This post is about the minions in mainstream media and it is a Google Post i.e. google a topic (in this case Joseline Tan) and see what comes up most often.
Here are some of the most common tack about JT; just read the hyperlink titles and click if you want. I suppose a leech can be expected to suck her way to the top of an editorial shit pile!
Rocky's Bru said: OH, JOCELINE TAN!
and Joceline Tan and the two SILs
Seventh Rangers (Mechanized) said:
Joceline Tan desperately spinning ...
Cuit Sikit said:
Tahniah Joceline Tan (Jose the Special One)
This by politics2politics takes a big slice of the cake:
JOCELINE TAN, THE STAR the schoolgirl behaving ...
The above are all old stuff in Google on JT but the following is a response to her article, "End of the road or a new beginning?":
Unethical journalism and a blatant lie by Joceline Tan
How can so many be wrong or perhaps this is a conspiracy by Google! Google must be running an anti-JT campaign. I wonder how she can sleep at night.
Anyway, the following blogpost by drrafick puts things succinctly:
Keadilan adil?
November 20, 2010 by drrafick
The attack on Zaid Ibrahim has not stopped. The way I see it is that Zaid case will be spun by the MSM with the aim to crack the strength of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. One such attempt is an article published in The Star written by Jocelyn Tan under the heading “End of the road or a new beginning?
To counter what appeared in the papers, Muhammad Firdaus Christopher and Rashid Azad Khan who are known Associates of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim today sent me a letter of rebuttal on the article. I am not like most newspaper readers. Most of the time when I read a political news in the MSM, I tend to keep an open mind. At the moment my analysis shows that the MSM reporters are doing what their political masters want them to do.
My hope is that bloggers and the alternative media in Malaysia are different. Right now, I can say only some are truly different. Majority of them whom are pro Pakatan Rakyat do not take the criticism leveled against Azmin or Anwar kindly. Many can’t differentiate between the party and Anwar or Azmin.
A state Exco in her SMS exchange with me says that Azmin despite his warts won Sabah fairly because of his hard work and Zaid was a sore loser that had lost his position despite spending a lot of money there. I don’t know about the money involved but from what I gather, Zaid is popular figure in Sabah and going by the nomination he had received it is unlikely that he would be spending much money to buy votes. Chances are the underdog would likely to do so and the open and continuous campaign by Anwar on the members in Sabah does not gel for a “de facto leader”.
I have said it before that there are serious flaws in PKR election process. The election machinery is supposed to be run by the Chairman of JPP but it appears that it is run by the Sec Gen of PKR. The votes do not tally in many places and many ordinary members have challenged the validity of the election in many areas but without real and proper investigations most of these allegations were dismissed.
I can appreciate and relate to Zahid frustration on the whole thing that led to his announcement to leave the party. I am not a politician and would unlikely to be one in the near future but I have been through similar predicaments before. Party is an association. It has rules. Members need to follow these rules. It is simple as that. Unfortunately man made rules are manipulated by the experts and party leader. Many members who don’t know the rules tend to accept whatever is told by their leaders as gospel truth without even a blink. Many don’t know the constitution.
Keadilan is no longer about Anwar. In fact I would say that Keadilan should not be about Anwar. It should be about the country. I would like every Malaysian to ask themselves whether they want change because they hate BN or because they think Keadilan can really make a difference in governing the country. If one cannot run the party in a fair (ADIL) manner than can we expect them to run the country in the way that we want.
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Friday, 19 November 2010
Affable Ezra Being Effing Self-Effacing With Something Effable On The Effing Show
Ezra's full name is Ezra Mohd Zaid...go figure lah.
These guys are great! Next would be to get Nurul Izzah on Fahmi Fadzil's Fairly Current Show.
As the saying goes, "Does the fruit fall far from the tree?" Whether we want this to be true depends in this case on how we view the fruit.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Anwar: Down But Not Under
An old friend from Taiping now residing in Sydney sent me this video of Anwar Ibrahim speaking at the Sydney University yesterday. Very obviously, Anwar the accomplished public speaker knows how to play to his audience and in this case, I would assume would be the largely disenchanted, educated and savvy non-Malay emigrant crowd who probably still have familial links in Malaysia. It is almost textbook stuff for Public Speaking 101.
Watch the video; he is basically saying nothing new except the part about his recent conversation with RPK.
Special thanks to Tiger Dr Vinnie Chin
Watch the video; he is basically saying nothing new except the part about his recent conversation with RPK.
Special thanks to Tiger Dr Vinnie Chin
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Analytics And The Third Force
There is now a lot of chatter in Malaysia cyberspace about the "Third Force" in Malaysian politics. RPK sums it up in his latest Malaysia Today posting, "So you want to rumble, let's rumble". This was a reposte to Anwar Ibrahim's statement in Singapore about fielding younger candidates in GE13.
Incidentally, I posted the following blogpost in September last year:
BMI - The Third Force?
16th September is Malaysia Day and recent history tells us it was Anwar Ibrahim's non-starting East Malaysia Frogs Day. This year, it was marked by the official launch of Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Movement (SABM) after having had its soft launch on 25th August 2007. I attended both occasions and this time around, it was obvious that Haris Ibrahim and his team had put in a lot of effort in the last two years but still have their work cut out for them.
From what was briefed to attendees, this was only the proverbial tip of the iceberg and much, much more effort had to be put into spreading the message and getting the buy-in of the rakyat at large, to the concept. This political but non-partisan entity (SABM) has roadshows, dialogue sessions, rallies in the pipeline to engage both the rakyat (community groups, NGOs, etc.) and politicians from both the ruling coalition and opposition alliance...
Read complete post HERE...
I think the BMI is an idea whose time has come. The use of Analytics to determine BMI may be ideal.
Incidentally, I posted the following blogpost in September last year:
BMI - The Third Force?
16th September is Malaysia Day and recent history tells us it was Anwar Ibrahim's non-starting East Malaysia Frogs Day. This year, it was marked by the official launch of Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Movement (SABM) after having had its soft launch on 25th August 2007. I attended both occasions and this time around, it was obvious that Haris Ibrahim and his team had put in a lot of effort in the last two years but still have their work cut out for them.
From what was briefed to attendees, this was only the proverbial tip of the iceberg and much, much more effort had to be put into spreading the message and getting the buy-in of the rakyat at large, to the concept. This political but non-partisan entity (SABM) has roadshows, dialogue sessions, rallies in the pipeline to engage both the rakyat (community groups, NGOs, etc.) and politicians from both the ruling coalition and opposition alliance...
Read complete post HERE...
I think the BMI is an idea whose time has come. The use of Analytics to determine BMI may be ideal.
Friday, 12 November 2010
Anwar Ibrahim's 7 "Deadly Sins"?
Parti Keadilan Rakyat...The People's Justice Party. A political party founded on the social justice. Wikipedia has this to say: The People's Justice Party (PKR) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party. Keadilan was led by Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and increased its parliamentary representation from 1 seat to 31 seats in the Malaysian general election, 2008 until the five-year political ban imposed on former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was lifted on April 14, 2008.
Keadilan promotes an agenda with a strong social justice and anti-corruption emphasis. Recently the party adopted a platform that seeks to abolish the New Economic Policy and replace it with a policy that emphasises on a non-ethnic approach in poverty eradication and correcting economic imbalances.
A party supposedly grounded in justice and integrity yet is inherently flawed when its spiritual leader and key personality chooses to remain on a pedestal and insist on being de facto for reasons best known to himself. This was all well and fine before the party held its ongoing first direct elections; where each and every member is given the democratic right and opportunity to vote for their leaders. In my opinion, Anwar has a moral right to claim leadership (de facto or otherwise) only if the vast majority of PKR members acknowledge him as their ultimate leader. How can this acknowledgement be proven? Through the ballot box, of course. Anything short of that will make a mockery of democracy in PKR.
However, Anwar though nominated has not run for Presidency of PKR. To compound matters, he has by act or omission, interfered in the elections and showed his bias by throwing his support behind his "beloved" Azmin Ali to be Deputy President. Anybody else as Wan Azizah's number two would threaten Anwar's de facto status. Against this backdrop, who can be surprised by the alleged wide scale rigging?
Ultimately, the irreverence for Anwar that is emerging within PKR ranks stems from doubt on the minds of Anwar's detractors as to whether he still deserves to be on that pedestal. Anwar has not turned out to be the messiah of change that he held himself out to be pre-2008. His "anak semua, anak saya" sounds like another hollow slogan and apart from making too many mistakes, his performance as leader borders on insignificance. Anwar seems to be only good at and interested in politicking.
More PKR people should read the following SinChew article:
By LIM SUE GOAN, My Sinchew. Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE
I am not sure who is behind the "Oust Anwar” campaign" mentioned by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
But. I do agree that Anwar is surely not truly qualified to lead the Pakatan Rakyat based on an assessment on his performance over the past two years.
Anwar has made at least seven costly mistakes.
First, he has not responded to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's transformation plans.
Najib has been going all out to conduct reforms since he took the office in April last year. He introduced the 1Malaysia concept, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), National Key Result Areas (NKRA), Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).
As the Pakatan Rakyat supremo, Anwar should have a counter-strategy to the Najib blueprint, but he has not responded at all so far, but just let swing voters gradually lured by the BN.
Secondly, he has allowed the Pakatan Rakyat morale to sink. Although the Pakatan Rakyat won eight of the 13 by-elections, it has been defeated in the recent ones, except in Sibu because of Chinese votes.
The Pakatan Rakyat has been facing both internal and external problems and its members have lost their high morale of the 2008 general election. Anwar has not come out with new strategies to boost morale.
Thirdly, Anwar has no plan to implement reforms. The Pakatan Rakyat was able to gain control of five states after the 2008 general election because it has promised to carry out reforms. Anwar has apparently taken the people's support for granted and does not fulfill his election commitments, making the promised reforms remaining as mere slogans.
Fourthly, the Pakatan Rakyat is still a loose organization, and there is no effort to consolidate and strengthen the coalition. Compared with the BN, the Pakatan Rakyat lacks an effective structure and organisation, and its discipline is in a mess.
The Pakatan Rakyat is also facing contradictions and conflicts in terms of political ideology and has failed to introduce new policies.
Fifthly, there is no no political resource intergration. Anwar should apply his administrative experience as the deputy prime minister in integrating the resources of the four Pakatan Rakyat state governments and introducing a plan to stimulate economy in the four states. The blank in this area has caused the Pakatan Rakyat state governments to lack performance to retain confidence of their supporters.
As the economic adviser for Selangor, Anwar has shown no achievement so far.
Sixth, Anwar seems helpless to quell the PKR infighting. Internal problems of the PKR had been started since the 2008 general election, including choosing inappropriate election candidates and resolving problems by creating by-election through resignations. The people will not be cheated again and again.
The withdrawal of Perak state assembly members from the party has caused the collapse of the Perak Pakatan Rakyat state government. A few MPs and state assembly members have also quit the party after that. Anwar claimed it as a plot by Umno, but he has never seriously put any effort in resolving the factional, personnel and power struggle problems in the party.
Eventually, it leads to the outbreak of a major crisis in the party. Again, Anwar puts the blame on a conspiracy outside the party. He is too lazy even to find a more decent reason.
Finally, Anwar lacks the ability to lead and judge: A leader should be responsible, fair and unbiased. Anwar's stand in the party election is ambiguous.
For the direct election mechanism, even outsiders have expected problems, but why did an experienced leaders like Anwar fail to anticipate them? Isn't the situation not serious enough to cause concern when 165 complaints about unfairness of the party election had been received?
Anwar was very bold before the 2008 general election and it was he who managed to put the three parties together to form the Pakatan Rakyat. But he has changed since the sodomy charges were filed against him, and the embarrassing failure of a purported regime change scheduled for 16 September 2008.
Leaders can always be replaced and the most important thing is achieving the main goals. Replacing the leaders might bring an opportunity to change. However, the plight of the Pakatan Rakyat is that there is at present no visible suitable candidate to replace Anwar.
Keadilan promotes an agenda with a strong social justice and anti-corruption emphasis. Recently the party adopted a platform that seeks to abolish the New Economic Policy and replace it with a policy that emphasises on a non-ethnic approach in poverty eradication and correcting economic imbalances.
However, Anwar though nominated has not run for Presidency of PKR. To compound matters, he has by act or omission, interfered in the elections and showed his bias by throwing his support behind his "beloved" Azmin Ali to be Deputy President. Anybody else as Wan Azizah's number two would threaten Anwar's de facto status. Against this backdrop, who can be surprised by the alleged wide scale rigging?
Ultimately, the irreverence for Anwar that is emerging within PKR ranks stems from doubt on the minds of Anwar's detractors as to whether he still deserves to be on that pedestal. Anwar has not turned out to be the messiah of change that he held himself out to be pre-2008. His "anak semua, anak saya" sounds like another hollow slogan and apart from making too many mistakes, his performance as leader borders on insignificance. Anwar seems to be only good at and interested in politicking.
More PKR people should read the following SinChew article:
Anwar's seven costly mistakes
Anwar was very bold before the 2008 general election and it was he who managed to put the three parties together to form the Pakatan Rakyat. But he has changed since the sodomy charges were filed against him, and the embarrassing failure of a purported regime change scheduled for 16 September 2008.By LIM SUE GOAN, My Sinchew. Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE
I am not sure who is behind the "Oust Anwar” campaign" mentioned by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
But. I do agree that Anwar is surely not truly qualified to lead the Pakatan Rakyat based on an assessment on his performance over the past two years.
Anwar has made at least seven costly mistakes.
First, he has not responded to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's transformation plans.
Najib has been going all out to conduct reforms since he took the office in April last year. He introduced the 1Malaysia concept, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), National Key Result Areas (NKRA), Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).
As the Pakatan Rakyat supremo, Anwar should have a counter-strategy to the Najib blueprint, but he has not responded at all so far, but just let swing voters gradually lured by the BN.
Secondly, he has allowed the Pakatan Rakyat morale to sink. Although the Pakatan Rakyat won eight of the 13 by-elections, it has been defeated in the recent ones, except in Sibu because of Chinese votes.
The Pakatan Rakyat has been facing both internal and external problems and its members have lost their high morale of the 2008 general election. Anwar has not come out with new strategies to boost morale.
Thirdly, Anwar has no plan to implement reforms. The Pakatan Rakyat was able to gain control of five states after the 2008 general election because it has promised to carry out reforms. Anwar has apparently taken the people's support for granted and does not fulfill his election commitments, making the promised reforms remaining as mere slogans.
Fourthly, the Pakatan Rakyat is still a loose organization, and there is no effort to consolidate and strengthen the coalition. Compared with the BN, the Pakatan Rakyat lacks an effective structure and organisation, and its discipline is in a mess.
The Pakatan Rakyat is also facing contradictions and conflicts in terms of political ideology and has failed to introduce new policies.
Fifthly, there is no no political resource intergration. Anwar should apply his administrative experience as the deputy prime minister in integrating the resources of the four Pakatan Rakyat state governments and introducing a plan to stimulate economy in the four states. The blank in this area has caused the Pakatan Rakyat state governments to lack performance to retain confidence of their supporters.
As the economic adviser for Selangor, Anwar has shown no achievement so far.
Sixth, Anwar seems helpless to quell the PKR infighting. Internal problems of the PKR had been started since the 2008 general election, including choosing inappropriate election candidates and resolving problems by creating by-election through resignations. The people will not be cheated again and again.
The withdrawal of Perak state assembly members from the party has caused the collapse of the Perak Pakatan Rakyat state government. A few MPs and state assembly members have also quit the party after that. Anwar claimed it as a plot by Umno, but he has never seriously put any effort in resolving the factional, personnel and power struggle problems in the party.
Eventually, it leads to the outbreak of a major crisis in the party. Again, Anwar puts the blame on a conspiracy outside the party. He is too lazy even to find a more decent reason.
Finally, Anwar lacks the ability to lead and judge: A leader should be responsible, fair and unbiased. Anwar's stand in the party election is ambiguous.
For the direct election mechanism, even outsiders have expected problems, but why did an experienced leaders like Anwar fail to anticipate them? Isn't the situation not serious enough to cause concern when 165 complaints about unfairness of the party election had been received?
Anwar was very bold before the 2008 general election and it was he who managed to put the three parties together to form the Pakatan Rakyat. But he has changed since the sodomy charges were filed against him, and the embarrassing failure of a purported regime change scheduled for 16 September 2008.
Leaders can always be replaced and the most important thing is achieving the main goals. Replacing the leaders might bring an opportunity to change. However, the plight of the Pakatan Rakyat is that there is at present no visible suitable candidate to replace Anwar.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Two Problems With Whining
Wise words from Seth Godin:
The first is that it doesn't work. You can whine about the government or your friends or your job or your family, but nothing will happen except that you'll waste time.
Worse... far worse... is that whining is a reverse placebo. When you get good at whining, you start noticing evidence that makes your whining more true. So you amplify that and immerse yourself in it, thus creating more evidence, more stuff worth complaining about.
If you spent the same time prattling on about how optimistic you are, you'd have to work hard to make that true...
Worse... far worse... is that whining is a reverse placebo. When you get good at whining, you start noticing evidence that makes your whining more true. So you amplify that and immerse yourself in it, thus creating more evidence, more stuff worth complaining about.
If you spent the same time prattling on about how optimistic you are, you'd have to work hard to make that true...
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Dr Rafick Says It Right
Dr Rafick is an insurance industry veteran so I am told. So he is a kindred spirit and a comrade-in-arms as the industry goes but there is also another common factor. We are both registered to vote in the Ulu Kelang area where Azmin Ali is an MP.
The following is a post from his blog, Rights2Write and I believe he has said it right. It looks like Azmin Ali will have at least two votes less in the next GE. I have only one thing to add; "Anwar, Don't kill Nurul Izzah's spirit!". Please read:
Who is important: Zaid, Azmin or PKR?
November 8, 2010 by drrafick
Zaid Ibrahim critics called him by many names. Among others these include being a coward, a non team player and someone who runs away from problems. Others say that this is his trademark. He ran away once in UMNO when he faces obstacles and now he is running away again. I remember reading it from somewhere that when ZI joined PKR, his critics said that he wouldn’t last. History has shown to be true.
It is not easy being newcomer especially one that has a strong character and has high expectation in making a change. Having a strong principles and strong attitude can be regarded as arrogant by some especially people those opponent that wants to make an issue out of it. Fact remains that if the party cannot govern itself professionally then how can one expect it to govern the nation. Zaid resignation has greater impact on the party and the people than the cumulative impact of Zulkifli Noordin and Zahrain Hashim leaving the party months ago.
Mustaffa Kamil Ayub who was my classmate in UKM has also been sending mixed signals. He has also expressed his dissatisfaction over the election process. Like Azmin, Mustaffa also emigrated from UMNO when Anwar was kicked out from the party. If two deputy president contenders are raising the same issues surely there is some credibility to the argument that has been put forward.
Anwar initial reaction was disappointing. His indirect defense of Azmin Ali by saying that ZI left because of the poor results in election result in Sabah. He had also asked Zaid to give proof on his allegations that the election was rigged. Anwar must accept that officially he has no post in PKR. His wife does. A de-facto leader is not something that is recognized in any party constitution. He does not have the rights to question or demand answers from ZI. Right now the JPP Chair person, Molly Cheah and the party Sec Gen which has powers to demand such explanation has not done so.
PKR formation at its onset was about Anwar. It grew beyond Anwar to a certain extent where people start saying the injustice towards Anwar is a symbolic gesture to the injustice that happens in this country. However PKR has not been able to shed its core struggle that it is about Anwar and that is bad for the party. Allah forbids but what will happen if Anwar drop dead tomorrow? Can the party leaders continue the struggle? Can Azmin who grew as a loyalist but without going through serious political challenge hold the party together? In my honest opinion this is something that is debatable.
PKR is not about Anwar anymore. It has become the aspiration of the people to bring changes. Right now it has failed to show that it can hold his house together in a professional manner. It has failed to perform in many areas. I say ZI withdrew because he felt that is the best for him. The question is whether AA will do the same for the best interest of the party. Who is important, the party or the individuals who has craving for a “deputy premiership”?
The following is a post from his blog, Rights2Write and I believe he has said it right. It looks like Azmin Ali will have at least two votes less in the next GE. I have only one thing to add; "Anwar, Don't kill Nurul Izzah's spirit!". Please read:
Who is important: Zaid, Azmin or PKR?
November 8, 2010 by drrafick
Zaid Ibrahim critics called him by many names. Among others these include being a coward, a non team player and someone who runs away from problems. Others say that this is his trademark. He ran away once in UMNO when he faces obstacles and now he is running away again. I remember reading it from somewhere that when ZI joined PKR, his critics said that he wouldn’t last. History has shown to be true.
It is not easy being newcomer especially one that has a strong character and has high expectation in making a change. Having a strong principles and strong attitude can be regarded as arrogant by some especially people those opponent that wants to make an issue out of it. Fact remains that if the party cannot govern itself professionally then how can one expect it to govern the nation. Zaid resignation has greater impact on the party and the people than the cumulative impact of Zulkifli Noordin and Zahrain Hashim leaving the party months ago.
Mustaffa Kamil Ayub who was my classmate in UKM has also been sending mixed signals. He has also expressed his dissatisfaction over the election process. Like Azmin, Mustaffa also emigrated from UMNO when Anwar was kicked out from the party. If two deputy president contenders are raising the same issues surely there is some credibility to the argument that has been put forward.
Anwar initial reaction was disappointing. His indirect defense of Azmin Ali by saying that ZI left because of the poor results in election result in Sabah. He had also asked Zaid to give proof on his allegations that the election was rigged. Anwar must accept that officially he has no post in PKR. His wife does. A de-facto leader is not something that is recognized in any party constitution. He does not have the rights to question or demand answers from ZI. Right now the JPP Chair person, Molly Cheah and the party Sec Gen which has powers to demand such explanation has not done so.
PKR formation at its onset was about Anwar. It grew beyond Anwar to a certain extent where people start saying the injustice towards Anwar is a symbolic gesture to the injustice that happens in this country. However PKR has not been able to shed its core struggle that it is about Anwar and that is bad for the party. Allah forbids but what will happen if Anwar drop dead tomorrow? Can the party leaders continue the struggle? Can Azmin who grew as a loyalist but without going through serious political challenge hold the party together? In my honest opinion this is something that is debatable.
PKR is not about Anwar anymore. It has become the aspiration of the people to bring changes. Right now it has failed to show that it can hold his house together in a professional manner. It has failed to perform in many areas. I say ZI withdrew because he felt that is the best for him. The question is whether AA will do the same for the best interest of the party. Who is important, the party or the individuals who has craving for a “deputy premiership”?
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Talking Of Speaking Writes (Rights?); A Commentary On Comment
This is an interesting and apt blogpost by onGOHing. The banner picture on his blog appears to have been taken at the Taiping Lake Gardens which makes me wonder whether the writer is Tepin mali. He uses an analogy from my favorite sport, rugby too...maybe he is from KEVII!!!
Please read:
The thing about viewpoints
Goh Keat Peng
As I read a sports commentary on England vs NZ All-Blacks, it becomes quite clear how the view from an onlooker looking down from his seat in the terraces of Twickenham Stadium and that of a player on the field is really very different.
“…a fast flat pass left from Youngs then put Mike Tindall in space on the Kiwi 22, the old battering-ram hesitated, dawdled inside and then threw a change-of-heart pass behind Lewis Moody on the outside. Chances made, chances lost,” writes Tom Fordyce, the famous sports commentator featured on the BBC website.
This to me sums up quite well the difference in viewpoints within the same arena. Both commentator and player were in the same stadium at the same time engrossed in the same game. But one was up there on the terrace able to see at once the entire field and all the 30 men plus three match officials; the other was on the field where the match is in ongoing progress. The two men literally have two very different points of view, not just in terms of sight but also insight. Understandably so.
Almost at once as I read Tom Fordyce’s insightful commentary on a rugby test match between two giant teams, I am brought back from faraway Twickenham to the present-day realities of Malaysian politics. It becomes for me like a parable as to how we view the going-ons of the national political scene. Depending on which side we are rooting for, we are filled with a mixture of emotions- hope? foreboding? glee? despair? humour? disgust? Just like the team you support in the Premiership, or Super Bowl, or Tri-Nations. Real matches and games are being played out before us (on television) the outcomes of which may send us into ecstasy or embarassment or, as in politics, sedition charges!
In recent months, chiefly because of much news about a certain political party’s internal elections of office-bearers as well as a series of by-elections, comments have been prolific. (Even this writer could not resist to say his piece as evidenced in his IS WAYNE ROONEY NOW PLAYING IN PKR?)
In saying our piece, though, we “commentators” must be somewhat circumscribe and try to be a little reasonable. I often catch myself in a “this one can do no wrong and that one can do no right” mode. Rather like in those chauvinistic cowboy movies where the “only good red indian is a dead one” kind of thing. Fortunately, the truth is not to be found in such one-sided viewpoints.
Some humility must be there that we commentators are after all only spectators watching a match in progress. Despite our vantage points from the terraces looking down, even we are only able to focus on the play in a certain spot at a given time (usually where the ball is) and do not always know the exact positions of all the players all of the time. On the other hand, the player we are following is not only seeing and reading the game on the ground but his vision on a flat pitch is limited too, if not more so. Who to pass the ball to is a decision he has to make at a given time and at an instant. Through the team practice and training, certain patterns of play becomes familiar to the team. But the decision who to pass the ball to on either side of him and when to pass on the ball or to run the ball himself is, on match day, the player’s alone to make. We who are onlookers in the terraces can think, say and act as we wish; even think we are absolutely right and the player, absolutely wrong. But only the players are doing all the playing, deciding and kicking. One is sitting quite comfortably watching the progress of a match; the other is running his heart out playing the match.
Commentators, spectators and players- we all need to acknowledge and appreciate one another’s viewpoints. We need to make better effort to have a healthy respect for one another’s contribution.
The players know they are, unlike God, not omniscient (all-knowing), nor omnipresent (present in all places at the same time) , nor omnipotent (all powerful). The question is whether we as onlookers know the same. (Or is it the other way round?) Players or onlookers who actually think, feel and act as though we are like God will necessarily bite the dust before long- whichever side we support. One-sided views do not make a match winner.
Here are some views of the rugby test match from those much more involved in the actual action than the commentators from the stands:
“You will always make errors – they made two or three too – but we made too many,” admitted Johnson (the England coach), pragmatic as always.
“At vital times, especially in defence, we gave the ball away too easily by trying to do too much sometimes,” said McCaw (the NZ captain). “Those are the decisions we’ve got to get right if we’re going to improve. There’s a learning we have to take out of the last two weeks. There’s time in the game when that’s the right thing to do, and there’s time when hanging on to the ball for one more phase is the right thing to do. Risk versus reward is the thing we need to get under control.”
And this is how Tom Fordyce, sports writer, sums it up:
“In a strange way, Johnson has it easier than All Blacks coach Graham Henry. No-one expects Johnson’s England side to win the World Cup – a semi-final place would be beyond most expectations. For Henry, by contrast, there’s only one outcome that will count as success. Fail to win the old gold pot on home soil (next year’s Rugby Union World Cup hosted by NZ) and this long unbeaten run in the northern hemisphere, let alone the nine wins on the trot against England, will count for nothing. Those worries are for another night. For now, the contrast is clear. England showed glimpses of what they might achieve. The All Blacks, to an outsider’s eyes at least, revealed close to the full picture.”
You see how close and alike politics is to sports?
So what is the lesson of this parable? Onlookers should stop making comments? Spectators should stop watching games? Coaches should stopped their ears and ignore the comments and stubbornly go their own path- win or lose? Players should retire from the game especially when they lose to their opponents? Clubs should change their owners?
Yes in some cases; not necessarily so in others; of course not in a few instances. In the game of politics, one match is not the end- win or lose. We all need to continue to stay with the tournament till the end. As to which player/s we should bring into the team to buttress and augment team performance, even Alex Ferguson himself had brought in, as it turned out, some lame ducks not worth the money spent to secure them. And look at the so-called non-entities he brought in who cost little but grew up in and with the club and made good. Who says that those who stay longest in the club are not making enormous contributions?
Unlike rugby or any other sport, politics affect all in the country- every single one of us. We don’t watch also the match goes on and affects my life and yours and our loved ones.
My worry reading the commentaries and comments these days is that the negativity and ridicule of the reporting puts off interest in high stake politics of the country and once more we common people may eventually throw up our hands in frustration and surrender the struggle to career politicians. Or worse still, drive away some good or promising career politicians and leave the field to the ones who never scored any goals nor keep the undesired goals out for us the people.
Please read:
The thing about viewpoints
Goh Keat Peng
“…a fast flat pass left from Youngs then put Mike Tindall in space on the Kiwi 22, the old battering-ram hesitated, dawdled inside and then threw a change-of-heart pass behind Lewis Moody on the outside. Chances made, chances lost,” writes Tom Fordyce, the famous sports commentator featured on the BBC website.
This to me sums up quite well the difference in viewpoints within the same arena. Both commentator and player were in the same stadium at the same time engrossed in the same game. But one was up there on the terrace able to see at once the entire field and all the 30 men plus three match officials; the other was on the field where the match is in ongoing progress. The two men literally have two very different points of view, not just in terms of sight but also insight. Understandably so.
Almost at once as I read Tom Fordyce’s insightful commentary on a rugby test match between two giant teams, I am brought back from faraway Twickenham to the present-day realities of Malaysian politics. It becomes for me like a parable as to how we view the going-ons of the national political scene. Depending on which side we are rooting for, we are filled with a mixture of emotions- hope? foreboding? glee? despair? humour? disgust? Just like the team you support in the Premiership, or Super Bowl, or Tri-Nations. Real matches and games are being played out before us (on television) the outcomes of which may send us into ecstasy or embarassment or, as in politics, sedition charges!
In recent months, chiefly because of much news about a certain political party’s internal elections of office-bearers as well as a series of by-elections, comments have been prolific. (Even this writer could not resist to say his piece as evidenced in his IS WAYNE ROONEY NOW PLAYING IN PKR?)
In saying our piece, though, we “commentators” must be somewhat circumscribe and try to be a little reasonable. I often catch myself in a “this one can do no wrong and that one can do no right” mode. Rather like in those chauvinistic cowboy movies where the “only good red indian is a dead one” kind of thing. Fortunately, the truth is not to be found in such one-sided viewpoints.
Some humility must be there that we commentators are after all only spectators watching a match in progress. Despite our vantage points from the terraces looking down, even we are only able to focus on the play in a certain spot at a given time (usually where the ball is) and do not always know the exact positions of all the players all of the time. On the other hand, the player we are following is not only seeing and reading the game on the ground but his vision on a flat pitch is limited too, if not more so. Who to pass the ball to is a decision he has to make at a given time and at an instant. Through the team practice and training, certain patterns of play becomes familiar to the team. But the decision who to pass the ball to on either side of him and when to pass on the ball or to run the ball himself is, on match day, the player’s alone to make. We who are onlookers in the terraces can think, say and act as we wish; even think we are absolutely right and the player, absolutely wrong. But only the players are doing all the playing, deciding and kicking. One is sitting quite comfortably watching the progress of a match; the other is running his heart out playing the match.
Commentators, spectators and players- we all need to acknowledge and appreciate one another’s viewpoints. We need to make better effort to have a healthy respect for one another’s contribution.
The players know they are, unlike God, not omniscient (all-knowing), nor omnipresent (present in all places at the same time) , nor omnipotent (all powerful). The question is whether we as onlookers know the same. (Or is it the other way round?) Players or onlookers who actually think, feel and act as though we are like God will necessarily bite the dust before long- whichever side we support. One-sided views do not make a match winner.
Here are some views of the rugby test match from those much more involved in the actual action than the commentators from the stands:
“You will always make errors – they made two or three too – but we made too many,” admitted Johnson (the England coach), pragmatic as always.
“At vital times, especially in defence, we gave the ball away too easily by trying to do too much sometimes,” said McCaw (the NZ captain). “Those are the decisions we’ve got to get right if we’re going to improve. There’s a learning we have to take out of the last two weeks. There’s time in the game when that’s the right thing to do, and there’s time when hanging on to the ball for one more phase is the right thing to do. Risk versus reward is the thing we need to get under control.”
And this is how Tom Fordyce, sports writer, sums it up:
“In a strange way, Johnson has it easier than All Blacks coach Graham Henry. No-one expects Johnson’s England side to win the World Cup – a semi-final place would be beyond most expectations. For Henry, by contrast, there’s only one outcome that will count as success. Fail to win the old gold pot on home soil (next year’s Rugby Union World Cup hosted by NZ) and this long unbeaten run in the northern hemisphere, let alone the nine wins on the trot against England, will count for nothing. Those worries are for another night. For now, the contrast is clear. England showed glimpses of what they might achieve. The All Blacks, to an outsider’s eyes at least, revealed close to the full picture.”
You see how close and alike politics is to sports?
So what is the lesson of this parable? Onlookers should stop making comments? Spectators should stop watching games? Coaches should stopped their ears and ignore the comments and stubbornly go their own path- win or lose? Players should retire from the game especially when they lose to their opponents? Clubs should change their owners?
Yes in some cases; not necessarily so in others; of course not in a few instances. In the game of politics, one match is not the end- win or lose. We all need to continue to stay with the tournament till the end. As to which player/s we should bring into the team to buttress and augment team performance, even Alex Ferguson himself had brought in, as it turned out, some lame ducks not worth the money spent to secure them. And look at the so-called non-entities he brought in who cost little but grew up in and with the club and made good. Who says that those who stay longest in the club are not making enormous contributions?
Unlike rugby or any other sport, politics affect all in the country- every single one of us. We don’t watch also the match goes on and affects my life and yours and our loved ones.
My worry reading the commentaries and comments these days is that the negativity and ridicule of the reporting puts off interest in high stake politics of the country and once more we common people may eventually throw up our hands in frustration and surrender the struggle to career politicians. Or worse still, drive away some good or promising career politicians and leave the field to the ones who never scored any goals nor keep the undesired goals out for us the people.
UMNO's "Nowhere Man" Getting Somewhere?
In the wise words of Forrest Gump's mother, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." That seems to be right about Tengku Razaleigh these days. The same can be said about alternative media in this country.
After the BN Galas victory, TRH according to the Malaysian Insider is set to continue his fate as the "Nowhere Man" of UMNO while The Malaysia Chronicle says othewise. I have in the past blogged about TRH more in hope that he will be the country's interim PM towards REAL reform. At the time TRH seemed to be "between a rock and a hard place" with few acceptable options but to be a voice of reason in the UMNO wilderness while side-stepping accusations of being an Opposition collaborator. The following Malaysian Insider view would have been correct then.
Galas’ clear loser — Ku Li — The Malaysian Insider November 04, 2010
Barisan Nasional (BN) regained the Galas state seat today.
PAS lost the seat it won in Election 2008 when the refrain “Anything But Umno (ABU)” was in the air. Yet, the one clear loser in BN’s victory in Galas will be Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the longest-serving MP, since 1969, before even BN was formed in 1974.
The Kelantan prince, a former Umno vice-president and finance minister, now goes back to being a nobody in Umno, as he has been despite attempting to go for the party presidency since rejoining in 1996.
The 73-year-old’s liberal agenda will sound hollow. The politician, popularly known as Ku Li, will be a sitting duck if he even tries to team up with other liberals and contest the next polls.
Umno will slay him, and the constituents he will try and reach out to will have great reservations about a politician who has talked about reform and yet capitulated to flattery from the same people he has assailed for more than 12 months.
How will history judge Tengku Razaleigh? The affable and capable Kelantan prince will be remembered as the man who made strategic mistakes at crucial times.
Be it in 1981, when Ku Li and Tun Musa Hitam fought for the Umno deputy presidency where Musa won with 722 votes to Tengku Razaleigh’s 517.
Tengku Razaleigh blamed himself for taking “a rather passive stance” and not having a campaign strategy.
The same thing happened in 1984. In 1987, Ku Li challenged Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the presidency while Musa, who joined his team after quitting as deputy prime minister, was challenged by Tun Ghafar Baba. The Kelantan prince’s Team B, as it was called to Dr Mahathir’s Team A, lost.
The party was deregistered the following year but Dr Mahathir, with the help of the late Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, quickly registered Umno Baru while Ku Li failed to register Umno Malaysia despite having the support of two former presidents, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn.
Ku Li’s mistake was then to register Semangat 46, which teamed up with PAS for the 1990 and 1995 general elections. It lost traction and in 1996, Ku Li joined Umno Baru.
Bereft of the support he had in the 1970s where he founded Petronas and was the architect of BN’s victory in Kelantan in the 1978 general election, Tengku Razaleigh has remained in the shadows of Umno history since then.
The Kelantan prince has shown a distaste for the rough and tumble ways of Malaysian politics, preferring to be above the fray and being nice to all.
He was nice to Umno for the Galas by-election. And it won in what is seen as a turning point in BN’s fortunes since the massive defeat in Election 2008 which saw the coalition lose four states and its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.
But Ku Li, the politician prince who insists that Kelantan is eligible for oil royalty and that Malaysia should return to the rule of law practised by Tunku Abdul Rahman, is just another man who was seduced by Umno’s sweet talk to help defend the grand old party.
Like a loyal member who he has always stressed that he was, Tengku Razaleigh has done his job. And is most likely not necessary any more unless Umno needs to show its moderate and liberal face. Umno/BN won. Ku Li lost. And his cause is just a memory.
********************************************************
However, this commentary by Wong Choon Mei of the Malaysia Chronicle is the chocolate that I like. But is TRH too old and too late?
A credible savior for Umno emerges at last
Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle
Intrigue ever lurking in the unruly house of Umno has gone into overdrive again. This time, the catalyst is a ‘new-old’ face – Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Thanks to the Galas by-election victory, a rejuvenated Ku Li is now regarded by many in Umno as the best and most credible alternative to scandal-plagued president Najib Razak and his racism-tainted deputy Muhyiddin Yassin.
“Both Najib and Muhyiddin are unable to guide Umno away from implosion and irrelevance. Both men lack imagination and flair of their own - they borrow from Dr Mahathir and lean on his strength. But Umno leaders are not that dumb, they know what worked in Mahathir’s time will not last long in the current century. The problem is, who other than Najib and Muhyiddin,” an Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.
“Ku Li was by-passed in 2009 Umno election. He was seen as faded and too old, but now he has shown what he can do and the remarkable thing is that he did it without the usual Umno bombast and boasting. I think when the result was announced, Umno was even more shocked by the winning majority than PAS.”
Rush to grab the glory
The 73-year old Ku Li did indeed achieve a feat, wresting back the state seat from Umno’s arch rival PAS with relative ease. His recommended candidate won the seat with a 1,190 majority which was equivalent to a swing of 1,836 votes as PAS had won the seat with 646-margin in 2008.
Immediately after the results, Muhyiddin was quick to credit Najib and his 1Malaysia plan for the win. Little mention was made of Ku Li, although when Umno wanted to secure his services as campaign director, Muhyiddin had thought of sending a contingent of leaders to welcome Ku Li's return from an overseas trip at the airport.
Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister, was also quick to ride on the glory of the twin by-elections victories. BN had also won a parliamentary seat in Batu Sapi, Sabah on the same day.
So carried away by his perceived political momentum, the DPM actually ignored the calls for helps from flood victims in Kedah. Instead, he opted to fire a salvo at the Pakatan Rakyat state government, delaying and questioning for the sake of political gamesmanship rather than order federal agencies to send aid and relief.
“He put the flood issue aside and went on his Deepavali rounds so that he could bask in the glory of the by-election wins especially when Najib was in hospital," said the Umno watcher.
"Even though, Muhyiddin was savvy enough to play the role of loyal deputy and dedicated the victories to Najib, it was obvious he also took a lot of credit for himself and shut off Ku Li completely. To him, Najib is the easier rival to defeat than Razaleigh."
A credible alternative to Najib's bogus 1Malaysia
Meanwhile, despite being in hospital for chicken pox, Najib appeared to have caught on to what was happening while he was indisposed.
Not to be outdone, his mainstream media reported that he ordered from his "hospital bed" immediate assistance for Kedah flood victims. Pundits slammed the dramatic move as an apparent bid to go one up on his deputy and make a hero of himself.
As for Ku Li, some of Najib's-controlled media had in the aftermath of the Galas by-election done a hatchet job on the Kelantan prince, accusing him of selling out on his liberal views for sake of pleasing Umno warlords.
Their aim was simple - to destroy Ku Li's image as a progressive and multi-racial leader, so as to nip in the bud competition with Najib's 1Malaysia.
But neither are Malaysians or Umno members so easily fooled. If in 2009, Ku Li was seen as a blast from the past, he is now increasingly seen as the savior Umno needs. His strengths include his ability to communicate with the top PAS, PKR and DAP leadership, his perceived fairness to all races and his personal honesty. Sad to say, neither Najib nor Muhyiddin are seen to possess these qualities.
Who will Mahathir back
The biggest stumbling block for Ku Li in Umno remains former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. In 1987, Ku Li challenged Mahathir for the Umno presidency, but lost after a controversial vote-count.
Like Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, he is feared by Mahathir. So far in Umno's history, only Ku Li and Anwar possess enough charisma to thwart Mahathir’s ham-fisted and oppressive tactics.
“This is the latest game in Umno and it will slowly unfold until the party's internal elections next year. We all know Muhyiddin will challenge Najib. Now it will be a three-cornered fight. And even though Mahathir is powerful, he may not be able to convince warlords to back either Najib or Muhyiddin now that they know Ku Li is a viable alternative," said the Umno watcher.
"It no longer matters who Mahathir will back - whether Najib or Muhyiddin. But it does not matter because both are weak leaders and cannot take Umno forward. So why would the warlords follow whom Mahathir chooses and take the crumbs when they can support Ku Li and sup from the main table."
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Blessing In Disguise or Disgust? Time Running Out For Anwar...
De facto or not, the blame falls on Anwar Ibrahim. Same old question again; what is Anwar Ibrahim's real agenda? "To lord over, or to love and liberate?"
Also, the following comment by ALOYSIUS FRANCIS PINTO to that post made good sense:
One observation I have made is that Politics and logic are not synonymous!
Non-politicians since Tsunami 2008 have over-valued their political commentaries, based on their logic.
These 2 losses could be a blessing in disguise.
Hah?
As in any new marriage, at last PR will now really know that their long-drawn honeymoon has ended. At first, the initial ecstasy was so overwhelming that PR lost Perak without even admitting their shortcomings, and continued to blame everything on BN. Politics is also the skill to maintain your victory through an intricate array of skills,talent and shrewdness, which the BN displayed in Perak.
PR continued to romanticize about taking Putra Jaya without acknowledging their weakness in governing, lack of ideological re-training for former UMNO/MIC/MCA and other BN members who have joined PAKATAN especially PKR. For almost a year PKR did not even publish their new constitution. Many have not even read the constitution, the HARAPAN BARU UNTUK MALAYSIA manifesto, DSAI’s 17 Core Principles. Secretariats of wakil2 rakyat for the most are un-organized and many still are. Those that had some structure were dis-organize when it came to implementation of the GE12 Elections Promises..how could they, when even leaders have not read them, let alone share and train the substance part of the “perjuangan”. REFORMASI as a battle cry can be very powerful when you are in opposition.
As the ruling Government in Selangor, many wakil-wakil rakyat, especially the MPs and many ADUNs could not dust off their ‘opposition image’ and learn to govern the state well. PR MPs in PR states even intensified their ‘opposition-mindedness’ and were of no use to the Selangor/PR state governments. With so much energy still focused in politicking and manipulating ‘perceptions’ – that they will only bring real change after they take Putra Jaya, without exhibiting any substance of what would the PAKATAN CABINET could look like at state level. What alternative economic plans to implement the REFORMASI battle cry?
Hopefully, now, the PR leaders will really begin to listen to concerned citizens, professionals and civil society leaders when they offer their expertise, comments, suggestions and even ‘free’ services. The elimination the the NGOs and professionals councilors in Selangor was the final blow. Someone in the blogs commented that the usual ‘independent bloggers’ were missing in Galas and Sapi.
PR’s greater fear should be the lost of support from Civil Society including NGOS, professionals and concerned citizens. Just their decision to remain ‘silent’ and ‘neutral’ could tilt things in favour of BN who control the MSMedia.On the positive side, recognizing the power and network of Civil Society, PR leaders should now engage seriously with them.
Yes, the writing is on the wall. It can still be re-written. Over to you Hadi, DSAI, LKS!
“STILL HOPEFUL”
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Forget About That De Facto Leader; This Is Also A Son Of Ibrahim
An impassioned plea and what does "I am a Malaysian" mean to you?
Monday, 1 November 2010
De Facto; De Factee? De Fuckto; De Fucktee?
What is a de facto leader in a democracy? Wikipedia says: De facto is a Latin expression that means "by [the] fact". In law, it means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but without being officially established".
So we are told that Anwar Ibrahim is the de facto leader of PKR. That means he was not voted in as the leader but is actually the leader of PKR. What does that make democracy? It makes the democracy that PKR sings about, de fuckto! The PKR President is Wan Azizah and she sleeps with the de fuckto PKR leader, Anwar for obvious reasons. So is she the de fucktee President?
What is the point of having a national internal polls when ultimately even the President answers to a de facto shadow?
Anyway, PKR "de factee" Ezam Nor finally makes some sense below. Be sure you watch the Popteevee "Effing Show" segment too.
PKR ruckus: 'Anwar must take full blame'
SAT, 30 OCT 2010 11:07
By Hawkeye
GUA MUSANG: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is squarely to be blamed for the present ruckus in PKR because he does not want to assume the party's president post.
His former confidant, Senator Ezam Mohd Nor, said Anwar's indecisiveness about formally taking over the party's reins has sparked a jostling for top posts within PKR.
"Yes! if you ask me, I think Anwar has to take the blame. He has to be accountable for the current infighting in PKR. I doubt the party can close ranks as there are simply too many personalities with a different agenda and diverse political ideologies," Ezam said on the sidelines of the Galas state by-election campaign.
The former PKR Youth head claimed that Anwar's sole ambition was to become prime minister so much so that the latter has become blinded to the spat among the various leaders as they jockeyed for positions in PKR's national internal polls.
Anwar only sees PKR as a short-term strategy as his ultimate goal is to become prime minister, Ezam said, adding that the former deputy prime minister could join DAP or PAS just to realise his aim.
He has set a bad precedent such as when he went around claiming that by Sept 16, 2008, the Barisan Nasional-led federal government would be toppled and Pakatan Rakyat would be able to take over, Ezam said.
This has caused PKR leaders, including newcomers such as Pakatan coordinator Zaid Ibrahim, to fall victim to excessive jostling in the quest for top posts, as the other leaders believe that PKR can take over Putrajaya now, Ezam said.
"Anwar should put a stop to it by claiming the president's post to indicate that he is sincere in leading the party and to stop showing favoritism to vice-president Azmin Ali.
“Azmin is an ambitious politician so he does not care who he steps on, including his fellow PKR comrades. I saw this coming just weeks after Anwar was released from jail (after his Sodomy I trial)."
Ezam claimed he tried to warn other leaders but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
"I quit out of frustration as I saw PKR was losing its original ideology. It was only interested in short-term gains at the expense of its future."
Today, many leaders in the party are only hankering after positions while the grassroots members are a restless lot as Anwar has apparently poisoned their minds with a lust for immediate power at the expense of good governance, Ezam said.
So we are told that Anwar Ibrahim is the de facto leader of PKR. That means he was not voted in as the leader but is actually the leader of PKR. What does that make democracy? It makes the democracy that PKR sings about, de fuckto! The PKR President is Wan Azizah and she sleeps with the de fuckto PKR leader, Anwar for obvious reasons. So is she the de fucktee President?
What is the point of having a national internal polls when ultimately even the President answers to a de facto shadow?
Anyway, PKR "de factee" Ezam Nor finally makes some sense below. Be sure you watch the Popteevee "Effing Show" segment too.
PKR ruckus: 'Anwar must take full blame'
SAT, 30 OCT 2010 11:07
By Hawkeye
GUA MUSANG: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is squarely to be blamed for the present ruckus in PKR because he does not want to assume the party's president post.
His former confidant, Senator Ezam Mohd Nor, said Anwar's indecisiveness about formally taking over the party's reins has sparked a jostling for top posts within PKR.
"Yes! if you ask me, I think Anwar has to take the blame. He has to be accountable for the current infighting in PKR. I doubt the party can close ranks as there are simply too many personalities with a different agenda and diverse political ideologies," Ezam said on the sidelines of the Galas state by-election campaign.
The former PKR Youth head claimed that Anwar's sole ambition was to become prime minister so much so that the latter has become blinded to the spat among the various leaders as they jockeyed for positions in PKR's national internal polls.
Anwar only sees PKR as a short-term strategy as his ultimate goal is to become prime minister, Ezam said, adding that the former deputy prime minister could join DAP or PAS just to realise his aim.
He has set a bad precedent such as when he went around claiming that by Sept 16, 2008, the Barisan Nasional-led federal government would be toppled and Pakatan Rakyat would be able to take over, Ezam said.
This has caused PKR leaders, including newcomers such as Pakatan coordinator Zaid Ibrahim, to fall victim to excessive jostling in the quest for top posts, as the other leaders believe that PKR can take over Putrajaya now, Ezam said.
"Anwar should put a stop to it by claiming the president's post to indicate that he is sincere in leading the party and to stop showing favoritism to vice-president Azmin Ali.
“Azmin is an ambitious politician so he does not care who he steps on, including his fellow PKR comrades. I saw this coming just weeks after Anwar was released from jail (after his Sodomy I trial)."
Ezam claimed he tried to warn other leaders but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
"I quit out of frustration as I saw PKR was losing its original ideology. It was only interested in short-term gains at the expense of its future."
Today, many leaders in the party are only hankering after positions while the grassroots members are a restless lot as Anwar has apparently poisoned their minds with a lust for immediate power at the expense of good governance, Ezam said.
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