Mistaking Sarong Pelakat For Samping Sutra
Mistaking Sarong Pelakat For Samping Sutra
M. Bakri Musa and Din Merican
The recent flurry of toadying commentaries praising Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi remains unabated. We are of the view that when the emperor wears superb finery, there is little need for the courtiers to praise him. Indeed if they were to do so, he would be rightly offended for it implies that on other days his attire was wanting. You expect your emperor to have fine clothing every day and every time, anything less would be less than regal.
Recent punditry by Johan Jaaffar (A Prime Minister’s Fine Obsession – NST April 8th , 2006), A. B. Shamsul (Not Just a Mechanic But a Good Social Engineer – NST April 10th), and Kamal Khalid (Time For Real Work In the Plan to Begin – April 9th ) are a sampling of the embarrassingly effusive praises for Abdullah.
To them it is business as usual; they are oblivious of the fact that they are their straining their credibility. To us, it reveals something else: Put metaphorically, used to seeing their sultan with only a barked loincloth, when he put on a sarong pelakat (cotton sheet), they thought he is donning a samping sutra (silk cummerbund).
The Art of Positive Spinning
Johan’s follow up essay to his television interview with the Prime Minister was an attempt to put a positive spin on the Prime Minister’s less-than-inspiring performance. The Prime Minister’s body language on camera demonstrated anything but the “fine obsession” with his policies, in particular the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
Abdullah certainly would not have survived a tough grilling of a Stephen Sackur of BBC’s Hard Talk. The Prime Minister showed remarkable lack of conviction; he did not look directly onto the cameras when he responded to Johan’s soft questions.
Obviously Johan had structured his interview in consultation with RTM, Information Minister Zam, and the spinners in the Prime Minister’s office to ensure that the Prime Minister would not be embarrassed or taken off guard.
Despite that, Abdullah appeared worn out and unsure of himself. He could deliver only vague generalities on the Ninth Malaysia Plan, “probably the most important document in his tenure as Prime Minister,” as Johan put it.
Johan did not ask how the RM 220 billion for this “holistic” development would be financed, and the impact that would have on interest rates, inflation, the Government’s fiscal position, balance of payments, and the private sector.
At one time Abdullah’s spinners and apologists warned that the Government was out of cash, as Mahathir had exhausted it on the Petronas Towers, Multimedia Super Corridor, and Putrajaya. That assertion must just be cakap kosong (empty talk).
If there is any “fine obsession,” it would be that of a man desperate to depart from Mahathir’s Vision 2020. Thus Johan observed, “[A]nyone watching the program certainly agreed with me how passionate he [the Prime Minister] was on the 9MP. He was at ease articulating some of the minor points ignored by the media. He wanted the people to look at the Plan in [its] totality, so it was crafted not in thematic form.”
If by “minor” Johan means unimportant, then we agree. Abdullah is totally inept in comprehending the necessary details and technicalities on getting the economy moving again. Malaysia is paying for his benign neglect.
His administration is becoming increasingly bureaucratized. His answer to every problem is to form a committee! He now needs two national committees to help him monitor the Plan. We have long believed that the executive talent of a leader is inversely related to his penchant for forming committees. Abdullah demonstrates this dramatically.
What Malaysia desperately needs is bold and hardheaded leadership to chart its course in this rapidly changing and technologically driven world. Abdullah needs capable ministers and senior civil servants. His current team, which he essentially inherited from Mahathir, is tired, tainted, and ageing.
Praising in the Old Malay Way
A.B. Shamsul’s commentary was no less effusive. Thus, “…[W]hatever his detractors have to say, the 9MP is solid proof that Abdullah is a political inclusivist par excellence. He has even changed the DAP leadership’s viewpoint.” To Shamsul, changing DAP’s viewpoint is the height of political skills.
True to our Malay culture, of which he is an expert, Shamsul displayed fine skills in praising Abdullah. It is not enough for him to refer to Abdullah as “a good social engineer,’ surreal as that may sound. Shamsul has to denigrate Abdullah’s peers, in this case his predecessor, Mahathir, in order to make Abdullah look good. While referring to “our beloved Mahathir,” Shamsul then enumerated Mahathir’s alleged “collateral damages.” To make his point further, in case it was not grasped the first time, Shamsul intimated that Mahathir owed much of his achievements to his predecessors!
Kamal Khalid seems to be laying the ground work for the inevitable blame game, “The objectives are noble and the direction is correct. But weaknesses in implementation and execution of the Plan will be the Achilles’ heel that will undo all good intentions.” Abdullah is ready to shift the blame to the civil service should the Plan fail to deliver!
This comes right after Kamal praises Abdullah’s management style. Consider Kamal’s blatant attempt to liken Abdullah to the legendary Tun Razak: “His preference for giving coordinating implementation agencies his walkabouts around the nation, recalls the management style of Malaysia’s second Prime Minister.” Kamal may portray Abdullah as the great manager, but not great enough to wield control over the civil service. Even Abdullah would be embarrassed by that comparison!
We have been around long enough to remember similar toadying articles by Johan Jaafar, Shamsul A B and others in praising Mahathir when the man was in control. The passage of time may indeed temper one’s judgment, and one is certainly entitled to change it. Their revisionist versions of recent events may thus be understandable and even pardonable.
More incomprehensible however are the flip flops that occur in the matter of weeks or months. As late as a few days before Abdullah announced the cancellation of the crooked bridge to replace part of the Johore causeway, the mainstream media were carrying articles praising that wonderful project, dutifully listing the benefits that would accrue to the nation. Following the cancellation however, there was an immediate chorus praising the Prime Minister for his “brave” action.
Our first thought was that the likes of Johan and Shamsul have changed their views of Mahathir. On further reflection however, we concluded that these pundits have not changed. In fact they are revealing their true self: their ability and ingenuity to ingratiate themselves to the powerful. That is their core character, their constancy. To them, the sultan (or prime minister) is always wrapped in samping sutra, never in sarong pelekat, no matter what the reality.
These commentators and intellectuals may think they are being true to themselves, and we certainly to do not wish to disabuse them of their delusions. They are certainly not being true to the nation, our leaders, or their calling.
April 23rd, 2006 at 8:34 pm
We can’t change it politically, you are wrong. We will.
Once this country is run by terms of equal rights, where each citizen play by the rules and regulations of total fairness, then we shall see where the malays will stand.
Right down at the bottom? Most probably, yes! Not only the non-malays will agree, the whole world would probably agree as well. In fact some malays will agree this as well.
The only thing that all of us can see, whether you are a Malaysian, or non-Malaysian, is that the malays here will never change. Not now, never will.
Your level of intelligence and pathetic sense of judgement depict not only how truthfully and incompetently low life beings you are, crawling at the lowest level of the human hierarchy, begging for alms, practically putting all your grotesque clown-butt ugly faces in front of the world, self-admitting that even maggots feasting on a pile of dung, looks and sounds much much better.
You defense on your own race, will not conclude anything, but strengthen the fact that even your pure existence in this very world of civilized human beings, is worse than the thought of having an incest driven rapist over for dinner.
Ponder upon this, there is no point defending for yourselves, save it. The fact and all the truth speak louder than just stupid farts coming out from your infested mouth fueled by your retarded brain.
To be honest, how naive you are with your pointless talk, we can see it in every glory in your statement here. In fact by calling you stupid, would be the most insulting thing by being stupid. Have you ever heard of the word opposition?
Think my friend, if there is no such thing as bravery to challenge the government face to face, why would oppositions be there?
By now, your retarded brain must be struggling, thinking, hey what is the point of oppositions if they are not effective enough to fight against the government? Good question.
One word - CORRUPTION.
The rest of the picture, I will also leave it up to you.
The real cowards in Malaysia are the group of people who survive under bogus unfair rights, fictional promises which only rat testicles will believe they are true.
The same group of people who destroying the country with their own social menace, incest activities, drugs, materialistic punks with brain the size of a chicken shit, etc.
The same group of people who are spoilt by unreasonable, pointless, total waste of time support from the government. Which even that, on that very constant support, they are still licking their own balls, nursing their injury, shamelessly.
And still as of yet, presently and logically categorized as the POOREST class citizens who only survive by politically sucking other people’s hard earned benefits.
The same group of people who idolizes external portrayal of physical goodness, but mentally and reality, are bunch of idiotic hypocrites nothing better than a rottening pair of pig’s testicles. Even the maggots would think twice of devouring such a distasteful crap.
I am sick and tired of saying this over and over again. I honestly believe, that every single malay individuals in this country, within their very heart, and best interests, know where they stand. They know right from the start, that they can’t win in a fair and equal environment.
Their fictitious pride and ego made them proud of their weakness, never ever have the guts to admit their weaker side.
And how do you think they survive? By playing dirty. And most of the time, very very dirty. To those malays who are successful, trust me, they are not pure malays. They are even embarrassed by the fact that they are malays.
Think………………….
Still think and insist malays are for perpaduan? fair? got integrity and dignity?
The only way to have perpaduan is: you motherf***ker stripe your own babi status and come to term with other races on level playing field…………that is what we call a step towards perpaduan…………..!
We are all Malaysians, why not? What is your problem??????????
Now the answer to this I leave it to you to think. How you want to think it with your level of stupidity, I have truly no idea.
April 24th, 2006 at 12:12 am
Dr Bakri and Din Merican,
Yes, I watched the PM being interviewed by JohanJ on live tv, their body language and all. To me it was bodekism at its best! It was so humorous watching that interview in session, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did try the famous Mahathir’s ’smirk’ look, even that, he failed miserably!
I love your piece, well written and you have successfully exposed them.
To people like JohanJ, AB Shamsul, KamalK or even BrendanP it’s “cari makan” as usual but at the end of the day, it’s the Prime Minister who’s the greatest fool and my gosh, when is he going to learn?
April 24th, 2006 at 2:51 am
I really pity this boleh guy…He really want to become a Malaysian. Shall we give it to him?
April 24th, 2006 at 6:02 am
Apektua
Give it to him, mykad, and all. I really don’t know what he wants, where he begins and where he ends. He writes a long dissertation but all hot air.
April 24th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
This “boleh” guy must have been the product of a gang rape.
April 24th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
He ‘boleh’, must be some kind of wonderful. Thus, he has the traits to survive in both worlds. Boleh as he can in this “bolehland” called Malaysia and wonderful as he can also do in the wonderful world of disney.
April 24th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
boleh might be another badcountry in disguise. He just thrives on attention. Ignore him and he will go away.
To bring this back on topic, the condition the press is in is the result of all the years of repressive censorship laws. We have to abolish the Printing and Publications act and the ISA (or at least tone it down a lot so that it cannot be abused to silence political dissent).
As we can see, censorship hurts not just the people but the government. When all opposition is silenced, and all the “advisers” are reduced to nothing more than yes-men, a leader lives in a vacuum. His decision becomes tunnel vision, blinded by all the praises around him. Without any reality check, Badawi cannot make any sound decisions. Look at all the flip-flop surrounding the bridge issue, petrol hike, etc.
Yes, there is a price to be paid for removing censorship, a price for free speech. We must now listen to people such as boleh. I say, let him speak his opinion, invalid as they may be. Let the people judge for themselves the truth.
April 25th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Well…. I’m not surprised at the existence of cyber-identities such as “boleh”, “badcountry” or who ever.. and these cyber-identiries comes in many types… some are down right crude such as boleh or badcountry… which attack the very existence of Malays and Muslims bkuntly…. and some are more sophisticated… i.e. they try to justify their attack of Malays and Muslims by citing famous authors or works etc….
Unfortunately….as Anak Malaysia says…. the proliferation of such cyber-identities is the result of openness or “keterbukaan” of Abdullah Badawi….
I suppose in this so called “era keterbukaan” we should all argue based on facts and good logic….
Or else….. be like Kamal Khalid, Johan J, and Shamsul A. B.
________________________________________________________
Ahh… I had read several of Shamsul A.B. writings on Malay and Islamic identies… I wonder what is the value of those writings now…….
April 25th, 2006 at 2:50 am
AAB is a weak PM with no existence roots support..alas.. just like a beautiful plastic plants planted in most goverment dept.Its beautiful to look at ,pay little attention to looking after it and expect what u like be it fruit or flowers,it would be of no use to human and bees.Nevertheless people like JJ,ABS and KK need to remind us and convince us that this beautiful plant is worth its weight in gold.
Concurrent with the topic in hand of the Emperor and the new cloth, these people are the tailors who is trying to convince the Emperor first that he look great and astounding . See how hard they were weaving the invisible cloth..i believe the interview by JJ is the day the Emperor paraded the new cloth and JJ and alikes just give a glowing running commentary to the whole event…all of us esp those in UMNO just clapped along.
AM NOT CONVINCE as my little son who saw the parade said that he saw a very private musical instrument that Pak Lah own ,he swear by it.
Here is the man who hold the country purse and pulse has to say about our 2 custom officer in UK (if my memory dont betray me ..am old u see) were inolve in some hanky panky dealings …”am aware of whats going on so be aware…..” when asked by reporter.
When a few weeks later when he was asked about the buying of Ethos Consultancy by DanaHarta owned Avenue that involve almost RM300 million ,which normal people would be jail as so called insider trading by KJ, to save KJ skin or pure ignorance by a Finance minister that look after Khazanah =people interest.. his answer was…”am not aware of it ”
I believe Pak Lah think that we r stupid as the emperor believe that with JJ ABS and KK ,”hindu God and islamic priest” around the rakyat is expected to clap and agreed to his beautiful new “dress”….but to me like i said earlier my son has convinced me that the organ of the emperor should be
coumoflage with better clothing …..come to think of it is he fit enough to rule ????
April 25th, 2006 at 9:01 am
Dr Bakri and Din Merican,
I always say this: When Abdullah said ‘Work with him NOT for him’, he meant to say that he has no f-cking idea (sorry for the profanity) on how to become a PM. Blur you know.. That’s why he wants the people to help him ’see’ things.. thus work with him..
April 25th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
Dear Musa,
Your article seeks to portray our prime minister as an inept and bungling person unfit to lead us to our goal of vision 2020. You noted that the interviewers on TV did not ask him where the Rm220 billion was going to come from. True but, should you also not ask why we have to ask this question today?
There was an ancient story about the people in a small in village in China who were given a date line to build a shrine for the emperor. If they could meet the date line they would be rewarded handsomely by the governor.
The site chosen has a deep well which must be filled before the work on the shrine could start. The villagers used a donkey to bring in loads of sand and dirt to the well while others shoveled it into the well. On one trip the donkey got too close to the well and felled into it. The villagers tried to lift it out of the well but failed. After several attempts, they realized that if they cannot waste any more time on trying to save the donkey, or they will miss the dateline and therefore the reward. Thus they decided to sacrifice the donkey and started to continue shoveling the sand and dirt into the well again. Realising what they are doing the donkey started to cry pitifully but the villagers ignored his cries. After a while the crying stopped. The villagers wondered whether the donkey is dead or did he just give up? Out of curiosity, they peered into the well and was surprised to see that the donkey is alive and well!
Every time sand and dirt is rained down on the donkey’s body he would shrug if off and stomped on it to compact the loose sand and dirt below him. This goes on until the donkey was high enough to jump out of the well and walked away majestically! Isn’t our prime minister like the donkey trapped in this seemingly hopeless situation? Unable to get out of the well while we rain sand and dirt (criticisms) on him. The irony here is that he brought the problem (the sand and dirt) upon himself when he accepted the appointment of PM knowing full well that the government coffer is empty through years of abuse and mismanagement. So what does he do? Cry pitifully like the donkey first did? No he try to turn the adversity from a negative event into a positive one and we have a duty to help him to help ourselves to achieve the objectives of the 9MP no matter how hard it can be. Does he take all the criticisms leveled on him as a personal insult? No, he shrugs it off just like the way the donkey shrugs of the sand and dirt raining down on his body.
You can take this comment from an ordinary Malaysian, with no interests in Government or in any lucrative government projects, as yet another ‘spin’ or as an honest opinion of an outsider who thinks the prime minister should be given a chance to help us. Feel free to think what you want to think. Yes… he said work with me. He is a LEADER and NOT a LORD of the people.
April 25th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
Ikt56:
Your ancient story is most enlightening. The donkey was so very lucky in that it wasn’t surrounded by venomous snakes to do the tunneling beneath its feet !
April 25th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
And btw it’s definitely a smart donkey !
April 25th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
Dear LKT:
I find it amusing that you should compare Abdullah Badawi to a donkey, and one stuck in a deep hole to boot. Both the imagery and the metaphor are apt!
I do not share your optimism about a donkey leading from a hole.
Bakri Musa
April 26th, 2006 at 12:22 am
The donkey shrug it off and stomped on it to compact the loose sand and dirt below him. This goes on until the donkey was high enough to jump out of the well and walked away majestically…as a donkey!
April 26th, 2006 at 7:32 am
Aww….! Stop the donkey business. he is an ass - not a donkey.
Welcome to the ‘no spin’ zone.
If you wish to opine, e-mail me at nomeentine nomeentine nomeetine@bakrimusa.com
Do not be truculent, it hurts me.
..and no bloviating! That’s my job.
Remember, the spin stops here!
April 28th, 2006 at 12:26 am
I am new to your website, and having browsed the remarks you have so far made, I am wondering why on earth you decided to hide away in california and do the “punching” remotely.
Notwithstanding where you are, some of your comments are definitely to the poing, especially on education.
To those non Malays who like to punch below the belt, I say that my own experience in partnering with those people like him are no less despicable than some malays. As far as i am concerned, it is my belief that the malays, without them knowing it, are being used by the non malays. You can see this all over, when a VIP malay is appointed as CEO and Chairman of private companies for the sole purpose of “getting favors” from the Administration, right??? So, to me both sides have thier own weaknesses, so what? Correct them and we will get somewhere. For now I rest my case.
April 29th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
ArabMalaysian,
You forget that I am a co-author of this piece. I have been in our country for a greater part of my life where I studied and worked hard. I have seen it all, as they say, especially the sandiwara politics of UMNO, PAS, KeADILan and Barisan Nasional since 1957.
What Dr. Bakri and I are trying to do in this article is to inform our friends and foes alike that bodekism is now pandemic. There is too much spin, no substance. People who we think we can respect (like I do in the case of my dear friend, Prof. AB Shamsul) have apparently sold out.
I am wondering what is the quid pro co? In the case of Datuk Johan Jaafar, I note that he is now Deputy Chairman of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. I do not know what is in store for AB Shamsul. Could there be something for him too soon? As for Kamal Khalid, there could be a big role for him when his close associate, Khairy Jamaluddin becomes the next Prime Minister by the time the latter is 40 years old. Kamal is positioning himself for a key role in our country.
The best way for these guys to survive and “cari makan” is to play along, and wait for the next powerful guy to emerge and then condemn the previous leader with impunity. I am afraid the Prime Minister Badawi will suffer the same fate as his illustrious predecessor, Tun Dr. Mahathir, when he is no longer in power.
In the 1960s and 1970s, we had a cadre of top class civil servants who could stand up to their political masters and administer the country with impartiality. The Heads of Government Ministeries were then known as Permanent Secretaries, not Secretary-Generals, that is, they cannot be removed by the Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers. There was an effective and independent Civil Service Commission.
But in 1980s all that changed during the previous administration headed a very determined, brilliant and visionary leader with strong convictions and the best of intentions. Unfortunatelly, he would not tolerate anyone who could be standing in the way of his Vision. As a result, the civil service was “reformed” to serve the CEO of our country. That would be fine if the best and of strong character, not the politically adept, were chosen to head key ministeries.
Today, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues could decide who they wanted to serve them. The Chief Secretary to the Government became Ketua Setiausaha Negara who is, in reality, a Secretary to The Cabinet, no longer Head of an independent civil service. He served at the pleasure of the Prime Minister. In that tradition, powerful Cabinet Ministers like Rafidah Aziz and Samy Velu could decide who among the top civil servants can be Ketua Setiausahas of their respective Ministries.
Is this a good development? Or should we change that? Can our Prime Minister who wants an effective civil service to implement his RMK9 do that? Has he got the stomach to do change things around and do that somewhat drastically? Change of the governance culture is a difficult task at best.
The same thing is happening in our Colleges and Universities, which lost their academic freedom with the introduction of Colleges and Universities Act in the 1980s. Today there is also a blurring of the lines between business and politics. In UMNO, for example, the nexus between politics and business is very strong and it would take years to change the system.
In many ways, I sympathise with Prime Minister Badawi, but my bone of contention is that knowing the challenges and complexities of change, the Prime Minister is promising us more than he can deliver. It is time for him to get real, and I will certainly support his efforts as outlined in the RMK9.
Let us put an end of this “feel good factor”, face reality, and focus what is required to get our country moving forward in a very competitive global environment.
Thanks.
April 30th, 2006 at 12:06 am
“….In UMNO, for example, the nexus between politics and business is very strong and it would take years to change the system…..”
I would say almost impossible to change…….The problem is that this issue is seen as a non-issue….
Terence Gomez wrote a book about it and nothing happened………
Perhaps…there exist some kind of a Boeke’s dualism in the Malaysian economy…. a highly lucrative politically connected sector….which is the place to be… and the non-connected sector…. the place where small people fight for the crumbs…. crumbs…. as the best parts have been skimmed off by those in the politically connected sector….
That explains why people bodek their butts off…just to be in the lucrative sector….
April 30th, 2006 at 12:28 am
And also…. very dificult to “reform” this sector……
Obviously the players in the politically connected sectrors will protect their turf……
A better way is for the other sector to thrive and grow despite not being “favoured”….. of course, this is a tall order…. but what choice do we have….. unless…. and unless…somebody here can mobilise everybody (or a critical mass) to demand change….
And that is a very difficult thing to do……..as many of us are far removed from the grass-roots i.e. the masses…… laboureres, farmers…workets….ordinary people etc…..
May 1st, 2006 at 6:55 pm
1)…..In the 1960s and 1970s, we had a cadre of top class civil servants who could stand up to their political masters and administer the country with impartiality. The Heads of Government Ministeries were then known as Permanent Secretaries, not Secretary-Generals, that is, they cannot be removed by the Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers. There was an effective and independent Civil Service Commission……
2)…..Today, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues could decide who they wanted to serve them…..
3)….. Today there is also a blurring of the lines between business and politics. In UMNO, for example, the nexus between politics and business is very strong and it would take years to change the system…….
4)….. Is this a good development? Or should we change that? Can our Prime Minister who wants an effective civil service to implement his RMK9 do that? Has he got the stomach to do change things around and do that somewhat drastically?…….
Dear Din Merican,
I believe ever since the well intentioned ‘affirmative action policy’ was implemented after the May 13, 1969 racial riot, we are headed towards the problems you pointed out above. I do not know to what extent the previous top class civil servants of the 60s and 70s have succeeded or done better than the current crop of civil servants but what I can see is that by the 1980s, to put in your own words….
“……a very determined, brilliant and visionary leader with strong convictions and the best of intentions. Unfortunatelly, he would not tolerate anyone who could be standing in the way of his Vision. As a result, the civil service was “reformed” to serve the CEO of our country. That would be fine if the best and of strong character, not the politically adept, were chosen to head key ministeries…….”
……saw it necessary to change the system.
This brilliant visionary has what you termed, “the stomach to change things around and do that drastically.” I do not think he intentionally put in the politically adept rather than the best and strong of character. So what went wrong? The answer is simple, ‘power corrupts’. So what makes us think that where TDM has failed, our current PM can do any better.
What drastic action can our PM take to change these deeply ingrained mindsets of political patronage? Can we change the greedy nature of human? Will reversing the civil service back to the days of the 60s and 70s bring about a better delivery system? If the system of the 60s and 70s is successful I believe the brave visionary would not have seen the need to change it.
This is the ‘REALITY’ facing Abdullah Badawi. This was the ‘REALITY’ Mahathir faced during his time. He took drastic actions and at the end of it he had to tearfully admit FAILURE.
IS THERE NO HOPE? I say there is hope and this hope lies within ourselves…..in WISDOM….
BE HUMBLE…..
Don’t praise the worthy, and people won’t compete.
Don’t value material wealth, and no one will steal.
Don’t tempt, and no one will crave.
Therefore, when the Sage leads,
She clears our minds and fills our hearts,
Weakens ambitions and strengthens bones.
When you eliminate greed and excess desire,
There can be no evil.
Go with the flow,
And all will be good.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:16 pm
To lkt56,
Anyone know how much is the Wealth of our Ex PM when he “at the end of it he had to tearfully admit FAILURE.” How corrupted he is when he take those drastic action?
It is a clear pic, but no one do anything about it, and now depend on young people to enter politics to change it, by the time we reach up there, we will be more corrupted than them, cause people will change, everyone will change, no matter how you are. Try lower the salary for minister, then he will get other ways to get those money. I even heard that some minister collect fees when they officiated some program or activities, is this the way Malaysia and Fellow Malaysian are going to,
Anyhow, no wind, no wave.
May 5th, 2006 at 2:52 am
My uncle quite a sucessful businessman in his own way ,sum up well about the level of corruption…’” ITS NOT AN EASY TIME FOR A SMALL COW LIKE US AS THE TIGERS AND LIONS STARTED GRAZING THE GRASS TOO” or rimau sudah makan rumput lo…..when they start grazing too ,what is there left for us…very soon the carnivours would start consuming each other ,of course by then non of the cow would be in existence.
as the predicament we r in with regards to corruption the cantonese has this apt saying roughly sounded like this “chook chong yap see fatt ” ,non de-plume way saying ,using an insect to cause u more misery …. bewarn the literal meaning is too undignified in this august forum….but it does convey the message to bodeks that they r destroying the whole fabric of little civility that we have
September 28th, 2006 at 10:06 am
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