The Malay Politic's Ultimate Game

NAJIB CAN'T SOLVE IT, SAYS MAHATHIR ARE SACRED OF MIKE TAISON

Posted taxidriver voice from the street peoples voice

Najib shall not be able to solve the problem.  With a reputation as sullied as his, who will listen to him extol the virtue of a virtous life.  But, perhaps my memory is failing me, did we not hear all these money politics issues during the 22 years rule of Dr M?  Why be such a hypocrite and make as if he's all pure and virtous? That old man who is barking the loudest is the most corrupted in umno history.Today he is the boy who cry wolf.   Dr. Mahathir, as a veteran politician, and as a retiree from political arena, you have done enough of fair share in terms of giving advice to UMNO goons. The goons will not listen to you, the temptation of corruption is too sweet to reject. No matter how much you tell them the danger of playing with fire that will eventually burn the whole UMNO down, they turn a deaf ear.  The least you could do, Dr. , is to let them face the music.  As for English language, the standard of the language has deteriorated into such a shameful depth that we have no one else to blame but the system itself. The saying goes,...'you will get what you asked for...'  A Malaysian lecturer of one the universities around the corner will say to you in this specially form of English from the tempias of half past six language, ...' I am telling you the true, it is no important to made a fast(fuss)...that is just a little tempias, but there are worse examples when you come in contact with most of the lecturers...  What would you expect the kind of English spoken by those graduates whose lecturers lag far behind the average standard required of them as lecturers!!! "Curtailing corruption and money politics in Umno will be a difficult task even with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak becoming the Prime Minister and Umno President in March, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad"  The spider is telling the hapless fly that has got caught in his web that there is no chance of escape. Oh well... if your cell phone manual is in English then that's sufficient reason for the whole world to change over to English.  I guess that's as good as any argument of read on the subject  Sometimes I wonder at how shallow is the Malay ability to think... especially to think into the future written by Thinker, November 23, 2008 16:59:50  Curtailing corruption and money politics in Umno will be a difficult task even with because ofDatuk Seri Najib Tun Razak becoming the Prime Minister and Umno President in March, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. every body knows this najis can not n will not do it! not only u,mahatahi! TDM, the hypocrite of all time, is complaining about money politics when this does not suit him now especially when his son is competing for UMNO youth president. This is very important to him now - not the massive corruption in the country, not the misuse of judiaciary, not the incompetent leadership in UMNO, not the misuse of power etc. And he did not lift a finger to correct all these when he was in power. This idiot thinks that he is always right and people must listen to him.  Isn't he doing this for his own interest and that of his family ? Has Mukhriz any leadership qualities ? And yet TDM wants him to win and lead UMNO to the gutters.  TDM should rise to his statesmanship stature and voice out genuine concerns for the country. Not issues of self interest. "Najib can't solve corruption and money politic," what are you talking about *****? Stop pretending. Najib and you are notorious when it comes to corruption and abuse of power. It's public knowledge; ask Brian Chan, Lim Goh Tong (oops he is no more with us), Vincent Tan, Ananda Krishnan, Diam and gang from Peremba, etc. In the western world both of you will be put in jail for infinity. Mahathir is right. How could a corrupt resolve corruption? ENajib is tainted with numerous scandals. His deputy misappropriated state land and amassed much wealth for himself. The deputy presidents candidates consist of money launderer and avarice rascals who accentuates malayness and islam to fool their followers to fulfil their lust. For that matter, even Mahathir, the father of corruption who is singing a different tune now cannot save UMNO. report abuse disagree 0 agree 3 ... written by Motherchell, November 23, 2008 17:44:45  Maha may say a million things !  I feel ashamed TDM had been in Power with no direction except for corruption and cronismn!.....  Here is a letter from from a patriot Somalian! - A must read for all Malay and Malaysians!!  headline-news-online We will not regain the 'clean' Umno of "yesteryears" to represent us unless money politics is curbed," said Dr Mahathir  ---------------------------------------  WTF is this senile old man talking about?. . . UMNO was clean "yesteryears?". Is he saying UMNO was clean before and also during his tenure as one of the most corrupted PM in the world! Is he also saying only during Bodohwi's premiership that UMNO had become dirty and corrupt?  He was in fact the "catalyst" of the most dirtiest party I have ever known in this world. Even Mugabe's party looks clean when compared to UMNO. . ., "previously, now and in the future" (dulu,kini dan selamanya)!  You can't wipe off corruption in Malaysia. It is part of life in Malaysia. What is 'bribe'? Who is to tell me what is illegal and what is not? In the Western world we pay fees and charges. In Malaysia you just pay the officer. So tell me what is the different? You got to understand "bribe" fast track everything. It cut off the middle man, red tape and all bull dust paper work. (Daily Express) - Curtailing corruption and money politics in Umno will be a difficult task even with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak becoming the Prime Minister and Umno President in March, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "Will the power transition (from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Najib) restore the party? I am not yet convinced as I have yet to see whether Najib is able to solve corruption and money politics. "We will not regain the 'clean' Umno of yesteryears to represent us unless money politics is curbed," said Dr Mahathir at a discourse entitled the "Malay Dilemma" organised by the Federation of Malaysian National Writers' Associations (Gapena), Saturday. The former Prime Minister said the scourge had become a culture in Umno and had become more pronounced in the run-up to the party's polls (in March). Dr Mahathir said if Umno did not return to the roots of its struggle, it would no longer be relevant to the Malays. "The leaders must lead by example by taking stern action against those involved in corruption. Do not vote for leaders who are involved in corruption," he said. When asked if he had referred any names to Umno's disciplinary board for indulging in money politics, said he had not done so as many had lodged reports for the same with the board. He said what was important was that action be taken on the complaints. On Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz's decision to defend her post, he said, "It is up to her. What is important is that Umno members should choose their leaders wisely." Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir also said the teaching of science and mathematics in English should be continued to ensure Malaysian students, especially the Malays, are not left behind. He said the change to teach the two subjects in English from Bahasa Malaysia was to ensure students could master them and at the same time become more proficient in English, the number one language in the world. "It is not aimed at neglecting Bahasa Malaysia. Furthermore, most publications on science and mathematics are in English. "Take for example the cellular phone. If foreigners manufacture them equipped with cameras and the short-messaging facility but the manual is in English, can we used our science which is in Bahasa Malaysia to make the same hand phone? "By the time we are done with the translation we will be left far behind," he said. He also cited the dark ages of the Arabs where they had to learn everything from the Greeks. "Obviously they could not ask the Greeks to translate their knowledge into Arabic. The solution then was for them to learn Greek so that they could have access to the knowledge in their possession. By doing this, the Arabs became a progressive race," he said, adding that the same applied in the current scenario in the country. He also said being proficient in two languages was a great asset and cited himself as an example. "I studied in a Malay school for two years before my father transferred me to an English school. Thereafter all my education was in English. "Did I lose my ability to use Bahasa Malaysia? It will not signify the end of the Malay race if we are to learn in English as well," he said.

It is unbelievable that Mahatir the cheed and audacity to shed crocadile tears about UMNO !! 

What the UMNO stand for today is due to Mahatir genius creation ! Mahatir 'brilliance' and 'success' is so thorough and so staggering that even a well knowned, highly exposed corrupt politician and high murder suspect has been overwhelmingly selected and without even the slightest whisper of disapproval, to hold the highest and the most prestigious office of the land. 

It is obvious to everyone now, Lee Kuan Yew took Singapore and is already reaching Switzerland standard, Singapore and Singaporeans have a brandname that is highly sought after, held in high regards and synonymous with integrity and efficiency and competence. Singapore achieves true multi-cultural and multi religious harmony. 

Mahatir took Malaysia and is reaching Zimbabwee standard. Malaysia, instead of basking in pride, is now buried with tons of un-ending sordid scandals, Malaysia is a sad pity and a humongous laughing stock of the world ! Everything that Mahataik/UMNO touched become humongous failure and colossal loss to the country. Instead of leading his citizens to become better educated, better disciplined, more competitive, more efficient (everything that Lee Kuan Yew had done for his people), Mahatir had crippled and poisoned the Malays' mind -- as a result, a whole generation of Malay grow up with insecurity and fear to compete, little skill, little motivation to work hard and least prepared to compete in the new globalize world ! Mahatir had planted the idea in the Malays mind that they are the Melayu Tuan and the world owed them a living and easy money through corruption is a legitimate way of making a living. 

Now, the Mahatir is plotting to come back, all Malaysians who care about this country must do their utmost to reject him totally. If Mahatir is allowed to have his way again , soon Singapore and Malaysia will be like a Heaven and Hell joined by a crooked bridge !! 

 

 

In hindsight, however, this relief was accompanied by a hope against hope that the system would reform itself, and that the damage done to the country's institutions could somehow be reversed ... if only the top man wished for it.

 

Such optimism on the part of the Malaysian public hid a conformist attitude born of sustained authoritarian rule, a social laziness and an unwillingness to take personal responsibility for the sorry state of governance in the country.

 

It was easier to hope than to act.

 

However, the system under Abdullah did not reform itself in any remarkable way. He did make a few positive gestures in the beginning, but the path to serious reform required insight, vision and will. He did not have enough of these qualities, and whatever improvement came under his watch was overshadowed by continued deterioration in most areas.

 

What made it impossible for the system to reform itself was the fact that the key institutions badly damaged during the Mahathir years were not only the judiciary, the police, the civil service and the universities. Worst of all, Umno itself — the dominant party — was perhaps the most damaged of them all.

 

And so, when street demonstrators were water-cannoned last year, and activists put away without trial, many gave up hope in the system's ability to reform itself. It was then the Malaysian voter stopped being lazy, it was then he stopped being conformist and it was then he began to take responsibility and vote, not for reform as such, but against those who had failed to carry out reforms.

 

And so, Barisan Nasional secured record-low support in the 2008 elections.

 

The trend towards reform is now more obvious, even to Umno hardliners. But there is little to suggest that sufficient change is forthcoming.

 

No nominee for the top posts in the coming party elections can be taken seriously as a possible agent of change. "Change" is the magic word at the moment. But what change is required?

 

MAINTAINING A BALANCE

 

One way of understanding the situation is to remind ourselves that politics is always local, and that it is always personal in essence. The federal government's right to rule relies on the balance it can keep between local and federal interests.

 

When federal interests become paramount and local interests are ignored; or when federal interests become blatantly partisan and the interests of some particular locality or community are manifestly favoured above others; or when federal interests have been hijacked by the personal interests of those in power — it is when one of these is the case that federal politics returns to being local. The right of the central to represent the local is taken back by the voter.

 

Once the legitimacy of the central to represent the local is gone, it is not easily regained. Once the trust in Umno and its allies is gone, politics descends to its foundations, and central power must be rebuilt in stages, from the bottom up. There is no shortcut, although the temptation to find one will be strong among those who fear the loss of power.

 

A pattern is emerging in Malaysia where different states will either be ruled by different parties, or by different coalitions of parties. At the moment, only two coalitions seem viable, but sooner or later, local interests — being so varied from area to area and from state to state — will seek new configurations of power which may express themselves in a rainbow of coalitions. State politics does not have to be a perfect reflection of central politics.

 

A federation is an acknowledgement of the great divisions that exist within it. These divisions tend to geographical, and it is a healthy sign that political preferences in Malaysia are becoming more and more varied, geographically.

 

With the central power losing legitimacy, the sociopolitical dynamics below that are now badly reflected at the top move to change the structure above it. It is to be expected that the top will try to suppress these forces seeking to change it. But the top will do that only if it thinks it can succeed. If it realises that it cannot possibly reverse the trend, it will change along with it in order to survive, hoping that in adjusting and surviving, it can at least retain some influence.

 

Seen this way, what is happening in Malaysia is a crisis of credibility in the central power and its institutions. In such a situation, politics returns to basics, also in the geographical sense. Localism grows in strength and seeks to alter the federal structure towards being a better expression of itself.

 

The challenge facing those who wish for power at the federal level is to win legitimacy by finding ways to represent local interests of as many states and areas as possible, to find the right extent to which they should unite these interests and to which level they should not, and convincing all involved that the total they create is larger than the sum of all the parts.

 

I don't think you should blame AAB. After all he was faced with a bunch of supporters anxious to get rid of TDM, but still unwilling to part with absolute power. However his relative tolerance of free speech (especially on the Internet) has pushed the margin farther along the road of balance of power.

 

 

It seems that there is also a strong force that supports a balance of power and opposes absolute power. I think that the solution is to continue to show that a balance of power is nothing to be feared and will ultimately be healthy for Malaysia. Unfortunately quarrelsome Malaysians sabotage themselves by nit-picking on race issues - hence proving that a balance of power may be too ideal.

 

Stop the quarrels on race issues please. Concentrate on good governance and accountability. Take page from obama

Two main quarries are supplying the building blocks for President-elect Barack Obama's new administration.

Longtime, deeply loyal associates will dominate the White House inner sanctum. And veterans of Bill Clinton's presidency will hold vital jobs throughout the government, although a bit farther from the Oval Office.

The structure suggests Obama is confident enough to hand top posts to former rivals whose loyalty is not guaranteed, a strategy many presidents have avoided. But most of those on Obama's team who will have his ear everyday will be old friends and experienced advisers who are seen as having no ambitions beyond his success.

Reuters

President-elect Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton at an October campaign rally in Orlando, Florida.

Mr. Obama raised eyebrows this month when he tapped some of Mr. Clinton's closest allies for important jobs.

John Podesta, Clinton's former White House chief of staff, is heading the transition effort. Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a former top Clinton adviser, is Mr. Obama's chief of staff. Former Clinton appointees Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano appear in line for Cabinet posts.

Even more startling to many, Mr. Obama has signaled plans to name former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state.

Some Obama supporters have praised him for reaching out to his toughest primary opponent. But others question why they worked so hard to defeat Ms. Clinton only to see her, and many close to her, grab prizes in the new administration. They note that Mr. Obama repeatedly campaigned against "the politics of the past" and Washington "dramas," thinly veiled jabs at the Clinton presidency as well as President George W. Bush's tenure.

Stephen Hess, a George Washington University authority on presidential transitions, said Mr. Obama is playing it smart.

"It's easy to make a leap that this is going to be a repeat of the Clinton administration and there's no way that's going to happen," said Mr. Hess, who first worked for the Eisenhower administration.

Mr. Obama needs a core of Democrats with federal-government experience, Mr. Hess said, and veterans of Bill Clinton's administration are virtually the only source. "The old-timers are exceedingly valuable to him now," he said, but Mr. Obama "also has his own group of advisers and he will merge the two groups."

That merger began taking shape last week. Mr. Obama's three "senior advisers," who will have desks near the Oval Office, are some of his closest and longest-serving allies:

• David Axelrod, his Chicago-based media strategist, will focus on message and communications.
• Valerie Jarrett, a Chicago businesswoman and close family friend, probably will concentrate on intergovernmental relations and community outreach.
• Pete Rouse, who was Mr. Obama's Senate chief of staff, is expected to work closely with Emanuel on White House operations and congressional affairs.

Robert Gibbs, Mr. Obama's spokesman since his 2004 Senate race, was named on Saturday as White House press secretary. Ellen Moran, the executive director of the Washington group EMILY's List, will be director of communications, and her deputy will be Dan Pfeiffer, communications director for Mr. Obama's presidential transition team.

Another possible top pick, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones as national security adviser, could give Mr. Obama a valuable hand in dealing with Hillary Clinton, a powerful figure who might not completely subordinate her political ambitions to those of the new president. Mr. Obama feels close to Mr. Jones, aides say, and he might form an important part of the innermost circle even though the two men have not known each other as long as Mr. Obama has known Messrs. Jarrett and Axelrod.

The task of coordinating all these efforts and bringing structure to the West Wing will fall largely to Mr. Emanuel, the fiercely competitive and sharp-tongued Chicagoan who is giving up his House leadership post to work for Mr. Obama. He is well-positioned to bridge the Obama and Clinton camps.