Malaysiaku, Negaraku

  I have to be straight to the point. To those who think that Malaysia needs independent candidates to change the political landscape in the country, it is another form of deception that will end up everyone feeling disappointed.          In the major democracies around the world, there are only two major parties -- either the Republicans or the Democrats, the Labour or the Liberal. Before the formation of Pakatan, Barisan was the only coalition.            No matter how individual parties like PKR, DAP or PAS (when it was formerly under Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat) performed in the past, none of these parties could succeed in their march on their own to Putrajaya.          Politics in Malaysia or anywhere in the world has always depended on the strengths of the coalitions. Hence, in the more mature economies, you either vote for the Democrats or the Republicans.        ...

  I am finding it very hard to reconcile all the facts when I was told that the Opposition Members of Parliament had been issued three summonses each, totalling RM3,000.           In fact, a lot of the decisions made by the previous government under Mahiaddin Yasin and the present government under Ismail Sabri Yaakob simply do not make sense to me.           The special parliamentary sitting was already in session but after a few Covid-19 cases were detected, there was such a big commotion in parliament on the evening of July 29.            The hype was on the Delta variant, p resumably, and the special parliamentary sitting was conveniently cut short. Meanwhile, the number of cases are still hovering around 20,000 cases every day when the government announced that cinemas will be allowed to open soon. It just doesn't make sense at all!           Why do I say...

  (20+) SJ Echo - Posts | Facebook           What wrong did these peddlers commit to warrant a fine of RM2000 for selling or buying at traffic light junctions?           Sometimes, out of empathy, I would buy a bottle or two although I would never eat them straightaway until I have washed the contents thoroughly.           These young entrepreneurs are willing to work very hard to just earn a living. We may not know their family circumstances but the very fact that they are willing to work under extreme weather conditions tell us that they need the money for survival.          Hence, I cannot understand why a law has to be passed to stop such peddling. While I can understand that the traffic light junction is dangerous for such activities, to fine them RM2000 or put them in jail for six months is simply heartless.             In ...

            It is interesting to observe what is happening in Malaysian politics.          I will briefly share the pattern of what I see unfolding in Malaysia. Things may change as a result of exposure or some things may intentionally be floated as the red herring. But, as usual, we just have to keep watching.  Ismail Sabri is a temporary PM           Unless Ismail Sabri Yaakob becomes too comfortable as prime minister and refuses to vacate his seat, it is likely that he will vacate his post for one of his superiors or he will be booted out of Putrajaya in no time.           For this reason, Ismail Sabri was favoured compared to the other candidates contending for the post. Umno needed someone to warm the seat in order to block Anwar Ibrahim from becoming the prime minister.           Both Najib Abdul Razak and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi are...

  By Stephen Ng            I have been receiving phone calls and messages asking who I think should be the next Prime Minister.          My answer has always been, “I am not interested in speculating, and I am not a fortune teller.”          However, due to the question people posed to me, I decided once and for all to express my view.          My answer is: Anwar Ibrahim.          Why? For one thing, Pakatan Harapan won the general election with the understanding that Anwar would be prime minister and Dr Mahathir Mohamad was only interim prime minister.          Whether you like it or not, the combination that formed the coalition known as PH won the general election represents the mandate of the people. The people have hear...

    By Stephen Ng 4 August 2021 (Wednesday) ( Note: This article was originally written on 2 August 2021.  However, it was held back out of respect for the Director-General of Health and the difficult situation he finds himself in. However, tough questions have to be asked.  Of course, the PAC had had their meeting on Monday despite some initial hiccups. The PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh gave a press conference in the evening. I only decided to release this article, after reading Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman's comments in Free Malaysia Today )  To be fair to DG Noor Hisham, we will wait for his official statement about the number of cases of Covid Positive of Delta Variant in parliament recently. Apparently, he claimed that he was been misquoted by  The Star  article on the four Delta variant cases. Instead, there were a total of 23 positive cases during parliamentary session, and of this, six cases may be Delta positive based on the preliminary results. Confirm...