Can Psy horse power boost BN?


Jeswan Kaur | February 8, 2013
Free Malaysia Today

Is getting Psy a pathetic reflection of how desperate BN has become in gearing up for the coming 13th general election?

COMMENT

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad just cannot have enough of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, finding any excuse possible to meet the actor, be it here or in India.

But the rendezvous with Shah Rukh Khan is always a private affair for Mahathir unlike the desperately seeking-attention Barisan Nasional, which is banking on South Korean “happening” rapper Psy do deliver them the much-needed people’s support.

BN has invited the rapper to grace its Chinese New Year open house in Penang on Feb 11, a move which comes at a cost of RM1 million to RM3 million.

Psy will be doing his “horse riding dance” or tarian kuda in the presence of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and some 60,000 guests expected at the CNY open house.

Where will BN get the money from? Has it “appointed” sponsors to take care of the massive payment Psy wants for his debut performance here?

Does BN or rather Najib seriously think getting the 35-year-old singer, songwriter, rapper and dancer Psy to do his “Gangnam Style” dance moves will bring in the crowd to its CNY open house?

If yes, then it is a pathetic reflection of how desperate BN has become in gearing up for the coming 13th general election.

Looks like BN will rope in anyone famous to help it get the rakyat’s support and going by the fact that Psy’s “Gangnam Style” exceeded one billion views on YouTube last year, BN is under the delusion that he is the man who can help deliver the much-needed grassroots support.

But then why waste money on Psy? Why did BN not turn to Mahathir for help in getting Shah Rukh Khan to perform at the CNY open house?

With the Bollywood actor and Mahathir being chums, it would have been a case of “entertainment for free for all” with SRK enthralling guests with his famous “Chamak Chalo” item number.

BN feeling the heat

Resorting to a foreigner to pull in the crowd paints a less than impressive picture of BN, which is no longer certain of its appeal in the eyes of the rakyat.

If BN, as its chairman Najib claims, is doing wonders for the people, why the sudden insecurity over the number of people turning up for its CNY open house?

Irrespective of whether BN is playing to the gallery, the end result is disastrous in that it has made the party a laughing stock among the rakyat.

To blame its nemesis, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat as Penang Gerakan vice-chairman Wong Mun Hoe did, of having started such a trend is not going to help.

Wong claimed if PAS could showcase its ability of luring local artistes, there was no harm in BN following suit.

The lame excuse by Wong does not justify the millions BN is willing to part with just to boast of a full house turnout at its CNY open house.

Rather, it is the point that PKR deputy information head Sim Tze Tzin has raised that should worry BN – that the Psy act shows that BN is desperately trying to woo support among the young.

Sim says the people would question the costs involved in bringing the South Korean to Penang.

Shaky confidence and rap not helpful

As always, BN’s member parties, the MIC and MCA, have little to say over the Psy act coming to town; maybe the fact that 60,000 guests are due at the BN-organised CNY open house has silenced them into speaking against such costly move.

Meanwhile, the move by Psy’s Malaysian fans pleading with the rapper to reject the invitation seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

The Malaysians fans flooded Psy’s Facebook webpage with messages pleading that he not become BN’s political tool.

A lengthy English-language message has been copied and pasted on almost all of Psy’s recent Facebook updates by many Malaysian Facebook users and with some even posting the same message in the Korean language.

“Dear our idol, Psy, we love your song and we love how Gangnam Style can rock the party. However, please choose not to come to Malaysia this time.

“If you choose to come to Malaysia, you will become the political tool of Barisan Nasional. It is a political party which is seriously corrupted and always abuses power to persecute Malaysians,” reads the message.

The message also claims that the CNY event came from the taxpayers’ money. But BN claims the open house would be sponsored by a private company.

Looks like there is no stopping BN and Psy, not when it suits the former

  1. #1 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 8 February 2013 - 7:59 pm

    DPM pledges “Justice for All.”

    The same DPM doesn’t understand 1Malaysia.

    The same DPM stayed low on NFC.

    The same DPM said “I am Malay First, Malaysian Second.”

    The same DPM runs the MOE and produces students who are unemployable.

    Now, with all the injustices under his nose, does this DPM understand justice at all.

    Moooo……Noooooo.

  2. #2 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 8 February 2013 - 8:04 pm

    Hoi Najib, if you cheat in the General Elections, have phantom voters and illegal immigrants overnight get I/C to vote, then let Anwar deal with you.

    You have a national problem created by Mahathir and continued by you….so let national leaders like Anwar find a solution-lah.

    You and Mahathir sudah tak boleh pakai, sengaja mahu tipu dalam pilihanraya, mana boleh?

  3. #3 by Bigjoe on Friday, 8 February 2013 - 8:30 pm

    For maybe two years, the opposition have asked that Najib confirmed that UMNO/BN will guarantee the peaceful transition of power should PR win the GE, today Najib’s call for the opposition to respect the outcome of the GE confirms that UMNO/BN has already stolen the GE from the people..

    Why else would Najib have avoided mentioning the peace post-GE for so long and now at the eleventh hour has call for it. There can only be one obvious conclusion that this GE is a farce to them..

  4. #4 by kg on Friday, 8 February 2013 - 10:18 pm

    BeEnd is rotten to its core, it is useful as a fertilizer, to help grow PR.

    Not only Psy’s Gangnam style can’t help BeEnd, but any style won’t help.

    BeEnd will eventually fall by its own weight.

  5. #5 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 8 February 2013 - 10:35 pm

    Can’t understand Jakim?
    Why preach hatred for Valentine?
    It’s somebody else’s culture.
    Imagine Muslims hating Valentine, Hindus hating Easter, Christians hating Thaipusam, and Taoists hating muslims?

    Stupid Jakim. Leave other people’s cultures and religions alone. Oops, is it sacrilegious to call Jakim stupid? But Jakim is not a religion-lah.

  6. #6 by sheriff singh on Friday, 8 February 2013 - 11:35 pm

    Look at the Gangnam Syle English lyrics below and tell me which sentence or part is consistent with the BN’s manifesto or Najib’s Transformasi thingy:

    English Translation:

    Oppa is Gangnam style
    Gangnam style

    A girl who is warm and humanly during the day
    A clas.y girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee
    A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes
    A girl with that kind of twist

    I’m a guy
    A guy who is as warm as you during the day
    A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down
    A guy whose heart bursts when night comes
    That kind of guy

    Beautiful, loveable
    Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
    Beautiful, loveable
    Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
    Now let’s go until the end

    Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
    Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
    Oppa is Gangnam style

    Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style
    Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

    A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
    A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
    A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
    A sensible girl like that

    I’m a guy
    A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
    A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes
    A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles
    That kind of guy

    Beautiful, loveable
    Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
    Beautiful, loveable
    Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
    Now let’s go until the end

    Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
    Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
    Oppa is Gangnam style

    Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style
    Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

    On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
    I’m a man who knows a thing or two
    On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
    I’m a man who knows a thing or two

    You know what I’m saying
    Oppa is Gangnam style

    Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style
    Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

  7. #7 by sheriff singh on Saturday, 9 February 2013 - 12:17 am

    Siti Nurhaliza who ? Everyone’s forgotten about her. She’s no longer a crowd puller ?

    How come the local artistes’ fraternity is not up in arms that the BN is importing and paying big money for foreign talent and not hiring them ?

  8. #8 by Noble House on Saturday, 9 February 2013 - 3:06 am

    The UMNO/BN government has reached new lows in scraping the bottom of the barrel as Najib hopes to win election ala Gangnam Style.

  9. #9 by boh-liao on Saturday, 9 February 2013 - 6:46 am

    NR n Umno/BN can sync with d decadence n hot women of Gangnam, oppa, oppa, oppa – time 2 transform 2 opposition

  10. #10 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 9 February 2013 - 8:21 am

    It is obvious BN has run out of steam in ALL sectors and they now depend on some hip-shakers with the hope that Malaysian Youngsters will get so drunk with their stomping, they will simply mark their cross on BN. Basically, this is Insulting to their intelligence! Surely they know what is entertainmant and what is politics which will decide their fate for the next 5 years! To ALL young Malaysians, enjoy the fun and Gangnam it if you wanted too, those don’t do it with Yen Yen! Things might just drop off! But vote with your BRAIN for your FUTURE!

  11. #11 by cemerlang on Saturday, 9 February 2013 - 8:44 am

    P…S…Y…can be nominated as the next United Nations Secretary General because if everyone start fighting, he can always pull up the microphone and do his youtube chart busting gangnam style and put all wars to a temporary stop for all politicians to come up with a better solution to stop the wars.

  12. #12 by chengho on Saturday, 9 February 2013 - 4:27 pm

    can you enjoy this entertainment under PAS ?

  13. #13 by boh-liao on Saturday, 9 February 2013 - 6:33 pm

    NYY oredi hving WET DREAM just drooling 2 oppa with d Korean

  14. #14 by Ray9393 on Monday, 11 February 2013 - 8:24 am

    To the world, black is black and white is white. Why keep telling us black is white or white is black. This event is a total waste of Money, just like others. Correct those issues and show us that yes, it is black now but we have the moral will to change it to white. Simple and effective. What is happening?

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