Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Muhyiddin dalam kebimbangan - Tak boleh salahkan beliau
- WIKILEAKS: ABDULLAH CALLS FOR SNAP ELECTIONS; A PRIMER FOR THE POLLS
- Thank the people, not politicians or govt
- PAS readies new media troopers for next GE
- A meaningful gathering for some
- Perkasa says Himpun united PAS and Umno
- Opposition's double standards in Aziz Bari issue questioned
- The Sabah factor in Umno’s GE battle
- Silence as a Tool
- Bersihkan parti dari ‘hantu raya’
- Veterans flay Mat Sabu in newspaper ad
- PM: 1,600 Indians got citizenship
- Making Dewan Rakyat effective
- Muhyiddin, oh Muhyiddin
- Papers apologise to Kalimullah over secrets leak claim
- China-Malaysia trade to hit $100b in 3 yrs
- Holland Condemns Malaysia’s Timber Certification!
- Boosted by social media, activists reclaim space for causes
- Utusan: Let police probe claims surrounding Guan Eng’s son
- Bersih keeps momentum alive with overseas campaign
- Budget 2012: New Tax Laws Encroaches Human Rights
- DPM Muhyiddin must apologize for insinuations against Guan Eng's son
- Statement on DPM remarks on allegations against Lim Guan Eng's son
- Why National schools Cannot be the choice of All Malaysians
- “Who Needs An Islamic State?” By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi
- Harussani: "Malays are Special Because They are Related to Islam"
- WIKILEAKS: CLEAN FINGERS, DIRTY ELECTIONS?
- DPM sees ‘big problem’ if infighting continues
- Malaysia Children's Day
- The stupidest comment of ‘em all
- Aziz Bari's suspension - Najib sabotaged by his own govt and party?
- Two-thirds Majority
- Time to consider a new social contract
- Gerakan shows support for DAP
- Low turnout dampens anti-apostasy rally
- Why is BN so afraid of White paper on SAS?
- No ring but what about the Birkin handbags?
- PAS eyeing five Negri state seats
- OWC stirs controversy again
- Aziz Bari maintains UIA suspended, barred him from campus
- Sabah’s right: Jeffrey disputes historian’s view
- Najib bullish on China FDI despite deal flip-flops
- UIA justifies Aziz Bari’s suspension
- Cinema censorship in Bangi continues to draw criticism
- TV profligacy
- Groups: Don’t interfere with a person’s freedom to choose their attire
- Stop The Intimidation Of Dr Abdul Aziz Bari
- MCA and hudud: Final part
- PKR touts newer, younger faces for GE
- Sebelum ambil tindakan ke atas Prof Aziz Bari, ambil tindakan terhadap pemimpin UMNO dulu
| Muhyiddin dalam kebimbangan - Tak boleh salahkan beliau Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:40 AM PDT ASPAN ALIAS Tan Sri Muhyiddin berkata beliau bimbang dengan berbalahan yang berlaku dalam komponen BN yang berlaku pada hari ini. Apa yang dimaksudkan oleh Timbalan Pengerusi BN itu ialah masalah 'intra-party' dalam komponen itu nampak serius sedangkan pilihanraya sudah hampir tiba. Tan Lian Ho Ketua Wanita Gerakkan telah meminta supaya Koh Tsu Koon untuk memperbaiki kepimpinannya dan jika Koh tidak berkemampuan Tan Lian Ho supaya menarik diri dari kepimpinan Gerakkan. MCA pula menghadapi masalah kerana ramai dari penyokong MCA itu adalah penyokong kepada Ong Tee Kiat dan beliau telah menyatakan secara terbuka bahawa CSL merupakan seorang calun yang tidak 'winnable'.
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| WIKILEAKS: ABDULLAH CALLS FOR SNAP ELECTIONS; A PRIMER FOR THE POLLS Posted: 23 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT
While most opposition leaders are optimistic of some level of success compared to the 11th General Election, few are confident enough to predict the opposition's ability to break the National Front's two-thirds majority in Parliament. In fact, the opposition parties would need a 400 percent increase in parliamentary seats to capture the 75 seats necessary to break the National Front's super majority in parliament-- a feat no observers deem possible in the current political climate. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b, d). 1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced the dissolution of Malaysia's Parliament on February 13 and called for snap elections, a fully expected move, but one that came a year before elections were required under the constitution. Malaysia's Election Commission (EC) will announce on February 14 the nomination and polling dates. This year's polling date could be set as early as March 1, a mere 17 days from the dissolution of Parliament with a window of only 10 days for active campaigning. Approximately 7.6 million voters are expected to cast their ballots, electing all 222 members of Parliament, as well as 505 State Assembly members from 12 of 13 states. Malaysia's ruling coalition, the National Front (Barisan Nasional or BN), faces a challenge from markedly increased dissatisfaction in Chinese and Indian communities. The crown jewel of this election remains the fight for the state of Kelantan, where the National Front and PM Abdullah's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) will try to wrest control from the conservative Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party (PKR) and the Chinese dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) will focus on the states of Penang, Perak, and Sabah, while PAS will also focus its efforts on regaining lost seats in Terengganu. Opposition parties are expected to garner some 40 to 45 percent of the popular vote, but actual gained seats may in fact be modest. Political gerrymandering, control over the mainstream media, and the financial and institutional power of 50 years of incumbency will ensure the National Front's success at the ballot box even in the face of increased opposition votes. The significance of the 12th General Election does not rest with the widely anticipated victory of UMNO and the National Front. Instead, observers will look to the margin of victory as well as the minority vote, factors that have implications for Prime Minister Abdullah's strength as a government and UMNO leader in a second term, and the future viability of Malaysia's inter-ethnic status quo. In the short-term, however, the National Front's expected triumph will offer more continuity than change to Malaysia. End Summary. Rapid Timeline for Elections 2. (SBU) Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the dissolution of Parliament on February 13 and officially set the wheels in motion for Malaysia's 12th General Election. On February 14, the EC will meet to officially set the date for nomination of candidates, the official campaign period, and the nation-wide polling date. Recent election timelines indicate this year's polling date will likely be set for March 1 or 2, a mere 17 days from the dissolution of Parliament with a window of only 10 days for active campaigning. Consistent with previous election tallying, official results are generally known within two to three hours of the polls closing. The Prime Minister is expected to announce a new Cabinet within one to two weeks following the polls. There is no official date for the new parliament to sit, but in 2004 the 11th Parliament sat approximately 6 weeks after Election Day. We expect the 12th Parliament to follow a similar schedule. The Voters 3. (U) The EC gazetted the 2007 Master Electoral Roll on February 5, 2008, showing 10,922,139 registered voters. The 2007 roll is expected to be the final revision prior to the election, and under current law, cannot be challenged after the polls have been held. Based on past elections, nation-wide voter turn out is expected to hover around 70 percent (or approximately 7.6 million voters), but heavily contested areas in 2004 showed voter turn outs as high as 91 percent in the state of Terengganu. Of the 10.9 million voters in Malaysia, 84.2 percent reside on the Peninsula, while the other 15.8 percent reside in East Malaysia (broken down by 912,454 voters in Sarawak and 807,862 in Sabah). A recent survey by the Election Commission showed that some 80 percent of voters no longer live in the district in which they are registered. Since only Malaysian students studying abroad, government officials, police and military personnel are authorized to vote via postal or absentee ballot, the nation expects to see large numbers of travelers on or before Election Day. Who's on the Ballot 4. (U) As has been the case for four decades, voters will choose only Members of Parliament (Ahli Dewan Rakyat) and State Assembly members. Senators (Ahli Dewan Negara) are not elected but are appointed and therefore will not stand for office in the general election. Similarly, Malaysia has not held elections for municipal offices since 1965, and all municipal positions continue to be filled by appointment only. All 222 seats of the federal Parliament must stand for election. An increase in population in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak has prompted the government to enlarge the size of Parliament, and in the 12th General Election, there will be three additional seats proportioned to Sarawak, increasing the size of the Parliament from its current 219 seats to 222 seats. State Assembly elections will take place in 12 of Malaysia's 13 states. Only Sarawak's State Assembly is in a different election cycle-- a hold over from Sarawak's later entry into the Federation. Who Wins? 5. (SBU) Under Malaysia's "first past the post", or "winner take all system", the top vote getter in each State Assembly or Parliamentary district captures the seat. There is no run-off system to limit the field nor is there a requirement to win an absolute majority. Under these conditions, the National Front coalition chooses only one candidate from among its 14 component parties to stand for each seat. In general practice the opposition parties attempt to compromise on seat allocations and run only one opposition candidate in each district. However, because the opposition parties do not always agree on which party would have a better chance against the National Front candidate, there are often instances of three or more candidates vying for the same seat, an event known locally as a "three cornered fight". Such contests generally guarantee the National Front candidate will capture a plurality and win the seat. National Parliament -- Maintaining 2/3 Majority 6. (SBU) Of principal concern to the National Front coalition is the ability to control a two-thirds majority in Parliament. While most ordinary legislation requires only a simple majority to pass, constitutional amendments can be passed, with or without the consent of the King, with a two-thirds majority in Parliament. This is an important tool of the ruling government as in its short 50 year history, Malaysia's constitution has been amended some 52 times and almost always over the objections of the opposition. Maintaining a two-thirds majority in Parliament is the highest priority for the National Front coalition. To maintain its two-thirds majority in the 12th General Election, the National Front will need to win 148 out of 222 seats. (Note: In the 2004 (11th General) Election, there were 219 parliamentary seats at stake and the National Front captured 199 of those seats, or 91 percent. End Note.) Malay Majority Vote 7. (SBU) The coalition's dominant United Malays National Organization (UMNO) commands significant but not unchallenged support of the country's ethnic Malay majority. UMNO is highly organized, enjoys vastly superior funding compared with any opposition party, and benefits from 50 years of incumbency as the leader of government. The Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) poses the largest challenge to UMNO for ethnic Malay votes. In 2004 UMNO garnered 2.48 million votes to PAS' 1.05 million votes, figures that do not disaggregate ethnic Malay and non-Malay votes or the number of seats contested but nevertheless demonstrate that UMNO clearly is in the driver's seat. Malaysia's first past the post system and politically gerrymandered districts further reinforce UMNO's electoral dominance over PAS, in addition to many other factors that favor the incumbent BN. In 2008, it does not appear that many UMNO parliamentary or state assembly seats are at risk. UMNO, however, cannot take its position completely for granted and national vote totals mask UMNO's small margin of victory in many contests. In 1999, BN candidates (including UMNO) received only 48.5 percent of votes in heavily Malay areas, with BN improving its record to 59 percent in 2004. In the "Malay Belt" of Perlis, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelatan, PAS took in 56 percent of the votes in 1999, dropping to 45 percent in 2004. 8. (SBU) Such is UMNO's current confidence that one UMNO vice president recently commented to the press that "we don't need the Indians or the Chinese" to win the election. Given that in 2004 UMNO garnered roughly a third of the vote, its non-Malay partners took another third, and the opposition accounted for the remaining third, such a statement may not be altogether accurate. Since independence, UMNO's critical advantage has been its ability to maintain a solid coalition with ethnic Chinese and also Indian voters. Nevertheless, in the current Parliament UMNO alone controls 110 of the coalition's 199 total seats, and many seats held by other coalition members were indisputably dominated by Malay voters. Likewise, in the 11th General Election, UMNO won 302 of the 505 State Assembly seats up for election in 2004. The 12th General Election will reflect the same dominating strength of UMNO and the National Front coalition, and it remains very unlikely that the National Front will win any less than 80 percent of the seats in Parliament and maintain control of all the state assemblies except Kelantan. Kelantan will remain the most heavily contested of the Malay majority areas (see below). Ethnic Chinese 9. (SBU) One of the National Front's greatest challenges will come from dissatisfied Chinese voters. With 26 percent of the total population and outright majorities in many urban districts, Malaysia's ethnic Chinese population constitutes a sizable voting block. For 50 years the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has been the largest ethnic Chinese party in the country and a faithful partner in the National Front coalition. Likewise, for nearly 40 years, the People's Movement Party (Gerakan) has attracted a sizable block of Chinese votes for the National Front coalition and held the reins of government in the State of Penang. However, leadership in both parties have publicly acknowledged growing Chinese voter dissatisfaction in the economic progress of the country and increasing perceptions of ethnic polarization in the country. A late December 2007 voter opinion survey by the Merdeka Center indicated that PM Abdullah's approval rating among ethnic Chinese stood at 42 percent, down from 62 percent in late 2006. Accordingly, both MCA and Gerakan leaders anticipate some loss of support at the polls. Nevertheless, because most Gerakan and MCA leaders are actually elected from districts with an ethnic-Malay majority, even a decline in support at the polls will have very little effect on the leadership of the National Front's largest Chinese parties. Years of gerrymandering have created few Chinese majority districts that actually challenge the dominance of the National Front's constituent parties, and while the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) stands to gain a few seats in both State Assemblies and in the federal Parliament as a result of this dissatisfaction, DAP's potential gains will not be significant enough to materially change the make up of government, either locally or nationally. Ethnic Indians 10. (SBU) Although Malaysia's ethnic Indian community constitutes less than 8 percent of the population and is thus less influential than the Chinese minority, the National Front's Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) also faces significant voter dissatisfaction, and internal divisions threaten the unity of the once fiercely loyal coalition partner. Following a year of highly publicized and emotionally charged issues surrounding the razing of Hindu temples and various court cases seen to be dragging Hindu families into Sharia courts, Indian dissatisfaction with the government pinnacled with a mass street demonstration on November 25 (ref A). A recent public opinion poll conducted by the Merdeka Center noted a dramatic 41 percent decline in Prime Minister Abdullah's approval rate among Malaysia's ethnic Indians following the Hindraf rally of November 25 (ref A), leaving only 38 percent of ethnic Indians approving of Abdullah's performance. Voices within MIC have called for the party's president, Works Minister Samy Vellu, to step aside and end his 29 year grasp on the party. Samy has refused to step down, but voter dissatisfaction within the Indian community assures greater sympathy for opposition parties than ever before. Just as most Chinese leaders are elected from Malay-majority districts, Samy Vellu also holds his parliamentary seat from a Malay dominated district, and under the BN banner his election is all but guaranteed and no significant changes in MIC leadership are expected as a result of the general election. Nevertheless, MIC faces a near certain loss of votes and such a weakened state could affect the outcome in closely contested districts where previous BN incumbents won with a less than 5 percent margin. Battle for Kelantan 11. (SBU) In the 2004 elections, Malaysia's ruling National Front won or controlled an overwhelming majority in 12 of the 13 State Assembly elections winning a total of 453 of the 505 State Assembly seats contested. (The National Front also won a dominant majority in the 14th state, Sarawak, in 2006). Only the State of Kelantan elected a non-BN state government. In fact, the conservative Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) has controlled the State Assembly in Kelantan for 39 of the last 50 years. In this the 12th General Election, PAS once again presents the strongest challenge in Kelantan to a nation-wide dominance by the ruling National Front coalition. National Front efforts to wrest Kelantan away from PAS have intensified over the past year with the announcement of new development projects, the establishment of the Northern Economic Corridor, and promises of new mosques to be built if the Kelantanese will elect a BN government. The Kelantan State Assembly currently consists of 23 PAS assembly members and 22 National Front members. The mere "one seat" majority has led National Front political leaders to conclude that this is the coalition's best opportunity to win back the state, and Prime Minister Abdullah's political machinery has promised to focus great efforts on capturing the state. Senior BN politicians from around the country have begun unofficial campaign stops in Kelantan over the past few months, and BN's political machinery is in high gear to win the hearts and minds of Malaysia's most opposition-minded state. Nevertheless, PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat remains highly popular in Kelantan and has committed to seeking reelection to the State Assembly and another term as Chief Minister of Kelantan. Kelantan is definitely the state to watch. Other States to Watch 12. (SBU) Among the other states to watch in the 12th General Election are Penang, Perak, Terengganu and Sabah. These states represent traditional areas of support for opposition candidates and here the opposition parties stand to make their biggest gains. Chinese discontent mentioned above poses the biggest threat to the National Front's People's Movement Party (Gerakan) in Penang. Gerakan has held the Chief Minister office and controlled the State Assembly as the leading National Front party in Penang since 1969. Most significant in Penang will be the results of the State Assembly elections. In 2004 the National Front won 38 of 40 state seats, but only 8 of 13 parliamentary seats. Both DAP and PKR are heavily targeting Penang to try to increase the number of opposition members in the State Assembly, with DAP targeting the Chinese majority seats and PKR targeting the Malay majority seats. Similarly, Perak and Terengganu represent areas where opposition parties have historically captured higher numbers of state seats and are generally more receptive to opposition candidates for state and parliamentary seats. Sabah was under opposition control from 1985 to 1994, and Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party (PKR) believes that many Sabahans would prefer to vote in another opposition government if given a viable chance. Accordingly, PKR has actively sought a foothold in the East Malaysian state, and while PKR's chance of winning a significant number of seats is doubtful, Sabah promises to be a point of focus for PKR. Sabah yielded neither state nor parliamentary seats to the opposition in 2004, so any gain is progress for the opposition. The Anwar Factor and PKR 13. (SBU) Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ouster from power in 1998 and his 1999 conviction on politicized corruption charges spurred the "reformasi" movement that eventually saw his People's Justice Party (PKR or KeADILan) win five parliamentary seats in the 1999 general elections. As time passed and with Anwar still in prison, the party's popularity waned and only Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was able to hold on to her parliamentary seat in the 11th General Election in 2004, and then only by a 500 vote margin. Anwar was released from prison in September 2004 and acquitted of the alleged sodomy charge, but federal election law excluded him from seeking political office for five years from the completion of his sentence for a previous conviction on corruption, thus dating back to April 2003. Accordingly, Anwar's exclusion period is set to end in April 2008, and it has long been held that Prime Minister Abdullah would call the elections prior to Anwar's eligibility to seek office. While on a larger scale Anwar and PKR pose little threat to the UMNO and National Front political machinery, most UMNO politicians see Anwar as a threat to the political status quo and as a possible challenge over the long term to the coalition's two-thirds majority in Parliament. Long held animosities towards Anwar, fomented by Malaysia's last Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, and seconded by the national media, have remained a dominate force within UMNO, and there is no doubt that Anwar's eligibility influenced the date of the 12th General Election. 14. (SBU) The 12th General Election is, for all intents and purposes, Anwar's first test in national politics since his expulsion from UMNO and his release from prison. Despite his ineligibility to run for office, Anwar has proven he can draw sizable crowds to political rallies as well as to the polls. In the Ijok by-election of 2007 (ref B), Anwar proved that even against a well-oiled and heavily financed National Front campaign, he could attract a crowd and win some 40 percent of the popular vote for his PKR candidate. Nevertheless, in 2004 nearly 40 percent of the votes nation-wide went to the opposition without Anwar's assistance, so it remains unclear if Anwar will play a significant drawing-factor in the upcoming election. Anwar's near constant attacks on the country's BN leadership over corruption, judicial appointments and democratic reform have resonated in many quarters and promise to garner attention during the campaign phase of the election. Still, Anwar and PKR are basically starting from scratch as PKR won no state assembly seats in 2004 and only one parliamentary seat. 2008 will prove whether Anwar can remain relevant in Malaysian politics and whether PKR will go extinct. Opposition Solidarity and Coordination 15. (SBU) Despite Anwar's lingering ineligibility, his party, PKR, has worked closely with Malaysia's other two opposition parties, PAS and DAP, to coordinate an election strategy in which only one opposition candidate will face any single National Front candidate. The opposition parties have recognized that their only chance for success in the 12th General Election is by avoiding "three cornered fights". Although this cooperation is less formal than the "Alternative Front" coalition which the opposition parties entered into in 1999, the basic tenet remains the same-- unseat as many National Front candidates as is possible under the current electoral system. While most opposition leaders are optimistic of some level of success compared to the 11th General Election, few are confident enough to predict the opposition's ability to break the National Front's two-thirds majority in Parliament. In fact, the opposition parties would need a 400 percent increase in parliamentary seats to capture the 75 seats necessary to break the National Front's super majority in parliament-- a feat no observers deem possible in the current political climate. The last and only time the opposition broke the two-thirds majority was in the 3rd General Election of 1969-- the election that precipitated Malaysia's worst racial violence in its short history. In that year the opposition won an outright majority of the popular vote (50.7 percent), but still captured only 34 percent of the seats in Parliament. In 1990 the opposition captured 46.6 percent of the popular vote but only 29 percent of the seats in Parliament. Malaysia's electoral system simply is not designed to allow the ruling coalition to lose control of the government. Comment 16. (C) Beyond the National Front's appeal to voters, political gerrymandering, control over the mainstream media, and the financial and institutional power of 50 years of incumbency will ensure the National Front's success at the ballot box even in the face of increased opposition votes. Although Malay urbanization is slowly changing historical inequities, Malaysia's disproportionate allocation of parliamentary seats favors Malay majority regions with more parliamentary seats in the rural areas than minority dominated urban areas. Coupled with its first-past-the-post electoral system, these political machinations create an electoral environment in which it is possible that, as shown in the 11th General Election, the opposition can win almost 40 percent of the popular vote nation-wide and still win less than 10 percent of the total seats in parliament. 17. (C) The significance of the 12th General Election does not rest with the widely anticipated victory of UMNO and the National Front, but its implications for Prime Minister Abdullah's strength as a government and UMNO party leader in a second term, and the future viability of Malaysia's inter-ethnic status quo. The national election results set the stage for UMNO's critical internal party elections, which could be held in the last quarter of 2008. While some slippage of BN's margins is widely expected, the greater the opposition gains the more criticism and challenge Abdullah will face from within UMNO. An embattled Prime Minister, or one perceived as having only tepid support, will have a more difficult time pushing reforms or significant new policies. The results of the state election in Kelantan could prove a boost to Abdullah if UMNO is able to wrest the state away from PAS. Such a win would represent the first time since 1994 that the National Front would control all 14 state governments -- a tangible measure of success for Abdullah. 18. (C) The national election also will be significant for the signals it sends as to the future viability of the National Front's multi-racial alliance and the country's long heralded "social contract," given that Chinese and Indian discontent appears to have reached a high water mark, unseen since 1969. If such fractures widen over the longer-term, they will threaten the country's status quo politics, and force Malaysian politicians to reexamine seriously the political formula that has been in place since independence. In the short term, however, the National Front's expected triumph will offer more continuity than change to Malaysia. KEITH (February 2008)
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| Thank the people, not politicians or govt Posted: 22 Oct 2011 10:53 PM PDT By Jackson Ng I WANTED to puke when I spotted The Star's report titled "Chua: Thanks for the Chinese school help". The "offensive" excerpts of the report are: "KAJANG: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has thanked the Government for allocating land and money to build two new Chinese schools and refurbish another in the Kajang area. He welcomed Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement yesterday of a RM9mil allocation to build two SRJK(C) schools in Kajang Utama and Sg Long and RM3.5mil for SRJK(C) Sg Chua to improve its infrastructure. "We thank the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister for bringing us this much-awaited news." What do expect when it is a report from a newspaper that is directly owned by the MCA and led by a No.1 Umno boot-licker Chua Soi Lek. In the first place, why must Chua thank the government for the land and money for the construction of the two new Chinese primary schools and the refurbishment of another. It is the people, the Malaysian taxpayers, who we must thank. Not the politician or government because providing facilities for education is the elected government's duty and job. If not, why the hell do we elect them. In realty, the government had fared below par in providing quality education since Merdeka due to the politicising of education instead of giving due recognition to meritocracy. None of our universities are rated in the world's top 200, losing out to all our neighbouring countries. The Star reports Chua as saying he welcomed Muhhyiddin's announcement! Can he not welcome the announcement? Please lah! Don't insult the intelligence of Malaysians. Furthermore, the announcement is made due to the coming 13th General Election. There is no sincerity. If The Star had reported Chua as saying he did not welcome it, or it was long outstanding, etc, etc, etc … then that is news and worth the money that one is paying for the newspaper. As usual, The Star goes about reporting their boot-licking boss as thanking the prime minister and his deputy when it is only their job and duty to serve. The master is the people who elected them, not the other way round. If the people don't work hard to pay taxes, then there is no money for the government. If the people don't elect them, then they are not the people who will govern us. It is as simple as that and The Star and Chua cannot understand or maybe they choose not to. In this digital era, education and knowledge is boundless. Therefore, the people today are more informed and more educated. We must therefore treat them with more respect and understanding, not insult their intelligence. This also means, we must change with the times which obviously The Star and Chua (MCA) have not. Stop spewing non-news and making a fool of yourselves. Jackson Ng |
| PAS readies new media troopers for next GE Posted: 22 Oct 2011 08:01 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - PAS is rallying its "cybertroopers" in preparation for an upcoming general election that it says is shaping up to be "an information war." "The world that we live in today is in a constant information war, news war. "If we fall behind in conveying our messages, we will lose out," PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told The Malaysian Insider after closing the party's ICT and New Media Conference yesterday. About 500 of the party's "hardcore" ICT officers from all over the country attended the day-long event, which appeared to address rival Umno's growing army of cybertroopers. "We will use every means possible — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, offline TV, online TV. We want ICT officers to have smartphones, no more outdated phones," the Marang MP said. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) controls or owns most of the mainstream print and broadcast media. BN had its nose bloodied at the 12th General Election in urban centres such as the Klang Valley and Penang, ceding its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament as the Opposition took a record 82 seats and, at the same time, five state governments. BN is said to have lost its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament and five states in the historic March 2008 elections due to easy access to alternative information on the Internet. Umno Youth new media chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz has said that "80 to 90 per cent" of those online were anti-BN in the landmark election of 2008. "Our target by the next election is for all division youth chiefs to be on Twitter and for every state to have their own cyberwar team," he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
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| A meaningful gathering for some Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:46 PM PDT They wanted a million to turn up at the Himpun rally but in the end the 70,000 capacity Stadium Shah Alam was less than a quarter full. In the end, the only "big shot" from Umno who showed up was former Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and Selangor PAS exco Datuk Hassan Ali, who was one of the speakers at the rally anyway. Others like Pasir Mas MP and Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali were spotted. Unlike his usual flamboyant self, he left discreetly without fanfare. By SHAHANAAZ HABIB, The Star BUSINESS student Raihana Samian took a bus at 10pm from Politeknik Kota Baru to come down to Shah Alam for the Himpun rally. Hers was one of three busloads of students from the polytechnic that came to rally against apostasy. "I am a moderate Muslim. I pray five times a day, I fast and try to live my life as a good Muslim," said Raihana.  Small but strong: A segment of the crowd attending the Himpun gathering at Stadium Shah Alam. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star "I was attracted to come here because of the title of the rally: 'Himpunan Sejuta Umat: Selamatkan Aqidah (The Gathering of a Million Muslims: Save our Faith)'." She said their student union representatives gave out pamphlets about the rally and also organised the trip. "But I am not sure if I support the rally or not. I want to see what the speakers say first because religion can be politicised and it shouldn't be," said the 18-year-old when met a couple of hours before the rally. Raihana and the other students from her polytechnic arrived in Shah Alam at 6.30am and were hanging around the stadium grounds and the shopping complex nearby to pass the time before the rally started. Nawal Atikah Mohamad Ishak and Saiyidah Mohd Sanat, however, fully supported the rally and its cause. They also boarded an overnight bus from their university to attend. "I am so excited. This is the first time I am attending such a gathering. I don't need to wait and see as I support the message Himpun is conveying because there is clearly an attempt by Christians to draw Muslims towards their faith. "This is not done blatantly but through a subtle and soft approach where they make Christianity attractive and appealing to the Muslims without the Muslims themselves realising it," said Nawal Atikah, a third-year student in communications engineering at Universiti Malaysia Perlis. At university, she shares a house with two Chinese non-Muslim students. "We get along well and respect each other. We are not allowed to cook in the house so there is no problem with meals. "I am not sure what their religion is but if they are Christians and put up a cross in their room by their bed, I wouldn't have a problem with that because it's their personal right and space as long as they don't impinge on my right to practise my faith." Her coursemate Saiyidah said Islam should not just be lip service. "I feel our rights should not be sidelined. Right now, the voices speaking out on Islam are coming from those only in power. Those without power seem to have no voice. I want someone to speak for us all." Islam is not about women staying in the kitchen or in the background, said Saiyidah. She feels that if true Islam was practised, then Muslim women would not face problems with regards to divorce or getting maintenance for their child from the father because all Muslims, men included, would behave in a just and fair manner and bear their responsibility. "I came because I am looking for answers and I hope I will find some here today," she said. The Himpun rally was organised by a group of Muslim NGOs in response to claims that the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) had tried to proselytise Muslims by inviting them to a Thanksgiving dinner on Aug 3. Officials from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the church while the dinner was going on, took down the names of the Muslims there and made them go for religious counselling. At all times these Muslims denied that the church was preaching or trying to convert them. The church too denied it was doing such a thing. When Jais came out with its report on the raid, the ruler of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, said there was evidence of proselytisation by non-Muslims at the DUMC function but that it was insufficient for legal action. The Himpun rally was organised by Muslim NGOs to show their firm stand against apostasy and to put a stop to any attempt to proselytise Muslims. They wanted a million to turn up and were confident that at least 100,000 would show. They had a Facebook page and support from the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia. The newspaper had frontpaged the rally yesterday with the headline "Unite to Defend Islam" and urged Muslims to attend. In the stadium, supporters put up posters in Malay saying "Do not Jeopardise the Status of Muslims", "No Compromise in Defending the Faith" and "Say No to Apostasy", among others. Expecting a massive crowd, a number of restaurants and enterprising young people took the opportunity to set up stalls selling nasi lemak, nasi ayam, noodles, drinks, burgers, and snacks in the stadium grounds. But in the end, only about 5,000 people showed up. The rally was supposed to start at 2pm but it only got under way an hour-and-a-half later when it was evident that the much anticipated crowds were not going to show. It was declared as apolitical so Malay-based political parties like Umno and PAS said their members could attend in their personal capacity if they wished to so long as they did not wear any party T-shirts or attire that had their party logo, flags, stickers or banners. In the end, the only "big shot" from Umno who showed up was former Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and Selangor PAS exco Datuk Hassan Ali, who was one of the speakers at the rally anyway. Others like Pasir Mas MP and Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali were spotted. Unlike his usual flamboyant self, he left discreetly without fanfare. A number of speakers including Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria spoke about the challenges confronting Muslims here, such as apostasy and proselytisation which they say is on the increase. UiTM's former vice-chancellor Tan Sri Ibrahim Abu Shah said attempts to proselytise Muslims are being done because the Malays are no longer united even though their religion is being threatened. A number of speakers also emphasised that the rally is not against non-Muslims or being confrontational towards other races but it is about Muslims coming together to protect their faith. Himpun also adopted a 10-point declaration. One of the main points is to demand that the government have firm preventive laws to safeguard the sanctity of Islam and draft a new special law against apostasy and proselytisation. It said this was needed in view of the government's efforts to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA). Even though the rally started late, it ended on time at 6pm. At the press conference, the Himpun co-chairperson Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said he saw the rally as a "huge success" because it discussed important matters in a calm, peaceful and disciplined manner. "We are not doing this with any feeling of animosity. We are not intruding or violating or transgressing the rights of non-Muslims. "We just want to remind non-Muslims that our rights can't be violated and have to be respected." On the poor turnout, he said, Himpun was not disappointed at the numbers. "When we say a million, some of the NGOs had vowed that they would come with 100,000 (total). "They came with this number and we are fine with it. We are not complaining nor are concerned about it because the number may be small but the spirit is the same," he said. He added that the declaration would be sent to the Keeper of the Royal Seal and the Malay Rulers. Himpun would then take their message down to the states and districts. "Yes, there will be a roadshow. Whether there's a road or not, the show will be there," he said.
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| Perkasa says Himpun united PAS and Umno Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:39 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Malay rights group Perkasa lauded the success of Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) saying it unified Muslims even from opposing political factions. "To me it is a success. One of the most successful part was that there were PAS and Umno leaders on the stage, and other individuals who are not affiliated with any parties are on the stage as well. "I believe Umno or PAS members and Malays in PKR, they all support (Himpun) but maybe they have to follow instructions from their leaders. I don't understand why are they not allowed to gather," secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali said today. He shrugged off the low turn out of about 5,000 as "the one million means one million who are with us in spirit. "To me, the ones who are with Himpun are almost every Muslim in this country. Only a small number of Muslims are liberal who are not really interested in this rally," he said. Himpun chairman Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid has also said yesterday it is not concerned with the poor turnout at the rally, arguing that the spirit of the 5,000-strong crowd was more important. Azmi also said he considered the rally a great success as it proved that Muslims could come together to talk calmly about the issues affecting Islam, whatever their background or political affiliation.
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| Opposition's double standards in Aziz Bari issue questioned Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:30 PM PDT (Bernama) - Datuk Jaafar School Alumni president Datuk Syed Hussien Al-Habshee has asked the opposition to not practice double standards with regards to Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) constitutional law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's suspension. He said the management and rector of UIAM must be given a chance to resolve the matter and the opposition should refrain from making baseless allegations against the government. Syed Hussien, former Malaysian Ambassador to United Arab Emirates, also questioned the opposition's allegation that there was no academic freedom in the country, asking why did they not bring it up in the Unisel situation. Abdul Aziz was suspended for seven days from Oct 19 for allegedly contradicting the Sultan of Selangor's statement on the State Religious Department church raid in Damansara Utama on Aug 3. "He need not voice his opinions at PAS assemblies or other opposition meetings but should concentrate on being an academician and leave politics to the politicians of the country," he added. -
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| The Sabah factor in Umno’s GE battle Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:20 PM PDT In Sabah politics, the real battle for power is between the Bajau Muslims and the Umno Malays. If Sabah and Sarawak were left out from the calculation, it is BN with only 86 seats against the Pakatan Rakyat coalition with 82 seats. With this slim seat difference, BN would have risked losing power in the event of crossovers. Clearly, without the 54 seats from Sabah and Sarawak, BN would not be able to form a stable government. By Arnold Puyok, Free Malaysia Today Much attention has been given to Sabah after the 2008 general election. This is understandable as Sabah contributed a substantial number of parliamentary seats to the national parliament. In fact without Sabah, Barisan Nasional would have lost power. In order to see this clearly, it is important to look at Sabah's electoral contribution in a proper perspective. There were 222 seats contested in the 2008 elections. BN won 140 seats. But it was eight seats short of a two-thirds majority in parliament. For BN, having a two-thirds majority is a "prerequisite" for establishing a strong and stable government – a "standard" set by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Given Malaysia's political convention, having two parties forming a coalition government is almost impossible. Of the 140 seats BN won, Sabah and Sarawak contributed 54 seats thus giving BN the advantage of a simple majority. Umno's 'bank' With this slim seat difference, BN would have risked losing power in the event of crossovers. Clearly, without the 54 seats from Sabah and Sarawak, BN would not be able to form a stable government. With the 2008 election results, Sabah and Sarawak are BN's fixed deposits and hold the key for BN's survival. Sabah, however, is given more attention than Sarawak due to Umno's strong presence in the state. Aside from Sabah receiving the largest financial allocation of RM16 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, it also has four Sabahans as federal ministers in the national cabinet. Sarawak on the other hand has only two. Bajau challenge Although conflict have begun to resurface following allegations of dominance by Musa's allies, Musa's skillful political maneuverings is keeping the "rebels" tamed. In Sabah, Musa's strongest challenge comes from the Bajau community, the second largest ethnic group in the state. Even though a substantial number of the Bajaus are Sabah Umno members, some are not happy with the alledged domination of the "Malays" led by Musa. The three Bajau leaders who pose a threat to Musa's leadership are Salleh Said Keruak, Amirkahar Mustapha and Pandikar Amin Mulia—also known as the"big three" in USBO (United Sabah Bajau Organisation). Except for Amirkahar, Salleh and Pandikar wield a significance influence among the Bajau community. Sabah Umno is anxious about the rise of USBO whose re-branding in 2006 was seen as an attempt to replace Sabah Umno as a party to represent the Muslims in Sabah. When Musa decided to drop all three as candidates in the 2008 elections, it was seen as an attempt to chip away the Bajau influence in Sabah Umno. Musa, however, was quick to prevent dissatisfaction among the Bajau community. He quickly gave Salleh and Pandikar important roles in government. The Bajau factor will remain an important political challenge for Musa to overcome. Kadazandusun factor The voice of the Kadazandusun community is essentially coming from PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) which is the largest Kadazandusun-based party in the state. In its party congress, PBS suggested that the power sharing arrangement in Sabah should be based on 70:30 ratio. This means, if there are 10 vacant political positions in a PBS-controlled constituency, seven should be appointed among its members while the rest from other parties. While no visible changes could be seen arising from this demand, Musa however seems to be continuing to enjoy the Kadazandusun support through the 'Huguan Siou' Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is also deputy chief minister. PBS, while synonymous with the fight for state rights and autonomy, has however been criticized for being too "soft" on issues such as illegal immigrants, regional autonomy and economic imbalance between East and West Malaysia. But PBS supporters argue that it is more politically viable to talk about these issue behind close doors. Pairin, it seems, prefers not to use a confrontational approach in pursuing the Sabah issues. Nonetheless as far as Musa is concerned, the Kadazandusun support for him remains intact and will not pose a serious challenge to Sabah Umno.
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| Posted: 22 Oct 2011 05:48 PM PDT MASTERWORDSMITH UNPLUGGED Some Asian countries such as Vietnam, China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines monitor internet use and block critical international sites in a move to silence web dissidents. Political censorship is practised to keep political dissent in check. At the same time, other governments have similar controls moving towards tighter regulation. In Malaysia, things 'seem' to be slightly more rosy. PM Najib recently vowed to abolish the Printing Presses and Publishing Act, and urged his administration to follow through with additional press freedom-related reforms. According to CPJ, "Najib vowed to dismantle two harsh security-related laws--the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance--and ease legal restrictions on civil liberties, including the right to assembly, international press reports said. He has also vowed to abolish the Printing Presses and Publications Act so that newspapers do not have to reapply annually for permission to publish. The Home Ministry previously had sole discretion over whether to renew newspapers' operating licenses, and its often arbitrary decisions could not be legally appealed."
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| Bersihkan parti dari ‘hantu raya’ Posted: 22 Oct 2011 05:43 PM PDT 'Hantu raya' atau individu tersebut pernah menjadi perutusan Umno dan bertemu dengan beberapa calon PKR untuk mempengaruhi calon PKR tersebut menarik diri. (Free Malaysia Today) - Kepimpinan PKR harus bersih dari kehadiran 'hantu raya' yang boleh menggugat kestabilan parti, kata Setiausaha PKR Cabang Rembau, Norazizi Abdul Aziz. Beliau berkata, ini ialah kerana masih ada 'hantu raya' yang menghuni dalam kepimpinan PKR termasuk dalam PKR Negeri Sembilan. Menurutnya, 'hantu raya' atau individu tersebut pernah menjadi perutusan Umno dan bertemu dengan beberapa calon PKR untuk mempengaruhi calon PKR tersebut menarik diri dan memberi kemenangan percuma kepada calon Umno ketika Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 pada Mac 2008". Norazizi berkata beliau pelik walaupun calon-calon PKR tersebut telah mendedahkan nama pemimpin yang cuba menjadi orang tengah Umno dan isu tersebut di bawa ke mesyuarat Majlis Pimpinan Negeri (MPN). Tetapi kepimpinan PKR Negeri Sembilan tidak mengambil sebarang tindakan malah melantik semula individu tersebut dengan jawatan tinggi dalam MPN. "Dua orang yang telah membuat pengakuan bahawa mereka ditemui individu tersebut ialah calon Parlimen Rembau, Badrul Hisham Shaharin dan calon Dewan Undangan Negeri Sikamat, Aminuddin Harun," katanya. Katanaya, adalah diyakini individu tersebut berjaya menyusup masuk dan kini mendapat kepercayaan dalam MPN Negeri Sembilan dan sedang mempersiap diri sebagai calon. "Justeru itu saya telah membentangkan usul ini di Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan Cabang Rembau minggu lepas agar parti harus dibersihkan daripada ancaman individu-individu yang boleh menggugat parti dan usul ini telah diluluskan sebulat suara dalam mesyuarat tersebut. "Secara terus terang saya berasa gusar kerana kemungkinan peristiwa di Perak akan berulang jika Pakatan Rakyat berjaya membentuk kerajaan negeri dan ianya mungkin dengan kelebihan majoriti tipis sahaja", jelas Norazizi.
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| Veterans flay Mat Sabu in newspaper ad Posted: 22 Oct 2011 03:44 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Security forces veterans continued their attacks on PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu today, taking out two-page advertisements in Malay dailies slamming his remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident. The full-colour advertisement, carried in Mingguan Malaysia and Berita Minggu, was signed by 18 police and armed forces veterans associations.
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| PM: 1,600 Indians got citizenship Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:51 PM PDT By Masami Mustaza, NST KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday urged Indians to put their nambikei trust) in the government to create change for Malaysians. In addition, 1,600 Indians have become citizens with the cooperation between MIC, the ministry, the National Registration Department and the police. |
| Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:47 PM PDT By Patrick Lee, FMT PETALING JAYA: With political rhetoric and agenda-spewing on a daily basis, many MPs on both sides of the political divide believe that Parliament has a long way to go. Instead of talking about national or local issues, many MPs, according to Cameron Highlands MP (MIC) SK Devamany, prefer to sensationalise. "Issues are simply created, and this spinning culture should be checked. It's happening so much that the House Speaker has to interfere too many times." "You get people who are simply interrupting, don't follow the Standing Orders or the debate topics set aside for the rakyat," he told FMT. Devamany said that while the Dewan Rakyat allowed for both humourous and serious moments, a number of MPs preferred to target their political rivals with "cheap shots". "These are things that will give a wrong image of the Dewan to the masses," he lamented. Agreeing with him was Klang MP (DAP) Charles Santiago who said that important policies were often ignored because of political bickering. "It is a failure, because you (as an MP) are elected with a mandate to discuss and evaluate policies that are good for the rakyat." "(Because) a lot of people debate on rhetoric and political agenda, policy issues are thrown under the carpet…Compared to other parts of the world, we have a very long way to go," he said. Heated arguments, complete with name-calling and all types of slurs are a common sight in the Dewan Rakyat, with MPs regularly tossing jabs at each other. Some appear to do it out of fun, while others have been known to take it too far. Lack of time cited
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| Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:43 PM PDT By Gomen Man Whenever Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin opens his mouth, everyone should remember that he stands a good chance of becoming the prime minister. Unlike Dr Novandri Hasan or Khairy Jamaluddin or some junior Umno politician, Muhyiddin is the deputy president of Umno and DPM. I bring attention to this because of his comments vis-á-vis the now discredited allegations that Lim Guan Eng's 16 year-old son molested a girl in his school. The principal denied the incident, saying the boy was not even in school at the time of the alleged incident and investigations showed that the girl shopped around by Umno bloggers was a foreigner. The girl has since said that she has not been in Malaysia for seven years. So Muhyiddin's statement that Lim must go beyond just denying this incident is strange. Either the DPM is dense or is the type of politician who loves to support the indefensible. But since he is holding Lim to a very burden of proof, perhaps Muhyiddin also should be held to high standard regarding some allegations about him and his family. Is Muhyiddin's son-in-law the mover behind the billion ringgit biometric scanning project? Why was this project pushed through without a back up system? Is it true that Prime Minister Najib Razak was against the biometric project and that it was rushed through when the PM was away? Was there an open tender for this project or was it a sweetheart deal? Is it true that Muhyiddin is marshalling his forces to move against Najib? Is the relationship between their wives very bad? This is the discussion among Umno people. So please, Muhyiddin, please privide cogent evidence that all this is not true. A bland statement of denial will not do. |
| Papers apologise to Kalimullah over secrets leak claim Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:42 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — The New Sunday Times, Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia apologised to Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan today for alleging he leaked state secrets at a dinner with leaders of Singapore's ruling PAP party. All three acknowledged that the claim, made by Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim, was without any foundation or basis. The weekend papers also promised not to publish further allegations of this nature involving the ECM Libra Financial Group Bhd chairman without verification. On October 2, the New Sunday Times, Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia, quoting Ruslan, alleged that Kalimullah had leaked national secrets during a dinner with senior leaders of the PAP in Singapore. Ruslan had also claimed that Kalimullah, former group editor-in-chief of New Straits Times Press (NSTP), had organised several dinners with senior PAP leaders. |
| China-Malaysia trade to hit $100b in 3 yrs Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT By China Daily NANNING - Trade between China and Malaysia is set to reach a new high of $100 billion by2015. That's after the two countries agreed to deepen economic cooperation to reduce theimpact of the global economic slowdown, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Friday. He made the remarks at a roundtable discussion with Chinese CEOs during the Eighth China-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Expo, which is being held in the city ofNanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and runs from Oct 21 to 26. |
| Holland Condemns Malaysia’s Timber Certification! Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:53 AM PDT By Sarawak Report Taib's foreign business partners are working hard to present a picture that all is well in Sarawak and to imply that there are no issues with the wood logged from the state or its plantation programmes. Indeed, last week Ta Ann Tasmania's Chief Executive David Ridley launched a barage of justifications defending his company against a report that has revealed that Ta Ann products are falsely promoted as 'eco-wood', thereby deceiving consumers. Still no answer to the charges of false eco-labelling! However, Ridley's repost carefully ignored the central allegation of the report, which is that the eco-labelling on Ta Ann's products is false, because Ta Ann Tasmania does not used plantation wood, as promised, but rather threatened old-growth forest. Rather than confronting this embarrassing matter, Ridley has chosen to focus instead on what he calls his 'observations' made during visits to his company's HQ in Sarawak. Ridley's fabulously rich boss, the Executive Chairman of Ta Ann, Hamed Sepawi, is of course the cousin of the corrupted Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud of Sarawak and has received numerous licences, grants of public lands and state contracts, all without proper tender. Such matters appear not to concernm Mr Ridley, instead his 'observations' are these:
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| Boosted by social media, activists reclaim space for causes Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:48 AM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Around 10pm last night at the DiGi headquarters in the Subang Hi-Tech Park, the Guinness Book of Records officially announced a new record for the number of "tweeps" at a "twtup". At least 2,615 users of micro-blogging site Twitter had turned up at the "OctTwtFest," a gathering that began as a giant birthday party last year to being an event to celebrate nothing more than "how influential social media can be" this year. It was influential enough for top politicians such as Pemandu CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala, PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin to turn up while artistes such as rockers Hujan and rappers Altimet and Joe Flizzow performed for free. "This was a ground up event, reclaiming space and coming together to 'humanise' the interactivity of social media. This shows how influential social media can be and can become," said Zain HD, one of the OctTwtFest coordinators. But with the Klang Valley seeing several gatherings yesterday, three events organised by activists saw fortunes that correlated closely to the hype built on social media. For cancer awareness programme Passionately You and democratic reforms movement Occupy Dataran, the tweets with their respective "hashtags," #dontduckit and #occupydataran on Twitter dwarfed the actual turnout at their events. "You can host as many events as you want but with a social media presence, you can own a new space for discussion," said Christopher Tock, digital media consultant for Passionately You. While only a few hundred turning up at its day-long event, Passionately You saw about 5,000 pledges and donations made towards cervical and breast cancer awareness on its website. On the other hand, the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun), or Gathering of a Million Faithful, fell somewhat short of rallying its stated target to stand up to the threat of proselytising by Christians. Despite claiming the support of over 1,000 NGOs, only 5,000 Muslims turned up, inviting ridicule from influential "tweeps" such as Art Harun, who posted: "About 5,000 at Himpun. Hope the 995,000 people have not been proselytised while on the way there." Occupy Dataran, which has met every Saturday night at Dataran Merdeka since July, saw as usual just several dozen show up.
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| Utusan: Let police probe claims surrounding Guan Eng’s son Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:43 AM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Lim Guan Eng should ask police to investigate claims his son molested a girl as the Penang chief minister's denial is not good enough, Utusan Malaysia said today. The Umno-owned daily pointed out that DAP had "aggressively" demanded probes into issues of public concern before and should allow similar scrutiny of party leaders if it did not want to be seen as biased. "Since the issue has become a public concern, Guan Eng should ask the police to conduct a thorough investigation to dispel any doubt," said the paper's editors, writing under the Awang Selamat pseudonym. "A denial is not enough to clear his family's name. An investigation will also ensure justice for all parties. Dignity is the basic right of all people, whether the son of a leader or an ordinary citizen." Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also called on Lim to let the police investigate the case. "If we want to clear this up, we ask the police to investigate. If it's true that it had never happened, what do you have to worry about?" the Umno deputy president said.
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| Bersih keeps momentum alive with overseas campaign Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:11 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Bersih 2.0 will step up its fight for electoral reforms next week when chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan goes on a back-to-back visit to four of the most renowned law universities in Australia where she will meet Malaysian students to highlight the various problems plaguing the country's electoral system. The Malaysian Insider understands that the respected lawyer has been scheduled to deliver a public lecture hosted by the Asian Law Centre at the University of Melbourne, followed by public appearances at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney (October 31) and the Law Faculty of the Australian National University in Canberra on November 1. It is understood the events will also allow overseas Malaysians who have yet to register as voters a chance to do so. "Campaigns to register Malaysians as voters have picked up steam in Australia. Bersih 2.0 and the ugly events that transpired in Kuala Lumpur on July 9 have inspired Malaysians living overseas in ways that we could only have imagined before. "Hundreds of Malaysians gathered in solidarity with Bersih 2.0 in 7 Australian cities with over 700 in Melbourne and 400 in Sydney," said David Teoh, national coordinator for both Bersih 2.0 Australia and the Australian chapter for Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Australia (SABMoz). Ambiga's (picture) appearance in Australia next week is expected to put pressure in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who will also be in the western Australia city of Perth on October 28 to attend the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). "This visit by Ambiga will serve to remind the Australian government and its citizens that a close regional neighbour and trading partner administers a system that willfully denies hundreds of thousands of Malaysians the right to vote from abroad," Teoh told The Malaysian Insider via email.
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| Budget 2012: New Tax Laws Encroaches Human Rights Posted: 22 Oct 2011 10:59 AM PDT By Resident.Wangsa Maju I am not sure what Najib means by saying the Budget 2012 '..will boost transformation efforts..." (http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=621058) but it appears that smoke bombs in the 2012 Budget are hiding certain new sections in the Income Tax Act which encroaches human rights and spooks investors. S107D and S67(4A) of the Income Tax Act (ITA) |
| DPM Muhyiddin must apologize for insinuations against Guan Eng's son Posted: 22 Oct 2011 10:16 AM PDT By N Surendran I am astonished and appalled by the statement made on 22 October 2011 by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's denial of sexual harassment claims against his son is inadequate and that " mere denial is not enough". By making such an irresponsible comment, Muhyiddin is clearly suggesting and insinuating that there may be truth in the accusations against Lim Guan Eng's 16 year old schoolboy son. How can the DPM make such a remark when the school headmaster and the alleged victim herself have denied that such a thing happened? It was a deliberate and calculated attempt by the DPM to keep alive the slander against Guan Eng's son. The DPM's conduct is thus no different from that of the malicious pro-UMNO bloggers and Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin who instigated and perpetuated this vicious rumour about this innocent boy. |
| Statement on DPM remarks on allegations against Lim Guan Eng's son Posted: 22 Oct 2011 10:06 AM PDT Media Statement by Tony Pua Datuk Seri Najib Razak must reprimand his Deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for giving implicit support to the UMNO bloggers to defame and destroy an innocent 16 year old child. We are shocked and appalled by by the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who reportedly said that if the Penang chief minister "thinks it is important to correct the information, then he has to come up with a strong statement. Mere denial is not enough."Tan Sri Muhyiddin was commenting on the case where Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng's 16 year old son was accused of sexual harassment by a plethora of UMNO bloggers which resulted in him being transferred to another school this year. |
| Why National schools Cannot be the choice of All Malaysians Posted: 22 Oct 2011 09:31 AM PDT By Richard Teo Khairy Jamaludin has become one of the latest growing lists of proponents that a unitary or singular school sysytem would be an all encompassing solution to our current racial polarisation.. The introduction of a singular school system would means the abolition of vernacular schools.For some one of Khairy's educational background it is indeed sad that he could not even be unbiased in his evaluation of the dilemma facing our present education system which has caused ethnic division . The question is why is Khairy only focusing his attention on vernacular schools? What about Mara schools , religious agama schools and even tertiary university level like UITM where the students strictly only cater exclusively for one race.? |
| “Who Needs An Islamic State?” By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi Posted: 22 Oct 2011 07:53 AM PDT
There are many misconceptions about Islam merely because the minority voice (which is shouting the loudest) is heard, while the other voices remain silent. Without sounding as if I am an 'Islam Apologist', maybe I should share with you the views of other Muslim scholars -- which is a far departure from the voices of those 4,000 people who participated in the 'assembly of 1,000,000' yesterday. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin If the foregoing discussion has any validity, then one has to infer that the concept of an Islamic state must be completely abandoned if sanity is to return to Muslim political discourse.
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| Harussani: "Malays are Special Because They are Related to Islam" Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:01 AM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said the Malays are special because they are related to Islam, unlike the Arabs even though Prophet Muhammad was descended among them, but they are not necessarily Muslims. "The Malay race is special from other races because they are related to Islam, where the Malays are Islam," he said during a speech at the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) gathering at Shah Alam stadium today.
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| WIKILEAKS: CLEAN FINGERS, DIRTY ELECTIONS? Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Proponents of electoral reform had lobbied for the introduction of indelible ink and hailed the EC's original decision to institute this measure, which would have represented the most significant improvement in the integrity of the elections since the last polls in 2004. The EC's grounds for reversing itself on the use of indelible ink do not appear very convincing, and clearly suggest pressure from the ruling BN government. Regardless, the EC has damaged its credibility on the eve of the elections and invited greater suspicion of Malaysia's electoral process. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b, d). Summary 1. (C) With only three days remaining before the March 8 general election, Malaysia's Election Commission (EC) abruptly announced its decision not to apply indelible ink to the fingers of voters, citing police reports of alleged sabotage plans and previously unidentified constitutional barriers. The opposition immediately cried foul and condemned the EC for abandoning this fraud prevention measure. All sides have braced for the impact of illegitimate "phantom voters," particularly in tightly-contested races. The Islamist opposition party PAS stated it would stop buses ferrying suspect voters into the states of Kelantan and Terengganu, while the police warned against obstructing citizens from casting their votes. The leading UMNO party and its allies within the National Front coalition have stepped up attacks against opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, including for his ties to prominent Americans. The Embassy has dispatched election observer teams to six key states. The EC's grounds for reversing itself on the use of indelible ink do not appear very convincing, and suggest pressure from the ruling BN government. Regardless, the EC has damaged its credibility on the eve of the election and invited greater suspicion of Malaysia's electoral process. End Summary. EC nixes use of indelible ink 2. (SBU) With only three days remaining before the March 8 general election, Chairman of Malaysia's Election Commission Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman made an abrupt about-face on March 4 when he announced polling officials would not mark the fingers of voters with indelible ink after they cast their ballots. In a hastily announced press conference and flanked by both the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Musa Hassan, and the Attorney General, Abdul Gani Patail, Rashid stuttered through a prepared statement officially terminating the fraud prevention method that the EC had embraced only nine months ago. Referencing four police reports filed between February 16 and 21 of an alleged plan to sabotage the election process in the states of Kedah, Perlis and Kelantan, Rashid explained that the police believed people had smuggled unidentified quantities of indelible ink into the country to trick villagers into believing that they must have their fingernails marked before they can go vote. "Their intention is to create confusion and suspicion as to the status of such voters," he said. "This may cause chaos at polling stations.... The EC views these issues seriously as the election process and public order and security cannot be compromised," Rashid read from his prepared statement. 3. (SBU) Beyond allegations of sabotage, Rashid further explained that Malaysia's laws would not allow for the denial of a person's constitutional right to vote merely because of indelible ink marked on their fingernail. Rashid explained that only a constitutional amendment could rectify this situation, and since Parliament was dissolved, the Constitution could not be amended before the election. Notwithstanding the presence of both the IGP and the Attorney General, Rashid reiterated the independence of the EC's decision process and reassured the media that no political pressure had been exerted to compel the EC's action. From the campaign trail, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi echoed Rashid's denial and remarked that "this didn't have any connection with us (the National Front, BN), the decision was solely made by the EC and we want to hear the full explanation from them as well.... What is more important is that the rights of the people who had registered to vote must be upheld. That must be the guarantee from the EC to all citizens and voters on March 8," the Prime Minister said. 4. (C) Comment: EC Chairman Rashid reportedly confided to a longstanding Embassy contact on March 5 that the Attorney General had instructed Rashid to rescind the EC's decision to use the ink. End Comment. Opposition parties cry foul 5. (SBU) Opposition politicians immediately attributed the EC's decision to BN's pressure. People's Justice Party (PKR) deputy president Dr. Syed Husin Ali lambasted the EC's decision: "At a moment when the eyes of the entire world are upon us, the commission has now conclusively and irrevocably shown that any overtures towards reform that it had made previously were in bad faith." Democratic Action Party (DAP) Secretary General Lim Guan Eng also chided the decision: "DAP unreservedly condemns the EC's betrayal of public trust by deciding to abandon the use of indelible ink, which is the central premise of their commitment towards a free, fair and clean election." Likewise, the opposition-linked election watchdog Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) released a statement declaring that Bersih "rejects the EC's excuses for the cancellation of this move on legal and security grounds," and criticized the EC for not seeking any necessary parliamentary action long ago. "The decision by the EC shows very clearly that it has neither intention nor the commitment to carry out electoral reform," Bersih concluded. Election monitor steps back 6. (SBU) The election monitoring NGO Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (MAFREL) reacted with criticism and disappointment at the EC's decision. Despite being the only NGO accredited by the EC, MAFREL's Chairman Malik Hussin expressed lack of faith in the election process and vowed not to send observers inside the nation's polling stations so as not to lend credibility to a flawed process. MAFREL had planned to deploy around 330 observers at polling stations nationwide to monitor the voting process on March 8. MAFREL Deputy Chairman Syed Noh Ibrahim told reporters they will continue with their monitoring operation, "just not within the polling stations as accredited by the EC." Haunted by "phantom" voters 7. (SBU) The IGP Musa Hassan publicly warned all political parties against obstructing citizens from turning out to cast their votes on March 8. The warning was in response to statements made by Islamist opposition party PAS leaders that they would stop buses allegedly ferrying "phantom voters" from entering Kelantan and Terengganu. The term "phantom voters" ("undi hantu") in Malaysia has several interpretations. These could be legally registered voters in a particular district who are not resident of the district or not known to the local community; non-citizens issued with Malaysian identity cards for the purpose of voting; voters who have passed away but whose names still appear on the electoral roll with their identity cards abused by someone else to vote; and large numbers of voters inexplicably registered at a single address. In this context both the BN and the opposition parties, particularly PAS, have registered hundreds their supporters in tightly-contested districts especially in Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu. 8. (SBU) The Election Commission declared prior to the dissolution of Parliament February 13 that they had cleared the electoral roll of all phantom voters, a claim opposition leaders dispute. For instance, a DAP candidate in Selangor alleged that 26 unknown individuals have been registered as voters using her family home address in her district. MAFREL released a statement February 20 that claimed 500 voters were registered as voters using an abandoned army base in Penang where the BN candidate is Gerakan's acting President Koh Tsu Koon. Not to be outdone, Kelantan UMNO leaders claimed that the party has difficulty in identifying more than 118,000 voters in the PAS controlled state. 9. (SBU) Although both UMNO and PAS leaders have been guilty in the past of recruiting phantom voters, PAS leaders accuse the EC of allowing UMNO to pad the electoral roll with its supporters to help UMNO win Kelantan and maintain its hold in Terengganu. PAS President Hadi Awang's press secretary Roslan Shair told reporters March 4 that the party had ample proof that phantom voters will be ferried to the two states on polling day. He added that PAS "would stop at nothing to prevent the voters from entering Kelantan and Terengganu." In response, IGP Musa Hassan stated that he had issued a directive to his men to act against those trying to stop voters from casting their votes. He added, "We have stationed 300 policemen at entry points to the state and will take stern action against those who try to stop people from casting their votes." UMNO and BN step up assault on Anwar 10. (SBU) Leading opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, who has drawn large crowds to his political gatherings across the country during the campaign, has come under increasing attack from UMNO, other BN leaders and the government dominated mainstream media. At several gatherings in Kuala Lumpur, poloffs have observed multi-racial crowds responding enthusiastically to Anwar's attacks on the government. Political observers told poloffs that Anwar has managed to galvanize the voters especially in the urban areas by articulating the voters concerns effectively and urging them to reject the UMNO-dominated BN coalition. In response to Anwar's criticisms, UMNO and BN leaders have stepped up their attacks on the former DPM by describing him as a "political chameleon" who cannot be trusted. Anwar attacked for Washington connections 11. (SBU) Government owned newspapers have joined in the fray and have increased their negative reports on the former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar. The papers gave prominence to human rights activist and former Peoples Justice Party Deputy President (1999-2001) Chandra Muzaffar's comment on March 4 that it would be an "unmitigated disaster for Malaysia" should Anwar become the PM. Chandra also stated in another interview for an UMNO-owned newspaper that Anwar's close relationships with individuals and groups in Washington including former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz "had very serious implications on Malaysia's sovereignty and independence." The UMNO owned newspaper condemned Anwar on March 6 for "tarnishing the image" of the country by giving an interview in Singapore that criticized government policies and the conduct of elections. The paper cited Anwar's comments that he is a "close friend" of former Vice President Al Gore, whom the paper claimed supported "the 'reformasi' demonstration of 1998 that threatened the stability of the country." Embassy observers in the field 12. (U) The Embassy dispatched six election observer teams to the field on March 6. The teams will monitor developments in six key states: Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Kedah, Perak, and Sabah from March 6 thru March 9. Comment 13. (C) Proponents of electoral reform had lobbied for the introduction of indelible ink and hailed the EC's original decision to institute this measure, which would have represented the most significant improvement in the integrity of the elections since the last polls in 2004. The EC's grounds for reversing itself on the use of indelible ink do not appear very convincing, and clearly suggest pressure from the ruling BN government. Regardless, the EC has damaged its credibility on the eve of the elections and invited greater suspicion of Malaysia's electoral process. KEITH (March 2008)
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| DPM sees ‘big problem’ if infighting continues Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:42 AM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider SERDANG, Oct 22 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stressed today that Barisan National (BN) component parties must cease their infightings immediately. "Yes I'm worried, to be frank, but of course the only consolation is that not every area has problems," he told reporters after the Premier Briefing Session of Selangor Barisan Nasional at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The Umno deputy president emphasised the importance of unity at every level. He said that he had met with division leaders to immediately fix problems at their levels as well as work on improving their relationships among themselves. "My worry is that if they take too long or they don't realise the urgency, to me that is a big problem for us. "But whatever it is we can manage. As long as we take action now, I have already intervened," he said. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has also repeatedly stressed during several BN functions for its members and division leaders to focus on winning the next general elections as a coalition and put aside personal ambitions. "As I've said, I have already begun the process of meeting component parties recently. "I have met with the six main parties and we had discuss about the infighting in their respective parties," Muhyiddin (picture) said. Although OSK Research has said that BN is likely to improve on its performance in the 2008 general election due to indications of a swing of support to the ruling coalition, he said BN leaders shouldn't be too comfortable with the positive news. The report said that the incumbent government was likely to increase its share of parliamentary seats and that most investors were expecting the general election to be held by March 2012.
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| Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:29 AM PDT Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng Dato' Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil Should Be Pro-active And Courageous In Upholding The Child Act 2001 And United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child To Ensure Them A Safe Physical, Emotional And Mental Environment. On the occasion of Malaysia Children's Day, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development. Dato' Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil should fulfil her Ministerial duty to be pro-active and courageous in upholding the Child Act 2001 and the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child to ensure them a safe physical, emotional and mental environment.In the past she has paid lip service in opposing child brides but refused to act to take corrective measures. However lately she has even failed to condemn those who lie about innocent children or use innocent children as their object of fun to score political points. |
| The stupidest comment of ‘em all Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:22 AM PDT
Either Muhyiddin cannot read or he is not so intelligent to understand what the media have been reporting during the last few days. Not only has the principal of the school where the alleged incident was said to have committed come out to refute the lies by the Umno bloggers, but the so-called victim whose photograph was used by the unethical and uncouth Umno people has also issued a strong statement refuting their wicked lies. Comment by Thomas Lee Seng Hock I am simply amazed and stunned that a person of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's status can come out with such a stupid comment on the case of Lim Guan Eng's son. The Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister (sic) has remarked that Guan Eng's denial of the sexual harassment claims against his son was "inadequate". Muhyiddin told the media on Saturday 22 October 2011 that if the Penang chief minister "thinks it is important to correct the information, then he has to come up with a strong statement; mere denial is not enough." Either Muhyiddin cannot read or he is not so intelligent to understand what the media have been reporting during the last few days. Not only has the principal of the school where the alleged incident was said to have committed come out to refute the lies by the Umno bloggers, but the so-called victim whose photograph was used by the unethical and uncouth Umno people has also issued a strong statement refuting their wicked lies. What "strong statement" does the deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president expect Guan Eng to out with to counter the evil personal assault against his son? Any simple person with just simple common sense will know that the whole mischievous fiasco was fabricated with the deceitful intent of sabotaging the political achievements of Guan Eng, especially so after the strong denial by the school principal and the firm refutation by the young lady named in the false accusation. The most crude and crummy statement by the deputy prime minister is surely a very sad reflection of the quality of our federal leaders, whose intelligence is generally found wanting. How can we achieve the status of a developed nation and high-performance citizenry when our deputy prime minister, who is also the education minister, is a person of such irrational and irresponsible character? Muhyiddin's performance as education minister has been the subject of contemptuous ridicule and derision among the educated class and intelligentsia of the nation, especially his inconsistent and fickle policy on the use of the English language in the teaching of science and mathematics. His constant changing merry-go-round manaeuvre of the schooling system is confusing not only the students, but the teachers and parents, too. Evaluating his comment on the case of Guan Eng's son objectively will lead us to the conclusion that Muhyiddin is certainly not fit to be a government leader, and it is surely horrifying to think that he may even become the prime minister one day! If we entrust the nation into the hand of such people, who lack the character, wisdom, intelligence, credibility, and integrity, then woes betide us. And while I am on this issue of Guan Eng's son, I want to say that the silence on the part of the prime minister and leaders of the Barisan Nasional component parties like the MCA and MIC is surely deafening. The whole fiasco should be publicly censured and condemned by all right-thinking and righteous persons, but the Umno president is apparently condoning the dastardly diabolical smear campaign against Guan Eng and his son by keeping quiet. Any real and credible stateman would take a firm stand against such disgusting evil action on the part of the Umno bloggers, and express real strong revulsion and profound indignation on the matter. But not the Umno president or any of the Barisan Nasional component party leaders. So sad that these are the people on whom the destiny of the nation is dependent on now. Hence, I believe it is time that all true and patriotic Malaysians who love the country and call Malaysia their home should unite at the ballot box to create a political revolution to bring about a real transformation to the life and thoughts of the nation and its people. This has nothing to do with racial affiliation or religion affinity, but simply the coming together of all peace-loving Malaysians to bring about the installation of a competent, accountable and transparent (CAT) federal government comprising aficionado leaders who are morally righteous, truthful, honest, credible, incorruptible, and people-centric. The fate of our nation lies in our hands, in how we vote at the next general election. We either break the long-time bondage of being under a crooked and corrupt regime, or we bring in a new era of transformed and transfigured people=centric administration operating on the profound democratic principle of government of the people, by the people, for the people.
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| Aziz Bari's suspension - Najib sabotaged by his own govt and party? Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:08 AM PDT Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang Prof Aziz Bari has become a critical test case whether Malaysia is moving towards greater democrartisation, academic excellence and enhanced International oompetitiveness or the reverse. The suspension of Aziz by IIUM could not have come at a worse time for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's National Transformation Programme whether government, economic or political. |
| Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:06 AM PDT By Hakim Joe When Malaysians gave total control to the Alliance Party by voting in 51 parliamentarians out of a total of 52 contested seats (98%) in 1955, and 74 parliamentarians out of a total of 104 contested seats (71%) in 1959, they are in reality placing their immediate future and the future of their kids and grandchildren in the hands of the politicians.
The Malay-dominated ruling elite then proceeded to use this unprecedented majority in Parliament to elaborately construct an electoral system that practically guaranteed that it could never be removed from power, ever. Additionally, they instituted a wide range of political controls and passed an assortment of laws that restricted interference, criticism and opposition from any single individual or group within Malaysia. So when BN leaders and former leaders tell you that Malaysia is overtaken by minorities' interests, they are telling a blatant lie. No Non-Bumiputera can ever aspire to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia no matter how suitable or appropriate he or she is for the job or even if 100 percent of Malaysian voters voted him in. The Malaysian Constitution forbids it and that is what I meant by political controls. A lot of Malaysians are now ecstatic when the news that the Government is planning to repeal the Internal Security Act was announced by the PM on Malaysia Day. The trouble is that no time frame was ever declared and that the foundations to reintroduce a similar law as a replacement for the ISA are still practically in place. It is called the "Emergency Powers" and is enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution. Clause 1 of the Malaysian Constitution states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may issue a proclamation of emergency if he is satisfied that a grave emergency exists whereby the security, or the economic life, or public order in the Federation or any part thereof is threatened. Clause 2 states that this emergency proclamation can be declared before the actual occurrence of the event if the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is satisfied that there is imminent danger of the occurrence of such event(s). Clause 8 states that the satisfaction of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be final and conclusive and cannot be challenged or called in question in any court on any ground. It is understood that in such cases, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will be acting on the advise of the Malaysian PM and there are no automatic withdrawing or time-lapse of such a proclamation once it is declared as exhibited by the first emergency proclamation after independence in 1964 after Indonesia launched its policy of confrontation against Malaysia and the 1969 Emergency Proclamation after the race riots. Once an emergency proclamation has been made, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has the ultimate "power to promulgate ordinances that possess the same force and effect as an Act of Parliament" and "may be exercised in relation to any matter with respect to which Parliament has powers to make laws, regardless of the legislative or other procedures required to be followed". Additionally, Parliament has an unrestricted power to "make laws with respect to any matter, if it appears to Parliament that the law is required by reason of the emergency". It is also stated that neither ordinances nor acts passed under the emergency powers can be found "invalid on the grounds of inconsistency with any provision of the Constitution" except for provisions relating to religion, citizenship, language, Islamic Law, Malay customs and native law and custom in East Malaysia.
Malaysia is legally still in a State of Emergency and based on the grounds that it cannot be challenged in a Court of Law, it is not necessary for the Government to show cause that a grave emergency has in fact existed or still exist within the society. There is no burden of proof necessary. Failure to lift an emergency proclamation has in fact left the government with far-reaching and legally unchallengeable powers that can be brought into force at any juncture of time without the need of Parliamentary approval or the need to declare a new emergency. Emergency proclamations can be issued nationwide or to a particular state only. In 1966, emergency was proclaimed in Sarawak after the East Malaysian state has fallen to the opposition party SNAP. In 1977 this happened to Kelantan after PAS won the state elections. In both incidents, the central government took over control of the state and deposed the legally elected government. PAS won back the state in the subsequent elections but Sarawak was never lost to the opposition again. Legally, BN can advise the King to declare separate statewide emergencies in Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan today and take over the state government without fearing any legal recourse. They are not doing it because such an action will have its setbacks but it does not mean that they cannot do it. Lifting of Emergencies are no euphoric events either as shown in the lifting of the 1948 Emergency in 1960. The Alliance Party (71% Majority) used powers derived from Article 149 of the Constitution to introduce the ISA with the reasoning being that such a law is urgently required to combat Communism in the country after the Emergency is lifted. The ISA Bill sailed through both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara smoothly without any noticeable opposition. If an individual is detained under the ISA, it means indefinite detention without charge or trial. In 1987, Malay Christian Jamaluddin Osman was detained under the ISA for his allegedly proselytizing activities after the government claimed that he was festering animosity between the Muslim society and the Christians. In the Supreme Court of Malaysia, Chief Justice of Malaya, Tan Sri Hashim Yeop Sani ordered the release of Jamaluddin Osman concluding that, "we do not think that mere participation in meetings and seminars can make a person a threat to the security of the country. As alleged to the conversion of the six Malays, even if it was true, it cannot be regarded as a threat to the security of the country". This was a no-no for the government and in 1989 amendments were made to the ISA that virtually eliminated the possibility of court challenges to indefinite detention under the ISA. This gave the Government carte blanche to detain (and not arrest) any individual without charge or trial for an indefinite period. The government was also no longer compelled to attempt to establish a credible link between the detainee and any actions deemed to be a grave threat to the security of the country. One could be eating nasi lemak alone at Steven's Corner in Pandan Indah (if you could get someone to take your orders in the first place) and be eating nasi lemak in Kamunting the next day and no Court of Law in Malaysia could get you out from there. Subsequently a High Court Judge declared that, "it is not competent for the court to inquire into the sufficiency, relevance or otherwise of the allegations of facts (if any). The (Home) Minister's finding is a subjective satisfaction and is not subjected to judicial review". Another few laws introduced to "protect" the government are the Sedition Act and the Official Secrets Act. While it can be argued that these laws were deemed necessary to preserve public order, in practice their implementation restricted fair play on the political background as these laws were used to restrict the opposition's scope for public criticisms of governmental actions. In 1948 when the Sedition Act was first introduced into law, the Colonial Government used the act to direct against offences such as inciting disaffection against the government, inciting contempt for the administration of justice and raising discontent amongst the people. In 1969, the Sedition Act was amended to cover matters and issues with a tendency to promote ill feeling and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Malaysia. Also introduced into the Sedition Act was the banning of "any matter, right, status, position, privilege, sovereignty or prerogative established or protected by the provisions of Part III of the Federal Constitution (dealing with citizenship) or Article 152 (establishes Malay as the National Language), 153 (safeguard of the special position of the Bumiputeras) and 181 (sovereignty of the Malay Rulers) of the Federal Constitution". In 1971, the Federal Constitution was re-amended to extend the application of the Sedition Act to Parliament itself, thus removing parliamentary privileges from discussion of these topics and other issues considered sensitive. All amendments to the Sedition Act required a two-thirds majority for it to be passed in Parliament and even when the Alliance Party did not possess quite the necessary numbers, talks were already in an advanced stage with Gerakan to join the Alliance Party. The PGRM sell out gave the Government sufficient votes. Both the Sedition Act and the Official Secrets Act hold extensively far-reaching scopes and legally outlaw an individual to inform another individual of any information that is in the possession of the government regardless of how trivial, insignificant or widely known it already is or is in publication worldwide outside the boundaries of Malaysia. Whether that information is correct, true or otherwise is not in question here and any violation of these laws are punished by mandatory jail terms from one to fourteen years under the penal code if one is found guilty by a Court of Law in Malaysia. De-politicizing potential opposition is yet another political control instrument in place here. In many Third World nations (and yes, Malaysia is considered as one), opposition to existing governments comes from workers, students and peasants. Malaysia therefore introduced precautionary measures to inhibit its growth. In 1959, the Trade Unions Ordinance was introduced to prevent office bearers or employees of political parties from holding office in trade unions. The 1969 Essential (Trade Unions) Regulations made it illegal for a trade union to use funds for political objectives. Additionally, trade unions can only be registered into "particular" trades (in the opinion of the Registrar) and therefore it was unlawful to form large general unions covering workers from different trades and fields. The MTUC (Malaysian Trade Union Congress) is therefore strictly not a trade union but a society (registered under the Societies Act). In 1975, Dr. Mahathir introduced the Universities and University Colleges Act whereby students were banned from joining or allaying themselves with any political party, trade union or any other organization, body or group without the written permission of the Vice-Chancellor. Furthermore, students were prohibited from saying or doing anything that could be interpreted as supporting or sympathizing with, or opposing any political party or trade union. This applies to the academic staff as well. Either one was a politician or a student (or teacher) and not both. In Malaysia, peasants or rural inhabitants are politically quiescent. There are in fact no independent peasant organizations but the government already has organizations in place to control, manipulate and indoctrinate the farmers and planters. Both the secretary-generals of FELDA and FELCRA are civil servants appointed by the government. Additionally, the educated middle-class is controlled by the Societies Act. Members of such groups and societies are governed by laws in accordance to the Act and any infringement or purported infringements are penalized by immediate deregistration. In 1981, amendments were made to the law to make clear distinction of a political group or society from a non-political group or society, and to make any decision by the Registrar to deregister a group or society final and non-challengeable in court. In 1983, the category of political society was dropped after then ABIM chairman (who opposed the law) was recruited into Umno (1982). The ABIM (Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia) chairman in 1981 was Anwar Ibrahim. All such repressive legislations could never be legally implemented unless the government possesses a two-thirds majority in Parliament. It is therefore of utmost importance that Malaysians continue to vote in opposition politicians as a precautionary safeguard against total parliamentary control by any one single political party. |
| Time to consider a new social contract Posted: 21 Oct 2011 10:52 PM PDT KHAIRY JAMALUDDIN In my last column, I wrote about the parallel lives that some Malaysians lead. Just to recap, this is a situation where the absence of a unitary, single education system is the basis for many young Malaysians leading lives that are divorced from others from different ethnic backgrounds. So, to take extreme but plausible examples, a Malay child could easily attend a rural national school where there are no students from other ethnic groups then go on to an all-Malay secondary boarding school and end up going to university in the Middle East where, again, he or she does not encounter a non-Malay Malaysian. Similarly, there will be Chinese kids who go to vernacular primary school, then an independent Chinese high school, finishing off in Taiwan and not come into any meaningful contact with a non-Chinese Malaysian. The effect of these parallel lives is further worsened by occupation - the civil service is dominated by Malays and some segments of the private sector are reflective of a particular race; living arrangements - neighbourhoods are increasingly being defined by the dominance of one race; and lifestyle - the proliferation of satellite television and the Internet has allowed people to stay within their cultural silos 24/7 – for instance constantly watching television channels of their own mother tongue (although some things like Bollywood movies temporarily break the silos by cutting across ethnic divides). In the first part of this article, I focused on education. The other things may be important but I think the fundamental contributor to the perpetuation of these parallel lives is our democratised but divisive education system. The existence of multiple types of schools has successfully driven a wedge between young Malaysians at their most formative years, and we have been reduced to solving this problem of polarisation and its ugly corollary, intolerance, with expensive band-aids like the national service programme. I also pointed out two important things regarding this debate about one single school system (the Sekolah Kebangsaan) versus the present multiple-type situation. First, there is a fallacy that if national schools taught mother-tongue languages (Mandarin and Tamil), improve quality and discipline, and addressed the common complaint that these schools have become too Malay or Islamic in character, more non-Malay parents will send their children there as opposed to vernacular schools. The survey results which I presented in my last column showed that a majority of Chinese parents would still send their kids to vernacular Chinese schools even if all the above reforms took place. What was more alarming was that 60% of the respondents said that sending their children to different schools from other Malaysian kids would not worsen ethnic relations. Essentially, this is an argument for cultural exclusivity and one that is not based on the quality of education. Second, politically, the single school option appeared to be a non-starter. No political party, on either side of the divide, will touch this for fear of losing votes from the affected communities. This means the parallel lines that define the state of our union are set to continue making the reality of a more united people more of a myth than a reality. So what do we do? I have thought long and hard about this problem and I see it as one of the most critical issues that prevents us from progressing any further. At first, I was going to suggest more Band-Aids like having more joint activities between different types of schools or joint assemblies and other platforms, which would increase contact hours between our kids. But then I realised that would not even be close to enough. I looked at the problem again and revisited what I previously thought to be undoable - a single national school. I think the problem with this suggestion in the past was that it didn't tell us how this could be politically workable. Proponents would state the obvious about its benefits, especially on unity, and maybe challenge what some perceived as a constitutional guarantee for the existence of vernacular schools. But that would pretty much be the sum of the argument. It did not really tell you how this could actually happen, especially with the political stakes involved. Here's my suggestion. We can solve the parallel-lives problem by creating a single, unitary education system where all Malaysian kids go to the same school - the Sekolah Kebangsaan. They would have maximum contact hours with each other during their formative years and grow up together. But that is not really the big idea. The big idea is about how to achieve this and more. My proposal is nothing short of radical. I figured, since we have pretty much run out of effective Band-Aids, I think every option should be considered, even ones that appear sacrilegious. Recently, I tweeted that there needs to be a generational reset in Malaysian politics. Some people who read this took it to mean that we need to see younger leaders come through the ranks. That is, of course, true but it is also stating the obvious and not what I meant. What I am calling for is a hard reboot of our country. When we reset everything, it allows us to reshape the basis of our union so that it reflects the challenges of our generation. Now, I am not advocating constitutional amendments but rather for us to revisit and rewrite our "social contract". We have to remember, when the original bargain was struck, Malaysia was a very different place. The original social contract had to strike a balance between the legitimate concerns of the Malays about their position and also the desire for then immigrants to be part of this land as citizens. But much of the details were filled in later. The spirit of certain constitutional provisions like Article 153 was used to partly justify some aspects of ethnic-preferential policies. The education system was not touched under the original social contract - it allowed for the continued existence of mother-tongue schools. So while the original social contract was relevant for its time, it does not offer us with enough solutions or room to maneuver today. What we need is a new concord among Malaysians that will help us address not only the never-ending parallel-lives issue but also deal with other fundamental issues regarding preferential policies. Now, before I am dismissed as a traitor to my own ethnic community, let me stress something. Fundamental provisions in the constitution like Article 153 mentioned earlier would not be touched. There is no threat to the religion of Islam, the Malay language or to the Malay rulers. I think all Malaysians can agree to this.
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| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:49 PM PDT
Technology misused by certain quarters to launch personal attacks on Lim Guan Eng's son, says Gerakan vice-president Mah Siew Keong. (Free Malaysia Today) - Gerakan has leapt to the defence of its political rival DAP over the issue of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's 16-year-old son been allegedly implicated in molesting a student. The alleged incident which was reported online is turning out to be a fake accusation. In a statement, Gerakan vice-president Mah Siew Keong urged netizens and bloggers to refrain from attacking Lim's underage son in the blogsphere, saying that such a move should not be tolerated. The online story has been the talking point of the public, causing an uproar among politicians from both sides of the divide. "Gerakan sympathises with… this young man," Mah said. He said that technology was misused by certain quarters to launch personal attacks and to undermine reputation, which is "irresponsible and unacceptable". This is also unfair and regretful, he said. "Gerakan appeals to the leaders of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to close ranks to stop the irresponsible and immoral act of launching personal attacks and smear campaign through the Internet. We should stop gutter politics." Mah also urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to step in and investigate the case. The incident went viral on the Internet last Sunday when a few bloggers posted an allegation that Lim's third eldest child had allegedly molested or groped a fellow female student at a school. As a result, it was speculated that the young boy was transferred to a missionary school and that the victim's family was allegedly paid off to keep quiet. Unethical beyond words
Lim initially waited to see if the mainstream media would print such allegations, indicating that he would file libel suits against media organisations linked to Umno. Then 24 hours later, Lim issued a statement hitting out at those who have allegedly victimised his son, urging his political deractors to attack him, but spare his son from such spurious attacks. Eventually, the school principal denied the allegations. Shortly, the "victim", a 21-year-old former world chess champion identified as Anya Corke, who was tracked down, also said she had never met Lim's son.
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| Low turnout dampens anti-apostasy rally Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:47 PM PDT
Barely 4,000 people have filled the 100,000-capacity stadium to mark the start of the assembly of a million believers. (Free Malaysia Today) - Over an hour into the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) and it appears that the hype has exceeded reality. Barely 4,000 people have filled the 100,00-capacity Stadium Shah Alam and the past 90 minutes have been filled with performances by nasyid groups as the organisers wait for more seats to be filled. Two notable names have since graced the event: Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, and PAS Selangor executive council member Hasan Ali. Himpun (gathering of one million believers) is being held to "defend Islam" and reject apostasy among Muslims and was mooted after the controversial raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) on Aug 3. It claims to have the backing of 200 NGOs representing four million Muslims nationwide. Himpun's co-organiser, Mohd Yusri Mohamed, last week insisted that the rally was not anti-Christians amid rumblings of uneasiness that it could spark further racial tensions. The organisers today kept to their word after learning that a group not associated with Himpun was distributing a booklet entitled "Siapa Bertanggungjawab Kristiankan Melayu Di Selangor" (Who Is Responsible for Christianising Muslims In Selangor?).
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| Why is BN so afraid of White paper on SAS? Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:37 PM PDT
I fully support that an investigation be carried out on the SAS affair. If Yong is the culprit that caused the massive loss to the 55,000 investors, then let him be answerable, morally and legally. To me this is the only way to solve the whole issue. But isn't it strange that the BN keeps refusing to produce a White Paper on the issue? DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN We all know the protracted issue of Saham Amanah Sabah (SAS) which was launched on a share value of RM1 and then got reduced to 20 sen ("Cheaper than kueh pisang," as many people put it) and caused a loss of more than RM400 million involving 55,000 investors. And it is still raging today, with certain groups, especially BN leaders trying to point their accusing fingers at Datuk Yong Teck Lee who happened to be the Chief Minister when SAS was introduced. The strategy is to make the people believe it was all Yong's fault, mostly because he is now no longer in the BN. I fully support that an investigation be carried out on the SAS affair. If Yong is the culprit that caused the massive loss to the 55,000 investors, then let him be answerable, morally and legally. To me this is the only way to solve the whole issue. But isn't it strange that the BN keeps refusing to produce a White Paper on the issue? Even as early as 2004, Yong had called for a full investigation into the messy affair, saying "I hope findings of any investigation conducted on SAS by the authorities, including by the Securities Commission, should be made public so that the truth would come out." He even welcomed the DAP's statement that it would make a report to the police and the then ACA (now named MACC) on the matter. The Chief Minister, Datuk Musa Aman, appealed then that the issue be not politicized, to which LDP President, Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat said he was not politicising the issue but was "merely clearing the air on certain facts… This is not politicising, this is telling the world what should be told. This is explaining to the people what had happened...I'm talking about responsibility. If people can stop politicizing other matters and if certain people themselves can behave then everyone else also can behave." In response Yong expressed surprised that although Chong said he was telling the world what should be told, he (Chong) declined to name the culprits behind the losses suffered by SAS investors. Chong didn't say it was Yong. Yong said then that Chong's "comment that he does not want to reveal the identity of the culprits shows he is deliberately concealing information at the expense of the 55,000 investors of SAS by saying HE WANTS TO GIVE FACE to the persons who are responsible for the losses suffered by Saham Sabah investors. The people have a right to be suspicious who is he protecting and why. The people of Sabah, especially the 55,000 investors of Saham Sabah, have a right to know the identity of the person whom Chong now says he wants to give face to." To date Chong never dared to reveal the names of those responsible. This situation has continued until today. Chong clearly admitted HE KNEW who were responsible, but never said who they were. Then last year lawyer Joseph Ambrose Lee whose name kept cropping up in the SAS debacle said "I support the idea to have a White Paper because it will reveal the truth. But it (White Paper) will never happen." Lee seems to know something very sinister, by implying the white Paper is too sensitive and dangerous for certain leaders. Dr. Yee Moh Chai, Yong's archenemy, had previously said that Yong should not hide behind the calls for a White Paper "because the Barisan Nasional state government has no time to waste." Why is a White Paper a waste of time? Is time better spent on arguing about who is right and wrong without any real answer for more than 10 years now? Even PBS vice president Herbert Timbun Lagadan had to say something on the matter: "The onus is on Yong to explain," he said. "A White Paper cannot resolve this problem. Let the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) investigate." Other than PBS, Upko and PBRS also rejected the idea of a white paper. Why did Lagadan say a White Paper is unable to solver the problem? Are White Papers useless in the BN system of government? Or is it because a White Paper done in Sabah will be very biased, or impossible to do, because of the involvement of certain powerful people who are guilty in the whole affair? In the SAPP website, News that Matter, Foo Fook Ming writes: "Adolf Hitler once said that a LIE being repeated for a hundred times will become a TRUTH. Dr Yee had been using this tactic (by repeatedly) blaming Datuk Yong Teck Lee on the decline of SAS value. Datuk Yee being senior minister in the government for around 10 years and recently advanced to Deputy Chief Minister has access to the government information and he can initiate action against the people who were responsible for the fall of SAS price. When Yee was still in opposition he blamed the BN government on SAS but later only singled out Datuk Yong Teck Lee as his target. Now that Yee is in the position, it is his responsibility to disclose to the people and the holders of SAS the real reasons and the real culprits. He knew well who those responsible yet he chose to remain silent which was why he objected strongly to the publication of White Paper on SAS." Even as late as last year SAPP had again proposed the production of the White Paper at the State Legislative Assembly, but to no avail. Why is a White Paper on the debacle so frightening to the BN? Is it possible that it was some Umno leaders who were responsible? I have been made to understand that prior to the launch of SAS, some Umno leaders had already been allocated substantial FREE shares! And the managers of SAS were not experienced and so were not qualified to manage an investment agency. The only party which the BN components could be really afraid of in Sabah is Umno, so is Umno or some Umno leaders the ones responsible? If not them, then who else? My question is, if it is Yong who is the real culprit it shouldn't it have been the BN to table for a White Paper at full speed? If found guilty BN can then crucify Yong, and kill him and his SAPP politically for good. But clearly, BN doesn't dare to do this simply because UMNO/BN have something to hide. They prefer, as the Malay proverb says, to throw stones and hide the hands. Since this is a matter of grave public interest which concerns the money of so many investors the BN government should have supported the proposed White Paper if it is truly transparent, accountable and open, and practicing the principle of people first and performance now which is endlessly being promoted by the Prime Minister. In the same way, all local BN component parties namely PBS, UPKO, PBRS, LDP should assertively demand the government to introduce this White Paper to ascertain the real culprit on this SAS massive failure lest they are seen as nothing more than traitors, stooges and proxies of Umno. They is no logic in them continuing to harp on Yong and yet refuse to undertake a proper investigation to reveal the truth, unless they have something very big to hide. There is still time for the white Paper before the coming 13th General Election, if BN dares to risk exposing their own guilty leaders, for the sake of the people, especially the 55,000 suffering investors.
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| No ring but what about the Birkin handbags? Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:29 PM PDT
As the General Elections looms, UMNO is pulling out all the stops in its efforts to reclaim the state. Most recently, the UMNO propaganda machinery has launched an all-out charm offensive including a comic strip entitled "Who's Rosmah?" in a desperate attempt to portray her as a cost-conscious and kind-hearted "First Lady". No matter how much glorious praise is lavished on the Prime Minister's wife by the UMNO propaganda department, it is unlikely that the term "cost-conscious" coulee be applied to her! During the current Parliament sitting, I had put forward a question requesting confirmation whether there is any truth in the persistent rumor that Rosmah owns a diamond ring worth USD24 million and a large number of Birkin handbags. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in his written reply dated 11th October curtly confirmed that the rumour about Rosmah owning a USD24 million diamond ring is not true. However, Nazri evaded answering the other part of the question pertaining to the Birkin handbags. Indeed, the Royal Custom and Excise Department of Malaysia had confirmed that there was no transaction pertaining to the diamond ring as the ring had been returned to the U.S. company that owns it. Now, if Nazri so obviously chose not to clarify the Birkin handbag question, does this mean that this particular rumour is true? It is a known fact that Rosmah has appeared in public countless times clutching her Birkin handbags. Going by the photos compiled by netizens, the number of Birkin handbags carried by her in official functions as well as when she is on holiday adds up to not just one or two but at least 11 in different colours!Manufactured by Hermès since 1984 and named after the British actress/singer Jane Birkin who resides in France, a Birkin handbag is a universally recognized as a symbol of extravagance and wealth. Due to its limited quantities therefore causing a huge demand, the price of a Birkin handbag ranges from USD9,000 to USD150,000. Let us analyze the situation further. Najib started his political career at the age of 23 by inheriting, without a fight, the parliamentary seat held by his father, Tun Abdul Razak who was the second Prime Minister of Malaysia. In his smooth-sailing political career, he was appointed as a Deputy Minister by the age of 25, and then Menteri Besar of Pahang at the age of 29. He returned to Parliament when he was 33 and was appointed as Culture, Youth and Sports Minister. He then held various ministerial positions such as Minister of Defence (1991), Minister of Education (1995), Deputy Prime Minister (2004) and DPM-cum-Minister of Finance (Sept 2008). Although the salary of a Prime Minister or a Minister is quite considerable, surely the salary isn't so high that one can easily afford such excessive extravagance such as the items being flaunted by Rosmah? If UMNO is fanatically pitching Rosmah as a "First Lady" of great prudence and passion for charitable work, it would bode well for its propaganda department to address the public's curiosity and valid questions regarding the Birkin handbags that accompany Rosmah wherever she goes -- whether she bought them with her own money, or they were given to her as gifts, or they are in fact just imitations bought from Petaling Street vendors. TEO NIE CHING DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary-cum-Serdang MP Email: teonieching@gmail.com
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| PAS eyeing five Negri state seats Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:51 PM PDT By Zehfry Dahalan, FMT SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan PAS is eyeing at least five state seats for the coming general election. They are Labu, Serting, Klawang, Lenggeng, and Johol. PAS currently only has one state seat in Paroi out of the 15 seats controlled by Pakatan Rakyat. The state seat that the party thinks it has a great chance of winning is Labu, which is held by Umno state assemblymen Hasim Rusdi, who is also a state executive council member. PAS' confidence was boosted by recent developments in Labu where about 150 Umno members led by the Labu Residents Association president Aziz Samsudin, a former Umno member, crossed over to PAS last month. "We are confident of snatching the Labu seat from Umno this time around as Rasah Umno led by Hasim is facing an internal crisis. "Hasim is at loggerheads with Rasah Umno Youth and state Umno Youth chief, Helmi Din. Both Hasim and Helmi are not carrying out any activities in Labu because of the dispute between them. "Furthermore, the 150 Umno members who joined PAS are from Labu Hilir, which is Hasim's 'kampung' or fortress", said Rasah PAS chief, Anuar Azhari. Anuar is expected to contest the Labu seat this time as PKR is set to return it to PAS. In the 2008 general election, Mokhtar Ahmad from PKR lost to Hasim by 1,405 votes. The latest racial composition for Labu is Malay (65.7%), Indian (19.2%), Chinese (13.5%) and Orang Asli (1.08%). PAS is also mounting a serious challenge in Serting where the campaign will be led by Jempol PAS chief, Abdul Rahman Ramli. A recent court case involving 766 Felda Serting settlers who sued the Felda management over the issue of the extraction of low grade oil palm augers well for PAS in Serting. Two more court cases involving Felda Serting and Felda Raja Alias settlers against the Felda management also gave for PAS the chance to make inroads into Serting. "With all these developments we finally broke the ice in Felda settlement areas where in the past Felda is the strongest Umno fortress not only in Negri Sembilan but also in other states where Felda schemes are located. "We (PAS) together with PKR and Anak (National Felda Settlers' Children Association) are organising many awareness programmes in Felda schemes in Serting and Jempol on the rights of the settlers. "The response has been very encouraging where hundreds of the second and third generation of the Felda settlers joined either PAS or PKR in recent months," said Abdul Rahman.
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| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:47 PM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: The Obedient Wives Club (OWC) stirred up fresh controversy when its founder claimed that spiritually, a man can have sex with all his wives simultaneously. Club founder Hatijah Aam, who is also the author of the controversial book Seks Islam Perangi Yahudi Untuk Kembalikan Seks Islam Kepada Dunia (Sex in Islam Wage War Against Jews To Return Islamic Sex To The World), said that when a man reached the highest spiritual level, "he can appear in multiple apparitions and have sex with his wives even though they are in separate locations". "We never said that a man can have an orgy with all his wives on the same bed. "That is not allowed. "What we meant is when a man has reached the highest spiritual level, he will be granted the ability to have sex with his wives spiritually," she said. "This is how men who were at war in the past satisfied their needs," she said at a press conference here yesterday from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, via Skype. The club is going ahead with the global launch of the controversial sex guide despite protests from women's groups. Hatijah said the book would soon be launched globally in countries where OWCs have already been set up, including Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Britain and France. However, the club does not intend to launch the book in Malaysia. "The book was meant to be circulated among our members only. "We knew that the public's reaction to the book would be negative because they do not understand the concept," said Hatijah, who is also the wife of late Al-Arqam founder Ashaari Muhammad. Women's groups like Sisters in Islam, All Women's Action Society and the Women's Aid Organisation described the book as a cheap publicity stunt designed to raise the profile of the club. Hatijah defended the importance of the detailed sex guide on grounds that sex is God's gift to married couples and they should be educated on the ways to approach it. "Sex is the main reason people get married. And in a way, the climax is like heaven on earth," said Hatijah. She also explained that like praying, sex between married couples was also a pious act. "So, why can't we teach people how to do that in a pure way?" she asked. |
| Aziz Bari maintains UIA suspended, barred him from campus Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:40 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 ― Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has insisted that he has been suspended without pay and barred from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIAM) campus pending an internal inquiry despite a denial from the university administration. UIAM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin told reporters yesterday the constitutional law expert was "free to enter the university and associate with the faculty" during his week-long suspension for his statement on the Selangor Sultan. Abdul Aziz said today in a clarification issued by his lawyer, Dr Zulqarnain Lukman, that the show-cause letter he received from UIAM on October 19 clearly stated he was not to enter the university's premises during the probe without written permission from the dean. "Kindly take note that pending the completion of the University's investigation into the above allegation and the outcome of any inquiry which the University may wish to conduct, you shall be suspended from service on full pay with immediate effect, until further notice," the letter read.
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| Sabah’s right: Jeffrey disputes historian’s view Posted: 21 Oct 2011 01:10 PM PDT By Michael Kaung, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Malaysian history professor DS Ranjit has come under fire in Sabah for declaring that the people of the state no longer have the fundamental right to self-determination as their legislators had surrendered that power a long time ago. The Universiti Malaya historian, whose talk entitled "Sabah prospects and retrospect: The aftermath of colonial rule" here on Thursday, put forward the argument that the British colony which had joined Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963, would never be able to legally withdraw from the union. The state's autonomy champion, maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan, promptly disputed this fact, saying the argument put forward by Ranjit was guesswork and unsound. Jeffrey, the chairman of United Borneo Front (UBF), was imprisoned without trial under the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1991 for allegedly having secessionist views during the rule of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) from 1986 to 1994. "The major issue, with regard to Sabah's right to secession, is the fact that the Malaysia Agreement is now viewed by the general opinion to be invalid from the moment Singapore left the federation," he said. "This is due to the fact that by normal understanding of law, if a signatory to an agreement withdraws from the agreement, the agreement automatically becomes invalid and no longer in effect." Sabah, Sarawak not consulted Jeffrey reminded Ranjit that when Kuala Lumpur decided on the expulsion of Singapore, it did so unilaterally without consulting Sabah and Sarawak though they were equal partners in the formation of Malaysia. "While this is another case of a condescending attitude of KL towards the Borneo states, it was also a contravention of the mutual agreement and mutual consultation as established during the signing of the Malaysia Agreement," he said. "As to the excuse that Sabah has no right to secede because the State Legislative Assembly passed a resolution that Sabah would not secede, we must remember that the same house could have made the opposite decision. "The resolution can even be reversed today if enough members of the house agree to do it." Replying to Ranjit's question that "…if the original agreement was null and void after Singapore's expulsion, then why did the state assembly pass this law?" Jeffrey said that the assembly must have made a resolution not to secede because of pressure from Kuala Lumpur, and there was fear that the agreement was actually null and void. "If the agreement was still in effect and valid, why the need to pass a law to validate the agreement?" he asked.
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| Najib bullish on China FDI despite deal flip-flops Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:47 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Malaysia expects foreign direct investment from China to grow despite a slate of recent last-minute reversals on deals with Chinese firms. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today FDI from China in the first eight months of 2011 had already grown 62 per cent from last year's total of US$208 million (RM645 million) to US$337 million and that there was still room for expansion.
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| UIA justifies Aziz Bari’s suspension Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:38 PM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — The International Islamic University Malaysia (UIA) has said Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's suspension is not a "punishment" as his salary has not been docked and he can still enter the campus. UIAM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin told reporters yesterday the week-long suspension was to enable a detailed investigation to be carried out over allegations that the law professor criticised the Selangor Sultan.
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| Cinema censorship in Bangi continues to draw criticism Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT By Wani Muttiah, The Star PETALING JAYA: The cinema ban in Bangi by PAS is continuing to draw flak, with many describing the move as arbitrary and ludicrous. Selangor Umno information chief Abdul Shukur Idrus said he failed to see the logic behind the ban. "What is their motive? Do they actually think that having a cinema would corrupt morality?" he asked, challenging the party to impose a state-wide ban. Selangor MCA secretary Wong Koon Mun said that instead of banning cinemas, PAS should look into the increase in immoral activities in the state after Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor. "There has been an increase in vice dens and also massage parlours, pubs and karaoke outlets since 2008. "Why hasn't PAS said anything about this? "They are shooting at the wrong target by banning cinemas in Bangi," he said. MIC secretary-general S. Murugesan said PAS should "stop shoving its skewered values down people's throats". "Cinemas are a legitimate and wholesome platform for entertainment. "I don't know why PAS is viewing cinemas from a negative aspect," he added. Writer Colin Kuan, 31, said it was annoying that PAS had initiated such a ban. "It is ridiculous in this day and age that PAS is taking us back to the dark ages with its warped sense of morality," added Kuan, who writes for a magazine. Veterinarian Dr Devan Arumugam Lingam said PAS was nit-picking on issues that had little impact on the country's progress. "I also feel that a basic right is being taken away from me," said the 29-year-old. He said the move indicated that the Selangor Government and Pakatan Rakyat had failed to come up with policies that suited the people. |
| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:19 AM PDT By P Gunasegaram, The Star Increased distribution channels for home TV may well result in a proliferation of offerings to Malaysian viewers. But then again will it? MUCH is happening at television these days. We now have high definition (HD) with crystal clear images on satellite TV and if the government undertakes a RM2bil programme to digitalise terrestrial TV, you may get HD over the air too. We already have TV over the Internet in addition to the traditional terrestrial and satellite channels, leaving only cable yet to be developed as a major distribution channel. But, the latest news is that we may also be plugged in via cable with a company already having obtained rights to that and recruiting heavily so as to be able to start services not too long from now. Is that a good thing for Malaysians? Will we get more choice and be spoilt silly by a plethora of channels offering anything and everything under the sun barring pornography using all four main distribution channels? Depends. It's a question of whether the new entrants have deep pockets, a good business plan, a long-term strategy, and great execution to eventually make their ventures profitable. Basically, at the moment, the terrestrial stations such as TV3, TV1, TV2, NTV7 etc and the sole satellite TV provider, Astro, have the market more or less sewn up. While terrestrial TV is free and depends totally on advertising revenue, Astro still depends mainly on subscription from its over one million subscribers although its advertising revenue is increasing. Now Internet Protocol TV or IPTV threatens to change the name of the game by offering channels at quite low cost. The main players appear to be TM with its Hypp TV offered with its Unifi broadband service, Maxis and Astro. The new buzzword with the advent of high-speed broadband or HSBB is triple play – voice (phone), Internet and video (TV). TM is offering that with its Unifi while Maxis which has access to some of TM's rollout of HSBB is looking to its own triple play offering. Astro, keen to defend its pay TV market share, is also offering it's Beyond service on Internet. The field is decidedly getting crowded but the vital keys to success are two – delivery and programming. TM's Unifi service forces IPTV upon the subscriber – they say its free and they cannot detach it from the Unifi service, much like you have to take Streamyx together with the fixed line even if you don't want it. Why that has to be so, I don't understand. The take up for TM's Hypp TV will depend on the Unifi rollout which still seems to be slow and which some subscribers are not keen on because of installation, which requires in some cases hacking walls and digging up gardens. Still whether people will watch Hypp TV or not will depend on programming – if it is good they will watch it but if it is not, they won't. Good programming costs money, eventually, lots of it if you want to, say, have a hundred channels or more like Astro. That means you have to charge for it and quite a bit at that. It's going to be pretty difficult to go against Astro which has major programming and slots already sewn up and a strong revenue base. What would induce Astro subscribers to go somewhere else? Only one thing: Better programming at lower costs. That's going to take quite a bit of doing – a very long gestation period, plenty of unremitting investment, great execution and an excellent delivery system. It's not impossible but it's going to be very difficult. Incidentally it took Astro 10 years to break even. And we are not even talking about cable TV yet and the costs of pulling cables into the homes! Meantime, if you could send digital terrestrial signals with that RM2bil plan we talked about earlier, that might see a revival of the free TV stations who will depend on advertising revenue to make their money. What would I do meantime? I am not holding my breath for TV channels. Besides, I am not a great TV fan. I just hope I can hook up to Unifi without major renovation to my house and digging up my garden yet again, and without the bother of TV and phone. I have a very much under-utilised Astro Beyond service which is more than adequate for all my TV viewing and radio channels too. And I have a mobile phone and can use Skype for my overseas calls. And I can get programming on the Internet. I don't want or need triple play. I just want and need single play – just get me on the Net with plenty of speed to surf, watch and download. But the trouble is no one will give me that alone. And I am sure there are others like me out there. And if there is a need, there is a market, no? Hello, anybody out there? |
| Groups: Don’t interfere with a person’s freedom to choose their attire Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:14 AM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: Having regulations or snoop squads in Kelantan to check on how Muslim women dress is ridiculous, say women's groups. All Women's Action Society Malaysia (Awam) acting president Ho Yoke Lin said there was no need to snoop on or regulate a person's dressing. "This is absurd. Why interfere with a person's freedom and dictate how they should or should not dress? "What are they going to regulate next? Women know how to dress themselves," she said yesterday. Ho was commenting on the Kelantan state government's move to enact council by-laws dictating how Muslim women should dress as well as the suggestion by a state councillor that a snoop squad be set up to spy on their dressing. The state's local councils have issued 225 compounds for violation of dress code by-laws at business premises to date, it was reported. Women's rights group Empower Malaysia executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said women were entitled to choose their dressing. "The authorities should not be obsessed with how women dress. "We have to respect people regardless of whether they are women, men, Muslims or non-Muslims. Everyone has a right to dress the way they want. "Women do not need this form of intimidation or fear put in them," she said. Women's Aid Organisation president Mok Chuang Lian said the way a woman dresses is a personal choice and her right. "You cannot tell them what to wear. Why must one always dictate or form laws about what women should or should not wear?" She said the focus should not be on women's dressing but tackling issues like corruption, poverty and crime. "Dressing should be the least of their concerns. There are other pressing issues that need to be looked into," Chin said. |
| Stop The Intimidation Of Dr Abdul Aziz Bari Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT By Ratina Osman, Sisters in Islam Sisters in Islam (SIS) is appalled at the current targeting of Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari by many sectors, including the police force and the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIA). As an academic whose interest lies in Constitutional matters and Islamic policies, Aziz acted within his professional bounds when he commented on the fallout from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS)'s raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church on 3 August. While some may take issue with Aziz's analysis, they should engage and challenge his views via civil, public discussions instead of intimidating him. To accuse him of treason (derhaka) when he was critiquing the monarchy's exercise of its Constitutional powers is unjust and in breach of Islamic adab. After all, SIS is no stranger to intimidation by state authorities, political parties and non-governmental organisations when we comment on issues of public interest. Therefore, we are concerned at the way Aziz is now being treated, such as being investigated under the Sedition Act and suspended by the UIA. SIS is thus worried at the systematic demonising and shutting down of diverse voices wanting to discuss matters of public interest related to Islamic policies and laws in Malaysia. We hope that various parties will show mercy and compassion towards Aziz and call for the harassment on him to stop.
RATNA OSMAN is Executive Director of SIS Forum (Malaysia) |
| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 10:58 AM PDT By Stanley Koh, FMT At a 2006 forum to discuss problems that non-Muslims face as Malaysian officialdom continues to assert the predominance of Islam in the country, a prominent scholar acknowledged – "with "sadness", he said – that there was great confusion about the religion, especially among Muslims themselves. Syed Ali Tawfik al-Attas, director-general of the Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim), said that Muslim administrators and Islamic activists generally had a poor understanding of the Islamic view of "knowledge" even as they examined the religion with a fine-tooth comb. "That is the problem with the Muslim world," he declared. He explained that in Islamic scholarship, knowledge is generally separated into three types: interpretation of the meaning of what is perceived, revealed knowledge, and derived knowledge that is beneficial. This effectively means that non-beneficial knowledge is not construed as knowledge. He stressed the importance of having the correct understanding of such terminologies as "freedom", "democracy" and "Islamisation" and the equal importance of recognising that they were open to different conceptualisations. Citing an example, he said the word the Arabs use for "democracy" could be translated as "preservation of the mind", which implies a wealth of meanings. "Yet, this preservation is today limited to halal-haram issues," he said, adding that this was one symptom of "the truncation and tragedy of Islam". The forum that Syed Ali addressed, which was organised by a group of think-tanks, shed much light on issues raised during the 2001 forum that MCA held following Dr Mahathir Mohamad's declaration that Malaysia was an Islamic state. Many of those issues centred around the unhappiness of non-Muslims with the arrogance of the civil service in deciding on and implementing policies that affected the religious practices of non-Muslims. Syed Ali's presentation made it quite clear that such arrogance was born of ignorance. The Moorthy controversy Referring to the case of Everest climber Maniam Moorthy, who died in 2005 and was buried as a Muslim in the face of his family's objections, Syed Ali said it would not have been such a big issue if the officials in charge had been more knowledgeable and less arrogant. He explained that in Islam it does not matter where one is buried. He said the Moorthy controversy illustrated how it was the mind of Muslims, and not Islam itself, that was limited. At the MCA forum, representatives from the Inter-Religious Council of Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism spoke of difficulties in getting approval for land on which to build places of worship and even for the renovation of those places. Rev Wong Kheng Kong said civil servants carried out their work with a clear bias for Islam instead of sticking to the constitutional provisions on religious rights. He feared that Mahathir's declaration would make matters worse.
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| PKR touts newer, younger faces for GE Posted: 21 Oct 2011 10:54 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — PKR will field fresher, young candidates for the next general election with a set criterion that aspiring lawmakers must have a solid educational background — they must be either qualified professionals or semi-professionals. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution told The Malaysian Insider this was PKR's "new niche" or formula for the 13th general election where younger, qualified candidates will eventually replace some of the incumbent parliamentary and state representatives. "We will be putting up younger, skilful candidates with no political baggage," said the Machang MP. The Malaysian Insider understands that the PKR national leadership has begun talks with incumbent lawmakers with regards to allowing "new blood" to take over some seats. It is also learnt that some representatives have expressed "willingness" to allow the process to take place. "Party leaders have started talking to incumbents informally, it won't be that easy but the process will take place," Saifuddin (picture) said. He remained optimistic about PKR's survival and future in Malaysian politics despite the fact that the 12-year old Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition party has seen its fair share of controversies, with as many as five MP defections last year as well as a fractious attempt at direct party elections "Since this year, we have been recruiting, and have been receiving applications from young aspiring candidates, some already members and some new members, with as many as seven to eight interested candidates per constituency.
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| Sebelum ambil tindakan ke atas Prof Aziz Bari, ambil tindakan terhadap pemimpin UMNO dulu Posted: 21 Oct 2011 04:05 AM PDT ASPAN ALIAS Sekarang Aziz Bari dari UIA pula yang menjadi sasaran. Saya selalu berkata di dalam pimpinan UMNO dan BN bercakap benar adalah satu kesalahan. Berbeza pendapat itu adalah kesalahan. Jika sesiapa yang mengkritik secara berterusan akan ada sahaja helah untuk memberikan tekanan kepada seseorang itu. UMNO dan BN sudah beraja di hati dan bersultan di mata. Aziz Bari tidak mengkritik Sultan tetapi beliau di tuduh berbuat demikian. Mereka berkuasa dan mempengaruhi pentadbiran UIA untuk menghantar surat tunjuk sebab kepada Aziz Bari. Kata-kata Aziz Bari di interpretasikan sebagai menderhaka kepada Sultan.
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