| Pakatan claims credit for ISA repeal, law reforms Posted: 15 Sep 2011 12:10 PM PDT 
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have taken credit for Datuk Seri Najib Razak's decision to repeal the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) as well as several law reforms, saying the prime minister's move was a direct rip-off from their Buku Jingga plans. Opposition leaders have chosen to remain cautious over the PM's announcement, but at the same time said that the "bold reforms" vindicated PR's struggles for "the past few decades."
"We are vindicated by the announcement but are still hesitant to pop the champagne as we await the fine print.
"Oh, and Najib lifted everything from our Buku Jingga. Every single thing. Najib has just proved and vindicated our struggles over the past few decades," DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua told The Malaysian Insider.
Najib announced last night his intention to repeal the ISA and the remaining three Emergency Declarations when both the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat have their next sitting.
In his Malaysia Day address, the prime minister said new laws will be enacted to protect the peace, harmony and security of the country, adding the government will do away with annual printing and publishing permits with permits that can be cancelled if regulations are flouted.
Pua said that Najib's announcement last night proved the success of public pressure against the government, citing the recent July 9 Bersih rally as one of the catalysts for last night's announcement.
PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar echoed Pua's remarks, and pointed out that most of the law reforms announced by the PM had first been mooted by PR via its Buku Jingga reform plans.
The Buku Jingga plans include, among others, a promise to abolish the ISA once the opposition assumed federal power.
Nurul Izzah noted although Najib had decided to revoke the Emergency Declarations, the government had previously rejected the same idea when PR first mooted the Emergency Revocation Bill in Parliament last March.
"Nonetheless, it is crucial that these changes introduced are meaningful and lasting by ensuring Malaysians are not subjected by reintroduction of draconian legislation in any guise or form.
"In fact, if he can announce all these measures, Datuk Seri Najib must immediately implement comprehensive reforms to the electoral system as demanded by Bersih 2.0 and all others," she told The Malaysian Insider.
Najib also said last night that two new security laws would be introduced for preventive detention which would be limited only to cases of terrorism and "ensure that basic human rights are protected."
The PM said that under the new laws, detentions could only be extended by the court and therefore "the power of detention will be shifted from the executive to the judiciary, unless it concerns terrorism." READ MORE HERE. |
| Ibrahim Ali cautious over ISA repeal, says racist groups still exist Posted: 15 Sep 2011 11:45 AM PDT  By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Datuk Ibrahim Ali has cautioned against early celebrations over Putrajaya's decision last night to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA), telling the government that racism still exists in the country. The fiery founder and president of Malay rights group Perkasa, who supported suggestions to use the ISA against Bersih 2.0 protestors, said he would adopt a "wait-and-see" approach to Datuk Seri Najib Razak's reform promises before declaring a formal stand.
"To Perkasa, do not let it end like the saying 'jangan keris makan tuan' (do not fall on your own sword).
"Many issues should be considered because Malaysia is a multi-racial country where there are groups that are still bent on having racist attitudes and do not respect the basis of the Federal Constitution with their many demands, as we have seen recently," he said in a statement last night. Ibrahim, who has been detained twice without trial under the ISA, also appeared to doubt the government's sincerity in its latest reforms, questioning if the Najib's announcement was merely a populist move. "Was the decision made for the government to gain popularity or are they truly prioritising national security? "As such, Perkasa chooses to wait and see," he said. Najib announced a slew of reforms during his Malaysia Day address to the nation last night, including repealing the ISA, amendments to other security and press laws and the lifting of three Emergency Declarations. Ibrahim, however, lauded the decision to lift the Emergency Declarations, saying they were no longer relevant. "Perkasa congratulates the PM in conjunction with Malaysia Day celebration and the 54th Merdeka Day," he said. Najib also said that two new preventive laws would be enacted in place of the ISA, which de facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz later told The Malaysian Insider would still allow for detention without trial. But the laws, said to be fashioned after anti-terrorism legislation like the Patriot Act in the US, are to be solely used against terrorists and not to curb individuals from supporting different political ideologies. The Malaysian Insider understands that Najib's speech last night is the start of an election push which will definitely not be held this year although there was speculation of snap polls in November. Najib came to power in April 2009 with the promise of reviewing the ISA but has now done away with the security law completely in what appears to be a drastic move to win back middle Malaysia. READ MORE HERE. |
| Take a stand, cast your vote Posted: 15 Sep 2011 11:39 AM PDT By Kong Si Ying, The Star Elections, essentially popularity contests, have the propensity to bow to irrational sentiment and does not always constitute mankind's finest moments, but this is the way we choose our leaders – and our future. THIS is not an essay on governance or politics. I do not propose to promulgate the good or bad of democracy, representative government or any political party. It is merely an essay on our right and duty to vote. This is an entreaty to each of us to understand and, more importantly, participate in the civilisation we exist in. It is a bid for action and ownership over one's future, rather than discontent compounded by indifference. First, we seek to understand the form of civilised society we exist in. Malaysia inherited its parliamentary system from the British. Democracy, in all its varied forms, is perhaps the only form of government my generation will ever know. We elect our class monitor, our student council, a company's board of directors and our parliamentary representatives based on similar principles. It is sometimes referred to as popular government. Elections are essentially popularity contests, which have the propensity to bow to irrational sentiment. This, in turn, does not always constitute mankind's finest moments. It is, however, inevitable in the quest for equality by giving each citizen a voice. If you wish to keep that voice, you must use it. Whether by birth or some other process, we were granted citizenship, and with that came the right to vote for, and hopefully determine, the few among us who will steer our society and make decisions on behalf of all of us. Our Government's policies and decisions, although seemingly remote to our everyday lives, do have profound effects on you and me – how much we will earn, how happy our children will be, how safe our streets are, how long we can live. We choose our leaders and, hence, our future, through the removed but necessary reach of the ballot. That said, I do not seek to debate whether democracy is the ideal form of governance. Representative government is what we have. For now, we play our cards based on the rules that exist. In the very near future, all Malaysian citizens eligible to vote, and who have registered at least three or four months in advance as a voter, will be asked to choose their representatives, or perhaps, to decide whether they would even bother heading to the polling booth in the first place. Whatever your vote, please participate in the choosing of your government and cast that vote. Voting is a civic duty and one might ask to whom this duty is owed. It is owed, if not to fellow citizens, then at the least to yourself. Freedom, egalitarianism and civilised society were not born from indifference. In the absence of crisis, we take for granted our roles as civilians. As an individual with hopes, wants and needs, one owes it to oneself to take ownership and control over one's life, and a necessary extension of that is our government. If you are discontented, consider the alternatives. If you prefer the status quo, vote to defend the incumbent. Whichever it is, vote. Those who do not vote waive the moral right to complain and be disgruntled about the past and future state of governance. You may vote because of the individual or you may vote because of the party. You may vote selfishly to keep yourself in business or you may seek altruism by voting with future generations in mind. Whatever your motivation, there is no right or wrong. Your right to choose extends not only to which box you will cross, but also how you make that choice. The evolution of modern government has made these choices your sacred right. Treasure it, use it. You may listen to what others philosophise about these choices, but the ultimate decision is yours. Likewise, you might choose to abstain from voting for whatever reason. Legally speaking, that is your choice, too. Your vote is ultimately your decision, as is your choice whether to vote. If you feel that your abstention may not matter because your vote is just a drop in the ocean, you are not alone. Many, if not almost all of us, share that view. But if civic indifference is the death of civilised society, tell yourself this – it will not start with me. Much has been said about the many political groups and individuals in our country, by the very same political groups and individuals as well as by those that would be governed by them. Many of us are wary, some of us weary. There are populist agenda, healthy debates, personal attacks, political promises, and this sea of rhetoric can be overwhelming. Sometimes, to shut out the noise, disappointment and disdain, it seems easier to just ignore the politics. Politics. It has become a dirty word. Yet inaction is not the way to live. Inaction stems from either indifference or fear. To the indifferent, consider the duty you owe to yourself, your loved ones and your fellow countrymen to participate in the democracy you co-exist in, and to care enough about what will happen to yourself and to them. To the fearful, I would say (at the risk of quoting a beat generation artist and a Disney film) that "courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear". That something else, is your right to choose your leaders and to own your future as well as the legacy of your nation. Not all of us will become the Nelson Mandelas or Aung San Suu Kyis of the world or participate in an Arab uprising, but we can be our own heroes and reclaim our dignity in our own small but profound way. We may put our faith and trust in the wrong candidate, we may vote and yet be beaten by the majority, but we take a stand and cast that vote and hope for the best, so that although at the end of the day there may be disappointment, there will be no shame. |
| Is a general election looming in Malaysia? Posted: 15 Sep 2011 11:29 AM PDT By Razak Ahmad, Reuters A recent slew of populist measures has strengthened expectations that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib could call a snap election within the next 6 months, as he seeks a mandate to execute economic reforms and strengthen his grip on power. Bonus payments for civil servants, a cash payout for farmers and affordable housing for low-income earners are among the steps the government has taken to cushion the impact of higher prices and address a major gripe among voters. Najib is also expected to announce several political reforms on Thursday, including amending a controversial security law to make good on promises to allow increased freedom of speech. The government's popularity has taken a dip over the past year because of anger over the rising cost of living, the slow pace of political reforms and widening religious discontent. Analysts say Najib has two options: hold snap polls to cut his losses or delay elections, which would buy him time to appease disgruntled ethnic minorities. The following are possible scenarios on the timing of the next general election, which is not due until 2013, and the implications for reforms. SOONER OR LATER Najib may opt for an early election for fear that economic growth could take a sharp dive if the global economy slipped into recession. "With signs of global growth moderating, and the global economy showing signs of weakness, it would make sense for PM Najib to call an election soon, rather than risk the economic climate turning much worse," Barclay's Capital said in a note on Sept. 1. Analysts say the ruling National Front coalition could also press ahead with early polls as it discounts the support of non-Muslim ethnic minorities who appear steadfast in their opposition towards the government. Najib could also be persuaded to call for an early election with former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's opposition struggling to build on its strong victory in a Sarawak state election. The three-party opposition grouping has been plagued by infighting and distracted by Anwar's protracted trial on sodomy charges, which he denies. Najib's popularity rating is also still relatively strong at 56 percent in August, although it has declined steadily since hitting a high of 72 percent in May 2010. BUY SOME TIME On the flip side, Najib could hold out beyond the next 6 months to give himself more time to execute reforms. Since taking office in 2009, the premier has taken modest steps to cut fuel subsidies and liberalise the economy. Critics say he must move a lot faster if he wants to make good on a pledge to put Malaysia back on the radar of foreign investors. The government may also want more time to placate unhappy ethnic minority Chinese and Indians who complain of marginalisation. Loss of support among the two ethnic groups contributed to the ruling coalition's disastrous showing in the 2008 general election when it lost its once iron-clad, two-thirds majority. Najib could also take a bet that holding polls later rather than earlier would see the opposition further weakened by internal squabbles and the lack of clear leadership if Anwar were jailed for sodomy. REFORM OUTLOOK? A strong win by either Najib's coalition or the opposition People's Alliance grouping is expected to be positive for financial markets as it would provide certainty in government and economic policy. If the ruling coalition wins big, it could give Najib the mandate to push through delayed reforms such as the introduction of a goods and services tax as well as accelerating subsidy cuts. Similarly, a clear win by the opposition would give it the will to push through pledges to cut government corruption and scrap a pro-ethnic Malay economic policy, which investors say has spawned a patronage-ridden economy. A worst-case scenario for the markets would be an unconvincing win by either side, which would lead to more political tension and policy uncertainty. In 2008, the National Front's poor showing triggered a 9.5 percent slide in the stock market. (Editing by Liau Y-Sing and Robert Birsel) |
| Malaysian Leader Opens Door for Reforms Posted: 15 Sep 2011 11:04 AM PDT By James Hookway, Wall Street Journal Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak opened the door to major political changes in this Southeast Asian nation Thursday by saying the government would abolish a decades-old law that allows for detention without trial and pledging not to hold anybody in custody because of their political beliefs. Instead, the country's draconian Internal Security Act will be replaced by new legislation targeted at detaining terrorists. Mr. Najib also said newspapers and broadcasters would be able to operate indefinitely without renewing their license each year, as is the case now, unless those licenses are revoked.
Mr. Najib's moves could help redefine his troubled premiership if he delivers on his pledges, political analysts say, and could revive his own political standing in the run-up to new elections that must be held in the next 18 months.
The new measures also could help steer Malaysia toward a more open political and economic environment and head off the kind of pressures that have destabilized parts of the Middle East this year.
People familiar with Mr. Najib's thinking say his remarks, which were broadcast on live television, are part of a wider—but cautious—reform program that is calibrated to liberalize this racially and religiously diverse nation of 28 million people and reinvigorate its economy without provoking a backlash from powerful conservative bureaucrats and grass-roots activists.
"Many will question whether I am moving too far, too fast. Some will say reforms should only be carried out in small steps, or not at all," Mr. Najib said of his planned political changes. "There may be short-term pain for me politically, but in the long term the changes I am announcing tonight will ensure a brighter, more prosperous future for all Malaysians."
Some activists and observers, however, are already questioning the reach of Mr. Najib's reforms. Nalini Elumalai, secretary of the Abolish the ISA Movement, said she welcomed Mr. Najib's speech but questioned whether the new laws that will replace the Internal Security Act might also be used against political targets, as the ISA has been used in the past. There are currently 37 people held in Malaysia under the law.
Bridget Welsh, a professor at Singapore Management University and a longtime observer of Malaysian politics, meanwhile notes that Mr. Najib didn't mention any changes to one of the government's most powerful tools: Malaysia's sedition laws—which criminalize speech that generates ill-feeling toward the government or disharmony among the races—have also been used to silence critics.
"Mr. Najib is making a really important first step. He is embracing reform as a political idea—but it's still an idea at this point," Ms. Welsh said. "To garner long-term support he needs to really deliver substantial change."
Mr. Najib's speech on Thursday didn't touch on the other key issue that frequently defines politics here: race. Since coming into power in April 2009, Mr. Najib, the 58-year-old son of Malaysia's second prime minister, has rolled back parts of a wide-reaching affirmative-action program that for decades has been used to give a leg up to Malaysia's majority-Muslim ethnic-Malay population and underpinned support for the ruling United Malays National Organization party. Many ethnic-Chinese and ethnic-Indian Malaysians say the program is unfair, and some prominent ethnic Malays argue that the policies have held back Malaysia's economic potential.
Mr. Najib has responded by making it easier for all Malaysians to secure overseas scholarships and places at local universities, while stopping short of changing other core elements of the affirmative action program. He also has opened up barriers to investment in sectors such as finance and laid out plans to reduce the influence of powerful government investment funds, though some investors have asked for more.
Opposition politicians, meanwhile, have questioned Mr. Najib's commitment to economic reform. While welcoming Mr. Najib's early efforts to roll back the affirmative-action policies that have held sway here since deadly race riots in the late 1960s, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said in a recent interview that Mr. Najib rarely seemed convinced of his own policies. "They are a result of focus groups and consultative meetings and he doesn't really prepare the government to implement them," Mr. Anwar said.
The impact of these so-far modest changes also has been blunted by Mr. Najib's government's response to political dissent.
Last month, Mr. Najib announced plans to explore possible changes to Malaysia's election laws after police broke up a pro-reform rally with water cannons and tear gas. More than 20,000 people attended the rally for a more transparent electoral system, the biggest political demonstration in the country since 2007. Amnesty International described the crackdown as the worst political repression in years.
Malaysia's standing in the international community also has been badly eroded by the continuing trial of the opposition leader, Mr. Anwar, who is accused of violating Malaysia's strict sodomy laws. Mr. Anwar denies having sex with a former male aide, saying the case is politically motivated. He was imprisoned on similar charges in 1998 before his conviction was overturned six years later.
Mr. Najib denies having anything to do with the case, pointing out that the complaint against Mr. Anwar was brought by his aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, not the state.
Political analysts said Mr. Najib's speech could help him seize back the middle ground of Malaysian politics and regain territory lost to Mr. Anwar's opposition alliance in the 2008 national elections. Mr. Najib by law must call new elections by spring 2013 and is widely expected to announce a vote before then.
At the same time, pledging fresh political reforms might also enable Mr. Najib to distance himself from the right wing of UMNO. Key members of UMNO remain reluctant to opening up the political environment or leveling an economic playing field that has long been weighted heavily in favor of Malaysia's ethnic-Malay population through the use of the affirmative-action rules.
By introducing an ideological gap between himself and his opponents within the ruling party, Mr. Najib could make it more difficult for his rivals to counter his leadership and derail his plans to open up Malaysia, some analysts suggest.
*Celine Fernandez and Ankur Relia in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this article. |
| Najib to Repeal Malaysian Laws Before Vote Posted: 15 Sep 2011 11:00 AM PDT By Gan Yen Kuan, Bloomberg Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Malaysia's broadest political reforms since independence in 1957, two months after street protests that led to the arrest of more than 1,600 people. Najib promised to scrap the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance, which permit detention without trial, to ensure that people can't be arrested for their political affiliations. The government will also ease restrictions on the media and public assembly, he said. "The abolition of the ISA, and the other historic changes, underline my commitment to making Malaysia a modern, progressive democracy that can be proud to take its place at the top table of international leadership," Najib said yesterday in a speech broadcast on national television. "Many will question whether I am moving too far, too fast. There may be short-term pain for me politically, but in the long term the changes I am announcing will ensure a brighter, more prosperous future." Najib, 58, vowed to improve democratic freedoms before national elections that could be held as early as next year, and after a backlash against the government's response to a July 9 rally demanding an overhaul of electoral laws. Groups such as Amnesty International condemned the use of force to detain the peaceful activists for marching on the capital in defiance of a government ban. The prime minister's speech was "geared toward the election," Ong Kian Ming, a political analyst at UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, said by telephone. Popularity DropsA group of more than 60 non-governmental organizations known as Bersih 2.0 planned the protests. Bersih, which has the support of opposition parties, wants electoral changes such as campaign periods of at least 21 days and the use of indelible ink on fingers to prevent people from voting more than once. Public support for Najib slipped to 59 percent in August from 65 percent in May, according to a survey by Selangor-based Merdeka Center for Opinion Research. His popularity, which peaked at 72 percent in May 2010, has waned amid growing concerns about higher living costs and the government's handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally, the center said on Aug. 29. The survey of 1,027 people was taken from Aug. 11-27 and didn't give a margin of error. Last month, Najib said the government would establish a bi- partisan parliamentary committee to review changes to electoral rules, and that authorities would also consider amending laws governing censorship of print media. 'Positive Development'During the July protests, Malaysia's Home Ministry blacked out parts of an article in the Economist that called the government "overzealous" in its handling of the Bersih rally. Najib's pledges are a "positive development that opens up space for freedom of speech, rule of law and transparency," said Ibrahim Suffian, a political analyst at Merdeka Center. "The proof lies in the implementation of these statements and the nature of the laws meant to replace the ISA." The Internal Security Act was introduced in 1960 in the wake on an armed insurgency by Communist rebels, giving the police wide-ranging powers to detain suspects indefinitely. It will be replaced by a law that incorporates more judicial oversight and limits police powers to detain people for preventive reasons, Najib said. Opposition leaders including Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng and Karpal Singh have been held under the ISA and 37 people are now being held under the the law. The same regulation remains in neighboring Singapore, another former British colony. No CompromiseThe Emergency Ordinance, introduced in Malaysia following race riots in 1969, permits the detention of suspects for up to two years with a minister's consent. The government used it against six opposition politicians in July. "This will be replaced by a law that will not compromise on national security and terrorism, while increasing democratic accountability and judicial oversight," the government said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Media laws will be repealed so licenses, which must now be renewed annually, can remain valid indefinitely unless revoked, the government said. While Malaysia's constitution guarantees the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, the law has required police permission before gatherings could go ahead, including on private land such as stadiums. "This law will now be reviewed to bring Malaysia in line with international standards, while ensuring that the police retain the right to prevent violent scenes on the nation's streets," according to the government statement. |
| Tireless torchbearer for Iban rights Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:51 AM PDT  By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT Ibi anak Uding has taken to wearing white these days. She says it's the only way to control her fiery temperament which is constantly stoked by the plight of her native Iban community. To outsiders, Ibi is known as PKR Sarawak's Wanita chief. But among her own she is saluted as the Iban torchbearer in her relentless fight for their rights. And that fight has been a formidable one. The development that has flowed into Sarawak over the decades has not just bypassed natives living deep in the interior but also encroached into their fundamental rights. Protests over disparity and injustices are easily muffled by those in power and would have remained silent if not for Ibi. Seven years ago, an oil plantation company helped itself to Ibi's land by planting its trees there. An outraged Ibi was arrested and badly bruised in her attempt to take back what was rightfully hers. "I lodged a report with Bukit Aman and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and I never heard a single word from them," she said. "That's when I knew I had to continue fighting but on a different platform. So I became a politician." Faith and loyalty Ibi, 49, joined the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and self-financed her campaign for the Balai Ringin seat in the 2006 state election. After the seat fell to Barisan Nasional's (BN) Snowdon Lawan, SNAP slowly sank below the political radar screen and went into hibernation. Ibi was dismayed but decided to wait for a second chance. That chance came in the 2008 general election. By March 2009, she was among the first Dayaks to join PKR. In this year's April 16 Sarawak state election, she was the first Iban woman candidate to be fielded by PKR for the Balai Ringin constituency seat. Balai Ringin is a two-hour drive from Kuching and is among the nine new state seats created by the Election Commission after the re-delineation of electoral boundaries in 2005. Ibans form 89.09% of the voters there and as soon as they heard of her candidacy, they came in droves to offer their assistance. READ MORE HERE. |
| Messing up with Merdeka date Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:48 AM PDT 
By Jeswant Kaur, FMT Is Aug 31 the independence day of Malaysia or Malaya? Referring to the former, which is what we have for so long been doing, has caused a lot of unhappiness among the people of East Malaysia, that is, Sabah and Sarawak. As of 2010, the population of the two states stood at six million (3.5 million in Sabah and 2.5 million in Sarawak), representing roughly 20% of the population of Malaysia. Historically, the term "Malaysia" came into being on Sept 16, 1963. Prior to that, this country was called "Malaya" which in the Philippine national language of Tagalog also means "free" or "freedom". This being so, the people of Sabah and Sarawak want Aug 31 to be addressed as the independence day of Malaya, not Malaysia. The first prime minister of independent Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, in 1961 mooted the idea of forming "Malaysia" which would comprise Brunei, Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, all of which had been British colonies. Tunku's reasoning was that this would allow the central government to combat and control communist activities, especially in Singapore. Then there was also the fear that if Singapore achieved independence, it would become a base for Chinese chauvinists to threaten Malayan sovereignty. It was decided that to balance out the ethnic composition of the new nation, the other states, with their Malay and indigenous populations, would be included. The objections raised by the people of Sabah and Sarawak in being included in the Aug 31 independence brings to mind the rejections then made by the political parties in Sarawak in merging with "Malaysia". Sabah's community representatives also opposed the merger and so did the Parti Rakyat Brunei (PRB), albeit the Sultan of Brunei supporting the "marriage". A revolt staged by PRB was seen as a threat to destabilise the new nation, hence the decision to leave Brunei out of Malaysia. After a review of the Cobbold Commission's findings, the British government appointed the Landsdowne Commission to draft a constitution for Malaysia. The constitution would essentially be the same as the 1957 constitution, the only difference being in the rewording. For instance, recognising the special position of the natives of the Borneo states plus granting Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore autonomy which was unavailable to other states of Malaya. Post-negotiations in July 1963, it was agreed that Malaysia would come into being on Aug 31, 1963 consisting of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. The date was to coincide with the independence day of Malaya. However, the Philippines and Indonesia fought against this development, with the latter claiming Malaysia represented a form of "neocolonialism" and the Philippines claiming Sabah as its territory, causing the formation of Malaysia to be delayed. This situation led to an eight-member United Nations team being formed to re-ascertain whether Sabah and Sarawak truly wanted to be a part of Malaysia. Malaysia was formally established on Sept 16, 1963 comprising Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. The above quick-take on how Malaya and Malaysia came to be forces the question of why then is Aug 31 referred to as the independence day of Malaysia, instead of Malaya? Natives of Sabah and Sarawak upset Repeatedly addressing Aug 31 as Malaysia's Merdeka day has been rankling the natives of Sabah and Sarawak for sometime now. Their argument is that the Malaysian government has got its facts wrong by referring to Aug 31 as the independence day for Malaysia. Aug 31, they point out, should be addressed as the independence day of Malaya. How should this issue be dealt with? Should the term "Malaya" henceforth be used to address the country's Merdeka come Aug 31? The irony, however, is that for so long a time now, Aug 31 has been synonymous with the birth date of "Malaysia". How did this anomaly happen? READ MORE HERE. |
| Anwar cautious of PM’s reforms, questions new security laws Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:44 AM PDT 
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has remained cautious of the Najib administration's latest move in repealing the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA), and has questioned the proposed new security laws as replacements. In a response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's announcement made last night, the opposition leader said the public should remain "cautious" whether the repealing of the ISA guaranteed "freedom" from other forms of persecution. "ISA: sambut baik pemansuhannya setelah sekian lama diperjuang rakyat dan ditentang umno. Wbp harus waspada samada kebebasan dijamin dan Akta ganti (ISA: welcome the abolishment after long fought for by the rakyat and opposed by Umno. But we have to be wary whether freedom is now guaranteed and what will be the replacement Acts)," said Anwar on micro-blogging site Twitter. Najib announced he wants to repeal the ISA and the three Emergency Declarations when both the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat have their next sitting. The prime minister said new laws will be enacted to protect the peace, harmony and security of the country. He also announced that the government will do away with annual printing and publishing permits with permits that can be cancelled if regulations are flouted. Najib acknowledged in his address to the nation on the eve of Malaysia Day that the move to increase civil liberties was "risky, but we are doing this for our survival." PKR vice-president N. Surendran said reform announcements were "vague and limited" and that the PM had failed to acknowledge any wrongdoing in the usage of the ISA as well as emergency laws for "five long decades." Surendran charged that the reforms still left "substantial" undemocratic and oppressive powers in the hands of the government. "The ISA is to be abolished; however two new laws are to be enacted providing for preventive detention. The ambit and wording of these two new laws are unknown," he said in a statement last night. Najib also said last night that two new security laws would be introduced for preventive detention which would be limited only to cases of terrorism and "ensure that basic human rights are protected." READ MORE HERE. |
| Putrajaya will look to US, UK anti-terrorism laws, says Hisham Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:38 AM PDT  By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Putrajaya will look to anti-terrorism laws from the West as models to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA) which is to be repealed under a raft of reforms announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the Patriot Act in the United States, the Anti-terrorism Act in the UK and Australia will be considered in drawing up new security laws for Malaysia. "All these can be examples for us to foil potential terrorist acts," he told reporters after the prime minister's address to the nation last night. "It is another chapter of the journey which we announced earlier and a lot of work has now got to go into the two Acts that were announced and actually the balancing between national interest and security and civil liberties is the balance that we need to achieve," he added. The home minister said the two new Acts proposed to replace the ISA will cover terrorism and national security. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the new laws will still allow detention without trial. Hishammuddin had denied on Tuesday speculation that the government will abolish the ISA — a possible indication of resistance among security officials and right-wing elements in Umno to purported plans by the prime minister to repeal the controversial law. Despite talk coming from sources in Najib's office in recent days that the PM was mulling a repeal of the law which provides for detention without trial, the home minister insisted that the law would only be "adjusted and amended." "So as far as KDN (Home Ministry) is concerned, we were fully aware that this transformation needed to be made but the two years that it took us to get here is finding the balance and the events that took place around the world, events that took place in Malaysia helped us in shaping what the prime minister announced today," Hishammuddin said. He reiterated Najib's remarks, saying that the country was no longer in a state of emergency and all the Emergency Declarations will be looked into. "Those are related to the emergency conditions and that was the basic premise of what the prime minister said that we are no longer in a state of emergency. READ MORE HERE. |
| Am I missing something? Posted: 15 Sep 2011 04:59 AM PDT 
So why are we blaming Britain (a country that in the first place never colonised Malaya) for a law that we introduced three years AFTER the British went home and three years AFTER Malaya gained self-rule or Merdeka (from a country that never colonised us)?NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Najib Razak's Moment
Selamat Hari Malaysia! Today, 16.9.2011, will go down in history as Najib Razak's day. Nobody expected Malaysia's 6th Prime Minister to have the gumption to scrap the I.S.A. But last night, in a widely-followed Merdeka/Malaysia Day address, he scrapped it. Just like that, and in Bahasa Malaysia, he ended one of colonial Britain's most despised gifts to this nation. The move stunned the usually vociferous political rivals into silence, says the MOLE.* Until way past midnight, the blogs of Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang had yet to laud the move.
And laud it we Malaysians must.
Thank you Mr Prime Minister, and thank you to those who have fought to end this colonial legacy.
Merdeka and Selamat Hari Malaysia.
http://www.rockybru.com.my/2011/09/najib-razaks-moment.html **********************************
Hold on a minute! Am I missing something here? The above was what Rocky's Bru posted two hours ago.
However, two things do not seem to make sense here.
First of all, Malaysia was never colonised by Britain. So say 'notable' Malaysian historians. So how can, as Rocky's Bru said, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak have "ended one of colonial Britain's most despised gifts to this nation"?
If Malaysia was never colonised by Britain, then surely the ISA can't be "one of colonial Britain's most despised gifts to this nation".
Nevertheless, I am extremely glad that Rocky's Bru agrees that the ISA is a 'most despised' law, as what we in the opposition have been saying for so long, and as I have been saying for 35 years since the 1970s when I first became politically active in the era when many of you were still sucking on your mother's tits.
Secondly, even if Malaya was colonised by Britain, as Rocky's Bru now seems to admit, we declared Merdeka in August 1957 when the Union Jack was lowered and the new Malayan flag was raised and when we stopped singing 'God Save the Queen' and replaced it with the song 'Terang Bulan', which was stolen from a Hawaiian song called 'Mamula Moon' and which we renamed 'Negara Ku'.
The Internal Security Act 1960, however, as the Act itself suggests, was made into law in 1960, three years AFTER Merdeka. That's why it is called the Internal Security Act 1960 and not the Internal Security Act 1948 (when the Emergency was first declared and when Britain was still running the country).
So why are we blaming Britain (a country that in the first place never colonised Malaya) for a law that we introduced three years AFTER the British went home and three years AFTER Malaya gained self-rule or Merdeka (from a country that never colonised us)?
That's the part that seems to escape me.
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| After PKR-DAP spat over seats in Johor, more friction in the offing? Posted: 15 Sep 2011 04:20 AM PDT (Bernama) - The spat between PKR and DAP, two of the three partners of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR), over allocation of seats in Johor may be just the beginning of intense bickering, according to some political analysts. They believe that such tiffs will crop up in the states as the leaders at that level are unlikely to look for a compromise until intervention by their top leaders.
"The intense bickering in Johor is due to the fact that the opposition is planning to make more inroads in the state in the next election. What happened in Johor in 2008 was that PKR was not that strong enough to build itself.
"Only after (former MCA minister) Datuk Chua Jui Meng became the state chairman did it (PKR) try to get more seats to contest but the DAP is still very strong, especially in the Johor Baharu area," said political commentator Datuk Cheah See Kian.
He felt that such spats were not likely to occur only in Johor, but believed that the parties would eventually close ranks.
"They will eventually compromise. For example, in the 2008 general election, DAP wanted 21 seats in Penang after originally demanding 23. They said 21, no more compromise after that. However, after discussions with (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim), DAP agreed to take 19 as Anwar managed to convince DAP to give PKR two more seats as the party would have to depend on Malay support to form a government," he added.
However, James Chin, a political analyst from Monash University in Petaling Jaya, said the DAP-PKR quarrel was more intense this time around due to the fact that DAP was working toward being a more multi-racial party and this had put it at odds with PKR, which had been contesting in "mixed" constituencies in the previous elections.
He believed that "personal reasons" also played a part in the squabble as many members in the opposition pact, particularly DAP, were said to be not too happy with Chua's decision to join PKR and his subsequent appointment as Johor PKR chairman.
"When Chua was MCA vice-president, he helped BN to destroy DAP. Many people are not happy and find it difficult to work with him even though he is PKR vice-president at the national level and Johor state chairman, which has given him the mandate to negotiate for seats," said Chin.
The DAP-PKR friction over seats in Johor somewhat resembled the misunderstanding between the same two parties in the recent Sarawak state election where they initially failed to have a consensus on how many seats to contest.
It was only resolved after the PKR national leadership allowed its state leadership to negotiate directly with the DAP state leadership, but still they could not avoid multi-cornered fights with a local opposition outfit, Sarawak National Party (SNAP).
After the Sarawak state election, DAP and PKR were also feuding over the proposed "shadow state cabinet" posts after DAP Sarawak chairman Wong Ho Leng announced a line-up.
Even for the next general election, PKR is reportedly aiming for 15 parliamentary seats in Sarawak, a matter which may draw a difference in opinion from Sarawak DAP.
Not only that, DAP and PKR may also have the same problems in Sabah and would also have to contend with the opposition-based Sabah Progressive Party or Parti Maju Sabah (SAPP).
SAPP had already declared that it will stand in at least 40 state seats in Sabah. This includes all the eight Chinese-majority areas, where it will basically pit its candidates against those from DAP and PKR.
Even in Penang, a state now controlled by the DAP, DAP veteran Zulkifli Mohd Noor had been reported to be asking his party to reclaim six seats contested by PKR previously. His suggestion has drawn a lot of flak from Penang PKR leaders.
The DAP-PKR feud in Johor took place despite an earlier comment by PKR de facto leader Anwar that the issue of seat allocation among the three PR partners - DAP, PKR and PAS - had been resolved in most states with that in a few in the process of being finalised.
Anwar was reported to have said that a national-level PR meeting decided that component parties in the states should not make any announcements for the time being.
"We find there have been some statements from individuals, but it is not advisable to announce anything yet," he said at a recent Aidilfitri open house.
"We have done far better this time than in 2008," he said, explaining that the major parameters in terms of preparations had already been resolved before the next election in contrast to the last-minute agreements in 2008.
A political analyst at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, said although there was a crack in solidarity, the opposition parties would be smart enough to sweep it under the carpet for the time being and resolve the matter later.
He said this raised questions of whether the seats controversy was orchestrated and part of PR's strategy to divert attention from solving the real issues until their top leadership could come out with a plan to overcome the ongoing problems.
"What has happened to their so-called Common Policy framework (CPF) and shadow cabinet? Until now, they have not implemented them. If the CPF is already there, then the friction would not have been there in the first place," he said.
But the latest controversy over seats has no doubt created speculation and negative perceptions over PR's solidarity.
As pointed out by PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution last Wednesday, the misunderstanding was not going to help the coalition. He urged PR members not to wash dirty linen in public. |
| It was People Power that finished off the ISA Posted: 15 Sep 2011 02:18 AM PDT (Aliran) - Prime Minister Najib Razak's announcement that the ISA and the Emergency Ordinance would be repealed has taken the nation by surprise. He also announced that Section 27 of the Police Act (on public assemblies) and the requirement for publishing permits to be renewed annually would be dropped. Most people would be inclined to welcome these announcements. But we would be well advised to temper any celebration with caution. What will replace these oppressive laws is not clear and has not yet been revealed in much detail.
The repeal of the ISA and EO is an acknowledgement that the government can no longer sustain the use of these laws without strong public condemnation and opposition. The repeal of these two laws is the only logical move.
Massive public rallies have driven the final nail into the coffin of these obnoxious laws. The people, inspired and spurred on by the civil society Abolish ISA Movement (GMI), have won a remarkable victory through their persistent and determined opposition to the ISA. For that, the people have to be congratulated.
The repeal of the ISA and EO, however, will not erase the suffering of all the detainees down the ages who have unjustly suffered at the hands of an oppressive state apparatus. Countless lives have been ruined. An independent tribunal is needed to look into all cases of ill-treatment and torture, psychological or otherwise, that have surfaced over the years. Those who have been abused and ill-treated and incarcerated without trial for years – or their families – must be adequately compensated. Those responsible for ill-treating or abusing detainees must be brought to book as a lesson for others who may be tempted to continue in similar ways.
Meanwhile, other laws that restrict human rights such as the Sedition Act, the Police Act, the Universities and University Colleges Act and the Official Secrets Act must also be repealed as a sign of sincerity on the part of the BN. The same goes for other preventive detention laws. READ MORE HERE |
| WIKILEAKS: UMNO QUESTIONS ANWAR IBRAHIM OVER "FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE" ROLE Posted: 15 Sep 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
State news agency Bernama and mainstream press outlets carried stories May 20-21 reporting that Khairy publicly demanded an explanation from former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over Western press reports that Anwar had close connections to outgoing World Bank President Wolfowitz and played a role in the appointment of Shaha Ali Reza to work at the Foundation for the Future. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
1. (C) Summary: Prime Ministerial son-in-law and UMNO youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin has publicly called on opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim to explain his role in the Foundation for the Future and his connections with outgoing World Bank President Wolfowitz. Anwar, as Foundation chairman, issued a statement clarifying the Foundation's appointment of Shaha Ali Reza in 2006. With the government's dominance of the mainstream media, UMNO will attempt to use this story to weaken Anwar's reformist and Islamic credentials, and portray Anwar as somehow in America's pocket. End Summary. 2. (U) State news agency Bernama and mainstream press outlets carried stories May 20-21 reporting that Khairy publicly demanded an explanation from former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over Western press reports that Anwar had close connections to outgoing World Bank President Wolfowitz and played a role in the appointment of Shaha Ali Reza to work at the Foundation for the Future. Khairy told reporters: "Anwar must explain his role in the scandal.... Anwar has to explain because this is an irregularity and abuse of power at the international level." 3. (SBU) Khairy's remarks followed media accounts in late April that attempted to draw connections between Anwar and the World Bank President. The Malaysian media carried the stories on the eve of the highly-charged Ijok by-election, which pitted Anwar's opposition party against a candidate from the ruling National Coalition (ref A). Anwar's campaign strategy focused heavily on criticism of corruption in UMNO and the National Coalition, and in particular focused attacks on Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. 4. (U) Anwar Ibrahim, writing as Foundation for the Future chairman, issued a statement on May 20 in reaction to the "incessant propaganda from the UMNO controlled media." Anwar's statement described the Foundation's decision in mid-2006 to "regularize" Shaha Ali Reza's assignment by the World Bank to work at the Foundation. His statement concluded that "the Foundation will not hesitate to institute legal action" should there be no clarification by the media. Malaysian papers carried reports of Anwar's statement on May 21-22. 5. (U) Post has received a number of local media inquiries on this issue. Per instructions, we have referred these journalists to the Department. 6. (C) Comment: After enduring Anwar Ibrahim's sharp criticism over corruption and DPM Najib's alleged links to a murder scandal (reftels), UMNO has seized on Western press accounts of Anwar's role at the Foundation for the Future as a means to hit back. By implying that Anwar's actions constituted "abuse of power" and by highlighting press reports of Anwar's connections to a former senior U.S. official, UMNO will attempt to undermine the opposition leader's reformist and Islamic credentials. We expect UMNO also to use the story, at least behind the scenes, to help propagate a belief that Anwar is somehow in America's pocket. With its effective control over the mainstream media, the ruling National Front government will be able to stir this pot if and when it best suits UMNO's purpose. LAFLEUR (MAY 2007)
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| From the team of 15 Malaysia: UndiLah Launching at 16th Sept 2011 Posted: 14 Sep 2011 11:10 PM PDT JhlyvlstcM8
Or watch the trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhlyvlstcM8 From the Team that brought you '15Malaysia' and 'HereInMyHome', brings you 'UndiLah', a Pete Teo PSA music video promoting the Rakyat's right to vote. Again, we have done an independent, bi-partisan and ZERO-budget production involving over 180 people including common folks, politicians from all parties, athletes, entrepreneur, musicians, actor/actress and a Star War character. Song performed by Afdlin Shauki, Namewee, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, and names like Pete Teo, Lee Chung Wei, Wee Ka Siong, Tony Pua, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Tony Fernandes, Lai Meng, Jehan Miskin and many more are among some of the volunteers that contributed to the success of the project. Again, this By Malaysians, Of Malaysians, For Malaysians Music Video is up for FREE DOWNLOAD through its official website www.undilah.com <http://www.undilah.com/> and the music video will be released at the strike of midnight of our Malaysia Day, 16th Sept 2011. Lastly, thank you for your interest and please help engage Malaysians to claim our ownership of this lovely country.
Yours truly,
Albert Law
Producer of 'UndiLah'
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| Snap Elections - Right At The Door Steps Posted: 14 Sep 2011 11:00 PM PDT By XGeneration-Harapan Could it be that PM Najib is going to announce the immediate dissolution of parliament leading to snap polls tonight afer announcing some much awaited news of the relaxation on curbs on a host of civil liberties and maybe some further goodies for the rakyat? If he really does that, I bet that this is going to catch all the opposition figures in a real surprise move but if you look from his angle, isn't this a fantastic move? By what he is going to do, he doesn't even need to answer to Bersih or PAS, the missing clone voters, the controversial church raid etc. Just by one smart move, he now can solve all his headaches of having to give solutions on how to tackle the problem of bringing prices of daily consumerable (edible & non-edible) down. Once and for all, he doesn't need to worry about the difficulties in finding safe seats for MCA and Gerakan. By doing this, he basically is able to outsmart Anwar on his current court case whereby there is a strong possibility that Annuar could overturn the verdict and thus turning the tables on his accuser and those behind it. This will have a lot of repercussions and as a result putting the government in a worrisome and embarrassing situation. By having an election now, it will also potentially give a new lease of life to Sarawak CM Abu Taib Mahmud who is facing imminent MACC as well as some other foreign government probe against his finances as well as having to face all the NCR cases that are coming up ever so often and deals a very hard blow against his reputation and creating an unstable govt. Then again what about all the controversial cases that are pilling up against our AG Abdul Gani Patail as reported by RPK and other prominent Malaysian personalities, how long can he repulse these accusations and attacks as so far all he could do was to keep mum? Do you really think that dealing with such serious accusations, you can just hide in a corner? If ever they are successful in bringing the AG down, you can imagine how big a can of worms they would have opened at the expense of Najib? It is going to be a mouthful! If after hearing all these "favorable" news, you are still not convinced, then you better tell me when would be an even more opportune time to call for snap elections? Look at what is happening to our so-called formidable opposition. They can't even unite for one moment "to win the war for once" but have to fight over each other's dead body just to secure a seat during the present Pakatan Rakyat's seat allocation exercise. And it is as if the party is not hot enough, we now are joined by HRP openly demanding 23 seats from PR! Oh my dear Malaysians brothers and sisters, if this is not the best moment to strike, when do you think is an even better timing? Then again do you remember that the JAIS report to be given to the MB of Selangor has intentionally been delayed for one month? Everything cannot be so coincidental. Don't you agree that it is a nice question to ask oneself? Why did JAIS ask for one month grace? Now see if I can answer it. If they were to submit a report to the MB and if it comes out to be something very negative about the Christians which in this case they are going against the National Christian Body and not just against one single church itself, do you think Najib would allow such an ugly incident to take place? Of course not! So by postponing it by one month, by the time the report is allowed to surface, Najib would have already announced the dissolution of Parliament. And as he already knows it at the back of his palm that basically most non-Malays regardless of them being Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs etc are not likely to support BN, then what does he have to lose if let's say all the Christians do not support him? But if the report comes out timely and poisonous enough, he would have reaped what he wants and that is the Malays. They would be furious with what they read from the report and thereafter this will create a deafening ballistic result on the Malay parties who are deemed to be working hand in glove with these so-called "ungrateful" Christians Friends. In politics, winning the game is all about timing and how deep you are willing to stab. Other than the situation being totally murky where politics are concerned, we must also remind ourselves that it is already well accepted that there is currently huge pessimism on the world financial situation with the economy of some of the "rock solid" financially strong countries in the world going on the slide with high worrisome unemployment figures rising unabated, and also with crude oil price dropping and is expected to drop more in the foreseeable future (it has dropped quite substantially over the last 6 months), coupled with so much negative news of our beloved country's finances being sucked dry through so many scandals, PKFZ, MAS, Bakun Dam, Project MRT etc, etc, can someone tell me that my guess is totally out if I stick my neck out to put a bet on Najib that he will certainly think he will never get another better moment! I do hope that whatever I imagined above is wrong for if I am right, then I cannot imagine the consequences! Only God Can Save Malaysia! |
| That Effing Show #64: Sejarah Malaysia Revisited Posted: 14 Sep 2011 10:59 PM PDT Hallelujah boys and girls. Have you heard the good news? The best and brightest minds in Malaysia have come together in the form of a Majlis Professor Negara and announced that this land of ours was never conquered by those tea drinking pale faced limeys but was merely a protectorate. Confused? Well so are we. What does it mean? Does it mean we have to rewrite all of our history books? Does it mean that this post-colonial hangover we've been suffering for the last 54 years was nothing more than a hallucination? And the most important question on every woman's mind. What's going to happen to Farish Noor? As it is Malaysia Day, (Happy Malaysia Day btw!) we at That Effing Show have decided to delve a little deeper into this latest revelation. We've done the research. We've pointed and laughed. We're doing all the work so you don't have to. Click! http://yumm.my/oYnRSq |
| Internal Security Act to be abolished Posted: 14 Sep 2011 10:58 PM PDT Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak says two new laws will be introduced to safeguard peace and order. (Bernama) - : The Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960 will be abolished and two new laws will be introduced to safeguard peace and order, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said. The prime minister also announced that the government would repeal the Banishment Act 1959 and reviewing other laws to be in line with current needs. A comprehensive study will be carried out on the Restricted Residence Act 1993 and the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 where annual renewals would be done away with, and replaced with issuance of licence until it is revoked. Announcing the matter tonight in his special Malaysia Day message, Najib said the two new laws would be formulated "under the spirit and umbrella" of Article 149 of the Federal Constitution to prevent subversive elements as well as fighting organised terrorism and crime, in order to safeguard peace and public order. In the message delivered in front of 800 people at Angkasapuri and aired live over TV1 and TVi, the prime minister said the new laws replacing the ISA would provide for a shorter detention period. He added that extension of detention can only be done through a court order, except in the law concerning terrorism where the power remained with the minister. "Generally, the power to extend the detention period will shift from the executive to the judiciary, except in matters concerning terrorism," he said. Stern action against street protesters Najib had promised when he first took over the helm of the country's administration on April 3, 2009 that he would carry out a comprehensive review of the ISA. Najib said tonight that the government would ensure that the rights of those being taken action under the new law would be safeguarded in line with the spirit of the Federal Constitution. He said the government also assured that individuals would not be detained because of their political ideologies. "The government will also review Section 27 of the Police Act 1967, taking into account the provision in Article 10 of the Federal Constitutions concerning freedom of assembly," he said. Najib stressed, however, that stern action would remain against street demonstrators. He said that the permit to assemble would be given under certain set of criteria to be determined later, taking into consideration the norms at the international level. Najib said the government would not hesitate to amend or repeal laws which are no longer relevant. |
| Najib's special message: 7 people follow from all over the world Posted: 14 Sep 2011 10:15 PM PDT TV3 set a new record today when seven (7) viewers from all over the world followed Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's special announcement. This is almost double the normally four (4) viewers worldwide who follow TV3 online.NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin 
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| Dr M: I would have sacked Anwar even if advised not to Posted: 14 Sep 2011 06:24 PM PDT 
Tun Dr Mahathir denies allegation by Perak Mufti, says it is not true (The Malaysian Insider) - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today denied Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria asked him not to sack Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 but added he would ignored the advice even if it was given. In a blog posting today, the former prime minister reasoned that at the time, witnesses had already convinced him of Anwar's sodomy crimes and he was not prepared to accept an "immoral" person as his successor. "Even if the Mufti did advise me, and I deny that he did, I would not be able to take that kind of advice. "The learned Mufti may be prepared to accept an immoral person to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. I am sorry but I hold my responsibility as an 'amanah', a trust, and I never can be prepared to accept an immoral prime minister," he wrote. The Malaysian Insider published Harussani's statement last month saying he had attempted to meet with Dr Mahathir 13 years ago to advise him against sacking then deputy prime minister Anwar and against charging him in court for sodomy. "I would have ignored the claim by the Mufti that he advised me. But the report is in the online news portal and that has political implications unfavourable towards me," Dr Mahathir complained. The Perak Mufti had explained that he was concerned back then that Anwar's sacking would bring about split Malays, and that he had repeatedly cautioned the former prime minister to think about an alternative solution. READ MORE HERE |
| Malaysian Scorpene Submarine Corruption Case Legal Briefing Posted: 14 Sep 2011 05:48 PM PDT 
The Solicitors International Human Right's Group (SIHRG) and Malaysian Human Rights NGO (SUARAM) will be hosting a briefing and fund raising event in relation to the French Scorpene submarine deal in which French giant shipbuilder DCNS is alleged to have paid millions of Euros in kickbacks to top Malaysian officials. Joseph Breham, a renowned French lawyer from Sherpa, a non-profit organisation dealing with human rights legal issues and Cynthia Gabriel from Suaram will provide up-to-date briefings followed by an open dialogue session. William Bourdon, a colleague of Mr Breham, who is also part of the French legal team, was unfortunately deported by Malaysian authorities in July this year en route to speak at fund raising events in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Please join us for what is bound to be an interesting and engaging evening. Date : Friday 30th Sept 2011 Venue : Lecture theatre BPP Law School, 68-70 Red Lion Street, London WC1R 4NY Time : Registration : 6pm Briefing and Dialogue Panel : 6.30pm-8.00pm A nasi lemak supper will be on sale at the venue. All proceeds will go towards the legal fund. Admission is free but donations towards the legal case are welcome. Please register at http://malaysianscorpenesubmarinecorruptioncaselegalbrief.eventbrite.com/ For further details pertaining to the case please see below: http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/39450-malaysian-submarines-the-trail-of-retrocommissions-is-becoming-clearer Briefing on the Scorpene Submarine Case Chronology: 5 June 2002: Malaysian Government signed an agreement with French DCNS and Spainish Navantia for the procurement of two (2) Scorpene class submarines. The procurement contract was through direct negotiation with the manufacturing companies, said to be with the service of Perimekar Sdn Bhd. According to the Government explanation, the contract was divided into two parts: a. Cost of two Scorpene submarines together with the package that covers Integrated Logistic Support and training amounted to Euro 969.15m (however on 14 May 2008, Najib told the Parliament that this part cost Euro 999.15) b. Payment to Perimekar Sdn Bhd in the name of "coordination services" for a period of six years, the sum was Euro 114.96m It is widely believed that payment for the second package was in reality the commission for Najib/Rosmah through Razak Baginda as the owner of Perimekar. With the exchange rate at the time, the cost was equivalent to: 1) Payment for submarine cost between: RM 2.14b (Euro=RM3.2 in 2002) – RM 5.43b (Euro=RM5.6 in 2008) (nowEuro=RM4.7) 2) Commission: probably about RM 540m (exchange rate at the time of payment) 26 July 2006: Royal Malaysian Navy announced these vessels will be named after the first and second prime ministers. The first hull will be named KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and the second hull KD Tun Razak. 24 Oct 2007: The first vessel, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman was launched by then Defence Minister Najib on at the DCNS dockyard, Cherbourg, France. (According to Sharribuu, Altantuya was in France with Najib during the launch) 3 Sept 2009: The first Scorpene submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, arrived at a Port Klang naval base after a 54-day voyage from France. The second of the series, KD Tun Razak, is scheduled for delivery in late 2009. However it only arrived in mid 2010. 10 Feb 2009: It was reported that KD Tunku Abdul Rahman could not dive due to technical faults. The Navy sources admitted that the defect had prevented it from diving for three months. However the Government claimed that the problem was fixed in early February and it was allowed to undergo tropical water trial since then. As a result, builder DCNS SA extended the warranty for the submarine, which was supposed to expire on 25 January 2010, until May 2010 so the submarine could complete its trials as the first step to obtaining its Initial Operational Capability (IOC). 25 May 2010: KD Tunku Abdul Rahman warranty expired. 2 July 2010: KD Tun Razak, the second Scorpene submarine, arrived at the Lumut RMN Base. It was more than 6 months behind schedule. 7 July 2010: Marhalim Abas of the Malay Mail again reported that Malaysian submarine crews had remained on dry land since the first arrival due to continuous problems of KD Tunku Abdul Rahman; the crews risked to lose their submarine rating for unable to participate any trial dive. Both submarines are now parked at Sabah Sepanggar Naval base, to date neither of them had undergone the necessary tropical water trial dive. What is the actual cost of the Scorpene submarines? Agreement signed with DCNS/Navantia costed Malaysian taxpayer Euro 1.08b (with Euro 114.96m commission for Perimekar). Nonetheless, we later found out that the price did not include many items. What are the missing items that need additional payments? 1. Maintenance services: Malaysian Government had awarded a joint venture Boustead-DCN Bhd (BDCN) as the services provider for the submarine maintenance. Until today the cost had not been finalized. Nonetheless, in June 2009 Boustead Heavy Industries in a statement to Bursa Malaysia informed that the government had expressed an intent to award a contract worth RM600 million to its joint-venture unit for in-service support for submarines.
March 2010: Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi clarified that for the first year maintenance would cost about RM270m and the annual maintenance cost will be capped at RM600m per year. 2. LIMA 2009: Defence Minister announced additional contract worth Euro37.5m (about RM150m) for the supply of Support and Test Equipment (S&TE) for Scorpene submarines. 3. Weapon not included: on 22 June 2010 Defence Minister answered parliament question revealed that the Government has paid Euro219.265m (about RM890m) for 40 units Exocet SM39 missile and 30 units Black Shark torpedo, to be delivered by 2013. 4. Infrastructure for submarine base in Sabah (not yet constructed)? 5. Training for crews, support staff etc. No price yet. Grand total (rough estimate): Hardware: two Scorpene class submarines RM 5,430m Commission: in the form of services by Perimekar RM 540m Package for simulation and training, S&TE RM 150m Weapons: 40 Exocet missiles and 30 Black Sharp torpedo RM 890m Total: RM 6.98b Maintenance service (under negotiation) RM 270m (first year)/ RM600m (max) Money spent to date RM 7.3b If we add RM600m maintenance RM 7.58b (for 3 years) Uncertain for repair cost to overcome defect RM ??? |
| Jamil Khir: I did not steal zakat money Posted: 14 Sep 2011 05:14 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom has denied that he used Islamic tithes to build a mansion for his family. The minister in charge of Islamic affairs told a press conference today he had lived in the Kampung Batu Muda home since 1994 and renovations were paid for with his own money. "Wallahi, I did not take zakat money. You can check with the Federal Territory zakat department and get a clean audit. "I dare to swear if they dare," Jamil Khir told reporters. 
The Malaysia Today news portal had published a picture of Jamil Khir's home yesterday (picture above), alleging that it was worth millions of ringgit. In the report, PKR Youth deputy chief Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin had challenged the minister to explain how he could afford such a home after three years in office with a monthly salary of not more than RM15,000. But the senator said today the allegations were a "desperate political" move to tarnish his image. "I have lived there for 17 years and I do not know why it is now being raised. It is just renovations. "I don't want to prolong this issue. Before this I was not unemployed. My last post was as a Major-General with a pension and gratuity. Not up to RM1 million but it was enough," he added. He also said that the expansion of his home was due to the increasing number of people in his family, including his parents and his six children who also earn their own income now. |
| Ibrahim Ali FINALLY admits that Malaya was colonised for 400 years Posted: 14 Sep 2011 05:03 PM PDT Ibrahim Ali finally admits that Malaya was colonised over a period of 400 years. Actually the Portuguese colonised Melaka exactly 500 years ago in 1511 and the Northern states paid tribute to and were vassals of the Kingdom of Siam while the Southern states were part of the Riau Empire. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Perkasa: 'Melayu dijajah 400 tahun, tindakan afirmatif dua dekad DEB mana cukup' (The Malaysian Insider) - Presiden Perkasa, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, menegaskan orang Melayu dan Bumiputera telah dijajah lebih 400 tahun dan, oleh itu, tidak mungkin boleh maju dalam dua dekad sejak Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) dilaksanakan. Tempoh 20 tahun DEB berakhir 1990 dan matlamat dasar itu diteruskan menerusi dasar-dasar susulan sejak itu. Sehubungan itu kata beliau, orang Melayu dan Bumiputera sewajarnya diberi masa dengan menganggap bahawa tempoh DEB antara 1970 hingga 1990 sebagai fasa pertama dan era selepas 1990 sebagai "fasa kedua." "Harus diingat bahawa Melayu dan Bumiputera telah dijajah lebih 400 tahun. DEB hanya dilaksanakan dari 1970 hingga 1990. "Mana mungkin (kaum yang) dijajah 400 lebih boleh maju, berjaya dalam tempoh 20 tahun dan waktu DEB dilancar dan dilaksanakan, orang Melayu dan Bumiputera belum bersedia dan serba kekurangan," kata Ibrahim dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan hari ini. Ibrahim menggunakan rujukan dijajah dengan tempoh pelaksanaan memajukan orang Melayu dan Bumiputera ketika negara berhadapan dengan polemik sama ada Tanah Melayu benar-benar dijajah oleh British dan kuasa asing. READ MORE HERE: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/perkasa-melayu-dijajah-400-tahun-tindakan-afirmatif-dua-dekad-deb-mana-cukup/ *********************************** Sovereignty of Malay Rulers a legal fiction DR CHANDRA MUZAFFAR, The Star In the midst of the controversy over Mat Sabu and Bukit Kepong certain views have been expressed about British rule which may have the unintended effect of confusing rather than enlightening. It is true that the Malay states – unlike Penang, Malacca and Singapore – were not British colonies in the formal sense. Nonetheless, they were under British rule. The sovereignty of the Malay Rulers was a legal fiction. The Ruler was required in both the Federated and Unfederated Malay States to seek, and act upon, the advice of the British Resident or Adviser "on all questions other than those touching Malay Religion and Custom". In other words, decision-making powers were effectively in the hands of the British. Apart from laws and treaties which established the actual locus of authority with the British, every important dimension of the economy was under their control. Issues pertaining to land, resources, labour, capital and market in the Malay states were all determined by British policy and British interests. This made the situation in the Malay states no different from the three British colonies in their vicinity. Indeed, it was British control over both the internal and external economy of the Malay states that rendered them de facto colonies. Economic control led to the exploitation of Chinese and Indian workers in the tin mining and plantation sectors and the marginalisation of the Malay masses in the peasant sector. The creation of a dual economy with the commodity based, exported oriented sector directed towards the colonial metropolis was a common characteristic of most colonial economies. In reality, the Malay states bore all the iniquities and injustices associated with colonial rule. It is mainly because there was de facto colonialism that Umno in the 50s and Parti Kebangsaan Melayu in the 40s championed the cause of merdeka (independence) from the British. They were focussed upon the substance – rather than the form – of British rule. |
| Joceline Tan, 'The Mechanic' Posted: 14 Sep 2011 04:15 PM PDT Mat Sabu is dangerous. The Chinese like him. DAP likes him. So, having him as the deputy president of PAS is not good for Barisan Nasional. It might make the Chinese more comfortable with PAS. That is why he needs to be brought down. And that is why they are going all out to get him on charges from being a communist to being a philanderer. And Joceline Tan is one of the many 'mechanics' being employed to assassinate Mat Sabu. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Old ghosts back to haunt Mat Sabu PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu has been hit by an alleged sex video even as he is struggling with the firestorm over his remarks on the Bukit Kepong massacre. COMMENT By JOCELINE TAN, The Star THERE were many who thought this would be Mohamad Sabu's lucky year when he beat the odds to become PAS' new deputy president. But his luck seems to be running out. Mat Sabu, as he is better known, has been hit by another controversy even as a firestorm is still raging over his remarks that the communists were the real heroes of the Bukit Kepong massacre.  Unlucky: Mat Sabu's luck seems to be running out as he has been hit by another controversy. A video titled "Skandal Seks Mat Sabu" has made its way into the Internet and is set to shake the party. The video contains some very sexy conversation between a man and a woman, whom the commentator in the video claimed to be Mat Sabu and Normah Halim, the woman with whom he was caught for khalwat in 1994 in Kota Baru. That was a long time ago, but his past has returned to haunt him. At this point in time, it is hard to tell whether the sexy phone talk, which appeared to have been secretly taped, is genuine or staged. But Mat Sabu's dilemma is that this is one issue which he and his friends in PAS will find hard to address or defend because the khalwat incident involving him and Normah has never been denied although it was thrown out by the syariah court. Mat Sabu and Normah were caught in a hotel room but were acquitted because two of the witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the hotel room's number in which they were caught for khalwat. Mat Sabu was then a rising star. He was Nilam Puri MP and PAS deputy Youth chief. Normah was a local beauty who in her salad days was regarded as the belle of Melor, the area where she hails from. At the time of the incident, she was married to Bukhari Noor, a handsome and wealthy businessman, also from the area. The scandal rocked the party which had just come to power in Kelantan. A lawyer in the case remembered the packed courtroom and how one of the witnesses had even fainted during the proceedings. Mat Sabu had told a close associate then, "mampus aku kali ni" (I'm finished this time), but it was not to be. He scraped through and even survived the general election which was called shortly after. The khalwat incident is etched irrevocably in the memories of the adult generation who had followed the case. In fact, most Kelantanese with some interest in politics would have watched the uploaded video by now and formed their own conclusions. It was clearly put together by his enemies out there, with a running commentary in between segments of the conversation. However, the commentator was quite understated and had referred to the sexy exchange as "bermain cinta" or "flirting". It is not exactly phone sex, but it is what polite society would call "intimate talk" and in less polite society, "dirty talk". There are references to the sexual liaisons between the two speakers, all of which are conducted in the local patios and slang terms. Those who have heard Mat Sabu speak at political ceramah and are familiar with his voice think that it does sound like him. "The male voice sounds like that of Mat Sabu. I know Normah and her husband; they have come to my restaurant. "But the woman in the tape is speaking in a whispered tone throughout; quite hard to say if it is Normah. "I have heard her speaking, but not in a whisper," said restaurateur Juhaidi Yean Abdullah who is also from Melor. Mat Sabu may find himself quite alone in this issue. Not many of his associates from Kelantan will be able to defend him with an open heart. "I have heard about it (the video) but I have not listened to it, so I can't say if it is true or false. "It's so difficult to know what is true or untrue in politics because so many things are happening now that the general election is getting nearer but if this is done with bad intention, then it is not right," said Kelantan PAS deputy commissioner Datuk Nik Amar Nik Abdullah. Besides, he added, the khalwat case is no longer an issue in Kelantan. "Many people believed it was a plot by Umno even though they were found together in the room," Nik Amar said. Mat Sabu's friends in PAS are angry that these cerita lama or old stories are being dredged out to discredit him. They said if the phone conversations were authentic, then they would have been used against Mat Sabu at the height of the scandal. A lot of it has to do with the Internet and also the fact that Mat Sabu is a major star today. All eyes are on him and everything he says or does has become newsworthy. After all, if anything happens to Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, Mat Sabu will be the next PAS president. But at the time of the khalwat scandal, he was just on the way up. "He was then known as an ayam tambatan (a fighting cock) that PAS used to peck at the other side," said Juhaidi. "The ulama leadership in PAS was so sure that no one like him could ever go so high up. "He was then just an orator, not a threat to anyone inside or outside the party." The stakes, said blogger Syed Azidi Syed Aziz, were much higher now and both sides were using whatever they have against each other. Mat Sabu's response to the latest issue has been "no comment," which Syed Azidi, who used to work for a PAS politician in Kelantan, finds ironic. "It's really funny for someone who makes a living out of talking to have 'no comment'. "I'm not sure how people will take this, but it is certainly extra bullets for his enemies," said Syed Azidi. PAS members took a leap of faith when they elected Mat Sabu as their deputy president. They were aware of his personal baggage but they thought that unlike the ulama leaders, he would be able to take the party to another level. Instead, he has led the party from one controversy to another. And, as Juhaidi pointed out: "Instead of explaining the Negara Kebajikan (welfare state) concept PAS is promoting in place of the Islamic state, the party is spending time defending their deputy president." |
| Nasi lemak: The dish to unite a country Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:54 PM PDT By NZ Herald An ethnic Chinese rapper accused of stirring Malaysian racial tensions has brought his social commentary to cinemas with a food-themed comedy celebrating the country's mixed cultural recipe. But Wee Meng Chee - better known by the alias Namewee - characteristically pulls few punches in Nasi Lemak 2.0, an unusually daring exploration of a tide of racial distrust that has stoked concern in multi-ethnic Malaysia. The comedy, named after the national rice dish and which opened last week, takes an unflinching but ultimately fond look at many of the racial stereotypes that Muslim-majority Malaysia's various ethnic groups aim at each other. The main character, an arrogant chef played by Wee, expresses revulsion at Islamic practices such as circumcision. In another scene, an ethnic Chinese student complains of difficulty getting into college, a reference to quota policies and other privileges favouring the dominant Malay ethnic group. "My message is that the system in Malaysia is unequal ... But when we live together, we eat together, there is no racism," said Wee, sitting for an interview with AFP wearing his trademark beanie pulled down to his eyes. More than half of Malaysia's near 28 million population are Malay Muslims, who live alongside sizeable Chinese, Indian and indigenous minorities. Overt racial and religious antagonism has been largely avoided since deadly race riots in 1969. But tensions have increased recently amid rising resentment over the Malay preferential policies, a trend toward what many say is increasing Islamisation of society, and other recent disputes. Wee first stirred the hornet's nest in 2007, shooting to celebrity with a song mocking the national anthem. In 2009, authorities threatened sedition charges over another song, Nah - based on a real incident - which lashes out a Malay school headmistress who makes racist slurs against her ethnic Chinese and Indian students. Wee insists he is a patriotic Malaysian and that his art is meant to provoke a positive discussion leading to fairness and social harmony. With potentially divisive snap elections expected to be called soon, Prime Minister Najib Razak has pushed his "1Malaysia" campaign promoting ethnic unity, and Wee said the film was meant to support that. However, he adds: "I want to show the real Malaysia, how we live together. For 1Malaysia to work we have to be treated equally." "I just want to share my music, my creativity with my true feelings without hiding anything." The film's plot is anchored in Malaysia's undisputed common cultural touchstone: love of the country's diverse and spicy cuisine. Wee plays Chef Huang, who studied Chinese cooking in China and ridicules Malay food. Roped into a cooking competition, he finds however that he needs the help of people from all races - including a Malay with four wives and Indians who dance Bollywood-style - to create a delicious new version of nasi lemak. Co-producer Fred Chong told AFP the movie - which mixes several of the nation's languages and dialects - made more than 1.5 million ringgit (A$472,988) in its first four days in cinemas, closing in on a previous high of 1.6 million ringgit for a movie by an ethnic Chinese producer. Malaysia's film market is dominated by Malay and, above all, Hollywood films. Nasi Lemak 2.0 was made on less than 1 million ringgit after private investors pulled out last year, spooked by the threat of sedition charges against Wee. None were ever filed. Despite the film's positive message, Wee remains outspoken. He said Nasi Lemak 2.0 was aimed at internet-savvy Malaysian youngsters fed up with official calls for unity by the Malay-dominated government that has been in power for decades. "Our government always treats the people who are against them or disagree with them as criminals," he added, referring to the threatened sedition charges. With its cast of local stars, song-and-dance numbers, martial arts routines, and numerous jokes drawing on current events, the movie has proven a hit with some, and Wee's Facebook page has been bombarded with supportive postings. "Nasi Lemak 2.0 may not be perfect, but it has its moments," leading English daily The Star said in a review. "It's a Malaysian movie, yes, but it is out to make us take a good hard look at ourselves... and laugh." |
| SNAP’s presidential race mired in money politics? Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:36 PM PDT (The Borneo Post) - KUCHING: Money politics has crept into the tussle for the president's post of Sarawak National Party (SNAP) during its coming triennial general assembly (TGA) this Sept 24 and 25. A concerned senior party member said a certain candidate for the president's post is offering as much as RM3,400 for each delegate to cover air tickets, hotel room, pocket money and dinner. "It saddens me when I heard and learned that money politics is now practised in the party by a certain individual who aspires to become the party president." "So it is my fervent hope that such thing (money politics) will stop for the sake of the party because the TGA is not about money, but the leadership quality, commitment and responsibility to serve and deliver." "The party is not and must not be sold," he told The Borneo Post yesterday. He advised party members not to be influenced by money politics, but to choose candidates who have the calibre and leadership quality to lead the party. SNAP secretary-general Edmund Stanley Jugol when contacted said he has been told by a few delegates that they were promised money by "someone". He denied being involved with money politics in the party, adding: "I do not have money." Jugol warned of severe consequences for those who resort to bribing delegates to vote for them at the TGA. "We are watching the situation closely and those involved will be suspended or sacked. There is also a possibility that we will refer them to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)," Jugol warned. Jugol said money politics have happened in Umno where the guilty members were sacked, and SNAP will sack members found guilty of doing that. Meanwhile, SNAP president Edwin Dundang is sticking to his decision not to seek re-election in the coming TGA. In a telephone interview, Dundang said the decision was to pave way for younger party members to lead the party. "Many senior party members have accepted (my decision not to contest) and that I give way to younger ones," said Dundang who has indicated several times that he will not seek re-election to helm the party. According to Dundang, so far two candidates – secretary-general Edmund Stanley Jugol and Michael Lias – are contesting for the president's post. Nomination for the president post closed on Sept 17. SNAP, the oldest state political party was formed on April 10, 1961 and deregistered by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in 2002. However, it won the appeal last year when the Court of Appeal set aside the RoS decision. In the last April 16 state election, the Election Commission (EC) reported that from the total 672,667 (68.66 per cent) registered voters who turned up, SNAP only received 15, 663 votes (2.33 per cent). In the election, the party contested in 26 seats and lost all. |
| Is Mat Sabu an undercover communist? Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:30 PM PDT By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Who is whispering into PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu's ear? And was his controversial statement on Mat Indera part of covert efforts by communist sympathisers to revive the ideology in Malaysia? These were the questions posed at a Perkasa-organised forum on "Communism, Mat Indera and Independence" at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman last night. The perplexed inquirer was a panellist and former Special Branch officer, Zulkifli Abdul Rahman, who wondered why Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, raised the Bukit Kepong incident during his ceramah at Tasek Gelugor, Penang, last month. Even stranger yet, he said, was that Mat Sabu chose Mat Indera as his idol when the latter has been long dead and is not well-known to the former. "It's a mystery," Zulkifli told the 500-strong crowd. "Why not Rashid Maidin or Shamsiah Fakeh? What inspired him to choose Mat Indera?" "And who is Mat Sabu? He is not a communist… that I'm sure, but who among those surrounding him planted this idea in his head? Was this controversy deliberately engineered? And if so, by whom?" asked Zulkifli. Zulkifli, 75, warned that while the communist armed movement is dead, its ideology is still very much alive and infiltrating institutions of education. He explained that there were two types of communism – first being the armed movement and second being the subversive front or the Communist United Front. "The Communist United Front were undercover communists who spoke fluent Malay and had identity cards which allowed them to merge into society," he said. "(Malayan Communist Party secretary-general) Chin Peng himself said that the conversion to communism is as strong as a religious conversion." "The communists will never abandon their mission of conversion and are targeting the educated ones now. This is why I'm curious as to why Mat Sabu suddenly spoke of communism." Zukifli added that Mat Sabu was wrong in branding Mat Indera a freedom fighter as even Chin Peng had admitted that he was a communist during a meet-the-students session at the National University of Canberra, Australia, in 2004. Another panellist and former army chief, Lieutenant General Jaafar Onn, meanwhile, pointed out that Mat Sabu's praise of Mat Indera was akin to praising the communists who dealt great suffering upon the Malays. And that, to him was unthinkable, considering what he had heard first-hand when his father was serving as an army officer in Batu Pahat in 1945. "The communists wanted to establish a communist republic and went into villages on a recruitment drive," he recalled. "Whoever rejected them were accused of being in cahoots with the Japanese and shot." "The villagers came to see my father to seek his help and relate how their families were tortured. I remember two people talking about their family members being burnt alive, hung upside down to die and tossed in river with bound hands and feet."
'Mat Sabu has destroyed the Malays' Jaafar, 78, who is also the son of Umno founder, Onn Jaafar, questioned whether these were the people that Mat Sabu was hailing as freedom fighters. READ MORE HERE. |
| Deliver reforms or face polls snub, Pakatan warns Najib Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:27 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider PETALING JAYA, Sept 15 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers today warned Datuk Seri Najib Razak against announcing overly ambitious promises tonight, saying a more "mature" electorate would still reject his administration if the reforms are not implemented before the polls. The lawmakers pointed out that Malaysians have been repeatedly misled into believing many such reform promises in the past and have now grown more doubtful of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government. "History, when it repeats itself for the second time, becomes a joke. "Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) did this... he promised the sky and the people trusted him and gave him a huge mandate. Now, whatever Najib promises he must deliver before elections are called. If he cannot deliver, I do not think people will believe in those promises," the DAP's Liew Chin Tong (picture) told a joint press conference with other PR leaders here. Najib is expected to announce a raft of reforms centred on security and press laws tonight in a bid to jump-start his 29-month administration that critics say has been stalling lately. The prime minister is to address the nation in a special live telecast at 8.45pm in conjunction with Malaysia Day tomorrow after the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday decided that he must tell Malaysians about reforms for the Internal Security Act (ISA) and several laws related to the media. MORE TO COME HERE. |
| Govt’s soft approach exploited, says Hisham Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:23 PM PDT By Sa'odah Elias, The Star PUTRAJAYA: The Government's initial "soft" approach towards Bersih 2.0 had been exploited by those with political agendas, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. He said the whole thing was exploited by people who had ulterior motives. The Government, he said, had always upheld civil liberty and had been accommodating with the organisers as they said their planned rally would not be political, but things started to change later. "So at the very last minute we thought that we could not take any chances. "We did not want to take the risk of the whole scenario changing and becoming racial or religious," he said here yesterday. Hishammuddin said that was also why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had offered the organisers a stadium venue for their rally, an offer that was never withdrawn. "But when you are dealing with people with political agendas, in whatever they do they will keep shifting the goal posts. "If you offer a stadium, they would want a stadium in the middle of the city and they will want to parade all the way there," he said. Hishammuddin said it was the same with the Government's plan to use biometrics for the identification of voters in the coming general election, which the Opposition had objected to. Now, he said, they wanted the use of indelible ink. "When we planned to have the Parliamentary Select Committee address all their demands, they said they would not even go unless we extended the campaign period. "A lot of these arguments have political agendas. Issues can be exploited by people who have ulterior motives," he added. Najib is expected to make several announcements in his Malaysia Day message today, some of which were said to directly involve the Bersih rally. |
| Economist: No tax cut in budget Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:21 PM PDT By Wong Sai Wan and Mergawati Zulfakar, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Major political, social and security reforms are among the highlights of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's Merdeka/Malaysia Day speech that will be aired on private and public TV channels live tonight. The Prime Minister is expected to announce measures that will make it less restrictive for people to express themselves and those who have seen the speech say that it "will redefine the political landscape of Malaysia". "This is all about the democratic process. This is what the people have been clamouring for. The Govern-ment is listening to them. "And it is all about the transformation process by the Government. We already have the Government and economic transformations. This is now the time for political transformation in line with current global developments," said a source. Najib is expected to make announcements on laws and practices that are deemed draconian and undemocratic by the people, including the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Emergency Ordinance. While senior aides said that the ISA would not be repealed, they said Najib would announce measures to "update" it, including on the length of the detention period. In what can be seen as an answer to criticisms on the Government's handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally, Najib is also expected to announce measures to relax control on the freedom of expression and the right to assemble. A government official said the recent announcement of the formation of the parliamentary select committee to improve the electoral process was part of the reform process. The Government is also expected to introduce reforms for media practitioners, including on censorship and the need for them to renew their permits annually. "The Government needs to move on with the times and do ourselves a favour without having to control publications," said another source. Home Ministry deputy secretary-general (security) Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohamad Radzi said on Tuesday that the Government would be more open towards media practitioners by getting their feedback due to the changing global landscape and rapid information technology development. He had said the ministry would also be studying legislation in other countries regarding demonstrations and assemblies, taking into consideration civil liberties as well as national security. Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim said the Prime Minister's address would be televised at 8.45pm. "He will be speaking in front of about 800 people comprising Cabinet ministers, senior government officers, members of Barisan Nasional component parties and non-governmental organisations at Auditorium Perdana, Angkasapuri. "He is expected to stress on key issues concerning major changes deemed crucial for the Government and the country," he said after chairing a post-Cabinet meeting at his ministry at Wisma TV, Angkasapuri, here yesterday. |
| Khoo And Zainal Are Burying Umno's Bad News Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:16 PM PDT By Mariam Mokhtar When historian Prof Khoo Kay Kim, said that "system pendidikan didikan negeri kita lemah" (our educational system is weak), that was probably his most sensible statement in a forum which took place in Ipoh on 9 September. The historian was a speaker at the Merdeka forum, organised by the Institut Darul Ridzuan (IDR). The topic discussed was "Peristiwa Bukit Kepong: Siapa Wira sebenar?" Other speakers included the former IGP Hanif Omar, former Perak police chief Yuen Yuet Leng and Universiti Teknologi Mara Science administration and policy studies Prof Ramlah Adam. However, Khoo is disingenuous to accuse others of manipulating history when he dropped the clanger that:"Malaya tak pernah dijajah oleh British". In an article which appeared in a mainstream paper, he claimed that history should not be distorted. Isn't he guilty of the charge which he levelled on others? First it was the Ministry of Education who butchered our educational system. Second, the incompetent teachers helped in the massacre. Third, academics destroyed the future of our students. So, what hope have parents of ensuring a sound education for their children when conflicting and confusing messages are given by someone who is considered a learned scholar in Malaysia's educational establishment? Khoo said that the British were only 'pekerja' (workers) and we were wrong to call them 'penjajah' (colonisers). Is there a major shift in thinking in the world of Malaysian academia and has the Ministry of Education ordered a complete revamp of history and its other educational policies? Or is this an attempt to discredit Mat Sabu of PAS? Recently, Prof Zainal Kling of the National Professors' Council (MPN) also claimed that Malaya was never colonised by the British. Interestingly, former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad also lent his support to the academics and said that technically, Malaya was not colonised; the British only acted as colonialists. Mahathir said, "The Sultans decided to invite the British to come and advise them on how to administer the country. We were not conquered in that sense. But the fact remains that when the British were here, they operated as if we were colonized". The general election is approaching and support for Umno is waning. Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has been heavily criticised more for his wife's handbags and her reckless spending. There is also the issue of the Bersih 2.0 demands and Najib's disastrous handling of the March for Democracy. Two foreign lawyers were deported and the German government announced it was investigating the corruption claims made about Sarawak's Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud. The lacklustre former PM Badawi Abdullah also caught the public eye when it was disclosed that he used public money to go on an expensive fishing trip. The most damaging revelations have been that the EC, the NRD and the government are guilty of systematic electoral fraud. This is what Umno/BN are trying to hide. How could Khoo and Zainal be so ignorant and deny that British Malaya was not a colony? Why would they make such ludicrous statements now? Malaya was one of the richest colonies and the monies principally from rubber and tin went west, to fund the British East India company and later the British Empire. Every English schoolchild new the rhyme, "Malay penin' for rubber and tin". We were exploited then, as we are now. Perhaps we were too lazy to administer the country ourselves and would rather pay for the services of the British to administering our own country. Today, some of us are too lazy to register to vote, so that we may bring about change to a stagnating country. Perhaps we are a nation of idiots because in present day Malaysia, we allow Umno to siphon off the nation's wealth into the hands of a few individuals. To the ordinary person, the colonial masters took from us then and in present day Malaysia, the Umno/BN elite take from us. Many people will remember that it was the British who introduced race barriers in our clubs and institutions. Instead of the whites, those who steal from us now are Malaysians, but they still perpetuate racism in this land. Zainal and Khoo are an insult to Malaysians. If Khoo claims that our educational system is substandard, then what have academics like them done to address this failing? Why tell the audience at these various Merdeka road shows that we have a poor grasp of history? The poor education of our children is not just an historical problem. Why have the academics not engaged with each other, including those with opposing viewpoints, and agreed to improve standards of education? Isn't it the job of academics to inform, educate and influence the Ministry of Education? Whilst all the attention is concentrated on this issue, the true horror of what is happening to our education system, and in our schools is being neglected. The Merdeka denial means that we have been lied to all these years and foolishly celebrate an event which is not worth celebrating; it seems that there was no Merdeka. So why have the Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square)? Why bother with the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka? What about the memory of the people who died in the struggle for independence, whichever political persuasions they may have belonged to? The Merdeka denial is a poor attempt to bury all the bad news associated with Umno/BN. |
| M’sia Day marred by whiff of graft, clamour for secession Posted: 14 Sep 2011 05:00 AM PDT HORNBILL UNLEASHED Keruah Usit Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has been shaken by the recent announcement of a probe by the German government into his financial deals with Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest bank. Three European environmentalist and human rights NGOs had triggered the investigation by writing to Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging her to freeze the Taib family's assets in Germany. The NGOs – the Bruno Manser Fund, Society for Threatened Peoples and Rainforest Rescue – alleged Deutsche Bank provides a respectable front for company assets owned by Taib and his family in North America. "Deutsche Bank International's Jersey and Cayman branches are administering the Jersey-based Sogo Holdings Ltd, through which several illicit Taib family assets in the US are held," the NGOs claimed in a joint statement. "In Malaysia, Deutsche Bank is running joint ventures with Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS), the Taib family's business flagship, under the names of K&N Kenanga Holdings and Kenanga Deutsche Futures." Deutsche Bank has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Labuan. The bank has been seeking to expand its private banking network to rope in ever wealthier multimillionaires such as Taib. This is despite the bank struggling with a US government lawsuit accusing it of having misled investors, and with a British Serious Fraud Office investigation into its alleged misrepresentation of asset-backed securities.  Taib, Premier Najib Razak and Deutsche Bank have not commented on the German government's investigation into alleged money-laundering: it appearsTaib and Najib continue to hope that the German and Swiss financial regulators' attentions will simply blow over.
Taib postpones Baram dam At home, Taib has also been stirred by local protests into suspending plans to build the ambitious Baram dam. Kayan, Kenyah and Penan locals angrily opposed his plans for forced resettlement of some 20,000 natives for the construction of the dam.  Taib's spokesperson, and second minister at Taib's omnipotent natural resources and planning ministry, Awang Tengah Hassan (right), announced last Friday that the government would first build the Baleh hydroelectric power (HEP) dam, upstream from the notorious Bakun dam in central Sarawak, before taking on the Baram dam.
"The beauty (sic) of the Baleh HEP is that it would not affect the livelihood of many people, making it easier to implement as very little resettlement would be involved," he gushed, according to a local daily. Awang Tengah conceded that building the Baram dam would require extra social studies, in apparent reference to the lack of any meaningful social impact assessment (SIA) or environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the Baram dam. The EIA and SIA, required by law for each of the twelve mammoth HEP dams planned by Taib's administration, are all jealously guarded secrets. Local environmentalists say these studies were conducted over two decades ago, and were simply airbrushed to provide impetus to these 'mega projects'.  The Baram dam was destined to be another windfall for loggers granted access to the vacated native lands, and construction companies awarded contracts for the dam. CMS, and other companies owned by members of Taib's family, have already prospered from past dam contracts.
But Taib must have been unnerved by an open revolt, including scathing condemnation by grassroots NGOs such as the Orang Ulu National Association, Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia, Baram People's Protection Committee, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Sarawak Indigenous Lawyers' Alliance, Sarawak Native Customary Land Rights Network (TAHABAS) and the pan-Malaysian Natives' Network (Jaringan Orang AsalSeMalaysia). The natives' protests were even covered in the supine local press. READ MORE HERE |
| WIKILEAKS: PM ABDULLAH'S AIDE ON ANWAR, ELECTIONS AND NAJIB Posted: 14 Sep 2011 01:00 AM PDT Wan Farid told us in January (ref A) that Abdullah had decided not to welcome Anwar back into UMNO, and there was certainly no hint in our May 15 meeting that UMNO views of Anwar had softened following the heated Ijok by-election. On the contrary, UMNO Secretary General Radzi Sheikh Ahmad on April 31 told reporters, "He (Anwar) will not be taken back. Period." THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Summary 1. (S) Wan Farid (protect throughout), a political aide to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, argued in a May 15 meeting with polchief that opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim's strategy of addressing national issues in the recent Ijok by-election backfired as voters demonstrated that they care most about local rice bowl matters that only the ruling National Coalition (BN) can address. Lacking his own party machinery, Anwar remains very dependent on the Islamic Party of Malayia (PAS) for grassroots organization. Two recent by-elections signaled a weakening of ethnic Chinese support for the BN, though in the end Chinese voters would have little alternative but to endorse the ruling Coalition. Wan Farid and other advisors have recommended PM Abdullah curtail international travel after June and concentrate instead on touring Malaysian states in preparation for the next election. International affairs would not play an important role with voters on election day. Prime Minister Abdullah concluded that Deputy Prime Minister Najib had no connection to the sensationalistic murder of a Mongolian woman, and the PM continues to support Najib's party position. There remains concern, however, over information the defense counsel could raise in the June murder trial of Najib's former advisor and two policemen. End Summary. Anwar Miscalculates in Ijok 2. (C) Opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim miscalculated in the April 28 Ijok by-election by focusing on national issues, Wan Farid told polchief May 15, echoing commentary in many Malaysian political circles. (Comment: The Ijok by-election was seen as the final litmus test of political party support before the next national election; BN defeated Anwar's candidate by 59 to 40 percent. End Comment.) For example, Anwar tried to attack DPM Najib and BN using the Mongolian murder case (ref B), but most voters remained ignorant of the issue and, Wan Farid joked, thought that Altantuya (the murder victim) was the latest Indonesian pop singer. In addition, Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR) had almost no grassroots presence, Wan Farid noted, and had to rely very heavily on the opposition Islamist party, PAS. In the end, PAS members would not go all out to support Anwar and PKR. Wan Farid noted with satisfaction that television cameras caught Anwar Ibrahim dancing a jig at an Ijok campaign rally and that such "un-Islamic" behavior would not go down well with PAS members. (Comment: Government-controlled television media gave widespread coverage to Anwar's modest dance along with commentary that such movements were inappropriate for an Islamic leader. End Comment.) UMNO Machine Dominates 3. (C) BN and the leading United Malays National Organization (UMNO), in contrast to Anwar, knew that voters focused on local rice bowl issues, Wan Farid affirmed. Malaysian voters responded to immediate projects in their neighborhoods, not to abstract national concerns. BN has the resources to deliver the communities' needs and UMNO has the extensive party machinery that can allocate one party worker for every five voters. No other party comes close to UMNO in this regard. Chinese Support Wanes, but Has No Alternative 4. (C) Wan Farid admitted that ethnic Chinese support for BN had waned based on results in the past two by-elections, Machap and Ijok. A decrease in Chinese support "supposedly" is a result of the heated Malay racial rhetoric and "kris-waving" during UMNO's party conference in November 2006, at least that was the rationale of Chinese leaders within BN. However, the Chinese were practical people and in the end they would endorse BN as their only realistic alternative, Wan Farid concluded. (Comment: DPM Najib's political secretary Fatmi Salleh (protect) expressed similar concerns over BN's loss of Chinese voters during an April 16 meeting with polchief. Fatmi's comments followed the previous by-election in Machap, which witnessed a BN win, but also a significant decrease in BN votes in several Chinese sub-districts. End Comment.) PM Advised to Curtail Foreign Travel, Focus on Pre-Campaign 5. (C) Wan Farid said that he and other advisors had asked PM Abdullah to curtail his overseas travel after planned trips in June to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Russia. Instead, beginning in July the Prime Minister should begin touring all Malaysian states in preparation for the national election (the date for which has yet to be set). The Prime Minister still might travel abroad for "must do" events, such as the UN General Assembly. Otherwise, Abdullah should spend his time within Malaysia. In response to our question, Wan Farid said international affairs would play little or no role with voters come election day. Although advisors wanted the PM to begin pre-campaign activities in July, they also were weighing the "feel good" factor among voters. This would depend somewhat on money from government contracts under the Ninth Malaysia Plan reaching medium-scale businesses, a consideration that would support holding elections in a year's time, Wan Farid noted. Najib Retains Abdullah's Confidence 6. (S) Wan Farid said Prime Minister Abdullah had concluded his deputy Najib Tun Razak was not involved in the 2006 murder of a Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu (ref B). (Comment: In late 2006, Wan Farid reportedly carried out an inquiry at Abdullah's behest that supported this conclusion, ref A.) Najib's former advisor Razak Baginda and two police officers from Najib's security detail will stand trial in June for the murder of the Mongolian national. Wan Farid said Razak Baginda initially had asked for Najib's intervention. Najib might have agreed, Wan Farid said, if this had been "only a case of corruption," but Najib did not wish to get involved in a murder cover-up. As a result of Abdullah's continued support, Najib's government and party positions were not in jeopardy. 7. (C) Wan Farid was certain that government prosecutors would limit their trial activities to the murder itself and the three defendants; prosecutors would not follow up on allegations of related corruption or other suspects. Wan Farid admitted, however, that there remains concern that the defense counsel would bring up extraneous information that could embarrass Najib or the government: "You can't predict or control what the defense will say in open court." Future Foreign Minister? 8. (C) Wan Farid stated that Foreign Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Ahmad Shabery Cheek was UMNO's choice to succeed Syed Hamid Albar as Foreign Minister at some point in the future. Ahmad Shabery Cheek "is being groomed for the role," Wan Farid claimed, while noting Shabery's qualities as an effective UMNO politician. (Comment: We do not have other indications that the relatively young Shabery, who is not known as an UMNO heavyweight, will be the next Foreign Minister. End Comment.) Comment 9. (C) Wan Farid speaks as an insider and loyalist to PM Abdullah. Although he argued that Anwar Ibrahim posed no real political challenge, Wan Farid nevertheless focused much of our discussion and his criticism on the former Deputy Prime Minister and far less on the leading opposition party PAS. Wan Farid told us in January (ref A) that Abdullah had decided not to welcome Anwar back into UMNO, and there was certainly no hint in our May 15 meeting that UMNO views of Anwar had softened following the heated Ijok by-election. On the contrary, UMNO Secretary General Radzi Sheikh Ahmad on April 31 told reporters, "He (Anwar) will not be taken back. Period." 10. (C) Guessing the timing of the next national election remains a popular pastime for Malaysian elites and Kuala Lumpur's diplomats. Despite reference to the time needed for public funds to trickle down, Wan Farid left us with a clear impression he expected the elections to take place this year. Election Commission officials quietly have begun training public school administrators on managing polling stations, one sign that the election might take place in the near term. An unsubstantiated rumor among school officials pegs the election in the August/September 2007 timeframe. Malaysia has never held a national election during the Muslim fasting month, which this year falls mid-September to mid-October. If Abdullah is looking to capitalize on a "feel good" factor, scheduling elections in proximity to the 50th Independence Day celebrations on August 31 might provide an opportunity. LAFLEUR (MAY 2007) |
| Ah Q conception of history Posted: 13 Sep 2011 10:48 PM PDT Denying that we were ever colonized by the British is certainly a novel interpretation but intensely "Ah Q" if you ask me. I do believe our learned professors have got their intellectual knickers in a knot simply because they wanted to show that our gallant men at Bukit Kepong were not defending British colonialism and thus, chastise Mat Sabu in the process. By Kua Kia Soong (Director of Suaram) The Professors' Council's recent pronouncement that Malaya was never colonized by the British reminds me of the "Ah Q conception of history". Ah Q was of course China's most famous modern writer Lu Xun's euphemism for a people's self-deception. In Lu Xun's fable about the Chinese national character of his time, the feckless Ah Q would put on a ludicrous front of self-deception even in the face of extreme defeat and humiliation; he was a bully to the underdog but sickeningly deferential to the powerful mandarins. Denying that we were ever colonized by the British is certainly a novel interpretation but intensely "Ah Q" if you ask me. I do believe our learned professors have got their intellectual knickers in a knot simply because they wanted to show that our gallant men at Bukit Kepong were not defending British colonialism and thus, chastise Mat Sabu in the process. To think that all these 54 years of celebrating Merdeka was all an elaborate farce is as much a smack in the face for the Alliance and BN leaders who have ruled this country since 1957. Maybe that is why UMNO and the BN leaders have not picked up the cue from our learned professors. If the learned professors had bothered to scrutinize the enabling document, in this case the Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957, they would instantly read in its preamble: "…establishment of the Federation as an independent sovereign country…for the termination of Her Majesty's sovereignty and jurisdiction in respect of the said settlements, and of all other Her power and jurisdiction in and in respect of the Malay states or the Federation as a whole…" Certainly any historian who obfuscates the fact that British colonization of Malaya was for exploitation of our natural resources and cheap labour would be suffering a serious case of intellectual jaundice. British historians Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper in their recent book "Forgotten Wars: The End of Britain's Asian Empire" have written: "(Southeast Asia) exported two-thirds of the world's tin, and British Malaya alone provided half the world's production of rubber…These industrial colonies were a major buttress of the sterling area…Japan's blitzkrieg to the south in 1941 had as its principal target the oilfields of British Borneo and Sumatra, and the iron and bauxite mines of Malaya…The economic resources of Southeast Asia were seen by Britain as so vital to its domestic recovery that it was willing to expend an unprecedented amount of blood and treasure in its reconquest." (Penguin, 2007: 11) The history and analysis of the Malayan Emergency is necessarily a class analysis of this colonial exploitation and the classes which collaborated with the British colonial government. At the same time, the anti-colonial struggle must acknowledge the contributions of the patriotic class forces in all the ethnic communities to Independence and nation building. Divide-and-rule strategy was the corner stone of the British colonial power and the communal politics from the Malayan Union (1946) through the Federation of Malaya Agreement (1948) to the final Merdeka Agreement must be understood for us to realize the status quo at Independence and the communalist politics since then. The "Alliance Formula" was rife with contradictions from the start and we are still trying to pick up the pieces today. The repression during the 'Emergency' also enabled the colonial power to exploit sectional interests and thereby isolate the working class from the peasantry. The Neo-colonial Solution From the Colonial Office and Foreign Office documents of the period uncovered from the Public Records Office in London (published in my latest book "Patriots & Pretenders: The Malayan Peoples' Independence Struggle", Suaram 2011), it has been possible to provide evidence of the thinking and calculation of Western (not only British) imperialism with regard to South-East Asia, but especially the importance laid on securing Malaya for economic, political and military-strategic interests. They show the priority accorded during the Emergency to defeating the anti-colonial forces spearheaded by the workers. The post-war period was also one of re-dividing the world by Western imperialism, which under the hegemony of the US, began to move toward an integration rather than division of interests. These records reveal the articulation of the whole Western, rather than solely British, interest in Malaya. The atmosphere of repression during the 'Emergency' provided the British colonial power with an opportunity to deflect the forces of revolt and effect the neo-colonial accommodation. The entire colonial strategy - especially the aftermath of the Malayan Union crisis - had convinced the British that the custodians of an Independent Malaya would be the traditional Malay aristocracy. This was in keeping with the communalist strategy of British rule throughout their colonization of Malaya. At the same time, the neo-colonial arrangement had to accommodate the upper strata of the non-Malay capitalist class who were a necessary link in the colonial exploitation of the Malayan economy. The vacillating politics of this class, reflecting its narrow and limited material interests, was harnessed by the colonial state. So much so that when the Tunku and the other Alliance representatives went to London to demand independence, their proposals were accepted "on a platter" by the British government. The documents from the British archives also reveal that the 'Alliance Formula' with all its contradictions was devised during the Emergency. The reform measures conceded by the colonial power and grudgingly agreed to by the Malay aristocracy were in many ways necessitated by the ferocity of the revolt. Certainly, the Independence struggle and the Merdeka Agreement have to be understood in class terms – the ruling class in the making represented by UMNO, MCA and MIC on the one side, and the truly anti-colonial forces in the PMCJA-PUTERA coalition representing the workers, peasantry and disenchanted middle class on the other. Thus the so-called "Social Contract" would have looked very different if the "Peoples' Constitution" of the AMCJA-PUTERA coalition had won the day. The so-called 'Social Contract' that has been bandied about by UMNO politicians in recent years claims that there was a "trade-off" at Independence between granting citizenship to the Non-Malays while giving special privileges to the Malays. In fact, this so-called 'Social Contract' has undergone three transformations, so much so that "Malay special privileges" in Malaysia today are a far cry from the status quo ante from 1957 to 1971. The Constitution was amended in 1971 after the 1969 May 13 pogrom while the country was still in a state of emergency and the ascendant Malay capitalist class was in total control of the Malaysian state. Thus, I would urge our learned professors to keep their "interesting" views on "never colonised Malaya" to themselves and not to flaunt them in any respectable academic journals. |
| GERPAR!! RM80,000 Sebulan Untuk Parpukari Bagi Kerja-Kerja Fitnah? Posted: 13 Sep 2011 10:44 PM PDT 
By Edyesdotcom Pernahkah anda dengar ayat ini dari Parpukari - "DEMI ALLAH SAYA TAK MAKAN DUIT"? Percayakah jika saya katakan pendapatan parpukari adalah 80ribu sebulan? Tidak menuduh, tetapi menjadi persoalan bagaimana seorang blogger Umno memperolehi sebanyak RM80,000 sebulan ? Apa pekerjaan Parpukari atau nama sebenarnya Mohamad Salim bin Iskandar selain dari blogging? Sahabat saya MiloSuam yang blognya berada di kedudukkan ranking paling atas pun amat jauh sekali untuk mencecah pendapatan RM80ribu sebulan. Blog Parpukari adalah jauh lebih tertinggal daripada blog MiloSuam. Persoalan ini bukan hanya perlu dijawab tetapi perlu disiasat oleh SPRM. Sila lihat slip di bawah yang tertera nama dan nombor IC sekali; |
| Invitation to the MCLM forums on Rakyat Reform Agenda (RARA) Posted: 13 Sep 2011 09:52 PM PDT The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement will be officially launching a series of forums nationwide on the 'Rakyat Reform Agenda' beginning from Monday 19th September 2011 in Kuala Lumpur at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) from 7pm - 11pm. It is MCLM's fervent hope that in order for Malaysia to be the great inclusive nation envisioned by our founding fathers, we must return to basic principles. How will we achieve this? The answer - Through the Rakyat Reform Agenda (RARA), which is a four-point plan to: 1. Honour the agreements made in 1963 between the Federation of Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak prior to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia 2. Restore the national institutions to the Rakyat – the judiciary, Election Commission, police force, Attorney-General, etc. 3. Restore the liberties guaranteed to the Rakyat under the Federal Constitution by repealing the ISA, OSA, PPPA, UUCA and Sedition Act 4. Adopt the Social Inclusion Agenda, designed to raise the living standards of all marginalised persons in Malaysia. Apart from Kuala Lumpur, the MCLM RARA forums will also be held in Kota Kinabalu (27th Sep), Sandakan (29th Sep), Kuching (1st Oct), Penang (24th Oct), Ipoh (25th Oct) culminating in Johor Baru (27th Oct). Details on the time and exact venues at these locations will be provided in due course. We would appreciate if you can send your journalist to cover the KL event. MCLM Secretariat For further information, please contact the MCLM Secretariat at Tel: 03-79827101/79712244 or Fax: 03-79829097 or Email: admin@mclm.org.uk |
| Pembangkang tidak perlu berunding dengan BN untuk tentukan tarikh PRU Posted: 13 Sep 2011 09:31 PM PDT 
ASPAN ALIAS Saranan pihak pembangkang untuk kerajaan berunding dengan mereka (pembangkang) untuk menentukan tarikh pilihanraya mendapat tentangan dari Dr Mahathir Mohammad, bekas Perdana Menteri negara. Dr Mahathir menyarankan yang pihak pembangkang menubuhkan dahulu kerajaan dan mereka (pembangkang) boleh menentukan tarikh pilihanraya negara. Selalunya di mana-mana juga di dunia ini kerajaanlah yang menentukan tarikh pilihanraya, bukannya pembangkang. Tetapi Mahathir lupa yang AS tetap mengadakan pilihanraya setelah tamat 4 tahun penggal sesuatu kerajaan yang di pilih itu mentadbir negara itu. Tetapi Mahathir juga betul jika beliau membandingkan negara-negara mundur seperti negara 'favorite' beliau Zimbabwe di Afrika dan banyak negara lain di dunia ini.
Tetapi kalau kita bercita-cita hendak menjadi negara maju tentulah cara AS dan Britain menentukan pilihanraya mereka menjadi contoh kepada kita. Tetapi isu ini tidak sepatutnya menjadi polimik kita kerana cara itu sudah menjadi cara kita. Kerajaan yang memerintah khususnya Perdana Menterilah yang akan menentukan tarikh pilihanraya negara.
Malahan Dr Mahathir telah menubuhkan kerajaan dulu sebelum beliau menubuhkan UMNO yang ada pada hari ini pada Februari 1988 dahulu. Kerajaan wujud dahulu baru UMNO ditubuhkan, dan pada tahun berikutnya (1990) baru di adakan pilihanraya umum.
Kita mesti faham bahawa kita masih membudayakan politik dunia ketiga walaupun pemimpin-pemimpin kita begegar-gegar bercakap hendak jadikan negara ini sebagai negara berdaya maju dan mempunyai mentaliti rakyat negara maju.
Saya cadangkan kepada pembangkang tidak usahlah hendak membawa isu ini ketengah kerana mereka yang memimpin tidak akan berganjak dari cara lama itu. Lagi pun pembangkang tidak payah lagi bersusah payah kerana apa sahaja yang dilakukan oleh UMNO dan BN sekarang ini semua 'self defeating' dan mereka akan menghadapi masalah di atas tindakan mereka sendiri.
Mereka (UMNO) dan pemimpin mereka tidak konsisten dalam tindakan mereka. Pemimpin UMNO bukannya sayang sangat kepada UMNO itu sebabnya mereka melakukan perkara-perkara pelik yang menjahanamkan parti mereka sendiri. Semuanya kerana kehendak peribadi.
Dr Mahathir sendiri pernah keluar dari UMNO yang beliau tubuhkan itu, semata-mata kerana hendak menyungkurkan Pak Lah. Jika keutuhan UMNO itu benar-benar menjadi perjuangan beliau, Mahathir tidak sepatutnya keluar dari parti semata-mata kerana marahkan Pak Lah. Saya bukan menyokong Pak Lah tetapi tindakan Dr Mahathir keluar parti itu merupakan tindakan yang menunjukan beliau berpolitik semata-mata kerana peribadi. Asalkan Pak Lah jatuh partinya jatuh pun tidak mengapa bagi beliau. Peribadinya mesti di dahulukan.
Itu sebabnya yang menjatuhkan UMNO bukan pembangkang tetapi parti itu dijatuhkan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin dan ahli-ahlinya sendiri. Itu sebabnya UMNO sekarang sedang menghadapi penyakit 'terminal' dan amat payah untuk diperbaiki. Jika parti jatuh kita akan di persalahkan. Mereka tidak juga bersalah.
Dalam keadaan yang tenat sekarang ini pun ada pihak di kalangan pemimpin yang berpengaruh di dalam UMNO sedang berusaha untuk menjatuhkan Najib. Tetapi di nafikan oleh mereka. Tetapi dalam UMNO yang mereka cakap itu tidak selalunya betul, tetapi yang di katakan berita angin jahat itu lah yang selalunya menjadi benar. READ MORE HERE |
| Right only until proven wrong Posted: 13 Sep 2011 09:03 PM PDT Right and wrong depends on at what point of time you are looking at the event. And right is only right if no one is bothered to prove it wrong. Until someone can prove it wrong, then it will remain right. So, what is right today can be wrong tomorrow. You just thought you were right because no one came along to prove you wrong. But that does not mean you are right. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, Zulkifli Noordin, Ezam Mohd Nor, Ibrahim Ali, and many of those ilk, are foaming at the mouth and screaming their heads off in the defense of Islam. Basically, you will notice two things. First, they are all ex-opposition people who said some very nasty things about Umno-BN when they were in the opposition and now scream the loudest because they are trying to score points with their new masters. Second, they are Malay-Muslims who want to show that they are holier-than-thou and are more Muslim than even Prophet Muhammad himself. They are of the opinion that they are right, and only they are right, and everyone else is wrong. That reminds me of the man with two Muhammads in his name who screwed the late Sultan's daughter and then swore in the name of Allah he never touched her with a six-inch pole -- and then got caught smuggling money out of Australia, but got acquitted because he no speekee ingeris. Anyway, what these defenders of Islam who are declaring a jihad on DAP in the defense of Islam do not realise is: right and wrong is a matter of opinion. There is no such thing as absolute right or absolute wrong. And just because you THINK you are right does not make you right and everyone else wrong. And just because you THINK you are right does not give you right to call for someone's blood to be spilled. I am sure the butcher who slaughters the cow is of the opinion that he is right in doing so. However, try asking the cow and see if the cow shares this same opinion. What is right to the butcher may not be so to the cow. In that sense, both the cow and the butcher are right. There is no wrong. It is merely two different ways of looking at the same event. Muslims (meaning Malays, of course) are of the opinion that it is right to propagate Islam to the non-Muslims and to try to get them to convert to Islam. In fact, if they can get VVIPs (such as President Obama), superstars (such as Michael Jackson), Christian leaders (such as the Bishop of Canterbury), to convert to Islam, these people will be so proud they will shout from the highest mountain regarding their 'victory'. To the Muslims, this is absolutely right. Of course, the Christians will not share this view. The Christians too would like to see VVIPs, superstars and Muslim leaders convert to Christianity and they too will be so proud they will shout from the highest mountain regarding their 'victory'. To the Christians, this is absolutely right. But the Muslims would be outraged at such a thing. So, who is right and who is wrong? If both are right then certainly there can't be any wrong. And since both sides say they are right and the other side is wrong, how do we resolve this and stop these people from foaming at the mouth and screaming their heads off? That is just it. We can't. When both sides think they are right and the other side is wrong, there is no way to resolve this matter. Thousands of years of history has proven this. Right and wrong depends on at what point of time you are looking at the event. And right is only right if no one is bothered to prove it wrong. Until someone can prove it wrong, then it will remain right. So, what is right today can be wrong tomorrow. You just thought you were right because no one came along to prove you wrong. But that does not mean you are right. This is what those holier-than-thou, self-righteous people do not realise. They think they are right so they foam at the mouth and scream their heads off. And since they think they are right they feel they have the right to demand the blood of those they think are wrong. In the old days, they thought that the plague was caused by witches. So, when the plague hit any community, they rounded up all the women and burned them alive at the stake. All the women got killed until the plague ended. More than one-third the community got wiped out. Eventually, the plague ran its full course and ended by itself. Probably two-thirds of the community somehow had immunity to the plague so they did not die. But this 'proved' that by killing all the women suspected of being witches (which sometimes meant every woman in that community) the plague could be stopped. This was certainly the 'right' thing to do in fighting the plague. And the church agreed with this course of action. In fact, the church was the one burning all these 'witches'. Over time, doctors discovered that the plague was actually spread by rat fleas. So, you fought the plague by burning the rats, not by burning the women. However, in the meantime, thousands of women were burned alive in the mistaken belief that witches and not rat fleas caused the plague. So, yes, hundreds of years ago, that was the 'right' thing to do -- to burn women alive at the stake. No one, not even the church, thought that this was wrong. Today, we know that that was wrong. So, who are these people like Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, Zulkifli Noordin, Ezam Mohd Nor, Ibrahim Ali, and many of those ilk, who are foaming at the mouth and screaming their heads off, to tell us what is right and what is wrong? They think they are right, just like those who burned women alive to fight the plague. But, in time, they will be proven wrong, just like those who burned women alive to fight the plague. Why must everything be about Islam? And why must everything you do not agree with be classified as an insult to Islam? The minute someone disagrees with you, you label that person as an enemy of Islam. And since they are enemies of Islam, then violence is justified. That makes it right. Well, so was burning women alive at the stake hundreds of years ago. That too was the right -- but right only in the minds of small-minded people. Do you have problems with a slow browser? 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| Opposition pact’s seat negotiations hit snag in 5 states Posted: 13 Sep 2011 07:59 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - The opposition pact's seat negotiations still hit a snag in at least five states as their respective state leaders scramble to resolve the differences. The opposition pact partners, PKR, DAP and PAS, are still unable to finalise the seat negotiations for Johor, Pahang, Sarawak, Perak and Kedah where the leaders have asked for more time to resolve the differences, mostly over overlapping claims. "The August deadline was just a guideline. A few states have asked for extension to resolve the matter. It only involves a few seats, not many," said PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution when contacted yesterday. The opposition leaders were supposed to wrap up negotiations over the allocation of state and parliamentary seats for the next general election as soon as possible to avoid any conflict among the three parties. PAS and DAP are said to be eyeing some parliamentary seats won by PKR in the 2008 general election, but
which it lost due to defections. In the 2008 general election, the opposition pact secured 82 parliamentary seats, with PKR emerging as the largest opposition party in Parliament with 31 seats, DAP having 28 and PAS 23. The opposition pact managed to wrest control of four states — Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah — and retained
Kelantan. However, seven PKR members of parliament quit the party after the elections and became independents, and BN took back Perak after three state assemblymen (two from PKR and one from DAP) quit their parties and became independent elected representatives. In the recently concluded Sarawak state election, PKR and DAP locked horns over several key seats, which resulted in the much-publicised row between the leaders of the two parties. |
| Do you have problems with a slow browser? Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:56 PM PDT 
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| HRP demands 23 seats from Pakatan Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:30 PM PDT The Human Rights Party is threatening a 10,000 people protest if Pakatan does not give it seven parliamentary and 16 state seats. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Human Rights Party (HRP) is demanding that Pakatan Rakyat give up seven parliamentary and 16 state assembly seats to HRP to contest in the general election. Failing which, the party's protem secretary P Uthayakumar has threatened that at least 10,000 Indians will protest outside the PKR headquarters. And that, too, on the first Sunday after Parliament has been dissolved. Uthayakumar said the party came to this decision after Pakatan refused to have any dealing with HRP. Speaking at a forum and fund-raising dinner at Sitiawan on Sunday, he said HRP would be contesting in seven parliamentary and 16 state seats in Indian-based constituencies. The seven parliamentary seats are Padang Serai (Kedah), Batu Kawan (Penang), Ipoh Barat (Perak), Kota Raja (Selangor), Teluk Kemang (Negri Sembilan), Cameron Highlands (Pahang) and Tebrau (Johor). The 16 state seats are Bukit Selambau and Lunas (Kedah), Prai and Bagan Dalam (Penang), Buntong and Hutan Melintang (Perak), Port Dickson and Jeram Padang (Negri Sembilan), Tanah Rata and Ketari (Pahang), Puteri Wangsa and Tiram (Johor) and Sri Andalas, Ijok, Seri Setia and Bukit Melawati (Selangor). Uthayakumar said HRP is eyeing four state seats in Selangor because one-third of the Indian population in Malaysia live in Selangor. "In the last general election, we gave Pakatan a chance where for the first time BN lost its two-third parliament majority and lost control of five states." But, he said Pakatan failed to address the problems faced by the Indian community. "So, this time Hindraf would not give a 'blank check' and make the same mistakes. Our demand is very simple. Let's work together and vote Umno out," he added. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Najib must ban Merdeka fests, history books’ Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:26 PM PDT Two NGOs have asked the government to ban Merdeka celebrations and history books until an accurate account of the nation's past is compiled. (Free Malaysia Today) - Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must ban Merdeka celebrations and history textbooks until an accurate account of the nation's past is compiled. In making the call, two Indian NGOs urged the government to set up an independent team of experts to research the historical facts. Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) president A Rajeretnam said the government must do this since former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that the information contained in textbooks was inaccurate. Furthermore, he said the Majlis Professor Negara (MPN) also claimed that the country was never colonised by the British. "The public are confused by these statements," he told a press conference here. As for the proposed independent team, Rajaretnam said it should comprise representatives from the opposition as well as NGOs. "The major issues which should be looked into is why we celebrate independence day and why (first prime minister) Tunku Abdul Rahman is considered the 'Father of Independence' if we have never been colonised by the British," he added. He said the government must also clear the air over Malayan Communist Party member Mat Indera (Muhamad Indera) who fought against the British colonial masters. "Datuk Naning, Tok Gajah, Mat Kilau, Maharaja Lela and others have been declared as national heroes. They did the same thing as Mat Indera, which is to fight against the British," he added. He urged Umno not to destroy the real history of Malaysia because of political interest. READ MORE HERE |
| PAS chief calls Umno/BN a ‘disease’ Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:17 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang urged voters today to throw out the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government in the next general election because he said the Umno-led coalition was a "disease" that future generations should not be forced to endure. In a strongly-worded Malaysia Day message, Hadi blamed Umno and BN for the decline in the country's competitiveness, rising cost of living and election fraud. "Do not let Malaysia become weaker under the Umno-BN government, because it is our children and grandchildren's generation who will suffer," he said. Hadi's comments come amid the backdrop of an intense row between PAS and Umno over allegations that Mohamad Sabu, his deputy in the party, had labelled a Communist as an independence fighter. Utusan Malaysia had carried a front-page report on August 27 alleging that Mohamad had said that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the communist insurgency were heroes. The Umno-owned daily reported that Mohamad made the remarks at a political ceramah in Tasek Gelugor, Penang on August 21. Mohamad had repeatedly said that Utusan's coverage of his speech at the time was filled with falsehood, and that immediate legal action was required as the "lies" could affect him and his family. "PAS would like to emphasise that we are against all colonists, whether communist or non-communist, from the east or the west," Hadi said today. "It is the instinct of all human beings regardless of background, race, religion and language to live as free and independent people, with a body and mind independent from all forms of slavery. There will be no sane person who wants to live under the shackles of any occupation, let alone have their minds and actions controlled." READ MORE HERE |
| After ousting Pak Lah, Mahathir now turns to Najib? Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:16 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - Prime Minister Najib Razak is increasingly feeling the pressure once heaped on his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, following a spate of statements coming from former strongman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.  WHO'S THE STRONGEST OF THEM ALL? ... After pressuring Abdullah (middle) to resign, Mahathir is said to be planning Najib's retirement
This is the observation made by PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar, who said such a reality could be seen following Mahathir's recent statement telling Najib not to hold general election earlier.
Mahathir had claimed that an early election would not be beneficial to Barisan Nasional as more time was needed to finalise BN's candidates based on the new "winnable candidates" criterion.
The former prime minister, who played an influential role in the resignation of Abdullah before and after the March 2008 general election, warned Najib that some leaders would sabotage the candidates whom they thought were not qualified.
"It has been common practice for someone who does not get selected as a candidate to go out of their way to prove the other person who is selected is not qualified.
"This problem is hard to overcome. There is still a problem," Mahathir was quoted as saying.
For Mahfuz, the comments laid bare internal problems within UMNO and BN.
"I don't deny that he is again trying to replay his role to give pressure to the current prime minister, which happened during Pak Lah's time. Mahathir's advice for BN to delay (the election) so that it could go through the candidates list to ensure a BN victory highlights his focus on Najib's position as the BN chief," said the Mahfuz.
 Mahfuz (left) said Mahathir was being widely seen as the mastermind behind a plan to oust Najib before the general election.
"In fact, it is not impossible that some of them will follow Mahathir's orders. Mahathir will just give pressure and ensure Najib goes out before the election, and he is seen as the mastermind in this effort.
"I am sure that what he has voiced out will have takers from among UMNO and BN," he added.
According to Mahfuz, Mahathir was suggesting that in order to ensure a victory for BN, its chairman (Najib) must be replaced by someone who members could regard as a leader.
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| MINTA MAAF - SATU KESILAPAN BESAR Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:00 PM PDT 
TUKAR TIUB Kita baru sahaja berhari raya. Masa saya kecik-kecik dulu raya – kami kanak-kanak menganggp hari raya ini satu bulan. Dari lojik kanak-kanak kalau kita berpuasa sebulan maka berhari raya pun wajib satu bulan juga. Jadi, minggu ini saya harapkan kita semua masih lagi berhari raya. Lalu, dihari baik bulan baik ini biarlah saya meminta maaf dari para pembaca sekelian. Saya meminta maaf ini bukan kerana saya buang tabiat. Atau saya dapat seru untuk memulakan perjalanan ke Mekah. Juga bukan kerana saya ternampak Hantu Kopek ketika main mercun pada malam raya dahulu. Saya minta maaf ini kerana saya telah membuat satu kesilapan yang amat besar. Memang besar kesilapan saya ini.
Ceritanya bagini : selama satu bulan – dibulan puasa – saya selalu mengidam hendak berbuka puasa dengan Rosmah berendam ...oopsss maaf dengan badak berendam sambil minum air tuak. Idaman saya ini gagal. Kerana kegagalan ini maka munculah kesedaran kepada saya bahawa selama ini saya telah silap kerana sebenarnya badak berendam...opps maaf ... sebenarnya Cik Siti Puan Rosmah Mansor bukan musuh. Kesilapan besar saya ialah menganggap Rosmah sebagai musuh. Ini silap yang betul betul silap.
Saya sedar - habis sahaja para pembaca membaca ayat diatas maka pastilah ramai yang akan menuduh bahawa saya telah belot. Atau saya telah dibeli. Atau saya telah bertaubat. Wahai pembaca yang budiman. Sabar dahulu biar saya terangkan kenapa saya tidak lagi menganggap Rosmah Mansor sebagai musuh.
Kesahnya bermula sebelum bulan puasa lagi. Saya mula mendengar cerita dari Haji Desas bin Lebai Desus. Dari hari ke minggu dari minggu ke bulan - cerita ini semakin kuat saya dengar. Mula-mulanya saya hanya terbaca dari laman dan blog yang terkenal sebagai laman fitnah dan tohmah. Tetapi bila saya lakukan kaji selidik maka saya dapati cerita dari Haji Desus ini bukan lagi desas desus tetapi telah menjadi fakta.
Mula-mula dahulu saya mendengar bahawa Munyiddin Yassin amat marah kepada Cik Siti Puan Rosmah kerana beberapa kali Rosmah Mansor telah mengambil tempat dan kedudukan resmi Muhyiddin dalam hal pembelajaran. Rosmah seakan-akan telah menjadi Menteri Pelajaran. Telinga saya sendiri telah mendengar dari tim Muhyiddin tentang bagaimana Muhyiddin menyinga marah terhadap Cik Siti Puan Rosmah.
Kemudian muncul pula berita tentang Cik Siti Pun Rosmah kita ini pergi ke Kazakhtan untuk meminang. Memang pelik - bak kata orang Melayu ini macam perigi mencari timba. Atau lebih tepat lagi macam lesong mencari antan. Ini bukan kerana anak perempuan Rosmah ini memiliki mulut seluas lubang lesong atau bakal menantu Rosmah ini memiliki anu sebesar antan. Ini tanda kehebatan pepatah Melayu – tepat lagi erotik
Semua kesah-kesah ini cuba memburukkan Rosmah Mansor. Tak cukup dengan kesah lubang mencari antan tetiba timbul pula kesah besan Rosmah ini rupa-rupanya ada kaitan dengan Marlon Brando oopps...salah... bukan dengan Godfather Itali tetapi dengan mafia Russia. Tidak diketahui bagaimana berita ini terbocor dalam akhbar Kompas – harian terbesar di Indonesia. Nampaknya kempen membenci Cik Siti Puan Rosmah ini telah menular ke seberang.
Kesah ini rupa-rupa tidak berhenti disini sahaja. Tup tup terbarai pula berita Cik Siti kita ini telah membeli sebentuk cincin berlian dari New York. Untuk saya berita cincin ini tak masuk akal. Cuba para pembaca renung dan fikirkan - munusabah kah Cik Puan kita yang berat badannya 143 kilo 75 gram ini mahu menambah setengah kilo lagi berat cincin ditangan? Mustahil. READ MORE HERE |
| Fighting in the cause of Islam Posted: 13 Sep 2011 05:13 PM PDT Zul Noordin is foaming at the mouth again. He is concerned that there are some people who are insulting Islam. Luckily we have JAKIM and people like Senator Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom to manage JAKIM and to help rehabilitate Muslims who have strayed from the right path and to make sure they all go to heaven and not to hell. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin 'Kaum biaDAP may ruin Malays' Independent MP Zulkifli Noordin warns that should DAP come into power, the Malays' faith in Islam and their moral values may erode. (Free Malaysia Today) - The faith and moral values of the Malays here will erode if the "kaum biaDAP" comes into power, said Barisan Nasional-friendly independent MP Zulkifli Noordin. The Kulim Bandar Baharu MP, in his blog, made scathing remarks against a man whom he claimed had insulted Islam. The individual, whom Zulkifli described as "cursed" (laknatullah), was allegedly a Malay male from Singapore who posted comments insulting Prophet Muhammad on his Facebook page. "There are no more boundaries to the accursed people… according to the records, the barua (bastard) who wrote those things lives in Singapore… maybe this is the work and teaching of (former Singapore prime minister) Caliph Lee Kuan Yew," said the ex-PKR MP. Linking the Singaporean Chinese leader's influence to the Chinese-majority opposition party DAP, Zulkifli said: "Probably, this is what will happen to our Malay children if the biaDAP (rude) party of (Penang chief minister and DAP secretary-general Lim) Guan Eng who is worshiped by the Anwarinas (Anwar Ibrahim's supporters) was to rule this country." 
Senator Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in direct charge of Jakim.
Wow !! Mahligai mewah Menteri Hal Ehwal Agama? Timbalan Ketua Angkatan Muda KEADILAN, (AMK) Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin menggesa Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri yang bertanggungjawab terhadap hal ehwal Agama Islam, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir menjelaskan rumah mewahnya yang dianggar menelan jutaan ringgit. Keraguan timbul apabila menteri yang baru dilantik 3 tahun oleh Perdana Menteri dan hanya memiliki gaji tidak menjangkau RM15,000 itu, mampu memiliki kediaman mewah dalam masa yang singkat. "Kalau dia (Jamil Khir) rasa seorang yang berpegang teguh terhadap agama dan ada kebertanggungjawaban terhadap negara, dia perlu jujur menjelaskan kekayaan sebelum dan selepas (menjadi menteri)," katanya mengulas isu yang didedah oleh akhbar Suara Keadilan semalam. Khairul berkata ia bukan perkara memeranjatkan kerana menjadi kebiasaan menteri yang ditadbir Kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) hidup mewah. Beliau merujuk kes bekas Menteri Selangor Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo yang mencetus kontroversi kerana kos kediamannya dikatakan melebihi kemampuan sebagai menteri besar yang berkhidmat selama lapan tahun. "Rakyat pun tidak terperanjat dengan isu yang sudah dianggap biasa ini. Oleh itu, jika beliau (Jamil) ada sedikit rasa tanggungjawab dengan imej dan kedudukannya, beliau perlu tampil memberi penjelasan. "Walaupun (dia) Jamil Khir merupakan Menteri Agama namun ia bukanlah jaminan beliau berperangai seperti Menteri-menteri lain" katanya kepada Keadilandaily. Sebelum ini KEADILAN pernah mempersoalkan kehilangan RM32,000 wang zakat Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) didakwa membiayai yuran guaman Jamil Khir dan Pengarah Jabatan Islam (JAWI), Datuk Che Mat Ali. Ia terbongkar melalui kenyataan media Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Menteri, Datuk Mashitah Ibrahim, beberapa bulan lalu. Wang zakat tersebut didakwa digunakan bagi menghalang permohonan qazaf Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim terhadap Saiful Bukhari Azlan, sedangkan Jamil dan Che Mat tidak tergolong dalam kategori yang layak menerima zakat. http://idhamlim.blogspot.com/2011/09/wow-mahligai-mewah-menteri-hal-ehwal.html |
| Formidable hurdles in KL's education reform Posted: 13 Sep 2011 04:20 PM PDT By Salim Osman, The Straits Times Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced last month that a committee had been set up to study the country's education system. Its objective is to recommend ways to overhaul the 50-year-old system. Tan Sri Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, was candid when he explained the reason for the revamp: "Our education policy is not on a par with others." That initial announcement was met with much enthusiasm in Malaysia, especially from parents. Even those critical of the system have thrown their support behind the government initiative. This is a good start, showing support for reform. That the government-led initiative can garner support from different sectors of society suggests that on this issue, at least, people take the government's plan seriously and have high hopes for its success. The committee will have to work hard not to dissipate that goodwill, but to harness it to seek solutions. The reforms are also well-timed, as they seek to align education policy with the economic agenda of Prime Minister Najib Razak to bring the country to the next level of development, with high growth and high income by 2020. Malaysia's education system needs to produce workers who are competitive and skilled technically, and who are proficient in English. Without this essential human capital, no true economic transformation can take place. The government committee will present a report later this year. It faces a daunting challenge. The current education system has been shaped by the Razak Report of 1956. Malay is the medium of instruction in all public schools at primary and secondary levels and at higher institutions of learning. At university level, English is widely used, even though in theory Malay, as the national language, is the only medium of instruction for all subjects. As a political concession to non-Malays, the government allows vernacular schools to exist at primary level, where Chinese or Tamil are the languages for instruction. Secondary-level education in Chinese is only available at independent Chinese schools. There are no English-medium schools as all of them were converted to the Malay stream from 1970, in line with the language and education policy. As part of the affirmative actions under the New Economic Policy of 1971, a number of Malay-only programmes and institutions have been created, such as Mara Junior Science colleges, to raise the number of Malay students studying science. There is also an ethnic quota for admission into local tertiary institutions. Critics say that pro-Malay programmes and policies have deprived Chinese students of an equal opportunity to study in public tertiary institutions, forcing them to enrol in large numbers in private colleges and universities. Ironically, these pro-Malay programmes have forced Chinese students to become trilingual in Chinese, Malay and English, giving them an edge over Malay students who tend to be monolingual. Years of emphasis on Malay as the medium of instruction have taken a toll on English proficiency. Employers have grumbled that graduates of public universities - mostly Malays - have such a poor command of the language that they are not employable for many jobs. The government re-introduced English as the medium for science and mathematics in 2003, but faced strong opposition from Malay nationalists and Chinese educationists. While Malays argued the move would dilute the national language, Chinese educationists felt it would undermine Chinese as a medium of instruction in Chinese schools. In 2009, the government announced that the scheme would be scrapped and that the subjects would be taught in Malay once again from next year. The main reason given by the government was that over 67 per cent of the teachers were not competent enough to teach in English, and that more than 73 per cent of the students were not able to cope with the subjects taught in English. But this has not stopped Malay-led groups like Parent Action Group for Education (Page) to continue pressing for the return of English in the teaching of science and mathematics. Others, keenly aware of the benefits of an English education, are calling for the revival of English-medium schools to exist side by side with national and vernacular schools. Getting the language policy in schools right is crucial for Malaysia's future. Another big issue is whether the education system facilitates ethnic integration. Critics say that instead of integrating students of all races, the school system has polarised the population. Ethnic integration is difficult to forge in schools as Malay children attend the Malay-medium national primary schools, staffed almost entirely by Malay teachers. Chinese and Indian parents tend to enrol their children in Chinese and Tamil schools respectively, considering these to be of better quality than Malay-language government schools. Attempts at integrating students of all races through "integrated schools", "vision schools" and "cluster schools" have failed. At the tertiary level, Malays dominate public universities because of the ethnic quota policy that gives 55 per cent of places to Malays, 30 per cent to Chinese and 10 per cent to Indians. Many non-Malays who do well enough to pursue a tertiary education end up in private universities. A rising tide of Islamic fervour has also resulted in government schools becoming more "Islamic" to compete with Islamic schools for Malay students. This, however, has resulted in non-Malay children shunning government schools for vernacular ones. It will not be easy for the government to institute reforms. Education in Malaysia concerns not only the economy and the future of a generation. It is also inextricably bound up with race, and ultimately with politics. The committee may recommend reforms to the existing system. But it will require tremendous political will and difficult negotiation and consultation with relevant stakeholders to carry it out. This will be extremely difficult. And yet it will be necessary, for Malaysia's future. |
| Ringgit Slides as Europe Crisis Damps Risk Taking; Bonds Drop Posted: 13 Sep 2011 03:59 PM PDT Edited by Ven Ram, Sandy Hendry, San Francisco Chronicle Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) - Malaysia's ringgit fell to a two- month low on speculation Europe's debt-market turmoil will sap the global economic recovery and prompt policy makers to halt monetary policy tightening. The currency slid 2.9 percent in seven straight days on concern a default by Greece will temper demand for emerging- market assets. The one-year interest-rate swap declined yesterday to the lowest level in 2011 after Bank Negara Malaysia kept its policy rate on hold last week, citing the possible fallout from the slowdown in the world economy. Bonds dropped.
"The Europe situation remains unresolved and people are avoiding risk because of the potential domino effect," said Nik M. Khairul, a treasury dealer at Asian Finance Bank Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. "There's little room for central banks to tighten for the rest of this year given the slowdown signs."
The ringgit fell 0.6 percent to 3.0555 per dollar as of 4:20 p.m. in Kuala Lumpur, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The currency has lost 4.2 percent since hitting a 14- year high of 2.9335 on July 27, trimming its advance this year to 0.3 percent.
The one-year onshore swap rate, the fixed cost needed to receive a floating payment, fell to 3.14 percent yesterday after Bank Negara kept its overnight policy rate unchanged at 3 percent on Sept. 8. Swaps have dropped 36 basis points, or 0.36 percentage point, this quarter. The central bank holds its final scheduled meeting of this year on Nov. 11.
Malaysia's five-year government bonds fell, lifting yields from a 10-month low. The rate on the 4.262 percent notes due September 2016 increased four basis points to 3.25 percent, according to Bursa Malaysia.
The treasury will sell 4 billion ringgit ($1.3 billion) of Shariah-compliant notes maturing in November 2016 tomorrow in the first of two debt sales scheduled for this month.
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| Chief Jester’s Circus and Charade Comes to a Close Posted: 13 Sep 2011 03:47 PM PDT 
On the pages of history will be penned the public perception of a Umno lawyer picked by the Government from the Bar, parked in the Court of Appeal for a while, and placed at the pinnacle of the judiciary at an opportune time so that he and his cohorts could pander to their wishes and be paid a handsome price for bring prized lap-dogs! By Martin Jalleh Tun Zaki Tun Azmi has retired as the Chief Justice (CJ) of Bolehland. Weeks before the final curtain, he held himself in high regard in press interviews by giving rave reviews of his own tenure. He felt "very satisfied with the judiciary's achievements in less than three years" (Bernama). For a long time the mainstream press had portrayed Zaki as a "reluctant" CJ. But as his retirement date drew nearer, the Malay Mail (MM) revved up the farewell accolades by revering him as the "Judiciary's Renaissance man" (25.08.11). According to MM's executive editor Terence Fernandez the feedback he received from Zaki's contemporaries in the Federal Court including Arifin Zakaria, Raus Sharif, James Foong, Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Abdull Hamid Embong was that Zaki "has revolutionised the judiciary". Praise for Zaki's tenure also came from the Bar Council. Its chairperson Lim Chee Wee lauded him as one who has "surpassed the Bar's expectations as he has implemented many positive changes". Lim listed 11 of the changes (Malaysiakini, 06.09.11). Zaki's changes may have been impressive but the reputation of the judiciary was sullied irreparably during his term of office. In the eyes of the public the judiciary sunk so low as to allow itself to be intimidated, its independence and impartiality interfered with, and its integrity reduced to ignominy. He may have "performed very well" (according to Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee) but Zaki's judiciary continued to be a convenient playground for the ruling elite to stay in power, persecute their opponents, punish dissenters and promote their political agenda, through the perversion of the rule of law. Further, it became so predictable! Zaki took great pride in reiterating that he has never presided over any Umno-related cases during his tenure. He did not need to. His cohorts especially in the appellate courts would run the judicial circus on his behalf and even readily run riot with their ridiculous judgments, reducing the country into a judicial backwater! Little wonder the 'Perak cases' for example were made the exclusive domain of the few judges who were already looked upon with increasing dismay by the public for their perceived political partisanship. It was not difficult to guess why the well-regarded judges in the Federal Court were kept out. The latest indictment on Zaki's judiciary was in the form of an unsworn statement from the dock by Anwar Ibrahim in his sodomy trial. He explained that he was opting to testify from the dock, because he had no confidence he would be tried fairly and he showed in detail the court's undeniable bias against him thus far. He called the entire court process "nothing but a conspiracy by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to send me into political oblivion by attempting once again to put me behind bars… this is not a criminal trial. It is a charade staged by the powers that be to put me out of action in order that they remain in power." He was putting the judiciary on trial! It is very evident that the "Judiciary's Renaissance man" left behind a legacy of a judiciary scandalously compromised, shamelessly cowed and a slew of shocking contradictory and convoluted judgments. He failed to put his house into order so he shifted his furniture around to impress some of the people, like those in the Bar Council! Zaki's supposed judicial reform was shredded into smithereens and his judicial show and sham laid bare by Justice N H Chan who was furious at how the judiciary which he had served so faithfully has been reduced to a farce run by those who are "intellectual frauds". The respected, renowned and retired accused Zaki's judges of "putting themselves beyond the pale…just like pariahs". He showed why he considered some of the judges, especially those in the appellate courts - "ignorant", "incompetent", "inconsistent", "imposters" and even "idiots"! The then Chief Justice remained silent! His conspicuous and continued silence gave credence to the court of public opinion that it is one of "quiet subservience". Evidently, it would be safer to maintain the status quo and to say that he was "very satisfied with the judiciary's achievements in less than three years". There were those who interpreted Zaki's silence as him allowing, approving, aiding and abetting with members of the judiciary who had left behind a dead constitution, "bad" and "perverse" decisions, dubious declaratory orders, judgments devoid of reasoned grounds, and disgraceful double standards. The Government must have been very pleased with the fine performance of their reliable Renaissance Man. It even made a recent revision of a remuneration law in Parliament so that Zaki can ride into the sunset with a full pension after serving only for less than three years! Zaki was so touched, he invited the PM for a cup of tea but it created quite a storm! "Creatures of the Government" In Dec. 2009, Abdul Aziz Bari, a constitutional law expert, declared that the judiciary has been reduced to one that "takes its cue from the government".) But it has been the then CJ's belief that since the 1988 judicial crisis "the confidence in the judiciary has improved a great deal" (The Nut Graph, 26.03.10)! Zaki called those who criticized the judiciary for its lack of independence "a small group of vociferous people out there, who go onto the internet and blogs and Facebook and all that and make comments without knowing the proper background. Many are not even lawyers." A few months later lawyer Edmund Bon, who was then the chairman of the constitutional law committee of the Bar Council revealed that "the perception that the judiciary is executive-compliant still remains till today" (Free Malaysia Today, 17.08.10)! According to former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram: "… the judiciary has become so 'executive-minded' and that "the judges have become creatures of the government" (Malaysiakini, 16.09.10). The NST quoted Zaki on 12 May this year that feedback from lawyers showed that they were happy with the integrity of the judiciary and had not heard anything negative since 2008. He added: "I am sure many, if not all, agree that the Malaysian judiciary is now free from any criticism or accusation of bias or partiality." Very apparently he had not listened to N H Chan who had often pointed out that the "Perak crisis has brought out a host of cases that showed that the judges gave the impression that they were one-sided. The perception of the people is that they sided with the BN government." Zaki Azmi, the "Judiciary's Renaissance man" has left behind a legacy of a judiciary scandalously compromised, shamelessly cowed and a slew of shocking contradictory and convoluted judgments. Below are some examples. Cowardice & Cold Feet in the Courts The less-than-three-year tenure of Zaki Azmi saw the Federal Court shirking its responsibility to execute justice by declining to answer burning constitutional questions especially those related to conversion issues. There were instances when it chose not to make a ruling but preferred to dismiss the case on technicalities instead. There is no better example of this that the Shamala Sathiyaseelan appeal. The glaring truth is that the court of last resort in this country is not the Federal Court, but political expediency. Commenting on the issue, the Bar Council said that "the Federal Court failed to be decisive and abdicated its role as the ultimate arbiter in disputes involving constitutional questions and jurisdictional conflict." Respected lawyer Art Harun concurred: "I have lost count of the number of cases which involve inter-faith conflicts arising from conversion and re-conversion of a person from one faith to another — often from one faith to Islam and back to the original faith — where the Federal Court had chosen not to make a ruling, preferring to dismiss the case on technicalities instead." On 28 July 2010 Zaki shied away from explaining why the Court of Appeal has yet to set a hearing date for the controversial "Allah" court case more than a year after it was filed. (The Catholic Church, which had initially agreed to stay publishing the word after a series of attacks broke out nationwide following the ruling on 31 Dec. 2009, has grown anxious at the extraordinary delay.) On 8 Sept. this year, a three-member panel of the Federal Court led by Zaki, an unanimous decision, dismissed a crucial appeal by five Sarawak native customary rights landowners, a decision which will adversely affect more than 100 similar cases (Malaysiakini). Both Zaki and another member of the panel, refused to interpret the constitutional question affecting native customary right land in Sarawak with the excuse that the issue of unconstitutionality was not raised or properly canvassed before the Court. Baru Bian, one of the lawyers for the natives pointed out that there were in fact oral and written submissions on the matter. The judges "were evading the practical problem on the ground". Law professor Abdul Aziz Bari opined that by refusing to deal with the constitutionality issue, the Federal court has abdicated its duty. Contradictions Zaki's cowed judiciary took its cue from the government and this resulted in the courts being riddled with self-contradictions or courts contradicting one another, at times to a ridiculous extent! Below are some examples. On 9 Feb. the Federal Court in the case of whether PR's Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin or BNs Zambry Abd Kadir is the rightful Menteri Besar of Perak ignored (and contradicted) the established precedents. On 25 Feb. 2010 the Federal Court unanimously decided not to review its 29 Jan. decision barring Anwar Ibrahim from access to the documents "which would be tendered as part of the evidence for the prosecution" and "a written statement of facts favourable to the defence" which he is entitled to. There had been 10 previous decisions since 2001, presided by four previous chief justices where the Federal Court allowed a review of its own decision. Further, a month earlier (21.01.10) the Federal Court, acting on an application by the CJ reviewed and revised its absurd and perverse decision made a decade ago. One of the judges on the panel was Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin. He was also on the panel of the 25 Feb. hearing! In other words he contradicted himself about a month later! On 5 Aug. the election court threw out Zaid Ibrahim's petition to declare the election of P Kamalanathan as MP of Hulu Selangor on April 25 void, for Zaid failed to furnish details to back up his claims that the poll results were influenced by bribery and corruption. In the Sodomy II case the court held that the details – police reports, list of witnesses, medical reports – of the prosecution's ongoing case against Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy, details that are as a norm furnished to the defence at the start of a trial "have not been fatal to the prosecution's case". In April, in a case between ousted Perak Speaker V Sivakumar and BN assemblymen in Perak, the Federal Court ruled that it was allowed to inquire into legislative proceedings. It departed from the precedent which gives respect to the doctrine of separation of powers. On 22 Oct 2010 (in a case brought about by Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo) the High Court ruled that legislative proceedings cannot be challenged in court. The constitution was supreme and that it cannot question proceedings of the Dewan Rakyat. Other than introducing measures to speed up cases and ensure judgments are issued on time, Zaki has also been dogged by controversy during his time as CJ, the latest over amendments that allow him to get a full pension despite serving just a few years in the judiciary. On the pages of history will be penned the public perception of a Umno lawyer picked by the Government from the Bar, parked in the Court of Appeal for a while, and placed at the pinnacle of the judiciary at an opportune time so that he and his cohorts could pander to their wishes and be paid a handsome price for bring prized lap-dogs! |
| Stop squabbling for seats, DAP tells Pakatan allies Posted: 13 Sep 2011 03:45 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — The DAP has demanded Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties stop publicly airing disagreements regarding seat negotiations, citing concerns that such incidents could affect the relationship among the coalition parties. DAP national vice chairman Tan Kok Wai said the advice also applied to his own party members, and that PR leaders should abide by rules and guidelines set out by the pact's national leadership regarding the matter. According to Tan, the PR leadership had drawn up specific guidelines during a recent coalition retreat. PR leaders and members have been ordered to negotiate seat allocations internally and to avoid openly discussing or criticising any coalition partner. Tan stressed that it was "imperative" that the guidelines be observed, and that all PR parties should be seen as trusting and co-operative at all times. But the DAP leader also admitted that discussions on seat allocations in various states are still ongoing and have "yet to be concluded." "However, positive strides are being made in finalising the seat arrangements amongst PR coalition members for the coming general elections. "The PR leadership will be making the necessary announcement at the appropriate time once the seat negotiation process has been finalised," he said in a statement today. Tan reminded his own party colleagues against making any statements that may be "misconstrued" as a sign that PR parties were involved in seat tussles. The Malaysian Insider reported on July 20 that PR leaders were confident that negotiations over state and parliamentary seat allocations among PKR, PAS and DAP could be finalised by the end of July, ahead of an anticipated early general election. READ MORE HERE |
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