56-Day Countdown to 13 GE –Turn Najib’s three self-inflicted embarrassments at the RM3.5 million Psy and Gangnam Style bash into a boon for Malaysia


Instead of being the entertainment and political coup in the nation’s 56-year history propelling the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, UMNO and Barisan Nasional to a convincing victory in the 13th General Elections with a two-thirds parliamentary majority and regaining Pakatan Rakyat states including Penang, the Psy and Gangnam Style appearance at the Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year bash in Penang has proved to be a political and public relations disaster of the first magnitude.

It inflicted three major embarrassments on Najib and the UMNO/BN coalition, but even worse, it also brought shame to the country. The three major embarrassments are:

• The one-minute video of “Three Yes to Psy and Three Noes to BN” which immediately went viral after the Han Chiang School extravaganza with over half-a-million views on YouTube from over a dozen sites since Monday.

• The five-minute video of “No Psy, Najib/BN left red-faced during yee sang toss”, the second video of Psy’s appearance at the BN CNY bash in Penang which has gone viral, showing the Prime Minister, former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah and Cabinet Ministers waiting expectantly for five minutes for the Korean superstar to join them and sheepishly leaving the stage without yee sang toss when Psy refused. This is the episode which hurt our national pride and make all Malaysians whether PR or BN feel ashamed – that the Prime Minister and former Prime Minister had to sacrifice national honour and dignity even for a Korean K-pop sensation.

• Psy’s refusal to perform “Gangnam 1Malaysia Style”. Najib had announced on stage after his disastrous “3 Yes to Psy and 3 Noes to BN” exchange with the crowd of Psy’s “very exciting show”, proclaiming that Psy “is ready for us and he will show you the proper Gangnam Style…and I am told he has a surprise for you – the Gangnam 1Malaysia Style”. But Psy did not deliver the “surprise” of “Gangnam 1Malaysia Style” depriving Najib and BN leaders like Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen the opportunity to dance the “Gangnam 1Malaysia Style” with the South Korean pop sensation in Penang.

There were other public relations disasters like

• the failure so far to explain who are the funder/funders who foot the bill of at least RM3.5 million for the “Psy and Gangnam Style” appearance in Penang – straight from Brazil in a 20-hour flight – as no one believed that it is really free and that Malaysian taxpayers would not finally have to pay every sen of it and in fact many times over;

• in the early hours of first day of CNY, over 10,000 1Malaysia flags flooded the major routes of Penang Island which would be used by Najib in his two-day CNY visit, showing utter arrogance of the “mysterious sponsors” of the Psy and Gangnam Style bash – flaunting arrogance and contempt for the law, as the flag were put up in utter disregard of public safety and the by-laws. The whole operation of printing and putting up over 10,000 1Malaysia flags in a matter of hours in the early hours of first day of CNY would easily cost around RM100,000 – another reminder that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

• Denial up to now by the Penang BN official organisers that they were responsible or even knew who put up the over 10,000 1Malaysia flags, claiming that they have “no idea’ who had put them up. How irresponsible and/or incompetent can the Penang BN leadership be? Is this proof that there were more powerful forces at work behind the Psy and Gangnam bash and that the Penang BN leaders were just puppets being pulled on strings by other people?

But all these are secondary issues and questions to what should be the primary and pivotal question – how to turn Najib’s three self-inflicted embarrassments at the RM3.5 million Psy and Gangnam Style bash into a boon for Malaysia.

Najib deserves the nation’s thanks if the Psy and Gangnam Style fiasco can focus all Malaysians on one question – why South Korea had developed so phenomenally at the expense of Malaysia when 56 years ago, Malaysia was twice as rich and developed as South Korea but today South Korea is two to three times richer and more advanced than Malaysia and ahead of Malaysia in all fields of human endeavour?

One answer is that South Korea was ahead of Malaysia by 15 years in becoming a normal democratic country, effecting a peaceful transition of power through general elections with the Opposition candidate Kim Dae-Jung winning and sworn in as South Korean President in the 1998 South Korean presidential elections.

Can Malaysia undergo a peaceful transition of power with Pakatan Rakyat replacing Barisan Nasional as the new Malaysian government in Putrajaya in the 13GE?

If this can be achieved in the 13GE, then it will turn Najib’s self-inflicted embarrassments in the Psy and Gangnam Style fiasco into a national boon – allowing Malaysia to start on a new page to achieve our Second Merdeka where Malaysians can hold their heads high to compete with the rest of the world and not just among themselves.

  1. #1 by Jim55 on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 2:31 pm

    If PR were to win the GE13 and Najib were to handover the baton professionally, Najib’s legacy could be:
    1. having a wife that gives Mahathir sleepless nights and in the process, makes Mahathir did some miscalculations
    2. a PM that appears weak but dare to kick-start Sabah RCI that open a big can of worms that benefits PR
    3. the last “emperor” of Malaysia

  2. #2 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 3:04 pm

    This episode clearly show that Najib really cannot deliver on his promises which usually are mere rhetorics and empty promises. He was found out and exposed big time.

    I hear Yen Yen and especially Rosmah and their Wanita gang were very sore about not being able to perform their lucah horsey dance. They had been practising like mad and they wanted to show how BN women ‘do it’. They were all ready to come out from the wings but alas, Psy won’t play their ball, he is smart that Psy. Rosmah might have blurted out something like ‘….xxxxxxxxx that psycho Korean kimchi…. And we paid him good, hard donated money summore’ in frustration and gave him her ring finger.

    Similarly, Najib had been practising to be MC-announcer when he gets booted out at the coming GE. What an honour it was for Psy to have a PM, no less, to announce and introduce him. Vote Najib / BN – No, vote Psy – Yes.

    Yes. This Korean has more or less determined the course of the next elections.

  3. #3 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 3:21 pm

    “Dress Classy. But Act Cheesy.” That’s psy. Yo! And know wot? He will get away with it.

    But hey you jib, you habis. Sorry lah!

  4. #4 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 4:07 pm

    56-day countdown? Can guess already when is approximately polling date based on fundamental assumption that they need school premises -during school holidays- for polling as they’ve always done in the past! The school holiday dates for 2013 released by MOE confirm 1st term holidays 23rd March – 31st March 2012 and mid term 25th May – 9th June. Polls can’t take advantage of mid term as current Parliament is due to expire earlier in April 2013. So it has to be 1st term holidays between 23rd March – 31st March 2012, likely 23rd or 24th as they fall on Saturday & Sunday when people don’t have to work. Before polling EC has to provide about 10 days for nomination. (Thats usual). Then there’s campaigning (usually) 10 days but this time around as reported in MalaysiaInsider May 15th report EC may extend campaign period longer to 15, 16, 17 days (which is probable as Najib/BN wants to campaign more to rectify the many PR fiascos of late including Psy’s misadventures). So if one takes 10 days (nomination period) + maximum of (say) 17 days (campaigning period) (all in 27 days) and work/ calculate backwards from the speculated polling date on (say) 23rd or 24th March 2012, Najib will have to dissolve parliament by latest Mon 26th Feb 2012 and make announcement thereof by latest end of next week.

  5. #5 by Loh on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 4:48 pm

    ///Najib deserves the nation’s thanks if the Psy and Gangnam Style fiasco can focus all Malaysians on one question – why South Korea had developed so phenomenally at the expense of Malaysia when 56 years ago, Malaysia was twice as rich and developed as South Korea but today South Korea is two to three times richer and more advanced than Malaysia and ahead of Malaysia in all fields of human endeavour?///–kit

    Mamakthir would say that because Korean has no pendantang so that they could concentrate on nation development, but in Malaysia the UMNO led government had spent all their time, particularly after the advent of NEP to purify the demography that they could not develop the country socially and economically. Mamakthir would say that when Malaysia becomes one race which implies only one religion, it will be as good as Korea, in their rate of development. Mamakthir also believes that some Malaysians should get rich first and others can wait. That is why his type of NEWMalays are billionaires many times over. There are billionaire Koreans too, but they had to work hard whereas Mamakthir has easier means to achieve the same result.

  6. #6 by john on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 5:19 pm

    They (‘PM’, Ng Yen Yen, Bodowi, other bn lembiks ) brought SHAME to this nation !
    They do not show any remorse and worst, act as ” business as usual” and like always let the MSM do the SPINNING even when caught with their pants down rather “stark naked” where all can be seen and proven in You Tube.
    SO THICK SKIN ! only surpasses by MaMak Kutty.
    ABU IS THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE THIS NATION NOW COMES G13 !!!

  7. #7 by omeqiu on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 5:58 pm

    Why so much fuss about this irrelevant Psy? I find it disappointing that even Kit tried to ‘gain’ politically from Najib’s apparent bungle. What most people should be concerned is the money wasted.

  8. #8 by gofortruth on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 5:59 pm

    After Minister of Tourism Ng Yen Yen screwed up the BN CNY Penang show by ordering the Macee for the impromptu request for Psy to join in the “Lou sang”, now the Gerakan secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow has cooked up a cover up story which in the end will only screw BN further.
    http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/221363
    Sick jokes never seem to end with BN these days!!!

  9. #9 by yhsiew on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 6:20 pm

    It was said that firecrackers were ignited during the gathering. We all know that firecrackers and fireworks are banned in this country, how come BN can be above the law?

  10. #10 by joean on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 6:33 pm

    TAR himself said, pemerintahan sekarang pemerintahan zalim, back in 1998. He wished to end this. I believe he will because RAHMAN spell. Najis is that last character! Are you ready for BN? Never will.

  11. #11 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 7:55 pm

    OMG!

    Najib finally got sai-ed by Psy.

    Ha, ha, ha.

  12. #12 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 7:56 pm

    Now BN has to save face by saying security threat. Ha, ha, ha.

    Chia -sai.

    • #13 by cemerlang on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 8:56 pm

      I have to hand it to you guys gals in the mass media for being so creative

  13. #14 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 9:24 pm

    Of course there was a security threat. 60,000 people wanted Psy’s autograph, not Najib’s.

    And then there were the 10,000 or so phantoms who put up 10,000 posters in the middle of the night. Who they were the Police don’t know. Maybe they were ‘BuNians’ (spirits), get it ?

  14. #15 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 9:33 pm

    ‘…But Psy did not deliver the “surprise” of “Gangnam 1Malaysia Style”…’

    Of course not. Psy only delivers the original stuff. You want him to do the counterfeit stuff ?

    Besides, the ‘1Malaysia Style’ might be haram as it involved some donkey, monkey and camel moves which might not be appropriate. And they also did not have approvals from the Municipal and Health authorities.

  15. #16 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 9:54 pm

    Now Malaysia is world-famous.

    We have the first PM in the world to emcee a horse-dance move for a silly song (No offence meant, Psy!). In fact, Psy said so – he can’t understand why the world is psyched over some silly dance moves that he is bored with. But if the world wants to pay him his weight in gold for some horse-moves, Psy will do it. Now BN has paid in gold, so Psy danced some horsey moves for BN-lah.

    Ha, ha…And Najib is the Premier eMcee (PM).

    Makes Malaysia so cheap-lah for a PM to spend millions so he can emcee a 15-minute dance routine.

    If najib has brains, it’s stuck in some horse’s bottom, obviously.

  16. #17 by Loh on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 10:01 pm

    ///PAPAR, Feb 14 — Parliament will only be dissolved when all quarters, including the people, are ready for the polls, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. ///–MalaysiaInsider

    Najibcan’t even give a lame excuse properly. The people are always ready to vote BN out, and so the people has nothing to do with the next election. If Najib meant to imply that he has not got enough illegals for the citizenship- for-vote deal, then he can have at most 60 days to organize the next election. Thus he had no time to set a target. Of course Najib can alway resort to declaring the state of emergency for the reason that Najib is not ready to call for general election. But would Agong agree? Hence, Najib has no choice, if he still wants to pretend to observing democracy to

  17. #18 by yhsiew on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 10:41 pm

    Psy was right to reject the invitation to toss “yee sang”. He has his own self esteem. He would not want to be led by the nose and be a BN puppet. To him, politics is Malaysia’s internal problem. Malaysian politicians had better sort out the problem themselves and not get him involved.

  18. #19 by Loh on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 10:56 pm

    ///Speaking to FMT, Bishop Paul Tan urged the government to take stern action against Mahathir and all those who stoke the flames of racial and religious tension.
    The action, he stressed, was vital so that these persons’ “evil oil does not flow to others ending in engulfing Malaysia in flames”.
    Similarly, he said the law must come down hard on Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali and others who called or supported the burning of Christian Bibles containing the word Allah.///–freeMalaysia

    When a Bishop considers it important to make those remarks, Najib should listen.

    Ling Liong Sik said that Mamakthir was the greatest gift Ling’s God has gifted Malaysia, he meant it as a gift in disguise. Ling may want to revise his words, after he had deceived Mamakthir as the AG alleged.

    Korean has sent her president to jail even when they kept quiet after leaving office, this man will destroy the country so that he would not have to answer for his misdeed, and yet the government allows him to be seen to be above the law. For that alone, Najib does not deserve another chance.

  19. #20 by Loh on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 11:06 pm

    ///Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow said there was an attempt on top South Korean pop star Psy’s life, which is why Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was asked to leave the stage earlier after the ‘lo shang’ programme at the coalition’s Chinese New Year open house at Han Chiang College on Monday.///–Malaysiakini

    So Najib did not know that PSY was not around, and the organiser made Najib waited for seven minutes, according to you-tube records, to be told that PSY would not turn up after all. One would think that Najib as the PM was the VIP. It turned out that PSY was a VVIP, more important than Najib. Can Malaysians accept this; it is not Najib that matters, it is the office he holds.

  20. #21 by Bigjoe on Thursday, 14 February 2013 - 11:17 pm

    The self-infliction continues AFTER the embarassment. They have raised a litany of twisted points and even falsehood such as Psy denying he got paid by Malaysia, there was threat on Psy life, Najib left early because of threat etc..

    Not only that, Najib decided that his immediate comeback retort of the disaster in Penang is to go to Sabah and sneer at Anwar as campaign comeback when got himself laughed out of Penang all on his own..

  21. #22 by sheriff singh on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 2:29 am

    Toss yee sang, of course not.

    Toss kimchi, definitely Yes!!

  22. #23 by rockdaboat on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 10:55 pm

    To cover their embarrassment, they are now coming out with cock and bull story. Ha ha ha ha ha.

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