Umno’s misplaced anger over kangkung jokes


NEWS ANALYSIS BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
January 16, 2014

Wow. The Umno members who rallied and tried to ring a fence round Datuk Seri Najib Razak to save him from further public ridicule over his ‘kangkung’ remarks, are incensed.

So incensed that it took a few days for them to feel “offended” enough to vent their anger against Machang Lubuk assemblyman Lee Khai Loon for allegedly making fun of their party president.

Everything about Umno these days is stage-managed and contrived. Even their anger.

On Sunday, Najib said that the government was never praised when the prices of goods went down. As an example, he noted that the price of kangkung had dropped. His speech at an event was uploaded onto YouTube and drew stinging criticism from netizens, with many pointing out the silliness of the PM using the cost of a vegetable which grew wildly by the road side as an example of government intervention.

For more than four days, Najib has been lampooned by a lot of Malaysians. Privately, even his partymen have been speaking about the PM’s growing ability to say the wrong things. To be fair, the kangkung line was a throwaway line that would have been glossed over under normal circumstances.

But these are not normal times. The cost of living is hurting middle Malaysia and the Najib administration’s response has been wholly unsatisfactory. Against this backdrop, the kangkung statement seemed like just another thoughtless remark by a BN leader.

So for the past few days, even the PM’s army of advisors and Umno supreme council have been standing on the sidelines as the kangkung statement spawned a cottage industry of one-liners, videos, etc.

So why did the Umno politicians finally decide to come out fighting so late?

This is how Putrajaya functions these days. Someone from Umno would have made some noise about the lack of support for the PM and this would have lit the fire under a member of PM’s entourage. Calls would then be made to MPs and other opinion makers to attack those who are ridiculing the PM.

The easiest target is always an Opposition member. Let’s be honest. The netizens own this kangkung thing, not some PKR assemblyman. The fact that this innocuous statement has caught the public’s attention indicates the PM’s current standing among many Malaysians.

Umno’s Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that those who ridiculed Najib were deriding themselves. “Do you realise that you are ridiculing the leader of this nation? This means that you are ridiculing yourself, ” he said, after chairing a meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The MP may feel compelled to defend his party president. That is his right, but not everyone in Malaysia has the intelligence of an Umno member.

So he should marshall a more compelling argument than “do you realise that you are ridiculing the leader of this nation?”

You want the PM to be treated with respect and affection, a good starting point would be to advise Najib to start behaving and performing like a Prime Minister. – January 16, 2014.

  1. #1 by undertaker888 on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 8:18 am

    Umno kangkung mentality. You can find them growing by the drain and sewage.

    • #2 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 12:09 pm

      You remember the kangkung sotong recipe or dish ? Rich people do not eat this dish ? Isn’t it one of the great dishes of Malaysia ?

  2. #3 by Bigjoe on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 8:27 am

    Nur Jazlan telling me that me and you have multiple Jets, children with Hollywood funded movies, wives with designers bags worth millions and jewelry many times even more, and lets not forgot the dead Mongolian hottie with the billion-dollar submarine payout?

    • #4 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 12:10 pm

      One day when you become a f rich person, you will mix with same minded people. Psychology is such that you mix with the norm.

  3. #5 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 8:39 am

    Jib Jib 1 Boleh.
    Ros Ros 1 Cantik!

    Wait wait wait.

    It’s now

    Jib Jib 1 Kangkung.
    Ros Ros 1 Cantik!

    Yeah.

  4. #8 by sheriff singh on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 9:35 am

    ‘ .. a good starting point would be to advise Najib to start behaving and performing like a Prime Minister. .. ‘

    Like a man, you mean. Not a wimp, cissy, idiot or a dumb clown.

    The country is extremely embarrassed we have him as a (non) ‘leader’. Only his gang and lackeys in UMNO are proud of him.

  5. #9 by sheriff singh on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 9:36 am

    Your comment is awaiting moderation.

    ‘ .. a good starting point would be to advise Najib to start behaving and performing like a Prime Minister. .. ‘

    Like a man, you mean. Not a wimp, cissy, idiot or a dumb clown.

    The country is extremely embarra$sed we have him as a (non) ‘leader’. Only his gang and lackeys in UMNO are proud of him.

    • #10 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 12:11 pm

      not when you are looking at your supporters and you will act like the stupidest fool to get their support

  6. #11 by Bigjoe on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 9:36 am

    Suggestion: Bring a Kangkong balik kampung campaign for CNY Hollidays especially in Sarawak, Sabah, Felda area?

    • #12 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 12:12 pm

      kangkung will not be the main CNY reunion recipe. It will meat, lots of meat like what the rich people eat. Steak, chops, grill. No ?

  7. #13 by Bigjoe on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 9:37 am

    ..And make sure they link it to the “Allah” issue..

    • #14 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 8:48 pm

      if poor people eat kangkung, it will be a bad idea

  8. #15 by undertaker888 on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 9:38 am

    KANG-KONG HEE FATT CHOY!!! Let the horse eat more kangkong for prosperity.

  9. #16 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 12:15 pm

    since kang kong grow in any natural water; you budget by not buying all the imported vegetables that you cannot grow in Malaysia. Can you imagine eating burger everyday, KFC everyday

  10. #17 by DAP man on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 12:16 pm

    The joke is on you PM. You are a clown fit to be in a circus, not Putrajaya.

  11. #18 by JustMe on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 12:35 pm

    We have been made to believe that food prices are always on the rise but checking against data in http://www.indexmundi.com shows the opposite with most commodities declining since mid-2013.

    Food that we are paying at least 2x world prices:

    1. Rice
    2. Sugar
    3. Pork
    4. Beef

    Food that we are paying below world prices:

    1. Chicken
    2. Shrimp

    So isn’t this clear that the BN government are distorting prices through monopolies and import quotas/licences?

    • #19 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 8:53 pm

      if you live in kuala lumpur, of course, everything is expensive. Try living in say some forgotten kampung in Sabah. The RM 1000 will be like RM 1000000. Meat is expensive. Fish is more expensive. But if you go into the jungle and pluck natural ferns or leaves, that would be different. Like your taukei or bean sprouts that grow in water just like the kangkung. Talk about healthy living, go green, go natural.

  12. #20 by sheriff singh on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 1:48 pm

    UMNO is very, very insecure.

    That is why they are always angered, offended, incensed over everything, anything that they have no proper response to. They ate too much kangkong maybe.

    They need a shrink.

    • #21 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 8:55 pm

      The monks eat veg all the time and they are so patient. A shrink will tell them to tackle issues wisely. A win win situation. You help him. He help you. Pray more.

  13. #22 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 2:00 pm

    Its ok to be kangkung.

    MCA orso got kangkung wat but there two people not one.

  14. #23 by sheriff singh on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 2:28 pm

    In MCA there is a Mr Kang and a Mr Kong. But no King Kong. Only Gong Gongs.

  15. #24 by good coolie on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 3:38 pm

    The PM himself seems not to be affected by references to the kangkung. It is the little napoleons who are making kingkongs out of kangkungs.

    By the way, try fried kangkung masak belacan with plain hot rice. Then, you will have respect for the humble kangkung!

    • #25 by cemerlang on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 8:56 pm

      the humble kangkung brings you up well and fine and into university even

  16. #26 by loo on Friday, 17 January 2014 - 9:33 pm

    Cemerlang,
    Hahahaha! Hahahaha!Can’t buy meat eat kangkung. Can’t buy house, stay on top of a tree. Hahahaha!

    LKS,
    See the question would how would DAP bring this message to the rural malays. Time to have more prominent malays. Not sidelining them just as what Anthony Loke has done to a few malay DAP

  17. #27 by tak tahan on Saturday, 18 January 2014 - 1:27 am

    Propagating NEP…spoon-fed to be exact

  18. #28 by tak tahan on Saturday, 18 January 2014 - 1:29 am

    Wait I go to loo and come back to u….

  19. #29 by boh-liao on Saturday, 18 January 2014 - 7:18 am

    FORGIVE najis 4 making a slip in uttering kangkung
    He forgot how EASY kangkung grows, literally FREE growing n growing wild
    FORGIVE him mah, cos he must hv just watched d unCensored version of “The WOLF of Wall Street” (a present fr his stepson) b4 making his kangkung speech
    Could not think straight after watching all d neked bodies mah n listening 2 d numerous F words what
    Anyway, FORGIVE him lor, his skull is kinda like kangkung, U know lah, hollow in d core 1

  20. #30 by loo on Sunday, 19 January 2014 - 11:04 am

    This is a very good show by P Ramlee

    Laksamana do re mi

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