At What Real Cost?

The top brass of Barisan Nasional has been running around the country and giving all sorts of promises, splashing goodies around to the people in exchange for requesting them to give support in the next general elections. I was already certain that the general election would be somewhere around in November mainly because this takes into account of how the possible feel good hype that would be elicited from the people after the 2013 budget announcement, and the incentives that could be offered in conjunction with the Haji and Deepavali holidays. Analyzing on people sentiment, the ruling coalition is likely to count on the Malay votes (if you can understand their psyche, mindset as well) and the roller-coaster mindset of the Indians which can go up and down depending on the situation that arises that involves their society.

It is unlikely that they would wait until after Chinese New Year because the situation seems not well to them. It has already been established that most of Chinese are dead-set to vote for the opposition. The one thing that many in the top brass may find it hard to comprehend even including UMNO's partner, MCA is perhaps of the level of maturity, awareness and the mindset of the Chinese community in comparison with the other races of the Malaysian community. It is already noted that the level of support is very low that UMNO has already given up any big chance to regain support from the Chinese.

From the tone of what I am to present:

Sounds like I am talking race comparison.

Sounds like I am looking down at other people.

Sounds like I am talking race stuff. 

Sounds like I am screaming "I'm better than you." 

But out of here, there is a question that I wish to bring out especially at the naive and those who find it hard to believe in it. There's not much need for me to harp on the racial, royalty and religion thing as it is not my forte to talk about nor to those who are looking more bigger issues than those three that merely scratch the surface.

Recently there have been speeches from the big brass like (e.g Mahathir, Muhyiddin, Rais Yatim, Najib) calling for Malay unity, general unity, demands for gratitude to the ruling party, you help me I help you things in particular. They shout non-stop almost every day of "vote for us to keep the country stable." These leaders imply that the country would collapse if they do not hold on to their power on and on. And on prime time television, the party-owned private channels in particular are playing propaganda ads as to push for more support -no thanks to their infinite amount of resources, so as they perceived. But then again it's already almost 60 years they are in power, yet they are found to be caught with misconduct in almost every aspect of the country administration.

Some people have been asking why most of the Chinese community and the well-educated middle class have already no longer willing to stick to the convention and decide to go for something totally different and out of the box. The country's running old men have been calling and accusing some of them as creating a revolution and scream of instability if there's a change of guard in the country. Contrary to that, there's actually no such unusual effect happening since this scenario often happens in other countries. There's nothing to be excited about and to cheer about it. And as to allow me to answer that, it comes to one high probable reason: if you can understand the saying of "survival of the fittest" then perhaps it can answer that solution above. People have started to get past the "must feed me" thing and use other means to achieve success in live.

So why does the mainstream media seem to glorify the government although they are clearly have committed some gross misconduct? One thing is for sure, they are now lagging in support and are trying to drum up support way to the finishing line sometime around next year at most.

I appreciate some of the writings written by some of my friends that when being conveyed their own people which describes of how people are being mislead over the promises made by the present government of the day only to see what was promised being denied claiming of no such claim. Note that the present opposition has not at once run as the government of the day so it is not right to compare their track record because we didn't give them the chance to demonstrate their capabilities.

I also appreciate that through their writings that their people have started to acknowledge their mistakes and have started to wake up. However my only question to them would be on what about those who are still unwilling to correct their mistakes and stand for the coalition that has committed many misdeeds and gross misconduct? And what about those who are going to be ultimately mislead?

Here's one example of a person being ultimately mislead: Recently the man who accused Mat Sabu on the Mat Indera case has already admitted to the court that he made a police report based on the Utusan newspaper report. It was already proven that Mat Sabu did not utter or say anything that is referred to Communism in his series of public speeches. The man has then admitted to this and has asked the Sessions court in Penang to drop the case. This means that the man was a victim of misleading by the spin by the media - the spin that the government of the day, the present ruling coalition wishes to show it to the mass people.

Sure, it is still their right to decide. You can't obstruct them from making their choice. At what cost in exchange for your vote for them?


Okay, you would accuse me as another person dead set on going against the coalition party. I have my own set of reasons behind it. Any well educated, matured person can think of it. And if people ask me whether I am taking the risk to go and do something unconventional, the answer is yes. It's like making an unusual bet of (e.g a Double 0 in roulette, Snake Eyes for dice craps, etc..). Let's face it that the fate and future of the country is not decided by the handful of people nor just the minority of the Malaysians but the majority of people that forms the big part of the Malaysian society - but the problem is of being too simple-minded.

And allow me to fill in the blanks for you, o'naive and unbeliever ones for the question above:

1. You are actually acknowledging that flocks of sheep fly in the sky and monies fall from the trees.
2. You are condemning your future generations and your country to remain mundane until the point we're all gone and after say another 100 years of independence.
3. You show yourself that you're chickening out with no guts to think out of the box and vs convention.
4. You are actually saying that up becomes down, black is white - what is illegal is legal and vice versa.
5. You are saying that you don't really believe the real warnings - not by those who claim to say it's okay for now -  until it is too late to go back because you got complacent subsequently. The Greece scenario is a case in point.

Amateur Day(s) At Casino UMNO

Before Bersih 3.0, I wrote a posting about Casino UMNO. I also had said that if the people turnover on that very day, April 28 was quite much compared to the first two, then like a Casino, then can make a big bucks or losing out a lot. Having read several accounts in the post-Bersih period, I can imagine how the present government acts now, including damage control measures, arresting people and deflecting accusation at others as a way of recuperating a sudden money blitz in one day.

It's like watching that critical blitz scene from Ocean's Thirteen where at the end of the day $500 million went out of the door, no doubt thanks to the shrewd manipulation of gambling inventory (rigged card shufflers, dice added with polymer material. and some internal sabotage from the people inside The Bank). There are still people out there who are unwilling to take the fact that about 250,000 people alone in Kuala Lumpur have come out to say that the election system is still inefficient and full of discrepancies.

Considering if every of the 250,000 in attendance are high rollers in a casino, then UMNO lost maybe around $750 million or more in one day itself. It can be considered as a "Amateur Day" event. The amount falls between the estimated amount of RM600 - RM1.2 billion of election war chest to be used for the next general election. Amusingly, there are people out there who scream things that point out on "capitulation" to the enemy. Even Najib himself declared that the whole thing was like the Arab Spring, which was never intended by the organizers.

Maybe Najib was misadvised by the intelligence reports of the Duduk Bantah plan or maybe not. However, if we are to put in comparison what is the same thing happening here with Ocean's Thirteen is not about faulty equipment, it's about accidental screwing up by those in charge. Two parties notable for this is the DBKL and of course the police. 

I keep wondering if Ahmad Fuad would have said yes instead, those around him would immediately point fingers at him as insubordination to political demands of the main party lynchpin (read UMNO). Indirectly, it has got people more and more angry and hostile towards the City Council. The other one, which I found it more amusing  and a reason to ridicule at is the IGP cop himself. It was surprising to read that instead of acting base on the situation, it was the "cry to mummy" case.

Here's an excerpt by Raja Petra about the IGP recently in his "The IGP must fall on his sword" piece:

When news broke that Bersih is, yet again, going to organise a rally in April, the IGP went running to the Prime Minister to ask him as to what to do. What the hell is going on? The IGP should be having his fingers on the pulse of the nation. He should be the one advising the Prime Minister as to what to do, not asking the Prime Minister what the police should do.

Yes, on Twitter, the rumors have been of a few police officer's death on that day that got the police being too emotional instead of being professional. The same brutality as in Bersih 2.0 happens again, but approach was different. The second one was considered like a witchhunt. This one was more of a hate yellow thing. That's why there are pictures of cops identified in assaulting people including journalists. More shocking was that IGP privately admitted that he had lost control of the force.

The IGP crawled back to Najib’s office with this tail between his legs and sheepishly told the Prime Minister that he had lost control of the police on that day. 

What happened? What made the police go berserk?

It was because of the rumour, the IGP replied. There was a rumour circulating amongst the police that three police personnel had died, killed by the Bersih protestors. Hence the police were outraged and were out for revenge. They no longer could control the police personnel on the ground.

It's true that the brutality exhibited in the second rally drew a lot of people that many wanted to come out and witness / participate in person for Round 3. It is also likely that if there is a Round 4 of the rally, the number would have been doubled, close to a million - as what Mat Sabu is talking lately on 1 million for Round 4.

 

Picture this in a film, both men might have played a roll of a pitboss. The cops can be considered as the security personnel of a casino. What about Hishamuddin? Where does he fit into that day itself? He was not consistent in his words. Hence his moniker as "Mat Lidah Kontot" called by a few people on him is accurate. One moment said that Bersiih was not a threat to security. Later, what he said seems to imply that it's a threat to security and pushing for Stadium Merdeka. Hold on: if previously Bersih was not given the right to sit at Stadium Merdeka then what the hell this time you said ok for?

If there is another Bersih that happens, first it means, that more people are starting to get awake from slumber, with the amount of the 3rd rally attracts them. Secondly, it's another amateur day to go to Casino UMNO. With the same type of players sabotaging by accident in the casino, it is likely that it will be another 1 -4 billion ringgit out of the door in one amateur day, if 1 million high rollers come in to that day itself. 

Consider that as taking back the money you paid to the government of the day.

A/N: I know I have not been writing anything in the last few weeks but I admit that being in the period of work transition, it means a hard time to pass and adjust to the new environment so it will take more time than writing here, which I am trying to accommodate some time here.

Bersih: Raising The Stakes

With slightly less than 24 hours to go before Saturday's Bersih 3.0 rally, Putrajaya has already flip-flopped. Hishamuddin Hussein, who previously said that Bersih is no threat to security has no declared that cops will be acting against Bersih with the first move being the police are trying to get the court injunction order to stop top Bersih people from reaching Merdeka Square.

This has come in addition to DBKL declaring a lockdown on Merdeka Square from 6 am Friday morning and threaten people under Section 65 Local Government Act 1976. If Hishamuddin acts like this, it means he's not acting alone, but instead acting in concert with other UMNO warlords who are unable to swallow or take pride of what is to come. This also subtly hints that Najib is also facing internal opposition from his people within UMNO itself rather than the public image of opposition coalition attacking him.

The real question is who among the UMNO hawks and warlords that are the ones calling the shots?

The argument by the mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail that Merdeka Square is merely used for national events do not seem to make it quite sound. To make it worse, the Peaceful Assembly Act bill which comes into effect on Monday seems to not include the right to outright reject something by the authorities and is in violation of assembling in one pre-defined location. In other words, the cops and city council have a mockery of the bill already.

Today, both sides have raised their stakes. Imagine this as a poker game between two people where one tries to call bluff while one has clearly have a better hand in play with the help of the 5 cards on the table. Putrajaya and DBKL are upping the ante by getting court-order to restraing people from coming in tomorrow. The Bersih commitee has responded with a "we will go ahead regardless" response. Occupy Dataran movement has responed with crowding the square tonight at

Sometimes, it can be wonderful how reverse psychology can be. The more pressure applied by authoritarians, the more people will start coming in to the square later on. Therefore, it's not possible to see a ideal half million people gathering there. I can see a 60% probability that DBKL will start bleeding money on that day, as they had to bring in their own personnel in addition to calling

It's a strange thing to see that while other cities outside KL are allowed to hold an event for two hours, I can't see the logic behind a no thing. Anyone who talks about #TKLLogic will also have the same opinion like I do.

To cut the story short: how do you stop on 500,000 potential people swarming in the city tomorrow?

Casino UMNO

Most of the people are aware that the next general elections coming around the corner will be the dirtiest ever. To the extent of winning at all costs (as what Najib has been shouting about) the BN-led government would bring in more foreginers for citizenship in exchange for votes (59000 spotted as announced today), making a blitz of electorial amendments last week that makes things more worse and opposite of clean and fair elections.

It is very clear that UMNO in particular is a entity whose fear of power capitulation. I have written this in an earlier article called "Fear of Capitulation". Like its Irish cousin, the Provisional IRA, BN is behaving like them as well.

Barisan Nasional has an election war chest of almost infinite amount. Some say it is within the tune of RM 600 million to RM 1.7 billion mostly from contributions by GLCs. This is of course goes against the basic rules of campaigning that the Election Commission doesn't even bother to care about. Even fraud cases won't do much if you decide to take it to the courts.

From my understanding that the maximum amount of campaign money a coalition can spend on MPs and assemblymen would be around RM 100 million. (44.4 million for 222 MPs, 50.5 million for 505 assemblymen minus Sarawak ADUNs). The war chest is 6 to 17 times more than what is supposed to be. As what someone told me, Najib is like Santa Claus, splashing money here and there, with the intention of buying people for votes. It sheds the light that Najib is more of a mere showman and splashing people's money like if it's "duit bapak".

But even if they splash out RM 500 as in BR1M, are we aware that they can take back the money in forms of taxes and other things that could be imposed after GE13? Not many know about it. There's a simpulan bahasa in related to this "buruk siku". You first give it out for charity but later you decided to take it back from the person whom you give it.

This reminds us of the Moggiville scandal (the 2006 Serie A match-fixing) where referees in the Italian Serie A were implicated in the intercepted phone conversations to give Juventus football club a clear favor in winning the league titles for year 2005 and 2006. The EC are like referees asked to tilt the voting favor for Barisan Nasional - in line with UMNO's "dulu, kini dan selamanya" slogan.

Since attempts to persuade EC to improve the system via roundtable discussions have failed, and the system is getting more from bad to worse, hence, Bersih. I have seen how the previous Bersih 2.0 have faced the negativity and vilification from the press and many naysayers, most from BN in particular. Many, whom I observed simply talk in pervert logic and behave as if they are being brainwashed to say something no outright without thinking straight. Some say that this means a loss of Malay power. This is absolutely rubbish and nonsensical because the numbers in population speak for itself.

Someone wrote to my blogger friend Haris in Facebook about Bersih:

"We M’sians are simply too docile.If only we are as steadfast + hell bent like the Egyptians + the other Arabs,hundreds of thousands of us would remain in Merdeka square for weeks + months until the Govt is brought down,period .The power of the Rakyat is unstoppable if we are courageous and determined as we have the numbers."

This is true as Raja Petra quoted from Howard Zinn - "You Can't Be Neutral on A Moving Train":

"Civil disobedience. . . is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that numbers of people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience. . Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity and war and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem."

It's high time for people to stop being docile. I find the Facebook comment above should be the starting point.

It's not just being hell-bent to stay there. It's being a dare of raising the stakes against them, fighting fire with fire.

If anyone has watched either Casino Royale or Ocean's Thirteen, these two movies share one thing in common.

Casino Royale, the first James Bond book has 007 pitting against the principle antagonist Le Chiffre for the high amount of money staked in the card game. If anyone has seen the last poker hand (poker is more played than baccarat) in the film, then it's about $115 million, the amount Le Chiffre could have recuperated had his hand is bigger than 007's.

On the other hand on Ocean's, the crew rigged Willie Bank's casino to make sure every customer wins on the opening night. The Ocean crew were there not for the cash but to settle the score against him who double-crossed their crew member Rueben.  How much The Bank lost one night at the end?

Half a billion.

So what does that mean? It means there are a few ways to make UMNO eat their own medicine and humble pie.

It's about the challenge and dare game of raising the stakes and taking the money back and out from Casino UMNO - making them lose with a bigger margin call.

Why not you people out there challenge the naysayers on Facebook and Twitter to bet for high amount of money if Bersih ends successfully in Malaysia and worldwide? 

Why not bet against UMNO to pay you the whole lot a total of $300 million if they lose in the election? Why not give the entire vote to the opposition in the spirit of "Anything But UMNO" and make BN losing their campaigning money for each seats they lose? 

You already know what's at stake, so that answers the question of what will you people are staking in particular, yes?

You think they will accept it? Unlikely. But at least it shows that they scream, having foam in their mouths and even making a lot of excuses including "gadai negara", whereas it's proven that their leaders are doing it right now. I have no problem in deciding who to vote. I have also prepared to take the risk of doing it different.

Maybe I might be talking trash here, but come to think of it, you should show the guts to do it, not to be docile! You are really supporting and endorsing evil acts even you choose to do nothing and stay out of it.