In Mahfuz We Thrust

Kedahans are quite relieved to see their favorite Hijau Kuning team getting back on track...well, at the moment, they're at the 5th place in the Super League Table. They're no Arsenal but hey, it definitely is much better than one or two months ago when they were ranked between "My grandma can kick better" and "Go home and join netball team".

There have been talks lately of a plot to takeover the Kedah FA (KFA). Secret meetings were held, moves plotted, positions targeted. That sounds normal, but what worries Kedahans more is the quality of the mastermind...yes, none other than the betel-munching, red spitting mahfuz omar. He already held a few meetings with a few minor KFA officials at Restoran Mama in Jalan Sultanah...well, mahfuz might think it's a top secret meeting, but having the meeting at a packed restaurant with people in KFA uniforms? Go figure. Quoting from a Hijau Kuning fan, he said that with a greaseball like mahfuz helming the KFA, the Kedah team will soon be playing in the estate league.

Maybe mahfuz should realize that he should at least know something about football before plotting a takeover. Rumours of mahfuz getting lost in the stadium football field remains unfounded so far.

But who is he fooling anyway? With MB Azizan's men taking a beating at pas kedah's divisions elections  and Amiruddin busy planting his people into various positions in the state, mahfuz wouldn't want to be left behind in the race to boot Azizan out and be the next Menteri Besar. No surprises there...he's been attempting to wrest that seat since 1999, but Pas Kedah keeps bundling him out to parliament.

Kedahans know for a fact that you can never put mahfuz, azizan and amiruddin in the same room without a free-for-all. While Amiruddin is backed by anti-Azizan-Phahrolrazi faction, mahfuz is much promoted by the pro-pkr faction of pas...or in short, anwar ibrahim and his cohorts.  That might be something Kedahans might find hard to swallow.

For mahfuz, wresting the KFA seat will be a first firm grip on Kedah. A position in Bina Darulaman has proven that he cannot simply get what he demands. But how far this new road will take him, nobody can guarantee anything.

Maybe he should try getting to know the people first. Kedahans love leaders who are close to them. Maybe he can explain to them why he could not be contacted when his constituents called for help during the floods of 2010, and maybe explain where in the world he was during that time. There are some of his constituents who would like to know why he only gave out aid to selected flood victims in that particular area only. At least we can see other State Assemblymen showing themselves during the floods, like the state assemblyman in Kuala Kedah area who goes out daily during the floods with boxes of mineral water and returns every evening with the same amount, or the other one who sends boxes of sardines as aid...and taking them back.

We understand from the constituents of Pokok Sena that Mahfuz appears only every now and then, and even then only at selected places. There are many who never sees him at all, only during elections.

To be an MB, maybe he needs to win the hearts of Kedahans first; maybe he needs to understand local politics first...and maybe go get more education first. With the development and economy of Kedah going to tatters, what can a jabber-mouth like mahfuz bring? KFA is just a bridge for him, nothing more.

Whether Kedahans will ever let the anwar ibrahim-backed Mahfuz is left to be seen. Of course, having mahfuz as MB can be quite an insult to Kedahans' intelligence. But for the moment, the race to topple Azizan as MB is heating up, and mahfuz has joined the fray. It's quite strange that pas used to make remarks about UMNO candidates' notorious methods during party nominations, because now they are complaining that pas candidates use dirtier tactics, with money politics and backstabbing only being the tip of the iceberg. That's understandable: ever since winning in the state of Kedah, pas leaders in the state has started turning on each other's throats, from positions, projects, GLCs and many more.

How much lower can pas in Kedah get? Grab a bag of popcorn, and sit down and watch. And somebody get mahfuz out of here.