A Long-Running Political Soap Opera In Perak

The debacle yesterday in the state assembly of Perak made us look more and more like the legislative sittings in Taiwan.

The riot-like assembly sitting on May 7 would go into our history.

Rattan Smack

During my childhood days at Sg. Empawah, this type of rattan smack was a convenient household accessory, useful for both as a cane and a smack.

However, in modern days, it is much less common.

I spotted the above in Lieng Tee Flower Shop and decided to buy one to relish my childhood memories.

In the local political scenario, rattan smack has been wielded high in the air.

Datuk Yong Teck Lee smacked hard on the door of BN last week by revolting against the Front primarily over the issues of concern to Sabahans.

Although no motion of no-confidence was actually moved, SAPP had already given BN the jitters.

I don't know for sure what is the card up Datuk Yong's sleeve, but the game is certainly far from over.

Yong Teck Lee Passed The Ball Back To BN

Datuk Yong Teck Lee is obviously in control of the SC of SAPP. As such, he has an upper hand of the saga as of now!

With the SC's endorsement of the no-confidence move, Yong has smartly passed the ball back to Pak Lah to decide the fate of SAPP.

This is an astute step to corner BN.

The second round has just been gonged over and the party taking the lead is Datuk Yong at 2:0.

In Malaysia, politics and shares are seemingly inseparable! Think of politics, think of shares!

That day when the saga erupted, I was at a newsstand browsing among magazines.

Then, out of the blue, the tawkey nion blurted out, pointing at her computer screen," Hey, look, SCOMI looks like a good buy now!"

I told her to continue watching out.

SCOMI has been heavily under the shadow of KJ. At one time, it was a shining star, making it a hot pick. But dark clouds have been hovering over it since the political tsunami.

Datuk Yong's revolt move has deep implications for this counter.

The above picture is by courtesy of LIONG (www.thesibu.blogspot.com ), a blogger friend of mine. His photography is admirable.

Pak Lah Versus Yong Teck Lee

Seriously, what has Datuk Yong Teck Lee got to lose in the event his political revolt has a hard landing? I am really of the opiniom that he is not playing a losing game - not at all!

Although the whole saga is veiled, it is obvious that the invisible hand behind the dissenting move is the de facto leader of PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

With options open to him, Datuk Yong boldly jumped into the ring for a 15-round heavyweight fight. The round one was concluded with Datuk Yong leading at 1:0.

Let's stay tuned in to the new developments!

I don't know for sure whether Yong is a market player. If he is one, then he could have made a windfall by selling short certain politically sensitive stocks with his excellent timing.

After Datuk Yong released his no-confidence vote move through press, KLSE turned volatile. The timing was definitely on his side - he could have made tons by just a simple manoeuvre.

Datuk Yong is surely a shrewd player!

Datuk Yong Teck Lee Dropped A Bombshell

Datuk Yong Teck Lee had been on low profile politically for quite a while. Yesterday he made a thunderous comeback by dropping a bombshell to announce his party (Sabah Progressive Party) supporting a vote of no confidence on the prime minister in the coming parliament session on Monday.

Much has been said about Yong's move and the political implications of his no-faith declaration. One thing for sure is that Datuk Yong has his political agenda and, if I read it correctly, it is intended in utmost good faith for the betterment of Sabahans. I am not going to touch any further on it.

Maybe just let me share with you two anecdotes about the flamboyant Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

In 1996 when Tan Sri Dr. Wong Soon Kai was in a straight fight with Wong Ho Leng in Bukit Assek constituency, Datuk Yong Teck Lee flew in in his capacity as CM of Sabah for a day visit to give Tan Sri Dr. Wong his moral support. Despite the stage appearances by several heavy-weights including Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, Soon Kai lost the election by a narrow margin.

During his tenure as CM of Sabah, Datuk Yong Teck Lee convinced DUN (Dewan Undangan Negeri) to buy into a listed company using the state funds with the intention to turn the listed vehicle into a state government's investment arm. After acquisition, the share price slumped from the all-time high of RM30 to below RM8, in the wake of Asian economic crisis. Several ADUNs in the opposition team hit out at Datuk Yong Teck Lee's government for causing huge capital losses to the state. But Yong was fast to refute the allegations, saying the crisis was beyong his control. Fortunately I did not pick up that counter earlier.