BOTA WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Ali Rustam ask Nasarudin to relinquish

Lets walk down the memory lane. In an effort to teach boys and girls, teachers had resorted to simple election for class monitor beginning of the year. Some teachers held their trump card, reserving their right to select assistant class monitor of their choice. At a very tender age we play democracy as a newly found toy. The joy to raise hands in chorus when a favourite name was mentioned, was sweet.

2. Somehow teachers inserted face-saving measure in the democratic game. The candidates, or the calons had to be ushered away while raising hands and countings were carried out. Votes gathered by candidates would be rubbed out before they walk in. Oh.., the candidates had perculiar sheepish look back then.

3. As we grow older, skins get thickened and but heads not necessarily wiser. Somehow we end up being very much bolder so must so that we shift from choosing a guy or a party with ease. Ibrahim Ali is a living proof. His case is as good as given, borrowing a golf term. Kopitiam regulars point to lingamgate videographer as a another peculiar choice, wondering whether voters pick the man, the party, the gate, or the star rating of the most viewed video in Malaysia. Whatever voters said, we just have to agree and definitely a little nod and "correct,correct" will suffice. Rights belong to voters!

4. As Nasarudin Hashim hit a birdie at the 18th hole with deafening cheers from the grandstand, some guys are not too happy. Tajol Rosli has reacted in harakiri, relinquishing political post within two months. By doing so, Tajol had accepted responsibility. On the other hand, Tajol will be spared from further pain of another by election or more cross overs.

5. When Ali Rustam comes out with a strong statement, asking Bota assemblyman to let go his electoral tag and get on with a fresh mandate, we are starting a political avalanche. Perak is never the land of Pashtuns as Ali had visualised. Who else in this world had exhibited honour with religous and tribal fervour other than the Pashtuns. I suppose only the Bugis will come close. I still wonder whether Pashtun is really the root of Ali, as another kopitiam regular confidently pointed out. The legends of Sungai Manik cleansing and Birch murder proved the point that man will do what a man got to do.

6. It is nonetheless a bait, so tentalising that a quick grap will tighten and bend the rod in a sea of political baracudas. What Ali is testing is the meaning of third time lucky as Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu and Bota sit quietly in a neat row. In the end, it is the voice of Bota people that matters and their tagline "biar pape asal begaye" will be hoisted high for all tuntungs [river terrapines] to see. We got to get on with life ....



Refer: Nasaruddin Should Relinquish Assemblyman Post, Says Mohd Ali. Bernama

Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim should let go his post as Bota assemblyman following his defection to Parti Keadilan Rakyat from Umno, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

beritadarigunung

PM: ‘I’m not backing Ali Rustam for Umno dep president.’

Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi denied he was throwing his support behind Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam to be the new party deputy president.

Asked if his comments in Sabah recently on Mohd Ali were an indication to divisions not to pick Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who has been very vocal, Abdullah said: “No no. That’s not right.”

PM: ‘I’m not backing Ali Rustam for Umno dep president.’
Malaysia Star, Malaysia

Umno divisional meetings: Shah Alam division dumps Muhammad

The Shah Alam Umno division yesterday created an upset of sorts when it did not nominate Selangor Umno liaison chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib for the party deputy president's post. The division nominated front-runner deputy president candidate Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin instead.

The international trade and industry minister received 151 votes against Muhammad's 88 votes.

Another vice-president aspirant, Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, only got five votes.

The voting was carried out by secret ballot. There were calls for it to be done by a show of hands, but this was rejected because delegates felt that a secret ballot would give them the freedom to choose without fear.

source: Shah Alam division dumps Muhammad
New Straits Times, Malaysia

## Najib dilonjak dengan sengketa dalaman Kabinet Abdullah.

oleh BERITADARIGUNUNG

Sejak pengumuman Abdullah akan berundur pada 2010, inilah keputusan yang cenderung ke arah itu. Malangnya pertukaran portfolio itu dibuat dengan latarbelakang kritikan bertalu-talu. Publisiti kemasukan semula Tun Dr Mahathir dalam UMNO dan cadangan berani Muhyiddin menggesa peralihan kuasa dipercepatkan, dijangka memaksa perubahan drastik ini.

2. Ramai pemimpin telah menyatakan pandangan mereka, namun hanya dua sahaja dengan tegas mengasak Muhyiddin. Pertama Zaid Ibrahim dan kedua Mohamad Hasan. Zaid telah mengambil jalan selamat dengan meletak jawatan, apatah lagi beliau telah kehilangan tapak politik di Kota Baru.

3. Terdapat pemimpin kecil cuba menyampuk. yang ketara ialah Idris Haron dari Tangga Batu Melaka. Saya yakin beliau sedar kecenderungan Ali Rustam terhadap kritikan berani Muhyiddin. Ramai tahu betapa nasib pemimpin kecil berada dalam tangan Pengerusi Perhubungan Negeri. Idris telah memijak bara api. Mohd Khaled juga turut membidas Muhyiddin, walaupun mereka dari negeri yang sama. Sekadar peringatan buat Mohd Khaled, Muhyiddin pernah menjawat jawatan Menteri Besar Johor, sedang hajat Khaled dan Abdullah masih tidak menerima perkenan Sultan. Saya sebut ini semua untuk meletakkan ahli politik pada tahap credential masing-masing.

4. Agak janggal bila ahli kabinet Abdullah bercakaran. Terlalu sukar untuk terus menerima pandangan Shahrir dan Nazri suatu masa dulu, bahawa kini dalam kabinet mereka bebas bersuara. Walaupun ramai sedar, kata-kata itu dituju khas kepada Tun Dr Mahathir, namun ramai juga tahu, keberkesanan kepimpinan bukan ada hubungkait dengan berapa besar mulut yang bercakap, tetapi bergantung kepada berapa besar minda, ketajaman fikiran dan analisis serta berapa besar pemikiran strategik yang dapat digembeling. You cant quarrel and stay united. Singapore being idolised by some leaders never allow that. It is all about synergy!

5. Rakyat sedar betapa sejak awal lagi, Kerajaan pimpinan Abdullah kelihatan kurang synergy. Terlalu ramai pemimpin dan menteri membuat kenyataan. Hinggakan ada yang rasa perlu menegur dengan "Itu kenyataan peribadi beliau, Kabinet belum bincang". Pasukan tidak bergerak sebegini. Pasukan bolasepak pun tidak mampu menang jika pemain buat hal sendiri. Jawatan Kapten Bolasepak bukan sekadar glamour, malah ia menuntut komitmen dan kepimpinan. That's how it goes. Thats more of a reason, for a team requiring a leader. And thats what missing in Leadership. It is both bad and sad.

6. Dengan senario di atas, selepas perbincangan 4 mata anatara Abdullah dan Najib, lebih dari 4 jam, Malaysia dikejutkan dengan pengumuman pertukaran portfolio antara PM dan TPM. Dari sudut positif kita akan terima dengan lapang dada kerana inilah satu-satunya petanda jelas bahawa Abdullah serius dengan peralihan kuasa. Sedihnya, Abdullah buat begitu secara reactive, selepas diasak. Oleh yang demikian, akan ada yang mempersoalkan kejujuran Abdullah.

7. Najib ada credential untuk memikul tugas baru. Najib dulunya belajar ekonomi di University of Nottingham, England. Jawatan sebagai Timbalan Menteri Kewangan pada awal 80'an tentu jadi pengalaman berharga. Jangan lupa, Najib masih ada keakraban dengan Razaleigh dan Tun Dr Mahathir. Fikiran kedua-duanya masih gagah, dan tentu boleh membantu jika dipinta.

8. Dengan jawatan baru ini, hubungan antara Najib dan Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri Shahrir Samad perlu dikaji semula. Shahrir perlu sedar keperluan baru untuk beliau seiring dengan Menteri Kewangan yang baru. Sukar tetapi wajar.

9. Keperluan utama dalam membina semula BN dan UMNO adalah untuk membetulkan tindak tanduk Abdullah dan kabinetnya. Kini bukan masa untuk tunjuk mulut siapa yang besar. Perlu ada synergy yang ketara. Najib telah menyatakan dengan jelas bila menyebut Muhyiddin sebagai Team Player (click) . Synergy bukan datang secara kebetulan tetapi dengan secara sedar dan penuh strategik. Bukan Abdullah sahaja yang bertanggungjawab, yang lain juga perlu sedar.

Penutup: Lupakan "keterbukaan", tidak salah sedikit "tertutup". Biar berdisiplin. Biar ada synergy. Malaysia dahaga pemimpin gagah yang boleh menjana ini semua. Mereka perlu berjiwa besar (bukan mulut besar).

beritadarigunung

Power Transfer: Ali Rustam Supports Najib's Statement

MELAKA, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam has voiced his support for Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's statement to leave it to the party members to decide when the transfer of power by Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should take place.

He said what was stated by Najib was in order based on the party constitution.

"The (Umno) Supreme Council's proposal on the power transition was reasonable but the party members have the right to decide on this at the divisional delegates' meetings," he told reporters at the breaking of fast with media members here Friday.

Najib, who is Umno deputy president, was also reported to have said that the power transition plan was decided in July by the prime minister and himself, and was agreed upon by the party's Supreme Council.

Under the plan, Abdullah will hand over the posts of prime minister, Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president to Najib in June 2010.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ali also hit out at the action of five Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) members led by its publicity chief Tian Chua who left for Taipei today to "hound" the Barisan Nasional MPs now on an agriculture study tour in Taiwan, to cross over to the opposition in order to form a new government by Sept 16.

"Their action is undemocratic and an embarrassment to Malaysia as they show no respect for democracy," lambasted the chief minister.

"They (the BN MPs) won their seats in the last general election six months ago, and PKR is still chasing them to cross over to its side. They (PKR leaders) have no shame," he added.

Mohd Ali believed that the BN MPs had no privacy as they would be hounded by the PKR leaders.

Batu Pahat MP Datuk Dr Mohd Fuad Zarkashi, meanwhile, said the power transition plan between the prime minister and his deputy should be reviewed.

He said the time frame had caused increasing uneasiness among the Malays, including Umno members, who now had a bad perception of Umno and this would cause bigger problems to the party in future.

"If Umno is weak, the country's political stability will be under greater threat, and this cannot be denied," he said when contacted by Bernama Friday.

Dr Mohd Fuad is among 49 members of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club who are now in Taiwan on an agricultural development study tour there.

He was responding to a media report today which said that the prime minister was surprised with party vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's view of the power transition time frame as being too long.

He also noted that Najib also proposed to leave it the Umno grassroots to decide on the date for the transfer of power if the plan did not happen as announced.

"Let the grassroots decide who will contest the party president post in the Umno national elections this December," said Dr Mohd Fuad.

He said this was important to ensure the country's stability, considering that many arising problems had been allowed to fester due to delayed action, to the extent of eroding public confidence in the party.

"There appears to be no political direction and decisions were slow to come, causing uneasiness among the people," he said.

-- BERNAMA

MUKHRIZ: apa kata MAHYIDDIN, ALI RUSTAM dan HISHAMMUDDIN, NORAINI.

(as in NST online http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Frontpage/2187354/Article/index_html)

Umno vice-presidents Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said Mukhriz's action would only divide the party.

"He should not have written the letter as it would only weaken the party further," Ali said.

Muhyiddin said Mukhriz had the right to express himself but as an Umno member, he should be loyal to the leadership.

He said calling for Abdullah's resignation was a knee-jerk reaction to the party's crisis.

"After the shock we've had from the election results, many are angry and depressed and feel their only recourse is to ask the prime minister to resign.

"That is not the solution. We need to first hold the fort, to rally everybody around the leadership in order to get the party back on its feet," Muhyiddin said.

Both vice-presidents said Mukhriz had put Umno in a bind as to whether disciplinary action should be taken against him. The decision now rests with the party's supreme council.

Muhyiddin said: "We cannot be rash. He is still an Umno member and we don't want him to become a stray MP. Right now, we cannot afford to sacrifice a single MP in parliament because we only have a simple majority."

Ali noted the quandary Umno was in. "I would advise him to stop making more comments. There is already tension in the party and if we take disciplinary action against him, it will create further tension among his supporters. He's putting us in a difficult position."

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein dissociated his movement from Mukhriz's statement. Mukhriz is an exco member in Umno Youth.

"This is not the stand of the Pemuda," he said.

"As I said earlier, Umno Youth is behind the prime minister and deputy prime minister.

"If his (Mukhriz) statement is a personal view, I do not think this is the right way or time to make it. What is important now is to focus on reorganising the party."

Puteri Umno head Datuk Noraini Ahmad took the same line.

"Now is not the time to blame each other or anyone. I know he is entitled to his views but I call on all Umno members to support Pak Lah."

~ BERITADARIGUNUNG. We have seen expulsion before. Names like Ibrahim Ali, Zaid and Sang Kelembai will ring. I miss the quick response of KHAIRY. I miss the term "beruk". I miss the black MPV roaming around. But where is he?