The losing war game

Dear Di,

Politics is the game of perception.

I may be wrong here, but it seems that in this war of perception, opponents of Barisan Nasional is very much ahead in winning the hearts and minds of the urban folks.

The opponents here are not just confined to DAP, PAS and PKR but also non-political groups, which for some reasons do not want to see Barisan Nasional in control of the Government anymore.

BN losing in this game?

Their numbers maybe small, but their untiring attacks on the Government via the Internet and other media channels have caused major damage to BN reputation, especially among urban dwellers.

The deteriorating situation is further compounded by the failure of BN communication strategists to curtail the problem, leaving the Government almost defenseless against the onslaught.

Simply put, BN has lost the battle in the urban zone.

BN leaders, including PM Najib must surely know that no matter how huge a mountain is - the daily chippings of its mighty walls would eventually cost the mountain to collapse.

The popularity of BN is fast peeling away and its opponents now are aiming all their heavy artilleries towards the rural areas, whose populations are still ardent BN supporters.

It would not be long for them to make inroads, as BN seems to remain clueless and at time headless as to what they should do to check the enemies. And millions spent on A&P went down the drain as far as winning the urban votes.

BN had one time possessed a powerful weapon – the MSM (Main Stream Media). Alas, this cutting edge weapon is no longer powerful as before. BN opponents have successfully neutralized it by convincing the people that the MSM is just a propaganda tool for the Government to control public opinion. To make matter worse, editors were often dictated to publish rubbish instead of quality contents by powerful warloads controlling the media.

Half of the battle was won largely because BN blunders and the other half of the battle were countered by creating online news portals. Loads and loads of lies, half-truths and fictions were rushed down the throats of cyber news reading community in the form of gospel truths. In the end, nobody can tell the different anymore.

Now, everyone tend to believe what is written in the print and online by the enemies of BN. Nobody bothers to verify the facts anymore. The PM, Ministers, MPs, State Assemblymen, politicians have been accused of doing many things on the Net and most believe them, including members of their own political parties! But, hardly any of them takes the culprits to court. And those who do, quickly settled them out of court after some payments of undisclosed amounts were agreed upon and apology.

My only hope is that this political disease do not spread its ugly wing into the Malaysian economy because the impact would be most disastrous and too painful to bear.

Najib and The Cabinet... Please be smart

Dear Di,

I guess I have writer's block these past weeks.  There were many things to jot down but words simply refused to flow. Furthermore, the need to work and support the family had to come first and December is simply a busy month.

But, today I decided to jot down a few things that I feel strongly unhappy. Uppermost is of course the recent announcements of increasing rates - electricity tariff, assessment and now toll rates. Maybe it is wrong to assume, but my guts feeling is that Government is deseperate to increase rates as the coffers are drying up.

Since PM Najib came to power, he was seen spending billions of ringgit to inculcate feel good feelings among the people. Billions of ringgit were alloted to pump the economy and creating spillover effects. Cash handouts were given to low income groups. Some claimed it was to win votes but I believed it was more to pump up the domestic economy. Perhaps, a weak economy can be detrimental to the survival of Barisan Nasional Government then.

But now that the general election is over and the Government has been retained, Najib and the Cabinet has to look ahead to ensure that their Government is capable of ruling the nation until the next general election without busting the economy.

I guess after a hard look, they realised that they could not continue to spoon feed the people with subsidies. If they do, there is a likelihood that this nation would follow the path of Greece - spending more than the revenue generated.

Hence, the need to cut down on subsidies. The people have to pay more. Pay GST.

The fact is I don't like it. But, as a citizen I have to adhere to it. Furthermore, I voted for this Government and I don't like to think I have made a mistake.

On the other hand, Najib and his men must also be smart in addressing public opinion. Currently, the communication strategy sucks big time. I see that they spend millions to convince the public why GST is necessary and would not be a huge  burden to the people and blah..blah...blah.

They don't have do it. Emulate the past leaders who did things intellegently. Rates went up but there were no ugly protests. Make the people understand but at the same time the Government should also show that it practises austerity in the administration.

Do not go around and be seen wasting public funds. And I want to see this Government continue to stay in power after the next GE. Do not give the opposition the opportunity to wrest power because the current adminisration is seen to be indifferent to the suffering of the people.

I feel the first thing Najib should do is to announce that the Govenment would trim its 2014 budget. Prudent spending and minus excesses. Expenditure budget should be reduced significantly and more budget set aside for projects that can generate revenue for the country.

At the same time, Najib should ask the private sector to increase the salaries of the employees by reducing some of their profits. The practise of announcing billion ringgit profits should be stopped and some of the profits should be set aside and given to employees in the form of increment.

More often than not, the employees in the private sector are not well protected by the Government although they are a significant work force to the economy. Most companies are only interested in making ugly huge profits but are not interested in rewarding employees.

After all happy employees bring good financial results.

PAKATAN READY TO TAKE OVER AFTER PRU 14?

Dear Di,

A quiet Sunday today for me. After a tiring week, this weekend is a blessing. I was earlier glued to the TV watching movie re-runs courtesy of Astro. Infact, I don't know why Astro saw it necessary to increase the subscription fee. I wonder if I can still opt for the old fee is I reject some of the new channels it offers to subscribers.

The kids have endeared themselves to the notebooks - playing computer games or surfing the Facebook. It is sad they no longer see the joy of going out of the house playing football at the playground or chitchatting with friends. 

Now I too have dedicated myself to the notebook locking my eyes on the MacBook Air screen. Went through my favourite blogs, online news and forums. After an hour of reading, I began to wonder why the Opposition is allowed to dominate the Malaysian cyberspace almost all the time since 2008. Let me make it clear I am not asking the Government to restrict or censure the Internet. What I want to see is the same agressiveness by the Government and Barisan Nasional in addressing the political issues via the main stream media. Least the Government forgets, there are millions of Malaysians and most are registered voters who look to the Net for information. For some reasons, they are not depending on the MSM to satisfy their needs to know what is going on around the country and the world.

Another negative but alarmingly dangerous situationvis observing BN component members and some UMNO leaders starting to questions and criticising publicly decisions made by the Government. Not that they can't do that but, there are channels established for these purposes. I wonder how Prime Minister and BN Chairman Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak can keep religiously quiet. How long can he maintain silence as more and more verbal attacks are made against the Government and on the PM himself.

Some quarters sarcastically mentioned that Najib's silence is made on the advice of his foreign consultants. They said billions were paid to the consultants and the best advice given to Najib is to keep quiet  as long as possible.

With all the happenings, BN supporters looked as if they are worried about the situation and want action to be taken. But until now, nothing seems to be done. They see the mighty coalition of 14 political parties is slowly but surely losing their popularity among voters and may see losing power for the first time in the next general election. On the other hand, the continued attack by DAP, PAS and PKR against BN and the Government are causing serious cracks to the BN support as more hardcore supporters are starting the believe in the Opposition's propaganda.

The Opposition and their supporters are further enbolden by the elegance silence of BN leaders, including the Prime Minister to launch their "drones". Their cybertroopers spew lies upon lies daily. Yet the Government choose to keep quiet. Legal actions are rare. Even the Prime Minister refused to take legal action despite being viciously attacked with lies.

Hence, the Opposition and their supporters feel that they are given a blank cheque to launch verbal abuse against the Government. They know they would not be stopped and the damage inflicted on BN is significant.

SOKONGAN BN MEROSOT LAGI?

Salam Jummat Di,

Jalan sekitar Kuala Lumpur kelihatan tenang dan tiada kesesakkan sejak jam 8 pagi. Entah apa sebabnya tidaklah diketahui. Keadaan jauh berbeza dari petang semalam di mana semua jalan amat sesak ekoran hujan lebat dan kebakaran di Pantai Dalam. 

Kenderaan di atas Federal Highway bergerak amat perlahan. Ribuan kenderaan terpaksa menunggu berjam-jam untuk sampai ke destinasi masing-masing.

Mujurlah hari ini tenang dan membolehkan aku melayar dunia siber yang penuh dengan pelbagai maklumat dan berita terkini.

Aku baru sahaja melayar dalam dunia siber membaca pelbagai berita on line yang rata-rata memuatkan kenyataan daripada pemimpin pembangkang dan penganalisa politik yang menuduh Kerajaan dengan pelbagai kesalahan.

Setiap hari perkara ini dimuatkan mereka untuk dibaca oleh pelayar-pelayar siber. Maka, tidak hairanlah aku kalau ada yang mempercayai dakyah yang mereka siar. Tambahan pula, aku tenguk di pihak Kerajaan sentiasa kelihatan mendiam diri dengan tuduhan-tuduhan dan maki hamun pembangkang.

Mereka perlu lebih proaktif untuk memenangi hati rakyat

Mungkin ini, aku rasa, menguatkan kepercayaan orang ramai bahawa pihak pembangkang betul dan pihak Kerajaan terpaksa berdiam diri sahaja kerana kesalahan yang dilakukan sudah didedahkan.

Terasa aku nak bertanya kepada pemimpin Kerajaan termasuk Perdana Menteri mengapa dibiarkan keadaan begini. Dan sampai bila? Kerajaan kelihatan hanya menggunakan media utama seperti akhbar dan tv untuk memberitahu rakyat mengenai pelbagai program yang dibuat. Sebaliknya kehadiran mereka dalam dunia siber amat sedikit.

Perkara ini amat menyedihkan kerana rakyat kian hari kian tumpu kepada dunia siber samada mereka berada di pejabat, rumah atau di mana-mana. Perkembangan teknologi dengan adanya telfon pintar membolehkan maklumat sampai kepada mereka di mana sahaja mereka berada.

Aku tidak tahu mengapa Kerajaan tidak mengambil kesempatan untuk memenangi hati rakyat melalui internet.

Satu lagi persoalan ialah mengapa Kerajaan sentiasa kelihatan defensive. Sedangkan Kerajaan perlu proaktif dalam semua aspek. Kerajaan gagal menggunakan semua platform media yang ada untuk memberi penerangan yang sejelasnya mengenai dasar atau peraturan baru yang hendak diperkenalkan.

Sering kali, Kerajaan aku umumkan sesuatu rang undang-undang baru tanpa penjelasan yang luas. Orang ramai tidak memahami apa yang dibentangkan. Mengetahui keadaan ini, pembangkang mengambil kesempatan dan memberi pandangan negatif mereka terhadap perkara tersebut.  Rakyat percaya dengan pembangkang dan Kerajaan terus membisu.

Satu contoh ialah GST. 

Mereka membiarkan pihak penentang bermaharajalela dahulu menuduh dan memburukkan Kerajaan sewenang-wenangnya sehingga rakyat percaya dengan apa yang dikatakan. Mereka kata GST akan menyusahkan rakyat. 

Memang benarlah Kerajaan akan bertindak. Tapi tindakan mereka sentiasa lambat. Nasi dan jadi bubur! Mungkin kerana hendak memastikan persiapan yang lekap dalam menjawab segala pertuduhan, Kerajaan mengambil masa yang lama untuk berbuat demikian. Pelbagai pihak akan dipanggil untuk membantu Kerajaan.

Akhirnya Kerajaan bertindak memberi penjelasan menerusi media utama. Pada masa itu rakyat dah tidak lagi minat dengan isu terbabit. Mereka sudah termakan hasutan pembangkang dan melihat Kerajaan sebagai pihak yang zalim dan tidak mementingkan rakyat.

Ini jelas apabila dalam PRU 13 lalu, orang Melayu bandar rata-rata  menyokong pembangkang dan membenci Kerajaan yang ada. Bagi mereka Kerajaan ini hanya dikuasai mereka yang menjaga kepentingan diri sendiri. 

Kesilapan ini nampaknya masih berterusan dan Kerajaan kelihatan tidak berusaha untuk mencari jalan mengatasi masalah ini. Akhir-akhir ini juga blog-blog yang menyokong Kerajaan BN turut bertindak lebih sebagai menyokong pembangkang.

Kritikan-kritikan keras dilemparkan terhadap Kerajaan dan pemimpin termasuk Perdana Menteri sendiri. Di pihak Kerajaan, mereka tidak nampak bertindak memperbetulkan keadaan. Entah mengapa, tidak sesiapa pun tahu.

Will UMNO delegates listen to Najib?

Dear Di,

You must think I have abandoned you. I know it has been awhile. But, I am bogged down with work. Many deadlines to meet and too little time to complete them.

  However, compared to Dato Sri Najib's heavy schedule, mine would look like a vacation. He has a nation to look after, Opposition are always behind his back and his own party members are questioning things he does and done. He simply cannot please all.

  The Prime Minister is now in US. He had strings of meetings, delivery key note speeches and meeting foreign leaders in New York. I guess when he comes back, he will have a lot of work to do, meet political leaders, attend parliament and probably campaign for some of his hardcore supporters who are defending their posts in UMNO.

Unfortunately, some quarters in his party felt that Najib should stayed neutral now that he had been returned unopposed as president of UMNO. They claimed that he should not have favourites.

Here, I have to disagree. He cannot remain neutral. Why? Firstly, he is the Prime Minister and President of the party. Top leaders of the party formed the core Cabinet members. Naturally, Najib as Prime Minister would want the leaders who support him be re-elected.  He needs his team to assist him in fulfilling all the promises made to the rakyat at the last general election.  Without a team whom he is comfortable to worth with, Najib woul find it very tough to do his job effectively.

Most of his supporters who hold position in the party are cabinet members, Thus, it would be tough for them to stay in the Cabinet if they no longer are senior members of UMNO.

The newly elected party leaders would want to be appointed to the Cabinet. They would not hesitate to apply pressure on the PM to reshuffle the Cabinet and appoint them instead.

Hence, UMNO members must accept whoever are elected to the UMNO supreme council voted in by some 150,000 delegates. So too, Najib.

GOOD LUCK PM

Dear Di,

It more than a week I have not kept in touch with you. A lot has happened and there are so much things to tell. 

The most popular thing to do this month is, of course, going to Open Houses. For the month of Shawal, according to the Muslim calender, this is the month of celebration after one has fasted for the whole month of Ramadan.

OPEN HOUSES ARE COMMON IN MALAYSIA 

Individuals and Corporates are scrambling to hold Open Houses, inviting families, friends, acquaintances, business partners to attend the event which are either held at homes, hotels, golf clubs or community halls. Sumptuous food and drinks are served for the guests who come in the drove.

Malaysians, generally are politically conscious and politics are often the topic most talked about among the guests. Everyone has something to say, either supporting, disagreeing or making general statements of the happenings that have taken place in last few weeks after Ramadan.

Some of the topics touched were the Court of Appeal ruling allowing the two policemen who were found guilty by the High Court for killing a Mongolian woman free. Many took the opportunity to take a whack at the Government and the judiciary, However, many forgot that overturning the decision of the High Court by the superior court is really not something new.

If we were to remember, the Federal Court had released Opposition leader on Sodomy charges on technicality although the judges were of the opinion that sodomy had taken place. There was also an uproar by the public but the leader's supporters were full of praised for the court. I guess it all depends on whom these people support.

We also have a case where a Government deputy minister was angry with the police for killing five gang members who are suspected of being hired killers. But, his statement should not be a surprised as he was formerly the leader of Hindraf, an Indian movement whose members think that the are being treated poorly in this country.

Then, we have our Prime Minister who launched a new clarion call for the nation "endless possibilities". Whatever that was supposed to mean leaves Malaysians guessing.

As usually, the Prime Minister leaves it to the public to define the meaning on their own. Hence, all kinds of definition have been put up in the cyber world for all to see.

But, a friend asked me who are responsible for the PM new campaign? Is it the same group who did the last one 1 Malaysia. He further asked whether PM would entrust the job to a new team altogether as the last one did not do the job effectively.

My reply was that there were no words suggesting that the PM has set up a new team so I guessed the existing one would have been given the task to implement it.

The face of my friend tells me that he did not expect much success. Well, good to the team.

To another question, I told my friend I do not know whether the PM listen or read the various criticism level against him. But, I know deep in my heart, the man does listen. But, he does not have to agree. He may have his own opinion or point of view.

It is his own choice and whatever decision he makes, he has to live with it. There is a Malay saying "berat mata memadang, berat lagi bahu yang memikul".

Good luck to the PM.

Najib and his Ministers: Drive taxis if you must!

Dear Di,


It is almost customary in this country for the main stream media to ponder the performance of elected leaders after 100 days in office.

Focus of attention is always given to the Prime Minister and Menteris Besar. Why 100 days, nobody seems to know. But, I guess that some media practitioners look at the 100 days performance to judge the persons' ability to rule the full five years.

Honeymoon over. Get back to work, sir

What attracted my attention on this subject was a report in the NST about Dato Sri Najib's role as Prime Minister until the next general election.

It is interesting to note that the Prime Minister remains consistent in his efforts to bring progress to this country. He continued to harp on racial harmony, much to the disappointment of some of his die-hard supporters who were pissed off with the majority of the Chinese voters for not supporting Barisan Nasional in the last general election.

Nevertheless, I agree with the Prime Minister. You certainly cannot give up just because you were not fully successful. Any leaders worth their salt know that they cannot, but continue to woe voters all the time.

To maintain peace and harmony among the races, we need to continue harping on the need to unite and work together. It is a fact that no single race can survive in this country without the support of other races.

Our forefathers have thought long and hard about this, hence the establishment of the strategic alliance, Perikatan. Through Perikatan and later evolved to become Barisan Nasional, all the races in the country work together to bring prosperity to Malaysia.

It is only after the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as deputy Prime Minister and the unholy alliance he formed with DAP and PAS leaders did the unity among the races began to crack.

From then on, Malaysians were bombarded with so many racist issues on a daily basis. The social media was widely used to propagate hatred among the races. DAP used the social media extensively to turn the Chinese voters against MCA and Gerakan whom it described as mere tools for UMNO.

Thus, it came as a no surprise when the Chinese voters were almost solidly behind DAP in the May 2013 General Election, making the party having the most number of Parliamentary seats among the Opposition parties.

The Chinese voters chose to ignore the goodies handed over by BN leaders, including the Prime Minister. They were made to believe that the BN Government would topple and DAP together with PKR and PAS would rule Putrajaya.

Imagine their disappointment when BN was returned to power on the wee hours of May 9, 2013.

DAP and PAS  quickly come to term with the defeat. However, PKR, the new kid on the block could not accept defeat gracefully and went on to organise rallies to challenge the outcome of the election.

PKR went ballistic and tried to stir the people emotions to support street demonstrations, but much to the embarrassment of PKR leaders, the attempts fizzled out.

So far in the last 100 days, nothing much could be done by Dato Seri Najib and his Government as a lot of efforts were spend on watching and monitoring PKR and their associates throwing tantrums.

The point I want to stress here is for the Prime Minister and his Government to stop entertaining Anwar in his unprofitable games, but to focus their attention on flourishing the nation.

Please go back to the people. Show the people that you care. Follow the good examples set by other world leaders. Put the interest of the people first.

MINISTERS AS TAXI DRIVERS? Why not!

Malaysians love leaders who are humble, kind hearted and attentive to their needs. Stop being aloof, be part of the people. Drive taxis if you must.