The 11th. Yam Tuan.

30 Dec 2008.

In an earlier posting I have said that the odds were on Tunku Muhriz being selected to become the new Yang Dipertuan Besar (Yam Tuan, for short).   I was right.

In fact when his father Tuanku Munawir died, as the "anak gehara" the four Undangs should have elected Tunku Muhriz to be  Yam Tuan.   Tunku Jaafar's mother was a Christian Eurasian nurse that Tuanku Abdul Rahman had taken as a second wife. The official excuse for passing over Tunku Muhriz was that at 18 years he was too young. So his uncle became Yam Tuan instead.

Tuanku Jaafar turned out to be a good Yam Tuan in many ways. He was well-educated and was in fact a very senior member of the Malaysian Civil Service. Because of this background he was relatively approachable even when he became the Yam Tuan. He was a good listener, and spoke well and understood what he read from the scripts given him, so much so on many occassions he even corrected or made spontaneous remarks on those notes he realized were not completely accurate. He also followed the political events of the country, and in private made fairly accurate comments about them. I know all these from personal experience. The length of his reign meant one could see the changes taking place within the palace over time. The unfortunate incident of the Special Courts ruling merits balanced reporting, and does no justice to the man.

The  children was another story. Suffice it to say that many of the rakyats of NS follow the stories about them, and considering that the Yam Tuan is the Head of the Islam,  these stories don't reflect well on that fact.

The quiet sympathy given to Tunku Muhriz grew more and more over the years. It was obvious to the Negeri Malays that he was given the short end of the stick, and in many cases it wasn't incidental negelect. He was the poor cousin nobody around the reigning family wanted to do anything with. Even the little old BMW he's driven around with is indicative of the disdain shown him by the powers that be in the State, both Royal and Political. That car broke down so many times in Seremban that the only thing saving it from mechanical retirement is the lack of replacement. The only noticable thing about it is probably the yellow-painted Royal numbers.

The sad truth is, to the 11th. hour there was an attempt to sabotage the Undangs' proceedings. It was only the forceful action of the Undang of Sungai Ujung (which by the way is the name of this blog, and the old name for Seremban) that saved Tunku Muhriz. The fact that all the four Undangs, despite not wearing the Ceremonial Dress, wore their krisses was perhaps noteworthy. Incidents of several attempts at political interference of the functioning of the Adat have become common knowledge to the Negeri Malays. Who is right or wrong is a matter of debate, but the legitamacy of the Adat is being tested as never before.

Tunku Muhriz is well-educated himself, and is known to be familiar with the Adat. That he has remained patient all these years is a credit to him.  Now that he's the Yam Tuan, he's in position to put right where there was wrong. Certainly he can make changes. For the better.

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Time marches on.

Saturday, 27th. December 2008 / 29th. Zulhijjah 1429.

Zulhijjah, like December of the Common Era, is the last month of the Islamic Calendar. In a day's time it'll be Awal Muharram of the 1430 Hijriah, and a couple of days later the New Year 2009 CE. Muharram will be followed by Safar, Rabiulawal, Rabiulakhir, Jamadilawal, Jamadilakhir, Rejab, Sya'ban, Ramadan, Syawal, Zulka'edah and back to Zulhijjah. To-morrow night Ustaz Ayob will lead the end-of-the-year and beginning-of-the-year supplications.

Sadly, while playing golf to-day I received news of the passing of the Yam Tuan.

I remember being summoned to the Istana Hinggap around 1977-78. HH wanted to know if two elderly Minangkabau gentlemen could be taken in as Felda settlers. They couldn't because of their ages. I remember also playing golf in front of him some years later and was about to tee-off on cross-over at the 10th. tee. His flight came up behind us, so I approached him and invited him to overtake our flight. He politely and like a true golfer declined. Which is more than I can say for the Club Captain. He always demands that he be given precedence.

Unlike other monarchies in Malaya, the four Undangs will now have to choose the next Yam Tuan. The odds are with Tunku Mukhriz ibni Tunku Munawir.

Dekna had returned to Shah Alam this morning. Her final semester starts Tuesday. I only managed to wake her up before leaving the house at 6.45  to remind her to give her best shot for this final stretch at university.

The neighbour invited us for luncheon in celebration of his daughter's betrothal. I just made it at 12.30, the appointed hour, still in my golfing attire. Good lunch. The neighbour is our diplomat in Argentina, and returned from half-way around the world just for this occasion. The bride-to-be is with the Bar Council.

My wife was in Linggi with Imar, the tailor, attending one of the dozens of weddings everybody is squeezing into the remaining days of the last school holidays for the year. So I was all alone in the house until about 7 p.m.

So, it's back to square one in the new year.

Time marches on. Happy New Year.

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MUBARAK Melaka, Disciplinary Committe & Tanjung Tuan.

Friday, 26th. December.2008.

On Christmas night Dato' Mail asked me to accompany him to MUBARAK Melaka's Family Day in PD. So, after Magrib prayers I went to fetch him. It was when we were already at Telok Kemang that he said he doesn't know the exact location of Pusat Latihan FAMA ! With excellent timing Sainy called on Dato' Mail's handphone which he passed to me. He  said that the place is just beyond his house in Rantau Panjang (PD, not Kelantan).

The speeches had already started when we arrived, though not the food, so it was OK.  While driving up I had mentioned to Dato' Mail about Tengku Rithauddin getting mad at MUBARAK for saying that the Disciplinary Committee is too slow. I said I'd posted a comment in Tunkuaisha blogside defending MUBARAK.  Dato' Mail said MUBARAK's statement was made by Datuk Aziz Rahman with the agreement of the Supreme Council.  Rithauddin probably didn't read the full statement. Anyway I said I can't imagine Zahar making that statement because he's in the Disciplinary Committee and I've seen him bow down and kissing Rithauddin's hand. Now here in PD when Tan Sri Nordin spoke, he mentioned the case and corroborated Dato' Mail's story. Basically MUBARAK is saying the DC should wrap up before March so that the Isa Samad episode is not repeated. As I commented in the blog, Rithauddin should not be so thin-skinned and trigger-happy. MUBARAK has no axe to grind. The members are not trying to make a come-back,  just trying to be useful. The truth of the matter is the DC is bogged down. It's no help  that its modus operandi is  like a court of law, which it's not. The DC is just an internal party mechanism and shouldn't try to be artificially high-nosed in seeking evidence in the money-politics cases. The Monitoring Committee that used to function at the NS Liaison Committe could be a practical model in speeding up the investigations. In fact Tan Sri Nordin was right in suggesting that MUBARAK old hands could be summoned to help clear the congestion.

It's most heartening to see the obvious intimacy of the MUBARAK of Melaka with their serving ADUNs, including the sitting Speaker. And to hear about the financial support given by the CM for this gathering made the seven of us from NS present jealous. Sadly, the NS chapter gets little notice from the MB and  the serving ADUNs. 

Nordin made a humourous remark about holding this Family Day in PD - "because it's near Tanjung Tuan, which belongs to Melaka !" So I said to Sainy, that's just a quirk of Colonial history, but it's just a light-house there. I went up the light-house when still in school and remember a "Hang Tuah's footprint" on a wave-washed boulder. Another "footprint" is supposed to have been found in Melaka, so that shows how big Hang Tuah's stride was ! Ha Ha. That's like saying if Dollah Badawi can push through three  Bills in Parliament in three months, he can push through 60 in  five years !

Driving back, Dato' Mail asked why MUBARAK NS can't do what Melaka has done ? I replied "who's to move it ? You see how close they are ? Some of our members won't even talk to other members !" It's the spirit of Hang Tuah ! Ours is the spirit Hang Bedebah !

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The Institute of Graduate Studies, University of Malaya.

Tuesday, 23rd. December, 2008.

My daughter, Amalina, received a letter from IPS, UM on 15th. December inviting her for a session to-day with the new VC regarding postgraduate studies available in the university. Apparently her named was, as was later confirmed, picked from the UiTM list.

My wife and I offered to drive her there, although she insisted she could go by herself.  I said your mother would like the outing anyway, and so we went in my car.. As we drove into the campus I said this was where I studied in 1965 to 1968, and later two brothers, and where our No. 3 Son  enrolled in the "Look East Policy" Programme 8 years ago. Once we left our daughter at the IPS the original plan was for us to hang around the campus somewhere and to come back and fetch her at around 12 noon as indicated in the programme. But while waiting in the lobby for the cleaning lady to finish at the gent's, a member of the IPS staff came and inquired about our presence there and when we told her she said parents were welcome to join the session. That was how we ended attending the whole session, and it was a useful.

Apparently the brand new VC has been a very busy man, and this session with about 70 First Class Honours university graduates is one of the many new programmes he's undertaking.  He  jokingly said that he has to do something meaningful for UM for King and Country.

The session started 30 minutes later than the scheduled 9.30 a.m. but ended on time at 12 noon.  Refreshments were served in the foyer. Mainly it was the VC selling the idea that the graduates present seriously consider doing their postgraduate studies at the university, one of only 4 Research Universities in the country, he said, and that there is no shortage of funding, referring to several sources , from  research grants and postgraduate scholarships available within the university, to tutorships and postings as research assisstants, and graduate study schemes of the Ministry of Higher Education. All the faculty deans or the representatives also each briefly added to their VC's comments. But I thought the best and the most moving statement, came from one of the parents. The VC picked him out probably because he was directly in front of him, and probably also because he somewhat stood out because he was the only one  who was wearing a skull  cap or "ketayap". He said "I'm not very good at this, but I hope the university's efforts would bear fruit, that the good students are given this wonderful opportunity to further their knowledge and learning so that they in turn can teach the next generation to also become better educated, and I pray God will bless us all."

As we broke up  I approached a Professor Abu Bakar, from the Law Faculty, and introduced my daughter, saying she's not sure she wants to be an academician, that she's still in the final semester of her second Law degree, and what was his advice. He inquired about her CGPA, and then said the best option is to do her Masters first. During  lunch later Dekna  said she's  not keen, that she's getting tired of studying.

We called up No.3 Son at his workplace in Shah Alam at about 1.15 and asked "what about lunch ?" He said "no problem, give me 15 minutes." So I told my wife "Give him half-an-hour."

He took 45 minutes.

The lunch took another 45 minutes.

Then we decided to go to No. 2 Son's house in Subang Jaya and see the two grandsons left with the maid. The parents were at work.  I took a nap, and we left for home at 5. 

The eldest grandson, Acad, all 3 1/2, was very upset the grandmother was leaving. Lately he has come to be a bit attached to her. There was a lot of crying on his part, and the 10-dollar note couldn't appease him, although he took it. As we waved goodbye from the car window his crying got worse, but we drove on anyway, and it was the grandmother's turn to cry in the car. 

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An occasion to remember a loved one.

21.12.2008.

What religion forbids display of love within the scope of propriety ?

One can go on forever in praise of a good friend, a long acquaintance.

What about honouring the memory of the mother you had, the one that carried you for nine long months, who endured pain that was next to death in bringing you out to the world, and she is no more ?  The mother who fed you till you could feed yourself, even if you believe she did nothing else to improve the quality of your existence?  

If the religion you practise says it is wrong to honour the memory of a loved one, then it's not a true religion. May God have  mercy on you.

If making a statement about your  belief is more important to you than the honouring of  the memory of your own mother, then it strengthens me in my belief that my little gratitude finds redemption in God's Countenance. 

I pray that my offsprings would have some of that gratitude.

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The rats are being smoked out !

19.12.2008.

I posted my last blog before Friday prayers to-day, 19th. Dec.. regarding the proposed MoF sellout of its IJN stake. With great relief I'm reading here that the Cabinet has "shelved" the proposal. (See Rockybru). Just don't assume the worst is over. They say that KJ was seen at the previous PC. That's a red flag, everyone !

The government is not in business to sell anything. It's supposed to build, build, build ! Let's all be very wary of Dollah Badawi in his long goodbye. We should all rejoice and bid him "good riddance to bad rubbish", but he may be going on "scorched earth" mode.

My salute to the good doctors at IJN. I'm thankful that there are still good people around. God Bless them !

This gives me a heart attack !

19.12.2008.

If there is one issue right now that all right-thinking Malaysians should stand together on it's to reject outright the MoF proposal to dispose of its share of the IJN to the "Slime "Darby people. These are the same people who are now mired in a lot of corporate muck. I wouldn't give them the time of the day. But the Slime Darby fiasco is another story.

In the first place, why is the MoF even thinking of this ? If it's a question of comparatively poor remuneration for the experts, why don't you just adjust it ? If it's a question of better funding for the extremely sought-after services of the Institute, why doesn't the government simply increase the allocation, or better still reallocate from many other useless provisions ? If it's a question of expanding the service, why don't you build more branches - one in Alor Star, one in Ipoh, one in Johore Baru, and one in Kuantan, for example. IJN is at the heart of medical care in its literal sense.

Have we forgotten the Pantai Medical Centre case? What is there to stop the new private owners from selling IJN shares to another foreign company ?

It's nice to know that the MoF now says the cost to patients would remain "low". Will the new owners honour this  promise ? Who can legally stop them if they so decide to revise these costs ?

The way of privatisation for better cost management in this country has been fraught with pitfalls, and usually it's the common people who fall in the pit. Treatment of heart cases have been the bane of the medical profession before IJN was set up. Now the Institute has over the years been a literal life-saver for countless Malaysians who wouldn't have even been able to dream of such treatment without the existence of the IJN. If there is a case for the  government of the day to  hold on to a public service so that the people who voted it into power can enjoy the  valued service, this is it.

A couple of years ago some bright sparks, also in the MoF, mooted the idea of an IPO for Felda. I would put that  idea at par with the present  IJN idea. Felda is cash rich and deals with two extremely important elements - the primary produce of the country, and a community of land pioneers. There is absolutely no rhyme nor reason for an IPO because Felda doesn't need cash because it's cash-rich. Going public would in fact make Felda vulnerable to unfriendly take-over, the very reason highly successful enterprises become private, the the reverse movement. Fortunately the Minister who was behind this Felda IPO  moved out of the Ministry. Now Najib must not fall into the same trap.

The filthy rich need not bother if IJN is there or not. The common Malaysian needs every bit of assistance from his own government, especially in his old age or in his time of need.  A  government can't wantonly discard its responsibilties.  Holding on to the IJN is one such resposibility. Selling out  is not just irresponsible. It's criminal !

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"3-wives" wins, again.

17.12.2008.

It behoves me to make a case against golf cheats. It's time that golf clubs and competition organizers take note of this and spare the game infamy and run them to the ground.

There are many golf cheats in SIGC that I personally know of, having played with them and seen them in action. They have various backgrounds, many of them distinguished ones. There is absolutely no reason why they have to cheat. It's just a character flaw.

Admittedly golf is a hard game to play. Take it from me - I have been at it for more than two decades. And I'm not a bad golfer. Picking up the game at a very late age, I have taught myself over the years until at a relatively ripe age I went down to as low as a 6-handicap and to-day still play at handicap 10. I have done many things on the golf course but I'm proud to say that cheating hasn't been one of them. At least not yet.

Some writers say that golf shows up character. In an 18-hole round one can find out whether someone is hot-tempered, cool, serious, humourous or a cheat. And unfortunately the cheat is the easiest to spot.

Basically the golf cheat reveals his cheating character in real life. But he also cheats because foolishly he thinks he can get away with it.  In fact to a seasoned golfer  nothing is more obvious than cheating at golf.

As I said the cheats can come from distinguished backgrounds. There is a former top-politician who forgets how to count his score, finds obviously lost balls after the foursome have scoured the area fruitlessly, and even was caught by me once dropping a ball from his pocket ! There is a retired  army colonel who routinely "improves" his lie (and that's not a lie !),  and goes back to the club-house claiming playing 7 pars over the 9-hole round he'd just completed.(That's a handicap 4, by the way). There's a Datuk who insouciantly throws his ball 20 feet onto the fairway when claiming he's entitled to a drop  with penalty, but the rules  says "one club length" penalty.  And there's the guy with 3 wives who just cannot help but move his ball around whether it's on the fairway, in the rough or even on the green. No wonder he has 3 wives !

The worst part is these people (except for that colonel who never enters competition fortunately) often come out winners with ridiculous scores of 9-under, 10-under ! And here we are, about 90 other golfers, struggling and trying our best to just play to our own handicaps.

This morning about 24 of us played in PD. As I walked up to my buggy I saw the flight in front teeing-off and it included "3-wives". As Md. Zin, the organizer, was just in front of me, I told him somebody should watch out for the feller, but Md. Zin replied "it's OK, Ali is there." I said "Ali also moves his ball !" And sure enough to-day "3-wives" won !

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Remembering dear mom.

15.12.2008.

19th. December would be 100 days since mom passed on. The others agreed that we should hold prayers for her, but 19th. being a Friday, we moved the "tahlil" to Saturday, 20th.,when everybody can come.

It'll mostly be a close family affair - reciting the Surah Yaasin, tahlil, doa, solat Isya' and then some refreshments. This sort of thing isn't "wajib" in Islam, but it isn't a bad tradition, remembering the dear departed. Some purists are too critical, labeling this as "bida'ah" and not practised by the Holy Prophet. In fact far too much polemics are wasted on matters of ikhtilaf when there are more important issues in Islam that merit attention. In syariah class recently the students digressed at length on the different customary practices of the qurban, taking issue at the proper disposal of the head which the ones offering the sacrifice ought to lay claim, and so on.

We haven't filed the petition for the official transfer of the house and the plot on which it stands with the District Land Administrator. All the brothers and sisters have agreed in writing to let Yan take the title. Two things happened recently that made me rethink about the earlier group decision. The first one was what my wife heard about Ati thinking about moving to Melaka, to Nazri's place. The second was Norzam's demand from Yan for RM 150 for the survey of the four divisions of the whole plot of land with the old ancestral home in front, and mom's house at the opposite end. Ati, in spite of the assurances about the motive of naming Yan to inherit the property, needs to be reassured that the house is as much hers as everyone else's. Yan, poor girl, needs to be protected from being taken advantage of. So, after a few 'phone calls to Fadzil and Fuad, I'm getting everyone this Saturday to agree, in writing, that we nominate both Ati and Yan to inherit mom's house and plot of land. As I post this blog on Ati's laptop, I have already spoken to both Ati and Yan and they have not objected.

Actually the entire original plot is slightly less than one acre. But in an old arrangement there are now four owners registered - Nok'in, Norzam, Basit and mom. Nok'in is already occupying the ancestral home, while mom built this house at the opposite end. The idle land in between had, before 1995, been left idle and grew only belukar and was an eyesore.

In 1995 I told mom I'd plant some rambutans so that the idle land would be used and maintained. Mom objected, saying, correctly and in due course accurately that Amok, her younger sister,  would object. I  reasoned that this is not taking the land away, but to maintain it and not let the belukar take over forever, and when Amok wants her land back she can do that. 

Since that year the 10 rambutan trees have not failed to bear 10 varieties of fruit each season, and Karim even spent good money to fence the land and build a small "pundung". 

As I said mom was accurate and Amok got really nasty when she found out what we have done on her plot. The problem is mom related the whole thing to me. I'm not the best of man in good times, so under the circumstance I got really pissed. To my credit, I might add, I've kept all this between mom and me. But my hurt on what Amok said to mom, her elder sister,remains to this day. 

When I was in primary school I used to spend my holidays at Amok's house in Jempol. Right up to the episode, Amok was in my heart only second to mom. Not any more. I'm truly sorry, Amok. Blood is thicker than water, but my hurt is deeper than you think. I guess it's not Amok, it's me.

This isn't the nicest way to remember mom. But I have to get it off my chest. Mom truly was in many of her small ways a remarkable woman. Din has many anacdotes about her. I have my own lasting memories that I'll forever cherish. I'm glad that in the last of changes of my services before retirement I was based in Kuala Pilah and was able to make up a lot of lost time with her. We didn't talk too much, but then she wasn't much of a talker anyway. But just being there with her  was somehow reassuring for me.

My only regret is that my own children have not had the opportunity to get real close to their grandmother. She wasn't a great traveller, so visits to our house were rare. It was only when the children accompanied me that they played a bit with their grandmother, and there are rare photographs of these.  But I'm sure they all remember their quiet grandmother. 

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Bukit Antarabangsa - this time a celebration.

Sunday 14th. December 2008.

Last week I wasn't sure if Zalfan's wedding reception for his son would go on because of that horrific landslide, but I met Mohd. Nor Ibrahim, my brother-in-law, who also received an invitation from Zalfan, and he said Zalfan's house is one-and-a-half km away and isn't affected.

So to-day at around 12 noon my wife and I were among the early birds. Which was a good thing,because the big crowd hasn't arrived and there was ample parking quite near to the house. In fact when we left the cars were already coming in droves, and like all Malaysians, they began to park haphazardly with no consideration for other road users. I was lucky to have managed to squeak out in time, before Jalan 1/1 was completely blocked.

Md. Nor Zakaria called Zalfan "Taufan" in those days because of the conflict of contractual matters between the field staff, of which Md. Nor belonged, and the Contract Department in HQ, of which Zalfan belonged. Fortunately, I never had such direct dealing with "Taufan."

Naturally many of the guests that I saw were Felda guys, the past ones that I recognized.  The present ones  I didn't.

I sat with Azizan and Husain Menggong. Azzizan I know from his Data Processing days, Husain only after my retirement because of the ex-Felda golf. Datuk Alladin came just as I was leaving. He said he was just talking to someone about me. I said "in good or bad light?" He replied, quick as ever, "of course bad !" 

Mohd. Nor Ibrahim  came with my sister Noraini and we just said hello and goodbye. And there was also Hamdan who took over from me at Felda Transport, who looked much thinner since I saw him last. JJ (Jalalludin Jaafar) asked about my brother, Fadzil, and I said he's either scuba diving in Sabah, or riding one of his two  superbikes - a case of second childhood.

Indeed Zalfan's house is very far from the disaster area. Even the approach road we took to-day is way away from the other access road leading to the hillslope development. But my wife was struck, as she often is in such matters, by Zalfan's reply to our query "Alhamdulillah, berkat doa kawan-kawan, selamat !" "What a thoughtful answer" said my wife.

This was the first time I came to this part of Bukit Antarabangsa, because I came once many,many years ago for Ramli Ibrahim's kenduri but this was the other side of this huge development area. One of my nieces also used to stay in one of the apartments that we passed by just now, but she has moved to Melaka. Maybe it was a cloudy day to-day (in fact it rained on the way) but I thought this area where Zalfan is seemed cool and quiet.

If not for the fact that it was a wedding reception I would have liked to linger a while, but as is common nowadays the buffet-style eating means that guests are supposed to vacate their seats as soon as they have eaten, although I probably received special treatment and was seated in the served section. Anyway, we had to go to Shah Alam, so we took our leave, and as I said earlier, we managed to get out before our car got blocked in.

Incidently, I told Azizan this was a Mendailing wedding. Zalfan is Mendailing.

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Haste makes waste.

Friday, 12th. December, 2008.

I can understand why Dollah is pushing for the Judicial Appointments Commission in a hurried fashion. March is just 90+ days away, and he probably wants to leave one piece of legislation to his name that may be worth something in a worthless administration. Too bad it's only another case of flawed management.

You cannot credit all good ideas with worthy mention just because of the goodness of the idea, without the imperative packaging and presentation, otherwise all pipe dreams become noble designs. A piece of good legislation needs the proper dissertation and the exhaustive examination before tabling for extended debate and eventual approval in Parliament. You simply cannot put together a pile of notes and push them through, hoping they make it in the two readings required by the Legislature to become Law.

Even to-day a former CJ has already gone on record giving serious reservations about the proposed Bill. Certainly his point about someone who could potentially be in conflict while sitting in the proposed Commission merits valuation. This single point alone goes to the heart of the intent of the proposed Commission.

All members of Parliament cannot be expected to rise to the occassion and deal with the shortcomings of a hastily put  bill.  It is only hoped that enough members would pervail to ensure that Parliament is not stuck with a bad law because of the urging of a lame-duck PM. Competent debate is the way to frame competent  evolvement of a truly competent and just body of judges.

That bad judgements have been set down in the past is undeniable. But this has not been the monopoly of the Malaysian experience. It's a worldwide experience. The urgency of applying the remedy is beyond debate. What is highly debatable is the manner of the tabling and comprehensiveness of the bill itself. The reservations sounded by the already increasing number of pertinent voices merit the taking of stock of the bill's passage.

Let's do this thoroughly. Let's not be constrained by the March date. That  was how  bad laws came in the good old days.

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Eidil Adha 2008.

Today, Monday 8th. December, 2008, is Eidil Adha.

Ustaz Abd. Rahman a.k.a. Ustaz Ayob, the First Imam of our surau took pains to ask the congregation to pronounce "Eid" properly, not "Ayid". Actually all of us pronounce Arabic horribly, unless one attends Arabic class.

It was very wet the whole day. Fortunately there was no lightening, and no blackout. But it didn't dampen our Raya cheer. The prayers went on as well as could be hoped for. The collection was less than Raya Puasa but not by much. 

Even the korban (6 cattle this year, compared to 8 last year) was unhampered by the rain, except this time it took an hour longer in spite of the lesser number. We improved the distribution control by imposing the coupon system. Some residents came clamouring for their coupons which we distributed house-to-house yesterday. Some people  simply  refused to come to the door when our boys came, probably thinking they were salesmen or beggars.  The boys were under strict instructions to hand the coupons personally to each house occupant and not leave anything in the post-boxes. That should teach them not to ignore callers, who knew they were in, because the tv sets were blaring !

This year the price of cattle, like many things, have gone up. Each share used to be RM 150 five-six years ago. To-day it's 310. That's more than double.

I came back and saw several missed calls in my mobile 'phone that I left home because of the rain. One caller apparently called several times, but I didn't recognise the number, so I returned the call, anyway. It was Aik Kheouw from Taiping, wanting to wish me Hari Raya. When I told him about the sacrificial slaughter, he couldn't understand why I was doing it to-day, but I was too tired to explain it to him. But this is the thing, even long  non-Malay friends still don't know too much about our Islamic practices. You wonder why there's so much  avoidable problems in our society in other more serious matters.

All my kids with the 3 lively grandchildren came back last night. The last to come back as usual was No. 3 Son. We arranged for a belated birthday party for the only girl, who turned 3 on the 4th. of this month. We also made it my own belated birthday party, as mine is one day later than the granddaughter. So instead of just lemang and ketupat,  we had a barbeque, complete with charcoal fire and lamb chops and chicken wings and shrimps and cockles and ikan kembong and corn-on-cobs. The only other people who came by invitation was my brother-in-law and his entire Seremban-based family, and Imar the seamstress ( actually she owns and runs her own ladies tailoring shop ).

Watching the tv later brought us back to the landslide at Bukit Antarabangsa, and our sympathies went to the sufferring residents. In this day of celebration, especially with the completion of the ritual of the Haj in Mecca, we can only try to imagine what's going through the lives of the poor fellows. As the Malay saying goes "heavy is the sight that behold, more  heavy is the load on  shoulders that bear ". Looking at the aerial picture, the land slide doesn't look that terrible, but the loss of lives and properties say otherwise.

Perhaps on this day of the Sacrifice, symbolising the Prophet Ibrahim's submission to the test of Allah for the sacrifice of his only son the Prophet Ismail, we, too, must stay resolved and steadfast with  patience and moral strength.

I have an invitation for a wedding reception from Zalfan who gave me his address at Jalan Mulia, Bukit Antarabangsa next week. I wonder if he's affected. I should inquire, but haven't.

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Commencement, graduation or convocation.

2.12.2008.

Yesterday, 1st. December, 2008, the wife and I attended Dekna's, our daughter's, convocation at the UiTM main campus in Shah Alam.

I wrote on 6th. June this year about our daughter, who is our fourth and youngest child and only girl.

So yesterday was the second convocation at the same campus for her. The first one was for her Diploma in Public Administration. This time it was a law degree. God willing there would be a third one next year - her second law degree. Not bad for our little girl !

After form 5, she qualified for  matriculation. That meant 1 year and then, successful, the university. She had chosen law even then. So I chose the diploma route for her. That meant 2 extra years. But I thought it would be a good basis for the legal studies. She consented to my choice.  

She got the  Diploma in September 2005. She received the VC Award in the process, for excellence. Her degree yesterday was a Bachelor of Legal Studies with First Class Honours and the prize for the Best Academic Result for the Course. Now she's into the second and last semester of her LLB (Honours) degree course. So hopefully it'll be a double degree in law for her.

As I wrote in an earlier posting, as an incentive I had wanted to upgrade the second-hand car I bought her for getting the VC Award in 2005, if she got a First Class Honours for her BLS. However in December 2007, suscpecting a good result from what I had heard, I "downgraded" the incentive to RM3,000 cash for a First Class Honours, plus another RM500 if she got the Best Student Prize.

Yesterday  I was RM3,500 poorer. Without the "downgrade" it would have been worse.

The invitation  for the convocation stated that parents wouldn't be seated in the same hall for the ceremony because of the large number of graduates. However the earlier arrivals were allowed in, and we were among them, fortunately.

At the end of the long ceremony the VC gave his closing speech, and without notes, I might add. I have given a few public speeches in my day, but never without notes, so I was impressed. 

What the VC didn't highlight enough, though, was the fact that the real congratulations should have been for  the parents and guardians. The students were the ones who studied and sat for the examinations, of course. But it's the parents and guardians who scrimped and saved and cajoled and urged the students to study hard and succeed. Many went with less, many went without,  so the children could do well in  school and later in university.

For my part, I'm proud the wife and I have been able to raise our kids  well enough to see all four of them graduate from university. Now that we already have three grandchildren from our first two sons, I hope my  children will see that their children get the same support in their own education.

I prostrate and say "all praise to Allah". 

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Apo kono eh, Jang ?

Friday, 21st. November 2008.

What's happening to NS ?

The Royal Household seems to be caught in a number of highly publicised cases - involving the father, the son and the grandson. The MB certainly is deeply embroiled in the current UMNO battle in the State.

It's not as if NS lacks class. The first Agong was from Negeri Royalty and an English law graduate.  Before a medical doctor became PM, an MB in NS was already one. The last MB stayed as long as Mahathir. 2 VCs in University of Malaya were from Negeri, plus many of the local IPTA / IPTS heads and faculty members. The civil service, the legal service, the uniformed services are full of them, occupying the top posts of the Chief Secretary, Chief of the Armed Forces, the first top female judge and so on. For bloggers, Bakri Musa for one is from Negeri. In politics we have many Negeri-born or Negeri-married top  personalities. There is the brave bridge-burning Rais Yatim, the Negeri-married Najib and Negeri-married Mukhriz, and others.

Maybe it's time to reexamine our our stock and predicament.

200 years ago when the Minangkabau-originated Malays couldn't keep their peace, they compromised by importing a Minangkabau royalty. Now if the present ruling household cannot keep itself out of court, it may be time to find another Minangkabau import.  Unlike other Malay sultanates, the Negeri ruler is chosen by the Undangs, who are in turn chosen by the clans. That's royal democracy for you.

The political predicament of the MB is his own making. Instead of courting friendship from all UMNO divisions, he chose to confront some heads. 

The comparison between the physical development of Seremban and neighbouring Bandar Melaka is easy to make. For one, just look at the Dataran Seremban and compare it with the Dataran Pahlawan in Air Keroh !

I've no regrets being Negeri-born. I only wish we were not so much in the news for the wrong reasons.

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Of Najib, Mahathir & UMNO money politics.

Thursday, 20th. November,2008.

I've written about Najib many times in this blog before, and I stand to be corrected.

I've just read Mahathir's promise to give some names alleged to be involved in UMNO money politics. Maybe they'll finally sit up, the Supreme Councillors, that is.

I've already written about the UMNO candidate that lost the last GE for the state seat of Ampangan, Seremban, who's now under investigation for giving money to a delegate. That's a cut and dried affair, and if the Disciplinary Committee can't do anything with it, Tunku Rithauddin and the whole gang should just resign for incompetence.

I've said it in Kuala Terengganu and here in Taman Dato' Shahbandar, publicly, that up to this moment UMNO has done nothing about addressing the causes for its dismal showing in March. Now if Najib continues to parrot Dollah's  lines, he's a goner for sure. Why he's so keen to be seen as loyal to Dollah  to the detriment of his own future as PM bafffles me. He should realize that his uncontested candidature is by default, because of UMNO's inability to stand up for real democracy in its own politics. By the hands of kind history, the PMship has always been his, in good time. Only his own stupidity stands in his way, and parroting Dollah  at this juncture is a mark of stupidity of the highest category.

I'm eagerly waiting for Mahathir's publication of the names. I know in Jempol delegates were given as much as RM2,000 each. Amat Teleng in Kuala Pilah told me several contestants gave money to him (including an exco Pemuda Malaysia who cheated me of RM20,000 in a business deal).  So corrupt leaders could get elected, again. Should we all be surprised if corrupt practices continue ?

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Ipoh mali.

14.11.2008.

I was in Ipoh yesterday, Thursday 13th. November, for golf, and then dinner at a hotel with Najib as g.o.h. I returned to Seremban this afternoon, Friday, opting to jamak-kathar my zohor & asr solat instead of the Friday Jumaat, and paid the price here & now instead of the hereafter !

Before the dinner, I'd already told Dato' Ismail and Pak Ya that Dollah , the original g.o.h. won't come, for obvious reasons, and that Ali Rustam was sure to come, seeing as to how the fight for the Timbalan President UMNO  post is now three-cornered, and maybe he fancy his chances. I was right on both counts.

When the MC mentioned Najib's name, the loud applause was to be expected. When Ali's name was mentioned before Muhyiddin's ( who also came, which I did not expect it ) because he's a Chief Minister and a YAB, he smiled broadly when he got the applause. The smile lost some dazzle when Muhyiddin received a  louder applause, and it was Muhyiddin's turn to smile broadly. I think that's was a fair indication. I don't see Ali beating Muhyiddin for 3 good reasons: he's an ADUN and unless he goes for a bye-election, cannot assume the DPMship; he's not a good speaker, and is worse in English; he's digging deep into an apparently deep pocket for the long haul, and this time he may be caught.

In comparison, the Wanita Rafidah-Sharizat duel is interesting for 2 good reasons. One is the committment and egocentricity of Rafidah, against the hopes of the next-generation Wanita.  The other is the ambivalence of Sharizat who is wary of her chances, made more nervous by her loss to upstart Nurul Izzah in the last GE. This is compounded by the adamant Kamalia running for Deputy no matter what. Kamalia is the old veteran ( but of Sharizat's generation ) who can count on Rafidah,  and that would be formidable. Also Sharizat is viewed as Dollah's supporter and that could be a liability, although Rafidah's popularity among UMNO members have never been high. Sharizat is now caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. If she goes for Ketua, she may lose. If she goes for Deputy, she may also lose.

My penalty for "tuanging" Jumaat today came this way.

I stopped at the Sg. Buluh Jejantas R&R for refreshments. As I stepped away from my car, the occupants from a car behind mine motioned to me,  shouting out something I could not  make out.  I thought why should I bother, but maybe they need some info I can easily give, no bother.

When I approached the driver's side, the guy on the passenger's side said in clearly heavy "Arabic" accent something about the availability of halal food and money-changing, showing his fat wallet with clearly foreign currencies. Then he came out of the car to my side and asked to see what a Malaysian note look like. At that moment it didn't strike me as odd, since obviously he's already in Malaysia, and in fact is already driving around the country. But at that time this didn't come to mind.  I  took out my wallet and was about to show him a 10 RM note, when he pointed to my 50  notes, and actually pulled them out of my wallet ! Now I suddenly remembered Madrid 1989 ! This is "de je vu", I thought. At Madrid airport two well-dressed men approached me, knowing from my appearance, of course, that I was a tourist, asking to change 1 US100 bill. I said I didn't have change, and they said if I could kindly check. So I took out my wallet and showed them my own US100 bills. Similiarly, the money was taken right off my hand and the guy began to count them. By then I was already taken aback and grabbed his wrist, but he said don't worry, don't worry, and I was looking intensely at the money in his hands. I didn't see him actually taking anything, and he returned them and walked away. I became suspicious and sat and carefully counted my money. It's my habit to write down how many pieces of the different denominations of the currencies that I take with me when travelling. So I discovered 3 US100 bills missing !

Now this  incident today I said to myself, my God, is the same thing happening to me again? So I counted my money. Now, I distinctly remember taking RM1,000 with me to Ipoh. I also remember that the only cash expenditure I had made to that point was RM150 for the golf, and less that RM30 for other small purchases. So what do you think? I had lost RM200, in 4 RM50 bills.

So whoever reads this blog, the one thing I advise is to watch out for  this con.  I was told later that this has happened here  before.

The other thing is, don't "tuang" your solat Jumaat.

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The 2008 UMNO elections.

9.11.2008.

To-day, Sunday 9th. November, may be the last day of the divisional elections, but in fact is only the beginning of REAL elections posptponed to March, 2009. Looking at the whole thing from the ground up, I believe we're about to see the Party going through an internal war worse than the last GE. At least during the GE12  everyone knew who the enemy was. This is dog-eat-dog.

It's now more than 7 long months since the GE12. In spite of the wallopping that it got, as far as I can see, UMNO has done nothing at the grassroots level to address the malice shown up during that GE. Instead, everyone is intensely involved in the internal acrimony that has always featured in the Party's elections, only this time it's 10 times worse. And the potential disaster that awaits the Party for ignoring the soul-searching demanded of it in March is becoming almost inevitable. And the voters are watching.

I urge UMNO members to choose wisely in March. I don't put too much hope in that.

I urge UMNO members not to be swayed by money-politics. I put even less hope in that.

I urge Party leaders to meet all branches within 6 months to really find out what went wrong in the last GE. I can only hope in this.

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MM,KT & KJ.

31.10.2008.

The news today(Friday, 31st. Oct) seems to be that the UMNO General Assembly  remains at March '09. If so, that spells trouble.

5 months are forever in UMNO politics. If you people haven't seen money-politics, then just watch the UMNO Youth elections and hang on to your hats.

The real fight is between MM and KJ. You can call it the battle of the proxies. KT is the one who has been spending the most, according to many observers. But the ex-MB is probably in a different league.

KJ's f.i.l. made the fatal mistake of taking on MM Sr. He underestimated the old man's influence and overestimated his own intelligence . 

You must remember that KJ is the No. 2, while MM is an ordinary exco in the Pemuda. In the last 4 years KJ spoke like a stand-in for the PM, making pronouncements on everything that should have come from Hishamuddin. Remember, until GE12  KJ wasn't even in the Government.

KJ's nominations equal KT's and are only about 20 less than MM. But don't be fooled by these. Many Pemuda leaders are beholden to KJ. Buying of votes, discreet or otherwise, pressures the Division  people  into ostensibly nominating their benefector. But the secret votes in the real elections could be different.

This is a thinking man's election.

If you think KJ is the right one, KJ wins. If you think MM is the one, he wins.

The truth of the matter is, whoever wins will become the next President of the Party.

Members will be best advised to scrutinise these 2 fellows - what they say, what they do, and how they conduct themselves on and off camera. What they have said, what they have done, and how they have conducted themselves are well known, and merit serious consideration.

We all must condemn money politics simply because it produces corrupt leaders. Perhaps the kampong delegates can put a twist to it. Take the money, even if you feel it's wrong. Vote the right person. That's not wrong.

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Kafe Batu Keras.

23.10.2008.

How stupid of me.

It wasn't until I reached home that it struck me - bloody hell ! It's "Hard Rock Cafe !".

My "biras" (brother-in-law lah) asked to join him and his wife for lunch at a "new place" in Seremban 2. It was only 12 noon, and I had just returned from the golf club, and having had some mee goring after 9 holes of golf, I wasn't particularly hungry. But I agreed anyway.

The place was surprisingly hidden in a wooded part of the new township, a spot one could not have seen from the roads crisscrossing around the area. The quaint thatched roof and open-walled atmosphere was a pleasant sight. It reminded me immediately of "Auntie Annie's Cafe" in old Nilai, similiarly tucked away and inconspicuous from the road. There at the entrance was "Kafe Batu Keras" - an  uncommon name, I thought.

Because we were early, the Malay cusine spread out in silver dishes buffet-style was still  warm. We were told the lunch crowd normally comes at 1.15.  The "Negeri" food was authentic. Just like Auntie Annie's. Auntie Annie's isn't overly expensive. I don't know how much our lunch cost, because my biras insisted he pay. That was a surprise.  In the past I'd always paid.

The other surprise was the proprietor.

The last time I saw her was in 1999, in Kuala Pilah. She was the Ketua Wanita for her Cawangan, but worked with her brother in KL selling superbikes.

As I walked into the restaurant's compound, a woman in apron walked out of the outdoor kitchen building and greeted me. She surprised me totally. I remember the face immediately, but could not recall the name at once, but we exchanged greetings warmly. Apparently she started selling imported lava-rock garden/home decorations and bamboo furniture about a year ago, and a few months later obtained a license to operate this cafe. When I made the comparison with Auntie Annie's she said she knows the place.

Then as I walked into the roofed dining area with my biras before ordering luch, I remembered her name.

When we drove home in my biras' car, I remembered Ita (that's her name) and her urbane taste and then it struck me. Of course, it's Hard Rock Cafe !

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Of dogs, dogma and the dog-house.

20.10.2008.

Dog-gone it ! Dollah is still at it, trying putting old man Mahathir in the dog-house ! For the old fox(another canine), the repeated bitter lesson has always been "letting the dog out of the trap"- doing a good deed to an ungrateful person.

We hear yesterday that in Sabah Dollah lashed out at his  discarded mentor. Of course Dollah's kennel of running dogs were quick to bark. But as all of Malaysia knows, these are "anjings antah beras"(stray dogs) whose barks are worse than their bites. They are no better than the fleas in their dog-patch hides. They  will jump off the moment the host-dog dies.

Dollah hit out at two guys, actually - his dogged antagonist Mahathir and Muhyiddin, the new-found critic.

On bad ol' Mahathir, Dollah was furious that the old fellow is apparently giving directives to the UMNO members in the on-going party elections. I thought that was barking up the wrong tree. I myself offer "directives" to my UMNO friends. Dollah should direct his anger at the members for following Mahathir's "directives". 

The funny thing is Dollah himself has fallen victim to the months-long cry to "fold up his mat." This year, or in March, whatever, he's history. Every dog has his day. Dollah's days are gone. As the UMNO members in Kuala Pilah say, Dollah is already "tegolek dog!"  - dead.

That Dollah is pissed at Muhyidden, everyone also knows now. Muhyiddin was the highest ranking Supreme Council Member to publicly call for the early transition of power. In fact he was the only Member with enough balls to convey this message from the "grass roots". Now everyone also knows Dollah called Zahid Hamidi in Mekah to contest the Deputy Presidency, just to spite, and if possible beat Muhyiddin. Ali Rustam came into the picture because he thought if Zahid, his party junior, can do that, then why couldn't he ?

Najib told Zahid what is what, so the ex-Anwar Ibrahim call-boy pulled a long face and swallowed his pride and backed down. I wonder why Najib didn't talk to Ali Rustam. 

So in Sabah Dollah lashed at Muhyiddin for bringing up the need to shorten the campaigning period to avoid uncontrolled money-politics. Dollah said why keep changing his stand, when the Supreme Council already agreed to the March handover ? Why indeed. Dollah wasn't impartial to his own dog-brand of flip-flopping in his short-lived, short-sighted stay in power.  And how was that agreed to by the Council when only Dollah and Najib discussed it ?

Former Top-Dog KJ (the s.i.l.) now says he's the underdog. That's a quick switch. As some say, this is just another transparent ploy by an otherwise less-than-transparent corporate thief. All I can say to KJ is, this is a dog-eat-dog world, my boy. I'm sure he'll get enough nominations to contest, so we'll see the outcome. If f.i.l. resist all demands for early elections, KJ should have enough grease to squirt around to curry favour. They'll gladly accept it, I'm positive. But will it buy their votes ? I'm not so positive.

Dogged  Dollah should follow Mahathir's unsolicited advice - just go quietly. Nobody listened to you when in power.  Who  will do that when you're  out of power. Nothing approaching the anger that you spit out at the ol' man will make any difference to him. Or to the march of events. It'll be like "the dog barking at the hill" - futile.

UMNO is not so dogmatic that useless rules and code of conduct cannot be scrapped.  The rank-and-file must accept past mistakes and make immediate amends for the dog-fight looking at them in their faces. It's dog-day afternoon for UMNO.  Do something  or perish.

I can pen  a doggerel now to paint a picture of dismay that clouds UMNO's state of dysfunction at the moment.  But the sad story has been told and retold these six months, in many a dog-eared tale of despair. The way to a resurgent UMNO is within sight.  If the party is to play its rightful role, as  in the last fifty years, and again in the next fifty, then its members must choose the right leaders  right here and right now. Anything short  would  make UMNO a mangy cur, loping away, tongue hanging out, tail between its legs. If UMNO doesn't change, it'll be "ten junks at anchor, the dog is still wearing its tail" - a Malay saying meaning inability to change will bring no good to anyone.

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The second week.

18.10.2008.

We're well into the second week of the UMNO divisional elections, and there are some movements already.

The "pro-old camp" still has its hand on the mike, as it were. The "pro-new camp" is no less assertive, especially after scoring the biggest point so far. Some divisional meetings are already being referred to the HQ. There used to be a Monitoring Committee at the State Liason level, but that doesn't exist now.  The key word is "grassroots". How much this word would be banged around remains to be seen.

The spin doctors are still at it, apparently. The psy-war on "underdogs" and "toothless lions" are some of the animal-kingdom characters being pulled out from the heap pile of battles of old. And they might still carry effect yet. The sms and blogs are having a field day. And the snake oil peddlar is still making his rounds.

I met a member of the Disciplinary Committee recently and plainly told him that if that Committee isn't blind and deaf then it should know that the Mother of All Money Politics is about to happen. The President has unconsitutionally delayed the General Assembly to March next year. After the completion of the divisional meetings next month, everybody running for anything would have more than 100 days to pick up any or all of the 2000 plus delegates. I said the Disciplinary Committee can preempt this and recommend to the Supreme Council to hold the General Assembly  this year.

Muhyiddin has already openly objected to the March delay. Others should support him, and the sooner the better. If Najib speaks for it now, the President is bound to agree, but the whole Supreme Council should go for it.

In a playout of the Malay "sandiwara", those with little chance of winning should know it already and should graciously withdraw and throw their support behind the more likely candidates. For some it's a question of proper ascension. For others it's a question of timing. For one in particular, it's a question of learning not "to sit before stretching the legs". Just try it. You'll hit  the hard cement !

My unsolicited comment at this juncture is: give fair representation to geography, religious knowledge, business acumen, experience and inclination for change. Give no place for family-ties, business ties, under-performance records and  loyalty doubts. That's asking for the moon. But UMNO must get its act together, now.  

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The UMNO races heat up.

14.10.2008.

To-day, Tuesday 14th. October, there is a lull in the gathering storm of the UMNO races for 2008, after the delayed start on Friday. It's too soon to tell, but already the troops are itching for action. The early salvos are from two old men who are not even in the contest, in contrasting styles.

One is wily; and the other wimpy.

One is angry at being dismissed; the other fails to see the need to be.

One claims not to care about what history would think of him; the other seems not to care, period.

One stepped down even as he said his job wasn't done after 22 years; the other is stepping down, he claims, after finishing it in 5 months time.

The contestents ,on their part, are nervously putting up their fingers to test the wind. Doubtless many  fingers will be burnt.

Let's start with the "jokers".

Chief among them must be this out-of-the-blue chap who used to pass his name card around that carried his grandfather's name.  That was the first time I've seen a Malay guy doing that. I suppose, this being his first venture at making a name for himself, carrying the well-known grandfather's name would help.  Looking at his latest antics, I don't think he has matured much since. I feel sorry for the division that elected him as its "Ketua".

This is where he and his fellow jokers contesting against Muhyiddin for the Deputy post could learn to  hold their  tongues  sometimes. Not say something that could confirm suspicions about your stupidity. There are many ways of making news, but flashing your lack of intelligence is not helpful. I mean, how good would you look if you say in public that you contest the Deputy post because you want to bring youth to it ? People prefer wisdom and experience. Youth would not do.

Then you put the icing on the cake by saying Mahathir is responsible for bringing Anwar into UMNO. What's the crime in that ? Mahathir did many things in his long areer. He can't always be held responsible for all the actions of his proteges, no more than Anwar is to be held responsible for all the actions of Ezam. And by the way, Mahathir also gave a second life to a "recond" Mohamad Rahmat. You insinuate  that as despicable? Your own grandfather ?

Your lack of knowledge also goes to Malay Literature, which is full of wise old sayings such as "shine the light at your face in the mirror" and "diving into the water in the tree stump". For your sake I will tell you what each means. To shine the light at your face in the mirror is to carefully assess your capabilities before venturing into something something big. To dive into the water in the tree stump is to do something silly, if not downright dangerous. How much water is there in an old tree stump ?

I think this guy owes Mahathir an apology.  He should be thankful that the old man didn't use sterner nouns. 

Notwithstanding their coy public reaction to Mahathir's acid tongue, Muhammad Taib and Ali Rustam contesting the Deputy post also is in similiar vein. When UMNO is at the crossroads, we need great leaders.  Muhammad's shenanigans in the not so distance past still ring in our ears. Ali Rustam's substance as a national leader is still less than potent. How could he be, when he struggles to express himself in the press. And remember also, he was darn lucky he didn't get caught like Isa Samad the last time. And another thing, how can you be so flippant in making State Awards to just any Bollywood star you fancy ?

Wanita's development merit a separate page in my blog. I've been waiting for this since she shut out the shippers' complains about Port Klang's operations by imperiously dismissing them as "what's so difficult" without even allowing the representatives to her Trade Ministry Dialogue with Agencies finish their sentence, but that was the "Iron Lady" then. And by the way, don't put her on the same level as Albreight. The American has a PhD.

There's interesting action in the Puteri wing, too. Only, I urge its members to scrutinise the candidates thouroughly. A university degree doesn't guarantee quality, but in this day and age it would look stupid if Puteri elects undereducated leaders when there are plenty of qualified ones around. I know one of the candidates has only SPM, although she claims at different times to have either a diploma or a degree. Just don't be so gullible.

Let the" assistant President in charge of vice" be a real open post. But again the delegates ahould not be swayed by incumbency, or money or rethoric. Info on the candidates are available. Their records are public knowledge - assess them for truthfullness and sincerity. I know truth and sincerity can be fleeting and stretched thin. Assess anyway. Some things said and done 10 years ago are not too far off for recollection, in fact time can lend better contrast.

Pemuda requires brave action. This is the Party's future. Action always speak louder than words. Action is obvious to the seeing eyes. Words are often twisted and turned. You can be lulled by clever verbal acrobatics. A leader shows his mettle when the stakes are high, and he goes against the tide in his belief. Leaders don't just jump on the badwagon. It's so easy to thump your chest when the crowd is behind you, or the King is looking out for you. Humility and humbleness and respect for elders are not bad traits for a leader. Greed, conceit and disdain for the old warriors are.

As I said, the battle is just beginning. For the delegates, I urge that they don't sell their votes cheap. If it's with money, then it's truly worthless.

For the contestants, I say, offer your services because you're answering a higher call, not a personal one.

And if you don't intend to use the keris, don't even think of pulling it out of the sheath.

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