Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- MT Responses
- GDP growth? What raw figures do not say
- BN’s disgusting international standards
- Koh Tsu Khoon: He's hot and he's cold
- DPM: Barisan not depending on Sabah and Sarawak to win
- Umno slams S’gor MB for saying state will not take part in GE before June
- Hisham questions whether Suhakam doing its job
- It's Muhyiddin and not Noh Omar who should answer
- Australia’s Malaysian-born minister backs gay marriages
- Syed Husin orang yang kecewa, kata Ezam
- Unite under Pakatan, Karpal tells anti-BN parties
- PAS cooking up a lot religious nonsense
- Tsu Koon: I’m staying on as Gerakan president
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY YB Nurul Izzah Anwar
- Rural Sarawak still without water or electricity
- Once, twice, thrice bitten but never shy
- Who’s behind the farmers’ party in Sabah?
- Unscrupulous actions, unethical behaviour
- Noh Omar denies NFC issue ever brought up in Cabinet
| Posted: 19 Nov 2011 06:52 AM PST Hi Pete, With my comment under your article "Let's get it straight", I was trying to put across a subtle, subliminal message but, judging by the responses, I obviously failed big time to hit the target. I will be more direct in future! My underlying message was: "All Malaysians must strive to bury religious and racial differences and work at becoming fulltime Malaysians". After all, peaceful cooperation is a two-way street, and blaming each other for the jams will get everybody nowhere! Anyway, please allow me to elaborate, based on the way I see things from an interested outsider's perspective: 1. UMNO have deliberately kept the religion/race cards in constant play (and today, even more so), solely to ensure that (i) Malays are always driven to vote for UMNO and (ii) non-Malays will be confused as to the intention of the Malay elements of the opposition parties, so that retaining UMNO will seem a far safer option to non-Malays than voting for the unknown, possibly far worse political scenario. In this, UMNO is conducting an extremely Machiavellian game, knowing full well what it is doing. 2. As all past visitors to Malaysia will tell you, for so many reasons Malaysia used to be a great place to visit, the principal reasons being (a) the wide variety of cultures and food to be experienced across the length and breadth of the country, (b) the ease of travel and communication, (c) the cleanliness and attention to beautiful landscaping everywhere, and (d) the politeness and respect with which Malaysians used to treat not only each other but foreigners too. All those attributes within Malaysia combined to create a society possessing an exquisitely unique flavour, which I can only describe as "Malaysianess". All foreign visitors to Malaysia will know exactly what I mean by that – Malaysia's southern neighbour is nice enough, but Singaporeans just don't seem to generate the spontaneous warmth that at one time existed everywhere in Malaysia, plus Malaysians generally dress so much more colourfully than Singaporeans and aren't, well, boring…….. 3. Having said that, today Malaysia is not as nice, safe or friendly as it once used to be. The warmth at the Immigration Department coming by road from Singapore has disappeared completely, almost as if visitors from the south are no longer welcome. Taxi drivers in KL constantly bitch about the GOM in general and about the discrimination shown to non-Muslims and non-Malays in particular, the courtesy level shown to foreigners has dropped considerably, the streets aren't anywhere near as safe to walk along as they once were (in some of the less salubrious areas you can almost feel the resentment in the air against those with money), and some former tourist spots in KL seem to have been deliberately abandoned and left to become run-down (particularly in the predominantly Chinese and Indian areas). 4. In the process of deliberately playing the religion/race cards, UMNO have carefully avoided making "Malaysianess" the desired objective, contrary to what they should have been doing for the past 50+ years. 5. The Malaysian people should not let UMNO get away with having deliberately trashed "Malaysianess". In fact, it seems as though UMNO specifically concentrated on fomenting strife between (i) Islam and other religions and (ii) Malays and other ethnic groups. Malaysians themselves must therefore urgently resurrect "Malaysianess" from its half-burial if they are to stand any chance at all of voting UMNO out in the next GE! 6. To achieve the goal of resurrecting "Malaysianess", all Malaysians (including the current opposition politicians) must, regardless of ethnic and religious differences, start to develop trust in each other and work together to openly discuss the framework for the fair and just society that is so much needed in Malaysia. If ordinary Malaysians in the street (non-politicians) cannot begin to trust those with different religions or cultures to be committed to building a better Malaysia for all, then there will be no political change through the ballot box possible within the next 100 years! So the concept of "Malaysianess" must be worked at very hard if it is to stand any chance of succeeding – it won't work if it is only a half-hearted attempt! In my view, whole-heartedly adopting "Malaysianess" doesn't mean burying the differences between the various religious and ethnic groups - it means accepting those differences and showing compassion towards (and complete tolerance of) all others who don't follow your religion, customs or whatever, and recognising in word and deed that all Malaysians are equal in every respect. My above comments are driven by the fact that, of all the countries in the world, Malaysia probably still stands the best chance of demonstrating that Islam is perfectly capable of offering all its citizens equal opportunities and equal justice in a well developed country that would be the envy of most others, including those supposedly well developed countries in the west. However, right now Indonesia is doing its best to show the world what Islam can do, and it is making great headway ("Look At Us Now!"). Malaysia ought to be able to get there far faster, because it has the very useful advantage of the English language at its disposal! Sadly, the main thrust of the responses to my previous comment is that, at best, Malaysian Muslims can't be trusted by the rest of Malaysian society to do the right thing, and that my comment is therefore somehow "theoretical". However, I consider that there is nothing "theoretical" about building national unity! It has to be done, or else society will disintegrate! In particular, if something is not done quickly to redress the negative perception about Malaysian Muslims (or to put the situation right if, indeed, that perception is indicative of the way things really are now going inside Malaysia today), then I fear that Malaysia has some extremely tough times ahead. This will mean that Indonesia will be allowed to stand far taller than Malaysia, despite Malaysia's magnificent Twin Towers and its very unique but currently eclipsed "Malaysianess". Nobody but Malaysians can resurrect "Malaysianess" – Malaysians must become re-united through their own efforts! But, sadly, right now I can't see anybody at all recognising the need to promote "Malaysianess", let alone someone dedicated to driving those unification efforts. That is a pity, because I am confident that there must be many moderate Malaysian Muslims who are sitting on the fence because they are ashamed of the discrimination they see at play by the GOM, but who are afraid of changing their allegiance because of the anti-Malaysian Muslim rhetoric they see every day, especially in the comments posted in MT. And just because ordinary Malaysians didn't create the religious and racial problems currently being faced in Malaysia, it doesn't mean that they can afford to sit there and do nothing, as if it isn't their problem. It bloody well is their problem, because UMNO made sure it is! Anyway, now perhaps you can see why I tell my Malaysian friends here in Abu Dhabi (regardless of their ethnic background or which religion they follow) that, if they are not willing to close their eyes to religious and racial differences in Malaysia and embrace "Malaysianess" whole-heartedly, they themselves are therefore part of the problem and can't ever expect a solution for the religious and racial divide that they themselves help to perpetuate! Warmest regards to you and Marina, Wally
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| GDP growth? What raw figures do not say Posted: 18 Nov 2011 10:36 PM PST How many of us felt richer by 5.8% during those 3 months? Now the governor revealed that "public consumption expanded by 21.7% from 6.6% in Q2". What this mean is that official GDP increased impressively because of government spending during Q3 was almost 4 times more than Q2! By Lee Wee Tak Come election season, it is natural for us to expect more positive news to come out from official (a.k.a. controlled) channels. What this mean is that official GDP increased impressively because of government spending during Q3 was almost 4 times more than Q2! Interesting to note that the federal government is the biggest employer and anything they spend, with a deficit budget, will increase national debts (to be paid back by tax payers) Some artiles about the national debt "Angka yang mengerunkan..." "Kerajaan Persekutuan hutang RM438 bilion atau 53% daripada KDNK!"  Now what did BN government spend in those past 3 months? Some of the answer is here If the 5.8% was meant to make BN look good, it merely highlighted yet again the uncontrolled spending of BN administration. 5% is also the magic figure in 2012 budget where so many quarter questioned the over optimistic estimation (MIER included) hence going by Q3 2011 logic, Najib/we tax payers have to pay not so special bonus every quarter to reach his magic 5% for 2012 then. "higher expenditure of emouluments, supplies and services..."? The some of the supplies and services that contribute some of this 5.8% will appear in next year's Auditor General's report. More binocular purchases? Maybe there will be more Feedlotgate too; condo buying from food security fund (hey KJ, that public fund IS for food security, not investment purpose...by the way, who did Feedlot buy from and who will Feedlot sell to in the future and at what price?) When you read the jabatan statistic report below, more tell tale signs will emerged. |
| BN’s disgusting international standards Posted: 18 Nov 2011 10:32 PM PST The Barisan Nasional (BN) government sure has a funny way of recognising international achievers. It kicks them out of office when they start performing with international standards. By Jackson Ng, Retired JournalistREMEMBER how Tan Sri Robert Phang was ousted as an advisory panel member of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission? Phang was one of the pioneer members of the panel upon the formation of the MACC. However, his outspokenness has been a thorn to the corridors of power. Unlike the majority of the "Yes Man" MACC panel members who chose to accept their appointment but remained muted throughout their tenure, Phang spoke up against corruption and abuse of power. Phang openly took on the likes of Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan (for alleged abuse of power and conspiracy with the underworld) and those who benefitted from the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) financial scandal. Phang's ouster in the MACC panel was sparked when he took on the all-powerful Attorney-General (A-G) Tan Sri Gani Patail. That was too much for Phang to chew as Gani's office can decide whether to prosecute an accused, with or without evidence; with authentic or fabricated evidence as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy I and II hearings have revealed thus far. And all Phang did was to call on Gani to rebut allegations linking him to high-profile but shady corporate figures who allegedly paid for his haj trip. The allegations were backed by documents. Of course there were many other allegations against the A-G but the documentary evidence posted in the public electronic domain was just too embarrassing and overwhelming. So what happened? Gani ordered a probe on allegations of corruption, posted ANONYMOUSLY in a blog, which eventually led to nowhere and Phang was cleared by the MACC. Phang had voluntary quit as a MACC panel member to facilitate the investigations against him and to uphold the integrity of the MACC. After Phang was cleared, he was not reappointed to the MACC panel. Boring? Hold your horses man! Read on and I can assure you that it is becoming both amusing and disgusting. What I find most amusing is the fact that Phang was recently the recipient of the Socially Responsible Company (SRC) Awards 2011's Master Class Awards in Anti-Corruption. So what's the big deal, you may ask? Well, the SRC 2011 Awards are sanctioned by: And, now for the best laugh! The award presentation, organised by JCI Malaysia and hosted by JCI E-Metro KL, was supported by: * Malaysia's Prime Minister's Department; The Barisan Nasional (BN) government sure has a funny way of recognising international achievers. It kicks them out of office when they start performing with international standards. Phang better watch his next step and not be too delighted with the UN-recognition or the BN government will start treating him like a public pariah. What am I talking about? Look how the BN government is treating former Bar Council president and Bersih 2 leader Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. For those suffering from amnesia (especially those from BN-Umno), U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton awarded Ambiga the Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage at the US State Department on March 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. The awards were given to eight women from around the world who have shown leadership while struggling for social justice and human rights. There you have it, Malaysians. The BN government sure have strange ways to reward or recognise talent and international achievers. Protecting cow breeders who use public funds allocated for beef production to buy multi-million-ringgit condominiums is international standard and supreme achievers.
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| Koh Tsu Khoon: He's hot and he's cold Posted: 18 Nov 2011 10:29 PM PST By Douglas Tan Brains but no brawn Party chairman Koh Tsu Khoon, with all his brains and his doctorate should have seen this coming from miles away. After helming Penang for 18 years, he fell with a mighty thump onto a massive pile of discontent, along with the rest of the Gerakan leaders who have helmed Penang along with him. Serving under the legendary Lim Chong Eu as political secretary and then his chief aide, one would have thought that Koh was groomed for greatness when he took the reins as Chief Minister. However, Penang never again reached the spectacular heights that his predecessor achieved. Though progress did come to Penang, it came slowly. Koh Tsu Khoon can tout that the building of the PISA indoor arena and the registration of Penang as an UNESCO World Heritage site as achievements during his tenure. However, his government was very much in the Barisan Nasional fold, practising closed tenders, cronyism, widespread corruption and graft. The Thinker Katy Perry sums up Koh quite nicely. As a man known as "The Thinker", his indecisiveness and notoriety for changing his mind like a girl changes clothes has become folklore, both amongst Penangnites and his own party. Despite being fully tri-lingual in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin, talk is all he appeared to be capable of doing. A member of Penang's economic research unit told me once that the former Chief Minister used to get only 3 hours of sleep a night as he was always deep in thought. "Unfortunately, that's all he seemed able to do," she quipped to me with a smile. After becoming Gerakan President in 2008, the image of the party has sharply declined, mostly thanks to him. Gerakan was seen increasingly as Umno's lapdog, just like the MCA and MIC. Koh appears physically frail, and that has translated to Gerakan's fall from grace as they had no voice or intention to affect real change. Senator Koh After losing his parliamentary bid, the new Najib administration took pity on him and appointed him as a Senator and a Minister in the Prime Minister's department. This obviously was met with clear indignation with from the people. This man had lost the trust of the electorate which led him to be rejected in the polls, and yet the Prime Minister had the temerity not just make him a senator, but a Minister?! To add salt to wound, the role given to a man famous for being unable to make decisions was to take charge of the National Key Result Areas. It was so ironic. If he had done such a good job as Chief Minister of Penang, why did Gerakan lose so badly? Obviously he was not very good at his new job, and soon he was replaced by the more capable Idris Jala. He has just been floating about, making occasional appearances for his token existence in what is an already over-bloated cabinet. Internal dissent Calls for him to step down and dissenters within Gerakan started to rear their heads. He was undoubtedly considered a liability and represents everything is wrong with the party. In order to stop the rot, they had to cut of their head so to speak. Wanita Gerakan Chief Tan Lian Hoe made clear her gripes against his leadership at their national delegates conference only last month, calling on him to be brave and "make decisions or step aside". Koh stepped up to say that he would make the tough decisions and lead the party through the next election. How things can change so quickly. Stepping aside best for Gerakan With Koh announcing that he will not contest in the next general elections for either the state or parliamentary seats, I anticipate that many opposition politicians would be disappointed that he is no longer a target, nor a candidate which they could have an easy win over. I would venture to speculate that the Prime Minister obviously feels that Koh is not a 'winnable' candidate, and made this clear to him during the meeting in Putrajaya with the BN heads on Tuesday. Koh himself, should have seen this coming. By stepping aside, this has also led to his successor, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to enter the debate by saying that Umno wanted to sideline Koh. Although speculation was rife that Koh's 'sacrifice' would be to contest in the next GE against the incredibly popular Lim Guan Eng, but it appears that what he meant was 'self-sacrifice'. Read more at: http://dougtan.blogspot.com/2011/11/koh-tsu-khoon-hes-hot-and-hes-cold.html |
| DPM: Barisan not depending on Sabah and Sarawak to win Posted: 18 Nov 2011 06:02 PM PST
(Bernama) - The Barisan Nasional is not depending solely on the two states of Sabah and Sarawak to win in the next general election, but on the other states in Peninsular Malaysia as well. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said although the two states as well as Labuan had been described as fixed deposits for the Barisan, the coalition should be able to win back the other states that had fallen to the opposition in the last election. "We should be able to wrestle back the other states which are now being ruled by the opposition in the next election," he said. Muhyiddin said equal focus and attention were given to all the states including those ruled by the opposition as according to him, the Barisan government always adopted a fair attitude. "We will continue to maintain our 'touch point' approach in helping the people. We want the people to know that we are caring and sincere in helping them," he said at a press conference after a one-day visit to Labuan, here. On the decision of Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon not to contest in the coming election, Muhyiddin said it would not affect the Chinese votes in the election. "We respect the decision. It will not have any effect on us in the election. We believe he had discussed with party members. What is more important is that the party will continue to work together with Barisan," he said. Earlier, he held a closed-door meeting with Labuan Umno and Barisan Nasional component parties and was briefed on the election preparation by Umno leaders. "I'm satisfied with the briefing. The unity issue as raised in the past should not be questioned. It is alright, I do not see any problem on unity on the island," he said.
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| Umno slams S’gor MB for saying state will not take part in GE before June Posted: 18 Nov 2011 06:01 PM PST (The Star) - Umno has lashed out at Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for refusing to participate in the upcoming general election if it is called before June next year. Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said holding elections separately would not just trouble the voters but also costly. "Selangor voters residing outside the state would have to return twice to cast their votes and that will incur some costs. "This is not to mention the cost to hold a series of elections," he told newsmen here on Saturday. Khalid had on Thursday cited the just approved state budget for next year as the reason for the possibility of not participating in the election if it was called before June. "We do not want to shortchange the people," he said after closing the state assembly sitting. Mohd Shafie also said the refusal indicated that the Parti Keadilan Rakyat-led Selangor government was not confident in retaining the state. "They are not confident of getting the support from the people and I think that is the reason for it," he said.
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| Hisham questions whether Suhakam doing its job Posted: 18 Nov 2011 05:59 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein accused the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) today of not carrying out its duties after it demanded that 13 suspected Islamic militants detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) be released. The home minister said such a demand "without knowing the facts and wanting to release dangerous individuals is very irresponsible."  The home minister described Suhakam's statement demanding the release of the suspected Islamic militants as "very irresponsible". — file pic He said the arrest of the 13 individuals should not be politicised because the ISA has only been specifically used to combat terror and not for political purposes. Hishamuddin said Suhakam officials should have met him first before making such remarks. The home minister's remarks are in response to a statement released by Suhakam earlier today demanding the authorities release the 13 suspected militants from ISA detention. Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam said in a strongly-worded statement the arrests went against Datuk Seri Najib Razak's promise to repeal the law. He said the government should instead charge the suspects in open court and allow them legal representation. Suhakam is also currently conducting a public inquiry into the July 9 Bersih rally which was declared illegal by the government. Police dispersed tens of thousands who poured into the capital to call for free and fair elections, using water cannon and tear gas in chaotic scenes that saw over 1,500 arrested, scores injured and the death of an ex-soldier.
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| It's Muhyiddin and not Noh Omar who should answer Posted: 18 Nov 2011 05:07 PM PST It's Muhyiddin and not Noh Omar who should answer whether the decision to award NFC project was discussed during Cabinet meetings LIM KIT SIANG The Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Seri Noh Omar has denied that the decision to award the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project was discussed during Cabinet meetings. He said: "I can confirm that NFC is under the High-Impact Projects Committee and at the time of the loan approval to NFC, that was not under the Cabinet, not (mentioned) in the meetings." It's the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was the Agriculture Minister in 2006 and who was responsible for the approval of the NFC project, who should answer whether the decision to award the NFC project was discussed during Cabinet meetings as Noh Omar only became Minister after the March 2008 general elections – and whether it gave rise to "conflict-of-interest" situations involving the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and her family responsible for the NFC project. Muhyiddin should also explain whether he and his Ministry were aware of the involvement of Shahrizat's family when his Ministry made the NFC award. As pointed out by the Auditor-General's Report 2010, approval of the NFC, which the National Feedlot Corporation's (NFCorp) website described as "a High-Impact Project under the Ninth Malaysia Plan….instrumental in attaining the 40% self-sufficiency for beef production by 2010", was approved way back in 2006. The NFC has lived up to its reputation as a "high impact project" although in a very perverse manner, not in terms of fulfilling its objective to attain 40% self-sufficiency for beef production by 2010 but in raising the hosts of issues about government efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, transparency and integrity in the past month since the Auditor-General's 2010 Report focussed spotlight on its operations. The controversial RM250 million "soft loan" to NFCorp, leading to the highly questionable purchase of two luxury condominiums completely at variance with the objective of NFC, is not the only public expenditure on the NFC project. From 2007 to 2010, the government had spent RM48.71 million to develop the project. The government has also given a RM13 million launching grant to NFCorp. This means that the total public outlay in the controversial NFC project exceeded RM300 million. Two days ago, the NFCorp executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Salleh Ismail finally broke the 23-day silence of NFCorp but instead of being the last word to end the raging RM300 million NFC scandal, Salleh has opened up a Pandora's Box raising even more questions waiting to be answered. For instance, although Salleh claimed that NFCorp started in 2009, in actual fact it was offered to be the NFC Integrator on 27th October 2006 and as stated by the website of Real Food Company (one of the subsidiaries of NFCorp) on the launching of Gemas Gold Meats as Malaysia's "premium brand of quality meats".
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| Australia’s Malaysian-born minister backs gay marriages Posted: 18 Nov 2011 04:50 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Australia's Malaysian-born Finance Minister Penny Wong called today for the ruling Labor party (ALP) to outline its commitment to same-sex marriages in its national congress next month. Wong, whose initial appointment to the Australian Cabinet in 2007 was widely reported in Malaysia, wrote an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald today that Labor's current policy platform "perpetuates unequal treatment of some Australians solely on the grounds of their sexual orientation."  Wong was born in Kota Kinabalu in 1968. — Picture courtesy of The Age Wong said that although "it is this Labor government that removed discrimination against same-sex couples in more than 80 areas of the law," Australians should not be denied the right to marry just because they are not heterosexual. "Can we justify valuing a relationship less, in law and in practice, solely on the basis of the genders of the partners? "Surely Australia has reached a point where we can value relationships by markers such as respect, commitment and love. I have no doubt our laws will one day reflect this," the senator said. Born in Kota Kinabalu in 1968, Wong's promotion to finance minister last year in Julia Gillard's administration was also reported in the local media and fuelled public debate on Malaysia's brain drain. Wong had previously handled the climate change portfolio under former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
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| Syed Husin orang yang kecewa, kata Ezam Posted: 18 Nov 2011 04:37 PM PST Bekas ketua AMK turut mendakwa bahawa Syed Husin tidak mahu melihat Azmin Ali sebagai orang nombor dua parti. (Free Malaysia Today) - Dalam serangan balas yang pantas, Senator Ezam Mohd Noor menuduh bekas rakan baiknya, Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali sebagai seorang yang kecewa kerana disisihkan walaupun orang nombor dua PKR. Bekas ketua AMK juga mendakwa Dr Syed Husin pernah memberitahunya bahawa beliau tidak rela Azmin Ali menguasai parti. "Beliau pernah sebut tidak rela seorang seperti Azmin ganti beliau dan minta saya tunggu lawan. Sebab itulah kenyataan saya pada Dr Syed Husin 13 Mei untuk keluar itu saya tegaskan ianya bukan kerana Azmin tetapi kerana Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim." "Saya banyak juga habiskan masa bersamanya minum teh bersama di kedai India di Petaling Jaya itu. "Dan melayan kekecewaannya disisih oleh Anwar dan Azmin walaupun dia timbalan presiden ketika itu. "Sebagai seorang pejuang fahaman kiri beliau sering menyatakan kekecewaan dengan cara hidup Anwar dan Azmin yang mewah," kata Ezam melalui SMS. Dr Syed Husin tidak bertanding mempertahankan jawatan timblan presiden PKR yang kemudiannya di menangi Azmin, ahli parlimen Gombak setelah mengalahkan Mustaffa Kamil Ayub. Seorang lagi calon, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim menraik diri sebelum pertandingan dijalankan yang kemudiannya meninggalkan PKR.' Memoir perjuangan politik Bekas orang kuat Anwar itu berkata demikian ketika mengulas tulisan Dr Syed Husin dalam bukunya yang mengatakan Ezam keluar PKR kerana masalah kewangan yang dihadapinya. Dalam bukunya, Memoir Perjuangan Politik – Syed Husin Ali menulis Ezam berpaling terhadap PKR kerana kesempitan wang dan terpaksa bergantung kepada pendapatan isterinya. Ezam ketika mengulas lanjut menambah bahawa Syed Husin menggunakan faktor kekayaan Azmin sebagai faktor memujuknya agar tidak keluar PKR. Beliau juga mendakwa Dr Syed Husin telah memutar belitkan konteks perbualannya dengan bekas timbalan presiden PKR itu. "Apakah Syed Husin seorang pejuang sudah berubah menjadi (seperti) Anwar seorang haiwan politik seperti yang dipercayai oleh isteri Dr Syed yang dikongsi olehnya kepada saya pada masa itu juga. "Dan Dr Syed sendiri mengaku isterinya ada "6th sense" untuk kenal orang dan tidak selesa Dr Syed bersama Anwar.
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| Unite under Pakatan, Karpal tells anti-BN parties Posted: 18 Nov 2011 04:06 PM PST DAP national chairman Karpal Singh urges political parties unhappy with Umno-BN to join Pakatan officially to face the 13th General Election (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP national chairman Karpal Singh urged all political parties unhappy with Barisan Nasional to join Pakatan Rakyat officially to face the next general. However, he said the parties should apply to join Pakatan without any conditions attached. He particularly had his sights on Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), Human Rights Party (HRP) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) who he said should join Pakatan now unconditionally. He said these parties should know that the 13th General Election presented a great chance for Malaysians to oust Umno and BN from federal power for the first time since the country achieved independence. "They should join us unconditionally and not become spoilers. Together we can replace BN in Putrajaya," said Karpal, the Bukit Gelugor MP. However, he said any conditional application, especially those demanding seats, would not be entertained because it would put all anti-BN parties in a "no win situation." Although PSM is Pakatan-friendly and contested in three seats under PKR ticket in the last general election, in which it won two, the party still remains outside Pakatan. In 2008, PSM national chairman Dr Nasir Hashim won the Kota Damansara assembly seat while another leader Dr Micheal Jeyakumar won the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat. PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvam lost in the Semenyih state seat in Selangor.
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| PAS cooking up a lot religious nonsense Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:57 PM PST DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN Which Christian can help being angered by the accusation by PAS' problematic Hasan Ali that Christian missionaries are using eight ways to proselytize Muslims - one of which included using a rather far-fetched 'solar-powered handheld talking Bible.' He also said that Christians were setting up welfare groups that handed out financial and other forms of assistance to single mothers, the poor, the elderly and others with inducements including daily provisions, capital for business purposes and other aid. It is no surprise then that he got a proper tongue lashing from Islamic scholar, Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, for insulting both Muslims and the Islamic faith, and from Rev. Thomas Philips, the vice chairman of inter-faith group The Malaysian Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) who said, "Talk is cheap. Where is the proof. There are more than ample laws to punish those that try to proselytize Muslims so if Hasan Ali has evidence, put it on show. Don't just accuse." I would like to remind Hassan, that his pro-Islamist party is the number one source of religious intolerance in Malaysia. In fact PAS was the original group that forced the once liberal Umno to become a religious extremist organization as well because it felt the need to compete to get Malay support since the 1970s. This was the biggest wrong turn in the history of the nation which has now become a country with little tolerance, in which racial groups have been so polarized that religious debates and mutual attacks are happening in a daily basis nowadays. What a shame! Why is PAS so eager to make the Christian its enemies? Isn't it enough that Perkasa has been attacking Christians to make the Christians appear to be the political devil in the country? Why is Hassan complaining about solar-powered Bibles? I have never seen, nor even heard of such a Bible, but let me tell Hassan this: If there is such a Bible, then I am very glad because now there is a new portable Bible which can help Christians keep up with the holy book while they are on the move, and without having to flip through the pages. And why would such a Bible a problem to Muslims? What about the electronic Al-Quran which is in the market to help Muslims read the holy book whole traveling? Are the Christians complaining about that? No! I would say, congratulations to the Muslims! For Hassan's information, although I have never seen a solar-powered Bible, there are already many portable Bibles everywhere now. Anyone can install a complete Bible text even in handphones. If you want the easier to read versions with larger fonts, there are other that can be uploaded into i-Pads and laptops. There are also thousands of websites in the Internet where the Bible is available in its many versions, in all languages of the world, including in Indonesian. But why should such a situation be a problem to Muslims when the Al-Quran is also available in many languages in the internet, including in the English and Malay languages. I myself have even glanced through these but id didn't bother me at all. I didn't feel that I was being proselytized, so why should the Muslims in PAS be so sensitive that they have to attack the Christians for having electronic Bibles? And why blame us if the Internet is full of Bibles and evangelism materials? And let's please understand that the meaning of the word proselytize comes both ways. Both Christians and Muslims are commanded by their holy books to proselytize others, but in Malaysia we are not allowed to proselytize Muslims, so we obey the law. But what is the point if we are still accused of proselytizing Muslims whether we do it or not? And we Christians all know that the Muslims are free to proselytize us, and as law-abiding citizens, we try to live with this unfair situation. But because we so obedient, groups like PAS and Perkasa are now expecting more from us: (a) Perkasa has demanded that Christians be not allowed to become teachers, (b) We are not allowed to use our own national language for our religious services, (c) We are not allowed to use around 30 words in our religion, especially "Allah" which unofficially can be used in Sabah and Sarawak but not in the Peninsular – a most stupid decision!, and (d) and Baru Bian in Sarawak had just claimed that Christian pre-schoolers in Sarawak are being taught Muslims prayers. PAS also needs to answer one very critical question about the sensitive matter of conversions: What if a Malay converts according to his own wish without any effort to proselytize him from anybody? Will PAS still be saying it is all the fault of Christians in Malaysia? What of the person was converted by studying Christian materials in the Internet or from books he bought from the bookstores? Does this mean that the Christians in Malaysia must now brace themselves the horror of PAS coming into power because they will be arrested and jailed in case some Muslim becomes Christians, even though the Christians have nothing to do with the conversion? They want to step over our heads and make all sorts of accusations against Christians such as (a) We are supposed to be trying to convert Muslims, (b) We want to have a Christian Prime Minister in the country, and now (c) We are spreading electronic Bibles. What other sins will we be accused of next, I wonder. Some people forget that we Christians have equal rights as Malaysians! We contribute to the development of the country, and we pay our taxes too. In fact more than 80 percent of the taxes in Malaysia are paid by non-Muslims! But when we build our churches or do evangelism work, we have to come up with our own money, while the Muslims have can use part of the taxes to build their mosques. I just want to ask Hassan Ali a few more questions: If PR ever rules the country, is PAS going to create laws to suppress Christians even worse than what is happening now? Is the party going to ban all electronic Bibles? Will the party ban all kinds of social and welfare programs from being carried out by Christian organizations? And in view of the strange behavior that Hassan Ali is showing the public right now, is he saying that PAS doesn't need the votes of Christians? I look forward to his response. And I can assure him this won't be the last he will hear from me on the issue!
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| Tsu Koon: I’m staying on as Gerakan president Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:27 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said today he will not step down as Gerakan president despite announcing on Thursday he would not be contesting in a general election expected soon. The minister in the Prime Minister's Department said he still needed to handle party matters while other Gerakan leaders prepared for polls expected early next year. He said resigning would be the "easy way out" after coming under pressure from several Umno leaders including former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to make way for younger leaders. Koh's announcement on Thursday came after he said last month he would make "the ultimate sacrifice," leading to speculation that he would set a timeframe to quit politics. Gerakan has failed to regain support over the last three years since it was wiped out in its former stronghold of Penang in Election 2008. Following the former Penang chief minister's announcement, the MCA, its fellow Chinese-based Barisan Nasional (BN) component, said yesterday it wants Penang voters to give the party a chance in the coming national polls. Although his successor as Penang CM Lim Guan Eng said Umno had forced Koh out, the senator insisted it was a "personal decision" and he was not succumbing to any political pressure. |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY YB Nurul Izzah Anwar Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:25 PM PST
Many happy returns of the day |
| Rural Sarawak still without water or electricity Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:21 PM PST By Joseph Tawie, FMT Thirty percent of rural Sarawak has no electricity, 41% no water coverage and 47.8% of the state's hardcore poor are native Ibans. These, according to Bukit Assek assemblyman Wong Ho Leng, are the hard facts about Sarawak. "Under the BN, people see the SESCO's (Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation) power grid above longhouses. But many of these longhouses do not have electricity supply. "About 33% of rural areas in Sarawak do not have electricity coverage, compared to 0.5% in Peninsular Malaysia. This shows that the performance of BN is a disgrace. "We have the Batang Ai hydro-dam. We also have the Bakun Dam. Yet, in many areas that I visited, particularly areas near the power grid and the dams, many longhouses do not have electricity supply. "These areas are BN strongholds and served by Ministers. The areas that I had visited include Sri Aman, Balai Ringin, Kapit, Selangau, Tamin, Mukah, Nangka, and Bawang Assan. "The government should not have neglected these rural folk. To deny them electricity supply is to deny them human rights. They are forced to use gen-sets. The diesel is not only costly. "These generators have to be turned off at about 9pm. Some longhouse folk told me that their children cannot produce good exam results because their study hours are so short. "Not only that. Many longhouses I visited do not have water supply. They depend on rain water. In fact, 41% of rural areas do not have water coverage, compared to only 10% in Peninsular Malaysia," he said. Natives are the poorest Citing the Rajang River as an example, he said there were many longhouses along Malaysia's longest river which do not have piped water supply. "Why is this so?" he asked. Wong was highlighting the issue of poverty and the lack of basic necessities in the state during the debate on the state's budget 2012. Their incomes, he said, were less than RM830 per month per household. He said 27, 902 (49%) households were considered to be hardcore poor, earning less than RM520 per month. The Ibans comprised 13, 349 (47.8%), Malays 5,601 (20%), Orang Ulu 2,925 (10.5%), Bidayuh 2,757 (9.8%), Melanau 1,974 (7%) and Chinese 674 (2.4%). "We should view these figures with grave concern. The majority of the hardcore poor are the natives of Sarawak. Have a heart for these people," Wong said. He also asked Jabu to detail what he had done to eradicate poverty in Sarawak. "The Deputy Chief Minister said that he had done a lot for the natives to eradicate poverty. With these figures, can we know what has he done? We don't want hot air from Jabu," said Wong. Basic amenities essential He said the Penang Pakatan Rakyat government had eradicated poverty within a year by topping up hardcore poor household's income.
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| Once, twice, thrice bitten but never shy Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:18 PM PST By Jeswan Kaur, FMT Once bitten twice shy is a phrase alien to Barisan Nasional. The three-party coalition's shocking defeat in the 2008 General Election has failed to teach it any lesson in humility. Take the high-handed show of power by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who stubbornly declared that the teaching of Maths and Science in English be reverted to Bahasa Malaysia – this despite pleas by parents for their children to have the option of choosing between either. Muhyiddin, however, remained adamant of completing his mission of making the Malay agenda his top most priority. It was a pleasant end to this controversy when Muhyiddin failed to fulfill his wish, one which served more of a personal agenda instead of the nation's. Prior to this, the DPM was just as unwilling to step in and end the controversy surrounding the Malay novel Interlok which was made the literature textbook for Form Five students starting this year. Muhyiddin could not care less whether Indians in Interlok were called pariah or the Chinese were depicted as cheats and heartless parents. What he did deem important was that the author of this novel, national laureate Abdullah Hussain, not be chided for labelling the non Malays in a racist and discrimninatory way. It seems that BN is back to its old modus operandi of taking the rakyat for granted. Hoodwinking the people under the tagline "people first performance now" BN chief and prime minister, Najib Tun Razak, has turned complacent, misguided by the notion that the mega bucks splashed on mega projects are certain to earn him mega votes come the 13th General Election. But both Najib and Muyhiddin have got it all wrong. In fact, they have decided that the rakyat has no other choice but to come crying to BN for help. Perhaps that is why Muyhiddin so confidently remarked on Halloween Day that the rakyat has no better choice than the BN government – harrowing indeed. This display of "leadership by example" has now taken a turn for the worse. The antics of MCA president Chua Soi Lek and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil have confirmed the rakyat's worst nightmare that politics in Malaysia is all about serving personal interests, never the people's. When BN censors the truth Chua, the former health minister whose political career was destroyed after he was exposed having an extramarital affair, has yet to learn his lesson, as far as dispensing advice goes. Reacting to the police's move to ban the Seksualiti Merdeka festival, an event aimed at empowering the LGBTIQ community, Chua said police interference could have been avoided had the festival organiser held it in a "hush hush" manner. Chua was quoted in The Star as saying that "the festival organiser must be sensitive as there are certain segments of the community that might not be able to accept such an event". Looks like Chua was speaking from experience, but then as the Malay saying goes, "berani kerana benar, takut kerana salah" (one is brave when right and afraid when in the wrong), there was no reason for the festival organiser to cower in fear. If dispensing that uncalled for advice was not enough, MCA earned the condemnation of Malaysians living abroad when MCA central committee member Ei Kim Hock told the Parliamentary Select Committee panel on Nov 11 that Malaysians living abroad were unqualified to vote as they were "out of touch" with the country's current affairs. Backing his claim, Ei said MCA's research showed that most of these Malaysians only received information from dubious sources which may not paint a true picture of the situation here. Needless to say, Malaysians living abroad wasted no time in taking MCA to task, forcing Chua to immediately chastise Ei for his improper explanation. Chua clarified that MCA opposed overseas voting because of the "logistical nightmare" and resources needed for its success. Such a comedy of errors! If indeed Malaysians abroad gained information from unreliable sources, what then are the roles played by the Malaysian embassies located overseas? Do we take it as that the Tourism Ministry, mired in a never-ending controversy of extravagance, has failed to do its job as the agent of information for Malaysians in other parts of the world? If the truth cannot reach Malaysians staying abroad, it is because BN as the federal ruling government chooses not to tell the truth and not because the former does not know how to get hold of information pertaining to their motherland. 2011 seems to be one of controversies. The most recent involves seasoned politician, Shahrizat. Shahrizat seems to have joined the bandwagon of corrupt and nepotism-practising politicians and has come under fire over claims that the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) paid for a RM10 million condominium belonging to National Meat and Livestocks Corporation, a company wholly-owned by her family.
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| Who’s behind the farmers’ party in Sabah? Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:14 PM PST By Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: A new political party that emerged in Sabah about a year ago is raising eyebrows after it appeared to have received the support of two influential leaders – Chief Minister Musa Aman and former chief minister Harris Salleh. Who really is behind the Sabah People's Front Party (SPF)? The question keeps popping up during discussions about politic movements in the state. It has become all the more interesting since SPF president, Berman Angkap, now sits as one of the directors in a co-operative initiated and led by Harris, his predecessor in Bersekutu which morphed into SPF. At a function in Keningau last month, Berman and Harris stood side by side with Musa, who lent support to the Koperasi Sabah Kita Berhad, by approving a RM1 million state grant for it to run its contract-livestock-and-farm programme, with mostly SPF and ex-Bersekutu's members. "I hope the grant will be fully utilised to benefit co-operative members," Musa said when he launched at 3-in-1 integrated farming (cattle, lemon grass, agarwood) by the co-operative at Kampung Ferry in Keningau. When Berman announced on Dec 15 last year that the Registrar of Societies (ROS) had approved SPF on Dec 8, he stressed that SPF was an opposition party that would fight for Sabah's rights but it had no plan to work with other opposition parties in Sabah. He also confidently told the waiting crowd at the airport here then that SPF would definitely join the fray in the coming state election. While everyone seems to agree that there was nothing wrong with Musa granting state money to a co-operative, an initial grant of RM1 million to a co-operative inspired and led among others by an "opposition" party is more than just meets the eye. "There must be something cooking behind all this," said some of those who refused to believe that it was normal, arguing that Harris himself is known to have left Umno and sometimes very critical on the ruling party. Sabah Umno leaders' interest in SPF? Political observers here said Berman could be the "temporary" frontman of a group of Umno leaders, mostly those likely be dropped for the coming general election. The rumours even mentioned name of senior state Umno leaders including that of Lajim Ukin, the federal deputy minister of housing and local government, who is also president of his Bisaya community's cultural association. They too speculated that it would not be a surprise if about eight Umno leaders would use SPF as their launching pad in the coming general election if they are not re-fielded by Barisan Nasional. One politician who claimed knowledge of the game-plan, said the group might also be wanting to work with the existing Sabah opposition parties, especially Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) which used to enjoy a close rapport with some of the state Umno leaders, if it serves their mutual benefits.
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| Unscrupulous actions, unethical behaviour Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:09 PM PST By P Ramakrishnan, Aliran President Wild tales are being told and blatant lies are being spread with impunity. What is being done is to deliberately create uneasiness, anger and hatred against the Christians and their faith in order to undo our peace and unity. Christian bashing has become a way of life for some unscrupulous people that their conduct seriously threatens to undermine our harmony. It would appear that these people are intent on causing chaos to promote their evil political agenda on behalf of the Barisan Nasional and Umno. All kinds of absurd rumours have been spread to suggest that there is a conspiracy to turn Malaysia into a Christian state. Accusations have been levelled that rampant attempts are underway to convert Muslims to Christianity. On 5 November 2006, the mufti of Perak, Harussani Zakaria, spread a malicious and vicious rumour that a church in Ipoh was conducting a baptism ceremony for Muslims. As a result, about 300 Muslims gathered at the Ipoh church in Jalan Silibin to protest against the 'conversion', forcing the police to be called in. This incident could have led to an ugly religious clash. According to Sisters in Islam (SIS) programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi, "this is not the first time the mufti has made careless statements and allegations." She cited a number of previous statements made by the mufti, including in February where Harussani claimed that between 100000 and 250000 Muslims had renounced Islam. To date he has not been able to furnish any proof for his outlandish claim, which had the potential to outrage Muslim sensibilities. He did not even do the decent thing that is expected of a person who had genuinely committed an error. There was no remorse; there was no apology. The latest claims by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) – that it had found that eight ways by which Christian missionaries are spreading the Gospel, one of which is by means of a high-tech device called a 'Solar-Powered Handheld Talking Bible' – is ridiculous and appalling. Selangor state exco member in charge of Islamic affairs Hassan Ali revealed that the other ways in which the 'Good Word' is being spread to convert Muslims include setting up welfare groups to extend financial and other forms of assistance to single mothers, the poor, the elderly and others. He further stated that, in addition to cash, inducements by Christians to the target groups also come in the form of the provision of daily necessities, capital for business purposes and other aid. If Hassan has so much irrefutable evidence, then he should make a police report. It is a moral responsibility that he should exercise immediately. Very likely, the police will spring into action. In matters of this nature, we can expect the police to be super efficient. If indeed there was evidence, then the culprits attempting to convert the Muslims should be prosecuted. Aliran very strongly supports such prosecution for any violations of the law. The very fact that no one has been charged so far would mean that Hassan and the others of his ilk should stop talking nonsense and behave in a reverential manner befitting their religious personage. They bring shame to their office and lose their dignity and they can never be looked upon as respected religious leaders. This unverified wild claim of conversions to Christianity raises a very pertinent question. Is the faith of the Muslims so weak and superficial that Muslims can be so easily swayed, induced and bribed to renounce their faith in spite of the fact "the al-Quran is disseminated through loud speakers, television, radio and at government functions," as pointed out by former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin?
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| Noh Omar denies NFC issue ever brought up in Cabinet Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:08 PM PST By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider
Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Seri Noh Omar denied today that the decision to award the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project was discussed during Cabinet meetings. "I can confirm that NFC is under the High-Impact Projects Committee and at the time of the loan approval to NFC, that was not under the Cabinet, not (mentioned) in the meetings," Noh (picture) told reporters after the launch of the farmers, livestock breeders and fishermen's day celebration at the Selangor Mardi headquarters here. PKR yesterday demanded that the Najib administration disclose all Cabinet meeting minutes from 2006 onwards to determine if Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was directly involved in the decision to award the NFC project to her husband's company. PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli pointed out that NFC executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, Shahrizat's husband, had not denied a single allegation and had merely offered explanations for the many discrepancies involved in the federally-funded RM250 million cattle project. Instead, he said, Mohamad Salleh had made three major admissions when addressing the issue on Thursday — that his company had no experience in the cattle farming industry prior to the project award; that the RM250 million government loan had not been accompanied by a repayment schedule; and that the company had purchased "not one, but two" luxury condominium units for a whopping RM13.8 million in total. The cattle farming project kicked off in 2008. |
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