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Watershed assembly for Umno
Malaysia's UMNO Scandals
Anwar’s greatest legacy – Nurul
Dr M’s prescription for Umno
PKR looks further ahead
Is M’sia ready to legalise drugs?
PKR still Pakatan’s ‘weakest link’

Posted: 29 Nov 2011 10:15 AM PST

Voters today want to see changes and abhor politicians who overstay their welcome. Umno warlords must realise this and by voluntarily stepping down, play their part in reinventing the party, and at the same time gain the gratitude of younger members.

THIS general assembly is certain to be Umno's last before the 13th general election, and its leaders have taken great pains to ensure members put on a good show for the whole country.

The party bosses, in the run-up to the meetings which started last night, told the delegates that they were free to speak up on any subject.

And so they should, as Umno assemblies have been noted for the freedom politicians have to speak their minds.

However, the speakers must be aware that whatever they say will reverberate far beyond Merdeka Hall at the PWTC.

From party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, the advice has come for speakers not to say or do anything that might offend other communities.

The leaders remember the Youth-keris incident as well as the fiery speeches of the past few years which the non-Malays had found unsettling, if not threatening.

This cannot happen again if Umno wants Putrajaya to remain under Barisan Nasional. National polls are imminent, and party members must remember that whatever they do will affect Barisan's 13 other component parties.

Every misplaced word and misconstrued action will be exploited by their political foes to the fullest to drive the non-Malay electorate away from the ruling coalition.

Najib has repeatedly said in the past few days that his 1Malaysia concept calls for "acceptance" and not just "tolerance", and the party leadership has re-emphasised this by putting up huge billboards depicting multi-racial scenes with wordings like "Kami anak Malaysia" (We are the children of Malaysia) all over the PWTC.

This is one of Umno's biggest efforts to reach out to the other communities.

The more than 100 speakers at the Youth, Wanita, Puteri and main party's assemblies must also reflect this spirit of accepting all Malaysians so that the calls that their leaders make will not be seen as mere slogans.

The speakers should also pick up on the call by Najib for unpopular elected representatives to "voluntarily" bow out instead of having to be pushed out.

Umno has been, for too long, associated with warlords who refuse to give up their seats or positions that they see as theirs for life, but this will not do in today's modern, connected world.

Malaysians of every social and political stripe will be watching this assembly and listening intently to every word each speaker makes.

Umno and Barisan Nasional will be measured, judged, punished or rewarded based on what happens in the next four days.

All political parties like to claim that their annual gatherings are important, but few can deny that this Umno assembly is a watershed that could change Malaysia's political landscape forever.

Malaysia's UMNO Scandals

Posted: 29 Nov 2011 12:25 AM PST

"Malaysia is going to buy six patrol boats at a total cost of RM6 billion or RM1 billion per patrol boat. Of course, Malaysia's patrol boats are going to be far advanced and more sophisticated than those of the Philippines who paid only RM31.5 million for theirs," he wrote. "The Philippines's patrol boats can only patrol the waters. Malaysia's patrol boats can…well…patrol the waters."

Written by John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel

A new set threatens

For weeks, just in time for Malaysia's United Malays National Organization's annual general assembly which opened this week, the party has been embroiled in an embarrassing scandal involving a 2007 government decision to spend RM300 million (US$94.3 million)to establish a national feedlot corporation to slaughter as many as 60,000 cattle annually under Islamic halal dietary requirements.

The scandal seems emblematic of a long series of such situations that imperil Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's vow in April 2010 that the government "can no longer tolerate practices that support the behavior of rent-seeking and patronage, which have long tarnished the altruistic aims of the New Economic Policy."

The National Feedlot Corporation, as it is known, has never slaughtered 10 percent of the projected total and has since scaled back its target to 8,000 head but hasn't been able to meet that target either. Worse, the company has been losing millions of dollars every year – while pouring funds into an RM10 million condominium in Kuala Lumpur, among other things, and spending RM800,000 for overseas travel and entertainment.

The scandal is doubly embarrassing because the agreement to establish the National Feedlot Corporation, made when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was prime minister, went to the family of Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Minister of Women, Welfare and Community Development and head of the women's wing of Umno. Her husband, Mohamad Salleh Ismail, is the chairman. Her three children are respectively the chief executive officer and executive directors of the company. None had any experience in cattle production or beef supply prior to the establishment of the company.

The report of the NFC's operations was contained in the 2010 report of Malaysia's Auditor General, which was delayed for weeks before it was finally released. The scandal has generated tensions inside UMNO, with some reformers demanding that Shahrizat be forced out of her job as minister. However, the leadership has circled the wagons to protect her. In particular, Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister, has said there was no case to be brought against her. Muhyiddin was the agriculture minister in 2006 when the project was approved. Others who have come to her defense are Abdullah Badawi and his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, the head of the UMNO Youth Wing.

The National Feedlot scandal is said to have the potential reformers worried because party operatives thought they had the Selangor electorate turned around and that they could take the state back from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in national elections expected to be called early next year. However, Asia Sentinel has been told, the refusal to hold anybody to account in the feedlot scandal could well turn the tide back against them, especially as other patronage scandals continue to bubble up.

The depth and breadth of the scandals also calls into question moves earlier this year with Najib launching a series of programs to develop bumiputera, or ethnic Malay companies, including allocating an RM2 billion fund for development. In the 2012 budget, Najib also announced the government would allocate RM200 million to guide 1,100 high-performing bumi companies with the potential for listing on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. Critics are concerned that the patronage system will continue unabated. The current UMNO general assembly was hoped to provide a dramatic backdrop for Najib to win back disaffected Malay voters.

For decades, this patronage has involved highway construction and defense contracts and a variety of other government arrangements with UMNO cronies in a plan formulated by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. His ambition was to create a cadre of 100 super-rich bumis who in turn would help rural Malays into prosperity under a konsep payung, or umbrella concept routed through UMNO, much the way he envisioned driving the country into industrialization through massive projects. However, many of the companies eventually collapsed and are being supported by government institutions such as Kazanah Nasional, the country's sovereign investment fund, or the Employee Provident Fund.

Contained in the same 2010 auditor general's report, for instance, is a passage on the decision to privatize a 77-km stretch of highway from Senai to Desaru on Peninsular Malaysia's southeastern coast. The land acquisition turned out to have doubled, from RM385 million to RM740.6 million, with the road surface described as "undulating." The project completion "was not in accordance with specifications, causing damage to the road surface and endangering road users." The company failed to complete construction within the stipulated period of the contract. However, the construction agreement didn't specify damages in the event it wasn't completed. Required maintenance is described as "unsatisfactory."

The company that won the RM1.7 billion contract is Ranhill Corp. Sdn Bhd., which has long been described as UMNO-linked. It is partly owned by Lambang Optimia Sdn. Bhd. Both are headed by Hamdan Mohamad, described as Malaysia's "water baron," who operates several utilities and power companies. He was one of several ethnic Malay businessmen who followed former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's vow to take Malaysian companies overseas. Another shareholder is YPJ Corp. Sdn Bhd., an arm of the Johor State Government, and yet another appears to be UMNO itself, which owns a minority share through an account at Public Bank Bhd., according to records. Ranhill has had a lackluster two to three years, capped by disaster earlier in 2011 when its Libyan operations were caught between the Muammar Qaddafi forces and those of the Libyan rebels aided by NATO air strikes.

READ MORE HERE

Anwar’s greatest legacy – Nurul

Posted: 27 Nov 2011 12:02 PM PST

After Reformasi and his Herculean task of putting together Pakatan, he must now make ready his daughter to take his place in PKR and hopefully within government.

Just think of the critical mass PKR will have come its way when the young and females identify themselves with Nurul as she steps up to take responsibility for turning PKR around the corner towards Putrajaya.

By CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today

The momentum from Pakatan Rakyat's massive political inroads at the 12th general election reached its defining moment when Zaid Ibrahim submitted an application to the Registrar of Societies on Nov 4, 2009 for DAP, PKR and PAS to be registered as a legal entity under Pakatan Rakyat.

PKR being PKR, predictably on the very next day, Nov 5, its MP for Batu, Tian Chua unnecessarily announced "…..the constitution, logo and leadership, will be decided when the registration is approved. Who holds what position will be decided at a much later stage."

Presumably, this was to grandstand Anwar Ibrahim's role as leader of Pakatan and preempting Zaid's designs (if any!) to lead the coalition during the process of its formation.

Tian wanted it to be known that Anwar, and not Zaid, was Pakatan's head. He, and not Zaid strategised Pakatan's registration as a legal entity.

And since then, this one upmanship within PKR marred all things PKR and caused the Pakatan juggernaut against Barisan Nasional to stumble and at times stagnate!

Overt conflicts and public spats amongst PKR leaders ultimately descended into the farce of rampant fraud and malpractice that was the PKR party election in November 2010. Neither Anwar, Azmin Ali or any of the PKR leaders were convicted of these fraud and malpractices during the party elections.

When the dust settled, Anwar was leader and Azmin his number two. Zaid subsequently quit PKR, presumably to seek greener pastures – a hard thing to do in a paddock the size of Malaysia. It would seem that what happened in Umno does not stay in Umno. Not when the same Umno players are newborn again politicians in PKR.

Since then PKR has been lurching from one unmitigated disaster to another – it's most public of humiliation was the defection of five MPs last year to the land of plenty!

PKR however admitted that it had "an acute internal problem"…though I thought "terminal if not treated" would have been a more appropriate prognosis of its condition.

So wither PKR now?

What PKR needs to understand is this: When you have as the core principle of your party's ideology the promotion of social justice, economic justice, the elimination of political corruption and human rights within a non-ethnic framework, you better well deliver on that! If you do not then you have failed yourself and abused the trust placed upon you by the people.

But we Malaysians are a forgiving lot. We want PKR to turn the corner towards Putrajaya with a pledge to honour its commitment to "a society that is just and a nation that is democratic, progressive and united."

And this pledge is to be honoured and not just uttered. It must be confirmed in deeds and not just with superficial banalities that dazzle but does naught. And most crucial of all, the change within PKR is real.

As PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said "we will be putting up younger, skilful candidates with no political baggage", this would be a good start.

Younger, skilful candidates with no political baggage… and none exemplify this maxim then your vice-president, Nurrul Izzah.

Carrying no political baggage when your father is de facto opposition leader and your mother is president of PKR is no mean feat!

I was living in Bangsar Permai in Jalan Tandok during the 2008 election when Nurrul contested the seat of Lembah Pantai against an incumbent three-termed Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who for good measure, was also a minister.

I remembered it as if it was yesterday. Bangsar was having a ball – a carnival of sorts ready to celebrate Shahrizat's victory with the mamak restaurants raking in the money as crowds milled around waiting for kingdom come for Nurul. Kingdom did come but for Shahrizat.

And from that day on Nurrul has been that bright spark within PKR – always threatening to blaze its path to where Anwar has always wanted it to go: Putrajaya.

READ MORE HERE

Dr M’s prescription for Umno

Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:23 PM PST

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been trying to shake things up a little in the run-up to the Umno general assembly which he hopes will set the agenda for a big win in the upcoming general election.

Dr Mahathir, more than anyone else, knows that the next general election will determine the survival of Umno. He is shrewd, intelligent and strategic, traits that made him such a dangerous man to his opponents. Part of Dr Mahathir's longevity has been his talent for reading the ground and his reading is, to quote him, "not good".

By JOCELINE TAN, The Star

TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad's office at Yayasan Albukhary is like one of those penthouse floors but in a minimalist and masculine kind of way. It is sparsely furnished, with lots of wood panelling and floor-to-ceiling glass windows on three sides and has a 3D view of the city.

It is one of his three offices and the space is big enough for a ballroom dancing contest. But the former Premier was more preoccupied that particular afternoon about the mock trial against two famous "war criminals" namely Tony Blair and George W. Bush that had been going on the last few days on the second floor of the building. The verdict was due in about an hour's time and the interview was, well, to fill the time in between.

Dr Mahathir had been so engrossed making notes on a notepad that he did not notice that a half-eaten piece of nut candy – he snacks on them when his sugar level dips – was being finished off by a line of ants. His handwriting is a graceful cursive and he must be the only man in the building still using a fountain pen.

Umno on his mind: Dr Mahathir wants Najib to win and to ensure the survival of Umno.

The room was rather warm and stuffy but he seemed to prefer it that way and looked as cool as a cucumber in a business suit, striped shirt and grey tie. He looked remarkable for an 86-year-old. He moves a little slower these days but that has not stopped him from having a packed schedule.

He was in Myanmar recently where he met the president Thein Sein and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who impressed him.

It is rare to hear him say he likes someone, but he admitted: "I like her. She is nice and friendly."

When teased about having a weakness for "iron ladies", he said, "You mean (Margaret) Thatcher?"

Caught him there. Actually, I was thinking of Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz whom he had liked for her fighting spirit.

But the lady in his life remains Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. She came in towards the end of the interview, walking quietly towards the prayer room, as though trying not to be noticed.

The two Tuns have this subtle comfort level between them and he said in a teasing voice, "don't interview her". When she looked up, he made a funny face and she sort of rolled her eyes, smiled and walked on.

Dr Mahathir was due to fly off to India on the morning of the Umno general assembly but has delayed the trip so that he could be at the opening where he is assured of the best seat in the house with a Persian carpet laid out for his VVIP feet. He has been at every single opening and closing of the party assembly since Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took over the party. He is flying home from India to make it for the winding-up by Najib on the last day.

But Blair, Bush and war crimes aside, it is the state of Umno that is constantly at the back of Dr Mahathir's mind.

Dr Mahathir is reminding Najib that the bigger headache is Umno. If Umno is okay, the business of governing would be a lot easier. Najib has stopped the decline but turning it around is probably taking too long for Dr Mahathir. — DATUK AHIRUDIN ATTAN (ROCKY)

Dr Mahathir is famous for saying it like it is but he is also an expert at throwing curve balls that have people wondering what he is aiming at. And he is a master of political timing. His remarks about Umno the last couple of weeks have been a talking point among the Umno circle.

The remarks were made with an eye on next week's Umno general assembly. This assembly will set the agenda for the general election and what many in the party see as the mother of all battles.

Main issues

There are several issues which he is extremely concerned about in the run-up to the election and which he thinks ought to be settled at the Umno assembly.

One is the issue of winnable candidates. Although everyone in the party has been singing the winnable candidate tune, he knows there is resistance on the ground especially among many division warlords who think they are winnable even though they are not. He knows very few will make way willingly and that there will be sabotage.

"It can be done provided you lay the ground. You have to meet them, explain why it has to be a certain candidate. So far, I don't see it (the groundwork)," he said.

He is expecting the Umno leadership to identify the problematic warlords, call them in and personally tell them about what is needed to win well.

It is in this context that he believes that if the general election is held now, the Barisan Nasional would not do well.

"But if Umno goes to the ground to explain the danger of undermining candidates, the picture will change. Certain Umno leaders and incumbent MPs and assemblymen must accept that they should not contest. They should make it clear now," he said.

He is urging Umno members not to be afraid to criticise and tell party leaders, especially at the division and branch levels, that they have to correct themselves.

"When you don't criticise within the party and the party goes on doing the wrong thing, the party will fail. When supporters outside the party see that Umno is not making corrections, they will reject the party. They say it is painful for them to vote for the opposition but they do it, otherwise Umno will not realise it is on the wrong path," he said.

He is telling Umno not to be complacent, given the feedback that the Malay vote has returned.

As one Umno official pointed out, he is provoking Umno in his usual diabolical style to "prove to us that you have changed." There has been no real test to show that Umno has really changed. The warlords are still there, their attitudes are still the same.

"You need internally generated criticism in the party. If you don't criticise from inside, people from outside will do it and those inside will go out to criticise. That's why you have Perkasa, formed mostly by those unhappy within the party and (who have) moved out to voice their views. Those who left with me have still not been re-admitted," said Dr Mahathir.

This ties in with another of his concerns – Umno has moved too fast and too far to the middle ground.

Umno's strength has always been a result of two groups. The first include the right-wingers and nationalists who hold fast to their belief in Malay rights. The hardcore among them feel disenfranchised and have drifted off into Perkasa. They feel that Najib has not done enough for the Malays and done too much for the non-Malays.

The second group comprises those who understand that concessions have to be made and they are more about the party and less about being Malay.

Dr Mahathir understands that in order for Umno to win convincingly, it has to get both groups back on the same page.

It would strengthen Najib's position in Umno but his dilemma is how to absorb Perkasa without adopting the same ultra-Malay stance. His challenge is about striking the balance between the old and the new politics.

"Dr Mahathir is trying to inject a sense of urgency in Umno. He is reminding Najib that the bigger headache is Umno. If Umno is okay, the business of governing would be a lot easier. Najib has stopped the decline but turning it around is probably taking too long for Dr Mahathir," said Datuk "Rocky" Ahirudin Attan, a former newspaper editor and political blogger.

One thing that Dr Mahathir makes no bones about is his adversity towards Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He has yet to forgive his successor and holds him responsible for what he calls "the destruction" of Umno and the Barisan.

The antagonism between them extends to the level of Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin and Dr Mahathir's son Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir who reportedly cannot stand the sight of each other. No one can see any closure to this unfortunate affair, and it does say a lot for Najib's diplomatic skills in maintaining ties with his two former bosses.

The Pakatan Rakyat side has been going on about how Dr Mahathir wants to replace Najib with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The story makes good copy but does not make sense.

Most deputies

Dr Mahathir, said one senior journalist, holds the record for having the most deputy prime ministers and also for having pushed out one prime minister or maybe two, if you count Tunku Abdul Rahman.

"I don't think he wants to set a record for changing PMs," said the journalist.

The elder statesman's prime concern is that Umno survives beyond the next election. Like everyone else in Umno, he wants the party to recover its lost ground and he is banking on Najib to lead the Barisan to victory.

If Najib accomplishes that, he is going to be one of the most powerful presidents Umno has ever had. But if he fails, the move to topple him will begin. Until then, Umno is with Najib.

Said Dr Mahathir: "I want Najib to win. He should win together with the party. As the PM, he has done fairly well, he has introduced new ideas but he must also see the whole picture. He thinks the Chinese are not going to give their support but he forgets that his constituents are the Malays.

"I would say I support him. I don't expect leaders to be perfect, I was not perfect, that was why so many people challenged me. Yes, he is juggling too many balls; maybe he should concentrate on a few."

Basically, Dr Mahathir sees Umno as a super bus with lots of people on board and he acknowledges that Najib is the best man to take the wheel. Dr Mahathir is just one of the passengers. He is not exactly a backseat driver as some people believe, but he is definitely a passenger with clear opinions about the journey ahead.

His greatest wish is that the next general election should not be Umno's last ride in the driver's seat.

PKR looks further ahead

Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:03 PM PST

The PKR congress this weekend served notice that it is banging on the door of Umno's Johor fortress.

Azmin's reference to the boss had the Youth and Women's assembly cheering and applauding. They probably find the idea of Anwar being Prime Minister much more exciting than the notion of him as "God's gift". But it is probable that very few among the cheering delegates believe he is destined for that green-domed building in Putrajaya, not because of his sodomy trial but because they know the ground has shifted and that Chinese votes alone will not carry Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya.

By JOCELINE TAN, The Star

THE Pulai Springs Resort in Johor is associated more with golf than politics.

But golf took a backseat this weekend as the PKR crowd swarmed to the resort to make a statement that Johor will be their frontline state in the general election.

The party's national congress this year is what the party's Johor chief Datuk Chua Jui Meng called an isyarat merah, that is, a red light warning to the Umno bastion.

It also served notice on another Umno bastion the Felda vote. The party made some glittering promises to Felda settlers and is backing settlers from several schemes to sue the Government over issues of payments over their labour.

"We are banging on Umno's front door," claimed Chua.

Party secretary Saifuddin Nasution, who is from Kedah, even turned up wearing a Johor style baju Melayu.

Despite all the talk about breaking down Umno's stronghold, PKR and its partners in Pakatan Rakyat are basically eyeing the mixed seats among Johor's 26 parliamentary constituencies.

Its leaders admit frankly that the Malay-majority seats will stay with Umno while the Felda areas in the state are still out of their reach.

As such, the foray into Johor revolves mainly around 15 or so mixed seats and it is banking on the prevailing Chinese sentiment.

PKR's problem in Johor is that it does not have the network or organisation whereas Chua is still trying to shake off his previous history as an MCA leader and minister.

Chua speaks excellent Malay and is still quite charismatic but he may have problems on the Malay ground because everyone in Johor knows he has issues with the Johor palace. His Datukship was withdrawn after the new Sultan ascended the throne.

Still, it would be folly for the Barisan Nasional to be complacent. Nothing can be taken for granted in the new political landscape and the ruling coalition will have to step up its game.

"At the very least, we will keep Umno occupied here," said Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Last year, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail described her husband and Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as "God's gift" to politics.

This year, deputy president Azmin Ali referred to him as the "seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia". A delegate from Kedah said Anwar is an "institution that we have to defend".

But it is probable that very few among the cheering delegates believe he is destined for that green-domed building in Putrajaya, not because of his sodomy trial but because they know the ground has shifted and that Chinese votes alone will not carry Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya.

This party is still centred on Anwar. But, as the sodomy trial drags on and particularly after the sex video, there is a growing sense that the party should be able to survive without Anwar.

He has the name recognition and international stature no one else in the party has. The fizzle and the oomph will be missing and the party may not do as well without his overpowering personality but it will be around because multi-racial politics has a future in Malaysia.

For instance, this is the only party where the debaters come from all races and speak Bahasa Malaysia well. The party will become more real when this group moves up.

Meanwhile, it has to discard its image as a party out to save Anwar from his personal problems and a party of too many family members.

PKR has attracted its share of young faces who are there not because they think Anwar is God's gift or to save him from jail.

This new cohort is not attracted to the race-based politics of Umno or the theocratic policies of PAS; neither are they drawn to DAP which has veered into Chinese chauvinism. The undisputed star among them is PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli, the man behind many of the new ideas in the party.

A number of the newbies were showcased as speakers this year. Among them was Azrul Azwar, the chief economist of Bank Islam. They are clearly greenhorns but they are intelligent, idealistic and have impressive qualification. You can tell they are from another generation of politicians because their debate is peppered with quotes from civil rights activists from the West.

They are the reasons why PKR is worth watching, rather than their bravado claim of breaking down the door of Umno's Johor fortress.

Is M’sia ready to legalise drugs?

Posted: 25 Nov 2011 01:48 PM PST

Addiction experts say incarcerating drug addicts is not having the desired effect and countries embracing harm reduction approaches are seeing better results.

The Portugal case has been repeatedly referred to and touted as a resounding success, with impressive results. It has reduced addiction, HIV infections, drug-related crimes and drug-related deaths; and more addicts are seeking treatment. It has also freed Portugal police to concentrate on big-time dealers.

Teoh El Sen, Free Malaysia Today

Malaysia has been urged to consider the decriminalisation of drugs as a new policy to better deal with the country's perennial drug problem.

Several experts voiced support for this radical view and said more countries around the world are beginning to accept that drug addiction is a disease which can be treated.

Many countries have found that treating drug addiction as a criminal issue has failed, and are considering addressing problem as a health and social issue.

"Decriminalising" means that a person possessing small amounts of drugs for personal use does not constitute a crime. Drug trafficking is still considered a serious crime.

Internationally, policymakers and experts have taken note of Portugal, which in 2001 decriminalised all drugs including cocaine and heroine.

Those found with 10 days worth of drugs would not be arrested, but sent to a Dissuasion Commission which assesses the person's needs and tailors an optional programme for them.

The Portugal case has been repeatedly referred to and touted as a resounding success, with impressive results.

It has reduced addiction, HIV infections, drug-related crimes and drug-related deaths; and more addicts are seeking treatment. It has also freed Portugal police to concentrate on big-time dealers.

Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) president Zaman Khan said he fully supports the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use in this country too.

"Possession of drugs in small amounts should not be treated as a crime. Rather, the addict should be regarded as a patient needing rehabilitation," said Zaman, a former federal CID director and Prisons Department director-general.

"I'm not supporting the taking drugs for fun, and I'm not saying go ahead and smoke your drugs," he added.

Change in perception

However, public acceptance was important, and a crucial a paradigm shift in perception must occur for the anything to work, said Zaman.

"I think we are ready. But our people are not making a cry for it yet. You can't expect politicians to go for this without the support of the community.

"I believe the government is already looking into this possibility, and are just waiting for us to voice up," said Zaman, who said discussions and debates on this topic were needed.

Zaman said top leaders in the country, including Bukit Aman narcotics director Noor Rashid Ibrahim, are beginning to see that criminalising drug addiction was erroneous.

Years of experience in the police force and prisons taught Zaman that the old ways of arresting addicts and forcing them to kick the habit have not been successful.

"Caning is no solution either. It just drives them deeper underground. And if police are free from catching small-time addicts, you can pay attention to the big-time traffickers,' he said.

Prisons are no help as there is access to drugs there and Zaman was quick to admit that.

"I would be the last person to deny that drugs never came into prisons. Prison walls are pervious and the drugs somehow came in despite all my efforts to change things."

For years, medical professionals and addiction therapists have been advocating the use of drug substitution therapy or medical assisted therapy, which Zaman said has proven to effective worldwide.

Zaman said that needle exchange programmes, which was introduced in 2006, was vital in bringing down HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia.

Zaman found it puzzling that on one hand, the government supports medical assisted therapy and needle exchange; but on the other, still regard drug addiction as an offence.

"That's a problem. Because addicts who want to get better would not come forward when the an arrest is just waiting outside these clinics and centres," he said.

READ MORE HERE

PKR still Pakatan’s ‘weakest link’

Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:12 PM PST

The party must make serious efforts to change or improve its image to face the coming general election, say analysts.

He said the party was still being hampered by issues, such as the party leadership in Selangor, the internal tussle between deputy president Azmin Ali and Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the unresolved state party leadership issue in Sabah, and the role of current president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

BERNAMA

As more than 2,000 delegates and observers of PKR gather in Johor for the party's eighth national congress this weekend, the perception of it being the weakest link in the opposition PKR-DAP-Pas pact remains, at least for now.

Although the issue of defections and resignations from the party by several of its elected representatives and the much-publicised party election fiasco last year have somehow simmered down, political analysts opine that the party is still seen as the weakest link in the opposition pact.

Thus, it is felt that serious efforts are needed for the party to change or at least improve its image.

"The biggest obstacle is the leadership issue and the perception that it is focusing extensively on Malay issues, despite the party being multi-racial," said political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia.

"The main players in the 2008 general election seem to have had a melt-down. Forty-three months after the last general election, the perception about PKR has changed from better to worse. It was totally different then compared to now," he noted.

Therefore, he believes the PKR top leadership will use this congress to show that the party and its leaders are united, as the party gears up for the next general election.

However, the weakest link perception will continue to put the party in a less favourable position when it is negotiating with the other partners in the pact for more seats.

Leadership plan

"There is another more important issue, that is, what is next for PKR after Anwar Ibrahim? Should Anwar be found guilty of the current charges he is facing, who will take over the leadership? Unless they can come out with a leadership plan, the party will continue to be perceived as weak," said Sivamurugan.

PKR being seen as the weakest link in the pact is not something new, as the leadership has acknowledged the problem for some time.

At the party congress in Petaling Jaya last year, the then deputy president, Senator Syed Husin Ali, warned party members that the party was the weakest link in the pact, since it was the youngest member, compared to the DAP and PAS.

He explained that three elements were plaguing the party – PKR is a rainbow party consisting of former members of other political parties who have brought their ideologies to the new party, which now has created friction among members.

PKR, which touts itself as a multi-racial party, has problems with racist members; and the wealthier members, although small in number, are gaining more power in the party.

In fact, Syed Husin also hit out at PKR parliamentarians and assemblymen for their weak performance.

Another political analyst, Ong Kian Ming from UCSI University, observes that PKR has been unable to remove the perception of it being the weakest link in the pact even though there has been no additional defections from the party.

"The image that the party remains too dependent on Anwar still exists", he added.

Lacking good candidates

After the party elections, even some leaders, such as Rafizi Ramli (director of strategy for PKR), have come out on their own, focusing on some national issues, but this is still not enough.

"The party is also facing the lack of good candidates for the next general election, while the emergence of Kita is a direct challenge to PKR. Even if Kita is to contest in the next general election and loses badly, the perception about PKR will still stick," he said.

Political analyst James Chin from Sunway Monash University also believes that PKR is still the weakest link due to the fact that its grassroots organisation is not as strong as that in DAP or PAS.

"PKR is only strong in some urban areas. It is still having problems in establishing itself. However, people will still vote for the party, just because it is part of the opposition pact," he said.

He pointed out that the biggest problem in PKR, however, was still the uncertainty about the party leadership if its de facto leader, Anwar, is sent to jail.

"How are they to select a new leader? Who can hold Pakatan Rakyat together? And as for the general election, PKR will have problems negotiating for seats with PAS and DAP, and PKR is most likely to contest in mixed seats, some of which are also vied by DAP and PAS," he said.

Despite this, PKR leaders are still trying hard to reassure their members and supporters, as well as the voters, that they have a succession plan in place but not everyone is convinced, though.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Selasa, 29 November 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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