DONUTS AND COFFEE AT THE HOME OFFICE?

The Home Ministry seems to be enjoying the company of editors from The Star, and they keep on coming back for more visits. It has become almost a habit that I’m beginning to think that the Home Minister himself is serving them donuts and coffee over laughs and a mild apology after ridiculing Islam like the last time.

Last Ramadhan, the fasting month in the Muslim calendar, editors from the same newspaper were invited to the Ministry to explain their insensitivities towards the Muslim community and the official religion in this country by promoting Pork Ribs while also writing on the breaking of fast in their special supplement on the same day.

After being “cordially invited” to the Ministry at the pleasure of the Minister himself, the Star left with just a soft tap on the wrist with an official apology from them the next day.

A few days ago the same newspaper stretched its luck even further by provoking Muslims in this country by publishing a full page picture of a visiting entertainer with “Allah” inscribed on her bare bosom bordering SEDITION!

While Information Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, took the bull by the horn and banned the concert performing his duty under the jurisdiction of his Ministry, Home Minister and “accidental” Vice President of UMNO which supposedly upholds the struggle of “ Agama, Bangsa dan Negara” Dato’ Sri Hishammuddin Hussein preferred to leave it to his MCA Deputy Minister to handle the issue pertaining to the serious insult on Islam. 

Picture Test: If This Doesn’t Burn Your Blood To A Boil, You Are Not Muslim Enough!

Apparently, the Home Ministry has issued a show cause letter and given The Star a week to respond. A show cause letter is usually an avenue to allow the perpetrators to go scot free if they are good at constructing a reasonable excuse.

In the meantime, I’m sure the ministry will refer this to the Cabinet to decide because the Minister in my view prefers to hide in the “closet” and NOT take a stand.

FACTS AND ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION:

* Sedition is defined in the Colin’s English Dictionary as:  A) speech or behaviour directed against the peace of a state.  B) An incitement to public disorder.

* The Star is “owned’ by MCA.

* In August 2011, The Star promoted “Pork Ribs” on the same day they ran a special supplement on breaking fast in the month of Ramadhan.

* In December 2011, MCA owned The Star allowed an article by their royal “stooge” writer to call UMNO members attending the General Assembly at PWTC leeches.

* In 27 February 2012, The Star published a full-paged picture provoking Muslims. (The picture above explains itself)

* Deputy Home Minister Lee Chee Leong who was asked to handle this, is a MCA Central Committee member.  

* Michael Chong (Chairman of MCA’s complaints bureau) was appointed as Special Officer/ Advisor to the Home Minister in 2009.

* The action on The Star might be referred to the Cabinet.

* The Cabinet has 4 MCA Ministers.

*Apologies kept pouring in one after the other for their writers’ mistakes without one stern action being taken against them in the past.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER OVER.

* Is MCA a team player in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition?

* While the Chinese community are rejecting this party but are warming up to Prime Minister Najib himself, is this not sabotaging Barisan Nasional’s chances by hurting the feelings of the voting Muslims who usually support MCA because of BN?

* Would it not be biased for the MCA committee member as Deputy Home Minister to be involved at all in the issue at hand?

* What is Micheal Chong’s role as Special Officer/ Advisor to the Minister? Is he advising the Minister in the interest of the Country or his party and its members? Will he be advising the Minister to take stern action on the paper owned by his party?

* Will the MCA Ministers be rightfully asked to recuse themselves from participating in the meeting to avoid being biased in discussing the action on the paper that their party owns if it reaches the Cabinet for execution?

* Are the concert organisers Malaysian, and did they provide the picture without considering its sensitivies?

* Why did they go ahead with providing these pictures?

* If the organisers didn’t send that particular picture, the authorities might have allowed the concert to continue not knowing of the tattoo.

* Did we do enough research on the singer before we approved the concert in the first place?

* Can the fans sue the organisers and The Star because their actions caused the concert to be cancelled?

CONCLUSION:

This Is Not The First Time That The Star Has Hurt The Feelings Of The Muslims. No Show Cause Letter Should Be Issued This Time. They Must Be Dealt With Sternly And With Clinical Precision Without Hishammuddin Pushing The Envelope Up To The Cabinet. The Local Organisers Too Should Be Taken To Task For Being Imbeciles Neglecting The Fundamentals That Keep The Very Fabric Of Our Society In Tact. This Is Not About Race But Will Be Seen As Such Because The Paper Is Owned By The MCA Which Is Insulting Islam. This Is About An Individual And The Establishment That Allows The Individual To Be Reckless Jeopardizing Racial Harmony And National Security.

Hats Off To Yb Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim On His Righteous Decision Without Fear Or Favour. 

Where Are The Muftis And Minister Of Religious Affairs In This Matter? Are They More Interested In Fighting Among Themselves On The Facets Of Our Religion Rather Than Defending Islam When It Is Clearly Attacked By Infidels?

The Entertainer’s Fans’ Wrath Should Not Be Directed At The Government Who Had No Qualms In Approving The Concert In The Beginning. It Should Be Duly Directed At The Organisers And The Star For Causing It To Be Cancelled Due To Their Negligence In The Basic Foundation That Holds Us All Together As One Harmonious Multiracial Nation.

The Home Minister Should Take Any Action Necessary According To The Provisions Under His Jurisdiction Without Sidestepping Or Prancing Around The Issue In His Ballet Slippers While Others Arrogantly Tap Dance In The Faces Of Muslims And Islam.  If The Action Is Done In Good Faith And Righteously According To One’s Official Responsibility In The Interest Of National Harmony, No Matter How Risky It Might Look, The Mature Rakyat Will Ensure That This Principled Government Will Be Retained In The Next General Election.

Most Of All, It Will Have The Blessings Of Our God The Al-Mighty.

THE SWORN OATH

It has been 75 days since “The Oath” was taken by the UMNO delegates led by the Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Yes, one might ask why it has taken this long for me to write an article on it. I took my time, as I wanted to give a reasonable grace period to judge the impact it had on those who made the pledge.

The Pledge Of Allegiance

TRANSLATION (From The New Straits Times):

* We in UMNO pledge to close ranks, forge solidarity, rid ourselves of dispute, ill feelings and jealousy and put party interest above self.

* We in UMNO promise to be loyal to the party by giving our full confidence and support to the party President to lead us in achieving a landslide victory in the general election.

* We in UMNO swear to work tirelessly in an organised and systematic manner, to struggle and work in the path of Allah to ensure UMNO and Barisan Nasional's victory in the 13th general election.

* We in UMNO pledge to give our undivided support to candidates who will be selected by the party's leadership to contest in the election.

The Maestro, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin Leading The Oath-taking Event

Many of my fellow delegates do remember it and will certainly hold true to their pledge.

But will those in the hierarchy keep their Oath solemn and do justice to it or will they compromise and renege on what they forced upon us all, in good faith.

Of late, I heard of efforts by both Ministers and deputy Ministers to lobby the Prime Minister to remain in office.

It had become intense that even the Prime Minister had to change his own holiday plans to enable him to be away from it all. Sources said some of them had planned to travel to where the Prime Minister was to be in the hope of getting some private time with him to further lobby their positions. Others have gone to the extent of asking to contest a safer parliamentary seat for fear of losing their own constituencies.

I know most, if not all, of the UMNO delegates who attended the General Assembly will keep to the oath that they took on that day.

But I am not convinced that those in office now such as the Ministers and deputy Ministers are equally convicted to the Oath. What if their names are dropped from being candidates in this coming General Elections? Is there a different set of Rules for the incumbent Cabinet members when it comes to putting Party above self-interest?

If any, I personally think that their acts portray them for who or what they really are.

One UMNO member, who was a former Minister, spoke against the party and government as if he holds high moral grounds. Another continues to be defiant in keeping her post despite having dragged the party and the government in what can be considered her own family matters.

In the meantime, there are also outgoing and aspiring candidates who are said to be trying to get cozy with the PM’s wife in order to keep their seats or get nominated. This is a despicable act if it is true and will definitely put the Prime Minister as well as his good wife’s name in bad light, especially if the former entertains such nonsense.

At the same time, I believe these acts would make it much easier for Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak to identify the good, from the bad and the ugly within the Party and the Government.

However, while the final sentence from the Oath is most reasonable and generally acceptable, it needs to be reminded that if the nominated Candidate is not from the party division and is an outsider shoved down the throats of the locals who’ve served the area tirelessly and unselfishly for the last 20 years since they were young, patiently waiting for their turn to rise, there will undoubtedly be a backlash.

Since known adversaries from within the divisions are willing to accept one another in the spirit of The Oath , they cannot be accused of reneging on it if an alien is put forth to represent them unsupported.

In this respect, the decision makers who are out to save their associates or Cabinet members by switching them to a safer seat would be the ones betraying the Party and be considered Traitors.

I Suggest If The General Election Is Further Postponed To Either The End Of The First Half Or Early In The Third Quarter Of The Year, Then We Should Use The UMNO Anniversary As A Forum To Renew Our Oath And Raise Again The United Spirit To Pummel Through Our Course To Imminent Victory.

AND THEY WALK AMONG US!

I read with disgust of former UMNO/ BN Ministers and politicians, who’ve upon joining so-called non-governmental organisations and/ or the opposition, becoming “amanah” or trustworthy after they are no longer in power. Did they just get their conscience back?

In the Malaysian Insider yesterday, this ex-minister admitted to “been given lump sums of money to distribute” as head of delegation of many campaigns, though he was quick to declare that he didn’t personally use the money. Does he think the world would believe him?

People like him should be treated as an “Outcast” or “Pariah”, not only to the Party but also to the Nation.

Speechless In Power But A " Singer " In Retirement

Definition of Pariah:

pa·ri·ah   [puh-rahy-uh]

noun

1. An outcast.

2. Any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided.

3. ( Initial capital letter ) a member of a low caste in southern India and Burma.

Reference: Online Dictionary

Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir confessed that he was given the responsibility back then, but did he remain quiet to save his cushy position in the Cabinet? He has accused the government of the crime without giving any substantial evidence and even worse, insulting the voting Rakyat by implying that they are equally corrupted for taking the money and voting us in.

The government is on trial based on the words of an ageing politician who wants to remain relevant by declaring alleged wrongdoings of the government while he remained a part of it then. It doesn't make him any noble for making the confession today.

What it does is putting his "shady" credibility in question for not having the sincerity to resign on principle while being an accessory to corruption, if his allegations are correct.

As I have said before in my previous posting here Kadir should shake himself out of this hallucination implying that the people do not enjoy the right to free and fair elections in this country.

Lest his memory should be failing him because of his age, please allow me to remind him that it was the truly free and fair elections that saw his brother Abdul Aziz lose his seat in Kulim to an unknown (Zulkifli Nordin) who has today become more recognized in politics than he and his brother will ever be.

And it was also because of truly free and fair elections that we saw the opposition become the ruling government in 5 States in the Peninsula.

While he had the audacity to ask UMNO to accept the losses, his own brother could not accept the choice of the Rakyat. He went to court to contest his loss in Kulim, although the leaders were not too keen on such an action.

In response to Kadir’s call, PAS has already been given the right to publish news through Harakah, a publication for its members, however, no action has been taken by the authorities for its wide distribution beyond the party. PKR also has their own publication though they don’t have a newspaper license.

Kadir's action further suggests that no license is required for anyone to spread more lies to confuse the Rakyat. It is not losing that we fear, but misleading and fooling the Rakyat with slander and libel that worries the sincere leaders of this Nation. There is more to this country than just politics.

Abdul Kadir has two other brothers who are holding positions in different UMNO divisions. One of his brothers is said to be close to one of the top leaders in UMNO. I suggest that our leaders be wary of this family and not allow privileges be given to them if their loyalty as proven can be wavering while trying to remain noticed once they become insignificant.

The UMNO Disciplinary Board Too Needs To Constitute Proceedings Against Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir. Perhaps We Can Use This Opportunity In Exhibition To PAS As To How To Expel One Of Our Members With Class…But Then Again In My View, Kadir’s Reputation Is Not Even Worth The Ink On The UMNO Expulsion Papers!

MAY GOD HELP NAJIB RAZAK!

Every two steps our Prime Minister takes forward, it seems like he is taken ten steps back by the people that he has entrusted to collectively run this country.

Surely they can make decisions reasonable enough not to refer to him every single time and if so, it has to be well thought of to the advantage of the Government benefitting the Nation, and not to destroy it.

Now, PKR is organizing a rally on the 9^th of January 2012, a working day and in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.

What is this demonstration about? Is it to object a half pornographic Western rock concert? Is it to protest against foreign interference in our domestic political affairs?

NO! It is to pressure and influence a Court’s decision on a person who along with his political party, are supposedly famous for championing the Rule of Law (only when it favours them, as history has shown).

This indirectly is tantamount to contempt of court and should be deemed outright illegal.

Anyone who thinks that the demonstration can be done peacefully if an unfavourable verdict is delivered, must seriously have their heads examined!

NO WIN SITUATION:

Here are the scenarios for the Government to comprehend if the demonstration is permitted:

1. 1. If the ex-convict in question is convicted again, there will be chaos in the streets and condemnation of the judicial system implicating the government in the same breath.

2. 2. On the other hand, if he is acquitted, the Judiciary will be given a soft pat in the back and the government will be whacked with maximum ridicule while he comes out of the courthouse to loud cheers and celebrations akin to receiving Gandhi and Mandela together at the same time!

3. 3. Either way, the foreign media will have a field day producing edits to the parts that can do the most damage to the reputation of our police force and Country, just to sell their story and to make investors turn to their countries as preference.

4. 4. It only takes one “twit” to start something and police aggression will be shown on youtube even before the officers reach home for dinner!

Now imagine the number of cameras and resources needed to cover the entire comic show just to prove to the Rakyat later as suggested, that the Police force were well within their jurisdiction and not aggressive in nature while handling the crowd especially the students in participation.

We will have to work triple time in explaining and defending our actions when we’re supposed to go to the ground and explain Najib’s successful transformation plan for the country instead.

Let us cut our losses even before we enter into this shoddy arrangement with the opposition. It doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to realize that allowing the “show” to go on will take its toll on us, politically and economically. We should ban it altogether and remand all the masterminds and leaders of these cell movements organizing the demonstration until after the 9^th and deal with the repercussions head on, which is easier to handle now than later.

SUGGESTIONS IF THE DEMONSTRATION IS PERMITTED

Seek a change of venue to hear the verdict without changing the date if possible. This is because:

1. 1. Monday is a working day and allowing 100,000 people into the fringes of the City will hinder law abiding and economy generating citizens from reaching their place of work on time, slowing down growth for the day and costing the Country millions of Ringgit.

2. 2 Even if only 10 thousand people were to attend the protest, being confined in Jalan Duta will make it believable when the foreign media spins it to say 200 thousand people were in attendance.

3. 3. Having it done at Putrajaya at The Palace of Justice, they’d need more than 300 thousand to make it look reasonably filled. And it will also ease the traffic for responsible citizens on the way to earn their keep in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

USE PSYCHOLOGY AND COMMON SENSE

In general and not necessarily related to the topic above, I urge those who are in the position to give out orders on behalf of the Prime Minister to employ some psychology and a lot of common sense in executing their instructions. Seek counsel from the more intelligent people you are giving instructions to instead of making them shut up and take in the orders without question. This might help to drive the nail straight through with one pound instead of driving it in crooked.

For instance, it was correct to have the interview with Raja Petra Kamaruddin and we scored a lot of important points there, but it would have helped to convince the people more of the truth from him if:

1. 1. He was asked not to look like a cross between Benny Hill and the skipper from Gilligan’s Island talking facts but sounding like a half-pissed lawyer at the Selangor Club back in the 80s. (If President Obama were to wear a jester’s outfit giving out the most important speech, which is The State Of The Union in the House of Congress, do you think he would be taken seriously by anyone?).

2. 2. The interview was NOT done in a Hotel Suite and in Singapore, to which we returned the most wanted man in the City State captured in Johor last year. I leave the rest to your inquisitive imagination.

3. 3. The video published on youtube, with RPK’s consent I presume, could have been better executed instead of appearing like a cheaply produced recording from a hidden camera.

CONCLUSION

If This Is The Kind Of Help That Our Prime Minister Is Getting From His Cabinet And Situational Think-Tanks, Then The BN Political Atmosphere Cries Loud For A Major Reshuffle Putting In The Prime Minister’s New Team, Flushing Out Laggards Including His Cousin And His Nemesis From Johor Heading The Higher Education Ministry Not At All Being Productive And Responsible.

The Elections Can Come Later Within The Realms Of Our Five-Year Tenure Letting The New Team Prove Themselves Appearing As A “Sneak Preview” To The New Leadership Under Najib If He Gets The Full Mandate By The People.

Barring The Hard-Serving Deputy Prime Minister, We Need To Change The Faces From Johor In The New Cabinet. Lethargy And Complacency Has Set In On The Long Serving Ministers And Despite The False Perception Within UMNO, There Are Younger And More Capable Leaders Who Are Willing And Able To Carry The Aspirations And The Momentum Of The Current Prime Minister.

PS: NOTE TO THE PM.

Reshuffle The Cabinet And Hold Off The Elections To A Later Date Sir! Take Back The Home Ministry And Appoint A Feared Deputy Minister To Assist You. You Need People And Groups Who Dare To Do Right, Willing To Tell You The Truth, And Have Common Sense Coupled With Intelligence To Execute A Good Plan With Precision. It Is Time To Get Everyone On The Same Page As You Dato’ Sri. Currently, They Seem To Be Lost And Not Up To Your Speed. We On The Ground Have Tried Everything, Even Swore An Oath To Be True. But Now We Are Waiting For Your Peers To Keep It Solemn.

If This Demonstration Is Allowed, Then We Would Have Played Into The Opposition’s Hand Like Monkeys To Peanuts. It Would Take Us 10 Steps Back After Forging 2 Good Steps Ahead Under Your Fine Initiative With Not Much Time To Play With Before D-Day.

Reflect On It Sir And Have A Safe Journey To South Africa.