Friday, August 14, 2009

A TALE OF TWO VISITORS


Anyone in the movie business in search of a script for a surefire runaway success would want to examine the scene at Langkat Golf. It does supply grist for interesting plots, sidebars, and character studies for the making of thrillers of the celluloid and print kind to distract from the controversy over Miss Singapore Rachael Kum's milk-bars or bag-susu!


It’s now widely believed that Umno hit the panic button when they saw the size and youth of the throng that took part in the Anti-ISA Rally in Kuala Lumpur on August 1. They were shocked that despite a menacing Police presence, so many young people braved the cordon to express their opposition to a law that deserves to be dumped down history’s trash chute. So panicky that they had to rig a Home Ministry poll. HERE


Umno would have noted that something like half a million Anak Bangsa Malaysia youths come of voting age every year and given Umno-BN’s lack of traction among them, its curtains and kaput or finito for them at GE13 (PRU13).


Hence the panic that took hold the very next day when birth-marked who aspires to be numero uno if not for the 2nd lady, and Utusan Malaysia columnists began to spout venom against Anwar Ibrahim and sundry Malays who do not share their take on the supposed disaster looming before people and country.


Not just the usual cast of political characters is in panic. On the grapevine we hear that Umno’s corporate courtiers are also at panic stations. One corporate bigwig and his infamous counselor, who had blockbuster roles in a tape of judicial infamy, paid a visit to the unofficial ‘White House’ in Kuala Lumpur, residence of a man who with one move can remake the political landscape in Malaysia, but is loath to do so because he had one time left Umno and then come back and now does not want to leave, though for all the world to see he has no place in the party.


This Lone Dissenter, famously polite and courteous, must have received the visit of the corporate titan and his counselor in some fascination as to the motive. When it was disclosed – they had come to see if they could pave the Lone Dissenter’s way into PM Najib’s cabinet – he who is the epitome of courtesy, must have felt offended but did not show it. He politely declined and sent the two ambitious would-be fixers on their way.


It seems everyone in Malaysia, except the Lone Dissenter’s two erstwhile visitors, knows that he is not going to accept any position except PM of Malaysia which I was reliably informed, Anwar Ibrahim offered him in April 2008, a month after GE12, but it did not materialize because I heard it myself at the Mayor of Bungsar’s house and hence not a rumor that the Lone Dissenter’s demands escalated with every subsequent negotiation.


This episode of the visit just shows you how Umno and its lackeys view their prospects after the Anti-ISA demo. They are in hair-cloth panic at the youth wave that could easily become the PR wave, provided PR and its, admittedly, sometimes disorderly cast of characters don’t fluff their lines or spill the beans, as they have worryingly done at times in recent weeks.


Aside: luckily Hassan Ali and Ronnie Liu just hugged and did not proceed to the next stage of foreplay.


9 comments:

mauriyaII said...

No wonder every bigwig in UMNO is totally against any street demonstrations by anyone UNLESS it is by their own rabble-rousers.

Everyone from Najib, Muhyiddin, Hishamuddin, etc. claim demonstrations against them are a waste of time and it is costing the nation and traders losses anywhere between RM100 to RM200 millions.

Inflated figures as usual but I wonder what computational standards they use to come up with such gross figures. Is this an excuse to siphon off a great part of that amount?

Now as a layman let me see how such a great loss could have happened. The PM, Home Minister, and the IGP seems to have played the major role in such a big loss to the nation,

If the IGP and PDRM had played a more constructive role of facilitating the peaceful march (not an unruly demonstrations as the ones usually orchestrated by the pro-UMNO NGO's and the BN youths) to present a memorandum to the king, all would have been above reproach.

When the PDRM uses roadblocks to harass the public in order to paint an ugly picture of the protesters against the ISA, unnecessary millions are squandered on the police force.

When brute force in the form of tear gas, chemically laced water are directed at the peaceful protesters, tens of millions are again squandered.

Is there a necessity to brutalize ordinary citizens who have decided to speak against the rampant abuses of the ISA and demand for its complete removal?

What is there to proscrastinate on the repeal and complete removal of the dreaded ISA?

Why should the ISA be reviewed? Any form of review would end up with a more draconian law.

Is it the fear that without the ISA, the corrupted and arrogant UMNO/BN regime would succumb to the gravitational pull of the disenchanted rakyat?

Are there no sane and level-headed statesmen among the UMNO/BN to speak up for the people? Aren't there anyone to say: Enough is enough and move out of UMNO/BN?

Aren't there people of the calibre of Zaid Ibrahim to leave UMNO to rot in its present form? Have those in UMNO/BN lost their conscience?

Even Ku Li is disgusted with UMNO. He has commented how depraved the leaders of UMNO has become in their greed for power and wealth.

The forces for CHANGE are in Pakatan Rakyat's favour. PR should galvanize the strength of its combined membership and teach UMNO/BN a fitting lesson in Petmatang Pasir.

Let that lesson be a very bitter one.

Anonymous said...

Bro, go see District 9 for it is suddenly the movie of the year.

The bad character in this movie is an organization called Multi National United or in short MNU. Sound familiar isn’t it, MNU.......U…M…N…O…… got it?

tupingera said...

Now I understand why the slew of racist articles in utusan malaysia, berita harian,etc.

The kleptocracy could only cling to power by pitting the rakyats against each other.

We can beat them if we stay united as ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA.

Anonymous said...

Bro, Distric 9 and suddenly you shall felt the connections.

Not only “the bad character in this movie is an organization called Multi National United or in short MNU. Sound familiar isn’t it, MNU.......U…M…N…O…… got it?”.

There is this father-in-law and son-in-law character.

The crooks, the scoundrels, etc. in the MNU.

The “I-see-dead-people” head honcho of security/ police.

Towards the end is this scene when the spaceship is leaving earth, there is this group of human right protesters and they are wearing RED T-SHIRT!!!!!! (just like the recent anti-ISA gathering). Wah lau!

Hope not spoiling it for you.

Suddenly I am sure this Peter Jackson fler could have gotten the idea for the story from following our current affairs.

Anonymous said...

He's back albeit a new blog!
http://magickrivers.blogspot.com/

GreenBug said...

Bernard, is there someone specifically looking after registration of these young ones a voters? And updating the voters who have shifted etc? This is important brader...

Anonymous said...

To August 14, 2009 6:46 PM,

the future of our country is based on sci fi movie?! I always knew Malaysia was mad but this is taking to a new level.

zorro said...

Greenbug - there is a unit in Anak Bangsa Malaysia that is dedicated to this. We are working on this but we need individuals or groups to take it upon yourself to encourage this registration of voters. I will continue to put up that pic on my blogroll until GE13. If the PR parties have not begun this we advise people to go register at the Post Office. It is that simple.

Mike said...

Bernard,
TQ for a lovely evening last night.
DSAI is a brilliant hypocrite. He dried out Army, Navy, Air Force as MOF.
It will take him years to win the hearts & minds of the Armed Forces. DSAI thinks he is smart. He forgot, "power comes out the barrel of a gun".
We, in the Forces know about him and his relationship with the SB, as a student leader.
Bro, I wish you luck and goodwill in Permatang Pasir.