A vulnerable Abdullah casts a wary eye at rivals
From now onwards, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi will be casting a wary eye on all sides as rivals such as Tengku Razaleigh and Anwar sense his considerably weakened position, never mind that the BN is just eight seats short of a two-thirds majority.
After all, under his stewardship, the BN lost five states and received less than 50 per cent of the popular vote in the peninsula - its worst ever performance.
Meanwhile, folks like Khairy, Patrick Lim and even Nazri have been ever so quiet….
The only hope for Umno is if it introduces wide-ranging reforms. But the KL-based political commentator mentioned in the article below told me that Umno is incapable of that, so deep is the rot.
Here is an article I wrote for Asia Times:
Knives out for Malaysia’s Abdullah
By Anil Netto
PENANG - Malaysia’s politics is still in flux after this month’s watershed general election in which opposition parties made their sharpest inroads into the government since the country gained independence in 1957. And the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, comprised of 13 component parties, is still struggling to come to terms with the implications of the setback.
Although BN parties won 140 of Parliament’s 222 seats, it lost five states to the opposition, including three of the wealthiest and economically important ones in the federation. Now the ruling coalition is being unnerved by talk of possible defections of its parliamentarians to opposition ranks, which now has 82 seats.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who predicted the BN would garner a two-thirds majority at the polls, looks considerably weaker inside his once dominant United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party. Full article
- End of the road for BN’s reforms?
- Abdullah plugs leaking dyke - but how long can it hold?
- What now after NEP?
- Keng Yaik spoke too soon
- 2,000 gather in Penang to call for release of Hindraf Five
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The saying goes that a “cornered animal is the most dangeroust creature” but as can be expected, PM Badawi has reacted by running around chasing his tail not knowing how to defend his crumbling empire (sic!)
And yes, when a leader falls, his loudest supporters (Call them Ma-chai, cronies, ball carriers . boot lickers) run and hide while planning their next moves. Yes, Khairy, Patrick Badawi-Lim, Nazri Bumble Mouth and even Zam Zam Erection Ala Kazam are all so very LOUD in their silence and absence.
Badawi sure has a lost all his grey matter - …but his handling of the Perlis and Trengganu affairs are classic samples of a leader who lost his marbles. He may deny that he had nothing to do with the rowdy crowd who went to the town to show support for Shahidan and Idris Jusoh, people who put up banners challenging the decisions of the Raja of Perlis and The Sultan of Kedah, the rabble of (yes that is what I think of the 22/23(??)) ADUNs who publicly swore allegiance to Idris Jusoh and to all extents and purposes challenged the Tuanku. Can anyone now ever believe in the sincerity of these Morons when they ever stand before their Sultan and call out Daulat Tuanku? Did Badawi show his authority or respect for the Royalty then and ORDER (Yes, order and not tell) the morons to sit down and behave ??? No, his silence told the idiots that they have the endorsement of the Leader that they can berate the royalty. …Having suffered major losses in the PRU 12, Badawi had many opportunities to turn defeat into a victory of of sorts had he handled developments following the debacle professionally, efficiently and firmly. BUT HE FAILED so very badly, that I have to say, Mr PM, Go to the back of the class. Pick up your bags (your family and your cronies and GO HOME! Other than Perlis and Trengganu, we had very serious breeches of responsibility, breeches of trust and downright criminal behaviour by or on behalf of the out-going BN government when Official Files, documents and whatever else were removed from the State secretariates, or shredded by civilian staff of the respective State Governments. Photographic proof of the shredding of documents circulate in the internet, even the Media report these atrocities. YET, You, Mr Prime Minister have been eloquently silent throughout all the hullabaloo of the missing file. Firm and Immediate instructions to the Police,
and the ACA to get to the bottom of this nefarious acts would earn you respect from the public who have lost faith and trust in you and your government. Your silence can only be interpreted that you not only do not kept quiet but CONDONED the actions …
Your fall is imminent, sir and while I agree with Anil Netto that you should keep a wary eye on razaleigh and Anwar Ibrahim, I would put my money on the fact that your nemesis is neither of the 2 gentlemen aforementioned but someone else closer to you - …Najib.
We will all with developments in the next few weeks with bated breath.
Aiya, all the while don’t have the grey matter. Where got?
If got, won’t lost so many states. Loud mouth gotlah like No erection and talk cock but also gone. How to think? or rather talk. Sorrylah if you are in their team u are not allowed to think lah. You know why? Because if u know how to think you u cannot be part of the team. Ur duty is to put the money in ur pocket and follow instructions. Cannot send him to school also. Why? the school don’t teach nomore cos they want their teachers to collect extra tuition fees. Don’t bother asking Ed Minister. Kerismuddin is busy and silently thinking whether to draw the keris this coming convention. I bet that he won’t………. HeHeHe……but I hope that he does.
Hello, the writing is on the wall. But the self denial syndrome has blind seeing the writing..92% majority means the rakyat entrust you to do with almost full (or fool) authority. But again it did not happen overnight. It is a tedious journey to unseat the leader once ‘elected”. Was there elections? Not exactly. It is by either anointment or by ‘no challenge’ ruling. Arrogance has taken permanent residence in the minds of the national leaders until the 12 GE. AS the saying goes, pride goes before a fall, the higher you are, the harder the fall is ?? They did not expect that even Humpty Dumpty could fall in the 12 GE,..too overconfident until too late.
If you have watch how Mohamad Ali fought in the ring, you would understand the position Pak Lah is in now.
Ali is a very intelligent boxer. He was willing to wait for the right moment to punce on his opponent.The moment he sensed that the opponent is wounded or showing sign of weakness, he showed no mercy. He would attack and attack till victory is won.
Now pak Lah is just like a wounded boxer or worn out boxer. His chances of a real fight back is very small. His opponent are waiting for him to stagger and down he would go!
I have some good words from our PM Abdullah. I don’t think we would have ever seen, this era of free open democratic politics, as had existed during the era of Tuanku Abdul Rahman and had it not been the greedy young turks, around him who distorted the MALAYSIAN FABRIC and way laid the democratic process, especially by Tun Abdul Razak.
Not forgetting, the E Media’s successful role in sustaining peace we the, free, honest, loving, respectful towards religion and race society, were being led to almost, an anarchial, mistrustful and unreliable of each other, under Mahathir era, which bought over the News Media.
Thank God, Abdullah has conferred in us that trust, to a certain extend, that we had not lost our direction. It was the Malaysian Newspaper Media easpecially, its Chief Editors were playing God for the BN leaders.
Over the span of last 30 years, Barisan Rakyat(BR) leaders have been on newspapers for 2 years only, but now, with BR leaders at the helm of the Government, the editors will sway the words and the subject matter that is, left to be seen in rather negative than positive sense but, if BN member news is depicted it is in all positive nature but of course, we know thier lies in it.
JOURNALISM IS PEOPLES NEWS, NOT THE EDITORS TO TELL US WHAT, BUT TELL THE TRUTH, AND LET US DECIDE.
The overwhelming support for Abdullah in the 2004 GE was for the anti corruption stance he took. I think alot of newly registered voters who had wanted to protest against the victimisation of Anwar in 1999, and was prevented from doing so, saw some hope in him. After seeing it was back to business as usual, what is the rakyat expected to do? Wait forever?
Agreed with your stand. Had he handed over ACA & EPU to parliment, it would have been even better a reason, for all sane minded voters to have thrown out, all BN electorates from parliment and state assemblies.
What,,,, we need to give full support is, to change some draconian statutes, that seem to be curtailing the movement for, better State Management cum Administration by, Barisan Rakyat Elected Leaders.