shahnon.com

Shahnon.com is back!

2009-07-01T20:41:00.003+08:00

I have to admit, it does feel a bit awkward to be blogging again after being on hiatus for more than a month. I reckon it might take some time to keep up with my usual blogging momentum.

I am so glad that I am done with my MA degree. The first six months of the year was probably the most hectic moment in my life, ever. I can't wait for my second convo! :)

Now that I have all the time in the world, I am planning to make some changes to this site. Sometimes I missed the good old days of blogging, whereby changing the design of a blog once a month or at least once in three months, is part of the blogging activity. The early top bloggers consists of mostly IT and multimedia savvy Internet users. But I guess time has changed. And so does the Malaysian blogging scene.

Today, anybody can own a domain on the Internet, and there's nothing much to shout about. I can still remember clearly how excited I was when I first uploaded my "index.html" file to the Geocities free web hosting site. That was in February 2002. Back then, I didn't know the meaning of 'blog'. So I used 'journal' instead, and my web space was boringly named, "Shahnon's Personal Website". Haha. :P

Anyways, this is just some random ramblings. Am not trying to angkat bakul, but just reminiscing the good old days.

Stay tuned!

New Malay Indian party?

2009-05-20T18:33:00.007+08:00

New Malay Indian party vows no street protests
Malaysia Sun
Wednesday 20th May, 2009

Petaling Jaya, May 20 : The newly-formed Indian origin Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party will not resort to street protests, preferring to solve things through discussions.

Party president and former Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) national coordinator R.S. Thanenthiran said grievances could be heard through round-table discussions.

"Enough fighting on the streets. We are more determined than ever that non-violence is the way forward with dignity and justice," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Read the headline above. I think it contains some serious error. I believe it should be read as "Indian Malaysian party". 'Malay Indian party' sounds more like a Malay based party in India. Hehe.

I wonder who owns the website. It doesn't look like it is owned by a Malaysian. The flag at the top of the website looks more like an American flag - without the yellow star and crescent.

On another unrelated event, I'd like to share Rehman Rashid's take on the "Indian Malaysian" or "Malaysian Indian" terminology in his article, "Which is the adjective, and which the noun?" in the NST. I find his views rather interesting, yet very strange that nobody has ever talked or discussed about it all these years. Here's an excerpt of his article.

"Malaysian Indian", "Malaysian Chinese" -- this must be the only nation in the world where ethnic communities are so designated. No one's ever heard of "American African", "Australian Vietnamese" or "Canadian French", so why "Malaysian Indian"?

and

For our purposes, however, it's well past time to rectify this strange and unwholesome anomaly. We are Indian, Chinese and Malay Malaysians, as we are Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and Hindu Malaysians, as we are tall, short, thin and fat Malaysians.

Thank you bro Rehman for writing such a thought-provoking article.
What say you?

Raja Petra in the news

2009-05-19T16:27:00.002+08:00

Anak Raja Petra didakwa tuduhan mencuri
SHAH ALAM 19 Mei - Anak kedua penulis blog Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin mengaku bersalah di Mahkamah Majistret di sini hari ini atas empat pertuduhan mencuri dan memiliki motosikal curi serta melakukan pecah rumah di sekitar Shah Alam.

Raja Azman Raja Petra, 33, dari No. 5, Jalan BRP 5/5, Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh didakwa mencuri sebuah motosikal Yamaha RXZ nombor pendaftaran BJQ 9597 bernilai RM8,000 milik seorang lelaki, Syaiful Setapa.

Tertuduh juga mengaku mencuri sebuah telefon bimbit Nokia, sebuah jam tangan Seiko dan serangkai kunci motosikal yang kesemuanya dianggarkan berjumlah RM3,850 dari sebuah kediaman milik Saipul Adli Mohamad Yunus.

Oh dear. Pete, what happened to your son? Sudah-sudahlah nak lawan Istana Selangor tu. Tak ke mana pun. He he.

Wesak Day, Kuala Lumpur

2009-05-09T21:26:00.003+08:00

Wesak Procession in KL, near Central Market.

I just got back from spending half day in KL when I came across the Wesak procession above, by accident. Fortunately, I saw it from afar, or else I would've use the same road and probably still stuck in the traffic jam. :p

Happy Wesak Day to all Malaysians.

Soe Hok Gie - Catatan Seorang Demonstran

2009-05-07T18:14:00.004+08:00

source:Wikimedia

New book in town! Thanks to Zulhabri and gang for his new effort in bringing excellent books from across the shores. Just to share this piece of news here; if you're interested into more alternative books head over to the "Arts for Grabs + KL Alternative Books" at The Annexe Gallery this weekend.

One of Gie's famous quote in his book was;

"Seorang filsuf Yunani pernah menulis … nasib terbaik adalah tidak dilahirkan, yang kedua dilahirkan tapi mati muda, dan yang tersial adalah umur tua. Rasa-rasanya memang begitu. Bahagialah mereka yang mati muda."

This roughly translates to English as "A Greek philosopher once wrote... The best fate is that of the unborns, the second one is that of those born yet die young, and the worst is that of those who die in the old age. I feel that this is right: Happy are those who die young." [Wapedia]

In the same event, Dr. Farish Noor will be presenting his lecture on Batik as a "Trans-Cultural Signifier". I really hope to settle off my work soon to attend the lecture.

Perak MB's new blog

2009-05-03T03:55:00.003+08:00

Perak Mentri Besar, Dato Seri Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir has got a new blog. www.zambry.com

In his first blog entry, Zambry took a swipe at Lim Kit Siang, where the DAP supremo called him a "caveman" Mentri Besar for banning alternative media from covering the upcoming Perak assembly. Kit Siang must have a short memory because it was barely a month or so ago when his son, Lim Guan Eng banned the News Straits Time (NST) from covering the Penang state government events. This is just pure and simple hypocrisy, isn't it?

It's so damn bloody easy for one to talk about press freedom, democracy, rule of law and all other political jargons when one is not in power. But when the power is in their hand, they failed. Guan Eng's NST boycott is a clear testament to this.

DAP talks so much about democracy, but look at their so-called "democratic" party. Kit Siang has been at the helm of party since the days of Tunku Abdul Rahman. Four Prime Ministers, from Tun Razak to Abdullah Badawi have come and gone, but the great Kit Siang is still around, holding great influence in the party via the DAP 'prince'.

That is why, all the talk about their political idealism is just nonsense. They failed to walk the talk. Kit Siang and Samy Velly belongs to the same political generation and of the same political mind. Both had successfully squashed all internal party dissent throughout the years. Besides the contrasting political ideologies between the two, the other differences between Kit Siang and Samy Vellu is that the latter had the chance to serve in government as a cabinet Minister for more than 20 years, and thus exposing himself to a greater deal of criticism and scrutiny.

You may say Mahathir Mohamad was the same during his premiership, but in my view, Mahathir is one who knows when he has step down. He is famously quoted for saying, something along the line of; "Kalau nak berhenti makan, berhenti masa tengah sedap makan". And I think he did just that in 2003.

Manohara's family vs Kelantan royal palace

2009-05-01T23:42:00.008+08:00

Manohara giving SOS signal?

Above is an article from Tribun Makassar (Makassar - home of Najib Razak's forefathers) on the current hot issue in Indonesia; the kidnapping and abuse of Manohara Odelia Pinot, wife of the Kelantan royal prince, Tengku Fakhry.

Here's a transcript of the dot points in the article.

1. Manohara dan suaminya tampak menonton pertandingan bola
2. Tapi ibunya melihat ekspresi Manohara sedang minta pertolongan
3. Kerajaan (Kesultanan) Kelantan utus pembantu rumah tangga ke Indonesia - Untuk jelaskan kondisi Manohara (Betul ke ni?)
4. Ibu Mano tersinggung pembantu rumah tangga yang diutus

So, who is right? Manohara or the Kelantan royal family? It saddens me if what Manohara's mother claims to be true, that the royal palace sent over their "pembantu rumah tangga" to Indonesia to settle this issue? Oh well, I prefer to see this matter being resolved amicably between the two families without the need to go to the court.

And as usual, the nationalist Indonesian media just love to sensationalize anti-Malaysia sentiments by showing Malaysia as a big bully, a country with no respect for others, and funnily even the Yang diPertuan Agong Sultan Mizan wasn't spared either. Probably some of them don't know that there are 9 royal families in Malaysia.

Financial liberalisation or economic imperialism?

2009-04-28T17:22:00.006+08:00

The Star: Government goes easy on financial sector
PUTRAJAYA: The Government will issue up to nine new banking and insurance licences until 2011 and allow foreigners to own up to 70% equity in the country’s Islamic banks, investment banks and insurance companies.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the liberalisation package, comprising six thrusts, was aimed at enhancing Malaysia’s linkages with international economies.

I read this news with mixed feelings and many questions. I am not an expert in this field so my comments will only be based on my limited understanding of the subject.

Although I tend to be an optimist, but reading the announcement by Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Najib Tun Razak, I can't help but ask; is it financial liberalisation or an economic imperialism in the offing? Yes, we are facing the worst economic recession in history. Yes, we need more Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). But I have strong doubt about allowing foreigners to own majority stakes in important sectors of the economy. Does this mean they'll soon be given license to own our local banks? Is this a sign of our weaknesses? Does the great nations of the Western world that gave birth to many liberal economic philosophies have decided to open up and liberalise their industries and other key sectors of their economy?

Will Najib liberalise other sectors too? To take an example of the telecommunication industry, it was barely two years ago when the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry asked the third largest local telco player, DiGi, owned by Telenor, to cut their stake from 61% to 49% (source: Telegeography.com). Will there be a reverse in the policy? I hope not.

Globalisation

I am a firm believer of globalisation; only in the sense that if it cuts both ways. Not just from West to East, but also from East to West. Globalisation and modernisation must not equate Westernisation. I have asked this question once to my American graduate lecturer, and sadly the answer that I get is a dissapointing one. He holds a strong Americanism and a defeatist view and believes in the hypothetical claim that globalization and Westernisation - is alright.

In my view, if you want to be a true advocate of globalisation, free trade and other similar jargons, you must be prepared to accept the process holistically, and not take a hypocritical approach; which is what America is now - a strong proponent of liberal economy that goes around the world asking others to open up their market but at same time practicing protectionist and conservative economic policies at home whilst citing security reasons (note: Kapitalism, free trade & globalisasi Barat) to justify their un-liberal economic acts.

Back to Malaysia, I do hope that other key sectors of the economy, e.g. health, agriculture etc, will not fall into the objective of liberalisation. I hold a centrist and pragmatic view of economy, in that while I am all for free market, private ownership and all that, I also believe government have an important role to play in the market and must not and cannot allow important economic sectors to fall into foreign hands. There must been a clear line between attracting investments, increasing competitiveness AND selling the country.

I do hope my speculation and worry is wrong.

KL International Book Fair 2009, PWTC

2009-04-26T19:42:00.003+08:00

From Raden Saleh, Tun Perak, Abdul Samad Amjah to Mawdudi and Hamid Enayat

Visiting the KL book fair has become part of my annual routine for the past 5 years or so. I've lost count how many books lying on my shelves that I haven't read or waiting to be read and yet, today I bought another five books. Well, I guess that is fairly normal for a bookworm, isn't it?

Out of the five books, I am particularly interested in "Raden Saleh: Anak Belanda, Mooi Indie & Nasionalisme" (Komunitas Bambu, 2009) by Harsja W. Bachtiar, Peter B.R. Carey and Ongkokham. It's in Bahasa Indonesia by the way. Many thanks to Gerak Budaya and SIRD for bringing in excellent Indonesian books to our shores.

Browsing through the pages of Raden Saleh Syarif Bustaman, a 19th century Javanese aristocrat, scientist and one of the greatest Indonesian painter; I had a lot of questions running through my mind. I began to wonder whether there exist such a distinct intellectual within the Malay society in the 19th century other than Munshi Abdullah, the father of modern Malay literature. If ever there were any, could it be possible that such work was left unpublished or lost? (Note: According to 'Hikayat Abdullah', thousands of original Malay manuscripts were lost at the time when Stamford Raffles' ship went up in smoke) Also, I wonder why is it that the awareness of nationalism, intellectualism and independence came in rather late in the Malay states, if we were to compare with others say in India or in the Arab states?

Reading 'Hikayat Abdullah', the great Munshi made no apologies when he criticized the attitude of the superstitious Malay society, the stupidity and cruel Malay Sultan(s) (note: Sultan Husin Syah of Singapore and the Temenggung), their negative attitude toward education and so forth. Upon finishing reading through Munshi Abdullah's social critique on the Malay society, I find it rather sad that some of the old Malay traits are still exist in the modern era. No doubt there's been a great deal of improvement in terms of education, social, economy etc, but certain aspect like witchcraft, magic and other un-Islamic rites are still being practiced till today. I'm thinking of reading again Mahathir's Malay Dilemma and probably Syed Hussein Ali's 'Orang Melayu - Masalah & Masa Depan' later on.

Back to work!

Previous KLIBF postings
KL International Book Fair 2008
KL International Book Fair 2007

Penanti - Yet another by-election!

2009-04-16T23:38:00.008+08:00

theSun: Fairus resigns as Penanti assemblyman; Another by-election imminent
Opalyn Mok

GEORGE TOWN (April 16, 2009) : Former Penang deputy chief minister Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin yesterday resigned as Penanti state assemblyman, confirming weeks of speculation that a by-election for the Penanti state seat was likely.

In a press statement, Mohammad Fairus, 33, said he took this step to resign as a state representative to protect the interest of his party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Bernama: PKR Wants To Find Deputy CM In Penanti
KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said the Penanti state by-election in Penang is just an avenue for the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to find a candidate for the post of Penang Deputy Chief Minister I.

I think it's no longer a secret that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is filled with bunch of underqualified and low quality wakil rakyats. That a by-election is needed just for the sake of getting a new Deputy Chief Minister 1. That none of the two PKR elected representatives are deemed good enough to be promoted as Penang Deputy Chief. If not why does it took so long for Anwar to decide between only two of their Wakil Rakyat, Abdul Malik Kassim and Maktar Shapee?

First was the corruption scandal involving the two PKR frogs in Perak; Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Osman Jailu. Next, the former Kedah state Exco, V. Arumugam, who quit amidst allegation of a marriage scandal and latest is the resignation of Fairus Khairuddin as DCM1 and ADUN of Penanti. In simple words; PKR is not only the weakest link in Pakatan Rakyat, but also the main cause of our never ending political instability. Heheh.

With all these scandals surrounding PKR, Anwar still has the time to talk about forming a shadow cabinet. Franky, the shadow cabinet plan is a laughable news. It is just a political gimmick. If Pakatan Rakyat is really sincere and capable enough as the so-called 'government-in-waiting, then the shadow cabinet should've been formed last year. As a comparison, the Barisan Nasional opposition in Selangor was quick to form their own shadow cabinet immediately after the 12th general election.

Still, It would be interesting to see the distribution of cabinet posts between PAS, PKR and DAP and who among their leaders to be appointed to the shadow cabinet, if ever, that is going to happen soon. And it's pretty likely that Anwar will again be the dominating factor in choosing the members of the shadow cabinet.

Til then, let's wait for the upcoming Penanti by-election. Nothing much to shout about as it is a foregone conclusion that PKR will win the seat and that the winner will be appointed as the new DCM1.

Proton Exora!

2009-04-16T01:21:00.004+08:00

Proton unveils its first MPV
KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd unveiled its first multipurpose vehicle (MPV), the Exora, to the public in a gala event here Wednesday night.
Launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the 1.6-litre Exora has already received orders of 2,500 units, even before its public unveiling.

The seven-seater -- Proton’s most important model for the year -- also marks the company’s entry into the MPV market, which is growing domestically and regionally.
The Exora is a result of an investment of RM450mil and 18 months of intense in-house research and development, the company said.

It is powered by a 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine with 125bhp and torque of 150Nm, and is available in a four-speed automatic version, in trim levels of Mid-Line and Hi-Line.

The Mid-Line Exora costs RM69,998 and the Hi-Line variant, RM75,998 for the metallic colours.

Click here and here for a full review of Proton Exora by Anthony Lim and Paul Tan.

Image source: star-motoring.com

ps: I'm not really good in commenting on cars, so I won't say much here but I do think that Exora is somewhat a revolutionary design by Proton.

pps: But on the other hand, I can't help but notice a striking resemblance between Proton Exora and Toyota Wish. Don't you think so?

I'm lovin' my new Persona. :)

The Edge: Tri-election post-mortem

2009-04-15T17:18:00.003+08:00

Today, I found out that one of my blog traffic came from The Edge. Curiously enough, I clicked on the link, and saw a commentary of the so-called post mortem of the recent tri-election, containing blog posts from around the local blogosphere. So, thanks to The Edge journalist, Lam Jian Wyn for quoting and mentioning this humble blog in your article; 'Tri-election post-mortem'.

Written by Lam Jian Wyn
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 15:30
The tri-election fever is gone, sort of.

In the wake of the results – 2 to Pakatan, 1 to Barisan – are a slew of blogposts. While some bloggers were wasted from the election frenzy, the blogosphere’s pundits wasted no time in dissecting the results.

BN’s defeat in the peninsula was clearly met by some with disbelief. A Voice was disappointed with the component parties of BN. “Much to my chagrin, the Chinese vote did not sway for BN. Did MCA or Gerakan failed to deliver for BN? Does it indicate MCA and Gerakan as being no more relevant to the Chinese voters?”

Ahmad A Talib, in his list of conclusions from the election results, agrees. He adds that Chinese voters would much rather vote for Nizar, who is a Pas candidate.

While A Voice feels that Malay votes have gone up, the real question is: “Is the battle in Bukit Gantang about the age-old animosity between Umno and DAP? Or it has changed from the battle of party politics to become the battle to win the heart of the voters? Has the traditional political structure undergone a permanent change after GE12?”

Shanon blames the BN’s defeat on their inability to understand young voters as well as what he considers weak leadership which has failed to rein in Umno members . “It's a case of nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. And it doesn't help much when the alternative media tends to highlight and sensationalize racial and religious issues or statements made by certain Umno leaders.”

He is also doubtful of the party’s campaign tactics. “Umno picked a local boy as their candidate... Tun Dr Mahathir helped out to campaign for Umno and Barisan Nasional. Khairy Jamaluddin kept a low profile this time around. And the result of these? Only a minor increase in Malay votes whereas the bulk of non-Malay votes solidly went to PAS! The presence of Tun might increase the number of Malay votes for Umno, but can it also be a reason for the huge drop among the Chinese? “

Meanwhile. Syed Imran thinks that BN’s decision to allow Pakatan leader Anwar Ibrahim's former right-hand man Nor Ezam to campaign is a costly mistake. “Ezam is not well-liked, and he is in fact a burden to BN. I wrote before that if BN wants to lose, allow Ezam to go to the ground just as he did in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu. Like it or not, Anwar’s influence is stronger than Ezam’s, that’s assuming if he has any at all,” the blogger opines.

‘Cyberspace Nak Muay Warrior’ Sakmongkol AK47 is derisive towards the "status quo" -- the defeats merely reinforce the existing governing bodies in the respective states. “That is true indeed. The victories reinforce the status quo in the sense they do not change the rakyat's anguish and rejection of BN and BN's polices,” the blogger opines. “Indeed status quo remains in the sense we are fooled into believing that Umno wants to change for the better,” Sakmongkol AK47 adds, referring to the elitism in Umno’s ranks.

Areka, in an open letter to premier Najib Razak, attributes the BN’s defeat to “denial syndrome” and quoted the late China chairman Deng Xiaopeng: "It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat." The blogger goes on to remind the ruling government to sober up and start paying attention to the rakyat. “You have the power for five years. Change. Or we, the Rakyat just need the power a day on polling day once every five years to change you. The ball is at your feet now. “

Those hungover from the election fever nonetheless still have something to say. “To the voters in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, we salute you and thank you,” types Balajoe while vIvEk simply quips: “It feels good to deny you guys a win. Seriously!”

Related articles.
The Edge: Tri-Election post-mortem
Shahnon.com: The beginning of a new democratic revolution?

Mahathir's advise to son

2009-04-11T14:01:00.004+08:00

NST - Saturday, 11 April 2009

"Just because you're in the cabinet doesn't mean I'm going to keep quite, you know...?" Tun Dr. M to son, Mukhriz.

Read between the lines. Hehe. Picture above is the latest cartoon by Lat in today's NST. Lat has never failed to disappoint me with his political cartoons long since I was in primary school.

If there is one reason why I still read the NST, it must be because of Lat's cartoons, besides Johan Jaafar and Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Zaini Said's weekly column. Other than that, NST has nothing much great to offer.

Utusan - political headline of the day

2009-04-08T05:41:00.004+08:00

Utusan Malaysia: BN 1, PAS 1, PKR 1

According to the news headline above, it seems that BN didn't lose after all! :P
Let's be fair to Utusan. Being a pro-establishment paper, definitely some kind of a political spin were to be expected, but who would've thought such a thing? I must commend those people in Utusan for putting up such a creative headline. No, seriously I mean it. Hehe.

The beginning of a new democratic revolution?

2009-04-08T01:00:00.004+08:00

And so the results were out. Pakatan Rakyat won 2-1 (4-1, if you count in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu). To me, the win in Batang Ai has no significance to UMNO, simply because UMNO, as the backbone of Barisan Nasional does not exist in Sarawak. The real battle that UMNO lost was Bukit Gantang.

The results of Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau have also reaffirmed that the political landscape in peninsular Malaysia remains much the same since March 8 last year. And perhaps, to some extent it is a strong signal to Najib's premiership or the approval of Nizar Jamaluddin as the rightful Menteri Besar of Perak; whichever way one prefers to see it. One thing is for certain, the impact of the great political Tsunami of March 8 is still around. Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau remain a strong testament of the rejection of UMNO and Barisan Nasional as a whole.

A quick analyze on the tri-election results of the infamous two Bukits and one Batang would show a deep sentiment of unpredictability among the new and young voters. Something of which perhaps none of the older generation of political analysts could have an idea of what had happened or what went wrong. Maybe not all, but I've watched a whole lot of rubbish being dished out by some of the so-called political experts trying to justify the losses by UMNO and BN whereas the simple truth is they just don't understand the mind of the young voters. And in this sense, one person that stands out is Dr. Abu Hassan from UM. I believe his understanding was largely based on his studies and ground research conducted during the by-elections.

Let's recap a bit. UMNO picked a local boy as their candidate. Pak Lah has stepped down. Najib Razak was appointed as the new Prime Minister. Tun Dr Mahathir helped out to campaign for UMNO and Barisan Nasional. Khairy Jamaluddin kept a low profile this time around. And the result of these? Only a minor increase in Malay votes whereas the bulk of non-Malay votes solidly went to PAS! The presence of Tun might increase the number of Malay votes for UMNO, but can it also be a reason for the huge drop among the Chinese?

UMNO has failed miserably to win the support of the non-Malays. And the great perception is that UMNO is still seen as the super dominant party while MCA and Gerakan are mere passengers. Therefore, there is no place for hope to rest upon the non-Malay based parties in BN. Therein lies the big problem. To talk about UMNO from a broader perspective, (no I'm not blaming Pak Lah for the Bukit Gantang defeat) Pak Lah's so-called leadership of openness had in a way turned out to backfire the party. Frankly, the problem is not about being open, transparent and so forth, but it is a result of a weak party leadership. A leadership that failed to control the act of some party members. It's a case of nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. And it doesn't help much when the alternative media tend to highlight and sensationalize racial and religious issues or statements made by certain UMNO leaders.

As a result, UMNO was perceived to be a racist party espousing extreme ethno-nationalistic political ideology. Extreme voices from within the party began to dominate and seen to be the voice of majority.

While PAS has successfully geared its political stance to the center, UMNO, on the other hand - at least in the context of political perception - went further and further to the extreme right. No doubt that the conservative and hardline party leaders in PAS are still around, but the new liberal and moderate leaders of the so-called Erdogan faction or the pro-Anwar group are becoming more prominent and made their presence felt more than the old conservatives. Now this, I believe, is the delicate role Najib has to play, that is to bring UMNO back to the center, back on track and project itself as a moderate party whilst being firm and fair at same time.

Unless Najib and his group of advisers and his new team in cabinet could turn the tables around, I foresee that nothing much will change in the coming months or years to come.

Tri-Election and the Blogosphere

2009-04-07T14:35:00.004+08:00

If the popularity trend in blogs has any bearing on the tri-election results in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai, then I believe Pakatan Rakyat stands to win all three convincingly. But unfortunately, I doubt that is the case here, particularly in Batang Ai where the Internet penetration there is perhaps only around 1% or less.

At the very least, the results below could provide some indication where the blogging community is heading.

In the new free media of the Internet, should Barisan Nasional and its component party leaders/members fail to recognize the growing and powerful impact of blogs, then it is likely to spell doom for the party. Setting up a blog is one thing, but more importantly is to have a good quality blog content. No point in having a blog if it's not frequently updated or merely posting news reports as blog posts.

Anyway, if the three by-elections in Perak, Kedah and Sarawak were to be judged by "popularity in blogs", this is the results.

Ismail Saffian (BN) vs Nizar Jamaluddin (PAS)

S. Ganeson (BN) vs S.Manikumar (PKR) [This is worst. Blogs on S.Ganeson is almost non-existent]

Malcolm Mussen (BN) vs Jawah Gerang (PKR)

Barisan Nasional vs Pakatan Rakyat

Malaysian Broadband Ahoy!

2009-04-05T23:59:00.004+08:00

Argh, what a bloody slow Internet connection! I wouldn't be surprise if TM Streamyx is having issues again, but Izzi broadband is currently slow too. I wonder what is going on. Luckily my other alternative mobile Internet access - DiGi Unlimited Data Access - is doing fine. Maybe this is a sign that I should try to cut down my time spent on the Net. :-)

Malaysia in Transition

2009-04-03T00:38:00.003+08:00

As someone who belongs to the "Generation M" group - youths who grew up and spent their lives knowing only one Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad - this is what I wrote in this blog roughly six years ago;

Sebak rasanya apabila sekali lagi menonton klip video pengumuman mengejut tentang persaraan semua jawatan dalam kerajaan dan parti, termasuklah jawatan Perdana Menteri oleh Dr. Mahathir ketika Perhimpunan Agung UMNO, Jun tahun lalu melalui sebuah rancangan 30 minit di Channel 9. Dalam sedar tak sedar, masanya telah tiba. Masih semacam samar-samar lagi, masih semacam sukar hendak menerima kenyataan, atau mungkin memakan sedikit masa lagi untuk menerima kenyataan bahawa Dr. Mahathir bukan lagi Perdana Menteri Malaysia. Apa pun syabas kerana peralihan kuasa di negara kita berlangsung dengan penuh lancar, tiada kekecohan timbul.

Back then, a website, ThanksMahathir.com was specially created to dedicate our respect and love to the Father of Modern Malaysia. I wonder whether anybody in the Prime Minister's office has forgotten to do the same to Pak Lah, or perhaps many are eager to see him leave quickly?

I wish all the best to Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak as the newly appointed Malaysian Prime Minister.

p/s: I just realised that Samy Vellu has been the MIC President ever since my parents got married and still holding on to the post til now! I think Samy is now in a race with Taib Mahmud, to be the longest ever BN component party president in Malaysia. 3 UMNO Presidents and 4 MCA Presidents have come and gone, but the great Samy and Taib are still around!

But but, that's not all. If you combine the number of years of the Father-and-Son leadership of the "Democratic" Action Party or affectionately known as DAP since 1969 to date, any BN component leaders still lose to them, hands down. Lol!

UMNO and a few good men

2009-04-01T04:56:00.001+08:00

My favorite magazine, Off the Edge, featured an interview with Muar MP and newly elected UMNO Youth deputy, Razali Ibrahim in their latest issue. I agree with the heading on the mag. Dato' Razali, is indeed one of the few good men in Pemuda, or UMNO in general. I also believe he is one of the future leaders to watch. I hope that Najib will include him in his new cabinet. It doesn't matter if previosly no Naib Ketua Pemuda was appointed to cabinet. What is more important is getting clean and capable leaders. Najib should break away from old traditions if he's really interested in reforms.

Old leaders of the Syed Hamid Albar generation should be left out. It's just sad to know that Shahrir Samad has resigned. I believe in the eyes of the public, Shahrir is no doubt one of the best minister in Pak Lah's cabinet.

UMNO, at this point of time, is in dire need of clean, intelligent, capable, moderate and incorruptible leaders. Corrupt leaders like Khir Toyo, though he has ideas and writes well, should be kicked out too. BN will not be able to wrest Selangor back from Pakatan Rakyat if Khir Toyo is leading the BN campaign. We need more capable leaders like Razali Ibrahim in UMNO.

Secondly, what is needed is for the new breed of moderate leaders to come out and be more vocal on national issues or any important issues that affects the rakyat. UMNO cannot afford to allow extremist leaders to have more say in the party.

We've had enough of dwelling too much into petty political issues whereas the focus, time and attention should be on governance, rebuilding the economy and gaining trust of the public. The time is running out, everybody is watching, and the party cannot afford to make any mistake or risk facing a greater political Tsunami in the 13th GE.

On the other hand, looking at the reports and current ground analysis of the three by-elections, I believe BN has a winnable chance in winning at least two of the three seats, if not all. Hope that the support shown will be translated into solid votes!

Note: I'm not referring to analysis made by the mainstream media, Utusan Malaysia especially, as they have not known to be very useful, but merely syok sendiri. Lol.

Najib, Tun Dr Mahathir & Pak Lah

2009-03-29T09:11:00.002+08:00

Hari-hari terakhir seorang Perdana Menteri

A picture says a thousand words. ;-)

Earth Hour in Kuala Lumpur

2009-03-28T22:47:00.007+08:00

View of Kuala Lumpur from my office window. The KLCC towers, KL tower and closer to my place, Sooka Sentral were all in the dark during this historic moment. The only building bright enough from my place was the KL Sentral building. The lights was on for a very obvious reason that nobody should blame the KL Sentral management for not participating. Hehe.

Earth Hour - 28 March!

2009-03-28T00:47:00.003+08:00

Earth hour is here! Be part of the global campaign!

Turn off your lights or other electrical appliances for one hour (8.30pm - 9.30pm) on 28th March 2009!

Join Malaysia as we take part in a global movement to stand united with 1000 cities and its peoples for Earth Hour by switching off non-essential lights for one hour.

Above is a quote from an email I received.
Anyways, I'd like to comment on a letter in The Star yesterday where a so-called concerned citizen critized the idea of organizing such event. I find it totally absurd and ridiculously dumb to say that this huge global movement organized by international NGOs with the support of countless multinational corporations is a "mere publicity stunt". One must remember that this is a 'campaign', hence to run a campaign one needs to have a good publicity to spread the words around.

It's interesting that the writer mentioned about Malaysia being a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol. Yes, but that is our participation at governmental level. The Earth Hour campaign involves a much wider community - that is, the peoples of planet Earth. And by having this sort of campaign, every each of us would have the chance to participate or at the very least be educated about the serious issue of climate change.

p/s: In future if power failure happens, I hope TNB would not use the 'Earth Hour' campaign as an excuse. Heheh.

UMNO elections

2009-03-26T23:58:00.006+08:00

So the great tension of the UMNO election has finally settled. It's been with a huge sigh of relief to know that Muhyiddin won the Deputy President post. To me, the Deputy President race is far more important the Ketua Pemuda election. I just can't imagine what disaster if Mat Taib won. Although I was disappointed that Mukhriz lost (and surprisingly finishing third!), as an outsider and a non-party member, I'd like to prefer to be positive about the election of Khairy Jamaluddin as the new Ketua Pemuda. Like it or not, Khairy has to change his arrogant style. I believe the hardest part now is for Khairy to reunite the different factions within Pemuda. This is not an easy task. Mukhriz might seemed to be accepting the result well, but obviously not to his staunch supporters and majority of the grassroots who voted for Mukhriz during the pencalonan period. I wish them all the best.

Despicable Act

2009-03-25T00:38:00.005+08:00

This is, simply, despicable. I do not wish to post the poster image on this blog (you may click on the link to view it). The person who designed the poster must be one hell of a foolish moron. It just sadden me to see the level of our political fightings have stooped this low. The fact that they're involving the Mufti and the wise Sultan Azlan Shah made it even worse. Heck, why blame the two old men? Blame the frogs who jumped ship lah. Blame the poor quality of your party candidates. I guess it's always easy to put the blame on others, rather than ourselves.

Najib signals for Mukhriz?

2009-03-24T22:05:00.003+08:00

Is Najib sending a subtle signal to Mukhriz Mahathir for the UMNO youth chief post in his opening speech of the party wings convention?
I was watching Najib's long and winding speech on Astro Awani when I heard him uttering something like "Pemuda harus mencari pemimpin yang berani berubah..blabla..". For the record "Berani berubah" is Mukhriz's campaign motto or rally cry for the election, while Khairy adopted 'Setiakawan'. Whether this is a mere coincidence or not we shall find out tomorrow.