Aarvidi’s Weblog

There must be more to this than meets the eye. Why this flurry and excitement I wonder. Who is talking about dissolving Parliament, snap elections, and so forth. Has it got to do with:

• the pamphlet or document distributed in the Parliament house recently
• expiry of the date-line given by Anwar
• the fear of change of a government
• a general warning of what could happen

I don’t see the need for explanation from the Election Commission if nothing of the above had happened. Any way where is Rashid, the boss, still licking his wounds.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Government or any state government can be dissolved at any time, even before three months, if the ruling party sees a need for a fresh mandate, said Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Omar.

He said there was also no provision in the Federal Constitution to prevent the current government from dissolving Parliament or state assemblies and as such, a snap election could be called.

He was responding to questions on the uncertain “political scenario” following allegations of possible party hopping by Barisan Nasional members to Pakatan Rakyat.

When contacted by mStar Online Friday, Wan Ahmad, however, said it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister to acquire royal consent from the King to dissolve Parliament.

He said the same applied to state assemblies whereby consent is needed from the respective Sultan or Governor.

“Although polling day of the 12th general election was on March 8, the current federal government’s mandate only commenced when Parliament convened three weeks ago,” he said.

EC: Govt can call snap polls at anytime

I was reading Rocky’s Bru on the above police report and noted the comments by one of the readers. I just can’t understand the action by the Prime Minister’s department. The cat was with them, they let it run loose, and when somebody catches the animal, they go mad, how can any one catch that cat, it was our cat. If you are possessive why let it run around the place. Why tempt others to make a mistake. In the first place why was this cat not placed under OSA, In any case the report has been made public and the question of OSA is redundant now.

If this is not witch hunting, I don’t know what it is. In a way I appreciate the Police, not wanting to sour relations with the senior official and his group, the Police said they will classify the document under OSA. They are saving their skin.

But who was the one who let loose the cat?

PUTRAJAYA: The Prime Minister’s Department has lodged a police report against several newspapers for publishing the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video clip before they were made public.

It is learnt that a senior official from the department lodged a police report on Friday morning at the Putrajaya police headquarters.

Kuala Lumpur CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Ku Chin Wah confirmed that a report has been lodged but declined to elaborate.

It is also learnt that the police are expected to classify the report under the Official Secrets Act.

The Star and several other newspapers, as well as online news portals, published several of the report’s findings and recommendations several days ago.

The Cabinet agreed Friday to make the Commission’s findings public, with copies priced at RM541.60 each.

It will be made available from Tuesday afternoon.

PM’s Department lodges police report against newspapers

Those who followed the proceedings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V.K.Lingam tape, were skeptical that anything good will come out of the lengthy exercise undertaken by the commission members. At one stage it was common talk that the proceedings were a eye wash and the perpetuators of the crime will go free under one pretext or the other. I take off my hat for the members of the commission; they have done a worthy and commendable job and it is left to Attorney General to act without fear and favour.

It is seen action has been recommended against Mahathir, Ahmad Fairus, Eusof Chin, V.K.Lingam, Tengku Adnan and Vincent Tan.

Technorati Tags: Mahathir,Ahmad Fairus,Eusof Chin,V.K.Lingam,Tengku Adnan,Vincent Tan.

Continuing on the saga of the Kingdom of MIC, please refer to my earlier posting, the following improvements, changes will be forthcoming. They are:

• A new tag line ‘A New Generation Party’ but theme remains ‘MIC cares’
• New logo, new party song, new uniforms for the women, youth and puteri wings
• 50% members comprised of youths
• Call centres, manned by graduates, new web site

Good I thought, Samy Vellu had wasted long hours with his thinking cap on to get new ideas. Who else would or could come this far to rejuvenate the party and make it relevant to the Indians.

I was surprised that because it lacked a tag line, MIC failed miserably in the last elections. A few more tags would have been in order, like ‘a revitalised party’, ‘a party with more oomph’, ‘a party you will love’, etc etc, but I suppose these wordings won’t fit the tag.

I did not attend any campaign by a MIC politician, during the last elections. Therefore I am not sure how the leaders and supporters of MIC were attired. I may have hit something here, was it because of the poor or shabby dressing that the voters discarded MIC. Any comment.

MIC members are old and they could not be active to campaign efficiently, I can understand why Sam wants youths.

He has been contemplating call centres from last year, and even was in the process of getting a new building or extension; what! not implemented yet, yes, because he was waiting for the graduates.

Samy is mocking his members and the people especially the Indians. Rebranding means to infuse new ideas and direction to MIC which will win elections in the future and the party will not be discarded by the people. To arrive at the new ideas, one must analyse what went wrong and set about changing the short comings. The short coming factor is Samy and Samy alone. His arrogance, his cockiness that he knows all, his indifference to the plight of the Indians, his hate for Hindraf, his misuse of the party as a despot - are the reasons why MIC today is a splinter party on the throes of extinction and yet Samy believes otherwise.

His retort the Party will know when to rebrand the leadership, is a laughing matter. He can provide Kanchipuram silk sarees for the women or get A.R.Rahman to write the music for the party song, but without getting rid of the rubbish, the party will still sting. A single stroke of action to remove himself from the scene will see MIC rebranding itself without any cosmetic changes.

I read in Malaysiakini that Waythamoorthy believes the government revoked his passport in the hope that the British authorities would deport him to KL and be arrested under the ISA. Read it here. This in inter related to the rebranding of MIC, the Indians are hurt.

At the press conference, Samy Vellu also spoke on the rebranding of the party where he said the MIC had come up with a new tagline “A New Generation Party” but would maintain its theme “MIC Cares”.
Among the changes that it will bring under the rebranding exercise are a new logo, a new party song and new uniforms for the women, youth and puteri wings.
Samy Vellu said they would also ensure that 50 per cent of MIC members comprised youth.
Other changes include the establishment of a call centre that will be manned by two or three university graduates and launching of the MIC portal which will replace the previous website.
He said the re-branding exercise was necessary as the party needed a new approach to serve the community.
“If we do not keep up with the times, we may become irrelevant,” he said, adding that these changes would be presented at the MIC’s 62nd general assembly in July.
Asked about the leadership, Samy Vellu said: “We are re-branding the party now and the party will know when to rebrand the leadership.”

The New Straits Times Online……

Trying to run a family with just RM 1500 and one wife is a nightmare for residents of Kuala Lumpur. I suppose it is no better elsewhere. But then we are talking of women from Terengganu, hard working and earning money to upkeep the family. Can you beat it, he has 18 children. If he had been prolific as this with a business, I am sure he would be a millionaire many times over. But here again I am reminded you don’t expect to be paid for eating sugar cane - do I hear anyone saying where is the sugar cane orchard.

KUALA TERENGGANU: Odd-job worker Mohamed Nor Awang is not only planning to take a fourth wife 16 years younger than him but has received the blessings of his other wives.

Mohamed Nor, 51, had earlier told Syariah High Court judge Sheikh Ahmad Ismail Hakim that he was capable of supporting a fourth wife and would be fair to all his wives.

The court was not convinced and asked Mohamed Nor to submit an additional affidavit to back his claims.

It was reluctant to grant the father of 18 children permission to take another wife when he earned about RM1,500 a month.

Happy man: Mohamed Nor leading his wives Kalthum, Wan Rukiah and Noraini out of the Kuala Terengganu Syariah High Court yesterday. The court will decide on Sunday his application to take a fourth wife.

However, Mohamed Nor’s three wives – Wan Rukiah Mat Yusof, 52, Kalthum Dollah, 39 and Noraini Daud, 40 – asked the court to allow their husband to take a fourth wife.

During the court proceeding, Sheik Ahmad jestingly asked Mohamed Nor to reveal his secret.

To this Mohamed Nor replied: “I don’t have any secret but I believe I have been fair to all of them”.

Sheikh Ahmad also asked Mohamed Nor to prove through his bank account that he was financially able to support a fourth wife and to bring his prospective bride, Suzi Sulong, 35, together with a “wali” (man who gives away the bride) and the court would decide on his request this Sunday.

First wife Wan Rukiah said she had conceded to her husband taking two wives and had no qualms allowing him to take another.

“Go ahead, I have no problems,” she said.

Third wife Noraini agrees because she does want to see her husband register his fouth marriage in Thailand.

“We all could live blissfully under one roof,” she added.

Go on and marry No. 4, say wives of odd-job worker

Samy Vellu gets flabbergasted when anybody questions the financial activities of MIC. Let it be Maika Holdings, Telecom Shares or Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (Aimst) University, the financial balance sheets are the property of the President, which he keeps close to his chest. I am surprised Jumbo Maniam with his experience and understanding of his boss, dare raise a question on finances. For this he has been expelled from the party. If anyone out there thinks MIC is run like any other political organisation you are in for a surprise. Jumbo Maniam was asked why he had questioned the accounts, and whether he did provide an answer, I am not sure, but the efficient MIC administrators presented Jumbo Maniam with a letter that he is sacked. Poor Jumbo Maniam. How can he be so naive and ignorant, does he not know, how the monarch of MIC acts. Would it not be easier to change the name to Monarchy Of MIC and crown Samy Vellu as the King, not that he doesn’t do that now, but the least it can be made official.

Nijhar the former MP for Subang, is not known for his outbursts in public, he is a true-blooded Samy Vellu’s supporter, but what I can guess is that the atmosphere at the central working committee must have been at boiling point. Now, he must wait for the dreaded letter from the administrators of MIC, signed by Sam. How do you fight a King, and doing so is pure treason.

Talking of Kings reminds me of a Tamil film ‘Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulligesi’, Samy Vellu has out-classed the comedian Vadivelu, when he said, ‘dia punya hal, dia punya pasal’. That’s how Kings talk. Jumbo Maniam’s sacking is Nijhar’s hal, not the Kings, or for that matter his kingdom, Nijhar ‘cari pasal’.

One surely appreciates how the Kingdom of MIC operates, all Ministers in that kingdom must prostrate before the King Samy, and anyone not doing so, for a start, will be admonished in Bahasa Melayu, then followed by that letter - not sure of the language it is couched in.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC central working committee meeting yesterday was a stormy affair when party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and vice-president Tan Sri K.S. Nijhar were involved in a heated row.

As reporters waited outside the meeting room at the MIC headquarters, the doors flung open and a visibly upset Nijhar stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
He was overheard shouting: “I never knew you to be such a cruel man. How can you simply sack a man?”
Nijhar walked away in a huff, refusing to answer questions from reporters.
At a press conference immediately after the row, Samy Vellu was asked about Nijhar’s outburst.

The party president simply replied: “That’s his problem (dia punya hal, dia punya pasal). This is a party where people have the right to argue and discuss.”
It was later learnt that Nijhar was upset with the expulsion of former Kapar division chairman S. Subramaniam, better known as Jumbo Maniam.
Subramaniam later confirmed he had been expelled, but told the New Straits Times he did not know the real reason for his sacking. He suspected it was because of his statement in the Tamil daily Malaysian Nanban where he had questioned the accounts of the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (Aimst) University.
“First, I was asked to explain why I questioned the accounts. Then I received a letter from the MIC headquarters yesterday informing me that I had been sacked from the party,” he said.
At the press conference, Samy Vellu also spoke on the rebranding of the party where he said the MIC had come up with a new tagline “A New Generation Party” but would maintain its theme “MIC Cares”.
Among the changes that it will bring under the rebranding exercise are a new logo, a new party song and new uniforms for the women, youth and puteri wings.
Samy Vellu said they would also ensure that 50 per cent of MIC members comprised youth.
Other changes include the establishment of a call centre that will be manned by two or three university graduates and launching of the MIC portal which will replace the previous website.
He said the re-branding exercise was necessary as the party needed a new approach to serve the community.
“If we do not keep up with the times, we may become irrelevant,” he said, adding that these changes would be presented at the MIC’s 62nd general assembly in July.
Asked about the leadership, Samy Vellu said: “We are re-branding the party now and the party will know when to rebrand the leadership.”
On a another matter, Samy Vellu was asked if he was approached by Pakatan Rakyat to switch sides.
Initially he did not want to comment but when pressed further, the veteran politician said: “MIC will be with Barisan Nasional through thick and thin and has no intention to go anywhere.”

The New Straits Times Online…..