ISA, the Candidate at last

Tan Sri Isa is the BN candidate for Bagan Pinang at last. The announcement was made at 5.15 pm today in Port Dickson and it was received in applause of the eager UMNO members and the exuberant supporters of this former MB for the State.

Pakatan Rakyat on the other hand is also putting up huge effort to come up with good candidate and I can see that the alternative front is much more prepared compared to what they did in the last General Election (GE).

Pakatan Rakyat is formidable as they are better organized and the alternative party is well on the ground with unwavering supporters expands by leaps and bounds for the past months.

I was in Port Dickson last night and visibly witnessed the intensity of the election is already building up as until 1am in the morning the coastal road was still busy and bustling with human movements.

Kopitiam, mamak restaurants, fruit stalls and other food outlets are all in full gear businesses.

I was at one of the food outlets with some strong UMNO supporters who were waiting for early clue of who is going to be their candidate that is to be announced today by Tan Sri Muhyiddin.


One of the former State Executive Councilors said, “Bang Aspan, Ado oghang kek Seromban susah hati kalau Tan Sri dipilih sebagai calon. Oghang Bagan Pinang nak kek Isa dio pulak yang susah hati”.

I responded by saying, “Tak apalah, you just do the needful to ensure that we are giving good battle to retain the seat.”

As long as the conspiring group is firmly identified it should be okay. Your fight is with the Pakatan Rakyat which seems to be fielding a good candidate and we are not fighting with our own party men”.

In actuality, this is the real atmosphere of the situation in Teluk Kemang. Someone and somebody is not at all feeling secured if TS Isa is back to active politics at the State level and this group is relatively of no consequence to the by-election.

These small groups of unhappy individuals are saying, “Kito mandikan Isa kalau dio botanding” and this is the reflection of deep feeling of insecurity of somebody in Seremban.

In my heart I said to myself, “siapa yang mandikan siapa?”

This kind of intra-political play is the actual reason for the past experiences of losses that BN was facing in all the by-elections.

To me the influence of the Pakatan Rakyat is ever expanding and with Isa’s candidature the chance of defending this bastion and fortress of UMNO can be seen as a close probable.

If UMNO leadership were to listen to the conspiring group in Seremban by fielding another name as the candidate the result would be predictable; that is a LOSS.

On the other hand, with Isa’s candidature UMNO Teluk Kemang should avoid celebration. Politics of today is erratic and unpredictable.

Political tide can move in picky directions.

To TS Isa I wish him the very best of luck and welcome back to the mainstream of NS politics.

Do not get perturbed by a fractious misgiving within UMNO.


Thanks………………………………………………………….Aspan Alias

Mahathir vs Bagan Pinang voters

Bagan Pinang by-election is inviting foul and fire play between the MB and conspiring leaders at the Federal Level to circumvent Tan Sri Isa of his candidacy.

The views of voters are seen not at all heeded by the detested MB as he continues engaging himself with conspiracy with the deciding leaders in Kuala Lumpur.

All political analysts view Tun Dr Mahathir (TDM) as the main spokesman for this group of conspirators and this 84-year-old ex-premier went as far as attending the MB’s open house in Rantau where he expressed his displeasure for Isa’s candidacy to the media.

The excuse for his rejection for Isa’s candidacy is only on the issue of money politics which Isa was convicted by the Party which Isa had paid for it. He was suspended for 3 years from all positions including the position he held in the Government.

Among the many leaders (in fact almost all) who flouted the party rules with money politics Isa was the only one who was picked and preferred by the conspiracy group.

TDM does not care even if UMNO loses in this by-election. Many question TDM why only now that he takes moral as a criterion of a candidature.

During his time as the President of UMNO moral was not at all taken into account.

Had he had taken moral as an important prerequisite for candidature in the party; UMNO should not have been in this current heinous state of affair.

In the current Cabinet there are still a few who were in his line up whom TDM sees as corrupt and misfits to the current politics and these few are corrupt in image.

But it is fastidious to hear that TDM is starting to take moral into account. The only displeasure is that he is talking about moral only in the Bagan Pinang by-election as an expedient act to add fecundity to all dirty political play among the State UMNO leaders.

If Isa is not nominated, than the campaign line is very clear…it is contest between people of Bagan Pinang and the conspirators in NS UMNO who have TDM as their spokesperson.

Isa is always being made the scapegoat in UMNO. Everyone was involved in money politics but UMNO chose to convict Isa alone.

There is numerous number of UMNO candidates were known to be politically corrupt being made a candidate in the last few GE’s but when come to Bagan Pinang by-election, Isa is again questioned by some conspirators to expediently use the conviction on Isa in 2005 as an excuse to circumvent him from contesting.

There is another verity that one has to take into account; Mohammad Hasan has lost all regards of men and women on the street in NS. His only capability left in him that is perceived by the public is as a terrific apple polishing.

I have a tiny and minuscule opinion which some may detest; don’t put up the posters of Mohammad Hasan in the campaign as it may jeopardize BN the chance of winning a bigger majority.

He may be photogenic on the posters and buntings but he may draw away the votes which we are in dire need.

Our main goal is to win this consolation seat for BN and we are going there not to amuse any leader who in despondency and dejection. Let us amuse him some other time and in some other ways.

We must appreciate that in Bagan Pinang it is not UMNO which can bring this consolation seat; it is Isa who is going to bring in the victory for UMNO. UMNO by itself cannot bring home the point.

Do remember that a win for any candidate for BN in Bagan Pinang is by securing a majority of above 2,433. Anything less is a clear indicator of the occurrence in the PU13.

It will be fearsome. Mahathir may not be around to save Bagan Pinang then. UMNO Bagan Pinang in the end will have to solve their troubles and problems themselves.

At that material time there will be neither Mad Hasan nor Mahathir Mohammad to save the situation.

Lastly let us be conclusive that almost all UMNO candidates are not fit to be where they are now as the Party itself is perceived to be a corrupt party and that is why UMNO is speedily meandering towards total disaster.

As I have said umpteen of times, the nation political landscapes have to start anew. If we remain as we are, I am dreadful to say that it will be the end of UMNO and BN.

Mark my words. I won’t go wrong.


Thanks……………………………………………..Aspan Alias

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Hari Raya falls today. For the past 3 or 4 days all motorways leading to all directions have been impregnated by heavy traffic ferrying city dwellers back to their home towns and villages to celebrate this joyous day.

Hari Raya has always been taken as the day when everyone takes the juncture as the day to forgive and to seek for forgiveness from each other especially from parents and the old.

It is also a day when children and adults enjoy putting on new dresses and always ready to visit and being visited by relatives and friends from all races.

Children of today are fortunate lots that they are within reach of all they want. In my childhood days Hari Raya was the opportunity to have beef and chicken as we didn’t have the privilege of having them in other occasions.

The less fortunate families like me then, Hari Raya was real festive.

My Hari Raya dresses were a white shirts and blue pants as that can be used as school uniforms when school reopened. Everything was budgeted in such a manner to suit to the affordability of my single mother.

I only owned up 2 pairs of leather shoes when I enrolled myself in ITM campus. I still can feel the good feeling of having the leather shoes for the first time until today.

My mother used to remind me, “Jangan dijadikan kemiskinan sebagai jalan untuk menjadi orang yang tidak bersyukur dan apabila sudah senang nanti jangan pulak dijadikan kesenangan itu untuk menjadi kufur atas segala nikmat yang Tuhan berikan.”

On occurrence like today I can’t avoid shedding tears reminiscing all the words of wisdom from my Mum who left us slightly over a year ago forever.

Now she is not physically with us but I know I am always with her spiritually on every other hours and days especially on Hari Raya like today.

Everything is changed after her death. I don’t celebrate my first day of Syawal in Kuala Pilah anymore as I have to visit her grave in Shah Alam on the first Hari Raya before visiting anybody else.

My children feel the great loss of her too. Each and every one of them says, “If only Uwan is still around we would have enjoyed her rendang and lemang”.

We miss her dearly as there is no one is around to tell us what to do and not to do when the family meets on the first day of the Raya in the kampong.

Now I have 3 grandsons of my own and I now understand and appreciate my mother’s feelings for her 33 grand children and 6 great grandchildren when she left us.

The first thing I want to see in the morning of the Raya is my grand children. I patiently waited for Danny, the eldest and the twins Riezman and Riezwan. Seeing these 3 cuties in baju melayu made me too blissful.

To family and friends, I wish all of you Selamat Hari Raya and my house is always open for them. I don’t have sumptuous delicacies to offer but ‘kita makanlah apa yang ada’ as my mum was fond of saying.

To my mum I must say “Mak, Aspan dan adik-adik serta anak-anak menantu serta cucu-cucu dan cicit-cicit mak tidak akan lupakan Mak.”

"We always remember and pray for you. We love and adore you forever Mum!"

Al-Fatihah.


Thanks…………………………………………………….Aspan Alias.

Bagan Pinang, consolation win

Muhyiddin Yassin the Deputy UMNO President will be announcing the candidate for UMNO in Bagan Pinang by-election on the 29th September at 5pm while Najib would also be in that constituency at about 6pm.

The presence of both the President and his Deputy on that day is a reflection of how important this by-election to the BN to have the chance of winning a consolation victory in the series of by election.

So far BN have been taking losses all the way in all the 8 by-elections in this Peninsular since the last General Election (GE). In Penanti, BN decided to give walkover to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to evade the bashing from the opposition.

In Bagan Pinang, what is needed is not just a win but a handsome majority of more than 2,433 secured by the late Azman Mohd Nor in the last GE.

If the majority is going to be less than 2,433 it is promising a tough occurrence in the coming GE as it is now Negeri Sembilan (NS) is on the brink to fall to the opposition.

The fact remains that the distrust towards the current ruling government is widespread nationwide and it does not spare NS from facing this domino effect.

In the last GE, Pakatan Rakyat were ill-prepared to face the election and the good showing of the party despite of the halfhearted preparation and putting up weak candidatures in most of the State and Parliamentary Constitutions in the State.

The people were already prepared for a change and to find alternative to UMNO and BN, and anybody who put up a candidature against the ruling party then were given the support.

Pakatan Rakyat itself were much taken aback considering the massive support for them and had they were seriously doing the preparation they would have ruled the State by now.

PR is now more prepared and witnessing the successes the party achieved in Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah as well as Federal Territory the party is gaining more support without much exertion.

Based on this background I was without any prejudice suggested Isa Samad as the candidate as his position in the constituency is some what better than any other names.

Let us agree among ourselves that the voters are going for someone whom they are familiar with and have the records of good showing in term of services the constituency.

Isa just fit in the criteria as he has been with the people in the constituency of Teluk Kemang for almost 30 years.

Even while he was suspended from the party Isa was always with the people in Teluk Kemang and remained loyal to the party and took no qualms with the politically motivated conviction against him.

Personally I am not in love with Isa but I must admit without any prejudice that he is the icon for Teluk Kemang and can be the one who ultimately brings home the consolation point that UMNO desperately needs.

Further to this point, Isa can be the most fitting leader who can patch up all factions in the State BN and UMNO which is too fractious under Mohammad Hassan’s stewardship.

Never forget Isa was the only NS State head who managed to get almost 100 percent representations for BN in the State Assembly while National politics was in shuffle.

Any intra-party foul play high up in the party will only injure UMNO and can be a fertile soil for Pakatan Rakyat to advance its presence in Teluk Kemang and the State as a whole.

UMNO would then be like an injured dog licking its own wound.


Thanks…………………………………………Aspan Alias