VDay + 8

OK, it's a week since that historic 12th General Election. What has happened since then? Here's a summary of the news that grabbed headlines:

1. Bowing out gracefully? Or not?
Disgraced heads of MCA, Gerakan and MIC declined cabinet posts, citing the need to concentrate on rebuilding their battered parties. All except, you-know-who...he's really still sleeping and in dreamland! Most gracious of the lot is Koh Tsu Koon; the worst, as expected is Samy Vellu. That guy doesn't know when to quit, now does he?

2. Of Chief Minister and Menteri Besars
Lim Guan Eng's elevation to the top post in Penang went smoothly. So did the appointment of the PAS Kedah Menteri Besar. A row in Perak: DAP (in this case the Central Committee) was against the wishes of the Sultan to appoint a PAS assemblyman as the Menteri Besar. Lim Kit Siang was bashed left, right and centre on MSM as well as cyberspace; common space finally prevailed - the swearing-in ceremony will be held tomorrow. As expected, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was appointed Selangor Menteri Besar. A battle looms in Perlis, where Sleepyhead's choice Shahidan Kassim was snubbed by the Sultan, who has chosen another. Similar problem may be brewing in Terengganu, as Idris Jusoh's swearing-in ceremony had been postponed.

3. Burying secrets?
News of Selangor civil servants shredding secret documents caught headlines. Really, if there's nothing to hide...there's nothing to hide. Apparently Khir Toyo has got some skeletons in his closet. Let's wait for the outcome! And did he really sign a concession agreement with Puncak Niaga the day before the elections?

4. There is a God...
The Warlord of Klang dies of a heart attack. Fair justice and an omen, some people say. God has finally punished someone for his transgressions...too bad his family would have to live with the sins of the father. And what about his palace? Some say, turn it into a museum to showcase UMNO excesses...good idea, and would generate income for the state coffers!

5. Street protests not the Malaysian way?
Ha ha...this really takes the cake. A few months earlier, UMNO has come out condemning the street protests of BERSIH and HINDRAF - not the Malaysian way, they proclaimed then. So why the hell, the protests at Komtar on Friday? Because of the published reports (again of course in the MSM) of abolishing the NEP in Penang? Apparently, it is said that most of the protesters were not even from Penang!! That's UMNO for you...perhaps they should have been sprayed with chemically-laced water and tear-gassed! Now that would be fair justice!

6. Twists and turns
The forked-tongue of the MSM is all and sundry to see. But with five states under the Opposition, they have to be more careful; of course there's more targets, but they're lead by capable individuals. Even Bernama had to apologise for their 'misquoting' of Lim Guan Eng's NEP statement. Hey, an omission (I think, on purpose) of a few words - in this case - certain practises - brings about a abrupt change in meaning. I hope this buggers be brought to court and their pants sued off!

7. The end is near?
There has been constant speculation on the future of Mr. Sleepyhead. I think he knows that his time has finally come. The BN component parties may rally behind him (as a show of unity only-lah), but realistically the cracks are already showing. From the snubbing of his choices for Perlis Menteri Besar, to the most recent call of resignation by Mukhriz Mahathir, he must really have seen the writing on the wall. Unless he is really sleeping. Some say that he needs to appoint SIL as a minister before he leaves - that would probably hasten his departure. In any case, I'm sure UMNO will throw him out come the UMNO elections... Bow out gracefully or be humiliated out? That's his choice...

8. Economic worries
The stock market took a big hit of course, especially the Government-linked counters; and especially those with contracts and interests in the Opposition states. Worst hit is Equine Capital (PGCC, Patrick Badawi) whose mega project is likely to be under scrutiny; KPS and water related-stocks in Selangor, where the Pahang-Selangor interstate water-transfer project would now be under close scrutiny. Of course construction and property-related stocks in these states are under heavy pressure. Anyway I feel the local market will recover once all the political uncertainties have been cleared away. Hopefully, the increased transparency and crackdown on corruption (and abolishment of the NEP-practices) would prove to be the main investment-attracting changes this election would bring about!

So this is the tumultuous first week for Malaysia. Let's gear up for the second week!

Another Missing Child

Well, we haven't even found little Sharlinie yet, and now the police have another case on their hands! Personally I think this maybe a case of a runaway, as it is not that easy to kidnap an 11 year-old, but then again I could be wrong...

Again the nation's prayers are with the family...so over to you Polis Di-Raja Malaysia!

More Threats!

This article really makes my blood boil. It is evident some dungus in UMNO still do not want to face reality. You want to make a threat like that? I'm sure the blood of Penangites - of all races - will boil too...and will show these idiots the door the next election. Hoi, the people have spoken and not afraid of threats anymore! The more you push away, the more you will lose...

And oh, Mr. State Opposition...you wanna see what the Opposition can do? Let them win the elections and give them five years of the country's resources to do so...then we will see what they can do!

A New Malaysia...hopefully

Well, I guess Malaysians woke up to a shell-shocked government and Opposition - the former never expected to be hit so bad, the latter never expected to win so big. But that is the reality on 9th March 2008. The despised BN had lost their 2/3 majority, and also lost Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor to the loose coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS. While there is some sense of stability in the fact that BN would continue to form the government via a simple majority, observers and citizens are generally cautious on how the country would move on from her. Understandably, thanks to years of repeated brainwashing, the spectre of May 13 1969 weighs heavy on the thoughts of many. Do not worry. This time, we Malaysians as a whole have to much to lose to allow such senseless incident to happen. After all, history is man's greatest teacher!

Judging from the columns and reports in the mainstream media (propaganda machine of the government), the spin-doctors are scrambling to come up with credible reasons for the heavy slap in the face. Gerakan, MIC and MCA lost big-time; UMNO too lost credibility. The loss of Perak, Selangor and Perak were the least expected, though there were some rumours early last week that Kedah and Perlis might fall to the opposition. Selangor and Perak are surprising catches for the Opposition. The question is now how the Government, and foreign investors would react to the changed political landscape. Well, there will be the usual knee-jerk reaction but things would eventually stabilise.

How would I expect the Government to react? No different. It will be business as usual. They can ostracise one state like Kelantan...but to do the same to another four states, with one of them in the Malay heartland would be like digging their own political graves. I expect all projects and developments to carry on as planned, especially the NCER, lest more ammo is given to the Opposition four years down the road. Would Selangor and Perak be marginalised? Most definitely not. In my opinion, I expect even more effort be put in by the BN as well as the victorious Opposition to win the hearts of the populace in all five states - you can say we will have the best of both worlds.

The political future of Gerakan and MIC, and to a smaller extent MCA, is not so clear however. UMNO would be badly shaken up as well. They had not expected the swing in the Malay votes and had counted heavily on it to retain their 2/3 majority. Whether this would herald a more conciliatory UMNO or otherwise remains to be seen. One thing is clear for sure...there'll be big changes this year. I just hope that it is for the better.

I guess this is what you get when you treat Malaysians for fools. They keep blaming the rise in essential items, food etc. as being the cause of their loss. I opine that is not the case. It is the sheer arrogance of UMNO and timidity of its so-called comrades-in-arms that led to its defeat. It's simple: they have failed to tackle the basic problems that faced the country - corruption, crime, sheer wastage of taxpayers funds and loss of competitiveness - and instead thumbed their noses at the rakyat by acting roughshod over the BERSIH and HINDRAF gathering. Oi, Bodowi...we are not so stupid anymore! And we must of course congratulate the alternative media, such as the Internet, for the transmission of credible news! Without it, we would still be hearing and believing the lies as we had for many years!

One thing I'm very excited about though - once we Malaysians throw off the yoke of May 13, there is a possibility that the Opposition may give BN a run for their money at the next election. Once people see that Opposition gaining control of the states does not lead to chaos, BN would have lost their trump card they have used all these years. Of course this depends on how the Opposition does over the next five years - I believe they would not waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There is time for celebration. But they better get to work soon because there is so much work to be done.

But let's just savour this day a bit longer Malaysia...

Momentous Occasion

What a night...for the Opposition that is. At last count, they have retained Kelantan and wrested four other states: Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor!!! Such a result must be unthinkable and a pleasant surprise to many!

And they have done it: denied BN their 2/3 majority in the Parliament. UMNO, MCA and MIC lost big time - obviously MIC and MCA the worse of the three. A few cabinet ministers lost their seats; the Opposition big shots generally came out unscathed.

I certainly hope this heralds a new Malaysia. A better Malaysia for Malaysians.

Opposition Tide

There's no stopping it now. As of 11 p.m. tonight, the Opposition has taken Penang and Kedah, and retained Kelantan. A lot of big guns have fallen - including Kok Tsu Koon, Samy Vellu, Tan Chai Ho, Shahrizat and Zam Zam Alakazam... The Opposition leaders have generally won their seats.

So, now will BN listen?

Done

All it took was five minutes. The voting was done. No indelible ink. The serial number is still there...as if I care a damn. No surprises. More and more people were turning up at my polling centre - both young and old alike. But peaceful nonetheless.

Who did I vote for? I'm a young, urban, Chinese professional - that should answer the question, shouldn't it?

All Set!

The stage is set. Everybody seems to be raring to go. Today is the big day...the decision is in the hands of 10 million Malaysian voters.

Will we, the people, deny BN their 2/3 majority? Will we, the people, give enough votes to the Opposition to form the next government? Or will we, the people, cower meekly and surrender ourselves and our country to the rape and plunder of BN for another five years?

Tonight, we shall know the answer...

Shocker again!

Hot off the press!! Just a few months after declaring the use of indelible ink in Sturday's general election, comes this shocking declaration by the Election Comission: EC decides against indelible ink

If this doesn't give more ammo to the Opposition, I don't know what will! The Election Comission officials keep shooting themselves in the foot; after being praised for implementing such an action to ensure fair voting practices, retracting it citing such pathetic excuses could only damage it's already battered credibility!! After all, wasn't tax payer's money used to buy 47,000 bottles of the ink for use during the election? What are they gonna use it for? Fountain pens???

God, I wonder what is next?

Another Shocker!

Wow, the battle for hearts and minds of voters are really heating up!! Now comes another little piece of shocking news about the recently announced RM 350m Motorola investment in Penang!

A RM 1b contract in return for RM 350m reinvestment? Wonder where this people learn their arithmetic from? And of course, with the purported letter being dated Dec 3 2007, we all know that such decisions are obviously politically motivated! Well, at least it's Gerakan arm-twisting UMNO for a change!!

Malaysia Boleh!? Koh-Tsu Koon style?

Mind Boggling

God...imagine my surprise when I looked at the full page advertisement taken out by BN on the five Economic corridors...too bad I can't find a pic of it anywhere on the Net yet! Will have to go back and take it the old-fashioned way! But here's the gist of it:

IDR: RM 382b
NCER: RM 178b
ECER: RM 112b
SCORE: RM 334b
SDC: RM 105b

Hey don't need to take out your calculators...they even counted it for you: RM 1.1 trillion ringgit!! Another Malaysia Boleh! project by BN, but would most probably end up Malaysia Tak Boleh...

Finally, a little piece from a Little Bird...

Two Sides To A Story

And the BN claims that media reporting in this country is fair? Day in and day out, the mainstream media trumpets and blares the progress BN has brought and will bring, to this country. Come on, as if the discerning readers don't know that! While our country has progressed much, there is little to deny the fact that such progress has slowed to a snail's pace, if at all! So much for challenging the Tigers of Asia! Let's just make sure we don't get devoured in the increasingly competitive global savannah! Of course the Government will come out with a slew of only good news, from goodies dished out to the public to immediate approvals to requests that were denied for years - sometimes I feel the elections should be held every 2 years! Latest in this being none other than the sharp rise in GDP for 4Q 2007 - even the analysts were surprised at the strong showing! Personally I just wonder how much of it is true, and how much of it is fantasy!

So what of the opposition? Hmm, guess the only news worth reporting is bad news...maybe it's to reassure or more likely scare, the less discerning readers. The Opposition has little news space - perhaps 10% or so - the rest are all BN news. So how can the Government comment that only BN can govern this country and not the Opposition? Have they been given the opportunity? Please let all Malaysians know?

And please do not use Kelantan as an example...if BN rules Kelantan for 50 years I'm sure the development would still be marginal? Why? Because Kelantan has got no industry or natural resources!! And as much as BN wants to bring in development, they too will fail, despite their access to the country's coffers. There's this tendency to compare Kelantan and Terengganu: well there is a big difference though - Terengganu has got oil!! That makes a whole lot of difference - also let us not forget when PAS took over Terengganu briefly in 1999-2004, the government quickly denied the state government access to the petroleum royalties and denying us to see a chance of what could have been should the Opposition ruled a state! So let me ask again - who is to say that the Opposition can't rule?

Having said that, I do not believe the Opposition should attempt to topple BN this time around - they are too fragmented with their different manifestos, agendas and bickering. To deny Barisan their 2/3 majority is fine, but looks unlikely. There is just too much gerrymandering of the constituencies over the years to ensure that Barisan would retain control of the Parliament. Further more there would be the mis-use of postal votes, phantom voters etc. which the Elections Commissions is well-trained to ignore! At least no matter what they do, it is safe to say that Barisan would not repeat their performance of 2004 after an abject four years of Pak Lah rule...incidentally did he deliver on any of the promises made in his 2004 manifesto? Thye answer of course is overwhelmingly no! Perhaps the Opposition could bring the majority to 70-75% and anything less than that is a bonus!

However the Opposition's efforts are not helped much by the lack of funds and media attention; the only turf where they appear to be able to stand on their own seems to be in cyberspace. I guess you could say the increasingly only credible news is on sites such as Aliran, Harakah Daily, Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini. Seems that certain cyber-criminals have been tasked to bring down certain websites...without much success. Furthermore I believe the Opposition should not only talk about national issues, but also local issues as well - that is where the battle is and ultimately to be won. They should do their research prior to their speeches. And oh, the Opposition should also get some public-speaking consultants in to train their candidates to speak better!!

Come March 9 we will know how far the Opposition has come...but unfortunately not because of their own efforts but more of disappointment with the ruling coalition. What should happen after March 9? The three main Opposition parties should sit down and unite under a single banner; deliver on their promises, ensure that the BN do not have a free hand at amending laws/constitution as they have been doing; provide check-and-balance the disgruntled Malaysian voters want; create a shadow Cabinet (which has been conspicuously lacking for many a year) to show the Malaysian voters how they would handle the various issues compared to the government; and for Pete's sake, plan for the next election to give BN a run for their money!

I know where my vote lies this time around...I hope you know where yours are too!