Interesting politics

>> Saturday, March 06, 2010

Interesting!!!! That is the best ungkapan untuk gambarkan keadaan politik sekarang. 2 atau 3 orang Ahli Parlimen KeADILan jumped over the other side and a big huu hah by BN. Very interestingly, at the right time, Chua Soi Lek and some of his kuncu also letak jawatan post party MCA. Sat tadi my Ahli Parlimen (Yen Yen) also resigned. Situation getting better and better. Setuju tak?

Sat tadi saya terbaca cerita about 1,400 PPP members deflected and masuk KeADILan. Just 2 days ago while watching Sudut Pandang, Setiausaha Agung KeADILan said since the Zahrain’s episode, about 50,000 people from all over the country submitted borang keahlian KeADILan.

The issue – are the dirty BN tactics backfiring? I guess so. So BN can go and pancing another 2 or 3 MP and rope them into BN. Takpe la kalau they say they want to remain as MP BEBAS, we know what that means. Perhaps with the demise of another 2 atau 3 MPs, PR akan dapat another 50 to 60,000 new members. A businessman will say … wow, good business.

Yang menghairankan saya, saya tunggu juga depan TV kalau-kalau ada story pasal 1,400 Ahli PPP, tapi takde. Cerita Chua Soi Lek and Yen Yen ada lah, tapi sat je. Tak macam masa Azan Ismail letak jawatan dalam party hari itu.

Nak tunggu surat khabar haprak besok. Ada tak dia orang heboh cerita Chua, kuncu-kuncu dia, Yen Yen dan ahli-ahli PPP macamana mereka heboh pasal Azan hari itu. Cerita stooges ini mungkin akan ada, tapi not front page la. Maybe a small write up kat mukasurat 7 atau 8.

Percaya? Percaya la ….

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Zul Nordin sacked

At last Zul Nordin has been booted out of PKR. As much as we, I guess he too, was waiting for this announcement. With this latest development, Zul do not have to worry of being labeled a traitor. He can easily walk back into UMNO, where he once belong, and will always belong. He needs a platform, doesn't he? So go lick some arses. You deserve it.

While Zul may now be laughing his way into UMNO camp after having hoodwinked PKR into sacking him, members of PKR are having the last laugh. Why not? We have got someone who has no respect for party leaders out and as the Malays says - he won’t be a duri dalam daging anymore. He may now, if he so desire, shout his heart out and condemn PR leaders as much as he wants. The truth is - we don’t care.

Perhaps he should contest as an independent in the next General Elections. We will see if he has enough following to win. If I were Zul, I will stay out of politics and join ABIM, since it was he who said that his constituents come second.

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Price you pay for being different

>> Friday, February 12, 2010

While being different can at times be fun, it can also be embarrassing. Obviously, being the only Punjabi amongst thousands of Malay pilgrims from Malaysia, I looked different.

Let me not talk about pilgrims from other parts the world, even pilgrims from Malaysia were confused as to who and what I really was. What surprised me most was when even Malaysians spoke to me in English thinking I was a Pakistani or a descendant of some desert Arab clan.

One night, while I was sitting on a bench downstairs the hotel sipping a cup of tea, a Malaysian Malay approached me and started a conversation with me in English. I played on by responding in English although I hardly understood a word he spoke. His English was horrendous. This gentleman was struggling his way out trying his best to construct one sentence after the other. Came to a point when I was about to burst into laughter, I told him in Bahasa Malaysia “takkan tak kenal orang Malaysia”? He responded “wow … pandai cakap Melayu huh”. I said “kalau dah orang Malaysia takkan tak reti cakap Melayu” and he went “astagfirullahal aziiiim betul-betul saya ingat awak orang Arab atau Pakistan”.

The episode was hilarious and we both had a good laugh. He really thought I was either an Arab or a Pakistani.

Majority of the pilgrims were confused about my identity. The Pakistanis spoke to me in Urdu and I responded. When they asked me where I was from, I told them that I was from Lahore, Pakistan. The Indians spoke to me in Hindi and I responded. When they asked me where I was from, I told them that I was from Punjab. They believed me. Not that I wanted to lie to them but to save myself time from having to explain to them about the multi racial community and multi lingual citizens of Malaysia.

Like I said earlier, being different can also bring about sticky and embarrassing moments. In Madinah, I was refused entry not only into the cafeteria and on many occasions, refused entry into Hotel itself. The guards used to came up to me and tell me that the cafeteria and Hotel was for Malaysians only and not for other nationals like me.

In Mina, the guard in charge of the Malaysian camp tugged me hard on my arm and tried to boot me out. He refused to acknowledge my name tag, the identification wrist chain and the muasasah’s rubber band that I was wearing. He insisted that I was not a Malaysian. Fellow Malaysian pilgrims had to come to my rescue by telling the guard that, while I looked different, I was a Malaysian. Obviously, he apologized when he realized his mistake but then again I don’t blame him. That’s the price I had to pay for being different.

I had no problems in Makkah since all the employees in Burj Al Abbas (the Hotel were Malaysian stayed) were Pakistanis. They were rather excited when they heard that there was an Urdu speaking Malaysian in the Hotel. I was surprised when the Hotel Manager came to my room and introduced himself to me with assurance that in the event I needed anything, I could count on him. For the next 30 days, I appointed him my agent to get me my cigarettes since there is a ban on the sale of cigarettes in Madinah and Makkah. Only locals know where to go for cigarettes.

The most interesting part was shopping. Prices plunged 50% to 60% as soon as I spoke to shop assistants in Hindi and Urdu. The most memorable story was when I was having my haircut after completing my Haj. The barber told his co-worker in Hindi to charge a Nigerian who had just completed his haircut an extra 100% so that my haircut can come free. I told the barber that what he was doing was not right and I refused his offer.

See how much fun being different can be. Do you dare to be different?

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Tabung Haji playing politics?

>> Tuesday, February 09, 2010

If you are someone who can survive on cakes, biscuits and juices, you should go for your Haj through Tabung Haji. The Saudi Government and Non Governmental Organizations keep pumping you with all kinds of goodies. But what about the food catered for the pilgrims?

On the first day of my arrival in Madinah, I did not take the packed food which was delivered by the caterers to my room although my roommates did. My belly was full with the goodies provided by Saudi Government and NGOs. All kind of food and drinks were dumped on us as we left the airport to our Hotel. A big thank you to all involved. May ALLAH bless all of you.

I was tired and as I tried to take a nap, I heard whispers from my roommates about the quality of the food. Some even went to the extent of saying that the food was worse then swine food and some were kind enough to say that they fed their pet cats with better food. I thought to myself – this cannot be true.

However, the same afternoon I was forced to share the sentiments of my roommates. The lunch which was provided in the cafeteria was not edible. The food was the second nightmare I had to encounter after the security guards had refused me entry into the cafeteria just because I looked different. (This issue will be addressed in my next posting).

My roommates were right. The food was horrendous. I just could not swallow any of the food and for the next 43 days I ate out. I checked on the food packs and noted that the food was catered by D’Saji, a FELDA subsidiary. D’Saji is a classy restaurant facing Masjidil Haram and serve Malaysian goodies. How on earth can D’Saji, being a Malaysian restaurant, not know the taste buds of Malaysians? How on earth can D’Saji, being a classy restaurant, serve food which is not edible?

The answer to this question came to me on my final day in Makkah. I received an invitation from a high ranking Tabung Haji official to dine out. He drove my wife, my sister-in-law and me to a sea food restaurant outside Makkah and while dining I popped the question on the quality of food to him.

This was his answer. Prior to 2009 a subsidiary of Tabung Haji Travel and Tours did the catering and beginning 2009 the catering was handed over to D’Saji. The reason – D’Saji was in the verge of bankruptcy and Tabung Haji had no choice but to bail D’Saji out by buying over majority shares in D’Saji. Tabung Haji, I was told, cannot afford to see D’Saji fail as its failure will destroy the credibility of our Prime Minister since FELDA comes under the Prime Minister and Tabung Haji comes under the Prime Minister’s department.

In other words, to rescue the Prime Minister, (I will here borrow the words of my roommates) we were fed swine food and food which even my roommate’s pet cat would not eat. Prior to 2009, no one complained about the quality of food, I was told.

The next issue – are the cooks or chefs in D’Saji that bad. I don’t think so. The reasons I say this is because, over and above the terrible food served, D’Saji also sold packed curries – fish, chicken and sambal for 7 Saudi Riyals per pack. Don’t be surprised – these packed food taste fantastic.

Why then were the pilgrims served food not fit for human consumption and at the same time good food was being sold to the pilgrims? To add insult to injury, the food served to the pilgrims and that sold to the pilgrims were from the same caterers? The answer is simple - while the caterers are paid for each pack served to the pilgrims they also make extra money by selling food to the pilgrims knowing very well that the food served is not edible.

Marketing strategy, politics or an abuse? Your guess is as good as mine.

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