Winners and Losers

From The Malaysian Insider:

Winners and Losers, Day 2

MARCH 27 – Yesterday was a good day for Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. His choice of candidates for the deputy presidency (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) and the three vice-presidents (Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Shafie Apdal) all came through.

But it was also a day of upsets, the end of political careers and a day in which being a Mentri Besar counted for little.

The Malaysian Insider looks at the winners and losers of Day 2 of the Umno general assembly.

Winners
• Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – Today’s victory complete the astounding turnaround for the Perak politician. He was detained under the Internal Security Act, ostracised by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for being a follower of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, forced out of Umno Youth and into political wilderness and then brought back into the party by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Now he is one of the most powerful figures in Umno and certain bet for a senior Cabinet position.

• Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – This was the prize that Muhyiddin and his supporters have been eyeing since Election 2008, when it became apparent that it would only be a matter of time for Najib to replace Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as president and for the number two position to become vacant.

Muhyiddin led the charge to get Abdullah to step down earlier but he was not a shoo-in for the deputy president’s position. Only the endorsement of the Najib camp and the disqualification of

Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Ali Rustam pushed him over the line today against rank outsider, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

But a win is a win, and a month from now, most people would have forgotten the margin of victory or the back story.

• Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – delivered probably one of the best speeches during his time as Umno president and prime minister. And 17 of the 25 successful Supreme Council candidates are either those whom he appointed to the Cabinet, government positions or identified in the party as his men. These men and woman are acceptable to Najib.

• Datuk Norraesah Mohamad – the former banker was told by Abdullah that she would be appointed to the Cabinet if she won the Balik Pulau parliamentary constituency on March 8 2008. She lost and has been flirting with political oblivion till today, becoming the only woman to win a seat on the powerful Supreme Council.

• Datuk Mustapha Mohamad – Quiet and unassuming, the Kelantan politician made the biggest noise in the Supreme Council polls when he garnered the most number of votes. Pretty impressive for someone who still has his clean image intact after years in Umno.

Losers
• Datuk Adnan Yaacob, Datuk Mohamad Hassan and Datuk Ghani Othman – It is a rare day when party members boot out so many mentri besars but this was the fate that befell Adnan(Pahang), Mohamad (Negeri Sembilan) and Ghani (Johor).

The talk along the corridors of the Putra World Trade Centre was that these three men had paid the price for not opening up their wallets and for their unfriendly persona.

• Datuk Azalina Othman Said – She asked party delegates to remember that she was innocent until proven guilty but it was always going to be a hike up Mount Kinabalu after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said that they were investigating her for money politics. It would be a minor miracle if she is named to the Najib cabinet.

• Datuk Ali Rustam – It was certainly a case of what it could have been for Ali. He was barred from contesting the number two position in Umno for breaching party ethics but even now, a great many delegates believe that he was a target of selective prosecution and a certainty for deputy president’s position.

• Datuk Syed Hamid Albar and Datuk Seri Rais Yatim – There will be a new Home Minister and there will be a new Foreign Minister.

Rais hoped that Dr Mahathir’s endorsement would propel him to victory. It did not.

Syed Hamid hoped that his tough man act as the Home Minister would catch the attention of the voters. It did not.

• Malaysians – What else can you do besides shrug your shoulders and wonder what is going in Umno when three of the most obnoxious MPs – Datuk Bung Mokthar Radin, Datuk Puad Zarkashi and Datuk Tajudin Rahman – get elected to the most powerful decision-making body in the party.

These chaps rub non-Malays the wrong way all the time and two of them (Bung Mokhtar and Tajudin) score high on the sexism chart.

My prediction

i think Mohd Taib will win as Dep President, Shafie, Rais will win VP. Hope Syed Hamid & Hisham lost..... Wait & see to night 10pm. Anyway, no one is capable!

Nizar vs BN in Bukit Gantang

Nizar will be field in Bukit Gantang by-election against BN's Ismail Safian. The BIG win of PR will means NAJIB's dirty work did not work with Rakyat especially Perakian! Time to teach them a lesson, not only in Bukit Gantang but also in Kedah & Sarawak, that Rakyat do not buy his "plan"!

Time To Change!

In the mean time, in Kedah, police fired tear gas and water cannon to 5000 people who listened to the ceramah by PKR. Dozens being arrested! The act of "kiasu".

‘Watch out for BPA in baby bottles’

GEORGE TOWN: Consumers need to look out for baby bottles and other food and beverage containers containing bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, which has been linked to cancer and certain disorders.

BPA is usually used in the manufacture of some polycarbonate plastics, such as clear, hard water and baby bottles.

However, more than 130 studies conducted over the past decade have linked BPA to breast cancer, obesity and other disorders, the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) said in a statement Thursday.

Six of the largest US manufacturers of baby bottles have agreed to stop selling bottles made with BPA, but it was reported that one company will continue to market its products overseas.

“This is a cause for concern as the Asian market, including Malaysia, may become a dumping ground for such unwanted products from the West,” said CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris.

He advised consumers to opt for glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free plastic bottles which are marked with recycling codes No 1, No 2, No 5 or No 7 without the PC (polycarbonate) marking.

CAP has also written to the Health Ministry to call for an immediate halt on the sale of such products containing BPA.

Mini Budget - My comments

The mini budget seem like target more to middle class and above.

If you were poor, can you own the car? And if you happened to own a car, will you wanna scrap the car and again "vomit" out extra money for monthly installment? This is more to help the Proton and Perodua. If you have money, you will rather spend on daily needs.

For house buyer who sign S & P after 10 March 2009 will get tax deduction on the interest paid to bank up to RM10k for 3 years. Again, this is meant for middle class rakyat and above. To eligible for tax, your salary must be around RM2,500 a mth and above. If you were the poor, you don't even dream of the house as you cant afford, anyway you do not need to pay the tax with monthly salary below RM2,5000! Again, this measure is to help the developers!

And for other infrastructure development, by the time it's starts (after going through tender process, procurement, etc) and finish, the hardest period (suffer by rakyat) has been gone.

There is no direct benefit to the people in this mini budget in my opinion. But i am not accountant or economist, i might be wrong.

RM60b mini budget

details can be read from The Star.

Government will implement a Stimulus Package totalling RM60 billion. The package will be implemented over two years, 2009 and 2010. Of this amount, RM15 billion is fiscal injection, RM25 billion Guarantee Funds, RM10 billion equity investments, RM7 billion private finance initiative (PFI) and off-budget projects, as well as RM3 billion in tax incentives. This RM60 billion accounts for almost 9% of the GDP. The implementation of such a large stimulus package is unprecedented in the nation’s economic history.

Where is IPCMC?

Refresh your memory as Malaysians tend to forget things, very fast!

Early this year, an Indian youth was found dead in custody in Selangor. First post-mortem found that he died of fluids in the lungs. Family of the youth not satisfied and requested for 2nd post-mortem. Results came out this week, it showed that he was badly beaten and starved, he died of acute kidney failure.

Then the we shift the story to the north where 6 Indians were shot to death by police during a shoot-out at a house in Kampung Kemunting, Karangan, in Kulim. According to MPs of PR, out of the six suspected criminals shot dead by police, one was a partially-blind man while another suffered from mental problems. The MPs also claimed to have evidence to show all six men had bullet holes at the top of their heads. If the claim is true, how come in a shoot-out, police were so accurate and sharp that all 6 of them had a bullet hole in their head?

And sadly, most of the incidents and news we heard were involving our indian friend. Not to be racist, but at least treat all the suspects with humanity. They are innocent until proven in court.

Tree of Democracy

History will records this Rain Tree (Yellow Frame), a symbol of democracy in Perak!

Bravo Speaker Siva! But will Sultan Perak agrees to dissolve the DUN?

Yes - BN will claim flip-flop, Najib-PM-to-be also piss off and "faceless"
No - Rakyat piss off and Perak in chaos

Anyway, does we have other options?