The Amazing Ibrahim Ali

Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali is an interesting case study in politics. This man was a nobody, a person that didn't figure in the political equation, somebody who only got the Pasir Mas seat due to the good grace of Nik Aziz and Pas.

And now, all of a sudden, he's the man in the media. Why? Perkasa. One wonders if Ibrahim formed the fascist Malay supremacist group after reading Mein Kampf or after signing up for the Benito Mussolini Appreciation Society.

Still, love him or hate him, one has to admit that his shock and awe approach to politics has worked. While his grassroots approach - speaking at ceramahs and such - has worked, it is his media bombardment that has brought him and his abrasive ideology to the attention of the greater public.

Ibrahim thinks nothing of spamming reporters a multitude of times every day. He thinks nothing of sending racially sensitive "media releases" to non-Malay members of the media. To the distinguished (ugh) gentleman (double ugh) from Pasir Mas, it is completely alright to send a nonsensical, bigoted SMS about, say, the Chinese race, to a Chinese reporter in the hopes it would be published.

But anyway, here are unedited and previously unpublished examples of some of the messages Ibrahim sends out. My thoughts are attached at the bottom.





AUGUST 26, 2010 (4:06pm)

ULASAN UNTUK MEDIA: K'yataan KJ nak keluar umno(ST.TIMES 26ogos) kalau majoriti ahli umno sokong Perkasa adalah lucu..Apa penyakit KJ?sakit jiwa.Mungkin tidak d lantik sbagai Tim.Menteri, maka kecewanya sudah climax dan jadi Perkasa sbagai alasan.Saya rasa ramai ahli umno gembira kalau dia letak jawatan atau tingal umno,kerana semasa BAPA MERTUA nya jadi PM,operasi Tingkat 4 d JPM jadi isu,menyebabkan antara punca BN dan UMNO kalah teruk PRUI2..Pd saya,tanpa nya mungkin rakyat lagi senang hati pd UMNO..apa pun kesian dia.dulu besar kepala..skg bila BAPA MERTUA TAK JADI PM,maka taring dah hilang,merapu tak tentu pasal.ok.dato ibrahim ali.

My take: KJ richly deserves whatever shit is thrown in his direction, considering the way he behaved when his father-in-law was in power. However, Ibrahim's attack just shows himself up as a vindictive man absolutely devoid of class. Jibes like sakit jiwa and merapu tak tentu pasal indicate a very small mentality indeed. This SMS, is, more than anything else, a tirade against a person who dares oppose him. Echoes of Uncle Adolf, anybody?


AUGUST 24, 2010 (4:32am - seriously)
Kenyataan: POLIS D DESAK SUPAYA SEGERA DAN MESTI BERJAYA MENANGKAP PENGKIANAT YANG Baling CAT MERAH dan 4 BOTOL ARAK Keatas SURAU SIKAMAT.N9.Polis berjaya dgn cepat menangkap mereka yg cuba membakar gereja dan sudah d penjara. Kes buang kepala babi dlm mesjid d PJ belum ada tangkapan dan sudah agak lama. Dlm kes surau d sikamat Polis d gesa segerakan tangkapan. SOI LEK JUGA WAJAR D DAKWA Kerana Menghasut SPT MANA GESAAN TINDAKAN THDP. GURUBESAR Siti Inshah Mansor...sama2 kita tengok..tk.TOK HIM.PREKASA.

My take: Ibrahim seems to think that police produce suspects and arrests from those little manbags they carry. Or is he implying that police should just round up the usual suspects and "produce" an arrest. And the baiting of Soi Lek has resulted in MCA now adopting a more "ultra" approach. The wheels of the bus go round and round...until they come off.


AUGUST 22, 2010 (11:15am)
KOMEN saya thdp Koh Soo Khoon yg tegur saya (Ibrahim Ali P.PERKASA) suruh ambil tindakan positif memperbaiki nasib Bumi bukan dgn hanya bercakap & melukai hati kaum lain.TAPI KAUM LAIN TAK LUKA HATI KAUM BUMI KE? Isunya, sbgai menteri perpaduan, kenapa dia tak tegur cina csl n dia + lcu kena bertanggung jwb membuat melayu p.penang merempat.3O% HAK YG TIDAK ADIL sbb bumi 67%.Nyatakan pendirian.Soon Koon juga adalah 'dlm one force'anti melayu cara halus.SIAPA TAK Hurmat Sosial Kontrak iaitu I53 boleh keluar Msia balek negara asal nenek monyang.Jgn .HIPOKRIT. Drp Dato Ibrahim Ali.

My take: Koh made an entirely fair comment about the need for Ibrahim to do something proactive to improve the lot of Malays. The statement must have hit uncomfortably close to home for Ibrahim, who came out with all guns blazing. Interestingly, he didn't deny hurting the feelings of other races, but merely justified it by claiming that the others have hurt the Malays too. A little tit for tat eh? Ibrahim claims that 30% of the economic pie is an unfair "right" as Bumis constitute 67% of the country's population. Thing is, your economic station is life is not a matter of right. The amount you earn and have is dependent on how hard and smart you work, save and invest. And once again, the old "go back to the land of your ancestors" argument is wheeled out. It's an old, tired and stupid argument. Many non-Malays - such as me - are fourth and fifth generation Malaysians, which is more than can be said of a lot of people who claim to be Malay these days. But that's the problem when a race is defined along the lines of language, religion and custom and not bloodline, isn't it?


AUGUST 16, 2010 (1:00pm)
Note: To All MALAYS and  friends.'I5TH OGOS YESTERDAY PERKASA HELD PC OVER THE ISSUES 'DEMAND FROM CHINESE CÖNGRESS'..STAR AND ST.TIMES NO COVERAGE AT ALL. Star reporter attended.Star have their own ajenda.news dap,pkr or pas good coverage. STAR own by MCA..but no problems..malays pls take note..tq.

My take: The man has the nerve to demand that Star and NST actually cover him and allege a conspiracy theory against him when they don't. The reason why he isn't covered is simple. He is a racist and a bigot and the two papers want to give him and his cock-eyed doctrine as little newsink as possible.


JULY 2, 12:45pm (he sent the message FOUR times!)
Statement.:refer to star repot 2day page n22..... I 'm prepared to be detained under ISA anytime if the police believe perkasa or me detremental to coutry security.i have been twice detained under ISA even thou i defended strongly ISA must be retained.THIRD TIME ISA 4 ME MEANS PHD IN ISA. And if i'm been detained,i will not question the police as some peoples or group who will accused the police wrongly detained,the govt cruel and all kinds of accusation.i believe msia police act profesionally.So no problem with me at all.i will not run away,hiding or getting support from other country as other leaders did..i dare to face all challenges and take full responsibilty what i did.i'm also not kind of person who made statement without using brain and later seek apology.this are all cowards.k.tq. Dato Ibrahim Ali.PRESIDEN PERKASA.


My take: Being detained under the ISA would be the best thing that ever happens to Ibrahim. The detention would elevate him from an being bit-part player in the national political scene to a martyr for his cause. Images of Gandhi, Mandela and Anwar Ibrahim probably flashed through his mind as he sent out this message.

These messages are just snippets of Ibrahim Ali's media blitz. He has sent many, many more messages over the last few months.

It's interesting that Ibrahim Ali, a so-called "independent" MP, comes out so frequently in support of Umno. He doesn't hesitate to bash Pakatan Rakyat or BN component parties like MCA. But he has never wavered in his support and endorsement of Umno.

The easiest explanation would be that this is due to his ties to the party - Ibrahim did, after all, contest the 1986 elections on an Umno ticket.

Still, one does wonder if he is Najib's ace-in-the-hole, wooing for Umno the hardcore Malay electorate while Najib prattles on about his 1Malaysia policies in the (vain?) hopes of regaining the support of the non-Malays.

Only time will tell.

How Much Do I Love United? This Much.

1) I sincerely believe that the team responds to the psychic managerial commands I send it during matches.

2) My days and weeks are affected by United results. If the team loses, I have a fucked up time until they win again.

3) I didn't kill myself as a teenager because I realised that death would render me unable to watch United games.

4) My online nickname when I first started to go online was RyanTheDevil. I still use that nickname today.

5) I once participated in an online poll, where I admitted that I'd let Ryan Giggs shag my wife.

6) My grandfather's name just about edges Eric and Ryan as preferred names for my sons. And that too, isn't 100% certain.

7) I have passed the Ernest Mangnall test and look down on those who haven't. And don't even let me get started on those who don't know what the Earnest Magnall test is.

8) I've read the history of United. Numerous times.

9) I Google Manchester United several times a day. Just to make sure nothing goes on without me knowing about it.

10) I have managed United so much in Football Manager that they've demolished Old Trafford and built a new stadium called Lourdes Park in my honour.

And, if you're wondering why I always say United and not Manchester United, it's because there is only ONE United.

Glory, Glory!

The POINT of It All.

"Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" by Paul Gauguin

It's probably the one question that's remained constant since the first caveman stood on his hind legs and began wanking. It'll probably be the last question the last man (or woman, let's not be sexist here) thinks before the earth:
a)  ends in a nuclear holocaust
b) gets zapped by creepy crawlies from outer space
c) is swallowed up by the sun's death throes
d) which actually is the galactic equivalent of salmon roe, gets gobbled up by a patron in a cosmic sushi bar

The question is, WHAT'S THE POINT OF IT ALL? It's a question that bugs me more often than not and now is one of those times. There's nothing like a long weekend, brought about by a bout of Friday illness, to turn one's mind to existential angst.

Seriously though, what's the point of it all? What's the point of waking up every morning, of dragging yourself to a job you either hate or are ambivalent about, just to make money to pay bills that you often generate in the course of your work? (After all, what's the main use of the car, other than ferrying you to work every day? How many business lunches does that gold card pay for?)

What's the point of getting into relationships, of getting married, of having kids if it only means that you're gonna spend the rest of your life struggling and slogging to ensure that your kids have the kind of middle-class upbringing and middle class education and middle-class approach to life that will only ensure that they too face more of the same challenges and problems and heartaches that face you now?

What's the point of going to your church/temple/mosque and pay your dues to God when there is no proof whatsoever that He/She/It is even listening? When's the last time that God came down from high to prove beyond a doubt that He/She/It exists and cares about what goes on in this globe?

Upon reflection, it sucks to live a middle class existence. Being born rich is, of course, brilliant. To want for nothing, to be able to live a life of indolence and never to have to worry about bills, or think twice about taking that family vacation or to have to save for a bloody year to afford a new TV set - that would be absolutely awesome. Yep, the rich have it good.

 Having been poor - and I mean really poor - I'd say one of its saving graces is that the hardscrabble existence leaves little time for any thoughts of a philosophical bent. Your thoughts are occupied by the here and now, as in, where do I go for my next meal and how do I make sure I have a roof over my head this time next month.

What's really fucked up about the middle class existence is that a person in this lifestyle, more than any other, is like a hamster caught in one of those fucking exercise wheels. There's simply no escaping it.

You want to leave your country and start over? Well, who's gonna take care of your aging parents? How are you gonna clear up your bills before you leave?

You want to leave the job you hate and pursue your life's dreams? Is it gonna pay as much as the job you hate? Is it even gonna cover the bills?

You want to learn a new language/skill/hobby? Can you fit it in between work/family/social commitments? Can you afford to give up those 14 overtime shifts in order to take up that Spanish course you always wanted?

Is this why, perhaps, that so many members of the middle class get caught up in movies/cigarettes/booze/drugs/etc? Each of these things, for better or worse, provides escapism, even if for a little while. And who could blame a person for wanting to escape the depressing humdrum existence that is the norm for most of us? Who doesn't want a life of pleasure, of adventure, of excitement, of deep insight and revelation, even if it's only for 2 hours and then too, only through chemical inducement?

Fuck it lah. Maybe life is just like Elbert Hubbard said - one damn thing after another. Or maybe it's more like Edna St. Vincent Millay's take - one damn thing over and over. Or maybe the point and purpose of life is closer to Agent Smith's opinion - "to end".

Edvard Munch thought life was a scream. 

Another Trip Down Memory Lane

Those old TV Pendidikan Sang Kancil cartoons sure did bring back a flood of sweet childhood memories. Not just from me, but from a lot of friends who saw the link I posted on FB. It was almost transcendental, the way so many people are affected and influenced by a shared childhood memory and the way it brought so many people from disparate backgrounds, areas and ages together.

The cartoons also reminded me of another treasured piece of childhood nostalgia - patriotic songs and jingles. And so I went a-searching on the Internet for what I could dig up. I found a few pieces, some of them in their original form, others not. Nevertheless, they were all delightful and more than a little sentimental.

What was sad though, was the cynicism with which many of the people reacted to them. They seemed to think it was all government propaganda and another evil Barisan Nasional plot, while it was in fact, nothing more than patriotic jingles or motivational tunes or civic songs. Oh well, some people will be haters no matter what.

For those that aren't, feel free to take another stroll down memory lane.

SEJAHTERA MALAYSIA

SENYUM SEINDAH SURIA

INILAH BARISAN KITA

FIKIRKAN BOLEH

SETIA