BLACK SEPTEMBER...

It was one long night for a politician, it could have been the longest in his entire career.

How he wished he was not there, and how he wished that they were not discussing about him, his political future or precisely his possible political demise.

Their verdict: Either you retire or risked being retired, period.

The last time Umno Supreme Council meeting had such a super-charged session behind tightly-closed door was (coincidentally in the same month) September 3rd, 1998 when they had a lengthy deliberation on alleged misconduct against a former deputy president. Then, the gloves were off and it was a no holds barred all night long bashing and counter-bashing against one of their kind.

Three were for his rescue but the rest, we were told, simply hacked, whacked and racked him into pieces. Everybody around the oval table had their say and one who was not present had his written in advance and was dutifully read by the secretary-general.

In the end the council revoked the deputy president’s party membership and thenafter all positions the deputy president had held in the party went south.

He was there, given adequate and ample opportunity to defend himself and it was to no avail as, according to the former president, the evidence which compounded the allegations was overwhelming and condemning.

Peculiarly, the former deputy president had a rare privilege of having been given two rounds of opportunity to answer against the charges but the tone of his political defense deferred from the first to the second, apparently after he had miscalculated his support among his peers.

Umno could not strip any member of his or her elected position as it was decided by the delegates of the general assembly but the party is at will to revoke the membership of a member whose case whatsoever brought before the council.

It was a déjà vu of sort last night at the 39th Floor, Menara Dato Onn of the Umno Headquarters.

If only the walls of the conference room could speak…and relate to us a blow by blow account of the meeting which had some politicians sweating in the fully and heavily air-conditioned room, some in cold sweat while a few had their temperatures up…

VOTERS IN PERMATANG PAUH ARE ARIF...

History could just happened in Pulau Pinang...

Barisan Nasional candidate for the Permatang Pauh Parliamentary by-election Arif Shah Omar Shah stands a better chance to win. It might be difficult, but its not impossible because nothing is impossible in Malaysian politics.

Being an examplary state assemblyman thus far this white-haired OCBC might pulled of an upset against the overwhelmingly favoured candidate from Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

While there was an enormous preassure on PKR to win, it was less on Arif who is readily embraced by just any other voter in P44. He might just snap away the parliament seat by the slimmest of a majority.

Arif means clever or smart in Bahasa Melayu, actually its Arabic for clever and smart.

And voters in Permatang Pauh are Arif enough to make a choice, which is not very difficult...

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...

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.

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!...

APABILA SEORANG LELAKI MENGAKU DILIWAT...

Apabila seorang lelaki mengaku diliwat oleh seorang lelaki lain maka beliau sebenarnya telahpun menandatangani satu waran mati.

Ini adalah kerana tiada jalan kembali atau tiada lagi kesempatan untuk membuat pusingan U setelah pengakuan dibuat, noktah.

Pendek kata, setelah mengaku maka hadapilah implikasinya. Di Malaysia implikasinya adalah maha berat dan apabila kita membuat pengakuan diliwat oleh seseorang VIP maka implikasinya berganda. Lebih malanag apabila kedua-dua yang terbabit adalah Muslimin.

Mungkin tidak ada seorang lelaki yang dalam keadaan waras akan mengaku kepada seluruh dunia bahawa beliau telah disodomi oleh seorang lelaki lain. Tidak ada seseorang lelaki akan dengan begitu mudah mengaku diselingkupkan oleh lelaki lain, apatah lagi membuat laporan polis mengenai kejadian itu, di Malaysia pula tu!

Pengakuan itu membabitkan maruah dan harga diri seorang lelaki yang mendakwa telah diliwat dan maruah lelaki yang dituduh meliwatnya.

Berbeza dengan laporan rogol (oleh seorang wanita) terhadap seseorang lelaki, aduan diliwat merupakan sesuatu yang amat berat hendak dilakukan. Sekiranya aduan rogol sudah begitu berat untuk dilakukan, beratlah lagi aduan liwat dan lebih berat lagi apabila ia dibuat oleh seorang lelaki diliwat yang mengaku diliwat oleh seorang lelaki lain.

Dunia, kawasan setempat, rakan dan taulan malahan keluarganya akan memandangnya secara berbeza apabila seorang lelaki itu mengaku diliwat. Pandangan mereka terhadap lelaki itu pasti akan berubah setelah pengakuan diliwat dibuat. Sekiranya beliau beristeri ataupun bertunang maka wanita yang sentiasa mendampinginya pasti akan berfikir dua kali atau setidak-tidak memikirkan apakah pilihannya masih tepat. Hidupnya akan menjadi perhatian semua selepas ini, setidak-tidaknya rupa orang yang mengaku diliwat hendak dilihat oleh semua.

Kalau dalam kes rogol aduan kepada polis lebih sedikit berbeza dan sedikit mudah untuk dilakukan (walaupun ianya sudah begitu berat untuk dilaporkan kepada pihak ketiga) dan mudah dipercayai berlaku kerana seringkali jenayah seks begini dilaporkan berlaku di mana-mana akan tetapi untuk membuat pengakuan telah diliwat memerlukan segala kekuatan mental dan fizikal untuk menghadapi dunia setelah diketahui apa yang telah terjadi.

Sekiranya pengakuan (awam) seorang lelaki mengadakan hubungan seks (baca: zina) dengan wanita selain daripada isterinya sudah begitu berat hendak dilakukan bayangkanlah pengakuan disetubuhi oleh seorang lelaki lain.

Justeru, apabila aduan atau laporan polis dibuat maka, kesahihan laporan itu adalah teras utama yang perlu disiasat, dikaji dan diteliti sebelum sebarang tindakan lanjut diambil.

Berlakulah adil kepada pihak yang membuat laporan dan kepada pihak yang dilapor, insyALLAH keadilan akan berlaku kepada kita semua.

Kepada pihak yang dilapor, mengapakah anda begitu takut sehingga perlu bersembunyi di sebuah tanah asing (kedutaan) lantaran mengatakan nyawa anda dalam bahaya? Dalam banyak-banyak tempat mengapakah kedutaan itu yang menjadi pilihan? Apakah tidak selamat sebuah kedutaan di Jalan Tun Razak yang tersergam indah dan begitu dikawal rapi oleh pihak keselamatan dalaman dan luaran? Mengapa pilih yang tu dan bukan yang ni?

Daripada apa yang kita baca di akhbar arus perdana, pihak yang dilapor akan kejadian itu hanya memikirkan akan nyawanya sahaja dan tidak mengenai nyawa mereka yang begitu dekat dengannya, contohnya keluarganya.

Di sebuah dada akhbar kelihatan 3 orang anak perempuan pihak yang dilapor begitu terang dan jelas terdedah (ketika berada pada sebuah sidang akhbar) kepada bahaya (persis sitting ducks) sekiranya benar ada ugutan ke atas nyawa pihak yang dilapor. Sekiranya seseorang pengugut itu hendak mencederakan pihak yang dilapor dan sekiranya pihak yang dilaporkan itu sudah bersembunyi maka pilihan kedua adalah nyawa keluarganya, anak-anak dan isteri.

Mereka terdedah kepada apa sahaja kemungkinan. Pengugut akan berfikir tidak dapat tanduk telinga pun akan dipulas.

Sekiranya anak-anak dan isterinya tidak perlu dilindungi sehinggakan begitu bebas keluar di khalayak awam maka bolehkah kita percaya bahawa wujudnya ugutan ke atas nyawa pihak yang dilapor? Bolehkah kita percaya begitu?

Sekiranya wujudnya ancaman ke atas nyawa pihak yang dilapor, maka mengapakah biarkan nyawa anak-anak dna isteri anda terdedah kepada sebarang kemungkinan? Apakah nyawa anda sahaja yang begitu penting sedangkan nyawa anak-anak dan isteri anda tidak?

Kita tidak boleh membuat sebarang andaian pada ketika ini akan tetapi episod ini mempunyai lebih banyak soalan daripada jawapan.

Seperti kata Orang Kedah "Nak pecaya benda ni sama banyak dengan nak tak pecaya..."

BAHASA ORANG POLITIK...

Orang politik mempunyai seni bahasa dan bicara yang hanya mereka sahaja yang faham. Kadangkala rakyat boleh juga faham maksudnya akan tetapi rata-ratanya hanya mereka yang aktif berpolitik sahaja yang arif akan maknanya.

Ini dipanggil Bahasa Politik. Ada Bahasa Istana, Bahasa Slanga dan Bahasa Marhein.

Kadangkala orang politik berkata "tidak" akan tetapi ia bermakna "ya", begitulah sebaliknya. Ada kalanya mereka berkata "ya" akan tetapi maksudnya "tidak".

Ada yang kata "belum bercadang" tetapi itu tidak bermakna "tidak mahu" atau "enggan". Ianya mungkin bermakna beliau belum membuat keputusan atau tidak membuat keputusan lagi atau mungkin bermakna masa belum sesuai membuat keputusan akan tetapi pasti membuat keputusan apabila masanya sesuai. Mungkin juga bermakna beliau sudah membuat keputusan akan tetapi masanya belum sesuai untuk diumumkan.

Seorang guru politik saya yang kini bergelar gabenor pernah berkata, "this is political double talk, the art of political speaking..."

Contoh:

Ketua kampung: "Boss, kami dah sedia sambutan besar-besaran untuk Boss sampai di kampung kami."

Boss menjawab: "Tak payah la susah-susah, saya nak melawat kawasan, kan saya ni wakil rakyat".

Apabila sampai di tempat kenduri dan sambutan kepada Boss hanyalah bersifat ala kadar, dalam hati Boss merungut: "Ai? Aku ni menteri, wakil rakyat (ada pulak jawatan dalam parti) takan dia orang ni tak reti nak sambut aku? Kompang pun takdak, bunga kat dada pun tak reti nak beli ke?

Dalam hati: "Tak apalah, ni last la aku nak melawat dia orang ni".

Dalam kereta dan kepada wakil peribadi di kawasan, arahan diberikan berbunyi: "Lain kali awok atur progrem di tempat lain lah, orang kat sini tak reti nak besar hati wakil rakyat ni menteri." Pemandu pun mengangguk kepala tanda setuju manakala pengawal pengiring (bodyguard) hanya tersenyum.

Wakil peribadi yang jenis batu api pulak menjawab: "OK Boss, ramai lagi orang kat kawasan lain yang reti nak layan menteri...dia orang ni semua mengkarak!"