Spent the whole of yesterday doing spring cleaning with my mom and grandmother for the Chinese New Year celebrations this weekend.
My grandmother seemed to be recovering well from her recent ailment and despite us telling her not to tire herself, insisted on joining us in cleaning up the house.
My grandfather however is mostly still weak from his own illness, suffered last month. He spent most of his time resting. My mom constantly worried about him because my grandfather, who previously was a boisterous person, doesn't talks much anymore.
My mom has taken a long leave from her job to look after my grandparents. It's probably the longest leave she ever took from her job.
Anyway, the rest of the family will start arriving home later today.
Big auntie and small auntie, along with my favourite cousins will arrive from Singapore tomorrow.
As always, it's going to be fun.
Yesterday evening, I went to town with my mom to buy the usual home decorative items for the occasion.
It's always my mom who choose the decorations as she's a bit of a Chinese scholar, being the only one in the family who had studied in a university in Taiwan.
Around this time of the year, I normally try to avoid writing about politics but today can't help but to notice this BigDog's posting,
Buck Up!
which highlights concerns of Deputy Prime Minister DS Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over studies which indicate that :
- only 6.6 per cent of the country’s cybertroopers are supportive of BN, while the rest are anti-establishment.
- for every pro-BN cybertrooper, there are 15 others who are working against the government.
Well, I don't know what to say about it anymore lah.
I have been bitching about the poor coordination of BN/Umno cyberwar and media efforts for the longest of time.
If you all have the time, check the archive of this blog to find my posts where I whack Umno/ BN cyberwar and media bosses.
Sorry, I'm too lazy now to find them for you.
Well, of course all I got for all those posts was being branded as not being supportive enough of the establishment and such.
I was even labelled a trojan horse and paid DAP cybertrooper at one point.
Well, never mind lah
Anyway, I did come across instances of BN losing its supporters in cyberspace.
This is one case where a couple who used to support BN in cyberspace without being paid to do so may have stopped doing that after what happened to them,
Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?
Now that the general election is drawing nearer, it's going to be quite a struggle for BN to catch up with the opposition in cyberspace.
One BN cybertrooper against 15 opposition cybertroopers can be quite tough, okay.
Even Ip Man asked to fight against only 10.
Hahaha...actually that Ip Man video is for this blog's CNY fun.
Whatever it is, even if the opposition wins the cyberwar, it doesn't mean they can win the general election.
That has always been the case.
As I previously wrote, the real fight will be on the ground.
The one that's closer to the rakyat and doing more for them will win.
Winning the cyberwar is of course important too, but the bulk of what it's all about is just satisfying massive ego of the combatants and all the nonsense about claiming meaningless bragging rights.
I think the Wanita Umno members who go from door to door campaigning for their party are more valuable than all those pompous high maintenance cyberwar and media generals as well as their minions whose main priority is just showcasing their loyalty to Najib instead of winning the much needed support for the establishment.
Well, you all know lah why they are like that.
If you don't know, you can read this previous post of mine,
Eh, okay lah. Enough of that nonsense.
I need to go help my mom in the kitchen now.
If got time, I will write again tomorrow.
Ciao.
"- only 6.6 per cent of the country’s cybertroopers are supportive of BN, while the rest are anti-establishment.
ReplyDelete- for every pro-BN cybertrooper, there are 15 others who are working against the government."
Annie,
You forgot to mention the weight factor.
With Ustazah Blobby on their side, (who weighs more than 15,000 anti-BN cybertroopers) the pound-for-pound victory goes to BN side.
Blobby also goes door to door like Wanita Umno.
Just not through doors, that's all.
ya, and if you add songlap-hippo's body mass to that, BN gets a "CRUSHING" victory....LOL.....make sure this Birkin beast don't sit on you lah...
DeleteBlooby getting fatter these days.
DeleteTak larat nak tulis pun. Mentah2 didnt receive payment.... Hahaha...
mdzfrs + Anonymous @ 25 January 2017 at 16:41,
DeleteROFLMAO!
I am so jealous that I cannot come up with funny comments like that.
They are hilarious.
Malaysia really has some seriously funny people.
Gladiator
Mr.Gladiator, don't U notice what those people at the warongs, kopi tiam and mamak stalls are holding in their hands. Including those at the taxi stands, LRT, buses and majlis-majlis ceramah.
DeleteAPA YANG MEREKA PEGANG dan tunduk MEMBACA.....????
Do they listen to the speakers during ceramah umno or talk to each others while at the tables, eating and drinking.........?????
Most of them would be deep or lost with the wassp and googles in their hands.
Itulah seduction of the glittering technology namanya!
No need for WANITA UMNO going round doors to doors.
Makcik and pakcik semua terlalu sibuk baca wassp dalam tangan masing-masing.
Even di pasar-pasar borong. HEHEHE
So, ZAHID is right!
cikminah
cikminah,
Delete//don't U notice what those people at the warongs, kopi tiam and mamak stalls are holding in their hands//
I don't deny that there is a sizable proportion of the population who are connected to the internet.
But from what I have observed, many of them are on games and other inconsequential sites.
On Facebook and WeChat, many of them are after love :)
Yes, even the JKKK committee members in my village only use WeChat only for talking nonsense and every once in a while, "official" business like, "where-do-we-meet-for-dinner?" nonsense.
Wassapp is not so popular in my kampung.
Well, at least that is what I have observed in my kampung.
Most of the people I speak to in the warungs, kopi tiams, mamak stalls, are quite naive in their political views.
They only know what they know from the newspapers and TV and not much beyond that.
Newspapers and TV are still big in my kampung :)
No socio-politico blogs, no forums, no websites, no commentary on LoA for those people.
When I mention blogs like LoA, Rocky's Bru, Big Dog, Pure Shite, Jebat Must Die, etc to people in my kampung, I get blurred faces.
And mind you, these are the doctors, lawyers, businessmen and businesswomen in my kampung!
I don't bother discussing politics with the lorry drivers, the jaga kebuns, the oil palm harvesters from my kampung.
I know that they will just ikut whatever someone tells them.
They are DAP, MCA, UMNO, MIC, PKR, PAS or whatever and mostly, they seem stuck in a rut.
But I accept that my observations are limited to a small rural kampung and I have no idea what an urban environment is like.
Gladiator
Mr.Gladiator, I come from a big family.
DeleteI have 12 siblings and each of my sibling have their own children,at least 4-5,6 and 7 children, the biggest number.
We are scattered all over Malaysia, the only link we have is via wassapp - family group wassapp.
Two of my sisters are mere housewives but their children are all graduates. In the family wassapp we consistenly jokes - mostly on Najib and kemasukan Cina Prc.
Hehehehe.......they post macam-macam gambar because anak-anak mereka kebanyakannya berkelulusan computer science. So walaupun mereka orang kampong, they are not so blurr........in fact, my sister in law, a factory worker who was a staunch wanita umno, now hari-hari post jokes on Najib and umno!
Yeh....semuanya jokes and nonsence of course.but neverless, politic too.
cikminah
I have been writing supporting UMNO dan BN since the reformasi era in 90s. I don't consider myself as an UMNO cybertrooper as I write independently.I have not received a single sen from UMNO or BN.
DeleteI can lead a decent life as I have a full time job.
Prof Kangkung
In malaysian university, we seldomly discuss political news. But pak cik and mak cik need to be critical and aware of politicians. If they dont then they are no better than a 'green' degree students.
DeleteIts ironic if working malaysian people do not practice democracy in real life
Jangan bimbang, cash is the king, last minit semua undi dacing..
ReplyDeleteZahid hanya psyco... Waje up call
More intresting, betul ke penyingkiran zahid sudah bermula.. Langkah yang bijak.
Jika setiap orang muda yang celik IT menyampaikan the facts and figures to the senior members of their family, rights will prevail.
ReplyDeleteIp Man is just man ... Ahjibgor is evil man.
ReplyDeleteJibby is "Or Kwee Chap Cheng" (Ten-Faced Black Demon)
Bring it on Bogeysman Jholok!
annie, the problem is that Umno cybertrooper malas giler.
ReplyDeletelook at your "blogging captain"....hmmmm hmmmmm?
Camne nak menang "war of perception" pulak?
25 January 2017 at 21:54
DeleteWhat "malas" are you referring to?
One posting every 10 days and zero comments is the perfect way to earn money!
Didn't you know : )
Annie,
ReplyDelete//Whatever it is, even if the opposition wins the cyberwar, it doesn't mean they can win the general election.//
//As I previously wrote, the real fight will be on the ground.//
You are absolutely right on both counts.
The real battleground is the face-to-face between party and rakyat.
Nothing substitutes for that.
Cybertroopers are only for the educated, the technologically savvy, the switched-on, the ones with an axe to grind.
The average Malaysian is none of the above.
I am sorry to say this but the fact is that the Malaysian education system has simply not produced particularly intelligent Malaysians.
Trying to reach the average Malaysian using blogs and forums is pretty much of a waste of time.
The average Malaysian is more likely to be found in the kopi tiam, in the mamak stalls, in the warungs - not in front of a computer screen writing comments in blogs :)
I am surprised Zahid Hamidi does not seem to realise where to find an average Malaysian.
But I accept that sometimes one can get seduced by the glitz and glitter of technology and think that technology is the answer to everything.
Gladiator
I think even the 6.6 percent is an exaggeration
ReplyDeleteall i see is that one person in Manchester doing all the spin and the rest just copy and paste
everyone gets paid, how nice is that, standard MO, even the daughter is on board
Manchester Moron IQ = 14
DeleteOther macai = 13
So they cut and paste, because they are even bigger morons!
The gomen sure knows how to waste money.
Anon 01.04 / 11.25
DeleteDon't be despaired,science can explained this phenomenon their penchant to spin/lie
Just google 'Is Dishonesty Heriditary'
This grouping can be classified as'Pseudologia Fantastica'
They don't even know when truth ends and falsehood begins
Its a pity,don't blame them,but before them
Fadzireen
Kesian Annie..............masih pikir Wanita UMNO 100% sokong UMNO. Now, if thouse umno cybertroopers have left the battle ground, what makes U think Wanita UMNO are still there fighting to the last of their dying breadth............??????
ReplyDeleteWanita UMNO are WANITA UMNO.
Most of them are house wives.
Some are teachers.
Others are kerani or pekerja kilang.
They too go to the market, shopping for their faily.
Without subsidi and now GST, do U consider they are still
staunch supporters of UMNO.........?????
Cik Minah,
Delete//Most of them are house wives.
Some are teachers.
Others are kerani or pekerja kilang.//
But that is wonderful for Wanita UMNO.
That demographic consists of not-too-smart females who will continue to believe in whatever they are told and do whatever they are told.
Perfect!
Even without subsidi and GST, there will be many Wanita UMNO who are still solidly behind UMNO.
The last thing you need is a Wanita UMNO member like Annie who is educated, who is not afraid to speak out, who will bitch and bitch about how things should be improved and made better, who will give suggestions on how to improve things and make things better, who will write out her thoughts and ideas for people to read and debate, etc etc.
Annie will be a lousy Wanita UMNO :)
Although, I must say, she will probably look very interesting in her Wanita UMNO uniform - all that red, you know. :)
Gladiator
Plese don not underate WANITA UMNO, Mr. Gladiator. They are no longer the Wanita UMNO of the 80ies & 90ies. My mom, a staunch Wanita umno died last Sept. Most women of her breed are no longer around. Those left are bedridden that they couldn't even remember their own names, what more who NAJIB & ROSMAH is.
DeleteWanita umno today are of my generation or a bit older. Some, like teachers are graduates while others at least got an SPM or a diploma.
Take my sister, she graduated oversea and a GM of a companya. She and her hubby were staunch umno members but not now. They still buy utusan but never read it. Buy just to support Melayu.
TV3 dah tak nonton dah. They too don't know who LoA, Rocky's Bru, Big Dog, Pure Shite, Husin Lempoyang, unspinners,Jebat Must Die, etc but they certainly are not the not-too-smart-females in your mind. People do change, u know otherrwise takkanlah cybertrooper umno tinggal 6.6% je.
cikminah
cikminah,
Delete//Take my sister, she graduated oversea and a GM of a companya.//
For every woman like your sister, for every woman like you, for every woman like Annie, there are a thousand, maybe ten thousand women who are not.
There is no real way I can prove to you my above statement except to ask you to go out and speak to women on the street.
Or travel to other lands and speak to women there and make your own comparisons.
I do.
//They too don't know who LoA, Rocky's Bru, Big Dog, Pure Shite, Husin Lempoyang, unspinners,Jebat Must Die, etc//
Actually, you have just proven what I said about Zahid Hamidi's call for the greater use of technology by Wanita UMNO or for more cybertroopers.
Read what I said about the doctors and the lawyers and the business men and women in my other comments above.
This is just another half-baked idea by a person in power.
Maybe Zahid Hamidi is expecting all those Wanita UMNO to go upgrade their handphones at MARA Digital because god knows those poor retailers there really need the sales. OK, just kidding.
All I know is that lots of money will be spent (probably taxpayers money), lots of effort will be spent, and the results will negligible.
But, what do I know about technology and how it is used in society, right? :)
Gladiator
Cik Minah Sayang,
DeleteIf you think so highly of Wanita UMNO, how can they still accept a cow as their head.
wak.
Dear wak of 9.13.
DeleteU don't really pick up my messaje at 14.09, do U?
I don't think highly nor looking down on Wanita UMNO, wak. What I want to point out is, U cannot depend on them to go round door to door like my mom did, before. Many like my sisters and sisters-in-law are no longer staunch supporters of umno eventhough they do not know bloogers like Usin Lempoyang, cucu tok selampit, belia bangkit, big dog, the unspiners, or Life of Annie, etc.
People DO change, Wak.
They go to the market for their daily.
Harga minyak masak MURNI no longer rm13.35 but
rm21.30. At some retail it is even higher at rm24!!!
Tak perlu masuk blog-blog to make them change. Most of their children are graduates. These young urns are not like me and their moms or their grandmas who hold to my father's wasiat, MESTI UNDI UMNO. The are a big influence to us. Even a pilot captain (my neighbour) berubah, dipengaruhi anak-anaknya. No need to read blogs, sir.
Gladiator just said it - A WASTE OF MONEY
Don't forget BN number 1 propaganda weapon:
ReplyDeleteJamal Jamban.
Why no protest against 'massage' in PD hotel rooms?
Why no protest against 'massage' with C4 explosives?
Jamal should campaign against more serious social problems:
a) Rapists
b) People who sell drugs
You know the saying charity begins at home.
Bagi Faiz Shariffuddin pula, sudah tiba masanya Jamal menggunakan idea politik matang dan bukan seperti ini.
Delete“Cubalah guna politik matang, fakta vs fakta, barulah rakyat akan nampak siapa betul dan siapa salah.
“Bukan begini caranya Jamal, kami rakyat inginkan pemimpin yang matang dan bagus bukan pemimpin yang inginkan jawatan tetapi tidak keluarkan hujan-hujah fakta,” tulisnya.
Bagaimanapun, pengguna Facebook Irwan Citra beranggapan lebih elok jika Jamal membantu mangsa-mangsa banjir di selangor daripada membuat perkara sebegini.
“Elok dia pergi taja tilam, cadar dan selimut untuk mangsa-mangsa banjir di Sabak Bernam daripada buat perkara macam ini,” tulisnya.
"I can lead a decent life as I have a full time job."
ReplyDeleteRight. Inilah jemaah "As long as I am okay. Too bad about others."
Why Malaysia's Najib Razak Isn't Going Anywhere
ReplyDeleteDespite protests, political realities will keep the prime minister’s melancap coalition in power through 2017 – and melancap beyond.
On November 19, tens of thousands of Malaysians assembled in the capital to demand for a free and fair election and the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is implicated in a massive financial lancap scandal. Yet, Najib’s ruling coalition looks set to prevail in the next general election, rumored to be held this year.
Why is this so? I argue Malaysia’s political gridlock is prolonged largely by four factors: electoral malpractices nikmat, institutional failures, political fragmentation, and societal fault lines. Until and unless these are changed, reforms will be flimsy at best, and cosmetic at worst.
Electoral Malpractices: Keeping the Incumbent in Their Seats sesuci murni
In the previous general election, the ruling coalition won 47 percent of the popular vote but nearly 60 percent of the parliamentary seats melancap. The opposition coalition won 51 percent of the votes but only 40 percent of the seats (the remaining 2 percent of the vote was split among marginal parties). The discrepancy is caused by the uneven weighting of popular representation. A constitutional clause grants over-representation for rural voters either spanning a large landmass or difficult to reach areas. However, even after taking this clause into account, electoral malpractices are severe.
In a study I co-wrote with fellow analysts from the Penang Institute, we found that at least 68 parliamentary seats and 162 state seats are either excessively under-represented or excessively over-represented under the latest redelineation proposed by the Election Commission. If the proposal comes into effect during the next general election, the outcome is effectively a forgone conclusion because of severe malapportionment and gerrymandering.
Malapportionment melancap is the disparity of constituency size caused by redelineation. It results in inequitable representation because it provides unequal vote value. For example, one voter in Putrajaya has a value equivalent to nine voters in Kapar, as both constituencies have one seat each — even though Putrajaya has roughly 15,991 voters and Kapar has 144,159.
Even within the same state, the disparity of constituency size is striking. In the state of Selangor, Damansara is four times the size of Sabak Bernam. Any of the three excessively under-represented parliamentary constituencies in Selangor are bigger than the three small constituencies combined.
This is not a purely mathematical melancap berjemaah disparity of constituency size. It is a deliberate packing of opposition supporters into a mega-size constituency, diluting their ability to win other seats and making the neighboring marginal seats more winnable for the ruling coalition. Not surprisingly, Damansara is held by the opposition and Sabak Bernam is held by the ruling party.
ReplyDeleteGerrymandering berjemaah, meanwhile, is the practice of deliberately drawing constituency boundaries based on the voting pattern of constituents so that a party may benefit. Malaysia’s redelineation melancap sejagat does this in three ways: the creation of constituencies spanning multiple local authorities, the arbitrary combination of communities without common interests, and the partition of local communities and neighborhoods. Voters living on the same street find themselves in different electoral constituencies. The confusion is compounded by the lack of information and publicity about the changes made to constituency boundaries and, crucially, voting districts.
Political Fragmentation: Weaker and Disunited Opposition
Given the steep electoral obstacles which the opposition has to overcome, it is no surprise that kewibawaan melancap of the National Front (Barisan Nasional, BN) is one of the longest ruling coalitions in the world. The then fully united opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, failed to unseat BN in the 2013 general election. The erstwhile alliance brought together three major opposition parties: the People’s Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP), and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Any hope of taking advantage of Najib’s crisis has been dampened by the collapse of Pakatan Rakyat due to a quarrel over a chief minister’s position and the Islamist party’s insistence on the implementation of Sharia laws.
Amidst the open animosity between the opposition parties, pragmatist PKR is negotiating a miracle. They are appealing for a one-on-one fight; a scenario which even the most hardcore opposition supporter would find unlikely.
Hostility is mutual between PAS and DAP/Amanah. Bersatu, the new party setup by ousted Deputy Prime Minister Muhyddin Yassin and former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, is beset with internal issues and looks the least of a threat to Najib’s UMNO. A united opposition is anywhere but visible in Sabah and Sarawak, the two states which won the election for Najib, whose coalition took 47 out of 56 seats.
If PAS explicitly teamed up with UMNO, there is some hope that their grassroots and longtime supporters (who view UMNO as a nemesis) may vote for the opposition coalition as a protest against their leadership. Tacit cooperation is more likely, however, and in three-cornered fights, the ruling party will sweep all the marginal seats.
Institutional Failures: Culture of Unaccountability, Graft, and State Repression
ReplyDeleteInstitutional failures have doomed any formal case again Najib for the financial scandal centered on 1MDB. Former Attorney General Gani Patail was terminated just as he was allegedly drafting a charge sheet against Najib. The chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was replaced, its senior officers transferred out, and one investigating officer’s home was raided by the police. Three out of four figureheads of the special taskforce setup to investigate 1MDB were replaced within months.
The various institutions that were supposed to hold the government accountable have all faltered in one way or another. A concentration of power has enable the state leviathan to dismiss any institution that could actually hold it accountable.
Ideally, legislative institutions should uphold the principles of democracy and justice enshrined in the Constitution. But under the forceful thumb of the executive, they continue to either pass or fail to repeal draconian laws stretching from the colonial era. The Sedition Act, which criminalizes any speech deemed hateful or contemptuous towards the ruler or government, is routinely abused due to its vague clauses. The notorious detention without trial, another colonial legacy, gave powers to the executive to imprison political opponents for lengthy periods without a day in the courtroom. Most recently, the leader of a civil rights movement calling for free and fair elections, Maria Chin Abdullah, was detained under one such law.
The list of institutional failures includes that of the media. Some outlets fought and went down, like The Malaysian Insider. The mainstream press is owned directly by political parties or businessmen friendly to the establishment. Periodic license renewals keep them on their toes. Newspapers editors who did report on 1MDB were called in for police investigation.
Institutional failure and lack of accountability are not limited to 1MDB melancap. Year after year, the Auditor General melancap has revealed staggering cases of mismanaged public funds. Government bodies melancap bought wall clocks at RM 3,810 a piece (the market price is easily below RM 100) and scanners for RM 14,670 (market price: RM 200). The “normalization of corruption melancap” is deeply embedded in the existing hierarchy, from the top to the bottom. In the newly released report, the auditors found that the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) melancap lost hundreds of millions due to multiple transactions without proper authorization, dubious planning and execution, and complete mismanagement yang cukup indah. It made news for two to three days before disappearing, like pretty much every other melancap scandal. Corrupt melancap acts are committed and revealed, followed by public outrage. But with no institution to exercise accountability, the news eventually disappears. It has become a normal cycle melancap.
Late last year, the National Security Council Act was passed to enable the prime minister melancap to declare an area of emergency as he deems necessary, without the approval of any other institution. Which raises the question: Are there any institutional safeguards to guarantee a peaceful transition of power even if the government fails to recapture popular support in the election?
ReplyDelete