Tuesday 11 March 2008

Lim Keng Yaik: "Sack Your Advisers, Mr. Prime Minister"

Read here article by Sim Leoi Leoi and Raphael Wong

Excerpts: Read here for more

Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik (issued) the strongest advice to the Prime Minister.

He was talking to reporters after handing over his Energy, Water and Communications Ministry tag at his office here yesterday. Dr Lim retired from active politics last year.

Bad Advisers

".. Change the advisers because they are giving the WRONG advice, which partly led to major losses for Barisan Nasional in the general election.

The advice given to him has been wrong. If his advisers have been giving the wrong advice, remove them all.

If it’s been the right advice, why should we be here now?

UMNO's Arrogance

“The arrogance of the party in power must stop, such as the wielding of the keris and comments uttered during the Umno general assembly and in Parliament.

All this must NOT be repeated.

Gerakan, MCA and MIC know how to discipline their own members.
Umno must do the same.

The “cowboys (in UMNO) were spoiling the name of the party. "

Dr. Lim added t he coalition’s members should also conduct some soul-searching and clean up money politics: they should work FOR their party and not “SUCK ” it.

Supervise the Civil Servants

The Barisan government should have supervised the civil servants to ensure that the implementation of federal policies remained fair to all.

“Giving the excuse that our policies are good but not our implementation is not enough. It’s better for such civil servants to be thrown out.

You cannot say that it’s the civil servants who are doing such things because as the ruling party, we have to take responsibility .

And I will also take responsibility because I was part of the former Government."

UMNO'S Discriminatory Attitudes and Lack of Transparency

Dr. Lim said the Chinese and Indian voters were angry at the Government for such arrogant and discriminatory attitudes . And both the Malays and non-Malays were also frustrated at the lack of transparency and the extent of corruption.

" Or else, the urban belt will not have fallen.

We need to reassess our attitude and requirements must be taken to appease the Chinese and Indians. Maybe we need a new New Economic Policy.

Over these issues, we must have our say or else the Chinese will run away from us.”

Dr Lim also pointed out, MCA and GERAKAN had been working quietly and in camera on sensitive issues with Umno but maybe this is NOT enough any more”.


RELATED ARTICLE

From Dr. Bakri Musa Blog: Read here for more

Get Rid of Abdullah and UMNO’s Hang Tuahs

It is utterly reprehensible that Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi refuses to take responsibility for the debacle suffered by his party at the recent elections.

Even more despicable were his enablers in UMNO, its senior leaders.

They all dutifully lined up peasant-like at Sri Perdana to pledge their personal loyalty to Abdullah the day following the electoral debacle. These latter day “Hang Tuahs” – individuals loyal to leaders but not to principles or the organization – included Najib Razak, Hishammuddin Hussein, and Rafidah Aziz.

I am certain they all obediently bowed down low and kissed the man’s limp hand solemnly.

Pathetic!

When they should have been apprising their leader of the grim political reality, they instead stooped low to humor and flatter him. Those are the duties of court jesters, not of ministers and leaders.

If these next leaders in UMNO cannot tell Abdullah the bad news to his face, how can we expect them to represent us in dealing with even more assertive foreign leaders?

If these are the faces of the future leaders of UMNO, how could we entrust them with the fate of our community?

Are these “lembik” (limp) characters the future “brave” defenders of Ketuanan Melayu? This whole crowd – and them some – must go.

UMNO must get rid of not only Abdullah but also his entire retinue of enablers and latter-day Hang Tuahs.

There is no alternative.

The only choice is whether UMNO members do the dirty job themselves and on their own timetable, or watch voters do it for the party. The recent election is merely a preview; the next time it would be even uglier.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir is wrong in saying that Abdullah destroyed UMNO. It was not only Abdullah who did it; he had his supporting cast of enablers to help him.

It is not all doom and gloom, however. The party had faced many challenges in the past and had successfully overcome them. All it took was the courage of a few or even of single individuals, as Mahathir did to the Tunku, the Father of Merdeka.

Where are the young Mahathirs in today’s UMNO?

As for Mahathir, he admits to his grave mistake in selecting Abdullah. Give Mahathir due credit, at least he recognizes his error and is trying his best to rectify it. He has demanded that Abdullah take full responsibility for this electoral debacle. Meaning, Abdullah should quit.

Mahathir however, can only do so much. Besides, he has little or no stake in the future of UMNO except in so far as affecting his legacy.

Another party veteran, Tengku Razaleigh, has also called for Abdullah to take full responsibility. It is a crying shame that with today’s UMNO, only the old are leading the charge for change. This should normally be within the province of youth. This reflects how far UMNO has degenerated as an organization.

It is not enough however for Tengku Razaleigh to give press statements to indicate his displeasure with Abdullah. Ku Li must lead the change and challenge Abdullah, as he (Ku Li) did earlier. Even if Tengku Razaleigh were to fail, he would still have paved the way for others to pursue the matter.

Other senior UMNO members like Musa Hitam, Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen and Sharir Samad must also step up to the plate and fulfill their responsibilities. They must help ease out Abdullah gracefully if for no other reason that the alternative would be too ugly to contemplate.

I have no wish to see Abdullah publicly humiliated; enough that he would get out of the way. Let the old man enjoy his pension and new wife.

It those senior members abrogate their responsibilities, then it would be up to UMNO’s Supreme Council members – the party’s governing body – to take the initiative. At its next meeting they should pass a vote of no confidence on Abdullah. Even if that motion were to fail, the message would once again have been delivered.

Abdullah is a slow learner; it takes a while for a message to sink in.

Such a motion, even if unsuccessful, would also pave the way for other brave members to introduce similar resolutions at the upcoming party’s general assembly.
In short, UMNO members at all levels must continue to put the heat on Abdullah and his coterie of enablers until he and they all quit in shame.

This coterie would include Najib Razak and all the current vice-presidents and leaders of its Youth, Wanita, Putera and Puteri wings. They are not leaders but enablers.

I do not share Mahathir’s high opinion of Najib Razak. He has Hang Tuah’s blind loyalty but without the bravery or charisma. His tenure as Defense Minister is best summarized by the currently unfolding Altantuya murder trial; a tale of intrigues, assassinations, and megabucks commissions.

Mahathir’s confidence in Najib has less to do with Najib’s talent but more in Mahathir expressing his terhutang budi (gratitude) to Najib’s father, Tun Razak, for having “rescued” Mahathir after he was expelled from the party.

Najib without the famous “bin” after his name would be just another nondescript civil servant, perhaps a district officer back in his hometown. Tun Razak’s other sons all had considerably more talent than Najib.

If Mahathir felt an obligation to the late Tun, he (Mahathir) should have groomed any one of Tun’s other sons.

We Malays, and that includes UMNO, have no shortage of talent. We just have to be more inclusive and exhaustive in our search. We have to cast our net deep and wide, and not be content with netting the fish that float by us. Usually those are the rotting or nearly rotting ones.

The vigorous specimens are out there swimming and enjoying the deep blue water. We have to make an effort to get them..."
- M. Bakri Musa

  • From Malaysia-Today: Article by Z. Ibrahim: Read here for more

    Tanya sama hati, Prime Minister.
    "..The Prime Minister must NOT resign. This is a golden opportunity to redeem himself; that is of course if he is willing to work hard instead of dozing off all the time.

    Without compromise, he MUST rid himself of his irksome SON-IN-LAW who has now become the Rasputin of his court.

    With the elections over and revealing an almost true picture of the state of the electorate's minds (except for Perlis and Trengganu where suspicions still linger in the manner they were won by the BN), Badawi is rid off that massive baggage that was unloaded off to him when he picked up the baton from an even more unpopular Mahathir who single-handedly managed to dry-up the country's treasury.

    Badawi must move quickly to appoint young professionals who have gone through the mill rather then ones that have been spoon-fed and keep Sidek to straighten up a bloated civil service.

    This is the best time to get rid of health, education and other ministries which will require the expertise and skills of the private sector through a competitive transparent OPEN TENDER, a phrase currently non-existent in BN's vocabulary.

    A government's job is to put up good policies that will benefit its populace and MONITOR them. In fact there may not be a need for any further enactments, only proper implementation and maintenance.

    Perhaps the Prime Minister should ponder on the fact that maintenance is of equal or of even greater importance then cancerously growing out of control.

    It has no business trying to run a business. That sought of thing is done by countries like Singapore that masquerade as a democracy without an opposition and use Tumasek as its corporate arm to run a country utilizing family members and proxies. Corporate governmental dynasties of this nature infuriate an educated electorate even further.This, Malaysia must never do.

    Malaysia must engage the average Malaysian, be he yellow, brown or black, give them equal rights and opportunities and bring the best out of him or her.

    The PM must encourage entrepreneurship in all races and get rid of antiquated laws that prevent a human being from shining.

    Malaysians can help themselves without the government. They need only a clear path and opportunities. And this path the PM must ensure remains obstacle free.

    This country has both natural and human resources to make it to the top. What it doesn't have is firm governance and stable policies. Prime Minister Badawi can make it if he wants .

    If he has the courage to rid himself off his tainted, Mahathir-linked Deputy, his galling son-in-law and carpet beggars like Anuar Zaini who have been instrumental in ripping this country off financially through dubious deals.

    He will not have to deal with a number of underperforming and corrupt ministers and menteri besars who leeched this country bare. That difficult job, mercifully, has been carried out by an incensed electorate.

    However if the PM is unable to hold his water and chooses not to rid himself of his son-in-law and insists on running this country by auto pilot, then he must step down or be prepared to be pushed off.

    Tanya sama hati, Prime Minister.

    It is "Anak Ku Sazali" time, and you need to fear nothing now except your own shadow and you may have it within you to make these shadows disappear.
  • Tengok dalam air, Nampak bayang bayang

    Campak satu batu, Bayang pun hilang
    .
    Your chance to leave a good name rather then a memory of stained, convoluted stripes is at hand.

    You, and you and alone must choose that destiny. .."
    - Z. Ibrahim
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