Making the murky even murkier (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)

ARCHIVES 2010

By MT Webmaster On Jun 26, 2010

There certainly must be something wrong with Selangor when those who supported you in 2008 now want to turn their backs on you. And these are people who have invested heavily in Selangor and can determine the future direction of the state’s economy.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

You can read below what Wong Choon Mei wrote today in the Malaysia Chronicle. I would say that Choon Mei’s analysis of the Selangor situation is quite off the mark. For example, the comment that Free Malaysia Today is an Umno-friendly online portal is certainly off the mark.

Just because certain websites or portals take a stand and that stand may not be favourable to the opposition does not make them pro-Umno. Free Malaysia Today is trying to maintain a neutral stand and take the middle road as far as it possibly can. So sometimes it whacks the government when the government is wrong and sometimes it whacks the opposition when it too is wrong. Has that not been the stand that Malaysia Today also takes?

The last two days I have been receiving many phone calls from people asking me why I have not written about the current goings-on in Selangor. My response was that I had already written many pieces about Selangor since Perak first fell more than a year ago. I have already said what I want to say so what more can I say? I told you so?

Yes, if I write about Selangor that is probably what I would say: I told you so. But I have written so many ‘I told you so’ pieces in the past I do not want to sound like what some people accuse me of being: a stuck or broken record.

Anyway, I must respond to Wong Choon Mei’s piece — which just made what is murky even murkier. First of all, there is no G15, Gang of 15, or Group of 15. And there is no conspiracy, unless it is a conspiracy of one involving just Azmin Ali.

Just because 15 people talk with one voice does not make them a gang of conspirators. I too agree with some things that Khairy Jamaludddin says and I can support him on those stands or statements. Does this mean I am now in Khairy’s team and that I am one of his ‘conspirators’?

Or should I oppose Khairy even when he is right to demonstrate that I am anti-Umno? So, when Khairy opposes the licencing of sports betting, especially the way it was awarded to Vincent Tan on an award without tender to the highest bidder basis, then I should support the giving of the licence to Vincent Tan just to take the opposite view to Khairy.

Well, if I oppose the giving of the licence to Vincent Tan, just like Khairy, then Wong Choon Mei will say I am pro-Khairy and am an Umno mole whose aim is to create problems in the opposition. Better I oppose Khairy by supporting the betting licence to prove I am not an Umno mole.

That is silly. And it is equally silly to spin the G15, or Gang of 15, conspiracy theory just because all 15 share the same view as to the precarious situation Selangor is in.

I have been getting much feedback from many Chinese business people in Selangor who have indicated they are disappointed with Pakatan Rakyat and come the next election they may vote Barisan Nasional if the situation in Selangor persists. These are people who hate MCA and despise Umno. Yet they want to go back to Barisan Nasional, and not because they love MCA or Umno, mind you.

We must listen to the ground. We need to get our fingers on the pulse. And these 15 Members of Parliament, the so-called G15, have done just that. And the feedback they get is not reassuring. If the Selangor State Assembly were to be dissolved today and a new state election were to be called in 10 days time, Selangor would most likely fall to Barisan Nasional. That is the reality of the situation.

No, there is no conspiracy, in particular an Umno conspiracy. There are no Barisan Nasional moles amongst those 15 Members of Parliament. There is no Gang of 15 either. But there are 15 Members of Parliament who have received the same feedback that I have received — and that is the people who supported us in March 2008 now no longer do so because they are disappointed with the Selangor state government.

And just because 15 Members of Parliament share the same view does not make them a gang of conspirators.

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PKR retreat: Enough, the time has come to take strong action

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Most of PKR’s supreme council members are looking forward to their two-day retreat in Shah Alam beginning on Saturday. The exceptions though may be those guilty of having helped stir up the media frenzy against Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim.

Nonetheless, the majority of PKR leaders are eager and looking forward to finding out what is happening to ‘poor Khalid’.

Is there really a revolt? Who is this G15 or Group of 15 federal lawmakers? And has Azmin Ali really reached the point of no return with Khalid?

Firstly, there is no revolt. As Khalid has pointed, what erupted in the past few days was overdone media speculation by the mainstream press including Umno-friendly online portals FreeMalaysiaToday and The Malaysian Insider. Their aim – to destabilize PKR.

That is indeed their ultimate objective. Already, former Umno MB Khir Toyo has rushed to take a bow because he knows that when the retreat ends on Sunday, this entire episode will once again be exposed to be what it really is – a collaborative attempt between Selangor Umno and saboteurs within PKR to weaken the party and Pakatan Rakyat.

As usual, Khir could be counted on to resort to gutter and racial polemics. Quick as a flash, he told The Malaysian Insider that Khalid will not be unseated because he is being propped up by the DAP. He omits to mention that Khalid cannot be toppled because he has the support of the great majority of Pakatan state assemblymen including those from his own PKR party.

Who then is unhappy with Khalid? The G15? But aren’t they federal lawmaker, i.e. members of Parliament? Do they have the locus standi to oust Khalid? But no, Khir and the online portals conveniently overlook this point. What they say boils down to this – wake up! The Chinese are now in charge in Selangor! Look at how the Malays in the state are being bullied – even poor Azmin has to quit his directorship in PKNS … and all because Khalid appointed a new political secretary without informing him and the other Malays!

But isn’t Khalid’s new pol-sec is also a Malay? This is the logic and the spin of the Umno media. To be fair, they are ably abetted by saboteurs still embedded in PKR, intentionally leaking false news and stirring up trouble. If past reports are true that guys like Ezam Mohd Noor, Salehuddin Hashim and their cronies were dangled huge carrots to jump ship, then their jobs are still far from done and you can expect them to keep rocking the PKR boat for a while more.

Fortunately, PKR is getting a bit smarter at dealing with this. The Malaysian public is also getting immune to it. And as vice president Sivarasa Rasiah has pointed out the G15 that is supposedly led by Azmin is “a fiction of someone’s imagination”. Even if true, there is a solution. PKR co-ordinator Zaid Ibrahim has minced no words – the whole bunch should be sacked for their “blatant show of indiscipline”.

Because this group of 15 – if it exists – is following in the tradition of Khir Toyo, Ezam, Salehuddin and so forth. According to the news reports, they are out to squeeze goodies, fat allowances and perks from Khalid and Khalid’s crime was to have been un-diplomatic enough to deny them.

Should Khalid lower his standards and allow what he deems to be unsuitable candidates to help themselves to the Selangor vaults? Is this what Selangorians want? Perhaps not advisable, especially when it has not been confirmed that they are not still paying for Khir’s monster RM24 million Bali palace, Disney trips and so forth.

How about Azmin? Well, this is why PKR’s top decision-makers will be paying close attention this weekend. No dozing off because they will all want to hear with own ears what Azmin has to say. They want to see with their own eyes his body language, especially when he and Khalid bump into each other.

Also, will Zaid, Azmin and Khalid mingle at tea breaks, etc? Is it really true there is such awesome bad blood between the three men and what about the Supreme Commander that they are each supposedly plotting to replace? How does Anwar Ibrahim feel about the whole issue? Who among the three does he really prefer?

PKR leaders may not get the all the answers they seek, but for sure, they will be expecting firmness and direction from Anwar at this retreat. Words of advice that he gave at last month’s annual congress have obviously not worked. So tougher action must be taken or PKR may really be destabilized.

The Opposition Leader must do something like he did in the Zul Noordin episode – make the party’s stand crystal clear and also take steps to ensure that the Malaysian people get to hear and know the true story. He must not allow PKR to be sidestepped by silly media opportunism and internal sabotage. And Zaid’s advice – as always – is worth a deeper look.

Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-post_27.html