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Keng Yaik lashes out at Umno’s arrogance

Anil Netto
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67

Happy Merdeka Day! – though some of you may not exactly be in a celebratory mood.

Anyway, if you are feeling a little bored on what is a sunny day here in Penang, why not hop over to your local news-stand and pick up a copy of Off the Edge magazine for some ‘fun’. (The magazine does not come with The Edge weekly tabloid; you have to buy the magazine separately.) This week’s cover story is a remarkably frank and hard-hitting interview with Gerakan adviser Dr Lim Keng Yaik, who even accepts partial blame for the 8 March BN setback.

He is not a happy man though and, horrors, utters an expletive during the interview.

I just hope interviewers Ho Kay Tat and Jason Tan were sitting a safe distance away, if you know what I mean. 🙂

He says he has spoken out before –  to Dr M and within BN circles, about the prevalence of money politics. (“It’s all money, money, money, money, money.”)

Just to give you a flavour of the interview:

Where did the BN and Umno go wrong especially in their response to Anwar’s ‘branding’ of Ketuanan Rakyat?

The more they hammer Anwar, the more they popularise him. I was also part of it, hammering Anwar, telling all the stories about Anwar.

Didn’t work. [The people responded by saying], ‘Lu kong si ha mi ah? Lu boh aneh cham ah, lu boh eong eh lang, sway lang, chau lang lai.’ (In Hokkien: ‘what are you all in BN talking about? Aren’t you so bad yourself? BN is useless, a pox on the people, and a bunch of rogues.’)

I blame this purely on the arrogance, abuse of power and  non-transparency of Umno, the interference of the ‘Fourth Floor’ boys who think they know best, and the inability to keep the civil servants at bay….

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Khairy finds himself on Raja Petra and Dr M’s side

Anil Netto
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56

Surprise, surprise, guess who disagrees with the move to block Malaysia Today? Khairy!

Wudyabelieve it!

In the latest entry on his blog he says:

In defence of those who despise me

No other website has caused me as much bad rep and deliberately destroyed my character as Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s Malaysia Today. Yet I cannot help disagreeing with the recent move by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block access to the site. Such blatant and crude employment of State power is inconsistent with the widening of the democratic space – an approach the current Administration adopted long before the 12th General Election…

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Budget Day: Go on, change your lifestyle

Anil Netto
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40

Change my lifestyle? Who me? – Urban poor in a kampong in Penang Island

Here they go again, telling you to change your life-style:

Malaysians Should Change Lifestyle To Manage High Oil Prices

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) — It is important for Malaysians to change their lifestyle to help bring down the consumption of non-renewable energy while measures are being implemented to alleviate the hardship arising from cost-push inflation, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.

I am not sure what the pakciks and makciks in the kampongs, long-houses, estates, orang asli settlements, low-cost flats and urban pioneer settlements will make of this. And let’s not forget the migrant workers crammed 20-to-a-house. They are certainly not the ones cruising the roads in their Mercs or BMWs and spending RM10 on a cup of latte.

Here’s a response from Justin Choo:

Anil

Makciks and Pakciks, kampongs and long houses, may be far away in the rural areas. You have not mentioned the retired people like me. No more active income. Some still got to feed grandchildren. I live a very, very simple lifestyle. No smoking, no drinking, no gambling, no womanising (too old lah, and also not rich!), always stay at home, eat small breakfast, and two simple meals a day, drive an old red “taxi” Proton Saga, and wear shorts and T-shirt, and slippers. What lifestyle to change? The only change is upgrade! Eat the most sumptious cuisine in fine-dining style? Savour fine wines and caviar, birdnest soup, abalone with scallops, baked lobsters drenched in the finest red wine. Fly to New York, Paris and London for shopping, etc…. How nice.

Let’s see the Ministers leading by example and dumping their petrol-guzzling cars, with all the escorts and outriders, and taking public transport everyday.

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Should Gerakan pull out from BN?

Anil Netto
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59

Last night, Mustafa and I spoke at a Gerakan ‘teh tarik’ session on the outcome of the Permatang Pauh by-election and its implications.

I was surprised to see the level of interest among those who attended, including non-Gerakan members as well. Many were keen to know whether Anwar would get his 30 MPs by 16 September.

I told them I had no idea. I stressed to them the importance of institutional checks and balances. We cannot rely on a strong personality alone to bring about change. We need deeper institutional reforms – to the judiciary, police, ACA, Parliament, Election Commission and Suhakam.  We also need a change in the mindset among politicians so that they really serve the rakyat and not themselves.

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Anwar finally sumpahs – in Parliament

Anil Netto
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17

The BN has been challenging Anwar to take an oath – and he finally obliged, this morning. Only thing, it was not the sort of oath they had in mind. He was sworn in as Member of Parliament and is now Parliamentary Opposition Leader.

MPPP formally rejects Abad Naluri’s PGCC proposal

Anil Netto
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15

The Penang Island Municipal Council has formally rejected Abad Naluri’s mixed-development proposal for the Batu Gantung area (the Penang Global City Centre or PGCC project) at the Council’s committee meeting on 6 August.

The grounds for rejection were:

  • The proposal did not take into consideration the density of Taman Jesselton (6 units/acre), Scotland Road (10.2 units/acre) and Batu Gantung Road (15-30 units/acre);
  • The applicant had not submitted amended plans for further consideration;
  • There was no formal application to the Council and State Authorities for low- and medium-cost housing on land in Rifle Range Road belonging to the Council and state government;
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Anwar re-enters Parliament as PR MPs thump approval

Anil Netto
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22

Heard from an eye- witness that Anwar has returned to Parliament to a rousing welcome from Pakatan MPs.

Wan Azizah was seated in the VIP area of the viewing gallery to witness the proceedings this morning. Also present was Nurul Izzah.

On the Umno side, Abdullah and Najib were not seen while only Nazri and a few other Umno MPs were present.

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16 September beckons…

Anil Netto
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20

What an eventful day:

  • Malaysia Today blocked – surely the government must be aware that it is futile to block sites in this day and age?
  • Anwar to be sworned in, in Parliament tomorrow, and
  • We have a new Parliamentary Opposition Leader

Meanwhile I had to get this article out for Asia Times on the implications of Anwar/PKR’s win:

PENANG – Opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim’s victory in a crucial by-election in the Permatang Pauh constituency in Penang on Tuesday has thrown wide open the political possibilities in the coming months. Standing under the banner of his People’s Justice Party (PKR), he cruised to a 15,671-vote majority on the back of an over 80% turnout among 58,000 voters on the electoral rolls. Read more

My “disgusting” coverage: Blogger crackdown looms?

Anil Netto
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Oh dear, I guess you can’t please everyone.

“BN Partyman” sent in this comment, which contains a none-too-subtle threat.

Dear Anil,

Your biased live coverage of the PP buy-election was disgusting to say the least. It seemed like the Barisan Nasional was non-existent in PP. The fact that more than 15,000 people voted for Arif Shah is testimony to BN’s popularity. If it were not for the rough house tactics of the PKR goons, more legitimate voters would have made it to the polling stations. You and your ilk ought to be detained under the ISA and the keys thrown away.

You are partisan, unfair, biased, and a false witness to the events in PP. Like the 31,000 odd who voted for Anwar, you are ungrateful for the development and progress wrought by the BN. Honestly ask yourself: Would you even own a laptop or even know how to use the Internet if not for the education that the BN gave you? Just like the other bloggers and commentators on the blogsites, you bite the hand that feeds you. You are despicable and so is Raja Petra and the likes of him.

When the BN government finally wipes out the Opposition from the face of this Earth, we’ll be coming after you and all of your ilk for the lies and ridiculous untrue propaganda that you spread to the innocent rakyat. Unfortunately it seems now that a large minority of the rakyat are stupid enough to pay attention to the lies of the Opposition. The BN will educate them very soon and I assure you it will be a painful lesson indeed.

BN Sakthi!!!

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It’s 81 per cent turnout, not 65 per cent

Anil Netto
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71

A group of kampong boys in Penanti near the tallying centre caught up in election fever after the results were announced

As some of you have pointed out, there is a discrepancy between the Election Commission’s figure for the voter turnout of 65 per cent turnout and the actual turnout, which was 81 per cent. This discrepancy created a lot of confusion.

Anwar secured 31,195 votes; Ariff 15,524 votes and Akim’s Hanafi Mamat 92 votes (deposit lost). That is over 46,800 votes cast compared to the total voters of around 58,000.

My math whizz friend comments, “It looks like the Election Commission can only count correctly when the BN wins.”

He further analysed the results and came up with the following conclusions:

  • Anwar won two thirds of the votes cast.
  • The support for PKR comes from all ethnic groups.
  • Support for Anwar/PKR among the Malays comes in at around 60-65 per cent. Incidentally this tallies with what Din, the elderly gentleman in Kampong Petani, told me: “Out of a hundred residents here, you could say 60 to 70 support PKR.”
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