Sampai Kiamat Masih Jadi Bodoh!

1. This is more or less a dilemma issue that I want to point out. Where I want to place this is somewhere between Raja Petra's recent sarcastic posting entitled "Cina Sudah Kurang Ajar! Dah Lupa 13 Mei?" and my friend Haris' posting entitled "Fear Mongering, RPK Style". The two main interesting points to be summarized here are:

a) For the former, it is a response from someone using the yardstick that freedom of speech is absolute, no holds barred, with no tolerance line / borders defined. With that scenario - what would be the response to a picture depicting a man stamping on a picture of Najib.

b) For the latter, it is about not needing racial tones and imagery, but based on past experiences / encounters instead, it is that a real multi-racial community can come out to fight oppression and bring down a government that seems to no longer cares for the real welfare of the nation and plunging the country into the abyss of no recovery - despite repeated self-denials - in a real democratic way and a level playing field without bias from any agency.

2. Nobody wants and likes a confrontation anyhow. Recently Najib declared in Johor that it is taboo for the opposition to take over Putrajaya. It already violated his own tenets of 1Malaysia -as he is the imam of that school of thought. This statement also reflects what I have mentioned several times that UMNO has the same mentality of the Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army). I have also noted that for them, a loss, even a setback is considered a "capitulation" to the enemy - hence the statement above. 

The statement and UMNO's value system is also underscored in Pete's 'Like a Trapped Animal Part 4:"

Excerpt:

To Pakatan Rakyat, this may just be about winning or losing an election. To Umno, it is about the life and death of Barisan Nasional. Pakatan Rakyat can lose the election and still continue to exist as an opposition grouping. Barisan Nasional cannot lose the election and continue to exist as an opposition coalition. Barisan Nasional would be hit with a double whammy. Death will follow its defeat, a danger that Pakatan Rakyat does not face. 

3.  Most of us admit that it is high time to change the government despite repeated warnings to change and no improvement, instead it gets worse and the attitude of the present government of the day still remains in the same, thinking that they are losing their Godsend right. As in talking about with the next general election, any coalition that needs to win well (simple or with 2/3rds majority) will need achieve the following factors - as acknowledged by many including political analysts:

a) Malay votes

b) Sabah and Sarawak's 56 Parliament seats on the platter.

4. The first part is easier to achieve in Peninsular Malaysia. This is because if the main lynchpin is weak, BN's partners in Sabah and Sarawak may choose to declare themselves out of the fold and be independent - thus the kingmaker role - or joining the other coalition; something that some people might not be happy with. From what I was told that "the joining the other coalition" option is a possibility that should not be discounted.

5. Malay votes is 50-50 since Anwar's sacking and jailing since 1999. As a few friends observed, a 5-10 percent swing (at least) can give Anwar's coalition a simple majority in Parliament. Remember that the minority votes alone will not be enough to decide the outcome. A bone of contention that is to be a problem is the matter called the Malay Mindset.

6. However, we have bigger problems as where the country will be heading. Another Greece scenario will happen in Malaysia since the debt + hidden has already hit more than half trillion ringgit - disregarding the amount on investment and the amount of income that comes in. Roubini - a.k.a. Dr. Doom - has foresee that 2013 is an economic storm that it will be quite hard to get out. 

7. Unfortunately there's still a majority of people have yet to realize of the set of problems in front of us. They still support the same party who many are angered over the amount of plundering, corruption and crimes that they have committed against the country. Indeed as what Datuk Sakmongkol recently said, a mental revolution is necessary. In my view, the real problem is how to empower the other Malays who are still in the traditional mindset - as what a friend of mine Aspan recently said - the conventional believe is that UMNO is everything, for if that particular organization falls, the Malays will be extinct. In actual it doesn't actually happen. That claim is ex nihilo - out of nothing just to scare the shit out of people.

8. My dilemma is on how Malaysia can stop the rot and plunging further as well as the need to catch up with their other emerging neighboring countries. The major stumbling block is the mindset of the majority. I still find that there are still many who are afraid to move in what Zaid Ibrahim said "ready to abandon “the path chosen for them by Umno for the last 55 years” and seek other answers to the problems they face".

9. Looking at Greece, I see a hard lesson dished out and deserved for those people. If Malaysia suffers the similar fate later, only then the people would then realize, but too late to avoid troubles and despair - that is if the ruling coalition at the time of disaster still remains BN - this is based on the observations of many political analysts that they will still win but with a smaller majority.

10. One way that can be done - a.l.a reverse psychology style - is shake them and insult them to wake them up. We understand that many are still hesitant and unwilling to change. Yes, I agree, that the ABU (Anything But UMNO) is needed to be brought inroads but examining the problem right now, as what Aspan said:

Pertamanya, Melayu mesti menyokong UMNO bulat-bulat dan jangan mengambil kira samada UMNO itu jujur atau tidak. Mereka menganggap Melayu mesti dipenjara dan diberi makan sikit-sikit untuk mengelak orang Melayu dari berfikir dan bertindak mengikut kehendak zaman dan waktunya. Kalau pemimpin rasuah ditabur benih-benih nilai yang membunuh orang Melayu sendiri seperti ada sesetengah Melayu yang berkata, “kalau Melayu rasuah itu Melayu, orang Melayu juga yang kaya. Apa yang hendak dicemburukan?”

Apa sahaja yang pemimpin mereka buat jangan dipersoalkan. Yang Melayu mesti lakukan ialah menyokong sahaja dan jangan berbuat apa-apa. Terima sahaja bantuan rakyat 1Malaysia (BRIM) dan bersyukurlah sampai mati. Terima sahaja bantuan dua batang gigi palsu dan terus mengundi UMNO sampai mati. Itu adalah sifat berterima kasih. Kalau tidak menyokong UMNO pulangkan balik gigi palsu itu kepada kerajaan.

 

11. I have the same sentiment and feeling above. I have recently asked a few friends on whether telling this whole thing to the Malay community would get the effect intended. I was met with a not advisable answer because that the target audience, some, would be wondering why a Chinese man start talking issues like this to them? In other words, it means they might not get the point intended to be addressed or they would say "who is this guy talking to anyway?"

12. As a side note, Simpang Pulai assemblyman Chan Ming Kai was also told the same answer before. This means that it will be up to the more intellectual, liberal minded Malay friends to empower their own people to wake up before it is too late. Recent commentary written by Datuk Sak and Aspan have also exactly pointed out what is necessary to be addressed to the Malay community. I have also seen tweets of perverted logic that some people, including those lower level people from UMNO that talks things that doesn't make sense. My only feeling and impression about that problem is that "sampai kiamat masih jadi bodoh"!

Further material:

Mengundi UMNO Bukan Wajib Hukumnya (Pt 1)

Mengundi UMNO Bukan Wajib Hukumnya (Pt 2)

Post Merdeka: Copycatting and Cheating Ourselves: Part 2

Part 2: Sang Saka Malaya

Pic from Singa Selatan

The problem of many naive people, even political ones is that when they screamed about the alternative Malaysia flag their mouth moves faster than the brain. I also thought the press editors and reporters do have the knowledge but instead it was the other way round. Leading the way are those people from Perkasa and UMNO, then amplified by those from News Straits Times, Bernama, Utusan and etc.. 

Have you people try to understand what Raja Petra tries to tell in his flag posting ("Let the pictures do the talking?") - If you are...fine, but if you can't then something is wrong already with you.

In Form 3 / Form 5 history, PKMM was mentioned briefly, maybe a small chunk. But it never went deep while Malayan Union was mentioned prominently in Form 3.

The Sang Saka Malaya was used as left-wing groups to tell the English that the identity of the national flag intended to be adopted. However, the English saw those left-wing groups as commies, subsequently banning them and most leaders are thrown into jail. This became more relevant and significant when the Emergency broke out in mid-1948. 

PKMM left UMNO after Malayan Union was successfully aborted because of the flag issue. UMNO had hijacked it and had the keris symbol inserted in the center of the flag - that PKMM disagreed. Minus the blue color of our flag (representation of unity), the red and white, according to the intended Sang Saka scheme represents blood and heart of the people. Indonesia adopts that; Singapore adopts that and some other countries do use that same color scheme.

 

You only need to compare our flag with the American flag and noticed that it is identically similar (red and white stripes, blue and stars), except that American stars represent (the 50 states of the union) and our moon and crescent in yellow. It's a sad thing that many people have forgotten or have been blurred by part of the history (which was intended to be faded away) by the victor of the ideals race at that time: UMNO - whom the English deemed are more friendlier and easier in wheel dealing. In other words, some would perceive our flag as copycatting (America in particular). So thus the saying - history is written by the victor.

A case in point in related to the matter above occurred when the Malaysian team was in Afghanistan on relief and peacekeeping mission in between 2004 and 2005. They were told not to show the Malaysian flag in public view because the Taliban insurgents could mistaken the flag as the American flag and would attack. Remember, the American army presence in Afghanistan still remains at a considerable amount until today, even there have been announcement of plans of gradual withdrawal.

Along with the flag, the tune for our National Anthem is largely based on the Memula Moon - its tune was composed by French composer Pierre Jean De Berengar (1770-1857) - known as the first superstar of French popular music. There are plenty of audio clips on YouTube and it is no doubt that - apart from the lyrics, the tune remains familiar.

While the screaming of that deemed "blasphemous" charade continues on the streets, these people have fallen victim to the history cheat. The fragment of our very own history, had it been included would provide the balancing act that gives the proper third-person view of the Malaysian history. These people again, as I have said yesterday are also the end-product of the problem of average-two-books-a-year syndrome; an education system that is designed not to get people to think and act beyond the box, but instead trained to become a mere sponge to absorb everything - including what is actually false; and finally a project that aimed of making people think one step backwards - a.k.a Projek Pembodohan. Questioning is equivalent to dissenting and deemed a wrong thing - I can't even comprehend such logic and culture!

There may be some who are unwilling to accept that fragment of history that still exists in this country but all they are doing right now is cheating themselves and as what the theme underlined in Gangnam Style - attempting to be that status but impossible to do in reality. But this commentary doesn't underscore the notion of replacing a flag. It's merely to state the fact that we either are being cheated in history or we have already forgotten that fragment as part of the act of false perception by a political organization and its accomplices. 

It's really important that we start to question ourselves whether we are still under an impression or there's need to save this fact that forms part of our history and acknowledge it before it ends up in a bin permanently. 

The spillover from the debacle is that while the police have started investigations, it slowly has cracked up the lid of doubts over the existence of that flag not to mention other things that have been hidden in the closet (e.g Mat Indera and so forth.)

Part 1 -- here

What's Next for Rafizi After N.O.W?

Now that N.O.W, Rafizi Ramli's pet project is up, the next thing I can think of in regards of Rafizi Ramli is to rethink of contesting in Pandan and fall back to a safer spot.

I once managed to have a short time with Rafizi one night in Gombak - unfortunately the talk was cut short of his appointment elsewhere. Rafizi can be a nice chap, as what I hear what other people would say about him. Surely his reputation has shot up after a blitz of exposes involving the LRT extension project and the big talk of the town: the NFC cow scandal.

A few months ago, Rafizi spoke about contesting in Pandan against MCA's Ong Tee Keat. I, together with a few people have certainty to say that regardless of political affiliations, Superman OTK is a very popular figure in Pandan and the only way for OTK to lose is if there is sabotage from his own party, MCA. In 2008, former MTUC president Syed Shahir contested in that area but Ong won with a neither big nor small majority of 3000 votes.

The doubt I have is that Pandan may not be that feasible contrary to what Rafizi thinks.

The much more better alternatives is either in Kelana Jaya or in Petaling Jaya Selatan.

I've been overhearing some random people on the ground talking about how they are unhappy with the performance of either Hee Loy Sian or Gwo Burne which is in contrast with Tony Pua's performance. If what the people on the ground say the same thing as my first thought of both of those MPs, it would be a good idea to have them replaced with Rafizi and Syed Shahir. It's just not that both of them have a better chance of winning. It's the matter of problem solving most common issues that a Member of Parliament can do in those areas. 

MCA contests in both areas as the statistics speak for themselves.

Gwo Burne and Loy Sian won with a medium-range size majority of 3000-5000 votes.

It's likely Donald Lim in PJ Selatan and someone else if neither Lee Hwa Beng nor Loh Seng Kok would be up again in Kelana Jaya. In 2008, MCA was whacked almost kingdom come in the entire GE. People have seen that party, then run by the Ong brothers becoming more and more a mere stooge to United Malays National Organisation.

It looks like Rafizi and Syed Shahir stands a better chance in those areas. The population of voters there are a mix proportion of races. Ominous rumors of the incumbents in those areas being dropped over their performance is likely to be fact later on. Being a PKR candidate stands to have a good chance to contest in that area given of the good mix-proportion of people vs other areas.

I wonder how does it sound if Rafizi goes to contest there? Perhaps PKR doing some ground work there would be more appropriate rather than branding some unknown guy like me as talking something I am not appropriate to talk about? There's still time, at most up to 8 months left before reaching the full term where an election must be called.

Tee Keat is likely to have a few additional issues to deal including from within the party. We do not know whether there will be attempts to sabotage him or possible bickering by UMNO against MCA over the scenario of refusing to hand over the seat to their candidate. It's best to leave it untouched on Pandan for sometimes there's something that can be discovered while an infighting is happening.