Tuesday, April 28, 2009

"Salam perjuangan OrangBaruLahir"

Sdr. A Kadir Jasin,

Minta permisi untuk merujuk kepada komen Sdr./Sdri. "Salam perjuangan OrangBaruLahir".

Saya rasa saya paham akan kemarahan yang dirasai olih Sdr./Sdri.

Saya pun marah. Lebih-lebih lagi kerana bangsa Melayu (nampaknya) amat sukar untuk bersatu, untuk berusaha memajukan diri sendiri serta bangsa sendiri. Yang kaya mudah lupa diri, yang miskin menjadi lebih miskin.

Yang amat saya marah sekarang adalah dengan kedaifan orang Islam yang kebanyakkannya orang Melayu.

Dimana perginya potongan zakat setiap bulan?

Setiap tahun kutipan zakat makin bertambah-tambah tetapi orang Islam yang hidup papa-kedana juga bertambah. Apa dah jadi?

Zakat adalah rukun Islam dan ia bukanlah untuk pamerkan statistik kutipan yang bertambah.

Zakat adalah untuk menolong umat supaya tiada yang papa-kedana, supaya tiada yang hidup melarat. Kemiskinan bolih membawa banyak bencana kepada mesyarakat.

This is why zakat is one of the pillars (rukun) of Islam.

Sekian.

DEADLINE 30 April 2009 - Tax Filing...

Phew... 

I finally completed my tax e-filing.  How convenient!  One would just need to have access to the Internet... How times have passed and technology has progressed!

But hold on!  Now I shall be watching the government even more closely.  After all it is the taxpayers' hard earned money they are handling.  No misuse would be tolerated!

When I first pay tax eons ago, it was just RM28 for a whole year's income.  Then I didn't really care what the government does as my "cash" contribution was meagre...!

NOW...??? I am paying taxes through my noses!  That is why I care what they use my money for...  

Sadly to say, the zakat I pay does not reach the deserving ones...  For that, I shall demand explanations from those concern. If they think they can escape my queries behind some legal jargon then I shall demand an explanation from them in the afterlife...

So people from PPZ, please beware...  I shall demand the explanations...

Monday, April 27, 2009

Buang DEB Apa Gantinya? - A Kadir Jasin

My comments on A Kadir Jasin's "Buang DEB Apa Gantinya?"
------------------------------------
Sdr. A Kadir Jasin,
Saya bukan doktor tetapi ramai jugak kawan rapat jadi doktor.

Kawan-kawan saya selalu ingatkan saya supaya jangan terlampau sangat bergantung dengan "anti-biotic" dari klinik bila jatuh sakit. Alasan yang diberi "terlalu lama dan kerap mengambil anti-biotic akan menyebabkan badan kita kurang daya tahan".

Tetapi saya selalu tanya balik "apa itu terlalu lama dan kerap". Jawapan mereka mudah. Ia bergantung kepada tahap kesihatan seseorang bila jatuh sakit. Ia juga bergantung kepada "mental strength" dan banyak lagi faktor-faktor yang perlu diambilkira.
Jika kita perhalusi persamaan antara "anti-biotic" dan "DEB", maka kita mungkin "conclude" bahawa terlampau bergantung dengan mana-mana satu bolih membawa padah.
Akan tetapi, tahap penerimaan atau tahap keperluan seseorang individu itu amat berbeda. Jadi amatlah susah untuk "prescribe the correct dossage of either antibiotic or DEB/NEP".
So where does it lead us?
We cannot forever be reliant on DEB/NEP but when should it be stopped?
Should we have a gradual decrease in dossage? Over how long?
Sudden stop in antibiotic before full recovery could also be detrimental to a person's health. So should we have a program to reduce dependency on DEB/NEP so as not to endanger the Bumiputras?
I really don't know.
Sekian.
p/s:
Bumiputras enjoyed DEB/NEP during the initial years. Unfortunately the DEB/NEP subsequently benefited mostly UMNO-putras and, of course, MCA-putras and MIC-putras. That was the time when the whole intentions and aspirations of NEP were ignored to benefit a selected few...

Unsolicited Views For The PM - A Kadir Jasin

My comments on A Kadir Jasin's article entitled "Unsolicited Views For The PM" published/dated SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009

--------------------------------------------------
Sdr. A Kadir Jasin,  

Betulkah Khazanah perlu 6 bulan untuk buta KPI menteri-menteri? 

Kalau 6 bulan, saya pun bolih buat KPI yang canggih.  

Kalau 6 bulan, let us not stop at KPI. Go into Balance Scorecard...!!! More encompassing, I think. Set up the appropriate matrix and then measure accordingly. Linear measurement would not be appropriate when expectations are broad and diverse. So why not try Balance Scorecard! Or have I misunderstood this Balance Scorecard thing? If I am wrong, do correct me please!  

Saya bukannya pakar dalam KPI maupun Balance Scorecard.  
Tetapi kalau ada 6 bulan, saya pun bolih jadi "quasi-pakar"! Hehehe...  

Tak perlu Khazanah/Azman Mokhtar/Ethos/Omar Mustapha dan individu-individu yang terpelajar serta bijak-pandai untuk buat KPI menteri-menteri.  

Sekian.  

p/s: I cannot wait 6 months to know what Ministers' KPI are. If that happens, it would be Najib's first failure... Sorry cannot compromise on timing. In six months time, I would evaluate the PM/Cabinet/BN with or without the official KPI. I would use my own KPI if there is no official ones...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Listing on The Stock Exchange

The stock market/exchange around the world has been hit badly during the current global economic crisis.  From US to Europe to Asia, the listed stocks/shares have been devalued greatly.  Some reports quoted losses of up to 80% in value.

During the course of my work, I have met with numerous companies that wanted to be listed.  Most of the time, I have been very candid with my opinion on listing on a stock exchange.

In reality, there are only two valid reasons for wanting to go listing.
(1) The company needs additional capital to expand its business; and/or
(2) The initial shareholders want to cash out!

The other reasons normally quoted actually means little.  There are actually no real advantage to be quoted on a stock exchange.  In fact, if we were to be really candid and honest with ourselves, there could be more disadvantages to be listed.

I have had meetings shareholders who are adamant not to go listing.  One of the most often quoted question that I would get is "why should I share the company's profits with someone else?".

There are quite a number of private companies that have remained so even though their revenue and profits are huge.  Huge in comparison to some of the BIG CORPORATIONs listed on the stock exchange.

So really there are not many reasons (other than the ones I mentioned above) why companies should go for listing.

Islam Hadhari

Islam is a way of life, a civilisation.  It maps out the entire life of a Muslim, right from birth to death.

Everything is explained in great detail from relationship between humans to between human and the environment to between human and god.  If Islam is so complete and encompassing what is Islam Hadhari then?

Despite efforts made by the previous administration to promote and explain the concept of Islam Hadhari, I still cannot fathom what it is.  

Could my lack of understanding be due to my lack of intellectual?  Because I was never educated in Oxford or Cambridge or some Ivy League?  Maybe...

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Malay dilemma is electrifying - By Dina Zaman

TheStar, 23 April 2009, page N43

An interesting article...

My thoughts:
(1) Money does seem to be a big problem among Malays despite the NEP etc.

The intentions of the NEP are noble.  But its implementation really fell short off expectations.  I seriously think the NEP benefits were monopolised by UMNO-putras and not Bumiputras in general.  Of course, the MCA-putras and MIC-putras benefited too.

(2) Non-Malays do appear to be more united in resolving their own problems.
Non-Malays have their various associations and organisations that focused on helping their own race.  Unfortunately, the Malays are not as united and are more bent on destroying one another.  It is very difficult to find a Malay association or organisation that focuses on helping out their own race.

In addition, non-Malays use their places of worship as the centre for helping the less fortunate.  The same cannot be said of the Malays.  Masjids and suraus are only places of worship and would normally be deserted at most times except, maybe, during the five prayer times.  Even then it would be only for Muslims to come and pray, nothing more nothing less.  The libraries (if any) would be locked. No activities at all. Maybe the libraries are meant to be preserved and not be used...!!!

It is really an embarrassment that the mosques and suraus are really underutilised.  In addition to a place of worship, it should be a place where the pursuit of worldly and heavenly knowledge are encouraged.  Instead these places are deserted and void of meaningful activities.

I have always thought that Islam, being a way of life a civilisation, is a religion that promotes the pursuit of knowledge, both worldly and heavenly...  What happened?

Interesting?  I think so... 

Friday, April 17, 2009

My Understanding of the Contract between the Rakyat and their Wakil...

I want my voted "Wakil" to serve the Rakyat and not the other way! 

Why should we elect our "Wakil" and be fearful of them? Respect them, YES i.e.only after they proved themselves worthy of our respect!

Why should we allow our "Wakil" to misuse our hard earned tax/zakat money to enrich a few? 

When a person offers him/herself as candidate in an election, there is an offer. So when the Rakyat votes a candidate, they accept his/her offer to serve. 

I am not a lawyer but I think, technically, there is a contract by the voted candidate to serve the Rakyat that voted him/her in. If those voted candidates fail to perform their promise, they are in breach with the contract of duty to the rakyat.

What happens then? Do we go to court and sue those who fail to fulfil their promise to serve us? Or do we, in the meantime, bite our tongue and wait till the next election to boot them out?

What do you think?

Satu Malaysia Tidak Nafi Rancangan Afirmatif:PM - A Kadir Jasin

Komen saya terhadap tulisan Sdr. A Kadir Jasin...
----------------------------------------
Sdr. A Kadir Jasin,
Ada dua perkara yang hendak saya utarakan disini.  
(1) KPI 
Khazanah Nasional Berhad telah diarah untuk meneliti serta mengubal KPI bagi jemaah Menteri.
Saya tertarik dengan arahan Najib kepada Azman Mokhtar. Quote "Saya telah berjumpa Ketua Eksekutifnya, Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar untuk menempatkan bilangan tenaga yang mencukupi untuk melaksanakan penggubalan KPI ini dalam tempoh tersebut." 
Bila Najib katakan "menempatkan bilangan tenaga yang mencukupi...", adakah beliau memberi kebenaran untuk Azman untuk "engage" Ethos Consulting/Omar Mustapha untuk membantu?
Jika ia, would Khazanah be fronting Ethos? Kalau tidak silap, fi/fee Ethos sangatlah mahal. Interesting...  
(2) Banyak perkara telah diperkatakan mengenai hak-hak istimewa Bumiputera.  
Kalau Sdr. Kadir bolih, tolong perjelaskan sedikit sebanyak tentang hak-hak sebagai rakyat termasuklah hak-hak kaum Bumiputera yang termaktub dalam perlembagaan negara.  
Saya kurang arif tentang perkara berkaitan perlembagaan ini. Bagi saya, sebagai seorang rakyat, kita mesti akur terhadap perlembagaan negara. Tetapi saya kurang pengetahuan tentang perlembagaan yang saya patut akur itu.  
Sekian.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

You Are Being Lied to About Pirates - By Johann Hari

April 12, 2009 "Huffington Post" --- Who imagined that in 2009, the world's governments would be declaring a new War on Pirates? As you read this, the British Royal Navy - backed by the ships of more than two dozen nations, from the US to China - is sailing into Somalian waters to take on men we still picture as parrot-on-the-shoulder pantomime villains. They will soon be fighting Somalian ships and even chasing the pirates onto land, into one of the most broken countries on earth. But behind the arrr-me-hearties oddness of this tale, there is an untold scandal. The people our governments are labeling as "one of the great menace of our times" have an extraordinary story to tell -- and some justice on their side.

Pirates have never been quite who we think they are. In the "golden age of piracy" - from 1650 to 1730 - the idea of the pirate as the senseless, savage thief that lingers today was created by the British government in a great propaganda-heave. Many ordinary people believed it was false: pirates were often rescued from the gallows by supportive crowds. Why? What did they see that we can't? In his book Villains of All nations, the historian Marcus Rediker pores through the evidence to find out. If you became a merchant or navy sailor then - plucked from the docks of London's East End, young and hungry - you ended up in a floating wooden Hell. You worked all hours on a cramped, half-starved ship, and if you slacked off for a second, the all-powerful captain would whip you with the Cat O' Nine Tails. If you slacked consistently, you could be thrown overboard. And at the end of months or years of this, you were often cheated of your wages.

Pirates were the first people to rebel against this world. They mutinied against their tyrannical captains - and created a different way of working on the seas. Once they had a ship, the pirates elected their captains, and made all their decisions collectively. They shared their bounty out in what Rediker calls "one of the most egalitarian plans for the disposition of resources to be found anywhere in the eighteenth century." They even took in escaped African slaves and lived with them as equals. The pirates showed "quite clearly - and subversively - that ships did not have to be run in the brutal and oppressive ways of the merchant service and the Royal navy." This is why they were popular, despite being unproductive thieves.

The words of one pirate from that lost age - a young British man called William Scott - should echo into this new age of piracy. Just before he was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, he said: "What I did was to keep me from perishing. I was forced to go a-pirating to live." In 1991, the government of Somalia - in the Horn of Africa - collapsed. Its nine million people have been teetering on starvation ever since - and many of the ugliest forces in the Western world have seen this as a great opportunity to steal the country's food supply and dump our nuclear waste in their seas.

Yes: nuclear waste. As soon as the government was gone, mysterious European ships started appearing off the coast of Somalia, dumping vast barrels into the ocean. The coastal population began to sicken. At first they suffered strange rashes, nausea and malformed babies. Then, after the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness, and more than 300 died. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy to Somalia, tells me: "Somebody is dumping nuclear material here. There is also lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury - you name it." Much of it can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to "dispose" of cheaply. When I asked Ould-Abdallah what European governments were doing about it, he said with a sigh: "Nothing. There has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention."

At the same time, other European ships have been looting Somalia's seas of their greatest resource: seafood. We have destroyed our own fish-stocks by over-exploitation - and now we have moved on to theirs. More than $300m worth of tuna, shrimp, lobster and other sea-life is being stolen every year by vast trawlers illegally sailing into Somalia's unprotected seas. The local fishermen have suddenly lost their livelihoods, and they are starving. Mohammed Hussein, a fisherman in the town of Marka 100km south of Mogadishu, told Reuters: "If nothing is done, there soon won't be much fish left in our coastal waters."

This is the context in which the men we are calling "pirates" have emerged. Everyone agrees they were ordinary Somalian fishermen who at first took speedboats to try to dissuade the dumpers and trawlers, or at least wage a 'tax' on them. They call themselves the Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia - and it's not hard to see why. In a surreal telephone interview, one of the pirate leaders, Sugule Ali, said their motive was "to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters... We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits [to be] those who illegally fish and dump in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas." William Scott would understand those words.

No, this doesn't make hostage-taking justifiable, and yes, some are clearly just gangsters - especially those who have held up World Food Programme supplies. But the "pirates" have the overwhelming support of the local population for a reason. The independent Somalian news-site WardherNews conducted the best research we have into what ordinary Somalis are thinking - and it found 70 percent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence of the country's territorial waters." During the revolutionary war in America, George Washington and America's founding fathers paid pirates to protect America's territorial waters, because they had no navy or coastguard of their own. Most Americans supported them. Is this so different?

Did we expect starving Somalians to stand passively on their beaches, paddling in our nuclear waste, and watch us snatch their fish to eat in restaurants in London and Paris and Rome? We didn't act on those crimes - but when some of the fishermen responded by disrupting the transit-corridor for 20 percent of the world's oil supply, we begin to shriek about "evil." If we really want to deal with piracy, we need to stop its root cause - our crimes - before we send in the gun-boats to root out Somalia's criminals.

The story of the 2009 war on piracy was best summarised by another pirate, who lived and died in the fourth century BC. He was captured and brought to Alexander the Great, who demanded to know "what he meant by keeping possession of the sea." The pirate smiled, and responded: "What you mean by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, while you, who do it with a great fleet, are called emperor." Once again, our great imperial fleets sail in today - but who is the robber?

POSTSCRIPT: Some commenters seem bemused by the fact that both toxic dumping and the theft of fish are happening in the same place - wouldn't this make the fish contaminated? In fact, Somalia's coastline is vast, stretching to 3300km. Imagine how easy it would be - without any coastguard or army - to steal fish from Florida and dump nuclear waste on California, and you get the idea. These events are happening in different places - but with the same horrible effect: death for the locals, and stirred-up piracy. There's no contradiction.

Johann Hari is a writer for the Independent newspaper

The Disadvantaged Majority

In a multi-ethnic country like Malaysia, the most disadvantaged ethnic group is the Malays.  It is really sad for the majority to be disadvantaged in their own country of birth!  

Why?

To answer the question, let us look at the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia:

(1) Malay
Generally the Malays communicate in two languages - Bahasa Melayu and English.

(2) Chinese
Generally the Chinese communicate in three languages - Chinese language (through different dialects), Bahasa Melayu and English.

(3) Indians
Generally the Indians communicate in three languages - Indian language (whether Tamil, Hindi or whatever dialects), Bahasa Melayu and English.

In the real world, different languages are used by different ethnic groups to communicate.  A Malay would most likely to communicate with another Malays in either Bahasa Melayu or English or a combination of both.  Similarly, a Chinese-Chinese communication would be in Chinese language or English or combination of both.  The same applies to Indians.

When a Malay communicates to another Malay, the Chinese and Indians would be able to understand.  However the same cannot be said when there is communications between Chinese and Chinese or Indian and Indian.

This is the reality.  The Malays are the disadvantaged in their own country!  They communicate, everyone else understand but when other ethnic groups communicate the Malays generally do not understand!

As an ethnic group, it is important for the Malays to preserve their language.  But this must not be done at the expense of learning other languages!  Otherwise the Malays would remained to be the disadvantaged majority in their own country...

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Proton - Paying a price for its arrogance?

In Malaysia, Proton and Perodua produce the cheapest cars.  For simplicity sake, I shall omit the other "national" cars.

Compared to other makes like Toyota, Nissan, Honda etc., is Proton really competitive in their pricing? 

Would Proton be able to sell their cars if the high tariffs on non-national cars are removed?

I don't think so.  In fact, I think Proton is a very high cost producer of substandard quality cars.  Unfortunately for Proton, their problem does not stop there.  Arrogance seems to be another aspect they have excelled in.  

Now let us have a look at Perodua.  Like Proton, Perodua is also a high cost producer of cars in Malaysia.  But fortunately for Perodua, it has been able to maintain certain minimum standards and is not trapped by "arrogance attitude".

So between these two national car producers, I would vote for Perodua any time!  In fact, my first vehicle was a Perodua!  No regrets and complains for eight faithful years!

After more than 20 years, Proton is now paying a heavy price for its arrogance (customer is always WRONG!) and substandard culture.  On the other hand, Perodua has been able to avoid this pitfall and are doing reasonably well.

What do you think?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Time for new biz model - Nor Mohamed

"... As a small country that is dependent on the export market, we can't escape the crisis." - Nor Mohamed Yakcop, TheStar 14 April 2009, pg.N14.

Interesting... 

Only a few months ago this very person said we are not affected by the global economic crisis!  

Why the change of stance?  Just woke up from a deep slumber?

Friday, April 10, 2009

Jemaah Menteri: Kita Akan KPIkan PM - A Kadir Jasin

My comments on A Kadir Jasin's weblog posting...
_________________________________
Sdr. A Kadir Jasin,  

Jawatan Menteri Kewangan II masih ujud jika laporan akhbar diguna sebagai sandaran.

Akan tetapi saya tidak begitu kenal dengan Sdr. Ahmad Husni Hanadziah selaku MKII. Jadi saya tidak akan membuat penilaian sekarang seperti yang Sdr. tulis. Ya, saya setuju dengan cadangan untuk menilai prestasi Najib serta ahli kabinet dalam masa 6 bulan ini.  

Jika prestasi mana-mana Menteri tidak memuaskan, Najib mestilah memberi "nasihat" kepada Menteri yang berkenaan. Jika selepas 6 bulan dari "nasihat" prestasi masih kurang memberangsangkan, Menteri berkenaan mesti digugurkan.

Kaedah ini mesti diteruskan dari sekarang dan mesti diintegrasikan ke dalam Standard Operating Policies and Procedures (SOPP) untuk kabinet.

Jika Najib selaku PM benar-benar "walk the talk" UMNO/BN mungkin selamat di PRU13. Jika tidak, beliau akan melakar sejarah sebagai PM pertama yang menjadi pembangkang.  

There is no two ways about it!  

Sekian.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Najib's New Cabinet Lineup...

The PM has just announced his cabinet lineup.

Frankly I would have expected Najib to be more bold in trimming the size.  My initial assessment - quite disappointing!

The PR buildup towards a leaner cabinet did not materialise.  Cursory observations:
(1) Yes it is smaller but only marginally.  
(2) Yes, the elected guilty youth leader was not appointed.
(3) Yes, some suspect characters were not appointed but unfortunately the vindictive one is still in the cabinet...

I can't quite rationalise Muhyiddin's appointment as Education Minister!  Yes, it is an important ministry and a senior one but still...  The question remains "WHY?".

  

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Status Quo Di Bukit dan Sungai - A Kadir Jasin

Below is my comment to A Kadir Jasin's article Status Quo Di Bukit dan Sungai
 -----------------------------------------------
Sdr. A Kadir Jasin,

I am still very angry and annoyed with UMNO/BN leaders and members. I was hoping that UMNO/BN would lose all three by-elections but I guess I am quite happy that they lost in two. 

I would love to give Najib a chance but only 6 months! The first test would be his cabinet formation.

Why am I so angry that every single problem (whether real or perceived) I lay my blame on UMNO/BN? 

Why am I brainwashing my children's minds to hating UMNO/BN?

It is because:

(1) UMNO/BN members have got little or no conscience!
- They have no qualm in voting for corrupted members to lead them!

(2) UMNO/BN members think too highly of themselves!
- Mere mortals (the rakyat) are judged based on different standards. The rakyat are stupid fools...

(3) UMNO/BN members take almost everything and gives very little back!
- Projects are awarded at huge mark-ups (exorbitantly inflated) using tax payers money!

(4) Wifes of UMNO/BN leaders and members act and behave like leaches!
- They expect to be treated like the rakyat owe them a living and we must accord them demigod status!

(5) UMNO/BN-link companies expect people to work for them without compensations!
- Service providers should feel honoured to be given a chance to work for them! No compensation required. 

During the course of my work, I have worked for UMNO/BN-linked companies. Linked either through the party or individuals (members). 

These companies expect services to be provided for free! We can invoice them but don't hold ones breath for payment!

Man-hours and man-days spent means nothing to these jokers! To them, we should be proud to be given a chance to serve an UMNO member! 

Contracts signed mean nothing as their attitude is "sue me if you dare"!

Why do I say these things? It is because they:

(1) Could afford to change expensive cars like changing shirts;
(2) Could afford live lavishly building bungalows fit for Kings;
(3) Could afford to "sponsor" decision-makers to give "special considerations" to their proposals even though they are not qualified or have no capacity to undertake certain jobs; and
(4) Could afford to pay only those that has direct link to decision-makers.

At the end of the day, I am "screwed" when:
(1) taxes that I pay are misused; and
(2) services provided are not compensated as per agreement/contract. 

I would like to refer to TheStar 08 April 2009 (front-page):

"Maybe the people are still undecided, so we will have to work harder to convince them"
- UMNO Deputy President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

For Sdr. Muhyiddin, the people have decided, not undecided. UMNO/BN needs drastic transformation. Don't engage Etos to do the post-mortem on your defeat! They would provide you with answers that you want to hear, not the whole truth!

Sekian.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Najib has 6 months to prove himself...

Najib has been sworn-in as Malaysia's 6th Prime Minister.  

No his family is not and should not be called First Family.  In the US, the First Family refers to the President's family.  In Malaysia, why should we call the PM's family as First Family?  Shouldn't we call the King's family as First Family?

No this posting has got nothing to do with who should be called First Family.  It is about Najib, Malaysia's 6th Prime Minister.

Najib has requested Malaysian to give him a chance to prove his capabilities as a PM that deserves respect and support.  I think he ought to be given a chance to prove what he is capable of.

First we should provide him some space to appoint his cabinet.  If his cabinet consist of any of the following people (not an exhaustive list), then Najib has failed in his first test!

(1) Khairy Jamaluddin - the guilty of money politic, Head of Umno Youth
(2) Jamaluddin Jarjis - the ex-Minister that almost never keep his word of showing up unless you have strong political connection
(3) Azalina Othman - the integrity-suspect Minister currently being investigated by MACC
(4) Nor Mohamed Yaacop - the vindictive 2nd Finance Minister who never remembers whatever help you have given him but remembers the slightest "offense" that you have said.

The above list is not exhaustive though I wished it was.  Nonetheless if any of the above personality makes it to Najib's cabinet, it deserves to be called "kitchen cabinet" similar to Pak Lah's and Najib has failed in his first test as PM.

This first test is crucial as a wrong (and unclean) choice would make it difficult for me (as a SINGLE VOTER) to evaluate Najib's leadership positively for the next 6 months...

But then, I am nothing but a SINGLE LONE VOTER...