Trying not to bullshit too much

Long weekend.

Today is Merdeka, tomorrow Raya Haji, then Saturday and Sunday, then special holiday for SEA Games victory.

Hmmm....only in Malaysia, I guess.

No comment. Don't want people to get angry with me.

I know many of you all like this long weekend thing.

Typically Malaysian.

Never mind.

Well, I'm sitting alone at this place now.

There's a radio next to me playing some Malay songs.

Earlier, the news announced that all the highways were jammed.

Everyone going balik kampung again.

I'm not. Just sitting here quietly.

Actually, I can't drive long distance for now because of my ailment.

Otherwise, I would probably be going to the East Coast. Not been to the beach for months now.

Now, days like this, I just sleep at home.

Anyway, yesterday a friend from JB called and asked me whether Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is really going to contest there in the next general election.

He was referring to my last few postings on it.

"Eh, engko jangan main-main benda macam ni. Orang kat sini risau tau," he said.

I explained to him that I was just theorising.

'Aku goreng je postings tu. Ya lah. Kalau betul-betul jadi at least korang dah prepared. Korang banyak main tau tak? Semuanya main agak-agak je. Buatnya orang tua tu betul-betul turun lawan kat Johor, kang korang terkejut beruk pulak," I said to my friend.

Really. I don't know shit about where Dr Mahathir is going to contest in the next general election.

I just like the idea of him contesting against Shahrir in JB and make Khaled Nordin and his people sweat a bit.

That's all.

No need to panic, okay.

My friend also asked me when I'm going down to JB again.

Well, maybe next month.

Will ask my boss to pay for the trip.

If I can spend about a week there I can get things from the ground again for my writings.

Nowadays, I can just theorise about things.

Another word for it is bullshitting.

Actually, that's what most people do these days.

Thought of something and then write it in blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc.

And then claimed themselves to be political experts.

Especially those with charts and such.

Well, never mind.

Don't want to comment too much on that too.

Don't want people to get angry with me.

See lah, if I can get better, I'll try to be on the ground more.

That way I can write better stuff and do less bullshitting.

Okay, you all have a restful long weekend.

Try not to get stuck in the jam.

Here's a song,

Need to cook something now.

Hungry.

Ciao.

Annie and Jocelyn - about the Johor battleground

I wrote this on Saturday,

Dr Mahathir to contest in JB?

It turned out that the famous Jocelyn Tan of The Star wrote this the next day about Lim Kit Siang probably contesting in JB,

Malay tsunami – fact or psywar? 

I didn't notice it and wrote this instead the same day

Another place where Dr Mahathir can contest in Johor

I only realised about Jocelyn's article after reading Big Dog's and Voicey's just now,

Projection of sentiments Vs facts

Kit Siang's Malay tsunami psywar, Lethargic Chinese surprise

Quite amusing actually.

You all have to excuse me for being a bit late into reading Jocelyn's article.

It was Sunday and I was not feeling well enough that day to go out to buy newspapers or even surf the net too much.

Anyway, my postings during weekends are mostly out of whims, actually. No proper research.

I'm better today, so that's why I'm reading a bit more and therefore noticed that Jocelyn's article.

Well, I have great respect for Jocelyn as a political writer even though I do not agree with all that she wrote.

For one thing, I know that she actually tried her best to be on the ground to gather her materials, unlike so many others who just sat in their room and conjured up stories and then claimed themselves to be experts.

I bumped into Jocelyn many times at odd places where most high profile political writers would not go to get their stories.

For instance, I met her on one damp rainy night at a small gathering at a community field in Taman Tun Aminah, Johor Baru as she followed the rounds of TS Abdul Ghani Othman during the last days of campaigning of the last general election in 2013.

Ghani was at that time on his suicide mission against Kit Siang in the Chinese-majority Gelang Patah.

Despite her age and seniority, Jocelyn, in my opinion, sticks to being a true journalist by doing assignments that were normally only assigned to rookie reporters.

Yes, I admire her for that.

I was very young when I first met Jocelyn. She was working for New Straits Times at that time. I even remember the date - June 5, 1997.

At that time, I didn't know her yet as a political writer. Instead, I love to read her regular feature articles in NST.

This is exactly what I said to her at that moment,

"So, you are Jocelyn Tan. You are my favourite NST writer," I said enthusiastically.

I know, I sounded dumb, but those were my words. I didn't know what she looked like before that. Those days newspapers hardly carried picture by-lines of their journalists. And there were no internet too.

She smiled sheepishly as her collegues, who were with her made funny remarks to what I said.

She was cute. Still is.

Of course, I don't think she remembers that.

Well, nice memory that one.

As for her article on Kit Siang wanting to go against Shahrir in JB, I think it's plausible but I highly doubt Kit Siang will try it.

After all, the JB parliamentary constituency is still a Malay majority area.

Kit Siang, is not that brave.

He is not Ghani Othman, okay.

I don't even think he will lead the Pakatan's charge in Johor, knowing that BN will use the age-old anti-DAP sentiments among Malays, especially in that state.

I still think Dr Mahathir will be the one to play that role, if not in JB, then it's going to be as I said - in Muar.

I may wrote my last two posts on it out of whims, but the truth is, I had been thinking about it for quite a while.

Pakatan will need something to shock BN if it's to have a serious chance to capture Johor.

Imagine this - Dr Mahathir contesting JB and Kit Siang defending his Gelang Patah seat.

The two of them going around Johor selling the idea that the Malays and Chinese Johoreans can work together to topple BN.

That, I think, can be quite dangerous for BN.

Some may think that Dr Mahathir will never get out of his comfort zone in Kedah but I have this feeling that being 92, he may feels that this general election is his one and only shot left.

He would want to make it counts and for that he will throw caution to the wind and go for a do or die battle.

That battle will be in Johor, the birth place of Umno, which he is trying to kill now.

And for that, I doubt that he would want to be safe in Langkawi and so out of the lime light.

But then again, that's just my hunch and I'm not a reknown political writer like Jocelyn Tan.

Jocelyn must have written her article after doing thorough research and hearing about it from credible sources.

So, you all should stick to serious reading on this matter with Jocelyn.

Read mine just for fun, okay.

Cheers.

Another place where Dr Mahathir can contest in Johor

Someone took the trouble to call me up yesterday and asked why I teased Shahrir in my last post,

Dr Mahathir to contest in JB?

Well, to tell you all the truth, I find Shahrir annoying.

Everyone seems to overrate him so much.

Seriously, what are his achievements which were beneficial other than to his own personality?

What are his memorable contributions the several times he was a minister?

Think about it, okay.

Anyway, I actually intended that last post of mine as a reminder of the real and present danger to BN should Pakatan decides to go all out in capturing Johor in the next general election.

After all, Johor is the key to break Umno as it is the birth place of the party.

What better way it would be than having Dr Mahathir to personally lead the attack.

Pakatan actually tried it in the last general election with Lim Kit Siang leading the attack at Gelang Patah.

This time, I think Dr Mahathir could try it in Johor Baru, the parliamentary constituency bearing the name of the state capital.

I always think that the handsome old man should just rest, but since he had proven himself  incapable of resting, then I suggest for him to go all out instead.

For that, he should not settles on contesting a safe seat such as Langkawi, where everyone is grateful to him, and he is sure to win.

What's the fun in that, right?

I think, just for the heck of it, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah should contest in Langkawi.

I'm quite sure she can win there even without campaigning. No joke.

If Dr Wan Azizah can be Anwar's proxy,  what's wrong with Dr Siti Hasmah being Dr Mahathir's proxy?

Dr Mahathir should contest in JB instead because of so many reasons.

Of course he shouldn't contest in Pekan against Najib because that would be stupid.

I know Pekan very well and there's no way Dr Mahathir can beat Najib there.

JB on the other hand is different.

Dr Mahathir actually have a chance to win there against Shahrir.

More importantly, the anti-BN people in Johor will be so hyped up by Dr Mahathir contesting in their state that they may even manage to capture what used to be the Umno's stronghold.

That's what Lim Kit Siang tried to do when he decided to contest in Gelang Patah in the last general election.

Lucky for BN at that time the retiring TS Abdul Ghani Othman was willing to fight a losing battle at the Chinese-majority constituency to contain Kit Siang from wrecking more havoc in Johor.

Maybe Khaled Nordin would be interested to stand in for his former mentor Shahrir in JB in the event Dr Mahathir is to contest there?

Well, I doubt it.  Furthermore that would not help much, I think. Dr Mahathir will go on rampaging around Johor and beyond no matter whether his opponent is Shahrir or Khaled.

Khaled is no Ghani, okay.

Anyway, just imagine what would happen if Dr Mahathir actually wins and becomes the JB MP.

I can instantly think of a few,

1. He can actually shuts up Shahrir for the final time.

2. It would be easier for him to irritate Singaporeans that they are his next door neighbours.

3. He can annoys Sultan of Johor more if he wins. After all, Istana Pasir Pelangi is in the JB constituency.

Hmmm....those are just off my head.

If I'm Dr Mahathir, I would be quite tempted to try it.

Well, why not? Nothing to lose what.

I know, some of you all think I'm a bit crazy writing this.

After all, Shahrir still have over 10,000 majority.

Okay, how about this instead.....Dr Mahathir to contest in Muar.

BN MP there Razali Ibrahim got just about 1,600 majority.

Imagine Dr Mahathir as the MP of the royal town of Johor.

That could be quite uncomfortable for many people in my home state, I think.

Hahaha...how about that, eh?

Okay lah, enough with my Dr Mahathir in Johor crazy theories.

Here, listen to this better,

Nice, right?

Cheers.

Dr Mahathir to contest in JB?

I read this story and I laughed,

Shahrir To Consider PM's Request To Continue Leading JB UMNO

excerpts :

- Shahrir, who is Johor Bahru UMNO division chief, told reporters after the opening of the division's delegates conference here today that he would discuss the matter with the division and branch leaders and members before making a decision.

- When opening the conference, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had openly expressed hope that the Johor Bahru Member of Parliament would not step down, saying that Shahrir was still needed to lead the division.

- Also supporting the call for Shahrir to continue helming Johor Bahru UMNO was Menteri Besar and state UMNO liaison chief Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who in his speech at the same event, described Shahrir as a political icon, and a credible and respected figure.

I wish they could just be frank about it and said - there's no one else to replace Shahrir to contest the JB seat because Shahrir never trained anyone to replace him there.

Instead, Shahrir said he's going to discuss about it and such. What to discuss lah? It's a done deal. Don't be malu kuching and pretend, can or not?

Also, next time don't be gatal and say don't want to contest anymore while in actual fact you knew that there's no one else to replace you because you designed it that way.

Well, doesn't really matter to me. Shahrir can keep the JB seat till the day he died.

That is if he can keep it lah after the next general election. His majority there was slashed from over 20,000 to just over 10,000 over the past two general elections.

By the way, I wish Khaled could explain how his former boss is so iconic, credible and respected. I'm a bit lost on that one.

All I know is that he made his political career by whacking Dr Mahathir when the handsome old man was still the PM. People actually thought he's so good just because of that.

Really, other than that, what else?

How I wish Dr Mahathir can contest against Shahrir in JB for GE14.

Sorts of making it the last rumble for both of them.

That would shake things up quite a bit, especially in Johor, isn't it?

And for state seat, maybe Dr Mahathir should contest where ever Khaled is contesting.

Just a thought ya.....hahahahaha

Eh, but it's not totally impossible too, okay.

Dr Mahathir was said to have drafted a 10 points plan on how Pakatan can defeat BN in Johor

Anyway,  this is another story which made me laughed the other day,

Make Defending Putrajaya A 'Jihad' - UMNO Members Told

excerpts;

"Here, high hope is placed on UMNO, as the frontliners, to defend Putrajaya, as a symbol for the present government to be maintained.

"As frontliners, your huge sacrifice is demanded and because of that, the fight to defend Putrajaya in a jihad much needed by the party," he said when opening the Putrajaya UMNO delegates conference here today.

Do they really need to use the word "jihad" like that?

But then again, this is a story about Shahidan Kassim and Ku Nan.

I shouldn't expect too much.

Still, it was funny to read.

Can't they came out with more sober and proper way to motivate their people.

I really don't like them throwing around the word "jihad" like that.

Can't they just do things properly and lead by example in order to motivate?

I've seen other Umno people like Ghani Othman and Johari Ghani did it, why can't they?

Sultan Johor vs KJ

This one is sorts of a continuation of this previous post,

TMJ vs KJ

I think you all have read this story,

Johor sultan challenges Malaysian polo team to a match

excerpts;

“I challenge the Sea Games polo team to come to Johor and show your fangs since news of your greatness precedes you,” Sultan Ibrahim said. 

“I’d like to extend the invitation to the youth and sports minister and hopefully he won’t disappoint the requests of the people to see your team defeat the Johor team.”

Khairy is a member of the Malaysian Sea Games polo team.

His comments followed the Malaysian team’s match against Singapore today, in which he singled out an unnamed player who “came on and asked the performing player to pretend to be injured” after the national team had taken the lead.

“So, there’s a photo of him in the team, to be featured in the print media and spread the propaganda as if he was victorious and reliable.”

The sultan said he would play in the Johor team in the proposed match, along with his two sons and two horse trainers, adding that if they lost, he would admit to the superiority of the nation’s Sea Games team. 

I received quite a number of messages yesterday over the story.

Unfortunate to say, they were mostly negative.

Some asked me why did Sultan Ibrahim issue such a challenge.

How would I know.

Probably, KJ had done something to irritate the Johor royal household.

I used the word "irritate" because "anger" would not be the right word.

I don't think Sultan Ibrahim is angry with KJ.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be issuing a challenge of a polo match.

A polo match, is a noble game of gentlemen. They drink tea on the veranda of the posh club house while watching the match. All very nice and high class, okay.

You don't get angry with someone and challenge him to that.

I think if the sultan was really angry with KJ, he would instead challenge him to a fist fight.

Of course, that would not happen, right?

For me, the sultan's challenge is more that of a gentlemanly dare to someone who annoys him.

In this case, Sultan Ibrahim was probably annoyed with KJ for fooling around with polo, a sport that he loves, and he issued the challenge, just to prove a point.

Maybe KJ and his team will accept the challenge.

Then, Sultan Ibrahim and his sons will thrash them in the match, after which they will have tea and later on in the evening a banquet with laughter and merriment all around.

The sultan, TMJ, KJ and everyone else will have a good time and everything will be fine again after that.

Yes, I think that is what will happen.

So, no need to get all worked up over this matter, actually.

And of course I'm sure the Johor royal polo team will massacre KJ and his team on the field. No doubt about that.

Just have a look at the video of the Johor team, ok.

The need to be fair

Despite my appeal for people

• Not to be so annoying

I still received these sorts of comments,

Anonymous22 August 2017 at 09:16

BN Khaled & his macais are enjoying while it last as GE14 will be a total annihilation for BN and annie too should be enjoying before BN doomsday come wink wink wink

Yes, it's annoying, okay.

I picked that one up from my last post because despite being annoying, it's short and doesn't sounds not very intelligent as compared to the long winded ones.

Since this type of comments mostly came from the Pakatan people who visited this blog, it does makes me wonder whether they could be any better than the BN people in handling freedom of speech and expression.

Many of them appeared unable to handle criticisms even from people who also criticise  their BN opponents.

It's again that matter of either you are with us or against us mentality.

Couldn't they handle those who decided not to choose their side nor that of their opponents?

For these people, their side is beyond criticism.

I think they need to look in the mirror once in a while so that they can see whatever not so nice and correct those defects.

On top of that, they need to be cool about it.

You see, I did allow these sorts of anti-BN comments through even though I'm not sure whether what were written are true,

Anonymous20 August 2017 at 17:29

Hi Annie,

BN has already commenced their clandestine and covert ways and means to cajole the innocent public to support them in the next polls.
My friend's daughter secured a place to pursue her tertiary education in one of our public university just a month ago.

As in the case of many middle income group, her parents applied for PTPTN and were successful in the application.

Guess what happened next....in her Surat Tawaran Wang Pendahuluan Pembiyaan (RM1500) she was directed to go to the MP's office to collect the cash.And the MP belongs to BN.

During the collection activity, her parents were told to vote for the MP in the forthcoming elections.They were also cautioned of the repercussions if they voted otherwise.
The shameless MP even had the cheek to pose for a selfie with the applicant.

In 2009, my two children were granted PTPTN for their further studies in local varsities and we were directed to open a SSPN savings account in CIMB to facilitate the funding.There was no involvement of MP's or any slimy politician.

How low can this stupid BN stoop ? Why such desperation ?

Why must an MP get involved in the disbursement of a loan that is entirely the responsibility of the student in as far as repayment is concerned ?

Bodoh Piang bin Bangang !!!!!

Cheers
Rasta Rules

I even agreed on the part about the need for wakil rakyat to be sincere in their work.

But then again, I feel that we need to be fair.

There are actually BN MPs who are sincere in representing and helping the rakyat.

In fact the good ones may even outnumbered the bad ones.

I have met some of them and was impressed by their work.

The same goes with the opposition MPs. Some are good, others are bad.

Whatever it is, that's for their constituents to decide actually.

Come election day we should know whether they are good or bad.

Unless of course if they move to contest in another constituency where the people there do not really know them la.

Some are like that, they didn't stay in one place as they knew if they do that people in that constituency would not vote for them again because of their lousy service as wakil rakyat there.

Okay, I know, the Pakatan readers (especially the commentators) of this blog may want me to give an example of a good BN MP.

Watch this short video, okay;

Those in the video are real people in need and as according to them, they did get help from their MP who is a BN guy.

Bear in mind that the urban constituency of Titiwangsa was wrested back from Pakatan by BN in 2013 despite the Chinese tsunami....or urban tsunami, whichever you wished to call it.

How did that happen?

I think it's because Jo Ghani worked his ass off on the ground like in that video long before the last general election.

I know, his majority is not much but considering the circumstances at that time, it was still a good achievement.

After all, as I wrote previously, nothing beat real work on the ground like that, no matter whether the wakil rakyat is a BN or Pakatan guy.

Another wedding and a bit on Johor MB

Was at yet another wedding reception today. Been like this for the last four weekends.

To Ahmad Arshad Said and Najwa Solehah Shamsul Bahrin,

Wishing and congratulating both of you on the special day of your lives.
May you have lifetime love, harmony and happiness.
Have a great marriage

I quite enjoyed attending the wedding.

Ate quite a bit too,

Nasi beriyani, Palembang beef, mutton curry, some fruits and chrysanthemum tea

Very sedap, but I think if I eat like that for one week straight, I would probably be dead. Too rich.

Anyway, as I was sitting quietly there eating my food, I received these wassap messages from a friend.

- Jauh MB ko lunch hari ni
- Sampai starhill
- Datang segerombolan

Apparently, Johor Menteri Besar DS Mohamed Khaled Nordin was having lunch with about 10 of his people at the Luk Yu Tea House in Bukit Bintang, KL

Hmmmm....

I guess that more or less an indication that the general election is not likely within the next two or three months.

Many are saying now that it will be in November.

That couldn't be, as Khaled seemed to still have the time to spend his weekends in KL.

If the election is so near, I don't think he would have the luxury to spend precious weekends outside Johor.

I remember his predecessor, TS Abdul Ghani Othman spending all his weekends on exhaustive tour of all the kawasan peti undi in Johor as far back as a year before the last general election in 2013.

Ghani can't do that during the week days at that time because he had the state administration to run too.

I'm quite sure Khaled would do the same too if this coming general election is already just around the corner.

He wouldn't have time to hang out with buddies at a fancy restaurant in KL during the weekends if the polls will be in November as predicted by a lot of people now....right?

Unless maybe Johor BN's election preparations are already in tip top condition that he can afford such luxuries.

Hmmmm.....I'm a bit skeptical about that.

Well....don't know lah.

Talk too much, people get angry with me pulak.

Never mind.

Okay, here's some music to cheer up your weekend,

Nice, right?

That drummer is the fantastic Kanade Sato.

Cheers

Good that Malaysia is really neutral over Arab quarrel

Last month I wrote this,

• Malaysia must not join Arab states against Qatar

excerpts;

I was told that the people who wanted us to take sides in the dispute wanted Malaysia to be with the other Arab states going against Qatar.

Yesterday, Jahabar of Malaysian Insight wrote this,

Qatar emir's visit causes split in Putrajaya

excerpts;

The Malaysian Insight understands Foreign Minister Anifah Aman is firm that Putrajaya, as a neutral party in the Gulf diplomatic crisis, will host Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al-Thani when he visits next month

But Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also the Special Functions Minister and seen to be close to the Saudi government, wants the trip delayed until peace is brokered between the Middle East nations.

"There is a spat and Anifah is unhappy, to put it diplomatically, that his ministry's decisions and jurisdiction is being questioned. The emir has been invited and it cannot be delayed," a source told The Malaysian Insight.

Then both Hishammuddin and Anifah immediately denied Jahabar's story,

Malaysia welcomes Qatari emir visit, denies ministerial rift

excerpts;

Hishammuddin Hussein and I have long been working very well and closely with each other on many occasions,” Anifah said in a statement. 

“The government of Malaysia looks forward to the state visit by the emir of Qatar and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with other Malaysian government agencies are currently making the necessary preparations for the visit,” he added. 

He also said Malaysia had made its position clear on “the ongoing difficulties between the Arab Quartet and Qatar”.

“Why should there be rift? The rift is between the Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“Do you really think that I can stop the emir of Qatar if he wants to come?” Hishammuddin said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

Whatever it is, I'm glad that it's confirmed now Malaysia will remain neutral as far as the Arab quarrel is concerned.

I believe that's the best for the country.

It doesn't matter to me that Jahabar's story, and in a way my post on the matter too, were denied by the ministers yesterday.

For me, that's only natural.

I don't know about Jahabar, but I didn't write that post of mine last month simply to make the ministers seemed to be quarreling  with each other over the issue.

I didn't even mention any of the ministers' name.

My posting was actually just an appeal for PM DS Najib Razak and his government to do the right thing which is to remain neutral when it comes to other people's disputes.

In this case, I believe that we have a good foreign minister in Anifah and therefore Najib and the government should trust him and his people at Wisma Putra to handle such matters.

I also think that Anifah is the best Sabah guy that Najib have in his Cabinet.

The guy is cool and I really believe that he knows what he is doing.

These are two of my previous postings on him,

Maybe Anifah is more humane than Aung San Suu Kyi

Please let Anifah do his job

Guys in red look the same

The Pribumi people have been going to town about Umno people being responsible for the fracas at their Nothing To Hide 2.0 forum over the weekend.

Most linked the culprits to the Red Shirts of that funny Jamal Sekinchan Ikan Bakar guy.

Umno people on the other hand accused the Pribumi people of self-sabotage to gain public sympathy.

They said it's the work of the Pribumi's youth wing Armada who themselves organised the event.

There were tones of this debate in the social media.

However, when people asked me what I think of it, I said I don't know.

Seriously.

I was not there, so what can I say?

Both sides of the argument have their own logics.

Honestly, I feel that both sides are more or less the same so that I can't really tell who were telling the truth and who were lying.

They even sounded the same.

In fact, they even look almost the same,

Red Shirts

Armada

What is it with these guys and wearing red?

Personally, I prefer purple.

Okay, I know the Pribumi supporters will say their Armada guys are very much nicer than the Red Shirts.

Well, I don't like the Red Shirts too. They tend to look thuggish and behave as such.

But than again, I find that the Pribumi side, despite their Armada leader looking a bit cute, can be as nasty too.

Just read the comments section of this blog, okay.

They were very quick to jump on my neck whenever they didn't like what I wrote.

And of course they mercilessly whacked people they don't like and any BN or Umno supporters who dare to voice their opinion in this blog.

Sometimes I do wish that they were not too harsh.

I think it only makes people like them less.

By the way, why they called themselves Armada, eh?

It's weird la.

So, I rather look at the fracas over the weekend as just another one of those usual Malaysian political comedies.

Alhamdulillah though that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali were not injured in the incident.

I always feel that the elderly couple should not be exposed to such risks, but since they insisted on going on the campaign trail,  I hope the Pribumi people could tighten security at events to be attended by them.

Pas-Umno cooperation and possible GE14 scenario

After reading this Bernama story yesterday, I was convinced that there will be a real political cooperation between Umno and Pas for the coming general election,

Pas practices mature, constructive politics  - Najib

excerpts,

The prime minister, who is on a one-day visit to Kelantan, said because of Pas’ maturity in politics, the party had become a constructive opposition party.

“We oppose (one another), but in certain matters that bring good and benefit for the people, we can cooperate,” he said.

Most significantly, Najib said all that at an Umno function in Pas-governed Kelantan and in the presence of Kelantan Umno chief DS Mustapa Mohamed.

I think it's sort of a signal to Tok Pa and Kelantan Umno people that it's okay for them to let Pas keep the state as it has now become a good opposition party, and friendly to BN.

In return, perhaps they may probably have a Pas-Umno coalition Kelantan government after the next general election.

The same set-up seems possible in other states too, particularly in the outright Malay majority states of Kedah, Terengganu, Pahang and Perlis.

They may have an arrangement where Pas lead in Kelantan and Kedah while Umno lead in Terengganu, Pahang and Perlis.

If Umno and its BN allies prevail in the other states, Pas elected representatives may also be included in the state administration there even though the party may not be joining the ruling coalition.

BN may also expect support from Pas MPs in the parliament even if they are sitting in the opposition side of the hall.

In return, Pas may get the support of Umno MPs every time it proposes some "Islamic laws".

There may even be ministers appointed from among the Pas MPs at that point.

It's actually a good arrangement for both Umno and Pas.

It secures at least the five outright Malay majority states for Umno in the bigger picture, while Pas may get to lead Kedah in addition to its Kelantan now.

Yes, Kedah may then also have syariah public whippings too like in Kelantan soon. 

Pakatan's Malay parties of Pribumi and Amanah which were expected to contest in those states may not likely stand much of a chance against a combined Pas and Umno arrangement.

Okay, maybe Pribumi and Amanah can put up a bit of a fight in Kedah but I don't think the Dr Mahathir factor is enough for them to defeat a combined Umno and Pas in the state.

Kedahans that I know told me that they will only vote either BN or Pas. They seemed allergic to other than those two parties. It's brand loyalty, I guess.

With that, Umno can therefore concentrates its energy and resources in the other states where Pas knows that it would not be able to do much due to its lack of non-Malay support.

There are Penang, Perak, Selangor, Federal Territories, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah.

BN will probably not put up too much of a fight in Penang, Selangor and Federal Territories. The anti-BN sentiment on the ground there is probably very bad, that they would not want to waste too much effort and resources.

Meanwhile, Sarawak is already in the bag.

Sabah too. Probably Shafie Apdal's Warisan may manage a decent showing but I doubt it will be able to do more than just winning a few electoral seats.

So the only real fight will be in Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor. They are going to be the key states of GE14.

BN is likely to put more efforts there than elsewhere.

I believe Pakatan planners knew this and will do likewise.

Their chances are the best in Perak and Johor where the racial composition and level of political awareness are similar to that of Selangor.

Pakatan chances in Perak should be for now at about 50/50. and in Johor about 40/60.

Even if they can't wrest those states, Pakatan may likely be able to get extra parliament seats there.

I think Negeri Sembilan and Malacca are at slightly lesser risks for BN compared to in Perak and Johor.

Still, BN does have the over all advantage at this stage.

Worst case scenario for BN is that it loses in Penang, Perak, Selangor, Federal Territories, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor but still wins (with the help of Pas) in Perlis, Kedah, Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sarawak and Sabah. That's 7-7.

But a more realistic scenario is that, BN is just likely only going to lose in Penang, Selangor, Federal Territories and maybe Perak.

Despite some of my friends in Johor saying my home state will likely fall to Pakatan, I still think BN will prevail there. It may lose some more parliament and state seats but I just can't believe that it can become another Selangor.

To a lesser extent, I feel the same about Negeri Sembilan and Malacca.

Combined with Pas MPs, I also think BN will still control parliament even though without the two third majority after GE14. It should basically be about the same as now.

Again, bear in mind that my calculations include the likelihood of Umno-Pas coalition state governments in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Kedah and Perlis.

Okay, at the moment, that's how I think it will be for GE14 and its outcome.

Love songs

Woke up a bit early.

Going to my cousin's wedding in a short while.

So many weddings of people I know over the past weeks.

Mating season, I guess.

Better lah.

The past year, so many people I know died.

It was as if some sorts of deadly plague had set upon them.

Well, weddings are much better than funerals.

I wish I can have one for myself too, but I don't think I have much hope for that.

Better chance of me having a funeral, I think...hahaha.

I'm still not well.

Don't even know if I could get well.

Never mind.

Must cheer up a bit for the wedding.

Sorry, no politics today.

Actually, thinking about funerals is better than thinking about politics.

Politics is really darker and gloomier.

At funerals, at least everyone is a friend.

You don't fight at funerals. Politics seems so stupid at such moments.

Okay, need to go now.

Here's a love song to go with the wedding mood,

I sing this song whenever I think about my love life these days.

Used to sing this one back then,

Cheers and have a good weekend.

A neutral observation

Actually, I did my last four posts the way they are to test the response of readers from both sides of the political divide to views of a neutral observer such as myself.

Two of the posts are slightly pro-BN and the others slightly pro-Pakatan.

About 80 percent of the comments are from the pro-Pakatan crowd.

Most of them were not happy with every pro-BN elements of the postings.

They seemed to react quite harshly to the posts perceived not to be in their favour.

On the other hand, the few pro-BN readers who commented seemed more docile even when I appeared to be criticising their side.

The truth is, I wrote all four posts aimed at highlighting weaknesses of both sides and the need to remedy them.

• A bit on soundbites from Johor over tea

- It's on the need for BN not to be over confident even at its strongholds as the chances of it losing the next general election is quite real.

• Don't be so annoying

-  The post was meant to inform the Pakatan people that they could not hope to replace the BN people if they behave as bad as the BN people or worse.

• Bland stories on a happy day

- This one is to inform the BN people why their methods were not doing so well in the perception war to win the heart and mind of the people.

• An example of how Pakatan people screwed up

- This post is actually to tell Pakatan people not to get arrogant with their opinions because they could be distasteful to many who would otherwise support them.

As I wrote above, I think the BN side reacted more positively to my criticisms than the Pakatan side.

The BN people may not like what I wrote but they were not too quick to jump on my head and accuse me of this and that.

As for the reactions of the Pakatan people, you all just need to go to the comments section of those postings and judge for yourselves.

I feel that the Pakatan people need to be more cool and not too quick to jump to conclusions.

But then again, maybe they just enjoy whacking people that they perceived to be their enemies.

Many people are like that.

The question is, how are they to be better than the BN people with such an attitude?

Think about it, okay.

Anyway, I'm not feeling very well today.

Something to do with my heart. Very painful.

So, that's all for now.

For a bit of cheer, here's a wonderful song,

It's actually requested by an Indian friend.

Nice, right?

An example of how Pakatan people screwed up

Someone suggested for me to read an anti-BN blog written by a supposedly intelligent woman named Mariam Mokhtar.

Honestly, I never read anything by her before this.

So, I gave it a try and read this latest post in the blog,

What has “bumiputeraism” done for the Malays?

It actually made me felt like going back being a full-fledged pro-BN blogger again.

Really. I was that disgusted.

I found the post to be extremely arrogant, insulting and condescending.

If I'm a BN operative, I would like to translate the article to Bahasa Malaysia and distribute it among the Malays, telling them that this is the typical attitude of anti-BN people.

That should be able to secure several hundred thousands extra votes for BN.

It's much better than whacking Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad which only have the opposite effect.

I tried checking the background of this Mariam Mokhtar but can't really find it.

But I bet she's one of those Malays who never care to learn how 70 per cent of the Bumiputera were living below the poverty line before the introduction of the New Economy Policy in the early 1970s.

Now it's almost next to zero per cent, with many these days complaining about their perceived poverty in the social media via their expensive sophisticated smartphones.

This Mariam Mokhtar probably never experienced poverty herself and never feel anything when the Malays were being generalised as stupid or lazy by others.

Her line of reasoning is actually very similar to that of many DAP people that I know.

So, it's not really off the mark to say that's the typical attitude towards Malays of many who wanted BN out.

I think it's also the very reason why many Malays would never accept the opposition, particularly DAP.

Malays as a whole would never accept arrogant, insulting or condescending people like that.

At least Najib, no matter what accusations they threw at him never treated them with such contempt.

A bit of search also revealed that I'm not alone in my opinion about the woman's writings.

I'm putting in full here a posting from what appeared to be a dormant politically neutral blog about another arrogant, insulting and condescending article by Mariam Mokhtar,

A Response to Mariam Mokhtar’s “A superior Malay … is an Arab”

So, The Heat Malaysia featured an article by (who I assume to be) guest writer Mariam Mokhtar. She’s pretty prolific, with her own website and articles/opinion pieces featured in a bunch of news portals. Go click on this link above and then come back. Done? Cools. Okay, if you were too lazy to read the whole thing, Mariam basically is writing about the modern Malay fascination with Arab culture. I’m sure you’ve seen examples of it. Lots of people are emulating the clothes, rituals, habits and speech patterns (using the Arabic names for holidays like Hari Raya, for example). There’s also a pretty heavy focus on religion in many of these cases. Mariam argues that the adoption of this culture is making Malay people intolerant and arrogant towards non-Malays and patronising towards Malays who choose not to adopt those ‘Arabic’ aspects. But here’s my problem. She does it terribly. Ms Mokhtar, if you’re reading this, know that I have no hard feelings on you personally, but your opinion piece is honestly quite horrifying to read. She starts off with an anecdote that goes: “Until the 1990s, a Malay boy would  usually reply that his ambition would be to become a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer. Today, a sea [of] change has occurred. A child social worker said, “These days, many Malay boys aspire to become ustaz. They appear to have no other ambition, or interests.”” I don’t know who this child social worker is, but they’re a horrible child social worker. I thought people in that field were supposed to encourage kids to achieve their dream? I mean, who are you to say that taking up a religious profession means a lack of ambition? She goes on and gives a list of occupations that she thinks are more ‘beneficial’ (engineers and scientists, lecturers and trade workers) and compliments those people for wanting to help their communities, as if those in a religious profession are lazy and ignorant themselves. Come on, Ms Mokhtar, I’m sure you know better than to generalize an entire group? But wait. She then writes: “Many Malays today, are intolerant and arrogant. They claim superiority over other Malaysians, but when it comes to meritocracy, they suddenly cry foul, and blame the non-Malays of denying them of their rights. […] Today, the Malays have allowed the insidious Arabisation to creep into their everyday life, and dilute their own culture. Their children are given Arabic sounding names, which are difficult to spell and are almost unpronounceable. […] Why does the Malay man not ride his camel to work, rather than terrorise other road users with his kapchai or Proton?” You have got to be kidding me, right? Calling an entire culture ‘insidious’? Making fun of their naming conventions? Using ridiculous stereotypes like ‘Arabs ride camels’? I’m sorry, which group of people are you calling out for being intolerant of other cultures again? And here is where the nail in the coffin lies, guys. She ends her piece with this stunning work of journalistic talent: “The Saudi Arabians depend on Pakistani and Bangladeshi menial labourers. We, too, depend heavily on Bangladeshi workers. If he’s not careful, the ‘superior’ Malay will be an Arab… or perhaps a Bangladeshi.” Give this woman a Pulitzer Prize, folks! I’m going to ignore the incredibly obvious question of “How is that at all relevant to this discussion?” because that would be too easy. How on Earth could you be so condescending to foreign workers? If ‘superior Malays’ are not ‘careful’, they’ll end up like Bangladeshis? How do you mean, Ms Mokhtar? Do you mean to say that they will begin to work extremely hard? Do you mean to say that they’ll be willing to travel thousands of kilometres, going through isolation in a foreign country in hope of a better life for their family? Or perhaps you wanted to say that they’d face persecution, abuses of their rights, and offensive opinion pieces put out on The Heat Malaysia treating them like the butt of a bad joke? No, Ms Mokhtar, I don’t believe you meant to say any of those things. You were just trying to make a cheap shot at the expense of one of the most marginalized communities in Malaysia, and while trying to prove how ‘intolerant and arrogant’ a certain group of people were because they adopted Arab culture, you proved that a person could be just as intolerant and arrogant and condescending without adopting it. I have friends from many different national backgrounds, I am happy to say. Some of them are from the Middle East, some of them are from Bangladesh. They vary in educational qualification and income levels, but the most important thing is that they vary at all. They’re not some homogeneous, faceless, monolithic group that it’s okay to make fun of. Your opinion piece was basically the equivalent of saying “Don’t be intolerant… because everyone knows only Arabs are intolerant! And don’t even get me started on the Bangladeshis!” I hope you realize the problem with that statement. I’m sorry, but I’d very much prefer to live in a Malaysia where we celebrate a variety of different cultures, Arab, Malay, Bangladeshi, what have you. The day when a group of ‘Arabicised’ Malay people start giving me flak for being Malaysian-Chinese, then maybe I’ll write about that, but I sure as heck won’t be putting down entire cultures and groups of people while I do.

Posted oApril 7, 2016Tagson A Response to Mariam Mokhtar’s “A superior Malay … is an Arab”

Bland stories on a happy day

These are the links to ALL political stories published by national news agency Bernama yesterday :

Kota Belud UMNO, BN Fully Support Najib's Leadership

Johor UMNO Ready To Face Former Leader Who Joined Opposition

Leadership Qualities A Must To Attract Urban Malay Voters - Khairy

DPM Tells Component Parties To Prove Their Worth

Don't Abandon UMNO If Not Selected As Candidate - Johari

Semporna UMNO Still Intact - Nasir Sakaran

Shahrizat Reminds Umno Members To Be Ready To Face GE Challenges

Reject Perception-based Politics - Puteri UMNO

Sabah UMNO, BN Must Unite To Defend Government

No One Can Drive A Wedge Between Najib And Ahmad Zahid - Ismail Sabri

BN Will Still Be In Power After GE14 - Mahdzir

GE 14: Terengganu UMNO Intends To Field Women Candidates

Rather one-sided and predictable, aren't they?

Boring, if you asked me.

I wonder what's in the mind of the Bernama editors when they saw those headlines on their webpage at the end of yesterday.

I mean, can't they be a little bit more creative?

Try to make the stories be a bit more interesting and different from those published by New Straits Times, perhaps.

Surely the editorial direction can be better, right?

Wouldn't it be nice if they can make a bit of an effort to attract people into reading their stories?

Jeezzz, surely they must have thought of that.

Or did they?

What's the point of all the feel good stories if no one really feels like reading them, right?

Did they think of that too, or did they just do those stories to please those upstairs so that they can keep their well paying job without caring whether people want to read them or not?

Honestly, I feel that they didn't seem to even try being smart about it anymore these days.

Simply do the stories to fill up the pages without getting in trouble with the bosses, I think.

No wonder that good for nothing pro-opposition Malaysiakini is the most read news portal in the country.

People want to know what's happening on the other side too, okay.

Umno really need to do a survey to find out how many of its members read Malaysiakini.

I think they would be shocked with the findings.

Maybe then they will do something about it.

Well, never mind.

I'm rather sure they will carry on like now no matter how much I bitch about it here.

Wasting my breath only.

The most, they will do a bit of revamp, change several people here and there with golden parachutes for the outgoing big time editors and that's it.

Heard that what's happening at Media Prima.

Someone forwarded me this Wassap message yesterday evening,

Sure hope whatever that they are doing, I would like to be proven wrong by them selling more of their stories after such a revamp.

It would be wonderful, I think if one day the NST Online can replace Malaysiakini as the number one news portal in the country.

Well, you can never tell what's going to happen in future, okay.

Nothing is impossible.

See, even a cat can grows horns.

Anyway, despite everything, yesterday was a happy day for me.

Unfortunately, someone requested for me not to write about the main reason why I was happy.

Such a spoilsport. But what to, the guy is a shy one.

However, I think I can write a bit about the secondary reason why I was happy yesterday.

I got to meet many of my friends from the old Johor BN team.

They are good sincere people whom I have the honour to work with.

We worked hard in defence of Johor back in the last general election in 2013.

We didn't become rich or anything like that because of it, but our conscience is clear as we believed in what we were doing.

It feels good being able to feel and say that.

Special thanks to our chief at that time, TS Abdul Ghani Othman, whose leadership by example inspires us to do the right things.

Latest picture I have of Datuk Ghani and his wife Prof Jamilah (I still find it difficult to call them Tan Sri and Puan Sri)