Mat Hasan should take over from Zahid and rebuild Umno/BN

Umno was thrashed once again the other day.

It won only 19 of the 108 seats contested in the six state elections.

Fourteen of the seats won by the party are in Negri Sembilan, thanks to the lack of Perikatan's presence in that state.

Okay, maybe it's also because Mat Hasan did a good job there as state party chairman.

Still, spin it all we want, the reality is that Umno as a whole is dying.

The two big issues are Zahid's leadership as Umno president and the party's collaboration with Pakatan, especially DAP.

It wouldn't actually take a genius to figure out that if Umno wants to get out of its tail spin, it has to get out of both those issues.

First, Zahid has to go. I have no doubt about that.

A leader who has become a liability to the party has to be replaced.

It's immaterial whether he has actually done wrong or otherwise.

If he fails to handle the accusations against him and those accusations hurt the party, then he shouldn't remain as its leader.

I have been saying this from back then when Shahrizat's NFC cow in condo issue hurt Umno.

That issue caused Umno and its BN allies to lose hundreds of thousands of votes back in the 2013 general election.

It doesn't matter whether Shahrizat actually kept cows in her condos or not, the point is that she refused to step down at that time and Umno suffered because of it.

Then there's Najib who failed to handle the accusations against him, when he was PM. 

It doesn't matter whether Dr Mahathir was right or wrong in attacking Najib, because what really matter was that those attacks were handled poorly and led to Umno and its BN allies going into the longkang in 2018.

Zahid is doing the same as Najib, only worse.

Throwing people that oppose him off the boat is not helping Umno just like what Najib did leading to the general election in 2018.

I wrote about this repeatedly at the height of Najib-Mahathir war back then to a point that I was accused by stupid pro-Umno bloggers as being a DAP agent.

Najib only resigned after the 2018 defeat but it was too late.

Realistically, the only option for Umno now is for Mat Hasan to take over from Zahid.

I know KJ and some of the other rebels will say that's not good enough. They want Mat Hasan out too.

But let's be realistic, that's the only way it could be done in the present set up.

Mat Hasan needs to be brave in this matter or otherwise he will be remembered as being complicit along with Zahid in ensuring the final destruction of Umno.

Once he takes over, he has to try to bring back all the rebels into the Umno's fold once again.

Okay, I know it's risky to do that but all the Umno rebels that I personally knew still love the party.

I believe they can help revive Umno if given the chance to do so.

Then there's the issue of working with Pakatan, especially DAP.

Mat Hasan (assuming that he does take over the party's presidency) needs to take  Umno out of that and rebuild BN with MCA and MIC.

Umno and the rest of BN should stay out of the current administration.

They shouldn't be with Perikatan either.

It's indeed better if the BN coalition stays in its own bloc and work on convincing people that BN is the alternative to both the hopeless current Pakatan establishment and potentially scary Perikatan administration.

Umno and its BN allies need to stay somewhere in the middle between them.

Let Pakatan and Perikatan fight to get support from Sabah and Sarawak to form the government for now.

I believe that's the only way for Umno to survive.

Maybe it's too late in Perikatan-dominated Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah but there's still hope in Pahang, Johor Melaka, Negri Sembilan and even Perlis, Perak as well as Sabah.

Meanwhile, let Pakatan and Perikatan fight over Penang and Selangor. 

Six state election results and short summaries

This is the comparison between the six state election results last night and the previous one in the 2018 general election.

SELANGOR

Last night : BN - 2, PH - 32, PN - 22

2018 : BN - 4, PH - 51. PN - 1

Summary : Perikatan made 2,200 per cent gain in Selangor, Pakatan downed to 62,74 per cent of its force in 2018, while BN or to be more precise Umno was reduced by half. The most significant was Azmin's victory in Hulu Kelang. The guy will be a pain in Anwar gang's butt at the state assembly.

NEGERI SEMBILAN

Last night : BN - 14, PH - 17, PN - 5

2018 : BN- 16, PH- 20, PN - 0

Summary : Mat Hasan continues to carry Umno's torch in Negri Sembilan, proving that the party could still be accepted by the Malays if it offers good leaders instead of the clowns at PWTC. An Umno man should become MB. PN managed 5 wins despite having no proper leaders in the state and that's 500 per cent gain from their zero in 2018.  

KELANTAN

Last night : BN - 1, PH - 1, PN - 43

2018 : BN - 8, PH - 0, PN - 37

Summary : Pakatan, or to be more precise Pas almost wiped out Umno from the state. Pakatan got one seat because of a good candidate. Kelantanese are after all not Talibans to deny a potential good leader despite her party being not as Islamic as Pas. 

TERENGGANU

Last night : BN - 0, PH - 0, PN - 32

2018 : BN - 10, PH - 0, PN - 22

Summary : The total wipeout of Umno and Pakatan in Terengganu was the most obvious evidence that the Malays are shifting towards the far right as they lost confidence with their leaders in the centre. If the non-Malays could give their total support to DAP, the Malays in Terengganu proved that their community could do the same by supporting a more Malay-centric or Islamic-centric party.

KEDAH

Last night : BN - 0, PH - 3, PN - 33

2018 : BN - 3, PH - 18, PN - 15

Summary : Umno is more or less dead in Kedah. Pakatan has at least the non-Malay voters to give them its three seats there. With the Panglima Sanusi factor into play, Malays in Kedah have no reason to support an Umno led by the likes of Mahadzir Khaled.

PENANG

Last night : BN - 2, PH - 27, PN - 11

2018 : BN - 2, PH - 37, PN - 1

Summary : DAP retained Penang but their Pakatan allies lost 10 seats to Perikatan. It's quite obvious that even the Malays in the state are shifting to Perikatan. All seats in Anwar's former stronghold Permatang Pauh were won by Perikatan candidates. Based on what happened in the run up to the polls, CM Chow will have his hands full to handle the pressure from not only the resurgent opposition but also from the "emperor gang" within DAP.

OVERALL

A total of 245 seats were up for grab in the six state elections.

The results : 

Perikatan Nasional - 146

Pakatan Harapan - 80

Barisan Nasional - 19

Summary : This should be an indication of what's to come in the next elections in Malaysia. Do note that BN, or to be more precise Umno, contested 108 seats and only won 19, which is sad for the once great party. 

Muslims should want Islam to win

(Note: This post is because I don't want to be put in jail for breaching the Madani 3R gag order) 

I really hope Islam will win.

UFC294 will be in Abu Dhabi on Oct 22 with Islam Makhachev and Charles Olivera competing once again for the lightweight title.

Very excited waiting for the fight.

Of course, being a Muslim  I have to support Islam.

It does not however mean that I hate or dislike Charles. He's a great fighter and a good person.

But I just want a fellow Muslim to do well.

Islam is an exemplary Muslim. He strictly follows the teachings of the religion and very disciplined.

No partying, no drinking alcohol, no chasing whores etc. He doesn't lie too.

All members of the Khabib Nurmagomedov gang of Dagestan, Russia are like that.

I support other Muslim fighters too.

Shavkat Rakhmonov of Khazakstan is one of them.

He has won all of his 17 professional fights in welterweight division with KO or submission.

He's not as religious as Islam but does adhere to the teachings of the religion and recently performed the umrah (minor pilgrimage to Mecca)

Shavkat's next fight will be against Kelvin Gastelum on Sept 11.

I don't support only Muslim mix martial art (MMA) fighters but also those in other fighting disciplines.

One of my favourites is the pound for pound champion of kickboxing Chingiz Allazov.

I was quite surprised when I first found out that the Belarussian is a good Muslim.

Then there's Rodtang Jitmuangnon of Thailand who is reputedly the best Muay Thai fighter in the world right now.

He converted to Islam a few months ago.

Rodtang is not only a great fighter but also a funny guy.

So, yeah, I prefer to support Muslim fighters.

Most of them are good role models.

I hope Muslim fighters in Malaysia will win too.

Selangor to decide outcome of state elections

Campaigning for the six state elections now enters its final lap.

I think Perikatan is more or less sure to retain Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah while Pakatan would keep Penang.

The real tough fights would be in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

Pakatan as the incumbent has the advantage to win the two states but a shocker could happen, especially in Selangor.

The votes swing in Selangor can be quite violent.

In the general election in 2004, BN won all parliament seats and only lost two state seats in Selangor. The votes however swung in 2008 and BN lost the state. Selangor BN never recovered from that loss.

Well, it all once again depends on the mood of Malay voters.

Are they happy with Anwar and the gang?

Do they feel that life is better now compared to life during....let's say Najib's time?

I can't answer these questions about how the people feel as I have not been on the ground for quite a long time.

I can only speak for myself.

I don't like Anwar and his gang  because they bullshit too much and my life now is a lot worse compared to during Najib's time.

Ya, despite Najib being said to be corrupt, he did a lot of good for Malaysia and life was better, at least for me back then, 

Non-Malay votes? Almost all of them will vote Pakatan again for DAP's sake but their number would not be good enough to counter  a possible united bloc of Malay votes.

Guess they need to work more on chanting the mantra that it's racist for Malays to unite politically.

Never mind.

Can the outcome of the state election affect the government in Putrajaya?

Sure, if it's 6-0 or 5-1 or even 4-2 in Perikatan's favour.

The 4-2 is if Perikatan captures Selangor.

Pakatan can't afford to lose Selangor as the shockwave could affect the political dynamics of other states, including the all important Sabah and Sarawak.

Lose Selangor, and the Pakatan's Madani government would not likely to survive its full term.

Another factor that may affect the Madani government is how Umno performs at the polls.

If Umno gets wiped out, then Zahid's days should be numbered.

Not just Zahid, but the whole rotten bunch need to go.

How many failures before Umno or whatever is left of the party will act to change the party's  leadership?

Umno people, how come you never learnt that you need to change your leader if he/she continuously failed and dragged the party into the longkang?

Sigh.

Never mind. 

Anyway, if Umno people actually awaken from their stupor and get rid of Zahid, it would be just a matter of time before the party pulls out of Anwar's government.

That should be good enough to collapse it.

Media Madani

 A journalist friend, who is covering the ongoing state elections' campaigning called me last night.

The guy was frustrated that his editor, who is a known staunch Pakatan supporter refused to clear his stories because they appeared to be in defence of Sanusi, the funny Kedah MB.

My friend's stories are actually just what were said by Sanusi at press conferences and rallies. They were not even my friend's commentaries. Just basic reporting of what were said.

Well, what else can I say, other than telling my friend to be patient and continue with his work the best that he could.

Just cari makan, you have to support your family, okay.

Guess the media is still the same.

Back then Pakatan people said the media was being controlled by the BN government, but now that they are in power, they become the controlling masters of the media themselves.

All their talks about media freedom actually wasn't meant for reports to be balanced and not bias.

Seriously, which media outlet in this country which are now not supportive of the Madani government?

Malaysiakini? The Star? Malay Mail? NST? FMT?

Just count the stories published by them which are actually the government's propaganda and compare that to the number of stories coming from the opposition's side.

Also, check who are the owners/financiers of those media outlets and the editors who control the newsrooms and editorial contents being churned out.

Just look at the Sanusi case, which media outlets that have reported in full his explanation of the rare earth mining issue in Kedah?

If there are such reports that appear to be so, compare them to his speeches on the issue which are available on YouTube. Then, you would understand why I said the media has not fully reported the guy's explanation.

Really, the media in this country is still the same. It is just owned and controlled by different people.

Sorry (true) journalists, your life is hard.

That's just the way things are.

The current PM is not actually a believer in freedom of the press, okay.

Just look back to the 90s when he was a BN deputy prime minister and in control of the media. 

Ask any (honest) journalist from that era how tight was the control. I believe it's going to be the same for the coming next few years. All the signs are already there.

Well, never mind.

We have social media now.

For the state elections, I just follow what's happening by watching YouTube videos on it.

At least that way I get to know what was actually being said instead of what was reportedly being said.

Hopefully one day we could have a proper independent news outlet to report the truth and nothing but the truth.

Vote against bullies and liars

Campaigning for the six state elections is now in full swing.

Yet, somehow it fails to really interest me.

 Maybe it's because I have more pressing issues, such as trying to make some money for my survival.

Anyway, I found the whole thing rather boring.

Pakatan with their lies and Perikatan with their irritating nonsense.

Let's not even mention BN....urghhh.

I rather watch some Korean dramas than listening to their talks.

Okay, maybe a few guys like that funny Sanusi joker are worth listening to as they are quite entertaining, but the rest are just garbage.

I don't trust anything that came out of the mouths of Anwar and his gang while most PAS and Bersatu people are just annoying.

Luckily I'm in Pahang and not involved in any of the nonsense.

I actually got an offer to be an observer of the elections but turned it down as I need to work on something else to earn a proper salary.

My savings are running low, okay. Can't afford running around without proper pay.

My health is also not very good these days.

So, I can't comment much about the elections as I'm not on the ground to do so.

Comments by armchair observers are bullshit. 

I was one of those in the last general election and I totally messed up with my predictions.

No more of that, okay.

I would nonetheless like to express my wish for the outcome of this state elections to be such that it would stop the government from bullying its critics.

The voters would hopefully send a message to Putrajaya that they don't want people to be arrested for voicing dissatisfactions with the handling of the country.

I have a fear that such things will happen if Pakatan wins big.

It has actually started even before the elections.

Sikit-sikit tangkap, sikit-sikit tangkap.

So, I hope Perikatan will win in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah while at the same time reducing Pakatan's number of seats in Negri Sembilan, Selangor and Penang.

It's not because I like Perikatan, but Pakatan shouldn't be allowed to become too arrogant.

Pakatan need to be reminded that they should not lie too much and use their power to silence the people.

Best job of Madani era

 I'm going to get my PSV licence next week so I can drive for Grab.

It's not going to earn me much but should be enough to pay my bills and a bit of groceries.

I don't need much anyway at this stage of my life.

Peace of mind is the most important thing for me now and I think driving people around  to earn a living can give me that.

No bosses ordering me around to do stupid things.

Actually, I wish I could drive a truck and deliver goods instead of people but that would be too physically hard for me.

I'm not planning to go crazy and drive 10 hours per day to earn a lot of money. 

Instead, I'll just take it easy and do what I can to earn enough not to go hungry.

What ever it is, I don't have anymore bank loan to pay, so that's one worry out of my head already.

My plan is to park myself at the Kuantan bus terminal, which is near my house and wait for clients there.

If I'm tired or my back hurts, I'll just go home and sleep.

Why not do other things?

Well, I don't have any other skill other than the one that earned me my livelihood over the years.

That skill is now more or less unwanted.

That leaves driving as the only other skill that I have. 

I believe I'm quite a good driver. Very patient and polite too....I think.

Yeah, I believe I can make this works.

It has to be, as this is a hard time for me.

I don't want to complain too much though as I know a lot of people are suffering worse than me.

After all, this is the Madani era. It's normal for people to suffer now.

Kedah people said "Mahai dah le ni."

Yup, everything pricey these days.

Really shitty but we have to accept it as that's what Malaysians voted for in the last general election.

All talks and nothing else. Janji macam-macam, tipu saja.

That's what Madani is all about.

"Hari ini saya jadi PM, esok harga minyak turuuunnnn!!!!"

Yeah, right.

Sanusi the macho kampung funny guy

 I have not been bothered to properly listen to Pas leaders' speeches for quite a long time.

That was until Sanusi's arrest the other day.

I started to check on YouTube videos of his speeches to understand better what actually went wrong with the guy.

I was actually quite entertained by the videos.

Firstly, I found Sanusi to be actually quite a smart MB.

I particularly like his plan to bring more development to the Kedah hinterland.

Sanusi is truly the tough kampung guy type and that probably explains his passion to develop the much neglected rural area of Kedah.

And the guy is brash and very funny at the same time. 

A bit like Mat Sabu but not too irritating and clownish like the Amanah president.

I failed to find the video of his speech, which got him in trouble but based on the videos that I watched, I can guess what had happened.

I doubt that he actually intended to insult Sultan of Selangor as alleged. He was probably his usual recklessly funny self while whacking his political opponents when he uttered the allegedly offending words.

The guy is after all too smart to intentionally go around insulting the royalty. 

But never mind lah. I rather not talk too much about that as it may land me in jail.

As I previously wrote, in this Madani era, you can easily get in trouble for what you said about the 3R.

You may intend to say something but it could be interpreted or intentionally misinterpreted as saying something else.

As it is, just saying that the prime minister is a liar risks being accused of insulting the Agong who appointed the PM.

So, let's not get into that and go back to Sanusi.

Here's the guy explaining more or less his macho Kedah kampung style:

Zaid is right, I better shut up

This Madani era is indeed a dangerous time for people to talk too much.

This is a NST headline today;

Zaid Ibrahim courts controversy by taking veiled swipe at Malay Rulers

What Zaid actually said now that NST suggested that he' may get in trouble?

excerpts 1;

"My advice to the common people : Do not say anything that may be construed as insulting Malay Rulers; even if unintentional.

"Do not say an MB (Menteri Besar) is a clown; as that will be insulting the Ruler for appointing a clown. Do not say Malay Rulers are wealthy ; as that could imply the wealth is improperly obtained.

"Do not say Malay Rulers are involved in timber or durian business ; or internet business. That would be demeaning .You can only praise them. Better still say nothing at all," he tweeted.

excerpts 2

"The most significant achievement of the Madani govt is using Sedition Act against its political opponent. When this opponent said sorry, the Madani Minister replied, 'That's not enough'.

"When this seditious leader said sorry to the Palace, the response was, 'matter not settled'.

"Now that Sanusi will be charged, everyone is happy. No more pressure on the AG (Attorney-General). The Bar Council, the great defender of the rule of law, must be satisfied too," he tweeted.

Wah, give advice like that also can get in trouble....sigh.

Hopefully I wouldn't get in trouble for reproducing those excerpts.

Well, I took those from the NST article, so if I kena, NST should kena also. 

Never mind, I'll just follow Zaid's advice. 

It's not worth it to risk being jailed.

Cannot talk about 3R, so no more talk about agama Islam, bangsa Melayu or raja-raja for me. 

Got it.  

So much for all those talks about freedom of speech and expression.

This is Najib's fault because he only abolished the ISA and not the others, which Pakatan people used to describe as "draconian laws".

Maybe Pakatan people don't think those laws are draconian anymore.

Yup, Pakatan people change their mind all the time one.

Be more specific about the 3R

They keep repeating it ; Don't touch on the 3R (race, religion, royalty), which are considered as sensitive issues.

Today, I saw a story about the IGP once again warning everyone not to touch on the 3R while campaigning  for the coming six state elections.

But what exactly that can't be said about the 3R?

I think they need to be more specific about it as I have a lot of questions on the matter.

Can we say Malays and Muslims should be united so that they would not dilute their majority as what they had done in previous elections? Will we get arrested if we say that?

How about saying non-Bumiputera should vote for DAP so that they would not be second, third, fourth or even fifth class citizens? I remember Guan Eng said that during a rally in the run up to GE13.

How about defending Chinese schools? Is that also taboo now? I did that quite a lot. You can check this blog's archive to read what I wrote about those schools.

Chinese schools is a sensitive issue after all. Their opponents argued that Chinese schools are one of the reasons Malaysians are not united. Most of the schools' supporters think that's just being racist. 

Can I write about Adib again? There's a lot of racial and religious issues surrounding the deadly beating of the fireman. Or have you all forgot Adib?

How about all those efforts to reconvert kids? Can we talk about that or should we just stay quiet as people flaunt their "victories" over such things?

Can Umno and the other Malay-based parties talk about menyatupadukan orang Melayu? 

Can Pas people talk about memperkasakan Islam in Malaysia?

Will they get arrested if they do that?

Will the government eventually ban all those race and religion based parties?

Umno, what would be your new name if that happens? United Malaysian Nationalist Organisation? How about changing it now so that you will be better aligned with your new Pakatan Harapan friends? Maybe then they will accept you as being incorruptible.

Anyway, PKR, DAP and Amanah never talked about the 3R, aren't they...yeah, sure. 

Sorry. I tend to remember when people said that Malay is not even a race, Islam should be equal as other religions in this country and royalty is a waste of public money. 

Eh, enough lah. Don't want to be accused of trying to cause trouble by touching on the 3R. Nanti kena tangkap pulak.

Stop criticising Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang

 Okay, I better not criticise Lim Kit Siang anymore now that he is a Tan Sri.

Yesterday there was a story about a six-month pregnant woman being arrested for doing that.

Apparently, the woman was said to be insulting Yang DiPertuan Agong for criticising Kit Siang's title.

Sigh.

I hope Lim Guan Eng will not get a Tan Sri title too as that means I wouldn't be able to criticise him like before.

No fun la like that.

Yesterday there was also a story about Anwar denying that he ordered a crackdown on opposition leaders and that he was in the dark about actions being  taken by police, MACC and IRB against them.

His sidekick, the home minister Saifuddin also claimed the same.

Hmmmm....Dr Mahathir used to say the same thing too when police arrested Anwar back in the late 1990s for sodomy, abuse of power etc.

It's the police who did it, not him.

He said the same about Operasi Lalang.

Somehow no one really believes in Dr Mahathir when he said that.

Now Anwar is saying the same thing too. 

You all believe Anwar?

Maybe he's telling the truth, okay.

Maybe he learnt a lesson from spending years in jail for ordering the police to "gempaq" people who accused him of sodomy back when he was Dr Mahathir's deputy in the late 90s.

Well, before the election, there were a lot of noises about abolishing remnants of the "draconian laws" such as Sedition Act, and SOSMA.

What happens now?

Now those very laws were being thrown left, right and centre to cut down dissent against the Madani government and its personalities.

Fortunately Najib, who would now probably die in jail, managed to initiated the abolishment of the ISA.

Otherwise ISA would be used too. So many would be in jail for being Islamic or Malay extremists.

But of course those arrests are based on police and agencies' investigations. 

The PM and his ministers know nothing about it, okay.

Yup, they are completely in the dark.

And all those human rights activists who previously made so much noise are now quiet.

They will say it like Anwar, "We will flip flop if it's good for the people".

Yup, they need those "draconian laws" now to stop those nasty Perikatan people from coming to power.

Really cakap tak serupa bikin.

Anyway, how's life under the Madani rule?

Is it improving for you all?

Better salary? 

Cheaper prices at the shops?

If we can't have freedom, at least can we have cheaper food?

Well, I may likely lose my job next month.

Preparing myself for the B40 lifestyle.

Menu Rahmah....urghhh.

Ciao.

Muslims must not let the word "Allah" be misused

Let me start this one by repeating what I had written before - that I don't consider myself to be a really good Muslim.

That is so because I have been struggling all my life to observe even the most basic rituals of my religion.

I would nonetheless stress though that I have never deny any of the teachings of Islam, as I was taught of them since I was a little child.

For instance, I will never dispute the five pillars of the religion, which are the syahadah, five daily prayers, fasting during Ramadhan, payment of tithe, and performing the Haj pilgrimage for those who could afford it.

Nor do I disbelieve any of the six main components of the faith, that are believing in the existence of Allah, the prophets, the holy books, the angels, the afterlife, and the fate as set by Allah.

My questions are confined to certain interpretations in matters such as hijab for women, age of consent and other teachings, which are not so clear cut in the Quran.

What's clearly stated in the Quran are indisputable for a Muslim but the ulama interpretations, I believe, are not beyond being debated.

Having said all that, I would like to point out yesterday's news about a motion filed to parliament by Pas to amend the law, which effectively requires the word "Allah" to be defined as according to its definition in the Quran.

The definition as according to Surah Al-Ikhlas, reads "Say, He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent."

As a child, I was thought that the surah was inspired by Allah upon Prophet Muhammad when he was asked by a Christian delegation about what kind of god that Muslims believe in, bearing in mind that in Christianity, God the Father begets Jesus and that Jesus is part of the godly trinity with the other entity being the Holy Spirit.

In Islam, Jesus is not a god or son of god and instead just a prophet like Muhammad.

The PAS' motion was intended to settle the dispute over the use of the word "Allah" among the non-Muslims,  effectively confining them to be allowed to use it only if they believe that Allah, as they are referring to, is the one true god that has no equivalent as dictated by the Quran.

The motion was rejected from being tabled in parliament and now Pas and its Perikatan allies will appeal the matter to the Rulers, whose role, among others, is to protect the sanctity of Islam.

I don't know who were specifically responsible behind the rejection of the motion, but I sure hope they are not Muslims.

Bear in mind that Islam is the official religion of Malaysia as you read this.

Now, as a Muslim, I have to support the Pas' motion as failing to do so will put my faith in question.

Well, maybe the proposed law on the word "Allah" should have specific qualifications for Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, whose community had been thought by their priests for generations that their god should be called by that name.

Yet again, I must stress that Muslims cannot deny what are clearly stated in the Quran.

It is their religious duty to ensure that the word "Allah" should not be allowed to be used by just anyone, who may do so willy nilly.

Failing to do so, I believe, we will have one day someone saying Allah has a son or equivalent to other gods and that would just cause trouble.

As it is, we nowadays have stupid stand up comedians who resort to insult others just to get a laugh from the audience.

And they are not even the most insidious individuals who may want to misuse the word "Allah" to confuse or rile up the Muslims.

Freedom of speech and expression should not lead to causing troubles.

DAP is the winner

Today marks a major milestone in Malaysian politics.

DAP's "former" supremo Lim Kit Siang has been conferred  a Tan Sri title by Yang DiPertuan Agong.

Kit Siang looking like a statesman in his songkok a day before becoming a Tan Sri.

It's the crowning of DAP's victory in its struggle to end the Malay nationalists' dominance of the country.

Now even the palace recognises DAP as a true good force.

All those allegations of DAP being a traitorous pro-communist Chinese chauvinistic organisation has been proven to be false.

No way those allegations thrown by the Malay nationalists at the party over the years were true now that the Agong has recognised Kit Siang as a leader who had done good for the country.

The grand DAP old man, despite his retired status, is still active making statements reflective of the party's stand almost on a daily basis.

Once he is truly retired, I believe he will be conferred the Tun title.

Honestly, Kit Siang deserves such an honour.

He guided his party over the decades to what it is now - the single most powerful political block in the country that commands almost absolute support of the non-Bumiputera votes.

Under his stewardship, DAP vanquished the all powerful Umno, which now is just a shell of its former self.

Umno members have to accept the reality that they were defeated and now have to regard DAP as a friend that can keep their party alive with extra votes from the non-Malays.

Kit Siang's old nemesis Dr Mahathir has also been reduced to being a non-entity after even losing his deposit in Langkawi in the last general election.

He is now awaiting possible prosecution for his Malay Proclamation which the authorities believe is a threat to the country's democratic system.

DAP, through the Anwar's administration, is cracking down on "corrupt" and "racialist tactics" of its main opponents, particularly those of Perikatan Nasional .

Muhyiddin is already in court and Hadi may likely be next.

It's all for the good of the country, so it was said.

Well, Pas' late spiritual leader Nik Aziz was also posthumously conferred the Tan Sri title while Hadi had received his quite a while ago.

If Pas can be considered a good force, so should DAP, right?

Anyway, all indications pointed to the Malays now being mostly resigned to the fact that they need to adapt to the current political equation.

They are too exhausted to resist after being repeatedly betrayed by their own corrupt and selfish leaders.

Maybe life akin to that of the Malays in Singapore is better.

At least the PAP gave them nice HDB flats. Maybe DAP, which is a PAP's splinter party will help the Malays to get such good homes too.

HDB flats are better than those many dilapidated wooden houses of the Malays living under Pas' rule in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.

Well, Malays will be okay as they are good at adapting to changes.

Their ancestors back then adapted well when the British took over the country.

They will be fine as long as no one disturb their religion and position of their raja-raja like back then.

If only Najib is around to help Anwar

Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi has dismissed Dr Mahathir's Malay proclamation as just a gimmick.

Puad, whose statements were published almost daily by news portals these days is the new main frontman of Umno.

Just cringy, if you ask me.

I know that many Umno people in Batu Pahat feel the same about the guy.

What to do, Umno has now been reduced to that.

Anyway, the news portals are doing all they could to discredit the Malay proclamation.

Here's another similar story posted today,

Malay unity a myth, Mahathir caused disunity, says ex-MP

Nice. That's coming from the son of the late Tun Dr Ismail.

Malays should never be allowed to unite ever again.

The last time they did was actually in 1946 and as many DAP people have said, the country then suffered under Umno's rule for decades.

Malaysia was as bad as Zimbabwe because of that, they said.

Fortunately, the non-Malays have over the past decade been united under DAP to overthrow the evil Umno and transformed it into a nice little junior partner of the ruling Pakatan Harapan.

Well, now this business of uniting the Malays had been taken over primarily by Pas, which is scarier because of its Islamist ideology.

Its main sidekick, Pribumi Bersatu is made up of the more radical Malay nationalists who were kicked out of  Umno.

They made quite a lot of inroad in the Malay-dominated states in the last general election and expected to repeat the performance in the coming state polls.

It was feared that they may even gain ground in the less dominated Malay states such as Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

It's now paramount for Anwar and gang to stop these Malay Islamists.

How?

I'm not really sure, actually.

Definitely not by letting loose irritating characters like Puad to criticise Dr Mahathir, Pas, Pribumi Bersatu and their gang.

That would only make more Malays wanting to side with them.

I think it would be a better move for Anwar to let Umno improve its standing among the Malays so that it could win back its support base to neutralise Pas and Pribumi Bersatu.

Get more credible Umno leaders like Mat Hasan and Jo Ghani to be the faces of the party instead of someone like Puad.

Too bad that Najib is still in jail. Otherwise, he'll make another good spokesperson for the party. to win back Malays' support.

Yes, I know the guy was convicted for corruption but the truth is that Malaysians don't really care about such things.

Really.

Anwar was convicted for sodomy, yet after he was given royal pardon, he went on to become the PM.

Malaysia is perhaps the only country ever to have a PM with such a conviction.

Well, Najib is still highly popular among especially the Malays despite his conviction for corruption.

For many, it was political prosecution, the same as it was with Anwar's sodomy conviction.

Despite 1MDB, Najib's administration was arguably the best that the country has had since Dr Mahathir's first stint as PM.

So, if Najib is available and he goes campaigning around for Umno, in support of Anwar and the gang, then many Malays will not go over to the other side.

Perhaps Pakatan people who oppose a royal pardon for Najib should reconsider.

After all, it's not as if Najib will become a PM again.

Having Najib around is not such a bad thing for Pakatan people compared to Malays being united under Pas and its gang.

Oh, by the way, I think Anwar turning around the country's economy for the better would help too.

Unfortunately, no sign of that yet.

Pas is going all out to unite the Malays

Hadi and the other Pas leaders have apparently signed Dr Mahathir's Malay proclamation last night.

This was obviously part of preparations to unite the Malays for the coming state elections.

Dr Mahathir's influence may no longer be the same among the Malays but the significance of Pas supporting his initiative for a united Malays should not be dismissed.

Looks like the handsome old man, despite his advanced age, will be campaigning for Perikatan over the next few months.

He may to a certain extent sway some undecided Malays to vote for that coalition.

Well, Pas is now not shying away from having even its long-time foe Dr Mahathir on its side.

The outcome of the state elections may not change anything in Putrajaya but Perikatan's possible successes may put a lot of pressure on the Anwar's administration.

This is particularly so if the Malays overwhelmingly vote for Perikatan.

Penang, which has slightly more Chinese and Indian voters compared to Malays would probably be the only safe state for Pakatan.

Based on the outcome of GE15, an overwhelming victory for Perikatan could happen in the Malay-dominated states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.

What would be more worrying for Anwar and his allies would be the outcome of the polls in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Being currently just an arm-chair observer, I can't tell whether the so-called green wave has gain or lose momentum over the past half a year since GE15, but I can sense that the situation is still worrying for Pakatan.

Anwar would be relying heavily on Umno to stem the tide but the once dominant Malay-based party is currently at its weakest point following the devastating losses in GE15 and subsequent internal purges.

Many Malays now regard Umno as being just a junior partner in the Pakatan-led government and this may lead them to shift their support for the Pas-driven Perikatan. 

The Anwar's administration will definitely be in danger if Negeri Sembilan and even more importantly Selangor fall to Perikatan because of the possible Malay tsunami, 

Pakatan will be reduced to only DAP-dominated Penang. while Umno-led BN, which now controls Perak, Pahang, Melaka and Johor may reconsider its position for fear of losing those holdings.

Sarawak and Sabah will as usual follow which ever side that could offer them the best deal.

On the positive note though, Anwar and his allies could take comfort on the fact that Perikatan has not been very vocal on Malay and Islamic issues since GE15 as compared to how Umno and Pas were relentless in exploiting them after GE14.

This was probably due to Pakatan's success in preventing Perikatan from exploiting such issues.

DAP in particular had done well in shutting up its extremist elements, who were very vocal after GE14.

Fo instance, the BJP/LTTE wannabes within its ranks have been relatively quiet, which is a good thing.

Alhamdulillah. No more beating up a fireman to death this time.

I think they also fear that Pas and its allies will ride on the majority Malay votes to take over the whole thing and once in power go after them.

Hopefully those extremists will continue to shut up after the state elections.

Lady journalists

 NST carried this Bernama's story today.

Women still underrepresented in senior editorial roles in Malaysia

and uses this picture to go with it

Why three of the ladies are wearing sleeveless clothing and two of them have weird coloured hair.

Trying to be extra feminist and woke, is it?

Journalists should wear proper working clothes and put on decent appearance la.

If I'm an editor, I wouldn't let them go on assignments like that.

Well, if women journalists want to be taken seriously, they should take their duties seriously and put on the appropriate appearance.

So, not enough high ranking women journalists in Malaysia?

Honestly, I don't think that's a real issue.

As far as I know, the gender of a journalist in this country is not really a barrier for him/her to be successful.

You work hard, play the office politics well, and you will get promoted.

I never actually heard of someone not being given a top post in media organisations in this country because she is a woman.

Only feminists like to think otherwise.

They like to think that women are being victimised but the fact is I know many good male journalists who were also deprived of promotion to senior positions.

It's even a matter of luck, sometimes.

Sometimes the bosses simply just don't like your face.

Or maybe because you are too bitchy and talk back too much.

Or it's because of your political affiliation.

That's what I know about the newsrooms in this country.

Really.

Never heard of a bunch of media bosses sitting in a meeting saying "Let's not promote her because she's a woman".

"Let's not promote her because she's too bitchy" got la.

Ladies, you want to get promoted to that top job, work for it and navigate the office politics well.

Don't expect to be promoted on a woman quota as that would not make you a good journalist.

If you become a top editor just because you are a woman, then your organisation will suffer for it and your colleagues will only have contempt for you.

Same as those who got promoted because of their cables.

Anyway, the media organisations as we know them are suffering these days.

Low advertisement revenue and the social media are killing them.

People expect news to be free, not knowing that the business of news gathering requires a lot of money.

That should be the immediate concern, instead of whether the bosses are male or female.

Senior editors should be those who could guide their media organisations to produce good news contents and bring in the needed revenues.

Doesn't matter whether they have penises or vaginas.

Raya with Covid

Today is the third of Raya and the first time I'm up and about since almost a week.

Believe it or not, I'm now recovering from Covid-19.

Been dodging it for three years and kena juga in the end. Sigh.

I'm drinking lots of warm lemon water, coconut water and Coke.

The Coke is for my sore throat, actually.

I'm still not 100 per cent okay, but can do a bit of work and do this little post.

As I said in my last post I don't really celebrate Raya like most people do and Covid made sure I didn't celebrate at all this year.

Heard others are going all out at it.

The PM and his people are going from state to state with it.

As if the country is already fine and dandy now.

Government has too much money, is it?

Why we want to celebrate anything when things are still tough for most people?

I'm not sure but it does seemed more and more like part of a political campaign for the coming states' elections.

Using government's money that is.

BN leaders used to do that with their funfair-style events disguised as government programme.

Didn't do them any good as we can see now.

Except for their own supporters, I don't know who really want to go to those events in the current hot and hazy weather.

There's the danger of Covid-19 too.

It's stupid anyway.

Islam doesn't teach Muslims to celebrate Raya that way.

For me, Raya is time for reflections and counting our blessings for what Allah bestowed in life - rezeki, family and love for each other.

More important than Raya

About a week from Raya and I have not done anything for the coming celebrations.

No baju or kuih raya this time as I need to save as much as I could due to my current financial constraints.

Last year made pineapple tarts but butter is so expensive now.

I also intend to stay here in the East coast for the occasion instead of going back to KL.

Save duit minyak and toll as well as other expenses that come with travelling.

It's also much cheaper to spend time here.

Basically my Raya is just going to be some greetings via WhatsApp and maybe a bit of nasi impit and rendang on the first day.

Doesn't really matter as I'm not too much into Raya or any other kind of celebrations anyway.

After all, celebrations were meant for good time and it's not a good financial time for me right now.

Really, it's okay. I always believe in living within my means.

I'm not sad or anything because despite my difficulties, I still have enough to go on by.

It's not like I'm starving and couldn't pay my bills.

I even still have wifi, okay. 

Ya, having wifi is more important to me compared to spending money on berhari raya.

I also always keep in mind that there are many more people who are less fortunate than me.

They are struggling to provide for their families and some even having to rely on handouts and soup kitchens to survive.

Just look at the current urban poverty situation in KL.

Almost half a year since we have this current government and things are still like that.

What? Rahmah meals? Sure.

Ya, I know. They need more time.

Later they are going to say they need another term to turn around the economy.

Sure.

Well, fuck that. I don't really care anymore.

Just trying to survive and take care of myself for now.

Everyone else have to take care of themselves too. 

Shouldn't care too much about other people when you yourself are struggling to continue with life.

Forget the bigger picture.

And students, you all better listen to the PM. 

The other day he said you all shouldn't go to the streets if you are not happy with how things are.

Focus on studying, so that you all don't end up with just a general degree of some obscure social science course because you spent too much time protesting  here and there.

Betul lah tu.

Unless, maybe if you are dreaming  of becoming a PM yourself one day...just by selling BS...like the current PM.

Anyway, I really enjoy this ongoing Ramadhan as I can stay at home all the time now.

Not too many distractions or temptations.

It helps to discipline me to perform my obligatory religious rituals, particularly the daily five prayers.

I know, it's very basic, but still I'm grateful as I always struggle on that one.

Just want to focus on that for now.

Oh, and I'm also trying my best to cleanse my heart, be more sincere, as well as avoiding anger and stress.

Yeah, I would gladly trade berhari raya to achieve all that.

The judiciary is not supreme

 No one should be supreme except Allah.

Yup, not even the raja-raja are supreme. 

If they do wrong, then we have to say that they had  done wrong.

The same with the three branches of the government that are the executive, legislature and judiciary.

None of the trio is supreme as they have to be the check and balance of each other.

I actually learnt this basic stuff in my first year at law school.

These days,  it appeared that there are those who think the judiciary is supreme and its conduct could not be questioned.

In the news today were former Bar presidents and prominent legal experts who insisted that the MACC's investigation on Justice Nazlan who sent Najib to jail for 12 years was an attack on the judiciary.

Well, MACC is part of the executive, which job is to "check and balance" the judiciary. 

It's checking and balancing, the judiciary....not attacking the judiciary.

Can't a judge who was suspected of committing a crime be investigated?

As it turned out the MACC had found that Nazlan was not being proper in his conducts while sitting as the judge before Najib.

That's why those supposedly legal experts are all jumping up against the whole thing. 

They are actually not defending Nazlan or even the judiciary but instead were defending the judgement made by Nazlan against Najib.

I'm quite sure they would be very okay if the MACC had instead found out that Nazlan was a model ethical judge with no vested interest in Najib's case.

This is all about politics again.

They are making their ugly noises because they want the 71-year-old Najib to stay and die in jail.

I'm no longer supportive of Umno but I would not agree for these people to use the judiciary to unfairly punish Najib or commit injustice against anyone else.

Judges are not supreme beings who are devoid of mistakes and biases.

It's the same as being a lawyer does not necessarily makes one clever.

There are many idiots among the lawyers too.

After all, it's not so difficult to become a lawyer. 

I know this because I could be one if I had really wanted to. 

Got my LLB (Hons) by actually doing minimum amount of studying.

You would not believe it but many idiots got through the whole thing too and became stupid members of the Bar  Council.

Some became the Bar president where they made idiotic noises all the way until they are no longer holding the post,

So puffed up in their sense of self importance.

Really guys, these people who supposed to read the laws are not all bright or even good people.

They have their own selfish agendas too.

They go to toilet to shit too, just like we all, okay.

Winning Muslims' hearts and minds

Some of you all commented in my last post about PM Anwar's recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

Some said he went there to draw in investments while others ridiculed him for failing to even meet with the rulers of that country.

It was quite hilarious too when Anwar's supporters yesterday tried to defend the merit of his trip there with the entire Malay Mail's webpage being filled with such stories for several hours.

Wished I could tell my old friend Leslie Lau that he and his Malay Mail gang are turning into what NST used to be for Umno - not very smart and spineless mouthpiece. 

On my part. I didn't even read the story when I saw the headlines about Anwar's trip to Saudi Arabia..

As far as I'm concerned, it was just another Anwar being a pious Muslim show.

If his intention was to get investments, then he should instead go to Beijing.

Trying to cosy up to the Arabs may land you into jail, okay. Look at Najib.

Well, cosying up to a chubby Chinese conman is also not good.

But, Anwar is not too stupid not to know that.

The way I see it, what he needs more now than anything else is being seen as a highly moral Islamic leader, at least among the Muslims..

Visiting Saudi Arabia looks very  Islamic to most people, you know.

Why now?

It's because state elections are coming in a few months time.

Pakatan, Umno and the gang would need to win over the Malay Muslims' votes and they can't do that with their government being linked to programmes such as the Jom Ziarah Gereja event.

They also can't have things such as the Thai Hot Guys or Cute China Doll stuff....at least for the time being.

So, Anwar as the PM needs to take the lead by showcasing his pious Islamic image for now, thus the Saudi Arabian trip.

Just like all that many years ago when he, along with several others founded Abim.

Other leaders should also showcase their fondness of Islam and how much they love the Muslims.

Maybe Hannah Yeoh could attend more Ramadhan programmes. 

Donating some of her MP allowance to masjid and surau the other day was a good move. I think it melts the heart of Muslims after all the nonsense about the gereja programme.

Malay Mail could do a lengthy article about it.

Seriously

They need to jaga hati of the Malay Muslims over the next few months....at least until after the state elections.

A lot is at stake, okay.

Of the six states that will hold the elections, Penang is probably Pakatan's only good bet.

Looking back at what happened in GE15, the Malay-dominated Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah are likely to stay with Perikatan, while Pakatan-held Selangor and Negeri Sembilan are in danger.

It would be a very tough fight in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan with both states having a higher percentage of Malays than Johor.

If Pakatan and Umno fail in the two states, then Pakatan would probably have only Penang left while Umno has Pahang, Johor, Malacca and Perak.

Sabah and Sarawak, as they were following the outcome of GE15, would go where Umno would go.

If the Malay votes' swing continues, then Umno may be forced to switch sides or die.

Okay, I know, they are already half dead after GE15, but another humiliation at the state polls would seal the coffin for good.

Looking at the way Zahid manages the party now, I think it would die.

Honestly, I gave up on them after all the post-GE15 nonsense within the party.

It's too much for me to bear.

Well, I'm not an Umno member anyway, so Umno people shouldn't get angry with me.

Learning from the shit that happened

As many would agree, the Malaysian economy is not exactly doing that well now despite all the positive statistics and data being showcased by the government.

Many are now struggling to make ends meet..

Personally, I'm also in trouble as I may lose my job soon.

The small company I'm working for is still struggling to survive after being hit hard by the Covid pandemic. No help from the government there, okay.

I'm preparing for the worst as I don't have any other skill than what I'm doing for the company now.

In case I got retrenched, I'm planning to buy a small cheap car (maybe Proton Pesona) and become a Grab driver.

My driving skill is quite good, you see.

Well, I don't need to earn that much. 

I would be okay as long as I can pay my bills and not go hungry.

I actually thought of doing other things such as opening a darts cafe or setting up a vegetable farm but those would need a lot of money to start.

And running such a place would also involve quite a bit of stress without much guarantee of success in the current economy.

Being a Grab driver would be easier and involve lesser risks.

Yeah, the worst that could happen is me getting stabbed and robbed by a crazy passenger.  But I believe the chances of that happening would be quite remote.

Anyway, I will not hold any grudge if I got retrenched. It happened to me before.

I would thank my boss for giving me employment over the years and I will remember only the good things about my work place where I had earned my living. Same as when it happened the last time.

I believe if that happens, it's because Allah has better plans for me.

Maybe I would even enjoy being a Grab driver more than what I'm doing now.

It's the same way I look at what's happening to this country.

Maybe we are going through the current shit so that we could become better people.

It's like getting rid of the bad blood.

Anwar said he would be a great PM and many people believe him, so Allah moved Malaysians' hearts to vote the way they did in GE15 so they could experience the truth in all that BS.

Maybe we will be wiser after going through more shit over the next few years. Obviously we didn't learn enough from the shit that we went through after GE14. Especially the Malays.

Maybe the shit we are enduring now will shape a better Malaysia, just like the shit that happened after the fall of Soviet Union shaped a better Russia.

Maybe one day we can have our own Putin and invade Singapore because it was part of the tanah jajahan taalok negeri Johor.

Hahahaha....that's a nice thought, right?

Or at least give Penang back to Kedah.

Yeah, why do we need to recognise all those treaties made with the colonial masters who conned our ancestors into it.

It would be nice if we grow a backbone and do that after going through the current shit, right?

Hmmm...maybe Kedah can have back Penang after China have back Taiwan.

Ok, ok, ok, I think I'm rambling now because of low sugar in my blood.

I'm fasting, okay.

Eh, enough lah.

Cheers.

Nothing much except nonsense after almost four months

It has been almost four months since Pakatan Harapan returned to power with the help of Umno.

Now, I think I can comment again without people accusing me of jumping the gun on a new government.

By the way, I have been resting since my last post as I was not well. I'm feeling better now to start writing again.

Firstly, I don't think things are better now than before GE15.

And I don't think it will get better, even if you ask me to wait some more.

What has the new government done so far?

Except for some sound bites and the obvious, nothing much really.

Menu Rahmah? Sure.

It's not even better than the Ismail Sabri's administration, okay.

At least back then we can criticise the government without fearing a police report will be lodged against us.

Now, say something and off they run to the police station crying for an investigation.

Anwar is now threatening action against those whom he categorises as racial bigots and religious zealots.

Guess why Dr Mahathir suddenly can't even get a venue for his Malay gathering.

Ya, why else.

I'm actually quite concerned though that the 97-year-old guy may end up in jail soon.

Mukhriz really need to tell his father to rest now. Not worth it for the handsome old man to be running around at the risk of being jailed at his age.

Well Muhyiddin, who is already 70 may be going to jail soon while Hadi is being investigated for saying something. 

On another front, the liberal shit is starting to fly all over the place again.

They were quiet for awhile after GE15 because they were scared of losing Umno's support but now they are back with the same nonsense like it was in 2018.

Just look at that Mentega Terbang movie, which was clearly intended to upset the Muslims.

The scene where a Muslim father told his teenage daughter that he's okay if she wants to go murtad really made my blood boils.

If Anwar really meant it when he said he will act against those who try to cause racial and religious strife, then I would like to see all those involved in making the movie be thrown in jail. 

At the very least, Anwar should condemn the movie.

Or is he too liberal and "inclusive" for that?

And what was that about the Jom Ziarah nonsense programme?

Hannah Yeoh, after all the uproar, said it doesn't involve Muslim youth. However, before that the advertisement of the programme didn't say that.

Does the government has anything better to do?

I have been to church many times when I was in college because of my friends who were members of the Christian Fellowship but I'm being there got nothing to do with the government.

I went there just to play ping pong with my friends, actually. 

Despite not being a proper good Muslim, I'm not like Syed Saddiq, who thinks it's okay for Muslim youth to go to churches and temples to learn about other religions. 

Come to think of it, I don't even spend time in mosque to learn about my own religion as I should be, okay.

Anyway, there's too much of religious things on TikTok already.

Well, I'm sure the LTTE/BJP wannabe extremists in DAP are enjoying all these nonsense.

I suspect they are now under a gag order as DAP don't want to spook Umno ahead the coming state elections.

They'll surely make noise again after that.

Would Anwar dare to "firmly act" against those DAP elements?

DAP is after all the real power behind Pakatan as it has more parliamentary seats compared to PKR and Amanah.

Even the seats own by PKR and Amanah are mostly courtesy of DAP supporters' votes.

As far as I'm concerned, the real fight now is between DAP and PAS, which is the real power behind Perikatan.

The rest, who are now making a lot more noises compared to them are just their instruments.

As for Umno, I can't even bear to look at it these days.

Too much nonsense happening within the party now.

I also wonder whether Anwar will act on Umno soon for advocating Malay nationalism and upholding Islam. 

Maybe after he has no use of the party or when DAP wants it done pronto.