It has been a yo-yo ride for many of us who is monitoring our domestic political scene lately, with both BN and PR were seen capturing the headlines, albeit for the wrong reasons.

This is bad.

Our economy is screwed up, big time.

Domestic political turmoil combined with the turbulence in the US financial market is the perfect recipe for a disaster. The prospect of a messy change of government, which is the first in the history of Malaysia, is making investors very nervous, to an extent that the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index plunged to its two-year lowest of 963, worse than the 1,157 shortly after the March 8 general election where BN lost two-third majority in the Parliament as well as a few states to the PR coalition.

Besides, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development World Investment Report 2008 released last week, FDI outflow in Malaysia surpassed inflow by RM8.99 billion in 2007, which means foreign direct investment (FDI) outflow in Malaysia has exceeded inflow for the first time ever, underscoring fears that investors might be losing confidence in the government and its economic policies.

Interestingly, among the 10-member Asean countries, Malaysia is the only country to suffer negative flow despite the fact that this region recorded its highest ever FDI inflow, which means more Malaysians are investing abroad for fear of the uncertain political backlash or its gloomy economic outlook as a result of the previous factor.

While the out of favor Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is still clinging to power despite mounting calls for him to step down earlier than expected, there is no end in sight to the uncertainty.

As a matter of fact, Umno as the largest component party in the BN coalition is going to put off its party polls and postponed its AGM to March next year in the bid to force Pak Lah to hand over power to his deputy Najib Tun Razak in 6 months.

Pak Lah, on the other hand, is as good as gone and it’s a matter of time. While it was announced that Pak Lah will decide before Oct 9 whether he is going to contest for the top post, it’s being reported that it’s a gone case for him, going down the road together with the aspiring presidential candidate who was earlier seen as a darkhorse Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah but latest scenario posing greater opportunity for the International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his quest to replace Najib as Umno’s deputy president.

At the same time, another BN’s component party Gerakan which is almost on the brink of collapse, in its own survey shows that 60 percent of members want to leave BN to either join opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat or to be an independent party.

The PR coalition, on the other hand, is unperturbed with its September 16 plan, which is a good thing as we Malaysians shouldn’t be too fixated with the date in first place. If it happens, it must take place constitutionally and what’s more important, peacefully. If it doesn’t, so be it and let’s do it in the next GE, after-all, many of us are not convinced BN under the new leadership purportedly to be led by Najib is not going to change much.

Besides, I’m totally for the idea by Anwar Ibrahim to drop any dateline for the takeover as it’s going to diminish his own credibility while in a way contributing in helping to screw up the country’s economic performance in a way or another.

Now with the PR coalition being subtle with the plan, they stand to benefit from it as the mind-game is going to deter the BN government from wasting so much money in sending their MPs to overseas for argriculture trip in the midst of Ramadan season while most of the component parties are occupying themselves with their own party elections.

BY THE WAY, like it or not, let’s embrace the mother of all disasters.

A few minutes ago, U.S lawmakers reject $700 billion plan to bail out the financial system and almost instantly, Dow Jones plunges 600 points.

It’s Tuesday, a day before the auspicious Raya festival which is going to be celebrated by all Muslim friends over the world. Is Malaysia internal crisis is going to be exacerbated by one of the darkest day in the global economic? Is KLSE formidable enough to sustain the expected panic selling?

It’s going to be a true case of sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga tergolek masuk longkang.

In another word, triple (sic) whammy.

Following the release of our friend Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz a.k.a Kickdefella, another young creative Malaysian Wee Meng Chee who is famous of the Negarakuku video on YouTube, was reported by Malaysiakini that he is scheduled to be quizzed by the police at noon tomorrow.

His latest posting on the blog (http://namewee.blogspot.com) revealed that he is calm prior to the investigation and pondering what’s going to happend next.

While he highlighted his main concern would be the progress of his latest production <<我要回家>> "I want to go home" which is expected to be released before the coming Chinese New Year celebration, his utmost hope is not to be dragged into the latest political standstill in Malaysia as yet-another victim of being made the scapegoat of any alleged wrongdoing.

"It’s not that I’m not courageous enough to discuss about political affair on my blog, it’s just that I don’t want to tarnish my own blog with such dirty topic," he said.

He is expected to be investigated for possible violation of the Sedition Act and the National Anthem Act and prior to this, a few politicians have even suggested the Government to strip his citizenship, which I personally think is a bit far-fetched and yet-another overzealous remark.

Let’s throw our support behind Meng Chee and I hope the police is going to be more sensible in dealing with this trivial matter, as if Malaysia is having no other pressing issues for the police to be kept occupied with.

On September 1, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda resigned abruptly after just a year in office.

Less than a fortnight ago, Thailand Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was removed from the office after after the Constitution Court ruled in a unanimous verdict on Tuesday that the two TV cooking shows of the PM violated the charter ban on outside employment.

On Saturday, South African President Thabo Mbeki agreed to step down following the decision of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress to fire him.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert formally announced his intention to resign.

It’s worthy to note the impact of this worldwide resignation spree led by the Japanese PM and we shall see if this exodus is going to spread to Malaysia when the embattled PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was reported to be under pressure by his own party Umno to step down by October 9.

Needless to say, the last round of Internal Security Act (ISA) detention in Malaysia has caught international media attention, with the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration in the bad limelight for invoking the draconian law which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

(SOURCE: BBC, 19 September 2009)

Today, with the latest release of one of the victims Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, it’s considered a temporary victory for the people. While many of us are celebrating the good news, we shouldn’t forget the rest of ISA detainees who are still being placed behind the bar in Kamunting.

Simply put, another 64 detainees to go. Please sign the petition to release those who’re still held under the ISA while getting ready for The People’s Parliament Hartal ISA to take off soon.

As a last resort for the PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to cling to the power, a swap of ministry portfolio was done between him and his deputy Najib Tun Razak.

Pak Lah will take over Defence Ministry while Najib will take over the coveted Finance Ministry, in which according to Pak Lah finance portfolio is an important porffolio traditionally held by the PM.

It’s believed that the latest move is to quell rumors of a possible transition earlier than the scheduled mid-2010 following the attempt by Pak Lah’s predecessor Mahathir Mohamad to rejoin Umno, who has earlier quit Umno in hope of triggering a mass exodus from the party in order to topple Pak Lah from the premiership, in which obviously wasn’t working as expected.

Now with the open call from the Umno vice-president Muhyiddin Yassin asking Pak Lah to step down earlier than expected, as well as the open support from Mahathir towards Tengku Razaleigh Umno’s presidential bid, Pak Lah is very much feeling threatened.

However, with this latest move, besides killing any possible impact as a result of the comeback from the ex-Umno strongman, it’s expected to pacify Najib’s supporters who’ve been urging Pak Lah to handover the power to Najib soonest possible in view of political instability and subsequently minimize the possibility of witnessing the BN government being toppled by the PR coalition.

Nevertheless, we know for the fact BN is akin a sinking ship awaiting for a miracle to happen, especially with the latest pullout announcement from the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) led by Yong Teck Lee who has openly shown disgruntlement towards the BN ruling coalition.

Together with the latest threat from no other than the PM who declared Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim as a "threat to the economy and possibily security" as well as the resignation of Zaid Ibrahim from the Cabinet in protest of the ISA ruling against the three, these are among the few little things which have irked the people and it’s only a matter of time before the ship finally sank.

Not enough with forceful detention of the three under the draconian law ISA (one of them, a reporter was released after 18 hours detention), the police have arrested another blogger Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz a.k.a Kickdefella in Kota Baru this afternoon.

His wife was reported by Malaysiakini as saying that Kickdefella was arrested under the Sedition Act, which is suspected to be linked with his online campaign to fly the Malaysian flag upside down which attracted the attention of the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who later condemned the act.

I first and last met up with him in Press Club and I can only say that he is a man full of courage when he decided to move on to Kelantan to be an aide to PAS Kelantan state exco Husam Musa. I was surprised when he confided in me that my blog is among the first few blogs he read during the early days before he started his own.

Let’s throw our solidarity support behind Kickdefella for we must not allow such abuse of power via the wrongful detention to continue as a measure by the Government to curb the growing resentment among the grassroots.

The outgoing de-facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim, someone I’d rate alongside Toh Kin Woon, both live up to their reputation as the conscience of their respective party and ex-party, which are Umno and Gerakan.

The only difference is, Toh has quitted Gerakan prior to the recently concluded Permatang Pauh by-election and threw his solidatary support behind Anwar Ibrahim whereas Zaid is still stuck with Umno as of now but keeping his mind open in joining PKR soon.

During the press conference, he said he had attempted to create a better selection process for judges, restore the judicial power, initiate reforms to the police force and limit the executive’s power on the Internal Security Act but admitted he failed to convince those in authority to change.

I believe in the basic principle that this country respects all rights and citizens. This country is for all, there is no room for discrimination, this country is about rule of law and transparency, these are the things that we need to change.

If you don’t subscribe to these principles or just pay lip service to them, it will be difficult to translate (these) into policies. This is my feeling.

Meanwhile, he reiterated his stance of staying put as a senator as he believes he still can contribute his views on public issues.

"I love and care for this country very much like you all, I will do what I can. I believe this country is founded on very simple principles but very strong principles - fairness to all, justice, freedom, all those good things, I will work towards that," he said.

He too emphasized the importance of doing something concrete to bring back the trust of the people and take action against some people who are bent on creating the racial divide to fulfill their own political agendas.

My hats off to Zaid for doing the right thing by quitting his cabinet post. I’m sure it took great guts for him to call it a day to avoid any further political standoff with his cabinet colleagues who are obviously against his stance on many reforms he set out to change while accusing him of not being a true fighter for his own race and religion.

It’s a waste for such a principled man like him to be brought down by racial politics perpetuated by most of the politicians out there for their own political gain, hence the decision to quit is much applauded from the public as well as leaders from opposition parties, with the most staunch support came from no other than the DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who hailed him as the first leader to quit from the Cabinet on a point of principle and clear conscience.

My hope is that Zaid will decide to join the PR coalition in the near future for I believe that his vision and ideology of a multi-racial and harmonious Malaysia is in line with what’s being perpetuated by the PR. However, in the end of the day, even if he decides not to be tied to any political party, with his vast interest and passion in law arena and the level of respect gained as a result of his principled stance, I believe he can be play a very critical role with existing NGOs in bringing a change of a truly multi-racial society with anak-anak bangsa Malaysia living side-by-side regardless of their ethnicity and faith, which has long plagued this nation.

Meanwhile, Kit reported that Zaid is going to attend the inaugural meeting of the "Free MP Teresa Kok" parliamentary caucus in Parliament tomorrow (Wednesday 17 September 2008) at 3pm.

It’s Malaysia Day, the day to commemorate the establishment of Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. It marked the joining together of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to form Malaysia.

It’s the day where the entire country is waiting for and finally the day is here for us to celebrate with your brothers and sisters from Sabah and Sarawak too.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim declared the PR’s government has got the number to form a new Government but to ensure a smooth transition, PR has submitted a letter to the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today seeking a meeting as PR believes a smooth and peaceful transition is paramount.

On the other hand, Pak Lah snubbed Anwar’s announcement as a political lie, arguing that “if Anwar has the numbers, he would have let the whole world know”.

What matter to the public is the entire affair will be conducted in a peaceful manner without any unwanted intervention from the non-political entities to prevent bloodshed from taking place which is going to mar the nation forever.

To me, September 16 is more or less a symbolic date as it’s the day which we truly Malaysia as one. For PR coalition to achieve the formation of a new Government this date or otherwise, it’s not much a topic for us to debate on.

Afterall, we’ve have been waiting for this truly refreshing moment since the past 50 years and if the PR misses the Setepmber 16 dateline due to certain technical issues as well as to ensure a completely peaceful and smooth handover from the BN regime, by all means, just take the time to execute it.

We’re not rushing to witness to rise of a new Malaysia just because of the dateline promised earlier. What matters is, right after the transition, anak-anak bangsa Malaysia will continue to live peacefully without any unwanted incident which might demolish the hard grown multi-racial spirit as the pillar of strength of this nation.

Hence, my message to the people remains steadfast and unchanged, which is stay calm and relax, don’t be provoked by wrongful sentiment which might plot the downfall of a new hope and new Malaysia.

Rise your Jalur Gemilang and I’m proud to be a Malaysian.

Happy Malaysia Day, people.

Now, the September 16 plan for a new Malaysia is less than a week to go.

Albeit the agriculture trip to Taipei, rumors are rife that the defection is imminent as claimed by the PKR publicity chief Tian Chua, who is among the four PKR leaders flying off to Taiwan tomorrow in a bid to meet their Barisan Nasional counterparts who had earlier agreed to defect in time for the Sept 16 takeover plan.

In a report by Merdeka Review, he claimed that near 32 BN’s MPs had signed their pledge to support the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to become the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia, which signals the end of BN’s coalition since the past 50 years.

For now, it’s a matter of execution, which is the most critical part to ensure a smooth transition. PR coalition must not overlook this factor as prior to this, the racial slur from the already suspended Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Ahmad Ismail is bad enough to almost trigger a racial tension until the timely intervention from the PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who suspended the defiant chief for 3 years.

I know many Malaysians are very concerned that for the new Malaysia plan to materialise, blood would be spilled and a repeat of May 13 is going to be for real. Nevertheless, we have reasons to believe that after the March 8, Malaysians are more mature and enlightened to see beyond the racial identity, which have plagued this nation for decades.

In spite of that, to be on the safe side, any remote possibility must not be taken lightly for racial integration is the pillar of strength of a nation. The plan has to be swift and executed in a very delicate manner as to halt any desperate attempt which might undermine the nation’s peace and stability as well as the economy and development if they are not effectively tackled.

On the other hand, as it was feared and speculated that certain quarters who are fast losing power might create a chaotic condition in their last attempt to stop the takeover of the federal government from taking place as scheduled, which including mass arrest or declaration emergency, the PR coaliation has announced that Sept 16 deadline may have to be deferred due to the Taiwan trip by the BN MPs but the coalition was still confident that a change of federal government would happen soon.

In a joint statement by PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim, DAP political education director Loke Siew Fook and PAS secretary-general Kamarudin Jaffar, they urged Malaysians, and Umno supporters, to remain calm and not get caught in political rethorics.

Eventually, the reality is, it’s our mentality which hold the final key in determining if a new Malaysia plan will succeed in finding its course.

Be shrewd not to fall into the trap and stay cool, people.

Despite the racial slur against the Chinese community witnessed by the DPM Najib Tun Razak, the embattled Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Ahmad Ismail remains defiant.

He is unperturbed as he has not only refused to apologise but has demanded that Gerakan acting president Koh Tsu Koon and Chinese community leaders apologise to him instead for asking him to express regret.

Back by all 13 Umno divisions from Penang, he blasted Sin Chew daily who first reported Ahmad’s speech, saying that "the reporter and the newspaper should be held responsible for inciting racial hatred and conflict".

He also slammed Tsu Koon as a "great liar and opportunist", putting the blame on his incompetency of his role as a PM and the Gerakan party as the main reason on why BN’s humiliating defeat in the recent general election.

To be frank, I’m both amaze and appall at the same time by the incredible level of arrogance shown by the Umno division leader. Then again, who’s not surprised by the rebuttal unless you’re one of them who believe racial politics is the way forward for this country?

Now, the entire affair put the PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and DPM Najib into total shame when the PM has earlier urged Ahmad to apologize whereas the DPM apologized to the Chinese communities on behalf of Umno over the racial statement.

I’m feeling particularly discontent and disturbed with the way our former premier Mahathir Mohamad added salt into the wound when he openly criticized the Malay leaders (alluding to the Najib’s act) were apologizing over a remark whereas he alleged that non-Malay leaders never apologize when similar remarks were made by members of other communities.

While I respect his freedom of expression, I’d say that his criticism is totally uncalled for, especially when his frustration towards the current leadership was constantly being made known via his blog and for him to do this, it’s no difference than punching below the belt, especially given the political turmoil in this nation.

It’s be great for him to do a national service by not putting up remarks which might further worsen the situation, especially when he commands high level of respect and influence among the Umno grassroots. I’d be very extremely upset for him as a great statesman not to take this plea seriously.

The way I look at it, as far as I’m concern, this emotional level has gone up to a new high as the snub came from not only Ahmad as an individual, but by the entire Umno divisions from Penang which is led by no other than the PM. It’s unprecedented in our nation’s political landscape which unfortunately painted a very negative outlook among the international eyes at the same time.

Moreover, based on what I’ve read and heard from the little birds so far, I’m afraid things are getting quite out of control, beyond the authority of the PM and the DPM who continue to remain mum ever since the press conference, with more leaders from all sides joining the fray, more or less portraying themselves as the representatives or the hero of the respective race the party is representing.

I suspect the open abuse and racist remarks together with the constant denial as a trap to stir up the racial emotions and gives unwanted opportunities for the authority to call for an emergency state.

If that’s to happen, it’s going to create a huge setback and might foil the September 16 plan indefinitely, hence I’d like to urge the people to stay clam and not to react emotionally which might lead to a chaotic situation which I’m sure you and I wouldn’t want to be in.

For anything which is not good to take place during this turbulence period, mind you, it’s going to ugly, very ugly. A repeat of May 13 nightmare is a disaster we must avoid at all cost.

Make love, not war. A cool head is what we really need now.