"Pandai" or "Memandai-mandai"

 Wed 23.9.2026

"Pandai" is "clever", or in this case, "wise". "Memandai-mandai" is "pretending to be clever", or in this case, "stupid".

In the last 3 months, including this still unfinished month of September (9), this small state  with the big name of Negeri Sembilan (9), has gone through many State-elections (16), Many Parliamentary-elections (15), many Yang Dipertuan Besars (11)and many Menteris Besar (12). Proud (maybe now ashamed) of it's Adat Perpatih, it has also seen the 12th Yamtuan elected by some supporters, 3 new Undangs appointed by other supporters, a State Secretary who was duly appointed by the JPA and an LA duly appointed by the AGC summarily "sacked" by the State appointed MB, but summarily dismissed by both KSN & AG. 

On top of the pile, numerous dubious sackings and counter-sackings took place. The PM, DPM, UMNO, DAP, and PKR have participated in the mad melee, all with their different objectives, with different degrees of legitimacy, or otherwise.  It's as if the pardoning of Najib and the donation-gathering by UMNO to pay his 50-million fine are not enough for public entertainment. 7 decades of the unshackling of the British colonialism have produced all this now. What a show !

I'm drawn to make comment because (1) I was part of this, although it was more than 3 decades ago, and (2) I know some of the personalities well. I'm surprised by their strange behaviours.

In fact I had prepared a note on the "Krisis NS" for delivery at my association's AGM in Kuantan next month. But it has been vetoed by my newly selected State President. I took this step earlier because of the late State President's instruction, now annulled by his successor. The idea was for the association to declare "advice" to calm things and find solution to the NS Adat crisis at that time. The engulfing scenario is now beyond recognition. 

I noted, in both my early notes and one Supreme Council Meeting, that calm and collectiveness must pervail, for solution to be found. Instead individuals of renowned have become "batu api".

Now it's no longer just the Adat issue. The whole Federal Administration is directly involved, which need not have happened, if only people consult each other before making public statements, much less taking unilateral action. "Disaster" was spelt everywhere from the outset.

A superhuman effort is required to solve all the issues raised now.

Can we afford another State Elections just 1 month after the last one ?  Really ?

The longest serving ADUN who became the MB, could become the briefest serving MB in history.

But a fresh 17th State Elections seems to be the practical way out.

Really.

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Another FMC 1952-1966 Intake's meeting

 Wed 16.9.2026 (63rd Malaysia Day)

11 of us  attended the meeting yesterday  that NBD had arranged earlier for this "FMC" group. I accepted Hank's invitation and we were the 2 early birds at the OPA Penthouse at Saujana Golf Resort. Hank didn't get the $10 I wagered if we came behind Halim Rockfoundation. Halim was always the first to come. We beat him this time.

The old regulars were there, but a couple of "new" old faces also came. The subject matter presented was  expected  stuff. But as I said to Hank, we should appreciate NBD's continuous effort in organizing this group's get-together all this time. The "FMC" lot, from PD to the earlier Sungei Besi days, was those before the College was conferred the "Royal" title by the  Agung in 1966.

By defination, this FMC group is disappearing, and the regular NBD's presentation of the statistics is evidence of the growing "red list" and corresponding disappearing one of the remaining members.

That brought out Aziz Rahman's well-meaning suggestion to include the rest of the alumni to the list.

Several points were raised and briefly debated, in fact, and by all present, not just Aziz.  Time and purpose limited extended discussion. But to me, these were relevant topics that merit scrutiny and resolution.

One important issue is the huge loss of non-Malay students in the annual college intakes. Many reasons were offered. I said the large array of choice now, compared to when FMC/RMC was a better-known outstanding  school, is one obvious reason.

The constant changes to the intake points are also perplexing, I thought. This affects the attraction ensued.

The creation of the Military Academy purposedly for Military service must have  taken it's toll of RMC's reduced enrollment.

I cited my grandchildren's case at school in Seremban when the subject of school-bullying was mentioned, as part of the rejection of college entry. School-bullying happens everywhere, and parents' reactions is part of the overall problem, I contended.

Hank informed everyone about his and Mahbob's plan of printing the third and final copy of the "I Remember..." book, two of which had been done. There was objection to this, citing costs and redundancy reasons, which are valid. Hank's idea is to have fresh stock for the existing continuing request for copies, adding one or two new pieces from those who have "made it" while getting the re-printing done. 

In the car on the return home I suggested that he get hold of C.J.L. for the reprinting costs.  C.J.L. can afford it, and he'd been generous in the past.

I lament at the names on the screen, of friends I knew well who have left us in the last few months. I feel sorry for several still with us, who are now wheel-chair bound. Practically everyone is in the 8th decade, and that explains a lot. We should all pray for decent health, most of all, for all of us.

Aziz and Halim also shared with me the NS political "update" now hot in the news. The mixture of ambivalent politics, ancestral "Adat", and legal provisions, worsen by people who know better but act stupid, all make for an explosive keg of gunpowder. 

As an "anak nismilan" I join the prayers of the faithful for peaceful resolution to the unnecessary turmoil. 

We don't want another NS State Elections. The last one was just a couple of months ago. 

Ismail is in the hot seat. But he's not been there even long enough to heat the seat all by himself. He's the longest serving Assemblyman in NS, with 7 terms to his name. Don't make him the shortest serving MB.

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The 2026 UMNO General Assembly.

Thursday 10.9.2026

The 2026 UMNO General Assembly is supposed to run from 9.9.2026 to 12.9.2026.

Already the 6,400 delegates from 191 Divisions have both made and heard bombshell pronouncements expected of this crowd this time.

There are reasons for these outbursts of bravado. But the truth is, it's all talk.  For now.

Sure, the Johor and NS State Elections were pleasing to UMNO, and they are predicting (or hoping) similar results for Melaka, next.

Perhaps a look at the hard numbers would bring the jubilant crowd at PWTC down to earth.

Johor was ok, because UMNO had the numbers. But it won back only 3 additional seats.

NS gave joy to UMNO because their 16 seats made them the biggest party, thus regaining the MBship. But it was only 2 additional seats, and by itself still short of the overall majority by 3.

The trend over 2 whole months on the calender was actually only nominally upward. But it's not ground shattering. 

In Parliament right now UMNO has only 26 out of 222 seats. The Tsunami of 2018 had rubbed UMNO's nose to the ground for 8 of the last 67 years, and don't pronounce this number in Cantonese ("lok chat").

Making grand noises out of possible pardon for the country's chief crook wouldn't sell among the 20-million ordinary voters, outside the 6,400 at PWTC now. 

Making friends with PAS now may not be the wisest move for UMNO. You don't embrace a proven enemy of 7 decades just because he slides to you with a smirk (and a Grand Plan) cooked up in the last 2 months. Watch out for that "kerambit" inside his "jubah" sleeves. PAS called UMNO "infidels" while proclaiming guidance from the Holy Quran. They made friends with DAP before. Bersatu more than helped them in the 15th NS State Elections, and today they chucked Bersatu aside like dog-shit.

The next GE must take place  only 24 months away. It would  be different from the State Elections. Johor and NS have not proven anything monumental.

Mark my word.

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18.9.2026.

Addendum.

So the UMNO crowd got what they want; the chief crook is out of jail. And not only that, Wak Jait said he'll collect the 50 million fine from the members. Maybe the country deserves all this.

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Facts, not perception.

 Wed.26.8.2026

UMNO organized a "National Meeting (Musyuarah Nasional)" last weekend to debate on the TH RCI, and to not "politicize" it. I was invited to attend, but declined. I know where this is going.

The former Auditor General spoke at the event.

She said the 2017 accounts were examined differently by 2 auditors - the AG, who found the RM 3.4 billions profits; and Price Waterhouse, who found RM 1.4 billions losses.

So who's right ?

In a law court, 2 sets of lawyers stand opposite each other on the same case. One says "guilty"; the other "not guilty".

Who's right ?

Go to the facts, I say.

Lay out one by one the evidence for judgement. Let everyone see.

In the court case, if it's murder, the body is there. The crime is committed. The criminal is named.

In the accounts audit, the audited books are there. The cash flow is traceable. The signatures are all there.

Facts, not perception.

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RCI: TH now, FGV next.

 Mon 17.8.2026

The TH RCI is before Parliament right now, and it's huge. Even if only 40 of the 222 Parliamentarians have registered to debate it. 

PAS and Wawasan walked out. So much for substance for Hadi and that turncoat, Hamzah.

The sitting Agung is quoted to have directed that Felda should be next. And I singled both out in my last blog.

TH is the story of the rakyat wanting to "mengerjakan haji" (to do the holy pilgrimmage).  Sadly it has become the story of TH managers "mengerjakan Tabung Haji"(to slaughter TH).

At the outset all of us should follow the full disclosure and pray that Almighty God Bless the search for truth and bring out the crooks to face the appropriate sentence in this present world itself - the eternal punishment is for Him, and that is certain.

What whetted the appetites of the crooks was the billions before their very eyes. It was too much.

The RCI lists the 14 companies that need to be fully investigated for suspicious transactions amounting to billions.

Of course there is that thing about the awarding of  huge bonuses that the crooks gave each other, but the millions, though digustingly big, are nothing compared to the slaughter of the Tabung.

How can these so-called Muslims commit this robbery !

Is there no fear of Allah, in TH of all places ?

Felda has earned its place on the bisecting table, too. Open it all up, and catch the crooks. One has been caught. Get the rest. A chartered accountant worth his salt can do the forensic accounting easily.

Spare no guilty souls.

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NS 16th State Election & some issues drawn.

Sat. 1.8.2026

Today the 867,151 voters in the state should cast their votes in the 16th State Election since Independence. NS is the only one doing this, just like Johor did last month. Not out of necessity. Out of wasteful "pride".

The term that the out-going (meaning going out, not energetic) MB ended was only 33 months into the 60-month term. Strictly, that should mean no pensions for the first-time servers (but they'll find a way out). 

The point is, this is totally wasteful. These elections are not cheap. The rakyat is paying for the whims and fancies of these politicians.

The MB took exception to the critics, in his own "Pakatan Harapan",  about the way he handled the "Adat" case between the state ruler and his 4 Chieftains.  There are better ways at going about that "crisis" than to scrap the entire government and bring everything to screeching halt.

All the issues, of course, became fodder for the election campaigns by the candidates and their backing Parties. Right up to last night PMX (soon to be XPM ?) dug up old dungs. One explosive issue is the 4-year old RCI on Tabung Haji.

For 21 of my early working years, I served Felda. It was 1968, when "LKTP" was just 8 years old. The pain I feel now about the FGV debacle cannot be amply described in one paragraph.

The same goes to Tabung Haji.

Both Felda and Tabung Haji can be traced to the late Tun Razak directly. The noble intentions that he had should make him a saint, and I sincerely pray that Allah Grant him the blessing he deserves. Too bad his oldest son does not contribute here.

Like great leaders in human history, Razak Husein recognized good ideas, and the good men behind them, and in position to act upon that, he did, and in the righteous way.

LKTP was Tun Ismail's baby. Tabung Haji was conceived by Ungku Aziz. Both men deserve honourable mentions in the annals of Malaysian history.

The original source of funds for Tabung Haji was the mini-savings of the pious Malays who scraped and skimmed their modest income to do the compulsory pilgrimmage they were taught in their Islamic teaching. Ungku Aziz saw this when doing his studies in the rural areas, especially in Terengganu. Setting up a fund was the logical solution to this "bottling of pennies" in the kampong house.

Uncoordinated land development by some states, with poor management, was taken up by the DPM in the early years of Merdeka. The Parliamentary Act of 1960 established Felda. What can go wrong planting rubber and oil palm on a large scale ? The British did it and sucked untold billions into Great Britain.

By the time Felda and Tabung Haji were seized by the politicians, Felda had RM 3 billions cash, TH 10 billions. Putting the greedy politicians in charge was like having rats falling into the rice bin ("macam tikus jatuh ke beras"). 

The FGV debacle and the TH RCI tell the rest of the story.

Most importantly, the perpetrators are still around. Specifically, PMX should proceed with the needful immediately. Isa for FGV and Najib for TH are just the tips of the icebergs.

The NS "Adat" crisis ia another lingering pain "in-the-you-know what".

What NS is going through here happened 250 years ago. There was a solution. Why can't they do it again ?

Of course it helps when everybody behaves in a civilised manner. But when people, who ought to know better, don't do better, the worst happen. What we need is calm & collectedness, not madness. Stoking the fire ("batu api") is not sane, much less helpful. 

This is a country ruled by law. Get the law to solve things. Even if the Adat champions protest, it's imperative that Law intervenes. The right rakyat will see what's right.

The "Undang crisis" wouldn't have happened if the holders of the title are more thoughtful. Some had modest backgrounds, and landing the Undangship, which is for life, should have been appreciated. Some  let foolishness overide sanity. 

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A Tumultuous May

 June 1, 2026.

A tumultuous May.

That was what it has been.

The Mubarak NS Committee Meeting had been rescheduled so many times that, once the date was affirmed on the 'phone, I had Letchmy sent the written notice out immediately. Otherwise a new round of rescheduling would have followed.

Even then there was an ongoing exchange about how, when and which route to take for the long trip to "the Saddle Resort". I just told Foo to get the 30-seater bus, and Letchmy to ask everyone coming, to meet at the Royal Chulan before 10 am, after which we'd leave with whoever came.  Eventually, we were only 10 minutes late.

This Kuantan was just an ordinary committee meeting, to tie up loose ends in preparation for our AGM in exactly 1 month's time. That AGM date, too, was quickly locked in, with the notices and invitation going out at almost the same time as with the Kuantan meeting. But meeting in Kuantan was rather extraordinary, because  this is an NS association. But the President was not well, and travelling would be strenuous. So we went to him, instead.

It was in fact, sadly, a farewell visit for our Tan Sri Dato' Mohd. Yazid bin Baba.

I did comment to a few other committee members, when we met next in Seremban for our Subcommittee Meeting on 15.5.2026, that the Tan Sri looked much worse than the last time we were at our meeting here in Seremban. Then on 28.5.2026 we were informed of his admission to the University of Malaya Medical Centre in KL. Dr. Krishnan and Foo paid a hurried visit, but he was already on drips and oxygen.  At 4.45 a.m on 31.5.2026  he succumbed to his tragic condition. He was 93.

On 27.5.2026, I had earlier received the sad news about Aziz Hassan's passing in hospital. He was a friend from RMC days since 1962, more than 62 years ago. We were in the same Company, "B". and through the years would bump into each other for Hari Raya visits and OPA gatherings, right up to this year. He died from a lung infection that spread to other vital organs. He was 80. 

After MCE in RMC Sungai Besi, Aziz went to Sandhurst, England, for his Military training. He rose to the rank of a  3-star Lieutenant-General.

Since last year, I had been checked for worsening eyesight because of cataracts. Finally I was put on the waiting list of the HTJ ophtomologist's cataract operation patients. That was a good 6 months ago.

Finally my date for the operation was fixed for 11.5.2026. But on 8.5.2026 one of the doctors personally called and said this operation had been rescheduled to 25.5.2026 because of "an emergency".

That meant I had to get my eye operation done one day before Aidil Adha. That meant no Aidil Adha prayers for me. And no Raya visits.  Because until today, 1 week after the operation on my left eye, my sight has not fully recovered. I have to put in the anti-biotic drips  every 2 hours, cannot rub the eye, cannot kneel and "sujud" when I pray, and must sleep with the eye protector on.

30.5.2026 I was supposed to join Hank to Spider's 80th birthday bash in his house in Section 16, PJ. My delayed cataract operation meant that this party also had to be missed.

I hope June would be more sedate.

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