A point to ponder in this difficult time

It was in fact on the Chinese winter solstice day last week when the news of Western Digital closing down broke to me by a former employee of this world’s second largest manufacturer of computer hard disk drives.

I had brushed off rumours few days earlier that this US company would be closing down as that was not the first time the rumours got into my ears.

In fact the rumour mongering had been going on since the end of last year, and it is for this reason that I remained skeptical whenever someone told me that it would be closing down.

But the duck rice lunch at Tracy’s Kitchen I had on the winter solstice with this WD’s former employee, who is now working with a government agency could not be any truer anymore, that I just had to believe the news.

Immediately I called my childhood friend who is an engineer with WD and as he picked up the phone, I asked whether his company was shutting down or closing down and the response was a firm CLOSING DOWN.

So the two words in no seconds sent shivers throughout my body of the plight of the 1,500 employees of this company who will be laid off in stages until March next year.

Of course such a big news travel fast like lightning and the next thing that we saw was of course the immediate response from the state government who summoned the top management of this US company to confirm the news.

The decision to close down the plant in the state is solely the discretion of the company and no one, including the state government could point fingers at the company for the drastic decision at this second Great Depression, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned recently.

As a kind of solace to the affected employees of WD, politicians of course come to the rescue offering all sorts of statistical figure on the job opportunities available and the various training or retraining schemes offered by the government.

SCORE, for instance has been boasting of needing few millions of workers by 2030 and also another figure of 85,000 of engineers needed in the state.

Ah ha, what a relief to see such a figure but wait a minute, where and how did the state government get the figures from and do we really need such astronomical numbers of workers?

That again I hope is not a mere rhetoric by our politicians in this crucial time when everyone is facing potential lay-offs.

While it may be true that the state needs so many workers but what we want to know is what type of skills or expertise are needed rather than just a boastful figures.

I really do not have the answers on how to help the affected workers, not only those from WD but also the rest of the semi-conductor plants in Samajaya Free Industrial Zone which are also affected with some having to take pay cut or forced leaves.

In this crucial time, why don’t politicians come out and contribute something to lessen the burden of the people rather than holding press conferences?

I suggest the followings:

1. All politicians, regardless of ruling or opposing parties to take a pay cut,
say 20% or 30%.
2. Benefits like entertainment allowance and annual free overseas holiday for
ministers and assistant ministers to be forfeited.
3. The number of political secretaries which now stands at 20 to be drastically
reduced as I do not see the relevance of having so many people holding the
post.
4. The state administration to use cheaper cars instead of luxurious ones like
BMW and Mercedes Benz.
5. Car pooling to be exercised for senior officials and ministers going to same
place for functions.
6. All senior government officials to travel only in economy class rather than
business or first class or if possible, travel with Air Asia, whichever is
cheaper.
7. No more five or six stars hotels for these officials when making official
trips. Settle for affordable yet comfortable hotels.

Why not? After all it’s time for the politicians and government to walk the talk and take austerity drive to channel something back to the people.

I hope reprimands won’t get to me for the noble suggestions.

No more safe seat

The drizzle did not stop thousands of people to turn up at the DAP anniversary dinner at 7th Mile on Sunday evening.

The 350-table dinner, attended by some of the hot shots of the party which made waves at the general election earlier this year is said to be overly crowded where it jammed the traffic at the adjacent areas.

National DAP leaders like Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang, Tony Pua, Dr Tang Seng Giaw and of course its state leaders like Chong Chieng Jen took on the rostrum to deliver fiery speeches to the crowd who had gathered as early as 6pm.

Contrary to SUPP which had earlier on just completed its two-day delegates conference which saw the status quo in its line-up for the next three years, the mood of its delegates at the conference was somber for apparent reason.

Looking at the DAP dinner, it was a wake-up call to Barisan Nasional, especially SUPP that the mood on the ground is so fervent that people want change.

Would the DAP dinner translate into votes in the coming state election and send its political nemesis, SUPP packing its bag?

The general sentiment on the ground, as one senior lawyer said is that people have grown tired with the many shortcomings of the current administration that they want something different.

With DAP having six representatives now in the State Legislative Assembly, it is a force to be reckoned with and many political observers are putting their bets on the party to make further inroads in the Chinese dominant seats in the coming state election.

SUPP deputy president, Tan Sri Law Hieng Ding in his speech at the party delegates conference had said that the old guards should ship out and make way for the younger leaders to take over the helm of the party.

He even acknowledged that many of the party leaders were already in their 60’s and 70’s and in political term, this may not be a healthy sign, as one political scientist said before.

Delegates and political observers were keeping a close watch on the two-day event but as news broke up on the final day that there would be no changes at the leadership, many were seen leaving the hall heading back home.

In 2006 state election, the party lost eight seats out of the 19 seats it contested with two assistant ministers namely Datuk Sim Kheng Hui and Datuk Alfred Yap Chin Loi being the casualties.

And now that the party had done with its party election and with many of its leaders had gone on year-end holidays, what does the two-day conference entail in the coming state election?

The DAP, judging from the huge crowd at its dinner at 7th Mile, is seen as a formidable force which could grab more seats from SUPP to further add on to the current six YBs it has.

The Chinese electorates have always been practical and demanding and with the current gloomy economic atmosphere, the state election would be seen as a survival battle for SUPP to keep its relevance.

Politics, as the outgoing SUPP Youth Chief, Alan Sim said is all about perception and that to a certain extent, speaks of how important change is not only as a mere rhetoric but to be seen as done and showed to the people.

No seats in the coming state election should be taken lightly by BN with the PKR and DAP already forming state government in five states in the Peninsular.

With the available resources on its side, the fight between the BN and the Opposition will be equal with the electorates holding the joker.

May the best person win

The SUPP Headquarters has never been so carnival-like atmosphere on Wednesday if not for the nomination for the party’s Youth and Wanita wings.

The hollow state of the headquarters had suddenly come alive with delegates from both movements, which will be holding its delegates conference today, submitting their nominations to vie for the central committee.

Journalists covering the nomination process must have a long day, but thanks to the IT, they were able to e-mail back their news write-up to the editors and could call it a day to hit the traffic jam right on time.

As the nomination closed at 5pm sharp, the SUPP Youth received 127 nominations, far exceeding the 72 central committee posts, thus paving way for an election.

Nomination for the SUPP Wanita meanwhile is seeing 100 aspirants vying for the 49 central committee posts, meaning the women will also see a contest.

SUPP Sibu branch Youth Chief, Chieng Jin Ek, 33-year old and Batu Lintang Youth Chief, Sih Hua Tong, 44, will slug it out for the post of Youth Central Chairman, after former Pending Youth Chief, Alan Sim Yaw Yen, 44, announced that he would not be defending the post recently.

As for the SUPP Wanita, Batu Lintang Women Chief, Cheng Yi and Piasau Women Chief, Suzanne Lee will lock horns in the battle for the Women Central Chief post, vacated by Sibu Women Chief, Datin Janet Lau.

The two tier system will be practised in the election for both wings as stipulated in the constitution, meaning the first round of election will see the delegates electing the central committee members.

In the second round, the elected central committee members will elect the office bearers who will helm the movements in the next three years.

This method of election will have no doubts compel both camps to come out with their “cai tan” or menu to the voting delegates who will determine the new line-up.

Whatever the outcome of the election which I foresee to be a close fight between the two hopefuls, both in the Youth and Wanita wings, the new lineup will be seen as the next echelon of leaders who will take over the party leadership, many of whom are already in their twilight years.

Being perceived as the next echelon of leaders, these young aspiring politicians would have an uphill task to face the electorates in the coming state election, if and only if they are fielded as candidates, with the current political scenario and the weak perception of the party in the eyes of the public.

How this new breed of politicians will rejuvenate the party, only if they were given ample opportunities by the top leadership, will remain to be seen.

How are they going to win back the heart of the voters and be seen as the voice of the people, championing for the people’s interest, without both hands tied is best left answered by the new line-up.

The past six years have seen the SUPP Youth, under the leadership of Alan Sim creating a change of its image.

But the various initiatives undertaken by the movement, in particular its education project, which has won accolades from many parents and students, could not withstand the onslaught of the people’s unhappiness over the government’s many shortcomings, resulting in the Sim’s incomprehensible defeat to DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen in the Bandar Kuching parliamentary election, despite his good and clean records.

The new leadership of both wings must be a force of change for the party.

The task, seen by many political observers, as extremely difficult with the current set-up in the party may be the first hurdle for these young aspiring politicians.

Many politicians have said enough about Obamania but how many are ready to do the necessary change other than the admiration being a mere rhetoric?

Change is imminent but at a cost and it takes a great leader with strong political will to effect the change.

Whatever it takes, as you read this column, the delegates of both SUPP Youth and Wanita will be casting their ballots to elect the new leadership of the movements.

To whoever is the victor and loser, both are the winners of this party election as democracy is at least being practised and the election process duly exercised and experienced by the members.

May the best man win.

Oops you did it again, YB!

Our politicians are at it again this time.

With party elections just around the corner, what can we expect from them other than making certain statements which could uplift their popularity at the expense of racial harmony in the name of votes.

Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, the front runner for the Umno Youth Chief post, had recently caused uproar when he called for the Government to abolish the vernacular school system to enhance the unity among the people and to check racial polarization.

As expected, his statement invited politicians from any divides coming out in droves to point fingers at him, questioning his rationale for making such a statement to score some political mileage.

I am amazed with the numbers of politicians, especially those from the Barisan Nasional who also took a shot at Mukhriz for his gaffe for they know for sure what the consequences would be should they remain tight lipped.

The result of the March 8 general election is still lingering in these politicians’ mind. So, I do not really blame these politicians for taking up almost all the news space, leaving some more deserving news in the back page.

Mukhriz then came out with clarification few days later for his earlier statement, a trend which it seems to me so popular among our YBs when met with criticisms.

He clarified that he did not call for the vernacular schools to be closed down, but that the system should be one and brushed aside that the issue of closing school arose for that is the last thing he wants.

He was quoted as saying that the school would remain the same physically and it is the system that needs changing where the medium of teaching would eventually be one, which is Bahasa Malaysia, except for Science and Mathematics.

But I am glad that all these have been put down to rest when Prime Minister designate, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak assures that all vernacular schools will continue to exist as long as the Chinese and Indian communities need such a system.

But coming back to the issue, have we ever thought why racial polarization exists in this country which is made up of multi racial and cultural settings?

Is the education system to be blamed for the polarization?

I beg to differ if I may, Mukhriz or any of the YBs! And you know the answer too.

We have to go down to the basic to analyse what is actually going wrong and not to be so quick to sink into opinions that education is the sole factor leading to racial disharmony.

Many of us, when we were young had been told that so and so is a Malay, Chinese or Indian.

Our mind has been preset with this stereotyping that it becomes almost impossible to change, thus making it hard for every Malaysians to connect with each other.

Of course, the protectionist policies which have been seen as double standard by the non-bumiputras, which I do not wish to elaborate further for I do not want to do a RPK, has also contributed to the racial polarization as the non-bumiputras feel that they have been ill treated despite pledging their loyalty to this country.

There are just too many issues which lead to this fiasco which I believe would take a great leader in this country to correct, which I am doubtful that we could see one emerging in any near future.

While the March 8 general election may give some reprieves that racial politics may be diluted further, I am not so optimistic anyhow as the political system in this country is still very much dominated by racialism.

Even a minor issue concerning road signages could be blown up into brouhaha when to many of us, it does not even warrant any of our attention.

But alas, what can we do except to hope for the emergence of a new breed of politicians who could understand what the new generation of Malaysians wants.

Of course, change cannot be done over night but it must start from somewhere, even if it means to let go of certain privileges which have long been enjoyed.

The world is moving at high speed with nations over taking each other mercilessly and it is just so childish and naive of our politicians if they continue harping on communal issues such as education, which is fundamentally the right of every single Malaysians as enshrined in the Constitution.

I am longing to see one day when our politicians could rise to the occasion, not for the wrong reason but for fighting for every Malaysian regardless of one’s background, who could make lives much easier in this trying time of economy recession.

Till then, let us hope that our nation could weather the looming recession in this sorry state of political gaffes.

Power in the hands of youth

Ah ha and there you are. By the next general election, about 20% of the voters could comprise those in the early 20’s.

And it could be more than the percentage taking account into those in the 30’s or early 40’s who are in the young voters bracket.

The Election Commission is expecting about two million new voters by the next election and this development must have sent shivers to the Barisan Nasional which was dealt with a serious blow in the March 8 general election when there was a big swing of votes to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat which will soon formalise its pact.

Nevertheless, it is still too early to say whether these two million new voters will all cast their votes for the opposition in the next general election as new political development may take place every minute leading up to the big day in 2013 or even earlier which may swing the votes.

But looking at the trend as it goes now and as shown in the March 8, the indication is that young voters are more prone to vote for the opposition, especially in the urban areas.

I agree with Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research executive director, Ibrahim Suffian that one reason why youngsters tend to favour the opposition is that they do not feel indebted to the Government that achieved independence 51 years ago.

Having talked to several close friends who are involved one way or another in politics, it seems that all of them have come to a conclusion that the existing political leaders have lost track of what the young generation wants.

A foreign political scientist who observed the state election in 2006 for instance had found in her findings that one of the reasons why the Chinese dominant political party, SUPP lost its eight seats was due to the fact of age factor of its candidates. She had said that this is extremely unhealthy trend leading to the disastrous outcome.

So, what is actually wrong and why that the young people seem not to support the ruling coalition?

I guess this is a million dollar question but I am pretty sure that those who occupy the political office must have an answer to this deep in their hearts.

As we are moving and trying to catch up with the face pace of development in this world of no mercy, the young generation who is synonymous with iPod, blogosphere and Pussycat Dolls are looking at things differently.

In the 1970’s or 1980’s, political talks laced with promises of development or unity may gather large crowd to throng the ceramah but try today if one dares, and you end up having only skeleton few of hardcore supporters listening to such rhetoric.

Economy, education, fairness, equality, transparency and so on have taken over jargons like development and unity or solidarity for the young people do not understand what our forefathers had gone through prior to the independence.

In order for both the political divides to grab this precious group of young voters come the next elections, some painstaking decision ought to be taken to engage the young people to give them a sense of hope and future.

Failure to do so may spell doom to any political parties but alas, it seems that despite many setbacks and missed opportunities to correct the incorrect, change in certain political parties still remains stagnant and moribund.

The opposition DAP for instance has seen the grooming of many young political aspirants like Tony Pua, Hannah Yeoh, Teo Nie Ching, just to name a few, which has turned the eyes of the young people towards supporting the cause of the party.

Kudos to the opposition in this respect.

The party says Ibrahim Suffian managed to capture young votes because it gave new blood the chance of running in elections and many of these candidates won and one can judge their performance by the good coverage they are getting.

Umno Youth Chief, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin says it right that young voters are making their presence felt and this is a phenomenon that requires attention and understanding.

He further says the parties’ leaders need to change, otherwise “they will be changed by the electoral process.”

It will be harder to campaign on the basis of track records and the social contract, quoting Ibrahim Suffian, as these things are too remote to younger people and when you talk to people, you can sense that they are more pragmatic and they will choose a government that works.

So, I guess the indications are all there. Let’s not wait, Sirs, until the indicator level beams with orange or red for it will be too late then to send SOS.

What lies beneath in "Friends of PKR" dinner?

A business friend who happened to be in Sibu last weekend was amazed with the large turnout at the PKR’s “Friends of PKR” dinner.

The dinner held at Sibu Trade and Exhibition Centre was said to be massively attended by both supporters and sympathisers of the opposition party.

To make the dinner more interesting was the attendance by PKR leader, Anwar Ibrahim who flew in to this once prosperous timber town all the way from Kuala Lumpur.

All eyes were on the Ngemah state assemblyman, Gabriel Adit on that evening who finally laid to rest speculations that he would join PKR.

Also present at the dinner were former Sri Aman Member of Parliament, Jimmy Donald and former PRS leader, Beginda Minda who made news recently for stating that PBB is a bully in state BN and that the Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud and his deputy, Alfred Jabu have long overstayed their welcome in politics.

Not to be missed at the dinner to lend their support were state DAP leaders, state assemblyman for Bukit Assek, Wong Ho Leng and state assemblyman for Kidurong, Chiew Chin Sing.

And yes, Adit finally joined the party, thus adding PKR’s hold in the state legislative assembly to two seats. The other is Padungan state assemblyman, Dominic Ng Kim Ho.

DAP has six seats in the state legislative with another seat, Engkilili held by an independent, Dr Rayong Johnical.

Before leaving back for Kuala Lumpur, Anwar Ibrahim made a short stop in Sarikei to receive new applications from Kung Chin Chin, a former DAP candidate who stood as the party’s candidate in the 2006 state election and as independent in the March 8 general election and lost.

With the latest political development, the talk of the town now has suddenly focused on the state election despite it dues only in 2011.

The massive turnout at the dinner must have rung an alarm bell by now to state Barisan Nasional which has thus far won the state elections with easy cruise, with the exception of Chinese urban seats.

With Adit, closely linked to former PBDS president, Leo Moggie now a PKR representative, political observers are turning their eyes to rural seats which have all the years been the BN’s bastion.

But with PKR landing in Sarawak, would this still be the case? It seems not anymore.

PKR together with its partners, DAP and PAS, which has gained its footing in five states in Peninsular- Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Kelantan and Penang and denied BN its two third majorities in the March 8 general election will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming state election.

Judging from the previous state election records, rural seats had always been the BN’s stronghold and now that PKR is trying to make inroads into these areas, the BN must not take the attempt lightly.

The state BN must not brush aside the threat posed by Pakatan Rakyat as the coalition is definitely not short of resources and means to take on BN and make it runs for its money.

Many issues in the state are still left unresolved for years such as the native customary rights (NCR) land, renewal of leasehold and of course, the current economic slump will definitely be key issues in the state election.

With the Pakatan Rakyat now synonymous to change, people are seeing the coalition as the alternative to BN which has ruled the country for half a century since independence.

And recently, two-term DAP’s Bandar Kuching Member of Parliament, Chong Chieng Jen who is also Kota Sentosa state assemblyman in an interview with a news portal was confident that his party would further make inroads into few more state seats currently held by SUPP.

SUPP leaders must well be prepared for any further catastrophe if nothing drastic is taken to revamp the party.

Chieng Jen has definitely scored political mileage in the interview for speaking out on few issues close to the hearts of the people.

It takes the leadership of state BN to present a new hope and a change to the people of Sarawak that BN is still the most preferred choice over the alternative Pakatan Rakyat.

Singing the old tune of politics of development or unity and stability may not sink into the heart of the young voters, who will make up additional two million voters in the next general election anymore as they are looking at politics in a totally different lens.

And not long ago, a political scientist from a local public university was telling me that prior to the March 8 general election, Anwar Ibrahim had been telling his political partners that the opposition could make inroads into few states and denied the BN its two third majorities.

But none of them, according to this political scientist, believed him and the result on the night of the general election proved that Anwar Ibrahim was damn right with his prediction, except for the September 16 takeover brouhaha.

Should he make another claim in two years time that the opposition will give the state BN a run for its money, would you and I believe it? I am not a soothsayer though.

Anyone can be PM? Well said but...

A childhood friend of mine was ecstatic that a black in America could be elected as President that he even posted this message on his Facebook telling his networks in this cyber space of his jubilation.

This history of Barack Obama being elected as the 44th President of America has renewed the idealism of the minority in this country that they can also be elected to the highest political post, in this case, Prime Minister of Malaysia.

I had a long chat with this childhood friend few months ago at a local café when we talked at length on current issues, with of course politics being our major discussion which took us late into the night.

He was adamant why a minority in this country could not assume the post of Prime Minister in this country now that Malaysians from all walks of life could live together harmoniously as one for the past 50 over years, with the exception of the 1969 racial riots.

Our Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi while congratulating Obama for his victory last week said it is possible for anyone from the minority group in this country to be a nation’s leader and that it is up to the people to decide just as the Americans had done through democratic process.

This statement from Abdullah who will be making his way out from the premier’s office March next year must have won praises and accolades from my childhood friend and the minority group in this country.

Then, former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated that anyone in this country can be the Prime Minister, thus echoing what Abdullah had said few days earlier.

But, Dr Mahathir stressed that the Prime Minister must be a leader who commands the majority support while saying that race-based politics is still relevant in this country.

Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong was even more blunt when he said the republic, with over 3.5 million people of multi cultural background is not ready for a non-ethnic Chinese premier in the near future.

Hsien Loong had said that there is such a possibility but it all depends on how people vote, on who has the confidence of the population but cast doubt that this will happen any sooner.

Looking at the Malaysian politics, it has yet to dilute itself from the racial trappings despite the political tsunami which swept the nation in the March 8 general election.

The Barisan Nasional coalition for instance, is made up of 14 partners with UMNO, MCA and MIC being racial based parties while Pakatan Rakyat which consists of PKR, DAP and PAS is also very much similar to the Barisan Nasional’s setting.

I concur with Dr Mahathir that it is wrong to assume that Barisan Nasional did not do well because people rejected the race-based party as the Pakatan Rakyat which the people had voted for overwhelmingly is also very much a racial-based coalition.

But of course in the March 8 general election, we could see a new trend emerging where there was a tremendous shift of voting pattern against racial line.

A survey of 1,824 Singaporeans’ views on inter-racial ties by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies found that 94% of Chinese polled said they would not mind an Indian as Prime Minister and 91% said they would not mind a Malay in the top post.

Hsien Loong said Obama’s win did not mean race was no longer an issue in America and it was just that the Americans were tired and they wanted something different and Obama represented something different.

Over in our homeland, the appointment of a Chinese as a general manager of Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) had caused such a big brouhaha while there was a Malay organization which applied for a court injunction for the Penang DAP state government’s decision to put up road signages in multiple languages, arguing that the move challenges the supremacy of Malay language.

And then there was this infamous son of Ahmad Said who called the Chinese “pendatang” during the Permatang Pauh by-election who was only slapped with three years suspension from UMNO while the journalist, Tan Hoon Cheng who covered his ceramah was not so lucky when she was arrested under Internal Security Act (ISA) only to be released few days later.

Whether or not the voting trend of the March 8 general election will continue is left to be seen but when we have politicians like Ahmad Said or Khir Toyo who still play up to the gallery for selfish reason and fan the racial sentiment, I must say we still have a long road ahead before we could be as ecstatic like my childhood friend was with Obama’s historic win.

Dr M back in spotlight

The following is the excerpt from the Straits Times:

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA's former premier Mahathir Mohamad is enjoying a surge in influence as a new administration prepares to take power, according to pundits who fear a return to hardline 'Mahathirism'.

The grand old man of Malaysian politics endured a humiliating exile from the circles of power after stepping down in 2003, as he was punished for feuding with his hand-picked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Dr Mahathir, still feisty despite his 83 years and a string of heart problems, was outraged by the dismantling of his pet projects and seemingly made it his mission to bring down the mild-mannered Datuk Seri Abdullah.

Last month he declared victory as the unpopular premier was forced to announce he would depart in March 2009 in favour of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, whom Dr Mahathir had publicly championed for the top job.

'The country is witnessing the return of Mahathirism with the former prime minister seen as having become the single most powerful and influential individual' in the ruling party, said opposition veteran Lim Kit Siang.

He said Dr Mahathir was transformed from a troublemaker to a 'king-maker' the moment Mr Abdullah caved in, after months of turmoil in the wake of disastrous general election results.

During his years in the wilderness Dr Mahathir complained the ruling party had ordered the government-linked press not to air his views and said it had even leaned on organisations to withdraw invitations for him to events.

But as the power balance shifted, Dr Mahathir has been brought back into the fold of the United Malays National Organisation which leads the coalition - feted at party events and once again revelling in media attention.

Now there are rumblings that some of the worst aspects of his two-decade rule - repression, media censorship and the use of draconian internal security laws - could be revived.

'Najib's policies will mirror those of Mahathir's,' said Datuk Seri Zaid Ibrahim, a cabinet minister who resigned in September and who sees the hand of the new administration in a recent rash of detentions under internal security laws.

'Mr Abdullah doesn't have that in him. On his own he would not have done it, so he must be under tremendous pressure. Those measures taken are an indication of what?s to come,' he told wires agencies.

Mr Zaid, a maverick figure who quit the cabinet after being blocked from cleaning up the judiciary and police, said that Mr Abdullah's mild approach had allowed a measure of freedom in Malaysia.

'It is true that he has not done much to effect the reforms that he talked about, but Mr Abdullah did give the space - there's a certain openness, people do express a lot more - and it will be a loss if we go back to the old ways.'

Political analysts say that while Mr Najib will run his own ship, he will be careful not to alienate Mr Mahathir and trigger another destructive slanging match of the kind which helped fell Mr Abdullah.

' Mr Mahathir probably will not have an official role (in the new government) because that would raise too many eyebrows and too many questions would be asked,' said Ms Tricia Yeoh from the Centre for Public Policy Studies.

But I am quite sure that he will be informally consulted time and again,' she said.

With Mr Najib in the top job, flanked by another Mahathir protege Muhyiddin Yassin, who is slated to be deputy premier, and possibly Dr Mahathir's son Mukhriz, who is contesting the influential post of youth wing chief, the ex-premier will again have friends in high places.

Mr Zaid said that Dr Mahathir's hardline style is attractive to UMNO politicians who have been in disarray since the elections which lost the coalition its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time.

'Dr Mahathir has his strong points too. As much as I disagree with him on many issues, I also admire his tenacity and consistency. He is a very forceful leader, so people gravitate around that,' Mr Zaid said. -- AFP

Change we need

I guess the word of the year must be CHANGE.

As Barrack Obama made his way to the White House as the 44th U.S. president, beating his Republican rival, John McCain, change seems to be the word which captivates everyone and makes unstoppable waves everywhere.

The Opposition DAP for instance in the March 8 general election chose “Change” as its theme song from a popular pop song in the 1980’S which captivated the soul and mind of the voters, especially the young ones.

And indeed it created waves when Barisan Nasional was hit by political tsunami which saw its two third majorities being slashed with the Opposition grabbing 81 seats in Parliament and making inroads into five states.

I was having a conversation with a former state assemblyman few days ago when we talked on the current political happenings both domestic and international which included the U.S. presidential election.

Both of us had no doubt that change is imminent but the question which struck me was when this former state assemblyman asked me how to change.

A state senior politician mentioned few weeks ago that change must not be done in haste for a strong wind of change may be destructive.

Therefore, this senior politician said a breeze of cool air rather than strong wind for instance is more acceptable.

Especially after the March 8 general election, everyone from the young to the old is expecting changes in this country.

Transparency, accountability, fair and equal distribution of wealth, judiciary independence and corruption free are among the things that people are hoping to see.

This country belongs to all races and therefore everyone has a stake in the well being of this country and how it is being run as well as its future.

The young generation it seems will be the driving force to bring this country to meet the challenges be it now or in the future and it is not surprising at all that they are the one who are eager to see drastic change.

I must admit that I am also a firm believer of change and so does my bunch of friends who are full of hopes and ideals to do what they believe in.

But the thing is that most of the time, their hopes and aspirations have always been met with a stern rejection from the elders.

I guess change in a way is a painful step to take as it involves making way for something which has sentimental value or interests which one has held on for long time.

An UMNO youth leader once said the youth are just like David Beckham waiting on the bench ready to go down the pitch.

And I feel that since the David Beckhams are ready to assume larger roles, then they should be given all the opportunities and not hindrances to achieve their dreams with the guidance from the elders of course.

That would be a perfect combination of both the experienced and the eager beavers who can make positive change and take to the world like nobody’s business.

The Communist Party of China, which for over the decades is dominated by the old cadres has gone young as well when in its 17th National Congress last year, it included quite sizeable young cadres who will eventually be promoted to its powerful Politburo with the old cadres making way.

Even over in the United States, Obama mania is making waves and it was euphoric when Barrack Obama was declared the new president at the age of only 47 when in politics, some may argue that that is still a tender age.

Closer to our home country, the current serving Members of Parliament from both the divides are relatively young and this is something which has made politics more interesting to watch with these new kids on the block trying to bring change to the state of affairs of our politics and also to effect changes to this country.

Barring any circumstances, the new prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Tun Razak by virtue of him clinching the UMNO’s presidency uncontested and the newly elected MCA president, Ong Tee Keat are both considered young in their 50’s and that is something, like a friend of mine said, the people want to see.

Coming back to my conversation with the former state assemblyman, we both had come to the conclusion that change is imminent but there must be someone who is ready to effect change.

With the CNN official website screaming “Change has come to America” when Obama was declared the victor, so has change come to us then?

Sooner or later, change we need, I believe in.

NEP to go or just a never ending policy?

There were few occasions when I travelled to Kuala Lumpur where I took the cab ride to move around in the hustle bustle of the city instead of the more convenient train ride.

It happened once when a chatty Chinese cabbie, in his 40’s was telling me of how difficult it is to earn a living nowadays to the extent that he had to do few jobs to sustain the escalating cost of living.

As usual and as expected, the cabbie who spoke in near perfect English albeit KL accent and slang vented his frustrations and criticised the many government policies which he claimed as extremely unfair.

Not spared from his wrath was of course the New Economic Policy (NEP) which has come under attack as being inefficient system which promotes a laid back attitude among the Bumiputeras.

And recently, Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak caused a buzz when during an interview with Bloomberg, he claimed that not in the too distant future, Malaysians would see all the elements of the NEP being replaced.

He was quoted as saying that “if we do not change, the people will change us.”

So there you are. The policy which has been in existence for more than 30 years since 1970, with the aim of bringing to par the economic disparity between the Bumiputeras and the non-Bumiputeras, has been criticized by many as benefitting only a few, especially those with guanxi with the top level.

Not only do the Chinese or Indians are skeptic with the policy but also the majority of ordinary Malays who feel that they have not benefitted from the NEP.

A Malay cabbie in Kuala Lumpur for instance once told me that despite all the special privileges that the Bumiputeras enjoy, he still has to work as hard as the Chinese or Indians to earn a living while casting doubt whether the NEP really benefits them or just the cronies of certain politicians as he claimed.

And the point is clear. Ordinary Malaysians, regardless of Malays, Chinese or Indians want a fair and equal distribution of wealth and opportunities.

The Opposition which has been championing for this has been riding on the right track and sentiment and receives overwhelming support from people as clearly shown in the March 8 general election.

Unless the sentiment on the ground is well understood by those higher up, especially the UMNO for the role it plays as the taiko of the ruling coalition, then the BN can expect yet another political tsunami in the next general election due in 2013 except that this time it may be even more disastrous or fatal than the March 8.

MCA, which is still fresh from its party election has proposed for the abolishment of the 30% Bumiputera equity ownership in public listed companies but the proposal was met with a “no no” from the former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr Mahathir, who is instrumental in turning the country into what it is today had said that it is not the time yet to abolish the 30% bumiputera equity.

“We have not reached that yet. There is still a lot to be done. If we reduce it to 20% today and it does not expand while the economy does, bumiputera equity participation will get smaller. We have to take all this into consideration,” Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying.

Then there is this warning from the Opposition PAS Youth movement which warned the MCA not to harp on the NEP and that the 30% bumiputera equity must be retained and defended even if the target has been reached.

Over in Selangor, the appointment of a Chinese as the acting general manager of Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) has caused a slight brouhaha with certain quarters claiming that the post should be reserved for the Malay, but the Menteri Besar, Khalid Ibrahim stood firm by his decision with the appointment.

While I acknowledge that the NEP is noble in its objective, the government must wake up to the fact that the outside world is waiting for nobody and should our politicians still debate on what is yours and what is mine, then one thing for sure is that we will be left miles and miles far behind in this world without mercy.

Come on YBs, it is time to pull our weight together as one Malaysian in this difficult time of world recession.

And by the way, a close aide to Najib clarified after the Bloomberg interview was published that what his boss meant was that there would be a gradual liberalisation of some of the elements of NEP and not the entire programme.

Political "live" debates? Why not?

Now that the MCA party election is over. As I was having my breakfast last Sunday, a professional woman in her middle age was in jubilant mood when she told the news that Dr Chua Soi Lek had clinched the deputy president post in the second biggest component party within the Barisan Nasional coalition.

Despite his DVD sex scandal which costs Soi Lek his political career where he relinquished his ministerial and all party posts taking full responsibility for his “caught in the act” action, his quick comeback to the mainstream politics is something which is beyond anyone’s guess.

To many of us, including some political observers, his high flying political career was already at the dead end for his so-called sinful act which may not go down well with certain quarters.

And then there was this supposedly live debate for the presidential and deputy presidential hopefuls ala US presidential election style to be telecast on NTV7 which was aired albeit recorded few nights prior to the MCA party election.

And there I glued myself on my 29-inches television set watching how those political aspirants debated in English and Mandarin as well as putting forward their aspirations, visions and thoughts from politics, economy to social issues.

With the political tsunami hitting the country in the March 8 general election and jolting hard on the Barisan Nasional coalition, change becomes imminent if the governing coalition is to remain relevant and continue to govern the nation.

Kudos of course must be given to the organiser of the debate and of course the candidates for taking a big step as this small step of standing in front facing the audience, though in an auditorium or studio, but aired all over the nation, articulating their thoughts is making a whole lots of difference in the Malaysian politics.

Malaysians from across the divides could see for themselves what these politicians have to say on issues facing the country and how they are going to effect changes, not only in party politics but also the nation at large.

Many friends, both in the political and social circles have given their thumbs up to English educated Soi Lek for his articulation on issues in his impeccable English and near perfect Mandarin which may have swung him quite a chunk of votes from the delegates in the MCA party election, what more to say people on the street, like my professional woman friend who is impressed with Soi Lek, not for the wrong reason but for his ability to convey his thoughts and aspirations in no uncertain terms.

Coming back closer to our home state, many are wondering whether they could see something similar among our politicians debating in of course cordial and professional manners and discourse while keeping tantrums in check after the so-called “viewing exposure” to the Anwar Ibrahim and Shabery Chik or Soi Lek and Donald Lim debates.

Looking at the calendar of events, perhaps the next political party in the state to hold its delegates conference or some people may fond of calling it party election is SUPP in the middle of December.

Of course now it is too early to say whether this Chinese dominant party will see any changes in its top echelon leadership, emulating its brethren, MCA across the South China Sea despite the president, Dr George Chan Hong Nam who contracted two years ago to step down this year.

SUPP organising secretary, Peter Chin Fah Kui had described the just concluded MCA party election that of its change of leadership as usual and that it must take place from time to time for the betterment of a party. Well said and a respected statement by a seasoned politician.

He further said the delegates made their decisions and used their voting power to effect change.

So, the point is here. Regardless of whether there will be change or status quo in the party, which is seen as representing the Chinese community in the state, though being a multi racial in nature, the way the party holds itself up in the eyes of the public has to change.

Taking leave from what MCA political aspirants had done through the live debate, a SUPP youth leader is both full of electrics and enthusiasm that he could see such debate for any aspirants hoping to offer himself or herself for higher positions within the party.

That, according to him is the way forward for this party to move with changing time and to regain the lost grounds and give people a new hope before it confronts the state election due in 2011.

And just before my friend was leaving from the table where we had our breakfast on that beautiful Sunday, a spoiler in her mood for the day was just that of someone who spoke unprofessionally and threw tantrums for no good reason.

So, any takers for the live debate? I am no pessimist though and am keeping my fingers crossed for one to take shape. At least we in Sarawak could see a change.

Come on YBs, move on and leave politicking behind!

A widely circulated national English newspaper carried a front page story last Saturday on the world market plunge which spooked investors from around the world.

Pictures of stock traders cupping their hands to worrying face have sent chills, I guess by now to the Malaysian shore as we have come to realize that all is not well with the world economy which some economists predict as the revisiting of the 1930’s Great Depression.

Then there is The Rocket publication which I happened to buy one night while having drinks with a friend at a coffee shop which screams “Tough Times” on its cover page.

It has been quite some time since the general election that we have been fed with political news almost daily from the September 16 takeover claim by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the stepping down of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in March 2009 to the extent that the economic news take the backseat.

I must admit that I have grown extremely tired of reading political news nowadays that I would just simply ignore it and turn my focus instead on business news.

Many are just wondering why Malaysian media is just so engrossed with reporting political news but I have come to realise that we can’t really blame it for it is the politicians who keep feeding the reporters with political news.

Now that Gerakan had done with its delegates conference last weekend, the next to come is MCA which will see fights for the top posts in the party and then there is the on-going nomination process for the UMNO election due in March next year. This party politics will again dominate the news for some time to come.

As I read the Singapore Straits Times website news a couple of days ago, I come to agree with one of its writers that Malaysians are just too pre-occupied with political drama to pay attention to financial meltdown experienced all over the world.

I must concur with what the former deputy prime minister, Tun Musa Hitam when he urged the UMNO leaders vying for top posts in the party to debate on economic issues.

He added that too much emphasis was being given to party politics, resulting in people not realizing that the nation is facing the real economic crisis.

What needs to be done now, according to him, was for the political issues that are too dominating to be reduced and for politicians to take this seriously and come out with pre-emptive economic contingency plan.

He said it right that people were excited with political news but had grown tired of it and that the people do not know of the economic situation now but they will feel the pinch.

A small cup of black coffee for instance now costs 90 cent (by the way, I found out that there is still one coffee shop at Hui Sing Garden which the black coffee costs only 60 cent) while a simple plate of fried noodle with a few sprinkles of taugeh and egg costs RM4 and my many conversations with those from the lower middle or working class confirm the fact that they are the hardest hit in this time of economic uncertainty.

What the people want now is for the politicians to put a stop to all the politicking and focus their effort in finding ways and means to generate the economy in this uncertain time.

The collapse of few giant banks and insurance companies has spooked many of us despite the many assurances from the government that all is well with the nation’s economy.

But the sad thing is that very few politicians seem to be channeling their political discourse in finding solutions to improving the people’s livelihood as they are just too engrossed with power jostling in party politics, almost forgetting that they are responsible and answerable to the rakyat at large.

But again, how can we blame the politicians now that this is the season of party elections in most of the political parties?

As I watching a programme on Astro AEC channel the other night on the lives of the ordinary people in tackling the rising cost of living, I could not help but watched helplessly on the plight of the poor weathering the economic impact after the fuel price hike coupled with the skyrocketing inflation rate.

From the testimony of those interviewed in the programme, including a newspaper delivery man and a sweet corn seller, the various goodies or mega projects announced by the government seem not to be reaching them as the people do not directly benefit from it.

Even the dead in London, as reported in the news feel the pinch as undertakers hit by the financial crisis in London are refusing to carry out funerals unless they get paid in advance.

The politicians must not forget the fundamental that they are the servant of the people and now that they are hard hit in this hard time of economic slump, politicians must pull their weight together to find ways to lighten the people’s burden and come out with concrete plans to weather the economic storm.

Do not just simply ask everyone to change lifestyles for the poor have no lifestyle to change in the first place as they are already living on the thin line trying to make the ends meet.

Such a below par statement by politicians just goes to show the standard of these politicians who seem to be ignorant of the plight of the people.

But alas, we just have to keep praying that all will be well with the economy and take self measure to be prudent with our saving and spending while the politicians keep themselves busy with politicking.

At the threshold of a new political era

A dinner hosted by a state minister at a leading restaurant in town on Tuesday was just about to enter its second dish when news on the possible outcome of the Permatang Pauh by election started to pour in.

Beeping sound of short messaging system kept interrupting the dinner amid conversation mostly on politics among those present.

Even before the dessert was served, a guest at the dinner declared in the room of two tables that Anwar Ibrahim had won the seat with a majority of not less than 17,000.

That was the unofficial result declared by PKR with the news already widely spread over various news sources on the internet.

By the time the Election Commission declared Anwar the winner at 9.50pm with a majority of 15,671 votes, the dinner was well over with all the guests returning home retiring for the night.

The anxiousness among those present at the dinner and likewise the whole Malaysians is understandable as the result of the by election, held five months after the March 8 general election may be a defining moment for the country, not so much on the Anwar’s return as an MP after his 10 years absent, but a change in the political dominance of BN which has ruled the country for 51 years.

The Permatang Pauh constituency is a reflection of national demographic profile with 69 per cent of the population being the Malays, 25 per cent Chinese and six per cent Indians.

Thus, all eyes were on the by election to see the indication of whether such a change is imminent or not and true enough, judging from the overwhelming majority obtained by Anwar, which better off the one garnered by his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in March 8 general election, one cannot deny that the political tsunami is really hitting the country.

Though the result does not change the political equation with the Opposition still holding 82 seats while BN 140 seats, the whole Malaysians are now watching closely on September 16 which Anwar has been declaring as the date where he could seize the government.

While it cannot be disputed that BN is still the legitimate government of the day, anything could happen from now until September 16 as in politics, nothing is impossible and there is always no permanent friend or foe.

With Anwar being appointed as the Opposition Leader in the house, BN must ring aloud the alarm bell and take a quick remedy rather than still doing soul searching as time is not exactly on their side as it is either September 16 or 2013 before Malaysians vote in Pakatan Rakyat should BN remain moribund. 

Having served as a deputy prime minister before, Anwar knows all the running mechanism of the government and BN ministers can expect a hard time from now onwards.

The people have made it loud and clear that they want change.  Transparency, accountability, corrupt free government and good governance are among the in-things now which people want.

It is no longer the usual political talks laced with racial unity and harmony and development that could attract the people.

Fifty one years after independence, Malaysians are now matured and look at things objectively and a truly Bangsa Malaysia, cutting across races has now thrived.

The mindset of the people has shifted and they want something fairer and not racial based but something which is based on profile of multiracial and multi religious Malaysians.

The victory of Anwar, like a senior Cabinet minister had said, should not be taken likely as the victory would become a trend that people want change, nothing but the change.

Until and unless something drastic is taken to remedy what has gone wrong, the BN can expect no longer rosy days ahead.

But one thing for sure is that Malaysian politics has taken a new chapter with the emergence of new political trend which cuts across the ethnic boundary.

Meritocracy the way to move forward

The statement by Selangor Mentri Besar, Khalid Ibrahim which caused much furore among the UiTM undergraduates recently was very much expected.

Khalid had called for the university, which was established as a response to the need for trained professionals among the bumiputras, to open up 10 per cent of its intake to non-bumiputras.

Hell broke loose when the suggestion was made by the Mentri Besar which resulted in the undergraduates in several of its campus nationwide protesting for the remark which is seen by them as infringing into their rights.

UiTM Student Delegates Council President, Mohd Faizal Zainol slammed the Mentri Besar as a Malay traitor whom he described as willing to sell off the rights of his own race while calling him to apologise and retract his suggestion immediately.

But Khalid’s suggestion was made in good faith as by opening up the university, according to him, would allow the undergraduates to gain more exposure and be friendlier to people of other races.

His suggestion came at a time when the country’s political landscape is still in its tumultuous stage, with the Barisan Nasional government yet to reel from the shock of the March 8 general election.

The opportunity was of course seized very much quickly by certain politicians to gain political mileage by fanning racial sentiment and whether or not such gesture by these politicians augurs well for the country is a foregone conclusion.

The UiTM vice chancellor, Ibrahim Abu Shah in one of the occasions said the university was reserved for bumiputras as majority of the students in leading fields of study in higher learning institutions were non Malays.

He even went on to say that the constitution stresses balance and that this is a statistic which should be understood by any leader, government or opposition body and nobody should begrudge UiTM as the only public university for bumiputras.

The Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi then vetoed the call by Khalid, saying that the Mentri Besar had no power to do that and that matters related to students intake is under the higher educational institutions.

PKR de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim in defense of his secretary general explained in one of his Permatang Pauh by election rallies that Khalid’s suggestion was meant to improve the skills and knowledge of both Malays and non-Malay students in the university.

He added that students who had potential to excel in studies should be given equal opportunities to pursue tertiary education and those students, regardless of race should have the chance to rise to the occasion and fulfill their potentials.

The MCA Kuantan division chief, Ti Lian Ker in response to the statement by Khalid said we must think of the exposures and interactions of the bumiputra students with representatives of all Malaysians of diverse culture, religion and race.

He further said it was now time to do justice to the country’s education system by giving students a holistic education exposure.

In fact, the government had opened up 10 per cent of the Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) and matriculation centres intake to non bumiputras several years ago to create a healthy competition among the students.

So why the big fuss now with the opening up of UiTM to other fellow Malaysians?

Don’t our politicians realise that by playing the racial cards it will further erode the competitiveness of our country in this age of globalization where we are supposed to compete at the international stage with people from around the globe?

If the students are made the stooges by these irresponsible politicians to achieve their selfish political agenda, then why the heck to amend the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 since the students are played fool when in fact the students single biggest role is to study?

What Khalid had said that Malays and Malaysians as a whole are more matured and they know that such efforts are needed as we head towards globalization comes from a truly far vision politician who knows for sure that our people should no longer rest on the laurels forever in the good slumber of the protectionist policies of the government.

Many years back, the former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad had even chided the Malays by saying that if not for the protectionist policies of the government, many of them would not have become vice chancellors or deans of public universities.

While there is no doubt that what is enshrined in the Constitution on the special rights of the Malays must be upheld and respected, there ought to be some adjustments to certain policies such as education in the changed landscape and if such efforts are done in good faith for the benefit of this country, which belongs to all Malaysians, regardless of whether they are Malays, Chinese or Indians.

Every year, hundreds or even thousands of students who could not enroll into public universities or given the public scholarships despite their flying colour results have been pinched by other countries like Singapore.

Have our politicians ever thought what is going wrong with many of our top brain students leaving the country and remain overseas after graduation and become the permanent residents there?

The time has come for everyone in this country to put a stop in raising racial or religious sentiments as more efforts should be taken to debate on bigger issues like how to upgrade and improve our education standard and how to enlarge our economic pie for the benefit of Malaysians in this age where no one waits for no one.

A protracted argument on the two contentious issues will only stagnate our competitiveness in this globalised age of fast and furious mode where we cannot afford to be leaving in the cocoon of our own.

Malaysians must be free of the trappings of race like some say and we need to buck up and put on the right track to remain competitive and move ahead.

Meritocracy is the sure way to progress and unless and until meritocracy is fully understood by those who have yet to have a good grasp of it, Malaysians can just expect endless debates on what’s yours and what’s mine with the rest of the world already moving far ahead.