That’s why I’m not paying you a cent more, my dear Senator…

I’ve got to hand it over to Malaysian made Senators.

Try watching on tv how them Senators do their debate on the Bills passed from Dewan Rakyat.

I promise you, your ‘gaping in surprise’ mouth will need to be forced shut. Mine never failed to contort into a giant O shape whenever I happened to be unfortunate enough to watch a Dewan Negara in session.

The standard no brainer inquiry would range from “Boleh jelaskan apakah definasi …?” (for more added fun, you can fill out this blank with your personal favorite subject of concern). Or, “Apakah fungsi kementerian dalam menangani isu …? (again, fill out with your personal favorite subject of the day)

… and I thought all Senators are appointed for their rendered distinguished public service or have achieved distinction in the professions, commerce, industry, agriculture, cultural activities or social service? Remember, Senators get appointed as national gatekeepers to check and countercheck on Dewan Rakyat’s Bill, specifically to debate its legitimacy or constitutionality before sending it through to the Yang Di Pertuan Agong.

And since our Senators have not satisfactorily performed their duties as entrusted on their positions, I say reject their call for a raise in salary.

Heck… reduce their salaries for even dared to ask for salary increment at taxpayers’ expense in this difficult economy.

Read below report for yourself to see how confused them Senators are about their duties and responsibilities.

It’s high time for direct election of Senators!

(Apologies to newly appointed Senate President Wong Foon Meng, you’re alright as a Speaker, its just them on the floor who’s clearly not cut out to perform such heavy duties that makes me hopping mad.)

—

Senators say more money will help them help you

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Some senators today proposed that the government increase their salary, allowances and allocations for them to serve the people more effectively.

Senator Datuk Akbar Ali said senators received smaller allocations from the members of parliament as the senators were not allocated a constituency unlike the assemblymen and MPs.

“But our area is bigger, it’s a whole state, whole of Malaysia. So, I suggest our salary, allowances and allocations be increased.

“With the increase, I believe we will be able to carry out our tasks and responsibilities more efficiently, in line with the emphasis on making people the priority as contained in the 1 Malaysia concept,” he said when debating the Enforcement Agency Integrity Bill 2009 in the Dewan Negara today.

Akbar said currently, the salary and allowances for senators were at par with Grade 54 in the public sector, and he also asked that the allocation be RM200,000 annually and not for three years.

“We are the lawmakers, but our salary is below that of Jusa C. What’s wrong with allocating each of us RM200,000 a year to facilitate our implementation of the “people first” concept?”, he said.

Senator Tan Sri Jins Shamsudin interjected Akbar’s debate speech, saying that the allocation given to the senators was insufficient as they too served the people.

“I often speak at ceramah and there people approach me for donations. I contribute from my allocation. I finished all of last year’s allocation as that’s my contribution as a member of the Dewan Negara (Senate).

“If the allocation is finished before the year ends, we should be able to ask for an additional allocation as it’s not for us but for the people,” he said.

Akbar said the insufficient allowances and allocations could result in senators looking for other means to raise funds and this could result in conflict of interest or even wrongdoing, thus tarnishing the integrity of the Senate.

The Dewan Negara sitting continues tomorrow. – Bernama

An Open letter to all Malaysian bloggers and blog commentators

Dear caring Malaysians,

Greetings.

I am writing to you on a matter of great urgency which cannot be held back anymore as the health of our nation is in great distress.

Before proceeding, kindly allow me to register this caveat,

“This post is written with the intention not to demean, hurt anybody’s feelings, slander or just an empty criticism to score a political point.”

Back to the business of this letter.

I am sure many of us have written, commented and discussed many issues shouted out everyday by the newspapers and blogs. Many with email addresses have not managed to escape the uncountable forwarded emails from friends which brings ‘news’ of distressing accusations (slander?) against another human being.

As people of admirable cultural background and gentle nature, this identity was not found demonstrated in what we write and speak. Not in the blogs and newspapers. Not in our kopitiam forums.

Daily vitriolings, scoldings are lashed on anybody/things, especially so if we do not like he/she/that. A friend decided that this must be the result of commando style upbringing which brook no dissenting viewpoints or approvals for efforts made lest the child gets inflated and big headed from too much self pride.

Imagine no words used to recognise however small the efforts at home or the workplace for the child or the adult. Slowly, the spirit die… unless the individual has the most hard of heart and resolute of mind.

We treat fellow Malaysians badly in blogs, we scold them, some simply f…k another for having a different view. Very seldom bloggers and commentators can offer ideas or recognise efforts made by friends and imagined foes especially of the political opposite.

A blog is not just a blog. A comment is not just a comment. It reflects the writer’s true moral nature and the real love or spite residing within. Anything written by us will document just that.

However, I see hope.

I found that there is a handful of bloggers and commentators who are able to rise above the noise, with admirable rational civility in discourse, helping us to uplift our thinking to a higher level.

May we see more of your tribe to rise, to help nurture fellow rakyat to be lovers of rationality, logic and truth as Malaysia tries to carve a place for itself in the future of economic technology.

Truly,
BC

Wishing Najib a productive meeting in China; come back and makeover

Come back with good news for Malaysians, Mr Prime Minister. Us clear headed ones are rooting for results for Malaysia.

I hope your aides have updated you about Hu Jintao’s Communist Party Of China and the quantum leap CPC made to move ahead alongside their citizens.

It is very important to keep up appearances with the times; the makeover methods deployed by the prime movers to maintain their coveted positions in the world.

May be perhaps you already know about this and are going to do the same with UMNO. If you do, please educate your brothers in Barisan Nasional component parties (MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP, SAPP, SUPP, PBS, etc) to do the same too.

On governing, PKFZ is a good starting point to emphasise the makeover initiative.

Here’s something on CPC below:

…

“Tetapi apa yang menarik mengenai CPC ialah bukan sahaja kerana ia adalah parti politik terbesar di dunia dengan sejumlah 74 juta ahli, tetapi ia masih mampu berubah mengikut kehendak semasa, terutama di bawah pimpinan Hu Jintao.

Walaupun CPC adalah parti politik yang di kelilingi oleh pemimpin yang dianggap tidak mempunyai sikap tolak ansur terhadap pihak penentang, tetapi mereka mahu berubah mengikut kehendak rakyat mereka.

CPC yang selama ini sebuah parti yang tidak sinonim dengan demokrasi dan kebanyakan ahlinya terdiri daripada golongan tua dan lelaki, sudah mula dapat menarik minat rakyat yang lebih muda, sofistikated, berfikiran terbuka dan golongan wanita.

Di bawah era pimpinan Hu Jintao, CPC telah cuba berubah daripada sebuah parti yang berteraskan strategi yang mementingkan jumlah keahlian yang besar kepada sebuah organisasi yang lebih bersifat teknokrat.

CPC pada satu ketika dulu tidak begitu mementingkan taraf kelulusan dan kepakaran ahli asalkan mereka dapat menarik dalam jumlah yang ramai.

Tetapi CPC pada hari ini lebih mengutamakan ahli yang lebih muda, kelulusan terbaik dan mempunyai kebolehan memimpin.

Transformasi yang diolah oleh CPC ini mampu menarik sehingga 50 peratus golongan muda yang baru tamat pengajian universiti.

Tetapi apa yang paling menarik mengenai permohonan golongan ini ialah lima peratus sahaja yang diterima masuk kerana parti tersebut hanya mahu yang terbaik menjadi ahli.

Berbeza dengan satu dekad yang lepas, golongan muda langsung tidak berminat untuk menyertai CPC.

Tidak terlintas juga satu dekad yang lepas CPC akan memberi keutamaan terhadap pendapat dan perasaan rakyat China tetapi pada hari ini tinjauan pendapat sering dilaksanakan untuk menyelami perasaan masyarakat mereka.

Walaupun masih terdapat kawalan terhadap saluran maklumat melalui internet, tetapi jelas bahawa ruang untuk mencabar status quo telah dilonggarkan.

Bagaimana CPC menangani kes pencemaran susu bayi pada tahun lepas, jelas mempamerkan perubahan sikap CPC yang pada hari ini lebih mementingkan perasaan dan pendapat rakyat China secara keseluruhannya.

Satu perkara yang menarik mengenai anjakan paradigma CPC ialah pemimpin mereka tidak lagi menggunakan slogan komunis untuk mendapat sokongan rakyat.

Mungkin slogan tersebut masih laku dua dekad yang lepas, tetapi semenjak peristiwa berdarah Dataran Tiananmen, CPC telah memulakan langkah untuk memberi gambaran bahawa ahli parti mereka adalah daripada golongan intelek dan teknokrat.

Jika CPC sebagai sebuah parti politik yang sinonim dengan cengkaman fahaman Marxis selama lebih daripada sembilan dekad mampu berubah kepada sebuah organisasi yang intelek dan teknokrat sehingga menarik minat golongan muda yang lebih pintar dan bersikap terbuka, sudah pasti parti politik lain yang jauh lebih muda dapat melakukan perubahan dengan lebih mudah.

Apa yang penting adalah sesebuah parti politik itu mesti mengutamakan perasaan dan kehendak rakyat dan tidak hanya memberi keutamaan kepada kehendak ahli parti itu sahaja.

Oleh AZMI HASSAN
PENULIS ialah GeoStrategis Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)”

Above appeared in Utusan Malaysia

Party leader promising to act to set things right

Today was a busy day. Trust in politics has been eroded so much over the last week that I knew we needed to act fast to start setting things right. I began by meeting individual members of the Shadow Cabinet. We went through those claims that have caused concern, and they agreed to pay them back. There is a genuine desire to recognise and respond to the public anger.

Next I met the Shadow Cabinet as a whole and told them the immediate action I’m going to ask all my MPs to take. All expenses must be published online; you can’t ‘flip’ your second home to make more money; if you sell a home on which the taxpayer has been making mortgage interest payments, you have to pay Capital Gains Tax; and any claims on furniture, household goods, food – all those things we’ve read about – are banned.

After that I met the Executive of the 1922 Committee and then the whole of the Parliamentary Party. I went through the new rules in detail and told them about the key proposal for a Scrutiny Panel – including someone completely independent from the Party – to go over all excessive claims and see whether they need to be paid back. I had to be very clear about this: if they don’t co-operate with the Scrutiny Panel, they can’t continue to be MPs.

And it’s not just those in Parliament who need to understand this mission. It’s also those who aspire to be. Every single candidate has got to sign up to this new way of doing politics. They need to know that working in Parliament is a great privilege – one that must never be abused again.

All this is about being the change we seek. If we want responsibility in our society and thrift in our government, we’ve got to live by those values ourselves.

From,

A Political Party Leader

**

Sigh…  no excuses, no spinning or whitewashing in newspapers or online news portal. Just zooming in straight on the problem, then zipping about restoring confidence in people simply by way of plain communication to show voters what action is undergoing and will be done.

How I wish Malaysian political party leader has the character and guts to do this. I don’t care from which party. Doesn’t matter if its a black cat or white cat. If it can catch the rats, it is the good cat. (Hear that, Malaysiakini? Give us both sides of the story too, ok?)

Any takers from UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, rest of the component parties in Barisan Nasional?

Any takers from PKR, DAP, PAS, rest of the Pakatan Rakyat?

Or am I putting too high a KPI beyond the capacity of Malaysian political leaders???

Scandalously entertaining melee in Perak State Assembly

Hee Yit Foong was very entertaining… as were all the highly energetic Yang Berhormats. Finally all the deeply buried talents rised to public scrutiny. Syabas to the hardworking YB actors/actresses.

Chanced upon a very miniscule paragraph from The Star… someone from Barisan Nasional expertly id the source of the problem (gasp! shock!)

—

Sunday May 10, 2009

Pandemonium could have been avoided

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the pandemonium at the Perak state assembly on Thursday could have been avoided had the standing orders been upheld.

“I was shocked to learn of some (people) acting violently and some being dragged out physically. This has tainted the process of parliamentary democracy.

“If we want to play polemics and party politics, I hope we will respect the standing orders and assembly etiquette, be it in Parliament or the state assembly,” he said after launching a calligraphy exhibition at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM in Bukit Bintang.

—

Oh! One question before I sign off: That was a mighty huge thumb drive you have there, Ms Hee. How many gigabytes does it store, pray tell?

Changing clothes: Nothing new to politicians

Malaysiakini carried this news “Chua could defect ‘within weeks’ from MCA” today.

Well, well, well….

What’s so special about one man jumping ship?

What’s so special about someone jaded from too comfy work environment seeking a new adventure before time forgot about him/her?

Nothing special or new…

In fact we the salarymen/women does this too on a regular basis. Changing clothes, oops, changing employers / work environment / colleagues.

Don’t be shy, admit it lar.

Our brave young ones especially, armed with the ideal of finding job nirwana, do it every yearly or twice yearly. Some impatient ones do it monthly. Got to try one’s luck, mah! Opportunity must be chased! If one is ever so lucky, can strike jackpot, ooops, ideal benefits. Doesn’t matter if the benefit is so much higher and bigger and don’t commensurate at all with one’s inflated talent. Poor mules.

So, perhaps after reflecting over his benefits past, present and future, one cannot begrudge the personal choice of Chua Soi Lek should he decides to proceed switching over from Barisan Nasional to a more meaningful job with new ‘employer’ aka job with Pakatan Rakyat (most probably new boss will be Anwar Ibrahim at PKR as DAP’s young hotshot Nga Kor Ming said a big TAK NAK to the idea of Chua joining DAP).

Indeed, a new work environment may be the potion of second life for this MCA man who has provided us such titillating fodder for gossip since last year.

Good luck…

Hands (blog) off them by-elections or politicking!

Yo, Banana fans…

You’d notice there was no tittillating exposures on the Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau or Batang Ai by-elections…

No titters about the ‘new’ cabinet line up of Najib son of Razak…

No criticism for 1Malaysia… (Hey, we’re already one since 1963, ain’t we, dear Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak peoples?)

Fed up. No feeeeeel. Even for Utusan Malaysia’s heat provoking articles.

Maybe these bad weather is getting to me brain cells. Too hot. Blowing hot and cold. Or no hot no cold. Malaysia weather is really bad for the political junkie…

Hang on there whilst I get me some brain rejuvenators… perhaps all the way from somewhere in China… maybe.

Wanita UMNO chief contest: Damned if you do and damned if you don’t

Hear ye, hear ye, Wanita UMNO ladies… did the respected Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail sent you ladies a hint! hint! yesterday?

Let the contest begin with a nice compendium of nice short Snippets (or is it called Sound Bites now?)

*

*

A sad woman’s comment:

Snippet #1:

Perwakilan Wanita UMNO perlu pikir sedalam-dalamnya sebelum memilih Ketua Wanitanya.

Perkara paling penting yang mesti dipertimbangkan:

1. Masa depan Wanita UMNO, iaitu dalam jangkamasa kini ke PRU 13.

2. Kebolehan Wanita UMNO untuk berpidato politik untuk bertanding dengan pembangkang dari Pakatan Rakyat. Tanya orangramai dan rata-rata akan berkata Wanita UMNO tidak dapat menonjolkan kebolehan berfikir atau berdebat. Memasak boleh lah.

3. Parti komponen kedua terbesar MCA mempunyai ketua Wanita yang muda. Wanita UMNO bila pula?

4. Ketua Wanita baru perlu memperjuangkan hak Wanita terutama dalam suasana ekonomi yang suram ini. Tanya betul-betul kat Rafidah dan Shahrizat, apa pelan mereka bagi memperjuangkan kesejahteraan kaum Wanita.

~SEDIH.

*

*
Rafidah says that until to the end of the world the Malay women in UMNO will need to throng house to house to do voters survey! Yikes!!! All Wanita UMNO members better load up on your whitening lotions and sun blocks SPF50++ quickly!!! PRU 13 not very far away, you know…

On second thought, how the heck can the women do this in high rise and swanky households of KL, Selangor? One can walk and walk, houses to houses but one can only interview the maids cos the “Tuan tak ada rumah!” I wonder if the baju kurungs of Wanita UMNO can withstand the bites of upset imported dogs… heheheehe…

Snippet # 2:

“Ada kalangan wanita UMNO yang menyebut soal perubahan kerana mereka kata sampai bila Wanita UMNO hendak jadi peraih undi?

RAFIDAH: Sampai kiamat.

Mingguan Malaysia Rafidah memaparkan kenapa beliau ingin terus menerajui Wanita.“
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0315&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_02.htm

*

*

A blogger said there’s nothing to shout about Wanita UMNO’s non-achievements so far:

Snippet # 3:
“Jika menyorok sejarah wanita, tiada apa yang boleh dibanggakan oleh sayap parti itu, tiada sumbangan boleh dijadikan buah tangan untuk ahli Umno.

Apa yang wanita Umno tahu adalah melaksanakan lawatan sambil belajar, ke luar negara. Itu sahaja. Rafidah perlu memikirkan satu gagasan idea yang terbaik bagi menjenamakan semula Wanita Umno.”

~Guana Gu

*

*

eh… the journalist also agreed with the blogger on change…
Apparently them journalists are also tired of no ideas from Rafidah despite queening it as Wanita UMNO chief all these years…

Snippet # 4:

“Minta maaf Kak Dah dan siapa jua penyokong Kak Dah. Rata-rata editor kanan MSM yang ada sekarang adalah wartawan sebelum ini yang pernah membuat liputan majlis Kak Dah. Dan mungkin Kak Dah ingat jika ada wartawan yang pernah menemui Kak Dah selepas Kak Dah memberi ucapan.

Biasanya selepas Kak Dah atau mana-mana pemimpin memberi ucapan, para wartawan akan menemui pemimpin itu untuk mendapatkan berita susulan. Dan ada di antara kami yang menemui Kak Dah untuk bertanyakan berita susulan. Kami bertanya kepada Kak Dah satu soalan dan Kak Dah menjawab: “Tadi saya sudah beri ucapan dan awak semua boleh tulis ucapan saya”. Itu kata Kak Dah.

Seorang wartawan menjawab: YB… your speech is nothing. Give us another story.” Itu yang salah seorang daripada kami bertanya.

Ya… dari dulu lagi Kak Dah sudah tidak ada idea. Kejadian yang saya ceritakan itu berlaku pada 1988. Dan sekarang 2008. Bermakna sudah berapa tahun? Dan Kak Dah sudah tua dan memang tidak layak lagi memimpin Wanita Umno. Namun, saya tidak berkata bahawa Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil adalah lebih baik.”

~editorialblog

*

*

Here’s a brief biodata compiled by a fellow blogger on Rafidah Aziz that the people on the street still can remember and gossip about:

Snippet # 5:

RAFIDAH AZIZ – menerima banyak kejutan dalam usaha mempertahankan jawatan Ketua Wanita. Pernah dituduh menjadi punca merosotnya jualan kereta nasional, Proton, kerana menggunakan kedudukannya sebagai Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri sebelum 2004 dengan mengeluarkan terlalu banyak permit import (AP) bagi kereta Korea Selatan, khasnya KIA.

Dituduh bersekongkol dan mendapat laba besar daripada Naza Motors kerana hubungan rapatnya dengan Allahyarham Tan Sri S.M. Nasimuddin. Naza juga dikatakan memberi saham besar kepada Rafidah.

Sepertimana juga Mohd. Ali Rustam (laporan di Malaysiakini), Rafidah dikecam kerana mendapat habuan besar daripada setiap pelabur asing yang ingin menanam modal di Malaysia. Tidak cukup dengan itu, beliau dilabel sebagai ‘Wanita Besi’ kerana tidak dapat menerima kekalahannya kepada Siti Zaharah bagi jawatan Ketua Wanita suatu ketika dahulu. Ahli Parlimen Kuala Kangsar ini masih tidak dapat lari daripada fitnah mewujudkan kem sendiri bagi jawatankuasa Pergerakan Wanita Malaysia.

~Just read!

2009… another sexy year with ADUN Bukit Lanjan’s Elizabeth Wong?

Malaysians are again entertained with sexy exposures with political figures…

Ain’t most of us glad for nice sexy diversion from the heavy Perak political crisis.

Brought to you for your viewing pleasure courtesy of Elizabeth Wong’s former boyfriend who has done either following:

1. Used the handphone to take photo of former girlfriend sleeping

or

2. Downloaded it to PC

or

3. Forgot about the photo in PC or Handphone and send it for repair or sold the hardwares without erasing them photos.

…

Wait a minute… I’m getting a dejavu feeling here… Ah… it’s like Edison Chen’s sexual adventure replay Malaysian version 2009 la.

or

Maybe it’s like Chua Soi Lek sex story replay Malaysian version 2009?

hmmm……

For now real politics can be forgotten briefly. Now the politicians can get busy going all moral and talk pulpit sermons. Summon the fire and brimstones on the morally loose…!!!

Even Elizabeth Wong’s friends in PKR are questioning her morality here:

“Kini timbul desakan agar beliau meletak jawatan kerana moralnya dipertikaikan.

Sementara itu, Naib Presiden PKR Azmin Ali berkata pihaknya tidak akan berkompromi dalam isu gambar bogel Elizabeth Wong. Katanya, PKR akan mendapatkan keterangan Exco itu serta laporan polis sebelum memutuskan tindakan lanjut. Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim pula berkata isu itu akan dibincang dalam mesyuarat Exco Negeri, Rabu ini.” (Agenda Daily)

I wonder if the women rights groups will come out to defend one of their sister whose rights have been sullied. Eeerrr… rights and privacy, anyone?

Media having a field day today.

Read more about it in Malaysiakini here

and The Star here

Malaysia: Parley now before it’s too late to tackle economic crisis

The Malaysian mainstream media and Malaysiakini are too pre-occupied with petty politics.

I say us normal people should demand for real life stories of the people, for the people.

—

Have you heard that a kid at school vomited blood suddenly in class recently? Apparently, this kid was left with biscuits for his breakfast and lunch everyday. His parents rush to work everyday and later back to kiddo with dinner. This child is now fighting for his young life in hospital cos the poor child’s stomach decided to protest from the daily assault of acidic erosion. (Amazing isn’t it, how the stomach just doggedly do its job to grind and grind regardless of any input?)

This story is real. This story is now playing in Selangor.

This story is not in your mainstream newspapers nor Malaysiakini.com

—

With daily bad news and low confidence looking on the economic horizon, our stupid politicians are still playing ‘wayang kulit’ to up each other’s ante to grab as much power as possible for themselves.

After Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu, we can expect more energy and money to be spent in possible Perak by-elections.

Sadly, nobody in Malaysia politics has the sensibility to put a stop to all this time wasters! No analysts have whack both Barisan and Pakatan to come to their senses in this time of economic troubles. Political analysts seem too busy fanning up bushfires to help produce more Barisan and Pakatan B-grade dramas.

Maybe I shouldn’t scold the political analysts. In business, it is poor use of resource to waste our politicians hard honed talents of squabbling, demanding each other to resign, back-stabbing each other and name calling.

Meanwhile, leaders all over the world are cracking their heads to solve economic contraction and are even trying to close ranks to tackle economic woes for their country.

In Malaysia, we have idiot BN and PR politicians on rakyat’s payroll spending their time and energy to get their opponents to cross over and party hopping.

I proclaim and demand PARLEY now!

In case our dense Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat representatives are too giddy from power wrestling to even recognise what does ‘parley‘ means:

“Parley (parli or parlei) is a discussion or conference, especially one between enemies over terms of a truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parlée, which is from the French verb parler “to speak”; specifically the conjugation parlez “you(pl) speak”, whether as imperative or indicative.”

If those silly Pirates of the Carribean can practice parley, there’s no reason for silly Politicians of Malaysian not to.

I demand hero politicians from Barisan and Pakatan having the courage and to stand together to work on way forward for this country in this uncharted times!

If nothing happening soon, it will be time again for the Rakyat to source for new politicians who will ensure no more kiddo stomachs go hungry in coming hard times.