tumpang sekole...?: Cempaka,bermulanya satu kisah...

UMNO tak bertanding PRK Chempaka bukti mulanya kerajaan perpaduang...

Keputusan UMNO enggan bertanding di pilihanraya kecil DUN Chempaka yang akan diadakan berikutan kematian penyandang, the late Datuk Nik Aziz, membuktikan bahawa usaha kearah kerajaan perpaduan antara UMNO dan PAS, sudah bermula.

Usaha ini akan dikukuhkan lagi bila semua 12 ADUN UMNO dalam DUN Kelantan, menyokong rang undang-undang (persendirian) hudud pada 18 Mac akan datang, yang kemudiannya akan dibawa ke Parlimen dimana sekali lagi UMNO akan menyokong.

Tidak ada penjelasan lain yang lebih munasabah kenapa UMNO enggan bertanding di Chempaka, melainkan kerana kerajaan perpaduan sudah bermula. Berbeza dengan PRK Parlimen Bukit Gelugor dimana BN turut tidak bertanding, kerusi itu adalah kerusi MCA.

Sedangkan ikut sejarahnya, UMNO tidak pernah gagal bertanding dalam pilihanraya kecil. Ketika mantan Presiden PAS, the late Fadhil Nor meninggal dunia pada tahun 2000 dan berlaku kekosongan di kerusi DUN Anak Bukit serta Parlimen Pendang, UMNO meletakkan calon dan akhirnya berjaya merampas Pendang.

Nak dikirakan dari keramat, lebih besar keramat Fadil Noor lagi berbanding NIk Aziz, . Semua masih ingat, burung pun menangis ketika Fadhil Nor meninggal dunia dan pesawat TUDM yang membawa mayatnya balik ke Kedah masih boleh terbang walaupun dilaporkan telah kehabisan minyak akibat kebocoran yang berlaku ketika penerbangan!!

Tapi UMNO tetap meletakkan calon dan berjaya merampas Pendang, salah satu kubu kuat PAS ketika itu.

Pakatan Rakyat sepatutnya tidak berlengah lagi dan sudah boleh memulakan proses untuk menyingkirkan PAS kerana sudah jelas, Kelantan selepas ini akan diperintah bersama-sama dengan UMNO.- NPR

Keputusan Umno tak bertanding di Chempaka sama seperti MCA di Bukit Gelugor...

Apa jua alasan atau sebab-sebab yang dikemukakan, keputusan Umno untuk tidak bertanding di kerusi DUN Chempaka adalah sama penakut dengan apabila MCA mengambil keputusan untuk tidak bertanding di kerusi Bukit Gelugor, Pulau Pinang pada tahun lepas.

Kedua-dua parti politik memberikan alasan yang samar-samar untuk mewajarkan tindakan mereka.

Dalam kes Umno, ia kononnya adalah kerja-kerja operasi pemulihan bencana selepas banjir baru-baru ini, yang dikatakan yang paling teruk pernah melanda Kelantan dalam sejarah terbaru.

Ketika mengumumkan keputusan Umno itu selepas mempengerusikan pertemuan majlis tertinggi parti Melayu itu pada 25 Februari, presiden Umno dan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dilaporkan mewajarkan keputusan parti itu atas sebab-sebab kemanusiaan dan perpaduan negara.

"Masih terdapat ramai lagi mangsa banjir yang belum menerima bantuan. Kami menjadikan ini keutamaan kami," PM dilaporkan berkata.

Najib memainkan alasan perpaduan "ummah", menambah bahawa perpaduan ummah adalah lebih penting, mungkin tambahan kepada Kerajaan Perpaduan Umno yang ia telah gunakan secara konsisten, untuk mengumpan kem-kem PAS untuk bertelagah antara satu sama lain.

Namun apa yang harus diperhatikan ialah hakikat bahawa Najib enggan mengisytiharkan darurat negara, di sebalik kekurangan dalam pengurusan bencana dan tindak balas semasa banjir itu, sudah tentu sewaktu dia bermain golf dengan Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Barack Obama.

Kebimbangan beliau mengenai keperluan untuk menumpukan kepada usaha pemulihan banjir, mendustakan hakikat bahawa kerajaan langsung tidak mengisytiharkan darurat semasa banjir, sedangkan masalah jerebu di bahagian-bahagian lain di negara ini sudah cukup untuk mencetuskan pengisytiharan darurat.

Tambahan pula, menurut modus operandi biasa kerajaan pusat pimpinan BN semasa pilihan-pilihan raya kecil, keseluruhan kabinet dan jentera kerajaan akan memberi tumpuan kepada kawasan itu.

Apa yang tidak diakui ialah bagaimana peruntukan-peruntukan dan projek yang akan dilancarkan di tempat-tempat lain di negara ini, akhirnya akan muncul dari entah mana di kawasan pilihan raya yang berkenaan.

Dengan enggan bertanding, BN mungkin mahu mengelak dari melakukan perkara yang sama dalam sebuah situasi pasti-tewas, dan bukannya usaha pemulihan bencana akan menghalang mereka, kalau mereka benar-benar mahu.

Dalam kes MCA di Bukit Gelugor, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai mendakwa bahawa pilihan raya kecil Bukit Gelugor akan menjadi penghalang yang akan mengalihkan perhatian parti kaum Cina itu dari usaha anti-hudud mereka.

Parti itu lebih suka untuk menjelajah ke seluruh Malaysia untuk berkempen menentang rancangan parti pembangkang persekutuan, PAS untuk memperkenalkan undang-undang hudud Islam di Kelantan, di mana parti Islam itu mengetuai kerajaan negeri.

Pada masa itu, PAS sedang dalam proses membentangkan rang undang-undang persendirian di Parlimen untuk membolehkan enakmen hudud negeri mereka diluluskan.

Namun begitu, mungkin apa yang parti kaum Cina itu cuba abaikan adalah bahawa ia bukannya suatu gangguan, pilihan raya kecil itu adalah platform yang mereka boleh gunakan untuk melipatgandakan kempen anti-hudud mereka.

Ini disebabkan bahawa tumpuan seluruh negara sedang berada pada kerusi itu, dan seluruh jentera media bersedia di kawasan itu.

Tetapi MCA sekurang-kurangnya jujur untuk turut mengakui bahawa alasan mereka untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada usaha anti-hudud, adalah mereka tidak nampak apa-apa kemungkinan yang mereka boleh menang, apatah lagi memberikan cabaran yang sengit kepada calon legasi Pakatan.

Seperti yang dijelaskan setiausaha agung MCA, Ong Ka Chuan pada masa itu, mereka tidak dapat mencari calon yang berpeluang untuk menang, di kalangan mereka-mereka yang menawarkan diri.

Umno bagaimanapun tidak peduli, dan memberikan alasan kreatif mereka tanpa malu-malu.

Bukan itu saja persamaannya dalam alasan kreatif mereka untuk tidak bertanding, tetapi dalam kedua-dua kes itu, kerusi-kerusi berkenaan dikosongkan berikutan kematian seorang pemimpin Pakatan yang terkenal, dan sememangnya dianggap sebagai kubu kuat pembangkang, Chempaka bagi PAS dan Bukit Gelugor untuk DAP.

Dan dengan kerusi Bukit Gelugor dikosongkan oleh kematian mendiang Karpal Singh dan kemudian ditandingi oleh anaknya, perkara yang sama mungkin berlaku jika Nik Abduh Bik Aziz bertanding di Chempaka, yang dahulunya dimiliki oleh bapanya, Allahyarham Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

Berhadapan dengan calon-calon legasi ini di kedua-dua kerusi, BN tahu bahawa ia tidak mungkin menang, dahulunya di Bukit Gelugor dan mungkin juga sekarang di Chempaka, dan atas sebab itulah dikeluarkan sebab-sebab kreatif mengapa mereka tidak akan bertanding. - theantdaily

UMNO's Chempaka stay out akin to MCA's Bukit Gelugor flight

The Mahathir-Azmin ‘Meeting’ In London...

I have been receiving messages from a number of friends asking me about the meeting that I arranged in London between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, who are both currently in London together with one of Mahathir’s sons.

One chap even congratulated me on my effort and added that he hopes this will work out well for the sake of ‘Malay unity’. Pro-Umno Blogs have already played up this issue by posting stories about Azmin being Mahathir’s adopted son complete with photographs of Mahathir and Azmin, together, in their younger days.

Honestly, do Mahathir and Azmin really need me to play middleman in their so-called meeting? I am sure Mahathir has direct access to Azmin and vice versa. Why do they need a ‘no longer relevant’ Raja Petra Kamarudin (to quote Azmin and the Pakatoons) for the meeting to happen?

In the first place, is there really such a meeting taking place? And whether there is or is not such a meeting why are the pro-Umno Bloggers spreading this story? Is it to frighten Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak? And why drag my name into this whole thing? Would that make the story about the meeting more believable if they say that I was the one who arranged the meeting?

How did Mahathir, his son, and Azmin, all end up in London at the same time? Is this a coincidence or was it arranged so that all are in London at the same time? In fact, I know of quite a number of PAS, PKR, Umno and PERKASA leaders who are currently also in London. Are we now going to say that PAS, PKR, Umno and PERKASA are having a secret meeting to discuss ‘Malay unity’?

Actually, I was told about them all being in London for a secret meeting two days ago. But I did not want to write anything yet until I did some checking. And the feedback I got is there is no such meeting.

I contacted some Azmin diehards in PKR to ask them about the rumoured meeting and they were not sure. They were surprised that Azmin and Mahathir were both in London at the same time and expressed concern that the story of the meeting might be true.

One Azmin diehard told me to find out more and added that if the story is true then Azmin is finished. He would be torn to pieces. This chap said he hopes the story is not true, if not then this will be the end of Azmin.

I suspect there are moves to bring Azmin down, like how they did with Khalid Ibrahim. And the best way to bring him down would be to spread the story of the meeting he is having with Mahathir in London. And the fact that it is the pro-Umno Bloggers who are spreading this story makes it even more believable. So Azmin had better watch his back.

In fact, that is the same issue they are using against the PAS President, Abdul Hadi Awang. Hadi’s enemies within his own party are saying that he is (or was) pushing for a Unity-Government with Umno. And the meeting with the PKR Secretary-General and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of Umno in London around Christmas of 2013 was for this very purpose.

They are trying to oust Hadi with this story about his betrayal. His only saving grace is the fact that he was absent from the meeting, which Dr Syed Azman himself admitted, and according to him, much to their disappointment.

Hadi did not attend the meeting because he smelt a rat. And his instincts were correct. If he had attended the meeting he would now be in deep shit. His attendance at that meeting would be used to bring him down at the PAS party elections in June.

So now it is Azmin’s turn. How does one prove one did not do something? So how will Azmin prove he did not meet Mahathir in London? In Malaysia you need to prove your innocence. The accuser does not need to prove the allegation.

So Azmin is going to have his hands full trying to prove he did not have any secret meeting with Mahathir while his enemies will say the fact that he and Mahathir were both in London at the same time is proof enough that the meeting did take place — unless Azmin can prove otherwise, which would be impossible to do.

And are these the same Pakatan Rakyat people who scream about justice? - NPR

Azmin Ali: Man Of Mystery...

Gather round, ladies and gents all. For this be not news your town cryer may shout on the streets, but some dealings in conspiracies, the stuff of night and shadows.

Now, what secrets could Azmin Ali, PKR stalwart, Menteri Besar of Selangor, Anwar Ibrahim’s closest confidante, be keeping? As he is a politician, we must assume that Azmin has some skeletons in the closet. However, one alleged meeting in particular has caught the curiosity of political observers, even though not much about it has been said in the media. We are, of course, referring to the alleged meeting between him and Mahathir Mohamad in London recently.

The first whispers of this arrived on the website of one Raja Petra, who was the one who supposedly arranged the meeting between Malaysia’s longest serving Prime Minister and it’s newest Menteri Besar. Raja Petra is understandably somewhat salty about the idea that he had anything to do with the meeting, asking why anyone would imagine that the “no longer relevant” Raja Petra would be needed to set up such a meeting when Mahathir and Azmin would have direct access to one another.

RPK, as he is fondly known, is hesitant to say that Azmin and Mahathir did indeed meet, though he does make references to the well-documented pictures taken of Azmin and Mahathir together in a different time in their political careers. In fact, as recently as 2011, one can find numerous references to an Azmin-Mahathir alliance, including claims on some blogs of Mahathir seeing Azmin as Prime Minister material. Given that there is no concrete proof Azmin and Mahathir met (although pictures have allegedly popped up on some blogs), we cannot accuse the Selangor head honcho of colluding with Anwar’s greatest enemy.

However, RPK is right in that the burden of proof lies on the accused here in Malaysia, and following that train of thought, Azmin must end his silence and address the issue directly. Silence merely invites speculation, and despite Azmin’s current positive stock for announcing that the KIDEX project would not be approved, public opinion can be swayed by speculation, no matter how unsubstantiated. RPK theorizes that these rumours are being used to bring down Azmin, much like the way some observers have noted Azmin contributed to the downfall of Khalid Ibrahim.

It is something quite like false equivalence on RPK’s part to compare the talk of Hadi Awang meeting Umno power brokers to Azmin meeting Mahathir, but nonetheless he is right in that such talk could result in the rakyat looking at Azmin with a slight sneer, the same way Hadi is disdained all over social media and in the comments section of news portals.

Azmin must come forward and set the record straight. Did he or did he not meet Mahathir in London? If so, what was discussed? Personally, I would find it hard to believe that Mahathir was brokering a position in Umno for Azmin. But letting the speculation run wild is sometimes more destructive than revealing the truth, and with the conspicuous absence of Azmin or his cohorts at Anwar’s nightly vigils at the Sungai Buloh prison, suspicion is bound to be high even within PKR.

Azmin, come clean. Secrets are wonderful things indeed – double-edged swords that are eager to bite the hands that wields them, and for someone still very much in the early days of Menteri Besarship, in the turmoil following the imprisonment of Anwar Ibrahim, honesty gains more stock than intrigue.- NPR