PM meets the MPs

The PM has met all the BN MPs yesterday. He asked whether they can win and retain their parliamentary seats. I am sure most will say they can. No problem sir. As long as we pump in more money. Semua OK. The rakyat are with us. They all liked you sir.

This is unprecedented. We have never heard of any PM before Najib who has taken this extraordinary step.

Inviting all BN MPs to give him a frank assessment of their chances. The only thing similar to this was way back when Dr Mahathir saw every delegate to ask them their stand on his contest with Tengku Razaleigh.

It also shows that Najib is at least methodical. He is actually ferreting the pretenders out.

My only reservations are the way he is doing it. I personally think this is quite not right. It's not in our culture (Malays, Chinese or Indian) to sing our own praises. I would assume the MPs would be bashful.

But then, politicians are a breed apart. They have rhino skin hides. They will say what must be said and will even sell their mothers to get another term as MP.

First they will say politics is not about personalities. It's not about issues. It's about principles. If everything fails, they will cheat. As we now know, issues and personalities are already thrown out- the last arsenal they have left is cheat.

So what do you think when you meet the PM and the Secgen in threes? They will cheat and will be lying through their teeth just to stay on. It is only logical to expect, when there are 3 of you meeting the PM and the Secgen, you are not going to tell the actual story in front of the other 2 MPs who you know will tell tall tales. You will want to out-story them.

Then Najib will know the person lying is the person he wants to get rid of. Has anyone seen how a typical ADUN lists down his activities? He will say something like these:

1. Attend kenduri

2. Visit pak bakar karok

3. Accompany ketua bahagian

4. Attend workshop

5. Participate in fishing contest

6. Hand out Kemas hampers

7. Attend welcoming back HRH

8. Follow Dato Najib's entourage.

9. Send Dato Najib back to the airport.

Where is the beef? Asks the lady in the Wendy's Commercial. PM Najib must throw out all those beefless windbags.

Most likely you can never get the truth out of these people. They will not discredit themselves.

Now I know why Telekom Malaysia does what it does recently. Appoint a subcommittee who submits report to a supervising committee. You ask your own 'brethren' to make a report on themselves. I am sure the people who make up the investigating team are conscious if they come out with an incriminating report, it will be the end of the world, the TM people are accustomed with.

That is the world full of office politicking and infighting. It's a TM world where the executives are busy writing poison pen letters to minsters to inform on each other, to discredit one another. It's a TM world, where every business decision offers an opportunity for many to wet their beaks. I mean can you imagine those eager beavers who gave Alcatel the TM business had also wanted to give Alcatel the business of supplying and installing towers and cabins? Oh, I forget- this is a Fortune 500 company which has many indigenous inventions to its credit. I must not forget to prepare an apology for besmirching Alcatel insinuating it cannot supply and install towers and supply cabins. TM is merely following the established way on how to solve problems.

They learn it from the politicians.

The BN MPs who met PM Najib are masters as this game. How many will say, we will lose this parliament and please replace me? They will instead say- semua OK Dato Sri Sir. Only if we can have these roads, these projects for all the UMNO class F contractors, only we kick out those pesky trouble makers and of course if only I remain the MP. Of course the Indian MP will say, we can win if Palanivel is made full minister. The other Indian will say, we can win if Kayveas is appointed.

PM Najib will of course study carefully these expected answers. He is not a fool to be fooled with these kinds of answers. He knows, the answers will be skewed towards asserting, they can retain their seats provided they are retained as candidates.

In these circumstances, the first rule of thumb PM Najib must observe is to jettison those who gave such simpleton answers. He must apply the contrarian rule. Retain those who are discredited by political rivals within. Because the more likely case is, those discredited by their own members are doing a good job. Seek evaluation from 3rd party sources that are closer to the ground.

Perhaps a better way to make a better judgment is to meet all the ADUNs in the parliamentary areas. Ask them to give an assessment of their parliamentary colleagues. You are more likely to get a truer answer from the ADUNs from a parliamentary seat on the performance of the MPs.