DAP has become nothing more than Pak Turut who obey Mahathir’s diktats, Umno commented yesterday.
As can be seen, Mahathir has arrogated too much power unto himself. And DAP have been as quiet as church mice on his imperial ways. Not a squeak.
“Sangat jelas, peranan DAP yang dulu garang menentang secara membabi-buta dasar-dasar kepentingan awam yang diperkenalkan oleh kerajaan sebelum ini, kini sudah bertukar umpama tikus yang sedang menikmati keju…”, remarked the Umno information chief about the DAP.
In his Merdeka eve statement, Umno info head Shamsul Anuar Nasarah challenged, “adakah pemimpin mereka seperti Lim Kit Siang dan Lim Guan Eng leka dan terlena ketika ini apabila berada dalam kerajaan sekarang, dan mengangguk saja (see Guan Eng pix below) kepada apa jua keputusan Perdana Menteri kerana impian berkuasa telah mereka perolehi?”
Mahathir has certainly succeeded in sealing the lips of the once vocal DAP – particularly The Father and The Son, said Shamsul describing how DAP is having its “tangannya terikat dan mulutnya terkunci di bawah kerajaan baru”.
“… dengan kedudukan DAP sekarang, apabila mereka sudah berkuasa segalanya berubah demi kepentingan politik mereka.” Observe how far DAP is willing to go in supporting Mahathir’s flip flops and U-turns, according to Shamsul.
“Malah lebih memalukan, Kit Siang sendiri, yang dulu lantang mengkritik kerajaan umpama singa garang, kini sudah jadi ‘singa hilang gigi’ apabila diam tidak menentang isu OSA dan kepincangan dalam kerajaan,” he added. Yup, Kit Siang has turned into a toothless tiger alright.
BELOW: “Mute ministers” in Mahathir’s cabinet, study finds
What kind of auta cabinet is this?
Mahathir Mohamad may roar like a lion but still, he must needs be physically constrained by his very advanced age. Yet this 93 year old remains by far the strongest leader today in Putrajaya, which tells you something about the dysfunctional Harapan government.
Not only does the Mahathir 2.0 administration have an inexperienced cabinet, it is the weakest one ever in Malaysian history bar the man-with-iron-fist personally sitting at the very top.
Compare Wan Azizah’s lacklustre performance as deputy prime minister with her predecessors – Tun Razak when he was DPM to Tunku; Tun Dr Ismail as No.2 to Tun Razak; Musa Hitam’s 2M partnership with Mahathir; Anwar the DPM who came within a whisker of ousting his PM; Najib firmly transitioning from the Badawi era.
‘Accidental’ Azizah is utterly nondescript when contrasted with heavyweights Razak, Ismail, Musa, et al. So don’t be surprised when she is soon recorded as a mere footnote in history, remembered only for fluttering her silly paper fan.
Currently in Muhyiddin, here is someone demoted from his previous high standing as DPM to become Home Minister and who is not even flying on the political radar. Then we have as our Defence Minister … drum roll … Mat Sabu! Enough said.
Mahathir had wanted the Education portfolio for himself but had to withdraw under public pressure. The one significant thing that his compromise Education Minister, first-time MP Maszlee Malik, can tell parents so far is only that students should UBAH their white school shoes to black.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq is a 26-year-old greenhorn who has no record of ever having held a full-time job before, according to Malaysiakini columnist P. Gunasegaram. What is his qualification to be appointed a full-fledged federal minister, pray tell?
Meanwhile, Anwar the PM-in-waiting has no role.
DAP drinking from poisoned chalice
Dapsters have been crowing that a Chinese finally got charge of the Finance Ministry after such a long hiatus.
Guan Eng is however a Finance Minister with reduced responsibilities. There are the unprecedented Council of Elders financial wizard as well as a newly created Economic Affairs Minister (there was no such post in the previous Najib cabinet) jostling with him for prominence, and both Daim and Azmin are more trusted by Mahathir.
It is this “Chinese Finance Minister” nonetheless who will be made the scapegoat when Malaysia’s cash-strapped, low income masses lash out against inflation and over their ever rising cost of living.
His father Kit Siang was right: “Never before have there been so many time-bombs ticking away in Malaysia which could spell disaster for the nation if they are not defused or detonated”. Unfortunately the grinning son is deaf to the tick-tick-tick of the time bomb now that he is ensconced in his sound proof Putrajaya minister’s office.
The political commentariat were all wondering whether Mahathir would control DAP or if he would be in the control of the DAP should Harapan assume power.
Already past the 100-day milestone of their GE14 victory, it’s emerged that Mahathir has eclipsed every other political figure, including Anwar, into the shade. Therein lies the problem.
Even a novice can see how everything hinges on the monumental Mahathir, on one man alone. His nemesis in their past life, Kit Siang, has warned incessantly about the many time bombs ticking away on a short fuse. Harapan toppling Umno has not defused these bombs. Quite the contrary.
Ask yourselves whether Malaysia was more stable before or after 9 May 2018. Now consider how much that burden of stability is resting on the shoulders of the 90-something year old premier.
Helen Ang 
Petron
Fuel Happy
What more can I say:-
The Malaysian ringgit, which had been gradually strengthening against the US dollar throughout 2017 and early 2018, had begun to weaken steadily since around mid-April 2018 and has continued to weaken to RM4.11 to the US dollar today.
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=MYR&view=1Y
This will lead to higher cost of imported inputs and imported finished goods, which are mostly priced in US dollars and which will be reflected in prices on the shelves, hence higher cost of living, which Pakatan promised to reduce.
The ringgit has also weakened against:-
The Euro
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=EUR&to=MYR&view=1Y
The UK Pound
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Canadian dollar
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=CAD&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Japanese Yen
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=JPY&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Yuan
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=CNY&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Hong Kong dollar
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=HKD&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Cuban Peso
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=CUP&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Cuban Convertible Peso
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=CUC&to=MYR&view=1Y
The South Korean won
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=KRW&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Thai Baht
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=THB&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Philippines Piso
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=PHP&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Bangladesh Taka
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=BDT&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Cambodian Riel
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=KHR&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Cayman Islands dollar (where the yacht Equanimity is from)
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=KYD&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Bolivian Boliviano
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=AOA&to=MYR&view=1Y
And let me not forget the Yankee Dah’lah
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=MYR&view=1Y
Currencies the ringgit has strengthened against or has remained roughly steady against are:-
The Indonesian Rupee
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=INR&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Indonesian Rupiah
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=IDR&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Australian dollar
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=AUD&to=MYR&view=1Y
The New Zealand dollar
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=NZD&to=MYR&view=1Y
The North Korean Won
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=KPW&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Brazilian Real
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=BRL&to=MYR&view=1Y
The Angolan Kwanza
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=AOA&to=MYR&view=1Y
Whatever, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride for all it’s worth.
“Ask yourselves whether Malaysia was more stable before or after 9 May 2018. Now consider how much that burden of stability is resting on the shoulders of the 90-something year old premier.”
As for stablity, it’s difficult to tell right now but my friends who were and still are pro-Pakatan, have begun to express their doubts and even complaints over the tarik, things are not better or are even worse at local levels during the 10 years of a Pakatan state government in Selangor and even worse after Pakatan won the federal government.
Such issues include uneven roads, frequent bursting of water mains, disorderly parking along roads in our neighbourhood resulting in traffic congestion, approved building of office blocks, condominiums and other construction in our area and the potential traffic congestion which will likely result.
Early Thursday 30 August 2018 morning, I walked by the bridge on Jalan 14/29, Section 14, Petaling Jaya, which crosses Sungai Pencala near the mosque (“Masjid Bulat”) and heard water pouring strongly under the bridge, as if from a bust water main.
Then at 11.00 am 30 August 2018, received and SMS saying that a pipe had burst in front of Mid Town on Jalan Kemajuan.
And at 4.33 pm on 30 August 2018, I received an SMS saying that the water supply had been turned off “temporarily” (“sementara”) due to a leaking pipe below the bridge on Jalan “14/20” (well the bridge is actually on Jalan 14/29, not 14/20 but is round the corner from the junction of 14/29) and 14/20 and that the water supply was expected to be restored by 12.01 am on 31 August 2018.
Then at 12.11 am on 31 August 2018, I got an SMS saying that the repair is expected to be completed by 4.00 am.
Then at 5.25am I receive an SMS saying that the water supply should be restored by 7.00am on 31 August 2018.
The water supply was finally restored shortly after 7 pm on 31 August 2018.
I wonder why it took so long to repair a burst water main under a bridge, when it has taken less time to fix a broken pipe underground.
It looks like SYABAS has become even worse after the Selangor state government took it over.
There had been ongoing work to lay an underground sewer system in our area over the last two years. This is a BN federal government project and after the contractor finished the work and left, much of the road surface on Jalan 14/29 remains uneven.
Our residents representatives complained to our state assemblyman and I understand, were told that they only had a budget to resurface the road next year.
Maria Chin is our new MP and unlike our old MP who engaged with us, as far as I know, our committee has not engaged with her and moreover, from media reports of her statements, she seems to be more interested in matters such as women’s rights, LGBT rights and so forth, but has not been reported as saying anything about issues affecting her constituents on the ground.
It looks like she is using her position as MP to continue with her NGO activities.
Whilst us ordinary Malaysians have to bear high living costs, despite the repeal of GST, and possibly higher after the SST comes into effect from today, the likes of Hannah Yeoh is more concerned with changing the mindset of civil servants.
“Hannah striving to change mindset of civil servants for an inclusive M’sia”
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/08/31/hannah-striving-to-change-mindset-of-civil-servants-for-an-inclusive-msia/
I’m not saying that such local matters were better under a Barisan state government or under a Barisan federal government but based upon my experience of over 10 years of Pakatan rule in Selangor, I don’t feel that things were much better and could even be worse.
In my blog post below, I have compiled several recent media reports about survey results and statements by various parties, expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of the recently elected Pakatan Harapan federal government.
“AND THE VOICES OF DISILLUSION GROW LOUDER AND LOUDER”
http://politischeiss.blogspot.com/2018/08/and-voices-of-disillusion-grow-louder.html
So it’s not only me who feels this way, but more and more people are expressing similar grievances.
If any instability is to arise, I believe it will primarily be driven by anger over rising prices and cost of living.
Also, statements and measures introduced which infringe upon religious and ethnic sensitivities will also likely contribute to political instability.
The problem with these Pakatoons politicians and pro-Pakatoon NGOs, is that they mostly come from the educated, urban, middle class for whom more macro issues such as democracy, free speech, free press, freedom of peaceful assembly, human rights, 1MDB and so forth are foremost in their minds, especially when their basic needs are more than satisfied.
Rarely have I heard them speak about introducing measures for poverty reduction, social assistance for the poor, measures to help the poor earn more money, more affordable housing, price controls, a more even wealth distribution, better and more extensive and affordable public transit (with the exception of a relative few people and NGOs in Penang), more affordable quality public medical care, more affordable, quality public education and so forth.
However, I have read that the Pakatan government plans to move a bill in parliament to introduce some kind of public medical care plan, so let’s see how it pans out.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is considering a proposal which will allow private practitioners to raise their consultation fees next year, Mahathir wants to do away with BR1M and of course Tony Pua had proposed a “Soda tax”.
This is not what I voted for.
For those who are not happy, they may vote BN come GE15……problem solved……..