Friendly Singaporean, really...

Friendly Singaporean, really...

Something strange is happening - Singapore is suddenly so friendly with Malaysia.

They are in fact defending our country, really, I am not kidding you.

Saw an article by Singapore Straits Times journalist S. Jayasankaran, who is based in KL. He rubbished a report by a so-called economic expert who predicted a dire future for Malaysia. I know for a fact that editors of that paper had in the past only published bad things about our country.

But not anymore. I had previously seen some nice stories about Iskandar Malaysia in Singapore's Press. So, this is most likely not a one off thing.
Maybe things are really going to be good between our country and them.

Well, there is that bridge thing.....hmmm, next month ya....

Ok, Singapore Straits Times are very kedekut. I can't cut and paste their articles. But never mind lah, at least they tried to defend us. So the next best thing I can do is to reluctantly cut and paste the one by the pro-Pakatan Malaysian Insider on the ST article.

There are two stories here - the first one is about Singapore ST defending us while the second one is an earlier report by Malaysian Insider which was proudly linked by Lim Kit Siang in his blog to show show how bad our country is.


FIRST MI STORY
Experts too downbeat on Malaysian economy, says Singapore BT
By Yow Hong Chieh
December 12, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Malaysia is vulnerable to a sharp Western slump but not as much as experts suggest, the Singapore Business Times said in a commentary today.

Calling downbeat views of the economy “overdone”, the paper’s Kuala Lumpur correspondent noted that Malaysia has so far maintained steady growth in the face of pessimistic market expectations.

“No one country, save perhaps those with very large domestic economies like India, Indonesia or China, is immune from a sharp Western slump.

“But to suggest that the country is in imminent peril of falling from a cliff may be something of an overstatement,” S. Jayasankaran said.

He pointed out exports grew almost 16 per cent year-on-year in October — more than double the seven per cent forecast for the month — on soaring commodity exports and improved production, which offset the impact from falling electronics output and exports.

Malaysia’s newly diversified portfolio of trading partners, including China and India, also continued to support growth even as demand from the developed markets slowed, he also said.

“If the Eurozone and the US were struggling, other emerging economies have stepped into the breach to take up the slack,” Jayasankaran said.

Shipments to China grew by 37.1 per cent to RM8.66 billion in October, while exports to India jumped 76.9 per cent that same month on the back of a new trade agreement.

Exports to Japan also rose 29.6 per cent to RM7.52 billion, mainly to meet post-tsunami and earthquake reconstruction needs and new demand arising from supply chain disruptions cause by floods in Thailand.

Jayasankaran also downplayed a warning by a Nomura International economist that Malaysia would be hit harder than its Asian peers by an economic crisis in Europe due to relatively weaker public finances and dependence on commodities.

Nomura chief economist for Asia ex-Japan, Robert Subbaraman, said last week that unlike most Asian countries, Malaysia will be negatively affected by an expected drop in commodity prices while the government will also find it difficult to keep up stimulus policies.

He said Malaysia ranked third in Asia ex-Japan in terms of exposure to European bank claims, after Hong Kong and Singapore, which could mean a drying up of liquidity should European banks start to cut their exposure to the region.

Figures provided by Subbaraman showed that European bank exposure to Malaysia amounted to US$50 billion (RM155 billion), or about 19 per cent of GDP, double that of the Asia ex-Japan average of nine per cent.

“That is something of an exaggeration,” Jayasankaran said.

“Since the early 1990s, the central bank has pushed foreign banks to incorporate locally which means they actually have capital here and aren’t just representative offices that actually derive their funds from their overseas parents.”

He said this meant there were risk management practices in place to protect local depositors, implying less exposure.

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz has also dismissed the US$50 billion figure as “exaggerated”, he added.


SECOND MI STORY
Malaysia among most vulnerable to euro crisis, says Nomura

By Lee Wei Lian
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 07, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — Malaysia will be hit harder than its Asian peers by the economic crisis in Europe due to its relatively weak public finances and dependence on commodities, said Nomura International today.

Its chief economist for Asia ex-Japan, Robert Subbaraman, said that unlike most countries in Asia, Malaysia will be negatively affected by an expected drop off in commodity prices while the government will also find it difficult to keep up stimulus policies.

“Malaysia is one of the economies that will weaken the most; it is in the weaker group of economies,” said Subbaraman at a media briefing here today.

Nomura economist for Southeast Asia Euben Paracuelles said Malaysia’s growth in the first three quarters of this year was largely led by government spending, but as public finances were relatively weak, he doubted that it would be sustainable.

Subbaraman also noted that Malaysia ranked third in Asia ex-Japan in terms of exposure to European bank claims, after Hong Kong and Singapore, which could mean a drying up of liquidity should European banks start to cut their exposure to the region.

Figures provided showed that European bank exposure to Malaysia amounted to US$50 billion (RM155 billion), or about 19 per cent of GDP, double that of the Asia ex-Japan average of nine per cent.

Commodities would dip by 15 per cent if a slowdown hits, says Paracuelles.Only the financial centres of Hong Kong and Singapore had higher exposures, at 77 and 55 per cent of GDP respectively.

“As European banks pull back exposure, it will show up as net capital outflow and availability of funding will start to dry up,” said Subbaraman.

He noted, however, that Malaysia still has a large current account surplus at 13 per cent of GDP, which should help support the ringgit against hefty depreciation against the US dollar, due to its trade performance.

Paracuelles said that if a global downturn happens, there would be a 15 per cent decline in commodity prices.

Malaysian government economists earlier said their economic projections were bolstered by expected continued high rubber and palm oil prices, which would help boost rural area spending.

Petronas said in a briefing last week that it expects oil prices to decline to US$85-87 per barrel next year, from US$110 currently.

In its November Asia Economic Monthly report, Nomura noted that Malaysia faces the prospect of unsustainable fiscal support.

“Given the public debt to GDP ratio of 55 per cent, the second highest in Asia, scope to continue with a very expansionary fiscal policy next year could prove to be limited,” said the report.

The report forecast a growth of 3.6 per cent for the first quarter of next year but rising to 7.3 per cent by the fourth quarter to give a full year growth of 5.1 per cent.

Subbaraman also said the risk of a hard landing in China is “not trivial” although the threat is greater after 2013-2014, following the handover of power to the next generation of leaders.

Nomura expects growth in Asia to drop to 6.6 per cent next year, from 7.5 per cent this year, and revised its 2012 global growth forecast from 3.8 per cent to 3.2 per cent.

Johor GE13: DAP the King of Pakatan

Johor GE13: DAP the King of Pakatan

While Umno are busy with its general assembly in KL now, the DAP are relentlessly working here in Johor.

Actually Johor DAP have been doing so since the end of 2008, while BN were still reeling from that disastrous general election.

It was believed that among their strategies was to move some of their supporters to strategic constituencies.This include the changing of IC addresses and voting registration of these supporters in the new constituencies where they believe DAP can win.



This was based on the abnormal increase of Chinese voters in certain areas.

Sources indicated that over 50 per cent of new voters registered since 2008 in these following State constituencies are Chinese  - Senai, Skudai, Penggaram, Puteri Wangsa, Pengkalan Rinting, Sungai Abong, Johor Jaya, Bukit Naning, Nusa Jaya and Bukit Permai.

I don't think there were any sudden population bloom among the Chinese in those areas at any period of Johor history. The only explanation is that those "additional new voters" come from other constituencies where DAP can't win.

I had previously posted the danger to Johor BN in parliamentary areas with high percentage of Chinese voters here -

Johor GE13 : The Chinese votes 1

I am honestly still in gloomy mood and had this morning decided not to post anything today, but this article I saw in mysinchew made me decide to write something.

It was written by Sin Chew columnist  Tay Tian Yan. I had read some of his previous articles and he came across as not being very BN friendly. This particular article was picked up by the pro-Pakatan Malaysian Insider.

(I am putting it here with addition of my own thoughts)

THE BATTLE ROYALE

    13th general election
    Opinion

 2011-12-01 18:36

By TAY TIAN YAN
Translated by DOMINIC LOH
Sin Chew Daily

PKR and Umno have successively held their general assemblies.
(Me - Umno not finished yet)

And the timing offers an excellent opportunity for people to make a comparison between the two.
(Me - Agree)

PKR's assembly was anything but momentous. Safe for the challenge by Youth leader Shamsul Iskandar that Umno amend the Constitution to ensure only Malays could become the country's prime minister, which did manage to arouse some controversies, the assembly was otherwise largely uneventful and uninteresting.
(Me - Agree)

But that does not mean PKR is devoid of its characteristics. Just the opposite, the party made a wise strategic move by holding its general assembly in Johor Bahru.
(Me - Aiyo, lame gimmick la that one)

Wait a minute! JB? The stronghold of Umno? Was PKR looking for trouble?
(Me - Poor attempt at being cheeky by Tay)

Not exactly. The strongest point of the rival could also be its most vulnerable part.
(Me - Too drama leh)

The clash of German and Soviet tanks in Kursk during World War II is a point in question.
(Me - Ok, I am a history buff - I would put in reply the Allies attempt to attack Germany via Italy, which was then erroneously described by Winston Churcill as the soft underbelly of Europe)

The Germans' fortress was on the west of Kursk. However, they opted to launch their attack from the south and north in an attempt to encircle the Soviet troops and wipe them out.
(Me - Ok, correct)

The Soviet troops almost could not resist the 6,000-strong tank invasion from the south and north, and it was pretty clear that the Russians were very likely to be crushed anytime. But then the Germans halted their assault due to supply disruption.
(Me - Wrong - The Russians broke the Germans' communication code and know the enemy were coming. They were prepared and built such a solid defense that the Germans exhausted themselves in the attempt to penetrate it)

Seizing the opportunity, General Georgy Zhukov mobilized his troops to counter-attack the Germans on the west. With most of their troops now bogged down in the north and south, the Germans were unable to redeploy their men to defend and were defeated, spelling a prelude to their eventual surrender.
(Me - The Battle of Kursk was a draw. Hitler pulled back his army due to the huge losses. The Soviets lost even more but they have more resources. The Soviet gain strategic advantage due to that leading them to win the war)

Back to our country. Many people think that the major battlefields in the coming general election will be in Selangor, Perak and Kedah. To be honest, the place that will determine the final outcome is none other than BN's stronghold in Johor.
(Me - What Tay didn't say is that, it is DAP's crucial battleground as they expect to win additional Parliamentary seats here, PKR can only hope for tokens from them while Pas who are to break the Malay votes will get nothing)

States like Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Terengganu are most definitely the frontline states that will see very heavy gunfire.
(Me - BN is secure at least in Terengganu despite Umno's infighting there. Pas is no longer as strong as they are made out to be)

While both BN and Pakatan may lose or gain some seats in these states, or perhaps some state administrations may even change hands after the election, the outcome is nevertheless unlikely to alter the parliamentary tectonic plate post-2008.
(Me - More or less true)

Johor is the biggest unknown. It is indeed a powerful fortress state for BN on peninsular Malaysia, but no one can tell whether it will remain BN's most assured asset.
(Me - Tay, I think you were pretending la - of course it is known - the storyline will be simple - DAP is banking on Pas to break the Malay votes for them while PKR just getting a free ride. The stupid one is Pas lah. I had wrote this repeatedly. DAP is the absolute king of Pakatan in Johor but they know BN is still too strong for them)

BN's two other fortresses--Sarawak and Sabah--are basically heavily secured lots that are extremely unlikely to tip.
(Me - What Tay? Are you trying to suggest Johor will tip? You are a senior writer la, don't make a fool of yourself, ok. Or rather don't try to convince those Pas fools that it is a Pakatan thing. The whole opposition show in Johor is DAP's. Pas and PKR are just comic relief characters in this State. They, in particular DAP may get some extra seats in the worst case scenario for BN but they will not take the whole State)

Johor provides a different picture. It is not that segregated as the two states in East Malaysia while the people have higher political awareness and better access to information.
(Me - Johor may not be geographically segregated, but it is different from the other States in the Peninsular because it always has a good BN State government. Not much corruption, especially under the current administration. Even Johor DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau will agree with me on this.if he is truly an honest man).

Unmoved in March 2008 does not mean Johor will remain unmoved in the coming general election.
(Me - True, but only among the Chinese overall votes. The Malays, despite some stupid Umno people and all stupid Pas people are still solidly with BN)

Moreover, the state has a relatively high ratio of Chinese population: Over 30% in most constituencies and 40% in some.
(Me - Kulai got 58 percent and Gelang Patah 53 per cent of Chinese voters - Tay, go update your figures, ok)

Besides Bakri that is already in DAP's embraces, constituencies like Kluang, Gelang Patah, Tebrau, Pasir Gudang, Labis, Johor Bahru, Pulai, Tanjung Piai, Segamat and Sekijang are all no longer BN's sure bets.
(Me - Tay, you miss Kulai, the parliamentary constituency in Johor with the highest percentage of Chinese voters. What are you trying to do here? You want BN people there to continue to sleep ka?)

If BN loses this important battlefront, its hopes of retaining Putrajaya could be dashed.
(Me - OK, this is true, the road to Putrajaya is via Nusajaya, so to speak, but BN is not going to lose it)

The weakest part of PKR and Pakatan in general lies in its poor organisation and fighting spirit in Johor, as well as their lack of substantial support among the Malay society.
( Me - Tay, you keep repeating the word Pakatan, come on la, its DAP la. What? You don't want the Johor Malays to realise that voting for Pas and PKR is actually voting for DAP ka?)

That said, it will be the parties' strategies and real strengths that will eventually decide the final score.
(Me - OK, fine, I agree with this one, except that DAP may also win more seats due to Malays stupidity either it be among Umno, Pas or PKR)

PKR bullshitting in Johor

PKR bullshitting in Johor

Thought of not writing about the PKR convention in JB which ends today but then I happened to read this article in NST titled "PKR takes pre-polls campaign to Johor". It was written by Zubaidah Abu Bakar, the newspaper's leading political correspondent.

Too enticing lah, so here goes -

Zubaidah wrote that PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail told the 2,000 strong crowd of the party's new election pledges which include raising the minimum household income to RM4,000 in five years and return Felda to the settlers from the present management.

Zubaidah correctly pointed out that Dr Wan Azizah did not however detailed out how the party would implement those pledges. That one expected lah. Making promises very easy what. Give some details la Kak Wan, how to do all those wonderful stuff.

Then the article went on to explain that JB had been chosen as venue of the convention as a symbolic of PKR's intention and that of its allies Pas and the DAP, to break the BN's fortress of Johor.

"The party's  "show of strength" in launching the assault on Johor is believed to be part of the strategy to boost the morale of party members to face the mammoth BN machinery during the election campaign," wrote Zubaidah.

Hmmm....I am sitting in my office not that very far from Pulai Spring where the convention is being held but I don't see the "strength" being shown la. Well, never mind.... Oh, almost miss it - mammoth BN machinery? Where got la. Johor BN machinery is not so big...during the Tenang by-election, you can hardly saw them what.

"PKR began a weekend assault on Johor featuring Anwar and party leaders as speakers at night ceramahs in what is seen as attempts to deny the state from continuing to be fixed deposit for BN," wrote Zubaidah again.

Well, this nightly ceramah assaults were carried out in that small hamlet of Tenang to no effect la. This time they were assaulting the whole of Johor...uh uh, so drama. By the way, I wonder what were mentioned about Johor in those ceramah. Johor got big issue which can topple the BN State government meh? It was not mentioned in the article and I am not very keen to search the PKR websites for them...well, never mind....

"It is not impossible. Selangor was also a BN stronghold," Azmin Ali, the party deputy president was quoted as saying.  Also expressing confidence was party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who said Pakatan can take over Johor, claiming that the current sentiment on the ground is similar to Perak and Selangor prior to Election 2008.

Wah! Really ka? If Azmin is confident, then he should come and contest in Johor la instead of sniping at PKR's Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim. Also, since Saifuddin said he know the sentiment on the ground in Johor, he should also join Azmin here in Johor.

Really, Johor PKR got no one to lead them. The fact that Chua Jui Meng, the MCA reject is leading the party in the State is really pathetic la.

They are totally dependant on DAP and Pas here to do the works. In fact, Chua, not knowing his place, already had a fight with Johor DAP boss Dr Boo Cheng Hau...so how? Can la Azmin and Saifuddin, come and contest in Johor. Sure win one liao.

Zubaidah said it is uncertain how the party had come to the conclusion that Pakatan can take over Johor; its calculations were probably based on the sentiment of the Chinese in other parts of the country, which remain against the ruling BN. Hmmm....no la Zubaidah, they know they cannot win in Johor. That one they just simply said so that their people will not know that they are just lame ducks in Johor.

Patriotic squatter youths

Patriotic squatter youths

Am still a bit high with Malaysia's football SEA Games victory over Indonesia last night.

Watched it at a packed mamak restaurant (they even run out of chairs).

The atmosphere was electrifying to say the least as the crowd jumped with joy when the lads secured the win via penalty kicks. Congrats to the boys!!!



A group of scruffy youths made it seems as if we were all actually at the stadium, thumping on the table and cheering all the way till the end. The whole gang of them then goes around on their motorcycle waving the Malaysian flag and honking away to celebrate.

These boys, from their look, I presume are from poor families living at the nearby squatter settlement  of Skudai Kiri. They may not have much in the material sense, but despite that they seems to genuinely love their country by supporting its football team who are playing thousands of kilometers away. Their shouts of encouragement for the players were as if they could be heard across the distance.

Honestly, I am more proud of these boys, who could be just mat rempits at night and factory workers by day  rather than some smart ass rich kids who feel that their talents, acquired due to their privileged position in life are too good for this country. What is the point of having the brain and talents but not the heart for the country.

Birth of Iskandar Malaysia - for non-Johoreans

Birth of Iskandar Malaysia - for non-Johoreans

When Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman took up the mantle of leadership in Johor, he clearly displayed his balanced outlook, by introducing the holistic development approach in his first budget speech in 1996.

  In essence, his holistic development approach ensures that economic development of the state must be balanced with the development of its people's well-being.

  With that, Johor embarked on upgrading its clean water processing and distribution to provide clean water to as many people as possible.

  They also embarked on the rural road programme "Jalan Kampung" through state GLC KPRJ, that finally saw thousands of kilometers of rural roads getting the tarred treatment, creating better accessibility to rural produce and services.

  The arts in the form of music and dance were also added to schools' extra curricular activities to ensure students with such inclination has an outlet within a controlled environment and minimise the truancy problem.  It brought "Zapin", a folk dance particular to Johor, into international attention such that Johor kids are now performing the dance internationally.  It is also in a way part of Ghani's effort to maintain the "jati diri" (identity) of the Johor Malays.

  In balance, mosques throughout the state were also encouraged to hold frequent and regular community activities to ensure that they stayed relevant as part of the spiritual fulfillment for muslims and the communities they served.  State-sponsored religious education continued being strengthened with linkages to enable a promising advanced education and career options for students while more schools were built.

  State-sponsored community colleges were also introduced throughout the state to equip less academically-inclined youngsters with employable skills that will improve their future potential.
  A number of forest reserves and natural heritage sites were also identified and gazetted to ensure that the state's dwindling natural forests are preserved and allowed to grow back up to the 30% mark set by the state planners while natural sciences research centres were encouraged to set up operation in the state's national parks.

  Despite the 1997/98 financial crisis which was highly detrimental to Johor institutions, and with a number of its public commercial initiatives facing ruin, Ghani managed to steer not only these Johor institutions out of bad weather, but ensure they continue to grow stronger in the aftermath.  

  He was even more convinced that Johor's holistic approach towards development, will be the key sustaining factor that will be its defence against a recurrence of similar crisis as evidence in his 1999 budget speech.

  Economics, afterall, consists of peaks and trenches, and no doubt that dips will happen again.

  Johor and its people must be made fundamentally strong to ensure that it will be able to weather such crises with minimal damage and with that came the requirement to re-position Johor as a top investment destination that will rival the best in the region.

  Core to the plan will be making the most of Johor's ideal location, existing logistics facilities, abundant resources and industrious locals to attract would be investors that will spur development of new industries, and ensure industrial resilience by re-structuring its economic growth drivers.
  Firstly, Johor is blessed with a coastline that continues from the east to the west of the peninsular.  It has three international seaports and an international airport, many industrial parks, in addition to being located on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.  What is required is a good road network or highway systems connecting them all, that will also facilitate better east-west access to raw materials and open up new areas for development.

  Secondly, Johor Bahru was also getting heavily congested and subjected to frequent flash floods while state buildings and housing occupy some of the most high-value real estate in the city.  A new seat of government similar to Putrajaya is required, away from the commercial hustle and bustle of the city, but within easy distance that will not be inconvenient to the public, which will also free high-value real estate for commercialisation and the transformation of Johor Bahru City Centre.
  Thirdly, its proximity to Singapore should be capitalised to benefit Johor; instead of simply being Singapore's backyard or hinterland, Johor should aspire to build a city of equal stature socially, if not commercially, to the city nation.

  Historically, Johor had not been very high on the list of Federal infrastructure development funding as states such as Selangor, Kedah, Kelantan or Penang, but this time around the state required Federal assistance to make this a reality.

  It had always been a middling state, not poor enough to require attention, but not near enough to the seat of power like Selangor to require Federal infrastructure focus, or as historically significant colonial outposts as Melaka or Penang to attract tourism projects.
  The state itself did not have the financial means to make all this happen within a time-frame that would make it meaningful, nor would it likely be able to raise the funds itself considering the many development programmes continuously being put in place to raise the quality of living for the rakyat.

  But Johor must position itself for the new millenium, therefore Federal assistance was required to make the transformation in a timely manner and a proposal was worked out by the planners at Bukit Timbalan.
  Ghani and his people had then drafted a comprehensive plan for it in early 2000s and when it was submitted to the Federal Government, was given the green light by then PM Dr Mahathir. 

  However, by the time it was possible to implement the plan, it was Pak Lah at the helm.  Not only did the original plan became a "corridor", the crooked bridge was also cancelled, MRCB via its 4th Floor networkings made inroads through the EDL, and that legacy is now entrenched in Irda and JCorp.
  Nonetheless, Iskandar Malaysia, is for now the only one of all the development corridors which still has the potential to meet its objectives.
  

Johor GE13 : The true Ghani's loyalists

Johor GE13 : The true Ghani's loyalists

The ongoing ground work of Johor BN is at a relentless speed now as the next general election draws near.

To the surprise of many, especially the bigwigs at Umno HQ in KL, Johor MB Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman had choosen to ignore their directive to hold a State BN convention. Some, were actually very pissed off with him.

Ghani had choosen instead to go straight to the ground visiting the peti undi areas and personally tweaking whatever need to be tweaked. This is the same strategy he used to secure BN's comprehensive win in the Tenang by-election.

It is understood, that Ghani had choosen to ignore the KL's directive as it was felt that holding a convention will be a waste of time and resources and not be of any benefit for BN in its effort to win the GE. It is just gathering a few thousands party members, have a talk fest full of jingoism, eat nice food, give each other a pat in the back, and then go home.

Going straight to the ground on the other hand enable assessments to be made on the spot and problems solved in the shortest time possible.

But it should be noted that Johor has almost 1,000 peti undi areas and Ghani is trying to cover all of them before the next GE which is just around the corner. My bet is, it will be in April next year.

This exhaustive tour throughout Johor must be done without let up. The objective was to ensure a BN clean sweep in the State - a very difficult one but not impossible.

Now, the most amazing thing about the whole thing is that, Ghani had made the decision based on the recommendation of one of his staff, who despite knowing the difficulties and hardship he himself will have to endure, had choosen to make the recommendation anyway.

Considering the tough fight ahead due to the changing political landscape since 2008, I strongly believe that the decision  was correct. There is no easy way to ensure BN's win this time.

Ghani's effort is actually heavily dependent on a small team of staff, who work mostly behind the scene, preparing all the materials for presentations and strategy road maps, data collecting, follow-up works etc etc.

These bunch of people are whom I see as the real Ghani's loyalists.

Except for their relatively small salaries, they got nothing else. And knowing some of them, I realise they are not even expecting or asking for anything more than that.

I am dead certain that none of them had ever ask Ghani to appoint them as a board member of some fancy corporation - that previlage apparently belong to some other group of people.

Some of you may be thinking that I am bullshitting you again. But really, go ahead and ask Ghani himself if you don't believe me. These people really exist.

One of these Ghani's loyalists had told me not to be too sad about the Kulim appointments after she read my last posting which was on the matter.

"I am not being a blind follower of Ghani. He must have his own reason for allowing that to happen.. Ghani has always done the right thing. Let's trust his decision again this time," she said.

I was not however buying it.

"Come on la, you yourself know that at least that Wan Firdaus prick is not qualified in any way to sit as a member of any sort of BOD. You yourself had told me that you had checked the boy's works and they are nothing but crap ," I shot back at her.

These were her reply -

"Ok, just calm down. Whatever it is, Ghani can't afford to have people like you to turn your back on him now. We are facing a bigger fight soon and he need every single one of us. Bear with this one. We can always deal with it after the election."

At that moment I felt like laughing. This lady is still loyal to Ghani despite everything. I know for a fact that she is just a contract worker earning less than me and has no pay increase ever since she work for Ghani almost half a decade ago. (And my salary is not that great either - I can only afford to rent a room for RM300 a month....and I can't even afford to buy a laptop)

I did ask her once, whether she is worried that she may not have a job in the event this is Ghani's last term as MB. Her simple reply was that she can always find another job. True enough, after I did my checks, she turned out to be formerly a highly-paid senior manager of a multi-national company. Surely she can always get another job.

So. what made these sorts of people loyal to Ghani?

Honestly, after the Kulim thingy. I am not so sure.  But from the Ghani whom I know, he sorts of inspire people by his sincerity and integrity. He makes people who bothered to know him better believe that there are still good and honest politicians around.

I may not see Ghani in the same way as before after the Kulim appointments but I will always salute his loyalists who despite everything continue to stand by their man.

A very sad day

A very sad day

I am writing this with extreme sadness in my heart.

This posting by BigDog today really broke my heart -

JCorp Jumbo-Mumbo

I tried very hard the whole morning to find out what had happened but my efforts were futile.

Being an ardent supporter of Johor MB Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, I find the appointments of Ahmad Zaki Zahid, Wan Mohd Firdaus Wan Mohd Fuad, Edward Leung Kok Keong and Natasha Kamaluddin into the highest positions of Kulim, the subsidiary of JCorp simply unpalatable. These people are part of the young liberals bunch who almost wrecked this country via the Fourth Floor Boys of the Pak Lah era.

Datuk Ghani, what have you done? Don't you realise these appointments will destroy everything good that you had done for Johor these past 16 years?

For one, Datuk, I know you are fond of your special assistant Wan Firdaus, but that boy is really no good. Are you aware of the kind of nonsense he pulled in Irda? Please check with your people. I mean, your people who have been loyal to you all these years and had sacrificed so much without expecting any "special" things from you. Check with them how Malik Imtiaz Sharwar, a member of the DAP's Penang government's think tank was invited to give a lecture on how great the Penang and Selangor administrations are compared to the the Federal government at the Irda headquarters on Oct 24.

Datuk Ghani, I still trust that you are the best man to lead Johor for now, as I don't see anyone else to replace you.  But really, I am tired. I don't know what is the rationale behind those appointments, but I believe the damage is done. The daggers are out to stab you Datuk Ghani. And these are not even the daggers of the Pakatan people.



My prayers with you Datuk Ghani.

Johor GE13 : The Chinese votes 1

Johor GE13 : The Chinese votes 1

If the Chinese community factor is put into the equation of electoral battleground in Johor - things may get really gloomy for BN as the next general election draws near. Well, at least that is my perception, derived from the information I gathered from those who seems to be in the know.

A high ranking Johor Umno official disclosed to me that the situation is "really bad".

"And this is Johor, which is our (BN) stronghold where the MCA and Gerakan people can still show their face after the 2008 general election," he said.
" I can't imagine what is going on in Perak and Selangor which have more or less the same ethnic and geographic composition as us.
" To a lesser extent, I think the situation here also reflects on what is going on in the smaller states of Malacca and Negeri Sembilan which have large Chinese community.
"Let us not even talk about Penang."

The desertion of Chinese voters from  BN was almost complete in 2008 and indications in Johor points to the fact that the situation is still the same or worse this time around.

The Johor Umno official said BN in the State may only hope for just 30 per cent of the Chinese votes.

"In fact we will be lucky to have that much" he added.

What is actually the reason for the Chinese votes to swing so dramatically to the opposition?

"First of all, MCA and Gerakan really screwed up and have yet to really recover from what happened in 2008. All those lousy candidates they fielded in the last election really damaged our efforts," said the Johor Umno official.
"As you may observe, their election machinery are not yet moving properly. They are yet to start with the behavioral survey (bancian sikap) of the Chinese community in the respective areas despite the election being just around the corner, let alone go from door to door canvassing for support."

"Yes, there are some MCA and Gerakan division leaders who are making the efforts but they are the exceptions rather than the norms.



"Some of them do not even seems to care what is going to happen. Just look at (former MCA president) Ong Ka Ting, who is the Kulai MP. He did not even bother to be around when MB (Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman) visited the peti-peti undi in his area the other day. Doesn't he know that the local community are complaining to the MB that they hardly see him in Kulai?"

The Johor Umno official nonetheless was even more worried about the splitting of Malay votes which he claimed to have embolden the Chinese community to assert their political will on the side of the Pakatan alliance.

"I hope I am wrong, but personally, I feel that the Chinese community in Johor are quietly hoping to turn this state into something like Perak when the Pakatan people have power there after the last general election.
"They had a puppet Malay MB controlled by the Chinese DAP."



"I am actually amazed that the Johor Pas people do not seems to realise that they are just being used by DAP and PKR to split the Malay votes. In a worse case scenario, Pakatan may win several (electoral) seats in Johor but rest assured, Pas will not get any of them."

"Johor now, is probably at risk of ending up like Sarawak after their recent State election. The bumiputra on one side and the Chinese on the other. It is scary."

As of whether the voting trend had crossed the racial line as claimed by some. The Johor Umno guy had this to say -

"Bullshit! Just look at the Gelang Patah parliamentary area where the Chinese voters made up about 53 per cent of the electoral roll, Malays there are only about 33 per cent, and yet PKR lose there in 2008 despite DAP winning big in the Skudai state seat in the same area. (The other State seat in Gelang Patah is Nusajaya).
"The only explanation I can give you is that at that time, a Malay lady doctor was the PKR candidate. The hardcore DAP supporters in Skudai can't stomach voting for her.
"I can bet you that they will field a Chinese there in the next general election and from what I heard it is going to be none other than that bastard Chua Jui Meng."



A talk I had with a friend who is a Kulai DAP office bearer indicated that there are some truth to what the Umno guy was saying.

"Yes, we are quite sure to win here (Kulai) and in Gelang Patah," she said.
"We are also confident about Bakri, Segamat, Labis and Kluang. The fifty-fifty areas will be in Pulai, Tebrau, Pasir Gudang, Johor Baru, Batu Pahat, Tanjong Piai and Ledang."

The composition of Chinese voters in Kulai are 58 per cent , Gelang Patah (53 per cent ), Bakri (55 per cent), Segamat (48 per cent), Labis (48 per cent), Kluang (51per cent), Pulai (41 per cent), Tebrau (39 per cent), Pasir Gudang (40 per cent), Johor Baru (43 per cent), Batu Pahat (46 per cent ), Tanjong Piai (48 per cent) and Ledang (42 per cent ).

The score on parliamentary battleground in Johor currently stood at - BN 25, Pakatan 1 (DAP Bakri)

As for the State seats, based on what the DAP lady told me, Pakatan are aiming to win up to 16 of them. All are of areas with high percentage of Chinese voters.

The irony of it all, if indeed the Pakatan dream come through, Pas, who will play the crucial role of breaking the Malay vote will not get even one of those.

"We are confident to get up to 90 per cent of the Chinese votes and at least 70 per cent of the Indians," said my DAP friend.
" We are now hoping for Pas to help us reduce the BN's Malay votes. If they can managed  to reduce it to 70 per cent, we will consider them to have done a good job."

Prince Andrew was NOT kidnapped in Johor

Prince Andrew was NOT kidnapped in Johor

Yes, Guan Eng, the prince was not kidnapped in Johor. Here is the report -

 NUSAJAYA: Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, today opened the campus of Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) at Educity here.
In his speech, the prince said the opening of the campus would popularise the university and draw students from the world over to the institution.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and Newcastle University chancellor Sir Liam Donaldson were also present at the event.

About 80 students have begun a five-year course beginning September. The university is targeting a student intake of 900 by 2017.

Abdul Ghani said it is envisaged that the university will become a major contributor to the national effort to raise the number of trained doctors from 3,000 annually to 4,000 in five years' time.

He also said that the opening of the campus provided 50 jobs for the local people. -- BERNAMA

Well, just for the record, Guan Eng said these in Singapore - 

This is another Crook

Am I bullshitting you?

Am I bullshitting you?

Been off-grid over the past few days. Running around doing my work and no time to drop by the cyber cafe to post anything for this blog.

Yup, I am operating this blog from a cybercafe. The truth is, I don't even have a personal computer. Simple reason, because I can't afford to buy one yet. Contrary to popular belief, not all pro-BN bloggers are paid Umno cybertroopers or someone rich and fat from ill-gotten gain.

That cat is not me. I put the picture just because I wish I have that sort of  laptop.
Never mind, I will ask my financial controller to buy me a laptop like that. Hopefully my no-good bosses will give me some nice bonus end of this year so that I can afford it. It's really hard to write something with a nine-year old kid playing some gory shoot-em-up computer game sitting next to me in the cyber cafe.

For those who have been following this blog, I thank them from the bottom of my heart, but please note that the only Umno leader whom I have been singing praises is Johor MB Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman....and this guy Ghani is not paying me anything for it. He does not know who I am and I am not working for him or expecting anything from him. I am praising him for free, simply because he is truly one of the good guys in BN.

Ok, some people in the opposing Johor Umno camps, who wanted their own guy as the new MB  may want to vomit whatever they had eaten this morning after reading what I wrote above. Sorry guys. I am still of the opinion that the reality is, if Ghani goes after the coming GE, your guy who replace him will vomit blood trying to do what Ghani had done so far for Johor.

Do you all think it is easy to maintain this BN bastion? I had listed the requirements to be a Johor MB here -
1. To administer the State Government
2. To command the Johor Umno warlords
3. To earn the respect of the BN component parties
4. To maintain BN dominance over the opposition in Johor.
5. To have a good working relationship with the Johor palace
6. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - To resist the temptation of enriching oneself and cronies by plundering Johor's riches.

Most of the new Johor MB candidates, I believe, will not be able to satisfy the most important requirement, that is to resist the temptation to enrich oneself and not using the MB position to strengthen one's personal political position at the expense of Johor Umno's unity.

If you still think I am bullshitting about Ghani, go and ask the most experienced and reputedly honest of all the Johor Umno warlords - Datuk Shahrir Samad. Ask him to name one guy among his peers or juniors who can become the new Johor MB.

Fortress Johor Part 3 : BN's Achilles' heel

Fortress Johor Part 3 : BN's Achilles' heel

In the second instalment of this series of articles on Johor, we got a glimpse of how Johor BN under the stewardship of its chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman would handle the coming onslaught of the Pakatan hordes in the coming general election.

The battle plan seems solid as proven by the success in the Tenang by-election.

However, as with everything else in life, things are not perfect.

Among the biggest problems faced by Johor BN in executing its plan is the apparent selfishness of some of its leaders (in this case, those from Umno) who only care about their own short-term political survival rather than ensuring the continuity of the coalition's dominance in the State.

On another front, the stupidity of the Johor Pas leadership who are allowing themselves to be manipulated by their Pakatan partners (especially DAP) is another major concern as it could break the Malay vote bank of Johor BN.

Let us not even get into the details of what is happening, or rather what is not very happening in MCA and Gerakan. I will deal with that in other pre-GE series on Johor.

Before I really start, here are the statistics on the balance of power in Johor :
Parliamentary seats :
BN - 25
Pakatan -1 (DAP - Bakri)
State seats :
BN - 50
Pakatan - 6 (Dap 4 - Skudai, Senai, Mengkibol, Bentayan; Pas 2 - Sungai Abong, Maharani, PKR 0)

THE MUAR DEBACLE IN 2008

Despite claims by opposition figures that Johor is ripe for the picking, the reality on the ground is not so clear-cut.  PAS has been trying to convince themselves that they can take on Umno in Malay-majority seats, but in truth they have been relegated to the role of breaking Malay solidarity in Johor to enable DAP and PKR to win valuable Johor parliamentary seats.

Case in point, in the fight for Muar-Maharani-Sungai Balang, if the Umno candidates Datuk Mohd Ismail Mohd Shah for Maharani (53% Malay voters), and Dr Robia Kosai for Sungai Balang (71% Malay voters) had not been so stupid as to have their factions sabotaging each other during the 2008 campaign, the likelihood of PAS winning Maharani would have been extremely slim if not impossible.  Actually, Sungai Balang remained an Umno seat by virtue of it having a larger proportion of Malay voters than Maharani.  It can therefore be concluded that Umno gave away Maharani to PAS in 2008, which in football terms would be an "own goal".

My personal assessment is, it would be stupidity in the extreme if Umno were to put these two up as candidates again in the next General Election, regardless of quota requirements or whatnots, as they have proven themselves to be morons of the highest order.  Word on the ground is, if Dr Robia is Umno candidate again in the coming election, Malik Mohd Diah (of PAS) may become the new ADUN for Sungai Balang.  So if Umno is really going to field winnable candidates in the coming GE, they already knew whom not to field in Sungai Balang.

CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUNDS OF SOUTHERN JOHOR

However, what is happening further down south in the Kulai and Gelang Patah parliamentary constituencies is far more interesting, where we can clearly see how the fight for Johor will unfold in the coming months.  The recent fight between DAP and PKR over the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat was reported in the press, signifying the first public signs of cracks within the opposition pact in Johor.  However, more interestingly, is that it reflects the level of confidence the opposition pact have about winning both Kulai and Gelang Patah in the next General Election.

GELANG PATAH

Gelang Patah, which is where the seat of power of Johor at Kota Iskandar is located was PKR's battleground in 2004 and 2008, and they had been putting everything into wresting Gelang Patah from BN in the next GE, with their AMK virtually setting up camp and operating out of this constituency.  In 2004, they didn't do too well, garnering a measly 9,335 votes, or 18% of total turnout.  In contrast, they did very well in 2008, with their candidate getting 41% of total votes, a significant increase from their previous effort, largely thanks to PAS supporters.  If the trend of dwindling support for BN continues to the present, the likelihood of BN losing the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat is very real, thanks to the continuous hard work of PAS members and Umno's complacency there.

Support for PAS in Nusajaya state seat in the 12th GE was more than double that of the 2004 GE.  It has been observed that once PAS got you, they rarely let you go, so I expect the support they got in 2008 will not be reduced by much if at all.  The surge in support for PKR is largely due to Malay votes as the mainly Chinese Skudai voters were overwhelmingly for DAP in the Skudai state seat but didn't give similar support to PKR for the parliamentary seat.

Even though it is unlikely that PAS would win in Nusajaya, they have done their work well in that particular constituency to split the Malay vote and will probably be instrumental in delivering the Gelang Patah seat to the opposition pact, regardless of it being DAP or PKR.

KULAI

Meanwhile, the fragmentation of Kulai Umno is apparent, while MCA has yet to recover from their internal strife in this Chinese-majority constituency.  With Chinese representing almost 60% of its constituents, the role of MCA and Gerakan in reversing the trend of dwindling support in Kulai will be crucial.  MCA has not been very successful in attracting younger or new voters as reflected by a recent public event at a Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina in Senai where even the attending NGOs were just MCA-led NGOs.

Unless the infractious behaviour of Umno warlords in Kulai is contained, the trend of dwindling Malay support for Umno will eventually contribute towards the loss of the Kulai parliamentary seat despite it retaining the Bukit Permai state seat.  While the divisional leadership is in a state of extreme complacency, in-fighting occurs at all levels and the grassroots machinery has yet to be fully mobilised.  Only the Wanita wing seems to be working on the ground, with the Wanita wings of MCA and Gerakan also doing their part.  If not for the internal strife within DAP and between DAP and PKR, this situation would have been fully exploited by DAP to expand its influence and strengthen their grassroots support.

For the coming GE, Dr Boo Cheng Hou, the DAP representative for Skudai, would have preferred to stay and fight for Gelang Patah by swapping another seat with PKR, but it looks like he has to set his sights on Kulai instead to further his political career.  This means he will have to depend on the Bukit Permai PAS supporters to reduce BN's Malay support in the only Malay majority state constituency within Kulai and it looks PAS will deliver despite them not likely to win the Bukit Permai seat themselves.

Assuming that the opposition assessment of having more than 80% of Chinese and Indian support is true, PKR will win in Gelang Patah and DAP will win in Kulai if PAS members continue to do well in reducing BN's Malay support in these two constituencies with their usual passion (and blind devotion to party rhetoric).

CONCLUSION
 
 That means PAS will be able to deliver two parliamentary seats to the opposition pact without winning a single seat themselves.

The Gelang Patah and Kulai strategy will likely be adopted by DAP in other constituencies with similar ethnic composition (which is most of urban Johor) to ensure that they can capture up to 5 parliamentary seats and 12 state seats in Johor.  PKR may be able to gain a parliamentary seat and 3 state seats.  It would be wise for BN to contain opposition activities in Tebrau, Pulai, Pasir Gudang, Labis, and Segamat in addition to Kluang, Bakri, Kulai and Gelang Patah.  These parliamentary seats are vulnerable for Johor BN.

Despite all these, the Johor BN election machinery, under the leadership of Ghani, are currently being mobilised to ensure that the formula first deployed in the Tenang by-election will be applied in full force for a clean sweep of both state and parliamentary seats in Johor.  If done right, this will ensure that Malay support for BN will continue to grow to 70-80%, and may reach 90% in areas where Umno perform well at grassroots level in the past few years.

With the resurgence of Umno and MIC, and if they do not sabotage each other like the two moronic Umno candidates of 2008 did in Muar, it is not likely that PAS will retain either Sungai Abong or Maharani.  Unless BN really mess up, PAS will not win any of their Malay-majority seats either.

 However, PAS will continue to play a significant role in reducing Malay support for BN, and this factor is something BN, and more specifically Umno, will have to take care of.

With MCA and Gerakan still in defunct mode, it will be up to Umno, with the help of MIC, PPP and other Indian-based entities within BN to ensure the coalition's victory in Johor.  Unless MCA and Gerakan wake up from their slumber, they will find themselves without a single  win in Johor - a worrying prospect indeed.

Fortress Johor Part 2 : Ghani's Bru

Fortress Johor Part 2 : Ghani's Bru

As I wrote earlier, Johor MB Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman is likely to retire from politics after the next general election.

That is, I believe, if the PM will let him do so. Najib is after all hard pressed to have all his best men in place for the election and after.

Honestly, how many of these few good men does Najib have? How many are there who are truely free from allegations or perception of corruption? How many have the stature and pedigree to lead the much battered Umno? Bear in mind, after the disastrous Pak Lah administration, and the ferocious attacks by Pakatan bloggers and portals pre and post 2008 general election, not many Umno leaders are left unscathed.

Ghani is actually an anomaly. He has more or less been spared from these attacks by the Pakatan people simply because there is not much they can run him down with. His administration of the State has been tip top - well, not perfect but definitely among, or in my opinion, the best in the country. His personal record is equally immaculate. However, Ghani is actually under attack from within Umno. It is not that he has made many enemies among his peers but his position as Johor MB is the envy of many. It is so tempting because Johor remains as a stronghold of not just Umno but BN as a whole. Johor is also a rich State. The MB seat is simply too tempting to have and that is why so many want it.

What many failed to realise is that Johor is what it is, not due to accident. It is an Umno and BN stronghold not because it is the birth place of Umno. Malays, after all, only make up between 52 and 55 per cent of the population, which is hardly an overwhelming majority. The truth is, a lot of sincere hard work and sacrifices were put in by leaders like Ghani to build the foundation for the coalition's dominance in the State.

This series of articles on Johor is meant to shed light on why the State remains with BN even in the most trying of general elections. These are stories of how putting the interests of the party ahead of one's self is paramount in the struggle for "AGAMA, BANGSA dan TANAHAIR".

For the coming general election, let us see what Ghani has in store for Umno and BN.

The Tenang by-election earlier this year is a glimpse of how Johor BN mobilised its machinery and how it managed to accurately predict the outcome of the by-election days earlier.

It also gave Johor BN an opportunity to test out its new formula, and provided its grassroots and divisional leaders experience of this new "grassroots leadership" formula.

Objectives going into the Tenang by-election:

1.   Win with a bigger majority than the 2008 election
After the disastrous 12th GE, Johor BN needed a convincing win to boost the morale of party "troopers" on the ground.  The win in Tenang, where Malay constituents represent less than 50% of the total voter population (representative of much of Johor) means it will be a key indicator of how Johor will fare in the next GE.

2.   Empower "Ketua Peti Undi" to lead the campaigning at their own localities
They know their territories and the local sentiments far better than anyone else, so they are given the authority and responsibility to conduct the best winning strategies at their own Peti Undi with tactical support being provided by Johor BN leadership.

3.   Expose higher ranking party members to working with local leadership
Divisional Heads and their teams were fostered to peti-peti undi, but they were subject to the leadership of the local Ketua Peti Undi.  External help was welcomed, but the same rule applies, they must defer to local leadership and the appointed Ketua Peti Undi.  It provided Johor Divisional Heads with first-hand experience in working hand-in-hand with grassroots leadership and localised campaigning.

At the forefront of campaigning, Ghani himself was providing a very low-key, hands-on approach,  personally going around assessing the situation at the peti-peti undi, his very presence motivating these grassroots men and women to strive for better results.  Morale was high.  There wasn't any political posturing, hardly any large-scale (translated as expensive) "ceramah" sessions, and minimal intervention from "outsiders" to campaign activities.  The focus was entirely on managing the voters perception as opposed to influencing national perception, that there was hardly anything interesting to report in the national dailies other than the foibles of opposition figures.

The entire by-election was such a low-key event for BN that there were political analysts, not familiar with the ways of Johor BN and its chief, who began to opine that BN Johor was lethargic and the campaign director was ineffective, i.e. "BAD, BAD CHOICE, Mr Prime Minister".

The outcome, however, speaks for itself (as in IN YOUR FACE, DOUBTERS!!).  As far as Johor BN is concerned, it was Mission Accomplished.

I have been to many post-2008 by-elections, and my observations have led me to conclude that the Tenang by-election is where BN spent the least amount of money, and yet delivered one of the best results, if not the best, to date.

What was amazing was that party workers on the ground lamented that the majority of 3,707 won by BN could have been higher had it not been for the massive flood on voting day.

NOTES:
Ethnic Composition in Tenang by-election:
    Malay        47%
   Chinese      39%
   Indian        12%
   Other          2%
Voter turnout : 67%
BN : 6,699 votes
PAS: 2,992 votes
Majority: 3,707

Dr Boo - Ramble on

Dr Boo - Ramble on

You all want to know what happened to this guy Dr Boo Cheng Hau, go and buy the NST.
They got an exclusive on this Johor DAP chief today.
I am not going to link the story here.
Go buy the newspaper and read it. Its on page 8.
You all Umno people better buy NST, ok.
 The buggers at the papers are running the bloody establishment  to the ground to help you all and you all go and read some thrashy Malay papers for what?

OK, a bit on why DAP gangsters want to kill Dr Boo, the Johor party leader -
1. Dr Boo has the potential to out shine Guan Eng.
2. Dr Boo wants to include more Indians and Malays in Johor DAP line-up and the Chinese chauvanists in DAP dont like it one bit.
3. Dr Boo is behind the suspension of that moronic crook DAP's Bentayan assemblyman Gwee.
4. Dr Boo want to swap seat with PKR in the tussle for the coveted Gelang Patah seat for the next general election but hard core DAP arseholes want to just grab it.

Well, Dr Boo, I know you are all stressed up now. When my day is fucked up like your's, I listen to these cool guys. Their music has the calming effect.

This is my favourite song of these guys. I dedicated it to you Dr Boo. Cheers.

Fortress Johor - Part 1 : A new MB?

Fortress Johor - Part 1 : A new MB?

UPDATED

I would like to thanks Sinar Harian for picking up on this humble posting of mine.
However I believe the newspaper had misinterpreted some of what I wrote.
Just to set the record straight, these are the mistakes and the actual sentences that I wrote :

1. What Sinar Harian wrote :
"Bigcat turut melampirkan kenyataan bekas ahli akademik yang bertegas mahu Abdul Ghani membuka jalan kepada pemimpin muda bagi menerajui Johor kerana beliau dilihat sebagai sudah tidak sesuai untuk meneruskan khidmatnya sebagai Menteri Besar."
- What I actually wrote
  "The no-nonsense former academician was said to be too old for the job and should make way for younger leaders."
2. What Sinar Harian wrote :
"Menurut blogger tersebut, keadaan yang berlaku itu sekali gus menimbulkan fitnah ke atas Abdul Ghani oleh pesaing-pesaing politiknya dan beliau tampil menafikan tohmahan dilemparkan dengan berterus terang mahu menerajui Johor sebagai Menteri Besar."
- What I actually wrote :
  "Ghani had denied that he had wanted to continue as Menteri Besar. He was said to have been frustrated when he was made known of the switch as he felt he could do more for the country at the Federal level."

To Sinar Harian editor Farush Khan - Thanks for highlighting my posting, but please get your reporters to improve their translation. Cheers.

ORIGINAL POSTING

Almost everyone in Johor's political circle have now concluded that Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman is ending his tenure as Johor Menteri Besar after the next general election.
  Ghani, 64 has after all held the post since March 1995, making him the longest serving Johor Menteri Besar ever.
  The no-nonsense former academician was said to be too old for the job and should make way for younger leaders.

  Nonetheless, this speculation on Ghani is not new as the same thing happened in the run-up of the past two general elections.

2004 GENERAL ELECTION
  On the day BN announced its candidates which was a day before nomination day, Ghani was listed to contest the Ledang parliamentary seat, effectively paving his way to Federal level.
  Ghani's supposed departure from Johor was actually part of a plan by the then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah), or more accurately that of "The Fourth Floor Boys" to place their own people to run Johor which is one of the richest State in the country.
  To replace Ghani was Mohamed Khaled Nordin who was initially listed to contest the State seat of Tiram.
  This is the picture of Ghani holding up Khaled's hand as a gesture of his support for the latter at his official residence Saujana on that day -

  Later that night, however, it was made known that Ghani was switched back to contest the Serom state seat while Khaled was to contest the Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat.

  Ghani then became a target of slander by his political rivals, especially within Johor Umno, who accused him of influencing the Sultan of Johor at that time, Sultan Iskandar, to interfere so that he can stay as Menteri Besar. The accusation was easy to believe as Ghani was indeed very close with the Sultan, which was why he was conferred the prestigious Darjah Kerabat which is rarely given to a commoner. That was also the reason why Ghani is using the title Datuk instead of the "higher" titles such as Datuk Seri or Tan Seri. He had declined many offers of titles which may be deemed to be of higher status than the one given by the Johor Sultan.

  Ghani had denied that he had wanted to continue as Menteri Besar. He was said to have been frustrated when he was made known of the switch as he felt he could do more for the country at the Federal level.

2008 GENERAL ELECTION
  About two weeks before the general election, Pak Lah had sought an audience with Sultan Iskandar. It was widely believed that the purpose of the audience was to propose a new Johor Menteri Besar. Khaled was again the candidate.
 This was said to be another attempt by the Fourth Floor Boys to place "their people" in Johor which at that time appeared to have an even bigger potential as the gold pot of their ambitions following the setting-up of Iskandar Malaysia two years earlier.
   Almost everyone who was supposed to be "in the know"  were at that time very certain that Ghani's tenure as Menteri Besar was about to end.
  The plan however did not work out as when the list of BN candidates was announced, Ghani was still placed in Serom and remain as the menteri besar.
  An occasion at the Istana Bukit Serene a few days before the general election was however worthy to be noted.
  According to what was spoken along the corridors of power in Johor, Sultan Iskandar had called Ghani to the palace and presented the Menteri Besar with one of his own rings and told him that he must take care of Johor for as long as it takes for him to do it.

THE PRESENT
  Ghani is at the moment fine tuning the Johor BN election machinery by personally going to voting areas, particularly those classified as high risk. Today he is in the Gelang Patah parliamentary area.
  He had made it known to his close aides that his only wish now is to lead Johor BN to possibly a clean sweep victory in the coming general election. He said such a win will not be easy but not impossible to achive.
  As for the speculation that this is his last term as Menteri Besar, Ghani had openly told several Johor-based journalists that he is indeed preparing for his retirement.
  After the recent birth of his first grandchild, Ghani, who is a devoted family man seems to be very contented with his life.
  Never known as a glamour seeker, he quietly goes about his work as Menteri Besar and Johor BN chairman and this could be observed in his handling of the Tenang by-elections earlier this year.
  He did very well as the BN campaign director and secure the relatively huge 3,700 majority victory without having to resort to flashy and costly campaigning tactics.
  The Tenang by-election was recognised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the most successful among the latest string of BN by-election victories because of the manner Ghani handled the election machinery and the fact that more than 40 per cent of Tenang voters are Chinese, who are supposedly to be mostly hostile to BN.
  As for his relationship with Sultan Ibrahim, it is noted that Ghani meet the Sultan every week after the exco meeting to brief the Ruler on the latest development of the State. The Sultan and Menteri Besar appear to enjoy a cordial relationship.
. 



THE CANDIDATES
These are the leading candidates to replace Ghani as Johor Menteri Besar :


1. Mohamed Khaled Nordin

Main strength - Well educated and politically polished as well as perceived by many quarters as having the blessing of Sultan Ibrahim, when the Sultan graced his recent Hari Raya open house in Pasir Gudang.
Main weakness - Had twice failed to take over the Menteri Besar post from Ghani and being surrounded by ambitious young aides ala the Fourth Floor Boys.


2. Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Main strength - Currently is Ghani's deputy as Johor Umno chief.
Main weakness - Was said to lack the stature to command respect of the fearsome Johor Umno warlords.

3. Nur Jazlan Mohamed
 
Main strength - Considered to be capable of injecting some youthful ideas into the State administration.
Main weakness - Considered by many to be too pro-Singapore and can't even seems able to have full control of his Pulai Umno division which he "inherited" from his late father Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat.

4. Abdul Aziz Kaprawi

Main strength - Considered to be the Najib's man in the Johor executive council.
Main weakness - Lack the stature, just like Latiff and not so fluent in English.

CONCLUSION
Talks of his retirement would not deter Ghani from leading Johor BN to another major victory in the coming general election. This was proven in the Tenang by-election.
  After being the Menteri Besar of Johor for the past 16 years, Ghani does not seems burdened by the needs to preserve his position. This was proven by his way of handling the Johor Umno warlords.
  His most important approach as a State Umno liasion chief is his policy of not trying to interfere with the squabbling for positions at the divisional and branches level by placing his own men there as what was practiced by other State leaders to preserve their position. This prevents Johor Umno from being too fractious when facing the opposition.
  Ghani does not also seems interested to garner supports from outside Johor to strengthen his personal position in Umno at the Federal level. This was evident in his handling of the Tenang by-election where he refused to let Umno machinery from outside the State from interfering with the works already in place to ensure a comfortable BN's victory.

  Nonetheless, my personal opinion on this is that Ghani is indeed going to retire from politics after the coming general election. He will do his best to secure a big BN win in Johor in the election and then gracefully make his exit. My bet is that he will go back to being an educationist as that was his passion before entering politics.  
   Unfortunately, his retirement in my opinion will most severely weaken Johor BN as it would not be easy to find someone else who are up to these main tasks of  a Johor Menteri Besar:
1. To administer the State Government
2. To command the Johor Umno warlords
3. To earn the respect of the BN component parties
4. To maintain BN dominance over the opposition in Johor.
5. To have a good working relationship with the Johor palace
6. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - To resist the temptation of enriching oneself and cronies by plundering Johor's riches.

Guan Eng's cute pet pig

Guan Eng's cute pet pig

Date : Oct 12 2011
Place : Siang Hai Recreation Centre, Segamat.
Function : DAP MP meet-the-people session

Yup, the spoilt brat was in Johor last night. But this time he did not dare to badmouth Johor - he just get one of his cute pet pigs from Pas to do it.

This particular pet pig of Guan Eng goes by the name of Suhaizan Kaiat. He is the Johor Pas Youth head. He went on stage at the function and knowing Guan Eng was there, spoke about how Singaporeans are very disturbed by the safety situation in Johor. Suhaizan, who is known for his penchant of taunting the police in his speeches parroted the Guan Eng's slur against Johor which got even the Johor Sultan offended.

I am not sure if this Suhaizan is just plain stupid or simply talk without any substance just to get some mileage from Guan Eng and the DAP crowd. Maybe somebody should make this fella sit at the CIQ checkpoint of the Causeway and force him to count how many Singapore-registered cars pass by to Johor in a single day. If Singaporeans are so scared of coming to Johor, then they don't come la. Simple as that. But as usual, Pas people are not so bright, and they will do anything to win the Chinese votes via DAP - even to the point of them having to kiss Guan Eng's butt.

Another Pas personality at the function was Normala Sudirman, who lost in the Tenang by-election, partly due to her husband's false MC claims and her lack of education. The Johor Pas muslimat deputy head probably learn a thing or two about currying favour from the DAP and told Suhaizan to toe the line. More than half of the votes she got at the by-election came from DAP supporters.

My suspicion of these two high ranking Johor Pas officials being mere DAP pet pigs was confirmed when Guan Eng in his speech vowed to the mostly Chinese crowd that DAP will make sure that hudud will never be implemented  in this country. Suhaizan and Normala just sat there and did not say anything. I guess, as far as Pas people in Johor are concerned, they rather have Guan Eng as their Mursydul Am instead of Nik Aziz. After all Guan Eng probably can get them more votes in Johor compared to Nik Aziz and his hudud dream as what happened in Tenang.

Oh ya, before I forgot, is it not Nik Aziz who said that Guan Eng is akin to the legendary Islamic caliph - Khalifah Umar Abdul Aziz....hmmm, no wonder lah.

 Pet pigs are cute what....

Porn, SC and crappy chief minister

Porn, SC and crappy chief minister

The past few days have not been so bad. Why? Few reasons -

1. Anwar's new porn video is out. Quite entertaining. Not the video la....it's actually entertaining just  to observe the BN and Pakatan people slugging it out. The Pakatan people are especially fantastic. The kind of defence they put up for Anwar could embarassed even the most crooked lawyers in the Bar Council roll.

2. Securties Commission told Sime Darby that it does not need to make a general offer for the shares in E&O. That effectively put Kali's gang off the track...for awhile I guess. It's good to know the regulator is functioning a it is supposed to be....even with Zarinah Anwar at its helm.

3. Johor is going to attract even more visitors soon....which probably makes Guan Eng looks even more like a spoilt brat Penang chief minister that he is for badmouthing the southern State. NST got a front page report today about the Pinewood studio, Premium Outlet and Legoland which are well on their way to turn Iskandar Malaysia into a premium leisure and entertainment centre. Honestly, I don't think even Dr Boo Cheng Hau, the Johor DAP chief likes Guan Eng that much after the slur in Singapore episode. Johoreans, irrespective of their political belief are mostly proud of their State.

Crime: Penang vs Johor

Crime: Penang vs Johor

For you people who opined that Johor is a crime-ridden state and Penang is heaven on earth, let me give you some numbers so that you can compare the crime situation between the two states as of 2010.

Pulau Pinang :
Penduduk = 1,520,143 orang
Keluasan = 1,046 km sq.
Jumlah jenayah yang direkodkan = 12,161 kes
Kadar jenayah untuk setiap 100,000 penduduk  = 800.06 kes


Johor :
Penduduk = 3,233,434
Keluasan = 19,210 km sq.
Jumlah jenayah yang direkodkan = 20,684 kes
Kadar jenayah untuk setiap 100,000 penduduk = 639 kes


Johor 161.06 kes lebih rendah berbanding Pulau Pinang bagi setiap 100 ribu penduduk.

Statistik penduduk dan jenayah adalah berdasarkan kepada rekod tahun 2010, dipetik daripada sumber yang boleh dipercayai.

I am too lazy to translate from Bahasa Melayu to English, but the numbers should be quite easy to understand.  For those who do not understand the Malay language enough to understand all that, sorry, find someone else to translate for you.

A BIT MORE
Ok, I admit, I am hoping for Guan Eng to deny these statistics like he denied bad mouthing Johor.
To his media handlers who are monitoring this blog, please inform your boss that I am making fun of him and that this is a good opportunity for him to get back at me.
For your troubles, I play you this song. It's my mother-in-law's favorite. She always sing this song with her sisters whenever they go for karaoke session. Enjoy.

I hate TV3

I hate TV3

Looks like TV3 had wrecked my party. Was waiting for Guan Eng to deny my posting on him running down Johor while in Singapore when those not so smart people at the TV station aired the story just now, complete with the audio evidence.

What the heck la TV3, your people can't do a proper report ka? Made the story so obscure la.
Put more prominently cannot ka? Cheyyyy....

Well, never mind. Lets see whether Guan Eng want to deny that audio recording and proceed  to sue TV3 as well as Bernama as he threatened. Or maybe sue me....he he he

This is another Crook

This is another Crook

In addition to the official text that he delivered on August 12, 2011 during the Luncheon Talk with Foreign Correspondents Association Singapore, held at the Raffles City Convention Centre, apparently Lim Guan Eng also said the following:

"Iskandar is seen as a very strong competitor ... but if you look in terms of safety and using the Crime Index, Penang was Number 1 in terms of cutting crimes, so you don't have to worry about your safety when you come to Penang.  In Johor, if you are a Singaporean, you are likely to get kidnapped ... you ask any Singaporean they would know but you don't have that problem when you come to Penang.  I am sure investors want to deal with an honest government and not to deal with crooks.  Lynas the rare earth factory in Pahang ... they don't see this huge premium facility benefiting the people as they pose a serious threat to their health and of course safety."