Michael Jackson: The "thriller" lives on

Shrine outside a music store in central London.

Michael Jackson continued to be on the front pages of all British newspapers. He has become more valuable in death. Overnight, he has topped the singles and album charts with UK radio stations playing his music non-stop. His songs have now become the most downloaded, chalking up record sales, partially driven by newspapers which campaigned for his fans to make him the No 1 over the weekend.

Certainly the UK media has not made the news of his death a one-day affair. Many tribute events have been lined up even as interesting bits of news come out - that MJ was a living skeleton, he was bald, he only ate once a day, he had 13 plastic surgeries and that his body was riddled with needle wounds.

The revelation that his personal will has not been found has added more mystery to the story. Why would a rich man, despite his mountain of debts, not keep a copy of his will? The man, even in death, has certainly made sure he dominated the front pages. The BBC has continued to provide daily "live" crossovers to Los Angeles.

At the O2 Arena, where he was supposed to perform in 50 shows - fans have placed flowers, candles, posters, messages and pictures at shrines as a mark of respect for him. I saw the same scene at the busy HMV Trocadero branch near Picadilly Circus and outside the Lyric Theatre, where the musical "Thriller" is being played.

It's becoming more difficult getting tickets for the show where reviewers have generally given nasty comments. People have been known to walk out of the show, which is sometimes described as patchy.

Meanwhile, out in the streets, young black men, known for showing off their audio gadgets in their cars, are playing loudly his songs, instead of the preferred hip-hop songs.

British politicians, however, must have expressed relief that the media has lost interest in them after weeks of having their expenses scrutinised by the media. For the time being, Michael Jackson is the man of the hour. The media frenzy is expected to peak at his funeral, which has not been determined, as autopsy reports are being compiled and investigations being conducted.

The Thriller is not about to abate...

Of burqas, mini-skirts and women's rights

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered a study of the wearing of burqas in his country with the possibility of banning it. He has said that the burqa, the full length veil with just a mesh screen for the eyes, is not welcomed in France. Sarkozy has described such clothing as "a symbol of servitude and humiliation."

He reportedly said “we cannot accept in our country women imprisoned behind a mesh screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity”, but he stopped short of advocating a ban on burqas.

Sarkozy reminds me of PAS politicians who occassionally call for a ban on mini skirts and other "sexy" attire, blaming the wearers for the rapes instead of men who cannot exercise self restraint. Yes, the people who forget many sex crimes take place in rural settings where victims include grandmothers and minors, who hardly fit into the "sexy" category. Like Sarkozy, they talk about imposing a ban on clothing without thinking about the practicality and whether it is feasible to stop people from wearing clothes they like. What about their rights?

We may agree with Sarkozy but we should defend Muslim women who chose to wear the burqas and hijabs. Whether it is for religious modesty or requirements or simply because of cultural and sociological reasons, it's nobody's business. Certainly not Sarkozy's. At airports and exam halls, for example, they should be subjected to security checks, of course.

On the same principle, however, no one should stop women from wearing clothes they choose. Banning jeans, tight skirts or T-shirts is as outrageous as banning burqas. Who are these self appointed guardians of morality to decide on our choices? The moral crusaders should now know what it feels like when the likes of Sarkozy and other right-wingers start to ban burqas across Europe. As the saying goes, do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.

Farewell, Michael Jackson!

Michael Jackson is the icon of my generation. As a colleague of mine rightly pointed out, the tragic news of his death is the "Elvis" moment of our time, in reference to the death of the then King of Rock and Roll of the 60s generation.

For the 80s generation, the King of Pop was Michael Jackson. He was our undisputed King. No other news has been of relevance for the past few days. But now we mourn the passing away of a legend, who brought the world together much more than any politician.

In his words, his was a world of "neither black or white" and Michael went to great lengths to change that even physically himself. The world is grieving for him because he brought joy to all of us and we also saw the pain he had to go through from the child molest charges against him to his financial dire straits.

Many saw him as a money machine to be used. Despite his obvious poor physical condition, he was signed up to perform in 50 shows in London. It can only be described as sheer madness, if not exploitation. The tickets for the shows were all sold out in an hour.

But there was also a price to be paid as the man prepared for the tour. The toll must have been too much. Michael, the world would never forget you and your songs. Farewell.

See also my On The Beat column today.

An uneasy truce in PAS - picking up the pieces

It was unprecedented - the normally well-composed Nik Aziz losing his cool, lashing out at his deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa angrily, and 10 PAS MPs pledging their support for the spiritual leader. The signs were clear. Not just that, there was even talk of not putting up posters of party president Hadi Awang in a by-election. Something unheard of, until now.

It was clear that the two top PAS leaders, who had earlier supported moves for unity talks with Umno, had little choice but to retreat. The resentment was just too great. Their Pakatan Rakyat allies, DAP and PKR, were also not amused at the power play with even talk of forming a unity government, at the expense of the opposition.

The readiness of the two PAS leaders to take a different path has obviously gone down badly. It would be hard for them to regain the confidence of their allies. The relationship would never be the same again as it cannot be forgive and forget. Sheer political ambitions of possible ministerial positions, walking along Putrajaya's corridors of power, and carving out the different states seems to have ruled their heads, as much as they wish to deny.

Hadi's constant berate against having more non-Muslim elected representatives, as quoted in the Harakah, also revealed the dark side of him. His intolerance may be overlooked by fanatical supporters of PR but the fact is that he has become uncomfortable at the huge number of Sabah and Sarawak MPs, many of whom do not share his religious fervour, even if they are Muslims.

Husam Musa also found out that certain things would never change in PAS. PAS has never hidden its Islamic agenda. The conservatives voiced out loud that the top two posts should be reserved for ulamas. No matter how much reforms Husam can bring, he did not have a beard, as he himself said after he lost.

Within PAS, the party leaders have plenty of damage control to do now. Hadi and Nasharuddin cannot ignore the many leaders in Kelantan who were wiped out in the party polls. They may have put on a united front, blaming Umno and the media for their own weaknesses but the fact remains that there are still many unhappy faces in the party, who are still trying to make sense of the events of the past one week.

But they need to explore further. Have these talks with Umno been going on informally for sometime, which perhaps prompted them to take a step further. That's however academic now because the objections against the proposed unity talks has been strong. Still, the question is whether Hadi and Nasharuddin have taken two steps back as a strategy and temporarily shelved the idea for the time being. It looks like an uneasy truce.

Storm clouds gather, much disunity over unity talks

Nasharuddin Mat Isa and Hadi Awang: Their Tok Guru is not too pleased with them

The rift between PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat and party president Hadi Awang is finally out in the open. Nik Aziz today stunned party members by asking deputy president, Nasharuddin Mat Isa, to quit the party and join Umno. The statement has wide implications because Nasharuddin has the ears of party president Hadi Awang, who is also advocating unity talks with Umno.

The tone used by Nik Aziz is unusually strong and harsh, reflecting the high emotions, as he has asked Nasharuddin to quit his parliamentary seat which he "won under a PAS ticket." The Kelantan Mentri Besar also accused Nasharuddin of "causing a lot of problems" and "talking rubbish." Nik Aziz even described what Nasharuddin is doing as "immoral."

Party secretary-general Mustafa Ali, another ally of Hadi, issued a statement saying the talks should include PKR and DAP. It is not clear, at this point, whether the two parties would accept the proposal. It would be harder for PKR which cannot dismiss the sentiments of the Malay support but the question is whether PAS would go ahead if PKR declines. It seems to be aimed at appeasing the allies in Pakatan Rakyat.

In parts of Kota Baru, banners have appeared protesting against the unity talks proposal, reflecting the deepening split between Nik Aziz and Hadi. It will be even more difficult for Nasharuddin, who is an MP for a Kelantan seat, with Hadi getting his support in Terengganu. Both Nik Aziz and Nasharuddin have accused each other of acting on their own, saying their stand did not reflect the sentiments of the party members.

But the bottom line is this - Nasharuddin and his men won most of the seats in the leadership in the recent general assembly, when party delegates were already well aware of their plans for unity talks. Hadi and Nash can claim endorsements and the fact their men swept the key positions would have strengthened their case.

PAS is aware that should the unity talks go ahead, it would put PKR and DAP in a weaker position. The ulamas know they are being wooed by Umno and PKR and DAP. If Umno and PAS sit down, it would be a blow to Pakatan. PKR and DAP need PAS badly because it has the best machinery and structure.

The religious zeal of PAS members, believing they are pushing for an Islamic agenda, also set them apart from the PKR and DAP supporters. Anwar Ibrahim seems to be scrambling to glue the opposition alliance together but the message he would probably get from Hadi is that he should not take PAS for granted.

Hadi wants to play big brother in Pakatan. He wants to dictate the course of PR, not PKR or DAP. Hadi is not used to playing second or third fiddle, The frustrations among PAS members is that they have been taken for a ride.

Many are uneasy with the aggressive nature of some DAP elected representatives, pointing out the antics at the Perak assembly, which they said would not be approved by the Malay community. Some PAS leaders have expressed their unhappiness in private with claims that they have been "sidelined" in PR and that DAP appears to be playing a more prominent role.

The events of the coming weeks would have great impact on the political landscape of the country, particularly the political equation. The monsoon season has come to the East Coast much quicker this year. We can expect more angry statements over the coming days.

Umno-PAS unity talks - a step nearer?

It's the strongest response ever - PM Najib has described the call by PAS for unity talks between Umno and PAS as "sincere" and that the government was open to such talks. His key words were "willing" and "open" and that Umno was prepared to consider any proposal from PAS raised by the Islamist party.

Deputy PAS president Nashruddin Mat Isa, who is a big supporter of such talks, has responded positively to Najib's statement, but as a safety net, said the party would not be a stooge of Umno. This is probably to appease PAS members who are against the proposal.

But today's development is significant as it could set the stage for a new political landscape if the two biggest parties decide to sit down and work in common areas. Premature as it may seem, it could also be the beginning of something bigger now that the top guns have sent the right signals.

Even PKR has reacted cautiously to the proposal for unity talks by saying it would not object to such talks. The party is obviously aware that the sentiments of the Malay electorate, the largest core of voters, which want the two parties to work together. To object to such talks would be going against the sentiments of a large section of the community, particularly the Malay heartland. These two parties cannot afford to ignore the Malay-Islam agenda.

It is obvious that PAS is not comfortable with PKR leading the Pakatan Rakyat charge, with PAS leaders believing that they should be the one calling the shots. Hadi Awang is seen to be uncomfortable that the Islamic cause has been compromised by PKR and that DAP seems to be steering the course of the coalition.

It is no secret that while there were sympathies for the events leading to the collapse of the Pakatan-led Perak government and what had taken place at the Perak state assembly, there is also a great deal of quiet dissatisfaction over the aggressive nature of some PR elected representatives.

Then there is the question of Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial that would be coming up next month. There is some sense of nervousness as to what would crop up during the trial, even as the charges are being considered as a political frame-up.

But how the unity talks would take place is another thing. It could be open or just informal chats, away from the glare of the media and those against the idea. Or for that matter, if it takes place at all. Nik Aziz and his supporters would throw in everything to stop the talks and within the BN, there is also a need for Umno to explain to the other component parties what it is all about. Nash also said today that he would be meeting PR leaders to explain. In short - plenty to explain on both sides.

Interestingly, Anwar has quickly come out to diffuse the situation by saying that Hadi is committed to PR and will fully explain his views on the unity talks next Monday, the Star SMS Alert reported.

It would be easier, however, if PAS and Umno would agree that these meetings would simply be termed unity talks, instead of Malay or Muslim. A technical committee, comprising secretaries-general of PAS and Umno, could be set up to explore ideas and the logistics.

Zulkifli Nordin finds Nizar's actions too extreme

Nizar Jamaluddin's protest at Parliament is not getting the support of all opposition Members of Parliament. Zulkifli Nordin, the maverick PKR MP has blogged that he regretted the fracas yesterday, saying "we don't stoop to their low level," in reference to the BN.

He said the opposition should have been more restrained, civil and civilised. He said seeking legal redress was always a better option. Or they could take the case direct to the people through ceramahs or campaigns.

The Kulim Bandar Baharu elected representative said he understood the sentiments over what had taken place at the Perak State Assembly where the Speaker was forcibly evicted but asked whether the same tactics should be applied.

But besides PKR and DAP MPs, there were PAS MPs such as Mahfuz Omar, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli and Khalid Samad who appeared to back Nizar. They too were given the marching orders by the Speaker.

PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa told Agenda Daily that the party was not informed by Nizar of his actions, saying it was spontaneous.