Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (Dr. M) akan naik semula jadi Perdana Menteri? Dr. M rising to become the Prime Minister again?
Hell no! Tun Mahathir is not going to take the Prime Ministership again. Not in a million years. Even when asked the question of whether he will be returning to active politics, he replied, “I won’t return to active politics but if they want advice, I can give them. How can I return when once I stepped down they treated me like a pariah?” (Source: Malaysiakini.com)
Wanting to become the next Lee Kuan Yew I see. Tak payahlah Tun. Buat sakit hati je.
In fact, our ‘beloved’ Abdullah Badawi, or Pak Lah, has sworn in this morning at 11 a.m. He is officially the Prime Minister of Malaysia. I watched the news (TV3 and NTV7) just now and I could have sworn I saw a tinge of disappointment on Agong’s face. Meh, maybe it’s just me.
So, there you go, another 5 years of Pak Lah, assuming there won’t be a coup within UMNO’s factions.
Anyway, talking about that, there were groups who called for a protest in front of the Istana Negara to object Pak Lah’s appointment. Haih.. Dah lah tu! It’s only been a few days. Takkanlah every single time pun tak agree, street protest, street protest, street protest. Apa ni. Barisan Rakyat has achieved so much already, go get some rest, gather yourself, and prepare to govern the states that have been won. Remember the promises that were made to the Rakyat. Plus, street demonstrations are illegal in the first place.
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Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 Malaysia (12th General Election) in “The Australian” Newspaper
At uni today, I picked up today’s edition of “The Australian” newspaper and to my surprise, an article about our Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 was on the front page! Who would have thought huh? A big photo of Nurul Izzah Anwar, and two smaller photos of Abdullah Badawi (Pak Lah) and Anwar Ibrahim decorated “The Australian”. Really, who cares about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Who cares about Kevin Rudd (Australia’s PM) and his government. Today, Malaysia is more important!
Here’s a photo.
Now a closer snapshot of the article.
Filed under Politics, Economy, Public Policy | Comments (5)Pak Lah (Abdullah Badawi) resigns? Pak Lah (Abdullah Badawi) letak jawatan?
As we all know, Barisan Nasional (BN) was denied the two third majority in the parliament and put to shame. BN suffered its biggest loss since 1969. To be more exact, BN was denied the two third majority for the first time since 1969!
Could be because of overconfidence. Could be because of pure ego. Could be both. Or could be because people are just sick of Barisan Nasional’s administration. I think it’s the fusion of all of the above.
The hot discussion at the moment is whether or not Pak Lah should step down. Within UMNO itself, there are already groups who support his retaining the position and there are groups who think that he should relinquish his stewardship.
Whatever it is, one thing for sure, his biggest critic, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said, “My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this”. He also reiterated by saying, “I am sorry but I apparently made the wrong choice,” addressing the issue about his decision of choosing Pak Lah as his successor back when Tun Mahathir was in power. (Source: Malaysiakini.com)
Supporting his father, Mukhriz Mahathir also hinted that Pak Lah should step down. (Source: Malaysiakini.com)
However, at the present moment, evidence points to Pak Lah’s intention in retaining his old job and become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He had an audience with the Agong yesterday and looks like he’ll be sworn in as the Prime Minister today at 10.30am. (Source: Malaysiakini.com)
A lot of the BN leaders also expressed their support for Pak Lah. (Nak bodek la tu…) (Source: NST)
So, what do you think? Should Pak Lah becomes a gentleman, accept full responsibility, give way to a much more capable leader, and resign?
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Interview with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad: Charismatic Bugger Him :)
Just watched 9th March edition of TV3 Buletin Utama just now. You can watch it here.
Reporters interviewed Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on the outcome of the Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 and I had to share the videos with you here. That old bugger really cracked me up. I just love the way he brings about answering questions and his courage of voicing his mind out, without fear of retribution. RESPECT!
Filed under Politics, Economy, Public Policy | Comments (2)Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 Malaysia: I woke up to a new Malaysia
Malaysians went to the polls yesterday and today, I woke up to a new Malaysia.
Indeed, the people have spoken.
Barisan Nasional has failed to gain the two third majority that they wanted. They did obtain a simple majority from the people, but not the two third majority. Looks like the tide has turned.
I was wrong in my initial prediction that BN will make a clean sweep in Semenanjung Malaysia. Well, I should have figured. 90% of the blogs that I read in the blogosphere all points to support of the opposition party.
The opposition retained Kelantan and gained control in the following states:
1. Pulau Pinang
2. Kedah
3. Perak
4. Selangor
A few of the most notable victories were:
Filed under Politics, Economy, Public Policy | Comments (4)Election Promises of Petrol Price and Subsidies
One of the hottest political manifestos this time around revolves around the petrol price. Well, can’t blame anyone for that. Oil is the most important commodity in this day of age. On top of that, we just adore petrol-guzzling machines!
The Barisan Nasional folks said that petrol price will not rise if they won the 12th General Election (Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12) whilst the Opposition says they’ll drop the price. Both with the same approach of using subsidies.
I don’t really know how much is the government spending at the present moment to subsidise petrol (for those who know, please share in the comments section). So, yesterday, I tried to compare the prices of petrol here in Australia and in Malaysia to determine approximately how much the government is spending. In Australia, I believe that there are no subsidies (maybe a few cents of subsidies) whatsoever for the standard unleaded petrol and the price changes every single day. Sometimes, a few times per day!
Anyway, here are the price comparisons based on yesterday’s price:
Malaysia = RM1.92 per litre
Australia = AUD1.33 per litre
For the purpose of uniformity, let’s convert AUD to RM. Let’s use 3.000 as the exchange rate.
Filed under Politics, Economy, Public Policy | Comments (18)The Funny Pak La La La 12th General Election Song (Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12)
You have got to listen to this funny PRU song. Very very entertaining ;)
Pak Lah Lah Lah!
Happy birthday Samy Vellu! :P
Filed under Humour, Politics, Economy, Public Policy | Comments (2)Very Insulting Political Banner
(Picture source: harakahdaily.net)
I was first made aware of the above’s banner by a blogger called MAHAGURU58. This offensive banner was put up in parts of Penang. Of course, I have no idea whose work was this. Some hinted that Putera UMNO did this. If it was indeed UMNO who did this, then shame on you. However, we can’t also refute the fact that this might be the work of a group of people who has no other agendas but to incite hatred amongst the people of Malaysia. Whatever it is, this irresponsible work can mean one thing. That is, the folks who did this banner were desperate. Desperate about what I don’t know but nonetheless desperate. Perhaps desperate for some attention. Perhaps desperate for some votes.
I myself am a muslim. Perhaps not the best muslim alive but nonetheless, a muslim. And I find this very very depressing. Not because of what the banner says but what the banner potrays. It potrays that the Malaysian political scene has descend in quality by so much that two words come to mind. Politik Tahi.
Filed under Politics, Economy, Public Policy | Comments (6)Political Promises and The Economy: Barisan Nasional Vs. Pembangkang
So, Malaysians will go to the polls in a couple of days. Excited? I sure am. Even though I won’t be voting this time around, nonetheless, I’m still excited. I should have registered with SPR for postal voting much much earlier. It seems like due to the fact that I am currently overseas, I need to register months beforehand.
In the spirit of the 12th General Election or Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12, in this entry, I’d like to share my “political” opinions about some of the promises that politicians give us and the reality of those promises. Now, please remember that I’m not endorsing either side of the coin. I’m just voicing out what I think. You may agree, or you may not agree. Before I cop some flak from people out there who are offended by what I’m about to say, then I apologise beforehand. Also, I wrote this entry at 4 o’clock in the morning. So, some things might not make sense to you :P
Anyway, here goes.
The thing about politicians is this. Listening to politicians talking is like asking sex advice from a dog. Dog only knows only one style. That is the doggy style. Politicians only know one type of talking. That is the talk that will get them some votes. It doesn’t matter how it will affect the economic standing or social standing in the long-term, as long as it will get them the votes. By the way, pardon the rather crude comparison.
Filed under Politics, Economy, Public Policy | Comment (0)Khairy Jamaluddin: Apakah itu Khairy Jamaluddin?
The charismatic Khairy Jamaluddin in action in Ijok (Picture Source: http://wikipedia.com)
I got back in touch with one of my high school mates, Crystal, and surprise surprise, she’s got a blog too! One article that caught my attention was about our very own Khairy Jamaluddin.
The full article is here.
Anyway, here’s a summary of the article about Khairy Jamaluddin:
- back during the Reformasi days, he was romantically involved with Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter.
- back during his university days, he reiterated that it’s time for the then PM Tun Mahathir to step down.
- he then went into a relationship with Nori Abdullah, our PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s daughter.
- in this upcoming election, he’s contesting for the sure-win Rembau.
Another point to make, seems like he’s also busy campaigning in Kelantan. What? He intends to be named the hero if Kelantan falls into the hands of BN?
Hmmmm…
One could only conclude that whatever he’s doing is only for the advancement of his political career. Well, of course, there’s nothing wrong with that…. Or is there?
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Malaysia: Results of Malaysia’s 12th General Election
Let’s talk politics!
In line with the big upcoming event in March, the general election (pilihan raya umum), we can see the news on TV and newspapers flooded with stories about the general election. The same goes to the blogosphere. Everybody has got their own opinions. Some say the Barisan Nasional (BN) will be re-elected again, and some say the opposition will win. Bloggers are also fighting for the top spot in search engines (talk about SEO War huh?)
I’ll be doing a few write-ups about what I think as well. The blogosphere is the only place where freedom of speech can truly be expressed (to a certain extent), with hopefully, no retribution. Just watch the news on TV, nearly everything is one-sided. Only one side of story is being heard. Yet, there are “those few” who say that freedom of expression is practised in Malaysia.
Anyway, we will be electing a new government this coming 8th of March 2008. So, who do you think will win? Who will take the two third majority?
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Bersih Rally
Just want to share with you the video of the recent Bersih Rally that I came across on the web. It is an interview of our Information Minister, Zainuddin Zaidin by Al-Jazeera network. I felt a bit embarassed by how he brings himself during the interview. Yes, it is funny, but still… malu …. :)
Below the video is the transcript of the interview which I obtained from Kennysia’s Blog. Credit goes to Kennysia for this.
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