Semua Pihak Penting Dalam Rekonsiliasi Nasional

A Kadir Jasin

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ADA pembahas menuduh atau mengandaikan yang saya masih simpati terhadap (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim. Macam inilah, saya tidak berkawan dengan semua orang dan rasa-rasanya tidak bermusuh dengan sesiapa.

Saya juga tidak taasub kepada perwatakan. Hatta dengan ayah saya pun, ketika hayatnya, ada perkara yang saya tidak bersetuju dengannya. Kami sering berbahas. Sampai penghujung usianya dia masih menegur dan menasihati saya.

Atas landasan itulah saya meletakkan perkenalan (acquaintance) saya dengan mana-mana jua orang politik.

Saya tidak akan menafikan yang saya pernah akrab dengan Anwar – selama 16 tahun dari 1982 hingga 1998 – iaitu tempoh beliau dalam Umno dan kerajaan.

Soalnya, waktu itu siapakah yang tidak rapat dengan beliau? Hanya parti-parti pembangkang yang hari ini beliau “pimpin” secara de facto.  Mendahului orang paling rapat dengan Anwar ialah (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar Nak Ubah Kadar Mata Wang?

Hari ini saya terkejut membaca laporan media atas talian yang memetik Anwar sebagai berkata jika beliau menang dalam pilihan raya kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Kajang, beliau akan isytiharkan RM1 bersamaan USD$1. (Baca di sini).

Kalau ini bukan hasil salah lapor atau salah mengerti oleh media massa maka ia adalah satu lagi contoh khayalan, lepas cakap dan “outrageousness” Anwar. Itulah juga kelemahan yang akhirnya memerangkap diri sendiri.

Anwar aka Saudara Anwar mirip berhujah tanpa berfikir secara mendalam dan kritis asalkan pada fikirannya ada orang yang percaya.

Tentulah di kalangan audiens Dialog Anak Muda di Seremban pada hujung minggu itu yang percaya cakap beliau. Saya pun percaya. Kalau sekadar nak tukar RM1 atau AS$1 bolehlah. Saya beri satu ringgit Malaysia dan Anwar berikan saya satu dolar Amerika, memang boleh. Saya pun setuju sebab buat untung besar. Pada kadar tukaran 1:1 itu, saya dapat untung RM2.30.

Tapi hendak ubah kadar tukaran mata wang adalah mustahil KECUALI, entah macam mana, selepas menang PRK Kajang, Anwar bukan menjadi Menteri Besar Selangor tetapi menjadi Perdana Menteri dan beliau boleh menggunakan rizab mata wang Bank Negara atau membeli bertimbun-timbun jongkong emas untuk menyokong nilai RM.

Tapi bila beliau membeli jongkong emas, beliau terpaksa bayar dengan dolar Amerika. Ini bermakna beliau kena tukar ringgit kepada dolar. Bila jual ringgit untuk beli dolar, nilai ringgit akan jatuh.

Kita boleh naikkan nilai ringgit dengan cara itu, tapi eksport kita akan menjadi lebih mahal dan pengangguran di kalangan pekerja pengeluaran akan meningkat.

Lagipun, beliau kenalah buat apa yang Dr Mahathir buat pada tahun 1998 ketika krisis kewangan Asia. Dr Mahathir melaksanakan kawalan terhad tukaran ringgit dengan menetapkan kadar tukaran ringgit RM3.80 bagi setiap dolar Amerika. Masa itu kadar tukaran RM naik hingga RM4.20 bagi setiap dolar Amerika.

Yang kita tahu, Anwar, sebagai Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan, membantah keras tindakan Dr Mahathir itu. Beliau sependapat dengan Tahung Mata Wang Antarabangsa (IMF) bahawa langkah Dr Mahathir itu akan menjadikan Malaysia muflis dan paria.

Waktu itu Anwar amat akrab dengan Pengarah Urusan IMF, Michel Camdessus, dan dasar serta pemikiran kewangan beliau dipengaruhi oleh peniaga mata wang Wall Street.

Malah dalam ucapan kepada Council on Foreign Relations (sebuah badan pemikir tajaan sektor swasta Amerika) di New York pada bulan September 1998, Anwar “mengalu-alukan” krisis mata wang Asia sebagai “creative destruction” (pemusnahan kreatif) dengan meminjam teori ahli ekonomi Amerika Josept Schumpeter.

Saya hadir majlis itu dan duduk semeja dengan beberapa orang eksekutif muda perbankan Wall Street. Mereka ternganga kagum mendengar ucapan beliau dan meminta saya memperkenalkan mereka kepadanya. Selepas ucapan, saya perkenalkan mereka kepada Saudara Anwar.

Post-Umno Anwar Lacks Organisers

Dengan izin, Anwar is not a man of detail. He is an orator and instigator (in a positive sense). He is not an organizer as some people had thought. During his Umno and Cabinet days he depended on organizers and he had organizers for all his activities. There were even people who did the reading for him.

When he was Youth Minister, I presented him a textbook on economics – “Prinsip-Prinsip Ekonomi” by the late Professor Dr. Harcharan Singh. I told him, read and you would get the basic ideas on economics.

But he is a consummate networking man. He could spent hours entertaining journalists – male and female. He could leave the VIP table to have nasi campur with padi farmers while squatting under the banana trees. I am pretty sure many young people are still mesmerized by him and he could still kill them softly with his song.

Since being sacked from Umno and the Government in 1998 the number of his supporting organizations could have dwindled. Many of his core supporters either did not join his Reformasi movement, while those who joined became disenchanted and left.

Mohd Azmin Ali and Saifuddin Nasution Ismail are among tha original group. These are people trained by Umno. Even (Tan Sri) Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is a newcomer to Reformasi. He was once a hardcore Umno man.

While the Parti Keadilan Rakyat can boast the presence of many young, educated and enthusiastic leaders, they are babies compared to the old-timers who helped “create” Anwar and many do not know Anwar beyond the Reformasi.

Namun kalau kepemimpinan politik Melayu - tidak kira dalam Umno, PAS atau PKR – benar-benar ikhlas dan bersungguh-sungguh mahukan perdamaian (reconciliation) dan perpaduan nasional, faktor Anwar tidak boleh diketepikan. Beliau adalah Ketua Pembangkang.

Bagi saya, ia bukan isu suka atau tidak suka kepada seseorang. Ia adalah mengenai usaha memulihkan sistem kuasa di mana orang Melayu dan Bumiputera, sebagai bangsa dan kaum induk dan majoriti di Malaysia, kembali memainkan peranan sebagai penimbang-tara yang berwibawa, adil dan saksama.

Di permukaan memang wujud gambaran bahawa orang bukan Melayu di Semenanjung gembira dengan persepsi perpecahan Melayu. Tetapi mereka juga bimbang bahawa Melayu yang tidak bersatu atau Melayu yang hilang keyakinan kepada kepemimpinan politik Melayu boleh berpecah menjadi kelompok yang keras dan radikal.

Seperti kata penulis dan peguam Karim Raslan dalam kolumnya “Ceritalah” dalam akhbar The Star pada 25 Februari berjudul “National reconciliation is the way forward”, antara lain, berkata:

“To me, “national reconciliation” must begin with my own community, the Malays….Indeed, reconciliation and a willingness to live with diversity must begin within the Malay community itself.”

(Bagi saya, “rekonsiliasi nasional” mesti bermula dengan masyarakat saya sendiri, (masyarakat) Melayu....Sesungguhnya, permuafakatan dan kesediaan hidup dalam kepelbagaian mesti bermula dalam masyarakat Melayu sendiri.” Wallahuaklam.

The KKA Version of Conspiracy Theory

A Kadir Jasin

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THE Kedai Kopi Assembly (KKA) continues to sit. But since many of the matters discussed were mostly “sensitive” and the risk associated with publishing them is a tat too high, let us KIV them for a while.

I thank all the participants for their contribution and for reminding me to be careful and not take unnecessary risk.

However, one subject from the KKA sessions that we may be able to discuss and do some crystal-balling is the reconciliation. To keep our brain connections active, our creativity going and to take our mind away from the heat wave, let us weave a conspiracy theory not unlike the plot in the movie of the same name that starred Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts.

The 1997 movie told the story of a taxi driver who was obsessed with conspiracy theories and became a real target when one of his theories turned out to be true. In order to save himself, he had to figure out which theory it was.

Our theory revolves around the much talked about reconciliation talk that, according to some pundits, will bring together two former friends turned foes – the Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak and the Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim.

Kajang By-election A Red Herring?

What if all the hogwash about Anwar’s candidacy in Kajang State Legislative Assembly by-election and his taking over the Selangor Menteri Besar post are in fact a red herring intended to hide the backroom manoeuvring involving his camp and the PM’s operators?

What if a very influential aide to the PKR’s General Leader had already called on an equally influential member of the PM’s inner chamber to work out a deal whereby the “Ketua Umum” will join the Cabinet and be given a portfolio that makes him very powerful?

Anwar and Mohd Najib Were Once Umno Friends

So powerful that it sends the shiver (in this dry burning weather) down the spine of his enemies and the PM’s critics or even gotten rid of them for good.

With the problem in the Selangor Government continuing to fester, Anwar knows the risk of his own people jumping ship. It’s a mistake to underestimate Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s resources and resourcefulness.

He was a business and a manager. He knows merger and acquisition better than Anwar and Mohd Azmin Ali. He could apply his M&A skills to politics.

He has the ability to swing Selangor away from PR if he feels that he is on the losing end. So entering into a deal with the PM is a good way for Anwar to checkmate Abdul Khalid if he harbours such an idea.

Abdul Khalid Was A Businessman, He knows M&A

 The picture of Abdul Khalid, Mohd Najib and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin beaming away during the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the Langat 2 water supply project on Wednesday could be telling a thousand words.

The Way To Fight Dr M and Daim

For the PM and members of his inner circle, if they believe that the criticisms by (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad and (Tun) Daim Zainuddin can hurt them, a merger with Anwar is a grand strategy. They can count on Anwar to do battle with Dr Mahathir and Daim.

In one brilliant stroke, the PM strengthens his position, destroys the Pakatan Rakyat and rids himself of his critics. Anwar gets to enjoy the privileges and protection as a member of the government. And they can live happily ever after.

Think of this. Has Anwar ever attacked the PM directly and has the PM done the same to Anwar? Yes, Anwar viciously attacked the government, the Barisan Nasional and Umno. Yes he attacked Dr Mahathir and Daim. Dr Mahathir and Daim in turn attacked him and criticized the PM.

Think also of the animosity between Anwar and Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra and Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. How Anwar led a series of demonstrations against them and was incarcerated under the ISA during Abdul Razak’s and (Tun) Hussein Onn’s administrations.

Remember he was freed from detention when Dr Mahathir became PM in 1981 and, in early 1982 Dr Mahathir proudly paraded him before the Press and the newest member of Umno.

March 29, 1982: Introducing The Newest Member of Umno

I was there covering the event and foolishly demanded that he proved his membership of Umno by citing his membership number and, for the next 16 years, promoted him as the crown prince of Umno and the successor to Dr Mahathir.

Remember also that many Umno rebels left the party but later came back to the fold and some went on to be appointed to the cabinet despite having burnt the bridges. So why not Anwar?

But has the DAP got wind of this so as to prompt its supremo, Lim Kit Siang, to ask in his blog: "Who drafted this national reconciliation plan and who had been consulted? This is still a great mystery up to now."

So, I will be the last person to dismiss the reconciliation talk and of seeing Anwar being mainstream and politically correct once again. Politics, according to German Prussian politician, Otto von Bismarck (1815 - 1898), is the art of the possible.

FOOT NOTE: The PM is believed to have appointed a new media adviser to replace Jalaluddin Bahaudin who left last year. The new man is believed to be a journalist and former MP, Abdul Rahman Sulaiman, among whose tasks is to “pujuk” Dr Mahathir to be friendly towards Mohd Najib. This is what Mubarak people told me. Wallahuaklam.

PRK, Lalat Khinzir Dan Masuk Gereja

A Kadir Jasin

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CERITA masuk gereja dan babi dekat dengan hati saya. Jadi apabila penceramah Ridhuan Tee Abdullah dilaporkan mengecam perbuatan seorang bakal calon Melayu bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri Kajang berucap di gereja, saya ingin tumpang sekali.

Saya katakan “bakal calon” kerana penamaan calon belum diadakan. Antara sekarang dan saat itu, apa pun boleh berlaku.

Menulis dalam akhbar Sinar Harian, Ridhuan mengkritik langkah bakal calon tersebut memasuki gereja Holy Family, Kajang dan berucap. Tee menyifatkan tindakan itu  sebagai “liberal dan keterlaluan”. Bakal calon yang dimaksudkan itu ialah Anwar Ibrahim.

Katanya: "Luar biasa! Dahulu orang Melayu usahkan nak masuk gereja atau kuil, lalu sahaja di luar pun kalau boleh, cuba elakkan. Sama seperti jika mereka ke pasar, kalau boleh elak melalui atau memandang daging atau penjual khinzir. Lebih dahsyat lagi, ketika di pasar, ada yang takut ‘lalat khinzir’ terbang kawasan ‘halal’ Islam. Begitulah berhati-hatinya orang Melayu terhadap cara hidup mereka.”

Bakal Calon PRK DUN Kajang berucap di gereja- TK minagjingo

Saya katakan cerita masuk gereja dan babi dekat dengan hati saya kerana kedua-duanya adalah sebahagian daripada pendewasaan saya.
1. Ketika saya kanak-kanak,  di kampung saya babi peliharaan adalah perkara biasa. Jiran Cina yang berupa penduduk minoriti pelihara babi dan kadang kala babi mereka terlepas keluar kandang dan masuk kampung kami.

2. Babi masuk kampung perkara biasa waktu itu. Kita hambat keluar atau kita biarkan asal tidak merosakkan tanaman atau datang terlalu hampir dengan rumah. Malah nenek saya melakukan kegiatan tukar barang kerana babi. Penternak babi tuai keladi liar yang tumbuh dalam kampungnya untuk makanan haiwan itu. Sebagai ganti mereka memberikannya gula, kopi dan susu.

3. Kalau menunggang basikal dari Tanah Merah (Pendang) ke Kubur Panjang melalui Tobiar, kita akan  melintasi sebuah perkampungan orang Siam. Mereka pun pelihara babi dan babi mereka jinak. Bila kita lalu, babi akan ikut kita, apatah lagi kalau kita membawa buah-buahan atau sayur-sayuran.

4. Tapi orang Melayu jijik dengan daging babi dan sangat ambil berat makanan halal. Tapi ramai tidak peduli sangat kalau makanan halal diperoleh secara haram atau dibeli dengan pendapatan haram macam rasuah. Dua cerita daging babi dan makanan halal adalah:

(a) Seorang buta (tentunya tidak tahu rupa bentuk babi) terambil bungkusan mengandungi daging babi kepunyaan kawan Cinanya. Si isteri celik, tapi tidak pernah tengok dagang babi. Mereka masak dan makan. Tidak jadi apa-apa. Si kawan Cina berasa sangat bersalah dan pergi beritahu yang itu daging babi. Laki bini muntah sampai lembik. Begitulah jijiknya orang Melayu dengan babi.

(b) Seorang Melayu (tentunya Islam) “bergumbira” tiga hari dua malam di Haadyai dengan “temannya” berkurung dalam bilik hotel. Hari ketiga lapar dan turun cari makan. Pertanyaan pertamanya: “Halal ke ayam ni?” Maksudnya disembelih ikut cara Islam.

5. Mengenai masuk gereja pula, kalau itulah interpretasi Tee, saya lagi teruk daripada bakal calon yang Tee kritik itu kerana:

(a) Saya masuk gereja ketika bersekolah selama lapan tahun di Sekolah Rendah dan Menengah Saint Michael di Alor Setar. Bukan masuk gereja untuk sembahyang Kristian, tetapi berlindung daripada bahang panas musim kemarau. Saya juga masuk gereja untuk ziarah kenalan Kristian yang mati.

Gereja St. Michael Alor Star. Di belakangnya bangunan baru sekolah Men. Keb. St Michael

(b) Ketika belajar kewartawanan di New Zealand, saya tinggal seminggu di rumah seorang paderi Gereja Anglican. Di rumah beliaulah saya belajar mengenai “grace” atau doa sebelum makan berbunyi: Bless, O Father, Thy gifts to our use and us to Thy service; for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Perdana Menteri di perayaan Thaipusam

Jadi apalah salahnya bakal calon masuk berucap dalam gereja atau melawat kuil. Perdana Menteri kita, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak pun buat masa perayaan agama-agama bukan Islam siap dengan pakaian sekali. Inilah 1Malaysia. Wallahuaklam.

NOTA KAKI: Hari ini, 25 Feb, 2013 genaplah lapan tahun usia blog kita. Terima kasih kepada pelawat, pembahas dan "followers".

A Monkey On My Back

A Kadir Jasin

UPDATE - STARTING 15 minutes or so go, our blog is up and running again at kadirjasin.blogspot.com

I hope visitors and debaters have no further problem accessing and sending comments.

It could have been a technical glitch, according to my son-in-law, who is a computer programmer in Zurich. He helped sort things out.

Let us hope and pray that we have no further problem.

ORIGINAL POST

ACCESS to our blog IN MALAYSIA has either been slow or completely impossible. Statistics on pageviews and sources of visitors confirm this.

I can (still) sign in, post, moderate and publish your comments. But once the comments are published I cannot read or respond because I cannot view blog. 

In the last 12 hours, no new comments came in. It could be due to the inability of the debaters to access the blog.

Several fellow bloggers have called me to say that access to their blogs has also been slow or completely blocked.

I am doing all that I can to understand the problem and see how it could be solved.

In the meantime I will continue post articles hopefully some readers somewhere in the world are able to read them and we in Malaysia too when situation returns to normal.

For now, I would like to post a picture of the front page of the newspaper Tamil Malar that quoted a report from our blog.

Front Page of Tamil Malar Daily

But my favourite picture when I have problems with sharing my thought with my readers via this blog is one of a monkey on my back.

The above picture of the beruk (short-tail macaque) perching threateningly on my back was taken at Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.

A Chained Monkey On My Back

It was taken soon after Khairy Jamaluddin, in his capacity as Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s special assistant (when the latter was PM) called anti-Abdullah bloggers “beruk”.

Enjoy your weekend and God bless.

Limited Access to Our Blog

A Kadir Jasin

UPDATE, Feb 12 - APOLOGIES. We continue to experience “technical” glitches at kadirjasin.com despite our technician assuring us that the necessary “corrections” had been made. We continue to receive feedback that access is still slow and, at times, impossible.

 As a result, our pageviews had fallen to 780 at 7.50pm today compared to 7,041 for the whole of Feb 19.

Also, I may not be able to debate with you as easily. I can’t access my own blog. In the last 12 hours I was able to post only one response, even that was possible only on a borrowed wireless device. Luckily, I have no problem receiving and publishing your comments.

Thank you.

UPDATE - THE conspiracy theorists and the spooks may want to believe that our blog has been subjected to some sort of NSA-type manipulation resulting in some visitors not being able to gain access or finding difficulty in doing so.

Some contacted me on the cellphone to suggest that my posting entitled “Shout And Hopefully We Are Heard” (READ HERE)could be over the top for some people entrusted with defending and promoting the Prime Minister. They told me that there are ways and means of launching a cyber attack.

But I would not like to dabble in such a theory although pageviews of our blog fell from 6,326 on Feb 15 to 4,841 on Feb 18. Today it recovers to 5,532 so far. In the meantime, I asked people knowledgeable in ICT to look at our blog and they had since made some tweaking and corrected some technicalities.

Still I thank the many debaters for enlightening me and each other on the technicality of the Google’s blogger publishing, like TOOLBOX, who, among other things, states:

"Ini adalah penerangan pihak google setelah saya lakukan carian: Google Blogger Top Level Domain Name Changes and Censorship: The reason behind the change in the top level domain names is to accommodate Google with the facility to censor blogs based on country of access. Although you might think "censorship" sounds evil, this is actually a good compromise on Google's part. Because laws are local to each country so Google only needs to block/censor a blog in one country but still allow the rest of the world to see that content. So the restrictions are not world wide."

Our blog can now be accessed at kadirjasin.com Read comments for more pointers.

On a different matter, I bumped into a public university VC (apologies not CV) at noon today and he told me that he had been invited for Magrib prayer with the PM. He asked me if I have a message for the PM. So I gave him my usual two sens worth of unsolicited advice.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not demanding two sens from the government for my advice thought I read in the newspapers that the government paid McKinsey and Co of the US RM20.6 million to prepare the National Education Blueprint.

ORIGINAL POSTING

PLEASE TAKE NOTE


ACCESS to our blog and my ability to moderate and post comments MIGHT be blocked or limited in the next 24 hours.  I will keep visitors and debater informed whenever it is technically feasible.

THERE have been reports that some visitors are experiencing difficulty in accessing this blog. It could be true.

I am experiencing it myself, depending on locations and the types of device used. I have not been able to access it from my laptop since yesterday, but the desktop at one of my locations is fine.

However, I continue to receive comments and am able to moderate and publish them. This means most visitors have no problem accessing.

I am asking a programmer to see what is wrong. Hopefully this is temporary. Apologies and thank you for your patience.

Shout And Hopefully We Are Heard

A Kadir Jasin

[NO anonymous comments. Please use Google Account, OpenID or Name/URL. Pseudonym accepted. Thank you]

IT HAS been a while that I have not reported on the Kedai Kopi Assembly (KKA) proceedings. The task of “cari makan” has taken a bit too much of my time lately. Times are hard.

Irrespective of where the KKA met and who attended them, the narrative – pardon me for using the cliché – is the same. The participants are worried about the direction the country is taking or the lack of it.

In the realm of politics, they were in agreement that Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak has to change his way and the way he manages the country and the economy or face the possibility of being hounded out of office.

He has to acknowledge that things are not as rosy as being portrayed by the mainstream media. He has to stop lavishing scarce public funds on cash handouts and salary increases that do not contribute to productivity and sustainability.

He must acknowledge that his “cash is king” stance does not work. It did not even buy him votes. He must find a more productive and sustainable method of helping the poor. He must have the gut to fire his failed, pseudo advisers and go back to relying on government machinery and civil servants.

Among the KKA sessions that took place since the last report were at a Yemani restaurant in Mont Kiara involving a prince of the Selangor royal household, a former Umno minister, an ex-diplomat and a leader of the Malay Chamber of Commerce.

At the RSGC, the KKA involved two former Umno MPs and a businessman. One of the former MP is from Pahang and reputed to be a buddy of the PM.

In Kota Bharu, it involved the Kelantan MB (Datuk) Ahmad Yakob, an ex-Finance Minister and two young Malay businessmen and in Negri Sembilan, a session on history with Puteri Umno information divisional chiefs from Johor and Melaka.

Tun Dr M Holds Court

 The KKA also held a session with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Present were three young Malay economists who were desperate to be heard. We talked about the economy, in particular the declining position of the Bumiputera in recent years.

Dr Mahathir’s advice to them is “shout” about issues and problems they think the PM and the government should know and pay attention to.

This is vintage Dr Mahathir. The “shout” message is “typically Mahathir”. When you don’t have the power to act, you shout. He said exactly that when I interviewed him during his early days as Prime Minister. He said, when he was out of Umno and without power, he shouted to be heard.

From the queue at his offices at the Perdana Leadership Foundation, Proton and Yayasan Albukhary, it is clear that he may be out of the loop but certainly not out of circulation, holding his Kabinet Rakyat sessions with people of all walks of life who have stories to tell, advice to seek and spirit to strengthen – like the veteran Wanita Umno leaders who were allegedly shown the door at the PMO because they came without appointment.

At the princely Yemeni dinner, a question was posed: If Mohd Najib has to go (or he throws in the towel), who could or would take over?

The response wasn’t spontaneous. I took a bit of head scratching among the balding participants before Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin’s name was mentioned. That was partly because Muhyiddin had purportedly said he was not interested in the job and that he was tired.

Going by hierarchy, Muhyiddin is the successor. He is Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Umno President. But like Mohd Najib, he was not elected by members. He was merely endorsed by the Umno Supreme Council.

The most senior democratically elected Umno leader is Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who won most votes as Vice President in last year’s party election. But most KKA delegates think he is not the favoured successor. That honour belongs to Hishammuddin Hussein, the third-ranking VP, and Mohd Najib’s cousin.

By the way, Dr Mahathir had done his duty. He had passed on to me the message from a certain very important big man water land (Johan Jaaffar’s version of orang besar tanah air) concerning this blog witnessed by four Muslim men of sound mind and good character. Thank you Tun.

But as a former editor noted not too long ago, the PMO has nothing to worry about this blog as it has more than enough journalists and communications experts in its employ to tear our blog to shreds if they want or dare to.

The PMO’s most powerful media group is the Communications Advisory Group (CAG) comprising PM’s former media adviser (Datuk Seri) Jalaluddin Bahaudin, Utusan Melayu Berhad Chairman (Tan Sri) Mohamed Hashim Makaruddin, PM’s Press Secretary (Datuk) Tengku Sharifuddin Tengku Ahmad, Bernama Chairman (Datuk) Abdul Rahman Sulaiman, PMO’s Datuk Hardev Kaur and Datuk Rohana Mahmud, Isis’ Steve Wong and Ideas’ Wan Firdaus Wan Mohd Fuad.

Things to Shout and Tout            

What then are the things that we should be shouting about? There are many and among them are:-

1. Stop playing Santa Clause. Cash is not king and cash handouts could bankrupt the Treasury. Find a more sustainable way of helping the poor and bridging the widening income gap between the rich and the poor, among and within races.

2. Either it is a coincidence or the product of his policies, programmes and proclamations, the nominal income gap between the Malays and the Chinese has widened since 2009 (the year Mohd Najib became PM), erasing gains made in past decades.

3. The rural households - the bedrock of the BN in the 2013 general elections – are worse off now than in 1957 when compared to the urban households. Umno has to remember that almost all the 88 parliamentary seats it won last year are in the rural areas and all of BN’s Sarawak and Sabah seats are rural.

4. Only about 10% of Bumiputeras were employed in management and professional positions in 2012, a slight decline from 2009. Some 62% were employed in semi-skilled jobs, which included bus drivers, and the rest in unskilled jobs.

5. Youth unemployment is high. In the age bracket of 15 to 19, almost 25.7% of Indians, 15.6% of Malays, 18.9% of non-Malay Bumiputeras and  9.9% of Chinese were unemployed in 2012. In the 20-24 age group, 14.1% of the jobless were Indians, 9.9% Malays, 13% non-Malay Bumiputeras and 7.1% Chinese. This explains the disproportionate involvement of Indians in criminal activities.

Finally, on the claim by the Pakatan Rakyat that because of its expose and criticisms that the BN Government “has improved.” Some participants said since the PR is doing a superb job as opposition, the people may want them remain in that role rather than electing them as BN’s replacement.

My apology to participants if their views are not captured here. Feel free to add. Thank you.

Kangkung Price Falls Further

 A Kadir Jasin

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IF our life is all about ipomoea aquatica, we can all look forward to a significant improvement in our welfare and well-being.

Since we last discussed ipomoea aquatica aka the humble kangkung in the Jan. 16 posting, its price has fallen further. (Read here)

To reflect its cheaper price, our economist updated our ipomoea aquatica index. See below.

The index shows that the price of kangkung had fallen by 4.2% during th Jan-Feb period.

Since early 2013, the price of kangkung in Kuala Lumpur fell from RM5 a kilo to RM2.40 or a decline of 52%.

Unfortunately, the reduction in kangkung price will not improve our quality of life significantly because it accounts for only a tiny fraction of our consumption and, therefore, the consumer price index (CPI).

Life will be better only if costs associated with housing, transportation, healthcare and food also decline. These are the major cost elements in the CPI.

Please be wise, thoughtful and measured when discussing kangkung as the subject could offend some people's sense and sensibility.

Abdul Taib Kata Umno Rasis?

A Kadir Jasin

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UPDATE, Feb 13 - (New Straits Times) CHOSEN ONE: Taib names him as successor after handing in resignation letter. KUCHING: TAN Sri Adenan Satem has been named Sarawak's fifth chief minister.

After hiccups to his political career, including a short-lived federal cabinet tenure and poor health, Adenan, the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Information chief who is also Tanjung Datu assemblyman, was yesterday named to succeed Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

ORIGINAL POSTING  

KALAU betul apa yang dilaporkan mengenai kenyataan (Tan Sri) Abdul Taib Mahmud berkenaan Umno, maka ia adalah satu tamparan dan penghinaan yang sangat dahsyat dan tidak patut.

Media atas talian memetik Abdul Taib sebagai memberi amaran kepada pengganti beliau agar “memastikan politik rasis Umno tidak masuk ke Sarawak”.

Ada dua perkara pokok di sini. Pertama tidak membenarkan Umno masuk ke Sarawak dan kedua tidak membenarkan “politik rasis” Umno berkembang di Sarawak.

Umno mungkin tidak berhasrat mengembangkan sayapnya ke Sarawak. Setidak-tidaknya buat masa ini. Jadi kepemimpinan Barisan Nasional Sarawak tidak perlu khuatir.

Yang nyata menghina Umno adalah tuduhan Abdul Taib bahawa parti induk BN itu mengamalkan politik perkauman (racist politics).

Mohd Najib-Abdul Taib: Jalan Tidak Seiring

Apakah ini benar dan adakah kepemimpinan Umno di bawah Mohd Najib Abdul Razak akan berdiam diri menghadapi tuduhan yang sangat berat itu?

Kenyataan Abdul Taib yang dikatakan dibuat pada mesyuarat Majlis Tertinggi Barisan Nasional Sarawak pada 9 Feb. memberi gambaran jelas bahawa penggantinya "harus tegas dan tidak berpaling" apabila berurusan dengan Putrajaya mengenai perkara yang melibatkan kepentingan Sarawak.

Setiausaha Agung BN Sarawak, Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi, berkata Taib mengatakan penggantinya  perlu bersungguh-sungguh melindungi hak negeri seperti yang dijanjikan dalam Perjanjian Malaysia 1963.

"Kita mesti berpegang kepada Perjanjian Malaysia dalam melindungi hak negeri ini," kata Rundi mengenai mesej Taib ketika ditanya apa yang berlaku dalam mesyuarat MT BN negeri selain memberi ketua menteri itu mandat untuk memilih penggantinya.

Rundi berkata, bertegas dengan Putrajaya termasuk menghalang Umno masuk ke Sarawak yang dilihat tidak begitu mengendahkan perjanjian 20 perkara yang menjamin kepentingan dan hak Sarawak dan penduduknya apabila mereka bersetuju membentuk Malaysia bersama Malaya, Sabah dan Singapura.

Dengan pelbagai masalah dan tekanan yang dihadapinya sekarang, membawa Umno ke Sarawak pastinya bukan keutamaan Mohd Najib. Secara peribadi saya tidak melihat wujud kewajaran atau kebijaksanaan bagi Umno bertapak di Sarawak.

Jadi apa perlunya Abdul Taib mengeluarkan amaran itu dan melemparkan tuduhan yang sangat berat dan menghina terhadap Umno?

Apakah ini cara beliau menghantar mesej kepada Putrajaya supaya tidak mengambil kesempatan daripada pengunduran beliau sebagai Ketua Menteri Sarawak? Kalau ia pun, mengapa sampai menuduh Umno rasis?

Kalau Umno masih berpegang kepada perjuangan kebangsaan Melayu, ia wajib dengan tegas dan terbuka membantah dan menyangkal tuduhan bahawa ia mengamalkan politik rasis.

Atau apakah Abdul Taib, seperti banyak orang bukan Melayu, turut tidak senang hati dasar Umno memperjuangkan hak dan keistimewaan orang Melayu seperti termaktub dalam Perlembagaan?

Kalau benar Umno rasis kerana memperjuangkan hak orang Melayu, mengapa pula ramai ahli Umno khususnya dan orang Melayu amnya melihat Umno di bawah kepemimpinan Mohd Najib sebagai tidak cukup gigih dan lantang mempertahankan Melayu? Sebaliknya mereka melihat Mohd Najib sebagai terlalu berlembut dengan orang bukan Melayu.

Jadi apakah masalah Abdul Taib sebenarnya? Adakah cemuhannya terhadap Umno itu satu lagi manifestasi ketidakpuasan dan ketidakmesraan beliau dengan Mohd Najib yang dilihatnya sebagai tidak cukup lantang mempertahankan beliau daripada tuduhan salah guna kuasa dan rasuah sebaliknya mahu beliau berundur cepat?

Ahmad Zahid dan Lt. Jen. (Kehormat) Abdul Taib. Apa yang tersirat dalam kenyataan "Saya akan buat sesuatu yang berguna kepada negara secara santai"?

Semua orang tahu bahawa Abdul Taib marah kepada Mohd Najib kerana membuat kenyataan ketika kempen Pilihan Raya Negeri (PRN) tahun 2011 bahawa beliau (Abdul Taib) akan bersara selepas pilihan raya itu.

Abdul Taib mungkin berundur sebagai KM, tetapi pengaruh beliau tidak akan berakhir serta-merta dan begitu saja, apatah lagi kalau beliau memilih untuk meneruskan kehadirannya dalam kehidupan seharian Sarawak melalui jawatan Yang di-Pertua Negeri.

Apa pun, Umno tidak ada pilihan melainkan menjawab tuduhan Abdul Taib bahawa ia mengamalkan politik perkauman.

Buat jangka masa pendek dan sederhana, Umno terpaksa terus menjalin perhubungan yang tertib dan bertamadun dengan parti-parti BN negeri, khususnya Parti Pesaka Bumiputera (PBB), kerana BN Sarawak adalah unik dan berlainan.

Tidak seperti di Semenanjung dan Sabah, parti-parti BN pusat tidak bertanding di Sarawak. BN Sarawak dianggotai sepenuhnya oleh parti-parti kaum dan suku kaum negeri.

Selepas ketegangan pada tahun-tahun awal keanggotaannya dalam Malaysia, Sarawak berubah menjadi  kubu BN sehingga dilabelkan sebagai “simpanan tetap” atau negeri penyelamat BN.

Sama ada Sarawak akan terus menjadi negeri “fixed deposit” BN bergantung pada siapa yang menggantikan Abdul Taib dan di atas kebijaksanaan kepemimpinan BN pusat, khususnya Umno, menjalin hubungan dengan negeri berautonomi itu. Wallahuaklam.

Avian's Urban Refuge

A Kadir Jasin

THESE are the little, everyday things that make live worth living. The antidotes for the pain and suffering that life inflicts on us. The little mercies that we should all appreciate.

Helang (eagle) dari jendela rumah saya

Thanks to Tun Dr Mahathir's city in the garden campaign during the opening days of his administration in 1981, most of our towns and cities are greener today.

Murai Kampung/Murai Cacing (Oriental Magpie Robin) - kicauannya pelbagai

Speaking to the Press after chairing his first Cabinet meeting, he said he issued two instructions - plant more trees and  clean up public toilets.

Dua Kamera Lama Saya

Punai Daun (Treron c. curvirostra) from my balcony

We can say that he succeeded in the first but failed rather miserably in the second. Our public toilets - except in upmarket malls - are as third world as before.

But I now notice that the Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya City Hall are cutting more trees - some hundred of years old - than planting them. And Kuala Lumpur no longer enjoys weekend patrol by the PM as it did during Dr Mahathir's time.

Still, the birds and the bees that were once found in the villages and belukar have now become city dwellers, thanks to the greening efforts.

Tekukur (Spotted dove)

These birds are found in and around my properties. Apart from nuts and fruits from the trees I planted, I also supplemented their diets with offerings of grains, fruits and bread.

Kunyit Besar (black-naped oriole)

Sekumpulan Perling Mata Merah (Asian Glossy Starling) lawan seekor Tiong Gembala Kerbau (Myna/Mynah)

Anwar to Prevent Coup in Selangor?

A Kadir Jasin

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THE Federal Government is planning to launch a coup in Selangor? The PKR strategist and MP for Pandan, Selangor, Rafizi Ramli thinks so.

And to stop that from happening, the party’s Ketua Umum, Anwar Ibrahim, has to be in the State Legislative Assembly. That appears to be the latest reason to explain why he is contesting in the Kajang State Legislative Assembly seat.

The Malaysian Insider quoted Rafizi as saying that Anwar 's presence in Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) “is vital to prevent Putrajaya from declaring a state of emergency to wrest control of the richest state.”

He said Barisan Nasional/Umno had done this in Kelantan in 1977 when it declared a state of emergency and subsequently grabbed power from PAS.

"This is one of the possibilities which we cannot rule out based on the escalating race and religious tension in Selangor," he said in response to why Anwar needed to contest in the Kajang by-election. (Read here).

Either Rafizi has a very fertile imagination or he knows something that we don’t. I would like to believe that it’s the second because he is, after all, the party’s strategist.

The Federal Government could declare a state emergency in Selangor only if law and order is under challenge. Rafizi said the escalating race and religious tension could be the excuse.

If indeed there is a race and religious tension, as he put it, it also happens in other states. Molotov cocktail bombs were thrown at a church in Penang, not Selangor.

So why should only Selangor be the target of an emergency rule by Putrajaya and a coup by the BN?

I think there’s something that Rafizi is not saying. He quoted the example of Kelantan. But I think he is actually thinking more of Perak in 2009.

The Pas-led but DAP-controlled PR government of Perak fell when two PKR and one DAP ADUNs left their parties to become independents.

The possibility of that happening in Selangor among the disgruntled PKR ADUNs cannot be dismissed if the factional war between Mohd Azmin Ali and Abdul Khalid Ibrahim continues.

Members of Azmin’s camp are more likely to abandon ship as their camp is seen as the loser. Anwar is caught in between. He is close to Azmin, who is the PKR deputy president and a long time confidant, but Abdul Khalid is said to be better accepted by the DAP and PAS.

So Anwar’s entry into the Selangor DUN has more to do with keeping the PKR ADUNs from abandoning ship than warding off a coup bid by the Federal Government or the BN.

The BN with only 12 out of 56 DUN seats is unlikely to be able to topple the state government. Out of the 44 PR members, 15 each are from the DAP and PAS, and 14 from PKR.

Rafizi and other PKR leaders should stop making excuses for forcing the Kajang by-election. If they want Anwar as the new Menteri Besar of Selangor just say so. If they want to solve the party’s internal problem via a by-election, so be it. There’s no need for them to beat around the senduduk (straits rhododendron) bush.

Kudos to Supermarkets for Promising to Cut Prices

A Kadir Jasin

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THE Kedai Kopi Assembly (KKA) held an impromptu session in Tokyo, Japan on Jan 29 and 30 attended by an expatriate Malaysian and several ASEAN journalists.

The Brunei-based Malaysian journalist was interested to know more about home, believing that there are things I know but had not written in this blog.

We talked about the danger of the anarchy of the mind now invading the cyberspace and public places, may degenerate into real anarchy as is happening in Thailand, Egypt, Ukraine, Syria and many other countries.

Back home during that time, the Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, had just announced a nationwide price reduction campaign involving 10 selected supermarket chains, to help lessen the people's burden in the face of the rising cost of living.

According to a Bernama report, the first phase of the campaign for six months will be participated by supermarket chains Econsave, Mydin, KK Mart, Aeon, Aeon Big, Tesco, 99 Speedmart, NSK, Segi Fresh Mart and Giant. They have agreed to give discounts of 15% to 70%. Other reports say up to 4,000 items are included in the campaign.

Actually, despite his many miscalculations and broken promises, Mohd Najib could still do the right things if he gears up his mind and listens to good advice.

If the price reduction promise is genuine, it would help because many consumers now shop at supermarkets. But those who do not have access to supermarkets, meaning the poor in the rural areas, would be left out once again unless these price cuts also reach or include their local sundry shops.

In the event that rural consumers are left out, the injustice is absolute because they were the ones who propped up Mohd Najib and his BN coalition in last year’s general elections. They saved him from being swept away by the “tsunami Cina”.

It is well and good that the PM had toured the pasar and received the undertaking, but if enforcement officers do not do their job by making regular surprised checks, unscrupulous traders will continue to cheat and consumers will not get to enjoy the fruits of the PM’s labour.

Remembering the Buku Hijau Campaign

Chives (kucai) in my rooftop garden

I don’t know how effective it would if the government reintroduces the “Kempen Buku Hijau” of the Tun Abdul Razak’s era.

Long bean (kacang panjang), also in my rooftop kebun sayur

As a boy in the village in the 1960’s we were very excited about the green book campaign, partly because Tun Abdul Razak was behind it. As farmers, we had always been growing vegetables and raising chickens, ducks, goats, cattle and buffaloes. We did it our way and with our own resources.

In the padang: Tun Abdul Razak was synonymous with caring for the poor

When the campaign was introduced, we had agriculture officers and veterinarians visiting our kampung to give advice on modern farming. We received high-yielding vegetable seeds, chicks and ducklings. Later we were given modern breeds of cattle and buffalo under the “pawah” (share-cropping) system.

What that campaign did was to give the farmers the confidence that they were not being neglected and naturally many took part. Vacant plots were planted with vegetables and were used for raising animals.

Rural life has since changed. Intensive padi farming has taken away grazing land and housewives no longer want to have chickens and ducks around the house. “Kotor” (dirty), they say.

But I have seen in many villages people now raise cattle, buffaloes and goats in “kandang” (enclosures) for meat and milk. Fresh meat and milk sell at a premium.

Another round of green book campaign may be good. Many new farming techniques and planting materials have been developed in recent decades.

Even schools can be included in this new green book campaign. In Switzerland and many developed countries, school children are required to take part in vegetable and flower gardening as part of their co-curricular activities.

When I was at the Sekolah Melayu Pendang in the 1950’s, vegetable gardening and woodworking were compulsory. The baby boomers among debaters and visitors of this blog may still remember those get down and dirty easier days.

Giving people knowledge and inputs for producing things, to my mind, is better than giving them cash to spend.

Young People Must Confront Politicians

Another impromptu KKA session was held on board a Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777 en route from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur. It involved a young female Malay marketing executive for a Malaysian multinational chemical company.

Her name is Umi.

She was accompanying her divisional president and another manager on a two-day marketing trip to Japan. They sell petroleum-based industrial aromatics.

Since she is the same age group as one or two of my own children, we had a father and daughter chat. We talked about the importance of being earnest and honest.

But most importantly, we talked about the importance of young people paying attention to politics and taking interest in how the politicians are running (or ruining) the country. It is their future that is at stake.

Love or hate, young people must take interest in politics

I told her that she and her generation should use modern technology at their disposal to confront and engage politicians irrespective of parties, race and religion.

They must demand to be heard and be informed of what the politicians have in store for them. They cannot be passive and risk their future being messed up by inept self-serving corrupt politicians.

The young must confront all political parties

I told her that at the rate things are going, I am mortally fearful of her future, the future of my children, grandchildren and every young Malaysian. Malaysia could already be off its best. Wallahuaklam.