Second issue for Najib tomorrow – set up RCI to clear his name on Altantuya murder case and mega defence commissions


In his farewell speech as Umno President, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi conducted a public soul-searching on Umno’s crisis of confidence and test of credibility, asking: “Why are we suffering this fate, blamed to this terrible extent? Why are we now seen to be completely without virtue?”

Abdullah’s diagnosis is the same as the one I prescribed in Parliament on Wednesday, when I said Umno had become “power-crazy” (gila kuasa).

Abdullah admitted as much when he said the cause of the credibility crisis of Umno is because the party is “intoxicated” by power.

Abdullah said:

“We were intoxicated by our achievements and we become complacent. We believed that we had become all-powerful. We have put our own positions within the party first, instead of being concerned over Umno’s position in the eyes of our citizens and the nation.”

Among Abdullah’s five factors leading to the “erosion of public trust” in Umno, was “materialism has seeped into the party, making a number of party members greedy and avaricious, hence creating the negative perception that Umno is a corrupt party”.

I should have been thanked for helping to diagnose the fundamental cause of Umno’s crisis of confidence, but no, I was instead suspended from Parliament under the pressure of UMNO MPs who clearly belonged to the party’s “Denial Camp”.

What decent and reasonable Malaysians must find most objectionable is that the most boorish and loutish among these UMNO MPs could get elected into the UMNO Supreme Council – no better testimony that Abdullah was conducting a dialogue of the deaf when trying to deliver his last “reformist” message at the Umno general assembly.

Yesterday, I had called on the new Umno President Datuk Seri Najib Razak, waiting to become the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia, to respond forthrightly and positively to Abdullah’s warning that Umno would be reduced to a footnote in the pages of history if Umno succumbs to pressures from those who reject reforms and want to revert to the old ways of harsh and hardline undemocratic rule – a return to Mahathirism!

I asked Najib to take a clear-cut stand in his acceptance speech as the new Umno president tomorrow to set his face clearly and strongly against any return of Mahathirism in his premiership, and to declare that the imminent arrest of Parliamentary Opposition Leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under the Internal Security Act and the launching of another Operation Lalang mass arrests are not among the political options that he is considering in his first 100 days or first year in office.

Today, I want to ask Najib to make another declaration in his acceptance speech as UMNO President tomorrow as it is intimately related to his fitness, integrity and legitimacy to become the new Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has called on Najib to “come clean” and submit to legal scrutiny on the international scandals linking the Prime Minister-in-waiting with the murder of Altantuya Sharibuu and with the purchase of the Scorpene submarines.

Tengku Razaleigh wrote in his blog “We should all come clean”:

“It is safe to say that in the international media, the incoming Umno President and the presumptive Prime Minister is being evaluated through the Altantuya scandal. The UK’s Sunday Times, the International Herald Tribune, the French daily, Libération, The Australian Financial Review, the Far Eastern Economic Review and the New York Times have all published stories raising questions about the link between the murdered young woman, Dato’ Seri Najib, and the gigantic commission paid out by the French company Armaris to a Malaysian company for the purchase of submarines. This is now an international story.

“And this story will not go away. With its dramatic details and the alleged involvement of elite Malaysian government operatives, it captures the journalistic imagination. But the story is now connected with an ongoing investigation into the dealings of a major French company.

“The story is also going to stick around because it is a handy looking-glass into Malaysia’s ‘increasingly dysfunctional political system.’ It implicates our entire system of government, our judiciary, and our press, and it casts a shadow on our ability as a nation to face and tell the truth. Against this backdrop promises of reform ring hollow. The storyline of the New York Times article, for example, is that scandal-clouded succession reveals a once confident young country shaken to its foundations by institutional rot. I cannot say this is inaccurate.

“The scandal is bringing shame to the nation and damaging our international credibility. For the honour of the nation, for the honour of the office of prime minister, for the honour of the sovereign institutions expected to endorse, confirm and lend authority to him should he become prime minister according to Umno’s plans, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak should finally face these suspicions and implied charges, submit himself to legal scrutiny, and come clean on them.

“Swearing on the Al-Quran is not the way out. Scoundrels have been known to do that. The truth, established through the rigorous and public scrutiny of the law, is the only remedy if an untrue story has gained currency not just internationally but at home among a large section of the people.

“Najib should voluntarily offer to testify at the trial of the two officers charged with killing Altantuya Sharibuu. He could also write to these newspapers and if necessary he should take legal action against them to clear his name and that of our country.”

I call on Najib to declare tomorrow that he would establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to clear the grave and long-swirling questions concerning his integrity and legitimacy as Prime Minister particularly on defence deal mega commissions and Altantunya Shariibuu murder case.

I had repeatedly in Parliament such as in October last year and on Monday this week called on Najib to agree to such a Royal Commission of Inquiry to clear his name in the face of these grave allegations especially as he has claimed innocence.

This is the least that Najib should do even before he becomes the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia, to protect the honour of the office of Prime Minister and the nation.

  1. #1 by Kasim Amat on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 2:29 pm

    It was obvious that the alleged link between our respected new PM Datuk Seri Najib with Altantunya and the Submarine issue was a result of the political plots set up by the oppositions to topple the leadership of UMNO. Hence, there is no necessity for Najib to “clear his name” because the allegations have not only been found baseless but it is deemed naive and childish. Najib should not be taken aback just because of the negative news published in a few of the foreign newspapers. This is Malaysia and we know what we are doing. We pick our leader because of his capability. It is none of the business for the West. The world should respect the decision of Malaysian and not criticise it. By doing what Tengku Razaleigh suggested, Najib would have fallen blindly into the opposition’s trap. It is expected that Tengku should have thought about this point and made a wiser suggestion. UMNO should come together and not accusing one another. We are one family.

    We can see UMNO has experienced mush changes in the past year, such as taking positive and decisive actions in cramping down of corruptions and promoting social harmony among different races. I am sure the young leaders will continue to charge forward with these changes. Another most encouranging news is none other than the newly elected UMNO youth chief – Mr Khairy Jamaluddin. With his foresight and courage, Malaysia will be taken to new heights and position of the Malay would be further safeguarded. I trust Mr Khairy will continue to strengthen the notion of Ketuanan Melayu in the news to come, while treating other races as our good friends.

    It is no doubt that UMNO will continue to be the leader for Malaysia in the future. UMNO has all the talents and we have the funds. We can rebuild Malaysia and prove to the world that Malaysia is now a developed country, under the leadership of UMNO.

    As advised previously, it is wise to join BN and not to fight against it. Think about it carefully and think about what you can do for your family.

  2. #2 by ALLAN THAM on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 2:30 pm

    Aiyo YB are day dreaming. You think the crazy will do so???

  3. #3 by taiking on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 2:35 pm

    Come to think of it, in malaysia umno behaves like a football club in the english premier league. In the minds of the english players club interests ranked above national interest. Club glory is primary and national victory is secondary. That is part of the reason why the english national team is described as under-achievers.

    To umnoputras, umno’s interest supercedes everything including the rights of common malays. In umno’s lingo malay rights and privileges = umnoputra’s rights and privileges.

  4. #4 by chengho on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 2:41 pm

    Uncle kit,
    why don’t you come out with any evidence otherwise peoples are fed up with your fabrication…
    You are a good leader do not associate your self with a few grumbles old men like tunku razaleigh ,tunku aziz and Karpal..

  5. #5 by Godfather on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 3:11 pm

    I hope someone from Dassault will spill the beans about Altantuya, Razak Baginda and Najib. I hope someone from French intelligence publishes the photo of the 3 of them together in Paris.

    I hope some disgruntled banker shows us the bank transfers of the RM 500 million in commissions to certain accounts.

    I hope we can send the true murderers of Altantuya to hell.

  6. #6 by frankyapp on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 3:11 pm

    Umno top leaders,umnoputras and warlords all are power addicts in the deadiest scenario .As far as these bad and ugly guys are concern,they are pretty happy in the present comfort zone,thus these fellows will use whatever it takes to defend it. It’s like a pack of wild dogs,going after any invader,innocent or not to rid them off inorder to protect it’s territory. Whatever reforms,no matter what institutions present or future will NOT be able to stop these pack or bunch of crooks ,robbers and murderers.

  7. #7 by frankyapp on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 3:14 pm

    The only antidote is the rakyat’s votes

  8. #8 by monsterball on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 3:33 pm

    Anyone will feel so shameful from an out going PM talking like that…..plus what Razaleigh had also said.
    Do Najib dare to set up a Royal Commission to prove his trustworthiness?
    Whole world…especially Mongolia and Malaysians….want all accusations against Najib to be responded and not sweep under the carpet and said…all are rumours.
    Using….”show us proof”…when there are proofs…all disappeared or file lost…how much more proofs does the Police Dept or Dept Of Justice want..to act fairly?
    We want Najib to answer all charges….that is all..And if h can prove his innocence without a shadow of doubt…how many thousands more voters will come back to support UMNO. Does he not want voters to vote for him?.
    [deleted]
    What type of law makers will the new UMNO guys be?
    I think no change..but from bad to worst…to keep denying and bullshitting.

  9. #9 by sheriff singh on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 5:31 pm

    From the look of the developments over the past few days, it is quite likely that the in-coming administration is headed for the “good-old-repressive-and autocratic” days like the old Mahathir administration.

    Why not? If that “business model” worked well for Mahathir, it should work well for them too. And who can fault them when they are merely guided by this model?

    The people? @#!!&* them!!! Elections are not due soon. Plenty of time and opportunities to neutralise the opposition.

    So don’t get “neutralised” and “castrated” over the coming weeks ahead of the 3 by-elections. Already no more open-air, overflowing ceramahs in Kedah. What more to come? Dirty dancing?

  10. #10 by Bobster on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 5:44 pm

    The whole world (international communities) taking about it and some fellow here still day dreaming claiming fabrication?!

    Someone pls knock some sense out of these kataks bawah tempurong. Staying too long in the cocoon. Go check out international news. Stop reading The Star, NST and The Garbage.

  11. #11 by AhPek on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 6:01 pm

    Najib is innocent for he dares to swear on the Quran! So must be innocent.Eunuch Ar.e.o.e thinks so too.

  12. #12 by ktteokt on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 6:02 pm

    How to clear his name when everybody is pointing fingers at him? Unless and until the Altantuya murder case comes to light, he can never be “CLEAN”!

  13. #13 by OrangRojak on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 6:05 pm

    Godfather Says: I hope [the white man arms industry] will [do something honest]
    Ahahahahaha!
    Ohhhh [wipes tear from eye] that’s a good one.

    Godfather also Says: I hope someone from French intelligence …
    If you’re prepared to ask what you’re asking for, I sincerely hope someone from the French intelligence doesn’t bomb the next ferry you get on. Have you read the wikipedia article “Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior”?

    Has anybody ever suggested where the alleged photo might have been taken? If it was a public place, chances are it wasn’t the only record of the meeting. I see lots of people prepared to suggest such a picture might exist, but – and I have to agree with chengho here (I can wash) – sooner or later you’ll have to produce some evidence. Despite the ringing demands, if you really believe in the supremacy of law, Najib is under no obligation (other than political, and even then, he doesn’t seem to be having much trouble politically) to prove his innocence. He is as innocent in this matter as my 1 year old son is until you prove otherwise. I’m not convinced the other bloke would be acquitted quite so quickly in another country, but I’m assuming again that no evidence exists that he procured, solicited or facilitated her death.

    As far as I’m aware, nobody is alleging that any particular person ‘did it’ – are they? The newspaper reports seem to be taking the fairly safe option of ‘involved in a murky web of intrigue’. International arms deals are not like a day trip to Jaya Jusco. I suspect it’s desperately difficult to buy anything beyond camouflage jackets internationally without shaking hands with someone who ought to be in prison if the world was a just place.

    What I don’t understand is why Malaysians think somebody else should find the alleged evidence. My government doesn’t waste any time concealing evidence (Iraq) or hindering investigations (Al Yamamah) when it suits them – why should yours be any different? The kinds of organisations that might do this stuff (NGOs, pressure groups, protest movements, ivestigative journalists) are not in great supply here. If you want that evidence, you’re going to have to burn some hours. Get on the social networking sites. Start a group to determine her movements for the last few weeks of her life, and work at it. Find people who lived in or visited places she travelled to and finally in Malaysia. Find people who work at hotels and airlines or government offices, or who stayed or flew. Get them to dig out their old photographs, or have a peep at old records. Ask anybody who knows anybody who travels or deals with travellers to try to think of some helpful info. I’m sure if anything useful still exists, a core of a few hundred people could probably turn it up in a few months. If it catches the attention of the Internet community, it could proceed much faster.

    There may be no such evidence, and the whole thing may be a bad dream or a big mistake – but you’ll never know unless someone comes up with some evidence. If you really want to see justice, and you really want to put no personal effort into the Altantuya affair, then I think you can look forward to seeing the whole thing just fizzle out in the courts anytime soon – and so it should. That’s the law. Like many other formal sausage machines, you get out of it pretty much what you put in.

  14. #14 by Ramesh Laxman on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 6:23 pm

    We have personalised national affairs and nationalised personal affairs. The perfect form of democracy in the Third World

  15. #15 by wanderer on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 6:38 pm

    Eunch chengho, I am sure you know by now, how heavy is Najib’s b#ll#. Work hard or you will be in last of the q to collect your handouts!

  16. #16 by miko on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 7:05 pm

    HE IS THE DEFENSE MINISTER OF THE DAY. YOU DON’T NEED EVIDENCES – HE IS INVOLVED ONE WAY OR THE OTHER AND THAT ALONG MAKE HIM – NOT A PM STUFF ! NO WAY
    LOOK NO FURTHER, WHO ERASED THE RECORDS IN THE IMMIGRATION ? THEY ARE ALL ACCESSORIES TO A MURDER AND SHOULD ALL BE CHARGED.

  17. #17 by HJ Angus on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 7:57 pm

    OrangRojak is correct.
    So far it is mostly hearsay.
    But I think the jigsaw puzzle will not be solved here.
    Maybe with the use of the WWW we may get closer to the truth.
    As far as the case goes in Malaysia, there are some unexplained items:

    1.Immigration records. Who erased and why?
    2.Motive for the murder
    3.Why the 2 accused are always bundled up?
    4.The judiciary is still untill a cloud after no actions taken with the Lingam tapes.

    So if anyone can launch a new International Reality TV Show on the “Case of the BLOWN-UP Model” of Malaysia, maybe we could get thousands of amateur sleuths visiting Malaysia. Maybe the prize could be say 50% of any ill-gotten gains.
    Maybe they can even have bus tours to the crime scene like what the Yanks are doing to AIG executive homes?

  18. #18 by AhPek on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 8:51 pm

    The law courts can also find accused guilty thro strong circumstantial evidence and in the case of the Altantuya’s case the circumstantial evidence are overwhelmingly strong since questions can be asked pertaining to :
    (a) how C4 can be taken out of the military magazine
    (b) how come 2 special police force assigned to protect either the PM or DPM can be involved in the case
    (c) how come Altantuya’s entry into Malaysia can be wiped off the records.
    (d) the way the the court proceedings smack of it being stage managed

    Unless all these questions are being cleared it is difficult for the public whether domestic or international to erase the present perception.And it is important for him to do that not only,as Kit says, this is related intimately to his fitness,integrity and legitimacy to become the new PM of Malaysia but also to
    protect the honour of the office of PM and the nation.

  19. #19 by HJ Angus on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 9:04 pm

    Based on the current batch of BN MPs in the house, I don’t see many wanting the UMNO President stopped from becoming the PM.
    And I don’t expect him to call for an RCI to help clear his name.
    Guess AAB will have to bear the blame for creating this unhealthy situation.
    He did not fully grasp the inherent powers of his office. Instead of apologising to UMNO, he should actually apologise to all Malaysians who gave him such a strong mandate in his first elections victory.

  20. #20 by Godfather on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 9:20 pm

    Maybe white folks like OrangRojak have not been here long enough to understand Malaysian Cover-up 101. First you deny, then you swear on the Koran. If that doesn’t work, make sure the evidence disappears, or the investigators “forget” their tasks. If that fails, make sure you dictate who the prosecutor is, and who the judge is. Case closed.

    Yes, you can be cynical about the arms industry and their need for secrecy, but the world has changed. People in the US have been jailed for corruption relating to arms deals. In the Eurocopter deal which has been “postponed” by Bolehland, do you think that we would not have the chance to take a lawsuit against EADS, a publicly-listed French company ?

    If you buy arms from S Africa or from China or from Waziristan, then maybe your cyncism is justified.

  21. #21 by Godfather on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 9:21 pm

    If you think that the president-elect of UMNO is going to authorise a transparent investigation of himself (or of Altantuya) then you are even more naive than I thought.

  22. #22 by blablowbla on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 9:30 pm

    yesterday i almost fell off my chair when i heard the first announcement dat md md tahi was leading!

    i was thinking,chairman called najis,deputy called tahi,najis=tahi=shit!

    my,mine,UMNO is full of shits!

  23. #23 by blablowbla on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 9:39 pm

    atlast,the two fellas will be secretly freed despite death sentence!

    that is the reason why,till today,the ninjas refused to unveil their big boss!

    the pdrm can do dat,believe me!

    and the way they ‘kick’ bala away,more or less telling us they can do wonders!

  24. #24 by HJ Angus on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 9:48 pm

    But I think some things have not changed much.
    About a year back, the UK government quashed a probe into an multi-billion arms deal with the Saudis.
    But the French did have a huge scandal some years ago – I think it was Dassault and a few people died mysteriously and people disappeared.

  25. #25 by gyp on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 10:16 pm

    This is so disguisting the UMNO Perak using the Sultan name for politic gains and to attack others with sultan name.

    Do not they know the sultan should not involve in politic.

    It is so insulting to Sultans allowing politician to use the Royall Highness to attack others politician in politic and the worst in election campaing.

    Is this a great respect?

  26. #26 by AhPek on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 10:19 pm

    HJ Angus,
    The Court Of Public Opinion is just as important if not more so because he is not going to sit on just any office, he is going for the highest office in the land and therefore it is incumbent on him to hop on board with a clean slate for he owes it to the people of Malaysia.At the very least he should convinced people of those questions pertaining to the issuing out of C4,removing evidence of Altantuya’s entry by the Immigration Department,involvement of the 2 personnel from the special police force in the murder and also the perception of the court proceeding being stage-managed.These are tough questions to answer but they have to be answered.

  27. #27 by aiD_kamikuP on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 10:32 pm

    That’s right AhPek. Let me try to put it this way…

    Reported inexplicable irregularities (use of restricted explosive, deletion of immigration records) and even in the murder trial (change of judge and prosecuter team), the highly speculated link between the murder and the commission saga now being splashed out in international media and at home anyone raising the heat on this matter getting bludgeoned – all help point to the perception of complicity of some sort.

    So when TRH said “…Swearing on the Al-Quran is not the way out. Scoundrels have been known to do that….” one can only add that, though the law says one is innocent until proven otherwise, so long as his silence continues the perception in Malaysia and elsewhere is that ANOTHER ONE is known to have done that too.

  28. #28 by AhPek on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 11:05 pm

    Lord Chief Jusctice Hewart according to NH Chan says that justice should not only be done but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.In like manner it can also be said that Presidents or Prime Ministers must not only be honourable but should also be manifestly and undoubtedly seen to be honourable.

  29. #29 by BaronV on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 11:18 pm

    Dear Uncle Lim, I must correct you on one point. It should be set up a RCI to investigate the validity of the accusations. No point setting up RCI to clear Najib. Its like having a court case to clear someone of their accusations…

    Also bravo on displaying the Earth Hour 2009 poster on your blog!

  30. #30 by AhPek on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 11:18 pm

    And isn’t Obama Barack honourable and isn’t he also manifestly and undoubtedly seen not only by Americans but also the people of the world to be honourable?

    And wouldn’t we want to think of our PM as highly as we think of Obama Barack?

  31. #31 by HJ Angus on Friday, 27 March 2009 - 11:23 pm

    I think there is a major disconnect between our national leaders and the common folks.
    This problem has arisen because our leaders are still in 1980s mode when people never really asked difficult questions while the people are now more savvy and well informed.
    Of course the other problem is that our important institutions like the Judiciary and the PDRM are perceived to be compromised.
    It does not bode well for a peaceful settlement.
    Looks as if we can be considered more backward than the Pakistanis who reinstated their CJ after 2 years.

  32. #32 by OrangRojak on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 12:10 am

    With a level of interest such as this case has, I keep thinking there should be an altantuyaproject.org or something where I can go to find all the detailed facts. I apologise if one exists and I’m just too lame to find it, but I have lots of questions about this issue.

    Why do people say her immigration record is deleted? Isn’t it difficult to establish the deletion of something, unless someone has a good copy of the original? I imagine it’s quite possible to enter a country without an immigration record being made. Can diplomats do that? I think I’ve seen a special lane at one end of the immigration desks at KLIA. Is it possible to be ‘escorted’ through immigration so that no record exists of your entry?

    I realise the no-record-created alternative is not without controversy of its own. I just wondered what the evidence for deletion is. Another alternative would be entering under a false identity, perhaps to enhance ‘surprise’. Has any investigation ever been conducted by the prosecution? A lot seems to rest on Bala – but it seems to me that his loyalty lies with the defendants’ side. You know me, just asking!

    HJ Angus – any more info on the dassault case? Interestingly the Liberation French newspaper is owned by one of the Rothschilds, one of its competitors being owned by Dassault:
    http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3824515
    I’m not sure if Dassault is still as beleaguered in the European legal system as he was in
    http://www.iht.com/articles/1996/05/10/dass.t.php

    … found it! Agusta Scandal:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agusta_scandal
    ..but this is not really relevant (though Agusta aviation and Agusta, the Proton adventure, are closely related)

    Well of no real use, but a bit of interesting reading! If nothing else, it may help weaken hope that help in the Altantuya case might be forthcoming from the European arms industries. They have their own ‘quirks’.

    Hang on, Godfather, why did you mention Dassault? Are they involved? I thought it was Armaris / DCNS and some others, but not Dassault?

    Ooh look Agustas from Milan late 2006:
    http://www.jasargentina.com/misc/news/news_details.cfm?news_id=147
    I’m sure I was writing something about Milan just recently…

  33. #33 by gofortruth on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 12:14 am

    “Rusdi arrived way past midnight and we talked. He wanted to know how much I wanted. I did not understand what he meant and told him so. He repeated the question and asked me how much I wanted to stop writing about Najib and Altantuya. Name my price.”………………… Full article from Malaysia Today (My name is RPK, I am Malaysian, and I am no prostitute )
    —————————–
    Simply SHOCKING!

  34. #34 by gofortruth on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 12:22 am

    Uncle Lim,
    How can PM Badawi sleep by handing over his job to such “questionable” person without further vetting first ?????

    I think he owes it to the nation to carryout a thorough check, otherwise, if the instigations are true, Najib will be a target for all sorts of extortion & blackmail & some of the demands may even be endangering our national security.

    Najib must come out to clear his name to have the respect of all Malaysians.

  35. #35 by manggishitam on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 12:25 am

  36. #36 by voice on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 12:34 am

    Just came back from hearing your speeches at Taiping, it was great, but I think there’s still room for some improvements, particulary about mentioning the figures of corruption and more significant evidence about UMNO’s crimes, looking forward to your next ceramah at Taiping.

  37. #37 by voice on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 12:41 am

    And YB Kit, I hope there will be some ways to present the ceramah to all the audiences, about the language used, there was some malay friends outside listening to the ceramah which is mainly in mandarin, that doesn’t look nice, I know it is hard to tell the ceramah to all the people but surely there’s a way.
    Yes, it is our education problem after 51 years of independence we are still unable to speak in one common language.

  38. #38 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 4:04 am

    Yip Godfather…..OrangRojak have no knowledge of money power by UMNO.
    Why don’t he suggest Najib to sue everyone like Lee Kuan Yew to protect his reputation…..end os story. But crooks dare not sue!!! Crooks must always appear ever forgiving and nice guys…but when cornered…do everything….use anything within their governing power to protect themselves…not the people.
    OrangRojak should check know Malaysia is totally different from Iraq.

  39. #39 by passerby on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 4:17 am

    I love this part:

    “Swearing on the Al-Quran is not the way out. Scoundrels have been known to do that. ”

    Everyone seems to be beating around the bush and let see who will be finally pointing his finger directly at him?

  40. #40 by Edgar J on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 5:25 am

    Najib Razak knows what to do – keep quiet, don’t say anything when provoked, let Rosmah do her best to convince the world that the whole family is being maligned … sob! sob!

    ALWAYS REMEMBER: Najib Razak works covert – Black Ops!

    YB, high time to look for someone with the concrete evidence of Najib’s wrongdoing, not putting forward useless circumstantial evidence – putting 2 and 2 together and getting 0 (zero, nothing).

    WILL RCI DO THE JOB? Compile nicely bound, hardcover, voluminous notes and then deliver the verdict: “VK Lingam has done nothing wrong …”

    RCI needs evidence, but of course, can’t pay for it. Enquire from who? Nevertheless, we have to start somewhere.

    PR intellegentsia available? God protect us!

  41. #41 by vsp on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:18 am

    We have seen it all before. When Mahathir ruled it was “Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah” and the country went to the dogs.

    Next, it was Abdullah Badawi’s “Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang” and the country went into the lokang.

    Well it déjà vu all over again. What will Najib’s slogan be? Whatever it is make no mistake about it: the country will be C4ed.

  42. #42 by vsp on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:48 am

    longkang, not lokang

  43. #43 by clear conscience mirror on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 7:20 am

    Perhaps by 2013, the antidote will take effect if nothing is done now by Najib pertaining to Razaleigh’s call. The initial anitote effect shall be seen in the 2 Bukit & 1 Batang by-elections.

    As Mahathir had made reference to money politics, there has to be a change as advocated by Abdullah.

  44. #44 by AhPek on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 8:12 am

    Edgar J,
    Circumstantial evidence is not useless as claimed by you and in a proper court of law circumstantial evidence has been known to get an accused sentenced to death.
    And in Malaysia even if you have the evidence who would in their right mind come out to charge the incoming PM for involvement in a murder.
    What is being said so far by bloggers is to ask the incoming PM to come out clean from all the lies that are swirling everywhere throughout the world and the best way to do that is to sue!

  45. #45 by AhPek on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 8:17 am

    And tell me who would have the authority to set up a RCI when he has said that and sworn that he does not even know the Mongolian girl.Kit is just putting up a suggestion which can never see the light of day!

  46. #46 by lopez on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 8:28 am

    it is like a circus, some came to see
    while others are there to be seen
    some need to pay to see
    while some has to be paid to be seen
    Some did not bother to see
    while some desperately wants to be seen

    all newspapers and other forms of media has that power

    BUT mother nature is best,
    she gave signs and offers us choices
    either you want to see or not to see

    she has the wind to help her
    she has the light to help her
    she has the warmth to her
    she has the sounds to help her
    she has the smells of things to help her

    so how can you not trust the senses and unable to comprehend that the smoke has to come from a fire
    then douse off hastily ….you think the simmers is gone already.

    what is it for you?
    for today only
    for tomorrow only
    for tomorrow and beyond

  47. #47 by year of snake on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 8:38 am

    With the Internet and if there is an existence of such a photo showing the three persons, I am sure it will now be viewed by millions of people. Therefore, the discussion on this matter should be put aside until such time when real evidence appears and not just talk.

  48. #48 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 9:28 am

    Evidence will not come out..until the accused dare to sue one and go to court.
    Then it becomes legal and the whole world to follow the court case.
    Once evidence are known to exists…whoever have that…will be C4ed…or disappeared into thin air.
    It’s a matter of life and death…and who do you think can easily die?

  49. #49 by HJ Angus on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 9:47 am

    What is also disturbing is the disappearance of the private eye with the 2 conflicting SDs.
    Or has he become the first person to enjoy the New Witness Protection Bill?
    The other disturbing news report was the initial denial of the incoming PM about not knowing people and then suddenly getting back the memory after photos were published.
    When you can easily mislead people over small things, it shows a particular trait over other issues.

  50. #50 by Godfather on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 10:41 am

    You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes
    And your smile’s a thin disguise
    I thought by now you’d realise
    There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes…

    The incoming PM knows this song very well – his generation, too.

  51. #51 by taiking on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 11:06 am

    Najib’s story: (1) No. Dont know the mongolian woman. (2) No. Never met her before.

    All that we need the ongoing french investigation to establish are: (1) Yes. He knew the mongolian woman. (2) Yes. They have met before.

    It really does not matter who actually ordered the killing and disintegration of the woman and her unborned child. Of course, knowing this would be all the better. But having the two answers mentioned above would be quite sufficient.

    I am not saying that najib is guilty. No. No. In fact he has strongly denied everything. And I certainly have no reasons or evidence to counter his denial. Its just that if the french were to come up with anwsers like those I mentioned then his denial would be neutralised. That is what I am saying.

  52. #52 by La Pax on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 11:14 am

    chinese saying, cha toh sui lok seak chut(investigate..till everything brings to light)

  53. #53 by CQuni on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 11:46 am

    Malaysia’s PM blasts ‘greedy’ ruling party

    http://www.theage.com.au/world/malaysias-pm-blasts-greedy-ruling-party-20090326-9c81.html

    What a Joke..

    My workmates just laugh.. Where are ethics in my hometown.. ?

    This headline made speechless..

  54. #54 by winc on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 1:33 pm

    chengho Says:

    Yesterday at 14: 41.20
    Uncle kit,
    why don’t you come out with any evidence otherwise peoples are fed up with your fabrication…
    You are a good leader do not associate your self with a few grumbles old men like tunku razaleigh ,tunku aziz and Karpal..

    _________

    Typical goon.

    Fed up? Why do you think the foreign press would pick up the news and got it out to the whole wide world if they are fed up?

    Just like a lot of those tv series… it is getting more and more exciting. Can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen next. April’s fool is just too near…

  55. #55 by taiking on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 1:43 pm

    Umno general assembly has always been a hot and wet event. That must be their intention and design. Yeah their intention and design is to sex things up. That is why during the meeting we see loads of hugging and crying. This year things are no differenct I suspect. And this year too we saw an unprecedented variation to the usual hugging and crying. We saw shoutings, booings and chanting of “Rasuah” “Hairy” “Rasuah” “Hairy”. I wonder what that means. It was a close-door meeting. So I have no privy to the on-goings inside the sacred room. Someone posted the remarkable scene on Youtube. That was how I got to witness the remarkable event. Wow. Anyway. Is Hairy really Rasuah? I didnt know the position of umno youth chief has been given a new name. Damned. I hate this behind the door business. They keep us all in the dark. I wonder if Rasuah Hairy of pemuda umno would be made a minister.
    …. …. ….

  56. #56 by Onlooker Politics on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 2:52 pm

    “I’m not convinced the other bloke would be acquitted quite so quickly in another country, but I’m assuming again that no evidence exists that he procured, solicited or facilitated her death.” (OrangRajak)

    Yes, OrangRojak is telling us the truth — the law requires us to produce adequate evidence in order to substantiate a serious accusation. All benefits of doubt should belong to the suspects. Since there are some inadequacies or negligences in the evidence gathering procedures of the Investigation Officer (IO), no one seems to be found to have strong proof beyond reasonable doubt in order to get anybody convicted in the court proceedings of the prosecution case.

    Notwithstanding, even though no one might be found guilty in such a prosecution case due to the existence of doubt, my personal conscience told me that the rumour was more or less carrying some weight. This is because the source of the rumour which reached my ear in 2006 before the investigation procedure had been completed was from a usually very reliable MCA party source. It was then confirmed to me again by another source from UMNO top leadership. The rumour was not originated by Anwar. This is the least thing which I can assure you about the rumour.

  57. #57 by OrangRojak on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 3:54 pm

    monsterball Says: Why don’t he suggest Najib to sue everyone like Lee Kuan Yew to protect his reputation

    Because nobody who cared about their international reputation would act like LKY. Outside of Asia, the only Singaporean anybody has ever heard of is Annabel Chong. If we hear of any other Singaporeans, they’re usually notable for what we perceive as abuse of power (in the case of LKY, precisely because he does sue). Nobody likes to dwell on the negatives, so we quickly forget their names. Outside of Asia, we have an alien view of personal integrity.

    Najib is doing all right, by my understanding of Asian standards. All he has to do is keep smiling and saying “Tsk those idiots – they’ll say anything”, and slowly but surely like Mr Teflon, all the sh!t will slide off, leaving him sparkly and new. It is my personal conviction that UMNO are playing a better long-term strategy than many of their opponents. It’s not one I have any respect for, but neither do I have any particular respect for the bare-minimum political investment of sh!t-flinging either.

    I’m not convinced there’s any great ‘weight’ to any of the allegations. If that spineless money-sponge can be acquitted, how could a person even more tenuously connected be called to defend themselves? Missing immigration records – that happens. What evidence is there to show they were ‘deleted’? Mega commissions – so what? Where got official instrument obliging the government to get ‘good value’ when buying submarines? Interference in the legal process – what proof? Has the network provider that carried the alleged SMSes confirmed their existence? A mobile phone video showing Najib with Altantuya in his arms, in a Parisian club singing “I’m in the money” on the karaoke stage? He’ll just laugh it off “well, I meet a lot of people you know…”

    You haven’t got anything except malicious gossip (well ok, and righteous outrage that the whole thing happened and the subsequent legal action appears to be superficial at best). Never mind “if there was no proof he’d go to court” – if there was proof, you’d go to court, or to YouTube, at least!

    By all means keep reminding us all that the ‘Malaysian dream’ is a bit of an illusion, and there are plenty of scary things going wrong that should keep us awake at night. It’s not going to help get justice for Altantuya though – there’s no formal mechanism left for that in Malaysia. If you do nothing else, Najib can quite fairly point out that “you’re all talk”.

    It’s a nice juicy news story for the rest of the world, but come on, after the readers have completed the crossword on the other side, it’s going in the bin and nobody will ever think of it again. Nobody is going to say “I never knew Malaysia was like that!”. Nobody knows anything about Malaysia, except that it’s somewhere near Thailand, which is the last remaining nice place in South East Asia to go for holidays, quite close to Singapore which is a bad place to go to protest about things, and it’s a key member of ASEAN which means that it fails on a regular basis to say anything negative about Burma. People die horribly there? Big surprise!

    Nobody is coming to your rescue.

  58. #58 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 4:14 pm

    OrangRojak put out… a whole lot of horse shit.
    Whole world respect…know Singapore and LKY.
    S’pore is the cleanest Asian country. LKY is an appointed adviser by China.
    Najib dare not sue…is because he is full of shit like OrangRojak.
    Have you ever seen a crook suing anyone?
    Who cares OrangRojak is convinced or not convinced.
    Who are you so important?
    Vast majority Malaysians are convinced…and silence is not golden from Najib…but need an idiot like OrangRojak to talk cock and bull..defening him.

  59. #59 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 4:23 pm

    Yes….immigration records do get lost …but on the Mongolian murdered girl…few times..in and out..all lost…is clearly not lost….STOLEN!!….DESTROYED…..WHY??

  60. #60 by OrangRojak on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 4:31 pm

    Has anyone seen a crook suing somebody?
    Conrad Black sued the Prime Minister of Canada.

    Is one example enough?

    I’m interested in the immigration records thing – is there a useful webpage about it somewhere?

  61. #61 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 4:35 pm

    Remember Watergate?
    At least Nixon is man enough to resign.
    Was there any proofs?..NO!!
    But after many years…it was an interview with David Frost…that the truths came out….where Nixon did admit.
    Go see the movie.”Front/Nixon”…a true story untold to the world…..until now.
    The world is full of crooked leaders…and in Malaysia..we can say…we hold the Guinness Book of Record….plenty…..one after another…elected as PM….still denying….still governing.
    Malaysia Boleh!!

  62. #62 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 4:43 pm

    Don’t talk of foreign…..crook suing someone in Canada. Not all Malaysians are smart like you…so interested about International affairs..where we have yet to solve our problems at home.
    But on Watergate….whole world is interested.
    Canadian affairs are not important to us….maybe to you..who seems to live there.
    Are you a Malaysian?
    If not..mind your own business.

  63. #63 by OrangRojak on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 5:04 pm

    monsterball Says: Are you a Malaysian?
    If not..mind your own business.

    :-D Adoi fingers faster than brain?
    No I’m not a Malaysian. Are you? I live in Malaysia. My wife is Malaysian. My children are Malaysian. In my place, who do you think should be concerned about my person, my home, my wife and my children?

    I am minding my own business, you silly billy. If I sometimes disagree with you on how it should be minded, welcome to the free world, baby!

  64. #64 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 5:36 pm

    Granting you have valid reasons to qualify you to comment about Malaysian affairs…but I still think you are an UMNO balls carrying idiot.
    Who am I?
    Why everyone knows monsterball…..except you.
    You are a typical foreigner with mentality….to brag with no manners nor respect for others.
    Who am I? I am the defending of your Malaysian family’s freedom….but you are carrying balls of Najib…dividing Malaysians..defending your family.
    Free world in Malaysia? Are you nuts??
    hi silly Canadian hillbilly….fight for your family’s freedom……..not carry balls to free them
    What you are saying….is that…you are FOR UMNO.
    OK..la….lets rumble.

  65. #65 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:00 pm

    The defender…….not defending.
    That’s monsterball
    Go search for poor murdered lady immigration several in/out of Malaysia record and stop talking to me.
    Find it…that’s worth millions….making you filthy rich.
    Cannot find. Not all balls carriers are safe.
    I will let others…like “godfather” to respond to you.
    Am I a Malaysian?……..hahahahahahaha

  66. #66 by OrangRojak on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:02 pm

    Interesting to read comments made by ‘voice’ at 00:41 – I said the same thing after visiting my local DAP ceramahs in March last year. There’s no need to make the ceramah speeches 2 or 3 times longer for different languages, I think the occasional spoken summary, or even checkpoints on a flyer (which could be a national document, available from the DAP web) in at the very least the national language would be sufficient. Relying on chinese dialects for DAP’s ceramahs is recklessly supporting cintanegara’s point of view.

    Better still would be to have frequent speaker changes for the in-breeding communities’ languages of choice. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only got two people from a commHow do the Americans conduct ceramahs? They’ve probably made a science of it. Do American politicians talk for hours without a break?

  67. #67 by lopez on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:18 pm

    The man behind a marketing symposium asked

    “What is it for you?”

    if two or more bombard u then there must be some truth behind it…or you must damn lousy is presenting your thoughts typing and speaking as we know is entirely different, f to f we have body language…some of us are bluffing and trying to sell some points contrary to common beliefs.

    cheers….

  68. #68 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:30 pm

    wawawa….Godfather…smart orang puteh said..I quote..”my local DAP ceremahs”…..as if…he supports DAP…and then expect all speeches be translated for him to understand….just like “voice” suggestions.
    You see….dear “godfather” writer…..these pro UMNO buggers think we are born yesterday…compliment DAP…and then.. make ridiculous suggestions.
    Why don’t they focus on what UMNO spoken in ceremahs and ask for translations too.
    This is an art..how to agree to disagree..in favour of UMNO.
    hi…OrangRojak..please declare… FOR or AGAINST UMNO .
    Don’t talk with a fork tongue…like those Red Indians accusing Canadians in the past.

  69. #69 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:36 pm

    I really better stop and let others talk.
    Sorry Lopez….please continue.
    Your wise comment…noted.

  70. #70 by OrangRojak on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 6:51 pm

    Monsterball, it would be pointless for DAP to run ceramahs in English (the only language I could understand politics in) outside of a very few locations in Malaysia. There are at least 3 languages in Malaysia more likely to win them votes. I don’t go to BN ceramahs because I’ve seen the NST.

    There’s a truncated sentence in my last comment – sorry it’s feeding time for the little Rojaks. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only got two people from a comm that’s not your traditional target market – they’re the ones who’ll be ‘wowed’ that you’ve made the effort to deliver your message in their language.

    if two or more bombard u then there must be …
    …some benefit for them, I always think. You join a lot of MLM schemes, do you?

  71. #71 by monsterball on Saturday, 28 March 2009 - 7:42 pm

    No comment…..OrangRojak
    It’s Lopez you should talk to..quoting his message.
    I agree with him..face to face…body language tells all.
    Please let other commentators take over.
    Lets vanish!!

  72. #72 by Onlooker Politics on Sunday, 29 March 2009 - 2:06 am

    OrangRojak,
    You were trying to argue that there would be no case against the chief actor whom Kit mentioned in this blog because no one was able to produce a substantial evidence to prove his involvement with the murder case. You are absolutely right when you try to teach the Malaysians the basic legal principle of “everybody is innocent until proven guilty in court!”

    As far as I know, the IO of the murder case might have circumstantial evidences to make him believe that a top politician had gotten involved in the murder case. The IO of the Chinese origin might have consulted his political master from MCA and be told to do an abrupt stop on the investigation. Apparently, the evidence gathering job had not been performed diligently by the IO. That was a very rare incident.

    Based on my personal experience with the police investigation, I found that normally an IO of the Chinese origin would perform his job professionally and diligently in order to get the desired promotion in the police force. This was because the competition for promotion among the Chinese police officers of Malaysia was very tense in view of very limited promotional opportunities for Chinese Police Officers of Malaysia under the Bumiputera policy. Performance evaluation on the Chinese police officers of Malaysia is usually based on the officer’s loyalty to the MCA president and on the officer’s job performance. When the IO admitted that he did not carry out the investigating job diligently in the murder case for he did not interrogate the top politician who was supposed to be an important eyewitness when by right he should have interrogated the top politician, he was indeed trying to hint us about a truth which he dared not disclose to the whole world due to certain unspeakable reason.

    I believe it must be very difficult for the IO to keep the secret to himself. Therefore he chose to hint us a bit about the truth. If the top politician was not involved at all, there would be no good reason for the IO to say that by right the top politician should be called upon by the police in order to record a cautioned statement since by saying so would most likely adversely affect his future job promotion.

    OrangRojak, if you live in Malaysia long enough, you will be able to smell the fish when some fishy things have been disclosed to you. In Malaysia, there were happenings of several murder cases which involved with different top politicians. Whether there would be a prosecution being carried out against the suspected top politicians would all depend on the political will of the Prime Minister.

    For instance, Mokhtar Hashim was the first UMNO candidate to kill his political opponents in UMNO on 14 April 1982 when the murderer himself was holding the cabinet post of Youth, Culture and Sports Minister. If the then Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir, did not wish to take legal action against Mokhtar Hashim, then Mokhtar Hashim would never get convicted in court for first degree murder.

    Altantuya’s murder case was a case of imperfect investigation simply because there was no strong political will from Pak Lah for giving a firm instruction to the police in order to do a thorough and detailed investigation. If Pak Lah was really serious about the rule of law, then he would probably require the IGP to give special attention to this bloody murder case. However, it might be too late for us to harper any hope on Pak Lah now since he would be going to retire after 2 April 2009!

    For information about Mokhtar Hashim’s case, please surf
    http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/18894/84/

  73. #73 by monsterball on Sunday, 29 March 2009 - 6:59 am

    Onlooker Politics….On Moktar Hashim…It does not mean Mahathir was more serious on a murder case more than Pak Lah.
    That was a murder case..for personal reasons..and justice must be done..yet you fall short….to say..Moktar was pardoned. Who instrumented the pardon?
    That’s the clear sign..under Mahathir…all UMNO ministers are protected….even from murders.
    Now on Altantuya….it involves politics….corruptions and one to be our PM.
    Pak Lah can order IGP or anyone to go for it……bu he is powerless over many things..as you can see…he was actually forced to resign.
    It was Mahathir who laid down 22 years of “corrupted to the core” UMNO ministers and UMNO high ranking politicians or govt. officers…controlling certain judicial powerful figures…who are obligated to UMNO for life.
    The only thing we can say about Pak Lah is that…his personal benefits and selfishness took over….disappointing Malaysians…but he is humbled enough to apologize in his last UMNO Assembly speech…putting him…much more better than Mahathir and the rest of present UMNO ministers and law makers.
    So many commentators have given such clear evidences….Mahathir is the bunkum and most corrupted PM we ever had.
    And on Altantuya ..matter again about the lousy IO job…from the start…does make sense…if you recall..Najib assured Baginda from the very day of his arrest….saying…”be calm/cool …everything is OK”
    That part on MCA is bunkum. Are you a Gerakan man?

  74. #74 by Onlooker Politics on Sunday, 29 March 2009 - 11:06 am

    “That part on MCA is bunkum. Are you a Gerakan man?” (monsterball)

    monsterball,
    Please don’t ask me to disclose my personal particular here because I am not immuned from political persecution of Malaysia.

    However, you may investigate along this line about me if you want:
    1) A possible undercover embedded in UMNO being sent by Anwar?
    2) A possible undercover planted in MCA by Kit?
    3) A possible undercover residing in MIC working for Hindraf?
    4) A possible undercover sent by Soros in order to kiss Dr. Mahathir’s ass?
    5) A possible undercover sent by LKY in order to make Dr. Mahathir a discredit man by persuading Dr. Mahathir to follow LKY’s footprint to become a Senior Minister of a younger Prime Minister?
    6) Just a common Malaysian citizen who finds no other better thing to do in order to kill time than to write comment in Lim Kit Siang’s blog?

  75. #75 by OrangRojak on Sunday, 29 March 2009 - 12:27 pm

    Onlooker Politics, there is not much wrong with my sense of smell. True, I roared with laughter the first time I picked up the NST, thinking it was a masterpiece of ironic writing. I was looking forward to becoming a subscriber, but it didn’t take too many more copies (only 1 or 2) before I realised it wasn’t irony. If there is a problem with my sense of smell, it could be due to sensory overload: too much stinks too badly.

    The Mokhtar Hashim case was an interesting read, thank you. It seems like another opportunity missed to boost the credibility of the courts. Why not quash the conviction on the grounds of miscarriage of justice, rather than grant a royal pardon? Pardoning murderers neither serves the cause of justice nor elevates the throne.

    I think you touched on the real issue here: the investigation is apparently flawed. It’s not as clear-cut a political message, though, is it? What would a politician ask for if it appeared that an investigation was a sham? Without a Police Complaints Commission, aren’t you obliged to “just accept it” (a phrase I have become familiar with only since moving to Malaysia)?

    This is a great example (for me) of the core problem facing PR: UMNO owns everything. There is almost no public service left that can serve as a ‘check and balance’. When something stinks, there’s nobody to clean it up, and the best PR can do is point at it and shout. If I have a clear point, it is that PR is shouting at the wrong mess, in my opinion. The issue is not so much “whodunnit?” as “whyisnobodytryingtofindout?”.

    I don’t think I’d make a good politician. I suppose at the end of the day, most political frameworks are popularity contests, so pedants will never win many votes. Perhaps that’s why Karpal says things like “Principles cannot be compromised, you 6astard”. Perhaps “Pink lips did it” really is the #1 vote-winning message in Malaysia, but my funny foreign sense of smell can’t tell the difference between that and the NST.

  76. #76 by Onlooker Politics on Sunday, 29 March 2009 - 7:31 pm

    “I suppose at the end of the day, most political frameworks are popularity contests, so pedants will never win many votes.” (OrangRojak)

    I think OrangRojak is learning fast about the Money Politics of UMNOputras by saying that “most political frameworks are popularity contests.” Let me just cite one example on how Hishammuddin Hussein gain his popularity in the MP contest on 308 Election in his Sembrong Constituency.

    Before going to a Malay village for campaign visit, Hishammuddin would give instruction to the UMNO branch president of that village that each and every supporter would get RM10 per head in return for the supporters’ fulfilling one condition. “I don’t want to see any DAP flag or PAS flag blocking my eyesight along the road of the village!” said Hishammuddin.

    The village Malay would be happy to take the RM10 and went eat Roti Canai and drink teh tarik at the warung without bothering too much about putting on PAS flags or DAP flags before the arrival of Hishammuddin. Of course, the villagers could still put on the Opposition flags after Hishammuddin left the village. It is ironic to hear Najib making claim that his camp is clean and corruption-free when his cousin, Hishammuddin, is now making every villager of Sembrong Constituency wonder that how much cash he is going to distribute to the villagers in the next General Election!

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