Musical Interlude/Just News: Walking Blues

Woke up this morning I looked 'round for my shoes
You know I had those mean old walking blues
Yeah, I woke up this morning I looked 'round for my shoes
Girl, I had those, ooh, mean old walking blues

Some people tell me that worried blues ain't bad
It's the worst old feeling I ever had
People tell me that worried blues ain't bad
It's the worst old feeling, ooh child, I ever had

Looks run to the ocean and the ocean runs to the sea
If I don't find my baby, don't bury me
Look to the ocean and the ocean went to the sea
Yeah, if I don't find my baby, ooh yeah, don't bury me

Minutes seem like hours and hours seem like days
Since my baby started her low down ways, yeah
Minutes seem like hours and hours seem like days
Since my baby, ooh, started her low down ways

I woke up this morning, people, I looked 'round for my shoes
You know I had those mean old walking blues
Yeah, I woke up this morning I looked 'round for my shoes
Yeah, you know I had those, ooh, mean old walking blues

-- Robert Johnson, Paul Butterfield (performed by Eric Clapton)


I was at a funeral limping my way when someone who knows of me and my blogs asked, "Hey, you've not been updating your blog since early this month."

"I have actually up-date it far ahead," I replied referring to my December 12th, 2008 dated stickly, which falls on the first day of the UMNO General Assembly.

I have been held back since my trip to the UMNO Batu Pahat Division EGM. Having been nursing joint pains at my ankle and knee since the General Election, I may have aggravated it from the standing at and travelling to and from several UMNO-related Majlis Ilmu, the Kongres Permuafakatan Melayu in JB last weekend, and recently RPK's due appearance at the Jalan Duta court.

The pain is not gouty in nature but it has gotten to be unbearable. My regular reflexologist has not been of much help. I'll pop some pills and gulp huge amount of water over this weekend. If unsuccessful, I'll visit Prof Dr Ali Noor next week.

It's difficult to stay focus and write with this lingering painful distraction. This inconvenience has distracted me from blogging and my late nightly outings to meet "people". So I'll summarise my thoughts on several recent events.

First and foremost, I would appreciate offering of Fatihah to a dear friend, Zahari Zain or Harry as we would call him. He passed away yesterday from cancer. Maybe such a good person is better off with Allah. Thanks Harry for awakening me to my mortality. May you be blessed in the after life.

Sedition Charge Against Raja Petra Kamaruddin

Raja Petra was charged for sedition for his April 25th, 2008 article on Altantunya murder. The Star SMS Alert just came in to say he has been released by the courts upon payment of RM5,000 bail. Having called Marina Lee, I've confirmed that he is out and okay.

I do not quite understand why he refuse bail and went through the hunger strike in the first place. Geez Engku, why do you need to spend time in Sg. Buloh Prison, when you've got a case to prepare in October? Furthermore, you have Nordin Kardi's lawsuit to deal with. As one of our fellow teh tarik kaki described, "Thats Raja Petra Kamaruddin!"

There were several police reports made of him by Pemuda UMNO PJ Utara Division and not to be left out is the ill-prepared report made by one Muhammad Muhammad Taib last year. By the definition of the Sedition Act, he has touched on many subjects bordering or probably encroaching into sedition territory before. Why this one is made an issue?

The general impression from politicians, lawyer and informed observers are that pricking on Raja Petra article will ignite further interest in the mainstrema and alternative media on the Altantunya murder trial. Come trial date on October 6th, 2008, it'll put Dato Najib in a fix during the UMNO party election.

Since Ijok by-election April last year, Anwar Ibrahim has been probing on Najib. With Abdullah Badawi on borrowed time, all guns are aimed at the successor. Then, there is the bring Najib down theory in the Khairy Chronicle, widely believed to be written by an insider in Khairy's circle. Is Anwar and Khairy in cohoot? Search me. Whatever it is, Khairy's defense of Najib in Parliament to Lim Kit Siang's onslaught looks pretentious.

I have been sceptical of the accusations made on Najib on the Altantunya murder trail since receiving a badly concocted SMS two days after Razak Baginda's arrest.

Kongress Pemuafakatan Melayu in Johor

From one seditious situation to another.

I attended the Kongress Pemuafakatan Melayu in JB and was disturbed by one speech made on the first day. There was a terribly seditous point made towards the non Malays. I can't tolerate that and expressed my distaste directly to the concerned speaker. Thankfully, there were similar thinking people who raised it from the floor th next day. This will dispell the notion this is a meeting of ultras.

The Kongress can be summarised as sending a primary warning to UMNO and secondary one to PAS and perhaps PKR to not compromise on matters of Malay sovereignty and "social contract". I concur because the basic building block of this nation is not subject for negotiation. This nation has existed for thousands of years before the state and Malay culture and language should be thrust of it's exsitence.

I hope the Majlis MM Malaysia could be a platform with political influence to monitor on the various Malay parties and be a purposeful meeting point for Malay interest. Note I did not use Malay unity.

However, other than the refreshing and honest views of UKM's Prof Madya Dr Agus Yusof, Abim's Yusri Mohamad and GPMS's Amir Rosdi, most speakers are generally recycling and regurgitating old arguments that seemed removed from current developments.

There has to be more participation from the yonger segment of Malays that the orang pencen group. The Kongres was under represented by young Malay professionals. Few major youth NGOs were by designed refused participation. I can't understand why goons disguise as NGOs like Perkida were given priority.

The stereotyped views gave rise to uninnovative viewpoints. The Arqam-like view of Tan Sri Ali Hashim's Jihad Ekonomi were left unchallenged and adopted without much deliberations. Some his claimed success story of Johor Corp. are craps!

UMNO Forums

Time has to move on.

I manage to attend two Tengku Razaleigh's talks in Johor. While Ku Li focus his speeches towards current problems in UMNO, somehow the crowd from the old Team B seemed caught in a time warp (just like Abdullah Badawi's recent prong of attack using the disbandment of UMNO argument).

To 60-65% of voters in the next General Election, events beyond 20 years ago are irrelevent. I seriously can't comprehend the relevancy to this segment of young voters. If Semangat 46 has been disbanded and agreed to accept UMNO Baru, then why should there be any more political discussion of Semangat 46? What is its relevance to the politial predicament and compromise on sovereign issues of today?

From the Tengku Razaleigh events, Kongress in JB, and few other events I attended lately, I am more hopeful with the recent Forum organsied by Sekretariat Muda Melayu. There was an air of honesty, rationality, and resoluteness in the discussion by Dato Mukhriz, Akhramsyah, Sekretariat Chairman and the floor comprising of the middle age to youth crowd.

There leaves much hope for tomorrow.

Lets celebrate the new politics and engage one another. If we are divided by political ideology and principles, let we not be divided on issue of interest and the perpetuity of our history, culture and sovereignty.

But will the elders and leaders accept the eventuality?

With most of leaders in UMNO are in the 60s, I very much agree with Dato Najib's view to remajakan, not only UMNO but all the political parties. The demo generation of Anwar Ibrahim has expired and they have brought more uncertainty then stability to the Malaysian politics. Their idealism have been compromised. It is time for the torch to be passed on and the transformation to begin.