Loke's Sec Gen appointment a facade, DAP still need Guan Eng

It's going against popular opinion of Anthony Loke as PH last hope to topple BN. The reality is DAP need Lim Guan Eng more than ever. 

Dr Boo Cheng Hau has the basis to demand him voluntarily resign as Chairman of DAP. He is probably concerned with DAP from being seen as inconsistent. 

On one hand, they are labelling Dato Najib as convict but on the other, CEC appointed a court cluster as Chairman and the face of DAP.   

As expected, Dr Boo received criticism for picking on tokong. Why was it not raised earlier when Guan Eng was Secretary General? 

The defense seemed shallow and insular, but it is what DAP wants. 

CEC appointed Anthony Loke as Secretary General, but Sin Chew editorial puts it plainly, 26 out of the 30 elected members of the CEC are aligned to the Lim faction. 

UMNO PM should be subjected to 3-yearly review

While scrolling the alerting notifications in the smartphone this morning, came across an interesting article on Newswav app from TwentyTwo.my entitled, ‘Political parties face shortage of credible candidates for future PM’ by Pearl Lee.

In August 2021, Agong was faced with the same dilemma when his majesty requested for proposed PM candidates to replace Tan Sri Muhyiddin, who was then on the verge of resigning following 15 UMNO MPs withdrew their support. 

Talk of the devil, words reached yours truly that Muhyiddin met Tun Dr Mahathir the Friday before this blog's Langkah Carey Island posting. 

He repeated his desire to be PM again as hinted during the Johor PRN campaign trail. According to the source, Mahathir merely smile without neither agreeing nor disagreeing.  

Coincidentally, the subject of who to be UMNO's nominated PM for GE15 came up over Sunday tea in the conversation on the latest update post-UMNO general assembly in Bangsar. 

Does UMNO has the answer to the nation's desire for a credible leadership capable of solving the current slide and the social, economic and political predicaments arising from the structural breakdown brought about by PH destructive tinkering, global Covid 19 pandemic phenomenon, and PN's failed government?  

"Secret" gazetted law: Zafrul's misadventure into MA63

Syed Saddiq's absence from MUDA's Johor election candidate list and amended charges to his case in court indicated he has no credibility and fit the drama queen label given by Johor Crown Prince or TMJ. 

Khairy is declining in popularity and facing a widening trust deficit. The acclaimed genius and top vaccine salesman is under scrutiny. 

And he proved a fluent parrot in reading script does not make for a good Health Minister. A medical degree without the oral prowess is a better choice than an Oxford degree in PPE. 

Such is the faith of over rated politicians selling the youth gimmick. Khairy's comrades in UKEC and believed to be his planted man in the now dormant NGO, Promuda, Dato Seri Tengku Zafrul Aziz is facing similar fate.

Social media calling on Zafrul to honour his promise to resign should the RM10,000 EPF withdrawal be approved. Talk of his resignation had resurfaced again recently, and a denial followed suit.

He then left for London to miss the UMNO general assembly. Words going around he will return with £20 billion investment or borrowing. He'd better because he dropped the ball again.

His oral reply to Parliament speaker refuted Sabah's right for a 40% revenue sharing as stated in Schedule 10 Part IV of the Malaysian Federal Constitution. Apparently, the existence of a secret gazetted law made after 1969 nullified revenue sharing with Sabah. 

Come Monday, he will return to office and Parliament.  

Johor revisited: SOSMA rejection destabilise government (updated)

In his twitter, former IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan listed 6 responsibilities of citizens on national security. The primary being to elect MPs that pass laws to ensure public safety. Read on here.

Yesterday, 50 MPs failed to attend Parliament. According to a retired DG of a government agency in our WA group, 30 was from the government side. As a result, the motion for the 5-year renewal of sub-section 4 (5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA law) was rejected.

Backbencher leader, Dato Tajuddin Abd Rahman failed disastrously in his role. The more serious implication is detected subversive activities detrimental to national security could not be averted and will endanger public safety.

Since the repeal of ISA, SOSMA was passed to fill up the role. Opposition brushed it as similar to ISA and a law for "detention without trial". Musa denied in another twitter here. Unlike ISA, the 28 days detention required court order and needed to enable investigation on public security.

Similar to Johor state assembly incident, opposition breached the MOU term agreed between government and PH to support all motion involving government matters.

In Johor, opposition rejected motion to pass the state budget that could cripple state administration. This time Parliament could not continue with an existing security law thus risking the public and country to criminals and terrorists threats. 

Rafizi should pivot on Mahathir instead of Najib on Sapura Energy bailout

Subsequent to talk of a "Langkah Carey Island", rumour is going around that Tun Dr Mahathir will be launching a new coalition called Gabungan Pejuang Nasional (GPN) to involve PPBM, Pejuang, Warisan, PAS, Gerakan and MUDA. 

By including MUDA in, it throws off the new political equation. Judging from the PRN Johor, MUDA is more aligned to DAP than Pejuang. They are certainly not with Tan Sri Muhyiddin. 

Social media beginning to dub the P in GPN as PujaWang or Penipu or Penyamun. In the meanwhile, another rumour emanating from within PKR that Deputy President candidate Rafizi Ramli is keen to cooperate with GPN. 

This goes against Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim who repeatedly said, "Enough! Enough!" to any cooperation with Mahathir. 

This is inconsistent with Rafizi's political positioning and campaign. He is in the same "cai" with Anwar's daughter, Nurul Izzah. His campaign line is Anwar needs Rafizi's supporting role to be the next PM. 

However, if Rafizi is willing to cooperate with Mahathir, it means he is rooting for Dato Seri Shafie Apdal and sending Anwar off to sea. No wonder, he is picking on Dato Seri Najib instead of Mahathir on the Sapura Energy issue. 

Its obvious he is pivoting on Najib for public attention. 

Forget "Langkah Kajang" or "Sheraton", "Langkah Carey Island" is next

Located south of Port Klang and north of Banting, Carey Island in the Kuala Langat district is technically an island but it does not feel like one. It is separated from the mainland by merely the Langat river. 

Since this morning, a tip-off by the blog Edisi Siasat of a political retreat at Carey Island allegedly organised by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for Pakatan Harapan  and Perikatan Nasional leaders went viral and was the subject of conversation in several chat groups. 

It turned out that the technically a retreat turned out to be a meeting separated by a seafood dinner. Carey Island is famous for its seafood restaurants. 

The names will remain a secret, but the dinner retreat was not fully represented by all political parties. There was the absence of important leaders. 

Perhaps it is not possible for a full attendance with DAP holding its 17th congress on Sunday. PKR is holding its party election with Rafizi Ramli and Nurul Izzah announced returning to active politics.   

Nevertheless, the tip-off is believable for few reasons. 

After 30 years, timely "I told you so" on self sufficiency

THE fallout from the Ukraine fight shows that countries, including Malaysia, must think harder about achieving self-sufficiency in food and energy. And, corporations must read n the global 'highways' more carefully. - NST LEADER March 15, 2022

Its odd that New Straits Times would put up its editorial as frontpage on Tuesday. 

The owner of Media Prima is linked to Tun Dr Mahathir and he licked the globalisation mantra with its neo-liberal ideology to its last drop through his capital market driven economic policies and leaning for quick money business ventures. 

His political diehards would disagree and stood by his Malay nationalism narratives. Naturally, the Perkasa activist will highlight Proton as though it is his shining example of success. However, what he said is not what he actually did. 

Instead of improving the economic capability, and capacity with a comprehensively thoughout plan, Mahathir actually went to the contrary. Over 22 years, he was more interested to privatise government asset and services, in which the more precise description was piratisation policies.  

His second return as Prime Minister saw him less subtle in his privatisation as Pakatan Harapan government sold off every possible national assets held by government institutions.   

Was Joceline Tan's column today pulled out by "heavenly intervention"?

There were few curious questions raised on why there was no swearing in for the Menteri Besar of Johor yesterday Monday. In Melaka, the swearing in was held immediately the evening after the announced victory. 

Yesterday evening, there were talks the new Menteri Besar of Johor would not likely be Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad. The name of Dato Seri Hishamuddin Hussein Onn's nephew, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi cropped up. 

Its hardly an issue for the Sultan to exercise his prerogative to choose, but the situation does not warrant so. 

Hasni was the name being campaigned as the MB for Johor and even UMNO President, Dato Seri Zahid Hamidi announced it. 

PH 3-stooges' response to legal claim on Sabah

In October 2018, former Foreign Minister Dato Anifah Aman traded barbs with then (and returned again) Foreign Minister, Dato Saifuddin Abdullah in the Dewan Rakyat. 

Anifah advised Saifuddin to listen to his officers at Wisma Putra. It was his subtle way of telling Saifuddin does not know what he is doing. As a new broom, Saifuddin was making changes to his own fancy at the Foreign Office without understanding its implication. The Malay described it as memandai.

It was in reaction to Saifuddin's use of a phrase which to the effect means Malaysia's New Foreign Policy. Foreign policy should not be changed for sake of political expediency and in reaction to changes in government. 

Saifuddin took a swipe to correct Anifah that the term used was New Malaysia's Foreign Policy. Naive but yet egoistic, Saifuddin failed to realise that was what it implies. 

Throughout his twice tenures as Foreign Minister, the PPBM Minister put Malaysia in several diplomatic embarassments. 

The latest is the mess from his poor handling of the claim on Sabah by the Phillipines two years ago, which he allowed involvement of former Sabah Chief Minister, Dato Shafie Apdal's and fomer Attorney General, Tommy Thomas. 

Will PRN Johor be Muhyiddin's Waterloo?

Johor voters will be casting their votes today. 

Stream of traffic on the highway and people crossing in from Singapore was reported by media yesterday evening. 

It could be a sigh of relief for the opposition (both PH and PN grouped together as one). It was Chegu Bard promotion in the early part of the campaign with the political twist to not return Johor to BN. 

If the voters' turnout is low, as happenned in Melaka, it would favour party with the strong base such as UMNO and BN generally. On the contrary, the opposition would like to believe that the more enlightened outside voters will lean towards them. 

However, it may not necessarily be so. From sources claimed to have inside into BN political planners, they are equally comfortable with a good turnout. 

Security risk of Keluarga Malaysia's 5G flip flop

There have been many unsubstantiated allegations of improprieties made against DNB on the tender and procurement process and claimed award of 5G sub-contracts. 

If that is the issue, in which the relatively air tight policy and procedure instituted and implemented by DNB proves there is none, then the solution should be merely to improve and tighten the process. 

Certainly, it does not warrant a change midstream or in common man parlance, a flip flop or U-turn on the 5G planned rollout. It will only lead to an absolute mess and a failure in the making as it is repeating the mistakes of the past. 

The issue of consumer being shortchanged by comparatively exorbitant charges, poor quality and coverage of service, and technology behind the curve have been repeatedly written and mentioned. The setback to the country's future economic prospect have been touched repeatedly. 

It is the bigger risk to national security that is of concern. The impending Russsian-Ukraine war makes the risk more obvious.  

Is Macau triad linked to PN's fund raising dinner for Johor state election?

The Johor snap state election campaign seemed active on social media with Tan Sri Muhyiddin and Tun Dr Mahathir on a suspiciously coordinated do-or-die mission to attack Dato Seri Najib. 

However, the ground campaigning and narratives for the first week is relatively subdued. One seasoned campaign operator sighed and described the state election as "boring". 

It lacked significance to the current social, economic and political predicament of the day. There is insufficient emphasis on reviving Johor's economy and foreign investment. 

Merely repeating GE14 campaign theme to attack heavy favourite BN using corruption, 1MDB and character attack.  Having failed as government, PH and PN ran out of ideas. They failed disastrously in a stream of by- and state elections. Yet still playing the same tune.  

Those keen for a fresh story line should scutinise the PN's fund raising dinner at Austin International Convention Centre, Johor Baru on Thursday night, two nights ago on March 4th. 

There are sordid going-ons and sensation to it which is representative of the wrongs of the PH and PN era of government.