was DPM, now PM)
  

Contradictions, contradictions. There also hard copy proofs of Rosmah being at a Tabung Haji function (from GAP) and confirmed by Barking Magpie as well.



And then, we had the "photoshop" politician saying RM 600,000 was wired to Dubai for Rosmah. Some even added that it was for her shopping spree.

But isn't there a thing called Platinum Visa Card or Amex Black Card ? It is common knowledge that personalities, leaders or top businessmen have high or unlimited credit limits.

With credit cards, tak payah susah susah nak "kirim" wang RM 600,000, right ?

I won't buy any of these stories unless concrete evidences are laid out instead of making "attention seeking" allegations.

Thus, instead of "baling batu sembunyi tangan" to let the supporters have stories to spin among the people, furnish the talk with evidences.

I shall continue with more on this next week to tell you the strategies of the Opposition spin doctors. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to all my readers.

Mahathir : Form Royal Commission

Over the years, many allegations have been thrown against Dr Mahathir Mohamad. This is especially so during Abdullah Badawi's days.

People thought they can say anything and everything they want about Najib Tun Razak and Mahathir Mohamad.

The restrictions for these two leaders are clear. When such allegations were made, both are the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Holding such a position and stature, the sitting Prime Minister of Malaysia does not have the privilege to file lawsuits against any unscrupulous and wild allegations by individuals, politicians or organizations.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia can only file lawsuits IF AND ONLY IF the allegations are a threat to the nation's credibility or targeted at the Government of Malaysia.

It is not a written law, but it is a standard within the society of leaders.

Even so, the wordings of the allegations must be solely on the Administration be it on sovereignty or governance matters.

Any inclusion or mention of individuals will complicate matters for the Prime Minister of Malaysia to respond or retaliate except merely to deny in a professional manner via Press Statements.

But times have changed for Mahathir. He is now no longer in public service and he is itching for some action.

Mahathir once said that he is ready to go to Court and not any Inquiry with regards to the Lingam case.

I believe Mahathir has his own reasons when he said he doesn't remember on certain accounts - either it is a strategic move or he really cannot recall.

After all, he was the Prime Minister of Malaysia who had to deal with domestic and international affairs ranging from ICT, Education and Healthcare to OIC, United Nations and diplomatic missions.

Perhaps the replies can be interpreted as Mahathir saw no reason or purpose to provide accounts at the Inquiry with no legal implications.

As we know, the Court upholds the law while Inquiries merely make recommendations and reports.

No lawsuits were filed in the end.

Read : Royal Commissions ; Lingam Tapes

Now, Barry Wain claimed in his book that Mahathir squandered RM 100 billion. Some are spreading words that Mahathir "pocketed" RM 100 billion.

Sad indeed where such lies spun by the detractors created false knowledge among the people. Malaysians should have been more pro active in search of the truth.

The fact is that it was an estimated amount by him, not the project investment costs incurred by the Malaysian investment arms.

Every company surely cannot expect to make profits ALL THE TIME. Even the once powerful and great Temasek Holdings made questionable investments and incurred losses recently (Banks etc).

Malaysia enjoyed steady and progressive growth rates under Mahathir Mohamad. This is a matter of fact.

Whatever it is, I let the Statesman himself do the talking this time as he is ready and willing to battle.

Mahathir has fired his warning shots, and be prepared I shall say.

"Depending upon the result of the commission, I reserve the right to sue Barry Wain, Lim Kit Siang and Malaysiakini.com for libel for a sum to be disclosed later."

READ : Form Royal Probe on Dr M's squandering

MCA should lead Penang

HOT NEWS : UMNO seeks Penang BN Chairmanship

Right after the March 2008 tsunami on Barisan Nasional, I actually raised an idea to my friends and relatives.

I did not state it directly but dropped hints on what is to come for Penang when I wrote : Penang BN must return to MCA's leadership

My thoughts remain firm then till today :

"If Gerakan refuse to learn, then Barisan Nasional cannot place Gerakan in the priority frontline for the leadership of Penang. The taskforce must be returned to MCA - as it was before the 1970s."

I quickly released this article to push MCA to lead Penang Barisan Nasional for 3 reasons and

1. Gerakan Penang did not perform effectively all these while


2. Penang has a Chinese majority population and MCA should be tasked to lead when Gerakan failed


3. It will be disastrous for BN if UMNO leads the taskforce

It is a matter of fact that I admire Datuk Azhar Ibrahim, Opposition Leader of Penang for UMNO and Barisan Nasional.

I feel that Penang Gerakan leaders have been failures thus far as Opposition and I strongly feel that Datuk Azhar is the only BN Opposition Leader whom is working hard as compared to other States.

However, UMNO must understand.

This move might backfire and the Chinese in Penang might maintain DAP's clean sweep in the State for a very long time.

We must look at things in the long term. Penang is a Chinese majority State and it is a necessity Chinese-based Party to lead the taskforce.

MCA has all along been promoting heritages, cultures and literature of the Chinese classics - elements which are synonymous to Penang's demographics.

Thus, MCA and not UMNO is more suitable to lead Barisan Nasional in Penang.

To solve this, perhaps BN Chief Coordinator Dr Chua Soi Lek should be tasked to lead Penang Barisan Nasional and Penang MCA.

This will avoid any possible power struggle and clashes since Dr Chua's position was appointed by DS Najib Tun Razak to regain control of Pakatan Rakyat-led states.

Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita roboh.

Tee Keat's Presidency at stake

Previously : Fresh elections or status quo ?.

Let me point out CHRONOLOGICALLY the politics of MCA in the year 2009.


POST 10-10-10 EGM

• Ong Tee Keat ordered Wong Foon Meng to study his proposal of A NEW EGM where Delegates will decide whether the Central Committee must resign to pave way for elections.

• Whether it is legal or not to empower the Central Delegates to order the resignations of Central Committee, no one said anything.

• But at that time, Liow Tiong Lai's faction said no need to have another EGM and OTK-CSL must respect the 10-10-10 EGM.
  

Greater Unity Plan

• Ong Tee Keat then teamed up with Chua Soi Lek under the GUP.


• Crisis should have ended but Liow Tiong Lai wants NEW EGM and FRESH ELECTIONS with backing from MCA Old Knights.
  

RESTRUCTURING MCA

• To make the GUP work, Ong Tee Keat had to appease Chua Soi Lek's team.


• Ong Tee Keat cannot remove his men from Central Committee and Presidential Council.
  


• So what options did OTK have ? Only one. Appoint CSL's men into the CC and PC but there were no vacancies.
  


• Thus, 3rd force Leaders were removed from both the CC and PC.
  


• This pushed the crisis to breaking limits when Youth and Wanita Chiefs were sacrificed for Chua Soi Lek's men.
  


• It was a disastrous strategy that caused OTK to bear the criticisms and grunts while granting more points or ammunition to the 3rd force to slam OTK. But, OTK had no choice.


• So the winners of this outcome were : CSL and LTL, NOT ONG TEE KEAT
  


• Ong Tee Keat then appointed Chua Soi Lek as MCA Special Committee Chief to resolve the crisis.


• Liow Tiong Lai and Chua Soi Lek BOTH agreed to have fresh polls with minor differences.


• Ong Tee Keat then step in to say it should happen only with direct elections.


• Liow Tiong Lai wanted it by 31st Dec 2009. Chua Soi Lek said too many holidays and so the most convenient time is March 2010.
  


• Remember, only Ong Tee Keat has been talking about direct elections.


• Leaders aligned to Ong Tee Keat wants the Youth and Wanita wings to be dissolved also for elections.


• NOTE : THESE ARE TWO CONDITIONS WHICH I TOTALLY SUPPORT.

STATUS QUO

• The Star began to report news on MCA which hinted that we could be heading towards a Status Quo.


• Reasons given were - 3rd force are the minority, cannot agree on dates, cannot agree on elections involving the Wings.


• Then, Chua Soi Lek as Committee Chief pushed the ONUS or BURDEN OF RESPONSIBILITY to the Central Committee where 21 members need to resign to pave way for Elections.


• Some are still saying fresh elections, some are saying status quo. VERY INCONSISTENT !
  

So, again. What should Ong Tee Keat do ? MORE TO COME.

MCA : Fresh Elections or Status Quo

If we want to work towards a "status quo", we need to adopt a different approach. We cannot use the Central Committee to create a hypothetical majority.

But first, let me tell you why fresh elections must go on.

1. Liow Tiong Lai and CSL (also representing OTK) factions AGREED to have fresh elections but disagree only on the dates and whether the Youth and Wanita wing leaders should be reelected as well.


2. BN Chairman Najib Tun Razak reiterated that all factions in MCA agreed on fresh polls with minor disagreement (as explained above)


3. "Anwaristas" in MCA will continue to wreck havoc for the Party leadership's efforts and struggles.

Too many mixed signals were sent from the top to members and to the Press (fresh elections+status quo).

In the past two weeks, The Star and Malaysiakini highlighted that MCA might be heading towards status quo as many Central Committee members are not willing to pave way for fresh elections.

The way we move MCA towards status quo will not work just by playing headlines or CSL pushing the burden of decision into the hands of Central Committee members.

Whether or not Liow Tiong Lai's faction is the minority, we cannot say for sure.

This is because OTK and CSL both experienced setbacks in the 10-10-10 EGM where both lost their cause to oust each other.

Now, the majority of the CC backs the GUP but it is widely known that the CC consists of Ong and Chua's men mainly (as highlighted by websites and the Press) .

As such, the claim that Liow's faction is a minority to push for status quo isn't enough as Ong-Chua do not have sufficient credibility.

I can always ask

• why fear the fresh polls when OTK-CSL men claim that they are the majority
• why fear the fresh polls when they back the two leaders to work together and not LTL
  

And these could prove to be core points that will cause Ong Tee Keat's Presidency to be in critical stages (in my humble but confident opinion).

Also, MIC's refusal to reform and Samy Vellu's reluctance to retire from the Party have caused MIC to have a "potential replacement" in the form of Makkal Sakhti Party (MSP).

MIC can anytime lose their share of Parliament and State seats. MSP could get a chunk away from MIC and this will clip MIC's wings in Barisan Nasional.

Hint from Goh Wei Liang. MCA will face the same dilemma also where Wisma MCA might no longer be the sole voice of the Chinese Community.

It is a bit late now to push for status quo since Najib has reminded MCA on fresh elections as there are certain steps necessary to be carried out before we push for status quo (in my humble but confident opinion).

But it is never too late. CSL is right to say that politics is about making possible the impossible.

I don't care about LTL now as many don't see why LTL should be voted in as President of MCA.

But it will be a different ball game if the silent giant Ong Ka Chuan conveys his interests to lead MCA.

So what should OTK and CSL do ? MORE TO COME.

Mahathir's friendly fire

Since Najib took over on 3 April 2009, Dr Mahathir allowed Najib to rule with a free hand except on three issues - PPSMI, Cabinet Selection and Khairy Jamaluddin.

Mahathir stood firm with his opinion that PPSMI must be continued. He also commented in early July 2009 that "There are corrupted leaders in UMNO and the current administration".

I believe it is needless for me to talk about KJ vs Mukhriz in UMNO Youth as this matter is familiar to us all.

Talks of a Round 2 clash are going around but should be under control for now unless Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, who supported KJ to be in the Cabinet recently, decides to join the Battle of Warlords.

Mahathir attacked Najib's Administration with "friendly fire" yesterday (14th December 2009) and it came hot after Nazri Aziz's unnecessary and rude attacks on the Statesman recently.

This time Dr M flipped through some old stories and reiterated his stand that the PPSMI is actually good for the country, much to the disagreement of

1. Chinese Educationist Groups (Dong Zong, Jiao Zong),
   
2. Malay Educationist Groups (GAPENA, GMP)
3. Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
4. Pakatan Rakyat led by Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Guan Eng

Najib Tun Razak must solve the problems which Mahathir brought up as soon as possible to keep things under control or else "all hell will break lose" in UMNO once again.

Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita roboh.

Mahathir bin Mohamad

The hot topic now is no longer MCA but the National Civics Bureau or more popularly known as BTN.

I have written this before so read it here : Disunity Modules under Biro Tatanegara

My take is this. Some of the modules at the BTN camp were historical lessons, but there were a few modules that are unacceptable.

The officers whom were tasked to promote patriotism and unity did not live up to our expectations and thus, contributing to today's criticisms.

The notion and underlying objectives of the course can stay with amendments, but the officers ought to go for unity and patriotism course themselves.

That is all I have to say. Let us talk about Mahathir bin Mohamad. We read that Dr Mahathir and Nazri took swipes at each other over the BTN course.

Nazri in the first place should not have attacked Dr Mahathir. As a Minister in the PM's Dept with the Parliament portfolio, such a high profile position is seen as a "representative" of the sitting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

As such, bloggers like Apanama2020, Bigdogdotcom and Rockybru stood up to "contain and treat" the matter carefully to avoid a 2nd clash.

It is an open secret that Nazri and Dr Mahathir do not get along, especially during Abdullah Badawi's days as Prime Minister.

The hatchet is so deep that some of us Mahathir supporters feel that Nazri should not remain in the Cabinet of Malaysia as he can be a liability to Najib's efforts.

However, Najib has his ideas on why Nazri is to be retained as Parliament Minister so we should accord him the respect for his wisdom and strategies for now.

As for Mahathir being criticized as Father of Racism, I say Mahathir was not and is not a racist. The definition of a racism is

"Racism is hatred or intolerance of another race or, to struggle for one race by suppressing other races."

I have nothing much to add except to point to you an article I wrote in the past in my respond to Hamish McDonald of Sydney Morning Herald on Malaysia and Mahathir.

Read : Mahathirism

And finally, after browsing through my collection of pictures, I wish to show to the world my encounter with Mahathir bin Mohamad, our Father of Modernisation who is a Statesman for all Malaysians.

This is Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysia's former Prime Minister who has never failed to win Elections with 2/3 majority support from the Malays, Chinese, Indians and other races in Malaysia's plural society throughout his 22 years of Premiership.

He is not like what Nazri described him as or any smear tactics by Opposition bloggers.

No one has the right or credibility to summarize Mahathir bin Mohamad's service to the nation or his policies much.

Politicians and policy makers can provide their own judgement but these are all interest groups which lack the credibility.

No one can claim that they know for sure how much Dr Mahathir Mohamad has sacrificed for the country or what kind of a person is Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Only the two closest people to Dr Mahathir Mohamad has the right to share and tell all on our beloved former Prime Minister.

These two people are Tun Dr Siti Hasmah and Marina Mahathir as they are the ones who spent most of their lives supporting and following the steps, policies and political moves of Mahathir bin Mohamad.

I rest my case and let us move on to other pressing issues that affect all such as our ECONOMY, WELFARE, HEALTH and EDUCATION.

Anwar Ibrahim : BTN and NEP

This video was uploaded by AIDC - Anwar Ibrahim Dot Com.

Hot stuff indeed of Anwar Ibrahim at a BTN Camp in 1993 which discussed the Camp, citizenship and special rights.





Is Anwar Ibrahim a chameleon ? And have we forgotten about Anwar Ibrahim's thoughts on DAP and PAS in 1995 ?

MCA LEADERS, WHERE ARE YOU ?

Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has begun to go to the ground while the other leaders are searching for opportunities to satisfy their hunger for power.

Nov 2009 : Ong Tee Keat with KTM commuters

December 2009 : Ong Tee Keat with Selayang Wet Market grocers and rakyat

Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat now walks with the rakyat and talks to them to get direct feedback and hear them out.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER MCA LEADERS DOING ?

I know that MCA leaders (Branch, Division, State, National MCA) do meet industrial organizations, NGOs, business leaders etc.

But those are not the people whom you should meet only.

The masses want to see their leaders - the MCA leaders - not just among the businessmen, leaders of NGOs and certainly not at official functions only.

Long has Pakatan Rakyat set up teams to go to the ground. The teams by DAP, PKR and PAS have gone to the coffee shops, markets, malls, pasar malam and the streets.

Pemuda Barisan Nasional must do the same thing - either together or assign component parties to do it at specific target groups and areas.

UMNO had begun with the program called "Pemuda Masuk Kampung" quite some time ago. What about MCA ?

I always hear that

• MCA leaders are "down to Earth"
  
• MCA leaders have grassroots support
• MCA leaders have support from the community

Are these all hearsay? Do the MCA leaders know that :

1. Some of the Chinese community are illiterate and do not know how to approach the Government for help.
   


2. The Chinese community do not believe that if they go to the Government offices, their cases will be heard by the officers.


3. The Chinese community have no confidence that anyone can solve their problems.


4. The Chinese community wants to see the often claimed "down to Earth" leaders themselves.


5. The Chinese community wants to share their views with the "down to Earth" leaders on matters related to them as well as on State and Federal affairs.


6. The Chinese community wants to see the "down to Earth" leaders and the teams at the ground talking and mingling with the people.
   

WHERE ARE THE "DOWN TO EARTH" and "PEOPLE FIRST, PERFORMANCE NOW" MCA LEADERS ?

I still believe that I will only see the leaders at official functions only except for Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and several others. Rarely I see leaders go to the ground. Two thumbs up to Datuk Seri Ong !

Some are even worst. They can be seen ONLY DURING ELECTIONS CAMPAIGNING PERIOD !

There was once (before the 12th General Election) I filed a complaint about council workers not doing their job at my housing area. This MCA branch service centre told me, "if you don't tell YB, YB won't know. So you have to tell us only we know."

Down to Earth ? People First Performance Now ? I am not sure myself that these two elements are synonymous to MCA leaders !

MCA leaders or members whom are unhappy with this article can go ahead and blast me. Prove to me that I am wrong.

If what I am saying is true, START GETTING YOUR BUMS OFF THE CHAIR !

Come 13th General Election, I will not hesitate to write and tell all in my blog if the MCA candidates are those only seen once in every 5 years.

All good in Perak DAP ?

I am not sure if Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh and Lim Guan Eng are aware of the "truth" in Perak DAP or not.

Many netizens do not know much about Perak DAP. In fact, many netizens seem to be supportive of Perak DAP in the power struggle here without knowing the facts on the leaders here.

Trouble started long time ago but began to gain media attention in early 2008 before the 12th General Election.

The problems in Perak DAP are kept under wraps as any "public showdown" of the State leadership will only lead to cracks in Pakatan Rakyat Perak's demo-crazy activities.




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PO KUAN CRIES OFF: Batu Gajah MP declines nomination (18 Feb 2008)
"Suffice for me to say that due to the development of internal party events in the Perak DAP over the last few years, as well as currently, which perhaps you are fully aware (of), it has become impossible for me to continue serving effectively, efficiently and wholeheartedly as a party leader as well as an elected representative of the people."


Malaysia: Fong Poh Kuan Quits (18 Feb 2008)
She refused to explain the reason behind her decision in the press conference but in her e-mail writen to Lim, she said it was because of the Perak DAP internal events.


Online sources more sympathetic to Fong Po Kuan's withdrawal (18 Feb 2008)
Referring to one of its previous reports, Malaysiakini recalled that Fong was allegedly being pressured by the state leadership to contest elsewhere and to relinquish the Batu Gajah seat to Nga Kor Ming. Malaysiakini and theSun both noted that Perak DAP chairperson, Ngeh Koo Ham, denied forcing out Fong.

DAP leadership must deal with internal conflicts (5 Feb 2009)
While accusing fingers are being pointed at DAP assemblyman for Jelapang Hee Yit Foong for deserting the party, DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan(pix) says Hee's departure underlines the need for the party's central as well as state leadership to take a serious view of its internal conflicts.


Yit Foong: DAP Didn't Want Me (7 Feb 2009)
She said when she tried to find out something from other state assemblymen, they just said they knew nothing, especially the executive councillors. She said someone purposely replaced the city councillors in her constituency (Jelapang). She had asked to meet the menteri besar personally because of this matter, adding that there was black and white to prove this.


Jalong rep fights ouster by cousins (20 Sept 2009)

The latest is the outburst by state treasurer Leong Mee Meng, who complained of being sidelined by the party’s state leadership helmed by two cousins - chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming.

A source in the party also claimed that branches had been set up by Nga in the Sungai Siput division recently in a bid to undermine Leong.

“The leadership hopes to drop Leong as a candidate in the next general election by claiming that she has lost the people’s support,” said the source, adding that Nga controlled 40% of the branches in Sungai Siput.


Ngeh wipes away rep's tear-stained woes (23 Sept 2009)
Perak DAP chairperson Ngeh Khoo Ham said he has spoken to Jalong state representative Leong Mee Meng over her claims of being marginalised by the party leadership and it was no longer an issue.

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Leaders have complained time after time about Ngeh Koo Ham - Nga Kor Ming

• Fong Po Kuan
  
• Hee Yit Foong
• Leong Mee Meng
• A Subramaniam (over EXCO positions)
  

Are the above articles sufficient for the National DAP organization to take action against Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming ?

Perakians must come to their senses too and see the real faces of Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming.

All the above are accusations and grouses raised by Elected Representatives and Loyalists of DAP. YB Lim (s), surely, something must be done and action has to be taken against Ngeh-Nga, no ?

Air Asia : RM 25 million discount

Yesterday, I saw a blog article by Warisan2057 who criticized the move by the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) in giving discounts to Air Asia amounting to RM 25 million.

Read it here : Lagi skandal Kementerian Pengangkutan

It was an "incentive" courtesy of the Malaysian Government to Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes' airline company so that they settle their airport taxes owed to MAHB.

Indeed, after mounting pressure, Air Asia settled part of its arrears to Air Asia - with the RM 25 million discount of course. In total, Air Asia paid RM 111 million to MAHB.

Read more here : Incentive helps AirAsia pay airport tax arrears

I do not wish to be too critical of Warisan2057's article as I believe we are all Barisan Nasional supporters.

However, I would like to correct the article by the blogger that seem to push the blame of the discount to the Minister of Transport.



The discount was not given by the Transport Ministry and neither is it a scandal by the Minister of Transport or MCA. As far as I know, money matters are dealt with by the Ministry of Finance.

In the build up of events from the controversial proposal of Air Asia LCCT in Labu till today's RM 25 million discount, the financial matters regarding Air Asia and the MAHB have always been handled by the Ministry of Finance.

My dear friends and readers, you can check and confirm this matter from the following articles

1. MAHB To Resolve Airasia's Airport Tax Debt Soon - Najib
2. AirAsia wants MAHB to recommend cut in LCCT airport tax
   
3. Government appoints consultant to resolve AirAsia airport tax arrears

As such, I hope to see a blog article clarification or withdrawal of the article by Warisan2057 and other bloggers whom have linked up the criticism of the RM 25 million Air Asia tax discount to the Transport Ministry as a scandal.

This is not a matter or jurisdiction under the Transport Ministry, I believe.

I am writing this out of respect for the facts and it is a great matter of importance as my fellow bloggers have strong readers base.

I too disagree with the RM 25 million discount actually.

Each passenger pays airport taxes to Air Asia whenever they book a ticket I believe. The same applies for me in all my travels onboard Malaysia Airlines.


As such, I don't know why Air Asia is given such a nice big angpow.

Promoting AirAsia to win the airline competition will come at the expense of Malaysia Airlines which is also heavily supported by the Government.

I hope that the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Planning Unit which study this "discount" to Air Asia realise this and have weighed the pros and cons.

The RM 25 million could have been used to sponsor

• another 25 bright Malaysian students to study Medicine in Australia,
  
• another 75 bright Malaysian students to study Finance in Australia,
  
• and I believe hundreds of students to study in local universities or private colleges.

No ?

I am a strong fan of Malaysia Airlines and have always chosen Malaysia Airlines for my domestic and international flights. I enjoy the Malaysian Hospitality to be honest.

This is a fact known among my circle of friends but I hope my criticism of the Air Asia's RM 25 million discount is not seen as a bias remark.

I stand corrected.