Does photo op with Najib a dereliction of duty that warrant immediate dismissal?

If it is so, there is a major conspiracy hatching against the Prime Minister.

This is a group picture taken with the Prime Minister, Dato Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor at the end of a buka puasa event at their residence on August 22nd, 2011.

Yours truly was there with Bigdog but due to my poor of health then, we left immediately after breaking fast and maghrib solat.

It came to our attention that this picture brought out the fury of a Press Secretary to a Minister. One chap in this picture was dismissed instantaneously from his job at a Minister's office by one Press Secretary. His salary paid by a foundation was immediately stopped.

According to labour law, one can only be dismissed immediately for serious contravention to one's term and condition of employment that is almost criminal in nature like corruption, embezzlement, etc.

Otherwise, they have to undergo a process of procedures involving show cause letter, enquiries, committee, etc. before any disciplinary action can be taken. The Minister's officer could have seriously contravened labour law and liable for a lawsuit.

One wonders if it is a serious dereliction of duties that warrant immediate dismissal to attend a buka puasa and have a photo op with the PM and his wife? The Minister's office we are talking about is a Barisan Nasional Minister.

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In a glance, this issue is more that of the Press Secretary than the Minister. This has been going on for a while but he is still retained by the Minister. If the Minister allows it to prolong, public perception will implicate him along.

The Press Secretary has a history of insidious manouvering that strained political relations. This was made known to his boss, the Minister.

And, his arrogant attitude and rude conduct that strained his Minister's relation with the media community, fellow collegeous and the constituencies is an open secret known all the way to the higher echelon of Putrajaya and PWTC.

With this dismissal, it only shows the Press Secretary refused to change. His interventions and interceptions in the Minister's affairs is known so widely on the ground that he is dubbed as the Minister II.

The labelling is one thing but it is creating more problems for the Minister to carryout his administrative and political duties. Why is the Minister still insist to keep him around?

With so many conspiracy rumours making it's rounds, this could be wrongly construed to affirm some of the conspiracy theories spreading at the raya open houses of politicians.

Over the past few days, there were talk of a conspiracy led by the Minister for Information, and Multimedia, Dato Seri Utama Rais Yatim and the telcos to sabotage the PM using the recent telcos' decision to raise pre-paid cards by 6% using the excuse they are not absorbing the already in place since 1998 tax on consumers.

That unpopular decision is seen could have a serious effect on mass sentiment against the Government in the dark light of rising consumer prices.

Since telcos come under the perview of Rais and he was in his usual attitude of passing the buck to others, namely the PM, instead of taking charge, that gave rise to such speculation. His recent statement was to bring it to Cabinet to decide and in contradiction to PM's call for review. Rais seemed to refuse to take responsibility and address the problem of rising prices.

Before that, there was a rumour spreading that Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is conspiring to bring down the PM.

Having known of some intimate details in a few private events involving Muhyiddin in 2008 prior to the fall of Tun Dol from premiership, that theory is a total hogwash. This blogger believe it was spread by a faction famously known to create ridiculous conspiracy theory in the mould of the illogical old school style psywar.

However, the creator and originator of the conspiracy was only made known to this blogger recently.

It has to do with few names surfacing and spreading in a blog claiming to bring the PM down. It is believed that the blog is operated by a former journalist paid by Omar Ong.


Some blogs and twitters are labelling Omar Ong as Ong Rasputin after the mystic Russian monk, Rasputin said to have much influence over the last Russian Czar, Nicholas II. Rasputin became a magnet for public scorn and that led to the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917.

The suspected Omar Ong created conspiracy point finger at Rocky Bru and his team of five bloggers with yours truly also fascinatingly speculated to be one of them.

The blog then mentioned Muhyiddin's name as a party in a Muhyiddin-Hishamuddin duo-conspirator role. And, another name, Dato Alies Nor later surfaced.

Obviously, it is attack on those close and supporting the PM. I would bet my last drawn paycheck that Omar Ong will deny but why is Dato Idris Jala sibuk-sibuk trying to understand cyberwar. Does he want to be a mas ... opps I mean, mice to fix another pumpkin?

That blog's problem is his story does not make sense.

He should get a crash course from my friend, Raja Petra in spinning or one wet behind the cheek PhD student trying to give theoretical talk on psywar but is a World War II pamphlet thrown from a helicopter style.

One barking bird had speculated earlier of a trio of conspirator of Tengku Razaleigh-Muhyiddin-Anwar Ibrahim. Having Muhyiddin name does not make sense, but why was it thrown in?

Since Tengku Razaleigh launchedAmanah, Dato Kadir Sheikh Fadzir had launched a series of criticism on Government as though he and his brothers are angels without a past.

Speculation on the ground is that Amanah is Ku Li's transition to jump to the other side and lead Pakatan Rakyat to fill the vacuum expected to be left by Anwar Ibrahim.

Amanah serve as a justification.

Enquiries with Ku Li's boys only gets one denial response. One Dato one can described as belonging to Ku Li's faction said in our chance encounter in the ERL from the KLIA to Kuala Lumpur that they are genuinely concern with racism and other socio-political phenomenon that is splitting the people and nation.

He denied Ku Li have political ambition but not ready to say he will vacate Gua Musang seat. Why is then criticism only levied on BN? Why was Ku Li pulling the brakes on BN campaign at Galas?

Amanah Facebook only happens to talk of Third Force.

By the way, Rais Yatim was Deputy to Tengku Razaleigh when he was President of Parti Semangat 46, the political vehicle of UMNO's Team B faction aligned to Ku Li.

After attending few buka puasa and rayaopen houses, one theory as to the reason Muhyiddin was mentioned in the conspiracy trio was to cover for the real person being Tun Dol.

Pak Lah's faction have lately been heard moving on the ground. Other than the likes of Dato Ali Rustam, talk is those from Pak Lah's faction have not been cooperating with the PM. They have refused to initiate any reforms and political initiatives at their divisions and branches.

Their interest is only self preservation. Their political manouvring seems to be as though BN will have easy passages everywhere.

It is so endemic that there is a Tun Dol's faction Minister who could not survive the next election. Seeing that possibility, his Divisional Deputy and Vice Heads agreed to work together and stand down from any rivalry.

Instead of working to save his Parliamentary seat, he is more concerned with shooting his rival so that he could survive the party election.

Talk is Tun Dol's faction could spring a surprise on the PM later.

This faction, which include Khairy Jamaluddin, wishes to see that Najib have a shorter term than sleepy Tun Dol, thus proving Tun Dol as a better PM than Najib.

Najib's problem was that he does not have a stranglehold on power but for whatever justification, he is seen as compromising to keep all the deadwoods and corrupts politicians, senior civil servants and corporate people from Tun Dol's administration.

Rumour is spreading that there is a pressure on him to put Khairy in cabinet and one of Najib's political secretary is promoting Khairy.

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Let us return to our conniving and vindictive Press Secretary.

His Minister will naturally claim he is fine with Najib and working very well closely with the numero uno. This is despite his past association with practically all the names mentioned from Anwar Ibrahim, Tun Dol, Muhyiddin, Khairy and even Ku Li likes the chap.

But why is the Press Secretary so paranoid and jumpy of his staff being seen in a photo with Najib and Rosmah? He could be in photo with Sam Ketot of AMK, but it should not mean anything else but only a picture. It does not warrant an immediate dismissal.

Since the Press Secretary is dubbed as Minister II, does it mean he is leading his Minister and any of his staff from being associated with Najib, thus the explanation for his paranoia towards his staff being to seen with Najib?

Honestly, the Minister should stem any bad rumours of himself from surfacing and strain relation with numero uno. Why procrastinate from getting a new, better and more effective Press Secretary?

- Another Brick in the Wall