Muhyiddin gets ready for TOP JOB: Another DISASTROUS 5 years from Umno-BN?

From : Malaysia-Chronicle

Written by  Nawawi Mohamad, Stan Lee, Malaysia Chronicle

What sort of choice do UMNO delegates have in their leadership lineup? That there is a dearth of talent in UMNO is well-known with even former premier and party president Mahathir Mohamad admitting as much.

This talent vacuum will be UMNO's deathblow - not the Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dusun, Murut, the Dayaks or Ibans. Not even the Christians or Israel can be blamed. It is fair and square UMNO's own fault including Mahathir's for being selfish and wishing to keep the spoils of the game 'all within the family'.

Young & talented Malays wouldn't touch UMNO with a 10-foot pole

Young Malay leaders such as PKR's Nurul Izaah, Rafizi Ramli, PAS' Dzulkefly Ahmad, Khalid Samad or DAP's Zairil Khir Johari would never dream of touching UMNO with a 10-foot pole, so bad is its brand name. UMNO has simply become synonymous with corruption, racism, sex and gutter policing - you name it, the party has been caught doing it.

For UMNO leaders, the name of the game is not how to serve Malaysia but how to make money from Malaysia. For example, current party president Prime Minister Najib Razak carries a back-breaking amount of 'baggage', literally dragging UMNO down with his personal scandals and inability to make decisions.

Yet UMNO grins and puts up with it. They even accept Najib's panacea for all the criticism, which is to spend more of taxpayers money on public relations to magnify himself and to deny all negative accusations against his administration and party. As if the people have no minds of their own!

Worried Mahathir steps in

Yet no amount of money can hide the fact that Malay support for UMNO is dwindling and Najib's personal popularity on the slide. The recent Merdeka Center survey shows his approval rating still on the down slide - now at 64% - and BN's at an all-time low of 42% due mainly to erosion of support from the Malays.

So worried is Mahathir that Najib will commit another disaster at the 13th general election that the 87-year-old has decided to step in and pull the strings before it is too late. That is how bad the situation is in UMNO. The only weapon Najib has in his hand is the timing of the GE-13 and he is using this to hold the 'warlords' to ransom.

Party insiders say his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin is "simply pretending" not to be challenging Najib at this critical moment because Najib is already under control - Mahathir's!

Lesser evil

So, while waiting for further orders from Mahathir, who still wields enormous influence, Muhyiddin has been carrying on with his daily activities as if all is fine in UMNO. Some even say Muhyiddin is smiling to himself, under the happy impression that he just has to wait for the big moment to come when he will replace Najib whether UMNO and the BN coalition it leads wins or loses in the GE-13.

In the past, such a prospect would have raised a howl of horror around the UMNO divisions in the country because Muhyiddin too has his own baggage, albeit less heavy and controversial than Najib's. Nonetheless, the fear used to be that if UMNO-BN wins, he would become Prime Minister and that would be a disaster for Malaysia like an earthquake with a reading of 7 on the Richter scale and an epicenter in Putrajaya.

But with Najib's failure to do better and Mahathir proving all his critics right that he is the darkest and most dangerous force in the UMNO-BN blocking a more normal democratic rule in a multiracial Malaysia, Muhyiddin as PM has become less alarming.

It is the classic case of being the lesser of many evils.

Muhyiddin the next disaster from UMNO

Let's try to understand the 64-year-old Muhyiddin and what makes him tick. People can understand each other better amongst their own peer groups, culture and race. For example, students and youths understand their own peers. They can appreciate, envy and emulate each other, yet for motivation, people will always aim high and look beyond their own group.

That is how people should be motivated and in Malaysia's endeavor to be a developed and great nation with high-income levels, the leadership must be able to set a high standard and work towards achieving it. It should never look back, nor should it ever lower the benchmark.

Yet Muhyiddin has displayed a different kind of mentality. His views are not in sync with what one would expect of a true leader at all. During a “buka puasa” (breaking of the Muslim fast) event organized by the Ministry of Information in collaboration with JAKIM and MAIWP, Muhyiddin proudly proclaimed that,”It has been proven that the world looks at Malaysia as a special nation that should be envied.”

Now, there is nothing wrong with his statement but when he explained that his conclusion is based on the comments by visitors from Palestine, Somalia and Afghanistan, it is laughable and his naivete becomes the joke. With such low satisfaction levels signifying commensurately low IQ, Muhyiddin looks set to become the next disaster from UMNO if it wins GE-13 and he is selected to be prime minister in place of Najib Razak.

From Tiger economy to starving African nation

Malaysia was once the envy of other nations like Korea and Japan for our football. Our economic development projects were the envy of many Afro-Asian nations and we initially led South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan - believe it or not! That is how far the nation has fallen and Malaysia is now competing with Thailand. Even Indonesia, the worst hit during the 1998 Asian crisis, has pulled away thanks to sincere reform and better leadership.

Despite the showy Economic Transformation Programs launched by the Najib administration, even Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and the Philippines are catching up. So Muhyiddin may not only be too unambitious and mundane in his aspirations for Malaysia's future but he may have no choice but to compare his nation with Palestine which is not even a sovereign nation, or Somalia which is devastated by civil war and Afghanistan which has been destroyed by the US and its allies. All these are third world countries, all of them in such bad shape.

If Muhyiddin used them as benchmarks, he may be right in that Malaysia is heaven by comparison. But it surely speaks volumes of the depths Malaysia has plunged to after 55 years of BN rule.

Mahathir who used to propagate the “Malaysia Boleh” or (Malaysia Can Do It) slogan, launching the tallest twin towers in the world to inspire the nation has now lowered his standard. The Petronas Twin Towers were briefly the world's highest buildings until they were overtaken by other newer constructions in China and the Middle East. It looks like Mahathir's lofty aspirations were just as short-lived and he too is now 'slumming'.

Mahathir recently said in defending the present status of the Malaysian economy, “Financially and economically, we are not too badly off. The cost of living has gone up a little but people are not starving the way the Africans and some Asians are starving. A generous government is ever ready to extend help."

Imagine, Malaysia - one amongst the Tiger economies in powerhouse Southeast Asia -  now being compared to the poorest African nations, where starvation is not yet an eradicated risk.

Dr M admitting he didn't do a good job at all!

Indirectly Mahathir is admitting that his 22-year rule has not done much at all in making Malaysia a developed nation. His critics say this is because whatever he put in with his right hand, he took out more than triple with his left hand.

It is obvious Mahathir has long ago bid goodbye to Vision 2020 - if ever he was serious about it at all. Many pundits say Vision 2020 that aimed for a Bangsa Malaysia without racial lines was just his way of appeasing the people after they nearly threw him out of office for sacking and jailing his deputy Anwar Ibrahim on trumped-up sodomy charges.

So if someone as racist as Mahathir can rule Malaysia for 22 years and get away with it by planting one excuse after another, why not Muhuyiddin who has already shown similar signs of using racial politics to become popular with his 'Malay first, Malaysian next' statement.

By the way Mahathir may be right in comparing Malaysia with Africa. Yes, the Southeast Asian nation is not yet like any of the poorer African countries but with the present trend of leadership and the unabated greed and corruption of its leaders, it can easily be. Especially if UMNO-BN continues to rule after GE-13, Greek and Africa-like crises may be Malaysia's to experience next

Poised for a BIG FALL: A letter of thanks to 'Humpty Dumpty' Najib Razak

Written by  Shenaaz Khan

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

I do not wish to interrupt your present massive grave digging exercise, but I feel compelled to extol my gratitude upon your mighty moustached-ness. My self-respect demands it! But instead of prattling on aimlessly, I shall endeavour to catalogue your heaping handfuls of judiciousness.

1. Thank you for your fairness

Time and again, you make certain all Malaysians, young and old, men and women, ill and well, get an equal taste of the sweet savour of tear gas. The intoxicating blend of bronchial obstruction and optical inflammation should by no means be a luxury solely relished by the weak of heart and the blind of eye!

And you made sure of that several sunny Saturdays ago, while Malaysians were merry-making in yellowy yarns under the scorching heat. Fearful of them availing themselves to melanoma, you commanded your constabulary to orchestrate orgies of obliteration with showers of asphyxiating fluid. After all, Malaysians must be made to forcibly understand the merits of chemical carnage for jaundiced jaunts. Nothing like a Power Shower to help open up ones pores.

2. Thank you for the entertainment

I am certain the only reason you fill your cabinet with a platoon of feebleminded dumb dumbs is for sheer entertainment value. It was especially kind of you to employ your cousin, that Beacon of Buffoonery, who appears to have honed the fine art of shooting himself in the foot while said foot has taken up permanent residency in his vacuous mouth! He has, for all intents and purposes, the intellectual capacity of a stapler and should only be allowed to oversee flower arrangements.

Your other parliamentary Pinocchios’, ministry minions and government gnomes are also a hoot and a half. Those worthy of special mention are the blockhead of Kota Belud, the hand smooching half-wit of Hulu Selangor and of course the chief chimp buccaneer of UMNO Youth. That these regular Charlie Chaplins’ are allowed to roam at large in a civilised country is simply hilarious!

Another one of your despotic disciples with dazzling comic timing is of course the Fatwa Council. Amidst their hourly ablutions, the funny Fatwa folk doth protest too much, on protests. Understandably though, for the Holy Writ has cautioned that assembled mobs may break into meditative mayhem and God forbid, some frenzied form of protestutional yoga might ensue. And as we all know, behind every Yoga pose, is THE LGBT!!

Equally farcical are your component parties which remain very much like a left foot in an automatic car -useless and without function. But they’re always worth a laugh!

3. Thank you for hating “The Opposition”!

It is this revulsion that drives you to foil “The Oppositions” ominous aims of democratising and freeing this former British crown colony with their sinister socialism. To have to repeatedly heave yourself out of bed and dip into your pot of plots to uncrown these freedom fiends must be mentally menacing but I do see its merits. I have to say your latest scheme is simply scholarly. To accuse “The Opposition” of orchestrating a coup d’etat is too de brilliant! One might argue that a coup is typically done by the military and the military is known to be firmly jammed under your fascist feet, right next to the Federal Constitution and press freedom. But those democratic donkeys from “The Opposition” are notorious for overthrowing governments using dragons, unicorns and very ripe turnips, so watchful one must be of their impending treachery! Also, beware of a gnat with a lavender wand.

Another Grand villain you ought to be wary of is this newfangled invention called “The Internet”. “The Internet” appears to be in cahoots with “The Opposition” and has made several notable attempts at disrupting and disputing your league of lying louts. “The Opposition” have even deigned to call you Hitler! But in doing so, they have displayed a depressing level of stupidity by overlooking one glaring difference- your name begins with an “N”, not an “H”. HAH! Those perfidious knaves! They must be banished!!

4. Thank you for curing insomnia

Your dull and dreary speeches, laced with the cursory hog-calling chant of 1 Malaysia, with an expression much like an ape with a stomach ache, are sedatively divine! You have the caustic wit and physical presence of Louis the 16th and on occasion, Eeyore! Of late, it does seem like your advisors (i.e. carers of your moustache) have recommended you pump your all too powerful fists in the air, exercise your foul facial muscles and make audible hollering sounds, using various words from the Indian sub-continent. I would advise you to stop doing that. It unsettles my solar plexus and disturbs my otherwise sound sleep.

5. Thank you for your generosity

Your “pay-the-poor-pittance” BR1M movement was an incalculable act brimming with generous bravado. It was touching to see the jingo patriots genuflect their government gargoyles of greatness, while the elderly were made to stand in queuing herds, begging for money from the very bandits who routinely stole it from them. Like a true Champion of Chumps, you used the people’s piggy bank to piggyback the people whose pursers you previously pillaged!

I suppose it is this fine sense of commerce that has permitted you to broker a windfall from watercraft ventures. While others may deride you with derogatory adjectives for the purchase of mechanical mermaids, I see its usefulness in helping you submerge yourself further in the cesspool of corruption you currently marinate in! Your mastery at making many monies through aquatic acquisitions has inspired parallel deeds by your fellow party pirates. Why, it clearly stirred the Husbandry Husband of an erstwhile Madam Minister to take borrowed funds to buy buildings for bovines. This seems completely apt in this bullish economy.

6. Thank you for helping Malaysians lose weight

I, much like many Malaysians, can’t seem to view you without experiencing revolting nausea. Your jolly jingle, “Nation on my mind, people in my heart”, induces vomit in my throat! And visions of your fair lady comforting the whimpering poor with her bejewelled arms are always a bulimic bonus. Her heavily doctored presence alone heals hunger and leaves me enlightened with a heavy head of weightlessness. Her clunky adornments also help repel taste.

I could go on but I am suddenly overcome with utter laziness. So Thank you MR. Prime Minister! Thank you so very much! The perils of being a premier louse are endless but you remain true to yourself. That of a man whose vision is veiled by vile vengeance.

A man who idly shakes his cloven hooves while his grandchildren’s grandmother greedily gobbles gallons of gold. A man, who amidst a womary of deceptive delusions, claims to speak the truth.

But I dreadfully fear no one is spellbound by your spiel and you’re in a Humpty Dumpty dump! Hence all that is left to do is present you a botanical offering with a card that reads “Your lease is up BN. Prepare to vacate the premises”! And let the embalming begin!

From : Malaysia Chronicle

Sodomy 2 & the UMNO mentality

By Kenny Gan, Guest Writer

While we watch astounded at Umno’s audacious attempt to ram a crumbling sodomy case through court with questionable legal maneuvers that no fair court would tolerate, we are left wondering at the mentality behind Umno. 

Is Umno aware that the world is watching and a conviction that turns Anwar Ibrahim into a victim of political persecution would be more damaging to BN than a free Anwar or a tottering MCA and a near-defunct MIC combined?

What could possibly drive Umno to undertake this risky misadventure when retribution from a public backlash is staring at them in the face? 

No government which has to face elections will do what Umno does. Sodomy II is more in tune with a military dictatorship like Myanmar or a banana republic like Zimbabwe rather than a modern democracy like Malaysia (or pseudo-democracy if you want to nitpick). 

To understand why this circus trial is going on we must delve deep into Umno's mentality. The first characteristic of Umno's mentality is that it is infantile. To a young child the present eclipse the future in importance. It is pointless to bribe a little child to give up something in his hands for something better in future. 

We can see Umno's infantile mentality clearly in the Perak power grab. It will not give up the immediate prize of Perak even if threatened with the loss of Federal power in the next election. Hence the incarceration of Anwar is an immediate benefit which outweighs any thoughts of future repercussion. 

The next characteristic of Umno may be aptly termed "the monkey mentality." Kampung boys will know how to catch a monkey by drilling a hole in a coconut just large enough for its hands to go through. Some food is place inside preferably under the watchful eyes of the simians and the coconut left alone. The curious monkey reaches into the hole to grab the food but is unable to withdraw its hand while grabbing the food. The monkey can then be approached and captured as it will not let go of the food no matter what threats it faces. 

Again in the Perak power grab we can observe this monkey mentality in Umno. Against the on slaughter of negative public opinion Umno will not let go of Perak by calling for new state elections. Similarly now that its paws have grasped hold of Anwar it will not let go no matter what dire consequences looms ahead.  

Yet another characteristic which we are all familiar with is arrogance. This is the arrogance which can only come from ruling unbroken for more than 50 years, winning election after election and steamrolling the opposition. Umno thinks it can ride the tide of negative public opinion generated from the backlash of jailing Anwar. After all it has never lost a general election with its awesome money, machinery and media. 

This arrogance also spills over into disdain for the intelligence of the people. The public are taken as gullible fools who will believe whatever they are told and who will not delve into details. They will be told to "respect the decision of the court" and "Anwar was given a fair trial and had many lawyers defending him" or Mahathir's own favorite, "the judge wrote a judgement running into hundreds of pages." What else do the people want? 

Yet another characteristic is just sheer incompetence. With Umno just like the country it governs, meritocracy has taken a backseat. The ones that rise to top are hardly the smart and intelligent ones or the popular ones in touch with the grass roots who can gauge the sentiment of the people. They are the political street fighters, voter buyers, cable pullers and the children of those in power. Umno is not only incompetent to pull off a complex conspiracy, it is also incompetent to do a cost-benefit analysis and is out of touch with the grass roots. 

The tight conformity within Umno where no disagreement or dissent is tolerated with respect to the top leadership helps to keep an eerie silence from middle and low ranking leaders who can see the ill-advised foolishness of Sodomy II but are unable to speak out or sound a warning. The component parties are just too castrated to act. 

Umno also exhibits an ossified mind which is unable to update its thinking to the present. The days when the government-controlled the flow of information via the mass media and use it to mould public opinion is over with the rise of the alternative media. 

Education is more widespread now and more people are concerned about social justice than ever before but to Umno they are still dealing with kampung folks concerned primarily with bread and butter issues. The use of old style campaigning strategies in by-elections is a product of Umno's ossified mind. 

Umno may be deluded into thinking that it has been done before so it can be done again. What they did not take into account is the vastly changed socio-political circumstances between 1998 and now. The opposition is much stronger, online penetration is at least 16 times more and voters are more demanding of good governance. 

Even then in the general election of 1999, Mahathir's cruel treatment of Anwar caused Umno's Malay vote share to collapse to 49% and it was the minorities which saved him. The minorities will not be so favourable to BN now. 

Will Umno come to its senses and pull back from the brink? Or will it go all the way and jail Anwar? We have to wait and see but don’t hold your breath for Anwar’s acquittal.

Source & Comments : Malaysia Chronicle

I scratch your back. You scratch mine.

This is the Prime Minister of Malaysia speaking. Can you believe it?

Najib campaigning at Sibu by-election : “lu tolong wa. wa tolong lu”

So shameful. Isn’t that bribery or corruption? But, like it or not, this is Bolehland. Where anything is possible. This speech must go down as of the best ever from Bolehland and should be endorsed in the Bolehland Book Of Records.

So…is this really the Prime Minister of Malaysia?

A Picture Tells More Than 1000 Words

This is a good one from Patrick !  Join The Contest ! Click Here.

Over the weekend the BIG event was of course the Umno Assembly. And out of it has come happenings which will have far-reaching effects for every Malaysian and the whole country's future. But I am not going to dwell on those things here today. There are better blogs you can go to for that. Instead, let's have some fun here. Yesterday's newspapers carried lots of photos of the events at the Umno Assembly. The ones below caught my attention...

(photo taken from street version of The Star)

MY: Errrr....excuse me. I think you're in my chair.
NR: Yeah. I think he knows his time is over.
PL: (No response cos he's asleep)

Niamah!!! Contest

Caption the above photo yourselves. Be creative. This might be your last chance as a Malaysian to practise a bit of free speech. No vulgarities please! We'll leave that kind of stuff to 'them', ya? The writer of the best caption will receive a dinner package for four (4) persons at Damansara Village Steamboat courtesy of the blog owner. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entertained. Closing date is April 1, 2009 and the winner will be announced here April 5, 2009. Have fun!!!
And while you're at it take a look at this edited frame...

(photo taken from street version of The Star)

The faces of Malaysia's Prime Minister-to-be and also a photo of, possibly, Malaysia's future Prime Minister. Scary isn't it?:-)