The backlash to the state contract termination and payment freezing notice was swift and multi-pronged.
Later that Monday, journalists all over were rather shell-shocked to be inundated by calls from politicians - including some of the more reticent ones, who’d usually play the “No comment” card. The key theme was the same as the condemnation gleefully poured vitriol on the Amal administration and predicted its imminent demise.
Everyone was of the view that the Amal administration was moving way too far and too fast, outstaying its welcome in less than a month - in stark contrast to the normal grace period where a new political leadership would usually be given either 100 or 150 days in power first before serious criticisms start pouring in.
Some went so far as warn that there could be some violent uprising among the people of Selangor when key systems and processes start falling apart, while also calling for street protests against the new state ruling. Then, within hours, at least 10 different protest marches had also been announced at various locations around Selangor and scheduled from after the Friday prayers - all organised by “non-political” NGOs.
Attempts by journalists to get any Amal assemblywoman or state leadership to respond to these increasingly louder political denouement got the same standard reply: “We stand by our decision.”
As such, the various state department heads and other civil service staff found themselves bombarded with calls to get any hints of how the new state leadership might respond - given that the journalists had been given free licence earlier on Monday morning to harass these public servants.
From this incessant media probing, it soon became clear that a large number of state employees potentially faced the risk of losing their jobs as they had been hired via third party contracts and not through the Public Service Department. While it could not be clearly determined just how many may be affected, this revelation was enough to add more fuel to the political criticisms and judging by the print media coverage on Tuesday, Selangor seemed likely to be placed under emergency laws to prevent supposed widespread riots.
Despite having predicted this giant political storm, Munusamy was shaken by how quickly the prospect of emergency laws had been raised - he had anticipated this dark spectre to surface only after about a fortnight of initially loud protests, which would have somehow tragically turned violent in the third week or so. As such, the following Monday’s state exco meeting had been planned specifically to defuse this storm of protests but the situation was becoming increasingly untenable for any political face-saving way to save the Amal administration before the weekend.
Further to monitoring the bleak picture the media had painted, Raymond had sent out feelers on the ground and Charlene’s team had been quietly assessing the online debates - with the feedback seeming to be only a little less slanted against Amal. Problem was that only those already vocal before had been making their views known, the silent majority remained deafeningly quiet and Munusamy wondered if this should be construed as good news or if they were being persuaded that Amal was a really bad idea in retrospect.
Fortunately, there had yet to be any major real world protests even as all eyes and ears were tuned to preparations being made publicly ahead of the first wave of protests on Friday, with more slated for Saturday and Sunday. The police had issued half-hearted warnings to would-be participants to ensure any rally would stay peaceful, but Raymond had received feedback that the police would be out in full force over the state with leave frozen for the next one month. Teargas stocks and water cannons were being quietly moved to strategic spots and the dreaded Federal Reserve Unit teams were also being mobilised.
The other main attack Munusamy had anticipated also came true - suppliers to the KM fastfood outlets had informed by noon Monday that stock deliveries would be delayed. When pressed, none were able to commit as to when deliveries would resume as usual, if at all.
Preparations for this eventuality had begun several months back as Raymond had instituted the purchase of several large chilled warehouses at strategic locations so that there would be enough food supply to the fastfood outlets for at least another fortnight. Renovations had also taken place at all outlets to enlarge the freezers, which had ensured the latest deliveries arrived on Sunday night so that there was another week’s buffer.
Still, Munusamy was relieved to have business convention on his side - given that movie releases are always slotted for Thursdays. A charity event to mark the rerelease of his first major blockbuster, remastered with additional footage, had been scheduled for Thursday’s global debut. Some behind-the-scene favours had been called in the moment the nomination dates had been announced and the United Nation’s World Food Programme (UNWFP) had been roped in as the charity to benefit from Thursday’s proceeds of cinemas around the world.
In Selangor, it had also been previously announced that the fastfood outlets would turn into whole-day soup kitchens and UNWFP collection centres for public donations on Thursday. As all the KM outlet suppliers plus countless more had pledged their support earlier to the event, Munusamy could only hope Thursday would be a success as its significance had grown to become far larger than originally planned.
There was no let-up in the media storm, which just worsened into Wednesday night as the UNWFP representatives arrived from Belgium. Since the various service centres for the elected assemblywomen were also located adjacent to or near the fastfood outlets, and they had also been scheduled to join the suppliers’ representatives to serve dinner to the needy, the political significance of the event couldn’t have been any more pronounced.
After welcoming the UNWFP representatives and making sure the delegation had checked into their hotel rooms, Munusamy remained tense and felt unable to return home to get any shuteye. Checks conducted hours earlier hadn’t elicited any confirmations of the various supplier representatives on their attendance and he was finally forced to concede that none would turn up as scheduled. Bitter at the prospect of being checkmated even before real gains could be made with his plan, he spent the next few hours nursing a coffee cup at a nearby diner and took a quick shower back at the office to freshen up before the 6am meeting the UNWFP delegation at the hotel coffeehouse.
To Munusamy’s surprise, there were several other people present as well at the breakfast meeting. And he couldn’t help but smile broadly when informed one of the UNWFP representatives was a distant relative of the recently-instated Selangor Sultanah, who had agreed in her personal capacity to grace the official opening of the soup kitchen by the UNWFP delegation at 7am.
GUERILLA POLITICS in SELANGOR is a satire on how an "altruistic" billionaire secretly funded and formed the next Selangor administration - making it the inspiration of the nation
Sunday 23 October 2011
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Chapter 6 - Robbing hoods
The Monday morning press conference turnout didn’t disappoint.
Anticipating an extra large press corp turnout, the event had been moved to the largest hall within the state secretariat building. And as Jamilah walked in at precisely 9.29am, she noted that all the department heads and support staff who had been at the exco meeting earlier had also taken their allotted places at the back.
During the exco meeting, everyone had been warned not to leak any of the matters discussed until after 10am and that’s exactly what Jamilah began the press conference with once the hall doors were locked. “We have installed a signal disruptor in this hall to ensure all mobile phones and any communication devices cannot be used until we unlock the doors at 10am,” she said, dismissing the ensuing wave of groans. To make doubly sure the embargo stayed intact, Charlene’s team was also monitoring various online and social networking sites, plus the airwaves as well.
When the protests died down, Jamilah got straight to the point. “The Amal administration has noted the countless reports and opinions published over the past few days on how we are about to bankrupt Selangor with our minimum wage plan for all state employees. So, before we reveal the details on the minimum wage plan, let me first address the issue of how we are going to make sure we have enough funds for what needs to be done right. We shouldn’t be called the Right Party if we’re going to do wrong, are we?”
Pausing for the sniggers to fade away, Jamilah continued. “Let me remind you of the announcement made immediately after the final state election results were confirmed. All contracts with the state are to be voided according to the stipulated termination clauses and we had given due notice of this intent. So, let me now explain how that’s going to work to make sure the state will always have enough funds for what we need to do.”
There was shocked silence as the import of these words sank in.
“At the exco meeting a short while ago, it was decided that all payments on contracts will be frozen after this month. To make sure everyone is clear, payments at the end of this month will be made in full and that will be the last until and unless the contract party submits a request for the agreement to continue. Subsequent payments will be made only if the state exco approves the continuance of such contracts.
“We are fully aware that some contracts have termination clauses that stipulate notice periods of up to 12 months or have some sort of penalties if voided. We will address those issues one at a time if and when the contract party makes the submission. Any contract party who refuses to make such a submission or takes us to court without going through this process will be blacklisted immediately from any dealings with the state administration during the next four plus years until the date of the next election, which we have also clearly announced.
“The only exceptions will be the utility firms for power, water, communications and sanitation. For those too, we will be holdings discussions over the next few weeks to discuss various rewards and penalties to ensure we’ll always have the highest service levels in Selangor.”
Jamilah’s gaze swept the hall, noting the largely shocked looks among the journalists. The state staff at the back were all tightlipped, fully aware of the consequences to what her administration had just unleashed. She was also too aware of the media headlines which had been predicted in Munusamy’s script and wondered idly if anyone would come up with her personal favourite “Robbing hoods”. This bombshell would surely dominate all media coverage over the next few days, overshadowing what she was about to say next. It would be exactly how Munusamy had planned it to be - slipping in essentials while everyone’s focus was distracted elsewhere.
“Now, on the minimum wage plan, here’s what we’re going to do. As stated earlier, the minimum monthly wage will be set at RM2,500. This applies to all staff who currently earn less than that and they include dispatch riders, receptionists and all kinds of support staff who are barely able to support themselves. These are people who can be valuable assets to Selangor when given the right motivation because they have stayed loyal to their jobs despite earning so very little.
“To make sure they earn RM2,500 monthly, the state will be paying them the extra amount. In other words, we will top up what they are already receiving from the federal government as they all remain staff employed via the Public Services Department. On top of that, we will also increase the salaries of those now earning between RM2,000 and RM2,999. All these individuals will now have their monthly salaries topped up to RM3,000.
“We would also like to inform you of future pay rises during our five-year administration mandate. From 1 July next year, the minimum wage has been set at RM3,000 and the amount will increase by RM300 every year from the same date. We intend to eventually have the minimum monthly wage set at RM6,000 - but you will have to vote us in again at the next state election for this to become possible.”
Eyes rolled at this not-so-subtle political campaigning and Jamilah simply smiled while she checked if anyone had any doubts about what she had just said. Noting none, she continued: “The pay rise also means state employees will have to become more productive. Details of what we expect will be announced over the next few weeks and here’s some of the major changes we will be instituting.
“Firstly, all state administrative hours will be extended to better serve the public. Four months from now, all state offices will be open from 7.30am to 7.30pm. As such, all state staff will be required to work a minimum of 10 hours daily and there will be flexible meals hours to ensure there’s always someone available to attend to the public at all times while the office is open. During the fasting month, all Muslim staff can leave at 5.30pm. We have consulted the department heads and they say many of the staff are already working such long hours and that it won’t be difficult to make the necessary adjustments.
“There will no longer be any overtime payments from then and the RM2,500 minimum wages will also be paid only from this period onwards. The current salaries will remain during the next three months and we will be announcing several other changes to cater for the work-hour adjustments, including staff with families to take care of and also their school-going children. The department heads have been instructed to come up with proposals related to this and we will be announcing our decision on such issues within the next few weeks as well. There will also be some form of monitoring and penalties for anyone who fails to meet work expectations or abuses the system.
“Lastly, the full video recording of this press conference will posted on the state website from 10am and as usual, the exco meeting minutes will be available from 7pm. We will also post the full agenda for the next exco meeting then. We have given full authorisation to every state employee to speak to the media with absolutely no restrictions whatsoever on this matter and so, feel free to speak to the department heads and their staff at the back of this hall on what I had just announced.”
All the journalists turned and saw the various state employees seated at designated desks at the back of the hall. And while they did so, Jamilah and the state exco members slipped out of the exit behind the rostrum.
Anticipating an extra large press corp turnout, the event had been moved to the largest hall within the state secretariat building. And as Jamilah walked in at precisely 9.29am, she noted that all the department heads and support staff who had been at the exco meeting earlier had also taken their allotted places at the back.
During the exco meeting, everyone had been warned not to leak any of the matters discussed until after 10am and that’s exactly what Jamilah began the press conference with once the hall doors were locked. “We have installed a signal disruptor in this hall to ensure all mobile phones and any communication devices cannot be used until we unlock the doors at 10am,” she said, dismissing the ensuing wave of groans. To make doubly sure the embargo stayed intact, Charlene’s team was also monitoring various online and social networking sites, plus the airwaves as well.
When the protests died down, Jamilah got straight to the point. “The Amal administration has noted the countless reports and opinions published over the past few days on how we are about to bankrupt Selangor with our minimum wage plan for all state employees. So, before we reveal the details on the minimum wage plan, let me first address the issue of how we are going to make sure we have enough funds for what needs to be done right. We shouldn’t be called the Right Party if we’re going to do wrong, are we?”
Pausing for the sniggers to fade away, Jamilah continued. “Let me remind you of the announcement made immediately after the final state election results were confirmed. All contracts with the state are to be voided according to the stipulated termination clauses and we had given due notice of this intent. So, let me now explain how that’s going to work to make sure the state will always have enough funds for what we need to do.”
There was shocked silence as the import of these words sank in.
“At the exco meeting a short while ago, it was decided that all payments on contracts will be frozen after this month. To make sure everyone is clear, payments at the end of this month will be made in full and that will be the last until and unless the contract party submits a request for the agreement to continue. Subsequent payments will be made only if the state exco approves the continuance of such contracts.
“We are fully aware that some contracts have termination clauses that stipulate notice periods of up to 12 months or have some sort of penalties if voided. We will address those issues one at a time if and when the contract party makes the submission. Any contract party who refuses to make such a submission or takes us to court without going through this process will be blacklisted immediately from any dealings with the state administration during the next four plus years until the date of the next election, which we have also clearly announced.
“The only exceptions will be the utility firms for power, water, communications and sanitation. For those too, we will be holdings discussions over the next few weeks to discuss various rewards and penalties to ensure we’ll always have the highest service levels in Selangor.”
Jamilah’s gaze swept the hall, noting the largely shocked looks among the journalists. The state staff at the back were all tightlipped, fully aware of the consequences to what her administration had just unleashed. She was also too aware of the media headlines which had been predicted in Munusamy’s script and wondered idly if anyone would come up with her personal favourite “Robbing hoods”. This bombshell would surely dominate all media coverage over the next few days, overshadowing what she was about to say next. It would be exactly how Munusamy had planned it to be - slipping in essentials while everyone’s focus was distracted elsewhere.
“Now, on the minimum wage plan, here’s what we’re going to do. As stated earlier, the minimum monthly wage will be set at RM2,500. This applies to all staff who currently earn less than that and they include dispatch riders, receptionists and all kinds of support staff who are barely able to support themselves. These are people who can be valuable assets to Selangor when given the right motivation because they have stayed loyal to their jobs despite earning so very little.
“To make sure they earn RM2,500 monthly, the state will be paying them the extra amount. In other words, we will top up what they are already receiving from the federal government as they all remain staff employed via the Public Services Department. On top of that, we will also increase the salaries of those now earning between RM2,000 and RM2,999. All these individuals will now have their monthly salaries topped up to RM3,000.
“We would also like to inform you of future pay rises during our five-year administration mandate. From 1 July next year, the minimum wage has been set at RM3,000 and the amount will increase by RM300 every year from the same date. We intend to eventually have the minimum monthly wage set at RM6,000 - but you will have to vote us in again at the next state election for this to become possible.”
Eyes rolled at this not-so-subtle political campaigning and Jamilah simply smiled while she checked if anyone had any doubts about what she had just said. Noting none, she continued: “The pay rise also means state employees will have to become more productive. Details of what we expect will be announced over the next few weeks and here’s some of the major changes we will be instituting.
“Firstly, all state administrative hours will be extended to better serve the public. Four months from now, all state offices will be open from 7.30am to 7.30pm. As such, all state staff will be required to work a minimum of 10 hours daily and there will be flexible meals hours to ensure there’s always someone available to attend to the public at all times while the office is open. During the fasting month, all Muslim staff can leave at 5.30pm. We have consulted the department heads and they say many of the staff are already working such long hours and that it won’t be difficult to make the necessary adjustments.
“There will no longer be any overtime payments from then and the RM2,500 minimum wages will also be paid only from this period onwards. The current salaries will remain during the next three months and we will be announcing several other changes to cater for the work-hour adjustments, including staff with families to take care of and also their school-going children. The department heads have been instructed to come up with proposals related to this and we will be announcing our decision on such issues within the next few weeks as well. There will also be some form of monitoring and penalties for anyone who fails to meet work expectations or abuses the system.
“Lastly, the full video recording of this press conference will posted on the state website from 10am and as usual, the exco meeting minutes will be available from 7pm. We will also post the full agenda for the next exco meeting then. We have given full authorisation to every state employee to speak to the media with absolutely no restrictions whatsoever on this matter and so, feel free to speak to the department heads and their staff at the back of this hall on what I had just announced.”
All the journalists turned and saw the various state employees seated at designated desks at the back of the hall. And while they did so, Jamilah and the state exco members slipped out of the exit behind the rostrum.
Wednesday 5 October 2011
Chapter 5 - At the palace
All that anticipation and agonising proved to be unnecessary as the Selangor Sultan gave his consent to the entire Amal line-up as submitted. But the atmosphere in the palace remained tense as all the faces within remained neutral and pensive, as if still doubtful whether the Amal administration could actually bring about any positive changes to the state.
Privately, Jamilah felt they couldn’t do any worse than the previous administrations - but also realised no one would draw a fair comparison simply because the Amal group were all females and there were higher expectations to live up to all round. Still, the Sultan had agreed to her request for him to inaugurate an impromptu state exco meeting immediately the swearing in - a surprise move that had also raised some eyebrows and also sent a clear message that Amal meant business, not wanting to waste any time to get down to work.
The Sultan didn’t stay long and the change in his tone as soon as the doors to the exco meeting room were shut augured well for the new administration. Smiling broadly and acknowledging everyone by name - showing he had done his homework - the Sultan voiced his support for all the initial steps taken so far by Amal. “Keep up the good work and don’t disappoint me or the people of Selangor who had voted you into power,” he said before leaving them to their deliberations.
The exco meeting didn’t last long, over in 20 minutes as scheduled. And despite the earlier announcement of the Press conference time, Jamilah had to cool her heels for almost 10 minutes for journalists who had gone to partake refreshments served, being so used to previous sessions which would stretch for hours past schedule.
Skipping the preliminaries, Jamilah got right to the point. “For the rest of our allotted time to administer Selangor, until we call for the next election three months before our tenure expiry as we had informed you last week, please take note that we will be punctual and stick to our schedules strictly. Allowance of only 10 minutes will be given until the end of this month for others to get used to our need to be prompt at all times. I don’t want to issue any more reminders.”
So used to bantering with previous politicians who rarely lived up to such definitive pronouncements, a cheeky journalist asked: “What happens if one of us happens to be late because of traffic jams?”
Jamilah didn’t bat an eyelid. “Firstly, one of the first steps we’d be taking is to completely eradicate traffic jams within Selangor so no one can use that as an excuse any more. Secondly, journalists or anyone expected to attend a state event will not be allowed to enter the relevant rooms, which will be locked exactly on time after this grace period till month-end. That person or anyone from the organisation he or she represents will be barred entry to the next state event as well. We will put up the notices of such barred entry plus the reason why at the event concerned, also on all invitations sent out and on the state’s official website. If anyone wants to act in a juvenile manner, we’ll treat you like juveniles until you learn to respect the right of others to expect punctuality.”
“What are you? My mother?” that same journalist responded, a cheeky smile remaining firmly planted on his face.
“Maybe it’s time you started listening to her,” Jamilah snapped back with a steely smile. “Let’s not waste any more time on this inane exchange. Here’s what we’ve decided on today, if you are all ready for what we’re assembled for.”
Seeing the nods, she said:”During our short meeting with the Sultan, all our alternates were also introduced and they are ready to stand for by-elections in case that need ever arises. As you are all aware, each of us has two alternates and they will be working closely with each assemblywoman.”
Making sure the gender emphasis was noted, Jamilah continued: “All three will work as a team to ensure there are no disruptions in any way to whatever needs to be done for their constituencies and also for the people of Selangor. Similarly, our exco members and their alternates have been announced before the state election and continuity will be maintained to cover any eventuality like illness and so on. At no point will this administration ever be affected by anyone absent or unavailable because the alternates will step up to do the job needed.“
Seeing no hands raised to ask any questions, Jamilah move on to the next topic. “As the Right Party or Parti Amal, our focus is not on making all kinds of changes. We’re here to implement and enforce the law as it currently stands and only make changes which are absolutely necessary ad right. At this point, we will not be changing anything done and will allow existing state administrative decisions to stand as they are. Everything will be status quo for three months but the respective officers will be called to account for anything done outside the rules from the date we were elected into office.“
Hands quickly shot up and a journalist asked: “What about decisions made before? Will you be checking into those too?”
Jamilah smiled. “We will not do anything about those. If at all, we will make new decisions to comply with existing rules or formulate new rules which would make such decisions void moving forward. For example, all ‘Lawatan Sambil Belajar’ and training sessions during office hours will now need to be tabled at state exco meetings for approval at least two months in advance. We want to make sure all state funds are spent wisely. Any of these scheduled for the next three months can proceed but the state officers involved will have to pay back every sen spent to the state if we later find such allocations to be unnecessary.”
Bedlam ensued as journalists began vying for Jamilah’s attention, with shouts of “Are you going to stop corruption?” loudest among them.
“Be patient,” Jamilah assured. “We will attend to everything in due time. Our first priority would be to reiterate for anyone having contracts with the state that they should be reminded a total of six days of notice have already passed for terminations. At today’s meeting, we have decided that all such contracts will be allowed to lapse according to their stated contractual notice terms unless the organisation submits within the next six months a request for the contracts to remain valid. So, there’s no need to rush into such issues just yet as we will be discussing each of these contract validity submissions at every exco meeting from now on.”
Calm ensued as her words sunk in. Taking the imitative to continue while the journalists were still preoccupied jotting down her words, Jamilah said: “The full minutes of today’s exco meeting will be posted on the state website at exactly 7pm tonight, and the same applies for every one of our future minutes. All exco meetings will now be scheduled for 8am every Monday and the press conference will be held at exactly 9.30am sharp. Please don’t be late.”
Jamilah turned as if ready to walk out of the room, but held onto the microphone. “Just to give you all a heads up on the main item on the next exco meeting agenda - we will be seeking to implement for all state employees a minimum monthly wage of RM2,500.”
Ignoring the questions shouted out in response, she slipped out of the room with the rest of her exco members.
Privately, Jamilah felt they couldn’t do any worse than the previous administrations - but also realised no one would draw a fair comparison simply because the Amal group were all females and there were higher expectations to live up to all round. Still, the Sultan had agreed to her request for him to inaugurate an impromptu state exco meeting immediately the swearing in - a surprise move that had also raised some eyebrows and also sent a clear message that Amal meant business, not wanting to waste any time to get down to work.
The Sultan didn’t stay long and the change in his tone as soon as the doors to the exco meeting room were shut augured well for the new administration. Smiling broadly and acknowledging everyone by name - showing he had done his homework - the Sultan voiced his support for all the initial steps taken so far by Amal. “Keep up the good work and don’t disappoint me or the people of Selangor who had voted you into power,” he said before leaving them to their deliberations.
The exco meeting didn’t last long, over in 20 minutes as scheduled. And despite the earlier announcement of the Press conference time, Jamilah had to cool her heels for almost 10 minutes for journalists who had gone to partake refreshments served, being so used to previous sessions which would stretch for hours past schedule.
Skipping the preliminaries, Jamilah got right to the point. “For the rest of our allotted time to administer Selangor, until we call for the next election three months before our tenure expiry as we had informed you last week, please take note that we will be punctual and stick to our schedules strictly. Allowance of only 10 minutes will be given until the end of this month for others to get used to our need to be prompt at all times. I don’t want to issue any more reminders.”
So used to bantering with previous politicians who rarely lived up to such definitive pronouncements, a cheeky journalist asked: “What happens if one of us happens to be late because of traffic jams?”
Jamilah didn’t bat an eyelid. “Firstly, one of the first steps we’d be taking is to completely eradicate traffic jams within Selangor so no one can use that as an excuse any more. Secondly, journalists or anyone expected to attend a state event will not be allowed to enter the relevant rooms, which will be locked exactly on time after this grace period till month-end. That person or anyone from the organisation he or she represents will be barred entry to the next state event as well. We will put up the notices of such barred entry plus the reason why at the event concerned, also on all invitations sent out and on the state’s official website. If anyone wants to act in a juvenile manner, we’ll treat you like juveniles until you learn to respect the right of others to expect punctuality.”
“What are you? My mother?” that same journalist responded, a cheeky smile remaining firmly planted on his face.
“Maybe it’s time you started listening to her,” Jamilah snapped back with a steely smile. “Let’s not waste any more time on this inane exchange. Here’s what we’ve decided on today, if you are all ready for what we’re assembled for.”
Seeing the nods, she said:”During our short meeting with the Sultan, all our alternates were also introduced and they are ready to stand for by-elections in case that need ever arises. As you are all aware, each of us has two alternates and they will be working closely with each assemblywoman.”
Making sure the gender emphasis was noted, Jamilah continued: “All three will work as a team to ensure there are no disruptions in any way to whatever needs to be done for their constituencies and also for the people of Selangor. Similarly, our exco members and their alternates have been announced before the state election and continuity will be maintained to cover any eventuality like illness and so on. At no point will this administration ever be affected by anyone absent or unavailable because the alternates will step up to do the job needed.“
Seeing no hands raised to ask any questions, Jamilah move on to the next topic. “As the Right Party or Parti Amal, our focus is not on making all kinds of changes. We’re here to implement and enforce the law as it currently stands and only make changes which are absolutely necessary ad right. At this point, we will not be changing anything done and will allow existing state administrative decisions to stand as they are. Everything will be status quo for three months but the respective officers will be called to account for anything done outside the rules from the date we were elected into office.“
Hands quickly shot up and a journalist asked: “What about decisions made before? Will you be checking into those too?”
Jamilah smiled. “We will not do anything about those. If at all, we will make new decisions to comply with existing rules or formulate new rules which would make such decisions void moving forward. For example, all ‘Lawatan Sambil Belajar’ and training sessions during office hours will now need to be tabled at state exco meetings for approval at least two months in advance. We want to make sure all state funds are spent wisely. Any of these scheduled for the next three months can proceed but the state officers involved will have to pay back every sen spent to the state if we later find such allocations to be unnecessary.”
Bedlam ensued as journalists began vying for Jamilah’s attention, with shouts of “Are you going to stop corruption?” loudest among them.
“Be patient,” Jamilah assured. “We will attend to everything in due time. Our first priority would be to reiterate for anyone having contracts with the state that they should be reminded a total of six days of notice have already passed for terminations. At today’s meeting, we have decided that all such contracts will be allowed to lapse according to their stated contractual notice terms unless the organisation submits within the next six months a request for the contracts to remain valid. So, there’s no need to rush into such issues just yet as we will be discussing each of these contract validity submissions at every exco meeting from now on.”
Calm ensued as her words sunk in. Taking the imitative to continue while the journalists were still preoccupied jotting down her words, Jamilah said: “The full minutes of today’s exco meeting will be posted on the state website at exactly 7pm tonight, and the same applies for every one of our future minutes. All exco meetings will now be scheduled for 8am every Monday and the press conference will be held at exactly 9.30am sharp. Please don’t be late.”
Jamilah turned as if ready to walk out of the room, but held onto the microphone. “Just to give you all a heads up on the main item on the next exco meeting agenda - we will be seeking to implement for all state employees a minimum monthly wage of RM2,500.”
Ignoring the questions shouted out in response, she slipped out of the room with the rest of her exco members.
Chapter 4 - Sobering reality
Walking through familiar corridors felt surreal for Jamilah despite there seeming to be no changes at all within the KM Studios office lot in the past month she’d been absent, after resigning from all her posts in the firm to take on the helm at Amal a mere 24 hours before nomination day..
Even at the late hour of 10pm, there was still lots of activity going on as there were always several movies, promos and TV series being worked on at any point in time - from actors and directors to lighting, sound makeup, costumes, props - plus the various support crew and catering staff. But unlike past sojourns through the constant rush, where greetings were largely passing nods or quick interruptions for project finance updates, Jamilah’s emotions were overwhelmed as people around her just stopped whatever they were doing and began applauding loudly.
Unable to fight back tears, Jamilah could only wave back weakly as she tried to smile. The short walk seemed to stretch overlong as she struggled to acknowledge the outpouring of support for the state election win and she was glad when the crescendo finally got cut off by the central office building sliding doors. Jamilah then simply let her father guide her to his office, located conveniently near the entrance, giving her the chance to regain her composure before they walked together to the boardroom.
Inside, there were another round of hugs - even from Munusamy - before everyone was once more seated at their regular places. Jamilah was the exception, guided to the head chair, as Sook Yuen had been appointed the financial controller as her replacement. Munusamy simply stood as was his wont, dismissing Jamilah’s objections at being guided his chair that was always kept empty otherwise.
There was no real need for Jamilah to repeat any details on the preceding five days as everything publicly known had already been reported widely in the newspapers. Munusamy’s biggest fear had come true and they were to consider together how and if any of the other alternatives could be palatable to the Selangor electorate.
“What did the Sultan say exactly?” Munusamy asked.
Jamilah pursed her lips tightly before responding. “You’ve all read the official statement from the palace, which states the Sultan will announce the decision in exactly a week whether to grant his consent to me becoming the first female Menteri Besar. When he met us all at the palace on the morning after the election results were announced, he uttered only one word - ‘Congratulations’. The officials there handed us individually a copy each of the same public statement and we were then ushered out. It’s probably the shortest audience ever any politician might have had with the Sultan.”
Rizal then asked: “What was his expression and tone? Was he smiling and friendly? Or was he cold and standoffish? Did he acknowledge any one of you when you all entered the audience hall? What about when you were all ushered out? Was there any eye contact whatsoever?”
Jamilah shrugged. “I can’t tell. He kept staring at only me and kept his expression blank throughout. His voice was neutral as well. He definitely wasn’t friendly for sure. And neither were any of the palace officials, who treated us carefully but without any real warmth. But I won’t go so far as to say there was any outright rejection. I have been going over that audience countless times in my mind during the past few days and I still don’t know what to conclude.”
“And yet,” Munusamy said to underline the reason for the late boardroom meeting, “invitations had gone out at 8.30pm to all dignitaries and the media for the swearing in ceremony at the palace from 10am tomorrow. I find it very strange, especially since the Sultan has yet to announce whom he’s consented to as the next Menteri Besar.”
Jamilah handed over her invitation card. “I’m worried too. None of us had been contacted by the palace since that audience with the Sultan, apart from the hand-delivery of the invitations about an hour ago. Do you think the Sultan’s going to appoint the Shah Alam MP instead?”
That possibility had been highlighted as a very real risk in Munusamy’s election script for Amal, which had fielded only females candidates all over Selangor, including their backups. And with no campaigning whatsover, this fact had been made fun of in the various ceramahs conducted by the other parties’ predominantly male candidates in days before the election. But, the quiet feminine touch featured both in person at the fastfood outlets, various other community-focused events scheduled ahead of the vote and also on the Amal website had won the hearts of the electorate nevertheless.
The script had also posed the likelihood that one of the many males who held senior positions in Amal might be picked to be the Menteri Besar in the alternative, despite none of them having stood for the state election. There was no concern about this issue for none of the Amal males would have accepted such an appointment in any case.
In the meanime, Jamilah and her fellow candidates had continued to be visible at the fastfood outlets and at prior-scheduled Amal-organised events - that had attracted even larger crowds than usual. The candidates had also made it a point to visit several other constituencies as well daily. leaving them little time for personal matters. As such, each candidates’ daily schedules had been posted several days in advance at the fastfood outlets and also on the Amal website so that the people within each constituency knew when exactly the candidates were available and to allow for some personal time off.
Whether Jamilah would be selected had become the hottest discussion topic among the public and even beyond Selangor as politicians chosen by the electorate in other states and also at the federal level had voiced countless opinions - which all amounted to her being rejected. The outlook was bleak but Munusamy remained confident his strategy was right. Jamilah could only pray the Sultan would eventually decide so.
“You must admit this distraction has kept the focus away from the most important factors the new state administration will be putting into place,” said Munusamy. “There’s been hardly any mention of the next election date or the contract termination notice you had announced.”
Seeing Jamilah remaining tensely silent, Charlene chipped in. “You’d all be happy to know there’s been lots of online support for Jamilah to be appointed the Menteri Besar. Most of them also feel the Sultan has no choice but to graciously give his consent to Jamilah as any other alternative is bound to provoke lots of public anger. And the Sultan is one who does listen closely to the people in his state.”
Seeing a trace of smile on Jamilah’s face as she nodded in gratitude to Charlene, Rizal said:”Still, it would be a major psychological blow for Amal if the Sultan doesn’t agree with our nomination. As it is, we’re still seen as political lightweights and chances are we won’t be taken seriously enough to be an effective state administration if we start on this wrong footing.”
Sensing no further gains could be made in the discussion, Munusamy brought it to an end. “The other candidates, who are also valued members of our family, have been waiting long enough for us to start on their celebrations together with those who have remained with the studio. Since this will be the last time any of them in the new Selangor administration can come visit us here over the next few years without any accusations of bias, including you Jamilah, let’s give you all a really heartfelt temporary goodbye.”
Even at the late hour of 10pm, there was still lots of activity going on as there were always several movies, promos and TV series being worked on at any point in time - from actors and directors to lighting, sound makeup, costumes, props - plus the various support crew and catering staff. But unlike past sojourns through the constant rush, where greetings were largely passing nods or quick interruptions for project finance updates, Jamilah’s emotions were overwhelmed as people around her just stopped whatever they were doing and began applauding loudly.
Unable to fight back tears, Jamilah could only wave back weakly as she tried to smile. The short walk seemed to stretch overlong as she struggled to acknowledge the outpouring of support for the state election win and she was glad when the crescendo finally got cut off by the central office building sliding doors. Jamilah then simply let her father guide her to his office, located conveniently near the entrance, giving her the chance to regain her composure before they walked together to the boardroom.
Inside, there were another round of hugs - even from Munusamy - before everyone was once more seated at their regular places. Jamilah was the exception, guided to the head chair, as Sook Yuen had been appointed the financial controller as her replacement. Munusamy simply stood as was his wont, dismissing Jamilah’s objections at being guided his chair that was always kept empty otherwise.
There was no real need for Jamilah to repeat any details on the preceding five days as everything publicly known had already been reported widely in the newspapers. Munusamy’s biggest fear had come true and they were to consider together how and if any of the other alternatives could be palatable to the Selangor electorate.
“What did the Sultan say exactly?” Munusamy asked.
Jamilah pursed her lips tightly before responding. “You’ve all read the official statement from the palace, which states the Sultan will announce the decision in exactly a week whether to grant his consent to me becoming the first female Menteri Besar. When he met us all at the palace on the morning after the election results were announced, he uttered only one word - ‘Congratulations’. The officials there handed us individually a copy each of the same public statement and we were then ushered out. It’s probably the shortest audience ever any politician might have had with the Sultan.”
Rizal then asked: “What was his expression and tone? Was he smiling and friendly? Or was he cold and standoffish? Did he acknowledge any one of you when you all entered the audience hall? What about when you were all ushered out? Was there any eye contact whatsoever?”
Jamilah shrugged. “I can’t tell. He kept staring at only me and kept his expression blank throughout. His voice was neutral as well. He definitely wasn’t friendly for sure. And neither were any of the palace officials, who treated us carefully but without any real warmth. But I won’t go so far as to say there was any outright rejection. I have been going over that audience countless times in my mind during the past few days and I still don’t know what to conclude.”
“And yet,” Munusamy said to underline the reason for the late boardroom meeting, “invitations had gone out at 8.30pm to all dignitaries and the media for the swearing in ceremony at the palace from 10am tomorrow. I find it very strange, especially since the Sultan has yet to announce whom he’s consented to as the next Menteri Besar.”
Jamilah handed over her invitation card. “I’m worried too. None of us had been contacted by the palace since that audience with the Sultan, apart from the hand-delivery of the invitations about an hour ago. Do you think the Sultan’s going to appoint the Shah Alam MP instead?”
That possibility had been highlighted as a very real risk in Munusamy’s election script for Amal, which had fielded only females candidates all over Selangor, including their backups. And with no campaigning whatsover, this fact had been made fun of in the various ceramahs conducted by the other parties’ predominantly male candidates in days before the election. But, the quiet feminine touch featured both in person at the fastfood outlets, various other community-focused events scheduled ahead of the vote and also on the Amal website had won the hearts of the electorate nevertheless.
The script had also posed the likelihood that one of the many males who held senior positions in Amal might be picked to be the Menteri Besar in the alternative, despite none of them having stood for the state election. There was no concern about this issue for none of the Amal males would have accepted such an appointment in any case.
In the meanime, Jamilah and her fellow candidates had continued to be visible at the fastfood outlets and at prior-scheduled Amal-organised events - that had attracted even larger crowds than usual. The candidates had also made it a point to visit several other constituencies as well daily. leaving them little time for personal matters. As such, each candidates’ daily schedules had been posted several days in advance at the fastfood outlets and also on the Amal website so that the people within each constituency knew when exactly the candidates were available and to allow for some personal time off.
Whether Jamilah would be selected had become the hottest discussion topic among the public and even beyond Selangor as politicians chosen by the electorate in other states and also at the federal level had voiced countless opinions - which all amounted to her being rejected. The outlook was bleak but Munusamy remained confident his strategy was right. Jamilah could only pray the Sultan would eventually decide so.
“You must admit this distraction has kept the focus away from the most important factors the new state administration will be putting into place,” said Munusamy. “There’s been hardly any mention of the next election date or the contract termination notice you had announced.”
Seeing Jamilah remaining tensely silent, Charlene chipped in. “You’d all be happy to know there’s been lots of online support for Jamilah to be appointed the Menteri Besar. Most of them also feel the Sultan has no choice but to graciously give his consent to Jamilah as any other alternative is bound to provoke lots of public anger. And the Sultan is one who does listen closely to the people in his state.”
Seeing a trace of smile on Jamilah’s face as she nodded in gratitude to Charlene, Rizal said:”Still, it would be a major psychological blow for Amal if the Sultan doesn’t agree with our nomination. As it is, we’re still seen as political lightweights and chances are we won’t be taken seriously enough to be an effective state administration if we start on this wrong footing.”
Sensing no further gains could be made in the discussion, Munusamy brought it to an end. “The other candidates, who are also valued members of our family, have been waiting long enough for us to start on their celebrations together with those who have remained with the studio. Since this will be the last time any of them in the new Selangor administration can come visit us here over the next few years without any accusations of bias, including you Jamilah, let’s give you all a really heartfelt temporary goodbye.”
Monday 26 September 2011
Chapter 3 - The euphoria
Onstage with her entire exco members in front of cheering supporters, Jamilah could barely hold back tears of joy at the final result of the Selangor state election - for Parti Amal had swept clean the entire state!
The guerilla political campaign had proven to be far more successful than any of them had anticipated - thanks to the brilliant marketing strategies executed by Charlene via their fastfood outlets - with large buttons depicting an orange diamond with the single word ‘Amal’ given out free to all the fastfood patrons in community campaign to drive safely while near schools. Flooding the populace, these later became the hallmark of the political rallies.
The website too was a huge hit among the online community and many gladly printed out the acronym ‘RiP’ on their own orange T-shirts when a virtual protest was run against noisy motorbikes at night disturbing everyone’s sleep. Eventually turning into a rather influential lobby forum championing all kinds of public complaints, the ‘RiP’ monicker became the website’s tagline and the benefits spilled over to the political push too.
All these were possible because Parti Amal had remained dormant since registration, with nobody really paying much attention to its initial leadership of lawyers. Munusamy had choreographed their exit brilliantly by every one of these lawyers symbolically carrying together an oversized ‘Amal’ button to the Shah Alam mosque on the Friday afternoon after the state assembly was dissolved - where it still stands - before nominating the actual exco members now on-stage lapping up the supporters’ cheers.
But, what happened in the subsequent days still remains a talking point among voters all over the state. Taking to heart Rizal’s concerns about possible injuries and unnecessary scandalous behaviour, none of the Parti Amal candidates had conducted any public rallies. Even their attendance on nomination day was low-key with only four party representatives, including the candidate and a back-up, riding bicycles on the final one kilometre stretch to submit the necessary documentation.
Then, while political rallies and ceramahs were conducted furiously at every possible location and time over the subsequent 10 days alloted for political campaigning, Parti Amal candidates and members were conspicuously absent from public sight. There were instead video clips and selected live streams posted on the Amal website of them going about their usual business of helping people in their communities with no pomp or fuss.
Instead of blanketing the streets and other structures with banners and posters, the message sent out via the website and fastfood outlets urged supporters to just wear their ‘Amal’ buttons or ‘RiP’ T-shirts so as “not to litter our environment”. When such free T-shirts and buttons were handed out at the fastfood outlets, they were snapped up quickly - prompting many other alert enterprising hawkers to sell these of their own accord for a tidy profit.
The website had also listed out the full exco list for Parti Amal, with at least three other candidates ready to step in if the preferred nominee wasn’t eventually elected - urging everyone to conduct their own checks into the background of these candidates and to go meet them at their various stations strategically located next to the company’s fastfood outlets. All these candidates had, as a matter of course, resigned immediately from the company on nomination day - but they had been the faces interacting with the community via the website and soup kitchens for many months beforehand, resulting in them already being familiar faces to many in the state.
As such, the voracious media looking for soundbites and nifty comments had to mine the blogsites of these Amal candidates, which were updated daily with just activities and thoughts on how they have already improved the lot of many in Selangor. Questions posted directly to the candidates at the stations were responded to immediately while online comments and queries were attended to promptly by a team led by Charlene.
So, in thanking Selangor voters for giving such whole-hearted support to Parti Amal, Jamilah acknowledged all these efforts leading up to the state election. “I am also glad to say the His Royal Highness, the Selangor Sultan has consented to grant an audience to me and my proposed exco members at his palace tomorrow afternoon. I have been informed by Palace officials the Sultan has no objections to a female Menteri Besar, but it is best to hear what he has to say before I can definitely be sure I can serve the people of Selangor in that capacity.”
One of the raging exchanges during the nomination period had been Jamilah’s gender as there had not been a female state leader ever in the nation’s history. Still, the overall tone had been positive and the other political parties had been put on the defensive, with their female candidates becoming being the most visible in any electoral campaign so far.
Another tactic that had caused the other political parties to stumble was the racial card - Parti Amal had presented a team concept for every candidate with all three major races present, together with representations from various minorities and persons with disabilities. Overall, the proposed state exco represented in its racial mix the national ratio - leaving no one any grounds to complain.
But Jamilah had one more major announcement before she stepped off the podium. “I will also be proposing to His Royal Highness our intention to serve out our full five-year electoral term and we plan to call for the next state election roughly three months before our term ends.”
Awkward silence fell onto the crowd as the enormity of this statement sank in. Taking the opportunity, Jamilah quickly explained: “The three-month buffer is in case of any delays needed should there be any major reason why we might need to postpone the state election, but we hope there won’t be any reason to do so. We would like to assure everyone in the state we’re here to do our job and we want everyone to have some certainty as to how long exactly we have to fulfill our responsibilities. Hopefully, all of you will want us to stay on for another term and more!”
Loud cheers erupted and the newly elected candidates waved their thanks to all their supporters. It took a while before they were able to leave the stage and just as she stepped off, Jamilah stopped as if she had an afterthought and spoke directly to the TV cameras and microphones zoomed in on her.
“By the way, please note tonight’s election results means we’re also giving notice starting from today to everyone who has any contracts with the state, based on the various termination clauses.”
Other Parti Amal officials quickly stepped in to whisk Jamilah away, leaving the stunned reporters with no chance to seek clarification on her last statement.
ends
The guerilla political campaign had proven to be far more successful than any of them had anticipated - thanks to the brilliant marketing strategies executed by Charlene via their fastfood outlets - with large buttons depicting an orange diamond with the single word ‘Amal’ given out free to all the fastfood patrons in community campaign to drive safely while near schools. Flooding the populace, these later became the hallmark of the political rallies.
The website too was a huge hit among the online community and many gladly printed out the acronym ‘RiP’ on their own orange T-shirts when a virtual protest was run against noisy motorbikes at night disturbing everyone’s sleep. Eventually turning into a rather influential lobby forum championing all kinds of public complaints, the ‘RiP’ monicker became the website’s tagline and the benefits spilled over to the political push too.
All these were possible because Parti Amal had remained dormant since registration, with nobody really paying much attention to its initial leadership of lawyers. Munusamy had choreographed their exit brilliantly by every one of these lawyers symbolically carrying together an oversized ‘Amal’ button to the Shah Alam mosque on the Friday afternoon after the state assembly was dissolved - where it still stands - before nominating the actual exco members now on-stage lapping up the supporters’ cheers.
But, what happened in the subsequent days still remains a talking point among voters all over the state. Taking to heart Rizal’s concerns about possible injuries and unnecessary scandalous behaviour, none of the Parti Amal candidates had conducted any public rallies. Even their attendance on nomination day was low-key with only four party representatives, including the candidate and a back-up, riding bicycles on the final one kilometre stretch to submit the necessary documentation.
Then, while political rallies and ceramahs were conducted furiously at every possible location and time over the subsequent 10 days alloted for political campaigning, Parti Amal candidates and members were conspicuously absent from public sight. There were instead video clips and selected live streams posted on the Amal website of them going about their usual business of helping people in their communities with no pomp or fuss.
Instead of blanketing the streets and other structures with banners and posters, the message sent out via the website and fastfood outlets urged supporters to just wear their ‘Amal’ buttons or ‘RiP’ T-shirts so as “not to litter our environment”. When such free T-shirts and buttons were handed out at the fastfood outlets, they were snapped up quickly - prompting many other alert enterprising hawkers to sell these of their own accord for a tidy profit.
The website had also listed out the full exco list for Parti Amal, with at least three other candidates ready to step in if the preferred nominee wasn’t eventually elected - urging everyone to conduct their own checks into the background of these candidates and to go meet them at their various stations strategically located next to the company’s fastfood outlets. All these candidates had, as a matter of course, resigned immediately from the company on nomination day - but they had been the faces interacting with the community via the website and soup kitchens for many months beforehand, resulting in them already being familiar faces to many in the state.
As such, the voracious media looking for soundbites and nifty comments had to mine the blogsites of these Amal candidates, which were updated daily with just activities and thoughts on how they have already improved the lot of many in Selangor. Questions posted directly to the candidates at the stations were responded to immediately while online comments and queries were attended to promptly by a team led by Charlene.
So, in thanking Selangor voters for giving such whole-hearted support to Parti Amal, Jamilah acknowledged all these efforts leading up to the state election. “I am also glad to say the His Royal Highness, the Selangor Sultan has consented to grant an audience to me and my proposed exco members at his palace tomorrow afternoon. I have been informed by Palace officials the Sultan has no objections to a female Menteri Besar, but it is best to hear what he has to say before I can definitely be sure I can serve the people of Selangor in that capacity.”
One of the raging exchanges during the nomination period had been Jamilah’s gender as there had not been a female state leader ever in the nation’s history. Still, the overall tone had been positive and the other political parties had been put on the defensive, with their female candidates becoming being the most visible in any electoral campaign so far.
Another tactic that had caused the other political parties to stumble was the racial card - Parti Amal had presented a team concept for every candidate with all three major races present, together with representations from various minorities and persons with disabilities. Overall, the proposed state exco represented in its racial mix the national ratio - leaving no one any grounds to complain.
But Jamilah had one more major announcement before she stepped off the podium. “I will also be proposing to His Royal Highness our intention to serve out our full five-year electoral term and we plan to call for the next state election roughly three months before our term ends.”
Awkward silence fell onto the crowd as the enormity of this statement sank in. Taking the opportunity, Jamilah quickly explained: “The three-month buffer is in case of any delays needed should there be any major reason why we might need to postpone the state election, but we hope there won’t be any reason to do so. We would like to assure everyone in the state we’re here to do our job and we want everyone to have some certainty as to how long exactly we have to fulfill our responsibilities. Hopefully, all of you will want us to stay on for another term and more!”
Loud cheers erupted and the newly elected candidates waved their thanks to all their supporters. It took a while before they were able to leave the stage and just as she stepped off, Jamilah stopped as if she had an afterthought and spoke directly to the TV cameras and microphones zoomed in on her.
“By the way, please note tonight’s election results means we’re also giving notice starting from today to everyone who has any contracts with the state, based on the various termination clauses.”
Other Parti Amal officials quickly stepped in to whisk Jamilah away, leaving the stunned reporters with no chance to seek clarification on her last statement.
ends
Chapter 2 - Forming the strategy
After the initial shock and following Munusamy’s gracious agreement to defer any decision on the political quest until all the other directors had some time to read through and examine the ‘movie script’, Rizal had tried to talk to his daughter on the matter - but she was wily enough to avoid him until everyone had gathered again around the conference table the next evening.
Still, he was glad Munusamy had stepped aside from chairing this meeting - in compliance with their long-cherished convention - since it was his script and plan the board was to decide on after all.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I don’t like Jamilah heading this project.”
Signalling her to remain seated, Munusamy asked: “Why Rizal? What’s wrong with her qualification and abilities?”
As usual, Rizal came prepared with notes that he pulled out of his short pocket. “Firstly, she’s a woman and I seriously doubt the voters would want to have her as the Menteri Besar.”
“Rizal, you’re showing your age with such a sexist mentality. Do you seriously doubt your own daughter’s capability to do the job?” Munusamy questioned.
“I’m fully confident in her abilities,” came the response. “But, I’m not sure if the conservative Muslims ...”
Rizal didn’t get to finish as the other immediately spoke up in protest and it took a while before calm was restored.
“Let’s make this simple,” said Munusamy. “You’ve brought up a valid point as politics is definitely more about impressions than the facts. We’ll tackle this issue later, but I take it you have no serious objections about the plan to take over Selangor?”
Rizal hesitated, then shrugged. “The plan sounds about right if, and I must point out this is a very strong if, the Registrar of Societies approves the formation of our political party.”
Munusamy smiled broadly. “The application was approved two days ago. That’s why I gave Jamilah the script to read through.”
With this, Rizal signalled surrender and Munusamy then turned to Jamilah. “Well, what do you think?”
Jamilah gave the thumbs-up. “Since my three kids spend most of their time with my mum anyway, there won’t be a problem. And my husband’s catering business practically runs itself now, he’ll be able to help out with whatever I need. We’ve already had good practice during the six months while I was directing my last movie and maybe we can use the behind-the-scenes footage to counter any smear campaign of me being a lousy wife and mother. This will be the most fun I’d had in years!”
“Hold on to that enthusiasm, Jamilah. You’re going to need it as the journey will be long, tiring and likely to be nasty,” advised Munusamy. “Now, on the party name - does anyone have any opinions?”
“Parti Amal or the Right Party sounds just right, if you’ll forgive the pun. I’m sure the party mission will go down well with voters because we’re not planning to change the laws too much except to do what’s already largely in place,” said Raymond.
“I’m not sure of the English acronym of ‘RiP’ as it sounds like ‘rest in peace’ in the ‘being dead’ sense, although the intent is otherwise clear,” said Charlene. “The Malay short name of ‘Amal’ is perfect, though.”
Noting there weren’t any objections, Rizal took back the discussion mantle. “What about the orange colour to represent vibrant action?”
Again, there weren’t any objections and the proposed logo of a kite diamond too was okayed. It was when the campaigning strategy came up for discussion that concerns were raised.
“While I like the idea of presenting a possible exco line-up even before the election, I don’t like our company being stripped of almost two-thirds of our senior and middle level staff,” said Raymond.
“It’s time the underlings are given a chance to prove themselves. Same with our bankable actors, there are many more talents just waiting to be given the opportunity to play lead roles in our movies,” argued Munusamy.
Seeing Raymond unhappy, but unwilling to contradict the boss, Jamilah chipped in. “Chances are not everyone nominated will be voted in. That’s why I like how the proposed exco line-up has each two back-up candidates to take over. So, it isn’t going to be that bleak an outlook for the company.”
Rizal allowed himself an inward smile at how his daughter naturally took on this concern so well. “What about our fastfood outlets being used for campaigning purposes? As it is, we’ve had a hard time over the past 10 years or so convincing everyone these outlets can function well as soup kitchens after 9pm. How are we going to avoid flouting campaigning rules?”
Jamilah had a ready answer. “For one, the areas in front of our outlets are open to the public and I hardly see our company refusing the rentals to hold rallies there.”
Munusamy nodded and gestured her to continue.
“Also, what better gesture to the people we are serious about delivering on our promises for the better good instead of just lining our own pockets?” Jamilah asked.
Rizal didn’t seem to be satisfied. “Are you also going to register everyone who also happens to come to our soup kitchen as a political supporter or vice versa? And don’t you think this will annoy our loyal supporters who have continued to buy food at our fastfood outlets to be later distributed at the soup kitchen if there’s any chance those attending the political rallies might monopolise food meant for the needy?”
“Also, what about possible security problems if anyone decides to cause trouble or any intimidation by shouting and physical threats? What about cowards who might throw Molotov cocktails or worse? If there are enough daring idiots to desecrate places of worship before, you’d simply be turning our fastfood outlets into new targets for them. Also, what about ensuring the safety of our people, especially staff who aren’t part of this political project? You’ve also got to think of their children, who might be intimidated in schools by their peers or anywhere they go.”
There was total silence when Rizal finished. Jamilah simply glared at her father, daring him to say more, but he simply leaned back in his chair to indicate he had made his point.
Munusamy eventually acknowledged: “I didn’t think of such negative elements, but you’re right. We have to be prepared for such attacks on our character, families, friends and properties. Maybe this idea isn’t so great after all.’
Jamilah immediately responded. “Since when were we such cowards? You showed us with both the movies and the fastfood outlets cum soup kitchens that such projects are worthwhile doing regardless of the odds and the high chance of failure. Maybe the stakes are higher now, but I’m sure my husband and children are ready to face the challenges, come what may. I’ve been called worse before in gossip columns and I still am able to stand proud despite anything done to destroy my reputation. I don’t look forward to becoming the first political candidate fatality during the campaigning, but I’m prepared to be the first martyr if is to be so.”
“I’m not,” said Rizal quietly. “As your father, I also realise I can’t stop you if you’re mind’s made up, Jamilah.”
“This is too important for all of us,” replied Jamilah. “What’s the worst that can happen to any one of us? Most of our company income comes from abroad anyway and all staff will be taken care of financially. Everything else is just talk and words, which can’t hurt us unless we let them. But, let all our staff in on this proposal and let them speak up. If we can’t practise true democracy among ourselves, how can we then expect it of the state electorate?”
“Maybe there’s another way,” suggested Charlene. “What if we undertake guerilla tactics? Let’s not campaign at all.”
Seeing the puzzled expressions, she explained: “What if we print promo pamphlets from now with the message ‘We deliver’ in the orange diamond? We can flood this into the state via all our fastfood outlets, movies, banner ads, billboards, TVCs and every opportunity we can. Then, when the state election is finally called, we simply give out these same pamphlets with the party name printed on them too.”
“Also, it’s time to start gaining more attention to our charity and community outreach focus. Let’s set up a website where the public are invited to suggest where we can deliver solutions still within our means now. We can even name the website ‘Amal’ from now so that we don’t have to make major changes later. I can think of more such ideas as we go along.”
For the first time in the discussion, Rizal allowed his smile to show. “Are you sure you don’t me to be part of the Right Party?”
Still, he was glad Munusamy had stepped aside from chairing this meeting - in compliance with their long-cherished convention - since it was his script and plan the board was to decide on after all.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I don’t like Jamilah heading this project.”
Signalling her to remain seated, Munusamy asked: “Why Rizal? What’s wrong with her qualification and abilities?”
As usual, Rizal came prepared with notes that he pulled out of his short pocket. “Firstly, she’s a woman and I seriously doubt the voters would want to have her as the Menteri Besar.”
“Rizal, you’re showing your age with such a sexist mentality. Do you seriously doubt your own daughter’s capability to do the job?” Munusamy questioned.
“I’m fully confident in her abilities,” came the response. “But, I’m not sure if the conservative Muslims ...”
Rizal didn’t get to finish as the other immediately spoke up in protest and it took a while before calm was restored.
“Let’s make this simple,” said Munusamy. “You’ve brought up a valid point as politics is definitely more about impressions than the facts. We’ll tackle this issue later, but I take it you have no serious objections about the plan to take over Selangor?”
Rizal hesitated, then shrugged. “The plan sounds about right if, and I must point out this is a very strong if, the Registrar of Societies approves the formation of our political party.”
Munusamy smiled broadly. “The application was approved two days ago. That’s why I gave Jamilah the script to read through.”
With this, Rizal signalled surrender and Munusamy then turned to Jamilah. “Well, what do you think?”
Jamilah gave the thumbs-up. “Since my three kids spend most of their time with my mum anyway, there won’t be a problem. And my husband’s catering business practically runs itself now, he’ll be able to help out with whatever I need. We’ve already had good practice during the six months while I was directing my last movie and maybe we can use the behind-the-scenes footage to counter any smear campaign of me being a lousy wife and mother. This will be the most fun I’d had in years!”
“Hold on to that enthusiasm, Jamilah. You’re going to need it as the journey will be long, tiring and likely to be nasty,” advised Munusamy. “Now, on the party name - does anyone have any opinions?”
“Parti Amal or the Right Party sounds just right, if you’ll forgive the pun. I’m sure the party mission will go down well with voters because we’re not planning to change the laws too much except to do what’s already largely in place,” said Raymond.
“I’m not sure of the English acronym of ‘RiP’ as it sounds like ‘rest in peace’ in the ‘being dead’ sense, although the intent is otherwise clear,” said Charlene. “The Malay short name of ‘Amal’ is perfect, though.”
Noting there weren’t any objections, Rizal took back the discussion mantle. “What about the orange colour to represent vibrant action?”
Again, there weren’t any objections and the proposed logo of a kite diamond too was okayed. It was when the campaigning strategy came up for discussion that concerns were raised.
“While I like the idea of presenting a possible exco line-up even before the election, I don’t like our company being stripped of almost two-thirds of our senior and middle level staff,” said Raymond.
“It’s time the underlings are given a chance to prove themselves. Same with our bankable actors, there are many more talents just waiting to be given the opportunity to play lead roles in our movies,” argued Munusamy.
Seeing Raymond unhappy, but unwilling to contradict the boss, Jamilah chipped in. “Chances are not everyone nominated will be voted in. That’s why I like how the proposed exco line-up has each two back-up candidates to take over. So, it isn’t going to be that bleak an outlook for the company.”
Rizal allowed himself an inward smile at how his daughter naturally took on this concern so well. “What about our fastfood outlets being used for campaigning purposes? As it is, we’ve had a hard time over the past 10 years or so convincing everyone these outlets can function well as soup kitchens after 9pm. How are we going to avoid flouting campaigning rules?”
Jamilah had a ready answer. “For one, the areas in front of our outlets are open to the public and I hardly see our company refusing the rentals to hold rallies there.”
Munusamy nodded and gestured her to continue.
“Also, what better gesture to the people we are serious about delivering on our promises for the better good instead of just lining our own pockets?” Jamilah asked.
Rizal didn’t seem to be satisfied. “Are you also going to register everyone who also happens to come to our soup kitchen as a political supporter or vice versa? And don’t you think this will annoy our loyal supporters who have continued to buy food at our fastfood outlets to be later distributed at the soup kitchen if there’s any chance those attending the political rallies might monopolise food meant for the needy?”
“Also, what about possible security problems if anyone decides to cause trouble or any intimidation by shouting and physical threats? What about cowards who might throw Molotov cocktails or worse? If there are enough daring idiots to desecrate places of worship before, you’d simply be turning our fastfood outlets into new targets for them. Also, what about ensuring the safety of our people, especially staff who aren’t part of this political project? You’ve also got to think of their children, who might be intimidated in schools by their peers or anywhere they go.”
There was total silence when Rizal finished. Jamilah simply glared at her father, daring him to say more, but he simply leaned back in his chair to indicate he had made his point.
Munusamy eventually acknowledged: “I didn’t think of such negative elements, but you’re right. We have to be prepared for such attacks on our character, families, friends and properties. Maybe this idea isn’t so great after all.’
Jamilah immediately responded. “Since when were we such cowards? You showed us with both the movies and the fastfood outlets cum soup kitchens that such projects are worthwhile doing regardless of the odds and the high chance of failure. Maybe the stakes are higher now, but I’m sure my husband and children are ready to face the challenges, come what may. I’ve been called worse before in gossip columns and I still am able to stand proud despite anything done to destroy my reputation. I don’t look forward to becoming the first political candidate fatality during the campaigning, but I’m prepared to be the first martyr if is to be so.”
“I’m not,” said Rizal quietly. “As your father, I also realise I can’t stop you if you’re mind’s made up, Jamilah.”
“This is too important for all of us,” replied Jamilah. “What’s the worst that can happen to any one of us? Most of our company income comes from abroad anyway and all staff will be taken care of financially. Everything else is just talk and words, which can’t hurt us unless we let them. But, let all our staff in on this proposal and let them speak up. If we can’t practise true democracy among ourselves, how can we then expect it of the state electorate?”
“Maybe there’s another way,” suggested Charlene. “What if we undertake guerilla tactics? Let’s not campaign at all.”
Seeing the puzzled expressions, she explained: “What if we print promo pamphlets from now with the message ‘We deliver’ in the orange diamond? We can flood this into the state via all our fastfood outlets, movies, banner ads, billboards, TVCs and every opportunity we can. Then, when the state election is finally called, we simply give out these same pamphlets with the party name printed on them too.”
“Also, it’s time to start gaining more attention to our charity and community outreach focus. Let’s set up a website where the public are invited to suggest where we can deliver solutions still within our means now. We can even name the website ‘Amal’ from now so that we don’t have to make major changes later. I can think of more such ideas as we go along.”
For the first time in the discussion, Rizal allowed his smile to show. “Are you sure you don’t me to be part of the Right Party?”
Chapter 1 - Taking the plunge
"What kind of country are we living in?" Munusamy spat in frustration.
His fellow directors seated around the conference table simply shrugged silently, knowing that the boss would soon come up with his own answer to this rhetorical question. Munusamy always had, even to the most challenging conundrum - which is why he headed one of the most successful production houses in the country, with five blockbuster movies that had so far grossed over US$3 billion globally.
Therein lay the nub of the issue - the firm's latest script had been rejected by the Malaysian Censorship Board, even though it had been written by the Entertainment Minister's award-winning son and was well within the ruling government's policy stand against the now-defunct Malayan Communist movement.
"What do they mean that we're glorifying the communists? This script potrays them as sex-starved radicals who fail in their attempt to pillage a village of all their women, young and old, and are wiped out by the combined armed forces in a spectacular fight with explosions all over!"
"I really don't understand why. It's a fantastic script that any movie lover would enjoy and chances are that we could have another blockbuster on our hands. Imagine how much money we stand to make for ourselves and also the country! Imagine the tourism potential from the curious who want to visit this village."
"Did the censors even bother to read the script before rejecting it? Or did they simply say no because it was written by their minister's son?"
The fiery red of his eyes seemed to flare even brighter. "Could it be that they've also been sucked into this never-ending torrent of politicising any and every issue possible, to be seen as not condoning any cronyism and nepotism, instead of just focusing on the script's merits alone?"
At this juncture, Munusamy seemed ready to tear apart the conference table with his bare hands. But, seeing the bemused expressions of his fellow directors, he visibly reined in his temper and lowered his flailing hands to his side.
Then, in a steely voice that none of them had ever heard before, Munusamy continued. "This time, I'm no longer amused or tickled by this nonsense. If everything is going to be dragged into politics, then maybe it's time we raised the ante."
Wary of this new Munusamy before them, the directors looked worriedly at each other.
"If the only way we're going to get this script produced is by dragging it into politics too, maybe it's time we did it."
Eyebrows raised, Rizal, the deputy chairman, asked: "Why are you taking us on that first step down the slippery slope? Don't we have enough problems as it is with our own businesses?"
Seeing the other directors nodding in agreement with Rizal's concern, Munusamy responded: "Why not? What's stopping us from starting our own political party and running the country the way we want it to be? If Arnold Schwarzenegger can get elected Californian governor and Ronald Reagan could go all the way to become US President, what's stopping us here?"
Eyes rolled and all the company directors sighed. There was no stopping Munusamy once he got into this mood. Like a stubborn terrier, he was going to do exactly what he'd suggested - never mind what anyone else thought or advised.
"If there's anyone here with doubts that we can pull it off, maybe it's time to speak up now. We can't afford any naysayers once we go down this path," Munusamy said evenly.
Immediately, three hands shot up.
Raymond, the chief operating officer, was the first to explain why he did so. "If you're going to be busy with the politicking, you'll need somebody to continue running this company so that you'll have the funds needed and also to make sure you have a place to return to if you fail."
"Thank you Ray, I'm glad you're staying out of this venture and I appreciate your sacrifice. But, take note that I'll be announcing this plan to everyone in the company and chances are that you might end up with a skeleton crew."
"You can't be serious!" groaned Rizal, who had also raised his hand. "I thought we'd yet to decide on this crazy idea of yours."
"Of course I'm serious," replied Munusamy. "What's your reason for wanting to stay out?"
"At 62, I'm too old to be traipsing around villages, listening to all kinds of petty complaints and pretending to smile while my joints ache something fierce. Since I won't be able to stop you from going ahead with this stupid plan, I'll play your devil's advocate and point out where and when you step out of line."
"That sounds fair. And Charlene, why's your hand up?"
Charlene, the production director, pointed at Ramond. "He's explained why. Who's going to produce your campaign materials to make sure you win? If you going up against the big boys, you'll need some very clever people who can focus on giving you the necessary support services."
Munusamy smiled. "I'm glad no one has actually said this is a very bad idea, apart from Rizal. But, I'm not going to head this plan."
Everyone was surprised and Rizal finally took the bait. "So, who's going to be your puppet?"
"This person is no puppet, though I believe our sound advice will be well received. It's like choosing a director for any movie we choose to make, and this is going to be our biggest production yet."
The silence was so complete as everyone waited for Munusamy to name the individual he had in mind. And when he finally did, she actually smiled - to everyone else's surprise.
Rizal was the first to speak, turning to accuse his long-time partner. "Munusamy, have you been discussing this with my daughter all this while and kept us in the dark?"
Munusamy just spread his hands and let Jamilah speak for herself. Which she didn't, though her grin grew broader.
"Come on now, will either one of you please explain just what's going on?" asked Rizal.
In response, Jamilah just took out a stack of bound paper from her favourite leather sachel and slid it across the conference table to her father. "This is a script for a possible new movie which the boss gave me last night to look though. He asked if I wanted to be the director."
Warily, Rizal flipped open the bound booklet and glanced at the summary pages. He then slid the book over to Raymond and asked him: "Were you aware of this new script?"
Raymond shook his head. "As you well know, we get scripts all the time. What's so special about this script?"
"Just read the summary page," Rizal instructed.
"Written by K Munusamy..." Raymond's voice trailed off. "Judging by the track record alone, this could be another blockbuster on our hands."
"Stop the nonsense, Raymond. We're talking about being dragged into the mudpit here and not some celluloid fantasy. And besides, are you really sure you want to be a part of this, Jamilah? You're our financial controller now and the last movie you directed was five years ago. And let me remind you this is no movie!"
"What are you really annoyed about Rizal? Are you really that sure we're going to fail with this project even before you've read the full proposal, even if it has been written as a draft movie script?" Munusamy asked.
Rizal visibly bit back on his words before finally responding. "I know it's your money to do with as you please. But, there are a lot more at stake here. A movie can be lousy and everything can still be okay. Can we afford to have a whole country fail and be turned into a mockery?"
"Let me answer your last question first," said Munusamy. "The country's already been turned into a mockery by our politicians. And besides, we're only aiming to go for one state - Selangor - and not the whole country."
Rizal narrowed his eyes. "Why take on such a strange tactic? Are your serious about this project or not?"
"It's a smarter way to get what we really want as both the average and corporate citizens of our beloved Malaysia. By showing everyone what can be achieved in one state, the other state governments and also the federal agencies will have no choice but to follow our examples. I'd like to call this guerilla politics."
His fellow directors seated around the conference table simply shrugged silently, knowing that the boss would soon come up with his own answer to this rhetorical question. Munusamy always had, even to the most challenging conundrum - which is why he headed one of the most successful production houses in the country, with five blockbuster movies that had so far grossed over US$3 billion globally.
Therein lay the nub of the issue - the firm's latest script had been rejected by the Malaysian Censorship Board, even though it had been written by the Entertainment Minister's award-winning son and was well within the ruling government's policy stand against the now-defunct Malayan Communist movement.
"What do they mean that we're glorifying the communists? This script potrays them as sex-starved radicals who fail in their attempt to pillage a village of all their women, young and old, and are wiped out by the combined armed forces in a spectacular fight with explosions all over!"
"I really don't understand why. It's a fantastic script that any movie lover would enjoy and chances are that we could have another blockbuster on our hands. Imagine how much money we stand to make for ourselves and also the country! Imagine the tourism potential from the curious who want to visit this village."
"Did the censors even bother to read the script before rejecting it? Or did they simply say no because it was written by their minister's son?"
The fiery red of his eyes seemed to flare even brighter. "Could it be that they've also been sucked into this never-ending torrent of politicising any and every issue possible, to be seen as not condoning any cronyism and nepotism, instead of just focusing on the script's merits alone?"
At this juncture, Munusamy seemed ready to tear apart the conference table with his bare hands. But, seeing the bemused expressions of his fellow directors, he visibly reined in his temper and lowered his flailing hands to his side.
Then, in a steely voice that none of them had ever heard before, Munusamy continued. "This time, I'm no longer amused or tickled by this nonsense. If everything is going to be dragged into politics, then maybe it's time we raised the ante."
Wary of this new Munusamy before them, the directors looked worriedly at each other.
"If the only way we're going to get this script produced is by dragging it into politics too, maybe it's time we did it."
Eyebrows raised, Rizal, the deputy chairman, asked: "Why are you taking us on that first step down the slippery slope? Don't we have enough problems as it is with our own businesses?"
Seeing the other directors nodding in agreement with Rizal's concern, Munusamy responded: "Why not? What's stopping us from starting our own political party and running the country the way we want it to be? If Arnold Schwarzenegger can get elected Californian governor and Ronald Reagan could go all the way to become US President, what's stopping us here?"
Eyes rolled and all the company directors sighed. There was no stopping Munusamy once he got into this mood. Like a stubborn terrier, he was going to do exactly what he'd suggested - never mind what anyone else thought or advised.
"If there's anyone here with doubts that we can pull it off, maybe it's time to speak up now. We can't afford any naysayers once we go down this path," Munusamy said evenly.
Immediately, three hands shot up.
Raymond, the chief operating officer, was the first to explain why he did so. "If you're going to be busy with the politicking, you'll need somebody to continue running this company so that you'll have the funds needed and also to make sure you have a place to return to if you fail."
"Thank you Ray, I'm glad you're staying out of this venture and I appreciate your sacrifice. But, take note that I'll be announcing this plan to everyone in the company and chances are that you might end up with a skeleton crew."
"You can't be serious!" groaned Rizal, who had also raised his hand. "I thought we'd yet to decide on this crazy idea of yours."
"Of course I'm serious," replied Munusamy. "What's your reason for wanting to stay out?"
"At 62, I'm too old to be traipsing around villages, listening to all kinds of petty complaints and pretending to smile while my joints ache something fierce. Since I won't be able to stop you from going ahead with this stupid plan, I'll play your devil's advocate and point out where and when you step out of line."
"That sounds fair. And Charlene, why's your hand up?"
Charlene, the production director, pointed at Ramond. "He's explained why. Who's going to produce your campaign materials to make sure you win? If you going up against the big boys, you'll need some very clever people who can focus on giving you the necessary support services."
Munusamy smiled. "I'm glad no one has actually said this is a very bad idea, apart from Rizal. But, I'm not going to head this plan."
Everyone was surprised and Rizal finally took the bait. "So, who's going to be your puppet?"
"This person is no puppet, though I believe our sound advice will be well received. It's like choosing a director for any movie we choose to make, and this is going to be our biggest production yet."
The silence was so complete as everyone waited for Munusamy to name the individual he had in mind. And when he finally did, she actually smiled - to everyone else's surprise.
Rizal was the first to speak, turning to accuse his long-time partner. "Munusamy, have you been discussing this with my daughter all this while and kept us in the dark?"
Munusamy just spread his hands and let Jamilah speak for herself. Which she didn't, though her grin grew broader.
"Come on now, will either one of you please explain just what's going on?" asked Rizal.
In response, Jamilah just took out a stack of bound paper from her favourite leather sachel and slid it across the conference table to her father. "This is a script for a possible new movie which the boss gave me last night to look though. He asked if I wanted to be the director."
Warily, Rizal flipped open the bound booklet and glanced at the summary pages. He then slid the book over to Raymond and asked him: "Were you aware of this new script?"
Raymond shook his head. "As you well know, we get scripts all the time. What's so special about this script?"
"Just read the summary page," Rizal instructed.
"Written by K Munusamy..." Raymond's voice trailed off. "Judging by the track record alone, this could be another blockbuster on our hands."
"Stop the nonsense, Raymond. We're talking about being dragged into the mudpit here and not some celluloid fantasy. And besides, are you really sure you want to be a part of this, Jamilah? You're our financial controller now and the last movie you directed was five years ago. And let me remind you this is no movie!"
"What are you really annoyed about Rizal? Are you really that sure we're going to fail with this project even before you've read the full proposal, even if it has been written as a draft movie script?" Munusamy asked.
Rizal visibly bit back on his words before finally responding. "I know it's your money to do with as you please. But, there are a lot more at stake here. A movie can be lousy and everything can still be okay. Can we afford to have a whole country fail and be turned into a mockery?"
"Let me answer your last question first," said Munusamy. "The country's already been turned into a mockery by our politicians. And besides, we're only aiming to go for one state - Selangor - and not the whole country."
Rizal narrowed his eyes. "Why take on such a strange tactic? Are your serious about this project or not?"
"It's a smarter way to get what we really want as both the average and corporate citizens of our beloved Malaysia. By showing everyone what can be achieved in one state, the other state governments and also the federal agencies will have no choice but to follow our examples. I'd like to call this guerilla politics."
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