Najib Zig. Anwar Zag. ABU steady aja!

Najib Zig. Anwar Zag. These two zig zag all over the political landscape of this nation. Two solitary leaders out in front without any challengers on the horizon just yet! Each carrying their excess baggage of moral and ethical issues and each waiting to be blind sided by inevitable revelations of their past life that will surely come as the 13th general election nears. And before you become too judgemental and blame them for their own misfortunes I think the laugh is on all of us! How could we allow only these two to be the multiple choice answer to the question of who should be our Perdana Menteri?


Twelve general elections and each time we return UMNO to power. Is that not stupidity in the extreme or are we just gluttons for punishment?

And at the 12th general elections we gave Anwar Ibrahim the mandate to …to do what? Declare that he will take over government in September 2008? Lose Perak? Get embroil in sodomy two? Host a party election that takes PKR to a new low – if that is at all possible!

We are all indeed in one hell of a cock up. And more worrying is what will come up next? Do we stay with UMNO in the hope that they have learned their lesson in humility and heed our demand for good governance? Or do we take a punt with Pakatan Rakyat and hope (hope as in the worst not happening rather than in the best happening) that they will deliver on their promise of open, responsible and accountable government?

Either way with UMNO or Pakatan Rakyat, I say that our future is too important to go on a hope and a prayer!

Some of you are insisting that we try Pakatan Rakyat for five years and if they are not what we want – throw them out? And who is going to do the throwing out? Have we not learned from the past that once entrenched in government, with all the machinery of government at their disposal, those in power will not go away quietly?

It took 23 years to we rid ourselves of this Mahathir and at what costs?

The very fabric of our society has now been irreversibly and adversely changed forever by the presence of millions of immigrants brought in by Mahathir and given citizenship not because our country would benefit from their skills and enterprise but because it was politically expedient for UMNO to do so.

Mahathir is responsible for the debilitating culture of materialism now forever embedded into our way of life. A culture that sucks the very life blood out of our people and destroys the very essence of doing honest work for a decent wage. A culture that breeds corruption and greed!

23 years of Mahathir has now reduced politics to nothing more than UMNO irresponsibly using the explosive mix of race and religion to divide and rule our country.

All the checks and balances inherent in government have been dismantled. And nothing personifies this travesty then Petronas. The financials of this national oil company that brings in billions of ringgits into our national coffers is privy only to the Prime Minister! This UMNO led Barisan Nasional government will not allow Christmas Carolling without a permit but it will allow one politician to decide how the billions that Petronas makes will be spent! What madness is this?

When not dismantled then these checks and balances have been badly compromised. The Police and the Judiciary now takes their cue from the BN government. All heads of government departments are beholden to UMNO for their livelihood. Education becomes an instrument of state – used at will to advance its racial, language and political agenda without due regard to the long term damage it will do to our young as they grapple with the reality of educating themselves amongst others whom have had the benefit of a more enlightened education system.

Nobody today doubts that if UMNO decides that it wants to stay in government indefinitely they have the means to do so with or without the loss of blood – theirs or ours!

What is different from the Malaysia a decade ago and the Malaysia of now is you and me.

We are so much different from the people that lived before us - in temperament, in knowledge and in our commitment to better ourselves and our fellow human beings from the tyranny of a government gone mad…and more empowering….we have the tools, the means and the will to do so. We can only hope that there are million of others who are also empowered and embolden to actively seek the change we all want.

I believe the numbers are there. From time to time we may bicker and we will agree to disagree. At times we do so robustly and at times discretely but our focus is similar. We all want a better life, a better future and a growing commitment to do this together as one people. This feeling of oneness makes me feel good. It gives me a feeling of possibilities.

I am not the only one thinking of ABU. Imagine having many thousands of us……if not millions….. willing for ABU to become our battle cry against UMNO. Imagine how many of us are right now powering our PC impatiently wanting to get onto the net and see what is the latest development on ABU? And those already on line are feverishly posting their comments, their messages to others and contributing their own two cents worth on ABU!

And this is happening in households, offices, educational establishments….anywhere you can power a PC in Malaysia. Each and every one of you is making your own contribution to ABU. This is why ABU is alive and well. It lives in each one of us that believes that UMNO must leave for our country to live! ABU snakes across our country from the North to the South, the East to the West…..and like a snake that seeks its prey…ABU seeks to destroy UMNO!

Let Najib and Anwar zig and zag anywhere they choose to go. We are resolute with ABU. Najib is a lost cause. UMNO even more so!

Anwar is still with us but we give him notice that he is under caution to behave and do good for Pakatan Rakyat and PKR. What good he has done for Pakatan Rakyat still gives him credence to lead from the front but for how long? He will have to see how it all goes on a day to day basis for we know not what will come after these allegations of corruption in Selangor and his proven inability to hold on to alliances with people who have extended more then their time and a considerable amount of their money to assist PKR – this time with John Soh.

We understand that politics is an expensive business in Malaysia requiring copious amount of financial ‘investments’ by people with vested interest in doing good for PKR, for our country or, more often then not, for themselves. We understand too that the cut and thrust of politics requires you at times to be devious and economical with the truth. And the times we now live in pits you against an UMNO that has deep pockets and large armies at its disposal to unleash against you and Pakatan Rakyat.

All this we understand and will make concessions for what you do to counter the might of an unrelenting adversary that is not beyond using any means at their disposal to annihilate its perceived enemies.

But understand this too. We are not UMNO. We are ABU and we will not want UMNO within ABU! Even if from today you commit yourself to ABU and everything that it entails, we will take you for your word. Fail us and you will only fail yourself! If PKR and you have had assist from John Soh in the past just acknowledge his help and get on with what will come tomorrow. If there is corruption in Selangor better to deal with it adequately now rather then later. We can forgive much but do not lie to us as UMNO has done because if you do …tiada maaf bagi mu!

For now all that we can do is wait for what tomorrow brings. Events and issues are being hurled at us at the speed of Najib’s motorcade as it commutes between Putrajaya and KL. As each of these potentially lethal exposures are being unveiled by Pakatan Rakyat, Barisan Nasional, Manchester, Putrajaya or on the Web, we all adjust and realign our thinking with the flow. Everyday brings manna from the heavens for some and consign others to hell and damnation!

Let all of that believes that ABU is the way to go, go with the flow too….but always remember that our commitment to Anything But UMNO is non negotiable.

And so to each and every of you that has silently or overtly committed your time, effort and even money to ABU – and you know who you are! – you can justly be proud that ABU is now a full-fledged war cry that reverberates through the corridors of power in Putrajaya and instilled with justification, the fear of God and retributions from the forces for good upon those in UMNO! These people in UMNO do not understand how this is so because they see nothing of ABU that they can deal with! And yet ABU is everywhere and anywhere! And this is the very essence why ABU will continue to be a force for change and good! Because you and me are part of it…part of something UMNO cannot understand nor will it ever do! ABU ABU ABUI!

Intellectual process of choice between BN and PR or why the people voted for Pakatan Rakyat

Much has been done to try and understand from where the vote of confidence given by the people of Malaysia to Pakatan Rakyat in the 12th General Election in 2008 came from. And much has been said about the shift in loyalty from BN to PR but let us look at this reality.

The numbers of those who have traditionally voted for DAP before 2008 have numerically been small. Enough to win DAP a few constituencies but never a State!

Those with PAS might enable them to give BN a fight in Trengganu but it would not be a sure thing. Only Kelantan is PAS dulu, kini and maybe selama lama nya!

PKR has not been around long enough to have any claims to a proven vote base that they could depended upon. It is still to be seen if those that voted for PKR in the 12th general election will vote PKR again this time around. Lembah Pantai is already on shaky ground even as we speak!

What have made the difference in the 2008 elections were those voters who chose to vote for Pakatan Rakyat through an intellectual process – all it means is that the majority of Malaysian voters made a conscious effort to understand the issues and choices available to them when they voted for Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. In the main, intellect not race or religion decided the outcome of the 12th general elections and BN lost big time!

Some thought it essential and reasonable to vote PaKatan Rakyat because Barisan Nasional needed to be taught a lesson in humility in order for them stop endemic corruption and the arrogance of power that defined the UMNO’s led Barisan Nasional. 

Some wanted to see a strong and effective opposition to keep those in government honest.

And some wanted change and Pakatan Rakyat promised that change.

But all these votes were given conditionally – conditionally to their reasons for voting becoming a reality!

If Barisan Nasional did learn a lesson from their losses at the 12th general election these “intellectuals” might go back to voting for Barisan Nasional.

If they see that an effective opposition has been  good for the country then they will again vote to ensure a strong opposition – be it BN or PR.

If the change Pakatan Rakyat promised did happen, then they will vote again for Pakatan Rakyat!

So this is why I say that the votes taken from Barisan Nasional and given to Pakatan Rakyat in 2008 were conditional.

UMNO did instituted change within our economy and our society but the changes they made were largely for the interest of UMNO and Barisan Nasional not for the people. However in making these changes UMNO inadvertently reinvented the Malays and the non-Malays. Reinvented them in the way they think and they way they look at each other.

For a start the Malay Intellectuals were indignant at that manner in which the Malays and the non-Malays were being treated – and they were sufficiently committed and passionate about this to do something about it!

They started by discussing this amongst themselves; amongst their non-Malay friends and very soon race and inequality were no longer a taboo subject banned from open discussion by the ISA. The catalyst that enabled these discussions to spread to all Malaysian was the Internet. Now any one and every one could self publish their thoughts and their take on this once forbidden subject. And we must not forget the role Petra and other bloggers contributed to the dynamism of this new medium that enabled us all to participate in these discussions. And this is still in evidence today as the Internet is still the platform of choice to vent our frustrations and passions on these matters

And the Malay intellectuals soon realized that their non-Malay counterparts were as indignant as they were in these matter. And in these beginnings was the epicentre of the earthquake that caused the tsunami that overwhelmed Barisan Nasional at the 12th general elections.

UMNO failed to keep up with the change mentality of Malaysians and in failing to do so sounded their death knell! UMNO hears but no longer listens to the voices of the people…and for this they paid a very high price – lost votes. Nobody in UMNO had the character, the leadership or the intelligence to understand this reality and tell UMNO that it was out of touch with the new psyche of these Malaysians back in 2008!

The Malays numerical superiority can no longer be depended upon to support UMNO unconditionally.The question now for the 13th general elections is whom will these transient intellectuals vote for this time around – and for what reason? What we are all agreed on is that neither BN nor PR has control over how they will vote.

Just as these intellectuals were critical of what Barisan Nasional leaders have failed to do while in government, they too are now critical of what Pakatan Rakyat has failed to do since 2008.
 
‘But the real test of leadership – amongst all the test of policy, judgement, politics and ability – is whether, in the final analysis, you put the country first” and are you “ultimately, prepared to put what you perceived to be the common good of the nation before your own political self”
Tony Blair

And this is what BN and PR leaders must ask of themselves. Who amongst them have failed to do this?

Can we believe that what Najib have done since he became Prime Minister has been for the country and not for himself and the political interest of UMNO and BN?

As Minister of Defence did Najib put the interest of our country first in the purchase of the Scorpene Submarines or did he put the interest of his crony Razak Baginda ahead of all other considerations?

As DPM did Najib put the interest of our country first when he engineered the take over of Perak? He did it not through the ballot box but through the use of money, coercion and deceit. All questionably legal and certainly not in the interest of our country.

And as PM was not his decision to descend into gutter politics to neutralize his political nemesis something our country could do without?

Najib had been tried and tested many times and each time he has put the interest of self and party before country.

Anwar had fared no better. I do not intend to go further into this other then to say that his political self has always been his first priority.

Even as we are discussing the pros and cons of having either of them as leaders attention is already upon the question as to who will be their successor? But this is an issue to be addressed by their respective peers. We can propose, they dispose!

The people who have made that difference in the 12th general election are now asking themselves what they must do at the 13th general election?

You read what I write about Anwar, about Azmin, about PKR and you conclude that I am now with UMNO! They read what I write and they will form their own conclusion as to the credibility of what I post on steadyaku47. Whether I am with UMNO or not is not their concern. What matters are the facts and line of reasoning that I use – plausible or not? 
And who are they? They are the voters who will vote with their hearts, their minds and their hopes for a better Malaysia for all of us. They know what Najib do. What Anwar do. They have access to all the information they need to form an opinion. Some have already made up their mind and some are still deciding. You make them understand your point of view by putting across rational and believable arguments to support your cause.

We say ABU  - they too say ABU - but it is a conditional ‘Yes”. Conditional that ABU comes with a better alternative to UMNO. Conditional to having a leader better then Najib. So their “YES’ to ABU is actually to ask “Who in place of UMNO?” This is just not reality but this is progress.

And there are enough of them out there to vote us in or out. The sooner we understand this, the earlier we start making them understand that our side of the divide is better then the other side under BN.

Why has Najib not decided on an election date? Right now any one can win the election. PR or BN – it is that close. Najib hopes that soon PR will make a mistake, the mood of the public will change to favour BN….that DSAI or any of the PR leaders will slip up or any of the state government under PR will be expose for abuse of power and anything else that will give the advantage to BN.

But ask yourself this. Why is Najib able to give Razak Baginda the RM$500 million commission for our government purchase of the Scorpene Submarines? Why are the Police so riddle with corrupt practices and kill so many in their custody? Why are MACC and the Judiciary opening themselves to ridicule and contempt from the public in the things that they do? Why has NFC happened and why has no decisive action been taken by the authorities to hold those in charge of it accountable?   

The truth of it all is that all these things happen because of people like you and me. We allowed it to happen because of our apathy. Our acceptance that these are the way things are done in Malaysia.   And we are responsible because we voted this UMNO led Barisan Nasional government into power. 

If we had done the right thing and voted for change many years ago, do you think we will have what we have now? A corrupt, diseased and arrogant UMNO that now has the audacity to ask for another term in government to put right what they cannot put right for the last 53 years?
 
It is time we make sure that these things will not happen again. We want ABU but we want a responsible and accountable alternative to UMNO. And the intellectual and thinking public will insists on it. And their votes will make the difference to being in government or being in opposition. Do the sums and work it out for yourselves.

I am not preaching anything radical when I write that PR needs to change – it is PR that needs to understand how these people are looking at them. And PR must do the necessary to ensure that it secures their support at the 13th General Elections. You already have ours!

ABU : I will listen to you. Will you listen to me?

The delightful distractions of high public office and those in government, state or federal, are the preferred options of a number of our political leaders from all political divides. Not for them the onerous burden of serving the Rakyat nor do they have the discipline to do their duty to King and country. For them the good life of wine, women and song beckons. For them high public office is the means to make the good life of wine, women and song their own. The getting of material wealth takes precedence over the getting of wisdom to serve as wakil rakyat!


And this is the life most of us do aspire to live too! Do we not? A Mansion for a house. The latest Beemer or Mercs in the garage. Shopping and holidays in Europe, London or New York. An inexhaustible supply of cash in the bank! And the delightful distractions of a La Dolce Vita life style lived away from the Rakyat and your family!

We humans find it difficult to overcome our animal instincts to be the alpha male/female. In my living memory the two Tun Ismails (DPM and Bank Negara), Tan Chee Koon, Hussein Onn and possibly one or two others – I would need no more then the fingers on my right hand – could I count those Malaysian who have been able to overcome these instincts. Today…..none! What a damming indictment of what we have become!

I started today thinking what I should write to make us understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to do the things we do. While we all have our priorities in life the 13th general elections occupies our minds constantly because who forms the government after this general election will make a big difference to our future.

But how do we start to build a future that we aspire to –one that is different to this oppressive and stifling Malaysia that we now live in? How do we rid ourself of this BN government that is sucking the very life out of our people through its abuse of the political power we ourselves conferred upon them?

We must start clean. We must start with good decent people who will have our interest in mind. We must start with honesty. We are now building the foundation of our future. There must be no compromise to ensure that we do it right. If we get it wrong from the very beginning then we will never get it right ever.

Because we have endured so many abuses by this corrupt BN government many of you have come to the conclusion that we must have change at any costs. Change this bloody BN government first because anything will be better then a BN government. You are all confident that once change has been effected you will ensure that who ever is in government will do as you want them to do – govern this country in a responsible and accountable manner. Let me remind you of the reality.

We elected this BN government into power. We allowed them to be in power for 53 years. And it is only at this 13th general election that we are hoping to change them? Change them with what?

Who amongst you can tell me that you can tell any Prime Minister of this country how to govern this country?

That is the reality.

Do not talk about having an honest IGP or a Police Inspector that will do the right thing by you. You are even powerless to prevent a Traffic Cop from making his ‘duit kopi’ from you everyday of the week day in and day out!

Do you understand that once these bastards are in power you are of no significance to them until the next general election? And before the next general election comes there will be enough time for them to do what they will to ensure that they have their way with us. And who will stand in their way to stop them from doing this? Petra? Bersih? Steadyaku47? The Third Force? Mahasiswa? HUH!

Just look at us now! The most potent force against this BN government is Pakatan Rakyat with DAP, PAS and PKR all aligned against a corrupt BN government – true? Betul? Ya betul…..and how has this BN government dealt with this potential threat from PR? Macham kita tepis lalat!

This is why we need to start without any compromises because once we are prepared to accept a less then perfect leader then we are telling him that we will accept a less then perfect government. And where will that lead us to?

Look at the foundation upon which PKR has been built upon. In their haste to get candidates for the 2008 elections they compromised the selection process. Yes PKR did win the most seats in PR. Yes we denied BN their two-thirds majority. Yes we gave BN hell …but what now?

What is PKR today? A shell of what it was after its triumph at the 12th general election! As bitter a reality as it is for us to accept – PKR has failed us just as it failed itself because it made too many compromises at the very beginning and this compromises became PKR’s way of dealing with anything that came their way.

If we have learnt any lesson from this PKR debacle then when do we to start to change our way of doing things?

You and I will agree that we have never ever been in a better position to make change possible then with this coming 13th general election – so why are we not getting things right on this side of the political divide? Why is BN still lord of all that they survey?

The simple fact is this. We who want change have not been able to get our act together. When I say “WE” I mean our leaders - not only those in Pakatan Rakyat but each and every one of you that can make a difference to what the opposition is – we have all not got our act together!

This is so because we do not have common values. What is right to you is wrong to me. What is acceptable to some is not acceptable to others. It is not a matter of whether you want a Chinese or Malay as your leader – it is a matter of choosing a leader that will be right to lead us.

To have the right leader you need the most basic of values first! We need to trust a leader and we need to be able to depend on that leader to do the right thing by us. Without these two basic requirements then that person you chose can never lead. And if he leads where will he leads us to?

In Pakatan Rakyat the first tier leaders are already from three families – Anwar’s, Kit Siang's and Karpal – and Tok Guru’s son now seems to be heading the same way too. Is this not the nepotism that we accuse UMNO of practising? Or are these leaders in Pakatan Rakyat deserving of their position in the party?

We need to ask ourselves what we want in a leader! Because once in power the Prime Minister of Malaysia is not
some one you or I will be able to go to ask to behave if he decides to misbehave. Do not delude yourself that we the people are in charge! Yes we can vote them out – but only when it is election time.

What happens in between the time they get elected in and when they get elected out…if we can elect them out – is what we should worry about!

You have seen how the election commissions works with the BN government to keep them in office. You have seen what Pakatan Rakyat leaders have done to try and stay in office too in the state they control – successful or not is another matter.

And so to me the only way we can get things right is to make sure that we start right. If we do this then maybe we will have the right leaders to start with and with these leaders we will have the right government doing the right thing for the people of this nation.

I am not convinced that we should accept second best to give ABU a better chance to succeed. It will be an insult to the intelligence of those that support ABU to think that they will accept flawed leaders – because is that not the very reasons they want UMNO out? I cannot agree that if I support ABU then I must accept it warts and all.

Let us make Abu in the image that it was conceived for. It is a rallying point to gather all parties that wants to oust UMNO –and by extension BN. It is an intangible force that must gather momentum now as the 13th general election nears. Let is be a force for good, a force for decent and responsible behaviour and let there be no room for opportunism or questionable values - even if these values can advance our cause in the short term. What matters are long-term gains that are permanent and good for our country. Anything else we can do without.

Because ABU belongs to all of us it is us that will decide where ABU goes. For now we have already agreed to disagree as to who will lead us. And I am sure there will be other issues that will be debated and argued upon.

But ABU is all of us and I know that they will come a time when somehow, by common consensus, the majority of us will decide what is the right way and what is the wrong way for us to move forwards. I hope that when that happens we will have the wisdom to know that it has been decided –then put our differences away and move forward as one towards ABU. Until then let us bicker and disagree in the spirit of give and take because as in every important issue, conflict exists.

For now we are all agreed on ABU! Now what do we have to do to make ABU a reality? To start with let us recognize the elephant that is in the room – Anwar Ibrahim. I have put in my two cents worth on this guy. I have worked for over two years on my blog in support of this guy....until, like so many others, I became another one of those who now know him for what he really is! And I said enough is enough. He is not fit to be our PM!  

I do it not with the intentions of giving UMNO an advantage over what we want to do.

Not with the intentions of weakening your resolve to make ABU a reality.

I do so with the intention of what I think is the right thing to do. And that is to start our ABU campaign in the right manner, with the right leaders and for the right reasons. If what I do makes ABU falters –then let it falter for the right reason – and that is to rid our ABU campaign of anything that could later harm it. I will listen to what others will have to say on this but in return I ask that you do listen to what I say here.

ABU! ABU! ABU!



Mat Suhaimi and the continuing saga of corruption in PKR!

As PKR scrambles to defend itself from these allegations of corruption now being hurled at them by Petra. As the leadership within PKR tries to prepare a credible defence against what has already been put out onto the public domain. As each and every self interest party of opportunistic UMNO goons led by the Main Stream Media and all other self appointed blogger that is fighting for the truth (in as long as it serves UMNO’s purpose!). While all this is happening around you…I ask that common sense prevails.

This is not a sodomy two situation where Pakatan Rakyat leaders did nothing more then wait for the verdict to be handed down by the courts.

This is a fait accompali…..money have already changed hands. Cheques and bank records can and should be requisitioned to determined or dispel the notion that the money had actually changed hands. Taped telephone conversations can be verified. And ROC records are available to confirm Petra’s allegations.

It would be for PKR’s benefit, not ours, if PKR start with the premise that they will not take us for fools. PKR should not start their defence of these allegations by asking us to believe that the Azmin they talk about is Azmin Mohd Karim and not Azmin Ali.

“RPK terkeliru di antara dua personaliti yang mempunyai nama yang sama iaitu Azmin Ali dan Azmin Mohd Karim iaitu pegawai di Pusat Khidmat saya,” kata Shuhaimi dalam sidang media di ibu pejabat PKR di sini hari ini yang turut dihadiri rakan sejawatnya Amiruddin.

As Mahathir asked of KJ…”Siapa dia Khairi Jamuldiin ni?” may I ask the same of this Azmin Mohd Karim. “Siapa dia ni Azmin Karim?” that he would figure prominently in conversations between his ‘BOSS’ and someone who seems to be very generous with his money as they talk about 100 acres of land for mining sand and RM$50,000 contribution for God knows what purposes! You go through that conversation again between  Suhaimi and SC and work out for yourself howcome this Azmin "sedang collect duit untuk pilehanraya?" Come on lah.....!

As follows is the tapped telephone conversation between Mat Suhaimi (telephone number 019-6185239) and SC (telephone number 019-3958888) on 6th January 2010.


SC: …itulah…pasal yang YB mintak 50 ribu nak ape…nak pakai 50 ribu boleh takde masalah…dalam minggu depan boleh?


Mat Suhaimi: Dalam minggu depan ye…


SC: Pasal saya nak setelkan akaun sikit…


Mat Suhaimi: Okay…


SC: Lepas tu takde masalah lah…


Mat Suhaimi: okay, okay, okay, hari Isnin boleh?


SC: Hari Isnin boleh…lagi satu YB…say mintak tolong satu…saya di Batang Kali ada tanah…geran…nak keluar pasir…pasir banyak lagi tu…


Mat Suhaimi: Berapa besar tanah tu?


SC: Dia 100 lebih ekar…


Mat Suhaimi: Nanti saya bincang dengan Azmin….tapi kena bayarlah…Azmin sedang collect duit untuk pilehanraya…


SC: ah, okay, okay…nanti kita bincang.

I am not going to waste your time and mine going into the rest of the explanation offered by these two Aduns yesterday!

Even now as I write this we know that what was said in the interview given by the two PKR Adun, Suhaimi Shafei (Sri Muda) and Amiruddin Shaari (Batu Caves) yesterday, is being dissected and discussed over and over again by many Malaysians…Malaysian who will be shaking their heads with some annoyance and disbelief that PKR expect them to believe that the Azmin mentioned in the conversation is not Azmin Ali but this Azmin Mohd Karim.

Have you any idea what this does to us?

How long before this Azmin Mohd Karim’s private live is drag out into the public domain – who his parents are, his family…remember Saiful? Remember how his life was torn apart by the pack of wolves that went after him?

Now how long before this Azmin Karim cracks? Will they reveal his sexual preferences? His debts? His infidelities? His Bank Balance? God help this Azmin guy if he has anything at all to hide from the government, from PKR, from his Wife, his Family and his friend!

And it is not me who will do it…...every machinery at the government disposal – from PDRM, the taxation office, the Banks and the AG.... is already working on it now. We just wait to see what they will come up with in these next few days!

Let me spell out what Petra has started.The search for the truth! The search for the truth not based on hearsey, allegations or finger pointing – NO!

He provides dates, times, documentary evidence, taped conversatation ….everything on a silver platter for PKR and the powers that be to verify and then they will have to pronounce sentence. PKR will deny, deny and deny. That is the only defence they know. It worked with Saiful so why not this time again?

A word of advise to PKR. When faced with overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing and abuse of executive power do what Chuah Soi Lek did ! Owe up! Like the kid caught with his hands in the cookie jar...just owe up and say “I am sorry...I f*#ked up!”.

Anwar & Azmin is the problem not the solution for PKR!

From his time in Abim until today DSAI has lived his life adjusting to circumstances of his own making because of choices he has made with his life. And these choices had one common denominator – one vested interest – HIMSELF – he left ABIM because he wanted to change UMNO from within (so he says!). He does not want to go against Ghaffar Baba but then they wanted him to be DPM (so he says!). He wants to be defecto leader of PKR. He wants Azmin as his deputy. He wants to be leader of the Opposition. And now he wants to be Prime Minister? It has always been about Anwar Ibrahim and not about anybody else!

There are many of us who know Anwar for what he is and we think that PM material he is not! You cannot live a lie in the world that we now live in without that lie being uncovered sooner or later. If America can find Saddam Hussein and Osama ben Ladin, if Gadaffi can be ousted and then killed, If PKR can dig so much dirt on NFC, if the President of MCA can unwittingly find himself on camera at his most vulnerable moment - how soon do you think before everyone knows the truth about Anwar? And what is the truth about Anwar?

For Malaysian who can reason what is right and what is wrong many have already form their own conclusion of DSAI. I wager that many will question the sanity of allowing DSAI to be Prime Minister of our nation and many will stand in his way if he insists.

To be accused of sodomy the first time can be excused as being the act of a deranged Mahathir who had patiently waited 16 years to use the sodomy charge against Anwar – a charge Mahathir knew Anwar was guilty of BEFORE he took Anwar into UMNO as confirmed by the Special Branch assessment Mahathir requested of Anwar.

To be charged a second time for sodomy is stupidity to the extreme and smacks of a recklessness that should send red flags over Anwar’s competency to be in control of himself when left to his own devices!

We know the circumstances of sodomy two.

At best DSAI made an error of judgement for putting himself in a situation that allowed Saiful to take his case to the Judiciary  - at worst the act of a man who has not learnt his lesson from sodomy one. Either way you work out for yourself if this is, or is not, the act of someone with his brains caught in his zipper!

For those of you that are upset that I chose again to talk about these matters try to understand this: We are agreed that it is anybody’s right to do what he or she wants to do in the privacy of their bedroom with any sexual partner or partners he or she chooses to do it with. But Anwar is not anybody! He wants to be Prime Minister of a Malaysia that has Islam as its official religion and he says he is a Muslim.

Islam does not allow sodomy. No ifs no buts… so can you work out in your head why sodomy and Islam is not compatible? Now do you understand why this sodomy accusation is such a big deal? It is not a question about choices one makes in life – it is a question of ethics, adherence to your religious edicts and decorum in the country you live in. If you insist on indulging in sodomy go live elsewhere where it is legal to do so!  

Okay….so DSAI has not been convicted of sodomy! Right! Mahathir, Najib, Pak Lah, Muhyiddin and the whole bloody gang at UMNO have never been convicted of corruption or money politics – except for that ex MB of Negri Sembilan who is now head of Felda!  Does that mean they are not corrupt?

Rahim Thamby Chik has never been convicted of raping an underage Malay School girl while he was Chief Minister of Malacca – does that mean he is not a paedophile?

So please grow up and stop ignoring the elephant in the room! You will have to use your own common sense to dot the i’s and pangkah the t’ and after you do that maybe you will get that “EUREKA” moment about Anwar Ibrahim.       

DSAI has cried ‘WOLF’ too many times. I suggest you all wake yourself from the slumber you are in and with clarity of mind and purpose, ask yourself if this guy deserves the accolades, the respect and the reverence that so many of you still gives him.

Let us look at some of the things that have transpired in PKR and Selangor.

Anwar and Azmin diligently conspired and colluded with others within PKR to determine the results of PKR’s party elections – a party election that UMNO itself would have been proud to host! The cost to PKR is credibility lost as it continues its downward slide towards the abyss of political gains to pander to the self-interest of Anwar and Azmin. 

Anwar and Azmin has personally profited and diverted business opportunities within Selangor to profit not the people of Selangor but themselves and their cronies. Anwar and Azmin are the chief culprit of this deception. Go read what Petra has to say on this. I know this happens but Petra has the evidence.

Khalid as MB should have known about this deception. If he knew and kept quiet he is guilty of collusion. If he did not know then he is guilty of gross negligence! We will wait for Khalid’s version of how he intends to play this out but anyway you look at it we begin to understand why UMNO thinks that Selangor is there for the taking!   

Anwar and Azmin is as classic a combination as Sharizat and her husband are in the NFC debacle. Sharizat the wife claims that she does not know what her husband is doing. Believe Sharizat and you will believe what Anwar and Azmin (who are NOT husband and wife!) has to say about corruption in the Selangor State government.

Do not tell me that Anwar as the Economic Czar of Selangor does not know what Azmin, who is PKR’s head honcho in Selangor, is doing under his watch?

Now you know why these two need each other in PKR and in Selangor. Azmin and Anwar and Anwar and Azmin! Together they watch each other’s back and hopefully do nothing else with their back or to their back!

Since DSAI’s triumph at the 12^th general election we are again privy to witness how he does things.

As with ABIM, and then UMNO, and then the Reformasi movement, then PKR, Pakatan Rakyat and now Selangor – DSAI always begins well.

But soon he begins to corrupt these organizations by installing his own questionable values and the declines starts! Oh what a tangled web he weaves once he sets out to deceive.

Pakatan Rakyat has not gone from strength to strength since the 12^th general election under the leadership of Anwar. DAP has and PAS has but not Pakatan Rakyat.

From his ill fated announcement of the takeover of the Federal Government, his taking of refuge in the Turkish embassy, the ill advised Anwar led exposure by Bala of the Altanatuya murder, the loss of Perak, the Carcosa Tapes – all these incidents have embarrass Pakatan Rakyat and us.

We have all been embarrassed not only by the spectacle of DSAI being on trial for sodomy two but also all of the above!

But Pakatan Rakyat has DAP and Pas – Kit Siang and Hadi – it will survive.

PKR only has Anwar for now! How soon, like everything that Anwar has been involved in – how soon before PKR bites the dust? This exposure by Petra of PKR’s  Selangor is a case in point. In as long as Anwar can keep the lid on things, PKR will lurch from one potential disaster to another. The last potential disaster was his sodomy trial….and now Selangor.

And after allegations of corruption by PKR in Selangor what?

Maybe after Selangor there may be nothing left in PKR that is worth saving! 

While there is still this tolerance towards you by many because of what you have done to put together Pakatan Rakat you must also understand that this affection for you is not open ended.

You are not the warrior we had hoped you will be to fight our fight against UMNO.

You are no longer the person that has been relentlessly persecuted by the powers that be because we now know that you, and you alone, is the architect of your own political demise.

And all you have left to ruin is PKR.   

Let us now watch what Anwar will do. Will he do to PKR what he has done to his political future? A future that was once was so bright but now forever taken from his sight! 

I hope Anwar will see the writing on the wall that says “ENOUGH”. Anwar and Azmin are the problem not the solution to PKR’s current malaise.

Nurrul Izzah is the solution.

Ignore these equations to your peril Anwar and if you do…tiada maaf bagi mu!

Not from Azizah, Nurrul or your family. Not from those that still believe that PKR can still be relevant. Not from Pakatan Rakyat and certainly not from the people who will chose their government at the next general election.

Change Najib with Anwar? No can do lah!

“Is the 13^th general election going to see the end of UMNO?” so many of you have asked provoking those who are with UMNO to response with “UMNO demi kepentingan Melayu dan Islam!”

I would like to remind you that the 13^th general election is not only about UMNO, the Malays or Islam. It is not about whether Najib or Anwar becomes Prime Minister. This general election is about us. About the people of Malaysia and who we will chose to govern us. We know what we want and what we do not want.  It is now a matter of electing the right people to represent us.

All the gutter politics, lurid tales of sex and sodomy, the abuse of executive powers and the tales of rampant corruption have certainly eclipsed all other consideration except the need for change! Change from what? Surely not just change from UMNO, from Najib or Barisan Nasional? Maybe it is us that also need to change!

The root cause of our problem is our acceptance of leaders who are flawed. This is a most dangerous state of affairs. It is like finding out that you have cancer but you delay going to the doctor for treatment for a few months because you want to see if the cancer will cure itself! Why do we accept leaders who are flawed? Do you think they will change for the better?

For this 13^th general election many of you are prepared to put up with Najib or Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister in the mistaken belief that Najib will change for the better or Anwar Ibrahim will be a better Prime Minister then Najib!

If we do not do the right thing NOW for our country, we will have to put up with a government that we do not want for another five more years – and just as surely as cancer untreated will kill you, another five years with a flawed Prime Minister may prove fatal for our economy and for any hope of our people to come together as one under 1Malaysia!

The stakes could not be higher and the rewards greater!

You have been under Najib’s government for many years now. What have you had to put up with under him? The same corruption as under Mahathir and Pak Lah? The same abuse of executive powers by those appointed to high public office by his government? And in the past one-year we have had many promises for change in an attempt by Najib to instil the ‘feel good’ feelings on the population as we near the 13^th general election. And of course we cannot ignore the ‘oomph’ that Rosmah has brought into the equation. In what he does Najib’s has demonstrated to us how shallow in thoughts and deeds he has been in his desperate attempt to win the election.

If you ask me how Anwar Ibrahim will fare as Prime Minister I suggest you look no further then the party election of PKR and see for yourself what PKR has become with him as their defacto leader. Do you want the same thing to happen to the government of our country if Anwar is Prime Minister?

How many of PKR’s elected representative has left? How many or PKR’s officials have left their party post in disgust and resign from the party? The latest ‘defection’ is Hata Wahari – a prized catch that was already within PKR’s camp and yet like many others, PKR’s loss is DAP’s gain! And Anwar Ibrahims morals, like Najib, are questionable. We do not want a Prime Minister whose CV includes “Twice on trial and acquitted of sodomy. Convicted of corruption!”

So think again my friends. At this election Najib and Anwar are powerless against us for we are armed with our votes. We have reached the tipping point in the history of our nation.  If all Najib and Anwar can offer us are themselves then I tell you that we deserve better than these two people.

Yes by all means demand for ABU but be careful that what you get is not another UMNO in mufti. Yes it is true that sometimes the devil we know is better then the devil we don’t – but would it not be better if we no longer have a devil for a leader?

So please saudara do not elect a leader who is flawed. Have the courage to discard the familiar. I know that we have no frame of reference from which to draw ideas and alternatives from because we have only known UMNO and Barisan Nasional since Merdeka but you have no choice but to try because real change, genuine change starts with good decent leaders.

And when it comes, it will certainly bring us the brand new Malaysia that we want! A Malaysia full of hope. A Malaysia I want to call home – my Malaysia, your Malaysia, our Malaysia – a Malaysia for all!

cakap cakap....my thoughts on this and that!

Why do we put people with any degree of pedigree, tittle or connections on a pedestal?

Does being a Dato’ confer on a person qualities and values that requires us to respect that person without us first finding out for ourselves if they deserves that respect?

Does having a father who was or is a Prime Minister makes you Prime Minister material or accord you almost a God like status in the eyes of so many? And if you take KJ, pedigree by marriage also seems to work for him but only it seems for as long as Pak Lah was PM!

Once royalty went around insisting that their ‘blue blood’ merited them a status higher then us mere mortals and that was so until too many of these Tengku’s got entangled   in matters that required PDRM’s attention and we realised that there are as many rogues amongst royalties as they are rogues amongst us!

Then it was the Dato’s.  Like the Tengku’s too many of these Dato’s became person of interest to PDRM. Name a crime and I can bet you that a Dato somewhere has done some time for that crime! There are Dato’s galore. I once had a Chairman who had nine (yes nine as in one less then ten!) Datukship to his name and yet at the time of joining me, all he could afford was an old Volkswagen!

And now we are past the Tan Sri’s and going higher to the rarefied stratosphere of a Tun with the crime fitting the level of slime that this ex MCA President was in. Billions not millions of Ringgits were involved in this crime that he is now on trial for. And befitting his status in life he is accused of lying to the Cabinet and the Prime Minister himself. This is Karma for Mahathir. It is what you get when you prefer to have Ministers whose morality and honesty are questionable as your cabinet ministers because you thought you would be able to blackmail them into doing anything you ask of them in cabinet.

It is time those conferring the titles do a bit more conferencing before awarding the tittles.  We must be more economical with the giving of our trusts to those who seek them purely on the basis of their pedigree, their tittles or their connections to people in high public office.

Give respect and deference to those that has earned it and not a moment before. And that includes royalties at all levels and certainly spouses of Prime Ministers, Ministers and any titled personages who seems to be too eager to inform us of their Datukship even before we know their name…..just call me ‘Dato' they say’! Be not too gullible of Dato’s who have nothing more then promises to offer to you.

And we are so forgiving of those that have made decisions that will make even their own mother ask of them “Now why did he do that?” and no example of this is more glaring then the choice we now have to make between Najib and Anwar – either of them can be the pot or the kettle calling each other black!

Think of it –  their time in politics and government has been a sorry tale of personal indiscretions, abuse of executive powers and always, the advancement of their personal interest at the expense of ours!

Both have indulged in skulduggery and questionable tactics to promote and consolidate their political power for political power is the surest sanctuary to keep the unpleasantness of their past and the present at bay. Without power and the artificial aura of the ‘high and mighty’ that they create around them, they will be dammed by what they have done in the past, present and certainly in the future should they still have political power.

Do not bore me with your demands that I produce before you a ‘clean’ politician. A leader unblemished by any political intrigues, corruption or money politics – because if there is none among us that can be that, then Malaysia has failed itself!

Look around you and open your eyes to see if we can find a Prime Minister, whether BN or PR that we can trust to look after our interest and our nations interest without worrying that that PM will divert our billions to the rescue of his son’s shipping business!

Without us having to worry that that PM will gift RM$500 million of our ringgits to a crony who then proceeds to embarrass us with his sexual escapades across the globe ending in the murder of a young Mongolian girl by two of our then DPM security detail who blew up the young lady in question using C4 – explosives available only to the Military!   

We do not want another PM who abdicated by default his executive powers – or were they hijacked?  - to his son-in-law –who then proceeds to install himself, as the defacto PM on the fourth floor of the PM’s office in Putrajaya dispensing his favours for God knows what returns!
 
And today we have a PM who defers to a spouse who deems herself FLOM and then proceeds to debase herself to the level of the rich and famous through her extravagances and avarices. 

We want a PM in the mould of Tunku, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn. For are they not what leaders should be? Putting country before self? Working for the people? Their spiritual devotions were done in private and they respected the beliefs and cultures of others. And always they have within them the understanding that they are there to serve.

Today we have a PM who threatens his own people to behave or else RELA will be set upon them as an owner of a pit bull would threaten to unleash his pit bull on those he wants harmed. We have this same PM promise us a high income economy, various initiatives to increase civil liberties and always his promise of 1Malaysia – a country living in harmony and not in want – and yet in the very same instance warns the Chinese and Christians to behave or be forever silence by the party he is now leader of! And we know these are not some idle or empty threats. He has the means and the political will to make it happen.

And of course the alternative in the guise of DSAI is not that much of a choice. I put it to you that there will be more gutter politics to be thrown at DSAI – but this is only possible because DSAI himself has made if possible for these things to be thrown to him. Just as what is happening within PKR is because DSAI has made it possible for PKR to be what it still is today – a clone of UMNO.

Enough time has passed since he was thrown out of UMNO by Mahathir for DSAI to change into a leader we had hoped he would be inspired to be after his time in UMNO. This he has not done and I think the time for this to happen, by common consensus, is long past its due date.

For PKR now there is only Nurrul Izzah who is surprisingly still left untouched by the intrigues and vested interests under which PKR is now labouring under. Call her naïve, call her inexperience you may even call her too trusting of her father, but you cannot put her in the same category as Anwar or Azmin!

If PKR is to be saved she has to do the saving. But the saving of PKR is from her father. To save PKR she has to stand against all that her father has made PKR to be – a political organization totally subservient to the interests of individuals that seeks to advance their own interest –not the party and certainly not the party members!

The question now is when will she make her move to save PKR from a father we know she respects and love. She will have to do this not because this is what she wants to do but this is something she must do for the greater good of PKR, our people and our country.

Whether she succeeds – or to be more exact whether her father will allow her to succeed is to be seen. But for Nurrul Izzah destiny calls!

Anwar will be distracted by coming events as Najib and UMNO again ramps up their salvo of gutter politics. Expect the spilling of guts and gore. Expect collateral damage of sorts to be inflicted upon the main players and all those within the ambit of the main players – DSAI, Azmin, Khalid and those within PKR that has found it easier to go with the flow then to stand against it.  Expect sodomy three. And when the dust settled expect, hopefully, a final solution to the problems within PKR and Pakatan Rakyat and then we can expect the beginning of our final journey towards Putrajaya and God Willing, success with ABU!     

When you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount!

I have wondered aloud before why Hata Wahari chose DAP over PKR to make his entry into politics. Hata suggested that I should listen to what he had to say in an interview that he did on Mobtv (http://www.mobtv.my/talkshow-729.html).

I did listen to the interview as suggested and I am sorry to say that at the end of the interview I had more questions then answers to the questions I asked.

As a journalist you will understand that those who chose to go into politics  - and joining DAP is going into politics – also chose to put their private and public life into the public domain. What you say, what you do and every facet of your life will have ramifications on the work that you intend to do in DAP. Do good and all will be good. I do not need to tell him what happens when you do not – and the sooner you understand this, the better it would be foryour political future – if there is to be a political future for you in DAP! 

I asked why you have chosen to join Dap when you have already spent time working as a Media Consultant to PKR Vice President Nurrul Izzah. What you had to say when you gave that interview on Mob TV is for public consumption – i.e what politicians say when they have to say the right things without revealing too much of the truth. I am part of the public but, like you, I too write – not for a living, not to any agenda nor for any vested interest but mine and mine alone!

You are free to join DAP or any political organization of your choice. But if asked why you chose to join DAP instead of PKR I expect you to give us an answer that does not challenge our mental capacity to discern whether you are telling the truth - in other words …you were quite economical with the truth!

Saudara berkata yang DAP di fitnah and as a responsible person you accept the responsibility to defend DAP against these accusations – accusation that DAP is chauvinistic, anti-Malay and racist  - that DAP is only for the Chinese.

DSAI has been accused of sodomy and PKR has been accused of being a clone of UMNO.PKR has also been accused of being a tightly run organization that caters only for the vested interest of DSAI and those close to him. From what you say of DAP I would presume that these accusation are true of PKR because if they were not true then by what you said of your reasons for joining DAP you would have stayed to defend PKR against these false accusations? Am I right in these assumptions?
 
You also insists that here is no difference between DAP, PAS and PKR – all one culture. They why DAP?

Yes for six months you kept a low profile. And your interest was to fight for freedom of the media. And as DAP is the worst hit with all sort of lies being hurled at it presumably by BN, you decided to wade in and help DAP. I would think that between Kit Siang, Karpal and Guan Eng they are capable of taking care of themselves  - with or without you!

You do not have to remind us that the Chairman of DAP Selangor is Mohd Nor – a Malay.  You indicated that you would like to ‘work’ in Johor as you are from Johor yourself. You mention Tanjung Pia where DAP’s representative is a Malay – and that he managed to secure twice the number of votes that the Chinese before him did manage to get. What sort of work do you intend to do in Johor? Surely not just write? I think while DSAI did failed to offer you ‘work’ DAP will not fail to find you ‘work’! 

Yes I agree that at this point of time there is no agreement YET between you and DAP for you to stand as their representative in the coming 13th general election – but in discussions between thinking men (and I would presume that you and DAP do fall within this category) these matters need not be discussed openly. It is implied. Just telling DAP that PKR had NOT offered you a seat to contest at the coming general election is akin to telling DAP that you want to stand for election as a DAP representative! Is that not so Hata?

In the flush of some fame that visited you when you left Utusan Malaysia it is too easy for you to begun to think that there are things you can and should do in national politics. DAP may think the same of you too but you will need to ask yourself very seriously if DAP needs your input as much as PKR needed it. I am sure PKR had need of your media expertise but only in as long as you did not have any ambitions of standing as its representative in the 13th GE. As you now know PKR does not walk the talk!

Your entry into the PKR ‘family’ through your work as Media Consultant to its Vice President, Nurrul Izzah, took you right into what is PKR innermost sanctuary.

In the time that you were with PKR I put it to you that you saw PKR for what it really is. A political organization in decline without the ability to rejuvenate itself because PKR is there to serve the vested interest of Anwar Ibrahim – not anyone else!

And that interest certainly does not include having you stand as one of PKR’s representative in the coming 13th general election nor you joining their first tier leadership circle, as you would have aspired to do.

In short you saw why Zaid Ibrahim left PKR and you decided to NOT be another Zaid Ibrahim and left a sinking ship before it sank.

Hata do what you must with DAP. I would like to think that we are all together in wanting UMNO out of government. But it would do your future in politics much good if you do not treat the public as UMNO treats theirs.

We read, we think and we decide for ourself what is right and what is wrong. You are just entering politics. Do it with the intention of making this once honourable vocation honourable again. And you should start by telling us the truth as to why you joined DAP. Only time will tell if you did the right in joining DAP.

It took you 16 years to know that Utusan Malaysia was not doing the right thing by you. In politics it will certainly take less time to know these things. I wish you every success with DAP (though I wish I could say Pakatan Rakyat!) and do believe me when I say that you have the best wishes of many of us to do well….but always remember that the best strategy when riding a dead horse is to dismount! You have done it once with PKR….I hope that DAP will not abuse the trust you have place in it!  Amen brother!