Pemilih Tanpa Parti Penentu Dalam PRU 2013

A Kadir Jasin

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PILIHAN raya bukanlah kompleks sangat. Mula mula-mula Parlimen dan Dewan-Dewan Undangan Negeri dibubarkan. Lepas itu Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) umumkan tarikh penamaan calon dan hari mengundi.

Yang susah ialah memilih parti atau calon untuk diundi. Itu pun bagi pemilih atas pagar dan pemilih baru saja. Bagi pemilih partisan, mereka sudah buat pilihan. Buruk baik, datang hujan atau matahari terik, mereka akan pangkah parti mereka sekalipun mereka tidak senang hati dengan pemimpin parti.

Ada yang taasub kepada parti kerana agama. Masih ramai penyokong PAS, contohnya, percaya iaitu ada kaitan antara akidah dengan mengundi parti itu. Bagi segelintir daripada mereka, mengundi PAS memisahkan antara syurga dan neraka.

Ada yang taasub kepada parti kerana bangsa dan nasionalisme. Banyak penyokong Umno yakin parti itu masih berpaksikan nasionalisme dan perjuangan orang Melayu walaupun ada di kalangan pemimpinnya yang berkata agenda Melayu sudah ketinggalan zaman manakala yang lain pula memperjuangkan keterangkuman (inclusiveness).

Ada yang taasub kepada kaum dan kepentingan kaum. Penyokong DAP, secara sedar atau separa sedar, menganggap parti itu sebagai parti orang Cina. Walaupun DAP memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai parti pelbagai kaum dan melandaskan perjuangan di atas konsep Malaysian Malaysia dan sosialisme namun kepemimpinan, keahlian dan orientasinya adalah Cina. Sejak awal-awal lagi, orang Melayu dan India sekadar biola kedua (second fiddle) dalam parti itu.

Sejak mencapai prestasi baik dalam PRU 2008, DAP nampak lebih ikhlas dan tekun untuk membawa masuk orang Melayu yang boleh memberikan wajah Malaysia kepada perjuangan, tetapi tidak begitu berjaya. Namun dalam PRU kali ini ia mungkin meletakkan lebih banyak calon Melayu-Bumiputera.

Ada juga pengundi yang taasub kepada watak seperti PKR yang berkisar di sekitar perwatakan Ketua Umumnya, Anwar Ibrahim. Tetapi unsur ketaasuban kepada pemimpin dan pemujaan kultus (cult worshiping) tidak terhad kepada PKR saja. Ciri yang serupa wujud dalam hampir semua parti, termasuk Umno, apabila ada pemimpin yang mengutamakan peribadi mereka daripada dasar dan perjuangan parti.

Dalam PAS ada beberapa watak kultus yang kuat pengaruhnya. Terulung adalah Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yang pemujaan penyokong PAS terhadapnya sudah mencapai tahap taasub dan pemujaan kultus. Ciri yang serupa turut dipamerkan terhadap Lim Kit Siang (DAP) dan Abdul Taib Mahmud (Parti Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak).

Faktor Pengundi Atas Pagar

Bagi pengundi tanpa parti dan atas pagar, membuat pilihan lebih rumit. Bilangan pengundi atas pagar dijangka lebih besar kali ini dengan bertambahnya bilangan pemilih baru.

Ramai pemilih baru, termasuk yang direkrut oleh parti-parti politik, tidak berparti. Selain pemilih baru, sebahagian penyokong Umno/BN yang berpaling tadah pada PRU 2008 mungkin kekal sebagai pengundi atas pagar.

Memperoleh undi pemilih baru ini lebih sukar kerana mereka belum biasa mengundi dan tidak terikat dengan mana-mana parti.

Mereka juga lebih sukar untuk dipengaruhi kerana majoriti tidak mengikuti media arus perdana atau tidak yakin kepada MAP. Kemungkinannya mereka lebih terdedah dan mempercayai media baru dan media alternatif.

Dalam konteks ini, penggunaan media baru berasaskan Internet adalah sangat penting. Siapa yang lebih meyakinkan atau lebih lantang akan mendapat perhatian. Tuduhan dan dakwaan yang tidak dijawab akan disimpulkan sebagai kebenaran. 

Aliran Pengundian PRU 2013 

Adalah tidak memeranjatkan kalau aliran berikut berlaku pada PRU 2013:-

1. Sebahagian penyokong Umno/BN yang merajuk pada PRU 2008 dan mengundi pembangkang akan kembali menyokong Umno/BN;

2. Yang masih berasa marah mungkin tidak akan keluar mengundi atau membuat undi protes dengan merosakkan kertas undi;

3. Umno/BN mungkin dibantu oleh ahli parti yang sebelum ini tidak mendaftar sebagai pemilih tetapi kini sudah didaftarkan dan oleh kegiatan memindahkan pengundi Melayu dari kerusi di mana BN tidak ada harapan menang ke kerusi di mana BN ada harapan merampas balik kerusi daripada pembangkang;

4. Majoriti pengundi baru bandar akan mengundi pembangkang manakala pengundi baru luar bandar akan mengundi BN; dan

5. Aliran pengundian akan mempamerkan ciri polarisasi kaum yang lebih buruk kerana kegiatan merekrut pemilih baru oleh parti-parti politik dibuat berasaskan perkiraan kaum. Wallahualam.

An Open Letter to 'Murderer' Bush

A Kadir Jasin

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LET us take a little time away from our preoccupation with our domestic politics and look at what a wrong choice of leader and voters’ apathy had done to America.

It is widely accepted by the Americans and the world that the Bush-Cheney Administration was the most evil in American history.

                                                     Bush and his 'lapdog' - The Guardian

These liars together with their neoconservative warmongers and their English lapdog, Tony Blair, had brought death, destruction and misery not only to the civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan but also to their own people.

While George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and Tony ‘the lapdog’ Blair continue to live the life of luxury, earning millions for making speeches and defending their lies on Iraq non-existence weapon of mass destruction (WMD), thousands of US and British war veterans are dying of injuries and going mad because of guilt.

                                            The Gang of Three: Bush, Cheney and Rice

On the event of 10^th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, a dying US veteran, Tomas Young (http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_last_letter_20130318/), wrote a powerful open letter to ‘liar and murderer’ Bush and vice-president Cheney, accusing them of war crimes.

Young joined the U.S. Army two days after the Sept 11 2001 attack on New York and Washington DC. He was shot and paralyzed during an insurgent attack in Sadr City, Iraq in 2004, five days into his first deployment. He penned the letter from his Kansas City, Mo., home, where he's under hospice care.

                                                Young in his Kansas City Home

In the letter, Young also accused Bush and Cheney of  ‘plunder’ and ‘the murder of thousands of young Americans’.

Bush’s Egregious War Crimes

"I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney," Young wrote.

“I wrote not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole."

The 33-year-old, who was the subject of Phil Donahue's 2007 documentary "Body of War," continued:

“I joined the Army two days after the 9/11 attacks. I joined the Army because our country had been attacked. I wanted to strike back at those who had killed some 3,000 of my fellow citizens. I did not join the Army to go to Iraq, a country that had no part in the September 2001 attacks and did not pose a threat to its neighbors, much less to the United States. I did not join the Army to “liberate” Iraqis or to shut down mythical weapons-of-mass-destruction facilities or to implant what you cynically called “democracy” in Baghdad and the Middle East. I did not join the Army to rebuild Iraq, which at the time you told us could be paid for by Iraq’s oil revenues.”

Young believes he was injured fighting the wrong war:

“I would not be writing this letter if I had been wounded fighting in Afghanistan against those forces that carried out the attacks of 9/11. Had I been wounded there I would still be miserable because of my physical deterioration and imminent death, but I would at least have the comfort of knowing that my injuries were a consequence of my own decision to defend the country I love. I would not have to lie in my bed, my body filled with painkillers, my life ebbing away, and deal with the fact that hundreds of thousands of human beings, including children, including myself, were sacrificed by you for little more than the greed of oil companies, for your alliance with the oil sheiks in Saudi Arabia, and your insane visions of empire.”

"When Tomas Young saw President Bush on television speaking from the ruins of the Twin Towers, his life changed," his bio on the "Body of War" website reads. "As his basic training began at Ft. Hood, he assumed that he would be shipped off to Afghanistan where the terrorist camps were based, routing out Al Qaeda and Taliban warriors. But soon, Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq."

In an interview with Truthdig.com, Young—who suffered an anoxic brain injury in 2008—said he had been contemplating "conventional" suicide, but decided to go on hospice care, "stop feeding and fade away."

"This way, instead of committing the conventional suicide and I am out of the picture, people have a way to stop by or call and say their goodbyes," Young said. "I felt this was a fairer way to treat people than to just go out with a note."

Sadly, in the world where the bankrupt US is the sole superpower, only the lesser beings are charged and punished for crime against humanity. The likes of Bush, Cheney, Blair, Rice, Rumsfelt and Wolfowitz are free to continue their murderous lies in the lecture circuits and memoirs and are paid millions to do so. These are people to whom conscience has no or little meaning.

Sadder still, there are people in and outside our government and the Malaysians in general still look up to American leadership, past and present, for support and inspiration. They are either blind or morally challenged.

Johor Ahoy, Here Comes Lim Kit Siang

A Kadir Jasin

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AFTER successfully delivering a knocked-out blow to the Gerakan in Penang during the 2008 General Election, the DAP appears to be aiming its next killer kick at the MCA in the coming polls.

So confident is the party that it has chosen Johor, the Barisan Nasional’s bastion in the Peninsula, as the battleground. It is so sure of making an impact in the state that it is sending its supreme leader, Lim Kit Siang, to lead the charge.

Even so Lim is playing second fiddle to PAS, which over a year ago nominated its Johor-born vice president, Salahuddin Ayub, to lead the charge to conquer the state. Salahuddin is PAS MP for Kubang Krian, Kelantan. Should the Pakatan Rakyat succeed in the assault, Salahuddin will become the Menteri Besar.

Incidentally, the top MCA leaders are also jostling to contest in the state believing it is the safest place for them. The squabbling for seats among the MCA leaders could jeopardise the BN’s chances of defending the state.

The DAP national adviser, who is the MP for Ipoh Timur in Perak, will contest the Gelang Patah seat now held, with a comfortable majority, by the BN via the MCA. In the 2008 polls, MCA’s Tan Ah Eng won with a majority of 8, 851 over PKR’s Dr Zalina Mustafa after polling 33,630 votes. A tough call but Lim appears to be confident that he could wrest the seat.


The DAP will also contest Segamat, Kluang, Kulai, Tanjung Piai, Labis and Bakri.

Changing seats is Lim’s trademark and a survival strategy. He has been successful in the past and the planned move is a vote of supreme confidence that Johor is ready for change. He would not have made the decision unless he believes he has better than average chance of winning.

Since the 1969 GE – his first - Lim had won parliamentary seats in four states namely Malacca, Selangor, Penang and Perak. He has also been a member of the State Legislative Assembly in Malacca and Penang.

MCA the 2013 Target

After doing away with the Gerakan in Penang in the 2008 GE, it is only natural for the DAP to hunt down the MCA this time around.

Only by getting rid of the MCA could the DAP hope to consolidate the Chinese under its banner. The consolidation of Chinese votes under a single party, i.e. the DAP, will strengthen further the bargaining power of the community.

A solid block of 30 over percent Chinese votes is formidable given the fact that the Malay-Bumiputera votes are split three ways among Umno, PAS and PKR and a sizeable chunk of Indian votes is with the PR.

On the other hand, the concentration of Chinese votes under one party would worsen further the already acute racial polarisation in the political arena.

I have for decades been suggesting the possibility of Umno having to partner the DAP in the future in the manner that it partnered the Gerakan in Penang after the 1969 race riots.

DAP’S Presence In Johor

Although Johor is undoubtedly a BN bastion since the 1955 Federal Legislative Council election, the DAP has always had a presence in the state.

It had won several Chinese-dominated state and parliamentary seats and tended to do well under a maverick and Lim falls into this category.

The last maverick to stamp the DAP’s seal on Johor was Lee Kau of the Kluang fame. He was MP and state assemblyman for several terms.

Still it is a brave decision by Lim to move to Johor. The party won a solitary parliamentary seat – Bakri – out of 26 and four state seats out of 56 in the 2008 GE. Pas has two state seats and PKR none.

The objective is clear. The DAP will contest only in urban centers with large Chinese population where the BN is represented by the MCA as killing the MCA is its prime consideration for descending on Johor.

With Johor recording one of the highest number of young and first time voters, the DAP’s southward march may not be as foolish as it may appear to some and the BN should not be overly confident that Johor is an impenetrable.

In Came Tun Musa

A kadir Jasin

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NOT all economic, financial, monetary and fiscal measures proposed by the Pakatan Rakyat pact are sound or practical. Some could have undesirable effects on the well being of the country if implemented.

But these are promises and, like all election promises, they are not cast in stone. Even the Barisan Nasional had, over its long rule, amended and abolished some of its cherished policies and programmes.

That the BN leaders and supporters quickly lampooned and berated the PR economic agenda as set out in its 2013 General Election Manifesto is only to be expected.

Both the Prime Minister cum Finance Minister, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, and (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad, were reported as saying that the PR economic agenda was impractical and could bankrupt the country.

In his blog posting entitled ‘Change’, Dr Mahathir, among other things, wrote: “Five years for the (PKR de facto leader) Anwar (Ibrahim) or (PAS president Abdul) Hadi (Awang) -led opposition to govern is dangerous. Many things can be destroyed in five years. We have some experience in this.
"Already we see this person who claims to fight for free speech suing and resorting to the courts to shut the mouths of his critics. Other powers of the government will be similarly abused.
"Nepotism and cronyism will be employed as indeed they are in the party he now heads."

Musa Came to PR Defence

 

What is not expected is for the former Deputy Prime Minister, (Tun) Musa Hitam, to join the fray and contradict Mohd Najib’s and Dr Mahathir’s assertion.

In a March 13 report headlined ‘Pakatan regime won’t bankrupt nation, says Musa Hitam’, the Malaysian Insider news portal quoted him as saying, Malaysia would not become bankrupt if PR trumps the BN in the race for Putrajaya in the GE.

Knowing Musa-Anwar relationship, I believe the statement is less about endorsing Anwar and his People’s Pact than about resurrecting his long-drawn rivalry with Dr Mahathir. Although Musa was for five years – from 1981 to 1986 - Dr Mahathir’s deputy, there is little genuine respect between them.

So, with Dr Mahathir positioning himself as Mohd Najib’s ‘panglima’ (warrior) in the battle against Anwar in the GE, Musa is set to resume his diatribe against his former boss.

After resigning as Sime Darby’s chairman, Musa is free of all links with the government and, therefore, free to speak as he likes. Furthermore, Musa was appointed to the board of Sime Darby not by Mohd Najib but by (Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Rekindling Mahathir-Musa Rivalry

Ironically, Musa has little respect for Anwar. He saw Anwar’s rise as nothing more than his ability to butter up Dr Mahthir and hang on to the latter’s his coat tail. Musa’s luckless “Team B” considered Anwar as the wedge between them and Dr Mahathir.

Musa and his followers were highly critical of Anwar’s so-called ‘Abimnization” of Umno and the government, and they did not subscribe to Anwar-inspired inculcation of Ismalic values in the administration.

Musa attributed his ouster from the government to manipulation by Dr Mahathir’s inner circle, which included Anwar. When he eventually resigned as DPM and Home Affairs Minister in 1986, he cited irreconcilable differences with Dr Mahathir as the reason.

Musa had famously argued that the commissioning of the National Automobile Project (Proton) was a foolish move that ‘would bankrupt the country’.

(On a personal level, I must acknowledge that I owe Tun Musa a debt of gratitude for being a friend and a mentor on economic, political and social issues when he was Minister of Primary Industries and later as DPM.)

So Musa’s defence of PR is less about him believing in or supporting Anwar but more for his animosity towards Dr Mahathir and his reticence about Mohd Najib.

As for Dr Mahathir, his decision to be a BN campaigner in the coming GE, in particular for Umno, will heighten attacks on him by the PR and his former detractors in Umno. He could end up being the BN’s lighting rod.

And should the rekindling of old animosity between Musa and Dr Mahathir continues to gain momentum, the effects on Mohd Najib and the BN could be unfavourable as the case of the proverbial ‘gajah dengan gajah berperang, pelanduk mati terpijak’ could become a reality.

Pemerintah Ditimpa Bala Rakyat Kena Sama

A Kadir Jasin

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KRISIS pencerobohan ke atas Sabah oleh pengikut bersenjata sultan isytihar sendiri (self-proclaimed) Jamalul Kiram III dari Sulu, Filipina, masih belum selesai.

Kita terus berdoa agar masalah itu selesai segera dan tidak akan berulang lagi. Selepas ini, minta pemerintah keluarkan Kertas Putih mengenainya. Rakyat berhak mendapat penjelasan terperinci dan benar.

Kita ucap takziah kepada keluarga perajurit dan perwira kita yang gugur dan cedera. Kita berdoa mati mereka tidak sia-sia.

Dan kita yang tinggal dan selamat kerana perlindungan mereka hendaklah berfikir, mencari jawapan dan mengambil iktibar daripada kejadian itu.

Manalah tahu, boleh jadi ini amaran, bala dan balasan Tuhan terhadap benda-banda salah yang kita lakukan dan terhadap kealpaan kita.

Pada zaman pentadbiran (Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, saya bercakap dengan seorang bekas aktivis politik bahagian yang bertukar menjadi penerima kontrak raksasa kerajaan.

Saya katakan kepada beliau, kalau Allah Taala turunkan bala ke atas seorang pemimpin, semua orang di bawah naungannya akan turut ditimpa bala.

Antara Ubat Cacing dan Tangkal Azimat

Bagi orang Islam, tauhidnya adalah kepada Allah dan RasulNya. Kita boleh yakin dengan ubat cacing ramu (cacing kerawit) yang Loman atau Abdul Rahman jual, tetapi kita wajib percaya bahawa akhirnya Allah Taala yang menentukan kemujarabannya. Keupayaan kita hanyalah berusaha keras dan berdoa.

Tetapi seseorang Islam tidak boleh percaya kepada tangkal azimat yang dijual oleh seorang penjual ubat India yang seangkatan dengan Loman. Dia kerap berkongsi lokasi penjajaan di pekan sehari dengan Loman.

Saya kurang pasti namanya, tapi kalau tidak silap ada orang panggil dia Babu atau Babuji. Tapi kita hanya kenal dia sebagai India tangkal. Saya kurang pasti agamnya, tapi rasanya bukan Islam.

Babu atau Baboo, dalam kegunaan di India, adalah gelaran atau panggilan hormat kepada seorang lelaki. Kadang-kadang di hujungnya ditambah “ji” yang jaga panggilan hormat.

                        Wanita mandi air suci di Sungai Ganges, India

Babuji menjual tangkal azimat. Kata Babuji, sesiapa saja yang memakai tangkal buatannya akan jadi kuat, kebal dan digeruni.

Kelentong niaga (sales gimmick) Babuji ialah dengan menyuruh budak lelaki pembantunya masuk ke dalam selimut dengan memakai tangkal azimat Babuji. Babuji berlakon memengkal leher budak itu dengan pedang.

Dia kemudian memanggil nama budak itu. Apabila budak itu menyahut, dia bertanya: “Apa fasal tara putus?” Budak itu menjawab: “Tangkal!”

Maka berduyunlah Melayu yang mudah percaya kepada benda-benda ghaib, karut dan khurafat membeli dan memakai tangkal azimat Babuji itu.

Babuji Merentasi Zaman

Masa berlalu, tetapi zaman tidak semestinya berubah. Babuji boleh jadi sudah mati atau bersara, tetapi tangkal azimat, serapah-jampi dan air mantram masih ada kerana ada lagi orang yang percaya kepada sihir dan buat-buatan.

Seorang kawan Hindu saya di Brickfields memberitahu, mantram (atau mandram), mengikut amalan biasa, adalah serapah-jampi dan “ilmu” atau dalam bahasa Sanskrit disebut mantra atau dimelayukan menjadi mantera.

Katanya ada orang Hindu yang membuat mandram di atas kubur, di tepi busut atau di bawah pokok besar untuk meminta bermacam-macam benda.

Air mantram adalah air jampi agama Hindu. Kalau bagi orang Islam, air yang paling suci dan dihargai adalah air dari telaga Zam Zam di Makkah. Bagi orang Hindu mereka percaya kepada air mantram.

Orang Kristian pula mereka ada “holy water” iaitu air yang dijampi oleh paderi. Dalam sembahyang berjemaah orang Kristian, paderi akan menyuapkan biskut yang dicelup dalam “holy water” kepada jemaah.

Seorang bekas menteri Melayu memberitahu seorang wartawan Cina sebuah akhbar berbahasa Inggeris baru-baru ini yang ramai orang politik, tak kira parti, agama dan bangsa serta tanggungan mereka guna bomoh.

Cerita klasik dan tragik hubungan bomoh dengan orang politik ialah pembunuhan Ahli Dewan Undangan Pahang, Mazlan Idris, oleh bomoh kepercayaannya, Maznah Ismail aka Mona Fendy, pada tahun 1993.

                        Mona Fendy bomoh seksi kepercayaan Mazlan

Saya kenal baik Mazlan kerana beliau kerap datang ke pejabat saya di New Straits Times manakala Mona Fendey pula pernah dipromosikan oleh Berita Harian, akhbar yang pernah saya pimpin, apabila dia mengeluarkan album sulungnya.

Jadi, berwaspadalah jangan kerana serapah-jampi, mantera-mantram, kemenyan dan patung, tangkal azimat dan batu ajaib akidah terpesong, benda khurafat menjadi adat.

Bagi orang Islam, jumpa tok guru boleh. Tapi kalau tok guru silat, berjaga-jagalah sikit. Hatta tok guru agama pun kena tengok juga. Bukan semua dalam ilmu agama dan bukan semua berjuang kerana Allah semata-mata. Tok Kiai lagilah. Banyak di antara mereka yang lebih berunsur mistik daripada berlandaskan Islam. Wallahualam.

Sabah Incursion: Hang the Traitors

A Kadir Jasin

 

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CONDOLENCES to families and kin of the fallen and injured members of the police unit involved in battling the Filipino occupiers of Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Alfatihah.

As has always been the case, when we send our policemen and soldiers into battle and are killed or injured, the chances are they are Melayus and Bumiputeras.

Perhaps there is wisdom in getting more Chinese and Indians to join the armed forces so that they too can die for one Malaysia.

Traitors Within

And if they are Malaysians, no matter how remote the chances are, who are involved in the invasion and occupation by the armed Filipinos in Sabah, we should hang these traitors by their necks and, to borrow a dialogue from the movie “Shanghai Noon”, until their feet stop kicking.

There have been rumours and rumblings that some Malaysian opposition politicians might or could have been involved or implicated in the cross-border transgression by the Filipinos.

Today, The Sunday Star newspaper published a report quoting a leading Manila daily, Philippines Daily Inquirer, as saying that Filipino intelligence sources had linked a Sabah politician, who is allied to a Malaysian opposition leader, as among “external factors” responsible for instigating heirs to the Sulu Sultanate to claim Sabah.

The Inquirer journalist, Nikko Dizon wrote that Manila was monitoring three groups described as 'external factors' behind the incident.

“These 'external factors' are one small faction that is in it for the money, an anti-Aquino administration group, and the Malaysian political opposition,” the daily's online website stated on Friday.

If the Philippines is monitoring these groups and our people are not, then I recommend that they too should also be hang until their feet stop kicking.

Taking Responsibility

Even as we speak, somebody in the Malaysian government should already be blamed and, if they are anak jantan, should accept responsibility, for the security lapse that allowed such a big group of well-armed people to land on our shores.

Whose responsibility is it to safeguard our territorial waters and our shores? The answer is the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Aren’t the ministers of both ministries not Umno Vice Presidents and trusted allies of the Prime Minister?

If the Prime Minister hasn’t considered them as having failed in their very important jobs, then who should we blame – the mata-mata and the soldadu?

Personally, I believe the apparent “persecution” of the neutralized Filipino Muslims in the ongoing RCI hearing in Sabah could have also triggered the response by the armed Filipino group.

Whatever the case and the outcome of the standoff, hopefully not more bloody than it had already been, I think a White Paper is needed to see who had failed us and what steps to take to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.

And as for PKR's Tian Chua, I am appalled by his insensitivity and thoughtlessness. Saudara, apa dah jadi? There must be limits to politicking and hunger for power.

Taktik Lembut PR Pujuk Pengundi

A Kadir Jasin

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KETIKA melancarkan manifesto Pilihan Raya Umum 2013 Pakatan Rakyat di Shah Alam semalam, Ketua Pembangkang, Anwar Ibrahim, berkata matlamat menakluki Putrajaya bukanlah untuk membalas dendam tetapi bagi memenuhi harapan rakyat jelata.

Katanya, apa yang rakyat jelata harapkan adalah sebuah kerajaan yang adil dan berkesan.

Anwar dilaporkan oleh media atas talian sebagai berkata, sekiranya PR berjaya menakluki Putrajaya, matlamatnya bukanlah memenjarakan atau menghukum musuh politik secara tidak adil.

Seperti dijangkakan, media arus perdana yang membuat liputan peristiwa itu menyifatkan Manifesto PR tersebut sebagai janji kosong yang sudah lapuk dan tidak praktikal.

Sekali pun beliau mungkin menyimpan rasa dendam, beliau tentulah tidak mahu menzahirkannya kerana ia boleh menjejaskan matlamat beliau yang lebih besar iaitu menjadi Perdana Menteri selepas PRU ini.

Lagipun, beliau tidak perlu melakukannya sendiri. Sekiranya beliau cerdik, beliau boleh menggunakan gerakan masyarakat sivil pro-PR bagi mencapai matlamat itu.

Mereka ini boleh mendesak agar tuduhan terhadap musuh politik mereka dibahaskan di Parlimen. Mereka boleh melaporkannya kepada polis atau membuat aduan kepada Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah Malaysia.

Kalau Anwar sendiri yang melakukannya, pastilah ada pihak yang akan menuduh beliau membalas dendam.

Saya yakin, maksud kenyataan Anwar itu, sama ada secara tersurat atau tersirat, akan mendapat perhatian rapi pemimpin dan pembesar Barisan Nasional.

Taktik Lembut Memikat Pengundi

Kenyataan beliau itu juga mempunyai mesej yang lebih luas dan psikologi yang mendalam iaitu beliau mahu melembutkan hati pengundi atas pagar dan melegakan perasaan aktivis bawahan BN serta kakitangan awam yang mereka bukanlah sasaran utama PR.

Anwar faham hal ini kerana beliau lama belajar daripada Umno dan BN. Politik parti Anwar bermula dengan Umno, apabila beliau menyertai parti itu pada tahun 1982. dan kekal sebagai Putera Mahkota hingga dipecat pada tahun 1998.

Taktik berlembut ini mungkin lebih berkesan di kalangan pengundi tidak berparti dan di kalangan penyokong bawahan Umno/BN serta di kalangan kakitangan awam, polis dan tentera peringkat rendah dan menengah.

Dalam konteks ini, saya rasa BN tidak boleh terlalu yakin atau mengandaikan yang semua kakitangan awam akan menyokongnya di peti undi.

Andaian umum ialah Anwar akan menjadi Perdana Menteri sekiranya PR menang. Tetapi umum juga tahu yang pemilihan Anwar belum mutakhir kerana ada elemen dalam PR, khasnya PAS, yang kurang selesa dengan beliau sebagai calon Perdana Menteri akibat isu-isu peribadi.

Dilema PR ialah ia tidak mempunyai parti komponen yang dominan manakala ideologi parti-parti anggota pula terlalu berbeza malah saling bercanggah antara satu sama lain.

Manakala PR telah mendahului BN dalam pelancaran manifesto, Pengerusi BN merangkap Perdana Menteri, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, seperti digambarkan oleh media arus perdana, semakin yakin dengan kepopularitian beliau dan dengan penerimaan rakyat terdapat rancangan-rancangan transformasi yang beliau lancarkan.

Beliau dilaporkan sebagai berkata, beliau akan mengumumkan tarikh PRU setelah beliau yakin yang rakyat sudah menerima kebaikan transformasi dan menikmati hasilnya. Wallahualam.

Adakah Lagi Tempat Melayu Bergantung?

A Kadir Jasin

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SEORANG usahawan Melayu yang pada suatu ketika dulu amat berjaya dan tersohor dengan mainan pasaran sahamnya yang sangat licik, tetapi sudah lebih sedekad terpelanting daripada perniagaan arus perdana di Malaysia kerana politik, bertanya saya kepada siapakah orang Melayu boleh bergantung.

Bukan alang kepalang punya soalan itu. Orang putih kata, a million-dollar question (soalan sejuta dolar). Saya kata, soalan yang tidak ada jawapan. Lagi hebat, dia bertanya soalan itu (melalui sistem pesanan ringkas/SMS) dari Milan, Itali yang berupa ibu kota fesyen dunia.

Untuk sama-sama memahami dan memikirkan jawapan kepada soalan berkenaan, izinkan saya mengemukakan beberapa fakta, andaian dan keluhan sebagai asas perbahasan:

1. Pada saat-saat kedudukan orang Melayu semakin terdesak dan terancam, kepemimpinan Melayu di kedua-dua belah sempadan politik dilemparkan pelbagai dakwaan, tuduhan dan insinuasi yang sangat dahsyat. Ada tuduhan sudah terbukti. Ada tuduhan sekadar sensasi. Ada tuduhan disangkal sepenuh hati. Ada yang pucat kesing, murung berdiam diri. Apabila tuduhan tidak dibalas, tentu ada yang percaya ia berasas.

2. Persepsi yang semakin negatif di kalangan orang Melayu sendiri terhadap jati diri, integriti dan moral pemimpin politik Melayu.

3. Yang malu, rugi dan dicaci adalah orang Melayu. Dan Melayu bukanlah ramai sangat di Malaysia ini. Menurut Bancian 2010, penduduk Malaysia seramai 27,484,596 orang. Daripada jumlah itu, Melayu 50.1%, Cina 22.5%, Bumiputera bukan Melayu 11.8%, India 6.7%, kaum-kaum lain 0.7% dan orang asing 2.25 juta atau 8.2%.

4. Jadi hanya separuh penduduk Malaysia orang Melayu dan orang Melayu pula, secara purata lebih daif daripada orang Cina dan India dari segi ekonomi. Orang Melayu dan Bumiputera adalah warga ekonomi kelas tiga. 

5. Orang Melayu semakin lemah dari segi politik kerana berpecah tiga - antara Umno, Pas dan PKR. Hanya Umno boleh dianggap parti yang berorientasikan Melayu. Itu pun azam Melayunya semakin luntur. Pas mengaku parti Islam dan PKR parti pelbagai kaum.

6. Kepemimpinan Melayu, sama ada dalam Umno, Pas atau PKR tidak lagi komited 100% mempertahan dan memperluaskan kuasa politik dan ekonomi Melayu/Bumiputera kerana berlumba-lumba memikat hati pengundi Cina dan India.

7. Sikap orang Melayu yang semakin lemah dan negatif terhadap jati diri bangsa, penerokaan ilmu, komitmen kepada kerjaya, mencari kejayaan dan mengumpul harta. Orang Melayu tidak malu lagi menjadi peminta bantuan dan penerima subsidi. Mereka semakin tidak berdaya berdikari, sesat dan hilang arah tujuan.

8. Mungkin benarlah kata Hang Tuah, takkan Melayu hilang di dunia. Tetapi kita tidak pernah pula mendengar Hang Tuah berkata, takkan Melayu hilang di Tanah Melayu. Hari ini, ke mana pun kita pergi di dunia, kita akan berjumpa orang Melayu yang boleh hidup senang di perantauan.

9. Saya sangat komited kepada pendirian bahawa zaman orang Melayu bergantung semata-mata kepada kepemimpinan politik Melayu sudah berlalu. Kalau orang Melayu masih berasa perlu mempertahankan bangsa mereka, mereka perlu mewujudkan suara atau kuasa ketiga di luar kerangka politik dengan berpayungkan Raja-raja mereka.

10. Dan dalam jangka masa singkat, saya tidak nampak wujud jalan pintas yang akan membolehkan orang Melayu mengembalikan kedudukan dominan mereka sebagai bangsa induk Malaysia. Kuasa ekonomi orang Melayu tidak pernah ada. Kini kuasa politik semakin terancam. Wallahualam.

BN Is Hoping For A Big Win

A Kadir Jasin

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A COUPLE of weeks ago, I asked one of the Prime Minister’s media handlers the wisdom of the Barisan Nasional bragging about “menang besar” (big victory) in the coming general election at the time, when, in my opinion, it is wiser for the ruling coalition to play the underdog.

I told him that the bragging by several low-ranking Umno and BN trumpeters would alert and deepen the resolve of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.

He said: “It is part of the strategy to boost the “winning mentality” among party members and supporters.”

Earlier, I asked an Umno insider what “menang besar” amounted to.

He said: “Getting back the two third parliamentary majority and recapturing states held by the opposition.”

So it does not come as a surprise when, on Feb 16 the Malaysian Insider reported that the BN is confident of winning at least 145 parliamentary seats, including recapturing several Umno seats lost in 2008.

The projection, according to the news portal, was about 10 seats higher than the outcome of surveys done by Malaysian intelligence agencies, which say the ruling coalition is only sure of 135 seats - five below 140 it won in Election 2008. BN now has 136 seats in the 222-seat Parliament.

At 145, the BN is three seats short of the two-third majority.

Unless there has been a decisive swing in favour of the BN in the last one year, the projection could be a tat too optimistic bearing in mind that the BN had lost additional seats since the 2008 General Election and took a pretty severe beating in the 2011 Sarawak state election.

                                       Mohd Najib looking forward to a big win

                               Anwar: Pointing the way towards Putrajaya

Voices of the People

Away from the seat of power and, depending on who we listen to, the feelings vary vastly. Here are some examples that I had picked up.

A retired Punjabi Lt. Col. of the Malaysian Armed Forces: “There will not be a general election. Close to the expiry date of the Parliament, an emergency will be declared and election is postponed.”

It sounded a bit over the edge. I told him: “We are dead if parliamentary democracy is suspended for whatever reason.”

An Indian dermatologist: “Najib (Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, the Prime Minister) is popular. He works hard and is doing a good job. But are the BN and Umno popular? What about the people around him?”

A Chinese consultant working for a government-linked company and an ardent supporter of the Prime Minister: “There is an improvement in Chinese support for the BN – maybe two or three per cent more.”

A Malay executive of a BN-linked company: “Isn’t this an election for Anwar (Anwar Ibrahim, the parliamentary opposition leader) to lose?”

(He also told me that his mosque in Kajang received extraordinarily high donations soon after the disbursement of the BR1M allocation and some members of the congregation told him that they had donated their BR1M for mosque activities.)

A Malay driver: “I asked my form three son to go to a Pakatan Rakyat ceramah near my flat and tell me what they said. He came back and told me ‘they talked about the submarine and Rosmah’s ring.’” Rosmah Mansor is the Prime Minister’s influential wife.

A bank clerk whose bank distributed BR1M: “They came to collect their money wearing their party shirts.”

(She was referring to people wearing Pas and PKR shirts and t-shirts when collecting their BR1M allocation.)

An expatriate Malaysian upon being told that she received a letter from the BN signed by Mohd Najib: “Ha ha, after all these years? How much are they offering me?”

A Kedah Umno operator: “We are going to work closely with the pondoks. They have rejected Anwar.”

A Malay student of a private university and a first time elector: “The Federal Territory Minister sent me a postcard welcoming me as a voter, but nobody has come to solicit my vote and the votes of the people in my area.”

An influential Umno veteran: “If Najib win big, he will become even more arrogant. So are the people around him. We must be prepared to criticise him. I will. If he does not do well, Umno will show him the door like Pak Lah (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister Mohd Najib succeeded.)

I asked him what he meant by Mohd Najib being arrogant.

He said: “When he first became PM I could tell him things. Now he tells me things. He is very confident of himself.”

Wallahualam.

Antara Fenomena PSY dan Loman Penjual Ubat

A Kadir Jasin

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TERINGIN juga menulis mengenai konsert Hari Raya Cina PSY di Pulau Pinang dan percubaan pembesar Barisan Nasional menangguk di air jernih.

Orang yang tahu selok-belok menangguk tidak akan menangguk di tempat yang jernih airnya sebab ikan nampak tangguk dan lari. Sebab itu orang yang pandai menangkap ikan akan menangguk, memukat dan menjala di air keruh. Lagipun, air jernih selalunya tidak ada ikan. Air boleh jadi keruh apabila banyak ikan berkumpul.

Orang yang baca media massa arus semasa seperti portal berita dan blog tentu sudah mengetahui apa yang berlaku di konsert itu.

                                                  "Are you ready for PSY? --"YES!"

Dalam bahasa Inggeris basahan, ia bolehlah disifatkan sebagai “daft”. Oleh kerana tindakan itu “daft” maka tidak perlulah kita menghabiskan masa membincangkannya.

Loman Penjual Ubat

Jadi kali ini saya akan menulis mengenai seorang penjual ubat yang sudah meninggal dunia yang sangat terkenal masa saya kanak-kanak dan remaja bernama Loman – singkatan kepada Abdul Rahman dalam loghat Thai.

Abdul Rahman mendakwa dia mualaf dan nama Abdul Rahman itu mengambil sempena nama Perdana Menteri Malaya/Malaysia waktu itu, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra. Malah Loman mendakwa dia anak angkat Tunku. Masuk akal juga sebab Tunku memang cergas dalam kegiatan dakwah Islamiah melalui Perkim.

Loman yang bercakap Melayu pelat Siam menjual ubat di merata pekan sehari di Kedah dan Perlis. Dia menjual pelbagai ubat, tetapi yang paling terkenal adalah ubat sakit gigi dan ubat cacing ramu. Cacing lamu, kata Loman. Dalam bahasa baku, cacing ramu dikenali sebagai cacing kerawit (Enterobius vermicularis). Ia adalah antara jenis cacing yang menjangkiti ramai orang kampung waktu itu.

Kempen jualan ubat cacing kerawit Loman berbunyi lebih kurang begini (dengan izin dan berbanyak-banyak maaf): “Cacin lamu dia tak kela pungkok sapa. Pungkok Loman pun dia kolek. Pungkok Tunku Abdul Rahman pun dia kolek. Pungkok laja pun dia kolek.”

Memang betul. Anggota badan kita yang paling kerap diserang cacing kerawit adalah dubur. Sesiapa yang pernah kena serangan cacing itu fahamlah penderitaannya. Duduk tak sedap. Hendak tidur pun susah.

                                                                     Cacing kerawit

Tetapi ia tidak susah diubati. Ada banyak ubat tradisional yang boleh membunuh cacing itu. Ubat paling mujarab sekarang berjenama Zentel. Ia boleh dibeli tanpa kebenaran doktor di farmasi.

Semua Untuk Jualan Kecuali Sang Isteri

Selepas mempromosikan keberkesanan ubat "cacin lamu"nya, Loman akan berjenaka: “Adik-adik, abang-abang mai la beli ubat Loman. Kalu tak hilang nyakit hilang det (duit). Minta det balik, Loman dah makan.”

Dia kerap membawa isterinya, seorang perempuan yang jauh lebih muda daripadanya. Dia boleh dikatakan cantik dan bergaya. Loman tahu ramai juga yang datang bukan untuk membeli ubat, tetapi untuk melihat isterinya.

Sambil menudingkan jari, Loman berkata: “Hat ni yuai (jual). Hat tu yuai. Semua yuai.”

Apabila sampai kepada isterinya, dia dengan senyum simpul berkata: “Hat tu tak yuai!”

Kalau Loman masih hidup, orang politik boleh belajar daripadanya. Loman tahu macam mana menarik minat pelanggan sebab dia ambil berat “mood” dan kehendak mereka.

Misalnya, dia tahu jangkitan cacing kerawit paling meluas pada musim hujan apabila tanah lembap dan kekotoran di mana saja. Dia tahu jangan sekali-kali berjenaka dengan orang sakit gigi.

Wallahualam.

Ular Dalam Mitos Cina

A Kadir Jasin

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DALAM mitos Cina, ular lazimnya dikaitkan dengan raksasa atau raksasa yang hidup semula. Raksasa pula dikaitkan dengan keburukan.

Maka tidak hairanlah kalau ahli nujum Taiwan, Tsai Shang-chi mengaitkan tahun ular dengan pergolakan politik. Taiwan adalah antara negara yang paling bergelora politiknya walaupun boleh dikatakan semua penduduknya Cina.

Penulis agensi berita Associated Press (AP), Annie Huang mengingatkan pembaca bahawa dalam dua putaran terakhir almanak Cina, tahun ular membawa bencana besar.

Pada tahun 1989 berlaku tindakan kejam pemerintah komunis ke atas penunjuk perasaan prodemokrasi di Dataran Tiananmen, Beijing. Pada tahun 2001, berlaku  serangan pengganas ke atas Pusat Dagangan Dunia serta Pentagon di Amerika.

Di negara kita pun politik bergelora, tetapi patut jugalah. Kalau Taiwan yang homogen penduduknya itu pun bergelora, apalah kita yang mempunyai penduduk berbagai-bagai bangsa, kaum, suku kaum, agama, budaya, bahasa dan status ekonomi.

China yang diperintah secara kuku besi oleh Parti Komunis China pun makin hari makin gelora. Orang bakar diri, orang bunuh diri, orang kaya tambah kaya, orang miskin papa kedana.

Di Singapura yang sudah berdekad-dekad tidak ada pemogokan tiba-tiba dilanda mogok oleh pemandu-pemandu bas dari Negara China.

Dalam pilihan raya kecil Ponggol East pada 26 Januari lepas, Parti Buruh mengalahkan parti pemerintah (Parti Tindakan Rakyat/PAP). Calon Parti Buruh memperoleh 54.5% undi. Dalam pilihan raya 2011, PAP menang dengan 54% undi.

Fahami Mitos Nyonya Ular Putih

Kita di Malaysia akan menghadapi pilihan raya umum tidak berapa lama lagi.

Jadi eloklah mana-mana juga parti yang sangat-sangat mengharapkan undi orang Cina tahu sedikit sebanyak mengenai mitos Nyonya Ular Putih.

                                          Lukisan Cina mengenai Nyonya Ular Putih

Manalah tahu Madam White Snake akan muncul menguasai minda dan mentaliti pengundi Cina untuk memilih siapa yang hendak dipangkah dan siapa pula yang hendak dibelasah.

Mengikut mitos Cina, Nyonya Ular Putih mempunyai kuasa mengubah dirinya daripada ular kepada manusia dan kembali semula kepada ular atau sebaliknya.

Sesiapa yang percaya kepada feng-shui atau daun teh bolehlah minta bantuan pakar feng-shui dan pembaca daun teh. Tetapi yang beragama Islam kenalah berwaspada kerana perbuatan seperti itu khurafat dan besar dosanya.

Ular Dalam Kehidupan Saya

Secara peribadi, ular jauh sekali daripada mitos bagi saya. Ia adalah realiti. Ular adalah sebahagian daripada kehidupan saya sejak kecil. Nenek saya hampir mati dipatuk ular tedung yang bersembunyi di dalam guri tempat dia menyimpan beras.

Di kampung saya ada ular tedung (senduk dan selar), ular kapak, ular punti, ular katam tebu, ular sawa, ular guni buruk, ular daun, ular lidi, ular air dan macam-macam jenis lagi. Sekarang di bandar pun banyak ular.

Tidak sampai tiga bulan lalu, ular tedung senduk masuk kandang burung saya dan makan dua ekor burung – seekor pipit jawa dan seekor budgerigar (berasal dari Australia).

Ia masuk melalui lubang kecil di lantai. Setelah menelan dua ekor burung itu, badannya terlalu besar untuk bolos melalui lubang itu. Saya mengetuk kepalanya perlahan-lahan dengan buluh panjang. Ia memuntahkan kedua-dua ekor burung yang ditelannya itu. Saya menjerut lehernya dan melepaskannya di padang golf.

Kalau boleh, saya tidak sekali-kali akan membunuh ular. Masa kecil, saya pernah simpan ular air sebagai binatang kesayangan (pet). Kita boleh mengelak bahaya dipatuk ular kalau kita berhati-hati, tahu tabiat ular dan melayannya dengan berhemah. Insya-Allah, kalau kita dalami alam ciptaan Allah, dengan ular pun kita boleh hidup bersama – coexist.