Well, I don’t really care what Oct 1st signifies. Oct 1st is Hari Raya. Or is Anwar actually announcing the Hari Raya date? If it is the date for him to meet with Abdullah and since he says that Abdullah has not agreed to meet him on two requested occasions, then may I suggest he comes to Abdullah’s Open House in PWTC and qeue like any other Malaysians and then, tell him that you have the number. Wait, why do you have to tell him in person when you have made 2 press conferences and 1 gathering on 15/9 announcing to the whole world that you have the numbers? Better still, why not get all the “jumping MPs” from BN to follow you to Abdullah’s Open House?

This is what I think and I believe many so too. I don’t even want to start about democracy. The need to respect the wish of the people who had voted in the BN MPs. Obviously, that doesn’t mean anything to the cheerleaders of democracy from “Pakatan Rakyat”. What I’d like to say is that, can’t PR wait for Oct 13? Its just less than 3 weeks from today. To kill time, you may want to go to a tailor and order your new black “baju melayu” for the swearing ceremony. Do an invitation list. Send the RSVPs. Why not tell Malaysians who will sit in your cabinet. Will we have 3 deputies for the PM representing all the major races in Malaysia? Will we have DPMs from Sabah and Sarawak too? So many things to do and you can take advantage of the 3 weeks to ensure that all bits and pieces are covered before the grand day of October 13.

Now, if October 13 is not met, then I suggest PR and you just keep quiet. Concentrate on being a good and resourceful opposition. Ensure that the administration of the 5 states under your care is well taken care off. If you do your job well, you may get to be the Government.

Whilst in China, their Gang of Four was summarily dismissed, UMNO’s Gang of Four that demanded Pak Lah’s resignation are seen as “saviours”. They included Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Wanita chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and supreme council member Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal. Honestly, the last name who hails from Sabah was a surprise. He is soft spoken and I never thought of him of being able to be brutally honest. But I suppose in times such as this, someone needs to be upfront and tell it as it is. Furthermore, perhaps Sabahans MPs entrusted him to voice their concerns and demands.

If the BN wish to continue its services, then certain difficult (but popular) decisions may have to be made. First, Pak Lah needs to go. Secondly, Khairy Jamaluddin needs to be defeated in the UMNO Youth Chief election. Lastly, it needs to focus on the economy and reach out and listen to the calls of the common people.

Nazir says that the current tumultous global environment presents one of the most challenging times for one to become finance minister.

Being thrown to the deep end is certainly a challenge especially when your political survival also depends on it. Najib has some big shoes to fill. Not Abdullah Badawi’s but former Finance Ministers, Daim Zainuddin and Tun Dr. Mahathir. I hesitate to say whether Anwar Ibrahim belong to that group. We all know what happened in 1998 and how he reacted to it. Supporters for Anwar may disagree but we probably should leave that for another day.

As for now, Najib has a lot on his plate. It is good for him that he has his brother that he can seek advice from. The downside to that is that anything else may be seen negatively. Croynism, advantages to his brother. This may be some of the things that we may hear. But in times such as this, Najib needs to have a strong team that will be able to give him sound economic advise and at the same time, be sensitive to the needs of the common people.

Tun Mahathir recently blogged about the current financial turmoil.

Good luck.

Surely Anwar and his merry man and women of PKR, DAP and PAS must know that Abdullah and BN would never agree to convene an emergency session so that they can lose their government. No way. I just can’t see that happening.

And even then, the PM would have to provide 14 days notice for such a session to be called.

So, if we took September 16 as the date, then the PM if he agreed can only convene the Parliament on September 30th, the eve of Raya. I don’t see that happening.

What we were told or at least from what I understood it to be, “Pakatan Rakyat” will form the new government (at least on paper) on September 16. What I imagined it to be is that on that day, all of the leaders of the loose PR coalition will gather and the jumpers from BN behind them in solidarity announcing the defections and the introduction of the would to be, 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim. I imagined wild celebrations in the Shah Alam Stadium.

But September 16 came and went with just a PC. More talk. More promises. More “threats”. Then we had the September 18 PC. Again, more of the same thing. One thing for certain, there was no announcement of the list. The press were disappointed. I was disappointed. Everyone was, and I suspect including hard core PR supporters.

The game is still on just when we thought, on the strength of Anwar Ibrahim’s words that it was check mate. Or as some people told me, “Was it ever a check mate in the first place?” Even Anwar Ibrahim’s “partners” in PAS and DAP seem to have not seen the list. Reports says that the leaders of PKR’s partners only alluded to their belief that Anwar has the numbers and they will then form part of Anwar’s government. That is strange. I would have thought Hj Hadi and Lim Kit Siang/Lim Guan Eng can be trusted to at least keep the list a secret (if there is one).

Some say, that there is a list but the numbers are still not enough and that Anwar is trying to buy more time as he persuades the possible jumpers to jump, indicating that he has the numbers and the possible jumpers will then be swayed to actually jump.

The reason for the above is that if he has the numbers and names, just announce it. If these 31 and excess names are harrassed, arrested etc, it has to be done in full view of Malaysians and the entire world. I doubt that Abdullah would want to do that. Yes, he may then try to persuade them to jump back in into BN but the damaged has been done and the scenario would be closer to a “check mate”.

So the game continues. Anwar and his merry man and women will strategize on their next move. (I hope not another round of excuses.) And the same time, Abdullah looks to have no strategy at all and adopts the classic tactic of “wait and see”. Najib too is going by the same strategy while at the same time, looking nervously over his shoulder at the Kelantan Prince and the Johorean Rebel. At the same time, Ku Li and Muhyiddin is strategizing with the “help” of Tun Mahathir to oust Abdullah by December or if possible, by tomorrow Sensing that damage has been done and UMNO and BN is in dire need for fresh leadership, then we must also equate their strategies into this game too.

In the meantime, Malaysians wait.

Obviously, that is not the case as per Anwar Ibrahim’s 2nd PC. Also, Lim Kit Siang also signed the letter that was sent to the current PM, together with Anwar and Hj Hadi Awang.

So did Kula got the memo?

The timeline given to the current PM, if I caught the gist of his answers to the questions is until Tuesday, September 23. If the current PM does not bite, then PR will convene a meeting on the next course of action or seek an audience with the King.

He says that he cannot reveal the names for fear that the jumping MPs will be harrassed and possibly ISA’ed. Oh, and he also wants Teresa Kok to be released because as it is, it is a number game.

Someone asked, can’t he wait when the Parliament re-convenes to which he said that (words to the effect) that Malaysia is in dire straits. The economy is in shambles and this new government need to be set up soonest possible.

I can understand their wish to set up the government as quickly as possible but with the slender majority (if it happens), how strong are they? This is really an issue that I still can’t appreciate. Just look at the current BN. Even with the numbers, they’re seen as very weak.

So, we wait again.

Now, how will UMNO/BN react to this? Much has been said about the need for the current PM to step down. By stepping down, UMNO/BN can move forward. But is it enough for UMNO/BN for only the current PM to step down? What about the current DPM? Does he also need to go? He is one-half of the team that failed miserably. By allowing the current PM to continue 6 months after leading BN to the worst ever elections result, the current DPM is also seen by some, as a problem. Some say that the current DPM should’ve demanded that the current PM to step down. On hindsight, maybe he should have.

So as in a chess game, what will UMNO/BN’s next move? The top 2 probably need to go. If both of them realize this and make that decision, then the 31 jumping MPs may even not jump. But the decision has to be made quickly. UMNO needs to start fresh. The 2 is Ku Li and Muhyuddin. Then will the plot be more interesting.

For Anwar, time perhaps is the factor. He probably need to strike when UMNO is at its lowest. If UMNO’s cancer is treated quickly, then it will be well again. Making it difficult (but still achievable) for Anwar’s PR.

In the meantime, UMNO’s SC is meeting at 3 pm. I think they should postponed it to a couple of hours and watch Anwar in action

I don’t remember a Ramadan this eventful.

So, while he is lauded for sticking to his principles and resigning over the use of the ISA against civilians, some missed the part about him not exactly being against the ISA but only for it to be used in a specific manner.

I have always struggled with the ISA too. I understand the objectives i.e. exactly what the former Law Minister’s says it should be used against. That is probably one thing that I agree with him

But how does one decide that the particular individual is a terrorist that is hell bent on trying to topple the Government by force? That’s the tricky part. Opponents of the ISA says that should be left to the Courts to decide. Factually, that statement is fair and true. Supporters of the ISA says that it is a preventive measure. I am not sure it is factually true and fair although there is also logic to it. Thus the dilemma.

I have to be honest that I am inclined towards the “preventive” logic. But I also appreciate and understand the arguments raised against it.

When one reads the case of one ISA detainee Mat Sah who missed 6 years of his only child and son growing up, I have to ponder. Being a father myself, I can relate to the situation of the family. Just looking at the Raya greeting card pains me. I am sure others would feel the same too. Also, I remembered reading another case of an ISA detainee who did not managed to see her daughter before she passed away.

When opponents of the ISA says that it is cruel, who am I to say that it is not when I consider the two cases above.

My issue is that I still think it is a good preventive measure. Its intention is “noble”. Probably its implementation has been misused. At the very least, it should be reviewed. In the end, every man and woman deserves his or her day in Court. Even the worst mass murderers gets one. The ISA detainees should be given one too.

The opposition leader have been quiet. Notable news is the swapping of responsibilities between the current PM and DPM. There have been a few theories behind the swap. I probably shouldn’t go through them. Again, its theories.

I think, if not a lot probably the majority of Malaysians are sick to their stomach with the political situation we currently see in Malaysia.

I can write and talk about the consequences facing the country if Pakatan Rakyat do wrest power from the current government through the “back door” but I think like minded people all know,  and most probably, like many… am just tired. But perhaps, lets just highlight two. To start with, they’re not even an official coalition. It will be a different when they do take over. Then would you actually see the dynamics and from what I observe, it is not a walk in the park. Secondly, even if they do get the 31, it is not any stronger than the government that they are trying to overthrow. So why even bother? That is something that does not make any sense unless Anwar Ibrahim actually do not have the list but is merely interested to destablize the country.

Because, its the economy. It has always been.