BN and PR lost. Ku Li won Galas by-election

For those Malaysians easily drunk on ‘victory’, for the politically uninitiated and for those who thought they know real politiks.

Barisan Nasional component parties have looooong way to go to regain back lost gound prior 308. This is not a time to celebrate, act cocky or thumping of chests. It is not even a victory for them cybertroopers who have no inkling of political ideology in their tweet little universe.

Suffering Pakatan Rakyat and its components PKR, PAS, DAP, have a looooong way to go to reach Putrajaya.

Therefore, to all Malaysia political parties from opposite divides, please go back dutifully to the drawing board and conduct many more cadre trainings for your party members.

Don’t you dare serve us anymore under-qualified or puppet candidates in the next General Election.

Speech for BN political leaders: Are you brand Barisan Nasional?

“… Whether we realize it or not, we members of UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, et al, are involved in the brand Barisan Nasional.

I hope the first thing you do when selecting your next role as a BN member is to unleash the potential of the coalition.

BN, while maybe not the sexiest name in the current political business, offered me an underrated hipness factor and the horizon to transform into something even more special than prior Merdeka.

All BN parties must consider to operate like a startup with the stability of a 59 year-old political vessel.

We must come out of the rough sea and work feverishly to repair our brand reputation in a giddying political demography.

BN is a great place for its members; BN members made the right choice in the first instance.

But how would new voters know all this? How would they become aware of what we can do to make lives even better for their future and Malaysia?

First task on hand is to overhaul the social media activities for our membership and install savvy customer relation efforts in our public conversations in either Twitter, blog or Facebook.

…

Okkk, now over to you, Najib Tun Razak, Chua Soi Lek, Samy Velu, Koh Tsu Koon, et al. If you still need ideas to transform this into rousing speeches for your party members, please do not be too shy to ask me.

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???

Unprecedented reform by Barisan Nasional?

All the component parties’ head honchos were gathered for the press conference. The party presidents from UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SNAP, SAPP, and all the great parties from Sabah and Sarawak made the joint announcement:

“

We have published in full the expenses claimed by all our Front Bench MPs for the last three months.

This comes as part of our political party’s continued efforts to bring greater openness to the issue of MPs’ expenses and allowances.

The information published includes a comprehensive list of staff and their positions, an indication of any family members employed, and a breakdown of office running costs and expenditure incurred by staying away from their main home.

“

The Party President said:

“Politicians need to do everything they can to regain the trust of the Malaysian people, and transparency has a key part to play in that process. We must show that we’re spending taxpayers money sensibly and correctly.”

And he stressed:

“We are the first party to demand this information from our members, and our MPs are voluntarily revealing a much more detailed breakdown of their expenses than official rules require them to. I’m glad that we’re leading the way.”

**

Response from ga-ga rakyat:

Wow! How the new political landscape has shifted. Such new standards of accountability! Worthy of a standing ovation!

We are floored… its unprecendented! Who’s this guy leading such change we’ve been waiting for?

Muhyiddin for UMNO President aka Malaysia Prime Minister? Pakatan Rakyat say something!!!

Woah!

Muhyiddin is really hinting out loud that he is willing and ready for a go for Presidency for UMNO.

Anybody else ready to throw the gauntlet and go for gold? Ooops, candidancy?

Can we have caucus in every state of Malaysia before the finale at the UMNO party election later this year?

Caucuses where the state UMNO delegates have chance to listen to the candidate’s dreams & fears & hopes?

Caucuses where the delegates will take away the messages for tearing to pieces at the local mamak or warong kopi?
I will be following this closely because I want a qualified PM this time around. At least, if the PM do get to meet Obama, our PM won’t get outshined unneccessarily by the new age leader.

P/S:

And I am very angry that the rest of the BN component parties and Pakatan Rakyat do nothing to demand for qualified candidates for UMNO Presidency. As Malaysians, we are stakeholders in the executive post of the country. Or have we relinquished our stakes in the country???

Say something, Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah, Lim Kit Siang, Nik Aziz, please….

.

Message across time for Badawi, Ong Ka Ting, Samy & Koh TK

Hey, I found a message across time for Badawi, Ong Ka Ting, Samy and Koh Tsu Koon:

“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will
interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet,
and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
—Thomas Alva Edison: Was an inventor and businessman

Happy repairing, guys! Don’t forget to have fun reinventing UMNO, MCA, MIC and Gerakan!

Dear God, it’s about Pak Lah and the Cabinet

Dear God,

As Malaysians await for Pak Lah’s positive action to deliver a better Cabinet for 2008, I would like to take this opportunity to propose some ideas to be weighted in for PM’s decision making. Please could you send someone to tell Pak Lah?

This little voice may not be the richest or loudest, but I am sincerely wishing for Pak Lah to be granted the outmost courage and strength to make the best decision for Malaysia as we await anxiously a clear direction out of the current limbo and uncertainty. Malaysia needs the best people in the Cabinet.

My humble idea to be considered in drawing up names for Malaysia’s new Cabinet (In fact, everyone of my family and friends also fervently wish for PM to surprise us with this gift):

1. DROP currently perceived as ‘dubious’ Ministers / politicians – Dato’ Rafidah Aziz, Dato’ Jamaluddin Jarjis, Dato’ Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, Dato’ Nor Md. Yaakcop, Dato’ Seri Azalina Othman Said, Dato’ Noh Omar, Dato’ Paduka Badruldin Amiruldin

2. Appoint ‘clean’ and sincere politicians to ministerial posts. People like Datuk Sharir Abdul Samad (Minister for Environment?), Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (Youth & Sports)

3. Appoint politicians with proven track record contributing to nation’s economy – Dato’ Chong Kah Kiat (Minister for Tourism)

4. Appoint a woman as Finance Minister or important portfolio (perhaps Dato’ Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil? She’s a woman and a bright mind trained in law, who can be counted upon to conscientiously watch our nation’s purse string and well regarded by all races)

5. DROP ‘dubious’ underperformers – Dato’ Reezal Merican, Datuk Vincent Lim and others who took part in putting up roadblocks in PM’s conversation and direct communication with Malaysians (fyi, they reside below PM Office at 4^th floor).

6. Khairy must never be considered for any posts (whether its true or not, he is good or bad, please let him sit outside the cabinet as his name does not generate love).

 

I know this is no small request but, Malaysia needs PM to be granted great courage to do his best for the nation. I am sure, with Jeanne (a good woman) at Pak Lah’s side, the PM will find the strength to do this.

Amin.

NB: Please also stop the Noise:

These days, mainstream media organizations like Utusan Malaysia and Bernama, whether intentionally or naively, are playing a not too admirable role contributing to political hatred, pitting Malays against non-Malays. In this regard, may I request you to move PM to please telephone BN component party chiefs to instruct all their members to BEHAVE GENTLEMANLY, QUIT INSULTING THE PEOPLE’S DECISION, RESPECT THE RESULTS OF THE GE AND KEEP UP THE GOOD NAME OF BN (or whatever is left of it).

Support from friends and Malaysiakini readers appreciated.