Some People Remain as Assholes

Fun fact. Humans are deuterostomes. Which means that when we develop in the womb, the anus forms before any other opening. 

Indeed. During early embryonic development, the first opening that forms (the blastopore) becomes the anus, while the mouth forms later. 

Therefore, this basically means that, at one point, we were nothing but an asshole. 

What's even crazier is that some people never develop beyond this stage! 😁😁😁

On Saturday, Malaysia's Election Commission (EC) declared that Barisan Nasional won 18 of 36 seats in the 16th Negeri Sembilan election on Saturday. And their ally this time around, Perikatan National gained seven seats.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan secured only eleven seats. The other contenders, Bersatu (which contested independently under their own logo), Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa), Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (Asli), Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and four Independent candidates failed to win any.

Malaysiakini wrote today that the results indicate that BN and PN supporters from GE15 will vote the same way in current elections, with a near-perfect vote transferability between the two if they continue working together. 

In short, this blue wave will be disastrous for PH, with more defeats to come. 

Notably, their wins were all in seats where non-Malays made up more than 50 percent of voters, and none of their assemblypersons now are Malay. 

[Note: As I had mentioned on July 18, Bersama decided to sit out this election, preferring to focus on the Melaka one].

A total of 646,084 voters, or 72.64 percent, cast their ballots in Negeri Sembilan.

As in Johor, Barisan Nasional dominate as the largest single party. Not all change is good though!

Bersama Disclose Johor Election Accounts

On Tuesday, Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) publicly released their full financial statement for the July 2026 Johor state election campaign, establishing a self-imposed precedent for all their future election campaigns. 

Rafizi Ramli announced that the voluntary disclosure is part of piloting a "new political culture" in Malaysia. 

According to the party leadership, traditional anti-corruption rhetoric and legislative promises have failed to resolve deep-rooted political corruption. Bersama aim to tackle the issue directly by demonstrating total transparency in how their political funding is secured, spent, and maintained. 

The party highlighted a heavily volunteer-driven financial model to minimize standard election expenditures: 

Volunteer Operations. The entire campaign machinery operated voluntarily, meaning no payments or daily wages were handed out to campaign workers. 

Public Funding. Other logistical and campaign expenses were fully funded by three public sources, deliberately avoiding reliance on wealthy individuals or corporate interest groups. 

Full Bank Transparency. The published accounts outline exactly how funds were raised, where every ringgit was spent, and the remaining balances left in the party’s bank accounts. 

Rafizi previously criticized mainstream parties (he calls them 🦕parties) for running lavish, high-cost campaigns and allegedly utilizing federal and state government agencies to fund campaign-adjacent events. 

Bersama intend to use this continuous public auditing model to pressure the government into expediting a comprehensive Political Financing Bill for nationwide political reform.

Good job, Bersama!

The Purr-fect Workplace Solution

A Japanese company hired full-time office cats to reduce workplace stress, and it’s working. 

Tokyo-based Qnote Inc. first adopted a cat in 2004 and has since grown their feline staff to eleven permanent office residents. Employees say the cats boost morale, encourage short breaks, and create a much more relaxed and pleasant work environment. 

Each cat even has an official job title, such as “office clerk”, “manager”, or “auditor”, making them fully integrated into the company culture. 

The company love cats so much that “cat lover” is now listed as a requirement for human job applicants. 🐈

To accommodate their furry employees, Qnote renovated the office to incorporate cat toilets, climbing shelves, and scratch-resistant walls, allowing the cats to roam freely without causing damage. The result? Lower stress levels and stronger team bonding among staff.

Cats purr away work stress, ensuring a purr-fect workplace solution. 

In Malaysia, Bersama announced on July 15 their decision to sit out the sixteenth Negeri Sembilan state polls. 

This represents a calculated maneuver on their part because the state will witness an intense, localized showdown brewing between the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) camps. Moving ahead risked putting Bersama candidates in the crossfire, which will not benefit the young party. 

Instead, Bersama will channel their "full focus" into preparing for the Melaka state election expected later this year.

Considering everything, methinks, it is a prudent move.

BN Bag 48 Seats in Landslide Win, PH Retain 8

The volatile Malaysian political landscape is churning again.

On Saturday, Barisan Nasional successfully secured more than a two-thirds majority in the 16th Johor election. They decisively won 48 of the 56 seats, an increase of eight seats compared to the 2022 state election. 

BN wrestled eight seats previously held by incumbents from other parties, including five from PH – namely Johor Jaya, Perling, Bukit Batu, Jementah, and Tangkak – as well as three seats previously held by PN incumbents, namely Bukit Kepong, Endau, and Maharani. The remaining eight seats went to Pakatan Harapan. 

A total of 1,874,918 (out of 2,727,926 registered voters), or a 68.73 percent turnout, cast their ballots in the state election. 

Perikatan Nasional, Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), Muda, Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (Asli), and Parti Sosialis Malaysia failed to win any of the seats they stood in. The six independent candidates also finished the election without any wins. 

NOTE: The numbers are not official – the Election Commission have yet to publish the granular, aggregated popular vote numbers or exact total counts secured by individual political coalitions across all 56 constituencies

Bersama had a disappointing debut in the Johor election after all 15 of their candidates failed to collect enough votes to even retain their election deposits. 

Tapi jangan kita berputus asa!

This is nothing to feel bad about. The fledgling kancil party, being only 56 days old (as at Saturday) managed to convince 28,816 Johoreans in the 15 state seats they contested to support them. 

And those 28,816 voters saw past familiar logos, entrenched politics, and tribal loyalties. They proved the old framework has failed us. Now, we disrupt it – one choice, one ballot, one unstoppable tremor.

Stay the course and continue building trust. This is just the beginning. Let us grow from here.

Shamsul Iskandar Akin's Spook-tacular Stunt

Sadly, Malaysia remains shackled by a legacy of corruption. 

More so, its politics is just as contaminated, stained and tainted. Malaysians know all too well that our system is deeply rooted in systemic "money politics" and high-profile embezzlement scandals. 

Who doesn't know about the corporate mafia issue (highly publicized allegations first reported by Bloomberg on February 11, 2026, concerning a web of businessmen colluding with enforcement officials to launch hostile takeovers of public-listed companies). 

Or the Jana Wibawa government contracts scheme (introduced as a Covid-19 economic stimulus program for Bumiputera contractors that resulted in ongoing corruption and money-laundering trials involving former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and other political figures). 

Or the Littoral Combat Ship scandal (the multi-billion ringgit ⁠defence procurement failure in which substantial public funds were spent but major delivery delays occurred. Severe mismanagement was reported, including "dummy" payments to shell companies, overlapping contracts, and the destruction of records to hide irregularities. Millions in project funds were diverted or misused). 

Or the monumentally infamous 1MDB (the gargantuan global kleptocracy scheme, leading to multiple corruption convictions and the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Najib Razak). 

This is just a very SMALL sample to get me started! 

Actually, I want to vent about something which is, in a way, relatable. I reckon it is the most ludicrous thing that just went down. You can't make this stuff up. Prepare yourselves for a very farcical story...

Keadilan (PKR) member Shamsul Iskandar Akin took a dark approach to campaigning for the Johor state polls (July 11), transporting voters into his macabre version of beyond the veil when he delivered a message talqin-style in hopes it’ll sink in. All very theatrical!

In a video posted on social media on Monday, Shamsul, clad in a white robe (jubah) under sombre lighting and with an echoing voice for the full effect, assured voters not to be afraid when approached by BN, Perikatan Nasional, and Parti Bersama Malaysia as they too are just God's creatures (makhluk Allah jua). 

The former senior political secretary to the Prime Minister not only encouraged voters to accept bribes from those parties, but to squeeze as much as they can, so long as they still vote for Pakatan Harapan come polling day. 

"When you are given RM100, ask for RM500”, he said.

[FYI, he, himself, faces a total of five corruption charges totalling RM241,753.03 linked to businessman Albert Tei (Tei Jiann Cheing)!] 

The video, however, did not go down well with the living. Many netizens and even politicians criticised what they saw as an insensitive take on the Islamic ritual traditionally held at a gravesite after a burial. The absurdity of this politician acting to make it as an election gimmick. A big fail!

He has since deleted the video.

Bersama: New Kid on the Block

The Malaysian political landscape is witnessing the arrival of a new kid on the block! BERSAMA! 

Former Malaysian economy minister Rafizi Ramli and former natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced on May 17, 2026, that they have quit Anwar Ibrahim’s Keadilan (PKR), vacated their Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats respectively, and taken over Parti Bersama Malaysia (Malaysian United Party), a small party founded in Penang in 2016. 

The move came the same day that Anwar’s coalition tried to project discipline at the Pakatan Harapan convention in the southern state of Johor, sharpening the sense that Malaysia is drifting into campaign mode before a general election that must be held by February 17, 2028.

And Bersama's first electoral test is the Johor state election! 

Only fifty-two days old, and their movers and shakers are already flexing their muscles with 15 candidates on the ballot. Their primary goal is to serve as an independent bloc that rejects traditional race-based and patronage-driven politics and putting power back into everyday citizens' hands. 

The party operate like a digital-first start-up. They challenge convention by eliminating the classic bureaucratic baggage that plagues mainstream political parties. This makes them fast and agile. Like a kancil.

FYI, the 2026 Johor state election is just two days away! All 56 seats in the State Legislative Assembly are up for grabs. This vote will decide if the current Barisan Nasional government, led by Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi, keep their grip on power – or if opposition groups like Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional can swoop in to steal the majority. 

And Bersama have indicated they're more than happy to accept a legislative oversight role in Johor.

"Bersama memilih untuk tidak menyertai mana-mana gabungan politik. Kami mahu menjadi pembangkang yang berprinsip, kuat dan berkesan dalam menyemak serta mengimbangi kerajaan. 

Terlalu banyak parti politik hari ini lebih sibuk dengan percaturan kuasa sehingga suara rakyat semakin terpinggir. Bagi kami, politik bukan sekadar soal siapa memerintah, tetapi siapa yang sanggup memperjuangkan kepentingan rakyat".

Mark my words – it's just a question of time before Bersama own the news cycle!