Instead of fighting for the seat like kids fighting for the seat (chair), I think the damn bloody right question to ask is, what the MPs (current MP M Kayveas and former MP Kerk Choo Ting) have done towards the development of the Taiping constituency?

Perhaps the time has come for us to listen to our Taiping Lang’s perspective, your view please?

Anyway, a little bit about Kayveas. For the past few weeks, he has been thrown into very bad limelight and being insulted by numerous high profile politicians. The worst attack is from Umno vice-president Mohd Ali Rustam who told the PPP headed by Kayveas to quit the ruling coalition immediately and not after the next general election.

Now the latest development - PPP’s parliamentary seats at Taiping and Bukit Gantang are reportedly will be handed back to Gerakan and Umno respectively in the coming general election, with him (Kayveas) being kept in the dark.

I’m not sure whether this guy still harboring high hopes towards what have been promised to him by BN chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who has assured him earlier that he can defend his seat.

However, by looking at the latest development, it’s apparent Kayveas is being thrown around like an orphan and still, he is bold enough to continue his support and loyalty towards BN? Why can’t he as a leader decides to pull out from the coalition, declares that enough is enough and fights like a man?

That’s how real politic in Malaysia can be, you cling to the great wall even when it’s obvious that you continue to be outcasted?

Finally, after years of discussion, the deal collapsed.

Initial negotiations between the Proton and Volkwasgen (VW) collapsed in January last year after the parties failed to agree on terms, including control of the maker of Waja and Wira sedans.

However, the negotiation resuscitated end of last year when VW was believed to be wanting to acquire a controlling stake in Proton, in which might be part of the cause of the no deal as the egoism factor at stake is too strong which led to the government’s reluctance to cede control of Proton to foreign hands.

Meanwhile, while VW will continue to look for other production opportunities in Southeast Asia, Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop said Proton’s business plan has been "very, very real" and Proton MD Syed Zainal Abidin believes even without the partnership, the future prospect of the Proton is good.

It might be true that Proton cars have been selling well locally for the last few months, however at the end of the day,  Proton has to be competitive globally.

Furthermore, from innovation point of view, I don’t think that Proton has been that innovative as the new models are mostly re-badged version of previous models.

Will Proton collapse without a partner? Is it a question of when? We do not know, but former prime minister Tun Mahathir said in October 2006 that Proton will collapse until it finds an international partner.

If you’re Chinese educated, I strongly urge you to read this article "政治和我们无关?" (Politics has nothing to do with us?) by blogger Aun Woei.

很多人不关心政治，认为政治和他们的生活完全沾不上边，这种心态是大错特错的。人民最关心的是经济和治安，殊不知经济与治安这两个大课题和政治是无从分割的!

(Many of us are not concerned about politics, having a perception that politics has nothing to with us, which is indeed a wrong perception. People are mostly concerned about economics and security issues, not knowing that politics and security issues are not totally unrelated!)

It’s an excellent piece which mainly discuss about the misconception and unacceptable ignorant level of political consciousness many of us (especially Chinese) have towards social-political landscape in this country.

Click here to read more.

The first report was lodged against Screenshot’s Jeff Ooi for allegedly defaming the country, government and police force via a statement issue to Al-Jazeera reporter which was broadcast on YouTube following a gathering organised by Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH).

The Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association, Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress and Pertubuhan Seni Silat Ikatan Kalam Malaysia wanted Jeff to be investigated, alleging that the interview not only tarnished the image of the country but was also seditious and caused racial tension.

Click here to read the full article and download the article in PDF here. Also, please view the alleged video broadcast on YouTube as below:

Probably you can assist the police in finding statements which are deemed offensive and seditious enough to cause racial tension, otherwise can someone please enlighten me since when telling the truth is an offense in this country, let alone causing racial tension? Do you feel that it’s seditious? Does the statement given to Al-Jazeera a week ago cause any racial tension thus far?

Next, the second report was lodged against Malaysia Today’s Raja Petra Kamaruddin by a Shah Alam UMNO member Hisham Yusof.

It was reported by blogger Big Dog that the report was made on the article "What the eye does not see" with no further details provided.

November 9, during the recent Umno General Assembly, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi continued to keep the people guessing as to when the poll will be held.

"I’ve yet to receive an inspiration as to when the general election will be held," he said.

However on Thursday, the Election Commission (EC) chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said he knows when the next general election will be held but added that he could not reveal the date.

"I can’t lie to you that I don’t know when the next general election will be held. I can’t tell you when but I have given enough reminders to all to prepare for the polls," he said.

Hence, journo-blogger Abdul Kadir Jasin can’t help but to question the integrity of both the Election Commission and the PM and asks: Who is lying?

His statement can be read as an indication that the commission is in collusion with the government because only the government or, to be precise, the Prime Minister determines the date of the election.

Abdul Rashid’s statement has the effect of confirming the Bersih movement’s claim that the government parties have an unfair advantage over the oppositions and that the electoral process lacks transparency. […]

So who is lying? Or to be more palatable, who is not telling the truth – the PM who is still waiting for inspiration or the talkative EC chairman who said he knows the date but will not tell?

So, is the election commission independent and transparent? God knows.

What about "the Commission be established and should operate in a manner that ensures the independent and impartial administration of elections" as written on the website of the Election Commission of Malaysia? God knows.

But one thing for sure, we must continue to show our support towards the BERSIH coalition demanding the Election Commission to be an independent authority, ending its alleged subservience to the ruling coalition, that’s only when the rakyat will be promised of a fair and transparent election.

Finally, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that a Royal Commission on the "VK Lingam tape" will soon be established!

He said the government decided to establish the commission upon receiving the report submitted by a three-member panel established to verify the authenticity of the video clip.

Good news, but please hold your horses, it’s not the time to celebrate yet until the terms of reference and possible members of the commission are made known at the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday.

While Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang has suggested that Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah should be made the Chairman of the Royal Commission to restore confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary, although the ideal candidate would be Sultan Azlan Shah especially as he was Lord President during the golden era of the Malaysian judiciary a quarter of a century ago, he listed down a few criteria that Pak Lah should me mindful of:

• Full and proper consultation with relevant personalities and organizations on the Royal Commission of Inquiry
• Full and untrammeled powers for the Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate into every aspect of the Lingam Tape revelations and the restoration of confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary
• The appointment of suitable and qualified Commissioners.

Recently, Raja Nazrin said the rule of law and inviolability of the Constitution, economic and social justice for all, and a thriving civil society will allow an effective and sustained nation building in a pluralistic society.

Kudos to everyone who marched, hidup rakyat!

So here you go, the online version on YouTube.

(SOURCE: Al-Jazeera 101 East)
The debate …

Malaysia has just seen it’s biggest protest for almost a decade, with tens of thousands marching to demand electoral reform.

Their call was met with tear-gas and water cannon.

So is there a need for fundamental change in the south-east Asian country or did the demonstrators get what they deserve?

According to the the "pondan" minister …

• There is no need for institutional reform to the Malaysia election system as the institution is fine and the system works (just because the ruling coalition lost Kelantan to PAS?)
• Democracy is in place because he is the the rakyat’s elected representatives (even though he s**ks!)
• No excessive force was used to disperse the gathering (use of tear gas and water cannons?!)
• There is press freedom in Malaysia (even when the rally was underreported by the Government-controlled mainstream media?!)

Now, do watch the videos below to find out nothing but the truth!

Part 1:

Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Now you tell.

Together with the "pondan" minister and the infamous son-in-law, Human Rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar will appear on Al-Jazeera’s 101 East tonight (Thursday), 1030pm on Astro Channel 513, discussing about the BERSIH 10-11 rally.

Doha-based Al-Jazeera English is 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel which Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin and IGP Musa Hassan labeled as a TV station with propaganda to smear this country’s reputation.

Please find the schedule below and if you do not subscribe to Astro, it’s all right as 101 East episodes can be watched online in full, all thanks to YouTube. Having said all that, the bottom line is - it’s a debate you can’t afford to miss, which is good enough to further prove the powderful quality of pembesar in Pak Lah’s cabinet, on top of the minister with powderful england.

(SOURCE: Astro)
I tell ya, Nazri is nowhere better than ZAM.

Same same only.

Now, IGP Musa Hassan joins the fray too.

He criticised Al-Jazeera for potraying police as having used force to quell the rally organized by Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH).

"Its (Al Jazeera’s) claim was not right. Suhakam was there and saw that police did not use force and had acted professionally. It was merely a propaganda (by Al Jazeera) to give the country a bad name," he said.

However, if you’re to watch this 2:33 minutes video, if the use of tear gas and water cannons are not considered as a use of force .. ?

Do they really think that we the rakyat are all stupid and blind? Who dared to be rough against the police force with their weapons? The footage from Al-Jazeera was clear enough to proof the use of force against rally participants.

I say, let them response more. The more they try to spin the entire scenario, the deeper they sink. Thanks to the advancement of technology and the power of internet, now the rakyat has the opportunity to differentiate between the truth and propaganda.

Remember ZAM on Al-Jazeera?

ZAM: ….I commend your journalists trying to project, to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That, that, that, that’s it. We, we are not, the, the — and I, I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that, that’s —

AJ: As you say that, sir, we’re watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water …

ZAM (interrupts): Ya, I am watching, I hear, [?] …. trying to do it everywhere but in Malaysia people are allowed, to, you know [?] … Police have allowed the procession to go to the Istana Negara, you know, do police, first police, like, they handle them, they [?] them, they … the police don’t, don’t, don’t fire anybody …

AJ: Our correspondent came back to the office, sir, with chemicals in his eyes!

ZAM (speaking over her): … You, you, you, you are here with the idea, you are trying to project, what is your mind, you think that we are Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar, everything you, you are thinking …

AJ: Well unfortunately when you refuse to let people protest, it does appear so.

ZAM (speaking over her): …Ya, ya, we are not like you, you have early perception, you come here, you want to project us like undemocratic country. This a democratic country!

AJ: So why can’t people protest then, if it’s a democratic country?

ZAM (interjects at "protest then"): Ya, people protest, people then — first they protest, we are allowing protests, and they have demonstrated. But we just trying to disperse them and then later they, you know, disperse, but later our police compromise. They have compromised and allowed them to proceed to Negara. Police, our police have succeeded in handling them gently, right? Why do you report that and you take the opposition, someone from opposition party you ask him to speak, you don’t take from the government, right?

AJ: Why did you not break up these protesters —

ZAM (interrupting): Pardon? Pardon? Pardon?

AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

ZAM: I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you.

AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

ZAM: No we, we are, we, this protest is illegal. We don’t want, this, the, normally … (slight pause, then continues to talk while she interjects)

AJ (interjecting): OK, so let me return to my former question. Why is this protest illegal?

ZAM (babbling on): Ya it’s illegal protest because (AJ: Why?) we have the election in Malaysia. It’s no, no point on having the protest, we are allowing to have every, an election every five years, never fail. We not our like, are not like Myanmar, not like other country. And, and you are helping this. You Al-Jazeera also is helping this, this forces, the, you know, these forces who are not [?], who don’t believe in [?] …

AJ (seems to want to say something, but decides not to): I don’t … many thanks for joining us.

ZAM: I don’t, ya, you, Jazeera, this is, is Al-Jazeera attitude. Right?

Thanks to blogger Rachel Low, we’ve access to the full transcript of the interview to proof how powderful is ZAM when he speaks in England.

It’s tremendously powderful to the extent that Mr. Brown across the crossway would like to advise ZAM that in the future, it’s better to keep his mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

And we’re talking about our Information Minister, the Chief Information Officer of Malaysia.