[UPDATED VERSION] While the oil price increases, the world is watching at downtown New Orleans where Hurricane Katrina is expected to hit the coast at 160mph wind and a threat of a 28ft storm surge.

Even though it had been downgraded to Category 4 storm, it’s still capable of causing extreme damage.

Let’s us pray for the least damage and ask: What if we were them?

Meanwhile, CNN’s Miles O’Brien is blogging on Hurricane Katrina, live from Louisiana.

Maxis SMS alert at 6:17pm.

Khalid Jafri, 65, the author of ‘50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh jadi PM’ has died of chronic diabetic complications’.

Al-fatihah. Takziah. Semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat.

Can I brand this as one new kind of modern-days privacy intrusion?

I’m concerning that if this ruling to go through, certain irresponsible enforcement officers will take this as an excuse to ‘ransack’ your mobile phone.

Don’t take my words for it, tell me what you think?

Yesterday, Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein was saying the appointment of a foreigner to lead any GLCs is like an act of allowing the country to be recolonized. Quote:

"Don’t look at it purely from the commercial aspect but (we) should look at the bigger agenda, that is the Malay agenda." […]

However, when asked about Umno Youth opinion to the possibility of appointing a British national to head MAS, he then relented by saying this:

"We are rational. We will look at the official statement first. The important thing is that they must explain."

He was quoted as saying that due to reports as saying that Khazanah Nasional may appoint a foreigner to lead Malaysia Airlines (MAS) after the early resignation of its managing director Ahmah Fuaad Dahlan.

Today, I receive a SMS Maxis alert at 6:43pm.

A M’sian should be given top priority to helm MAS but foreinger can fill post if no local candidate is found suitable, says PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

While I’m not so sure whether I’m looking at it purely from the commercial aspect as how minister Hishammudin laid the context, what I understand is that MAS experienced a loss of RM280.7mil for the 1Q of the year while AirAsia made a profit of RM111.64mil for the year ended June 30.

However, I’m grateful that our Prime Minister is rational enough to juggle the gauge between the commercial factor and the so-called Malay agenda.

Ask Aisehman too.

Malaysia has thousands of immediate plans to execute.

However, I humbly ask: Is this project cheap enough to become a priority?

Its all over by now.

President post

Lim Keng Yaik retains his post as the Gerakan president while the loser Kerk Choo Ting’s political direction remains unknown for the time being. However, Kerk’s mentioned it out and loud that he will continue to serve the party and hold no grudge against Keng Yaik. Quote:

"I have no anger against him, we respect each other and I can work with everyone."

Apparently, talk is dirt cheap as a few days ago, Kerk accussed the president of trying to deceive deputy president Koh Tsu Koon into a trap and claimed that he is pushing to create a Lim dynasty.

What a 360 degrees U-Turn?

Vice-president posts

Not much of suprise. All three vice-president candidates listed on green-coloured cai dan(menu), namely Teng Hock Nan, S Vijayaratnam and Chang Ko Youn won, which was speculated to be endorsed by Keng Yaik.

I’m not trying to be skeptical here. By all means, I’m asking you to turun padang, randomly select a few and ask what they think about him and you’ll probably get a better picture. Also, I would like to quote what Richard Yeoh has said about him:

After 15 years in the same post, he still needs more time to ‘work his magic’ on Penang? Hello? Has anyone noticed that Penang has slipped in the past eight years?

As for the Chief Minister post which is traditionally held by Gerakan since the Lim Chong Eu era, a change of guard to MCA is very much likely to happend.

I hope.

Head-hunting session on expatriate has begun?

[UPDATED VERSION] Maxis SMS alert at 5:04pm and 5:10pm, respectively.

Dr Lim Keng Yaik has retianed the post of Gerakan president by polling 983 votes against his challenger Kerk Choo Ting’s 628 votes.

The 3 elected Gerakan VPs are Dr Teng Hock Nan (1256 votes), S Vijayaratnam (1186) and Chang Ko Youn (1044).

This means that the Justice Bao and the vicious clown are out.

Thanks Jeff for the early notification at 5:01pm.

Related Link:
- Malaysiakini | Keng Yaik wins with 354-majority

  Via Malaysiakini:

A gloomy-looking Gerakan President Lim Keng Yaik told a press conference that he was sad and regretted that the image of the 37-year-old party had been tarnished over the party election.
It took me 25 years (his tenure) to build up the image of the party but it just took one week to shatter it," he said.

For a very short moment, he repented but you know, human nature hardly evolve in a spilt of seconds and he started to blame, again.

"It all started before the nomination with the poison-pen letter and after nomination day, they started to label me ‘dictator, Lim’s dynasty, Mao Zedong’ and nepotism," he said.

Asked why he did not use his power to stop the mudslinging, he replied: "You want me to be branded a dictator further? What power do I have? How can I stop people from criticising me?"

Well said, Keng Yaik! What power do you have? How can you stop people from critisizing you?

Come on man, don’t play me a fool. For me, this appears to be extremely obvious that he has the answers within himself, however he chose to ignore his gut feeling and instead went on to hurl against each other.

Ironically, until the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi decide to intervene and instructed the duo to shut up, vice-president candidate Rhina Bhar’s advice gone defiant.

By crying foul over the cooked rice won’t bring back the glory days, no matter how hard effort and how much sweats you’ve contributed back then. Human is very realistic, the damage was already done and he knew it truthfully.

First, it was shame on personalities. Now even worse, it is shame on the party itself and the aftermath is severe. Real expensive price to pay for being degil, not really?

Now, my question is: If leaders can’t even withstand personality issue rationally, how are we going to entrust people like you to represent bangsa Malaysia, dear Keng Yaik & Choo Ting?

No, please don’t tell me its the vice-president Koh Tsu Koon, thats not an answer anyway.

[UPDATED VERSION] Dr. Terence Gomez asks: Who owns corporate Malaysia?

Even if bumiputera equity ownership is increased to 30 percent, would this mean that wealth has been more equitably distributed among members of this community or between them and other Malaysians? And, most importantly, should we continue to perpetuate a discourse on equitable wealth distribution among Malaysians along racial lines?

Opinions and facts that count.