by Tan Zhong Yan
Malaysiakini
Feb 13, 2013
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and BN would surely have regretted inviting South Korean pop star Psy to the Penang state BN Chinese New Year open house.
The one-minute video which has gone viral in the cyberspace says it all – Yes for Psy! No for BN!
Winners
Psy
Well, Psy is clearly the winner. Getting millions of ringgit just to perform for 15 minutes is definitely worth it despite the fact that he had to fly from Brazil which took 20 hours.
The people
Those who went to the open house would surely enjoy themselves getting to see Psy performing his famous ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ for free as it was sponsored by person(s) unknown.
Hopefully that is true. If not, the people will be the greatest losers if it was paid with tax payers’ money.
Losers
PM Najib and BN
Those who turned up were mainly for Psy and the numbers were also much lower than was expected. I wonder what the difference would have been if Psy was not invited?
Even with Psy’s presence, the numbers of people were almost the same as five years back at DAP’s ceramah at Han Chiang College where no superstar like Psy were invited.
It’s even more pathetic when the crowd replied “Yes!” when Najib asked “Are you ready for Psy?” but “No!” when Najib asked “Are you ready for BN?”
PM Najib was just embarrassing himself by asking that question.
He was either over-confident or thinking that the crowd would not realise after he changed the question from “Are you ready for Psy?” to “Are you ready for BN?”
I am not sure whether Najib heard the “No” from the crowd but he will definitely get a clearer answer in the coming general election which will be held in a few months.
The question now that the people are keen to know the answer, is who is/are the sponsor(s) and exactly how much was spent for the open house and for inviting Psy.
#1 by monsterball on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 12:48 am
Billions stolen are stacked up overseas.
Who is sponsoring?
Umno b crony…unknown and unseen.
Indirectly….Malaysians are sponsoring…from ripped off…from the natural resources income…all stolen…one way or another.
From the reply NO to BN….shows Malaysians are focused in getting rid of massive corruptions…priority.. one.
#2 by boh-liao on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 1:09 am
At d BN organised Psy show in Penang, attended by BN supporters, it is really amazing n syiok 4 d whole world 2 watch EVEN BN supporters soundly said NO, NO, NO 2 NR, UmnoB/BN
D dumb peeM insisted 2 b knocked out 3 times by d crowd: NO! No! NO!
Even BN supporters remembered dat dis is d racist guy who held a kris in 1987, bayed 4 blood, n vowed “2 soak/bathe d kris in/with Chinese blood”
MCA n Gerakan members: Don’t U dare 2 forget dis threat n d TRUE color of dis racist guy
#3 by sheriff singh on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 2:25 am
Other losers include Rosmah, Ng Yen Yen and the BN dancers who did not get their chance to do their horsey dance despite having practicing for two weeks. Boy were they frus !
#4 by Noble House on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 4:18 am
Oh mine, what a public relations disaster we have here!
#5 by Jeffrey on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 5:59 am
Najib could have avoided embarrassment had he just put his rhetorical questions the other way around like, for eg. “are you ready for “20,000 units of affordable houses in the next 5 years, solution to traffic woes by road dispersal system to be supplemented by monorail system and upgrade of Han Chiang College’ to university college status?”
Instead he probably made the transition from “are you ready for Psy” to “are you ready for BN?” by reflex or out of habit (to rile the crowd), which in an opposition state, was an open invitation to rebuff!
#6 by Jeffrey on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 6:23 am
To cover up the PR disaster, the BN organizers have alleged sabotage (by people planted to shout “no”, “Psy’s emcee being told by ‘someone’ to invite him to toss yee sang to (the latest) attempt on Psy s life as evinced by earlier death threats he received forced organisers to call off plans to have the singer participate in a yee sang tossing ceremony with BN’s dignitaries (MalaysianInsider’s Opalyn Mok’s report of Feb 14). What hogwash is this? We have seen on the You tube the organizers looking high and low and calling out for Psy to join. It does not make sense that if there were threat to his life (for coming at BN sponsors’ request/payment) he was somehow not at risk for performing in the open but was suddenly at risk if he tossed ‘yee sang’. The whole PR exercise was ill fated when one invited rebuff by asking a presumably majority pro opposition crowd “are you ready for BN?”; and also not knowing a bit more of Psy’s political persuasion and the parody behind his gangnam style – which is to poke fun at who are trying very hard to be something that they’re not (fitting the organisers’ profile). Of course he would play ball after being prior alerted by fans of the political undercurrent of his engagement. All his PR advisers should be sacked for advising a programme that far from achieving its objective did the opposite at a time so near elections. To try cover up the boo boo by disingenuous explanations and justifications will only serve magnify and keep current the initial PR misstep (disaster in fact) more.
#7 by Jeffrey on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 6:25 am
“…Of course he would NOT play ball…”
#8 by Bunch of Suckers on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 7:46 am
‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ for free as it was sponsored by person(s) unknown.
What Unknown? Soon Rakyat will know where those RM$3.2 Millions came from for just 15 minutes of suck!!! Never those suckers are damn generous. In fact, they suck and greed for more into their own pockets…
George W Bush’s motto/ Mr Bushy, “You can cheat… You can run… but You cannot hide…”
#9 by aiD_kamikuP on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 8:00 am
**PUBLIC ANNOUNCENMENT**
There was no entry in the Immigration Dept records that PSY had entered the country.
The Loh Sang ceremony is now more appropriately called the LAU PSY ceremony for BN.
#10 by Bigjoe on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 8:03 am
What I am surprise is no one has combined the Listen! Listen! Listen! and Najib’s 3-peat ‘Are you ready for BN’!
#11 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 8:53 am
All roads lead to rome. And all umno shots are directed at its own foot.
The latest shot by umno – i.e. psy was threatened – will surely backfire. Yes, again. This time round umno, it seems, has needlessly accentuated and internationalised its cockup. An international celebrity has been threatened? Your sure ’bout dat, umno?
Whoooa. Some news huh? Will followers of psy’s facebook and tweet pls seek confirmation from the star.
#12 by SENGLANG on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 9:43 am
In their hurry to regain the people supports BN has lost its dignity as politician. BN leaders has lost their dignity and will do anything to save their face.
We have the Tung Shin water cannon lies by a minister.
Now we have another lies to cover their embarrassment.
Any one to believe that Malaysian is going after Psy?
Even those people in the war zone seem to find this Psy’s dances provide them some relief in the war zone environment.
BN is will manipulate and twist their tongue in what ever way they can. IT seem that their tongue can be twisted 360 degree round.
It is simple to win over the the voters and they have all the chances to do the right thing right NOW and no waiting if they win GE13. BN is is still have the power.
If they can give 1000 why not give it out now and wait for after GE13?
If they can cancelled the Batu Caves Condo project why wait until after GE13?
The education minister just need to sign an approval letter for more Chinese primary school why wait until after GE13? It is that difficult to type an approval letter?
Just do the right thing now and not after GE13.
#13 by ALtPJK on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 10:47 am
Though I have no soft spot for Najib, it must be said that it is quite discomforting to watch the video on NO! NO! NO! to BN and also the video on the ‘pyrrhic’ and hollow LohSang.
In the first video, one does not need much imagination to gauge the gut-churning and almost nauseating effort and poker-face Jib had to make in the 2nd & 3rd callling out of “Are you ready for BN” after hearing the first killer “NO”. What tonic will he need to settle his jangling nerves after that??!!
And if that is not enough, it is thoroughly embarrassing to see the headless chooks on the stage background seeking out the non-existent Psy and the craning-neck giraffes at the front try to put a brave face. Credit must go to the various ‘brave heroes’ who try to stir up the crowd in the face of impending calamity. Do we pity those poor souls up on stage, thinking they might get some publicity from the event but end up as collateral damage??.
To be fair, Psy was being quite rude to snub off his host for the no-show. Having made a cool 2 million for a 15-minute appearance, he should at least have some adat. But let that be the sponsor’s and/or sponsors sleep depriver.
We can only say that they have been served their JUST DESERTS.
Bring on the next SAI.
#14 by Bigjoe on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 10:49 am
Got the desperation in UMNO/BN is defeaning – terrifying – RM1,000 BR1M is now front and center as GE-13 battle cry after the fiasco. All else fail, SPEND OUR MONEY LIKE CRAZY…
#15 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 11:45 am
“Canthe Malays trust Anwar?”
Muhyiddin Yasin,
P.S. not the bodoh punya Melayu TPM
Between Anwar, a rat (rodent), Muhyiddin,
I would trust Anwar first.
I can predict a rat’s behaviour, so it ranks second.
Muhyiddin, the not-so-smart, bodoh-punya TPM, I trust last.
#16 by Jim55 on Friday, 15 February 2013 - 2:09 pm
2nd day of 2013 CNY was a “broken” day as I had highlighted before. Called it a mere coincidence or just a poor judgement and planning by the organisers of the Open-house event.
Nobody will believe that God has a hand in this fiasco! Or could it be that Altantuya’s soul is yet to rest in peace?
#17 by john on Saturday, 16 February 2013 - 12:26 am
Thank God we have the internet, Y Tube that can convey the whole truth and nothing but the truth extensively, endlessly, freely.
Is 100% the Rakyat end up footing the bills for Psy performance – there is no free lunch (such a over RM3M LUNCH!)
Psy is a professional performer (international worldly successsful one !) and he got paid for the act nothing more, nothing less. Is those UMNO/bn that acted without class and assume all like them !
ONE Ah-C-4 IS ALL TO BE BLAME / ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE WHOLE FIASCO !