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Posted: 27 May 2011 11:07 PM PDT

By Mariam Mokhtar

If you are asked to watch the clip called "Ustaz Kazim Elias kutuk Cina India?" (Kazim the Cleric condemns the Chinese and Indians?) on YouTube, don't bother.

It is a waste of 11 minutes and far from being inspirational or motivating, the clip was clearly an incitement to violence and every Malay/Muslim should be ashamed of Kazim. Come to think of it, the Malays who were listening to this mad mullah preach, should have walked out of the congregation.

Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak goes around the nation trying to sell us his 1Malaysia slogan. So if the Chinese and Indians are prepared to accept this unity concept, why has Najib not been able to reach out to Malays like Kazim the cleric?

Kazim is not the only one who is deaf to Najib's slogan for there are others, like Ibrahim Ali and Najib's own deputy, Muhyididin Yassin, who are averse to Najib's 1Malaysia dream.

So why bother with 1Malaysia then? Why do Malays like Kazim escape censure but the non-Malays, who use less inflammatory speech get punished? Why the mixed messages from the government? Why the double-standards? It is obvious that Najib and his Cabinet do not take racism and extremism seriously.

Perhaps the only time Najib and his merry men will take racism seriously, will be when colourful characters like Namewee (Wee Meng Chee) make more videos about racism.

Mohammad Kazim Elias Al Hafiz, is the chairman of the Pusat Pendidiakan Al Barakah, a religious educational establishment which is located in Kampung Manjoi, Ipoh, in Perak.

It is baffling that Kazim has not been hauled up for sedition.

In the clip, he denigrates both the Chinese and Indians, and reproaches these two communities for taking advantage of the Malays, rebukes them for their constant disagreements with the ketuanan issue and for enslaving the Malays – because 'they (the Chinese and Indians) have never tasted what is like to be 'slaves''.

He also says that these two races are lucky to live in a land which is free of conflict.

But the puzzling thing is that Kazim was invited to preach on one of the naval ships.

He described how the bunk beds were cramped and how the sailors had to live onboard ship for three months when they are at sea.

Obviously this cleric has no idea what it is like to be in the service. Perhaps he imagines that every sailor would have the stateroom on a cruise liner and 70 virgins to nurse him every night.

He described the hardships a sailor or soldier in the jungle has to go through, as if the service personnel had been totally unprepared for those privations.

Kazim then makes unfair comparisons with the Chinese who are able to go drinking and to the disco, whilst the 'poor Malay' has to suffer in the jungles or on the high seas, in defence of his country; to provide the peace and tranquility enjoyed by the Chinese and Indians.

But his most damning statement was to say that the navy, army and police are composed solely of Malays, that they were prepared to sacrifice life and limb, whilst the non-Malays enjoyed the good life.

Following this description, he then asks: "Who is the master and the slave here?" and "How dare they tell us that they do not want 'Ketuanan Melayu'".

Is Kazim so ignorant that he does not realise that it is his government's policies that have turned the non-Malays from the services?

He asks if we find any Chinese or Indians in the services. He informs us that there are few Indians in the army but that many Indians are criminals.

He tells us that the Malays have been too tolerant, giving the non-Malays land and titles. The rest of his speech is littered with more racist comments.

Why did Kazim not mention the endemic corruption that is crippling the country?

Why did he fail to mention the rempit culture of the Malay youth? He may have condemned the Chinese for going to bars at night, but he did not breathe a word about Malay teenagers who hang out, until the early hours of the morning, in the mamak stalls.

Why did he not condemn the government ministers and 'elite Malays' who drink heavily at the casinos of London and Monaco?

Why did Kazim not talk about the deaths caused by the moral police, when raiding hotels and homes?

He forgot about the numbers of sexual assaults on Malay children by older Malay men. He failed to mention the high levels of incest and the illegitimate children borne by unmarried Malay women.

He did not talk about the wives who contracted HIV-AIDS from their husbands who practise unsafe sex with other women, including prostitutes.

And he failed to talk about irresponsible Malay men who marry several women simply because they had got bored with their latest 'young' wife, or consider that a wife is too old once she has hit twenty.

The high drug use by Malays is another scourge on the community that he failed to address.

What Kazim talked about, his incitement to violence, is criminal. But the worse crime is that our religious authorities and the police, have failed to censure him for his seditious and inflammatory remarks.

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Managing inflation

Posted: 27 May 2011 02:50 PM PDT

By P Gunasegaran, The Star

The authorities should watch what they say about inflation because of the danger of self-fulfilling prophecies.

There is an interesting hypothesis in economics called the rational expectations theory - the idea of which is that players in an economy are likely to behave as if an expected event has already happened.

That has wide implications in a country like ours where everyone is talking about an increase in the price of products, especially subsidised ones such as sugar, cooking oil, rice, flour, petroleum products, electricity and so on.

The consequences can be quite serious because if prices of these goods are raised, then there is a knock-on effect on a whole lot of other consumer products from your teh tarik, roti canai and nasi lemak to transportation.

Add to these the spectre of further increases in interest rates which a section of economists and other analysts advocate and you have a potent mix of factors that spell just one thing – higher prices all round and the dreaded inflation.

Let's take an example. If sugar price is expected to increase then what will happen to sugar supplies. If you were a sugar supplier and you had a lot of sugar would you release all of your supply in the market if you expected prices to rise anytime soon?

Of course not. The suppliers who have their eyes on profit will hold out until the price increase happens and then the full supply will be released. Repeat the scene for a whole lot of scenarios, and the unpleasant big picture is hoarding and rising prices.

I am all for public debate almost all the time but when it comes to adjusting prices, the Government must keep its cards close – very close – to its chest and no one must be allowed to take a peek. Its much like a central bank keeping mum about what it wants to do about interest rates or the currency for instance – you know the card only when it is played and if you can help it, you don't want anyone to second guess it.

By all means the Government can and should indicate that it wants to roll subsidies back as a long term aim, but it must not disclose or give clear clues as to what it is likely to do in the very short term.

It can invite debate on the topic, listen to all the various views, make its own research on the issue but it should not hint at what it is going to do. That means top government officials must seal their lips fairly tightly beyond saying what their long-term policy is.

When they have acted, that is the time for them to explain what they have done.

That is why the Government has in the past never said anything about an oil price increase until it was made. Now it looks like top officials who should know better are too hasty when they hint that a decision on whether to increase petrol prices will be taken by a certain date.

That must be a clear no-no because it smacks of hinting at what card might be dealt before it's the Government's turn to actually deal it, causing unnecessary speculation and hand wringing well before the date.

The best way to announce a price increase, especially of subsidised products, is unexpectedly and immediately. That minimises inflationary expectations and allows the economy to make a quick, if painful, adjustment.

Taking an unexpected blow, falling down, and then recovering is far preferable to living in constant expectation of one, which basically means you make your every move as if the blow will land. That considerably hinders your mobility and your ability to act.

Managing editor of The Star, P Gunasegaram, is tired of all this talk about raising electricity tariffs. Either do it or hold your peace.

Rules of prudence: Serving in a new era

Posted: 27 May 2011 11:02 AM PDT

The people have given us a clear mandate to carry out our programmes. We must fulfil what we have promised to do in our manifesto. We must never break faith with the people, but always carry out our duties to them responsibly, address their worries and advance their interests.

By Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore

Our Party has won 81 out of 87 seats in the just concluded General Election. The opposition contested 82 seats, of which the PAP won 76, with 60.1 per cent of the votes.

The people have given us a clear mandate to carry out our programmes. We must fulfil what we have promised to do in our manifesto. We must never break faith with the people, but always carry out our duties to them responsibly, address their worries and advance their interests.

The elections have shown that voters have concerns which need to be addressed. The Government will have to significantly improve our outreach to voters, our approach to formulating policies, and our policies themselves.

As MPs, you play key roles in all these areas. You have to listen hard to voter concerns, help them to tackle pressing needs, reflect their worries and aspirations to the Government and persuade them to support policies which are in their own long term benefit.

Singapore is in a new phase of its political development. The PAP Government has to operate and govern in a different way than before. But two things should not change. First, we must always hold fast to the spirit of service to the people, and work hard on their behalf. Second, we must never compromise the high standards of honesty and integrity, which have enabled the PAP to keep trust with the people all these decades.

The PAP's reputation for clean, incorruptible government is one of our most precious assets. As PAP MPs, your standing in society reflects this high standing of the Party as a whole. I cannot stress strongly enough that every MP must uphold the rigorous standards that we have set for ourselves, and do nothing to compromise them. Never give cause for accusations that you are misusing your position, especially your access to Ministers. This would discredit both you and the Party.

As MPs, you will come across many different sorts of people. Some will be altruistic, public spirited people who will help you without wanting anything in return, spending their time and money to get community projects going and to serve your residents.

But a few will cultivate you in order to obtain benefits for themselves or their companies, to gain respectability by association with you, or to get you to influence ministries and statutory boards to make decisions in their favour. Gift hampers on festive occasions, entertainment, and personal favours big and small are just a few of countless social lubricants which such people use to ingratiate themselves to MPs and make you obligated to them.

You must be able to distinguish between these two groups of people, and be shrewd in assessing the motives of those who seek to get close to you. At all times you must be seen to be beyond the influence of gifts or favours.

You should be scrupulously proper in your contacts with government departments or public officers. Do not lobby any ministry or statutory board on behalf of anyone who is not your constituent or grassroots activist. Do not raise matters with public officers on behalf of friends, clients, contractors, employers or financiers to advance their business interests. To be above board, conduct business with public officers in writing and avoid making telephone requests. If you have to speak, follow up in writing to put your requests on record.

MPs are often approached by friends, grassroots leaders or proprietors of shops and businessmen to officiate at the openings of their new shops or other business events. They usually offer a gesture, such as a donation to a charity or constituency welfare fund. Though you may find it awkward to refuse such requests, once you accept one, you will be hardpressed to draw a line. As a rule, you should decline invitations to such business events unless you have obtained prior approval from the Whip. The Whip will grant approval only if the business is one that will add much value to the economy.

SEPARATING BUSINESS AND POLITICS

You must separate your public political position from your private business or professional interests. MPs who are in business, who occupy senior management positions in companies, or who sit on company boards should be especially vigilant.

You must not exploit your public position as Government MPs, your close contacts with the Ministers, or your access to government departments and civil servants, for your personal business interest or the benefit of your employers. Your conduct must always be above board.

MPs who are employed by companies or industry associations may at times have to make public statements on behalf of their company or industry association. If you have to do so, make it clear that you are not speaking as an MP, but in your private, professional or business capacity.

When you raise questions in Parliament related to your own businesses, you should first declare your pecuniary interest in the issue. Do not use Parliamentary questions as a means to lobby the Government on behalf of your businesses.

You may, however, speak freely to Cabinet Ministers, who are your Parliamentary colleagues. Ministers will listen carefully to arguments on principles, especially when they relate to the general policy of their Ministries. But Ministers will not change individual acts of discretion, unless they have very good reasons which they can justify publicly.

Parliamentary Secretaries and Ministers of State who intervene in their Ministries to reverse or alter decisions should promptly report the matter to their Ministers to protect themselves against possible accusations of misconduct. The Government must always base decisions on the merits of the issues, and cannot yield to pressure from interested parties.

ON DIRECTORSHIPS

MPs are often invited to serve on the Boards of private and publicly listed companies. This is a sign that private sector values PAP MPs' integrity and service, and reflects the high standing of the Party and of PAP MPs in general. The Party permits MPs to serve as directors, provided you keep your private and public responsibilities rigorously separate.

The public will closely scrutinise your involvement in companies, because you are a PAP MP. You should conduct your business activities so as to bring credit to yourself and to the Party. Adverse publicity on your performance as a director, or lapses in the companies you are associated with, will tarnish your reputation as an MP and lower the public's regard for the Party.

You should not solicit for Directorships in any companies, lest you appear to be exploiting your political position to benefit yourself.

You should not accept directorships where the company just wants to dress up the board with a PAP MP or two, in order to look more respectable.

Some grassroots leaders are businessmen who own or manage companies. You should not sit on any boards of companies owned or chaired by grassroots leaders appointed by you, so as to avoid the perception that you are obligated to them or advancing their business interests.

If you are offered a Directorship, you have to decide for yourself whether to accept. The Party is not in a position to vet or approve such decisions.

Before accepting, consider the possible impact of the Directorship on your political life. Ensure that the company understands that you are doing so strictly in your private capacity, and will not use your public position to champion the interests of the company, or lobby the government on its behalf.

Make every effort to familiarise yourself with the business, track record and background of the key promoters of the company. Satisfy yourself that the company is reputable, and that you are able to make a meaningful contribution. Specifically, just like anyone else contemplating a Directorship, you should ask yourself:

a. How well do you know the company, its business strategy, financial status, shareholding structure and the underlying industry?

b. Do you know your fellow directors, the way the Board and its committees fulfil their responsibilities, the reporting structure between Board and Management and the relationship between shareholders and the company?

c. Do you have sufficient industry, financial or professional expertise to fulfil your expected role and responsibilities as a Director? Do you understand your obligations under the law and the Code of Corporate Governance? Will you be able to discharge your fiduciary duties properly and without fear or favour?

d. Will you face any conflicts of interest, and if so can you manage them?

If you are in any doubt, you should decline.

PARLIAMENT ATTENDANCE

Once you have decided to accept an offer of a Directorship, please inform the Whip. MPs are expected to attend all sittings of Parliament. If you have to be absent from any sitting, seek the prior permission of the Government Whip. Please inform the Whip if you have to leave the Parliament premises while a sitting is on.

If you travel abroad, or need to be absent from Parliament for any reason, you must apply to the Speaker for leave, with copies to the Leader of the House and the Government Whip. You should also inform the Whip where you can be reached while away from Singapore.

I will ask the Speaker to give all MPs, particularly new MPs, ample opportunity and latitude to speak in Parliament. Your first opportunity will be during the debate following the President's Address at the opening of Parliament. At the Budget Debate, all MPs should speak up. Script your speeches or put your key points in note form to organise your ideas, and help the media.

The public expects PAP MPs to express their views frankly, whether for or against Government policies. In debates, speak freely and with conviction. Press your points vigorously, and do not shy away from robust debate. However, please exercise judgement when putting your points across.

Bring out grapevine talk for the Government to rebut, but do not unwittingly lend credence to baseless gossip. By doing so, you help ministers to put across the facts, explain the reasons for policies and decisions, and hence maintain public confidence in the openness and integrity of our actions.

Your honest, informed views are an important political input which Ministers will consider in formulating and calibrating policies. Ministers will accept valid, constructive suggestions, but they have to correct inaccurate or mistaken impressions. Over time, the public will see that PAP backbenchers are as effective as Opposition MPs, if not better, at holding ministers to account, debating issues fully, and influencing policies for the better.

GIFTS, FINANCES AND DISCLOSURE

On certain occasions, like the National Day Parade and the Investiture Ceremony for National Day Awards, the whole Establishment - the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary - will be there. Those who cannot attend must have very good reasons. Those who have accepted the invitation must attend, otherwise they leave empty seats, which does no credit to them or to the Party.

At all public functions and constituency events, punctuality is of paramount importance.

You should not accept gifts which might place you under an obligation which conflicts with your public duties. If you receive any gifts other than from close personal friends or relatives, you must declare them to the Clerk of Parliament who will have the gifts valued. If you wish to keep the gifts, you must pay the Government for them at the valuation price.

Party Branches should not raise funds on their own without permission, for example by soliciting advertisements for a souvenir magazine or a carnival. If you intend to raise funds, please clear it beforehand with the Organising Secretary. When your branch embarks on a collective fund-raising activity, eg a Family Day or Walk-A-Jog, you must follow the rules strictly.

As MPs, you should manage your personal financial affairs prudently. Do not over-extend yourself, or become financially embarrassed. This would be not only a potential source of personal embarrassment, but also a weakness which may expose you to pressure or blackmail.

In particular, you should not make major financial commitments assuming that you will continue to receive your MP's allowance. While MPs typically serve several terms, you cannot assume that you will automatically be fielded in future General Elections, or that if fielded you will definitely be re-elected. There is no tenure or job security in politics.

For your own protection, every MP should disclose to me, in confidence, your business and professional interests, your present employment and monthly pay, all retainers and fees that you are receiving, and whether your job requires you to get in touch with officers of Government Ministries or statutory boards on behalf of employers or clients. Office holders need not do so because you will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Code of Conduct for ministers. This should be done by June 30, 2011.

We have held our position in successive elections because our integrity has never been in doubt, and because we are sensitive to the views and attitudes of the people we represent. MPs must always uphold the high standards of the Party and not have lifestyles or personal conduct which will embarrass themselves and the Party.

Any slackening of standards, or show of arrogance or indifference by any MP will erode confidence in him, and ultimately in the Party and Government. New MPs can pick up the dos and don'ts from older MPs, so that they conduct themselves always with modesty, decorum and dignity. You must win respect, not popularity, to stay the course.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Sabtu, 28 Mei 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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