ALWAYS IN OUR FACE...

The followings are the sequences you will most probably face once you step into a restaurant around Kuala Lumpur, especially those managed by Indian Muslims who are fondly called Mamak.

One: You take a seat and immediately a waiter greets you to take an order after pretending to be wiping the table with a cloth. Sometimes between three to four waiters will take their turns asking you the same question without knowing that you have already ordered.

Two: Your meal is served. Well, at leat your drink for now.

Three: A moderately-dressed couple visits your table for sedekah.

Four: A well-dressed hawker hits your table with some socks or ballpoints or sometimes children books or pirated dvds, even layer cakes!

Five: Another moderately-dressed couple visits your table for sedekah after uttering some inaudible words.

Six: Another visit by another moderately-dressed couple (maybe and may not be a male and female combo, they could also be a female-female or male-male duo but one of them MUST be a handicapped).

Seven: A well-dressed hawker in his or her early twenties approaches you to sell items you most probably don’t need. He or she will turn away only after you have declined the offer the fourth time -- meaning you have politely said “ tak pa…tak pa” four times before they leave you in peace, for a while.

Eight: An unfriendly-looking African street peddler offers you leather items, fake designer watches or wallets which are mostly a fav among the immigrants here for their unimaginative colors.

Nine: A well-dressed man in his early thirties show you some fake designer sling bags with his cliché opening line of "Bang, hari ini saya nak bagi abang the baik punya offer…bla bla bla... He could have been having his meal earlier at the next table…

Ten: Another couple, not so well-dressed but not too shabbily approaches your table with some pocket calendars or tissue papers in mini packets usually with “assalamualaikum…”

Eleven: A man in his late thirties with a skull cap greets you for donation to build some mosque somewhere, usually in Southern Thailand or the Philippines. There were others from Kelantan or Kedah making these rounds for some mosque in that state too…

By now you might have transferred all the items on your plate and in the glass into your tummy and was about to enjoy a fag when part of the sequence repeat endlessly until you leave the restaurant.

Twelve: You went up to the counter to pay for your meal and you will never miss a small metal box right on the right or left side of the counter. It was meant for donation to again, build some mosque somewhere which most probably you have never heard of.

Believe me these are the usual scenarios at our restaurants and they are really stretching our patience and tolerance as well as our generosity to the limit.

The best part is that there is no escaping them, they are everywhere and every time with everything and they simply approach everyone for that matter. They do not have any qualms approaching even uniformed personnel be they some Bandaraya enforcement officers having their meal in a group or simply motorcycle-riding cops taking a break.

And again, the best of the best part is that NOBODY is doing anything about this – not the Bandaraya, no particular ministry, no department and not even any religious authority.

Nobody seems to care about this problem of Kuala Lumpur. Then again, these scenarios are not peculiar to Kuala Lumpur for all the major cities and towns elsewhere in our country are not spared.

Simply put, they are everywhere… and always in your face…

Five years ago I have written on this occurrence in a Melayu-language daily but unfortunately the next few days my letter to the editor were met with negative responses criticizing my complaint which were also carried by the newspaper.

Conclusion: Readers do not share my view on the matter and meaning they were sympathetic and generous to the beggars.

Earlier this week I was having Nasi Goreng Cina and a glass of Nescafe Ais at Maju Curry House Restaurant behind the Grand Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur like I used to with some friends and unfortunately we had to endure the same situation I experienced five years ago at another Indian Muslim restaurant in Bangsar.

The only thing that has changed was that Indo China-looking child beggars and bare-footed monks were no longer seen doing these rounds anymore. It was either the authorities got rid of them from the streets or they were no longer part of the trade.

I tend to believe that their role were clipped for a not-so-new approach of having well-dressed makciks or pakciks who were usually partially blind and in tow a healthy woman or man to assist the “predator”.

The point is when will all this stop? Who is responsible to manage this problem? Is there anybody doing anything about this? To whom do we complain to?

Again, the best part is – does anyone care??

And again, they will always be in your face…

APABILA KENA TARBI, BUKAN TARBIYAH...

Dua hari lepas seorang ketua sebuah parti politik "menampar muka" segerombolan orang Melayu yang selama ini mendakwa memperjuangkan politik Islam.

Tamparan itu agak menyakitkan apabila si bukan Melayu itu mengungkit: "Pakatan Rakyat perlu menimbang secara serius sama ada PAS patut terus dibenarkan menganggotainya." Lebih mendukalarakan lagi apabila dia berkata jaminan Abdul Hadi Awang kepada rakan-rakan dalam Pakatan Rakyat bahawa PAS tidak akan meninggalkan pakatan itu bagi menyertai BN adalah tidak ikhlas dan tidak disokong oleh perkembangan kebelakangan ini.

Sampai sekarang parti orang-orang Melayu itu masih belum membalas kenyataan pedas itu, kalau ada pun hanyalah retorik yang bersifat apologetik. Nampaknya menikus jugalah mereka ini apabila berdepan dengan bukan Melayu akan tetapi pantang sahaja dicabar oleh Umno maka segeralah mereka marah membara, naik semangat dan menangkis seakan tiada lagi esok.

Mereka hanya hebat menyerang dan menyerang-balas dengan pidato yang berapi-rapi apabila berhadapan dengan Umno, sebuah parti orang Melayu akan tetapi seperti terkunci mulut hanya apabila si bukan Melayu itu bersuara. Hebat sungguh nampaknya si bukan Melayu itu!

Apakah mereka takut akan digugurkan daripada sebuah kerjasama longgar yang sehingga ini masih belum didaftarkan secara rasmi untuk dinamakan Pakatan Rakyat? Apakah mereka takut akan kehilangan jawatan menteri besar, ahli majlis mesyuarat kerajaan negeri (exco), jawatan ahli majlis perbandaran dan jawatan-jawatan lain yang kesemuanya merupakan harta rampasan perang pada 8 Mac 2008?

Apakah kerana diberi kesempatan menikmati kedudukan yang sekelumit serta tidak berkuasa maka mereka tidak berani menyanggah kata-kata pedas pemimpin bukan Melayu itu?

Hebatkah sangat pakatan itu sehinggakan hampir kesemua pemimpin parti yang selama ini mendakwa memperjuangkan politik Islam ini membisu seribu bahasa, menikus dan memandang ke arah lain apabila muka mereka diludah? Apakah mereka lebih takut kepada bukan Melayu daripada Melayu? Apakah mereka khuatir akan kehilangan segala-galanya apabila digugurkan daripada pakatan itu?

Apakah yang akan rugi sedangkan selama ini mereka hanya menumpang ihsan si bukan Melayu – diberikan jawatan menteri besar sebagai balasan untuk tidak berkata apa-apa apabila parti bukan Melayu itu memonopoli kesemua kuasa dan kedudukan di sebuah kerajaan negeri, diketepikan daripada pemerintahan di sebuah negeri yang lain dan hampir tidak mempunyai suara sebuah negeri yang berjiran.

Beginilah nasib segerombolan orang-orang Melayu ini, hanya kerana kuasa yang sedikit.

Selama ini mereka dilayan tidak ubah seperti melukut di tepi gantang, maka apakah yang menjadi masalah sekiranya tidak lagi bersekutu dengan parti-parti bukan Melayu ini untuk mengambil keputusan bergabung dengan Umno yang sentiasa memperjuangkan Agama, Bangsa dan Tanahair dan menobatkan Islam sebagai wadah perjuangan?

DIFFICULT NAME, THIS...

I have always thought that my name is different.

Its not that simple to explain the reason, (what was) the big idea behind it and its significance. And this has been going on for the last 40 years.

Nope, I have never complained to my old man about it, rather I appreciated his wisdom at arriving to this name -- Zukri Valenteno bin Mohd Ali. Was told that it was his decision all the way and Mak was not involved.

Not only that my name was different: being a very Melayu with an Italian name since most of the times people would have expected a Caucasian or at least a Caucasian-looking person!

But not this Valenteno. An Alor Setar-born Valenteno who is Melayu, can this be real? People still ask me thesedays. One can never imagine the difficulties growing up there in the conservative Melayu surroundings in the early 1970s and later in Kinrara in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. I had illustrated the story(ies) behind my name in earlier posting, dated June 15, 2008.

During my primary school days in St.Johns Institution Kuala Lumpur there was another person with an equally different name -- Cyrus Reza. His reason: it was given by his diplomat father after the famous US Secretary of State Cyruss Vance. And there was also Akhbar Khan in our class, who was named after the famous conquerer. We also had a son of a Melayu-Mat Salleh mixed parentage by the name of Mohd Johan Musa (elder brother of Harith Iskandar Musa the comic) who looked more Mat Salleh than his Melayu name! All in the class of 1975. And there was also Nazrin Abdul Wahab, a very Chinese-looking guy in our class.

Anyway, most of the times people had always spelt my name wrongly – Valentino instead of Valenteno. It was a actually a variant of the name which sounds the same and they thought I had my name wrong!

No offence taken since it is not everyday that one meet up with a Valenteno and probably the only Valenteno they knew was Valentino! They could have been influenced by the famous Italian designer of whom I certainly have no family connection. His family originated from Florence while mine, I was told, came from a small village in Palermo, Sicily. You believe that?

But then again I have always thought my name was really difficult to understand, until I came across this article in a local daily today…

KUALA LUMPUR: A retired senior police officer, who was charged with raping a mentally disabled woman five years ago, was yesterday ordered by the Sessions Court to enter his defence.

Judge Datin Anita Harun said in her decision at the end of the prosecution's case, that they had succeeded in proving a prima facie case against retired assistant commissioner Mat Susah Sadikin.

Mat Susah, 66, was formerly an officer with the Special Branch at the Federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman.

He had been charged on Dec 7, 2006 with raping the 23-year-old woman in a storeroom of his grocery store, at Jalan Raja Muda, Kampung Baru, here, between 4pm and 7pm in October 2003.

I could only imagine his life was indeed difficult, having difficult as his name. And right now, he is even more in difficult situation! Imagine the reason to name your own with such a difficult name? Literally and now perhaps figuratively as with the above case with Encik Mat Susah...

I have heard of names like Mat Aje Lah instead of Mat (perhaps what the father meant was "just Mat",) Ogu Salim instead of Agus Salim, Mohd Hitler Zami (yes, a film director he is and son of comedian Zami Ismail), one Harry Salzman (a Melayu, perhaps named after the James Bond fame) who is a pixman with our national news agency Bernama and one Mohd Soeharto Ismail (the last I heard he was with a government departmen in Putrajaya).

Difficult name these are...no?

TAKAN YANG REJECT SAHAJA?...

Semalam tiga bekas ahli Umno menyertai sebuah parti pembangkang. Pastinya parti berkenaan mengharapkan agar ianya menjadi cetusan pembakar semangat agar ramai lagi di kalangan Umno menyertai mereka.

Ketiga-tiga mereka ini amat kurang dikenali, hanya setelah mereka sendiri mengingatkan kita siapakah mereka seketika dahulu barulah kita sedar bahawa mereka pernah berada dalam Umno, yakni bekas ahli Umno.

Mengikut rekod, dua daripada mereka pernah berkhidmat sebagai Ahli Parlimen manakala seorang lagi langsung tidak pernah terdengar namanya. Mungkinkah ketika itu sudah tidak ada orang lain yang lebih layak maka pucuk pimpinan parti terpaksa memilih mereka sebagai calon daripada membiarkan kerusi parlimen berkenaan jatuh ke tangan parti pembangkang?

Saya gunakan perkataan bekas dua kali kerana itulah sifat mereka – bekas ahli Umno yang dalam konteks politik hari ini tidak akan mendatangkan untung kepada sesiapa pun – masuk tidak menambah dan keluar Umno pun tidak akan mengurang.

Apakah Umno akan lemah apabila mereka ini menyertai parti pembangkang?

Tentu sekali tidak kerana mereka tidaklah berpengaruh, malahan ada antara mereka yang telah lama ditolak dan diketepikan tidak hanya oleh pucuk pimpinan Umno malahan oleh para pengundi. Pendek kata, kehadiran mereka tidaklah mengoncang political equation dalam Umno, walaupun di peringkat negeri atau bahagian pastinya tidak langsung mencetuskan sebarang regresion, jauh sekali sebarang kegelisahan.

Apakah sifat mereka mungkin lebih baik sedikit daripada melukut di tepi gantang, atau sama?

Apakah pemimpin besar parti pembangkang itu hanya mampu menarik minat mereka yang sudah direject sahaja? Mana dia Ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional yang akan berpaling tadah? Di mana dia ketua-ketua Umno bahagian yang dikatakan akan menyeberang ke sana?

Apakah mereka yang ditunggu-tunggu akan menyertai parti pembangkang ini masih bersifat tunggu dan lihat atau "hang tunggu aku, aku pun dok tengok hang, macam tu ka"?

Apakah mereka sanggup bersekongkol dan duduk sebarisan dengan gerombolan orang politik yang sudah direject ini?

MELAYU...

Terkini...

Blog ini menerima banyak komen yang tidak bersetuju dengan posting ini. Ianya tidak dapat disiarkan kerana terlalu nista dan hina untuk dibaca. Saya tidak perlu membayangkan betapa busuknya hati mereka yang masih memusuhi Melayu, daripada nada dan cerca yang mereka tulis.

Namun, apabila berbicara mengenai Melayu, saya tidak apologetik dan tidak akan apologetik terhadap sesiapa pun yang tergolong dalam gerombolan yang memusuhi Melayu.

Sekian.


MELAYU...

Agaknya Melayu ketika ini merupakan suatu bangsa yang amat disayangi Allah SWBT?

Disayangi kerana sehingga hari ini Melayu tidak pernah habis diuji, diduga, dicabar dan ditentang bagaikan ada sahaja bangsa-bangsa asing yang cemburu, tidak menyukai serta membenci dan memusuhi Melayu.

Nampaknya Melayu lebih disayangi Allah SWBT daripada kaum Palestin kerana pada skala tertentu musuh kaum berkenaan hanyalah Zionis Yahudi di Israel dan pelobi Yahudi di Amerika Syarikat sedangkan hampir kesemua bangsa asing di dalam dan luar apa yang asalnya Tanah Melayu ini menjadikan Melayu isu mereka setiap hari.

Daripada isu yang kecil seperti papantanda jalan sehingga kepada apa yang disebut sebagai kontrak sosial Melayu tidak pernah tidak dimusuhi, ditentang dan dicemburui. Tiada isu yang paling kecil dan yang paling besar yang berlalu dan berlaku tanpa membabitkan sebarang kepentingan Melayu.

Justeru, ujian untuk Melayu amatlah maha hebat, getir dan silih berganti sejak sebelum Tanah Melayu ini mencapai Kemerdekaan 1957 yang pada dasarnya adalah perjuangan Melayu. Ya, Melayulah yang berada di barisan hadapan dalam memperjuangkan Kemerdekaan dan bangsa lain hanya bijak meraih hasil kemerdekaan.

Bagaimanapun tidaklah menjadi sebarang kemusykilan sekiranya bangsa-bangsa asing di tanah ini – Cina, India, Bengali, Mat Salleh memusuhi Melayu, akan tetapi hari ini sudah wujud golongan minoriti Melayu yang memusuhi bangsanya sendiri, yakni petualang yang sudah lupa asal usul dan tidak sedar untung!

Apabila wujudnya usaha dua badan siasah besar duduk berbincang mengenai ikhtiar-hidup Melayu, maka gerombolan anti-Melayu pun mulalah riuh sekampung mencebek mulut.

Semasa mereka berkomplot, bersekutu dan tidur sebantal untuk membina kekuatan untuk menyerang Melayu, tidak ada sepatah pun kata-kata nista daripada mulut Melayu akan tetapi apabila Melayu mula bangun setelah sedar ikhtiar-hidup kini diancam maka bergemalah retorik anti-Melayu di sana-sana.

Yang menambahkan kehairanan ialah ada juga segelintir di kalangan Melayu yang berkokok sama – mempertikaikan usaha mengukuhkan perpaduan Melayu yang kini sudah dicabar oleh bukan Melayu.

Kini wujudnya pepatah yang berbunyi “Melayu Hidup Dalam Tolak Ansur – Depa Dok Tolak Melayu Dok Ansoq Pi”…

Sampai bilakah Melayu akan begini?

Hujung minggu lepas, saya terdengar semula Lagu Warisan...hampir kesemua stanzanya kini sudah menjelma menjadi kenyataan...

SEORANG LAGI CALON NAIB PRESIDEN UMNO...

Esok seorang lagi Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno dijangka akan membuat pengumuman menawarkan diri untuk dicalonkan bagi jawatan Naib Presiden pada pemilihan jawatan Disember ini.

Walaupun muda pada usia 51 tahun, orang politik ini telah lama membabitkan diri dalam arena politik Umno yang bermula pada usia muda dan perjalanan politik beliau itu telah membawanya setapak demi setapak dalam hireki kepimpinan daripada Ahli Biasa kepada jawatan Ketua Pemuda Cawangan, Ketua Pemuda Bahagian, Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno Negeri, Ketua Umno Bahagian dan kini Timbalan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Negeri.

Pada pengalaman pentadbirannya, beliau bermula sebagai setiausaha politik, setiausaha parlimen, timbalan menteri dan kini bergelar menteri. Sudah dua kementerian beliau terajui dan telah banyak asam garam dan sepak terajang politik beliau pelajari dan ketahui.

Kini beliau ingin menyandang jawatan yang lebih kanan dalam Umno kerana menurutnya: "sudah sampai masa dan ketikanya saya berbuat demikian untuk Agama, Bangsa dan Tanahair”.

Orang politik yang hebat berpidato ini dijangka akan membuat pengumuman itu pada pukul 4 petang di Kuala Lumpur selepas selesainya sebuah majlis anjuran kementerian yang beliau terajui.

UKURLAH BAJU DI BADAN SENDIRI...

Semalam seorang lagi ketua bahagian Umno menawarkan diri untuk dicalonkan sebagai Naib Presiden pada pemilihan Majlis Tertinggi Umno yang dijadualkan Disember ini.

Disebabkan sudah ramai yang berbuat demikian maka angka sebenar mereka yang telah berbuat demikian tidak diketahui, akan tetapi ianya agak besar dan mungkin yang paling ramai dalam sejarah Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu atau PEKEMBAR atau selalunya disebut UMNO.

Sebelum ini, mereka yang telah berterus terang menyatakan hasrat ialah mantan Menteri Besar Perlis Shahidan Kassim yang masih menyandang jawatan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Negeri Perlis, Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Pahang Adnan Yaakob, Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Negeri Sembilan Mohamed Hassan, bekas ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, bekas Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Dr Rais Yatim dan Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno Hishamuddin Hussein yang telah menyatakan hasrat tidak akan mempertahankan jawatan itu, sebaliknya ingin menaiki hireki kepimpinan dalam parti.

Mohd Isa Samad yang baru-baru ini dibebaskan daripada hukuman gantung tiga tahun akibat kesalahan politik wang dilaporkan akan bertanding jawatan berkenaan dan semalam, seorang Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Khaled Nordin menawarkan diri untuk turut sama bertanding. Seorang lagi Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Syed Hamid Albar pula diberitakan masih lagi menimbang peluang dan semua kemungkinan sebelum membuat keputusan samada bertanding atau tidak.

Antara dua Naib Presiden yang ada sekarang – Mohd Ali Rustam dan Muhyiddin Yassin, hanya Ali yang menyatakan hasrat untuk mempertahankan jawatan itu manakala Muhyiddin belum lagi berterus terang samada ingin kekal di jawatan berkenaan atau bertanding jawatan lain. Namun beliau dilaporkan berkata bahawa akan bertanding satu jawatan penting pada pemilihan Disember ini. Bagaimana penting jawatan itu tidak dinyatakan secara berterus terang.

Justeru, kita ingin bertanya apakah penting sangat jawatan Naib Presiden sehingga menarik minat sebegitu ramai? Apakah kriteria yang perlu diteliti akan seseorang calon itu sebelum sidang perwakilan membuat keputusan? Adakah kriteria lain dipertimbangkan?

Sebenarnya tiada kriteria ditetapkan, seseorang calon itu hanya perlu memperolehi bilangan pencalonan yang sebanyak 10 peratus (mengikut Fasal 9.5) daripada jumlah bahagian dalam Umno yang mengikut Fasal 14.5.4. untuk melayakan diri bertanding. Seorang calon itu perlu mendapat 19 pencalonan daripada sejumlah 190 bahagian.

Hanya tiga kerusi Naib Presiden – tiap satunya akan membebankan penyandangnya dengan tugas-tugas seperti Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Latihan Umno, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perlembagaan Umno dan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Penambahan Ahli. Ketiga-tiga jawatan itu juga mempunyai tempat dalam Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Umno yang dipengerusikan oleh Timbalan Presiden Umno dan Biro Politik Umno yang dipengerusikan oleh Presiden Umno.

Peluang melangkah ke jawatan yang lebih tinggi dalam parti termasuk ke kerusi Timbalan Presiden dan Presiden adalah kemungkinan yang paling besar mengapa jawatan Naib Presiden sentiasa diminati ramai. Glamournya jawatan berkenaan turut menjadi sebab.

Namun, dalam sejarah Umno tidak semua Naib Presiden akan menjadi Timbalan Presiden dan seterusnya Presiden akan tetapi kesemua Timbalan Presiden dan Presiden Umno pernah seketika dahulu menduduki kerusi Naib Presiden.

Saya tertarik dengan justifikasi oleh seorang daripada yang telah menawarkan diri untuk bertanding jawatan Naib Presiden yang berkata: ”saya hendak menyumbang dengan lebih bermakna untuk parti sekiranya diberikan peluang menyandang jawatan Naib Presiden.”

Agak klise bunyinya dan biasanya inilah ungkapan yang dijaja.

Persoalannya apakah dengan menduduki kerusi Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno tidak cukup bermakna atau tidak cukup berwibawa untuk menyumbang kepada parti? Apakah tidak cukup penting jawatan Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno untuk membuat sumbangan kepada parti.

Saya berpendapat bahawa sekiranya seseorang itu adalah pemimpin yang cukup berwibawa, walau dimana jua beliau berada atau ditempatkan merupakan wadah yang sudah cukup baik dan berkesan untuk menyumbang untuk Agama, Bangsa dan Tanahair. Hanya yang terpilih sahaja yang menduduki Majlis Tertinggi Umno, koridor kuasa yang paling penting dalam parti.

Umno tidak perlukan seorang Naib Presiden yang hanya pandai berpidato pada majlis-majlis politik dan membuat kenyataan akhbar yang berapi-api akan tetapi tidak boleh membuat kerja dalam ertikata yang sebenarnya, seperti merancang strategi yang hebat untuk mengembalikan sokongan rakyat kepada Umno sebagai teras Barisan Nasional.

Apa yang diperlukan oleh Umno hari ini adalah strategis atau sekumpulan strategis yang hebat untuk merancang dan melaksanakan pelan jangka pendek dan jangka panjang untuk sekurang-kurangnya memenangi semula kesemua kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri dan Parlimen milik Umno yang tewas pada Pilihanraya Umum Ke-12. Barisan Nasional yang bertunjangkan Umno telah kehilangan kuasa di Kedah, Perak, Pulau Pinang, Selangor dan masih gagal memerintah Kelantan. Barisan Nasional juga kalah teruk di Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.

Barisan Nasional mungkin tidak boleh memenangi kesemua kerusi yang tewas akan tetapi Umno mampu mengambil balik kerusi-kerusi yang tewas hanya sekiranya parti ini telah mula merancang untuk ke arah matlamat itu sebaik sahaja selesai PRU-12 baru-baru ini.

Perancangan untuk memenangi kembali kerusi yang hilang sewajarnya bermula sejak, paling lewat pun April tahun ini dan bukannya selepas Disember ini. Saya diberitahu bahawa telahpun berlangsung beberapa siri mesyuarat peringkat tertinggi di parti-parti pembangkang dengan objektif merangka strategi dan pelan pemulihan untuk menambahkan angka kemenangan pada PRU-12. Objektif mereka ialah menawan Dewan Rakyat yang merupakan pintu ke Putrajaya.

Mereka mungkin sudah mempunyai perimudi atau navigation untuk menambah kerusi pada pilihanraya umum akan datang dan mempertahankan kerusi-kerusi DUN dan Parlimen yang ada sekiranya berlaku sebarang pilihanraya kecil menjelang PRU-13. Mereka sudah menunjukkan kesungguhan untuk menghadapi ujian politik seterusnya manakala Umno masih terperangkap dalam kemelut politik peribadi menjelang pemilihan jawatan tertinggi parti.

Bagaimana dengan Umno? Melihatkan kepada trend sekarang, lebih ramai pemimpin parti ini sedang memandang ke arah pemilihan jawatan Majlis Tertinggi daripada memikirkan ikhtiar-hidup atau survival pada PRU-13.

Justeru, apakah penting sangat jawatan Naib Presiden Umno dalam konteks politik hari ini? Apakah dengan adanya muka baru sebagai penyandang maka Umno akan lebih berwibawa untuk mengembalikan 5+1 negeri yang telah hilang kepada parti pembangkang?

Tepuklah dada tanyakan selera, apakah kita telah mengukur baju kita di badan sendiri? Apakah kita mempunyai material Naib Presiden untuk bersama-sama Presiden dan Timbalan Presiden untuk merancang, melaksana dan mencatat kejayaan pada PRU-13 ini?

Tepuklah dada dan ukurlah baju itu betul-betul...

YOU GET MA-hathir's DRIFT ?...

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today claimed that all the high-stake political drama now playing before the eyes of the public is the result of the plotting by his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim.

The former premier was quoted by Bernama as saying: “I am not seeking sympathy from anyone. But it is a little bit too much to expect me to forget and forgive something that is happening now as a result of Anwar’s plotting.”

According him him, Anwar had now turned his attention on Najib Razak, adding that: “as usual Anwar has found someone to make incriminating evidence for him. There seems to be no connection between his plotting against me and the attack against Najib.”

“But if we were to look into whom would be the beneficiary, we would see the connection,” Dr Mahathir insinuated but did not named the person concerned.

Do you get his drift? I think I do...

INDEPENDENCE DAY...

Today is Fourth of July, The Independence Day of the US.

The US was among the legions of countries around the world that commemorate their independence by calling it equivalently, while the rest of us including Malaysia named it National Day or Hari Kebangsaan in Bahasa Melayu.

However, a few years ago some Malaysians had overzealously (and perhaps unknowingly) named our August 31st as Merdeka Day or Hari Kemerdekaan instead of Hari Kebangsaan. It was wrong.

I was told this was a result of an internal memo sent out by someone who was made to be in-charge of the National Day celebrations, hence the unofficial nation-wide branding from Hari Kebangsaan to Hari Merdeka. That someone was no longer around these days but the confusion needs time to be rectified as the effect was almost nation-wide.

Since there is a new minister in-charge of the celebrations it is wise to remind him that ours is a National Day which is Hari Kebangsaan and NOT Independence Day or Hari Kemerdekaan and the month-long August 15 to August 15 celebration should be once again named Sambutan Bulan Kebangsaan and NOT Sambutan Bulan Kemerdekaan, which is also wrong.

Perhaps a similar memo to undo the damage should be sent out this time around.

As my esteemed friend and my senior Tuan Syed Imran Ahmad Al-Sagoff said, Malaysia gained its Kemerdekaan on August 31st 1957 and that was only once. The rest of the celebrations must be called Hari Kebangsaan or National Day.

He was also the one who pointed out the difference between Hari Jadi and Hari Lahir, saying that we all should be celebrating our Hari Lahir or birthday and not hari jadi because only ALLAH knows when we were made!

Our National Day is one of the few established Instruments of The State that must not be changed at whim and fancy but only to be made accordingly with an amendment of the act of Parliament after it was endorsed by the Cabinet.

The other instruments are the state’s coats-of-arm (jata negara), the state moto of Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu, the name of Jalur Gemilang and its composition, our type of government which is federal-liberalism, our ruling system of parliamentary-democracy and constitutional-monarch, the designation of the Yang DiPertuan Agong and the designation of Dewan Rakyat (the Lower House of Representatives) and the Dewan Negara (the Upper House of Representatives).

It is such a fallacy to think that any of these instruments could be changed at will simply because we want to be different after all these years of having them the way there were.

TAKE A LEAVE, NOT A HIKE...

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should go on leave until allegations about his involvement in the murder of a Mongolian woman are cleared, said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.

TheStar quoted Lim as saying that a private investigator’s statutory declaration yesterday had “challenged the truth and veracity of various statements and denials by Najib”.

“Najib, as well as Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi cannot allow Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration to go unchallenged as it raises grave fundamental issues as to their fitness to hold high offices.”

For once I agreed with Kit.

The deputy prime minister was not only accused of having involved with one statutory declaration but two which had the nation stunned. These explosive exposes landed him in a tight spot, whose shoes I do not think nobody wants to walk in right now, even himself.

These were declarations whose authenticity were yet to be ascertained but already tongues were wagging since the first declaration which was followed by a high profile police report involving a former deputy prime minister last Saturday. Najib’s involvement in the case involving a certain top politician was revealed yesterday when he admitted to have met the 23-year-old accuser at his home prior to the report lodged.

He should take leave now and let the authorities investigate the cases.

More then 12 years ago a certain chief minister was asked to take leave over an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a young lady. He did and only came back to his political post after the matter was cleared and closed but he had subsequently lost the state chief executive position.

And since “the statutory declaration, which I consider a horrible lie, a mere fabrication with malicious intention and slanderous element aimed at smearing my image” then Najib had nothing to worry about. He added that it was a “red herring” by the former deputy prime minister to divert public attention from the sodomy allegation against the opposition adviser.

Najib was right when he said: “there’s nothing to be worried about.” But I disagreed when he remarked that: “Life goes on as usual. As far as I’m concerned, its business as usual.”

Sorry Mr Deputy Prime Minister, I do not think life is the same again. You better take a leave now but not a hike. Retreat for a while and come back later to fight with all your might.

INTERESTING TIMES, THESE...

I got this sms a few hours ago: “Bro, wa bk flgt ldon mlm ni, kot2 ada polo sales afte W'don. Tpi aku x jdi pi la, dok KL agi best la ni!”

What the sender meant was its more interesting to be in Kuala Lumpur these days, even more in days to come.

He could be right right for at a news conference (its news conference, NOT press conference) today another C4 was detonated and this time the target, in case he managed to take good cover, had better come out with a 105mm Howitzer! Its gonna get nasty with lots of collateral damage, families included.

A few days ago the first C4 exploded with a deja vu-related magnitude and what followed were semblences of pages from a Tom Clancy novel. Taking refuge in a foreign land, prompt medical check-up, a Blackberry hoisted to show an mms and a lowly paid security guard: "saya ada nampak dia datang sini". Thenafter police reports against a certain top cop and a prosecutor for a 10-year-old case.

This was by far the most interesting times in Kuala Lumpur with the main plot, sub-plots, sub-sub plots and the side stories. Intriguing with lots of suspense.

Elsewhere a group of Malay-based NGO submitted a memo to the Sultan of Selangor on what they perceived as a total incompetence and insensitive to the interest of the Malays on the part of the just a little more than 100-day old state government. This seemed to be a follow-up after an expose of the goings-on in the state’s chief executive office, resignation, dismissal and such. By the way the ceo's songkok was no longer on his head!

Yesterday a group of Indian youths expressed non-confidence against a former minister who lost in the 12th general election but had declared to continue leading the party. This was after a popular youth chief was resigned by a powerful committee.

Also yesterday, a popular so-called independent alternative news website was hacked to the pulp!

Four Barisan Nasional member of parliaments were reported to have already declared to cross-over to the yet-to-be-registered People’s Coalition, hours later a minister and a deputy minister denied wanting to leave the ruling party and finally today, a leveled-headed member of Parliament questioned the wisdom in the plan to award RM 1 million bounty for Malaysia’s first Olympic medal.

I say these are interesting times.

So What else? Who else? Where else? Why else?

DEPA DOK PERATI SAPA?

Pak Tun macam perati Sdra Anwar. Sdra pulak dok perati sapa?

Bagaimanapun ini hanyalah impression Utarawan. Sebenarnya kedudukan mereka ketika gambar ini diambil semasa Perhimpunan Agung UMNO 1997 bukanlah begitu. Kedudukan Pak Tun dan Sdra Anwar terpisah oleh sebuah rostrum di tengah-tengah pentas di Dewan Merdeka, Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra.

Kedudukan Timbalan Presiden semasa di pentas adalah di sebelah kanan Presiden manakala di sebelah kiri Presiden pula ialah kedudukan Setiausaha Agung.

Ketika itu Pak Tun masih presiden dan Sdra timbalannya.

Gambar ihsan Knights Templar. Terima kasih.

SYABAS SDRA!...

This is priceless…

No amount of adex will get you into this kinda picture.

How many times in our lifetime do we get to be in this situation? I mean surrounded by the press in an impromptu news conference? Being hounded by the press here, there and everywhere as the hottest news in town? So hot that it eclipsed other news completely?

For the ordinary Joe (like you and me), the answer is almost none. For some who were used to this kind of treatment the yearn to be treated the same is highly wanting. Some say its intoxicating…

To be in this situation is almost like returning into the corridors of power. To once again be the darling of the Malaysian press is simply déjà vu. He was there and he was almost there, too.

His long journey to be back in the cradle of attention is almost complete now. Bravo Sdra! You are back in the Malaysian press. Rightly or wrongly, you are the flavour of the day!

Lots of people will go to any extent to be pictured like this. Some are willing to fork out through their nose. Others will make us of the government machinery at their disposal but some need not to simply because they are smart!

Syabas Sdra!...