KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not think Barisan Nasional will win the Permatang Pauh by-election on Aug 26 but its candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah may be able to reduce the majority.
The former prime minister said Arif Shah was Barisan’s best candidate and his Chinese education background was a positive factor that could help him attract Chinese votes.
“I think Arif Shah will not lose as badly as other candidates before him or other candidates in his place,” he said after launching the Dunia Seni Lukis art gallery in Jalan Pudu Ulu here yesterday.
Dr Mahathir said another plus point for Arif Shah was that he was the assemblyman for Seberang Jaya in Permatang Pauh.
In Butterworth, Umno Youth executive council member Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said voters in Permatang Pauh must decide whether they want someone who understands the local situation or a leader who aspires to go national.
He said it would be an uphill battle for Barisan Nasional to wrest the seat from the Opposition.
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August 16th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I dont understand something here. How is a state assemblyman and candidate for this by-election can be trusted to represent and protect the people when he is or was a director of many companies such as Sedap Foods, DT Precision Engineering and many others more and defaulted in paying their employees EPF contribution up to the tune of RM4million? Check the records in the courts! He paid RM400k and charges personal to him were dropped by EPF! Can we trust him? He cant even protect his employees!!
August 16th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
That’s is why I wonder how come Malaysian never realize all these. You see malaysian believes remours rather than facts. They can never accept facts that their leader is not a good man. They will never believe! Trust me on that. We all knwo how bad is that guy. We all know that guy is a crook. But why in the first place our government still letting him go? Why he still can compete in the election? Simple…
Its all their own man. They are supporting him because they all earn something at the end. Its all for own benefits not rakyat.
That’s the main reason Malaysian are still way back to understand their rights as a public. As a human. Malaysian never aware the human rights that’s the real caused for these issues.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Arif Shah will lose simply because he is in the wrong party - a party which is the epitome of evil, injustice, racialism, greed and humbug.
Being the brother of the imfamous Amin Shah Omar Shah is also a big handicap.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I believe young generation is accepting the change. Just worry about the old generation which was brain wash for the past 50 years, not easy to change. All the PR personnel in Permatang Pauh should focus and explain more to elder generation to accept the change. All the right thinking Malaysian would like a change to move Malaysia to be a respected nation in the world. In the past 20 years, Japan is the only nation in Asia respected in the world, then Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, now China as well as South Korea. I would like to mention that South Korea and Singapore is our benchmark. In football, South Korea use to be same standard with Malaysia, now they are semifinalist in world cup football tournament. In 1997 financial crisis, both South Korea and Malaysia in deep shit, Malaysia control the currency, South Korea helped by IMF. See what happen now, their per capital income is so high compare to Malaysia now - this is a governance problem in Malaysia, that is why we must a change as soon as possible, cannot afford to wait until next general election.
August 16th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
We the Rakyat, should evaluate and determine the kind of Leaders we want for our beloved country, Malaysia
Here are the Top 10 Qualities of a Good Leader
By David Hakala
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Leadership can be defined as one’s ability to get others to willingly follow. Every organization needs leaders at every level. Leaders can be found and nurtured if you look for the following character traits:
A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, “Good leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion.”
A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.
A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer “analysis paralysis” but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.
Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity.
Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in integrity will be more approachable by followers.
Dedication means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great.
Magnanimity means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the organization. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership.
Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a “follower-centric” leadership role.
Openness means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while listening to others’ ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision.
Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a leader can ask is, “What if … ?” Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, “I know this is a dumb question … ”
Fairness means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.
Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.
Many leaders have difficulty striking the right amount of assertiveness, according to a study in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the APA (American Psychological Association). It seems that being underassertive or overassertive may be the most common weakness among aspiring leaders.
A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie.
Intrinsic traits such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a leader. Anyone can cultivate these leadership qualities.
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August 16th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
chinese is not racist. Thus, whether Arif proficient is chinese or not doesn’t matter. What matter is we all rakyat want to meet our end needs. We want a good system of governing. Arif’s win will only be a small fly in Parliment, but DSAI’s win can change our nation and bring all races unitied together as Malaysian.
Permatang folks, pls use your vote wisely. Thanks!
August 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I believe most Malaysian are not racist at all. But some are due to the all the scandals and accuses poured by politicians. As a Malay, I’m proud to hang around with chinese and indian. I will keep doing that no matter what happened to Malaysia, as I believe the truth will prevail by when Malaysian become together and fight for their rights. I agree with Kinetic. We need someone who can change our country. We need someone who can bring back all race in Malaysia as one like we all used to be. We don’t need corrupted politicians anymore. We don’t party that never fight for society rights and yet forget their job to protect the nation “The People”.
We need a leader that will bring harmony to all people. We need pure leader that can change the mentality of corrupted Malaysian back to reality.
We need a leader that being fair to all Malaysian. That’s what we really need.