The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet Ministers’ Hari Raya Open House at Sri Perdana on the first day of the festivities on Sunday had a good crowd, but it is a fallacy to automatically equate Najib’s Hari Raya Open House crowd with support for his 1Malaysia slogan.
The mainstream media refer to a crowd of 50,000 to 60,000 for the Prime Minister’s Open House at Sri Perdana on Sunday.
If crowd numbers is a measure of public support for the incumbent Prime Minister’s policies and slogans, then how is one to interpret the crowd sizes of Hari Raya Open Houses of previous Prime Ministers, Tun Abdullah and Tun Mahathir?
A check with reports of past years will show the following crowd numbers cited in the mainstream media for Abdullah’s six Hari Raya Open Houses during his tenure as Prime Minister:
| 2003 | 70,000 | (NST 26.11.03) |
| 2004 | 200,000 | (NST/Malay Mail 16.11.04) |
| 2005 | 100,000 | (Malay Mail 5.11.05) |
| 2006 | 200,000 | (Berita Harian 26.10.06) |
| 2007 | 200,000 | (NST 15.10.07) |
| 2008 | 200,000 | (Harian Metro 3.10.08) |
With Najib’s first Hari Raya Open House crowd reported as 50,000 to 60,000 in the mainstream media, is this an indication of reduced support for Najib and his 1Malaysia slogan as compared to the public support given to his predecessor not only after Abdullah won the biggest-ever Barisan Nasional electoral mandate in the March 2004 general elections but also after he had suffered the worst Barisan Nasional electoral defeat in the political tsunami of March 8, 2008 general elections?
For both occasions in November 2004 and October 2008, the mainstream media reported 200,000-strong crowds for Abdullah’s Hari Raya Open House.
Or were these crowd figures during Abdullah’s premiership completely unreliable and unfair to Najib as they were very inflated figures multiplied three or four-fold?
As for Mahathir’s Hari Raya Open House as Prime Minister, Berita Harian reported in 2002 a crowd of 50,000. (BH 17.12.2001)
Be that as it may, the lesson to be drawn is that one should not succumb to the fallacy of automatically equating the Prime Minister’s Hari Raya Open House crowd with support for his 1Malaysia slogan, especially when Najib is very ambivalent as to its real meaning, sending out conflicting messages of what he himself understood as 1Malaysia.
This was illustrated by his Hari Raya Message where he called on Muslims and the people of Malaysia to strengthen harmony and break down any prejudice for the sake of the future generation.
While this call finds common support, his subsequent statement deploring ”certain quarters who peddle hatred and try to deny this” highlights how polarized and divided Malaysians have become – with Malaysians sharply divided as to who are these “certain quarters who peddle hatred and try to deny this” with the Shah Alam cow-head protest sacrilege as the latest example.
1Malaysia would have halted the brain-drain of the best and brightest of Malaysians overseas. But there are no such signs. Confidence in Najib’s 1Malaysia cannot be high when a commentator ended his article yesterday about the dilemma of the Malay middle class with the question: “Is it any wonder that some Malays – some of the best and brightest – are starting to vote with their feet?” (Karim Raslan – “Caught between two extremes” Star 22.9.09)
If the nation is moving towards 1Malaysia, we should become increasingly competitive internationally, but three recent indicators show the reverse is the case for Malaysia – that we are losing in the international competitiveness race, viz:
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Three-place fall from 21st to 24th ranking in World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010;
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Two-place fall in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings 2009 from 21st to 23rd placing.
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A net FDI outflow of US6 billion in 2008, more than double the US$2.7 billion net outflow posted in the previous year – Unctad’s World Investment Report 2009 released last week.
Time is running out for Najib to salvage the 1Malaysia slogan before it is dismissed as an empty and meaningless motto like previous slogans of his predecessors.
Who pays for the open house. Is it not buying support?
I saw a stream of ants marching up my palm tree in the back garden yesterday. There must have been hundreds of thousands of those little inserts.
Well that is proof that 1malaysia is alive and therefore najib is well liked. Najib boleh, malaysia boleh.
Is this another test for Najib?
Election di Johol??
dengar2nya bakal ada election di DUN Johol… biar betul??
Belum pun pilihanraya kecil Bagan Pinang bermula, Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) petang semalam baru menerima satu lagi Surat Perletakan Jawatan dari Adun Johol, Barisan Nasional. Punca pengutusan surat tersebut kerana ADUNnya sedang bersabung nyawa; akibat penyakit kanser tulang tahapan ketiga/genting…
sumber TKOdaily..
the attendants at OPEN house is due to the locality this year and so no comparison.
pw: 1/8-inch johnie
Ha, ha, is this an indicator fr KTK
Crowd number at a free makan event an indicator of popularity
It’s limbo rock time – How low can you go
I almost wanted to fly in and check out in person this man, this PM and size up his body language what chicanery he is capable of.
Thank God, I didn’t. I wud have ended up as a statistic that I supported his 1Malaysia slogan becos of some sticks of satay!
Najib should stop using the empty 1Malaysia slogan to woo support of the rakyat, but rather, embark on solid meaningful reform of the outdated NEP, judiciary, and the police force to regain confidence of the rakyat and foreign investors.
With nothing much to do, Malaysians usually go for the free food and maybe sight-see a little bit.
Minus the free grub, see how many will turn up?
And who pays for all this free stuff?
I wish you wouldn’t keep mentioning the brain drain.
I feel statistically less intelligent every time.
60,000 people attended Najib’s Hari Raya open house with young children and teenagers taking up more than half the number, it means there were about 30,000 adults. Take away 5,000 from NGOs and opposition party members who attended the function out of courtesy; and another 5,000 who went there for ‘free makan’, the figure is reduced to 20,000 people. Assuming that 2,000 out of the 20,000 are non-supporters of Najib, we can safely assume that members from UMNO Baru, MCA, MIC and Gerakan made up the last remaining 18,000 people. So, what’s the big deal?
The sign is very clear. Hainanese people will say ” ti tee ngeh gai” ( sure to die ) Goodbye Najib, goodbye UMNO Baru, good bye BN.
Ya, it is fallacy to equate crowd size at PM’s Hari raya Open House with popularity or otherwise of him or 1Malaysia slogan.
Last year PakLah’s 200,000 ‘guests’ included HINDRAF’s and RPK’s supporters and anti ISA protesters attending the Open House to bring their protest to the doorstep of the then PM.
This year’s smaller numbers could be due in part to rain, H1N1 scare (seems strange to weak face face masks to Open House) and the many who went on holidays (because of 2 week school holidays continuing through Hari Raya 1st day)!
The showcasing of Karim Raslan’s article “Caught between 2 extremes” could not be the best example to show waning confidence in Najib’s 1Malaysia (though the writer does mention about “we desperately want Umno to clean up its act, to reform and repent, but this seems increasingly unlikely”) when the same article also equally expresses lack of confidence by middle class Malays in Pakatan Rakyat’s politics – as when he writes: –
“///……At the same time PAS’ antics in Selangor in particular remind us of what the Ullama-led party is capable of when the opportunity arises. The constant pressure to take the moral high ground, neglecting more serious governance and social issues, reveals the conservative faction of PAS’ narrow-minded bigotry at its very worst. However, when it comes to social and moral issues (as in Selangor) the party’s (ie PAS) stance is worryingly extreme and at times downright frightening… We desperately want Umno to clean up its act, to reform and repent, but this seems increasingly unlikely…./// “
What Karim Raslan basically says is that according to Malay Middle class’s perception, its a from boiling pot to a frying pan situtaion, there being little hope if BN remains in power with chances of it re-inventing or reforming being “unlikely” – and at the same time, there is also litle hope if BN were booted out by Pakatan Rakyat when “Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has all but disappeared from view and PAS is seeking to dominate Pakatan’s social policies.”
This is evident when Karim Raslan says, “So where does that leave the Malay middle class? The Malay middle class is caught in a no-win situation. Is it any wonder that some Malays – some of the best and brightest – are starting to vote with their feet?”
Its ok orangrojak. After a while the difference between you and the rest of us will simply vanish. You will then become a true Hamba deBully – just like everyone else here. Look at lembudin. He has a cowhead fitted by mistake and he doesnt even know it.
Hahaha, Hari Raya Open House crowd is a measure of how many people wants free makan.
More accurately, Hari Raya Open House crowd is a measure of the popularity of the previous year’s food and by inference, the skill of the previous year’s cooks and crooks.
Definitely for FREE FOODS.
What if, there is an entrance fee RM20.00.
What would be the turnout?
I was hoping to reassure Hornbill that he’ll be able to look forward to Living the Malaysian Dream in a few years’ time, instead of living in fear of Becoming a Malaysian Statistic.
Jeffrey’s reminder that the prospect is actually a bit dimmer (which came first, the brain drain or the fear of being eternally governed by idiots?) put the kibosh on that.
I think we have to accept that the outlook for the short term is not good, and hope that all Malaysians will individually become more politically active. The biggest mistake is to imagine that any person or party is a winning lottery ticket. I hope any day soon to have seen my last larger-than-life poster of any Malaysian politician. Why would anybody think they need marketing?
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kibosh
hahahahahahaha…Najib is so proud.
And he said “1Malaysia” works.
If further analysis made…it must show less hungry Muslims and increased by many smart hungry voters have a good time…eat all..and..when time is right.
Play how to agree to disagree with their mouth and stomach is best……hahahahahahaha.
Leave it to the sly fox Mahathir….giving his opinion on the coming by-election in Negri.
He said…UMNO should win…which we all know…that also.
But he said…if UMNO wins…it shows Malaysians support of UMNO have increased.
Naturally…if by some miracle…UMNO should loose ..as this was won by a huge huge majority by UMNO before….than Samy Vellu will be the scapegoat.
UMNO is never wrong. It’s always.some guys in BN that spoils UMNO good reputation and standings with voters.
By the way…Mahathir tells UMNO .. not t be corrupted.
“A net FDI outflow of US6 billion in 2008, more than double the US$2.7 billion net outflow posted in the previous year ”
Do Najis and all his cronies know how serious the FDI outflow problem is?
Do they care at all?
The FDI is by far the biggest private employers and biggest hard currency earners in Malaysia. When they are gone, most of the SMIs will collapse. Unemployment rate will easily shoot up to 15%!
Do the UMONOputra b#stards really care at all?
if its true that roughly 60,000 people came to najib open house, food and drink (rm30 per head) would cost rm1.8 million . there’s no doubt najib would pay fully for the cost so who did??? WE THE RAKYAT !!!
next time, if there’s an open house by najib, i hope it will be at my 3000 square feet area with ‘the rakyat to pay’ so that i get recognition :D
najib is now like ‘using other people’s ass to be his face’ .
carry on , big spender pm and see how faat we will go broke under you.
“I wish you wouldn’t keep mentioning the brain drain.
I feel statistically less intelligent every time.” (OrangRojak)
OrangRojak may be a rare exception of brain replenishment to Malaysia since he is a British professional migrating to Malaysia due to his marrying a Malaysian wife. However, this rare exception will not affect the high correlation out of the processed statistical data for proving that Malaysia does really have a serious brain drain problem.
Anyway, OrangRojak is warmly welcome to live in Malaysia and I do hope that his Malaysian wife and him can give birth to more Malaysian children who will possess the positive trait of British ladies and gentlemen coupled with the brain of Bristish standards of parliamentary democracy!
Kit,
I know you have loads and load of newspaper cuttings but I cannot imagine that you even keep a record of those inflated figures at PM Hari Raya bash.
“A net FDI outflow of US$6 billion in 2008, more than double the US$2.7 billion net outflow posted in the previous year.”
With such a negative news, one can easily come to the conclusion that Malaysia has a gloomy future in the short run.
It is reported by Yahoo News that 94 commercial banks had been closed down in the United States so far since the commencement of the recession, which is said to have officially begun in December 2007. And additional several more number of banks are expected to close down by end of 2009.
“The headlines may say that our recession is over, but for those who remain out of work, this is still a time of hardship and struggle,” said House of Congress Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat-Maryland, U.S.A..
The U.S. unemployment rate now is 9.7 percent and economists see it topping 10 percent in 2010. This information is obtained from the following website http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090923/ap_on_go_co/us_unemployment_benefits
Malaysia’s economy is quite likely to see a high chance of facing another round of financial tsunami in the near future. The currency exchange rate will be fluctuating rigorously due to some policy changes in the central bank of China, which recently contemplated to buy in more Gold Stocks from International Monetary Funds when the discount offer from IMF is attractive. The currency of mainland China, namely Chinese Yuan, has already faced some strong uptrend pressure against the US Dollar but the exchange rate of Yuan-USD is still kept under manageable control due to the recent administrative intervention by the central bank of China for purpose of stabilising the exchange rate fluctuation. However, if the central bank of mainland China really stocks in more Gold, Yuan will quite likely be strengthened by a much higher Physical Gold Reserves in the central Bank of mainland China and the currency value of the US Dollar in relation to Chinese Yuan will relatively be weakened. Since Malaysian Ringgit is tightly pegged to the US Dollar, the gloomy situation of an anticipated weaker US Dollar will create a downtrend pressure on the value of Malaysian Ringgit against many foreign currencies such as EuroSterling, Euro French Franc, Euro Deutsche Mark, Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen, Aussie Dollar, NZ Dollar or even Singapore Dollar.
Malaysia’s food costs will tend to go up much higher due to a weakening Ringgit currency value, mainly due to the unavoidable losses in foreign exchange because Malaysia is basically a Net Food Importer!
The slogan of 1Malaysia will be quite meaningless if PM Najib is unable to offer a good economic solution to overcome the expected financial tsunami which will come along with the present serious drought problem in California and the high unemployment rate problem in the United States in view of the fact that the United States is traditionally a major trade partner of Malaysia, which consumes a lot of Malaysian exports in terms of finished products or semi-finished products!
Ayooh, there is a recession on. They have just gone for the food. This is one of the ways common folks can get something back from the government. Eat all you can wah. You want to test support, lets go for the polls. Even after they lose, they still wont give up.
When it comes to free food and free gifts you would be sure to find there are many Malaysians who would feel deprived, worse than war refugees. Mind you, I am not talking of less fortunate Malaysians, but these are Malaysians who can afford to own big houses and cars, can invest in shares, can sent their children overseas for holidays and studies and can afford the best food in restaurants and hotels. But they behave like famished wretched creatures who had not had a meal for days. Do you want to witness what I am talking about?
Go to any public company’s annual meeting, like Maxis or Tanjong. There you would find an overcapacity crowd around the area where food is served, pushing and grabbing for food. There are even those who would bring extra plastic bags or even their handbags to pack the food, the forks and spoons and plates. But look at the meeting proper of the annual AGM: only less than 10-20% attended to hear the proceeding.
So a big crowd at any meeting does not indicate real participation.
Can i suggest that we stop with the 1Malaysia bashing? I mean it’s getting kinda boring. It’s just an empty slogan with almost no feature on which to debate about.
There’s only so many ways you bash an empty slogan before you start sounding kinda empty yourself.
“People First”….down from 200.000 to 70,000.
“Performance Now”…Release 5…arrest and kill few more. Newspapers..TVs.. all performing faithfully for UMNO. ISA protects UMNO.
“I Malaysia”…Samy Vellu must be kicked out from MIC….MCA…head you win….tail I loose..Gerakan…real loyal nice dog.
UMNO?…200,000 …down to 70.000.
How many UMNO ministers listening to Najib?…each on his own….saving own skin.
If IQ can be measured by words and deeds…nice yo know…how high are their IQs.
///When it comes to free food and free gifts you would be sure to find there are many Malaysians who would feel deprived, worse than war refugees/// – vsp.
Gone case lah like that!
Is there a connection between this social psychology/desire for “freebies” – as long as they are procured at someone else’s costs and expense – that could partly explain what Transparency International – Malaysia (TI-M) president Paul Low said about corruption becoming a way of life in Malaysia??? (see Malaysiakini report of Sep 23rd filed by Yip Ai Tsin under caption “TI-M report: Corruption the norm in M’sia”)
It strikes a familiar chord when one recollects how elected representatives (and their close supporters) believe that they are there in politics to procure power and positions in order to make money for themselves – as long as it is someone else’s (taxpayers) money; or voters not caring for issues but giving votes to the candidate and supporters who give them money or other freebies in kind whether motors for boats in the case of fishermen voters, free dinners or other freebies during election/by election campaigning or many expecting supporting the government in exchange for promise of freebies like contracts etc from the candidate who wins….Just like at company shareholder meetings, the directors give shareholders good food and distract them from questioning them on how they run the company….
Corruption after all is this desire to gain something or an advantage over or at the expense of others without considering the ethical aspect…
Corruption is certainly a way of life in M’sia
Corruption is an art n sanctioned by Umno & BN
Corruption is esp obvious during the holy month of Ramadan
One whole month of unbridled ecstasy n bribery
Companies have to set aside a big budget to buka puasa with their Muslim clients, esp civil servants, fr small ikan bilis to big whales
Of cos in the name of racial harmony, 1M’sia
Have buka puasa meals in hotels with Muslim clients n their family members too
Makan, makan, makan, pay, pay, pay
All legal, no play play, though per pax, not cheap
What to do, must pay first before getting contracts, tenders what
No buka puasa makan, tender application forms kena tahan, no contract, no nothing later
Also, don’t forget hampers n ‘hijau pau’ too, big big one
I scratch your back, u scratch my @rse
C’est la vie
Don’t know how to commit a perfect corruption
Learn fr 1M’sia NR n his buddy ARB
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Razak_Baginda
Malaysian ministry of defence paid €1 billion (RM4.5 billion) to Amaris for three submarines, for which Perimekar, wholly owned by ARB, received a commission of €114 million (RM510 million)
Just 1 deal, a whopping RM510 million income
Sanctioned and blessed by Umno
Not corruption, it’s for “coordination and support services”
Plus the Legion d’Honneur n a beautiful foreign mistress as bonuses
Wah lah, how sweet, really Umno boleh
“So where does that leave the Malay middle class? The Malay middle class is caught in a no-win situation. Is it any wonder that some Malays – some of the best and brightest – are starting to vote with their feet?”
The best and brightest don’t vote with their feet, we may exclude the Malays, you can’t blame anyone if you are stupid.
“Is it any wonder that some Malays – some of the best and brightest – are starting to vote with their feet?”
As the best and brightest Malays are voting with their feet, the best and brightest non-Malays are leaving the country for good.
That makes them even better and brighter.
Why should they waste time voting with the feet when they can seek greener pastures in places where they don’t need to put up with a corrupted UMNO, a tainted Judiciary, a murderous MACC, a hopeless Police Force, a racist Utusan and cow head demonstrations.
RM510,000,000.00, wooooooow
Even if ARB kept RM10,000,000.00, jiak bei liao loh
The other RM500,000,000.00 should hv been given to poor non-Umno Malays
Say, RM50,000.00 each
RM50,000.00 x 10,000 families
Easily 1,000 poor Malay families from 10 states would hv benefited
Rather than further enriching ONE rich Umno Malay family
N then slyly blame nonMalays for the failure of Malays to achieve the goals of NEP
MACC kepala pusing ‘cos too many 0, no eye to see, semua OK
If 1 non-mainstream Umno crony can get so much for 1 simple deal
Imagine what other Umno office bearers get on the sly
Surely can’t be less than RM500,000,000.00
AI should know the modus operandi of Umnoputras
Hey DAP man, I think the author actually meant leave the country when he said “vote with their feet” (as in an election to move elsewhere).
Boh-liao. Yes it is disgusting. And wot nonsense is that support and coordination they used as justification. We know how hard it is to earn a million let alone 500m. We would definitely need a very large team of people and working many many years on a project in order to earn 500m (assuming that the project is risk free).
I will attempt a pantun. Hopefully not rejected by this site:
1malaysia 1malaysia Najib sings,
I am still King I am still King Samy clings,
Not me Not me in PKFZ OTK slings,
UMNO,MIC,MCA they are all the same,
Sitting in office scheming and playing games,
You Them Me they try to tame,
Using ISA, Cow Head, OSA to shift the blame,
And to cover their “sham-e”
We Rakyats are no fools,
We will expose You to the full,
We will not sit or be your stool,
For your time has turn-around to a circle full.
On the contrary, relative to the remaining population, you should feel statistically more intelligent.
Perhaps this is the concept of “Ketuanan Melayu” – to be the best, you get rid of those that are better.
Damn. That 1malaysia slogan has actually morphed into a song. Scary. Aint it? And it is on air. OMG. I had to switch station everytime or turn on the CD player instead when I am on the wheels.
Whoever thinks that the crowd coming to your house for free food is an indication of your popularity is naive and only wants to “syiok sendiri”.
This type of yardstick will definitely collapse under any method of survey or simply call it confounding statistics. The samples are biased as free food are given out in a nice and conducive environment and tell me under such circumstances how not to draw the crowd. People are by nature hungry for free things, some expose it openly, others are discreet. That’s all.
If Najib or his henchmen thinks that is their yard stick, good luck to them and continue with your antics.
Damn right pwcheng.
As a matter of fact one can measure anything one fancies. A piece of rock, a grain of sand and even the sky. Yes even the sky. From where you are now standing, hold up a ruler and there you have the entire length and width of the sky all measure up.
Wot the heck for? “Syiok sendiri” mah. And the syiokest part is finding something to which you want equate the measurements. You may say the length and width of the sky is an indication of the size of your instrument of procreation and so on.
… err have I said too much?
old chinaman oso know how to pantun one arrr …?