Perception: Khairy v Mukhriz. And the other one

It's an unenviable battle that Dato' Ariff Sabri aka Sakmongkol AK47 is fighting - trying to change the general public's negative perception of one controversial character in our national politics - Khairy Jamaludin, "KJ".

As if that's not enough, Sakmongkol is also trying to get the public - especially Umno members - to review how they (overly?) positively perceive Mukhriz Mahathir. It's of special interest due to the tussle for the Umno Ketua Pemuda post later this week, of course.

Oh, there's another contender - former Selangor Menteri Besar Khir Toyo, who is also a formidable factor in the race. But I'm going to generally ignore him here. No, not out of spite but because of the specific topic that I'm going to touch on.

Sakmongkol has mentioned about "Perception", "Tanggapan" of  Khairy before. Plus that of Mukhriz, of course. Unfortunately, many commentators simply ignore what he's trying to say and are so quick to unleash a barrage of anti-Khairy statements, plus accusations and snide remarks against Sakmongkol, without caring to consider the points. To some extent, that's to be expected due to... well, Perception - Khairy is saddled with an extremely negative one while Mukhriz is on the other side of the scale.

Here is something from Sakmongkol's latest post of The Tyranny of status quo:

Perceptions are illusory and are dependent on personal and private motives... Perception is a tricky variable, subject to manipulations and subterfuge. Reality is obtainable via direct interaction. I am sure that those 98% of the 794 delegates who have met up with KJ are wiser to identify the differences.

This one is interesting:  "Reality is obtainable via direct interaction." No arguments about this one. And this is the situation and problem we the public face: How many of us had actually met Khairy and Mukhriz? ... Catching glimpses of them at functions don't count - "met" as in "interacted"?

But yet, so many people so easily and happily deliver their judgment of "what type of a devious person Khairy is"! Folks, it's okay to "sangka baik" - as Mukhriz is receiving - when we don't really know someone. But to "buruk sangka" is not okay!... and you have to admit that many of us have done this injustice to Khairy.

Sakmongkol, in a tongue-in-cheek manner (or is it?) has offered a way out, to absolve this wrong against Khairy:

It's now time, for those who assigned blame to KJ for all the misfortunes that have befallen them to pay KJ for his services for being the punching bag.

Yes, folks - Khairy Jamaludin has been the unsung hero for Umno by taking in most of the blows against it - and shielding others who were also guilty. This is one of the marks of a leader - KHAIRY JAMALUDIN FOR KETUA PEMUDA!

Technorati Tags: Sakmongkol AK47,Khairy,Mukhriz,Khir Toyo,Life's a Pitch

There's more to life than politics

Yes - that's why there's no politics with this particular post. Rather than add to more of the same concerning the "Perak Democracy Tree" and whatever else, Mat Cendana is trying to live up to the "Blog Review" title of this site by doing just that.

And besides, he has already said enough at the comments following that most excellent post by KijangMas at the Demi Negara blog in To Hell With Politics ! So, he's taking KijangMas' post title at face value and dumping politics this week.

So this week, Mat Cendana is happy to just digest KijangMas' post and follow the comments there; besides savouring the excellent writings of SAKMONGKOL AK47 (the most consistent blogger when it comes to QUALITY, in my opinion), seeking common sense at LAWYER KAMPUNG, fair-mindedness at DE MINIMIS and have a few laughs at HUSIN LEMPOYANG.

Today, I'm focusing on a spiritual-centric blog and giving an example of a post over there. Yes, whatever our political leanings and affiliations, don't forget that matter of bread-and-butter. Regardless of whether the government is prepared to face the economic turmoil or not, let's do something for ourselves... do ourselves a big favour.

This post of 10 Essential Money Skills for a Bad Economy: I'm going to republish a bit of it here so that you folks can get a feel of what this site is about. [Cut & Paste follows]

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from J.D. Roth, who writes about smart personal finance at Get Rich Slowly.

The economy is in a shambles. The stock market’s down, unemployment’s up, and the housing market is still skidding sideways. The people I know are beginning to get nervous. They’re worried that the recession will turn worse, and that their personal finances will end up in ruins, too.

When it comes to money, the best defense is a good offense. The best way to avoid fallout from the national economy is to take control of your personal economy. By developing smart financial habits, you can remain calm even in the midst of a financial crisis. (Well, mostly calm, anyhow.)

Over the past three years, I’ve written a lot about money. Based on my experience (and feedback from my readers), here are ten essential money skills that can help you to weather the current financial storm.

Set up a budget
For many people, budgets are boring. But if you can plan where your spending will go, you’ll make better decisions with your money.

I’m not a fan of detailed budgets. They work for many people (and if they work for you, by all means use one!), but for myself I need a simple budget, one that focuses on the Big Picture. Over the past three years, I’ve found three such budgets that my readers tell me are truly effective.

• Andrew Tobias suggests a simple three-step budget: Destroy all of your credit cards. Invest 20% of all that you earn (and never touch it). Live on the remaining 80%, no matter what.
• Elizabeth Warren’s balanced money formula is outstanding. It’s the budget I use. Allocate 20% of your after-tax income for savings (or debt reduction), 50% for needs, and the remaining 30% for wants.
• If you crave a little more complexity, try the 60% solution from Richard Jenkins at MSN Money. He says spend 20% of your pre-tax income on savings (half for retirement, half for long-term savings or debt), 60% to committed expenses, 10% to irregular expenses, and 10% for fun.

You can set up a budget on a piece of paper, or in a spreadsheet, or with a piece of software (PearBudget, for example). [...Continue with 10 Essential Money Skills for a Bad Economy]

Technorati Tags: Demi Negara,KijangMas,Sakmongkol AK47,Lawyer Kampung,Husin Lempoyang,Zen Habits