Hey Mr. Prime Minister, what on earth are you doing guaranteeing the RM4,600,000,000 PKFZ bonds? You think its your father's money is it? Hello! That's our money you are talking about.

Who are you to be deciding what to do with our money based on your whims? As far as we rakyat know, the PKFZ saga is hardly near the end. How is it that you can already make decisions on key matters of that con job?

Has there been new developments with the PKFZ bond which I have missed? Last I read, Chan Kong Choy said that the letters issued were NOT letters of guarantee. So isn't what Najib doing now contradicting the claims of the man who issued the 'letter of support'?

Aduhai! Which is correct now? Letter of Support or Letter of Guarantee or Letter of Undertaking? What is what BN? What is what now? Is Najib saying that Chan Kong Choy and OC Phang committed CBT and he is now 'forced' to accept their misdeeds? Then charge them in court on Monday.

And where is Pakatan on this matter of Najib guaranteeing the godzillionbillionmillion ringgit?

What has Pakatan been doing about this? Making some noise in Dewan Rakyat - like they always do. Dei... Lim Kit Siang has been doing that for years. Effective ka? No. It is not. Those crooks sitting opposite you don't give a damn. You've got to be doing much more than that. BN will not submit to you. If they have to be forced into relooking their actions, then force them into it.

Pakatan, who put you guys in Parliament? We the rakyat. What does that mean? It means we rakyat have the power. So, use us!

Do you Pakatan political novices read international papers? Or watch international news? Do you not realise that people protests take place very often else where. That is democracy. Do the same. Make a big fuss out of the ruling government's mismanagement. Every time.

Protests! Protests! Protests! Stage it right outside the Parliament House. Stage it right outside Najib's residence. Swarm his car. Chant outside his house at 2 am. Get creative. Get CNN. Get Al-Jazeera. Get BBC.

The bigger the fuss, the bigger the coverage. The bigger the coverage, the larger the pressure on BN. BN is in desperate need to win back votes. They have to appease the public. Pressure them into halting/reversing the decision. If you think that it may not be easy to gather the general public, then what use are your party members? You guys need to know how to play games.

BN will of course make it difficult for the protests to take place. All the better. Suppression of the people's voices. The international media loves it. Wider coverage.

It's ok to inconvenience us with traffic jams. I can tell you that the rakyat would rather get stuck in jams then having the government squandering our money. After all the protest is done to protect the people's money!

PR, you really really need to know how to play games. Politics is dirty. Politics is cunning. You think Obama won the elections because he smiles a lot? Tactics guys, tactics. Strategies. Strategies are not about winning elections only. And definitely not about keeping Anwar out of jail only.

You have got to know how to play your role as the opposition. It is much more than standing up in the Dewan shouting your lungs away or staging walkouts. It is much more about how to win the next elections. Tell the people that you fellows truly have the interests of the rakyat at heart. And not all talk and talk and talk.

Walk the talk Pakatan. And I meant literally walking.

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Childish!

That's the best description of the reactions of MACC and PDRM to the court judgement to disallow them from forcing witnesses to answer to them past office hours.

By the way, I think the judge did a good job in delivering that judgment. It shows good use of common sense. Mind you, that is an element that is constantly missing in this country; even though half the term is meant to mean... common.

You just cannot believe the response we are getting from these 2 rubbish of the nation. I could not stop shaking my head in disbelief reading the news of their reactions. MACC to close their offices at 5.30pm sharp. Police threaten to stop taking reports after 5.30 pm. What is wrong with you people?

You get this anger suppressed within yourself. No. It is not anger. It is more of helplessness. The country is at such an embarrassing state being run by tantrum-throwing-children. And we are the ones paying their wages? It just doesn't make sense. How is it that we pay these rubbish to work for us. Are there no better people? And we aren't exactly paying peanuts.

Why? Why? Why?

Why do we have to have this kind of people leading important agencies? Why can't we have decent people working for us?

Has the Head of MACC and the IGP got no shame? Have they got no family names to protect? How do they go home and face their wives and children? How do they answer to their parents?

Buat malu bangsa! These 2 morons are definitely doing the Malays no good. Is it not bad enough that the Malay race is already being labelled stupid and lazy by the others? There are certain things in life that do not require justification and this happens to be one of them. If I were a Malay, I'll be ashamed. (Well I heard the Chinese are really ashamed with the shenanigans of the Ongs, Chuas and Liows).

But come on. Do their reactions really look like one taken by intelligent people? The straight answer is no. It is apparent what the the court is saying - do not FORCE the public into giving statements into the wee hours of the day. That's called torturing. Be professional. Keep interrogation to office hours. But if the witness offers himself, then that's something else. Take that as a bonus.

We know that the MACC understands this. We know that the PDRM understands this. But they instead choose to throw tantrum because they are no longer allowed to do as they wish. I hope they know that they are doing themselves a major disservice. Forget about whatever public relations works they have been up to. They have shot themselves on their feet again. Either they are really stupid or they really love the public to see them as being stupid. And childish. And immature. And there are actually people out there thinking that Najib's administration is doing the people good.

Shameful. Just plain shameful.

This is Malaysia. Never capable of executing anything good. We are the country of shame. I am truly ashamed of all these nonsense going on in the country. All because we have incapable clowns running the country. Maybe the only way for me to console myself is to accept a religion and accept the doctrine that they will be dealt with in the afterlife. But that would be the wrong reason to get religious.

Somebody help us, Malaysians. We are desperately in need of decent humans to lead the country. The bad news is Pakatan Rakyat isn't any better.

Malaysians, we are so screwed.

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Anwar Ibrahim has made his first major decision in 2009 (even though there are only 2 more months to go, never mind la). We know the economic advisory position is made up. He is basically leading Selangor now la. De-facto opposition leader cum de-facto leader of PKR cum de-facto Menteri Besar of Selangor.

What is your plan for Selangor now, Anwar?

It's about time we Selangorian hear something constructive from the MB's office.

How are you going to resolve the beer sale issue? Can we put an end to that. Restore open selling status please. The 'majority' Muslims cannot lord over the 'minority' non-Muslims. We live in harmony, remember? And can we get the pork sellers back into Shah Alam please. And the Magnums and Totos and what not. Point is: restore your multi-racial image and be done away with the radical Islam mask. Even Tok Guru cannot tolerate such rubbish carried out in the name of Islam. You have a lot to do to win back the voters - of which many have deserted PR if you don't already know by now.

And the water issue. You guys can't exactly go on and on and on about the never ending water issue. There must be something in the law that can be evoked to stop the likes of Puncak Niaga being the cocky bastards that they are. (My apologies for my French but I cannot find other ways to describe them). Has anyone read my earlier article on this? I Want Clean Water posted on 26 October 2009.

But what I really like to see is the end of UMNO running Selangor while PR is the government of the state. RPK is darn right pointing this out. Ask anyone in Selangor. Everyone knows about this. Maybe that's why Anwar took so long to come to Selangor - he is not a Selangorian and hence does not know. Hehehe...

The begging question is what has Khalid been doing with these UMNO goons running about his offices? He wants to be Mr. Popular with government officers is it?

You need not fire the entire office. The lower level personnel aren't the problem - they are lazy by nature and we can live with that. (Actually, I can't. I cannot stand them). And they are the bulk of the headcount. So you have no need to worry about massive unemployment. It is the Little Napoleons whom should have been dealt with. Sack them. Don't want to get into trouble with Labour Law? Fridge them, no?

If I were Anwar, I'll walk into each and every municipal council, gather all heads in a room, and tell them to start counting their days in office. I always believe that the rakyat are not pleased with the government because they are actually most unhappy with the municipal council officers. The decisions of the central government affect you at a macro level but the actions of the municipal council officers affect your daily lives. If Anwar can tackle the municipal councils right, PR will remain government come the next election. It is as simple as that. Politics sometimes really ain't that difficult. Go on, cull them, Anwar, cull them. Bring in new blood. We don't expect the local government service to turn efficient overnight but at least we know that you want to make a difference from what the BN government has to offer. Buat masa sekarang, tiada perbezaan.

And please start a hunt on previous government's misdeeds. I know that the PR government promised no hunting when they first took over. I can never ever understand why. Such a hunt is a must. Why not? So that when BN takes back they won't hunt you back? Is that it, Anwar?

If you are keen on a reformed Malaysia, a strong message must be sent. Previous administration's corruption will be tracked when a new government takes over. By that, the present government officer will have to think a 100 times before he even dare to take a thousand bucks. Let alone the millions and billions being leaked out now. This is what a 2 party system is all about. Counter-checking to minimise corruption and leakages.

But my bet is Anwar will not do this. He has his own baggage from his UMNO days. There is this pact among thieves; you sell me out, I'll sell you too. Anwar was in a position to know a whole lot of things being a DPM. If he truly wants to nail UMNO, he has the info. But he cannot do it else it will backfire upon him. But that is politics. So we the sorry rakyat just have to bite it.

Let's sidetrack from Selangor to the next GE. If PR truly wants to win the next GE, misdeed hunting must be a key policy. The rakyat is fed up with corruption. If Anwar and gang can make this pledge, then a significant portion of the voters have been won over. If Anwar dare to stir the hornet's nest and openly declare that he will change the IGP with so and so, the Chief Justice with so and so, and Head of MACC with so and so, half the battle would have already been won. Let us know who you have in line and we will know if you are serious. With 3 new heads come 3 new reborn arms of Malaysia. And it is then that we will believe that a new Malaysia will rise.

So, what are you gonna do Saudara Anwar? We will be watching you closely. We Selangorians are not easy to please. And oh, one more thing. Please don't go into hiding again.

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Bloomberg on 13 November 2009 reported in their article 'Obama Must Be Like Bush in Free-Trade Commitment, Malaysia Says' that:

"Najib Razak urged President Barack Obama to show the same commitment to free trade that his predecessor, George W. Bush, expressed at a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders last year... "

"APEC in Singapore is a wonderful opportunity for us to make a very strong political statement that we will resist protectionism,” Najib said.

What a whole load of cow dung! Look who's talking here.

Who is Najib to talk about free trade? Who is Najib to talk about open market? Malaysia under the dictatorship of Barisan Nasional is possibly one of the most protected economy in the world. And mind you, protection not to the interests of the ordinary farmers or fishermen or white collared salaried workers but that of the interests of BN politicians and their beneficiary cronies.

(There is nothing wrong if Obama wants to protect the economy of his country, but what I cannot swallow is a robber telling another robber not to rob.)

Proton is an example of a protectionism nightmare. Ridiculously high import and excise duties placed Proton in such a cosy seat to the extend that all that comes out from its factories are jokes that literally kill on the roads. Protectionism kills competition. Without competition there is no pressure for creativity or drive to improve. What more, non-Proton car prices from the little Viva to the high end Maseratis are inflated sky high to the extent that the entire economy is bubbled up.

There is no such a thing as a stand alone component item in the economy. Every item within the economy is inter-related. Higher costs of vehicles lead to higher costs of transportation which in turn affects delivery of raw materials, then sub-components and then final consumer products. Can you imagine if our local car industry is not protected. With car prices falling by 60%, what do you think will happen to the prices of all other goods in Malaysia?

(There are of course concerns with a plunge in car prices and its immediate repercussions on the corresponding loans with banks being forfeited etc. but that is another topic for another day).

I am an advocate for free trade. But that does not mean that I support no protection. There could be areas where protection is required. But the overall benefit to the population has to out-weight the benefits reaped by the few who enjoy the protection they are accorded.

We know that this is not the case in Malaysia. No doubt the restriction on import of rice helps to protect the local paddy farmers. But are the paddy farmers the real beneficiaries? No. Our farmers are still one of the poorest in the country. The profits have landed in the hands of government related conglomerates such as Bernas. And such protectionism also leads to little innovation. Our local rice is of such poor quality that it is deemed 'a poor man's' diet. Those who can afford it are dining on the expensive Thai fragrant rice. In this case, how has a protectionism policy actually helped the general Malaysians? Ever wondered why we cannot produce high grade rice like those of the Japanese?

It is always good to look at the actions of those who have done well for themselves. And in Malaysia, the ultra-rich Robert Kuok is a very good example. If you asked me, I'll say that Robert Kuok have had enough of the Malaysian government and its rubbish. He is a businessman (and a darn good one at it) and has no interest in the political games of Malaysia. Did you know that he is no longer the Malaysian Sugar King? He has already disposed off his investments. And he is definitely getting his other businesses out of Malaysia - you may recall the transactions with his Singapore based Wilmar. His core businesses are now based in China and Hong Kong. So, the richest man in Malaysia no longer stays in Malaysia and the bulk of his businesses are also not based in Malaysia. That must really say something.

Look at another Malaysian success story, Genting. The Genting Group knows that the future of their gambling business lies in the hands of the Malaysian government. Who would like no control over the future of their business? Naturally, they've smart it up. They have now expanded their gambling business to UK and Singapore (to be completed in Jan 2010). They are also venturing into Macau. What is your prediction for Genting Highlands? The Malaysian government can shaft it up their arses for all they care. Genting will die a natural death and the loser is the Malaysian government who will lose out on lucrative tax revenue.

Another form of protection which is not seen by the ordinary rakyat is that of our foreign exchange. Do you think that the ringgit is rightly value at RM3.35 to US$1.00? Nobody seems to think so except for Bank Negara. Why can't we float our ringgit again? Enough bullshit about speculators playing with the ringgit. The Malaysian government is one of the largest forex player in the world pre 1997 meltdown. Don't blame others for your own mistakes and greed. Float the ringgit and I am blardie sure that we will easily be in the range of RM2.50 and Rm2.80. And I read somewhere that based on burgernomics (that's forex and economy based upon spending power on McDonald's products), the real value of the ringgit could even be below RM2.oo (I think that that is s a bit pushing it la).

No doubt that keeping the ringgit high is beneficial for the exporters. But remember, it makes imports very expensive. And we are a country that relies heavily on imports because our economy is so protected that many things produced are sub-standard. So who suffers with a high exchange rate? The rakyat again. That's you and me. Why can't we float the damn ringgit and force our manufacturers to learn to produce quality goods at low prices? Why should we rakyat have to suffer so that our manufacturers can make a profit and make the government looks good with healthy exports? Why must we rakyats pay for everything? Why must the rakyat be sacrificed so that the manufacturers get to buy their S Class and 7 Series.

There are many more protectionism imposed in this country. It will take an entire thesis for me to write about all of them - if that is even possible at all. The point is protectionism is good only if it is not abused. But we know that our government is incapable of not abusing anything.

I say the best thing Obama can do is to tell Najib to shut up and mind his own business. I hope that the US got really offended by Najib's remarks and retaliates. It will be good to see them forcing Malaysia to adopt a full FTA. Failing which they may impose an economic sanction on Malaysia. Let me tell you this; in the short run an economic sanction will hurt Malaysia. But in the long run, every single rakyat Malaysia will benefit from an open trade because right now be are just being suckered by the Barisan Nasional government. Malaysia must be forced into an economic reform or she never will.

We have already missed a boat for an economic reform when Mahathir rejected IMF's reform in 1998. That would have opened up the economy and removed all the political nonsense. Look at South Korea who took up the offer. Take a hard look at South Korea today. Where are they now? And where are we? And why did Mahathir reject the IMF? Because they would have killed off UMNO's power in the country and the wealth of its politicians and cronies. Everything else mentioned about us being colonised by the west via IMF is bullshit. South Korea is still South Korea and not the United States of Korea. Indonesia in not known as United Indonesia. Talking about Indonesia, guess who got kicked out from his lofty seat when IMF went there.

Ordinary Malaysian do not pay just the expensive cars; we pay for much more for everything we incur every day because of protectionism. Economics affect our daily lives much to the ignorance of the uninformed laymen. And the BN government will continue to manipulate economics for its benefits because the bulk of the rakyat do not understand the technicalities of economics.

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For the benefits of those who are not well versed with economic terminologies, here is what Wikipedia has to say about 'protectionism':

Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states, through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports, and prevent foreign take-over of local markets and companies. This policy is closely aligned with anti-globalization, and contrasts with free-trade, where government barriers to trade are kept to a minimum.

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So much is being said out there about the goods, the bads and the rubbish of Pakatan Rakyat. And Anwar Ibrahim. I don't think I'll need to give a recap on these; as it is I myself am quite mual already.

Where has Anwar been? I bet you that a whole lot of people out there are suspecting that he has sold out the rakyat with UMNO holding him by the balls because of his Sodomy II charges. Can you really blame those who think so. After all, where is Anwar? Since 8 March 2008, he has been talking cock, lost a state, bumbled in Sabah and Sarawak, got himself and PKR (along with PR) into a whole lot of mess and nothing much positive for the rakyat.

Is he really that busy with his case? Or is he so guilty that he has to please UMNO by destructing Pakatan Rakyat?

Whatever it is, it is time for Pakatan Rakyat to get organised. I can't stand disorganisation. There has to be a proper structure for anything and everything to work.

I like things done the corporate way. Take a leaf from Thaksin. He has his issues but you cannot deny that he is one of the best thing that ever happened to Thailand. He ran the country the way he ran his businesses - brilliant!

As such, I believe that PR should be run in the same manner. There should always be a clear leader and I've mentioned this before. But maybe this person should not be Anwar. Yes, remove Anwar as the 'Managing Director' of Pakatan Rakyat. This is my proposed structure:



















MANAGING DIRECTOR

The MD should be a person who is NOT a member of any of the 3 of DAP, PAS and PKR. By doing this, the MD will be impartial when it comes to decision making. All decisions affecting PR must be approved and endorsed by the Board (MD + 3 directors). A simple majority suffices. Collective decision is the way to go.

The MD should also be well remunerated from a pooled fund (will come to this later). RM100,000 per month comes to mind. It is a decent amount to live a comfortable life. This amount must be such so as to prevent any 'paid favouritism' - you know what I mean. RM1.2 million per annum may not be a large sum considering what the corrupted government officials can make, but it sure puts off some risk taking (of being caught) as this RM1.2 million is a risk free high paying income. (Singapore is adopting this strategy and I think it is very smart of them).

Who are the candidates? I would like to think that Tengku Razaleigh fits the bill. But that's doubtful. What about Raja Petra? He seems like a good candidate. And potentially Zaid Ibrahim - if and only if he leaves PKR.

And who decides who gets the MD job? That's a tough one. Maybe the 3 parties get to choose by way of vote. Or maybe all registered members of the 3 parties get to vote.


OTHER DIRECTORS

Each component party is given 1 board seat. Regardless of party size or number of state seats or parliament seats held. Why? Because you campaign as PR during the elections and you won the seat because of PR and not because you are DAP, PAS or PKR.

The board member cannot be the leader of the individual party. If you are the head of your party then your job is busy enough. Look at what we have now with Anwar. He is so busy with his case, with 'leading' PR etc. that he has no time for PKR. Anwar should stay focus and look after his upside-down PKR before he attempts to tell DAP and PAS what to do. Isn't that right?

So, 1 seat allocated to each party, and the party representative should be a person with certain level of power within his own party. Say, someone like Karpal Singh of DAP, Wan Azizah of PKR, and Tok Guru of PAS.


Should PR get to form government, should the MD be made PM? Maybe. Maybe not. The candidate could be one of the directors, or he/she could be one of the party heads. But the PM must be decided by PR as part of its election campaign. Voters must know who is the candidate running to lead the country. Let us know beforehand who you have in mind. This must be decided by the MD and the 3 directors so as to prevent unexpected 'problems' on 'unexpected' wins - like GE12. And see, its collective agreement.


DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE

An independent disciplinary committee should be set up to monitor the activities and misbehaviour of all members within PR. Yes, the net is cast wide. This DC is something like the internal audit department. Not very well liked but keeps everyone on their toes. And the members of this DC should not be members of any of the component parties.

The DC has no power to prosecute. And reports directly to the MD. Not the Board because the Board has the 3 party reps. The MD will then decide on if actions should be 'forced' upon the directors to 'clean their house'. This will trap the likes of Hasan Ali and Zulkifli Nordin.

Members of the DC are paid by a pooled fund.


SUPPORTING DEPARTMENTS

Some of the supporting departments that can be created are:

1. Accounts - Ensure that all centralised funds are well managed. The accounts must be audited and made available to the public.

2. Branding and Image - PR is suffering badly from this department because PR is still darn old school. Wake up. This is 2009. Everything is about perception - politics especially. I actually think that Najib is very smart in hiring the professionals for his own branding and image. I still don't like him though. But you cannot deny that this team is doing a good job in making him look good. People actually get convinced by good publicity. The Americans are just darn good at this. And we know Obama spent a fortune on publicity to win his Presidency seat.

3. Strategy & Planning - Enough of listening to Anwar. He is good but he is not Mr. Know All. PR needs a team to cater for PR. Component parties can have their own team but that is for their own purposes. PR as a unit must have its own strategies and plans. Time to rope in the professionals. Time for change. The thing with DAP and PAS is they are still old school. Tweeting doesn't mean that you have moved forward. Having a political blog doesn't make you a changed politician. The mindset must change. How things are done must change. The thought process must change. Did I mention that PKR has to move on from its UMNO style of doing things?


Now how are we going to finance this centralised management team?


POOLED FUND

Each component party must dedicate an amount to the PR central management team for running expenses. What is a good gauge? That depends. We could go based on say RM1 or RM2 per party membership headcount. There may be an issue of party x complaining of paying more due to their broader membership base etc. But PR will just have to learn to live as ONE. Else, what's the difference between PR and BN?

Remember, PR knows no religion or race. So, nothing should be apportioned based on such criterias like what BN is adopting. Leave the BN mentality please.

Fundraising can also be carried under the PR banner. All 3 component parties are allowed to keep all fund raised for own use when raising fund under own banner. But when the banner of PR is used, say 50% of all fund raised must be contributed to the central committee.


So, there you have a very simplified structure for brainstorming. Of course there is room for improvement. This is something I thought off while taking a shower! But it is a start.

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