We are a nation of particularly thin-skinned individuals. We refuse to laugh at ourselves. And we abhor criticism. We worship our heroes to a ridiculous extent. And are a bit too hyper-touchy if an ‘outsider’ utters a single negative word about our sacred cows (too many of those, to begin with). Several biographies have been ‘banned’ by mysterious sources for mysterious reasons, because they do not adhere to the cheesy hagiography format we prefer. Any number of well-researched’ credible biographies remain in warehouses because of arbitrary injunctions filed by interested parties.
I refer to the newly published book ‘Kesilapan-kesilapan Najib’ ( ‘The mistakes of Najib’ ) by a former UMNO division leader Shahbudin Husin which lists out Prime Minister Najib’s numerous failures and calls for his withdrawal as President of UMNO and Prime Minister before the 13th general election.
It is obvious from the publication of this book that the ‘knives are out’ for Najib inside UMNO and that the movement to topple Najib from power has gained strength and become bolder. As it becomes increasingly obvious that UMNO/BN is headed for a historic defeat in the coming polls, UMNO leaders and factions are beginning to seek a scapegoat to blame for their failures and to wrest power for themselves.
No doubt Najib bears a large part of the blame for the current dismal state of affairs in UMNO. However, it is UMNO’s own long-term collective failures that has brought them to this state.
Collective failures and gravy train
As a collective entity, UMNO did nothing to restrain Mahathir or end his reign of oppression and profiteering. UMNO chieftains and their relatives and cronies profited immensely from projects, contracts and other money-making schemes using state power and assets. Also included in the gravy-train were those from component parties MCA and MIC.
By the end of the Mahathir years, politics had become synonymous with business and the needs and grievances of the ordinary hard-working rakyat had been forgotten. UMNO has lost sight of what should have been its main job, which is the advancement of the happiness and interest of the rakyat, irrespective of political affiliation, race or creed.
Party coup won’t save Umno or BN
This collective failure is the real cause of UMNO’s troubles. For decades, UMNO has shown no vision or purpose beyond holding on to power and enriching themselves. Guilty as he certainly is, blaming Najib alone and removing him in a ‘party coup’ is not going to save UMNO or BN. Only thorough reform and a return to the service of the rakyat will save them. And this they are incapable of doing.
The country is facing major socio-economic issues at home and serious challenges from abroad, including the global implications of Europe’s worsening economic troubles.
Plagued by in-fighting, morally corrupt and without purpose or vision, UMNO/BN cannot provide the leadership the nation urgently requires.
N Surendran is the vice president of PKR and a prominent human rights lawyer
Flashback: Bill Clinton pats Fran Drescher’s butt…
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has resigned hours after the lower house of parliament gave final approval to a package of economic reforms aimed at avoiding a bailout of the eurozone’s third-largest economy.
Lawmakers approved on Saturday the reforms that Berlusconi, who served as prime minister three times in the past 17 years, had set as a condition for quitting.
Berlusconi formally submitted his resignation to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano after announcing his exit at a cabinet meeting.
Former European Commissioner Mario Monti will now likely head a transitional government to try to steer the country out of its debt woes.
“Silvio Berlusconi’s premiership has been very, very divisive indeed,” Al Jazeera’s Barbara Serra said, reporting from Rome where hundreds of Italians had gathered to show their approval of the new political changes.
“Even though Berlusconi has obviously made a massive imprint on Italy, no one here is really sad to see him go,” Serra said.
While he became Italy’s longest-serving post-war premier, Berlusconi’s three stints as premier were tainted by corruption trials and accusations that he used his political power to help his business interests.
His last term has been marred by sex scandals, “bunga bunga” parties and criminal charges that he paid a 17-year-old girl to have sex – accusations he denies.
Under pressure
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Italy is under intense pressure to quickly put in place a new and effective government, one that can push through even more painful reforms and austerity measures to deal with its staggering debts, which stand at 1.9 trillion euros ($2.6 trillion), or a huge 120 per cent of economic output.
The country came close to disaster this week after yields on 10-year bonds soared over 7.6 per cent, the kind of level which forced Ireland, Portugal and Greece to seek an international bailout.
As the eurozone’s third-largest economy, an Italian default could tear apart the coalition of 17 countries that use the euro as a common currency and deal a strong blow to the economies of Europe and the United States, both trying to avoid recessions.
President Napolitano is expected to ask Monti to try to form a new administration to face a widening financial crisis.
“The name that everyone is talking about is Mario Monti, an economist, former commissioner of the European Union – he held two posts there for internal markets and competition,” our correspondent said.
“So [he is] definitely the right person certainly in the eyes of eurozone leaders to try and lead Italy out of the financial mess it’s in right now.
“The question is: Will Mario Monti have the backing … of enough politicians to be able to push through the changes to Italian economics that he’s going to have to? And right now that is quite uncertain.”
With the next elections not due until 2013, a technocrat government could have about 18 months to pass painful economic reforms but will need to secure the backing of a majority in parliament and could fall before then.
So, where in the world is Prime Minister Najib Razak? In the past month, Najib has been in China, in Indonesia, in Australia, in Saudi Arabia, and then back to Saudi Arabia again; and now he’s off to Hawaii!
Is he the host of a travel channel? A pretty or pretty-ugly version of Asha Gill depending on whether you are part of fast-falling 59% of Malaysians who like him, or part of the fast-growing 41% who don’t!
And in all these trips Najib has achieved absolutely nothing other than a criminal waste of public money. Along with him for the ride, and further burdening the taxpayer, is the ample, bejeweled and expensively hand-bagged figure of his less-than-popular wife, Rosmah Mansor.
Najib’s trips to Saudi Arabia are particularly contemptuous of the need to conserve public funds in such financially challenging times. Najib first went to Saudi Arabia for the funeral of the Saudi Crown Prince. He could have sent someone else, and someone less costly, to attend this funeral of a repressive Middle Eastern figure.
For example, he could have sent his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, who is in any event of no particular use in Malaysia, other than to cause further harm to our already messed-up Education System.
Hula Hula at preposterous costs
After CHOGM, where Najib was photographed sleeping slack-mouthed during speeches, he goes right back to Saudi Arabia for his Haj. Now, knowing that he was going to have to go to the APEC meeting immediately after, why would Najib not postpone his trip? He is not a private individual but a government servant being maintained at preposterous public cost.
Malaysia, meanwhile, floats along leaderless and ungoverned. Greece is failing, Italy is under siege, Spain is trembling and the global economy is under threat, while Najib is missing and on holiday. To put it mildly, he is shockingly irresponsible. He is also the Finance Minister but does nothing and leaves the economy in the hands of Ahmad Husni, who has proven himself to be little more than a glorified accountant. And not a top tiered one either, let’s tell the truth.
Malaysia meanwhile is recoiling from the exposure of huge government waste and corruption in the Auditor-General’s report. Najib is uncaring. He blinks not even an eye at news of a RM10 million super-luxury condo bought for the family of a senior Cabinet minister using the people’s money set aside for a national beef production project. Is it really all in the family for the BN? Is it really all about ‘You help me, I help you’?
Meanwhile, Malaysians groan under the burden of 5 to 8% inflation on food, caused by Najib’s incompetent policies. Najib’s profligate spending adds to it and in a huge way. He and Umno may think, what’s a few hundred millions more when already billions if not a trillion is at stake. Seriously, the cost of delaying Malaysia’s cure will be in the trillions. Time as they say is of essence.
Time is invaluable. The LONGER Malaysia delays tough reforms while Umno hunts high and low for non-existent talent to help it out of its hole, the MORE we endanger our children, the HARDER we kill our economy.
Forced to step aside
There can only be one explanation for such a total uncaring attitude by Najib. He has given up.
That’s right. He can’t handle the political pressures being piled on him by the Muhyiddin-Mahathir faction. He has neither the intellect nor can he attract the people who can manage the economy. His faux reforms have been proven to be just that. Why not just take it easy and enjoy endless holidays?
Frankly, at this stage of Umno’s history, it matters not who is at the helm. None of the current crop of leaders will work. Like a bad boil, Umno has to be pricked and the pus must be freed before healing can take place. But in the meantime, in the words of a writer colleague, GET THE HERE OUT OF HELL and let Malaysia move on. Don’t take the nation on your suicide plunge!
A Joker Abroad
At the December assembly, Najib and delegates can scream, shout and threaten all they like but things cannot improve. The inevitable will happen. Change will come one way or another. The doctors will tell you, pus will always find a way out. So for those who want to gun after Najib’s chair, do it fast. Stop the crap, no one is fooled by the silly bluster! Whichever side wins, Umno will lose. It just does not have the right leaders to survive. So be gone while there is still a Malaysia left. And return ONLY if you can heal yourselves.
For the Umno grassroots – the majority of whom are decent and regular people – as well as other Malaysians, do the same. Draw your battle-lines NOW. Really, this is not the time to go on holiday. Unlike Najib, we are not born with a silver spoon. We need to work for a living and to keep the wheels of the economy churning. Only this time, we must make sure that whatever we make, they don’t siphon out immediately. Once bitten, twice shy!
Perhaps Najib will write a travel book after this entitled, “How I and my wife went on serial paid holidays and rubbed shoulders with world leaders while not caring a hoot about the Malaysian economy”.
All that Sky TV needs to do is follow Najib around, and they would have their second season of ”A Joker Abroad”. Except that we Malaysians won’t be laughing with the rest of the world. We would be too busy paying for it. Very dearly too!
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s stand of “Malay First, Malaysian Second” has already blackballed him in the eyes of many Malaysians, although he and his advisers do not believe this to be so.
Instead of desisting, they are pushing forward on the premise that Malay racism can still win the day in Malaysia – a country that is almost 40 per cent populated by non-Malays including the indigenous people, Chinese, Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis, Eurasians and many other small minority groups. This may be the right tack in helping him wrest the Umno presidency from incumbent, Prime Minister Najib Razak, when party polls are held next year.
But it certainly will not help change the direction of Malaysia’s long-term decline that coincidentally began when Najib’s dad, Abdul Razak Hussein, took over as the second prime minister in 1970. It was then that an affirmative action policy named the New Economic Policy was implemented but it was soon twisted to betray its original purpose of distributing the nation’s wealth to the poor, and used instead to benefit the most powerful Umno chieftains, their families and cronies.
How long can Muhyiddin last?
Through the years instead of becoming fully satiated and slinking off to rest like a python stuffed full with the best goodies, the greed got worse. What used to be taken in hundreds of thousands just jumped exponentially to hundreds of millions. And now, if you don’t have an extra billion or two, you don’t even qualify to be called one of the Umno elite.
Muhyiddin too had his day when he was chief minister in Johor. There he was accused of massive corruption, but because of his grip on Johor divisions, he was promoted to the federal Cabinet rather than for a nice grilling session by the anti-graft agencies. This is the how the game is played in Umno and BN since 1957, when independence was won from the British colonialists.
And this also explains why Muhyiddin feels his best chances still lie in reviving the nationalist fervor amongst the Malays in the country, rather than open up the community and convince them to become more inclusive. Sorry to say but his analysis is out.
It is one thing to refuse to acknowledge that the coffers have been run almost to the ground because that may signify that he also wants to tap the riches that absolute power brings. But refusing to learn the bitter lessons of 5th premier Abdullah Badawi and 6th premier Najib Razak, who both ended up looking like clowns because they chose not to battle the extremist but powerful minority within Umno is sheer stupidity.
How long can Muhyiddin last? Najib may have agreed to give way to him but if Najib had to U-turn after less than a year of trying to liberalize the economy and society, does Muhyiddin think he can succeed with refusing to acknowledge the rights of the non-Malays? Does he think that by merely continuing to out-champion all the other ultras, he will be able to maintain his lead as the defender of the Malays?
If he does, for sure Malaysia will bankrupt before 2019. Do envision a capital flight – no less – should Muhyiddin and his right-wing gang take over. These guys still live in a world where they think no body can tell when they are lying through their teeth and when they are just bluffing. That’s right not an iota of credibility left.
MLM Umno
Umno-BN is like a gigantic multilevel marketing scam. The best and the longest was creamed by Mahathir. Badawi managed to get quite a nice slice too, Najib as well. But Muhyddin will be left with the baby! And he deserves it.
In March 2010, he waded into controversy by stating he was “Malay” first rather than “Malaysian first”. He defended his statement by stating that there was nothing wrong for other races to do the same i.e. the Chinese could claim themselves to be “Chinese first, Malaysian second” and same for the Indians.
Those who think there is nothing so awful with such a statement must consider that for every action, there is a reaction. Already there are millions of non-Malay chauvinists in town. If you use fire to fight your fellow citizens, surely they will use fire to fight you back. Then, Muhyiddin’s next line of thought might be - doesn’t matter, we will still win because we outnumber them and the keris or sword of righteousness is on our side. Now, do you see why investors will flee if Muhyiddin becomes PM of Malaysia, although they won’t care much if he is just president of Umno!
What about letting Najib continue, did you say? Are you nuts? Or perhaps it is fairer to to put it this way – how do Malaysians want to die?. A slower, more torturous but sure-as-the-sun-will-set death, aka the Najib and Rosmah way? Or quickly and less painfully like a massive heart attack, which is the Muhyiddin way? Hobson’s choice? There is Pakatan Rakyat, and Umno has only itself and its false heroes like Muhyiddin and Mahathir to blame for painting the party into a corner. Watch out, but floor space has just run out!
Even to the point of endorsing corruption?
Make no mistake, Muhyidden Yassin is biding his time. He distances himself from the shenanigans affecting Najib and Rosmah. He picks and chooses issue to comment about and he makes sure he stays firmly on the right. As already said, this is fine for the president of the United Malays Nationalist Organization, but not for the prime minister of a Malaysia where nearly 40% of the people are non-Malay.
Muhyiddin’s one big Malay flip-flop has been the PPSMI issue, where he was held back by biggest boss – Mahathir. To wobble and allow Mathematics and Science to be taught in English after vowing there would be no concession shows him to be as less a leader as Najib. It has exposed Muhyiddin’s Achilles heel. Without the racial cloak, he has nothing – as little if not even lesser talent and intellect than Najib.
But the DPM is not giving up. Already he is calling for audits on the use of Bahasa Malaysia and we can be sure he will support the re-writing of History, the demonization of the LGBT and even come as close to an inch of endorsing corruption so as to win the sweetheart nominations of the greedy Umno warlords.
A very different version of reforms
Under Muhyiddin, racial, religious and sexual politicking are likely to continue to be the Umno-BN’s modus operandi. A true and tried method of scaring the Malay vote into maintaining Umno’s grip on power. This is Muhyiddin’s playground, one where he excels as the master opportunist. Tactics to topple and put down political rivals are nothing new to this man. After all. it was how he moved up the political ranks.
He attacked Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s original 2010 transition plan as “too long”. During the 2008 general election, the DPM managed to keep his seat, but he was shocked by the election results. He then called for reforms but what he meant as reforms are very different form the Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat reforms. Muhyiddin’s reforms do not mean greater democracy but much lesser. His reforms do not mean social justice or racial equality but much greater injustice and inequality.
Now, because there is no one else in the minds of Umno members, Muhyiddin is the obvious choice to replace Najib or to oust Najib. It remains to be seen if the everyday Malays in Umno will wake up in time to save themselves from the brink. For if Malaysia goes down, the ones who suffer the most will be the Malays. They not only form the biggest portion of the population but by insulating themselves with unnecessary racism and religious bigotry, they have become the least professionally mobile in the country.
No, Muhyiddin is no different from his peers. As the last player in the Umno MLM game started by Najib’s dad and turned into major big-business by Mahathir and Co, Muhyiddin – if he makes it as PM – sits on the cusp of a new chapter in Malaysian history - The Bankruptcy Years.
‘Buttgate” And Michelle Obama Will Not Be Happy At All
Mayara Tavares who is a 16 year-old and a junior G8 delegate from Brazil has become an overnight international celebrity after few pictures surfaced of President Barack Obama staring at the young girl’s derrière with an onlooking French President Nicolas Sarkozy noticing. Some say Obama was ogling others say he was being a gentleman by helping the lady behind him. What do you think? Truth be told, it is a nice ass however it is jailbait ass in most civil parts of the world, yes, but a nice jailbait ass. How can a mere man resist just talking a look. The Brazilian female is famous for her shapely ass. And unlike in America where the boobs is king, the ass rule Brazil. You know, I kinda feel sorry for Obama because Michelle does not seem like the type of woman that take shit like this episode.I am still shocked, in a purely Clintonesque moment, Barack Obama was photographed “apparently” checking out the ass of a Brazilian girl at the G-8 summit in Italy. TMZ published the image with the headline “Baby Got Barack,” so there’s no doubt Brazilian Mayara certainly grabbed the attention of the world. Yup, for doing basically noting she is now the most famous teenager in Brazil. Please remember, some states in America the legal age of consent is 16 year-old. But I was checking around, the age of consent in Brazil is 18. But, no where it is illegal just to look! I bet he also has one of his stimulates package for that ass. LOL… This is going to go straight to her head, she will be bragging to her female friends in Brazil how Obama checked out her ass. Click on more picturestoryhttp://taxidriverstreetvoices.blogspot.com/2011/11/clear-signs-superstar-najib-to-resign.html?zx=650a401cae179e75
pictures to enlarge.
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