The Last Supper?

Perhaps it was the biggest understatement of all. Najib owning up to the hollowness of his 1Malaysia slogan. We however know his game. It was an act of pious humility designed to endear himself to an ever expanding doubting public. We know he is a consummate actor. Having lunch to be with the people at Banana leaf in Jalan Gasing etc etc. maybe he will repeat some of the other things that he has done before, like officially opening a public toilet in a kampong?

Why was he profusely complimenting Mahathir at the UMNO General Assembly while blithely ignoring his immediate predecessor? Because he didn’t have the presence of mind to do what is honorable. Abdullah must be sitting somewhere in front, and Najib cavalierly not cleverly, brushed him aside. Didn’t Abdullah achieve anything during his short stint as PM?

Or because he has never had an iota of appreciation and respect for the colorless Abdullah. Abdullah Badawi has been and still is the object of Mahathir’s invectives.

He did that because he will not be outshone by Muhyidin. When Muhyidin spoke and mentioned Mahathir, he got thunderous applauses on each occasion. So, Najib added those ritualistic outpouring of love for the Man who can walk on water. He knows Mahathir remains a powerful force behind the scenes and he also knows Mahathir can’t stand the sight of that lady. Mahathir’s declaration that Rosmah has the right to stay high profile is actually a death sentence. By now, we should wise up to Mahathir’s subterfuge- he means the opposite of what he says.

All those index finger pointing amounted to nothing other than providing a chance for kampong people to come to KL and do a group big hug. Najib says his 1Malaysia slogan was designed to be vague. Of course it is, because it’s founded on vague principles coming out from an equally vague thinking.

After 55 years, our role should never be to get ourselves holed up in fields, stadiums or buildings ululating Najjib’s our man and Kim Il Sung-ing him.

We all knew it from the beginning. It was a slogan rejected by UMNO delegates a few years back. The other big idea of Naib that got booted out was his New Economic Model. He was left with nothing except affirming the claim that he is after all the son of Tun Razak. That, of course no one can doubt. As to following and emulating the leadership qualities of Tun Razak, people will say, he misses that by a mile. Razak will never countenance any undemocratic practices and the dishonor by which the current PM conducts himself.

Tun Razak despite his personal flaws was a class act compared to Najib who has no class at all. He thinks by out shouting all others, he has established the truth. What he did was to increase people’s cynicism and distrust. People know intuitively that truth in inversely related to decibel level. We can’t ever remember Tun Razak shouting to get his ideas across.

But why did he come out with such outrageous slogans? Perhaps he was persuaded to by his consultants. Perhaps he wanted to establish himself as a profound thinker.

Immediately his ideas were met with opposition from UMNO itself. The UMNO people are in no mood to give up business advantages they got by way of implementing the NEP aims. They are also in no mood to compromise their Malay first in everything mentality. Or in UMNO’s case it isn’t that at all- but UMNO first in everything mentality.

When Najib took to the microphone and said all those wonderful things about Mahathir, everyone knows that Mahathir still calls the shots in UMNO. Najib is not PM material and Mahathir knows Najib is just an errand boy who will soon outlive his usefulness.

What can do Najib do? He will have to ensure his men are chosen to be candidates in the next election. His winnable candidates criteria means loyalty to him above all else. UMNO can go to the dogs as far as he is concerned.

Mahathir wasn’t impressed by Najib’s low class histrionics and dramatization.

Tweet

Read more...

What They Did Not Teach At The UMNO Assemblies

Self-respecting Malays don’t cry when listening to the quality of speech Najib was making. He was stoking the fears of the Malays, affirming the fact that Malays are boarders of the huge plane called UMNO. He was also shouting on top of his lungs as though truth is measured in decibels. 

At this point in history, having its beginning in 1987, UMNO is just one big plane. Hence the safety and the future of the UMNO plane passengers depend on the conduct of the captain, crew and ground support staff. If the UMNO plane crashes, the Malay passengers on board are indeed doomed.

But there are now several planes which Malays and Malaysians can board. Choice is the basis of democracy. Liberty and freedom are protected when power is dispersed. In 2008, power was no longer concentrated in the hands of UMNO/BN. it won 140 out of the 222 parliamentary seats, failing to get a 2/3 majority. In other words, Malaysians chose to board different planes and by doing that, dispersed power from UMNO to other parties. In Kelantan, Penang, Wilayah Persekutuan, Selangor and Kedah, the people chose decisively to board the PR planes. Their choices have proven to be beneficial.

The comparison of UMNO to a plane is timely.  If the UMNO plane crashes, only those on-board perish. Others not on the plane go on living. There are 18 million Malays in the country. If the 3 million on the UMNO plane perish, there are still 15 million Malays carrying on life without needing the UMNO plane to move on. They have other planes which they can catch.

The welfare of the passengers is entirely in the hands of the captain, crew and the support staff related directly to the plane. The welfare of others not on the plane is entirely independent of the conduct of the captain, crew and the support staff. The captain, crew and support staff is entirely irrelevant to the welfare of the rest of the country who elected not to be on the UMNO Plane.

The characterization of UMNO as the devil we all know with whom we can be friends with, is both ominous while it is most fitting. The UMNO government displays a devil may care attitude in the country’s finances. Since 1998, this is our 16th year in budget deficit. The danger with budget deficits is that they can be indicators of financial indiscipline. Even in good times, the budget is still in deficit indicating that this government has permanently incorporated debt into the structure of the economy. Debt becomes structural and a bad habit. Next year, the federal government’s debt will reach RM503bn

After 55 years, Malays are made to believe that they depend on UMNO. Thus after 55 years, the vocation of a sizable number of Malays is to get themselves bussed and transported into stadiums, onto fields and inside buildings, ululating 1Malaysia and deifying St Najib. That is the insult of the highest order.

Making Malays UMNO-dependent is enslavement in miniature. When Najib makes it out that without UMNO, Malays are finished , he is affirming his and UMNO’s feudal nature. That UMNO is the master, the people are slaves.

What UMNO did during its General Assembly was to encourage Malays to look into the mirror and tell their reflections, how good they are. Malays are a race par excellence, Malays this and Malays that. Self-respect is not achieved that way by daily mutterings of some success mantra. Najib and UMNO are deceiving Malays into believing that group-hug mentality is sufficient to help out Malays. Continued reliance on UMNO’s patronage is like giving a life jacket to a non-swimmer. He stays afloat for a number of hours, but does not learn to swim.

Continue to think meanly of ourselves, we will continue to sink into our own estimation as well as in the estimation of others. MCA Chinese and MIC Indians are laughing at seeing how stupid the Malays are.

Tweet

Read more...

Ratapan Orang UMNO berbeza beza

Orang Melayu akan ditimpa malang jika UMNO tewas dan bukan lagi jadi kerajaan. Ungkapan kata2 ini berkemundang dalam dewan PWTC semasa PAU 2012 baru2 ini. Beberapa orang telah menangis hiba. Maklum sahajalah, presiden UMNO memekik dan melolong melafazkan kebimbangan nya.

Walau bagaimanapun, kita tidak akan memandang rendah kepada pahlawan2 UMNO yang menangis. Pahlawanis pula yang di ketuai oleh ketua nya, srikandi UMNO nombor wahid, Shahrizat Abdul Jaleel, mungkin bercadang mahu menarik narik rambut jika mereka berjiwa Melayu. Atau kalau ada darah campuran Hindu, akan mahu menyelak kain dan menyinsing lengan baju. Kalau ada tembakau dimulut akan nampak hebatlah lagi pahwalawanis UMNO.

Najib telah menggambarkan bagaimana kehidupan orang Melayu akan tergugat dan diancam. Jika mudah sangat UMNO rasa terancam, maka 55 tahun memegang kuasa, apa sudah mereka lakukan?

Apa sudah jadi kepada Presiden UMNO yang sedikit masa dahulu cakap berdegar degar mengenai 1Malaysia?  tidak ada yang terpinggir dan tidak yang ditinggal? Apa sudah jadi kepada presiden UMNO yang cakap besar mengenai model ekonomi baru? Apa sudah jadi kepada presiden UMNO yang bercakap besar mengenai ETP, GTP, NKRA nya dan lain2 singkatan kata2? Semua nya sudah dihumban keluar.

Kehdupan orang Melayu seperti mana yang mereka kecapi selama ini akan berakhir.  

Kehidupan yang ahli UMNO lalui dan harungi amat berbeza. Kepada majoroti orang Melayu, kehidupan salaam 55 tahun dibawah penjagaan dan perlindungan UMNO menyebabkan 8.5juta orang Melayu hidup dengan pendapatan RM 1500 sebulan. 240,000 dari 260,000 bekas tentera hidup tanpa pencen dan terpaksa mencari rezeki sebagai buruh, jaga dan security guards. Ertinya, rakyat biasa, ahli UMNO biasa hidup sebagai rakyat yang terpinggir. Nikmat yang mereka rasai tidak lebih daripada hasilan minima tanggung jawab mana2 kerajaan dalam dunia.

Kehidupan antara Melayu istimewa dan Melayu terpilih berbeza bagai bumi dengan langit daripafa kehudpan yang dilalui oleh rakyat biasa. Rakyat hidup biasa, yang istimewa hiudp istimewa. Pemimpin UMNO hidup sebagai tuan, ahli UMNO dan orang Melayu seperti hamba. Pemimpin UMNO hidup sebagai warden, rakyat seperti mereka yang diawasi.

Kita tidur atas tilam yang sama, tapi bermimpi yang lain2.

Jadi, orang UMNO menangis kerana sebab yang berbeza. Pemimpin, golongan istimewa dan elit menangis kerana kehidupan menyalahguna keududkan, kehdupan hisap darah dan ambil untung dan riba, akan berakhir. Kehidupan golongan istimewa dan aristocrat politik UMNO yang membudak budakkan dan membodohkan orang Melayu akan berakhir.

Kehdupan golongan elit yang dibangunkan diaats pembohongan bahawa orang Melayu terancam yang telah membolehkan golongan yang bercakap menegnai ancaman tesrebut, akan berakhir. Itu yang golongan elit dan yang Dato Najib tangiskan dan pekikkan.

Rakayt biasa hanya manangisi kepada metos kehidupan yang telah direka oleh golongan elit UMNO. Yakni suatu hidup yang senentiasa terancam yang menyebabkan rakyat merasa perlu bernaung dengan UMNO. Setelah 55 tahuh berkuasa, UMNO masih gagal menyngkirkan ancaman tersebut? Apa yang telah mereka lakukan?

Maka rakyat dan orang Melayu secara umumnya, meratapi pemusnahan metos mengenai kelemahan dan kadaifan mereka. Mujurlah mereka meratapi berkahirnya suatu cerita dongeng dan rekaan. Golongan elit, golongan bangsawan politik- mereka menangisi berakhirnya reality hidup yang selama ini mereka palsukan.

Tweet

Read more...

The Flight of The Money Changers

FDR’s inaugural speech tells of money changers fleeing the temple.

“The money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.

He was speaking out against the free market system. He blamed the private sector for causing the Great Depression. FDR launched his New Deal which became the model for bigger and bigger government. 

We are not going to debate on which side caused the great depression. That will never be an ending debate. Many of us who read economics believed the great depression was caused by the failure of government and coward private sector. More specifically by the incompetence and corruption of the government and made worse by a coward and pliant private sector. 

In a true democracy, the private sector or market system will serve as a check on the powers of the government. 

In Malaysia the coward private sector serves as the running dogs to the corrupt, abusive and incompetent public sector. This is especially true of those groups of people made rich because of political connections and government patronage. They will be the first to be alarmed when they can already see their political patron losing power. 

Look around of us. Which kind of industrialists, business people, contractors and so forth who are rooting for UMNO and BN? Mostly those who have benefited from direct negotiated contracts, those who got licenses and quotas, those who have benefited from government legislative mechanisms –in short those who have benefited from government patronage. The toll collecting concessionaires, the IPP contractors, the holders of APs, infrastructure contractors, the license and quota holders- these make up the cowardly private sector. 

Having said so, we can now rephrase FDR’s inaugural speech to read something like this: the cowardly contractors, license and quota holders, the IPP concessionaires, the AP holders, the parasitic financial analysts are trembling in their high seats and will flee once the will of the people is restored. 

Who represents the incompetent government and speaks for the coward capitalists? PM Najib of course- the consummate showman and recently master–shouter.  Najib’s daily matra is lu tolong gua, gua tolong lu which is now updated to lu tolong gua dulu, baru gua tolong lu. You help me, I help you, becomes you help me first, then I will help you. 

This is the fundamental chink in Najib’s armor and the reason why we say, Najib aint goin to do no transformation. By now, everyone should realize that Najib has given us a lot of BS. Lu tolong gua , gu atolong lu is just a variation of ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for the country. Here, government is the country. Translated, lutolongguaguatolong lu just means, that the government is the patron, the people the ward that is looked after by a benevolent master. The government is the master, the people are servants. 

That is the mindset by which UMNO and BN operate. Such mindset made UMNO believe that only they can bring the greater good for the people. The same mindset allows UMNO to make the deceitful claim that only it can save the country. it was that mindset that allowed Najib to shamelessly say it in Tamil,“Yipadaithorkin, yeapadaivehlum” which means: “If this team cannot win the battle, no other team can”). Poodah!

What have the money changers done?  We hear of the cowardly and partisan warnings from the profiteers- the investment banks and securities houses or as Walla describes them, the rent seekers, gate-keepers and mind-sweepers. They have lent their support to UMNO and BN saying that if Barisan loses, the market will take a hit because of the uncertainty that follows.

They are of course speaking out of concern for their self-preservation. Because the rent-seekers, gate-keepers and mind-sweepers under a new administration would be retired to graze the grass-less fields of Bamboo River Resort.

The fine and intelligent bankers aka rent seekers, gatekeepers and mind sweepers should ask themselves why is it that Malaysia ranks 54 this year in the corruption index besides loaded with half a trillion ringgit in runaway debts but Singapore spun out from her innards ranks up there at number 5 besides being presently the richest country in the world.

They are alarmed because they see the writing on the wall- the world in which they ply their manipulative trade is about to end. As one blogger puts it eloquently: “ It really amazes me then that craven self-seeking individuals cannot see the futility of making an amateurish foray into partisan politics, at this point of our collective political life, without triggering negative reactions from a large section of the public”

How can we describe their reaction at the prospects of BN losing? I can’t put it any better than the same writer describing the reaction of these money changers as  “lower-order histrionics and a pathetic needless display of brinkmanship for and on behalf of money-grubbers”

Tweet

Read more...

Which Type of Malay does Zaharin's UMNO help?

The MP of Bayan Baru says UMNO and BN have changed. UMNO is the only party that can help the Malays. He says he was duped into believing that PR will help out the Penang Malays.

We will let Zaharin Hashim and others like him continue in that belief. That belief is bought. He tried to sell his kind of allegiance and loyalty to Guan Eng a few years back and when failed, left PR. He must have succeeded to sell that kind of allegiance and loyalty to Najib and gang. That tells a lot about Najib’s kind of leadership. It’s a leadership that thrives on conspiratorial deals and intrigues. The leadership constitution of Guan Eng and Najib is vastly different.

In other words, allegiance to UMNO is allegiance bought and is provided by people like Zaharin Hashim. In Zaharin’s case it was probably bought for a few million Ringgit and access to Najib. In the case of many more, by the RM 500 BR1M and various other kickbacks.

Allegiance bought is flimsy and fluid. Allegiance founded on beliefs and conviction and tied to a cause and mission is more rock solid. Hopefully the majority believe in a cause and the loyalty of those which was bought is minimal.

We have 2 groups of people who crossed over to support PR in 2008. Hopefully a majority of the 3.7 million Malays out of 5.7 million who supported PR did so because of beliefs and conviction. The fears of the Malays before they switched allegiance have always been the same and that did not stop them from supporting PR. It shows that Malays are pragmatic enough to believe that any government can do as good or as bad as UMNO can. So they are indifferent to the promises that UMNO made because, the same promises can be carried out by others beside UMNO. All that is needed are the instruments of power and resources. What UMNO lacks is the management.

UMNO no longer enjoys the exclusive privilege in saying they can do what they say they can.

One group changed allegiance because of fluid reasons such as momentary unhappiness, protest, denied some favors asked and so on. The other group changed allegiance because they believe in a common cause to rid this country of a corrupt government. The nature and quality of the respective allegiances are different. The one with the first group is ephemeral. It is easily given as soon as the source of the protest is sorted out, the favors asked granted and immediate relief is given.

The allegiance of the other group is firmly embedded. It’s not easily recovered by the usual means of solving problems. In 2008, the average swing of votes to the opposition was just below 13%. Let’s allow a 5% recovery rate by UMNO because it has given out huge amounts of money directly. It has also bombarded the public with daily propaganda.

Which means the antics of people like Zaharin and others like him is not a cause for worry. It will not erase the bigger number of people who crossed the Rubicon in 2008 to support PR. For 55 years, all UMNO has been able to do is to cause the income disparity between the rich and poor Malays to get wider. Income disparity among Malays is bigger than income disparities among the other Malaysian communities.

The rich Malay is represented by the son of the soil who is able to to set up the largest Ferrari showroom outside Italy costing RM20 million. The rich Malay is represented by the son of a famous panadol peddler who can buy a Bugatti Veyron costing a few million Ringgit. The poor Malay is represented by the anonymous Malay who faces the daily daunting tasks of buying Ikan Kembong at RM17 per kilo. The poor Malay is represented by the anonymous Malays who weigh the decision to buy Tenggiri at RM40 per kilo, sugar at RM2.50 a kilo, rice which is getting more expensive by the bag.

Tweet

Read more...