This case has forced the Communist leadership to confront allegations of wrongdoing by a high-ranking member in an unusually public way, according to Douglas Paal, a top China analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. "The disruption of his departure from office and his wife's crimes have made it difficult to present a facade of unity to their people," Paal said. That united front has been key to ruling China for 2,000 years, he said. The current generation of leaders has been particularly sensitive to maintaining it since 1989, when the party hierarchy split over how to deal with the pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The murder trial of Gu Kailai, the wife of a recently deposed top official in the Chinese Communist Party, has begun in the eastern China city of Hefei, local officials said Thursday. Gu and a family aide, Zhang Xiaojun, are accused of poisoning Neil Heywood, a British businessman who was found dead in the southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chongqing in November. The trial is the latest phase in the fall from grace of the prominent family of Bo Xilai, Gu's husband, who until earlier this year had appeared destined to join the elite committee of leaders at the top of China's ruling party. The saga has become the most sensational Chinese political scandal in recent years, creating an extraordinary set of challenges for the central government as it prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership transition later this year. Heywood, a 41-year-old British citizen, was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing, the city where Bo was the Communist Party chief. But the trial is taking place in Hefei, in Anhui province, more than 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) east of Chongqing, where lingering support for Bo and his family remains. "This is definitely more than a criminal trial," said Wenran Jiang, a professor of political science at the University of Alberta. He added that the process is being closely watched for signs of what might happen to Bo, who is being investigated for "serious discipline violations" after being removed from his Chongqing and party posts. Gu's family had wanted to hire two prominent Beijing lawyers to represent her, but Chinese authorities have chosen two local attorneys to form her defense team, a family friend told CNN on Wednesday. The family is sending one of the attorneys -- along with another well-known Beijing attorney -- into the courtroom as observers, with the approval of the court, said the friend, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the case. The cards appear to be stacked against Gu and Zhang, who are at the mercy of a Chinese court system that has been criticized by human rights advocates as being little more than a tool of the country's powerful state security apparatus. "In this trial, frankly speaking, nobody believes that it's a totally independent judiciary and it will be judged just on the merits of the case," Jiang said. "It has been managed by the most senior level of leadership at every step." The defendants haven't seen their relatives since they were arrested in early April, a friend of Gu's family said last week. Bo has not been seen in public since he was stripped of his titles. When the murder charges were announced last month, Xinhua, the state-run news agency, reported that "the facts of the two defendants' crime are clear, and the evidence is irrefutable and substantial." If convicted, the two could face the death penalty. The Xinhua report said that Gu and the couple's son, Bo Guagua, had "conflicts" with Heywood "over economic interests." It alleged that Gu and Zhang had poisoned the Briton because Gu was worried that he was "threat to her son's personal security." International media reports have speculated about the nature of Heywood's work in China and his ties to the Bo family. He had lived in China for more than a decade and was married to a Chinese woman. Among the companies he advised was a consulting firm founded by former officers of the British spy agency MI6. Bo Guagua, 24, said in an e-mail Tuesday that he had submitted a witness statement to the defense team for his mother. "I have faith that facts will speak for themselves," wrote Bo, who graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in May. He previously attended Oxford, graduating in 2010. His illustrious education is an indication of the influence and ambitions of his family, which is now engulfed by scandal. As the son of Bo Yibo, one the "eight immortals" of the revolution that created modern China, Bo Xilai was considered a strong contender for promotion into the Standing Committee of the party's Politburo, whose nine members decide how to run China. He stood out as one of China's most dynamic and controversial politicians, notably for his populist policies in Chongqing that promoted Chinese Communist culture and aimed to crack down on organized crime. Gu is also descended from a revolutionary hero: Maj. Gen. Gu Jingsheng, a prominent military figure. Fluent in English, she is a lawyer who took a leading role in a legal battle in the United States involving several Chinese firms. She eventually won the lawsuit for the Chinese companies and later wrote a book about it. As well as being involved in her most notable professional triumph, the United States has also played a role in her undoing. The case she is now facing may never have come to light had it not been for an extraordinary series of actions by Wang Lijun, Bo's longtime lieutenant. Officials had quickly blamed Heywood's death on excessive alcohol consumption, and his body was cremated without an autopsy. But on February 6, Wang, the former police chief who had run the anti-crime push in Chongqing that helped to build Bo's reputation, sought refuge at the U.S. Consulate in nearby Chengdu. He wanted political asylum and apparently feared for his life. Media reports and online posts have claimed that he had clashed with Bo after suggesting that Heywood had been poisoned amid a business dispute with Gu. He gave information about Heywood's death to U.S. officials before he left the consulate and was taken into custody by Chinese security forces. The British government was made aware of Wang's comments and made a formal request to the Chinese authorities to investigate the case on February 15. A month later, Xinhua announced that Bo had been removed as party secretary of Chongqing. And less than a month after that, Gu and Zhang were arrested.
PROMISCUOUS FIRST LADY , BRIBE TAKING SEX-HUNGRY PRIME MINISTER AND VICTIMIZED OPPOSITION LEADER
BLOGS ARE OF COURSE INCREASINGLY CATCHING ON AND BEING USED IN PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD OF WAYS. GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES TOO HAVE TAKEN TO BLOGS AS A MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION. BLOGS DO MAKE A MORE READER FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE TO STAID PRESS RELEASES. YET, THIS PARTICULAR BLOG WRITTEN BY AN OFFICIAL OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SEEMS EXCEPTIONAL, GIVEN ITS CONTEXT.
THE PURITANISM OF UMNOISM IS INTRIGUING THE STUPDITY OF NAJIB IS SEXUALLY STIMULATING
I shall take you to bed and have my way with you.
I will make you ache, shake, sweat until you moan and groan.
I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop.
I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I’m finished with you.
And, when I am finished, you will be weak for days.
All my love,
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today received a courtesy call from US Attorney-General Eric Holder at his office in Perdana Putra Building, here.
Holder and his delegation, who are here on a three-day visit, were accompanied by Special Envoy to the United States, Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.
Also present were Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Internal Relations, Datuk Mohammad Kamal Yan Yahaya, Special Officer to the Prime Minister and Deputy Director, Policy and Research Division, Prime Minister’s Office Datuk Mazri Muhammad.
The meeting between Najib and the US delegation lasted about half an hour.
Earlier, Holder and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Assistance in the Field of Transnational Crime.readmorehttp://suarakeadilanmalaysia.blogspot.com/2012/08/najib-is-ticking-time-bomb-commonsense.html
According to a cable on that date signed by Keith, Syed Hamid dismissed claims of conspiracy, defended the police handling of the case and emphasized that Anwar was “being treated fairly.”
“The Government of Malaysia is becoming aware of the negative impact the Anwar case has had on its international reputation and is acting to change the negative foreign perceptions,” the cable read.
“Today’s briefing was an attempt by the GOM to influence the diplomatic community, counter Anwar’s own messaging the day before, and work against critical international media attention.”
The skeptical tone of the cable is difficult to miss. Syed Hamid, the cable said, “shared no new information with the group as a whole and we doubt the briefing swayed diplomats to change their prior opinions; indeed, we heard a good measure of cynicism from some of the gathered diplomats. The government’s decision to hold the event and the Ambassador’s discussion with the Home Minister afterward served to reinforce our belief that the Government of Malaysia already has decided to charge Anwar for sodomy, and it will take this next step by mid-August.”
The cables take note of the fact that Anwar filed a police complaint on July 1, 2008 against the national police chief and the Attorney General. He held a press conference and later headlined a mass rally, using the podium to attack Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, “whom he believes to be behind the current sodomy allegations.”
Anwar’s wife Wan Azizah met with Abdullah Badawi, the cable notes, “to provide him with information on Najib’s connection to Anwar’s accuser, and receive Abdullah’s assurances her husband would be treated fairly… The sodomy case highlights that the risks for Anwar from the political status quo are significant and very personal, and provides impetus for Anwar to move ahead more aggressively to try to topple the BN government and stop Najib from becoming the next Prime Minister.”
That was 2008 and that is pretty much where the political situation still stands three years later. Frustrated with the sodomy case and hamstrung by internal political squabbling within his coalition, Anwar may not be a spent force, but Najib has the far stronger hand. The cables contain no smoking guns about the sodomy case. But the trial itself, with the prosecution’s numerous missteps and admissions that Najib, his wife and police officials met with Saiful before he made the allegations against Anwar, provides enough evidence of that. 
Utusan compares Anwar to Strauss-Kahn Utusan Malaysia shouldn’t confuse Anwar Ibrahim to Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the differences between their alleged sexual misdemeanours are like chalk and cheese.For instance, the hotel maid who was assaulted did not wait for two days to report the matter to the authorities. She reported it right after the incident. The IMF chief also does not have to contend with bizarre evidences like the unanimous findings of no sexual penetration by several doctors, the victim not washing or defecating for days just to preserve the semen, high-level political interferences by the PM and his wife, and the discovery of half a dozen DNAs in the alleged offender’s semen. This shows how desperate Umno, BN and Utusan Malaysia are. For years now, the whole government resources and institutions have been used against Anwar to make sure he will be ‘politically dead’.If we apply the same logic used by Utusan, then what about the allegations against those involved in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, those allegedly involved in receiving the RM500 million commission from our purchase of the Scorpene submarines, the alleged rape of the Indonesian maid, the alleged corruption against Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, etc? There was also a Umno leader accused of rape. Why doesn’t he stepped down? Is there any video recording such as the CCTV involving Dominique Strauss-Khan, which shows the victim running frightened from the IMF boss’ room? If Saiful Bukhari Azlan is telling the truth, why didn’t he also run away from Anwar Ibrahim? He claimed he was forcefully sodomised many times, but he continued working for Anwar until he met the conspirators. As for the sex video, why hasn’t the police revealed the identity of the man in the video? Utusan Malaysia has lost all moral ground to advise anyone since it had blatantly lied in claiming that the Christians were planning to make Christianity the official religion of the federation in order to create racial tensions.When the press loses its bearing in society, it is best to refrain from commenting. Principles are more important than one person. It is imperative that people vote for the opposition, even if Anwar were not in Pakatan Rakyat. When a sitting prime minister’s bodyguards and close friend are implicated in the murder by C4 case, why did not Najib Razak resign? Anwar has bad morals? Never mind, Anwar is acceptable to us. Even if it is true, it is a moral crime, unlike pilferage, stealing, abuse of power, murder, illegal imprisonment, torture, breach of trust, etc.The only difference is that those guilty of the latter crimes are not caught, investigated or charged.
What about a senior minister caught romping with a woman in Port Dickson? Awang Selamat, takkan you tak tahu? If Najib, the PM implicated in the murder of Altantuya, resigns, I would call personally on Anwar and advise him that he has reached the end of the road and that he too has no choice but to resign from all public posts. This is the deal. I don’t really care as much about Strauss Khan as I care about my fellow Malaysians. I am very worried for those who can see a fly moving on the other side of the outer surface of a cup of tea but can’t see an elephant right in front of their nose 
OUR UMNO RESPONSE TO A SCANDALOUS MESS IS NEAT AND CATEGORISED. CASH AND SEX ARE THE NORTH AND SOUTH POLE OF MASS INTEREST, EACH WITH A SPRAWLING MAGNETIC FIELD. WE DIVIDE THE HEMISPHERES WITH THE EQUATOR OF LOGIC. CASH AND CORRUPTION ARE THE PRESERVE OF POLITICS. SEX IS THE PROVINCE OF GLAMOUR. WE REFUSE TO RECOGNISE ANY CROSS-OVER EVIDENCE.
THE REAL BUSINESS OF THE COMPANY IS TO ACT AS THE BAGMAN FOR ROSMAH MANSOR, THE WIFE OF THE PRIME MINISTER.
I MET THE CARPETMAN MORE THAN A YEAR AGO. HE ASKED TO MEET THROUGH A MUTUAL ACQUAINTANCE BECAUSE HE WAS ALARMED THAT I WAS ABOUT TO REVEAL THAT THE CARPETMAN IS ACTUALLY ROSMAH’S BAGMAN. BUT THAT WAS NOT THE THING THAT GOT HIM ALL FLUSTERED. WHAT DID WAS THE REVELATION I WAS GOING TO MAKE THAT HE IS NOT ONLY THE CARPETMAN WHO IS ROSMAH’S BAGMAN BUT THAT HE IS ALSO HER TOYBOY.
I ONLY DO BUSINESS WITH ROSMAH, SAID THE CARPETMAN. MY RELATIONSHIP WITH ROSMAH IS ONLY FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES. I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH ROSMAH, HE PLEADED. SO PLEASE DO NOT TELL THE PUBLIC THAT I AM ROSMAH’S TOYBOY. THE IMPRESSION HE WANTED TO MAKE IS THAT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ROSMAH IS CONFINED
TO THE BOARDROOM AND DOES NOT EXTEND TO THE BEDROOM.
WELL, THAT IS NOT WHAT MUMTAZ JAAFAR SAYS. AND WHO IS MUMTAZ JAAFAR? HEY, IF I START TALKING ABOUT HER THEN I WOULD ALSO HAVE TO MENTION HER RELATIONSHIP WITH SAIFUL, THE PERSON WHO ALLEGES THAT ANWAR IBRAHIM SODOMISED HIM. AND IF I START TALKING ABOUT THAT THEN WE WILL END UP TALKING ABOUT THE SODOMY 2 CASE AS WELL. SO LET’S GET BACK TO THE SUBJECT OF THE CARPETMAN, ROSMAH’S BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY.
THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS VERY FOCUSED ON NAJIB TUN RAZAK’S EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS. SURE, EVERY MALAYSIAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS. AND EVERY MALAYSIAN ALSO KNOWS ABOUT HIM GETTING CAUGHT IN A PORT DICKSON HOTEL ROOM WITH ZIANA ZAIN. IN FACT, ISA SAMAD EVEN HAD PHOTOGRAPHS OF NAJIB CLAD ONLY IN A TOWEL WITH THE DELICIOUS YOUNG THING IN HIS BED. AND ISA HANDED THE PHOTOGRAPH OVER TO THE THEN PRIME MINISTER TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD. (AND THAT IS WHY MAHATHIR JUST DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHY NAJIB WOULD CHOOSE ISA TO CONTEST THE BAGAN PINANG BY-ELECTION WHEN IT WAS ISA WHO TRIED TO BRING NAJIB DOWN WITH THE PHOTOGRAPH).
ANYWAY, LET’S NOT DIGRESS TOO FAR. AS I SAID, EVERY MALAYSIAN KNOWS ABOUT NAJIB’S EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS. BUT HOW MANY ALSO KNOW THAT ROSMAH HAS A PENCHANT FOR BOLLYWOOD TYPES. HELL, SHE WILL EVEN ARRANGE DATUKSHIPS FOR THEM IF THEY TREAT HER THE WAY SHE LOVES TO BE TREATED, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. AND THIS PARTICULAR CHAP I AM TALKING ABOUT, THE CARPETMAN CUM BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY, IS FAR BETTER LOOKING THAN SHAHRUKH KHAN (OR IS IT DATUK SHAHRUKH KHAN NOW?) — NOT TO MENTION YOUNGER AS WELL.
YES, I HAVE BEEN KEEPING THIS STORY UNDER WRAPS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR NOW. BUT IT IS NOW TIME THAT THE STORY BE TOLD. THERE IS MORE, THOUGH. DEEPAK THE CARPETMAN CUM BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY HAS BEEN VERY NAUGHTY. AND ALL THESE NAUGHTY DEEDS WERE DONE ON BEHALF OF ROSMAH. The trial of Gu Kailai, a high-profile Chinese politician's wife who is accused of murdering a UK businessman, would be a sensational case in any season.
But coming months ahead of a party congress that will chart China's future leadership, the ramifications could echo far beyond the verdict of the trial, expected to begin this week.
"This is definitely more than a criminal trial," says Wenran Jiang, who went to Peking University with Gu's husband, Bo Xilai -- the one-time Communist Party chief of Chongqing and member of the policy-making party politburo which he was dismissed from in April 2012 following allegations Gu was behind the murder of British businessman, Neil Heywood.
At the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party expected this fall, current President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao will begin handing over the reins of power to the next generation of leaders. The criminal trial of Bo's wife "is probably going to be watched not for the case itself but the fate of Bo Xilai. Everybody is watching whether Bo Xilai's political life will end," says Jiang, now a professor of political science at the University of Alberta.
CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief, Jaime FlorCruz - who also attended Peking University with Bo - spoke to Jiang about the case and its wider implications. Responses are edited for length and clarity.
CNN: You knew Bo Xilai in university. How do you remember him?
He's smart, he's articulate and he is ambitious. He showed all those traits back then. He doesn't really think or care about the smaller issues. He wants to do his own thing. He doesn't really care who says what to him, he just pushes forward.
Did you know his wife when you were there?
I only met her very briefly and am not quite familiar with her. She was smart, articulate, also a graduate from Peking University. Peking University graduates tend to pride themselves on being social and political elites. Therefore, I'm not surprised at his wife being more than a housewife. She wanted to do something, she had her own law practice and she had all these relationships. She could be a very protective, aggressive and assertive mother who wanted a bright future for her son.
Do you think the family is getting a fair trial?
It is difficult to say. In the Chinese legal system, despite its tremendous progress over the past decades, we know it is still subject to party approval and management. In this trial, frankly speaking, nobody believes that it's a totally independent judiciary and it will be judged just on the merits of the case. It has been managed by the most senior level of leadership at every step.
While they accuse Gu Kailai of murder, prosecutors have apparently dropped the allegation of corruption. If so, what does that mean?
Number one, it may show that they have a very strong case on the murder and criminal side, but the case for corruption might be more difficult to prove. Number two, when you move into the murky territory of corruption, then it relates not just to Gu Kailai herself or her husband but it might be involving the network of the family. And the family network is probably very strong and related to all the other powerful elite families. Therefore it became a very difficult situation to manage.
Once you open the floodgate of investigating one senior official's wife's potential corruption case, people would probably like to know how the corruption situation looks like with other high-ranking politburo officials and their families. So I think that might be a path that they may not want to travel.
Why is the trial in the eastern city of Hefei, far away from Chongqing where the crime was allegedly committed?
There's different speculation. One is to remove the case from the location, Chongqing, where there might have some partiality...that's not uncommon, even in other countries. Another explanation is maybe the local legal structure is better controlled by the central party apparatus. Therefore, to isolate the case in Hefei, that may actually get the expected result.
If Gu Kailai were found guilty, what will that mean?
Death penalty or not, it will be the end of her story. Number two, most importantly is about her husband. Her husband's case would be followed after the conviction. Currently it is not a criminal case for Bo Xilai, so then he might be disciplined based on his failure to not be able to stop or manage his wife. Or in some ways implicate him in the case, even if he himself is not involved in the murder. There could be many, many other factors that could cause him to be disciplined. One way or the other, the conviction of Gu Kailai would mean the end of Bo Xilai's political life.
Is Chinese history repeating itself - a wife taking the fall for a powerful husband?
That goes back to (imperial) court struggles over thousands of years of Chinese history. (In recent history) we can go back to Madame Mao, Jiang Qing, of the "The Gang of Four" (who ruled China during the Cultural Revolution and imprisoned after a 1981 trial). And people say in the current non-transparent system of China, a powerful wife may take the fall for her husband.
IN DUE COURSE MORE WILL BE REVEALED ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE CARPETMAN AND HOW HE HAS SERVED ROSMAH. TODAY IS NOT THE TIME TO DO THAT THOUGH. SO STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER EPISODES OF THE CARPETMAN CUM BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY OF THE SO-CALLED FIRST LADY OF MALAYSIA.
MERE KINKY SEXY ROSMA
MERE BABI (SISTER) NAHI
BOLEH BOLEH SANGAM
BONKING BOLEH
THE REAL BUSINESS OF THE COMPANY IS TO ACT AS THE BAGMAN FOR ROSMAH MANSOR, THE WIFE OF THE PRIME MINISTER.
I MET THE CARPETMAN MORE THAN A YEAR AGO. HE ASKED TO MEET THROUGH A MUTUAL ACQUAINTANCE BECAUSE HE WAS ALARMED THAT I WAS ABOUT TO REVEAL THAT THE CARPETMAN IS ACTUALLY ROSMAH’S BAGMAN. BUT THAT WAS NOT THE THING THAT GOT HIM ALL FLUSTERED. WHAT DID WAS THE REVELATION I WAS GOING TO MAKE THAT HE IS NOT ONLY THE CARPETMAN WHO IS ROSMAH’S BAGMAN BUT THAT HE IS ALSO HER TOYBOY.
I ONLY DO BUSINESS WITH ROSMAH, SAID THE CARPETMAN. MY RELATIONSHIP WITH ROSMAH IS ONLY FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES. I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH ROSMAH, HE PLEADED. SO PLEASE DO NOT TELL THE PUBLIC THAT I AM ROSMAH’S TOYBOY. THE IMPRESSION HE WANTED TO MAKE IS THAT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ROSMAH IS CONFINED TO THE BOARDROOM AND DOES NOT EXTEND TO THE BEDROOM.
WELL, THAT IS NOT WHAT MUMTAZ JAAFAR SAYS. AND WHO IS MUMTAZ JAAFAR? HEY, IF I START TALKING ABOUT HER THEN I WOULD ALSO HAVE TO MENTION HER
THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS VERY FOCUSED ON NAJIB TUN RAZAK’S EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS. SURE, EVERY MALAYSIAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS. AND EVERY MALAYSIAN ALSO KNOWS ABOUT HIM GETTING CAUGHT IN A PORT DICKSON HOTEL ROOM WITH ZIANA ZAIN. IN FACT, ISA SAMAD EVEN HAD PHOTOGRAPHS OF NAJIB CLAD ONLY IN A TOWEL WITH THE DELICIOUS YOUNG THING IN HIS BED. AND ISA HANDED THE PHOTOGRAPH OVER TO THE THEN PRIME MINISTER TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD. RELATIONSHIP WITH SAIFUL, THE PERSON WHO ALLEGES THAT ANWAR IBRAHIM SODOMISED HIM. AND IF I START TALKING ABOUT THAT THEN WE WILL END UP TALKING ABOUT THE SODOMY 2 CASE AS WELL. SO LET’S GET BACK TO THE SUBJECT OF THE CARPETMAN, ROSMAH’S BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY.
ANYWAY, LET’S NOT DIGRESS TOO FAR. AS I SAID, EVERY MALAYSIAN KNOWS ABOUT NAJIB’S EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS. BUT HOW MANY ALSO KNOW THAT ROSMAH HAS A PENCHANT FOR BOLLYWOOD TYPES.
HELL, SHE WILL EVEN ARRANGE DATUKSHIPS FOR THEM IF THEY TREAT HER THE WAY SHE LOVES TO BE TREATED, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. AND THIS PARTICULAR CHAP I AM TALKING ABOUT, THE CARPETMAN CUM BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY, IS FAR BETTER LOOKING THAN SHAHRUKH KHAN (OR IS IT DATUK SHAHRUKH KHAN NOW?) — NOT TO MENTION YOUNGER AS WELL.
YES, I RPK HAVE BEEN KEEPING THIS STORY UNDER WRAPS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR NOW. BUT IT IS NOW TIME THAT THE STORY BE TOLD. THERE IS MORE, THOUGH. DEEPAK THE CARPETMAN CUM BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY HAS BEEN VERY NAUGHTY. AND ALL THESE NAUGHTY DEEDS WERE DONE ON BEHALF OF ROSMAH.
IN DUE COURSE MORE WILL BE REVEALED ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE CARPETMAN AND HOW HE HAS SERVED ROSMAH. TODAY IS NOT THE TIME TO DO THAT THOUGH. SO STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER EPISODES OF THE CARPETMAN CUM BAGMAN CUM TOYBOY OF THE SO-CALLED FIRST LADY OF MALAYSIA.
From the most innocuous to positively earth shattering, decisions put pressure on our minds. And sometimes the innocuous ones are more difficult to take.
For me the most difficult decision every day is to decide what should be served for lunch and dinner. Each morning the question shatters the morning peace as I reverberate with the silent scream in my head. I force my dreamy brain, taken up with matters I consider more cerebral, to visualise seasonal vegetables. Another part of my brain focuses on the fixed prejudices each member of the family will have to each of those wretched vegetables. And then, as my mind starts calculating the food value of each dish and when it was last prepared, in extreme agitation I give up and name the first dishes that come to mind, prepared to fight it out another day at the table!Most of us do not like taking decisions. We go through emotional upheavals and mental tension and are more often than not influenced by external circumstances. Devotees of science say that the decisions we do take are based on the mood of the moment, oversimplification of a problem, refusal to apply ourselves or sheer prejudice. Our subconscious and the environment also play their role in misguiding a decision. And of course, emotions play a huge part in influencing what we decide. Not a very rational picture!
Normally the decisions one has most trouble making are the ones that involve too many factors or offer too many options, where one expects maximum resistance, and where the impact is going to be a rather big one!
The decisions a person is sure about are in areas that have been mastered, the factors considered rationally, the clutter swept away and the focus exclusively on the problem in hand.
The process is simple though logical, and one that would be approved by scientists and mathematicians alike. Each time you have a problem, you will invariably also have many factors that need to be weighed against each other. Identify these factors and write them down. You can even organise them in order of priority, or rate them in a completely mathematical manner.
Many factors can influence decision making. Horizon, the BBC popular science and philosophy documentary programme, identifies perception of loss or gain as a primary influence in decision taking in their programme, How To Make Better Decisions. Using the example of cab drivers in NYC, the footage shows how cabbies on fast days, make as much as they are used to making and drive off straight home. On slower days however, they work longer because they feel they have made a loss. The rational thing to do of course would be to work extra on fast days to earn more and on a slow day, cut your losses and go home early!
But we are not always rational about our decisions. Horizon goes on to say that though we should accept that everybody has an initial emotional response, we shouldn’t let emotions have an upper hand in the decision m a k i n g process. To prove that our choices can be manipulated by something as random as temperature, the footage shows how people who have been made to hold a warm drink in their hands had a far more favourable opinion of a man than those made to hold a cold drink just prior to meeting the same guy.
One of the most dangerous factors in wrong decision making can be the influence of the outside world. Priming is one factor that contributes to this. Prof John Barg of Yale University claims that our decisions can be subliminally manipulated. Images, words, movies slip feelings and thoughts into our heads and those then are responsible for affecting our behaviour and decision taking.
Apart from this, there are all kinds of people around us who have a stake in influencing our decisions, and their manipulative powers cannot be undermined. And so, while being logical, capping emotions and considering choices mathematically, we also need to beware of outside influences if we are to take rational decisions. And last but not the least, we must give some credence to our intuitive powers when making a decision. Even as we agitate over the pros and cons, somewhere within us we already know what we are going to decide. As they say, whenever in two minds, toss a coin — not to settle the question, but because while it is in the air, you will know what your heart is hoping for!
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