The long wait for cabinet re-shuffle

Almost all Malaysian news media got it wrong. Politicians got it wrong. Rumour mongers got it wrong. Yes, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is hard to read, difficult to predict and not easy to understand.
Even journalists who claimed or said to be close to the PM or his aides, both active or "retired" to the corporate world, wrongly predicted the time and personalities "involved" in a so called cabinet re-shuffle. Journalists from the New Straits Times (NST), The Star, Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and the various vernacular newspapers (Mandarin and Tamil) all got it wrong.
A year passed by, months went by and days after days they are waiting and still waiting for the PM to re-arrange, replace and appoint members of his governing executive council called The Cabinet. The media "predicted" that this or that minister is to be dropped and they even name names of "new faces" to be roped in by Pak Lah, the Prime Minister. Some were bold enough to link Pak Lah's "powerful young politician and trustworthy son-in-law" Khairy Jamaluddin or KJ as their source. To them KJ is the man trusted and consulted by Pak Lah and is a reliable source of information. What a pity. They are wrong. Their predictions and speculations were wrong. KJ, who is the same age as my first-born son, is not Mister Know All. It is an insult to Pak Lah to potray KJ as that "influential and powerful". Of course KJ is happy to be placed in such a position especially as more and more UMNO (the main Malay ruling party headed by Pak Lah) aspiring politicians, wants to be seen or to be associated with him, to be labelled as Pak Lah's men. They are hoping for something (reward) for their "loyalty". What a shame! Well.. like it or not that is UMNO politics - the artificial political patronage of the Malay elite. I say artificial because most of them are like frogs - jumping from one place to another especially to a place where there are plenty of insects to eat. They will voice their undivided support and loyalty to a particular leader who is in a position to award and reward them, they will immediately abandon him when he is unable to do so. Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad can testify to it. No wonder more and more young Malays are voicing their support to "alternative" Malay-based party. Who knows...a change may be for ther good of the country.