With Ali Rustam now out of the running, the coast appears to be clear for Muyhiddin to claim the Umno deputy presidency with his only challenger now being Mat Taib.
The thing is, does it make any difference who the No. 2 is?
If anything, this move will only worsen factionalism within the party.
Industrial Production Index plunges further Source: Statistics Department
The old model is dying. It can never be business as usual again.
The Selangor exco have made public their respective disclosure of assets.
At first glance, it looks great.
The only problem is that most of these are ‘declarations of assets’ that do not publicly reveal the assets!
What they do reveal are monthly salaries and other allowances of the individuals concerned and their respective spouses as well as their outstanding loans and monthly loan repayments. A few have indicated that “other income” would be diclosed when their EA forms are released.
But no details of their assets are provided among the few that I checked. (The exco members are only required to declare additions and disposals to their assets since assuming office.)
One chartered accountant, when he first heard that the asset disclosures would only show assets acquired from March 2008, sent me a text message: “Sounds like a watered-down version, ha ha.”
Smashed, scarred and now uprooted and gone without a trace – Photos by Kinta Kid
Now, who did this?: Bro Vincent Corkery, former director of St Michael’s Institution, inspects the site
… and the rakyat are still coming
On the third day, the Democracy Plaque vanishes… Another metaphor for our lost democracy.
Kinta Kid reports from Ipoh:
The plaque under the now famous Democracy Tree has been removed. According to an eye witness account, it was removed at around 7.00am today, presumably by the Ipoh City Council’s enforcement department. A view of the site indicates that a tractor was used to remove the structure.
Friday the 13th, 1.30am: The light at the centre of the image is from the headlights of a car parking before a vandal alights to smash the Democracy Tree plaque – (Click to expand) Image sourced by Kinta Kid
Smashed and scarred: A disappointed little girl looks sadly at what remains of the Democracy Tree plaque – Photos and images by Kinta Kid
The tragicomedy surrounding the Democracy Tree continues as the resourceful Kinta Kid reports from Ipoh:
The plaque was vandalised a second time today. This time the wording was covered with what appears to be road tar. The general consensus amongst all present was that it was once again a sad and cowardly act.
Update 2: But a couple of media sources tell me that the NST journalist is probably reluctant to provide specific instances of preferential treatment of businesses and projects as that would amount to revealing his sources, including who the disgruntled business people are. “He can’t expect journalists to dance to his tune,” one of them said. They also felt that it was unfair to single out particular media organisations to be barred as it amounted to “divide and rule” over the media.
Update 1: It has just come to my attention that the main reason Guan Eng is unhappy with the NST is that he felt the journalist had questioned his personal integrity by reporting that certain business people had lamented that he had given preferential treatment for certain projects and personalities. From what I understand, Guan Eng had challenged the journalist to produce a list of such occurrences – and has not yet received such a list, and thus he felt the journalist’s statement was unfair and had cast doubt on his integrity. It was for that reason that he had barred the NST from press conferences.
Despite the obvious political leanings of papers like the NST, Sharanjit Singh has a point in his piece: What’s your beef, Guan Eng?
The Pakatan fellas have to get used to the idea of “unfriendly media” or critical media covering their press conferences and not pick and choose their media.
In Ipoh, at the height of the crisis, I was barred from entering the MB’s residence for 45 minutes while “friendly media” such as Harakah and Suara Keadilan as well as ordinary folks were allowed in by the Pas Unit Amal folks at the gate. I don’t blame them as they were just “ikut arahan” – whose orders, I dont know.
Apparently, the instructions were issued after certain mainstream media had been portraying the Pakatan in a negative light in the preceding days. Also kept out for a while at the front gate were other independent media such as the Chinese-language Merdeka Review and blogger Wong Chin Huat.
Two nights ago, they smashed the edges of the Democracy Tree plaque. Kinta Kid now informs me that the plaque has been vandalised again.
This time they poured road tar or black paint on the inscription on the plaque, so that it can’t be read.
Shattered plaque, broken democracy – Photos by Kinta Kid
Sanizar with his family: “Tak baik lah macam ini.”
The Pakatan team pledging to uphold democracy
The plaque at the Democracy Tree has been vandalised.
Why are we not surprised? In fact, many of you had predicted that some form of vandalism would occur at this site. And so it came to pass…
In a way, the shattering of the three sides of the plaque is a sad metaphor for the state of our broken democracy.
Thank God that the tree itself is safe – for now.
Kinta Kid reports from Ipoh:
It was bound to happen.
And it had to happen on Friday the 13th… It probably happened around 1.00am as a resident living by the side of the tree heard dogs barking at that time.
Kula mentioned that “we expected this to happen but not this fast”.
Charles Santiago, the MP for Klang, provides a run-down of the water crisis in Selangor and explains how certain water corporations are making quick and easy money.