MONDAY BLUES - CAN BE GOOD TOO!

MONDAY CAN NO MORE BE JUST BLUES,
depending on how one looks at it.

SUBTITLE OF TODAY'S POST: Lameducks at MCA helmMy EstemedReaders, especially the Regulars, I presume there are Some? -- can judge for themselves why adopted this.


There is GOOG NEWS and BAD NEWS – very much in line and
/or against the grain and brain on normal MONDAY Morns, but Desiderata today is the messenger of both news of SALVATION, or DOOM (for the Chinese Community).
This is the first MONDAY after the second-ranked party in the 14-compoennt Barusan Nasional’s polls last Firday and Saturday – and the general populace look at the return of BOLEHLAND, Malaysian equivalent of NEVERLAND. If thou knoweth naught what NeverLand is, then you’ve also not heard of Jacko, you’ve not heard of That Thriller. Then you better BEAT IT!


In summary

The first-in-six-years MCA elections saw these events reminiscent of my childhood galfRiend Alice in WunderLand – Really.

•Q1: Does MCA have a strategy in facing Umno's unilateral declaration a few weeks back in adopting the New National Agenda that was bulldozed at the Umno general assembly and adopted for immediate implementation without prior consultation among BN component parties?

••ANSWER: In the omission of any visionary direction by the candidates competing for the top posts, e.g. ABSENCE of any Manifesto by incumbent/defending President ONG KA TING, versus contender CHUA JUI MENG who issued an impressive Manifseto of the NEW POLITICS (visit chuajuimeng.com).

•Q2: How does the Chinese press measure up to its role as an independent and responsible 4th Estate?

•*ANSWER: Except for the (according to myGOodFriend, a Chinese scholar I rate him, Mr Coww)OREINTAL DAILY NEWS, the rest of the Chinese online media failed in shaping of public opinion to in any objective, professional manner, because Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Daily News and their sister papers are are associated closely with MCA interests via shareholding by Hua Ren (as is THE STAR). This explains why Jui Meng’s Manifesto did not get any fair coverage in those mentioned papers (NO, I’m not repeating their names, otherwise their circulations may shoot through the roof. Follow brdudder Imran’s footstep – get the free copy of theSUN from the 7ELEVEN or SEVEN7 nearest thee!;).

From the outset, I have declared I have been an Opposition leaner since my thinking days (socialist, remember?), BUT I promised towards the closing of last week I would update a Commentary on Ling Hee Liong’s bid for deputy MCA chief’s post, which he had succeeded. And so here’s the first piece of

GOOD OR BAD NEWS!

*Q: The way to Ezy Money, HOW?

**ANSWER: The MCA youths can all now aspire to become millionaires by the age of 30, not an amibitious target.
Your deputy head became an instant paper-billionaire at the old age of 27! For the background, I reprise from my own column titled: JUI MENG TAKES SWIPE AT HIS PRESIDENT dated August 18, 2005.


"Here I wish to recall that Ling Junior in 1997/98 hogged the news spotlight. Indeed praised by THE STAR, as a role model-entepreuner the, when at age 27 years, he managed to borrow some RM1.2billion to take over control of at least FOUR LISTED COMPANIES. The youngest billionaire-on-paper whose financial resources seemd unlimted until the financial crisis hit the Southeast Asian region laid bare all theses follies of the banks, where mortals like you and I at age 30 would be hard pressed to borrow RM100,000 to buy our first roof over our head never did ask any due diligence questions to lend to the youngest billionaire then. No wonder these banks had to be bailed out and we tax-payers saw the very miscreants involved – bankers and BIG borrowers - not brought to any court to account for their actions which led to a national crisis.

Or have Malaysians forgotten and forgiven?" (end of extract)


NOTE that the elected Youth Chief is Liow Tiong Lai who won with 1,433 votes representing some 84% of the total votes cast had served long and well.BUT the elected deputy Ling Hee Leong got it Ezy, obtaining 690 votes that represent some 40.1% of the total votes cast.

The most outstanding feature is that:
Hee Leong's opponents Liew Yuen Keong and Loh Seng Kok, who garnered 526 and 420 votes respectively, were all seasoned politicians with a longer service record to their names compaed with Ling Junior’s,

*Q:So what could be the main REASON?

**ANSWER: In the words of many bloggers, even mainstream press commentaries, the conclusion is: the father's invisible hand. A former MCA President and Transport Minister could swing RM1.2BILLION facilities, what's a Deputy MCA Youth's position -- CHICKEN FEED!

Desiderata’s analysis is that incumbent Ong horse=traded with Ling Senior to ensure the junior’s victory in return for Ling’s Suppoeters’s votes against Chua Jui Meng. Just like back in 1997/98 in getting RM1.2BILLION bank facilities. Without ministerial backing from Dad, which banker would even let Ling Junior ask for RM1million?

Hey, I'm sure many of my Esteemed Readers have borrowed maybe just RM150,000 or even less (In Desi's case, just RM81,000 for a RM90,000 house...) to buy your first house (quite likelt at eraly 30s after slogging for 5-10 years), HOW MUCH HAZZLE DID YOU GO THROUGH, MAN/LADY?

But an interesting view from fellow Blogger JeffOoi’s screenshots last week:
“According to analyses in the Chinese papers, Hee Leong skewed his campaign by resorting to a 'turun padang' strategy that centres on the 吃喝玩乐 ( "eat drink play enjoy" ) culture.


And from the NEW SUNDAY TIMES yesterday, an extract from a good analysis by CHOW KUM HOR (go read, recommended by Desiderata, even if you have to spend RM1.20 to get a back copy, OK. Bro IM, Alright?):

Ling's son brings new equation into MCA
Ling Hee Leong's surprise election as MCA Youth deputy chief underscores an emerging but potentially troubling trend in the movement, writes CHOW KUM HOR.


“”**Your track record does not count. That sums up the results of the contest for the MCA Youth's no 2 post in the partry election last Friday.
Lim Hee Leong, the son of former president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, pulled off an upset by winning the post, getting 690 votes.
The Kuala Kangsar Youth head defeated two wakil rakyat who had dedicated more than a decade each a office-bearers in the movement's executive body, the central committee.

"So, how then could a 36-year-old with a negligible political resume, defeat bigger and more senior names to clinch the second highest position in the movement?
MCA=watcher and former editor of a Chinese daily, Ding Lee Leong, attributes it to Hee Leong's "quiet campaigning", which has been going on for years.


"But just what does Hee Leong’s election mean for the wing?

One immediate concern was whether the culture of “eat, drink, play and be merry" will seep into the party, if it has not already said Ding.

Based on Hee Leong’s success, future aspirants may spend more time in karaoke bars, restaurants or the greens to climb up the party ladder, rather than holding dialogues with Chinese community leaders or resolve Chinese education issues. (Desi’s emphasis)

Ding said Hee Leong’s election would hurt the MCA Youth’s image, an image contrary to the one party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting is trying to promote, which is a healthy political culture.**""


DESIDERATA won’t say more but conclude that MCA YOUTHs can now look forward to becoming instant millionaires. With a paper-billionaire as their leader, it will be CHICKEN FEED, wouldn't it?

BUT thinking Malaysian (Chinese) youth better reflect on the following wise words, from someone you either L’VE or HATE, no in-between as this Columnist had written in an earlier rumination.

From theSUN, August 22, 2005 page 2, (My copy is paid 30sen for, as I can’t get one cuppa the tarik with it, so it’s good food for thought! This is GOOD INVESTMENT< from Desi’s point of view, THINKING I mean, NOT FOOD-LAH! Makan-makan tiap-tiap hari kari mari lagi? – Mou kau zo! Moos mGf Mr Coww sitting just in front of me as I type, teh tarik and roti butter&kaya in front:



Mahathir: White-collar graft worrying

IPOH: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday expressed concern about corruption and power abuse among the highly-educated and those occupying senior positions in the government and private sectors. He said the problem arose because the educated groups did not believe in noble values.
“Education by itself is dangerous, those who are educated but lack noble good values will abuse their power and knowledge. The effects (of their wrong doins) will be worse than those (committed by) the uneducated lot,” he said in his speech at the fifth convocation of Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Bandar Seri Iskandar yesterday.
Mahathir, who is the UTP Chancellor, advised the graduands who would become the country’s future leaders not to be hasty in acquiring wealth to the extent that they did not care how they achieved it. -- Bernama (Again, Desi’s emphasis)

PS: Stop it, Coww. I was telling mGf to cease and desist from counting the hairs on my baldin keplapa – he just reached 999,999!
GoodDie, Mate!


If you spell dynasty (Ling-Lim, Lee, Chong, etc, sunote: ling and Lim are the same in Mandarin, difference in dialect&clans-lah...) the Oz way (borrowing from one of mGf in the plural, sssssSpirit), it spells as DieNasty, so appropriate.

YLChong is retiring for a dayOR2, don't know whether to laugh marching with the Salvation Army, or cry in desperation, at Doomsville.