Crooked Problem with Son & Son-in-Law

Originally, the bridge was mooted to be straight. Mahathir couldn't get it straight from consensus and had it design and built it the crooked way.

Pak Lah inherited the project. He was coaxed by the coterie headed by the Johor chief minister, and his cronies into going ahead. He relented! And to add a bit of fung shui, he baptised it as SCENIC Bridge.

However, Mahathir, tho' happy with this news prophesized: "it's going to be a CYNIC Bridge", he blurted!

Three weeks later, after consulting the A-G, the PM called off the crooked project. He also announced a $100 million conpensation for his aborted decision.

Fung Shui was right! The whole episode turned CYNICAL!

The Razzmatazz begun.

Now it had spilled over to the little dragons and spiders of UMNO and it's Youth. Soon, the Puteras and Puteris will join the fray.

Now, the war sprouted in UMNO Youth.

Umno Youth executive council member and Mahathir's only political-successor son, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s urged the Pak Lah's Government to re-open negotiations with Singapore over the aborted bridge project and other issues. Speaking at a forum in Johor Baru last week, Mukhriz had said the Government should have continued with the bridge negotiations even if the matter had to be brought before the International Court of Justice.

UMNO Youth Deputy President and Pak Lah's son-in-law, Khairy jump-in to defend his father-in-law. He proclaimed that the Youth movement is issuing a disclaimer over Mukhriz’s statement. He said this is to ensure that the (UMNO) public was aware that the Mukhriz's statement was not representative of Umno Youth’s stand on the bridge issue.

"There is no room in Umno Youth for leaders to make statements contrary to decisions taken by its executive council," said Khairy Jamaluddin.

Umno Youth, he said, operated on consensus and any decision made would be binding on all of its executive council members. “An exco member may have his own opinion on any issue but once a decision has been made, he is duty-bound not to make statements that are contrary to that decision as that can cause confusion among the grassroots. That’s what is called collective responsibility which has always been the practice in Umno Youth,” he said in response to Mukhriz Mahathir’s statement.

Umno Youth, at its executive council meeting on April 14, had supported the Cabinet’s decision to cancel the project.

Asked whether Mukhriz was present during the meeting, Khairy said:

“The answer to that is no, he was not. However, whether he was present or not is not the issue as all exco members are duty-bound to stand by our collective decision. Otherwise, I can decide not to attend a meeting and be absolved of the responsibility to stand by the exco’s decision.”

The stage had been set for the big middle-weight fight; there is no proxy fight but there are cronies who will rushed in to join the fray. There is a prize to be won; but there is a price to be paid.

Politics is about Power, Influence and Wealth procurement. Those in UMNO knew this is the chance to get something and to take sides. Shahrir had begun his mission to remould and uplift his political ambition. Many others will have to show up quickly so as not to be left out.

The Oligarchy vs the Oligarchy within the Oligarchies.

The war had begun ... the battle is set for the big stage ... we can only watch in awe.