Saturday, December 27, 2008

TUANKU JAAFAR DIES


ALFATIHAH.

The Yang DiPertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, HRH Tuanku Jaafar Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman has died. HRH took his last breath at 11:45 am today at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital aged 86.

HRH was a State Officer in Negeri Sembilan and Perak before becoming a career Diplomat who served in New York, Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana. HRH was to be posted to Japan as Ambassador of Malaysia when he was recalled by the State Government to become the 10th Ruler of Negeri Sembilan upon the demise of his elder brother Tuanku Munawir in 1967 bypassing the latter’s son, Tunku Muhriz. HRH was also on the throne as the 10th Yang DiPertuan Agong between 1994-1999.

HRH’s remains will be taken to the Istana Besar Seri Menanti for the lying-in-State ceremony and will be laid to rest on Monday upon the return of his children from abroad.

HRH served the country well both as a Civil Servant and a Ruler. The State will observe a 40 day mourning period. May Allah’s forgiveness be upon him and may his soul rest in peace amongst the righteous.

The Patriot would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, the Government and the People of Negeri Sembilan.

Friday, December 26, 2008

SELAMAT MENYAMBUT AWAL MUHARAM 1430

Asalamualaikum WBT.

Saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Awal Muharam 1430.

Izinkan saya mengingatkan Saudara/Saudari untuk membaca Doa Akhir Tahun Hijrah, dibaca 3 kali pada akhir waktu Asar atau SEBELUM masuk waktu Maghrib (Ahad 28 Disember 2008) pada akhir bulan Zulhijjah.

" Dengan Nama Allah, Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang. Semoga Allah mencucuri Rahmat dan Sejahtera keatas junjungan kami Nabi Muhammad SAW, ahli keluarga dan sahabat-sahabat Baginda sekelian.


Ya Allah, apa yang telah kami lakukan dalam tahun ini daripada perkara-perkara yang Engkau larang daripada kami melakukannya dan kami belum bertaubat daripadanya, sedangkan Engkau tidak redha dan tidak melupakannya, dan kami telah melakukannya di dalam keadaan di mana Engkau berupaya untuk menghukum kami, tetapi Engkau memberi peluang untuk kami bertaubat selepas kami melakukan dosa-dosa itu semuanya, maka kami memohon keampunanMu. Ya Allah ampunilah kami. Terimalah Taubat kami ini dan mana-mana perbuatan yang kami lakukan sepanjang tahun ini yang Engkau redhainya dan Engkau menjanjikan kami dengan pahala, maka kami memohon akan diperkenankan perbuatan (amal bakti) yang kami lakukan itu dan Engkau tidak menghampakan harapan kami. Ya Allah, Tuhan yang Maha Pemurah. "

Sesiapa yang membaca doa ini, Syaitan berkata, "Kesusahan bagiku dan sia-sia lah pekerjaanku menggoda anak Adam pada setahun ini dan Allah binasakan aku satu saat jua. Dengan sebab membaca doa ini, Allah ampunkan dosanya setahun".

Kemudiannya bacalah Doa Awal Tahun dibaca 3 kali SELEPAS Maghrib (Ahad 28 Disember 2008) pada malam satu Muharram.

" Dengan Nama Allah ,, Maha Pengasih Lagi Maha Penyayang. Selawat dan Salam kepada Junjungan kami Nabi Muhammad SAW, ahli keluarga dan para Sahabat Baginda sekelian.

Ya Allah, Engkaulah Tuhan yang kekal selama-lamanya. KelebihanMu sangat besar dan Kemurahan Mu sangat-sangat diharapkan. Tibalah sudah tahun baru, Kami mohon kepadaMu agar terpelihara kami sekelian didalam tahun baru ini daripada tipu daya syaitan-syaitan yang terlaknat, juga daripada kuncu-kuncu syaitan dan bala tenteranya. Dan kami mohon daripadaMu akan pertolongan mengalahkan runtunan nafsu amarah (nafsu yang mendorong kepada kejahatan). Kami memohon juga kepadaMu Ya Allah akan rasa sedia ingin membuat kerja-kerja kebajikan yang boleh mendampingkan diri kami kepadaMu. Ya Allah Tuhan yang Maha Agung lagi Mulia, yang sebaik-baik mengurniakaN Rahmat. “

Sesiapa yang membaca doa ini, Syaitan berkata "Telah amanlah anak Adam ini daripada godaan pada tahun ini kerana Allah telah mewakilkan dua Malaikat memeliharanya daripada fitnah Syaitan".

Kepada Allah Berserah.
Wasallam WBT.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS, & A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'd like to wish all Malaysians MERRY CHRISTMAS & A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! May the New Year bring Peace, Happiness, Prosperity and Good Health to us all!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

9 CANDIDATES QUALIFY TO CONTEST FROM JOHOR, BUT ARE THEY ALL DESERVING?



PART ONE


















DO WE PICK THEM FOR WHERE THEY ARE FROM OR FOR THEIR CALIBER? LET US DO SOME LIGHT VETTING TO ASSIST US IN OUR FINAL JUDGMENT.

First of all, I must justify the positioning of the two flags above. In my book, the Johor State flag flies higher then any other but is on equal level only with the Malaysian flag on Johor soil, quite like the Texan flag in the U.S.

Having said that, I don’t believe that allegiance to the State means we have to support all the running candidates from Johor vying for the various posts in the UMNO Supreme Council. Political candidates should be voted in based on their service to the Party and the people at large, depending if the election is at the Party or General level. For instance, if all of them from the State have served the Party well and better than the rest, then they all deserve to win. However we must be weary of some who were undeservingly appointed at the government level and are trying to use their positions and the strength of UMNO Johor’s reputation to power their way in. Let us hope the buck stops here for these people. For UMNO to survive and remain relevant, we must choose only the best.

In Part One, we will briefly introduce candidates from Johor for the positions of UMNO Deputy President and Vice Presidents.



FOR DEPUTY PRESIDENT




Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Hj Muhyiddin b Hj Mohd Yassin



He is the former Menteri Besar of Johor and served through the Constitutional crisis. Born in 1947 in Muar, he is currently the Pagoh UMNO Division Chief , UMNO Vice President and Minister of International Trade and Industries. He has served with full colours in several other ministries including the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture. He was elected to the Supreme Council for the first time in 1985 and Vice President in 1993.

He is a rare breed in UMNO, one who dares go against the grain in order to do the right thing. While holding the post of Menteri Besar, he stood his ground against the much feared Johor Royal Palace during the Constitutional crisis and recently conveyed to the UMNO President repeatedly of what the general sentiments were of him on the ground with respect to the grassroots while the others kept on providing the President with false confidence. Having exhausted almost all resources, the latter finally succumbed and decided not to run for office and withdraw as Prime Minister in March 2009.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin is a very deserving candidate and should win if he can improve on his public relation skills. He has proven his worth, but it wouldn’t hurt to smile a bit more. At the very least the grassroots should remember his sacrifice for being their voice in the Supreme Council at the high risk of losing his lucrative Government job. If Malay culture is upheld amongst the UMNO delegates, then they should be grateful enough to elect him as Deputy President in March. His action has also accelerated Dato’ Sri Najib’s advancement as President of UMNO.


FOR VICE PRESIDENT


DATO’ SERI MOHAMED KHALED NORDIN


Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled is currently the Minister of Higher Education. Like Muhyiddin and many other great leaders from Johor, he too was born in Muar. He is the UMNO head for Pasir Gudang and was political Secretary to Dato’ Shahrir when he was the Minister for Wilayah Persekutuan in the 80s. He started off as a Legal Officer in Petronas before entering politics. He could’ve risen much quicker having been in the party youth mainstream since his early 20s if not for an unfair advantage given to an outsider who was an untested political novice by the former Prime Minister. He is now the Deputy Chairman of the Johor UMNO Liaison Committee.

Previous to this, he was also Minister of Entrepreneurial Development & Corporatives. He is a stand up gentleman and a cool politician who rose through the ranks. He is not greedy neither is he impatient, and is one who says very little but performs well not having to backtrack and cover any damage like the person he was put on hold to give way to when he was younger.

Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled is experience enough and is a deserving candidate for the post of UMNO Vice President. His service to the Malays in particular is well known. He is an exceptional Minister and a splendid UMNO leader. Like Shahrir, his name is synonymous with Johor UMNO.


FOR VICE PRESIDENT



DATO' SERI SYED HAMID ALBAR

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid was born in 1944 to a much feared senior politician, Tan Sri Syed Jaafar Albar. He is currently the head of the Kota Tinggi UMNO Division and is holding the third most powerful position in the Cabinet after the Prime Minister and his Deputy, as Minister of Home Affairs (in charge of Internal Security and Immigration). The last time a non PM or Deputy PM held this powerful position could be as far back as the seventies when Tun Ghazali Shafie was the Minister.

He has been a minister for more than 20 years holding positions in various Ministries from Defense to Law to Foreign Affairs, the latter being the longest for 9 years. He is very easy to speak to and listens to opinions both pro and contra but is very much firm in making his own decisions.

He was having slight problems in his Division because of his hectic schedule during his tenure as Foreign Minister and the lack of united support from his close allies in his absence. Now that his feet are firmly on national soil, he visits his constituency and division on a weekly basis. He garnered one of the highest winning majority votes in BN in the last General Elections refuting claims that he is unpopular in his constituency.

Civil disobedience which has been a crying nuisance for the general public has reduced remarkably ever since he took the office of Home Minister and his deft handling of Domestic affairs, including the reintroduction of active use of the ISA has appeased the silent majority. Many outlaws too have been either arrested or terminated in action indicating future reduction in crime, translating into savings for taxpayers having to feed and house these criminals, enriching only the lawyers defending them.

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid, with his vast experience and very powerful position in the government should be a definite yes for Vice President. At 64, he would be able to guide the relatively young field vying for the same position. The rest are all in their late forties and early fifties.


FOR VICE PRESIDENT

DATO' SRI HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN


Dato’ Sri Hishammuddin was born into a very prominent family in 1961. His grandfather was Dato Onn Jaafar, the founder and first President of UMNO, and father was the third Prime Minister of Malaysia and forth President of UMNO. His cousin is currently the President Elect of UMNO. He is the head of the Semberong UMNO Division, the National Youth Chief and Minister of Education. He was previously Minister for Youth and Sports. He has been a Minister for 9 years beginning at a relatively young age of 38. Before that he rapidly rose through the ranks from parliamentary secretary to Deputy Minister then Minister thanks to the former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed.

He was Member of Parliament since 1995 and has been Acting or Actual Chairman of the UMNO Youth Wing for more than 8 years. He did a very good job of uniting a divided youth wing during the sacking of the then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Then when he became powerful within the wing, the struggle became downhill when we started witnessing efforts made to help and defend faraway causes such as Palestine when domestically, very little was done when our national and ethnic honour was at stake.

His worse mistake was how he handled the Keris issue. After giving out extra allocations to Chinese schools thinking that the MCA entourage led by its Youth Chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai would let bygones be bygones, Hishammuddin still received continuous pressure to apologize until after the recent elections were over. He finally succumbed at a time when it didn’t matter or even mean a thing, which was after the general elections. With his action, he disappointed millions of Malays who thought then that being a person who couldn’t defend his own heritage and the symbol of his people, he has no business being an UMNO leader. This article from BigDogDotCom says it all at
http://malaysianpolitics.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/umno-hishammuddins-keris-apology-is-sign-of-weakness/

Furthermore, many people think his lack of action in defense of Datuk Ahmad Ismail from Penang and his lack of strong action in offence to the GERAKAN Wanita Chief, MCA Deputy President and Wanita Chief’s statements on the Malays as UMNO Youth Chief shows that he is no longer serious to work for the benefit or defense of the Malays.

He may be an exceptional orator and an outstanding Minister, but as the UMNO Youth Chief, members can no longer ignore the gap between reality and the promise. He left far too much to be desired. Contesting for Vice President of a Malay Party, he may need to fall back on his bloodline if that is of any use in addition to his Ministerial skills to win, because he won’t be voted in for his Malay struggle for sure. If he doesn’t make it, we hope he will be retained as Minister. We may not miss him in UMNO but we might miss him as a very capable Cabinet member.

Part Two will see a run down on Supreme Council Candidates from Johor.

What is written is not meant to be deemed as gospel but merely a matter of opinion in the hope that we can discuss the merits of each candidate nationwide before finally making the best decision in March based on the information gathered from our discussions in this forum.

Please do participate. I thank you.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

BN IS CALLING YOUR BLUFF OLD CHAP!



LET’S SEE IF KAYVEAS IS FULL OF MOUTH, OR IF HE HAS THE STOMACH.

Last week PPP Chairman Mr M Kayveas attempted to hold the Barisan Nasional at ransom by threatening to pull his party out of BN if it doesn’t amend the ISA.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/94034. This reminds me of an article ( A King’s Ransom for a Concubine ) which I wrote of Zaid Ibrahim threatening to resign from the Cabinet for almost the same reason. http://tpj-one-thepatriot.blogspot.com/2008/09/kings-ransom-for-concubine.html. Well I guess that concubine at least went through with it. Let’s see if this less important one is as principled or is just “ full of mouth but no stomach ”, as they say at the school backyard to the loudmouthed jock.

Yesterday, the BN Chairman explained without choking that there will be no amendments made to the ISA and if PPP wants to leave because of it, “what can we do?” In other words, Adios Kimosamy!!!

“I don't know what to say, I'm speechless and surprised by it. But I don't think Pak Lah meant what he said that we can leave because he's a nice man... but sometimes, what to do," said T. Murugiah, who is the PPP Youth Chief and also a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/94590.

Yes indeed Pak Lah is a very nice man. In fact the component parties in BN are also generous. Let’s see the breakdown of the BN parties in Parliament once again.

BN: 137 PARLIAMENTARY SEATS: UMNO – 79, MCA – 15, MIC – 3 GERAKAN - 2,PBB -14, LDP – 1, PBRS – 1, PBS – 4, PRS – 5, UPKO – 3, SPDP – 4, SUPP - 6

Hmm……Ooops! Did I accidentally miss out PPP or DID THEY NOT EVEN WIN ONE SEAT???

There is no PPP, its Chairman got whipped by the opposition yet their Youth Chief is a Deputy Minister meaning one other deserving party had to sacrifice a seat just for them.

The message is loud and clear to the member component parties of the Barisan Nasional. THE I.S.A. STAYS. Seek translation in your respective languages if you must to avoid any ambiguity. This also goes to the MCA Central Committee member Mr Wong Nai Chee who spoke in support of Kayveas.
http://www.mca.org.my/English/Commentaries/Pages/MCAsupportsKayveas%E2%80%99remarktoamendtheISA.aspx

Although some may take respite knowing that the PM has been known to make 180 degree turns, this one will probably stick.

My message to the PPP: PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AND HIT THE ROAD JACK!!

Friday, December 5, 2008

TUN DR MAHATHIR’S MESSAGE TO THE MALAYS


Mahathir The Great


WITH RIZ KHAN ON ALJAZEERA.

I’m not relaying the whole of yesterday’s interview in this posting, but only the message that I thought Tun was sending to us in his classic fashion

“ There is no Ketuanan Melayu because the Malays are the underdog. I keep on telling the Malays that if you are a driver or a shoe-polisher, you are not the Tuan. The man paying you is the Tuan. So if the Malays want to be a Tuan, they have to be successful, be wealthy, own Rolls Royces and then the driver will call him Tuan. I had a Chinese driver once and he called me Tuan. “

Good Heavens Tun! God forbid, you might be hauled up for SEDITION for saying the last sentence! After all, they are the “Untouchables”.

Is there anybody among the UMNO second liners who calls anyone Tuan outside of the Party? If there is none (yeah right!), then please behave like we expect you to in the name of Islam, the Malays and the Country.



DEFEND IT OR BE DAMNED!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

“KETUANAN MELAYU” VS “KEHAMBAAN MELAYU” DI BUMI SENDIRI



LET’S TAKE A GOOD LOOK AND SEE.

1. When an UMNO Division Chief from Penang calls our Chinese friends “Pendatang”, the UMNO Deputy President apologizes on behalf of the Party. When the Deputy President of MCA unnecessarily questions Ketuanan Melayu and hurts the feelings of the Malays, he gets the backing and support of his President (according to him in the Chinese dailies) and the whole Chinese community. No apology was forthcoming, not even from an MCA’s branch auditor (pemeriksa kira-kira, the least important officer in a branch) - Round one goes to the Chinese.

2. When the UMNO Division Chief from Penang calls our Chinese friends “Pendatang”, UMNO suspends the gentleman for three years from the Party. When the GERAKAN Wanita chief also calls the Malays “Pendatang” in her speech in a party convention, there is no widespread demand from the Malay leaders for her to be taken to task. No disciplinary action on her is taken by her party. – Round two to the Chinese.

3. When an UMNO Division Chief from Penang calls our non-Malay friends “Pendatang”, the UMNO Deputy President apologizes on behalf of UMNO and the Party suspends the gentleman for three years. When the MCA Wanita tenaciously attacks the Malays in line with her party leaders by saying the “Ketuanan Melayu” is no longer relevant, raising anger among the Malays and threatening racial harmony, no action is taken against her by the party. Round three to the Chinese.

4. When all three of the above occurs with the words “ MELAYU ” being uttered by our Chinese friends attacking the race, it is not SEDITION. When Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir makes a logical and sincere suggestion in order to foster better integration from a younger age between all races, they are calling it sedition. All rounds go to the Chinese.

5. The BN Chinese and Indians can come together and dare to walk in arms with the opposition in the name of their race. The Malay leaders are afraid to even come out in the open to support their brothers from the same party in the name of Agama, Bangsa dan Negara. They seem to have been cowed into submission in fear of being called a “Hero”.

Here’s a Newsflash guys!!!! We only have Heroines in UMNO, everyone is afraid to be a hero, that is why we are being trampled upon by our own friends within BN.

I am beginning to feel like we the Malays are the minority race in our own Motherland. We mean no harm to the others and wish to live in peace with one another. But if our own Malay leaders allow these continued attacks on us to prevail, will there be peace in the end? Will they be able to enjoy their freedom and continue to roam the streets of Malaysia in peace for long? I leave these questions to you with a smile.


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A CLASS ACT.



HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON TO BE MADE SECRETARY OF STATE.

President-elect Barrack Obama today announced a powerful team to join his Cabinet today after he takes his Oath of Office as the 44th President of the United Sates of America scheduled for the 20th January 2009.

They are:

1. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton – Secretary of State.
2. Robert Gates – Secretary of Defense.
3. Retired Marines General James Jones – White House National Security Advisor.
3. Eric Holder – Attorney General
4. Governor Janet Napolitano – Secretary of Homeland Security.
5. Susan Rice – Ambassador / Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Senator Clinton was Obama’s former campaign rival before having to concede after a tough 18 months of campaigning for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. She will have to surrender her seat as the Senator from New York to join the Cabinet. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton had to agree with several decisions before Hillary could be nominated by the President-Elect as Secretary of State, two of which were to submit his speaking schedule to review by the State Department and Whitehouse Counsel and refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference.

Robert Gates is the current Secretary of Defense under Bush and will continue in that portfolio through the next Administration. Gates' appointment fulfilled a campaign promise by Obama, to name a Republican to his Cabinet.

Retired Marines General James Jones was a platoon commander in Vietnam, then became Commandant of the Marine Corps and later served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

Eric Holder was Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration and was United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Governor Janet Napolitano is a former Federal Prosecutor, State Attorney General and was elected twice as Governor of Arizona. She is one of the early supporters of Obama. Like Clinton, she too will have to resign from her current position to join the cabinet.

Susan Rice served on the National Security Council and was the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President Bill Clinton. She was a senior foreign policy advisor in the Obama campaign for President.

Senator Clinton, Eric Holder, Governor Napolitano and Susan Rice will require confirmation by the Senate. General James Jones will not require a confirmation by the Senate because his appointment is as a White House official. Robert Gates is already confirmed to his post by the Senate by virtue of his current appointment as Secretary of Defense under President Bush and will not have to go through the process again.
Despite these announcements, the Dow Jones industrials plunged 679.95 points, or 7.70 percent, to close at 8,149.09 today. Perhaps it was due to the statement by the National Bureau of Economic Research that the country is officially in recession.

President-elect Barrack Obama has his work cut out for him once he takes over the reigns. The Patriot wishes him all the very best.






Sunday, November 30, 2008

MALAY LEADERSHIP? SUPREMACY? A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME SMELLS THE SAME.

BUT THE STENCH IS COMING FROM MCA’S DIRECTION THIS TIME.

After giving a period of grace to see if there are any pure UMNO leaders out there who would come out strongly in response to the unnecessary comments by the MCA Deputy President and their Women’s wing, fully disappointed, I’m compelled to say my piece.

The devastating election results of March 2008 has somehow opened the season for Malay and UMNO bashing from all quarters including from those of our friends who conveniently forget that it was more their failure to serve and contribute to the collective outcome that has brought us to this end.

Let’s review the results to recapitulate for those who might have suffered from temporary or selective amnesia.

BN: 137 PARLIAMENTARY SEATS

UMNO – 79, MCA – 15, MIC – 3 GERAKAN - 2,
PBB -14, LDP – 1, PBRS – 1, PBS – 4, PRS – 5, UPKO – 3
SPDP – 4, SUPP - 6

Let’s concentrate on the first row because the loudest noise comes from those other parties. Clearly the MCA, MIC and GERAKAN didn’t carry their weight in this General Election. Blaming UMNO for their arrogance was the easiest thing to do. The whole BN needs to realize that our strength comes from our ability to work together and defend each other when under attack from the opposition, not rally around them and condemn our own partners within the coalition.

Under the leadership of the current and outgoing Prime Minister, again I must amplify that racial harmony has almost reached bursting levels. This is because in his zeal to be popular with the people, he has dangerously allowed for the kind of freedom of speech that the current generation of citizens of multiracial background are not accustomed to and therefore unable to handle.

While the UMNO Malays do not sleep with PAS and don’t support them when they want to impose drastic “Islamic” laws that might hurt the feelings and way of life of the non-Muslims, the MCA and GERAKAN have no qualms about embracing DAP and the Chinese chauvinistic NGOs in questioning the special rights of the Malays and take advantage of the hospitality of their hosts in the name of their race. Where else in the world can the Chinese and Indians have their own schools teaching subjects in their own language? Is there such a system in Singapore?

To the best of my knowledge, no Malay BN candidate stood in any Chinese dominated constituency, while there were many Chinese and Indian BN candidates who stood in Malay dominated constituencies proving that the Malays were responsible for placing them in the Government of the day. Granted there are many Malays, even UMNO members who voted for the opposition and even for DAP, that caused the loss of UMNO candidates but that is because of the weak leadership of their President and it will be rectified once the new gentleman takes over in March. They will come back in the next election. However the UMNO/ Malay voters will remember those “friends” who forsake them today and it will be equally punishing for MCA and GERAKAN because except for their own party members I can’t see the Chinese voters coming back to them for at least another two or three elections to come.

If BN is going to win back the two thirds majority in the near future, MCA and GERAKAN had better clean up their own houses instead of trying to win cheap points with their own race by harping on Malay rights. It may be tolerated under the current UMNO administration but my strong feeling is that it will not be given life at all in the next one.

MCA has a moral image problem having just elected a proven adulterer as their Deputy President. Right now, the two top men in the party are at odds with each other which spells DISASTER. GERAKAN needs to realize that their behavior as the “opposition in residence” acting like DAP in the BN has failed them miserably and lost one whole State after the majority of the Malays including UMNO members in Penang came to their senses and opted for Pakatan. MIC needs new leadership to rejuvenate the party and understand that they have failed the Indians which led to the birth of HINDRAF.

In conclusion, the stakes are high and the odds are less then even for MCA, MIC and GERAKAN. They have more to lose than UMNO. Whether it is Malay Leadership or Malay Supremacy, one way or the other, they will need UMNO to continue being part of the National leadership.

LATEST UPDATE:

I take this opportunity to congratulate the UMNO Vice-Presidential Candidates who took my challenge in yesterday’s article to respond appropriately to the two MCA leaders’ comments on Malay Supremacy. They are Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin and Dato’ Sri Hishammuddin Hussein. Datuk Shafie Apdal also did but in my view wasn’t effective enough. Better late than never gentlemen!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

KETUANAN MELAYU – RAFIDAH AZIZ DAN HALIMAH SADIQUE, JAWABLAH!! KETUA PEMUDA PUN TIDAK BOLEH DIHARAPKAN LAGI!!

This is indeed a good opportunity to see if the Wanita UMNO, namely Rafidah or her pitbull Halimah has the strength and courage to confront the Wanita MCA Chief on her statement on the Malays or if they are just good at BITCHING against thier own within the party.

The MCA Wanita leader has touched on the Ketuanan Melayu issue as a follow-up to Chua Soi Lek, the MCA Deputy President cum (no pun intended) "film" star politician’s comment on the same. Let’s see if Halimah can say more than the two syllables of English which is “shut up” which she threw at her UMNO colleagues recently, to her MCA counterpart for provoking the sensitivities of the Malays.

Preferring not to give the benefit of the doubt to Halimah , I’ll continue my piece in the Malay language for her comprehension.

Menurut kepada laporan di Utusan Malaysia, 28 November, “ Ketua Wanita MCA, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun turut menyifatkan konsep Ketuanan Melayu tidak lagi relevan hari ini atas alasan semua rakyat menyumbang kepada pembangunan Negara”.

Provokasi di atas tajuk yang sama berulang-ulang kali ini oleh pemimpin dan rakyat berbangsa Cina khususnya adalah disebabkan oleh sindrom bisu pemimpin-pemimpin Melayu yang hanya tahu bercakaran sesama sendiri untuk membuktikan bahawa kononnya merekalah yang lebih Islam dan lebih bersifat Nasionalis Melayu dari rakan sebangsanya, tetapi bersifat BACUL apabila dipanggil untuk menyangkal tuduhan BIADAP bangsa lain terhadap kita. Ini juga termasuk Pergerakan Pemuda yang mana Ketuanya adalah calon Naib Presiden yang sewajibnya menjadi benteng yang mempertahankan UMNO dan Bangsa Melayu.

Kata Halimah di Utusan Malaysia 27 November, “Oleh itu, kita kena pilih pemimpin termasuk anggota Exco yang berani membela kepentingan kita dan bukan ambil orang yang hanya datang pasang 'body cantik', habis mesyuarat, ambil gambar lepas itu balik," tegasnya.”

Ayuh Halimah Bte Sadique! Buktikanlah keberanian kamu membela kepentingan Bangsa Melayu dengan menegur tindak-tanduk Ketua Wanita MCA itu.

CABARAN INI JUGA SAYA LONTARKAN KEPADA PARA CALON-CALON YANG SEDANG MABUK UNTUK MEMEGANG JAWATAN-JAWATAN TINGGI DIDALAM UMNO. DIMANAKAH SEBENARNYA PERJUANGAN ANDA UNTUK AGAMA ISLAM, BANGSA MELAYU DAN TANAHAIR?

Tun Dr Mahathir will be naming the political corrupters. We should start naming the political hypocrites as well. Forgive my directness in this article but I can no longer stomach the antics of the rich office bearers who serve on the pretext of defending the Faith and our ethnic origin but on the contrary, are the ultimate traitors of the same.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

"BUKAN MACAM CARI PEMENANG RATU KEBAYA"?

Ini adalah tajuk di ruang politik di Utusan pagi ini. Sememangnya benar dan tepat kenyataan ini sebab sudah ternyata ada sekurang-kurangnya seorang pemimpin Wanita yang telah dipilih untuk memimpin Wanita di negerinya khusus kerana rupanya konon-kononnya semacam Ratu Kebaya tetapi ternyata setelah beberapa tahun menerajui Wanita, beliau gagal untuk menaikkan taraf kaum Hawa di dalam negeri tersebut.

Terbukti kegagalan beliau lebih-lebih lagi apabila beliau telah ditandingkan diperingkat Parlimen tetapi didalam keadaan ketandusan kepimpinan Wanita UMNO yang telah menang di kerusi Parlimen dan dengan kekalahan Datuk Seri Shahrizat di Lembah Pantai serta keguguran Tan Sri Rafidah dari kabinet, pemipin tersebut masih gagal untuk dilantik waimah sebagai Timbalan Menteri sekalipun. Inilah satu dari dua sahaja keputusan yang cerdik yang dibuat oleh Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dalam memilih kabinetnya yang baru tempoh hari. Mungkin PM kita sedar walaupun yang menobatkan beliau di negeri tersebut itu mungkin kurang celik dan terpedaya, bahawa rupa dan mulut yang petah tidak semestinya bermakna orang itu cerdik dan berpelajaran tinggi. Maka betulah tajuk yang diatas yang diceduk dari Utusan Malaysia hari ini.


"Jelita, Ayu & Cerdik". Di dalam bahasa Inggerisnya, "Beauty with Brains".

Lain pula jika pemimpin itu macam Datuk Seri Shahrizat yang bagaikan Ratu Kebaya yang berpelajaran tinggi dan juga seketika dahulu pernah menerajui sebuah syarikat yang tersenarai di Bursa Malaysia yang telah banyak membantu Wanita Melayu semasa beliau menjadi Menteri Wanita sebelum ini. Dari itu, ini mungkin suatu Rahmat yang diturunkan kepada Pergerakan Wanita UMNO Malaysia yang mempunyai seorang pemimipin yang bukan sahaja rupanya manis tetapi otaknya cerdik dan telah banyak berjasa kepada Wanita berbanding dengan sebaliknya.

Ternyata mereka yang sibuk membuat Kenyataan Media berkelompok itu berkhidmat untuk pemimpinnya dan bukannya untuk UMNO. Mengikut kepada seorang dari mereka yang cukup petah bercakap, "Oleh itu, kita kena pilih pemimpin termasuk anggota Exco yang berani membela kepentingan kita dan bukan ambil orang yang hanya datang pasang 'body cantik', habis mesyuarat, ambil gambar lepas itu balik.”

Saya ingin bertanya kepada ahli Exco yang banyak cakap ini, dimanakah pembelaannya terhadap kepentingan kita apabila Ketua Pergerakan Wanita GERAKAN menyoal asal-usul orang Melayu sekaligus mengatakan bahawa kita juga kaum pendatang? Nampaknya mereka hanya berani membela kepentingan Tan Sri Rafidah dan bercakaran sesama sendiri tetapi kecut dan takut untuk membela Bangsa apabila dicabar oleh kaum lain. Adakah beliau dan rakan-rakannya berkhidmat untuk Rafidah atau Bangsa Melayu?

Secara kasar apabila di lihat dan di dengar, orang-orang yang menyokong Shahrizat adalah cerdik dan pandai seperti beliau juga manakala Rafidah sahaja yang pandai dikalangan kumpulannya. Sehingga hari ini, “rational” kumpulan yang menyokong Shahrizat boleh masuk akal dan senang difahami manakala alasan Rafidah untuk menjadikan Shahrizat sebagai pemangku Ketua hingga ke pilihanraya akan datang hanya berlandaskan suatu perjanjian yang lari dari lojik mamandangkan tempohnya terlalu pendek. Alasan Shahrizat berfakta manakala alasan Rafidah hanya berpegang kepada janji yang tidak boleh diiktiraf lagi kerana tempoh masa didalam perjanjian tersebut telah bertukar dan dipendekkan. Cuba difikirkan, menurut undang-undang sekalipun, jika sesuatu fasal berubah didalam sesuatu perjanjian asal yang telah dimeterai, ianya akan menjadi “null & void” atau tidak laku lagi.

Sudah sampai masanya Pergerakan Wanita UMNO Malaysia memilih pemimpin yang sedia menghambakan dirinya untuk kebaikkkan Pergerakan tersebut berbanding dengan pemimpin yang menghambakan Pergerakan Wanita demi untuk kepentingan peribadinya. Ahli-ahli Wanita umumnya harus memilih pemimpin yang kedudukan ekonominya sudahpun kukuh sebelum menjadi pemimpin berbanding dengan pemimpin-pemimpin yang petah bercakap, tiada berpelajaran tinggi tetapi menjadi kaya setelah menjadi pemimpin Wanita, EXCO Negeri dan sebagainya. Mereka hidup mewah berintan berlian, berumah bagaikan gedung sedangkan wanita diperingkat akar umbi masih lagi tidak tahu menggunakan komputer dan sebaliknya dihantar kekursus menjahit langsir.

Allahu Alam.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

REGULATION FOR BLOGGERS?

Syed Hamid Albar
The Minister of Home Affairs and UMNO Vice Presidential candidate Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar mooted the idea of a Code of Ethics for bloggers at the second Bloggers Buff Conference yesterday.

While it is a noble idea and perhaps could be construed as a friendly warning to bloggers to be responsible in their activities to preserve peace and avoid racial antagonism, will it in reality be followed like gospel by bloggers at large? I guess to an extent it will if the advice comes from the man in charge of Internal Security.

I didn’t have the privilege to attend the conference but I’d venture far enough to come to the conclusion that the Minister’s willingness to avail himself to interact with bloggers on a weekend is indeed refreshing considering bloggers can be more vicious than their professional counterparts in the mainstream media.

A Code of Ethics in any field should come as second nature to everyone. It doesn’t necessarily need to be put in black and white. It lies in the attitude of the person in question. If one is a rogue journalist, politician, businessman or even man of the cloth, no Code of Ethics but only the strong arm of the law will make one yield.

Whatever the outcome, from what I have read in the blogs and the online media, the Home Minister’s message is loud and clear, ie, we are all free to write anything as long as National Security is preserved.

I concur with the spirit of the Minister’s idea. I urge him in return to be stern on those who test the limits of racial harmony early before it takes a life of its own in the blogosphere.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

IT'S A CONTEST!


The Challenger


In the words of the late Marvin Gaye, " LET'S GET IT ON! "

It’s official. Dato’ Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has made the imminent choice of contesting for the Wanita top post in her announcement early this afternoon. This is a right move on her part in announcing her decision based on the groundswell before the Right Honourable Prime Minister returns from abroad in fear of perhaps being persuaded to stand down and agree to the original, yet not practical plan of power transfer in the month of June of 2009, which is only three months after the UMNO Convention, leaving the Wanita wing without an official leader and deputy.

In the past few days one after another head of the Wanita Divisions pledged their support for the early and more practical transition, including the ones who had nominated Rafidah in their divisional meetings before this. They say it was alright initially because the UMNO Convention was originally planned for December, but with it being postponed to March, it is hard to justify Tan Sri Rafidah holding on any further.

Puan Nahar bt Ahmad, Wanita Head of the Kota Raja Division, Selangor fears that with Shahrizat as only an Acting Chief, and without an official deputy, it might invite a certain wanita leader from a component party to demand the right to spearhead the Barisan Nasional Wanita wing in the coming General Elections if the next UMNO elections will be yet again postponed to give way to it.




Mirror mirror on the wall,
Who'll be the Victor after all?

Mirror mirror on the wall,
Who do you see will have a great fall?


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

WANITA LEADERS – SHOW SOME CLASS!!!!

Do those standing behind look like they can thrust the movement forward?


It seems the sickness that has been manifested in the main body until recently, which is to avoid a contest on the pretext of maintaining unity, has crept into the Wanita wing.

This “peralihan kuasa” crap is beginning to get on the nerves of every UMNO member because of the constant whining of supporters of both Rafidah and Sharizat. They pretend to seek unity and want to protect the strength of the wing, yet their behavior prove otherwise.

The wing showed more class under the stewardship of Tun Fatimah and Tan Sri Aishah Ghani, perhaps because these two former leaders turned themselves into servants of the wing instead of using it to enhance their political positions and for personal economic gains.

In the last 30 years, how have the women’s wing evolved? Most of the branch and division chiefs are still computer illiterate, the branch chiefs still attend cooking and sewing classes like when the wing was known as Kaum Ibu back in the 50’s. I ask again, how have they evolved? It seems like they are deliberately kept at that level to ensure that they are loyal to their leaders and continue to follow orders like soldiers on the pretext of doing it for the future of their children and those who come after them, when they are actually conditioned that way so that only the few can remain at the top for long spells.

I wonder how many in the Wanita Executive Committee possess college degrees. How many besides Rafidah, Sharizat, Raja Ropiaah and Dr Noraesah are fluently bilingual? After 62 years in existence, what have they achieved? They are by far the most loyal and hard working members of UMNO, but don’t they deserve better? Why are the less loyal and new members in UMNO getting more benefits, receive Datukships and are wealthier under the party? Could it be because the rookies are young and fresh or the Wanita leaders are not fighting hard enough for their welfare? Should the Wanita members be treated this way for all their sacrifices? Shouldn’t their leaders help them to get better lives just like they do for themselves?

Now, it seems they are taught to suppress democracy. The majority of UMNO members do not see what the big fuss is all about. Why are they acting like wild creatures snatched from the woods and left in the middle of the city? Why do those close to the top leaders act deranged and disoriented? The State chiefs too should just shut up and let the forces of democracy decide whom they want to lead them. That is democracy. Unlike those at the top, the grassroots have no problem in falling back in line once the election is over. The leaders are the ones who have to learn how to conduct themselves appropriately. UMNO doesn’t belong to the powerful few.

I never thought I’d say this, but Wanita UMNO should learn from the Pemuda wing on how to embrace democracy and behave like leaders with class. Take the nominations and go to the polls without whining like old spinsters, no pun intended. It is further damaging to the image of our party which is for the most part already in shreds.

The Constitution allows contests and protects the outcome. However, if a transfer of power between Rafidah and Sharizat doesn’t materialize after Rafidah wins uncontested, there is no provision in UMNO that can force the latter out for the next 3 years at least.

SO, Wanita UMNO should stick to the Constitution and avoid future trouble by creating sticky situations with no provisions. If Rafidah wins, she should rightly continue to lead the movement until the next election. If Sharizat wins, it is self-explanatory.

If 117 nominations outnumber 73, why is the candidate with the most nominations and her supporters making the most noise?

Today, I read the Prime Minister will speak to the leaders upon his return from Uzbekistan to resolve a problem that already has a solution staring in everyone’s faces. I can only wish him good luck in dealing with Rafidah, especially when his sidearm is loaded with blank cartridges, so to speak.

Lastly, without showing too much disrespect, I urge the visitors of The Patriot to scroll up and take a really good look at the picture above. Now tell me honestly, besides Rafidah and Sharizat, do you see any potential in ANY of the rest to lead the movement? Isn’t it evidence enough that they are pre-conditioned to remain in the 50’s while one or two shine like a hundred carat diamond in their midst?

Too much has been said about grooming with almost nothing to show for. It is time the Wanita UMNO leaders straighten their Kebayas and show some class.




Friday, November 14, 2008

AL-FATIHAH

The Patriot and friends would like to extend our deepest condolences to our guest writer Datuk Jamaluddin Mansor on the passing of his beloved mother on 13 November 2008=14 Zulkaedah 1429H.

May Allah's blessings be showered upon her soul and may she rest in peace amongst the Righteous.

Al-Fatihah.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

INGATAN KEPADA AZIM ZABIDI: JANGAN KERANA PUBLISITI MURAHAN, MASALAH DALAMAN UMNO DIJAJA.



RASUAH POLITIK – DIMANAKAH SEBENARNYA PUNCANYA?

1. Saya merasa kesal dengan sikap Bendahari Agong UMNO Dato’ Seri Azim Zabidi yang menyentuh mengenai masalah politik wang dalam mesyuarat pemilihan UMNO yang sedang berlangsung merujuk kepada kenyataan beliau yang dipetik dari agensi media antarabangsa Bloomberg pada 6 November 2008 sebagaimana dilaporkan didalam The Malaysian Insider
http://m.themalaysianinsider.com/articles.php?id=11919.

2. Sebagai penyandang jawatan tertinggi dalam parti dan juga merupakan seorang Pengerusi sebuah bank seharusnya beliau faham akan saluran yang betul untuk menyatakan apa juga kepincangan yang berlaku dan bukannya meluahkan isi perut ke tempat yang tidak sepatutnya lebih-lebih lagi terhadap pemberita luar negara yang sentiasa mencari ruang serta peluang menganggu gugat urusan pentadbiran dan kedaulatan Negara. Kita pihak akar umbi menyuarakannya dengan harapan pihak atasan UMNO mengambil kira dan iktibar dari apa yang kita katakan jesteru mengambil langkah-langkah yang positif untuk mengatasinya, bukan menyahut dengan menjajakan lagi masalah kita ini untuk dipaparkan oleh media barat.

3. Bagai orang tidur disorong batal, hal-hal dalaman mengenai UMNO akan disensasikan dan ditokok tambah kerana yang menyampaikannya adalah " orang kuat " UMNO sendiri.

4. Disebabkan sikap sebeginilah, UMNO semenjak 8 Mac sehingga ke hari ini terus menerus dibelasah, dipersoal dan tidak dihormati serta hilang kepercayaan oleh umum. Masing-masing mementingkan diri tanpa mempedulikan perjuangan sebenar UMNO yang telah diasaskan oleh para pejuang terdahulu.

5. Ahli-ahli UMNO peringkat akar umbi juga merasa terhina dan dianggap begitu murah sehingga seolah-olah boleh dibeli semata-mata untuk menghalalkan kehendak pemimpin yang tidak jujur dan amanah.

6. Pemimpin-pemimpin sering menyuarakan dengan lantangnya mengenai rasuah politik sedangkan MEREKALAH yang sebenarnya PUNCA kepada wabak penyakit yang mengular didalam UMNO pada hari ini. Jika tiada seorangpun dari pemimpin yang bertanding jawatan tinggi menghulurkan rasuah untuk mendapatkan undi, suka atau tidak, para perwakilan terpaksa juga memilih selain dari Pengerusi Tetap dan Timbalan Pengerusi Tetap, 1) Seorang Presiden, 2) Seorang Timbalan Presiden, 3) Tiga orang Naib-naib Presiden dan 4) 25 orang ahli-ahli Majlis Kerja Tertinggi. Maka jika mereka tidak tamakkan kuasa dan menghulur, maka tidaklah ada yang menerima dan tidaklah ada rasuah langsung.

7. Penyelewengan dan rasuah politik bermula dari atas. Ianya bukan masalah yang diwujudkan oleh orang bawah. Jika mereka tidak mengajar maka tidaklah orang bawah menjadi terpelajar didalam bidang ini.

8. Walaupun pihak pemantau kononnya sudah diwujudkan semenjak pemilihan yang sebelum ini, faktor manusia menyebabkan ketirisan berlaku, dan ianya berlaku dari pihak atasan juga dimana orang-orang terpilih yang mereka mahu selamatkan atau menang boleh diberi senarai nama-nama pemantau yang perlu di elak di setiap negeri supaya tidak melakukan kesalahan di dalam kehadhiran mereka. Calon-calon yang mereka tidak berkenan akan dibiarkan untuk mengambil risiko tinggi jika mereka mahu berjumpa dengan para perwaklian dengan muslihat masing-masing. Saya menjelaskan perkara ini mengikut kepada pengalaman yang sahih.

9. Sememangnya betul, masalah ini yang akan membawa kemusnahan kepada UMNO perlu di atasi, tetapi ianya perlu di SAMAK dan disucikan dari peringkat Majlis Kerja Tertinggi, barulah turun ke pihak akar-umbi.

10. Pada hari ini, kita sering mendengar cemuhan juga dari pihak-pihak veteran dan bekas-bekas pemimpin-pemimpin atasan UMNO tentang rasuah politik. Saranan dan nasihat saya adalah supaya bekas-bekas pemimpin ini juga sedarkan diri masing-masing kerana penyakit ini paling ketara diwujudkan semasa pertandingan untuk jawatan Presiden pada tahun 1987, yang melibatkan kedua-dua pihak dan bukan sebelah pihak sahaja sebagaimana yang di uar-uarkan selama ini, dan sekali lagi semasa pasukan atau ” Team Wawasan ” bertanding. Sebilangan besar dari mereka sekarang memegang dan masih lagi menawarkan diri untuk jawatan-jawatan yang amat tinggi pada hari ini. Bertaubatlah, dan jangan berkhutbah kepada pihak akar umbi seolah-olah kamu ini pemimpin-pemimpin yang suci dari pekerjaan yang dinamakan " rasuah politik " pada hari ini. Kamu tahu siapa diri kamu itu. Kami juga tahu siapa dikalangan kamu itu dan lebih UTAMA dari segalanya, Allah SWT mengetahui siapakah diri kamu sebenarnya.

11. SILA PERBETULKAN DIRI KAMU DAHULU SEBELUM MEMBETULKAN ORANG-ORANG BAWAH YANG DIROSAKKAN OLEH KAMU - KAMU SENDIRI.

12. KEPADA PEMIMPIN - PEMIMPIN UMNO YANG TIDAK TAHU MENJAGA MARUAH PARTI, SILA UNDUR SEBELUM KAMU DISUMPAH BANGSA!!!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

THE ALL-AMERICAN PRESIDENT - A HALF BREED, NOT QUITE BLACK!



America is known as the land of the free, of opportunity, and home of the brave with her people being immigrants at one time or another.

What better candidate to be President than Barrack Hussain Obama? He is a half breed, his father being an African gentleman from Kenya and mother a Caucasian lady from America. A true African-American if ever there was one, but not quite a full red-blooded black American.

He is All-American because besides being a half-bred African-American, he is a Christian with a Muslim name, lived with his white grandmother whose name sounds Jewish and has an almost Kennedy-like charm on stage.

This gentleman who is almost too perfect to be true, ran his campaign with clinical precision. It was so good that everyone in his camp practically celebrated even before the polling stations closed in the precincts across the country.

On the other hand McCain wasn’t a strong Republican candidate. His choice for Vice President, though refreshing, wasn’t strong enough to bring confidence to the voters in case McCain suffered a major cardiac. Some even think she might very well be the cause of the cardiac arrest that might also see her take the oath of office as President not long after McCain took his, if they were not careful. No wonder Clinton fought really hard using everything she had even tears to no avail to win as the Democratic nominee. The actual fight for the White House was fought in the Democratic Party, not the general elections. The latter was just a formality witnessing President-elect Obama winning almost hands down.

Since everyone in America prefers to call him the first black American President, I’m almost hearing Martin Luther King six feet under singing “Free at last, free at last, by God Almighty, I’m free at last!”

Yes! Change may have come to America last night. Let’s hope it will come for the better for the rest of the world.

Congratulations President-Elect Barrack Obama!

Monday, November 3, 2008

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT-ELECT Y.A.B. DATO SRI NAJIB TUN RAZAK


Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri,
Assalamualaikum WBT.

First and foremost, Praise be to Allah that finally you will be made President of UMNO come March 2009. Congratulations on winning the Presidency uncontested. Six months ago, this was almost an impossible feat. It has been a long journey on the path to Seri Perdana which in our view should have been your residence much earlier.

Dato Sri’ you will be taking over as Chief Executive of this great Nation in the most trying of times, which you are well aware of without a doubt. As Patriots, the people of Malaysia should band together and support your new team to help us all weather the storm that is to sweep past us in the coming months. We do hope you will bring fresh faces in this team that will carve the future of this blessed country of ours.

I read in your website your note of thanks to the many divisions who’ve put much trust in you, enough to give you all but one nomination for President. I’d like to humbly remind you Sir to thank also most importantly, those holding office, namely the cabinet ministers like Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Dato' Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, who were sincere and brave enough to air the views of the grassroots at the risk of losing their jobs for they played a very crucial role in expediting the transitional plan. Also, to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed and ironically Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and the people behind them who were involved in pressuring the sitting President to do the right thing, i.e., to give way to you by finally succumbing to the calls and announcing his withdrawal from contesting for the Presidency.

Many UMNO members believe in your leadership and understand that you were in no position to show even the slightest decent to the man who appointed you to be his number two. The people working directly under you too had their hands tied because their adversaries could’ve traced any hint of mutiny right up to your office if they even tried anything. So those who wanted to do anything to make the change had to work closely with the ones openly attacking the incumbent, and unfortunately, in doing so, they indirectly attacked you too because understandably, you were adamant in agreeing with him. Those who were holding high positions in UMNO divisions yet were out in full force backing the renegades had much to lose but they knew that it was paramount that the party had to be saved. Please do not forget their sacrifice which with the will of Allah, will enable you to enter the President’s office through the front door in March of 2009. Had they not helped the others to pressure the incumbent to withdraw, the 134 odd Divisions that had nominated you as President would have had second thoughts about it. I should know because I met many of them to check if they were willing to nominate you as President, even before the incumbent decided not to contest. We respect the original plan to transfer the power to you but didn’t have much faith in it materializing the way it should, if we had to wait till 2010.

Dato’ Sri, a lot of things went wrong these last 5 years. Some perhaps were irreparable, others quite damaging to the Malays. Rightfully, you shouldn’t have to wait another two years, neither could the Nation afford another two years of the same.

Finally Sir, please do the right thing for our religion Islam, the Malays and the Nation. Please remember always that you are President of UMNO first and foremost, then Prime Minister of Malaysia.


May Allah SWT give you Taufiq dan Hidayah in your leadership for the good of the Nation.

Wasallam.

In full allegiance to the Party & Nation,
I remain,

Tengku Putra Haron Aminurrashid Jumat
UMNO Vice Chief
Pulai Division
Johor Darul Taqzim





Sunday, November 2, 2008

POLITIK WANG (WANG POLITIK) ATAU RASUAH? KEKUATAN UMNO TERGUGAT




Oleh kolumnis undangan: Jamaluddin Mansor, Ketua UMNO Cawangan Jalan Sulaiman, Bahagian Bukit Bintang

Dalam keghairahan atau kerancakan UMNO mengadakan pemilihan kepemimpinan parti di peringkat cawangan, bahagian dan seterusnya peringkat Majlis Tertinggi (MT) tahun ini, maka muncul sekali lagi berita melalui akhbar-akhbar dan cakap-cakap di kalangan pemimpin dan pengikut parti di seluruh negara mengenai gejala politik wang.

Kenyataan akhbar beberapa pemimpin kanan parti meningkatkan keresahan pencinta parti yang amat takut terhadap kesan-akibatnya. Malah, tahun ini kira-kira 500 kes sudah dihantar kepada Lembaga Disiplin untuk siasatan dan jumlah itu dipercayai hanya “tip of the iceberg”. Perkara ini juga meningkatkan kekhuatiran pencinta parti walaupun ada segelintir pemimpin yang cuba meremehkan perkara itu.

Kesimpulannya, gejala politik wang sememangnya tidak dapat dinafikan kewujudannya. Persoalan yang harus dijawab segera ialah berapa banyak bahagian dan cawangan di seluruh tanah air yang dihantui gejala itu.

Politik wang atau wang politik sudah lebih dua dekad diamalkan dalam UMNO dan ia memuncak sewaktu pemilihan pemimpin UMNO. Setelah kian lama bertapak dan berakar umbi, kita boleh mengambil kesimpulan bahawa gejala itu sudah menjadi budaya atau amalan yang diterima dalam UMNO.

Ramai ahli yang menawarkan diri untuk bertanding jawatan dalam parti menyatakan kalau tidak memberi wang, hampir pasti mereka tidak akan mendapat undi. Maka mereka yang mahu menang dalam sesuatu pemilihan jawatan berkata, mereka terpaksa melakukannya walaupun hati kecil mereka melarang berbuat demikian.

Peraturan serta badan yang ditubuhkan untuk mendisiplinkan ahli-ahli, nampaknya tidak berkesan. Yang penting bagi mereka ialah mendapat sokongan untuk menang jawatan yang ditandingi.

Jelas juga, bahawa majoriti ahli-ahli UMNO yang mengamalkan politik wang tidak mengerti atau memandang remeh terhadap kesan buruk gejala perbuatan mereka itu.

Adalah amat menakutkan kerana gejala politik wang itu boleh memberi kesan buruk kepada UMNO dalam konteks sebuah organisasi, UMNO sebagai tunggak pemerintah negara dan akhirnya kepada diri mereka sendiri.

Mereka tidak dapat menghayati bahawa gejala politik wang akan hanya memberi ruang kepada individu yang sebenarnya tidak mempunyai nilai-nilai kepimpinan yang sejagat untuk menguasai hala tuju dan arah perjuangan UMNO dan negara.

Di kalangan pemimpin yang jujur dan berjiwa rakyat, mereka hanya menjadi penonton kepada percaturan ini.

Antara punca kurang penghayatan berhubung isu yang kian parah ini ialah kegagalan menimba ilmu secara menyeluruh. Mereka tidak dapat menghayati sejarah, tidak dapat mengaitkan bahawa punca kejatuhan empayar purba atau kejatuhan sesebuah organisasi antaranya adalah akibat amalan politik wang iaitu rasuah.

Jelas, penghayatan agama mereka juga adalah cetek. Justeru itu maka ramai ahli tidak menyedari bahawa amalan politik wang bercanggah dengan ajaran al-Quran dan contoh kepimpinan yang ditunjukkan oleh Rasullullah s.a.w.

Setengah ahli membaca Surah al-Alaq (Iqra’) tapi tidak ada penghayatan terhadapnya. Walaupun terdapat segelintir yang mengetahuinya, tetapi pemikiran mereka berpaksi kepada desakan hawa nafsu.

Malah, mereka bersolat, berpuasa, berzakat dan menunaikan haji pun sebenarnya tidak mengamalkan kehidupan secara Islam. Apa yang mereka lafazkan dalam solat sebagaimana terkandung dalam doa ifititah (Hidup ku, Mati ku, Solat ku adalah kerana ingin keredaan Allah s.w.t.) tidak diterjemahkan dalam kehidupan seharian mereka.

Keterperincian cara hidup bahagia yang di anjurkan oleh Rasullullah s.a.w diketepikan. Yang diisi adalah cara hidup ala budaya barat yang berpaksi kepada falsafah “hedonisme”. Hidup senang dikaitkan dengan perolehan harta dan seterusnya pangkat.

Yang berjaya adalah mereka yang mempunyai pangkat dan harta yang banyak. Mereka tidak peduli bagaimana pangkat atau harta itu diperolehi. Jauh sekali mereka memikirkan sama ada perolehan itu haram atau halal. Bagi mereka yang mengetahuinya sekali pun, amaran Allah s.w.t. dan Rasulullah s.a.w. diperkecil-kecilkan.

Kesimpulannya amat sedikit ahli UMNO menghayati sepenuhnya agama Islam, agama yang sebenarnya membawa kegembiraan kepada sesiapa yang mengamalkannya dalam kehidupan.
Persoalannya apa perlu dilakukan untuk mengurang, malah menghapuskannya kerana sudah jelas ia membawa kecelakaan kepada perjuangan UMNO. Perlembagaan UMNO jelas mencatat perjuangan UMNO untuk mempertahankan Islam dan mengangkat martabat bangsa Melayu dan negara.

Sebelum persoalan ini dijawab, ia amat perlu dikupas mengenai bagaimana dan mengapa politik wang menjadi budaya dalam UMNO.

1. Perkataan politik wang itu sendiri tidak melambangkan bahawa ia sebenarnya rasuah, apatah lagi perkataan itu tidak melambangkan erti “khianat”. Sebaliknya, ramai ahli mentakrifkan ia sebagai hadiah atau imbuhan atas usaha politik mereka. Disebabkan perkataan politik wang itu bukan bermakna rasuah atau pengkhianatan, mereka berpendapat apa salahnya mereka menerima sedikit wang daripada titik peluh mereka berusaha menghadiri upacara atau perjumpaan yang diaturkan. Mereka juga berpendapat bahawa ahli yang bertanding sudah tentunya akan memperoleh kekayaan dengan jawatan yang mereka menang. Mereka melihat bahawa ahli-ahli yang dulunya miskin atau berkedudukan sederhana mengubah corak hidup selepas mendapat jawatan dalam parti. Berikutan persepsi ini, mereka tidak mahu berfikir jauh dan lebih mendalam tapi sekadar mengikut dorongan nafsu untuk menerima hadiah atau wang yang dihulurkan. Justeru itu, mereka tidak dapat berasakan bahawa politik wang akan memporak-perandakan perjuangan parti yang sudah tentunya menjadi lemah.

2. Ramai ahli-ahli kabur untuk menilai siapa yang layak menjadi pemimpin mereka sebagaimana mereka tidak dapat membezakan wang kopi, hadiah atau politik wang. Ini berlaku kerana kurangnya penghayatan agama, menyebabkan pesanan pesan Rasulullah s.a.w. mengenai ciri-ciri atau sifat pemimpin iaitu pemimpin perlu dinilai dari sudut siddiq (benar segala perkataan), amanah (dipercayai), tabligh (menyampaikan segala perintah Allah s.w.t.) dan fatanah (pintar dalam segala hal), kurang mendapat perhatian.

3. Ramai juga ahli membuat pemilihan mengikut pengalaman peribadi seperti seseorang pemimpin menolong untuk mendapatkan misalnya biasiswa untuk anaknya yang tidak berkelayakan atau sebaliknya pula menolak seseorang pemimpin yang tidak membantunya untuk mendapatkan sesuatu kontrak. Amat kurang penilaian dibuat mengenai adakah itu cara yang dibenarkan. Cita rasa mereka menjadi keutamaan dalam pemilihan. Mereka berasakan, sebagai ahli UMNO mereka lebih layak mendapat kontrak atau biasiswa daripada mereka yang bukan ahli UMNO. Pemimpin yang tidak memberi kontrak atau biasiswa atau imbuhan lain kepada mereka dicemuh. Perbandingan cara ini sering didengar terkeluar dari mulut ahli-ahli UMNO. Mereka kurang menilai kebolehan dan kejayaan pemimpin dalam mencetuskan sesuatu dasar untuk kebaikan seluruh masyarakat.

4. Ada juga yang memilih pemimpin berpandukan kepada ketaatan kepada pemimpin tanpa menilai ciri kepimpinan seseorang. Mereka taksub kepada pemimpin.

5. Ramai juga memilih pemimpin kerana dibayangi kemudahan seperti pekerjaan, bisnes dan sebagainya apabila pemimpin berkenaan menang dalam pemilihan.

6. Hukuman yang diturunkan oleh Lembaga Disiplin bersifat pemulihan (“rehabilitative”) dan bukan pencegahan (“preventive”). Malah, ramai mengetahui kekurangan (“shortcomings”) Lembaga Disiplin dari sudut kemahiran kakitangan untuk menyiasat dan bilangan pegawai yang melaksanakan tugas pun berkurangan berbanding kes-kes yang di rujuk kepada lembaga itu. Mereka tidak perlu takut kepada hukuman kerana ia hanya melibatkan penggantungan jawatan atau kelayakan bertanding untuk sementara waktu. Ramai juga berkeyakinan bahawa rayuan boleh meringkan hukuman.

7. Fenomena baru yang dikesan adalah budaya melancong ke destinasi pelancongan di dalam negara dan juga luar negara. Setengah pemimpin yang berhajat untuk mengukuhkan pengaruh akan mengatur lawatan rombongan ke destinasi seperti Medan, Jakarta dan di mana-mana negara lain atau destinasi di dalam negara mengikut kemampuan mereka. Ada juga mengatur lawatan ke destinasi yang lebih jauh. Semua lawatan dilabelkan “lawatan sambil belajar”. Lawatan ini dilaksanakan sepanjang masa sebelum musim pertandingan.

8. Pada musim pertandingan pula, ganjaran percutian turut ditawarkan kepada ahli-ahli tertentu. Lawatan ini dibuat dengan niat agar perwakilan itu tidak hadir pada hari mesyuarat diadakan dan sekali gus tidak mengundi calon lawannya. Dengan cara ini calon yang menganjurkan percutian itu dapat mengurangkan undi pesaing walaupun tidak menambah undi dirinya sendiri.

Segala alasan yang digunakan ahli dalam pemilihan pemimpin adalah tidak selari dengan amalan sejagat, malah melanggar peraturan agama khususnya memberi kesan dan akibat yang buruk kepada semua.

Akhirnya, orang yang dipilih menjadi pemimpin adalah mereka yang tidak berjiwa masyarakat. Pemimpin yang lemah akal dan budi dan paling dashyat ialah pemimpin yang mengagungkan budaya barat yang liberal dan bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam. Bagaimana mereka hendak memperjuanghkan Fasal 3 Perlembagaan UMNO?

Keberkesanan UMNO menangani masalah gejala politik wang semakin rumit untuk dibendung. Hari ini sudah ramai pencinta UMNO meramalkan keruntuhan UMNO. Apa yang dapat menyelamatkan UMNO yang sedang dalam keadaan cemas dan tenat adalah kebangkitan semangat kekitaan dan menterjemahkan budaya yang sihat lagi murni.

Tidak ada peraturan atau perundangan yang dapat digubal untuk membendung gejala ini secara menyeluruh kerana sifat ahli-ahli pengamal gejala rasuah akan sentiasa mencari jalan untuk mengatasinya.

Oleh itu, ahli-ahli UMNO yang masih mempunyai semangat kekitaan perlu memperluaskan pengaruh mereka demi menyelamat parti dari hanyut dibawa arus gejala rasuah.
Masa semakin hampir, pilihan raya ke-13 tidak lama lagi dan rakyat akan menentukan kejatuhan UMNO kerana sifat rasuah ahli UMNO. Maka tercabut lagi taring UMNO yang sudah kian lama berjaya membangunkan negara dan bangsa Melayu.

Ahli-ahli UMNO perlu menjadikan pencegahan amalan politik wang, sebenarnya rasuah, agenda utama mereka bagi mengembalikan kepercayaan rakyat terhadap UMNO.

Datuk Jamaluddin Mansor adalah bekas Ketua UMNO Bahagian Bukit Bintang dan Setiausaha Badan Perhubungan UMNO Negeri, Wilayah Persekutuan. Beliau adalah juga Ketua Pengarang Majalah Milenia Muslim, Forward dan Aniqah.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

TRAITORS AMONG US


While the former MCA Youth leader and current Vice President is dangerously fondling with the idea of scrapping the 30 % Bumiputera Equity, the current UMNO Youth Chief and Vice President wannabe is keeping his tongue tied while allowing the party elders, namely an 84 year old former President and a 62 year old Deputy Presidential Candidate to do his job of coming to the fore to defend the Malay rights currently enshrined in the Constitution.

Other political parties and NGOs with Malay participation are coming out one by one to denounce MCA’s statement while the supposedly UMNO's pressure group remains mute. There is little wonder why the Malays are quickly turning to PAS to continue their struggle. They say there is little Chinese money if not none at all in their leadership.

It seems after the cowardly act of apologizing to the non-Malays for not being able to defend and uphold the Malay heritage, the UMNO Youth Chief has resigned himself to not interfering with issues concerning the Chinese, even when they become antagonistic toward the Malays. Today, he prefers to labour over the petty topic of whether a debate should be held between candidates aspiring to be his successor. Hmm...Very important indeed. Perhaps he thinks the debate might spell the downfall of the Malay Supremacy while what is said by Gerakan and MCA in recent days would enhance our position instead. I'M BEGGINNING TO WONDER WHO'S SIDE HE IS PITCHING FOR!

Is this the kind of leadership material we want to lead the Party that best represents the Malays in this country? Do we want traitors to lead us? Have we not had enough?

He is not the only one. There is a whole catalogue of Vice Presidential candidates just like him who preach about defending “Agama, Bangsa dan Negara” but remain in their cool offices in their Armani/ Hugo Boss suits when our struggle is being attacked by friends and foes.

Come March 2009, UMNO delegates should send these fake leaders to the “guillotine”, metaphorically speaking.

MAY ALLAH'S CURSE BE UPON THESE PRETENDERS.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

SNIPPETS


A WEAK UMNO TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF.

I remember vividly a warning statement a couple of years back made by Mr Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar on the possibility that non-Malays would take advantage of a weak UMNO.

Now we are discovering some truth in his foresight although a large part of UMNO being weak is attributed to his father-in-law, the Prime Minister himself.

Last week the Gerakan Wanita chief questioned the status of the Malays as bumiputeras. Two days ago the MCA Youth demanded for a second Deputy Chairman's seat in the National Front presumably to be occupied by MCA. Perhaps when they get there, they’ll demand for a Second Deputy Premiership. Then according to The Malaysian Insider, the outgoing MCA president asked for an “end to the Bumi equity rule” and without ambiguity accused UMNO of being a bully in the coalition in the very presence of the PM and his Deputy who are the top two leaders in UMNO.

This shameless pressure coming from one party that failed miserably after leading a State for more than four terms and another party that pathetically lost 25 of the possible 40 seats in Parliament seems justified when instead of heeding the advice for the Malays to be united from the conclusion of the Rulers Conference, UMNO leaders take potshots at each other for personal reasons. In yesterday’s New Straits Times, Dato’ Shahrir Samad unnecessarily took a swipe at Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for voicing out the obvious concerns about the length of the campaign period which I too have mentioned in my article entitled “ Long Season to be Jolly for UMNO Delegates” before Hari Raya.

UMNO leaders are better politicians than they are public servants. There IS a distinct difference. Tan Sri Muhyiddin understands this. Dato' Shahrir understands it too but prefers to give the benefit of the doubt to his peers. Enough said.


CHUA SOI LEK- YOU’RE THE MAN!!!

A politician’s dream come true is if one is caught with his pants down ( literally ), makes a graceful exit and then a SPECTACULAR comeback on a higher plain. This is the Deputy President of a party that is asking for a second Deputy Chairmanship in the National Front.


And I thought UMNO had big problems.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

GROUND ZERO - AN ANALYSIS OF UMNO'S NOMINATION WEEK 1



PREDICTABLE, UNBELEIVABLE AND OUTRAGEOUS! ALL IN ONE WEEKEND!

I’ve been asked to give my views on UMNO’s first nomination week by a highly respected gentleman of journalism.

Though I may not represent the majority on ground zero, here’s my take on it.

PREDICTABLE:

1. Yes when one person is preferred by the outgoing chief and that person is also the current Deputy President of UMNO, it’s a given that people will line up and slobber all over his hand and pledge loyalty. So it’s no surprise that Dato’ Sri Najib wiped the floor last weekend with the nominations.

2. Yes when a strong, experienced and senior political candidate for Deputy President was hauled up by the Presumptive Nominee for President and within 48 hours withdrew his candidacy, it is a given that the latter wants an easy path for a more deserving candidate whose tireless and risky effort has accelerated the impending departure of the incumbent President and will complement him with his support. True enough, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin later pledged his full support for Dato’ Sri Najib as President leaving Tengku Razaleigh out in the cold without really discounting him completely. No surprises with the majority of the nominations going to Muhyiddin.

UNBELEIVABLE:

1. When Dato’ Mukhriz Mahathir who was almost reduced to being a cry-baby for not being able to reach and meet members of the Youth-wing around the country suddenly had an explosion of nominations from the same, it raised eyebrows as the ones flying high prior to nomination week were Mr Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar and Dato Seri Mohd Khir Toyo. Could it be true that Mukhriz is indeed as popular as even he didn’t realize or is this a political illusion?

Note: I wonder if Mukhriz will be as vocal under Najib, now that they are in the same team. I wonder if Mukhriz was vocal before more because of his allegiance to the Nation or his loyalty and love for his father. I wonder if Khairy would play the reversed role of Mukhriz if he wins and doesn’t have his father-in-law as his guardian but the backing of the Youth to propel him. A usually concurring Youth leader serves no purpose. It is proven in the last ten years.

OUTRAGEOUS:

1. When Dato’ Sri Hishammuddin Hussein, perceived to be a non-starter due to his infamous ordeal with the Keris that should have stabbed him instead of the Party, obtained nominations in almost all of the divisions completed leaving more worthy politicians behind by double-digits, it looked obvious that he had a helping hand from a “concerned” relative. Either those who nominated him were (a) high on some mind altering substance, (b) easily forgetful or “mudah lupa” as Tun Dr Mahathir used to say or as predicted, (c) a hidden hand is in play.

Note: In the 90’s, I distinctly remember my Menteri Besar, Dato Abdul Ghani Othman and Dato Seri Panglima Osu Sukam garnering the second and third highest nominations respectively. They ended up in the bottom four ultimately. In Hisham’s case, they may be seen as obedient in nominating him if indeed there is a hidden hand or voice, but in the end, could common sense prevail?

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, Dato Seri Ali Rustam, and Datuk Nur Jazlan Tan Sri Mohamed.

1. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is facing an uphill battle due to the current scenario. Had the Prime Minister decided to contest with Najib maintaining his current position then my bet would be on TRH hands down because the PM has been deemed, with due respect, as damaged commodity. The culture manifested in UMNO today is of patronage. One dare not go against the person perceived to be next in line in fear of not being able to beg for future favours when he is anointed to his position. Trust me, if by the stroke of Allah, Tengku Razaleigh were to be made Prime Minister, in this case by technicality for instance, they’d have to close the road leading to his mansion due to the beeline taking their turn to kiss his hand. Such is the ways of UMNO leaders. Nominations will fall for him like snowflakes on a Christmas morning.

Note: Tengku Razaleigh is the man who should have been and could still be, but his campaign machinery leaves much to be desired. He is a bona-fide leader, but not many leaders of today’s UMNO know of his accomplishments. They only know his name unlike the leaders of the previous generation. He alone has sacrificed and given more for the party than all the members of the Supreme Council stacked together. IT IS NOT TRUE THAT MR BADAWI IS THE LAST FROM TUN RAZAK’S GENERATION OF LEADERS. HE FORGETS THAT TENGKU RAZALEIGH IS THE LONGEST SERVING PARLIAMENTARIAN AND WAS CLOSER TO TUN THAN ANYONE ELSE PERHAPS EVEN NAJIB, POLITICALLY SPEAKING.

2. Tan Sri Muhammad is in the twilight of his career. He has nothing to lose but everything to gain. I can’t see him as getting enough nominations but he will certainly give a good show if the opportunity arises. It needs to be remembered that he only lost to Tan Sri Muhyiddin by a mere 45 odd votes for Vice President in the last round despite the fact that the latter was supposed to be a clear winner having missed the cut to be Deputy Prime Minister despite being the preferred choice of the PM at the time.

Note: His time is up as he is not well liked for doggedly protecting his boss instead of advising him on the truth from the ground.

2. Dato Seri Ali Rustam on ground zero was initially tipped to be “the One” to give Muhyiddin a run for his money for the Deputy Presidency despite being not deserving to hold the position. The behavior of the UMNO members of today is not one to support those who excel in their duties but to embrace those with human-relation skills. I’m told that a good number of divisions in Johor were ready to nominate him (which is not unusual due to the “cold war” between the MB and Muhyiddin) until a mysterious wind blew over Johor very recently. Now they’ve shifted and will be nominating Muhyiddin as should be. We shall see the outcome these coming weeks. If Ali Rustam gets the numbers to qualify, Muhyiddin had better be propelling at full steam ahead.

Note: Ali Rustam could throw a spanner in the works when the going gets tough if he announces that if he wins, he won’t accept the Deputy Prime Minister’s post but would like to concentrate on fortifying the Party. I’m sure the Vice Presidential candidates will pull all their support for Ali as they would be the next in line to be picked from to fill the seat if Ali wins instead of Muhyiddin. This is against convention, however all else but the word of God can be amended.

3. Datuk Nur Jazlan, well what can I say? He is after all my Division Chief. At first instance I thought he did well to steal the thunder from Datuk Zahid Hamidi and Dato Seri Ali Rustam. The media went after him ever since and left the latter two in the cold. At least for now he looks more matured than Zahid for holding to his guns instead of looking like a child who didn’t think thoroughly before acting. After all, he merely expressed his interest and willingness to be nominated. If he succeeds well and good but if he doesn’t, at least he gave us an alternative. Who are we to say who should and shouldn’t offer themselves as candidates? This is democracy at its best. Do we not trust the delegates enough to nominate and vote with a right frame of mind? Do they need to be nursed into nominating and voting who we think they should nominate or vote? Haven’t we learnt from the mistakes of the great Tun Dr Mahathir of force feeding the leaders of his choice on us only to see us all suffer and be ridiculed henceforth politically? It is time the leaders stopped playing God in UMNO and let the grassroots pick their choice without duress, without undue influence.

Note: Nur Jazlan may not qualify to contest the Deputy Presidency but from the ground, I have found that the affluent young Malays and of course others find him a breath of fresh air, even if it is but for a brief moment. It will be difficult to penetrate through since 75 percent of the delegates usually are of the same people and mentality.

Next weekend should be interesting. Let’s see if all the divisions who nominate Najib will nominate his cousin as well. Let’s also see if the majority of these divisions nominate Najib, Muhyiddin, Hishammuddin and Mukhriz as a package.


If so, and if it prevails come March, then we bid welcome to the Kennedys and Rockefellers of UMNO.