Foul!

Many of our leaders tend to live in a bubble, unaware of the real sentiments on the ground.  They hardly interact with those from all walks and are often advised by their lackeys — yes-men who are only eager to say nice things and will do whatever it takes to keep their jobs and to satisfy their egos. I’ve had the luxury of meeting a whole lot of people in recent months and when we spoke about GE14, many said: “Give me a reason to vote.” This explains the mission by political parties to quickly convert the very many fence sitters out there — especially the supposedly educated bunch who are quick to formulate opinions based on catchy headlines or unverified videos sent via Whatsapp or Telegram. The BN-Umno dilemma One of the people I spoke is a familiar face in the political scene. He said: “Let’s put it this way, even if an Umno or BN leader was telling the truth, it will still be viewed as a lie. That’s the current public perception. Only their machais wil...

As published in Malay Mail today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — The government remains unperturbed by negative comments from certain quarters over the country’s economy and is taking steps to improve its coffers, says Deputy Finance minister Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani. Johari downplayed an article by DMS Funds chief executive officer Peter Kohli, which said Malaysia “never really lived up to expectations” and “allegations of rife corruption in the government” were among reasons why investors should steer clear from the country.  The article was published on Nasdaq’s website on Friday. “We’ve heard such stuff from George Soros and other fund managers in the past. We are facing a lot of external factors (contributing to the poor economy), just like many other countries,” Johari said.  “The comment is no different from what we’ve have heard before. It’s a choice of where you put your money.” The Titiwangsa MP said Budget 2016 w...

It was an unnecessary comment that riled many. It also got some of us thinking — is there room for racism and politics in Malaysian sports? The Malaysian sporting fraternity is filled with politicians, literally. A quick check among the candidates who stood in the just concluded 13th general election says a lot. Kelantan FA president Tan Sri Annuar Musa won the Ketereh parliamentary seat. KLFA deputy president Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani is now the Titiwangsa MP. FA of Malaysia vice-president-cum -national team manager Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal lost his Taman Templer state seat while KLFA exco member Rusli Baba failed miserably as an independent candidate in Lembah Pantai. The outcome of the general election also saw unwarranted remarks made, fueling anger and hatred. One that certainly caught the attention of those in the sporting scene was a Facebook posting made by Malaysian National Cycling Federation deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad. Naim, who is a Bukit Cina (Malacca) ...

Barisan Nasional (BN) won with the final tally of 133 seats - seven lesser than that what was achieved by in 2008. However, the coalition party managed to win Kedah and Perak unlike the past election. The numbers see BN winning slim majorities in most areas - and the indication is clear. The outcry on social media is apparent and there is no point turning a blind eye. The same happened in 2008 when the government then decided to ignore blogs and online portals. It backfired. Social media was not treated seriously up until recently and this was evident based on the conversations that revolved around the masses and the political parties. To call it a 'Chinese Tsunami' - perhaps is not the right choice of words. It is also clear that MCA has lost the plot while the results show that most do not really agree "extremist views" - thus the number of seats PAS had lost.  DAP and PKR - some just love them, others fell in love with them for they are simply the alter...

While KLFA is struggling to find talents, they have certainly honed several budding politicians along the way. KLFA vice president Johari Abdul Ghani and exco member Rusli Baba ( pic, far left ) were among the names that popped up during the nomination process for the 13th general election yesterday. BN's Johari is contesting for the Titiwangsa parliamentary seat while Rusli - who was the former team manager - surprised many as he will contest as an independent candidate against heavyweights Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin (BN) and Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR) for the Lembah Pantai seat. For the record, KLFA president Astaman Abdul Aziz held the Titiwangsa seat after winning the 2004 election. Astaman is the son of former Umno veteran and cabinet minister Aishah Ghani who passed away on Friday. Read more in today's The Malay Mail on Sunday . Sadly, KL are placed 10th in the second-tier Premier League. HD says: Sincere condolences to Astaman and family; if only offici...