Wednesday, December 28, 2011

ABU - Malaysia's New Friend

Malaysia has a new friend. And her name is ABU - Anything But UMNO.
Pic by Ordinary Malaysian

UMNO is the taiko or lynch pin of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional or National Front that has held the reins of government for more than half a century without break.

For a party to hold the reins of power for more than 50 years is a length of time too long.  Far too long.

Many Malaysians now perceive UMNO as so set in its wayward ways that it is seen as having fossilised and no longer relevant.

UMNO and the UMNO-led government have come to be associated with mismanagement, arrogance and corruption or MAC.

Many Malaysians smarter than yours truly have long opined that the disease started off with the advent of cronyism that they claimed first flourished when Malaysia's grand old man TDMM or Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became the Prime Minister in the 80s.

Then, lucrative public/government contracts for one project after another began to be awarded directly to favoured parties (cronies) instead of via open public tenders.

This practice, they claimed, led inevitably to corruption, abuses and wastage. And the rest, they say, is history.

Being not so smart, yours truly is humbled.

The latest corruption scandal involved cows or rather the development of a Malaysian bovine industry or what has come to be known as "cowgate".

It started off with the award by the Malaysian government of the Rm250 million National Feedlot Project to develop a Malaysian bovine industry (so that we poor Malaysians can afford to eat meat and not pay through our noses for some much needed protein) to the husband of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Instead of using the millions disbursed to help develop a proper bovine industry, it seems that substantial sums of money had been diverted to the purchase, not of cows or anything related to the bovine industry, but of up-scale condominiums that cost millions, leading many Malaysians to ask whether cows needed condos?

There were also allegations that money meant for the Feedlot Project had also been diverted to running a family restaurant business as well as the purchase of another condominium in a neighbouring country.

Instead of taking the bull by the horns, so to speak, by honourably resigning,  when the scandal became public, with calls from horrified and concerned Malaysians for her to do so, Datuk Shahrizat had, at the recent UMNO General Assembly, shrilly challenged Anwar's wife (who is the president of Parti Keadilan) to herself resign because Anwar had been tried for sodomy and now awaiting the court's verdict.

Many Malaysians see this as another instance of UMNO's arrogance and/or reluctance to change, as another proof of fossilisation.

It is MAC and this culture of not being accountable that has led to ABU's presence.

Do I welcome ABU as a new friend?

I won't answer, except to say that Malaysians are known for their warmth, hospitality and friendliness.

And I am a Malaysian.

2 comments:

  1. I read your comment on Susan's blog and came to say Hello. Don't know much about Malaysia. Do you have free elections and can vote the UMNO out of power? You have interesting essays about meditation and religion, esepcially your obserevation that we take care about God more than God take care of us. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your comments, Giora. Our elections are not so free because of gerrymandering. But we do hope that this time around, we will have enough people who feel that they have had enough of UMNO. We are only worried that the kampung or rural Malays may continue to vote for UMNO because they know not the better. I have visited your blog and hope to leave comments now and then. Happy New Year to you too!

    ReplyDelete

Kluang's Little Bangsar

Kluang's Little Bangsar
Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit
I attended my neighbour's daughter's Indian wedding dinner at the Sentul HGH Convention Centre. Click for a peek

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit
Yasmin Ahmad was arguably Malaysia's best story-teller, filmmaker and advertiser. She was well known for her Petronas commercials and had won numerous international awards including the Golden Lion award for the 'Tan Ming Hong In Love' commercial. Her feature film Sepet not only garnered her several international awards including for Best Asian Film but also drew multi-racial audiences that rarely happens for a local film.

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit
Genting Highlands Is A Popular Retreat With A Casino

Batu Caves - Click To Visit

Batu Caves - Click To Visit
Malaysia's Famous Landmark. Note The Statue Of Lord Muruga And The 272 Steps To The Temple Cave In The Background

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit
Petronas Twin Towers Are Still The World's Tallest Twin Towers

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit
Some early morning views of the KL city sykline I took from the 3rd floor of the KL Court with a low-pixel hand-phone camera

Kluang Town - Click To Visit

Kluang Town - Click To Visit
Kluang was a sleepy hollow, but is fast becoming a bustling town. You can't miss the bust-shaped gunung Lambak lording over the place and the town is well known for its tv brand coffee powder

Kluang RailCoffee

Kluang RailCoffee
The Kluang railway station coffee shop, now re-branded Kluang RailCoffee, is well known for its cuppa of coffee and the charcaol grilled piping hot buns oozing with butter and kaya...It used to attract standing-room only crowds. It still does, but the last time I was there it wasn't a good experience for me. The famous coffee had somewhat lost its oomph and even the buns...The shop has a long and noted history being first opened for business in 1938 and the place is now run by the 3rd generation LIm family. I hope the next time I return, the coffee would regain its oomph. Click to read more...