Mukhriz work in Kedah is done.

steadyaku47 comment: We are being led to believe that the "crisis" in Kedah is one between who the people of Kedah wants as their MB and what the powers that be from Umno wants as their MB. Lest we get carried away with the rhetoric's being hurled at each other by both side a few "facts" has emerged from this conundrum. 

At the last Kedah state executive council weekly meeting only three out of the nine exco members attended that meeting with Menteri Besar Mukhriz. Any which way you look at it - Mukhriz no longer has the support of Umno in Kedah. 

And since the state exco are the elected representative of the people of Kedah, common sense tells you that Mukhriz no longer has the support of the people of Kedah too. 

As president of Umno, Najib Razak appointed Mukhriz to the position of MB and as president of Umno he can replace Mukhriz with someone who enjoys the confidence of Umno and the elected representative of the people of Kedah - in this case the Kedah State Assemblymen - six of which did not attend the weekly exco meeting held recently.

Mukhriz’s function as state liaison chief was no longer tenable. “In UMNO’s structure, the liaison head is appointed by the Prime Minister as the UMNO President, but the appointment is supported by the divisions in the state. So if the divisions no longer support you, you no longer can function, it is as simple as that,” Othman Aziz 

This is an open and shut case. Anything else are just sandiwara which money, influence and your ability to "play politics" can make happen. Whether that involve organizing a crowd of thousands to parade the streets of Kedah to loudly voice their support for or against Mukhriz or have people from various walks of life voice their reasons as to why Mulhriz can or cannot stay as MB.

For now, Mukhriz work in Kedah is done.

The other question that begs to be answered is why Mukhriz did not have his family with him in Kedah and spends too much time in KL instead of Kedah where he should be 24/7. The following posting I did of Antares "Mahathir's Dodo Dynasty way back in November 2009 answers that question.     

Morale of this story? MB's are a dime a dozen. They are there at the pleasure of those that put them there. No if's no but's. 

Mahathir's Dodo Dynasty

With Thanks to Antares of Magick River

Mahathir's Dodo Dynasty

A friend forwarded me an email with a selection of photos taken at a recent gala housewarming party hosted by Mukhriz Mahathir. The images were from a local gossip blog and merely revealed without commentary the Gatsbyesque garishness and pompousness of Mukhriz Mahathir's lifestyle preferences...

I decided to turn these images into a blogpost and began editing the photos. When I was ready to upload I discovered my Streamyx connection down again (third time within two weeks!) - this time it was due to a dysfunctional phone line. That happened around 3:00PM Saturday. 

It's almost 2:00PM Monday as I type this and Telekom has been unable to get my line working. Each time this happens I think of Mahathir and his privatization program and vow to do everything within my power to prevent Mukhriz Mahathir from establishing a Mahathir dynasty.

We need another dynasty of arrogant mediocrity like we need a great big hole in our wallets!

This blogpost comes to you from the same cybercafe I had to use every day for 3 years, while waiting for Telekom to provide me a land line.

Back in 1975, when I was living at 7 Pesiaran Ampang Hilir, I applied for a phone and was made to wait nearly 3 years. Telekom's monumental lack of enthusiasm over the notion of progress is perhaps a quaint and wonderful cultural trait - but I don't think it does a telco's public image any good.

Looking at the new mansion that Mukhriz Mahathir built, one can't help but speculate about how much it might have cost...

A wild guess might put the overall cost between RM15-20 million.

Apart from shooting his mouth off at every opportunity and coming across as an overconfident moron (the worst type of moron, if you ask me), what DOES Mukhriz Mahathir actually do? Does he have any marketable skills or special talents?

Is he a financial whizkid, for instance? I doubt it. Mutual friends assure me that Mukhriz Mahathir can be quite a charming and affable fellow. Maybe so, but does being "charming and affable" mean you can afford to live in a multi-million ringgit mansion?

I know his elder brother Mirzan is ranked among the richest men in Asia (read somewhere he was worth USD8.5 billion a couple of years ago)... I guess when your daddy is Mahathir or Suharto it's impossible to fail in business, no matter how hard you try.

So how do you suppose Mukhriz amassed his fortune? Surely not on his cabinet minister's salary? Does he have a couple of hit albums on the charts?

I don't have a problem with people who strike it rich by fortuitously stumbling on a cave filled with pirate treasure... or who inherited a fortune from their tycoon fathers... or who invented something the world finds useful - like the personal computer or iPhone or Google...

But Mukhriz Mahathir's dad is a politician. To be precise, he was prime minister for 22 years. He has publicly lashed out against corruption and Umno-style money politics (while privately stashing his store of nuts away in offshore hiding places, no doubt). So did daddy give Mukhriz this mansion as a birthday present, for boldly speaking out against Abdullah Badawi's lameness and making snide remarks about the seriousness of Anwar's sodomy accusations? 

Guess we'll never know... unless Marina spills the beans!

Meet the Kedah MB and his fashion taste from Simpang Empat

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Written by Harakahdaily  

Friday, 27 January 2012 13:04

Jan 27: Like him or loathe him, Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak is someone whose simple lifestyle has drawn praise from both friends and foes.

The popular 'ustaz', as he is known among PAS circles nationwide, courted controversy recently over his statement in support of the suspension of five students of a state-owned college.

Yet, Azizan's moderate lifestyle betrays the image of the top civil servant in each state as Malaysians have grown to get used to, with the exception being the Menteri Besar of Kelantan, Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, whose decision to stay put in his wooden house despite being in power for more than two decades has been a strength many of his counterpart find hard to emulate.

POWER NAP... Nik Aziz, the Kelantan MB, takes a short siesta

When PAS president Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang took over as MB in neighbouring Terengganu, the same culture of maintaining an austere lifestyle was followed. As the MB, Hadi continued to teach at his madrasah beside his house in Rusila, and went fishing clad in his kampung attire.

So too can be said of the current Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, whose moderate lifestyle earned praise from PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, a Penangite.
'Fussy Azizan'

Visiting the Kedah MB recently, reporter Azamin Amin returns to tell of Azizan’s lifestyle which is a far cry from that of his predecessors from Barisan Nasional.

The state's most powerful man lives in an ordinary double storey house which does not invite second glance from passers by.

“Whoever walks pass, a pedestrian or motorist, will certainly miss it as it has nothing to attract one's attention,” he writes.

Azizan's house in Jalan Sultanah, Alor Setar, when it was inundated with flood water last year

Immediately after assuming office in March 2008, Azizan refused to use state grants to repair the damaged fencing of his house despite being advised to do so by the police for security reasons, saying he would only use his own money to do so.

Indeed, the veteran PAS leader is particular when it comes to financial matters.

“What he detests most is if someone comes asking for projects from him. He becomes very agitated if something is expensive and illogically priced. He goes into too much detail and is fussy when it comes to money,” says one staff member at the MB's office.

72-year old Azizan is father to 14 children, yet not one among them has been appointed to any state agency.

“This is despite some of them having no stable job,” revealed a source close to Azizan.
'Fashion taste' from Kangkong

Azizan's simple lifestyle can be compared to many PAS leaders: unassuming and ordinary, to say the least. his favourite clothing stores are not in Sydney. He goes 'shopping' for his clothes to a Chinese-owned shop in Simpang Empat, Kangkong and another in Penang.

"Some of the shirts he wears to official functions cost only RM19!” observes Azamin in his report.

Azizan also has a preference to travel outstation by land rather than by air. According to his personal assistant, the Kedah MB would insist on a non-stop road journey from Alor Setar to Kuala Lumpur, and flies only when when urgency is required, such as an invitation by the Sultan of Kedah with whom he has a strong relationship.
No to luxury hotels

When in Kuala Lumpur for official matters, Azizan spurns luxury hotels allocated for him, instead rents a three-room house to share with his aides.

Like many opposition leaders, Azizan is hounded by reporters and loaded questions.

Such as how the writer recalls when a reporter once posed Azizan the question, “Now Kedah has no water, how Datuk Seri?”

Azizan had then politely asked the reporter whether he had taken his morning shower, to which the reporter answered in the affirmative.

“How then can you claim there is no water? From which university you graduated? It is now the dry season, and the whole country is facing water shortage issues. We can pray to God for rain,” he retorted.

Another anecdote reveals Azizan's friendlier side.

Last Ramadan, many Kedahans were cheated by a leaflets claiming that the Kedah MB would be distributing Hari Raya cash gifts at his office.

Sure enough, 300 people turned up at his office.

What would someone who is fussy about financial matters have done in such an occasion? Quite the opposite.

"Feeling sorry for those being cheated by the leaflets, Azizan told his officers to distribute RM50 to each of them, and that money came directly from his pocket!”