The Sultan of Perak is said to be in Kuala Lumpur. The Perak Menteri Besar is not able to have an audience with Tuanku to request the dissolution of the Perak State Assembly.

Perak has fallen.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will announce the formation of a new Perak state government at 4.00pm today in Putrajaya.

Dato Nasaruddin has crossed back to Umno. Two more DAP Perak State Assemblyman/ women are said to have defected.

Five Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblymen in Kedah are said to be ready to cross over to Barisan Nasional. The Kedah state government is also about to fall. - Malaysia Today

If fresh state elections are held, Pakatan Rakyat may sweep at least 40 seats, leaving Umno with just 19 seats. MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP will not win a single seat.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

No by-elections, says EC - so what happens now?

The political turmoil in Perak has taken on a new twist with Election Commission chairperson Abdul Aziz reportedly saying that no by-elections would be held because of doubts over the resignation letters of the two state assembly members.

Aziz pointed out that assembly members had submitted letters to deny their validity of the resignation letters submitted by the Perak Speaker.

Where does this leave Perak?

Of course, the Pakatan still has a majority of one, but if that is threatened, then they have the option of dissolving the assembly and calling for fresh elections. – Anil Netto

***************************************

That was what Anil Netto asked in his Blog today (http://anilnetto.com/). I have no time to write my normal five-page ‘cheong hei’ article because I am rushing off for a meeting with my lawyers (I have three court cases over four days next week and they want to prepare for them).

So, in the few minutes that I have left, allow me to sum up as follows.

Pakatan Rakyat started out with 31 seats in the Perak State Assembly against Barisan Nasional’s 28. This means if just two Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblymen cross over, Barisan Nasional would have 30 seats against Pakatan Rakyat’s 29. This would also mean Barisan Nasional will form the new Perak state government with a majority of one seat.

While Barisan Nasional was working on these two ‘candidates’ to cross over -- the Changat Jering and Behrang State Assemblyman -- one Umno State Assemblyman crossed over to Pakatan Rakyat. Now, Barisan Nasional needs three Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblymen to cross over instead of just two.

Today, the Elections Commission rejected the resignation letters of the Changkat Jering and Behrang State Assemblymen. This means they can now join Barisan Nasional -- so Barisan Nasional will now have 29 seats against Pakatan Rakyat’s 30. All Barisan Nasional needs is just one more cross-over from Pakatan Rakyat and they will form the new Perak state government.

This not only can happen. It most likely will happen.

Pakatan Rakyat has no other choice. It has to dissolve the Perak State Assembly and call for fresh state elections. Note one thing here. It is not actually Barisan Nasional versus Pakatan Rakyat. It is Umno versus Pakatan Rakyat. From the 29 seats that Barisan Nasional now has, 28 are from Umno and only one from MCA -- with NONE from the other 12 Barisan Nasional component members.

However, to dissolve the Perak State Assembly, Pakatan Rakyat must first obtain the consent of the Sultan of Perak. Will the Sultan give his consent? Many feel the answer is no. Therefore Pakatan Rakyat will be ‘locked’ with a one-seat majority that may turn out to be a one-seat minority in the very near future.

If fresh state elections are held, Pakatan Rakyat may sweep at least 40 seats, leaving Umno with just 19 seats. MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP will not win a single seat. That is why Umno would not want fresh state elections, or even two by-elections. If they allow this to happen they will get wiped out and Pakatan Rakyat will increase its margin of seats even more. With a 21-seat majority it will be impossible for Barisan Nasional to continue dreaming about taking over Perak.

Where do we go from here? I wish I knew. I, on the other hand, am off to my lawyers to see whether they can keep me out of jail and the Kamunting Detention Centre.

Till later. In the meantime, I hope Pakatan Rakyat can see the logic of dissolving the Perak State Assembly so that fresh state elections can be held. That would be the only way to hold on to Perak. - Malaysia Today

Umno has 20,000 branches within 191 divisions. So they need to fabricate members to allow these branches to exist. The members do not really exist. They are just names to make up the numbers so that the branches can be created and thereafter perpetuated.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Muhyiddin: Don’t underestimate 3 million strong Umno

Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reminded opposition parties, including Pas, not to belittle Umno, while admitting the party’s need to improve various areas. Muhyiddin, who is also International Trade and Industry Minister, said the rise and fall of power is part and parcel of life and had happened to all parties.

“That is his opinion. For us in Umno, the party has been long established with more than three million members and can be regarded as the biggest political organisation.”

“Every political organisation will have its seasons. Sometimes we are strong, sometimes we will face problems. Opposition leaders will not respect us. We don’t expect them to make positive comments or statements although problems also exist in PAS and Pakatan Rakyat,” he said.

Muhyiddin was commenting on Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s statement describing Umno as a dying tree, after attending a Chinese New Year open house organised by Umno Kalabakan.

He said Umno and Barisan Nasional’s (BN) defeat in several by-elections are not indicators that the party is weak and cannot rise again. “We admit our weaknesses, but it does not mean that we are hopeless cases. After the general election we realised this and have started to make internal changes and reforms. Don’t underestimate Umno’s strength,” he said.

He said BN and Umno hoped to send a message to the people that the party is not static and are willing to make improvements necessary with the country’s changing political landscape. Muhyiddin added that he is confident the people will accept the party’s changes and ensure victory for BN in the next general election for continuing development in the country. — Bernama, 3 February 2009

***************************************

Okay, today, let’s get away from the Perak political crisis for the meantime while we wait for the official announcement as to whether we are going to see two by-elections or we are going to see the Perak State Assembly dissolved to make way for fresh state elections. If the Elections Commission ‘rejects’ the resignation letters of the Changkat Jering and Behrang State Assemblymen, then Pakatan Rakyat would have no choice but to dissolve the Perak State Assembly and hold fresh state elections.

What I want to talk about today is the statement by the incoming Deputy Prime Minister who will serve under incoming Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. The incoming Deputy Prime Minister meant here is Umno Vice-President cum International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. And his statement is about the three million members that Umno has.

Actually, Umno may have three million members, as they always proudly claim, but if you were to include the members of the 13 other component members of Barisan Nasional, then it would come to 5.5 million, or so they claim.

A short digression to this subject but still related to the issue: in the two weeks that we spent in Kuala Terengganu in the run-up to the by-election last month, we noticed that almost EVERY Chinese citizen of Kuala Terengganu is an MCA life member. Yes, that’s right, almost all the Chinese in Kuala Terengganu are life members of MCA.

Going by these statistics, Barisan Nasional should have garnered at least 90% of the Kuala Terengganu Chinese votes. But they didn’t. Isn’t this telling? Boasting about how many members you have is one thing. Whether your own members will vote for you is more important. If you can’t get even your own members to vote for you then what chance do you have of getting the ‘fence-sitters’, those who are not card-carrying members of any party, to vote for you? And we are not yet even talking about winning over the votes of the opposition supporters. This would be as remote as seeing Umno abandon Ketuanan Melayu and the New Economic Policy.

Barisan Nasional is supposed to have 5.5 million members, three million in Umno alone. But in the 8 March 2008 general election, Barisan Nasional garnered only 4,082,411 or 50.6% of the popular votes. Pakatan Rakyat managed 3,796,464 or 49.4% of the votes with only one million members.

What happened? How come Barisan Nasional won only 4,082,411 votes against the backdrop of 5.5 million party members? And surely, in an election, not only your own members vote for you. Surely the ‘fence-sitters’ or non-card-carrying voters of any party also vote for you.

Let us work out the arithmetic. Barisan Nasional has 5.5 million members and Pakatan Rakyat about one million or so. That comes to 6.5 million voters who are card-carrying party members. So about 4.5 million voters are not card-carrying members of any party. This would be the ‘fence-sitters’ or uncommitted voters that both coalitions would want to win over.

In the 8 March 2008 general election, 222 Parliament seats in 12 states (including the Federal Territory which has 13 seats) and 505 state seats in 13 states were up for grabs (Sarawak did not hold state elections in the 2008 general election). There were 10,922,139 registered voters (an increase of 600,000 over the 2004 general election), which includes the 221,085 postal voters. So the ‘real’ voters came to only 10,701,054.

The total votes garnered by Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat combined were 7,878,875. This comes to a voter turnout of 70.71%, a very low turnout indeed. If we minus the 221,085 postal votes, which are ‘bonus’ votes for Barisan Nasional, the ‘genuine’ voters would come to only 7,657,790.

This means if we minus the 221,085 postal votes, Barisan Nasional actually garnered only 3,861,326 votes against Pakatan Rakyat’s 3,796,464. This comes to a majority of only 64,862 votes.

Okay, Barisan Nasional has 5.5 million members. This means they should get at least 70.71% of this (calculated on an across-the-board basis according to the voter turnout). Therefore, Barisan Nasional should have garnered 3,889,050 votes if all their members voted for them and if calculated on a 70.71% voter turnout. Then they got the 221,085 postal votes. So the total votes for Barisan Nasional should have been 4,110,135 votes.

This means three things. Firstly, about 30% of Barisan Nasional’s members did not bother to come out to vote for their own party. Or, secondly, many of their members voted for the opposition. Thirdly, if we assume that all your members voted for you and not for the other side, this means NONE of the non-card-carrying voters voted for you. ALL voted for the ‘other side’.

Whatever it may be; it is impossible for the opposition to win 100% of the uncommitted voters. Many would also vote for Barisan Nasional even if they are not members of any of the 14 component members of the coalition. This would then mean many Barisan Nasional members did not vote for their own party. Or probably these members do not exist in the first place.

Pakatan Rakyat has just one million members or so. Yet they garnered 3,796,464 votes. The bottom line is: Pakatan Rakyat got almost four times the votes compared to the members it has, while Barisan Nasional could not even get the same number of votes as it has members.

Muhyiddin Yassin’s boast about Umno having three million members, or of Barisan Nasional having 5.5 million, means nothing if you can’t translate these numbers into votes. Hell, only 70.71% came out to vote on 8 March 2008. About 30% or three million people stayed home, many of them Barisan Nasional members as well. You not only could not get your own members to come out and vote, even those that did come out to vote did not all vote for you, their own party.

Anyway, everyone knows that Umno’s and Barisan Nasional’s ‘members’ are ‘paper’ members only. They only exist on paper. In many instances they can’t even hold general meetings because they can’t get the quorum at branch level and many meetings are mere ‘paper’ meetings.

Umno has 20,000 branches within 191 divisions. So they need to fabricate members to allow these branches to exist. The members do not really exist. They are just names to make up the numbers so that the branches can be created and thereafter perpetuated. Many branches are mere signboards to give an impression that they exist. There is really no branch activity as such.

Either way it is a farce. If the members do exist then that is bad news because your own members did not vote for you. And if the members do not exist then you are just kidding yourself. Both do not augur well for the ‘largest Islamic party in the world’, as what Umno claims to be. - Malaysia Today

Yes, in Malaysia, you do not work against those who walk in the corridors of power. If you oppose the powers-that-be you end up dead, disappeared, or in jail. That is if they can’t buy you.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Seremban Umno makes history

The Seremban Umno division yesterday made history as the only division in the party to hold three meetings after the first two attempts failed. The first meeting on Nov 9 was postponed after a fight broke out. The second meeting on Dec 27 was postponed.

Yesterday, Seremban Umno division chief Datuk Ishak Ismail retained his position, which he had held since 1988, when his opponent, Mohd Nor Awang, did not qualify to contest after facing bribery allegations. -- The New Straits Times, 1 February 2009

***************************************

Live by the sword, die by the sword

Meanwhile, as they try their best to get back Perak through foul means, in other places they run the risk of losing power. In Negeri Sembilan, all Pakatan Rakyat needs are three state seats to oust Barisan Nasional from the state. Umno is watching that state closely lest three Barisan Nasional State Assemblymen cross over to Pakatan Rakyat to help them form the new Negeri Sembilan state government. And Negeri Sembilan is Khairy Jamaluddin’s state, the state he hopes he will one day become Menteri Besar of before he journeys to Putrajaya to take the seat as Prime Minister of Malaysia some time after 2020.

But Khairy no longer has time to worry about Negeri Sembilan. Negeri Sembilan is something in the future. Negeri Sembilan can wait. Khairy has more immediate problems to worry about. -- The Corridors of Power (https://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/17434/84/)

***************************************

Umno’s disciplinary problems

What makes it so difficult for the tribunal (the Umno Disciplinary Board) to effectively carry out its functions is the selective prosecution it must practice in the discharge of its duties. Actions can only be taken if required or useful to certain top leaders. The tribunal lacks clear mandate from the party management in dealing with money politics, Umno's euphemism for corrupt practice. -- Datuk Zaid Ibrahim

***************************************

Either you are with me or you are against me, said President Bush Junior. Either you are with me or you die, says Umno. Hey, what the fork, can’t we agree to disagree? (Ha! I bet you thought I was going to use the ‘other’ four-letter ‘F’ word. Gotcha!).

The objective of the Umno exercise is very simple, so simple that many within Umno do not see it. That’s because they try to look for the ‘udang sebalik batu’ (the prawn behind the stone; meaning, the hidden agenda).

There is no udang sebalik batu or hidden agenda. The agenda is very clear and ‘transparent’. Bring down Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s key people so that, come March 2009, the Prime Minister will be all alone and isolated, and would therefore have to step down and hand over to Najib Tun Razak as planned.

Negeri Sembilan is Khairy Jamaluddin’s, the Prime Minister’s son-in-law’s home base. And that is where he is building his political fortunes so that in the next election (say in 2012-2013) he can contest a state seat and become the next Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan. Then, say around 2017-2018 or so, he will contest a parliament seat and will be on the way to become the Prime Minister by the age of 40 as he aspires.

Make no bones about it. Khairy can make it and I will place my money on that happening (unless Pakatan Rakyat kicks out Barisan Nasional and takes over the federal government first). But he can make it only if Najib does not take over as Prime Minister in March 2009 and if Pak Lah continues as Prime Minister until the next general election.

Khairy knows this. Najib knows this. And probably nearly every Malaysian, Pak Lah included, knows this as well. So, do you think Najib is going to allow this to happen? There is room for only one at the top. And Najib wants this to be him, not Khairy.

Even the CEO of Air Asia knows that Khairy’s days are numbered, or so he thinks, and he is quickly distancing himself from Khairy as his Malaysiakini interview has revealed. “The biggest mistake of my life, and to be fair to this guy, is (when) Khairy Jamaluddin’s team came to propose sponsoring the MyTeam (football project). Honestly, it was the biggest mistake of my life,” said Tony Fernandez.

When the rats begin to desert the ship then you certainly know that the ship is about to sink. And there is another rat that has deserted what he believes to be the sinking ship. And this rat is the Honorary Consul of Mongolia to Malaysia, Syed Rahman Alhabshi.

When I first met Syed Rahman it was during a meeting I was having with Zahid Md Arip and Datuk Kamal Amir at The Dome in the Bangsar Shopping Centre. I had known Zahid, the grandson of Tun Ghafar Baba, since 1998. I know his uncle, Tamrin, even longer, probably since the 1980s. But that was the first time I met Datuk Kamal.

As we were talking, Syed Rahman passed by and Datuk Kamal invited him to join us, which he did. It was then that I realised who he was. Okay, he is not a dashing-looking sort of fellow and it is not quite like his face stands out in the crowd. So I did not recognise him at first until I was told who he is.

What Syed Rahman told us was no different from what Bala said is his Statutory Declaration. The long and short of it all, what Syed Rahman revealed was that Najib and Rosmah are involved in Altantuya’s murder and that Najib was in fact having an affair with the now dead Mongolian beauty.

I met Syed Rahman once or twice after that at the Mahbol Mamak restaurant in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, this time with a larger crowd that included Jadawi Datuk Ghazali and his wife, Salleh Yassin, a military intelligence chap called Major Salleh, Aspan Alias (an Umno stalwart), Naqib, and about a dozen or so others. It was one huge party of people.

Syed Rahman has the habit of shooting his mouth off. He would tell all and sundry and every man and his dog the story of Najib and Altantuya, if they cared to give him their ears. He was Malaysia’s one and only tukang karut (storyteller). In fact, he even gave press conferences and related in great detail and with much gusto his disgust with how the Malaysian police and the judiciary are handling the Altantuya murder investigation and trial. It appeared like he was going to single-handedly bring down Najib.

Altantuya’s father, Dr Steve Shariibuu, was so impressed with Syed Rahman’s performance that he gave him an entire dossier that would be able to implicate Najib in Altantuya’s murder, or at least implicate him in an affair with her. “I trusted him so much,” explained Dr Shariibuu, “and did not suspect he would betray me.”

According to Syed Rahman, who never denied that Dr Shariibuu had given him this thick dossier, he had handed it to the police to help them in their investigation. He said he never thought of making any copies. And this is the same thing Dr Shariibuu said when asked if he had made any copies of the dossier.

How convenient. Only one copy of the very damaging dossier exists and it has been handed to the police. Neither Syed Rahman nor Dr Shariibuu made any copies. Guess what has now happened to that only one copy of damaging evidence? No, no prize for the right guess.

Syed Rahman said the IGP spoke to him and advised him to ‘leave the country’ if Najib ever becomes Prime Minister. Would the IGP do such a thing? Was Syed Rahman telling the truth or was he preparing the ground to eventually jump ship and he needed the ‘justification’ to do so?

Whatever it may be, Syed Rahman did jump to the other side, whether under threat or inducement. And in late August 2008, a few days before the Permatang Pauh by-election, he went before national television to deny all the ‘lies’ and to endorse Najib and to proclaim Najib's innocence in the Altantuya murder.

Why this about-turn? Was he threatened like private investigator Bala and the two missing PKR State Assemblymen -- who are all still missing even as you read this? Or was he offered a large amount of money, too large to say no to? Remember, when they tried to convince the Umno State Assemblyman who had crossed over to PKR earlier this week to return to Umno, they reminded him about what happened to Altantuya and Bala. In short, if he refused to return to Umno then expect the same fate.

Yes, in Malaysia, you do not work against those who walk in the corridors of power. If you oppose the powers-that-be you end up dead, disappeared, or in jail. That is if they can’t buy you. Those in Umno face sacking from the party as many have discovered. You just do not oppose those who imagine themselves as God.

Take the money or die. Take the money or get sacked. Take the money or go to jail. That is the Umno way of doing things. And many have fallen victim to this ‘gentle persuasion’. And those who do not heed this ‘advice’ will suffer. And if you have a low tolerance for pain you succumb to the cohesion. And if you are stubborn you face the consequences.

It may already be a foregone conclusion that the two PKR State Assemblymen from Perak would rather not go to jail. Never mind if they face fabricated charges and were set up. You still go to jail. Would you rather go to jail or accept power and plenty of money? Many would rather choose power and money over jail, unfortunately.

Anyway, in case anyone would like to know, Barisan Nasional still needs one more Perak State Assemblyman or woman to form the state government even if the two PKR State Assemblymen cross over to Umno. And the going price for the last State Assemblyman or woman they need to complete the takeover of Perak is RM15 million. Yes, that’s right, the price has gone up from RM10 million to RM15 million. And they need just one more State Assemblyman or woman. Any takers?

And while you mull on that, also mull on the following. Was Kugan killed while in police custody because he was a car thief or because he was a witness to the car-stealing ring that involved senior police officers? This is what the family is asking. And the first autopsy showed he died because of water in the lungs. Hmm, in some countries you die of water in the lungs while under police custody because they submerge your head in the toilet bowl and flush the toilet. Most interesting indeed would you not agree?

Okay, back to Syed Rahman. What was Syed Rahman’s motivation for the U-turn? Did they threaten him or was he paid a lot of money? Maybe this photograph of him with Najib can shed some light on the matter. Does he look frightened? Does it appear like he is an unwilling participant? Or is this a photo of a very happy man who has just made millions by endorsing Najib and proclaiming to the world that Najib is innocent and is not involved in the Altantuya murder?

You be the judge.

These two PKR men are now missing. They have been missing since the last four days and no one knows where they are. But they are not really missing as such. They are safely in the hands of Umno. And Umno wants them to agree to a deal.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Buy them, or kill them! That is the theme for the Year of the Ox. And that is the theme Umno lives by. And if you live by the sword, so will it be that way you die, by the sword. Make no bones about it. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.

I remember the story told to me 20 years ago by an Umno stalwart. A certain one-time Menteri Besar of a certain state was on his deathbed. Friends and relatives read his last rites by his bedside, basically reading the Surah Yassin for he who is about to die.

But he would not die. He lingered on and on, not wanting to die and yet barely alive. His mouth would move when spoon-fed with soup. Yes, he who lived a life of makan suap (corruption) was being makan suap (spoon-fed) the last days of his life here on earth.

It soon became very tiring. Here was a man supposed to die whom they were reading his last rites. But he would not go away. He stayed on, neither alive nor dead. How to make him leave?

They called in a religious man, a man most respected by the Muslim community. The religious man told the family to open the safe and take out some of the millions stashed away in it. This was no time for discussion or debate. They did as they were told.

The religious man took out handfuls of cash from the safe and stuffed them into a pillowcase. The pillowcase, now full and bursting at its seams, was handed to the man who would not die, the man lying on his deathbed the last one week, he who was once the all-powerful and most corrupted Menteri Besar of this extremely rich state, the frail and very sick man who was not alive yet would not die.

The once very powerful and extremely rich man hugged his pillowcase stuffed with money, broke into a smile, gave a deep sigh, and closed his eyes and breathed his last breath. He was now gone from this world and entered the next.

Yes, this one-time Menteri Besar lived for money. He would only die with his money gripped tightly in his arms. He lived by the sword. He died by the sword. Money was his ‘God’. From money he came, to money he returned. Not dust to dust and ashes to ashes, but cash to cash. And his heaven was the printing press where they print money. That is where he resides in his ‘next world’.

Umno is not a political party. No doubt that is what it once was. But, that, it no longer is. Umno is now a trading house. It is a business. It is the new-age East India Company of Malaya or the Noble House of Hong Kong. It is what the old British companies used to do 200 years ago in this region.

The old Colonial masters used to buy and sell power. And to buy and sell power you need to buy and sell people. And people who could not be bought and sold would be incarcerated or killed. That is the Colonial game. That is the way the British played the power game. But the British are no longer around. They are no longer Malaya’s Colonial masters. We have a new Colonial master. And that Colonial master is called Umno.

I too was offered a deal. Work for the incoming regime, those who will be the new Colonial masters in March 2009, and become filthy rich. To resist is futile. Power can’t be resisted. To resist would mean to incur the wrath of the new masters who will be so in March 2009.

The alternative would be imprisonment. The two choices are simple: work for the powers-that-be and become rich or go to jail. I chose jail. So, two weeks later, on 12 September 2008, they came to my house and sent me to the Kamunting Detention Centre.

But I had good lawyers. And my lawyers did something never before done in the almost 50 years history of the Internal Security Act. They managed to convince the court that my detention was illegal and that I should not be in Kamunting but instead should be sent home. And the judge in the Shah Alam High Court agreed. So he sent me home.

The government is now appealing the Shah Alam High Court decision. They want the Federal Court in Putrajaya to declare that the Shah Alam High Court judge erred and that I should not have been released. This is the final stage of my fight. If they win, I get sent back to Kamunting. There is no further recourse. There is no higher court for me to continue my fight. The Federal Court is the last stop. It is the court of the last resort. I either remain free or I get detained indefinitely.

I asked for seven judges -- at the very least, five. The Federal Court has refused my application. My fate now lies in the hands of only three judges. Seven judges would have been safer. Five would not have been too bad. With only three judges my chances are slimmer. And three men are going to decide whether I continue sleeping in my comfortable bedroom the next few years, until the day I die, or I get to spend my last days in a hellhole.

I could have taken the money. I could have enjoyed the remaining years of my life in comfort. Now, I face the risk of spending my final days as the life of a detainee. But that is how Umno works. They try to buy you. And if they can’t buy you, they kill you. And if killing is not an option, they at least incarcerate you. That is the only game they know how to play.

When Pakatan Rakyat formed the Perak and Selangor state governments soon after 8 March 2008, Umno quickly offered PAS a deal. If PAS was prepared to form a coalition with Umno in Perak and Selangor, they agreed to allow PAS to become the Menteri Besar of these two states. As a sweetener, Umno also agreed that the Islamic law of Hudud be implemented in Perak and Selangor. Umno will give PAS its Hudud that it seeks.

It was a sweet deal. Not only will PAS be running Perak and Selangor and will hold the post of the Chief Operation Officers of these two states, but PAS will also realise its dream of seeing Hudud as the law of the land where it had failed in Kelantan 20 years ago and Terengganu ten years ago.

Sweet deal as it may be, PAS said no. Realising its dream and being in charge is one thing, but they also have to consider their loyalty to their partners, PKR and DAP. They will not betray their partners in Pakatan Rakyat for any amount of money. So PAS said no.

Umno then worked on DAP since PAS was no longer a possibility. The offer was RM10 million for each DAP man who was prepared to cross over. The DAP men and women all declined the extremely attractive offer. RM10 million is a nice figure. That kind of money will go a long way. But there is more to life than money. And no DAP man and woman took the offer.

Okay, buying Perak and Selangor State Assemblymen and women from Pakatan Rakyat is not possible. No one is for sale. So, if you can’t buy them, then kill them. And Umno got a certain MIC man who married his boss’s wife after sleeping with her whenever the boss was out of town to do what he is most good at. They wanted PKR men fixed up.

That was easy. He is an expert at fixing up people. He fixed up his boss. He fixed up his boss’s wife who is now his wife. He can fix up PKR men easily enough. He asked to meet two PKR men. He then arranged for his driver to carry a bagful of money to the appointed meeting place with instructions to drop the bag under the table unseen and unnoticed. He did just as he was told.

No sooner had the bagful of money hit the ground when the Anti-Corruption Agency officers rushed in, picked up the bag, and arrested the two PKR men on allegations of corruption. They did not know what hit them. They did not even realise the bagful of money under the table.

These two PKR men are now missing. They have been missing since the last four days and no one knows where they are. But they are not really missing as such. They are safely in the hands of Umno. And Umno wants them to agree to a deal. Accept RM10 million each and cross over to Umno or else go to jail on corruption charges -- the same deal they offered me and which I declined and which resulted in my detention under the Internal Security Act on 12 September 2008.

The day the two PKR men were picked up and kept under ‘protective custody’, one Umno State Assemblyman crossed over to PKR. That spoilt the whole plan. They needed just two PKR State Assemblymen to bring down the Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak. Now, with their own Umno man crossing over to PKR, two will no longer be possible. They now need three.

They offered the ex-Umno, now-PKR State Assemblyman the post of Menteri Besar. If he crosses back to Umno and Barisan Nasional grabs the state, he will be made the new Menteri Besar. They need him back or else it would be pointless to blackmail the two PKR State Assemblymen now facing the prospects of jail. Even if they took the RM10 million in exchange for jail, Umno would still not be the government in Perak. They are still one State Assemblyman short.

What irony. Even as they kidnap two PKR State Assemblymen and put a sword at their throats, an Umno State Assemblyman crosses over to thwart their plan. They ‘gently persuade’ the ex-Umno man in their efforts to get him to cross back to Umno. “Altantuya was killed and Bala has disappeared,’ they told him. They are ‘worried’ something may also happen to him if he does not cross back to Umno.

Yes, Umno is in the power business. They buy and sell power. They also buy and sell people in their effort to attain or maintain power. But even as they hatch their evil plots, their own people cross over to the other side. And that caught them with their pants down. Those who live by the sword die by the sword. And that is what happened to Umno in Perak.

Meanwhile, as they try their best to get back Perak through foul means, in other places they run the risk of losing power. In Negeri Sembilan, all Pakatan Rakyat needs are three state seats to oust Barisan Nasional from the state. Umno is watching that state closely lest three Barisan Nasional State Assemblymen cross over to Pakatan Rakyat to help them form the new Negeri Sembilan state government. And Negeri Sembilan is Khairy Jamaluddin’s state, the state he hopes he will one day become Menteri Besar of before he journeys to Putrajaya to take the seat as Prime Minister of Malaysia some time after 2020.

But Khairy no longer has time to worry about Negeri Sembilan. Negeri Sembilan is something in the future. Negeri Sembilan can wait. Khairy has more immediate problems to worry about.

Khairy is no longer in the lead for Umno Youth Leader. Khir Toyo is now in the lead. Of course, it has cost Khir Toyo a colossal amount of money. He has thus far spent hundreds of millions to ensure that he is the hot favourite for Umno Youth Leader. But it is money well spent, as far as he is concerned. After all, it is not his money. It is not money he made pulling out teeth as a dentist. It is money he stole all those years he was the Menteri Besar of Selangor.

Word is out that in April 2009, as soon as Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hands the Prime Ministership to Najib Tun Razak, Khairy will be dead and buried. And Khairy too knows this. But what can he do? He is going to die a day earlier to Pak Lah’s death. He will not be attending Pak Lah’s funeral. Pak Lah will be attending his. This, Najib will see to it.

In the recent Umno Supreme Council meeting, an anti-Pak Lah demonstration was organised in front of the Umno headquarters in the PWTC. It was made to appear like it was organised by NGOs. But the hidden hand of Najib was at work.

Najib suspects that Pak Lah might not hand over the chair to him in March 2009 after all. And the message he wants to send Pak Lah is that he must let go in March and not a day beyond that. So the anti-Pak Lah demonstration was organised to drive this point home.

Many of Pak Lah’s right-hand men are now facing corruption charges. According to the Umno Disciplinary Board, there are 900 cases of ‘money politics’ -- meaning corruption. But they are pursuing only a handful. And these ‘handfuls’ are those aligned to Pak Lah.

They want Pak Lah’s men all out of action before March 2009. Then, come March 2009, Pak Lah will be all alone and isolated. Not only his key men, even Khairy Jamaluddin must be brought down. That would be the only way to ensure that Pak Lah will really go in March 2009 as planned. One Umno man detained for ‘corruption’ alleges that they tortured him and forced him to implicate Khairy as the man behind the move to buy votes.

So, people like Norza Zakaria, Ali Rustam, Azeez Rahman, and the man with two Muhammads in his name, all have their hands full, as does Khairy. They are all fighting their own little battles to stay out of jail. They have no time to worry about Pak Lah. Their own survival is at stake. They are now focused on saving their own necks, leaving Pak Lah to sort out his own problems.

Yes, Umno moves with such brutality. Become rich or go to jail. Retire in comfort or behind the high walls of prisons and detention centres. That is the modus operandi for Umno. They take no prisoners. They kill on the battlefield. It worked for the British Colonialists 200 years ago. It still works for Umno today. But those who live by the sword die by the sword. And Umno is going to discover this soon the hard way.

Meanwhile, watch as those who once walked in the corridors of power fall, one by one. There will be many bodies. You will not see any wounded. It is either you are with us or you are dead meat. There is nothing in between. Who are going to become the victors and who will be those vanquished? No one knows at this stage. But Pak Lah might still stay on beyond March 2009. He has no choice. With the stakes too high and with the ‘winner takes all and loser losses all’ game that Umno is playing, there can only be one left standing at the end of the match. - Malaysia Today

Umno needs a better doctor than all those quacks. It is dying, not just tired. And unless they treat it with the right medication Umno is going to soon be buried like how I buried my father and Mr. Tate.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Muslim NGO echoes police warning for Kugan’s funeral

Pewaris, a non-governmental Muslim advocacy group, today appealed to MIC president Datuk Seri Samy Vellu to urge the Indian community not to get involved in any protest demonstrations during tomorrow's (yesterday’s) funeral procession for A Kugan, a suspect in a car theft case who died while in police custody.

Pewaris deputy chairman II, Rahimuddin Md Harun, told a press conference here that any protest during the procession was inadvisable as it might offend the sensitivities of others.

Yesterday, Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar issued a warning that police would take stern action if the procession was used to stage illegal protest demonstrations.

Kugan's remains will be brought from the University Malaya Medical Centre near here to the Batu 14 Puchong crematorium for final rites before being cremated. Kugan, 22, was arrested on Jan 15 on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars. He died on Jan 20 while detained at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya. The case has been classified as murder. — Bernama 27 Jan 2009

***************************************

Malaysians want harmony

Malaysians still appreciate peace and harmony and the MCA will play its role to strengthen unity among the various races, said party president Ong Tee Keat. He said the racial composition of guests at the MCA Chinese New Year open house celebrations on Monday was encouraging.

“The joyful celebration at this year's open house shows that the rakyat still appreciates peace and harmony between the races, religions and cultures of this country. As a Barisan Nasional component party, MCA will continue its efforts to further strengthen this unity. Even in other celebrations such as Christmas, we celebrate it Malaysian style,” he said at the open house at Wisma MCA here.

Observing his first Chinese New Year as MCA president, Mr Ong said he was confident that the positive and hardworking attitude of Malaysians' would help the country pull through global financial crisis.

Mr Ong said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sent his wishes but could not attend the open house celebration at the last minute as he was unwell. 'I was informed by the Prime Minister's office this morning (Monday morning) that he is not well. I hope he gets well soon,' he added.

Meanwhile, party vice-president Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said he was happy to see people from all walks of life attend the open house. “I hope this merry occasion will continue and that the spirit of unity can be strengthened. What is important is that we all must work together. Let's lift our spirits in the Year of the Ox and may we emulate the strength of the ox to work hard in facing the challenges,” he added.

Former MCA president Ong Ka Ting, who was also present, said it was important to stand united during this challenging period. “I hope the Government will make more strategic policies and that the rakyat will be more prudent and continue to work hard as many things still need to be done,” he added.

MIC president S. Samy Vellu said unity among races was still strong and should always be cherished. “Even overseas, Malaysians, regardless of race are proud to say they are from Malaysia. This unity is in our hearts and cannot be changed,” he said when met at the Gerakan open house at Wisma PGRM.

Gerakan president Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the auspicious occasion was an opportunity to learn from the spirit of the ox which represents perseverance, dedication and loyalty. -- THE STAR/ANN 28 Jan 2009

***************************************

Worse situation if change is delayed: Muhyiddin

The Barisan Nasional (BN) should take drastic action to arrest the decline in support. And, the ruling coalition of 13 political parties should do this fast, Umno Deputy President aspirant Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Saturday.

"We are not concerted in our efforts. Because we are late in instituting changes, many think that Umno will not change. If we take too long a time to change, the people will not wait for us. The pre-March 2008 (the last general election where the BN lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament) situation still has not changed. We must be more effective and do extraordinary things in extraordinary times," he said at the prize-giving ceremony of the Tan Sri Muhyiddin charity golf tournament at the MINES Golf and Beach Resort, here.

Muhyiddin, who is also International Trade and Industry Minister, said it was not only Umno - the backbone of the BN - that needed to change, but also all other component parties.

"The longer we wait to initiate changes, the longer we change, the situation gets worse. The people are not going to wait for us. We also have to look at the BN component parties, be it MCA, Gerakan, MIC or other component parties. We need drastic changes and Umno must take the lead in this. We are fearful of the situation. There are many programmes that must be implemented and grassroots leaders must work with the leaders at the top to institute these changes," he said.

On the economy, the Minister said Malaysia was far better in facing the latest global economic crisis than many other nations. Muhyiddin, who accompanied Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his just-concluded visit to Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates said although the nation was not in economic recession, the global economic situation was not getting any better.

"There are some sub-sectors which have already reported a downturn in exports. Electronics and electrical industries have already been hit. The first economic stimulus package is just a start. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also Finance Minister, has announced that there is a possibility of a second stimulus package. Malaysians must remain resilient. Although we are not in recession, we must take steps to cushion the impact of the crisis," he added.

Meanwhile, the charity golf tournament Saturday netted RM20,000, which was handed over to the Gaza Humanitarian Fund run by Berita Harian. – Bernama 28 Jan 2009

***************************************

How many of you detected the ‘hidden messages’ and the contradictions in the message by the Malays compared to the non-Malays? And I must add that as much as I do not like to use the terms ‘Malays’ and ‘non-Malays’, I have no choice because this is how the mainstream media and the politicians always talk. So I have to use the ‘normal’ vocabulary or else many may not understand what I am saying.

How would the citizens of America be called? Would the ‘original’ inhabitants of the land be called ‘Indians’, or ‘Red Indians’, and the immigrant British, Italians, Germans, Jews (from Russia, Germany, Italy, France, the Middle East, etc.), Arabs, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos, and what have you, be called ‘non-Indians’ or ‘non-Red Indians’?

I am just using the ‘agreed’ standards adopted by Malaysia. The Malay, the ‘Lord of the Land’, is called Bumiputera, or son-of-the soil, and all those who came slightly later are called non-Bumiputera.

Okay, I know this opens up an entirely new debate. What about Tian Chua, some may ask, whose family came to this country 500 years ago, and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose father was born in India? Mahathir is Bumiputera and Tian Chua is non-Bumiputera. If ‘he who came first to Malaya’ is the yardstick, then Tian Chua would be Bumiputera and Mahathir would be non-Bumiputera, many will argue.

Unfortunately, it does not work that way at all. Even if Mahathir himself were born in India and even though Tian Chua is 20th generation Melaka Malaysian, Mahathir would still be Bumiputera and Tian Chua would be non-Bumiputera. And that is why I, who was born in England, am also Bumiputera, while many of you whose grandfathers and/or grandmothers were born in this country are non-Bumiputera.

Now, before you scream ‘not fair’, remember, life is never fair. So quit grumbling like a good non-Bumiputera. You are the ‘pendatang’ whether you like it or not.

Okay, let us look at what Pewaris said: any protest during the procession was inadvisable as it might offend the sensitivities of others. He meant, of course, the sensitivities of the Malays when he said ‘others’. ‘Others’ here means those who are not Indian. He knows the Chinese will not be sensitive about the matter so he did not think that ‘others’ meant Chinese as well.

Saying that Malaysia’s race relations has improved is not enough, especially when it is Barisan Nasional politicians who are talking. This is mere rhetoric and even those making the statements know this is true. We need to do more than just talk. We need to act as well.

How can we explain why an estimated 90% of those who die in custody are Indians when Indians are not 90% of those behind bars? I have been behind bars many times myself and I can tell you that those who share the prisons or detention centres with me are not 90% Indians. In fact, 90% of the ISA detainees are Malays while the majority of those under EO are Chinese (with quite a number of Indians as well of course). In the lockups, more than half are Malays. In some lockups, depending on where it is, it is an almost all-Malay population.

This means the high number of Indians killed behind bars does not reflect the proper ‘racial quota’. Is it any wonder that the Indians are upset? And if the Indians demonstrate their unhappiness, who are those ‘others’ who are going to become ‘sensitive’ about it? Certainly not the Indians, and the Chinese could not care a damn.

The Malays and Barisan Nasional politicians must guard what they say. What comes out of their mouths reflect what’s in their minds. And what’s in their minds is that Malay ‘sensitivities’ come first and the sensitivities of all others are not important. How can we shout about how much improved Malaysia’s race relations are when what you say does not give this impression?

Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN) once threw a dinner party back in 1999 (before it became PKR) and the food had beef in everything, even in the vegetables. I asked the organiser why he did not provide for a vegetarian alternative for the Hindus and vegetarians. Even the vegetables were ‘not halal’ to Hindus and vegetarians.

The reply the organiser gave me was that Malaysia is a Muslim country so they have prepared a ‘halal’ menu according to the Muslim tradition. The non-Muslims will have to learn to live with this, the organiser added. They can always not touch the food, the organiser said.

Why would anyone want to come to a dinner party and not eat the food? Would they rather not come? The late MGG Pillai pointed this out to me and said that keADILan should be more sensitive to the feelings of those who are Hindus or vegetarians. At least one vegetarian table should have been prepared, he said.

I apologised to Mr Pillai and promised to take him to dinner later to make up for it. “Oh, it’s not about me,” he replied. “I am just pointing it out to you.” And he went and whacked the chicken and fish. Mr Pillai was not grumbling because he could not eat what had been prepared. He was more concerned about the party’s image and what people might say about a ‘multi-racial’ party that caters only to the Muslim diet and tells those guests who can’t eat the food to “jangan makanlah kalau tak boleh makan.”

Malays are always concerned about their ‘sensitivities’. But when others also get ‘sensitive’, the Malays get upset and get the impression that the non-Malays are becoming too much and too demanding. This is a Malay country. Why are the non-Malays complaining so much? If they don’t like it then why not they go back to India or China or wherever they came from?

But that’s just the point. They came from Malaysia, just like everyone else. They can’t go back to China or India. They did not come from China or India. They came from a town somewhere in Malaysia, the place where they were born. And they are as Malaysian as everyone else. How to make the Malays understand this?

There is no way we can reinstall the program in their heads. We can’t even reformat the hard disk. The old program is so corrupted and the hard disk practically destroyed. We need to buy a totally new hard disk. This is what Malaysia and its race relations have been reduced to.

Indonesia is not safe for the Chinese, many Malays will tell you. They kill Chinese in Indonesia. And that is why many Chinese have left Indonesia and have migrated to another country. The Chinese are more fortunate in Malaysia. In no other country are the Chinese as lucky as the Chinese in Malaysia. This is the belief of most Malays.

Well, in November 2008, Indonesia passed the Non-discrimination Act (UU No. 62/58) that makes it a crime to discriminate against any ethnic group. Indonesia’s aim is to unite all the races. Sure, there may have been problems in Indonesia in the past. Malaysia too has been having problems on and off since even before Merdeka. But Indonesia is trying to change all that. Malaysia is not only perpetuating racial problems but we even have institutionalised racial discrimination.

Indonesia is no longer the ‘cowboy’ country that it once was. It has taken a giant leap into the new Millennium. They even give the opposition parties equal airtime on the government-owned television networks. Malaysia, unfortunately, is now far behind Indonesia. I know many Malaysian Chinese who have shifted their business interests to Indonesia. If we are not careful all our money is going to exodus to our neighbour and one day, soon, we are going to be poorer than that largest Muslim country in the world.

Then what will come next? Indonesian maids will stop coming here to work? Instead, Malays will go to Indonesia to work as maids? Don’t laugh! It not only is not funny, it can even happen, though maybe not in the immediate future.

In the 1960s, the Pakistanis used to go to England to work as labourers. 50 years on and many Pakistanis are now the towkays while the ‘whites’ work for them. Stand on Oxford Street and see for yourself. Look at all the Rolls Royces passing by. The ‘white skins’ are driving the cars while the ‘brown skins’ sit in the back seats. Okay, some Pakistanis still work as the kuli. Not all are towkays. But the streets are no longer being swept by the ‘brown skins’. The ‘white skins’ do that dirty job. And the ‘white skins’ rent apartments owned by the ‘brown skins’.

Muhyiddin Yassin talks about Umno going downhill and what they should do about it. The problem is, he is totally clueless about the reason. The doctor can’t cure the disease until he can diagnose what is wrong with you. My late father was suffering from heartburn, said his doctor, and he recommended anti-acid tablets. After he suffered a heart attack and died at a young age of 40 plus, the doctor said maybe it was not heartburn after all. Maybe it was a mild heart attack that became worse because it was not treated.

A friend of mine, DJ Tate, went to the Tawakal hospital because he was not feeling well. Just fatigue, said the doctor, go home and rest. Tate phoned me to tell me he would not be joining me at Anwar Ibrahim’s house for tea that day. He was not feeling well, he said. He hung up, slumped into the chair, and died within seconds. Five minutes later the wife phoned to say that Tate had died. I was shocked. I spoke to him barely a few minutes before that.

Yes, unless the doctor knows what is wrong with you he might recommend an afternoon nap or some anti-acid tablets. You then lie down and die. Umno needs a better doctor than all those quacks. It is dying, not just tired. And unless they treat it with the right medication Umno is going to soon be buried like how I buried my father and Mr. Tate.

ABDULLAH AHAMAD BADAWI DEMAM....!!!

Bagaimana pula dengan Najib Tun Razak yang masih terus membuat kenyataan tidak akan berlaku sebarang penghijarahan lagi kalangan wakil rakyat Barisan Nasional menyeberang ke gagasan Pakatan Rakyat?

KAMAL AMIR MENULIS

NASHARUDDIN HASHIM Adun Bota,Perak telahpun Mengistiharkan dirinya keluar dari Umno untuk menyertai Pakatan Rakyat (Keadilan) selepas mantan Ketua Umno Bahagian Petaling Jaya Selatan Lapten (B) Datuk Abu Zahar mengumumkan secara terbuka meninggalkan parti tersebut untuk berada dalam sab kepimpinan Pas anggota Pakatan Rakyat saat Parlimen P.36 Kuala Terengganu mengadakan pilihanraya kecilnya.

Khabar semakin tersebar meluas Ketua Umno Larut yang juga Adun Selama pasti akan meninggalkan siasah Umno untuk menyertai Pakatan Rakyat seandainya kemelut di bahagian tersebut masih gagal diselesaikan oleh pimpinan parti peringkat tertinggi.

Badan Pencegah Rasuah juga bagaikan tidak lagi mahu menoleh kebelakang untuk mengheret siapa sahaja yang didapati terlibat dalam percaturan politik wang musim pemilihan Umno diperingkat Bahagian hujung tahun lalu.

Dan hari ini pimpinan kerajaan baru mula membuka mulut untuk bercakap benar berhubung kemelesetan ekonomi yang melanda negara selepas begitu lama berbohong kononnya negara ini tidak akan menghadapi sebarang kesan dari permasalahaan ekonomi global. (Lihat beberapa kali kenyataan memanda wazir Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan Najib Razak).

Setelah hampir satu juta rakyat mengelami kehilangan pekerjaan kesan penutupan kilang serta syarikat besar dari luar negara baru kelmarin Tan Sri Muhayuddin Yassin menyatakan kemelesetan ekonomi dunia semakin hebat menyerang negara hingga mengakibatkan begitu banyak syarikat bakal gulung tikar.

Memanda Timbalan Perdana Menteri pula barulah mahu mengakui secara terbuka bahawa negara bakal menghadapi situasi payah kesan krisis ekonomi global. Ertinya selama ini beliau berbohong kepada rakyat dengan menyatakan bahawa rangsangan serta kekangan ekonomi bakal menyaksikan negara terus memacu kemantapan ekonominya.... hempeh sungguh kenyataan dan pembohongan yang dilakukan selama ini.

Berbalik kisah penghijarahan beberapa orang pemimpin Umno menyertai Pakatan Rakyat, akhbar arus perdana sekali lagi melakukan pembohongan tersohor seperti yang dengungkan musim pilihanraya kecil di Kuala Terengganu tempoh hari apabila kenyataan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Mohd Najib Razak dipetik sebagai berkata berita penghijrahan tersebut adalah khabar angin semata-mata.

Malahan mantan Menteri Besar Perak Datuk Tajul Rosli yang memimpin Umno di Perak hingga terlingkup di tangan Pakatan Rakyat juga turut menyatakan bahawa apa yang berlaku di negeri tersebut hanyalah sekadar cerita seorang pemimpin kerdil sahaja menyertai pakatan Rakyat, malahan dia menyatakan Umno masih kukuh dan relevan lagi di negeri Perak....kononnya!!!!!

Mantan Menteri Besar Selangor Dato’ Seri Mohd Khir Toyo pula diberitakan semakin lancang menuduh berlakunya penyelewangan dalam kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat di negeri tersebut dalam isu agihan 49 ekor lembu untuk sambutan hari raya korban tahun lalu.

Maka sayapun terfikir apakah Khir Toyo masih mahu membuka tin yang penuh dengan seribu kebusukkan pernah dilakukan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional musim mentadbir negeri Selangor sebelum merudum dan terjunam di baham kebangkitan gelombang “ Suara Rakyat Kuasa Keramat” hingga mengakibatkan pemimpin dari BN ditendang keluar darianjung kuasa di Shah Alam?

Terlupakah olehnya bagaimana rakyat merasa begitu meluat melihat angkuhnya beliau merobohkan rumah rakyat bertaraf setingan di Kampong Berembang serta beberapa kawasan lain? Atau Khir Toyo yakin rakyat sudah lupa cerita satu lori ayam yang didermakan olehnya musim sambutan hari raya tahun pertama beliau menjadi Menteri Besar yang tidak diketahui dari mana datangnya biaya pembelian ayam-ayam tersebut?

Apakah Khir Toyo bersedia untuk memulakan perang hingga memaksa Tan Sri Khalid segera mendedahkan bagaimana cerita sebenar disebalik ceretra syarikat Lebar Daun memperolehi tanah di Shah Alam? Begitu juga dengan aduan rakyat dalam kisah seribu satu malam penganugerahan tanah kepada syarikat Metro Kajang?

Dalam situasi tersebut Tan Sri Khalid yang sudahpun memperolehi pelbagai bentuk laporan serta kertas keputusan exco kerajaan Selangor yang terdahulu sewajarnya segera menyampaikan cerita sebenar kepada rakyat. Musim untuk selindung menyelindung, tutup menutup sudah berakhir. Hari ini rakyat menuntut agar pimpinan kerajaan Selangor mendedahkan hal sebenar serta segera mengheret mereka yang mengkhianati kepercayaan rakyat kemuka pengadilan.

Menurut laporan dari berita arus perdana petang tadi, Memanda Wazir Abdullah Ahmad Badawi diberitakan tidak dapat menghadiri rumah terbuka anjuran parti MCA sempena menyambut tahun Baru China atas alasan kesihatannya terganggu.

Apakah beliau masih keletihan selepas seminggu berada di negara Teluk atau mungkin dengan berlakunya penghijarahan saudara Nasaruddin Hashim keluar dari Umno untuk menyertai Parti Keadilan membuatkan imam besar mazhab Islam Hadhari itu demam kepanasan?

Bagaimana pula dengan Najib Tun Razak yang masih terus membuat kenyataan tidak akan berlaku sebarang penghijarahan lagi kalangan wakil rakyat Barisan Nasional menyeberang ke gagasan Pakatan Rakyat? Mampukah beliau tidur nyenyak setelah menyaksikan mimpi indahnya untuk bertandang ke Seri Perdana semakin suram dan samar?

Khabar yang diterima dari Sabah sudah terdengar akan berlakunya pilihanraya kecil kerusi Pensingan yang tentunya bakal menjelmakan lagi “Suara Rakyat Kuasa Keramat” untuk membenamkan sekali lagi bahtera Barisan Nasional.

Begitu juga di Sarawak, saya menerima beberapa kiriman sms menyatakan bakal berlakunya ahli Parlimen meninggalkan Barisan untuk menyertai Pakatan Rakyat. Sejauh mana benar cerita tersebut masih belum dapat dipastikan namun menyaksikan kenyataan demi kenyataan pemimpin hari ini terlalu sukar rasanya menolak kebenaran tersebut.

Quovadis Umno!!!!!! Mampukah pimpinan menyelamatkan bahtera Umno dan Barisan Nasional?

Datuk Nasarudin’s ex-comrades and ‘friends’ from Umno have been to see him to persuade him to re-crossover to Umno. “Altantuya is dead,” they remind him. “Bala is missing. We don’t want anything happening to you as well.”

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Item 1

The Selangor police have warned those attending the funeral of A. Kugan, who died whilst in police custody, not to participate in any illegal gathering or carry banners and posters. The funeral is scheduled on Wednesday.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the funeral should not be politicised or turned into an illegal demonstration as it would disrupt public order and lead to chaos. He believed that plans were underway by certain groups to turn the occasion into an illegal gathering to protest against alleged police brutality.

Khalid said the police learnt the funeral procession would be organised in such a manner that it would involve certain parts of the city before arriving at an undisclosed burial ground in Selangor.

"Cards and banners are also expected to be carried by members of the procession," he said in a statement here Monday.

The police chief advised the public not participate in the illegal gathering as the force was not against a normal funeral procession and respected the grieving family. (Bernama 26 Jan 2009)

***************************************

Item 2

Two deputy ministers are likely to face action if they are found to have broken the law in the incident where a crowd raided the mortuary of Serdang Hospital in Selangor on Tuesday, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

Datuk K. Devamany and Senator T. Murugiah, both deputy ministers in the Prime Minister's Department, were present at the mortuary when the crowd entered the premises to examine the body of suspected car thief A. Kugan who had died while in police custody.

"No minister or member of the administration is above the law and if you have committed an offence then you have to face the consequences," Syed Hamid told reporters before attending a public forum on the Internal Security Act (ISA) here last night.

He also said that the 11 policemen being investigated for allegedly causing hurt to Kugan would not be spared action if they were found to have abused their powers.

Kugan, 22, who was detained on Jan 15 at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars in Sungai Chua, Kajang, died while being questioned on Tuesday.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had said a post-mortem found that Kugan had died due to fluid in his lungs but Kugan's family sought a second post-mortem, insisting that Kugan had died of injuries.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said later that Kugan's death had been classified as murder. (Bernama 26 Jan 2009)

***************************************

Item 3

The MIC will defend the two deputy ministers if the authorities find them to have broken the law in the incident where a crowd raided the mortuary of Serdang Hospital last Tuesday.

"We will hire as many lawyers to defend them if they are charged in court," MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said in a statement issued here today.

He was commenting on Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar's statement yesterday that Datuk K. Devamany and Senator T. Murugiah, both deputy ministers in the Prime Minister's Department, might likely face action if they were present at the mortuary when the crowd barged into the mortuary to examine the body of suspected car thief A. Kugan who had died while in police custody.

The MIC president said it did not matter from which party the two deputy ministers hailed from as long as they were Indians "because the MIC represents the Indian community in Malaysia".

While Devamany is a MIC member, Murugiah is from the People's Progressive Party (PPP).

Devamany was among nine people quizzed by the police yesterday over the incident. It was also reported that 11 policemen being investigated for allegedly causing hurt to Kugan would not be spared action if they were found to have abused their powers.

Kugan, 22, who was detained on Jan 15 at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars in Sungai Chua, Kajang, died while being questioned on Tuesday.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had said a post-mortem found that Kugan had died due to fluid in his lungs, but Kugan's family sought a second post-mortem, insisting that Kugan had died of injuries.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said later that Kugan's death had been classified as murder.

Samy Vellu also urged Syed Hamid to ensure that the police probe into Kugan's death was transparent.

"The MIC will be monitoring the case but we are confident that the police will leave no stones unturned in their investigation," he said. (Bernama 26 Jan 2009)

***************************************

Item 4

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has described Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim’s decision to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) as “not surprising”.

“I am not surprised ... but he might have his own reasons (to defect) and we should know the reasons,” he said yesterday.

Ahmad Zahid who was met by reporters after the closing of the Islamic Economic Development Festival 2009 (I-Fest 09) here, said the Barisan Nasional needed to look not only into Nasarudin’s reasons for making the decision, but also that of other assemblymen and MPs who intended to do the same, especially in the opposition-ruled states.

“Perhaps the problem is about allocations, where we (federal government) can help. Maybe they find it difficult to fund activities, which they often do as the people’s representatives.

“So, assistance should be extended to them so that personal pressure does not become political pressure for these elected representatives,” added Ahmad Zahid, who is an Umno Supreme Council member.

Yesterday, Nasarudin announced his decision to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat which he said was made after due consideration. (Bernama 26 Jan 2009)

***************************************

Item 5

The Terengganu state government will investigate if there were any misdeeds by chairmen of village security and development committees (JKKK) in distribution of aid.

Terengganu Menteri Besar, Datuk Ahmad Said, said detailed investigation had to be done as perhaps the allegations were just that. He however admitted that there were cases where JKKK chairmen had given aid to their own family members.

"There have been cases when if someone challenged the JKKK chairman, he (the chairman) would not provide aid...he would give it to his family members," Ahmad told reporters at the MCA Terengganu Chinese New Year celebration at Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman here today.

Ahmad said the appointment of the JKKK chairman and members was done twice a year by the district office after names were suggested by the local representatives.

"We will study the performance of the JKKKs...how many times they meet a year, what activities they have to benefit the people. All this will be considered before new appointments are made," he said. (Bernama 26 Jan 2006)

***************************************

Yes, that was what Bernama reported yesterday, the first day of the Year of the Ox. And, going by the Bernama reports, it is going to be an extremely turbulent year for Barisan Nasional and Umno.

Incidentally, someone told me that the Year of the Ox is also dangerous for those born in the Year of the Tiger. The Year of the Ox, I was told, is full of pitfalls for those born in the Year of the Tiger. And I was born in the Year of the Tiger -- 1950 to be exact. So I expect this spells bad news for me considering the many court cases and trials that I will be faced with the next 12 months.

But then I was born a few minutes after midnight -- on 27 September 1950 -- and those born around midnight are supposed to be ‘Midnight Tigers’ because tigers come out late at night to search for food. Well, that is what my late Chinese mother-in-law told me. “Midnight Tigers are very fierce,” she told me. “They will ‘eat’ their parents. Both your parents face the risk of dying young because of you.”

I never did believe these old wives’ tales -- Malay, Chinese or Indian -- and I never took a second take on the matter. But then both my parents died in their mid-40s and it set me wondering if old wives’ tales could have some element of truth in them after all. Did I ‘eat’ my parents, as my mother-in-law said would happen?

Anyway, Barisan Nasional’s and Umno’s problems are bigger than mine, so it appears from the Bernama reports. MIC is in crisis. MCA is in crisis. Umno is in crisis.

Tomorrow, at 2.00pm, Kugan’s funeral procession will commence from the University Hospital mortuary and will end up at the 14th-mile Puchong cemetery. Will members of MIC also join the funeral? If they do not then it will be seen as if MIC has abandoned the Indians. But if they do join then they would be seen as ‘anti-government’.

Damned if you do join the funeral and damned if you don’t. And if the Malays and Chinese join the funeral, as I have been told will happen, then MIC is double-damned if they don’t also participate. And they will also be double-damned if they do participate considering PAS, DAP and PKR leaders will also be in the funeral procession.

Hah! I hate to be in MIC’s shoes tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Umno is pretending that Datuk Nasarudin Hashim’s crossover to PKR is a non-issue. Well, why then did Najib call all the Barisan Nasional Perak Wakil Rakyats for a meeting and force them to swear to God that they will not also crossover? And why were eight Barisan Nasional Perak Wakil Rakyats absent from the meeting? Is it maybe true after all what the Perak Menteri Besar said that two more Barisan Nasional Perak Wakil Rakyats would also soon join Pakatan Rakyat?

Umno has ‘counter-offered’ Datuk Nasarudin a tasty carrot. If Barisan Nasional forms the Perak State Government then he would be made Menteri Besar if he leaves Pakatan Rakyat and rejoins Umno. Datuk Nasarudin had a good laugh at the offer.

Tasty carrot, maybe, but no thanks, he replied. He said he has his principles and once he spits he never drops to the ground to lick it up again. Yeap, not all pray to money. Some do treat money as their servant and not instead become a servant to their money, even some in Umno -- Datuk Zaid Ibrahim being another case in point.

Other than tasty carrots, Datuk Nasarudin is also being given the stick. Datuk Nasarudin’s ex-comrades and ‘friends’ from Umno have been to see him to persuade him to re-crossover to Umno. “Altantuya is dead,” they remind him. “Bala is missing. We don’t want anything happening to you as well.”

Hmm…is this ‘friendly advice’ or a veiled threat? Take it how you like but Datuk Nasarudin is not succumbing to whatever it may be, advice or threat. And even the six cars parked in front of his house are not making him change his mind, although he does admit it is making him a bit worried.

Finally, on the JKKK issue. All the JKKK officials are Umno branch and division committee members. You can’t be in the JKKK otherwise. And they get tons of money, which is supposed to be dished out to the kampong people -- but only to the Umno kampong people, not the opposition people. This is how they buy support and ensure that the kampong people remain with Umno.

No one accounts for the money. As long as Umno wins the elections no questions are asked even though everyone knows hundreds of millions are siphoned out through this ‘scheme’. But now that Umno lost the Kuala Terengganu by-election they want to start ‘auditing’ how the money was spent and find out what happened to all those millions of Ringgit.

Malaysia sure is funny is it not? The government can tolerate mismanagement of public funds as long as Umno wins all the elections. But the instant they begin losing then they want to audit the expenditure. And while Umno leaves no stone unturned in its effort to buy over Pakatan Rakyat Wakil Rakyats, what happens instead is Barisan Nasional Wakil Rakyats cross over to the opposition.

I just love this country. - Malaysia Today

Today, to celebrate Chinese New Year, RPK sends his second open letter to Pak Lah, which touches on the problem of police brutality and the vote of no confidence against Najib in the recent Kuala Terengganu by-election.


Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister's Office
Main Block
Perdana Putra Building
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62502 Putrajaya
MALAYSIA

Dear Pak Lah,

Kong Hee Fatt Choy, Pak Lah. I trust this second open letter finds you in good health. I was told by a reliable source that you read my first open letter. So I thought, since this appears to be the only way to reach you, I would send you a second open letter. I truly hope you get to read this one as well.

Sorry I was not able to also send you my Selamat Hari Raya Puasa wishes. It is not that Chinese New Year is more important than Hari Raya. During Hari Raya Puasa I was in the Kamunting Detention Centre, courtesy of your government. So, I sort of missed Hari Raya, if you know what I mean. But I believe my friends did attend your open house at the PWTC to send you Hari Raya wishes on my behalf, wearing ‘Free RPK’ T-shirts, much to the chagrin of the police who summoned them to the police station later for their ‘statements to be recorded’.

In the past I used to be sad if I was ever away from the family on Hari Raya, not that it happened too often. Even rough and tough Malaysian soldiers serving overseas cry on Hari Raya, so I was told. So it’s not lack of macho that makes you sad when parted from the family on Hari Raya. This time, however, anger overcame my sadness. Instead of being sad, I decided to ‘boycott’ Hari Raya. Maybe anger is a stronger emotion. Anyway, I did not celebrate the recent Hari Raya Haji as well, though I had already been released from detention by then. I have sort of shut out Hari Raya from my mind and have convinced myself that the festival does not exist. I think, from now on, Hari Raya no longer means anything to me.

I suppose this is very useful considering the Attorney General is appealing the Shah Alam High Court decision of releasing me from ISA detention. The government’s appeal will be heard in the Federal Court in Putrajaya on 11 February 2009 and if the Federal Court allows the appeal then I will be sent back to Kamunting to serve my two-year detention order. So it is necessary that I continue being angry and not get sad about things like being under detention during Hari Raya. Anger makes you strong to resist the powers-that-be. Sadness weakens you.

I really don’t know if the Federal Court will uphold the Shah Alam High Court’s decision to free me. If it does, well and good. But if it overturns that decision then you better get ready for a bloody fight, Pak Lah. Sure, the government can ‘legally’ send me back to Kamunting. But I shall be going back there screaming and kicking. The government is going to see a fight never before seen in the history of the almost 50 years of the ISA. And this is no threat. It is a promise. And, as I said, anger is an extremely powerful emotion, which can make you move mountains.

Anyway, that is not the purpose of this open letter. What I want to talk about today is with regards to the current controversy swamping this country, in particular the police brutality issue. This is actually not something new. It has been going on since before Merdeka. When I was a teenager in the 1960s I have personally witnessed and experienced many incidences of police beatings. Your late wife Endon’s brother, Osman, can testify to this. When I got my motorcycle licence at the age of 15 in 1965, my first bike ride was with Osman. I fetched him from your house in Bellamy Road and we went to Jackie’s Bowl in Jalan Ampang and got high on weed all night long.

You see, Pak Lah, in those days we used to sport long hair and wear tight trousers and the police somehow became very upset with this ‘fashion statement’. The police would push a bottle down our trousers and if it could not fall to our feet then we would get beaten up. The same applied to our hair. If it dropped over our forehead or touched our ears we would get beaten up as well. So imagine what we had to go through in the 1960s since we had long hair and wore tight trousers. As I said, Osman, the brother of your late wife, can tell you more about this as we used to run in the same pack.

One night in 1965, while waiting at a bus stop along Jalan Ampang (in front of the El Chico next to the AIA building), a few of us -- Tun Dr Siti Hasmah’s nephew, Azlan Aziz, included -- were picked up by the police. Our only ‘crime’ was that we were sitting at the bus stop. The police took us to the High Street Police Station and we were all asked to line up to witness the police beating up a Chinese youth. They beat him real bad and he was coughing blood. I don’t know if he died after that but I would not want to put my money on whether he survived.

It became so bad that whenever we saw the police we would run away. We actually became quite good at it. For example, once, about ten of us were sitting on our bikes in front of the HKL and a police van stopped and about a dozen police jumped out. We leaped on our bikes and managed to escape just as the police were within an arms-length from us. They pursued us along Jalan Tun Razak with little success. Our bike numbers were on the top-ten list of the police’s ‘most wanted’ but they never caught us. We knew if they did they would beat the shit out of us so it was definitely an ‘incentive’ for us to never get caught.

That was how it was back in the 1960s and, trust me, it has not changed one bit. The police still beat the shit out of you if you ever find yourself in the most unfortunate situation of ending up in their lockup. In fact, your Director of the CID, Bakri Zinin, once beat me up in March 2001 in front of my wife and six other detainees and about a dozen police personnel.

My only ‘crime’ was that I had walked into the Dang Wangi Police Station. I had not committed any crime or was under arrest. I had, on my own accord, walked into the police station and Bakri Zinin happened to be in the mood to beat someone up. So he beat me up. After he beat me up he arrested me and kept me overnight in the lockup under no charges whatsoever. That is how your police operate. And these are all Muslims, mind you. I bet they even pray five times a day and their wives wear tudongs. Now do you know why I am most unkind to Muslims? Many are hypocrites of the highest degree.

I know you tried to implement the IPCMC but were prevented from doing so. And the reason you are not able to implement the IPCMC is because the police, whom represent the major portion of postal voters, threatened to vote opposition if you do. (IPCMC: Police threaten to vote for the Opposition).

In the March 2008 general election, the opposition needed only 300,000 more votes to form the federal government. Therefore, if the postal votes had gone to the opposition, Barisan Nasional would have been out of power. To ensure that the postal votes remained with Barisan Nasional you succumbed to the threats and agreed to compromise on the IPCMC.

In that sense, Pak Lah, you are indirectly responsible for the continuing problem of police brutality. What the police are doing is your fault. This is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog and not the dog wagging the tail. Maybe you would like to reconsider your decision on the IPCMC and demonstrate to the nation that you, and not the police, are running this country.

While on the subject of the police, let it be known that the police managed to reduce Pakatan Rakyat’s majority in the recent Kuala Terengganu by-election from more than 7,000 votes to a mere 2,631. And I have this on video if you would like to see the evidence. You know that the opposition’s majority in the Kuala Terengganu by-election was much higher than 2,631. And I am sure this is troubling you to no end. And I am equally sure you know that this is because the people do not want Najib Tun Razak to take over as Prime Minister in March. As much as you may try to deny this you know I am spot on.

At 3.00pm on Polling Day, the police set up ten roadblocks and no one in town could get out nor those outside town could get in. Kuala Terengganu was totally cordoned off and the traffic jams were so massive that the town was reduced to a gridlock. I was arguing with the police at three different locations and, as I said, I have this on video. At one roadblock, when the police told me that this was ‘arahan dari atas’, I responded by saying that ‘kalau orang atas bodoh dan kita ikut arahan tersebut maka kita juga bodoh’. You should have seen the police stare at me. They looked like they wanted to kill me.

By 4.00pm, voting almost ground to a halt and the 74% voter turnout troubled me. 74% was too low, and since the SPR had announced earlier that morning that the voter turnout was going to be 80%, I was worried that this would mean another 6% or so were going to be ‘phantom voters’. True enough, an hour later, when polling ended, the voter turnout jumped to 81%. It was later ‘adjusted’ to 79%. This means 5% to 7% additional votes came in, although no one was voting any longer. This represents about 5,000 votes or thereabouts.

Say what you like, the opposition not only won the Kuala Terengganu by-election, but it won with a larger majority. And this was in spite of Najib and his wife campaigning fulltime in Terengganu and the RM500 million that was committed to the by-election effort. No doubt RM400 million was spent indirectly when Najib launched the special investment fund. Nevertheless, this RM400 million was still for purposes of the by-election and no one can deny this.

Mind you, the RM500 million is just my conservative estimate. It could be more. But it still makes the Kuala Terengganu by-election the most expensive by-election in Malaysian history and yet Barisan Nasional lost, whether it was by 2,631 votes or 7,631 votes. The police air-conditioned tents alone came to RM10 million. The food, at about RM50 to RM60 per day per person over three weeks, came to another RM10 million. Then there was the outstation allowance and so on. I estimate the cost of stationing 8,000 police personnel in Kuala Terengganu over three weeks at about RM25 million to RM30 million. And it could actually be more considering the normal ‘leakages’ in government expenditure.

Then there are the many free dinners and the RM300 to RM1,000 ‘Ang Pows’ for the 80,000 or so voters. Even the press people received RM300 Ang Pows each, though none were offered to the Bloggers, for whatever reason I do not know.

Are you happy, Pak Lah, that Najib spent about RM500 million in the most expensive by-election in Malaysian history and Barisan Nasional still lost? How does this reflect on the confidence the people have in Najib? Do you know that the ‘battle-cry’ in the Kuala Terengganu by-election was the song ‘Najib Altantuya Mongolia’ sung to the tune ‘When the Saints Come Marching in’? Young Malays from the kampong who you would least expect to know this ‘Christian’ song were singing this song.

Yes, say what you like, the Kuala Terengganu by-election was not a by-election. It was a vote of no confidence against Najib. And it was the Malays who voted against Najib -- and young Malays at that, Malays from the kampong. Did not Musa Hitam and Ghafar Baba, both one-time Deputy Prime Ministers, say that Umno’s strength is in the rural areas and that Umno needs to gain the support of the kampong Malays to stay in power? Well, the kampong Malays have spoken on 21 January 2009 in the Kuala Terengganu by-election. I am just not sure whether you heard them; that’s all. If you did not then I am telling you now. The young Malays from the kampong have said no to Najib. Do you still want to ignore this message and doom Umno to the political graveyard?

There is much more I need to tell you but allow me to end my open letter here, for the meantime. I now need to go attend the PKR Chinese New Year open house in Kelang and go hassle Anwar Ibrahim on this Anti-ISA thing that I want the five Pakatan Rakyat states to commit themselves to.

Till we talk again, take care, as there are many surrounding you with daggers drawn -- which makes Julius Caesar’s predicament a picnic by comparison. Is it not ironical that in your present situation you can trust your enemies more than your friends? Anyway, once again, Kong Hee Fatt Choy, Pak Lah.

Yours truly,

Raja Petra Al Haj Bin Raja Kamarudin - Malaysia Today

Some have asked me about the meaning of Civil Disobedience (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_disobedience). It’s actually quite simple. You defy the powers-that-be, but you do it in a passive, not active, manner. You do not resist. You just do nothing. And is this not what Malaysians are good at, doing nothing?

For example, when they charged me in court and asked me to plead ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’, I refused to enter a plea. I told the judge, “I shall not respond to the charges on the grounds that the charges are both mala fide and defective.” The judge, however, took that as a ‘not guilty’ plea.

I then raised my voice and told the judge, “I did not plead not guilty! I said I refuse to respond to the charges.” He still took that as a ‘not guilty’ plea and I now face trial.

In another earlier case, I pleaded ‘not guilty’ and the court set bail. I then refused bail and was sent to the Sungai Buloh Prison for three days. My wife came to prison at the behest of the prison authorities who were worried about my safety. Sirul and Azilah had threatened me in front of a senior prison officer, Thana, and they were worried that I might not survive prison.

I told my wife they should not have phoned her to come to prison and that I still refuse bail. Even the tears my wife shed would not move me until she told me they were throwing a party at the Selangor Club on Friday and that I was invited. Hmm…..a party. I am a softie when it comes to partying.

Okay, I told her, prison can wait. Partying comes first. I agreed she post bail and made the party that Friday. Okay, not everyone’s perfect.

Now, how do we take Civil Disobedience to the next level?

Tomorrow, at 9.00am, they will be charging 24 people in the Petaling Jaya Court for the alleged crime of ‘illegal assembly’ during an Anti-ISA Candlelight Vigil at the PJ Civic Centre on 9 November 2008. On Sunday last, they broke up a picnic that was attended by about 200 people at the same PJ Civic Centre. The police declared the picnic an illegal assembly and threatened to use force if the crowd did not disperse.

It appears like the government refuses to allow Malaysians to assemble for picnics or whatever unless they first apply for a police permit. The problem is, when you do apply for one, they will reject your application. So it is a Catch 22. You are breaking the law if you assemble without a police permit but when you apply for one they will refuse to give it to you.

Now, let us look at a hypothetical situation. This is just hypothetical mind you. I am not suggesting we actually go out and do this.

Say, this Sunday, four of us sit down on the ground holding candles in front of the PJ Civic Centre. Just four people -- not more than four people. That would be considered an illegal assembly. The police will then come to arrest us and we shall spend the night in the PJ Police Station.

We would then be brought to court and charged for participating in an illegal assembly. When the charges are read out in court and we are asked to plead ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’, we tell the court, “Guilty and proud of it.”

Depending on the mood of the judge, we will either be fined or a jail sentence will be imposed, or both. We then refuse to pay the fine and go to jail.

The following Sunday, another four people do the sit down with candles in front of the PJ Civic Center and we go through the whole process again. Another four people will go to jail. We continue doing this until the jails are full and there is no more space to house us. As it is now the jails are already full. Sungai Buloh Prison is filed up to twice what it was built for, as are the other jails all over the country.

We keep sending four people to jail every week until they abolish or waive the ridiculous law that requires an assembly of four people to apply for a police permit.

That is what is meant as Civil Disobedience. I am not, of course, suggesting we actually do this. I am just giving you an example of Civil Disobedience, which is what Gandhi did to bring the British government down and which eventually gained independence for India. -Raja Petra Kamarudin

Apart from the Altantuya case, Najib is also dogged by shady arms purchases notably the procurement of Sukhoi fighter jets and submarines in which Razak is suspected of pocketing hundreds of millions of Ringgit worth of commission direct from the principal.

This was what hantulautan.blogspot.com published on 23 September 2008. At that time I was on the way to the Kamunting Detention Centre and, of course, never got to read it. Nevertheless, it is still relevant today and I thought that, in the event some of you may have missed this piece, we should recap on what was said then.

Saving Abdullah
By RAHMAN MOHD332
(http://hantulautan.blogspot.com/2008/09/saving-abdullah.html)

The most important political development in town has very little to do with Anwar Ibrahim. Instead, it is about the dynamics of the relationship between the Prime Minister and his deputy and how they approach the UMNO party elections that are set to commence with the divisional meetings on 9 October.

Neither Abdullah Ahmad Badawi nor Najib Tun Razak wants to fight the other. They know that this would be disastrous for the party and even prove to be the final nail in its coffin. Both want to honour the spirit, if no longer the exact letter, of the transition plan, which originally intended for Najib to take over the premiership and party presidency in June 2010. It was a deal brokered directly by the two men and endorsed by the party Supreme Council.

But things began to fall apart after the loss at the Permatang Pauh by-election even though this had very little to do with Abdullah's leadership (in fact it was seen more as a battle between Anwar Ibrahim and Najib). There was a resurgence of dissent within party ranks led by vice president, Muhyiddin Yassin, and egged on by Mahathir Mohamed from the outside. This was an opportunity to renew the pressure on Abdullah to go now rather than later. But the spark that lit the fire was Najib's statement a couple of weeks ago that although he was committed to the transition plan, he would also leave it to the divisions to decide whether they want to support it as well. Politics is all about signalling. For many in the party, that statement by Najib was a signal that he would contest the presidency against Abdullah.

Opportunistic dissenters like Muhyiddin latched onto Najib's statement and instigated the grassroots to create a groundswell effect against Abdullah in order to pressure him to bow out in December. For Muhyiddin, this would be a dream scenario with him walking into the deputy presidency of the party probably unchallenged and thereby becoming also the Deputy Prime Minister. Everything came to a head at last week's UMNO Supreme Council meeting where three members – Muhyiddin, Shafie Apdal and Rafidah Aziz - came out to ask Abdullah to hand over power to Najib earlier than the scheduled timetable. Pro-Abdullah forces in the council were told to stand down during the meeting in order to not worsen the situation.

So what does Najib do now? For all intents and purposes, he is still outwardly committed to the transition plan and does not want to fight Abdullah. He knows that if he digs his heels in with Abdullah, the top job will be there for him by mid 2010 at the latest but in all probability much earlier since Abdullah himself has said that he is willing to be flexible about retiring sooner. The only thing that worries Najib is that if he sticks with Abdullah and there is a challenge from a Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah-Muhyiddin team, he might get swept away along with Abdullah. However, these fears are unfounded. Party leaders know that if Najib swings his support totally behind Abdullah and their forces work together on the ground, there is no other alternative combination that can beat them.

For Najib, if he decides not to honour his word to Abdullah, he knows he will be stuck with Muhyiddin as his deputy. This would be a problem for him later because the two men are suspicious of one another having once been rivals for the job of Abdullah's deputy. Muhyiddin has also demonstrated via his dissent towards Abdullah that he is a man who has no qualms stabbing his boss in the back, and may do the same to Najib especially in a time of political crisis. Muhyiddin will also not be beholden to Najib because he will think that his elevation to deputy premier and deputy president of UMNO has little to do with Najib. So for these reasons, Najib will not want Muhyiddin as his deputy.

Najib would be in a much more comfortable position if he goes with the transition deal with Abdullah, and then when the time comes for Abdullah to step down, Najib would have three vice presidents to choose from as his deputy. Not only does this give him the luxury of choice but it will most certainly make the person he selects as his deputy completely beholden to him because it will be entirely Najib's decision unlike the scenario of having Muhyiddin forced on him.

There are also other reasons Najib should stick with Abdullah. As far as UMNO members are concerned, Najib may be popular. This is courtesy of a solid network that he has cultivated for the last three decades. But his image and credibility publicly is something else. For many people Najib is synonymous with the brutal murder of the Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu. Regardless of Najib's repeated religious oaths that he never even met Altantuya, the taint refuses to go away especially since the man accused of abetting the murder, Razak Baginda, was a close advisor and friend to Najib. Apart from the Altantuya case, Najib is also dogged by shady arms purchases notably the procurement of Sukhoi fighter jets and submarines in which Razak is suspected of pocketing hundreds of millions of Ringgit worth of commission direct from the principal. So with the SAS (Sukhoi, Altantuya, Submarine) scandal tarnishing his public image, Najib still needs Abdullah as a shield of sorts. In fact, Anwar is relentless in his attacks on the SAS issues exposing it as Najib's vulnerable Achilles' heel. So long as Abdullah is around, Najib can use the time to rehabilitate his public image especially with his new portfolio at the Treasury where he can enact popular policies to deflect the public's attention from the SAS issues.

Finally, the last thing Najib wants is to go through a bruising fight with Abdullah. Najib may ultimately win the battle with current sentiment against Abdullah and his formidable network in UMNO, but could lose the war because of a damaged and divided party. Abdullah may be against the ropes but he's not going to be a pushover. His supporters will use every advantage of incumbency to fight any challenge and it will significantly split UMNO. This is something that Najib can ill-afford. Even if he takes on and beats Abdullah, he will be left with a party ruined. The implications of this are serious. If BN component parties see a broken UMNO, they might just take it as a signal to jump ship and join Anwar. That could prove to be the final act on the demise of UMNO and it will be on Najib's watch.

So although Najib may feel insecure about taking his chances with Abdullah for the fear of going down with him, he stands to gain more from sticking to the transition plan and fighting it out by Abdullah's side. It will give him the freedom to choose his deputy, a shield against attacks, time to rehabilitate his battered public image and it will avoid a damaging contest that can destroy UMNO. It must also be remembered that the next few months will be crucial on Anwar front. The sodomy trial will get under way and Najib will not want to be alone when all the sordid details of the case are revealed given his association with Saiful Bukhari Azlan who accuses Anwar of having sodomized him. Without Abdullah, the focus will be entirely on Najib and this could damage further his public image.

Given these arguments, Najib should come out soon to give a categorical statement to support Abdullah's candidacy for party president. It may not only appear to be the wisest choice but also one that will make Najib most secure in the long run. - Malaysia Today