This is Rudy Gunawan who is with an Indonesian human rights NGO interning with Malaysiakini for a couple of weeks.
We took him for a taste of Malaysian politics and here's his reaction.
Minang is 'Minangkabau', a clan in Sumatra. The clan has a symbiotic relationship with the buffalo, or 'kerbau' in Malay or 'korobau' or 'kobau' in the Minang dialect. 'Minangkabau' is derived from 'menang kerbau' -- win buffalo. The Sumatran clans pitch their buffalos against each other, and the Minangs have the reputation of having the fastest buffalos in Sumatra. This blog isn't much use to anyone else though. There are no revelations and no discussions -- just a Minang's folly.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Ijok is gone. And with it Malaysiakini.tv's viewership numbers. It was a real turn-on to see the numbers during the campaigning period shooting up as high as 50,000!
Now, it'll drop to 'normal' levels ... 1,500...2,500...3,000 a day and although already quite good, I will feel a shallowness after the 'berpuloh ribu' numbers. It'll be like the morning after the party ... massive hangover with pot and booze and you're struggling to remember what the fuck happened.
I guess the Ijok folks will feel the same way, though some will be relieved that the circus has gone back to where it came from and leaving newly tarred roads, street lamps, sewing machines and landtitles behind. It was a real boon to the Ijok folks.
BN spent RM36million from the national coffers to ensure that they win and win big. But I wonder if Najib doesn't feel hollow in this massive win, knowing full well that it was achieved on a very non-level playing field.
On hindsight, I now see the logic in PAS boycott by-election strategy. It's almost impossible to win by-elections because of the entire BN government machinery.
Generally the rakyat are slaves and BN the master -- give the rakyat a morsel and they'd do anything for BN.
Well midnight on April 28th was a wrap-up for the Malaysiakini team which covered the by-election better than any local media.
We now wait for the general election ...
Now, it'll drop to 'normal' levels ... 1,500...2,500...3,000 a day and although already quite good, I will feel a shallowness after the 'berpuloh ribu' numbers. It'll be like the morning after the party ... massive hangover with pot and booze and you're struggling to remember what the fuck happened.
I guess the Ijok folks will feel the same way, though some will be relieved that the circus has gone back to where it came from and leaving newly tarred roads, street lamps, sewing machines and landtitles behind. It was a real boon to the Ijok folks.
BN spent RM36million from the national coffers to ensure that they win and win big. But I wonder if Najib doesn't feel hollow in this massive win, knowing full well that it was achieved on a very non-level playing field.
On hindsight, I now see the logic in PAS boycott by-election strategy. It's almost impossible to win by-elections because of the entire BN government machinery.
Generally the rakyat are slaves and BN the master -- give the rakyat a morsel and they'd do anything for BN.
Well midnight on April 28th was a wrap-up for the Malaysiakini team which covered the by-election better than any local media.
We now wait for the general election ...
