Mercenaries wanted - Reward is a huge prize!

When I sighted a news/advertorial item at a popular web portal, I thought it was April 1 cometh early for 2011. But when I saw the same item at a second portal, I know it's for real and serious. Ah, I told myself, there's finally a decent MARKET VALUE for writers, and a collateral benefit for YL as blogger-Desiderata is his rising market value, eh!

I hope readers don't mind my reproducing the whole item as it must be understood clearly with no room for any misunderstanding from a summary:

"Bloggers Wanted
Posted by Cyber Trooper on December 16, 2010 at 17:28:32:

As part of BN Machinery to counter oppostion and pro opposition bloggers. UMNO and PBB has set up a RM10 million Cyber War Fund.

We invited Sarawakians with journalistic instinct to contact or visit any PBB, PRS and SUPP branches to register yourself as an interested party.

Qualified Candidates will be notified within 7 days.

Training will be conducted by NST, Malay Mail (Datuk Rocky Bru) and Utusan Melayu at Pusat Latihan UMNO at Janda Baik.

Every blogger will be given a granted of RM30,000 to set up their blog, whether it is free or paid hosting, besides being paid monthly allowance of RM5,000.00 per month.

We therefore call on all responsible Sarawakians to register themselves at offices of Sarawak BN Component parties.

It is your duty to defend Sarawak from the onslaught by Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak.

YB Abdul Karim Hamzah
YB Fadzillah Yusof

(ends report/advert)

Desiderata the blogger in me knows for a fact that UMNO, especially the youth wing, has on its payroll cyber-troopers who not only write propaganda, but also go into other bloggers' comments to flood with pro-BN stands and even outright condemnations of any pro-Opposition articles or comments, hitting out "personally and under-the belly" too, and most times, irrelevant to the topics discussed. I must admit pro-Pakatan Rakyat supporters also do the same, but to my knowledge, they are small in numbers relatively, and aren't really paid to the level that's indicated openly in the news/advert now reprinted above.

The reality is that whenever any general elections, including the impending Sarawak state elections before July 2011, atre around the corner, like now, the "moneyed" parties will step up the gears, hence the above recruitment drive by UMNO and its East Malaysian allies.

But in the political arena, the newly-minted Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement -- sometimes acknowledged successor to The Third Force Haris Ibrahim had been writing about months ago, but often denied by other backers about its ancestry -- too has emerged with not a small budget. According to MCLM founder-President Haris, who deems himself a man of integrity, also has a start up fund of RM10million to move the movement to come up with some 30 candidates, from so called "men of integrity" from his circle. Okay, also from Founder-Chairman Raja Petra Kamarudin's circle.

A kopitiam mate of mine when told of this "high prize" -- RM30k for starters and RM5k as monthly stipend, that's surely NOT kacang putih or hitam! -- being paid to bloggers now in demand in Sarawak laughingly told Desi: "Hey, YL, go and apply-lah using a pseudonym!" He knows fully well this is a temptation for any church-mousey writter! But he also knows Desi well enough and often pays for my char kuey tiaw while I pay for the tehtarik. LOL!

But my recent curiousity about the identities of the MCLM's funders is not satisfied because neither RPK nor Haris had indicated details on the sources of funding in their launching talks in London and Kuala Lumpur respectively. At least the UMNO guys are upfront about their mission of recruiting blogger-writers. Hence, I have told fellow PKR comrades that it's easier confronting the UMNO people because at least "I know where they are coming from"!

What's so different with MCLM whose cornerstone policy is stressing "integrity" and yet wishes to maintain ANONYMITY of its financiers? Such anonymity always raises the suspicions they are beholden to "third parties" -- and who's to rule out these third parties could be BN moles penetrating the Third Force to ensure the BN's status quo at Putrajaya.

I had better not go on too long on this money thingy -- another PKR member of parliament may want some space upping his market value before "frogging" in the footsteps of departed "men of integrity" Wee Choo Keong and Zulkifli Noordin. I quote the first three paragraphs from The Star report today:

"Rebel Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan has stepped up his criticism of PKR leaders despite the looming threat of disciplinary action.

He said allegations into party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar should be looked into.

He said allegations that Anwar and his associates were involved in manipulation during the recent party polls should be investigated and that action should also be taken against Dr Xavier for allegedly resorting to gangsterism during the recent elections."

Like the law of nature that says "Nature abhors a vacuum", so soon after Zaid Ibrahim and RPK had vacated the MSM's Flavour of the Month chair, another dissident like Gobala quickly steps in to criticise PKR and its defacto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Were these people born just yesterday -- they came on board PKR's party knowing full well Anwar's past, and only after a two-three years failed attempt to get what they wanted/want from PKR and Anwar, thy do the hatchet job for BN-UMNO.

As I wrote recently, "With Friends like RPK and Haris Ibrahim, PKR doesn't need enemies"! After Gopala, who's next to become the MSM's Flavour of the week? Sabah PKR leader left in the wilderness with Zaid's departure Jeffrey Kitingan maybe? The time span is shortened from a month to seven days because the value falls with each departing frog. Or is it already departed toadie hanging on to party membership to negotiate for a higher price?

- http://desiderata2000.blogspot.com