Sodomy II: Karpal claims judge lied (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Lead defence counsel Karpal Singh accused the judge presiding over the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial of being a liar.

Karpal on Wednesday argued that trial judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah was lying when he said that evidence in relation to a bed in the Desa Damansara condominium had been given in open court.

The judge had said last Friday that he did not find any indication of contempt of court in a photograph showing Anwar’s accuser Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan pointing to a bed that was published in a Malay daily.

Karpal is asking Justice Mohamad Zabidin to recuse himself for not cautioning the newspaper for publishing the photograph.

The defence maintains that the visit to the bedroom and condominium was part of proceedings held behind closed doors.

“There is nothing in the notes of proceedings or audio before this court to show that this detail was ever mentioned in open court.

“With much respect, your lordship did not tell the truth. We translate, you are lying. You lied and it can and has been proven that you are not being honest in court. You can’t be impartial and you can’t be unbiased.

“On those grounds, you have no alternative but to step down. It is not a mere perception but a reality. You stand condemned by your own ruling,” Karpal submitted in the recusal application before a packed courtroom Wednesday.

Anwar had on Monday applied to recuse the trial judge on the grounds that his two rulings concerning news reports of the case had raised an element of bias.

The Opposition leader, 63, claimed trial to sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful, 24, at the Desa Damansara Condominium in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, here between 3.01pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

Karpal said: “In this application, what is fundamental, I say without mincing my words, you are guilty of not having stated of what is the truth.”

“It is not the truth and it is a lie,” he said firmly, shocking the courtroom.

He said his role was to defend his client to the best of his ability, adding that justice must “manifestly, expressedly and undoubtedly” be seen to be done.

“It is no point blaming the foreign press for (writing about) our legal system if a judge does not deliver what is expected of him in a trial. The judiciary of this country must redeem itself in the eyes of international (observers),” he said.

He said there was no blanket immunity for judges.

“You have forfeited the right to sit down on that chair and proceed to hear the trial,” he said, stunning everyone in court.

On the trial judge dismissing his application summarily and ruling that the two articles with allegedly misleading headlines published by Utusan did not have the intention of being mischievous or to disrupt proceedings, Karpal said the judge could not come to such a conclusion on behalf of the newspaper.

Citing the Judges Code of Conduct 2009, enforced on July 1 last year, Karpal said the judge could also be subjected to disciplinary proceedings if he was found to have contravened the ethical requirement to perform his judicial duty without bias.

Lead prosecutor Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, however, submitted that no one should carelessly argue about impartiality of a judge.

DPP Mohd Yusof said the concerned party should prove that a judge had a pecuniary interest in order to disqualify him from further hearing the trial.

“The real danger of bias has to be examined in the context of the complaint. There is real danger of bias when the public concludes your lordship will be unfair to the parties by not deciding based on evidence adduced in court, or your lordship decides on erroneous grounds,” he said in asking the court to dismiss the disqualification application.

On the photograph caption, DPP Mohd Yusof said it only referred to a room where the offence allegedly took place and that there was no dispute that the complainant went there.

“To say your lordship lied is a very strong word. You (lawyers) have to be polite. Certain ethics must be preserved,” he said.

On the contention that there were two misleading headlines in Utusan over the sodomy trial, DPP Mohd Yusof said it was “proven” through the notes of proceedings that the concerned reporter had reported the truth and that the defence owed an apology.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin set Feb 18 to deliver his decision on the recusal application, saying that he needed time to study the submissions and case law provided by both parties.

Blow-by-blow account of today's proceedings:

11.25am: Court is adjourned. Justice Mohamad Zabidin will deliver his decision on recusal application on Feb 18.

11.12am: Justice Mohamad Zabidin said he is unable to decide today. Court stands down as judge wants to see both parties in chambers to discuss on a date to deliver a decision on recusal application.

11.01am: Karpal begins responding. “If you are referring to a room, why are you pointing to a bed?” he questioned.

11.00am: Mohd Yusof describes the Utusan Malaysia "blunder" as remeh (frivolous) and expresses hope that the application to recuse the judge will be dismissed.

10.39am: He said the caption for the photograph, “Menunjukkan katil di mana tempat kejadian berlaku” does not mean alleged sodomy took place on the bed. He added that the caption meant to refer to the master bedroom where the alleged incident happened and not the bed.

10.37am: He said the Utusan Malaysia “blunder” was not committed in court and subsequently, the judge not responding to it, was not an outright dismissal. He added that it was erroneous to give an impression to the public that the judge had dismissed the motion. Quoting from the court transcript, Mohd Yusof said: “Apa sebab sebab kamu berhenti kerja?” “Sebab sebenar, saya tidak mahu diliwat lagi.”

10.20am: Mohd Yusof said reasons to disqualify the judge must come from the trial itself and not over minor things like newspaper reports adding that the complaint against Utusan Malaysia is not an issue.

He said a decision, which is adverse to one party, is not grounds to disqualify the judge. He added earlier that personal bias is when there is personal friendshp or animosity by the judge with anyone involved in the case.

“That is not the case here,” he said.

10.10am: Lead prosecutor Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden starts addressing the court.

10.05am: Karpal said complaints in Anwar’s affidavit is over a photograph which appeared on the frontpage of Utusan Malaysia and was captioned as Mohd Saiful pointing out to the judge the bed where he was sodomised.

Karpal added there was nothing in the proceedings which mentioned “bed” as a detail during the trial.

He added that Justice Mohamad Zabidin needed to step down as he was quoted as saying that the details of the bed had been made in open court when the actual proceedings never mentioned anything about a bed.

He also questioned Justice Mohamad Zabidin’s conclusion that the Malay daily was not attacking Anwar with its headline: “Berhenti kerana tak mahu diliwat lagi”.

9.55am: In addressing Justice Mohamad Zabidin, Karpal said that impartiality must exist when presiding over a case and a judge must be honest and beyond suspicion. "Judges have the fundamental duty to be impartial, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity," he said.

9.45am: Karpal said the prosecution has replied to Anwar’s application to recuse the judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah from presiding over the trial, which in turn has been replied by the defence on Wednesday.

“Let us not waste time with the proceedings. We want to go ahead,” he tells the court.

9.40am: Court is in session.

9.21am: Anwar Ibrahim’s lead counsel Karpal Singh arrives at court. Earlier, the courtroom was slowly filling up as police checked those who wanted to enter.

RMAF Jet Engine Worth RM50 Million Missing

A RMAF jet engine worth RM50 Million was missing in 2007. And it was sold outside the country. Not reported in the media at all until lately.

It cost the 1,000,000 credit card holder to pay the RM50.00 service tax per year. And it was gone as simple as that.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/20/nation/5341347&sec=nation

BN parties defend Bukit Gantang Chinese community over loss

Senior Barisan Nasional component parties defended today the Chinese community in Bukit Gantang, saying piecemeal offerings should not be seen as a guarantee of votes. The MCA and Gerakan both said the coalition’s failure to wrest the seat from the opposition could not be pinned down to any one reason.

The two parties were commenting on a statement by deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who said the dip in Chinese votes seemed to imply that “there is no appreciation for what we (BN) have done”.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, on Saturday also blamed Umno’s coalition partners, saying Umno could no longer rely on the MCA, Gerakan and MIC to regain the support of the non-Malays.

Gerakan deputy president Chang Ko Youn said yesterday that while it was quite obvious they lost out on Chinese votes, it was wrong to say the community was ungrateful to the BN for its contributions.

Admitting there had been mistakes on their part in strategising the BN’s campaign in Bukit Gantang, he pointed out that the non-Malay community’s dissatisfaction was not something that could be resolved with campaign promises and one-off allocations.
“We shouldn’t be looking for a scapegoat. What is more important is to find the reason why the anger of the non-Malays has not subsided since one year ago.

“We must realise that last-minute work is not effective anymore. It was too little, too late, and we need to find more continuous and long-term solutions,” he said.

MCA spokesman and central committee member Lee Wei Kiat, in a statement, said a RM1 million allocation could not be expected to sway the votes of the non-Malays, who, along with the Malays, were frustrated over numerous issues.

Among these, he said, were lop-sided decisions in licensing and diesel subsidies for fishermen in Kuala Sepetang, unresolved status of village land ownership in Perak and the problems in the implementation of the New Economic Policy.

MCA vice-president Datuk Kong Cho Ha said Muhyiddin should not draw such a conclusion merely based on the results of one or two by-elections.

MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam declined to comment on the issue when met in Malacca.

Perak speaker seeks special sitting

IPOH: State assembly speaker V. Sivakumar wrote to Sultan Azlan Shah last week to seek the ruler's consent to summon a special sitting of the assembly.

Former menteri besar Da- tuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said Pakatan Rakyat would table a motion of confidence in itself at the sitting.

He said another motion would be filed, stating that Barisan Nasional did not command the support of the majority of state assemblymen and, thus, could not form the state government.

He said yesterday that the motion of confidence was to prove that the coalition was the legitimate state government of the day.

"A motion in that respect will be tabled at the next state assembly sitting and we will prove that the Pakatan Rakyat menteri besar has the confidence of the majority to govern the state," he told a press conference before moving out of the official residence of the menteri besar.
Nizar said the second motion would be moved against Barisan Nasional to prove that the latter could not claim to be the legitimate state government as its majority in the assembly had been reduced to 21 compared with Pakatan's 28 seats.

"The BN majority must be tested and this will now be done in the state assembly.

"We will show the people whether (menteri besar) Datuk (Dr) Zambry (Abdul Kadir) has the support of the majority," he said, adding that any state assemblyman could move the motions.

Nizar anticipated chaos at the next sitting of the state assembly.

"I foresee turmoil and chaotic decisions, especially at the beginning of the assembly because the three frogs (referring to state assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu and Hee Yit Foong who quit PR) have been suspended besides Zambry and the state executive councillors.

"Pakatan now has 28 seats and BN has only 21. So we now have the majority. And, they (BN) are worried about that. So we can expect some chaos and turmoil."

Asked to comment on public perception that Sivakumar's decision to suspend Zambry and his exco was biased and in favour of Pakatan, he said the decision was based on sound judgment and in accordance with rules and regulations.

"If he (Sivakumar) feels satisfied that his is the correct decision, then nobody can question or challenge his decision.

"He was not acting on the basis of bias or as the state assemblyman for Tronoh.

"Obviously, he will act on behalf of truth, be fair and just. The perception that the speaker is biased is merely a perception."

Pakatan plotting to topple BN in Perak

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat, still sore at being ousted as the government, is scheming to bring down the new Barisan Nasional state government.

A Perak DAP assemblyman revealed that the state Pakatan Rakyat leadership met yesterday -- hours after the speaker's suspension of the new menteri besar and his six executive councillors -- to plan the next course of action.

He said Pakatan planned to table a vote of no-confidence against Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir when the assembly reconvened in April.

Speaking to the New Straits Times on condition of anonymity, he said at press time, the state opposition leaders were still at the meeting to plan the best time to strike against the BN government.

He said the leaders were contemplating calling for a special state assembly session as early as next month to boot the BN state government out.
"No dates have been confirmed but we may call for a special assembly in the middle of Umno party elections," he said.

Umno will have its general assembly from March 24 to 28.



If the suspension of Zambry and his six executive councillors is not challenged in court and overruled, Pakatan will end up having more votes than BN should a vote of no-confidence be called against Zambry.

Both Pakatan and BN have 28 members each but with seven of them suspended, the ruling coalition will be four votes short even if the three independents vote against any motion tabled by the opposition.

BN didn't Win Perak - PR lost it!

As a die-hard anti-UMNO-putras supporter, the loss of Perak to the UMNO led BN-Govt is a bitter pill for me to swallow, especially right after the victory by PR in the KT by-elections. Short of a court-ruling, we must all accept that the decree by the Sultan of Perak is final - that PR Govt does not have the numbers to stay in control.

Firstly, I think this defeat is a blessing in disguise. Today, the PR Govt only lost a state and to me, BN didn't win it. It was for PR to lose it. This is better than gaining control of a Fed Govt should PR wins the next GE only to lose it to BN through defections then. So, losing Perak should give PR a harsh lesson on over-confidence and over-complacency.

Secondly, I think Anwar was fed a dose of his own medicine. All's fair in politics - if you choose to fight with the sword, don't call your enemy as being unfair if he shoots you with a gun. With the ever growing dissent of the BN's ruling, Anwar could have just worked quietly in the background and gain more support from the people. I believe Sabah and Sarawak are ripe for the plucking - but sometimes, it is hard to decline a red-herring, especially one in the form of Nasarudin. Frankly in chess terms, it was the acceptance of a pawn sacrifice that led to the lost of position and inevitably the game itself. Then again, in chess , you can't bribe your opponent's pieces to defect.

As for the two assemblymen who were facing corruption charges defecting, are any of you surprised that they jumped to BN's side? As many have pointed out, none of us would be surprised if they were to be found NOT GUILTY of the charges they faced. Defection always have its privileges.

All these I can accept, from PR's loss of Perak to the defection of Nasarudin and the two assemblymen facing corruption charges - I didn't expect much from these people anyway. But I have no tolerance whatsoever for Hee Yit Foong who is a traitor to her party and more so, to the people who voted for her. If there's one thing I despise most of all, it is a CHINESE traitor. Yes, you might keep your position for another term, Hee, but I have no doubts whatsover, you'll lose it by the very next GE. Your political career is as good as gone, of that I have no doubts. But worst of all, you WILL go down in history as one of the most hated Chinese politician in this country for the betrayal of your own people. It is to my perception that even the street dogs have more dignity than you for what you did to the people who trusted you.

PERAK: POWER OF 'KETUANAN MELAYU'

With the fall of the PR government in Perak, we are now witnessing the re-emergence of 'Ketaunan Malayu' power in the state. Of the 31 BN Aduns in the Dewan Undangan Negeri, only two Aduns are non-Malays i.e. one from MCA and an Independent (formerly from DAP). Looking at their last 51 years of record, I am very skeptical as to the ability of this almost 100% UMNO dominated government to deliver justice to the people of Perak.

When BN recaptured Terengganu from PAS in 2004, all policies carried out by PAS were dismantled including the cancellation of about 1,000 land grants issued to the landless. Please cross your fingers Perakians.

Perak UMNO : Battle is on

With Najib's recent appointment as Chairman of both Perak UMNO Liaison Committee and Barisan Nasional, BN has launched a massive onslaught from all fronts in order to topple the PR Government of the day.

A lot of the public's money will go down the drain to foot these futile takeover bids in view of his calamitous outings in Permatang Pauh and KT. Again BN/UMNO is showing their ugly side and underestimating the power of the rakyat.

So this is BN's latest battle plan. The other PR-held states must stay vigilant.

By the way, will these money-laundering spending be included in the Government's second stimulus plan?

Amusing food and sundry items prices despite drop of fuel prices

Today saw thestar.com.my and knew about the fuel price drop until RM 1.90 for RON97 and RM1.80 for RON92. Bravo, should have done this a long time ago. But there is another contradictive fact that keep annoying me and other citizens in Malaysia (which I believe most of us do) : the price of food and all sundry items. To PM : Do you know what type of damage have you done to whole Malaysian wallets? Maybe you don't feel it, but we all do feel it : 20-30% extra spending (which means 20-30% lesser in savings)

When the fuel price increase 78 cents in 1 shot, all sectors were trying their best to increase price and cost at all levels, which this time shows the best effort ever in history of Malaysia, from nasi lemak seller to nasi kandar seller to flour supplier to taxi and bus driver to hawkers, and TNB was among the one that fights the most (we can see all sort of funny reasons came out from those suppliers and GLCs). Funnily, Poslaju Malaysia didn't increase the postage rate while all other courier increased the courier charges almost immediately. Guess what? after fuel prices dropped down, Poslaju increased their surcharge to 25%!!! Very smart management to increase price while the cost was actually dropping. What is the consequences of these? Almost all prices increased due to increase of transportation which leads to sudden increase of inflation rate.

At the hawker center, a big bowl of Kari Mee which usually just cost RM 2.50-2.80 suddenly shoot up to minimum RM3, and the content magically reduce so much. When asked about it, they say flour and rice and mee and *fill in the blank* supplier increase cost 10-20%. Tragic increase of 25-40% of food price in general while suppliers just increase 10-20%, a typical kiasu Malaysia hawkers attitude.

Let's change to fast food restaurants. I don't really know in detail about how they rate their so-called service charges, but after fuel price increase, you really have to check your bills properly. Usually they just charge 5% for service charges, but now generally they impose 5% government tax and 5-10% of service charges. I did ask 1 of the fast food restaurant manager, he told me that it's inevitable due to government getting extra tax from them (not sure true or not). But if this is true, the government really have to re-think their policy. The maximum tax should be imposed on smokers, as those people are creating bad breathing air that can cause cancers. Why we civilians have to suffer the extra tax? We are already paying tax every year, and we are getting charged again in restaurants, and it's not little amount!!!

We Malaysian are typically not so greedy, we just want a low and stable price of food. Increase of prices during high fuel price hike, we do understand that. But now that all fuel prices has dropped, where is the decrease of food and transportation price? Increase RM 1 but drop 10 cent for each poslaju courier? Increase 50 cent for hawker food but never reduce hawker food price until now? TNB die die want to increase tariff as soon as the fuel price goes up, but now that the fuel price dropped, the CEO of TNB just keep quiet? If the government has a leader with conscious mind, the prices of food would have drop alot by now, electricity tariff would not be so burden to majority of us now, and you, the ruling party of Malaysia, you won't end up losing 5 state to the hands of newly-formed Pakatan Rakyat just like that.

Please, do something for the benefit of people. BN is already losing people vote and faith nowadays, it's time to wake up and do something right.

Malaysia government is not lying on statistics

The economy of America, and the economies of all countries, is becoming integrated into a new global economy. Looking backward to a world that economically no longer exists as a guideline for what is going on is woefully incomplete, inaccurate and provides no insight except to point out the reality that we are living in a new age with new forces, flows and dynamics.

Although standards of corporate governance have improved greatly in Malaysia in recent years, and despite the fact that foreign companies - in particular foreign manufacturing companies - continue to be welcomed with open arms, Malaysia's business environment continues to disappoint. An overall score of 61.5 ranks it 36th (out of 167 countries), but places it firmly below regional competitors Hong Kong and Singapore - which score 82.2 and 83.8, respectively - as the country's affirmative action policy serves as a serious barrier to foreign firms in a number of key areas, and corruption remains a key concern.

Two issues are currently dominating Malaysia's political scene and present possible threats to stability. The first is an ongoing war of words between Abdullah and Mahathir. Mahathir has been critical of Abdullah's style of leadership and his abandonment of major infrastructure projects, and had gone as far as to accuse him of nepotism. Though there is an imminent change in leadership is minimal, but confidence in the government has been damaged. The second issue is race. Sentiment at branches' annual assemblies of the ruling UMNO party was heavily pro-Malay sometimes seemed threatening other races and this has damaged the government's reputation.

Malaysia is highly externally dependent, with exports contributing over 120% to overall GDP, and as the global economy slows, Malaysian growth will drop. Little support is likely to come from the domestic economy, which will be feeling the effects of monetary. Inflation, however, is not expected to ease and will not drop below 2% after the effects of fuel price hikes last March. I am not sure that the stimulus plan will help to support the economy later in next year. However, referring to some statistics, think the government is not twisting her statistic.

Relatively, though we can't smile but I do hope we can breath easily on the oncoming onslaught of recession in year 2009.

What Does A Good Government Need To Avoid Causing Frustration among Rakyat?

Perhaps it's time for me to "lecture" the BN Govt on what it really need to learn if it's to stop causing more anguish and frustration among the People.

[F] air and Firm - Punishment meted out to offending individuals who threaten the unity of this country should not only be firm, but be perceived as fair to everyone ( Reference : Bukit Bendera Ahmad's case )

[R] ational - Development policies for this country has to be rational. ( Reference : Space Program - it makes no "cents" and sense why the Govt is so adamant to continue this costly program at a time when our strained economy is causing so much hardship to the Rakyat. Long term projects like this should be shelved until the country has fully weathered the increasing inflation crisis. )

[U] nderstanding - The Government must be sincere in trying to understand the Rakyat's problems , needs and wants. ( Reference : Domestic Transport Systems vs Space Program - Its a no brainer which one is a priority, but is the Govt understanding the Rakyat's needs? )

[S] mart - We need a smart Govt to handle all domestic problems and not one who is pretending to be intellectually enhanced ( Reference : Illegal immigrants and Rakyat's safety vs more military build-up. I wonder how the Govt plan to use the 2 newly acquired submarines to combat illegal immigrants who have already landed! )

[T] rustworthy - The people wants a Government who is clean from corruption and not a honey bear who constantly dip its paw into the honey jar ( Reference : Dubious NEP policies where fundings meant for the hardcore poor are being channelled into dubious companies owned by rich and well-connected Tan Sri's and Dato's. )

So, perhaps the BN Govt now might understand a little of the People's frustrations? No? Anyway, i don't expect it to.

Datuk Ahmad has to apologise!

UMNO apoligising on Datuk Ahmad's comments is not enough !!

We must demand that Datuk Ahmad himself apoligises to the entire Chinese community !!

Yet again we see another pathetic blunder by Barisan ! Give me one good reason why Datul Ahmad should not apoligise ??

This issue will yet again show the people how insincere Barisan is.Datuk Ahmad should be made to choke on his words.

BN will lose many votes and whaever remaining support that it has from the Chinese community will evaporate if there is no apology from Datuk Ahmad !!

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional government, has issued a public apology over a remark made by Bukit Bendera Umno division head Datuk Ahmad Ismail during the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election last month.

Wake up Leader - After 100th days of the Election

It has been more than 100 days after the election. I just curious if the leader know what they suppose to do, what is their job? Till now occasionally I still read from newspaper that some MPs still try to find out why BN lose. why can't they just do what they suppose to do as MP. Rakyat will see your performance.

It has become like a Hong Kong gangster movie now, they are fighting for territory, now they lose so they are planning to get it back. Please do your good job for the next 4 yrs and Rakyat will know what to do. Not everyday talk about why u lose and how to fight back.

Sometime I really dun know what our leader is doing? These few months I only hear they talking about fuel price. After the price hike, now talk about seperate pump again for foreign car? is this fuel issue only thing to do in this country? nothing better to do? Why cannot you put more effort in getting in more investments from foreigner in Msia? how about develop our country transport infrastructure, anti corruption? The policy implement causing price hike in all area, and hurt the retail business. All these without proper plan and I just wonder how can we compete with neighbourhood country. Msia Boleh has become a joke to our neighbourhood country while they see all those ridiculous thing happened around lately.

All leader, please wake up !

A New Malaysia - September 16

Saudara DSAI, you maintain that there will be a landmark change in the governance of Malaysia by September. Great!

Here is my request, my dearest Saudara DSAI (I actually liked the 'Saudara strategy' better...), can you pls publish a list of your leading MPs/PRians who'd well surpass the minimum standards that you'd impose on those who wish to become esteemed Cabinets Members?

Here is my worry. Do you have the brains (meaning PR, not you..) and the experience on your side to manage a nation that is filled with potential?

At the point of take-over, you need to be able to race ahead, not inch through a learning curve!

The people do not need a learning curve now, especially when their main need (not want) will be a sustainable lifestyle, given the senseless spiralling of prices.

You think you can do this? Tell us how.

Pak Lah, on the BN side, 50 years of leadership has certainly put this country on the global map not many can argue against this not even Anwar he did sweat with you and Dr M for the success afterall....

My question is this, what if Anwar scores a major upset? ( In my mind, it'll be far from an upset, seriously the Malay Opposition shares a great deal of belief with the Malay Ruling Class.. The nons.... we'll shoutlah but in the end I don't see us going back to China or India... We'll die, in our old age, proudly as Malaysians!) What next? This MP cross-over thing is such bull enough written about it. I shan't comment further. But still... is BN simply sitting pretty, waiting to be dethroned?

I am sure not. So, convince us pls how you, BN, will continue to illuminate Malaysia on the now, energy-starved, global map...

But as a layman, just a simple suggestion make the Executive a truly professional one. Enough of Ministers by way of popular vote. Its time to bring out the 30-50 brightest, most capable, aggressive, hungry, strategic Malaysian leaders to the fore.

Nice to see Amirsham and Zaid, among others. But it is the 'others' that worry me... And also, we have come to a political stage where the administration needs to be even more professional and capable than their political masters. (assuming you stop entrusting this economy with the populists)

Perhaps its time Intan took steps to have open dialogues with BN and PR, together. In preperation. Manalah tau...

After all, aren't we one big happy Malaysian family? Like Empat Sekawan... Sorry lah young uns.... Those were the days...