Advertisers, Are You Listening?

I think by now, regular readers of Crankshaft are aware that the blog owner has a very low tolerance for the stupid people of the world.

Very high on that list of stupid people are those behind the mainstream media of Malaysia.

The people running the show behind the stacks of newsprint have had their collective brains so ridiculously short-circuited that they are unable to think beyond what their masters command.

Frankly, I thought the fear-mongering, taking-out-of-context, and just plain nauseous snivelling would end after we denied BN their two-thirds majority.

Turns out I was wrong. Very wrong.

Some say old habits die hard. And our mainstream media have been spinning for their bosses for a very long time. They need to be rehabilitated. Or euthanised.

Last December, a few of us agreed that we should boycott the newspapers. Somehow, we didn't get round to it - possibly because we were busy trying to whip the Opposition into becoming something decent enough that we could vote for.

But the time has come for us to resurrect the plan and put it into motion, because it sure as hell is a good move in possibly having some freedom of press in the distant future.

Officially today, we (that's me and a lot of other smart people) have started by refusing to buy the worthless crap that the mainstream media has the gall to call "news".

But refusing to purchase their tree-killing, habitat-diminishing, global-warmth-inducing bit of pulp fiction isn't going to make a dent on their finances. Barely.

And frankly folks, I don't believe in tickling their sides nor do I indulge in peek-a-boo with their sorry asses. I say bring them to their knees! Go for the jugular!

"How, Crankshaft?" you ask.

Simple. The Advertisers.

Now these folks spend pots of dosh just to get noticed. They're worse than Paris Hilton or Victoria Beckham or Lindsay Lohan.

If we just dropped some subtle (or maybe not so) hints that we will ignore them and their products if they continue to advertise with the mainstream media, perhaps they may come round to our point of view.

…By advertising your products and/or services in the MSM (newspapers, TV & radio), your company is directly supporting and sustaining the propagation of lies and half-truths, the censorship of information and the suppression of alternative viewpoints. Surely this is against the aim of any company that seeks to be a responsible corporate citizen!

…We trust that you, too, will recognize the value and the virtue of a free and fair press and hope that your company can stand on our side. Therefore, we respectfully ask that your company stops contributing to the revenue of the MSM by ending your advertisements or, at the very least, significantly reduce your advertising expenditures immediately.

What we need to do now, folks, is to get started on writing to these lovely advertisers. Haris has a list of them on his site. Download the PDF and scan for those that you patronise and get their email addresses.

Unfortunately, some websites have forms to fill with a lot of details before a feedback comment can be sent off. I personally vow to wade through these.

But before that, there are some with email addresses:-

Carrefour head office: hqmy@carrefour.com
Giant & Guardian: customerservice@giant.com.my
Jusco: feedback@jusco.com.my

Enough to get started anyway.

Sultan Disses Terengganu MP

Frankly speaking, this post should be entitled, "Barisan Nasional disses The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong" because that's what it really is.

You certainly won't see this in the BN controlled mainstream media.

Malaysia's ruling party in tussle with palace over state chief

A political crisis was developing in Malaysia on Sunday after royalty in one of the country's states appointed a new chief minister in defiance of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's wishes.

Terengganu is the only state that has yet to install a government head 14 days after elections in which Abdullah's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)-led ruling coalition suffered its worst ever results.

Abdullah's weakened Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition retained control of the northern state's assembly but his nominee for chief minister, incumbent Idris Jusoh, was unacceptable to the palace, who appointed UMNO assemblyman Ahmad Said instead.

"Ahmad Said has been appointed as the new chief minister and we are in the midst of stripping him of UMNO membership because he has defied the wishes of the party and president," UMNO state liaison secretary Rosol Wahid told AFP.

"We have already submitted a memorandum to the palace indicating that 22 out of the 24 BN state assemblymen support Idris Jusoh as chief minister," he said.

Rosol said members of the assembly were also planning a no-confidence motion against Ahmad.

The Sultan of Terengganu is at present the Malaysian King and has by law delegated his powers to his son who is only eight years old and so co-reigns with a three-member Regency Advisory Council.

Ahmad received his appointment letter from the Council early Sunday morning and is scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday, according to palace officials.

Analysts say the clash between the Terengganu palace and Abdullah's government is symptomatic of the prime minister's weakened position after the large poll losses.

"Abdullah was already weak to begin with and the crisis in Terengganu it just shows how much more worse off his position is," Tricia Yeo, who heads the centre for public policy studies, told AFP.

"It shows the rampant infighting within the party that is now preventing the government from getting down to rule the country," she added.

"It is definitely a low point for UMNO."

It seems that UMNO can do no right.

As far as I can remember, this is the first time a Sultan has disagreed with Barisan Nasional's choice of candidate as Menteri Besar.

This time, the Sultan happens to be the Agong, the supreme ruler.

It doesn't seem to worry UMNO the least bit to go against his wishes in spite of all the thrashing they've received in the hands of the citizens.

The concept of "Daulat Tuanku" is the last thing on their minds.

This is beyond menderhaka. This is flashing a finger to the YDP Agong when they boycott his decision to appoint Ahmad Said as MB of Terengganu.

In fact, it has ascended to the very heights of super-biadap!

Of course, it's very interesting that the Agong flatly refused to re-appoint the incumbent, Idris Jusoh.

The news on the ground is that Idris Jusoh was hopelessly corrupted and practised blatant discrimination against those constituencies in Terengganu that were under the rule of PAS.

And then, his deplorable handling of the Batu Buruk issue evidently did not go unnoticed.

The Sultan of Terengganu obviously had been observing in silence. The Constitution provides that he does not issue public statements, so we generally have no idea of his stand on certain issues.

But I think his action has spoken volumes this time.

Had Enough Of The Lies Yet?

Go to The People's Parliament.

And for the love of God, cancel that subscription of worthless paper. How many cats and dogs do you have that you need to line their litter box? And how much garbage do you generate that you need to wrap it up with so much newspaper?

Save the planet. Save the trees. Stop buying paper that has no worth.

It Ain't Over Til The Fat Lady Sings

There was a whole lot of speculation on the outcome of the cabinet line up.

But no one expected the fat lady to be elbowed out.

At least, I didn't.

Well, she certainly had a big mouth and an incredibly domineering personality to boot.

She appeared to take delight in telling her detractors exactly what she thought of them.

Thierry Rommel, (former EU envoy) has been dismissed as having an "attitude problem" and Michael Backman was told in no uncertain terms that she did not care about what he said.

Unsurprisingly, she did manage to gain the attention of foreign correspondents.

Perhaps the length of her service in the government had them thinking she was a permanent fixture in the parliament. Her departure obviously has them surprised.


Jonathan Head of BBC calls her tough-talking.


John Burton of Financial Times refers to her as old-guard.

I think we can all agree our corrupted AP Queen deserves to be retired to green pastures (and I'm being kind here) but I'm just wondering why Abdullah chose to drop her while maintaining Nazri Aziz and Muhammad Muhammad Taib, two buffoons known for their unrestrainable motor-mouths.

At least Rafidah Aziz, in spite of her blind advocacy of the NEP, was reasonably competent in her field, having both the knowledge and enthusiasm for trade & industry to bring Malaysia to the forefront.

As yet, there's no word from her.

The New Breed Of Malays

I get the impression that Nazri is trying to fan the flames while maintaining the facade of "championing the rights of Malays".

I honestly don't think Nazri gives two sh!ts about whether his fellow Malays become successful or not. He's more concerned about whether his pockets are lined through this corrupted policy.


Actually, it really appears like he's taunting them. Check out how he keeps repeating the words "rights" and "merit" like he doesn't believe that they could be accorded that merit without the special rights.

“We (Umno) have to really sit down and think. It looks like the educated Malays do not care about Malay rights anymore,” he said when contacted.

“The Malay doctors, lawyers, engineers feel they have made it on their own merit.

“It looks like the NEP is not something that can be used to persuade the Malays to support the Barisan Nasional.

“The Malays are saying ‘you can’t scare us by talking about us losing our rights, because we are here on our own merit’.”

Nazri said it looked like some Malays felt that the NEP was unfair, and questioned why special rights should be given to the Malays.

He described the new confidence among the Malays as good for the Malay psyche.

Like you've ever bothered about the Malay psyche, Nazri. You've always needed them to be stupid, subservient and unable to think for themselves.

Otherwise, they'd never have voted for you or your racist party.

Unfortunately for you, a lot of them have wised up. A lot of them DO deserve the credit, but no one accords them with it, because it is assumed that their success was due to an artificial boost in the form of "special rights".

They're sick of not being taken seriously; instead being disrespected by the others in Malaysia. Going abroad doesn't help much.

During my undergraduate studies in Malaysia, I took 4 semesters of German, planning to further my studies with a postgraduate degree in Germany. My German lecturer was very enthusiastic about my plans.

He suggested I get a scholarship after enrolling into a German university. He was confident that I'd get it. "Just remember to tell them that you're NOT MALAY, and have not been molly-cuddled with any of that special-rights rubbish," he advised.

So apparently, even the Europeans are aware of this nasty little scourge called the NEP. I thought it was only Thierry Rommel.

The poor Malays.

They can't get any respect here, and they can't get it abroad.

The only way out that I can see is to start anew, abolish the NEP and earn the respect based on merit alone.

But I have faith in some of my Malay friends. I'm sure they can overcome this. And I know that if they make the first step to stand on their own, the rest of us will start respecting them.

Related:
Malays Migrating? - Surind

Free Political Detainees From ISA!

Oh for the love of God, now that we have some semblance of democracy, why are the political detainees under the draconian ISA still inside?

If there was a crime associated to the arrest, then fine, continue with the legal proceedings. But half the inmates of Kamunting are there merely because they dissented with the wrong person.

And that person usually being someone with political clout.

As far as I know, the HINDRAF men (one of whom is our elected representative) are still inside. They pose no threat (except perhaps a stampede of adoration from the Indian diaspora) and should be allowed to go free.

Can we stop wasting their time (and our taxpayer money) and get them out of there?

A Message For The UMNO Boys....

... from your tai ko:


Najib said, "Malaysians did not go to the streets to voice their dissent, as street demonstrations were not part of the Malaysian culture."

UMNO boys, are you Malaysians or not?? Your boss doesn't seem to think so.

Of course, he is under even bigger delusions. He said, "If they (the Opposition during the Bersih rally on Saturday) can gather 10,000 people, the Government through Barisan Nasional can gather even more people."

Sorry, dude. The crowd barely reached 1000.


Najib reiterated that street demonstrations only produced negative effects on the national economy, besides inconveniencing the people.

“Businesses are affected and the people are also inconvenienced by a few days of traffic jams as police set up roadblocks,” he said.

Penang UMNO boys, evidently, you're nothing but an inconveniently negative effect on the national economy. But hey, that's not me shooting my mouth off. It was your boss who said so.

Najib's words are especially hysterical in hindsight. He blabbers on about how Barisan Nasional was adored by the Indian community:

He pointed out that if the Government had practised discriminatory policies against the Hindus as claimed by Hindraf, the Indian community in the country would not have supported the Government all this time and Barisan Nasional would not have been able to achieve big victories in elections.

Now we all know how that ended, so I will try to keep from rubbing salt into raw wounds. :)


However, I'm still awed by the difference between the BN administration and the DAP one. One tries to sweep the matter under the carpet, while the other believes in allowing freedom of expression and listening to all grievances.

This, is what democracy is all about.

Treachery - Our Tabloids Spin Themselves Dizzy!

Apparently March 15 is World Treachery Day. This is according to our tabloids (which are often mistaken for mainstream media).

Very few know that in Malaysia, there is no such thing as mainstream media, only government controlled tabloids, dodgy as that sounds.

Right on the front page of the New Straits Times, vague references to Brutus and Julius Caesar are drawn. Strategically located next to it are comparisons between Mahathir & Tunku and Mukhriz & Abdullah.

Like father, like son.

Mukhriz echoes his father in calling for Abdullah's resignation. The NST makes it seem like it was a turn about face. Not at all.

It was Mukhriz's stand from the beginning that Abdullah should step down. Our spin-doctors tried to alter the original meaning and hope the letter would never be found.

Their hopes were in vain. A copy of Mukhriz's letter to Mahathir was published in mypaper and every other blogger and his dog published it. That meant that every other net surfer, his brother and their collective dogs were circulating it and disseminating the information.

Read the letter at Rocky's Bru.


Abdullah evidently doesn't want to leave. Consistent to his "nice-guy" image, he has left the matter to UMNO Youth head Hishammuddin Hussein aka keris-waver.

They can't sacrifice Mukhriz as an MP because their numbers in parliament are few. Yet, the only recourse seems to be some form of disciplinary action.

But whatever. The bickering hardly bothers me. UMNO will be the death of themselves, bless their little black hearts.

Abdullah Stokes Racial Tension

I tried to stay away from this issue, but evidently I can't.


Penang is the first to set up government so obviously, it's doing a lot of trailblazing into a virgin territory of sorts. I find it impressive that Lim Guan Eng has set out to clean up his state immediately without sticking around to play PR games.

Obviously the Abdullah administration doesn't like it. So what does the head honcho do? Well, stoke flames of course. Try and incite racial tensions by implying Guan Eng is infringing on minority rights.

Let's dissect the news report of his lame rhetoric:

PUTRAJAYA: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was warned by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not to make statements that could stoke racial tensions.

Lim, after his swearing-in as the new Penang Chief Minister on Tuesday, told reporters that the DAP-led state government would not practise the New Economic Policy (NEP).

Lim had also said that the NEP, which was introduced in 1971 after the May 13, 1969, racial riots to eradicate poverty and restructure society, was the source of “cronyism, corruption and inefficiency.”

I couldn't agree more. About time we stopped fooling ourselves that it has eradicated (or even come close to it) poverty.

Abdullah told Bernama in between meetings with top civil servants at his office here that the NEP had in fact benefited everyone.

“I would like to ask the DAP which community has been made poorer because of the NEP,” he said.

A very good question, Abdullah, which I can answer. The Malay community, of course. They have systematically been denied of equal education as the non-Malays by allowing them into sub-standard ones like matriculation instead of STPM.

This has created a domino effect, where they are forced to enter Malay dominated fields, such as government service or join the police, army, navy, air force, customs department, etc., where the salaries are very low.

Those who have managed to break into multi-national corporations are paid lower than their non-Malay counterparts because their skills are lacking and sometimes their command of the English language is left wanting.

Most are aware that they're not competent enough and have low self esteem. This kind of psychological distress is unnecessary.

Believe me, the NEP has done much more harm than good.

“The (Penang) state government must not try to create an atmosphere which can cause racial tensions,” warned Abdullah, who is also head of Penang Umno.

He also said that the new state government in Penang should not marginalise the Malays, who are the minority in the state, and other minority groups like the Indians.

“Do not marginalise the Malays. I want to ask Lim Guan Eng what his plans are for the Malays in Penang? What are his plans for the Indians in Penang? What are his plans for other minority groups in Penang?”

Now this is when yours truly gets royally pissed off. I have 3 words for Abdullah: GO TO HELL!!

I am warning you, Sir, do not drag the issue of Indians into this matter. The issue of Indians is the last thing on your mind unless you are intent on spraying more chemical-laced water or hurling tear gas on them for good measure.

I don't know about the Malays, but Indians would like to be treated merely as normal citizens with no additional, fringe benefits.

Indians are not retarded, so they do not need crutches and wheelchairs thrown at them under the disguise of 'help'. An equal policy, a transparent one will be enough to enable them to compete on equal footing. And they certainly do NOT need a 'special' plan based on skin colour.

The prime minister gave an assurance that the federal Government would continue to look after the lower-income groups in the state and would also continue with the special assistance programmes for the bumiputras.

Yeah sure. And pigs fly, too.

Of course, Abdullah's racist stance has obviously upset a few in Penang. However, UMNO could never be credited for being original. My personal take on that is because they ceased thinking a long time ago.

Nevertheless, a few have taken to the roads to demonstrate their protest against the non-practise of the NEP at Penang state level. Now these clowns have obviously no clue about the purpose of a protest, demonstration or rally.

BERSIH and HINDRAF took to the streets because for ages, their proposals and requests were made to deaf ears. So this disorganised little social gathering that UMNO put up (with the help of a few random banners) was unnecessary because Barisan Nasional controls the freaking media, after all!!

They also forgot their memorandum. :) Ah well.

It didn't perturb the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who appeared not to have even batted an eyelash as he took it in his stride.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.

Of course, it seems to have escaped Barisan Nasional that street protests "are not our culture".

DAP - Practise What You Preach!

WHAT ON EARTH??

After all that sanctimonious sermons about equality and putting to death of our racial sentiments, our neighbourhood friendly DAP head honcho goes back on his word.

You see, the root of the problem is that these fresh-faced Chinese DAPpers are not ready to accept the Malays as their equals. Definitely not enough to agree to have a PAS-member of a Menteri Besar at that.

And why would they? The Chinese and Indians have been brainwashed for years by Barisan Nasional to believe that the Malays are inferior to them, hence the need for 'Malay special rights' and consequently the NEP.

And the Malays strongly believe they cannot live without additional help. Except for the new breed like Nik Nazmi, Badrul Hisham Shaharin and others who could probably stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the non-Malays.

This new breed is what will make Malaysia a highly competitive nation in the future. Enough to trounce Singapore, hopefully. :)

But really, it's time to stop the Chinese chauvinism, DAP! Even if they ARE sentiments reflected by those who voted you in. I highly doubt it though.

The Malays and Indians have voted in the Chinese. The Chinese and Indians voted in the Malays. And the Chinese and Malays have voted in Indians.

We have transcended the boundaries of ethnicity when we voted in our representatives!

We are beyond the petty issues like the colour of our skin.

Though I wouldn't completely blame Lim Kit Siang. I can imagine what it looks like especially with MCA trying to rub in the fact that a PAS leader (supposedly feared by self-respecting Chinese) is in charge of the Perak state.

Seriously, I can picture the snivelling face of Ong Ka Chuan as he eagerly tries to disseminate Barisan Nasional style disunity among the residents of Perak.


What on earth does this pansy mean by, "Having a mentri besar from PAS creates fear among non-Muslims. This also creates political instability"??

See, I've told you before that being a member of Barisan Nasional qualifies you lifetime membership of Idiots-R-Us. All BN goons are good at blabbering keywords like 'fear' and 'political instability'. They have never been able to justify their position, however.

As for the people of Perak, would you prefer this kind of MCA leader to a PAS leader? Haven't you been sodomised enough by Barisan Nasional policy? Or are you anal (pun intended) enough to want to remain under their rule?

I don't see what the non-Muslims have to fear. This Nizar, if Malaysiakini is to be believed, sounds like a reasonably decent guy:

Nizar apologised for causing some anxiety among the public in the late announcement of the post.

“I would also like to give my assurance that all state decisions will be made collectively,” he told reporters.

Nizar, 51, is one of the professionals who made it to the top echelon of the PAS leadership in the state.

An engineer who obtained his degree from United Kingdom’s Aston University of Science and Technology in Birmingham, Nizar was highly respected for being a Quran reading champion.

“He is the religious type and a successful businessman,” said cousin Shuib Hussin, 70.

Meanwhile, close friend Khalilul Rahman Abdul Samah described Nizar as a down-to-earth person.

“He has good rapport with the people. I was with him once when he stopped by the roadside to help some stranger fix his car.”

You wouldn't dream of seeing any Barisan Nasional freak on the way from the golf course to a buffet dinner getting out of his Mercedes to help a stranger. No way.

And I'm quite amenable to the religious types, as long as they aren't the BN-type 'religious'. You know the type - pray 5 times a day but take bribes and practise corruption 5 times a day for good measure.

Sean-the-man has some words for the new Menteri Besar:

If you even breathe the words 'NEP, haram, tutup aurat' when it comes to state policy or take any steps to make my pork noodles, Toto and Guinness Stout less accessible than usual, you'll be bitch slapped so fast that your head will spin. Shit like that is okay in 95% Muslim Kelantan, but not in 47% non-Muslim Perak.

But somehow, I doubt these PAS fellows are as radical as they're made out to be by our MSM spindoctors.