The sad thing about this weekend (updated)

UPDATES

As reported by Singapore's Straits Times,

Former Malaysian PM Mahathir campaigns for opposition

ORIGINAL POST

Someone passed me what was supposed to be  a weekend schedule of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad the other day.

According to it, the former PM and Umno president was to  have programme in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar today and tomorrow respectively.

It's quite obvious that the programme was part of the Pakatan Harapan's by-election campaign there.

I felt a tinge of sadness when I saw it.

It really has come to this - Dr Mahathir campaigning outright for the opposition.

The programme stated that he is to deliver his speeches at a Chinese restaurant in Sekinchan and another similar venue in Kuala Kangsar.

It was almost certain that the whole thing was organised by DAP and not even Amanah which was actually contesting in those by-elections.

Memories of Dr Mahathir literally pleading to campaign for former Johor MB TS Abdul Ghani Othman against DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah during the last general election came back to me.

How things have changed.

I'm not sure whether the 90 years old statesman will really go through with it, but just looking at the programme made me sad.

Obviously, Dr Mahathir has come to a point where he doesn't care to risk all that he has in his effort to topple DS Najib Razak.

I wish it has not come to this.

From the start of the Umno rebellion last year, I have been advocating for both sides to talk and sort things out so that the party will not be torn apart.

Unfortunately things only got worse with both unwilling to cool off.

In fact the traded barbs became even more vicious to a point that I knew it would be hard for each other to forgive.

My guess was that Dr Mahathir feels that he has nothing to lose anymore even if he join forces with the worst of his enemies, the DAP in his fight with Najib.

After all, he's totally convinced that Najib is bad for Malaysia and that the PM, based on his action and those of his supporters seemed to want their fight to be a no quarter given nor asked one.

Well, the feeling was probably the same on both sides, I  guess.

Umno simply has to suffer along.

For Dr Mahathir, the existing Umno is no longer the party that he led for more than two decades.

Dr Mahathir is a tough nut indeed, but still, it's heart breaking to see him having to do what he is doing now.

The fact that he is doing it at such an advanced age makes it even more sad.

How I wish the handsome old man could just enjoyed his retirement in peace after all that he had done for the country those many years ago.

But then again, that was his choice and this is still for now a free country.

Maybe Dr Mahathir is happier doing what he is doing now than spending his old age doing what people of his age supposed to be doing.

Whatever it is, I hope he will be alright and not exhaust himself this weekend.

From what I was told the weather, especially in Sungai Besar has been quiet hot of late. And this is the fasting month. I hope Dr Mahathir's assistants can make sure he drinks enough water during buka puasa and have proper rests in between  the programme.

All that, if indeed Dr Mahathir is really going to go through with the whole thing.

A matter of conscience

Once again, someone sent me screenshots of a Facebook post by former New Straits Times group editor Mustapha Kamil Mohd Janor this morning,

Please click for better view

Honestly, I was not really sure what Mus was referring to in the post, because I hardly read blogs these days except those in my blog roll.

I'm also not on Facebook or Twitter or other social media platforms.

But since Mus had offered to be investigated, I think those who accused him of whatever, should initiate it.

As people nowadays like to say, if you want to accuse someone of something, you better have the evidence to do so.

Well, I hope Mus get to meet his accusers and convince them that he quit his job simply because of his conscience as he previously claimed.

Right or wrong in the eyes of others, one must act according to his/her conscience.

It doesn't matter whether a person is for or against the establishment. As long as he/she acts with an intact conscience, the person should be alright.

I believe in that.

Here's a video clip from the movie "A Man For All Seasons" on the matter of conscience,

Relax Relax sahaja (updated)

UPDATES

Found another Black Dog Bone song which I think many of you would like to hear.

It's especially suitable for angry people during Ramadhan :)

ORIGINAL POST

Fasting make things more relaxed than usual.

Well, at least that's how I'm feeling now.

I don't feel like being in fighting mode at all at the moment.

Just want to take it easy and not get agitated about anything.

People want to hate and fight, let them be lah.

I just want to do my own things and be at peace for now. 

So, for today I just want to introduce (to those who don't know them yet) my father's 1970s favourite "local" band,

Black Dog Bone 

The then Singapore-based band became famous for their catchy Malay songs but my father considered them as being Sino-Malay.

The band members are Isshar Masrom (lead guitar),  Tahir Ali (main vocalist and drummer),  Masron Ali (trumpet, horn, trombone), Hamid Ahmad (bass), James Chai (tenor, flute, trombone, saxaphone), and Michel Heng (keyboard).

Here they are performing together this very Malay song years after their glory days,

Nice song, isn't it?

Jangan marah-marah....relax relax lah sahaja, okay :)

Anyway, it's also nice seeing the guys still being friends till their ripe old age.

Guess, theirs are real friendship.

It doesn't seems to matter that they are Malays and Chinese.

Let's hope we all Malaysians can be like them too.

Note: Please don't believe it if there are people accusing them of being DAPsters later on just because they are Malays and Chinese friends featured in my blog :) Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, the guys are all Singaporeans. Maybe they are PAP members. That one I don't know lah.

A benefit of fasting

I was told during buka puasa last night that someone wrote a very long blog post whacking me for the start of Ramadhan yesterday.

The length of the post was said to be at least three times my normal posts.

I was like "Oh really....hmmm....hehehehehe..."

It became funny to me probably because of the fasting.

Less cholesterol in my blood, I guess :)

Can't get angry much when fasting, okay, which is good.

I didn't even bother to find and read the offending blog post.

Wasting time only.

Anyway, it must take a lot of hate to write bad things that long about someone.

I honestly can't do that. I can't sustain hate for too long.

I wish I can suggest to the person who wrote the hate blog post to try fasting.

Maybe can reduce the hate level....and at the same time lose some weight too.

Good what.

Hating is a tiresome thing to do for me.

Really, I tried it before.

It didn't take long for me to feel ridiculous about it and soon after that the whole thing turned nonsensical and even funny to me.

It's even more so during fasting month like this.

I have just enough energy to go through the day that there's nothing much to spare for anything else.

And hating takes a lot of energy, okay.

I was also told by friends currently campaigning in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar that they didn't do much yesterday.

Feeling lethargic they said.

Well, first day of fasting is always like that.

Things will however return back to normal after a few days.

Should be okay.

Hopefully, the campaigning will go smoothly and everyone observe the fasting diligently.

That way there will be no hate campaign and such.

I had been to a by-election during fasting month, that was the one in Kuala Besut, which was the first after the last general election in 2013.

It was perhaps the most peaceful by-election ever at that time.

Really nice.

I will write about my experience there later.

Somehow it's good that the first by-election after the last general election was during Ramadhan and the last ones before the next GE are also in the holy month too.

It sorts of cool off things a bit.

Ramadhan pledge and wish

It's Ramadhan again and I just had my first sahur as I start writing this using my phone.

So, it's just a short one.

Just want to wish all good Muslims "selamat berpuasa ".

May you all be blessed by Allah.

I'm not a very religious person, but I will try to make my fasting  be a good one.

Will try my extra best to restrain from doing bad things.

Must remember not to be vulgar.

Will not write too much naughty stuff such as telling people things that they don't want to hear like  they have smelly armpits and such.

Doesn't matter even if it's the truth.

Truth is annoying to some people.

Kadang-kadang, kita tak kata dia pun dia terasa.

Nothing much we can do in such case, isn't it?

I will also try to do good as much as I  can while fasting.

Hopefully  all these will stick even after Ramadhan.

Eh, you all who are fasting, try to be good too, okay.

Try not to fight with each other too, or even better if you all can make peace.

Dr Mahathir, Najib, can?

Okay, never mind. I know I'm asking too much there 😑

Also, you all, try not to eat too much when "buka puasa". Don't get fat during fasting month as it will make you look ridiculous.

Okay, that's about it. I  need to do other things necessary now.

Cheers and all the best with the fasting....for those who fast la.

Here's a favourite song of mine for the road,

Bersekutu bertambah mutu

There have been quite a lot of chatters nowadays about some people from my home state Johor promoting it to get out of Malaysia.

Even my blogging captain Rocky wrote about it in his latest post,

Republic of Johor

I actually wrote my opinion on the matter last month,

• We are Malaysians from the state of Johor, no more no less

I had more or less expressed my unhappiness with the idea that Johor should not be part of Malaysia.

I had also clearly stated that I didn't and will never subscribe to the concept of Bangsa Johor.

Those who have been following this blog from the start should know that I love my home state.

Nonetheless, I was also critical of its administration whenever I felt that it was doing the wrong things.

It was so because I wanted those in power to correct the wrongs so that Johor and its people will not suffer later on.

I know that because of it, I am not in the good book of people in Kota Iskandar.

Nowadays, there are even people who used that as part of the basis to accuse me of being a paid DAP cybertrooper.

Well, whatever lah.

Don't want to waste my time with that.

Layan orang tak betul, kita pun jadi tak betul nanti.

It doesn't matter to me as I feel that what I did was worth it.

I consider it as my tiny contribution for the betterment of my home state.

Back to the issue of Johor getting out of Malaysia, I hope Prime Minister DS Najib Razak will be firm on this and not tolerate any attempt, be it short or long term, to break up the country.

I also hope that Johor Menteri Besar DS Mohamed Khaled Nordin to come up with a strong statement that Johor will remain part of Malaysia "selagi ada bulan dan bintang".

I wrote about this thing a year ago,

• Idea of secession must be stopped

For me, Malaysia must remain united for it to survive.

No one should be allowed to talk about taking out any of the states out of Malaysia.

Let's learn the lesson from what happened when Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia back in the 1960s.

No matter how anyone wants to put it, that was a loss for us all.

Let's not be afraid to promote peace and unity among us Malaysians so that we can defend our country's sovereignty.

I'm talking about uniting ALL Malaysians here, okay.

Tak kira agama, bangsa or from which state.

Promoting those good things  doesn't make you a DAP cybertrooper as suggested by some people about me.

And please, do not succumb to the goading of those that promote dissension among us by telling us that  Malays must oppose Chinese, Muslims need to hate Christians or Johoreans should feel superior than other Malaysians.

Note : Bersekutu bertambah mutu - Unity is strength, is from this coat of arms of Malaysia,

Mus' story

I wrote a bit about Mustapha Kamil Mohd Janor in this post,

An advice for pro-establishment newsmen

excerpts;

Anyway, Mus is the New Straits Times group editor since last year.

However, I heard he had tendered his resignation and will leave the newspaper by end of this month.

Lucky NST reporters, no need to eat paper balls :)

If it's true, Mus is the first one to voluntarily resign from that post, as far as I know.

Group editor of NST is a very important post.

It's like being the captain of a flagship in a naval fleet,

But of course he still needs to take orders from the Admiral who is of even higher rank. 

It turned out to be true.

Mus has indeed resigned and left NST.

Someone sent me a screenshot of his Facebook post where he explained his reasons for resigning from the post,

(Please click for better view)

(please click for a better view)

(Please click for a better view)

Well, that's about conclude Mus' story.

Whatever it is, I'm once again wishing the guy all the best.

Cheers.