“TicK-Tock Nearing 1/2 Million …Thanks Everyone”

Latest :-The Election Commission (EC) has fixed Aug 25 for the Permatang Pasir state seat by-election in Penang. Nominations will be on Aug 17.

 

 

 

May 1st 2008 we started blogging and how time flies. We have written todate 768 articles with 16217 valuable comments from you good people out there.

During this period we have witnessed a lot of happenings amongst which was the supposedly 916 change of Government, SAPP leaving the BN coalition,Abdullah stepping down as PM,Najib helms the government as PM,BN losts 6 by elections winning 1,People’s call for abolishment of ISA, “Cawat and Dayak” interpretations,Political parties infighting,Economy on a downturn, BN wrestling back Perak and the constitution being bent to one’s whims and fancies, BN and Pakatan still at each others throats,death of Teoh Beng Hock and nearly the death of  Uninterrupted internet Accessibilty.

 It’s been a great 16 Months of blogging with a lot of hiccups no doubt. audie 61 and the crew of Natasha,Joey,Bugi and Cindy plus the technical maestro Anthony would like to thank all visitors,supporters and alliances for a great journey so far.We will be reaching our first milestone of 1/2 a million soon and without you good people out there it will be virtually impossible.

Malaysia Needs Good People and Lets keep Abreast with all the developments and policies which will affect the country. Keep on checking the Ruling State governments in your respective States be it Pakatan or BN . If they perform well keep them but if they deny you your rights Replace them.

Continue to check,praise or harrass your ADUNS and MPs as they are there BECAUSE OF YOU. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. MALAYSIA IS YOUR LAND WHERE YOU ARE BORN. KEEP THIS DREAM SAFE  AND INTACT FROM ALL ADVERSARIES..

 Cheers to all of you and continue to be with audie61…..

Bloggers… Why?Why?Why? 3 Whys on Batang Ai N29?

It was more than 2 whys when I touched down at Kuching International airport this evening. This is an extract from a conversation which I had with a senior journalists/political analysts at Mcdonalds restaurant this evening.  Its meant to happen and this is the first why?

My phone was off and as I landed in Kuching there was a message. It seems a day away from action packed newsapapers in Sarawak has awaken the journalistic feelings of one who never seems out of touch with the realities of everyday Sarawak.

Seems for two consecutive days,the bloggers have been under attack.There is no need to mention WHO and the readers have already envisaged who. Never the who but question the WHY WHY and WHY the bloggers? Are they being feared?  It’s a food for thought  and  it seems the bloggers have indeed ruffled the state administrators  that they have to come out and say a thing or two. Do they need to…???

Its a ‘People’s right” and with the advancement of  IT savvy technology the public would seek an alternative and has a right to seek a balance of alternatives in this political divide. The people will be the judge to associate themselves with the mainstream media or the alternatives.

There has been too much SWEEPING STATEMENTS of late on BLOGGERS. According to the senior journalists blogs provide important information and its an avenue for citizens journalism. We need to use the technology that is before us and a blog serves as a ‘personal diary” With blogs its an invention and things are more open. It is away from the norm and the mainstream media knows that they have a competitor and its a NEW MEDIA TOOL.  

This is the NEW REALITY of the IT ERA. Unless if and when BN adminstrators or YBs wake up and accept this new trend or new media their days might just be numbered. There is no need to criticize the who and why who has written but to view it as something constructive and do some evalution or a case study.

There is nothing to hide and whether you like it or not the POLITICAL LANSCAPE IN SARAWAK HAS CHANGED.The IT era  brings about greater democratisation across the nation of Malaysia and Sarawak is no exception.

To condemn outright the Sarawk blogs and therefore deny the PUBLIC an alternative new source is tantamount to insulting the intellect,educated public and putting a brake on DEMOCRACY.

There is an upsurge of public interests in the blogsphere of personal opinions and if they are positive the government should adopt the ideas but if they are malicious and spreading unnecesary lies there must be a stop on the nonsence.

Its up to the governement press/media boys to churn out a statement to deny or rebutt with statements to the blogs. There are ways to look at it and different ways are needed as if not we are entering a political minefield. Why should we do the work of those who are supposedly paid in the thousands by the political masters? WHY?WHY? WHY…???  should be Correct,correct and correct…!!!!

Batang Ai N29  has provided a rather unique platform for BLOGS to be the challenger to main stream media. No news is too far away. Even a former magistrate can say,”main stream can write once while we can write 10 or more times and posts it in the cyber world on the same subject mind you…”

Take the 3 paragraph statement from the former PRS supremo Sng Chee Hua where he denied he was working against the BN in Batang Ai. Why or Why does he need to come out with this statement? He even added,”“I am a BN man and I believe that the BN will deliver the seat.”

Sure,now what does that make him? There is even proof  that there is clip on why the former PRS members were made to to get ready on their next move…Do we need to expose this? Surely, many will wonder when and why it was done? Do we need to answer that? WHY WHY WHY now..??? Don’t tell us it will be like it sounded like me and I think thats me…

Facts,figures,statistics they say never lie and all ruling government thrives on information technology. James Masing PRS President must have enough evidence to substantiate his claims in the chinese dailies or else he would be getting himself in a bigger HOLE against his former deputy. 

BN has got enough supporters and its no use to ever think of making use of people who goes against the principles of the BN spirit. BN in times of trouble needs the true soldierss and captains to fight for their cause and Pakatan would also do likewise. Is there a place called IN THE CENTRE..?? 

Bloggers they say, are here to stay and unless the internet/cyber space  is shut down for good the BLOGGERS have a place called home IN MALAYSIA.

We say as always,” Let’s be honest and say Kuddos for Bloggers or else the mainstream media newspapers will take things easy and for granted.WHY..there is no more WHY..?????? 

UMNO President No doubts..PM When..??

PM Abdullah told the reporters after his Presidential meeting with the delegates that Najib Abdul Razak will be the the new Umno president.

The BIG QUESTION MARK REMAINS,”No date has been set for the power transfer and it is still no clear when Najib will be sworn in as the new prime minister.”

We say as always,” Has PM Abdullah officially announced..? I am indeed puzzled and please enlighten me if there is an official notice hidden somewhere from the publics eyes.

“Guns Blazing in N29 Batang Ai”

The stage is set.The PRS and PKR candidates are now out in the open. The political war of words and the first salvoes are already bombarded to the ground. The local tabloids headlines and has reports on:- 

• 1.Jawah’s candidacy no boost to PKR’s chances-James Masing (PRS)
• 2.BN has nominated the right candidate- Pehin Taib (PBB)
• 3. BN’s development record will help win votes- Francis Harden(SUPP)
• 4. Its not about fear but forming alliances-Dayrell Walter Entrie(SNAP)
• 5.Jawah not sponsored by any single man-Dominique Ng(PKR)
• 6.Respect decision of top leaders-Nicholas Bawin (PKR)

Not to be outdone the internet blogs have been capitalising on Politicians who are also seizing on this political platform to push forward their agendas. This alternative media is a a sort of a bother for the ruling government as an NGO puts it,”This opinions have far reaching effect than the tabloids.We are talking not only in Sarawak or Malaysia but the whole world who are very cyber friendly.”

If the reports are accompanied by facts,figures and statistics and plus backup pictures( authentic ones) the report will be picked up by the mass media and even International TV stations (Al Jazeera has proven it).

On the home front today we have Borneo Warrior continuing with this reporting of Battle Royale No.8 and in Malaysiakini Joe Fernadez writes about “Sarawak for Sarawakians concept and interview with PRS President James Masing. Surely,this will also be politicised by the PKR political boys. We shall see what HAPPENS in the days to come..Is PKR going to take it lying down..???

In the Broken shield it was Jabu,Entulu,Masir and Snowdon who were all mentioned that they gave lectures similar to this one posted by the writer here,”they “are part of the government and therefore have an important role to play”. They must show good example by not inciting their own people to go against BN and must tell their “anembiaks” to vote for BN.

One former PBDS SC member said,”Yahoo,Jawah its an all out  battle between former PBDS leaders from different camps. Bad blood was spilled between them during PBDS crisis and leading it to be defunct.We have not forgotten.Who stands the better chance between the candidates was the follow up question by Natasha of audie61? Did we expect a straight answer…hmmm?

 His guns were really blazing and he wanted to carry on with stories and tales of PBDS. Natasha was accomodative but said we will carry the story on another day.He concluded with this phrase ”ANANG BULA,CUKUP UDAH,TUNAI KE JANJI”” (Dont lie its enough,deliver what you promise.’) Are you all learning the Iban language..? Great, but dont use it wrongly or we can’t bail you out…..

We say as always,” Watch what you have to say from now till April 7th. Your choice of words and the correct way of using them are very important as any WRONG USAGE might just LAND YOU INTO A SPOT OF BOTHER.

Monday Again Malaysia,”I NEED PANADOL”

It seems every Monday in Malaysia there will be news that really jolts the nation and makes our pulses beat faster. Could Panadol be the answer? Baginda Minda (former PRS information Chief of Baleh) contacted audie61 and said,”We are all behind Jawah Gerang as PKR candidate for N29 Batang Ai after the DSAI announcement this morning.

Baginda said that PKR does not have as much funds like BN who have a huge war chest.We certainly cannot use the methods practised by BN like rebates on outboard engines,projects “kilat” and also ‘angpaus’ like my friend Joseph Tawie of Brokenshield said in his posting. We have more headaches and we need to take a Panadol or two and fight the might of BN to win the seat of N29 batang Ai.

But Monday Malaysia has thrown up some controversies yet again. So Boomtown Rats song in July 1979,” I Don’t Like Mondays” will be a day remembered by Umno supreme council member Norza Zakaria who has been barred from contesting in the UMNO party polls.

If you are a PAS and Keadilan member you would ’swear and shout,” I Don’t Like Mondays’ more as the Home Ministry has suspended the organs of two opposition parties – PAS’ Harakah and PKR’s Suara Keadilan-for three months,effective immediatedly.

You can check out more on the above issues by checking out from Malaysiakini portal and also from some local blogs below:-

1.  http://lettersfrombatangai.com/ 
2. http://dayakbaru.com/weblog08/ 
3. http://tunabdulrazak.wordpress.com/  

MCPX

We say as always,” So how was your day my friends in Malaysia? Did you sing to the tune“I Don’t Like Mondays”? Or did someone ask for a PANADOL from you?  

Face to Face with Barisan Rakyat Bloggers in Sarawak

It was just a beautiful feeling to have met such an intellectual and open minded group of bloggers in Zorro,Delcapo and Harris Ibrahim together with SKY former MP Bandar Kuching 1982-1996. Also present were Malaysiakini journalists in Tony Thien and Joseph Tawie. Kaypo-Kaypo Food Politics feature writer Cilla Balla was also present. 

I would also reserve a special mention to Wong Chin Huat a columnist from Nut graph in which both us engaged in local Sarawak Politics. He has been here 3 times and I did mention to him the ‘Ground Zero” battle is so much different from the cyberspace or blogsphere. 

It was an interesting BRAIN DAMAGE WORK for me as I did not expect to be enlightened and the arguments were fruitful and with no malice or harm meant. Its only OPINIONS and it will benefit Bloggers more if they are UNDERSTOOD and not FEARED.  

Who says Bloggers from both political divide cannot meet? We are after all Malaysians and if there are too much hate sowed it is not at all healthy for the future. We are setting an example for FUTURE MALAYSIANS. This generation needs to open up and only if we are willing to step three steps forward in our THINKING can we fully developed this Nation.

Of course the Barisan Rakyat Bloggers are here to have the TRUE feel of the Batang Ai N29 by elections. There will be making their presence felt as they will be led by PKR Stampin Division Chairman See Chee How and Information chief William Lee.

The question is still,”WHO WILL WIN N29?  How far will the BR bloggers influence the PEOPLE to ensure that their work are not wasted as the VOTERS will vote for the right candidate. It’s the PEOPLE’s CHOICE and the party machineries needs to work hard to woo the voters. All other reasons will be irrelevant and considered useless after April 7th. 

We say as always,”  Thanks for the moments and its well worth an afternoon’s work.  

“This is A Significant Date..April 15th Empress Dowagers”

The UMNO elections,President of UMNO,by elections would be done, over and dusted but April 15th seems to be a rather significant date. Malaysians would be wondering whether that will be the day when PM Abdullah officially hands over the reins. Could it be so obvious and clear cut now?

What got me wondering is this firstly,”Fuel Price cash rebate extended to April14th.” The claim period was supposed to end on March 31 but the Government has agreed to extend it for an additional two weeks, Pos Malaysia said.  

Secondly,Tun Mahathir spoke on the possibility of a “motion of confidence” be tabled in Parliament to have Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi remained as the Prime Minister. It’s a possibility; it’s not against the law. The law provides that to be the prime minister, you must have the support of the majority in Parliament but it does not say from which party.

Thirdly,Ali Rustam and Taib would play major starring roles in the coming weeks and its PAYBACK TIME according to some political analysts. Its not so much 007 “From Russia with Love” but Badawi’s,”Malaysia with love”.

Abdullah has been saddened by events happening in which it seems not all his men are only being targetted but also the opening of an old wound and spat between Mahathir and himself which does not want to go away.

Events moved so fast when Abdullah was out of the country in Brunei and in Indonesia. This will have hurt him more as speculations are such that Mahathir is going on an overdrive and wants to remove Abdullah soonest.

Najib must know what happened to Anwar when he was about to ascend the PM throne. He needs no reminding and he will be overly cautious. Nothing will escape him but it seems a number of Empress Dowagers will bite back at Najib.

Who then are the Empress Dowagers who will stop Najib at all costs? Take your pick and even Najib could not have seen it coming. An hour in politics is a long time and the scheming behind by the Empress Dowagers who has incredible influences cannot be discounted. There have 3 weeks to weild their swords and for all we know its already in place.

Unless Najib is sworn in as the PM in an official ceremony then he is safe. If not,the waiting game will be just like what Mahathir had said“Abdullah Badawi has to go . . . He’s the most despised man in the country. He’s not just a lame duck but a dead horse.”

Mahathir knows that legally the current prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could continue serving his term until the next general election if he wanted to. So he is pushing Najib and also Muhyddin but also aggravating not only Ali Rustam but also Muhd Mohammad Taib with his overzealous comments.  

We say as always,”  Could Najib be caught with his PANTS down? No wonder Anwar was grinning and smiling when he left after the lunch meeting Pak Lah.The Empress Dowagers are at their deadliest when their backs are up the wall. Interesting…???

Oouch..Suspension Charges Belted Out..?”

A month and a week ago I wrote on CHAP GOH MEI“ in which I mentioned “It was a Monday full of “twists and turns”in Malaysia. I remembered Boomtown Rats song in July 1979 when I was in England doing my ‘A’ levels” I Don’t Like Mondays” was a UK number one single.

Today, Parliament and UMNO has taken the limelight and both these issues are on everyones lips be it in Malaysia or in the International  arena. So who loves and who doesn’t like Mondays? Any offers….

It all started in Parliament and this is extracted from Malaysiakini,”Minister in the PM’s department Nazri Abdul Aziz’s motion to suspend Puchong member of Parliament Gobind Singh for 12 months was passed in Parliament today.

Even when Lim Kit Siang mentioned that a seven-day notice should have been issued before it is debated it was rebutted flatly by the Speaker of the House, Pandikar Amin Mulia. He said,”it should be debated now since ‘Parliament is no longer like a first-world Parliament anymore’

So Gobinds day took a turn for the worse as This Monday is a Monday that he does not particular like or fond of. Gobind is suspended with immediate effect, without salary, allowances and perks. Gobind must have gone to a place where no one would hear him shouting and singing to the tune of Boomtown Rats,” I Don’t Like Mondays”

It seems that just as Gobind has finished singing his song we were also alerted by an sms. “Check out Malaysiakini“. Wow !! Could this be happening to UMNO?  Yesterday we read about “Mr.Likeable” in the NST and the interview.

Today some one must have made it a Monday where he will also sing,”  I Don’t Like Mondays” Its only speculations and we would not know whats coming until it happens. But its like a BRICK ON THE FACE on this Monday for anyone suspected of money politics which may or may not lead to an immediate suspension which very much depends on the findings.

Malaysiakini extracts,”All eyes are on the Umno disciplinary committee meeting tomorrow following widespread rumours that a senior party leader, who is slated to contest in the upcoming Umno polls, could be suspended for money politics.In Umno circles, the name of the particular leader, who is known among the delegates as ‘Mr Likeable’, has also been openly mentioned.

MCPX

We say as always,”  Pretty sure Gobind will be belting out Boomtown Rats I Don’t Like Mondays but the UMNO aspirants will be hoping that the sms alerts  flying around will be just mere rumours on this Monday. Oouch it will hurt someone..!!!

BN Perception “2 Good starts 1 False start”

Every picture tells a story and an emeritus professor was quick to point out to Joey of audie61. He said,” you just look at these pictures,compare them and tell me what’s wrong.” We have written earlier on this subject and we are not going to ‘Kutuk,Kutuk ,Kutuk” again. Judge for yourselves and you will be uttering the words,”Correct,correct,correct” Hmmm..Isn’t Politics about Perception..???

Datuk Seri Najib Razak introducing Ismail Safian (second from left) as the BN candidate for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat yesterday. From left are Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Trong state assemblyman Datuk Rosli Husin and Bukit Gantang Umno deputy chief Kamarulail Sulaiman

 Datuk Seri Najib Razak and MIC vice-president Datuk S. Veerasingam with BN’s candidate for Bukit Selambau, Datuk S. Ganesan, in Sungai Petani yesterday

Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Datuk Seri James Masing holding a photograph of Malcolm Mussen Lamoh, the Barisan Nasional candidate for Batang Ai.

It seems that “Nearly…all Hell Broke Loose” as the Sarawak tabloids,also the internet portals and blogs are cashing on this subject.”

Malaysiakini portal played this up,”The ailing chief minister, in a huff, refused to announce the name at a press conference and stalked out after reminding Masing starkly that BN chief and outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had yet to endorse his candidate.

We say as always,”  Every picture tells a story and you will have your say. At audie61 Joey said we have had enough phonecalls to satisfy Maxis ,Celcom and Digi for todays profits. 

N29…”Is he ,or is he Not..??

Yesterday we posted this article BN-PRS candidate is confirmed by PRS President to the Press and media as Malcolm Mussen Lamoh.

Malaysiakini also disputed on the claims as who announced it and whether its PRS President or the CM Pehin Taib. Todays Sarawak Tabloids are full of it and this English Tabloid headlined has,”MUSSEN Likely BN man for Batang Ai.” This part of the statement  is the ’One ” which many political analysts says is the killer and most poisonous words.

CM Taib said,”We have unanimously endorsed the PRS candidate.As a normal procedure,I will be putting up the name for approval by the PM Abdullah.The PM will probably do so in the next two days. However,Taib withheld the name of the candidate. Neverthless,PRS President James Masing later revealed the candidate’s name to the press.

In another related matter to this the PM when questioned by reporters in Penang he said,’If Sarawak BN,wishes to get confirmation or endorsement from me as the BN Chairman,I have not officially received the proposed name.”

Well,well,well it seems that something is not correct,correct,correct here. A lecturer friend of mine said,” Siapa itu yang lawan BN towkay..?” Now it puts Mussen as the pawn in a bigger picture ”Is he, or is he not…??”

There has been speculations that PRS President made a wrong turn and thats why PM says he has not been officially told.” He is still after all the PM and the protocol line is breached. Political intriques..?? 

We say as always,”  We live in interesting times. There must be a Twist in the Tail..!!Anwar will have something to say on this..Watch this space………..