I’m referring to the morning after the day that Pak Lah finds himself dumped by the wayside by UMNO.
Everything seems to be pointing to this as a foregone conclusion.
Whether this will happen in the coming days, or by way of a ‘no confidence’ motion carried in Parliament when it convenes, or at the UMNO elections by year-end, it does look like Ole Big Ears is going down.
If he’s taken out at the UMNO elections, at least that would settle the presidency of UMNO and, as has become the convention, the PMship.
The question is, who will that be?
Will Kuli go through with his challenge to Pak Lah for the presidency? And if he does, would others also get into the fray? Can others, like Najib, for instance, afford not to?
What seems a certainty is that if removing Pak Lah is deferred to the UMNO elections, this would clearly leave the party split, and badly.
Not such a bad thing!
On the other hand, a ‘no confidence’ motion in Parliament carried through followed by OBE’s resignation from the PMship opens the way for the Agong to appoint as PM someone who, in His Majesty’s view, commands the confidence of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat.
And Najib cannot assume that this will be his defining moment!
The People's Parliament 
Anon28
March 28, 2008
Yes, I’m already having the “miss pak lah” syndrome before he even goes. What will we do, what will bloggers do? No lah to bash, no lah to hate, no lah to sharpen our wits. But enough, lah.
Anon28,
No Pak Lah, tak pa lah
yh
March 28, 2008
I rather have a no confidence motion. if najib gets the prize, its not gonna be good for the country. he is tainted with allegations of corruption thru the arms deal. and dont forget, he is no less racist if you all remember when he raised his keris with a threatening tone which is even more severe than kerishamudin.
yh,
Najib must be kept from the PMship at all costs.
Agree that the ‘no confidence’ motion offers the best prospect
arianna
March 28, 2008
Dear Haris,
I still harbour hope for a BR/BA government preferably soonest. Ku Li(he’s 71?)is a fine man. Met him some years back but no, I won’t want him as PM.
I am sensitive to the name Tun Mahathir app-ex to Ku Li’s name. Can’t forget what Tun M did to our country and up till now, he is still unrepentant. His sole intention to back Ku Li (in my opinion) is to bring down Badawi for scrapping many of his pet projects. Vengeful..hmmmn Don’t know what he’ll demand of Ku Li should the latter win Umno presidency/PM.
I support Anwar Ibrahim as PM. Who else is there. The big BUT is he’s not an MP yet. Should he decides to seek a by-election and win (?) and many BN MPs scoundrels, for reasons best known to themselves, decide to back him, that’s their democratic right.
Tired of the frogs issue. Let’s deal with them all in the next general election.
Should Anwar made it as PM, my only hope is that he appoints to his cabinet, MPs whom we Barisan Rakyat supporters voted during the PRU 12. And not the kataks.
That way, I’ll be happy. At least the cabinet is not littered with corrupted BN MPs whom we rejected in The GE.
p.s You took a lot of brickbats on the PKR youth issue (helmet?). Standing behind you. After all, I am a Sabahan who went through the experience that your critics can only talk about.
arianna,
Won’t be too upset if we have to wait another term before we have a Barisan Rakyat federal government. In fact, my sense is that the ideal would be for the BR to focus on delivering good governance in the 5 states and if they can, we, the rakyat, can begin the work in 2 years time of working to deliver federal governance to BR.
DSAI? I still have some unresolved issues but I have to agree that with the current crop that we have, he does appear to be the best bet.
Frogs? We’ll cross the bridge if and when we have to come to it.
Brickbats? Got friends like you with me on that issue so why worry?
Helmet? I thought that’s gone to SV Singam! No?
Kevin
March 28, 2008
guys… No 1 tak boleh… No. 2 tak boleh…. so who la? Will we be expecting the frogmen to don their frogsuits then?
SV Singam
March 28, 2008
If a vote of no confidence is called in parliament and BN turncoats vote against Abdullah, are they still frogs?
Having voted Abdullah down, if they wish to cross the floor, what is their status?
What if parties currently with BN elect to decouple and join the new coalition? Are they entitled to bargain for cabinet positions?
What if only some of their members elect to cross over? Are they entitled to bargain?
So many aspects to consider before deciding what is the ethically correct path to take.
Helmet? Oh is that why I couldn’t hear so clearly?
malayamuda
March 28, 2008
Pendulum effect – dont call them frogs !!!
In a healthy democracy, the minority parties call the shots.
They can decide who they want to support on issues and also who to support to form the Government, thus making parliament lively and issues debated at length and with seriousness. Hence democracy will be alive once again and the people will be the boss.
Smaller parties can decide if they want to support BN or BR. When I say smaller parties I mean MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP, PBDS, SUPP, PBS and others.
So no question of frogs. So everyone’s voice will be heard finally
malayamuda
March 28, 2008
giving blanket support to any one group will be disasterous, as what we experienced the past 50 years.
support those who offer the best for the rakyat !! Do not support blindly. If DAP or PKR feels some of UMNO’s policy is good go ahead and support them. If UMNO feels some of DAP or PAS policies are good, go ahead and support PAS. Work for the rakyat and not your narrow selfish interests.
People Power !
Zanie
March 28, 2008
Frog or no frog this weak PM must go! I don’t care if those BN MPs want to defect if this is for good. Don’t you worry about the country? If Pak Lah continues to rule , we’ll be further downgraded compared to other countries. Anwar must be brought in;the sooner the better!
SV Singam
March 28, 2008
Malayamuda wrote “Smaller parties can decide if they want to support BN or BR. When I say smaller parties I mean MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP, PBDS, SUPP, PBS and others.
This is what I would like to see – a free and open parliament where parties and individuals are allowed to vote according to their conscience (whatever there is of it). No need to take extreme (if you ain’t with us you’re against us) positions.
Sharing, can you see where the 2/3 majority vote for constitutional amendments etc. could come from?
RAJ RAMAN
March 28, 2008
haris,u r the great guy,my opinion is lets umno settle among themself with their cronies mca and mic.at this moment nothing is proven whether pas,prk or dap can perform.at this moment nothing is settle down.lets both parties settle the dust and wait for the performance record.umno says points taken that we have voted them out due to their failure to listen to us.the goverment in waiting does not perform yet other than old stories of bn corrupted which any man/woman know about it.we are looking for long period of trouble in economic,racial tension if both party are not performing.VERY UNSTABLE MOMENT WITH KRISMUDIN,NAJIB LEAD UMNO.THEY WILL BE MORE OR MAYBE MORE RACIST.WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF ANWAR,DAP AND PAS START FIGHTING AMONG THEM.MY HOPE IS LET BN AND OPPOSITION HAD TO SETTLE AND ORGANISED.THEN THE COUNTRY IS MORE ON PEACEFULL TRANSFER OF POWER TO WHOEVER PERFORM LIKE THE WESTERN.NO JUMPING FROG/GRASS HOPPER IN ANY GOVERMENT FOR THIS MOMENT.thanks.raj raman.race.malaysian.still dreaming 2b malaysian putra.I DONT WANT TO SEE MY COUNTRY BLEEDING BECAUSE OF SOME BLOOD SUCKING PARASITE IF WE FAIL TO CONTAIN BOTH RULING AND GOVERMENT IN WAITING.I DONT TRUST POLITICIAN 100%.
malayamuda
March 28, 2008
yeah SV Singam, instead of being afraid of being whipped each time you speak up.
MIC supposed to stand up for the rights of the Indians, but see what happened to Sothinathan and Devamany when the tried to do just that.
If only parliamentarians had been allowed to speak up and address the woes of the rakyat, Hindraf and Bersih would not have been born.
shar101
March 28, 2008
Very interesting options and I’d go for the no confidence vote in parliament, rather than the UMNO decision (if any).
If the Terengganu episode is considered a precedent, then the next PM may not be UMNO’s decision either.
Question is, who?
*March 28th – V-Day*
P.S. Helmets for hire. Full, three-quarter and/or half faced available at the Haris Ibrahim’s Mat Rempit Corner Shop at reasonable prices. Yer have to clean up the bloodstains yerself.
Paul Warren
March 28, 2008
Haris, when I begin to get realistic about the options before me I have no choice but to think that once the UMNO ship starts cracking-up no amounts of bouys can keep it afloat. What is worse, it will sink everything else that might be tied to it.
For the sake of the nation we may just need a change of government sooner than you might wish for.
I have my reservations too about Anwar. But I would recommend that you see the last episode of the second season of 24. President David Palmer speaking to his cabinet who had only too quickly used powers given by the American Constitution had replaced him with the vice-president (as it turned out, Persident Palmer had been right from the start and they were tendering resignations) told them “….The kind of action we nearly took should only be exercised after all the other avenues have been exhausted. After the strictest standards of proof have been met. By casting me so quickly you effectively lowered the standards and that was a profound mistake. It was not however a mistake you will make again. Therefore, I do not accept your resignations. We have a nation to heal today and all of you have a vital role in that healing process…..”
The catch phrase in that monologue is “It was not however a mistake you will make again”.
Yes, like you too, I too have/had my doubts. But after what he has been through, his glory and victory as well as legacy rests in not making that mistake again. This nation needs healing. He has the opportunity to be that healer. Unless he is an absolute idiot I do not think he will want to waste this opportunity.
Haris I invite you to look at Anwar through my view point. You might just find some comfort there. And if you don’t. I shall stop talking about it. Man, you got my number. I shall help to smoothen you out with that single! It will be nice to have a long yarn along with it of course.
Free Malaysia
March 29, 2008
I will opt for the no confidence motion. Anwar Ibrahim is our best bet. He is acceptable by both DAP & PAS. And he played a major role in the recent GE.
Najib MUST NOT be our PM. We dont want a Rosmah lead government.
temenggong
March 29, 2008
It doesn’t matter who leads the pack after this; there won’t be much of a pack as umno has already killed its coalition parties. Hence little chance of coming back into power as before, no matter how much the BR blunders!
Today the political equations are; BR and the royals on one side (the royalists) and Umno and its dead partners (the nationalists) on the other side.
There is no way for umno to reform and rebuilt its coalition partners and itself. What stands in the way between BN now and a reformed resurgent BN is Article 153.
Its going to take them a while to figure this out and make the changes, for they have painted themselves into a corner.
So who leads BN after this is quite inconsequential.
Birdseye
March 29, 2008
The Star: Sabah wants more federal Cabinet posts
I just wonder who advises Pak Lah because the new PM must avoid such stupid people.
How on earth did they think they could get away with the way they treated the East Malaysian bloc which got less than the MCA? They are so badly beaten they can’t think straight anymore (not that they could before the elections). Especially with Anwar Ibrahim on the prowl?
How to appease the EM crowd now? They must or esle these froggies can deliver huge blows to the BN by simply voting against the UMNO led BN in parliament on major issues or even a constitutional amendment – without having to leave the BN.
Get rid of AAB via the no confidence vote (if he does not resign) and the new PM revamps the cabinet with more East Malaysians in the lineup.
Hidup UMNO? Hidup Barisan Nasional?
Paul Warren
March 29, 2008
Haris,
One more reason why I want to see frogs and the over-throw of the BN led government.
Everyday the Hindraf 5 and others remain incarcerated under ISA just so as Badawi can have a display of what power he has is a day too long for the BN remaining in power.
Surely, if this is what it takes to release these people, you cannot be opposing this.
I know that Zaid Ibrahim is a friend of bloggers and Blog House, but as long as he is unable to see the injustice of the incarceration under ISA of these people, his call for an apology to Salleh Abbas falls hollow.
I used to tell Jeff Ooi while he was still another blogger, rather than being critical of him, the government should haul him in and give him a Datukship. Cost them nothing to shut him up. Well, he used to be stumpped and we had a good laugh about it.
Zaid seems to be suffering from that syndrome. Appoint him Minister and then suddenly he is doing everything to save UMNO rather than sink it.
Birdseye
March 29, 2008
SV Singam says: “This is what I would like to see – a free and open parliament where parties and individuals are allowed to vote according to their conscience (whatever there is of it). No need to take extreme (if you ain’t with us you’re against us) positions.”
I must agree wholeheartedly with this call.
Now, will all those who have described Gua Bay Song in the vilest manner possible please post your apologies to the poor man. No doubt he was strong on language and was needlessly accusing Haris M Ibrahim of riding a high horse, but, frankly, he just offered an opposing view. Probably someone who works in the MSM or someone close to him is. Yet many jumped on him like a ton of bricks.
Do the proper thing; do not be a hypocrite.
Free
March 29, 2008
Najib as PM ?
Didn’t this guy threaten to bathe his keris with Chinese blood in 1987?
How about all the “komisyen” ?
How about c4 explosive from Mindef?
Tengku Razaleigh as PM?
After 50 years of independence ,
the old chap still calls non Malay as ” pendatang” and invokes the race card for his personal gain in his challenge to Abdullah.
One hell of a racist and opportunist!
Anwar Ibrahim has his own baggage but after what Mahathir did to him, I believe he is a changed man who has a sense of justice,equality and fair play.
Also he must have been a relatively “clean” person during his days in government, otherwise it would have been easier to convict him on corruption charges rather than those dubious charges which required king size mattress to be carried in and out of the courthouse.
Conslusion: Anwar Ibrahim is a better PM for all Malaysians.
mycuntree
March 29, 2008
Malaysian will have their work cut out for them to find an untainted UMNO leader to replace the PM.We do not just have an UMNO/BN dilemma, we also have a Malaysian dilemma.Opposition to take over?.Now that would be for a real change and challenges. Tough choices to make, but that has to ne made. Can’t stand still, can we?.
SV Singam
March 29, 2008
It is a sad characteristic of the internet that some people feel the need to use vile, offensive language. But by so doing, they only invite attack.
I honestly think there were very few instances of opposing views here being met with offensive responses. I admit that has happened on other forums, but the people here have mostly been quite civil.
If Gua Bey Song is willing to retract his unnecessary attacks on persons and focus on the issues, I expect that those others who attacked him in return would also be willing to retract their statements.
What do you think?
SV Singam
March 29, 2008
Free wrote “Conslusion: Anwar Ibrahim is a better PM for all Malaysians.”
Whatever his weaknesses, Anwar has a few things going for him – he is not the absolute head of an overly powerful component of a compliant coalition. If he were to stray, I expect that DAP and PAS would not tolerate it. More than that, I expect PKR MPs to also be more critical of their leader than UMNO MPs ever could.
And finally, Anwar’s coalition would hold on to parliamentary leadership by a fragile majority, including frogs with a high propensity for hopping. Therefore he would have much more respect for the voting power of the rakyat than the BN ever did.
The Barisan Rakyat have a lot to prove. They will try harder. That alone can assure us of a better level of governance.
SV Singam
March 29, 2008
Temenggong wrote “Today the political equations are; BR and the royals on one side (the royalists) and Umno and its dead partners (the nationalists) on the other side.”
May I rewrite that?
Today the political equations are; BR and the royals on one side (the royalists) and Umno and its dead partners (the nazionalists) on the other side.
azisirikit
March 29, 2008
anwar ibrahim lah….. the only person capable. the best among the worst…
Helen Ang
March 29, 2008
Birdseye,
You wholeheartedly agree with SV Singam’s call for a moderate stance and for everyone to enjoy a “free and open” forum “without the need to take extreme (if you ain’t with us you’re against us) positions.”
So do I … wholeheartedly agree.
Singam has been consistent in his call. Going back to the ‘Advertisers’ thread, https://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/dear-advertiser-are-we-to-believe-what-the-lying-newspapers-say-about-you-and-your-products/
Singam expressed the same consistent idea when he chided another commentator – gitf701 – saying “I hope we can avoid such extreme sentiments. Otherwise we become extremists.”
Singam also claimed to “adopting the stance that there are only 2 ways to stop a dog from barking – ignore it or shoot it” when alluding to Gua Bay Song. He pointedly chose the ‘ignore’ option, and made it known that Gua was being sent to Coventry.
Here in this post, Singam responds to you by asking other readers: “What do you think?”
I think poor Gua was indeed metaphorically shot at.
I also recall Singam chiding some people in the earlier ‘Sun-stroke’ thread: “There is nothing to be gained by taking pot shots at individuals unless they are the specific ones committing the atrocity.”
Birdseye, I think I wholeheartedly agree with you about going back to have a re-look at the Gua Bay Song-bashing episode and at how people who abhor ‘extreme positions’ and who support free speech present themselves as adhering to what they preach.
shar101
March 29, 2008
SV,
I beg to differ with you regarding DAP and PAS not tolerating any nonsense from AI.
Remember 10Eleven? As the delegation were preparing themselves at the gates of the istana to hand over the memorandum, there was a 10-15 minute delay and a whole lot of commotion on-going between the delegates and the RMP.
It was only later in the evening that we found out that AI arrived on a motorbike at the last moment, wearing a Bersih t-shirt (covered with a jacket) and was included in the group that went in.
Mind you, AI was not even on the list of delegates submitted by Bersih for palace protocol purposes. LKS and HA gave way. Why is that?
Likewise, if there were to be PKR MPs critical of their defacto leader, it’s not evident. Except for their deputy Youth chap, none have ‘voiced’ their concerns and/or opinions on froggies. Haris have yet to receive a reply from AI on this defection issue whether directly or through other channels. Again, why is that?
And I still say EM politicians do not need AI to put their house in order. They have every right to pursue equality and better governance on their own terms.
Birdseye
March 29, 2008
Gua Bay Song,
A THOUSAND APOLOGIES
Gua, I hope you are tuned in.
I wish I had ‘defended’ you even though I have strong views (reproduced below)about the ‘letter to the advertiser’. Not that I was afraid of the vile comments. I was just tired of the same old stuff.
Here it is from The People’s Parliament archives and I was fighting with Helen Ang, amongst others (but we never called each other names! The worst was when someone called me a barb-er. But it was in good fun):
“Birdseye Says:
January 9, 2008 at 8:14 pm
THE FRIEND OF MY ENEMY IS MY ENEMY.
Helen says: “Shall we presume we can’t teach BN anything? …..And I’m doing what I can, to do whatever opposing I can and if it means targetting advertisers in a guerrilla war, than so be it.”
There is a lot of anger and an irrational sense of justice in the last sentence.
I dislike the BN as much as anyone else on this planet. I dislike the MCA even more. I too do not belong to any opposition Party but I have always voted for them (DAP). Maybe this time I’ll give it to PKR because of Mahathir’s unfair treatment of Anwar Ibrahim.
Seriously, as I see it, the BN is impervious to any lessons you care to throw at them except the loss of power. They need to be thrown out and I am pleased, very pleased, that PKR and DAP `have agreed on Penang seats to avoid the split in votes. I hope this will be the case in other states as well.
My disdain for BN is precisely why I believed and have said so much earlier that talking to the likes of Donald Lim (PJ Selatan) or any BN MP in the fairy tale ‘get to know your MP’ campaign will be a complete waste of time. The PJS folks probably thought I was being sarky, maybe even an UMNO cyber trooper. That is rather insulting. Now I hear that PJS is fed up of Donald Lim. Hope I’m vindicated.
Go back to Boycott 1 and you will read that I am THE FIRST to suggest that we bring down the MSM. Just stop buying the damn paper(s) and encourage others to do so, if they can afford to do without it. That I thought should be fair enough. Let’s not forget there are other sections and topics that have nothing to do with the BN and politics, like the educational supplements. I assume we still care for our children. Oh well, let the children Yahoo-Google their needs.
I am opposed to unfair, or silly, ideas like this letter to advertisers. The end result promises to be a “guerrilla war” against those targeted advertisers who fail to acquiesce to your demand. To avoid the dreaded Paper Tiger award, you must.
Let’s examine the gist of this campaign.
Willing souls are supposed to send a letter to a targeted advertiser (“TA”) which has been found to have advertised in The Star/NST/Berita/A N Other newspaper that lies, distorts, carry water for the government, etc. Therefore you, TA, are carrying the burden of these lies. TA, you are an enabler. So say the sender/author(s) of the letter.
If there is even one iota of logic in the above argument, I hope someone will point this out to me. In defense of TA, will you accept their plea that thousands of your fellow citizens do not think the papers lie and it is therefore happy to pay for full page, full colored ads at thousands of ringgit per throw to reach these people to sell their products with a 100-year history?
Indeed, WHO ARE YOU? Be angry by all means but be fair. Credibility is not a self marking examination nor does it get better as your bitterness with BN and its water carriers grows.
Secondly, if you, TA, advertise in a paper that lies, distorts…… how can we trust your advertising claims? The paper lies, so you could be lying as well. Will you still launch your fearsome guerilla war against Nestle if it pleads “Is our 140 year history good enough testimony for you?”
So you pick on lesser targets as you have little chance against the big boys. And thus a company must suffer the consequences, if need be, come what me, call it BLACKMAIL if you like, because it does not meet your demand to stop ‘funding’ the newspaper you hate, just so that you can have your pound of flesh against BN and its water carriers paper based on a twisted sense of logic that the friend of my enemy is my enemy.
It is a sad day.”
Gua, I hope you feel better now. You are not alone on this subject. But please temper your language.
I go fishing now, okay?
SV Singam
March 29, 2008
Calling Gua Bay Song… if you are still visiting this blog. You may recall that the moderator appended the following preceding your last posting here –
Folks, I am allowing this comment from Gua through cos I think he is entitled to a right of reply to the responses by some of you to his last comment to this post.
I have fast come to the conclusion that Gua is here not to contribute constructively to any discussion. To the contrary, I think his agenda is to disrupt.
For that reason, I ask that if there is going to be a response to this comment, please let it be constructive.
I, for one, am not going to dignify it with a reply.
I’m not sure whether you did write in after that but your responses were held back. However I can assure you that, from what I know of Haris, if your comments are civil, he will not block you. He has done this for others.
So how about coming back in here with your opinions stated in civil language that does not attack any person but focuses on the issues?
I am confident you will be given a far hearing.
What say you?
SV Singam
March 29, 2008
Shar101, you reckon we are in for more-of-the-same?
Oh dear! 😦
All the more reason why Sabah/Sarawak MPs should not come in under the PKR banner.
Helen Ang
March 29, 2008
Birdseye,
No worries: no hard feelings against you for resuscitating the Ghost of Christmas Past. I always have an amused grin on my face when I type my responses to you.
So now … I stand down on the matter to which you allude as well as on my dogged denunciation of Ding (Mr Lawrence of Pizza Hut). You pecked me over that one too.
And Birdseye, if you’re sorry that you had not defended Gua Bay Song earlier (me too), I regret that I did not earlier dismount from my moral high horse (People’s Parliament has practically a stable full, wink) to acknowledge that Mr Ding’s explanation about Pizza Hut billing practices holds water as well as assert that the unfounded accusation still circulating in cyberspace should be put to rest.
As for the MSM water carriers, I’m giving more credit to the general public being able to see what’s what and reflecting their discernment in choosing the media they now read or wannabe New Media they ignore. March 8 bears that out.
As for my all-consuming anger against BN, that’s dissipated now & I’m re-orientating my writing by consciously reminding myself that in 6 states BN is now the Opposition. The equation has certainly changed.
Lastly, about my sense of justice, irrational or otherwise … virtue is its own punishment, wink again. Okay, a diet is in order to shed my surfeit of stuffy morality.
I will go smell the flowers. Oh, and do watch out that some people do not take their shotgun and shoot holes in your fishing boat.
garfield city
March 30, 2008
If ever one has the experience of observing cocks in a farm, one may notice there are 2 types of cocks.
NO 1: One can talk cock but will flee like a cock at
the slightest challenge by another cock.
NO 2: Also can talk cock but will fight on like a
ferocious fighting cock when challenged by
another cock.
NO 1 depicts cracked BN while NO 2 represents solid BR. So in a cockfight, who would you back to be the victor? Grant BR 5 years first, if people have the itch-need to contribute in words, do so with encouragement and not with “heavenly” questions like …I WILL ASK YOU TILL YOU DIE..type. In Malaysia, it is not easy to be a divine politician to take care of the needs and cultures of 2.5 Billion peoples. Why 2.5B? That means in M’sia, we can find China (Chinese), India (Indians), Indonesia (Malays) & many others. The food cooked in this mega melting pot by BN tasted horrible, so we now should be prefering a new Chef to cook the cock NO.1