Copyright Notice

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, at the address below.

Sakmongkol ak 47

ariff.sabri@gmail.com

Monday 27 April 2009

The DPM’s Pressman

If DPM TS Muhyiddin succumbs to pressures and decide not to appoint a person who he thinks can do the press sec job best for him, he will be called to accountability.

  1. He will be accused of being cattle-herded into making a decision that goes against his steely personality. Wasn't he the one who stepped-up the exit of Pak Lah so that PM Najib can take over? With that kind of forcefulness, it is most embarrassing for him to be easily spooked by the comments from a few bloggers and one journalist from a mainstream media.
  2. He will be accused of being a flip-flop. One day tweedle-dee; another day tweedle-dum. We know what a flip-flop ends as.

These bloggers and one particular journalist can hardly represent perhaps more than 100 sympathisers. It should not be a cause to worry for Muhyiddin if he goes ahead and appoint Rashid Yusof. Who is going to stop Muhyidin if he wants to appoint Rashid Yusof?

What can these people do? Can we picture J.Tan running to Perdana Putra and wailing with copious teardrops, she can't sleep at night thinking about the DPM appointing someone whom she thinks can destabilise PM? What is Rashid Yusof to her?

If the tears fall on the floor, they will stain the expensive marble expanse of the PM's official residence. If she chooses to cry on DS Rosmah's shoulders, the tears will soil the expensive and exquisite fabric that adorns the physique of the PM's wife.

The best thing the DPM can do is to dismiss this particular busybody's misgivings. By doing that, DPM will not have to dignify the annoying meddling opinions. Since when are the opinions of a disturbed reporter not related at all to UMNO more important than the need for the DPM to assert his decisive and forceful leadership?

Why should the decision to be taken by an UMNO minister be determined by people who have done nothing except sit before their computers punishing the keyboards? In the case of JT perhaps every depression of the key of the keyboard raises her to higher and higher orgasmic levels. Ask her to play out her voyeurism elsewhere. What DS Muhyiddin does behind closed doors in his office should be free from prying eyes of busybodies.

Otherwise, she knows all she has to do to spook UMNO ministers including the DPM and perhaps even the PM is just by manufacturing public opinion. To make matters absurd, that public opinion takes the form of sms texts sent all over the place but which do not have factual grounding at all among the rakyat. Muhyiddin must disprove that he is of weak constitution.

All the crafty Jezebel needs to do, is to lace the so called public opinion with conspiratorial overtones. She can then be certain the intended person or persons will be unnerved. After all, the DPM or PM are just insecure politicians mindful of 'public perceptions'.

DPM Muhyiddin has no choice but to go ahead with appointing Rashid as his press secretary. One Malaysia (satu Malaysia) knows about this. If he baulks, then he will be seen as another flip flop. This will be seen as a signal of Muhyiddin's indecisive nature.

Rashid Yusof has only served KJ for about one year. He has served Tun Daim Zainudin for almost a decade. Don't tell us, his one year's stint consulting and strategising for KJ obliterates the sterling job he did with Tun Daim? Logically his credentials should be coloured more by his tenure with Daim than with KJ. He does not carry the burden of the alleged original sins of the son (in law) you know.

By succumbing to this guilty by association trap; Muhyiddin is playing right into the unending game of political persecution. Is gratifying the agenda of private individuals more important than unifying UMNO? Muhyiddin will further the cause of divisiveness and internecine struggles if he melts down.

24 comments:

Quantum Metal Consultant 27 April 2009 at 10:32  

Kenapa perlu besarkan yang halus..

Disillusioned,  27 April 2009 at 10:33  

Muhyiddin by days and weeks have shown his real character on the issue of Rashid Yusof.
Muhyiddin has displayed that he is not a leader of UMNO. He is just a leader of sections in UMNO. An UMNO member from the opposing side is supposed to be sidelined.
This fucked up attitude has been the culture in UMNO and that is why to many people it id better to unite ouside UMNO.
Muhyiddin is not the man who can unite the party. He should go..go..go! Muhyiddin with big body but with tiny balls.

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 10:42  

Just imagine when Muhyiddin is being pressured by the component parties over certain thing and has to sacrifice UMNO pride?
He cant even decide on small issue like firming up his appointment of Rashid Yusof.

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 10:47  

Kluangman,
We know you are trying your best to be an elder in opinion but your mind is so blinded as one cant say a thing about anything.
It is not small issue. It has to do with the mentality of leaders, who are going to rule this country.
Kluangman, which college did you go to.

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 10:55  

Joyceline Tan as we all know is a modern day charlatan. She is not a dignified jpurno, rather a sheep in wolfs clothing. isap bontot ahli politik semasa.

Sikhin Harun,  27 April 2009 at 11:37  

En Kluangman,

Ini bukan halus...,klu makhluk halus pun kita kena usaha agar ia lari..

What's the one quality in a person labeled as a leader that you look for?
I want to say 'integrity'.The ability to stand by a decission no matter what the outcome,he think its right even if everybody else thinks otherwise.

Dengarnya surat tawaran sudah dihantar pada saudara Rashid,dan dah ditandatangan!!Tapi....tawaran itu dibatalkan!!Tak profesional langsung.

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 12:23  

dibatalkan.....? la patutnya berani kerana benar...

zorro 27 April 2009 at 14:33  

I found this post timely and put up one to compliment yours.

Clarendon,  27 April 2009 at 15:05  

Dear all,

As far as i know, rashid is a dignified professional and is a very kind hearted man. He is a reserved man and finds the right moments to pass on his ideas and opinions.

This labelling and demonising by Big Dog, JTan, AVoice serves as a cautionary tale that the old adage who you know still matters. Just because Rashid knows KJ well doesnt mean he is not worthy of the position or deserves the appt from DPM's office. Just because Dato Dr. Zambry was the 1st person to nominate KJ as Deputy youth chief back in '04 doesnt mean he cannot be the MB of Perak right?

Well, all I can say its bloggers and journos like those mentioned above whom label and assasinate good people will be the downfall of BN. Its sad to see that this culture of blogger/journo justice handed out wrongfully to such a good man.

He lives modestly and is truely a good man. Shame on you Big Dog, AVoice and J Tan.

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 15:22  

hahaha

JT and Anjing Besar (bigdog)

pengampu mahathir no 1

jaga2 datuk sak, nanti diorang menyalak terkena air liur basi

jibam

Idzan Ismail,  27 April 2009 at 17:49  

Why are we debating this?
Its solely Muhyiddin's prerogative.
Whoever he chooses, will be his worker.
P.S.jangan sekali-kali tabur beras di periuk orang.
Mama marah tau.

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 18:18  

www.mykmujohor.com

The apoointment of Rashid Yusuf as DPM Press Secretary just a mere SPECULATION.

Yes....Allah Save Malaysia frm KJ"s cronies....

Syabas TSMY beimg alert rather than being spoonfed by ur ignorant pegawai khas....who seems to know nothing of what happening in the real politik..rather than saying ALl Alright BOSS...semu aok Boss , semua BERES Boss....

ahmad romzi

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 18:41  

ini bukan mengenai tutup pintu rezeki orang.

ini mengenai vetting process to ensure the DPM man terdiri dari mereka yang tidak sahaja nampak bersih tetapi ternampak bersih dan tidak rahsuah...

so much of rashid yusuf, tindakan TSMY utk tidak menerima masuk pencacai kj didalam lingkaran beliau amat bertepatan.

kita tidak mahu imej beliau dirosakkan oleh mereka-mereka yg membawa agenda kj yg ternyata telah hampir memusnahkan UMNO dan BN selama 4-5 tahun kepimpinan bapa mertua kj.

kata-kata KJ dalam satu inetrview dgn the star bahawa:

"beliau menggunakan protection yg didapati sebagai mennatu PM utk membawa perubahan di dalam UMNO dan kerajaan.


well dia sendirfi yg mengaku menggunakan protection sebagai menantu PM dan mennatu Presiden UMNO

drputera

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 18:42  
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 18:44  

hmm, DPM could benefit from a smart savvy guy around, and 10 yrs under Tun Daim and 1 yr under KJ should be worth something.

Anyway, I'll have to take Dato' Sak's word for the offending post. I am sure its there, but The Star has such a crap search engine that it can't get to read the offending article.

Maybe J Tan should focus on that for a change - how to improve the readibility of that rag?

Well having met TSMY before during his Minister of Domestic Trade and Industry @Dayabumi days , there is no X-factor as you would get when you meet maybe somebody like Dr. Mahathir or even Awnar. But here he is the Number II person in the country.

As I am a big supporter of DSMAR, I think its a great idea that TSMY has had second thoughts in hiring Rashid Yusof. He is way smarter than the average dingbat press officer, and most important is not one to shoot his mouth off.

But this kind of rabid attack by Big Dog is stupid if you consider what the NEP was supposed to do - produce the perfect Bumiputera product only to have some 'crab' shoot from the side.

Maybe some people resent smart Malays?

Sounds familiar, but thats life.

27 April 2009 18:42

editorialblog 27 April 2009 at 20:29  

Imam al-Ghazali menyatakan bahawa: "Si pendengki itu tiada memperolehi sesuatu daripada masyarakat melainkan kecelaan dan kehinaan. Ia tidak memperolehi sesuatu daripada malaikat, melainkan laknat dan kebencian. Ia tiada memperolehi sesuatu daripada manusia melainkan kehampaan serta penyesalan dan akhirnya ia tiada memperolehi sesuatu di akhirat, melainkan rasa malu dan penyeksaan."

Anonymous,  27 April 2009 at 22:17  

So is Dato Ainon Mohamad getting the job at Kementerian Pelajaran or is she still lobbying for setiausaha politik DPM?

caklempong 27 April 2009 at 23:26  

apa salahnya Rashid kerja dgn KJ , Apakah KJ ini dari parti pembangkang, KJ Ketua Pemuda UMNO yang menang secara gentelman bertanding mengalahkan KT dan juga Mukhriz , Mukhriz dikalahkan macam pondan ini semua kerana ada budak mcm anjing besar yang menghidu najis pada satu senja di Corus hotel membawa liflet anak sanusi konon dan kemudian balik tulis kata dia lihat pemberian wang di Corus, sungguh memalukan si anjing yg berperangai anjing ini apabila membuat fitnah. Anjing gemuk ini kalau tidak lari dari Corus hotel dalam masa 3 saat saja hari tuh pasti hari ini blognya tidak lagi menaburkan fitnah. nasib dia baik. anjing besar ini tentu faham apa yg saya maksudkan.What's wrong with KJ , dia tak paksa ayah dia atau mentua dia minta jawatan dalam kerajaan , dia lawan untuik menang, bukan dia kalah ngadu dgn ayah dan ayh mibta PM berikan tempat dalam kerajaan. ini sungguh jijik dan memalukan, Pembawa penyakit demam Babi pertama di malaysia hampir maut dan kini sedang nazak Paling best , si anjing gemuk ini tak der teloq, tapis komen dalam blog dia....

Walk D Talk 09 28 April 2009 at 00:19  

zakhir ketinggalan zaman , ingat pemilihan pemuda UMNO belum habis lagi - ha ha ha baca sini

NST Guy,  28 April 2009 at 02:09  

Rashid deserves it, period. Working under him at NST was a pleasure. learned a lot from the maestro. A true gents, gent. If TSWMY doesnt take him, than thats his lost and hopefully someoneelses's gain.

All the best Dergak. You cant keep a good man down.

Shed Pele,  28 April 2009 at 03:52  

I don't subscribe to the (despairing) refrain of "time to discern your fair-weathered friends". I appreciate and admire the qualities of all my friends. Anyone who takes care of his or her mom is mulia; anyone who tries to get Mad, ex-journo at Tmn Tun, back on his feet, is mulia. Otherwise, look for those redeeming qualities. One should never have to try hard to be liked. I want to meet Big Dog and Brickman and get to know them to fathom their convictions. They may dazzle me with the clarity of their thought processes.

Similarly I don't buy the idea that one has to watch one's back. It is a massive inhibition. One should go out and speak. Express yourself. A guidebook of who's to be trusted, who's not, segregates the kaum into dreadful cliques. By not talking to an ex-colleague for two months, you are effectively creating space for possible prejudices. So, stick to one script (mind, soul and utterances) regardless of your audience, and, make sure it does not offend; hopefully it will inspire. I am too lazy and I distinctly lack the stamina of storing up venomous thoughts. To keep them at combustible level, you need to replenish the anger with more poison at internals. At times I searched for the tenacity to rage at someone at a later date, but this would inevitably fizzle out. One Liverpool victory would change my mood dramatically.

Yes, I was a pioneering critic of the Abdullah Administration. I also thought the New Straits Times then was sniping at the Mahathir Administration needlessly. I even thought the editors brought in were unleashing old prejudices, including those on question of race; even settling old scores. I said something to this effect in a piece published by the Malaysian Business. I appreciate that I could have been wrong. I wondered at a Wacana perhaps in 2004 that why was it no longer fashionable to talk about the Malays. I had this sense that the policies of the Mahathir Administration supported by the Cabinet Ministers then were being effectively dismantled. At least a friend, Rosli Jamaluddin, told me my reservations about the agricultural policy were totally misguided. He gave a rather cogent explanation. I respected that. I admired the courage of the Abdullah Administration in creating greater space for debate. You tested the range of your opinion pieces, and wow, you could actually do so. I thought that was liberating. At one discussion group, I articulated some of these views. Moments later on the way home, a Dato called to say I should have exercised greater restraint as you could be labelled. Or people would think this were the thoughts of Tun Daim. This person overlooked the fact that Tun Daim recognises, unfailingly, that one should treasure his right to think and offer differing views.

Yes, I was following the career of one Khairy Jamaluddin. I journeyed to Ipoh to question the wisdom of one Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir in nominating Khairy as deputy head of Ketua Pemuda. I told Zambry he was not allowing the young man to evolve and flourish on his own at unhurried pace, and that this was sure to be supported by an Umno Crowd refusing to be caught on the wrong side. Zambry assured me not to worry as this was part and parcel of the regeneration, the nurturing process. I accepted that rather grudgingly.

I also remembered telling a political writer at The Star, the newspaper was not being kind to Khairy for the excessive visibility it accorded him. Also, there was this giant mug-shot of the man to accompany a weekend political article, an editorial decision that would elicit scorn and ridicule.

In September 2007 I was told Khairy hopes to meet me to discuss the prospects of me assisting him. We had met at the offices of MTEN in 2000, but not in the intervening years. When Tun Daim resigned as Minister of Finance end-May 2001 I found myself unable to return to NST despite being seconded to the Government. I remain an NST staffer on secondment to this day. I never quite understood the reasons. I have not seriously sought an answer either. Perhaps people were worried I would strengthen the NST Editorial Football team..ha ha..Must interview Ramlan Said, a brilliant football administrator.

In September 2007 I told Khairy that I am a Mahathir admirer and nothing could shake this. He said that's fine. I enquired about time he spent in solitude because a leader would have to be a courageous thinker in the Mahathir mould. I found the young man to be thoughtful and candid. I told the man the NST precipitated the Mahathir-Abdullah strain, but the newspaper actually turned out to be a fairly good read under Brendan Pereira. Those "he said, he added" regurgitation had gone.

I think I told Azam Aris I had met Khairy. I was doing some serious thinking if I should actually join him. I had been around Tun Daim for some years. All my research assignments were (finally) being completed. This was a fresh challenge. I am after all a Government man. I really like the idea of contributing. Betul. The office hours, I was told, would never be punishing. I spoke to four or five friends who said go for it! I even asked my wife's opinion. I think Azam felt later it was a betrayal of trust that I did not inform him I was going to work for Khairy. I wanted to. Desperately. But there would always be others at the teh tarik session. So I waited, until Yusof Taib got the story from someone else. He was not pleased that I did not tell him. Adoii..Depa marah.

Well I started my stint as a media guy for Khairy in March 2008. I darted to Rembau on a few occasions, had teh tarik and tossai with Sarban Singh in Seremban, and the election was over.

This is getting to be long-winded, terlampau full-disclosure and I am sleepy. I must say Khairy's friends who would come to the office for various discussions, did warm up to me as the Abang. They thought I was a fairly ok futsal player too. They all knew me as the Mahathir Admirer; and, I took time to explain some of the Mahathir-era policies. I was also meeting up with media friends who threw at me all sorts of posers..we always ended up having absorbing conversations..

The whole idea of writing this bit is - let's move on, please. This discussion has gone on for too long. We should put a closure to it. Even my son got into the debate and spelt some words wrongly, a few months before his SPM. I don't think he meant to offend anyone, if he did, do forgive the boy.

Big Dog - the quote you produced is not mine. I would never say such things. A Voice said I was stupid to have defended Khairy. Tak pa lah.

Really, we should all work to minimise and yes, end the acrimony. The task is to consolidate and win the arguments with the Oopposition if you are a BN-Umno supporter. Then again, some of the commentators would be supporting Pakatan, exercising their democratic rights. Boleh.

The sad bit of this episode is jobs like press handlers, speech writers are supposed to be backroom ones. They must not accept visibility. Stay out of the way. One is there merely because the politician he or she serves was appointed to a post. Minus the politician, there will be no backroom staffers. No, I dont think we should discuss a backroom appointment. Salams..take care semua sahabat2..We shall now get on with our lives..Maafan and thanks

Anonymous,  28 April 2009 at 12:52  

Dear Sakmongkol,

Why should we be so suspicious of somebody to be appointed based on his previous success and credentials?
He had been a successful servant under 2 masters but if you truly look at his family and live you will know what kind of person he is.
Just look at his honest comments, he dare to come out and speaks the truth about himself and not merely a general statement .So, next time please try to get to know a person better before you put your thought thru.
..or... perhaps DSMY should appoint Dato' Sak as his new press sec......

Wassalam
A. Based

Anonymous,  28 April 2009 at 14:59  

A.Based


Tok sak senada dengan anwar berahim, mana boleh jadi press secretary, nak makan penampau hari2...hehe

  © Blogger templates Newspaper III by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP