The UMNO 2015 AGM has just ended. Call it the Najib show.

12.12.2015.

Najib wound up today the opening speech he made on the first day. Nobody else, not the Vice Presidents, certainly not the Deputy President, were allowed to speak.  Every time he shouted into the mike, the delegates roared back their approval. And so ended the 2015 Najib show. And democracy in UMNO. 

Has it solved anything ?

Is the behaviour of the delegates  consonant with the rest of the party members not in PWTC ?

Where do party members speak about real issues ? The whole world has been talking about 1MDB and the 2.6 billion donation, and not a word of explanation, nor the demand for it, came out from either the delegates on the floor, or the Supreme Councillors on the dias. The sacred creature Najib created has been declared off-limits from the AGM. This way maybe the mess will go away ?

Having the floor to himself, in front of a captive audience, Najib sounded magnanimous. 

"Be a gentleman - I'm a gentleman"

"I'm offering the olive branch" 

"It's up to Muhyiddin, to make peace or war"

"Have a big heart"

Of course Zahid and Hishamuddin, the two loyal Vice-Presidents, echoed Najib. Zahid asked Muhyiddin, his party superior, to have a big heart, like his boss. Hishamuddin asked Muhyiddin, also his party superior, to apologise, to his first-cousin, Najib. Both must have  swallowed their prides when they were asked not to speak,  a childish cover for the Muhyiddin's ban at speaking.

Sure, be big-hearted, and carry that invisible olive branch. By all means be the true gentleman. But sack Muhyiddin first. Sack Shafie Apdal. Sack the AG. Transfer all the officers at short notice.

Some gentleman !

"I'll fight to the end !" What can he say, since he refuses to go ?

Muhyidden isn't playing to the script. He says he has nothing to apologise for. 

The 2,000 odd delegates behaved as expected, cowed by the President standing in front of them. That's UMNO politics. As the current PAC Chairman said, everybody is "cari makan".

The rest of the Malays in the country have been watching. They're not cowed by  the UMNO President. In 2008 they deserted UMNO in large numbers at the polls, because of the ineptitude of the then President. Muhyiddin became the kingmaker; the President was ousted and Najib took over. But Najib learned a lesson. Oust before being ousted ! But the rousing welcome Muhyiddin received when visiting the Youth, Wanita and Puteri AGMs whose openings he was denied,  was not been missed by Najib & co. 

Najib has won the battle.   For now. The show is over.  Now for the war.

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Najib's speech at UMNO's AGM 2015.

11.12.2015.

I have to write this bit, even as the AGM is still going on, and even if this time Veteran UMNO Malaysia was given only 5 Observer's passes.  I didn't get one.

I want to say that in his opening speech, Najib did all his usual shouting and rabble-rousing, and obviously hitting out at his two most prominent critics who were present, knowing full well that they can only squirm and swallow their anger  because they can't answer back. Some guts, Najib !

You quote the UMNO constitution about the role of the Deputy President to assist the President. But you fail to mention the role of the President to allow the Deputy President to be one.  Why would you let Party members go through all the hassle of  party elections and select all these committee members if you're not going to let them do their work ? In as much as the President is owed respect for the post he's elected to, so does the Deputy President own the right to act out his position, which obviously includes speaking at party meetings like this one. 

You shout about democracy and popular vote. Denying the popularly elected Deputy President the basic right of speaking is democratic ?

Forget about tradition in UMNO, that the no. 2 man always opened the Wings' Conference. What does the Party Constitution say ? 

With today and tomorrow, there are still two days left. Let's see what happens.

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Datuk Wahid.

7.12.2015.

We got to know each other, Datuk Wahid and I, because from 1978 to 1995 we were together in Damansara Utama. Our wives became close friends. We sort of tag along.

This afternoon Idah and Dekna, with Wafa brought along, together with me visited Wahid at the Tawakkal Hospital on Jalan Pahang. For the last two months their children had put him in the Senior Citizen ward in the old wing. He's suffering from  early dementia.

Idah and Kak Zah cried as they embraced each other. When we moved to Seremban in 1995, No. 1 Son, and later No. 2 Son, stayed at the old house in D.U. for a short time. During the fasting month Kak Zah used to send "buka puasa" to the house. Once when she called and got no answer, she phoned Idah, who requested she called again. In fact it was already eight, and No.1 Son had fallen asleep without breaking his fast. Kak Zah did all that. We can't forget that.

Wahid couldn't recognize any of us.

He should be about 78, because he is the same age as Bang Tai, who was 76 when he died. They were old MCKK friends.

Wahid cried and kissed Idah's hands when we took leave. Some sad thoughts must have passed through his mind.

Kak Zah said the hospital stay costs 5.5 K per month, not including the medicine. Idah was thinking why not get a nurse to care for him at home. It'll be more covenient. And cheaper.

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Is UMNO defunct ?

7.12.2015.

As a party member since 1987, with 10 continuous years as a delegate to the annual General Assembly from 1987 to 1997, four-and-a-half years as a State Legislator from 1995 to 1999, and currently a Central Committee member of the UMNO Veterans Club, a State Committee member of the Ex Wakil Rakyat Society (MUBARAK), as well as an incumbent UMNO Branch Committee member, I have every right to a say in the shenanigans going on in UMNO right now, even as it's preparing for the 2015 Annual General Assembly this week. 

The Party controls the government. Not the other way round.

Muhyiddin is the no. 2 man in UMNO. He was elected by party members, not appointed by the President, like the loud General Secretary, Ku Nan. To deny Muhyiddin the right to speak in the Party's Annual General Assembly is simply wrong. If members allow this to happen, they deserve the destruction that's befalling the party. 

It was the PM's right, even if it was not right, to remove Muhyiddin, unceremoniously, from  the DPM's office. That was administrative. But to do that in the Party's affairs is flawed. 

Even as the discerning rakyat debate on the cheapness of the DPM's sacking, this constitutional manipulation demands immediate correction. Or face the dire consequences. 

Najib, and all who back him for whatever motives, cannot discard the Party's constitution and traditions just like that. All are watching, not just the 3.5 million UMNO members. 

Even if attention is given to the 2,000 odd delegates gathering at the PWTC in the next few days, their response to this public display of personal revenge  on the part of the President will decide what happens to UMNO as a political power in the Malaysian political scene.  I say "even if" because notwithstanding the General Assembly, the grass-root members will have a mind of their own, and they had voted with their hearts in 2008. They can do it again.

The question is, is Najib so scared of Muhyiddin ?

I say that if this error is not corrected, UMNO is defunct. Mark that date "7.12.2015"

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Yusof Ahmad.

24.11.2015.

There he was, on bed no.5 in the HDW (High Dependency Ward), with an oxygen tube in his mouth, a feeding tube in his nose, and other wires on his body to monitor his heartbeat and bp, in deep coma, my old friend,  Yusof bin Ahmad, 76, at the Sungai Buloh Hospital outside KL. It was about 12.40 p.m., visiting hours, today Tuesday 24th November, 2015.

The attending nurse said he's now 5 days in coma. It's the heart. Yesterday was bad, and the doctor had given him the maximum dose of whatever he was administering. Surprisingly today, though still in coma, he seems better, though the bp is still low, and he remains in critical condition

The old TMS group had whatsapped the news 2 days ago. I had to be in KL today, and as usual I took the bus. When I finished my business at about 11.30, I took the train from KL Central to Sg. Buloh, then a taxi to the hospital, which was less than 10 minutes away.

I first remembered Yusof when he and my future "biras", Shafiei Ramli, were demonstrating the marching movements on the TMS field, in front of the school hostel. They had both just came back from the Outward Bound School, Lumut. This must have been around 1959 ! (56 years ago).I wasn't acquainted with either of them at that time, but I knew their names. Shafiei was the headboy. I can't remember if Yusof was a Prefect. I called Shafiei after my visit just now.

Later in life Yusof married my second cousin from Sawah Lebar. Yusof is from Gunung Pasir. This was his first wife. She died much later from breast cancer, and he remarried, a bit later, his present wife,  from Seremban. For a while they were running a mobile market van in Paroi Jaya, where they were staying.

When Yusof was working at the Survey Department at College Road, KL, at first the family was renting a house in Kampong Baru, close to office. Later they moved to Ampang Jaya, and we became neighbours, one street away. Then I moved out, but they stayed on until the wife passed away in hospital in Kuala Pilah. Actually the first time she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she responded to medical treatment, including mamosectomy. Years later the cancer tragically returned. 

I used to go out with Yusof, when we were in KL, both when he was in Kampong Baru and Ampang Jaya. Of course we visited each other often in Ampang Jaya, but lost contact when I moved out, but now and then we'd bump into each other. The last time I spoke to him was on his mobile, when my brother Ajit gave me his number. At that time he was staying with one of his kids in Seremben 2, where Ajit is. That was after his eldest daughter, born when they were in Ampang Jaya, had just died, also from breast cancer.

I didn't stay long at the hospital. I pray Yusof recovers.

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NB

Sadly, Yusof never recovered. He died one day after my visit.

May God Bless you, my friend.

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Jali.

17.10.2015.

Jali was just 51 when he died, 14 years ago.  Sakinah, his widow, gave me his age just now during their son, Fitri's, wedding.

When Sakinah passed the invitation card to Idah about 2 weeks ago (unnamed, but the message passed was well understood), I had straightaway determined that I'd not miss this reception.

Jali was one of the three Terachi first cousins I'd felt close to, more than Bang Sarip, Kak Ngah, Daro,  Jamlus,  Wok and Wati,  although Bang Sarip stayed with us for a while in Tanjung Malim.  The other 2 were Udin, a teacher with an American M.A., and Khalid, a police sergeant.  

When in Felda I visited Jali at his staff quarters in Segamat and later in Seri Ledang. The first time I met Sakinah was at Induk's house in Terachi. It was Hari Raya or a wedding, I can't remember. But I remember noticing the rows of gold bangles she was wearing, and I said "so much gold !" At the wedding just now they weren't there, but I still asked about them. She laughed.

When I got the card and saw the address of the reception venue I knew Fitri must be doing well. This was at up-scale Bukit Jelutong. I was right. In fact all 6 children of Jali are university educated, the last girl doing her Law finals at UUM (GPA 3.2 she said). Jali didn't go to university, but would have been very proud of his children.

Sakinah said the Felda plot is now hers, all of 10 acres now about to be replanted with oil palm. My experience says that should give her nett 3K monthly for at least 25 years. With Jali's pension and the children doing famously, she'd be  comfortable. That is fantastic for the memory of poor Jali. Fitri himself has a First Class engineering degree.

I had to choose between Sakinah and Dek Ma, who had arranged for Dahlia's remarriage at the same day today, but as I said, it was an easy choice. In fact Ajit called while on my way to Bukit Jelutong and I told him, but Dek Ma's call came when I was inside the petrol station and the phone was in the car. I saw the missed call but did not call back.

We were the first guests to arrive - it was only11 o'clock , but stayed  until the couple had sat on the "pelamin", and then, in spite of the  light rain, took our leave. It was about 1.40. A nice wedding, we both remarked. I'm glad we came. We said prayers for Jali.

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The sickness in UMNO.

15.10.2015.

Basically many Malays are sick of UMNO. That's its main ill. And it could be fatal for the party.

Maulud, at 75 a long-time member, this morning during golf said it. I'm sick of UMNO. "I dah meluat."

There are two main scenes.

Officially, party leaders high and low, new and old, say they support the President. So they attack everyone who sounds anything like critical of Najib. There seems to be no limits to their public condemnation and the offensiveness of their language. Even the statement made by the Malay Rulers has been painted over to show lack of substance.

However, on the streets to almost a man everyone says Najib should go.

Najib supporters say this mamak Mahathir is senile and made worse mistakes in his time.

So is that admitting Najib's mistakes now ?

We are talking about the current problems. Mahathir has left office. The questions waiting for answers are right in front of us. No clear answers are given. The committees set up by Najib to purportedly find answers have been saboteged by Najib himself. The whole world has taken notice, based on newspapers in the US, Singapore, Switzerland and others countries.

The Bank Negara Governor and the AG are publicly locking horns now. Those supporting Najib are calling Zeti careless and lazy. A State leader two days ago in a speech in a closed meeting said how can Bank Negara revoke something it has given 5 years ago ?  This is a world-recognized Central Bank Governor we're talking about, while everybody knows the questionable appointment of the new AG. It's not merely filling of form, as sneered by the AG. In which case all court cases are filling of forms, anyway. Any  permission can be revoked. Surely the AG himself accepts that. More so if some conditions have been broken, not known before the committment.

There was an analogy given about working together in a boat, and throwing the captain overboard would be disasterous.

That was not an accurate description of the current political mess. We are not in a boat out at sea. UMNO's President is not the captain sailing any boat. He has very serious questions he's unable or unwilling to answer.  That means big trouble for GE 14, the disaster waiting to happen to the party. If he cannot explain these issues, or if he's guilty of any crime committed, his downfall would bring UMNO down with him. UMNO has to be led by someone else before that happens. UMNO had rejected Onn Jaafar, its first President, when he tried to bring non-Malays into the party. The party had governed the country since then. Up to now, that is.

Party members, all of them, and not just the 25 Supreme Council members, and not just the 192 divisional heads, claimed to be  3.5 million strong, must decide between an erring President or the Party. This is "pening kepala" lah !

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