The Tree

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Sometimes love just ain't enough

There is a feeling of hopelessness among our non-UMNO cadres. It is like walking on a travelator - in the opposite direction. You are working hard, putting one foot in front of the other but you are going nowhere. In fact you just can't keep up, you are even going backwards.
For every grand gesture by the PM, there is an almost Newtonian equal reaction to nulify the effect of the original action. For every 8atu Caves, there is a Beng Hock or for every change in fiscal policy, there is a Rais hare brained idea to bring us down to Earth.

Happy Birthday Cash!

Cash Lee celebrated his 49th birthday last night at the Power Station. Friends and guests like Boorman Wong(Ahli Majlis Pasir Gudang) and PS Ting ( Ahli Majlis MBJBT) attended. Happy Birthday Cash!

Liar! Liar! Pants on fire.

In a recent political discourse, accussations have been made towards the State leadership for systematic castration of certain people's right to be nominated as a Life Member. Without checking the facts, they maintained that two of their supporters have been purposely left out from the list of Life Members. However, what they did know was that the list was drawn up by Dr Chin after applying a set of priorities in selecting Life Members. Even the computer list sent by HQ was deemed a fabricated evidence by these people. Nothing could convince them that 'their' people did not qualify on merit. By hook or by crook they wanted their people in. Well, what else can we say. Que sera sera?

Case of the Bulging Carpet

Recently a vernacular paper highlighted the case of two MCA members complaining about having their identity being used to register as Gerakan members in Segamat. This is a serious case of phantom voters. We were made to believe that our members administration is ISO approved and therefore phantom free. However this case has proved that this is not true. The leadership must take this case seriously as a police report has been lodged and our reputation is at stake. The perpetrator must be identified and strict disciplinary action taken. Lets not push the matter under our bulging carpet.

Pulai Division Speaks Out

Pulai Division headed by Saudara Hoe Hong Seng showed their displeasure with the selection process for the post of Ahli Majlis MBJBT. They are incensed that their candidate, Sdr Hoe, was overlooked in favour of a less experienced candidate. They were also not happy that the seat vacated by Sdr Koh Kian Siang of Pulai Division has been replaced by a candidate from Gelang Patah division. The lost seat has been a blow to the division which now has no government representative. Sdr Ho has called out for more transparency in the selection process to ensure the best candidate is chosen. He feels let down by the state leadership, promising a mountain and delivering more promises. We need to address the real issue here. The posts as always have been used as a bargaining chip. If you have a chip to exchange then the post is yours. This is Gerakan politics.

Nizar is MB

Well, all the fuss was about nothing. The court has decided. Nizar is the MB. But for how long? He will want to have new elections because if he goes for the assembly, he will be voted out. So the ball is in the Sultan's court. Maybe it is for the best. I am proud that BN did not riot nor demonstrate when they had to give back the seat of power. Let see PR do that the next time instead of boosting sales of T shirts every time they do not agree. I think people is getting tired of the antics of these people. That is why only a few hundreds show up in Ipoh on May 7. People can see self interest at work from miles away. In any case, Perak is still not done. If an election comes along, the results may not be as expected. I have a feeling the people will surprise us.

Najib is right

Najib was right when he said that the change in govt in Perak did not contravene the constitution. The ADUNs have the right to change party and they exercised that right. When PR lost the majority, they have to make way for the new majority to form a govt. They cannot insist on a re election just because they have lost the majority. It is the PR's govt obstinacy which has brought the Perak govt to the state it is today. Their refusal to hand over the seat of govt peacefully has made it a ruckus and a big mess. But it has also shown what kind of leaders they are. Leaders who bully women, throw stuffs, climb onto tables and chairs and people who do not know when to quit. The Speaker Sivakumar has obviously exceeded his authority. The speakers role in the Dewan was to ensure sobriety and order but he has made the position an even more powerful position than the MB. The tail wagging the dog? Definitely, when he can sack whoever he likes. PR should just admit defeat and wait for their chance again in a few years.

Happy Birthday Poh Thong

Happy birthday to Poh Thong. May the cake fulfill your wishes in your day of birth. The party was held in Power Station with friends from all over.

Perak debacle

Seems like the Perak debacle will be solved today. Well, at least for now or until the legal complications are resolved. Which would mean, not until the next election. Haha.

Lets examine what happened. The debacle started when three PR assemblymen/women decided they do not want to be under PR anymore and decided to jump to the other side. When the PR leaders realised they could lose the seat of govt, three letters of resignation was faxed to the Speaker. Without veryfying the authenticity of the letters with the signatories, the speaker declared the assemblymen and women as resigned. Fortunately the Election Commision was not so stupid and checked with the ADUNs. Lo and behold, the letters were presigned and legally invalid, therefore making the resignation non grata. With the ADUNs pledging their alliance with BN, the pendulum has now swung. Unfortunatelly the leadership of PR is still insisting that the resignation is valid and it is they who hold the power of govt. With the help of an obstinate Speaker, PR has manage to drag the matter till today. The showdown was held and the Speaker kicked out. Maybe it is the end or the beginning of the new chapter in the Story of Govt of Perak.

What is the problem?

Last night, PM Najib called for a dinner. Gerakan was allocated 10 tables. The leaders decided that liason committee members should attend the dinner and extended the invitstion to Pemuda and Wanita for the rest. However on the day of the dinner, we found out that Kulai Division decided to hold a division meeting on that day. Not one Kulai representative was present apart from YB Cheong. There is an uderlying message here somewehere. Does this mean that the Kulai division no longer wants to be a part of Gerakan Johor? Or they are bocotting state's activity just for fun. After all when you think of it, Kulai division is the strongest Gerakan division in Johor and some say Malaysia. Kulai division contributed 1 MP and 2 Aduns, in fact all of Gerakan Johor representatives to the goverment. It is a wonder that Kulai Division did not get the state's chairman post as well. It must have been an abnormality to have a non Kulai people to win the state's chairman post. It is now like the tail wagging the dog.

Majlis Jamuan Makan Malam dengan PM Najib.

Majlis Jamuan Makan Malam dengan PM Najib telah diadakan di Persada Johor pada 20 April 2009. Lebih 2000 pemimpin parti parti komponen Barisan Nasional menghadiri majlis ini. Turut hadir ialah Timbalan PM Muhyiddin dan juga Dato Ong Tee Keat. Hidangan istimewa jamuan makan malam adalah Beryani Gam dan beryani kambing bersama ayam masak merah, udang goreng rangup dan kuah dalca. Majlis tamat pada pukul 10.30 selepas ucapan bersemangat PM Najib.

How to make Gerakan relevant again 2

Quiet. Quiet as a mouse even when we saw that some leaders are just not doing the job. The peruntukkan is the drug and we are the addicts. We have to stop cold turkey. Survive on our own or not at all. Sooner or later, BN will lose the government. We will be the opposition just as the KMT in Taiwan lost after many years in govt. But not to worry, on maturing to a two party democracy, we will have a chance to get back on the saddle. The masses is fickle and is easily bored. Change will be implemented and once again we will be in favour. To shorten the turnover time, we must change in anticipation of what will be popular in the future. Racialism is out, multi racialism is in. For real, not for show only. The public knows the difference. Fight for real equality and justice. How can we support mother tongue education for maths and science while at the same time espousing Satu Malaysia. This is really a hypocritical idea. If we are for Satu Malaysia, everything should be done together. Not in different schools.

How to make Gerakan relevant again

Gerakan is currently deemed irrelevant in the Malaysian political diaspora. With only 2 parliamentarians and a handful of ADUNs, Gerakan was virtually wiped out during the 2008 election. This is because Gerakan no longer uphold its original charter of being a multi racial party. It has instead morphed into MCA ver 2.0 with chinese dominated agenda and leaders who think along racial lines. Meetings were conducted in mandarin and members from other races were not recruited. Branches were set up just as pawns in internal party battles. Being in the government for so long has made us soft. We were pampered with trappings of power and members that joined were attracted to those too. Low cost house, permits and licenses were the code word to recruit members. On the way, ideals such as equality, rights and justice were set aside when it become inconvenient. We accepted bribes in form of peruntukkan from the government to keep quiet even when we saw that things are not right. The money stuffed into our mouths kept us qu

Why the by-elections loss in the bukits is good for us. Part 2

The perkongsian kuasa is not working. That is why the non malays are not voting BN. Gerakan is practically not in the government because we have no representation at all. We may as well be in the opposition. At least that way we can be more open with our views. However the leaders are still attached to the notion that Gerakan was a founding member of BN and should not just leave like that. Many gerakan members are disillusioned. A party with no influence is irrelevant. It is just another social club. Politics is about power. Power to influence. Power to change and power to empower. Without all these, can Gerakan survive?

Why the by-elections loss in the bukits is good for us.

So we lost the two bukits. It was back to status quo. Najib's ascendancy did not change the equation nor did Mahathir's campaigning. It just means BN needs to transform more of itself. MCA and Gerakan did not bring in the chinese voters. UMNO will be pissed and blame the two chinese parties for not pulling their weight. The two parties will say they are guilty by association with UMNO. As long as UMNO do not change, elections will be lost. Gerakan is no longer an entity in the BN government. We have no representation in the government. Even the JPMM post in Skudai is now a lost cause. A few more days and we will celebrate the first anniversary of our request for the post. The Johor govt has ignored us and we are no longer servicing the area. And there will be no service until the position is clear that we retain the right to represent BN in Skudai. The BN chairman from UMNO was an obstacle to Gerakan and still is. By right, the BN chairman should be the MP of Gelang Patah, Mdm Tan Ah Eng but it is not. This is the point of contention and the reason why we lost and will continue to lose. Unless the component parties are treated fairly, the electorate will not vote for UMNO stooges.

Do you know where we are going to?

I am having problems with Gerakan political future nowadays. People asked me what are we going to do next? And I tell them dutifully that we will reclaim what was once ours. But when they probe further, what are you doing to win back what was once yours? I have no answer. The truth is we have done nothing. After the election, we had our own election but the new team has not make any significant moves. No grand plan to recapture lost seats. No commitee to spearhead a task force. NOTHING. Apart from feeble press statements from the sidelines, Gerakan no longer make the headlines. Even press statements issued to certain vernacular papers were considered spam by the papers' firewall. How pathetic is that?

Gerakan needs to get of their sorry asses and work hard if we are to survive. Nobody is going to rollover and let Gerakan takeover. We will have to fight for it, an inch at a time. Taskforce needs to be set up in our kawasan with the purpose of winning the mind, hearts and votes of the rakyat. The opposition will no sit still waiting for us to catch up and that is why we have to start now. No more sulking over lost positions or misplaced loyalties, for to win, we need to be ONE. One mission, one will and one victory.

In Public Interest

The Elizabeth Wong saga demonstrate the inner voyeur in all of us. We are disgusted by the invasion of privacy the saga promotes but at the same can't seem to stop talking about it and looking for it in the internet. It is like a car crash. We just cannot stop but look if only to get the four digit number. Elizabeth Wong saga is a car crash. It is not wanted nor wished for but it is there and we cannot stop talking, writing and reading about it. We are sorry for her for what happened. From reports, she seemed like a good ADUN, working hard and honest to the bone. But shit happens. In the words of Forest Gump, life is like a box of chocolates. Sometimes there are worms in it.