| Dua Pandangan Juling Posted: 06 Oct 2011 11:33 AM PDT 
DARI JELEBU Hishamuddin Rais Dari pengamatan perdebatan tentang Hudud hari ini ada pekara yang wajib saya timbulkan. Pekara yang ingin sata tuliskan ini ternyata amat terang dihadapan mata kepala kita semua. Pekara ini sedang berjoget dan bertandak dihadapan mata kita. Hanya kita enggan melihatnya. Kita gagal untuk merobek dan menilai pekara ini dengan kaca mata ilmu. Lalu kita semua membiarkan pekara ini terus berhegemoni dan membudaya. Pekara yang saya maksudkan ini ialah: Pandangan Islam terhadap Barat. Dan Pandangan Barat terhadap Islam. Dua pandangan ini untuk saya sama juling malah kadang kala bukan juling tetapi hampir buta. Biar saya huraikan disini dari mana datangnya kejulingan ini.
Kejulingan pandangan ini memiliki urutan sejarah yang wajib kita fahami. Untuk memahami kejulingan ini kita tidak dapat melarikan diri dari memahami asas ekonomi kapitalis dan sejarah perkambangan ekonomi dunia. Gagal memahami asas dan hukum ekonomi kapitalis maka kita bukan sahaja akan juling malah akan buta untuk memahami apa sahaja yang berlaku dihadapan mata.
Bagini kesahnya: Kuasa imperial kaum pemodal dan gedung-gedung perniagaan – East India Comnpany , Dutch East Indian Company - di Eropah memerlukan bahan mentah dan pasaran. Ini rukun iman – tiang seri ekonomi kapitalis. Sistem ekonomi kapitalis bergerak berlandaskan hukum ini. Bahan-bahan mentah ini wujud di negara Asia, Afrika, Timur Tengah dan Amerika Latin. Justeru lahirnya zaman penjajahan dimana bahan bahan mentah diangkut punggah dari negara tanah jajahan ke London, Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam atau Madrid.
Zaman diawal kurun dua puluh ini adalah zaman kolonial. Dari sinilah permulaan pertemuan budaya Barat dengan anak anak tanah jajahn. Di era ini Barat mula bertemu dengan Arab , Melayu dan Islam.
Para pembaca wajib sedar bahawa pertembungan kolonial ini bukan hanya pertembungan budaya tetapi penjarahan dan perampokan harta kekayaan. Kita membaca bagaimana pedagang Arab datang berdagang ke Melaka lebih awal dari Belanda atau Portugis. Tetapi Tok Arab ini tidak menjarah dan merampok. Ini berbeza dengan kedatangan kuasa kolonial Barat. Kuasa kolonial Barat bukan hanya datang untuk berniaga tetapi dengan niat untuk memiliki semua – mereka datang untuk menjajah.
Apa yang berlaku kepada bumi Melayu di Melaka dan Bengkulen berlaku juga kepada dunia Arab di Al-Khairah, Damas, Baghdad – bumi-bumi Arab ditaklok dan dijajah. Penentangan muncul – perlawan timbul. Perang anti kolonial bermula di Tanah Melayu bagitu juga di bumi Arab. Tetapi kuasa kolonial Barat yang memiliki persenjataan yang lebih canggih telah dapat mengalahkan kekuatan tempatan. Melaka jatuh dan manusia Melayu mula berhadapan dengan manusia Barat.
Untuk terus memunggah harta kekayaan – British di Tanah Melayu menetaskan United Malay National Organisation sebagai barua – kuasa kolonial Barat juga memunculkan barua-barua dan budak suruhan di dunia Arab. Pemimpin baru dimunculkan oleh kuasa Barat. Raja, Sheikh, Emir dan segala macam kaum feudal Arab dipupuk dan di baja. Di Tanah Melayu kaum feudal dari segala bentuk dimunculkan oleh British untuk menjadi barua kolonial.
Pemimpin yang dinetaskan oleh Barat ini pastilah berkiblat ke Barat. Mereka melihat Barat sebagai rujukan tamadun yang lebih kukuh, canggih, maju , moden berbanding dengan tamadun mereka sendiri. Dari sinilah munculnya budaya rasa rendah diri dan jiwa hamba warga tanah jajahan apabila berhadapan dengan Barat. Jiwa hamba ini wujud bukan hanya di negara Arab dan di Tanah Melayu malah jiwa hamba ini wujud dalam budaya semua negara yang pernah dijajah oleh kuasa Barat.
Mereka yang dikalahkan ini pula tidak lagi memiliki kuasa politik dan kuasa daulah. Mereka telah diketepikan. Justeru keupayan mereka untuk berhujjah secara ilmiah dan rasional tidak menerjah. Kekalahan melahirkan kemarahan. Kemarahan menenggelamkan fikrah rasional. Mereka yang telah dikalahkan oleh kuasa kolonial telah kehilangan kuasa. Yang tinggal hanya Tuhan dan agama kepercayaan sahaja. Justeru kumpulan Islam yang dikalahkan oleh Barat ini memelok Tuhan mereka saerat-eratnya. Tuhan ini wajib dijaga dari dicemari oleh Barat. Dari sinilah muncul-muncul hujah hujah songsang tentang apa itu tamaduan Barat.
Kumpulan Islam yang telah dikalahkan ini mengundur , mengecut dan menjadi konservatif. Tuhan yang dipelok saerat mungkin ini diberi nafas baru untuk melawan 'the other'- baca kuasa penjajah. Untuk gulungan konservatif ini Tuhan menjadi objek pemilikan yang ekslusif untuk mereka sahaja. Terkeluar dari landasan garis pemahaman ini bermakna Tuhan mereka telah di cemari oleh Barat. Maka suci, halal dan haram menjadi induk perjuangan mereka.
Justeru saban hari kita dapat membaca , mendengar dan melihat hujah hujah puak konservatif ini yang menuduh Barat sebagai sarang maksiat. Maksiat menjadi juru ukur ketamadunan. Mereka hanya berupaya berhujah memburukan Barat melalui keberahian seksual. Para pendakwah, para penceramah, para penyebar agama dari puak ini hanya berkeupayaan untuk menuduh Barat sebagai sarang seks bebas. Barat dituduh sebagai sarang seks homosexual. Barat dilihat sebagai tempat maksiat dimana arak, perempuan dan dadah menjadi budaya utama. Inilah hujah kumpulan ini apabila mereka ingin melihat Barat.
Apabila mereka melihat kejelikan yang berlaku dihadapan mata mereak sendiri. Apabila mereka terbaca bayi mati tersadai di tepi jamban. Apabila mereka melihat angka pemadat di Pusat Serenti penuh dengan Melayu/Islam maka Barat menjadi penyebab utama. Kumpulan konservatif Islam ini menjadikan Barat sebagai sebab musab untuk segala-galanya keboborakan yang berlaku dihadapan mata mereka. Kumpulan ini hanya berhujah tentang seks apabila berhadapan dengan Barat. Inilah yang saya sifatkan sebagai satu pandangan yang juling. Read more at: http://tukartiub.blogspot.com/2011/10/islam-dan-barat-barat-dan-islam.html |
| Najib, what’s it to be? Free and fair elections after electoral reforms, or Tahrir Square? Posted: 06 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT 
Even as the committee discusses and discovers serious flaws in our electoral process, we, the rakyat, are expected to acquiesce to UMNO and BN going ahead to hold the 13th GE without those flaws being first put right. By The People's Parliament These were the electoral reforms for which thousands of Malaysians converged on the streets of Kuala Lumpur to send a strong message to Najib's government : we, the rakyat, are not prepared to have another general election until we have the reforms we have demanded. You will all recall that between the BERSIH 2.0 event on 19th June to announce the rally of 9th July, and the days after leading up to the rally itself, Najib, his ministers,Ibs and Perkasa, UMNO bloggers and the mainstream media were in complete denial that our 8 demands for electoral reforms had any basis. The sheer numbers, the determination and the solidarity of the rakyat out there on 9th July, notwithstanding the blockades to prevent thousands getting into the city that day and the brutal treatment meted out by the FRU on those who managed to get into the rally, however, must have sent a chill down Najib's spine. On 15th August, Najib announced the intention of the government to form a parliamentary select committee to look into reforms to our electoral system. "Recently there have been demands for free and fair elections. The government's response is that we will propose the setting up of a parliamentary select committee soon, which will be made up of members from both BN and opposition…The committee will discuss all electoral reforms that needs to be implemented in order to achieve bipartisan agreement without any suspicion that there is manipulation by the government," , Malaysiakini reports Najib as saying. Najib is also reported to have said that he will not form a government unless it is truly elected by the people. "Don't think that we do not want a clean process of electing the government, we are committed to the tradition of parliamentary elections," he is reported to have said. Two days later, Nazri Aziz brushed aside demands from the opposition that assurances be given that no general election will be called until the requisite electoral reforms are put in place. "They are a minority and this is the right of the government. They cannot dictate to us," , Malaysiakini reports Nazri as saying. Two days later, as reported in Malaysiakini, Najib reiterated what Nazri had said : the next general election can be held anytime and is not bound by the work of the parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms. Since then, rumours abound that the 13th GE is imminent. 11th November, 2011, cause Najib is fixated with the number 11. 5th November, cause, it seems, that is Rosmah's preference. On 3rd October, Parliament passed a motion to establish the parliamentary select committee (PSC) to look into electoral reform. Malaysiakini reports that Nazri Aziz, who tabled the motion in Parliament, when winding up the debate on the same, said that "PRU-13 (the upcoming 13th general election) will not be the last GE for Malaysia and after that the world ends. If a snap election is called, the PSC's recommendations can be implemented in the 14th, 15th, 16th and GEs thereafter." In other words, even as the committee discusses and discovers serious flaws in our electoral process, we, the rakyat, are expected to acquiesce to UMNO and BN going ahead to hold the 13th GE without those flaws being first put right. Read more at: http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/najib-whats-it-to-be-free-and-fair-elections-after-electoral-reforms-or-tahrir-square/ |
| Putrajaya stands by refusal to charge A-G Posted: 06 Oct 2011 10:47 AM PDT  Abdul Gani has been hit by a stream of accusations from Mat Zain and Raja Petra. — File pic
(TMI) Putrajaya has insisted it will not take action against Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail despite renewed allegations of corruption and fabricating evidence made against the country's top lawyer. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said that last year's decision to close the door on the A-G's alleged involvement in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's 1998 "black eye" case still stands. "Same reply, same reply. I replied to (DAP adviser Lim) Kit Siang in Parliament before. The reply is the same," he told The Malaysian Insider when asked if Putrajaya would act on the latest allegations against Abdul Gani. When asked to state if the government would take action against Abdul Gani's accusers, Nazri repeated, "Same reply." In Parliament last December 14, the government side-stepped the damning accusations made by former investigating officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim that Abdul Gani had falsified documents in the "black eye" case, brushing aside several open letters and appeals issued by the retired policeman.. Instead, Nazri had told the House that there was no need for Mat Zain to complain that the independent panel formed to investigate the claimed evidence fabrication had failed to clear his name in the incident. This, said Nazri, was because Mat Zain had never been the subject of the panel's probe and had merely been called forth as a witness to testify. "The MACC's (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) advisory board, though its letter to Datuk Mat Zain on July 23, 2009, had already stressed that there was no need for the independent panel or the MACC to clear Mat Zain's name, seeing as he was not the subject of the investigation in the first place," he said. Nazri also said that the panel had been constitutional, despite Mat Zain's claim that the Solicitor-General had no right to appoint the members. In his first open letter to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Mat Zain had claimed that the right to appoint a tribunal only lay with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, based on the prime minister's advice. Despite Nazri's response, Mat Zain continued his relentless pursuit to convince the government to charge Abdul Gani in court and, over recent months, penned more letters to IGP Ismail. The former senior police officer also went a step further recently by accusing Putrajaya of admitting to Abdul Gani's role in allegedly falsifying evidence when Nazri appeared to back the independent panel's findings on the case. He said with Putrajaya's endorsement, there was no longer a need to form a royal commission of inquiry or a tribunal to investigate Abdul Gani's involvement. Mat Zain also claimed that Najib was aware of Abdul Gani's involvement as the prime minister had been briefed and was provided "complete evidence" in October 2008, when he was still the country's deputy premier. Mat Zain said he had briefed Najib at the latter's Finance Ministry office in Putrajaya, adding that he had "assumed" the leader would take appropriate action once he took up the prime minister's post. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-stands-by-refusal-to-charge-a-g/ |
| Media: Ketua Hakim Syarie dakwa Kelantan tak pernah serius laksana hudud Posted: 06 Oct 2011 10:33 AM PDT (TMI) Ketua Hakim Syarie negeri, Datuk Daud Mohamad menegur kerajaan PAS Kelantan kerana tidak pernah serius memberi penerangan kepada masyarakat mengenai hukum hudud sekalipun sudah meluluskan peruntukannya hampir 20 tahun lalu. Daud berkata, kempen dan pendidikan berterusan kepada rakyat mengenai hudud sepatutnya dilakukan tanpa henti sejak Enakmen Kanun Jenayah Syariah (II) Kelantan diluluskan pada tahun 1993 lagi. Beliau berkata, kerajaan negeri tidak sepatutnya hanya lantang bercakap mengenainya pada waktu-waktu tertentu sahaja kerana ia boleh menimbulkan keraguan niat sebenar kerajaan dalam melaksanakan hudud. "Kerajaan mungkin mengambil masa pada peringkat awal. Namun supaya benda ini tidak berlaku pertikaian atau pertentangan, eloklah beri penerangan dan penjelasan, tapi ini pun satu hal kerana dari 1993 sampai sekarang kita tidak dakwah betul-betul pun pasal hudud ini, tidak ada. "Padahal kita boleh dakwah dengan pelbagai cara, dengan risalah dan macam-macam. Pegawai dakwah kita ramai, ia sepatutnya berterusan, jangan hanya tunggu masa-masa tertentu sahaja, orang akan pandang lain pula," kata beliau pada Wacana Pelaksanaan Hudud di Dewan Teratai, Kota Baru semalam. Wacana khusus kepada pegawai kerajaan negeri dan persekutuan itu turut dihadiri pakar perlembagaan Prof. Dr. Abdul Aziz Bari dan Ahli Majlis Agama Islam Dan Adat Istiadat Melayu Kelantan (Maik), Datuk Mohamed Daud sebagai ahli panel. Daud yang merupakan salah seorang yang terbabit dalam merangka Enakmen Kanun Jenayah Syariah (II) Kelantan juga berkata, kerajaan negeri sepatutnya tidak takut untuk melaksanakan hukum hudud sekalipun mendapat tentangan dan ugutan daripada banyak pihak. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/media-ketua-hakim-syarie-dakwa-kelantan-tak-pernah-serius-laksana-hudud/ |
| Moving forward from racial tensions in Malaysia Posted: 06 Oct 2011 10:14 AM PDT 
There is also genuine ideological belief amongst Malaysia's extreme right-wing Malay ethno-nationalists that the Federal Constitution is based on Malay Supremacy. They conveniently forget that the same document—as abovementioned—also provides for the protection of the legitimate interests of the other communities. By Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (New Mandala) Politics in Malaysia is centred on race and religion. This Southeast Asian nation is in many ways a modern and moderate Muslim majority country. But this carefully-cultivated international image belies the underlying tensions of Malaysian society. Like many countries in the region, Malaysia's ethnic diversity is largely a legacy of colonial policy. Large numbers of Chinese, Indian and Indonesian migrants were brought in either directly by the British colonial administrators or commercial agents as part of their plans to exploit the economy of the various Malay states during the 19th and early 20th centuries. There was naturally much debate—especially when it became evident that the British would be winding back their empire—over the place of these non-Malays, who had settled and largely became part of the local fabric. What for instance, would the religion and language of the proposed free-state be? Many ethnic groups felt their claims in these matters to be equal, if not better than the others. Thus when Malaya achieved its independence in 1957, the Federal Constitution of Malaya (nowMalaysia) reflected a consensus and compromise between the different ethnicities and the preference of the retreating colonialists. Islam was to be the religion of the Federation, but other faiths were allowed to be practiced. Malay was made the official language but other communities were allowed to use, teach and learn their own. Finally, the King – the Supreme Head – of Malaysia was given the power not only to protect the "special position" of the indigenous Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak, but also the legitimate interests of the other communities on the advice of the Prime Minister. Thus, while many see the Federal Constitution as an imperfect document, it still has a strong imperative for liberty and justice. True, the institutions it created were generally conservative, but they functioned with integrity and efficiency. There was rule of law. Much was spent on education and infrastructure development.Malaysiawon a place of respect in the world. This, however, was undone during Dr. Mahathir Mohammad tenure as Prime Minister. He fought to shore up his power at the expense ofMalaysia's royal families, judiciary, civil service, media and civil society. Malaysia's fledgling democracy seemed headed towards one-party, and indeed one-man rule. Malaysia suffered one Constitutional crisis after another as he brooked no dissent. Mahathir's era also saw a change in Malaysia's social fabric. The global Islamic revival made politicised Islam became more visible in the public space, which the ethnic Malays, who are constitutionally also Muslim, flocked to as a means to articulate their identity more clearly. At the same time, ethic polarization increased as non-Malays became disillusioned with the limited opportunities available to them in the public sphere and an increase in socio-economic inequalities across all-races. On the other hand, the advent of the Internet saw the slow dismantling of the government monopoly on information and capital. This was the background to the Reformasi movement that emerged after the sacking of Mahathir's third Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim in 1998. The movement derailed Mahathir's attempt to recreateMalaysia in his image as a developed nation by 2020, and led many Malays to vote for the Opposition in the 1999 elections. Thus, Mahathir's dominant UMNO party tried to shore-up its Malay support. It increased its rhetoric of Malay supremacy ("ketuanan Melayu") to frighten the community into thinking they would be "swamped" by the other races while abandoning moderate Malays and the non-Malays. UMNO's racialism led to the BN losing unprecedented ground in the 2008 elections. Barisan Nasional (BN) was denied its traditional two-thirds Parliamentary majority and lost control of five state governments. The present administration led by Najib Razak has realised on the need for change and launched a "1Malaysia" campaign that talks of multiracialism and unity. Unfortunately, while Najib has been saying the right things, there seems to be a lack of political will to push through reforms that would upset the various vested interests in the establishment. This was also true of his predecessor's – Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – tenure. There is also genuine ideological belief amongst Malaysia's extreme right-wing Malay ethno-nationalists that the Federal Constitution is based on Malay Supremacy. They conveniently forget that the same document—as abovementioned—also provides for the protection of the legitimate interests of the other communities. While the Federal Constitution provides for asymmetrical freedoms and responsibilities, equality as a fundamental liberty is enshrined. Thus, Malaysia's rising tensions have less to do with its formal structures than its entrenched authoritarian political culture. The mistaken belief that the Constitution embodies Malay Supremacy – a term only introduced in the mid-1980s – is a result of the hijacking of history by political propagandists, racist brainwashing camps for university students and civil servants and extremist sentiments being played up by BN-owned media. Read more at: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2011/10/07/moving-forward-from-racial-tensions-in-malaysia/ |
| No Malaysian university in Times Higher Education (THE) 400 Top World University Ranking 2011/12 Posted: 06 Oct 2011 10:08 AM PDT By Lim Kit Siang The release today of the Times Higher Education (THE) 400 Top World University Ranking 2011/12, where not a single Malaysian university is included, has punctured the elation and euphoria just two months ago over the QS 200 World University Rankings 2011/12 which saw University of Malaya making it to the top 200 Top Universities moving 40 places to 167 compared to 2010. In the QS World University Rankings 2011/12, four other Malaysian universities slid down the rankings – University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) ranked 279 this year compared to 263 in 2010; Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) ranked 335 (309 last year); Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) ranked 358 (319 last year) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) at between 401 and 450 (365 last year). But in the just-released THE 400 Top World University Ranking 2011/12, none of the Malaysian universities made it into the placings. For the first time, Harvard (with Stanford) is at number two, failing to take the top spot in the list's eight-year history – with California Institute for Technology named the best university in the world. The rest of the Top Ten spots are Oxford (4), Princeton (5), Cambridge (6), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (70), Imperial College London (8), Chicago (9) and California (Berkeley) (10). The top Asian universities in the THE World University Ranking 2011/12 are: 30 – University of Tokyo (Japan) 34 – University of Hong Kong (HK) 40 – National University of Singapore (Singapore) 49 - Peking University (China) 52 – Kyoto University (Japan) 53 - Pohang University of Science and Technology (S.Korea) 62 - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong) 71 – Tsinghua University (China) 94 - Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (South Korea) 108 – Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan) 119 – Osaka University (Japan) 120 – Tohoku University (Japan) 124 – Seoul National University (South Korea) 151 – Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) 154 – National Taiwan University (Taiwan) 169 – Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) 192 – University of Science and Technology of China (China) 193 – City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) Worth noting is that while not a single Malaysian university made it into the Times Higher Education (THE) 400 Top World Universities, Thailand through Mahidol University is ranked in the final category between 351-400. |
| So, teach me the 'jalan yang betul' then! Posted: 06 Oct 2011 03:31 AM PDT 
Next, he or she assumes that the writer of the article, in this case Azmi Sharom, is not knowledgeable about the subject matter that he wrote about. And he or she made this assumption merely because the writer of the article, in this case Azmi Sharom, has a different view. Therefore, if you have a different view, then this means you are not knowledgeable about the subject. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Saudara azmi anda kena jelas betul2. Anda Muslim Dan org yg berpelajaran tinggi Dan ramai pengikut....jgn samapi kita bawa mereka ke Jln yg sesat.....sy tk kata u sesat....tp rujuklah dulu pd mereka yg lebih mahir dlm bab Hudud. Yg u baca bukan maknanya u faham...u faham cara u...maybe betul maybe tak betul!!!! Innalillah......
written by Eshmaelajenoor, October 07, 2011 00:48:57 ********************************
The above comment was posted by Eshmaelajenoor in the news item 'Right to question hudud law' by Azmi Sharom, originally published in The Star.
I have noticed many such comments posted in Malaysia Today, mainly by Malay-Muslim readers. They are all almost similar in nature.
First of all, the impression I get is that this reader is very lazy. He or she does not even bother to string a proper sentence with correct spelling, grammar, capitals, etc., and he or she uses incomplete or substitute words like 'u', 'tp', 'yg', 'sy', etc. This does not give an impression that this reader is serious in commenting.
Next, he or she assumes that the writer of the article, in this case Azmi Sharom, is not knowledgeable about the subject matter that he wrote about. And he or she made this assumption merely because the writer of the article, in this case Azmi Sharom, has a different view. Therefore, if you have a different view, then this means you are not knowledgeable about the subject.
That is a very pompous attitude. If you do not share my view then this means you have no knowledge about the subject matter.
This is the stand that many Malays-Muslims take and it is time these people accept the fact that not everyone shares their view. And it could be possible that they do not share your view not because they are ignorant. In fact, the opposite may be true. They may, in fact, be very knowledgeable and this is the main reason why they have an opposite view to yours.
Anyway, for Eshmaelajenoor to be able to know for a fact that Azmi Sharom is not knowledgeable about the subject can only be because Eshmaelajenoor IS knowledgeable about that subject. So, since Eshmaelajenoor IS knowledgeable about the subject, let us then engage in a discourse on Islam so that we can gauge the depth of Eshmaelajenoor's knowledge and assess whether Azmi Sharom, therefore, may actually be less knowledgeable about the subject matter he wrote about.
Allah, or God, in the Islamic perspective, has 99 properties or attributes -- what Muslims would call the 99 names of Allah.
The most crucial attribute of all is that Allah is omnipotent. This means Allah is all-powerful and nothing is beyond Allah's power. Probably the second most important attribute is that Allah is not born and Allah does not die. Allah is eternal. Even the Jews and Christians believe this.
Okay, if Allah is omnipotent and there is nothing Allah cannot do, can Allah commit suicide? Since Allah is eternal and cannot die, then logically speaking Allah cannot commit suicide. If Allah commits suicide then Allah will die, which means Allah would not then be eternal.
Hence, Eshmaelajenoor, if Allah is not capable of committing suicide, then how do you explain how Allah can be omnipotent when there are still some things that Allah is not capable of doing?
Yes, Eshmaelajenoo, please enlighten us on that and once you can satisfy us that you are certainly knowledgeable on matters of theism we can then probably accept your argument that Azmi Sharom is not knowledgeable enough and should not be talking about matters he clearly does not have enough knowledge to talk about.
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| WIKILEAKS: IRAN BLOCKED, AGAIN, FROM MALAYSIA ARMS SHOW Posted: 06 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
The Ambassador sent a message to the Prime Minister alerting him to the impending U.S. withdrawal. Within 90 minutes, Defense Ministry Secretary General Abubakar informed DATT that Malaysia had rescinded its approval for the Iranian exhibit because Iran had "broken its promise" by displaying unauthorized items. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim, acting on instruction from the Prime Minister, telephoned the Ambassador and confirmed the same decision and rationale. Rais Yatim stood by the Foreign Ministry's position that Iran's participation in DSA (exhibiting certain non-lethal gear and apparently small arms as negotiated with the Iranians) would not violate UNSCRs. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d). Summary 1. (C) Malaysia on April 22 blocked Iran from participating in the Defense Services Asia (DSA) military sales exhibition. This followed a week of decisions in favor of Iran and reversals, and continuous interventions by the Embassy and our UK and French counterparts. The Malaysians reached a compromise withIran on April 19 and again on April 21, allowing Iran to display certain small arms and defensive gear (still in violation of UNSCRs). The Ambassador called Prime Minister Abdullah on April 21 and alerted him to the situation. On the morning of April 22, Iran violated its agreement with Malaysia by preparing a display that included rockets and artillery shells, prompting the Defense Ministry to order a halt to Iran's participation. The Foreign Minister confirmed this decision in a call to the Ambassador, but did not concede that Iran's participation in DSA would constitute a violation of UNSCRs. Another serious concern pertains to the import from Iran into Malaysia of various arms and arms related items, a clear violation of UNSCR 1747 regardless of the exhibition. We believe these concerns may be usefully addressed by P3 or UN sanctions committee discussions with the Malaysian mission in New York. Our forceful response to the DSA incident should help us as we pursue other nonproliferation concerns with Malaysia. End Summary. Weekend Back and Forth 2. (C) Embassy engagement, including by the Ambassador and DATT, continued through the April 19-20 weekend following the preceding four days of diplomatic interventions (reftels) aimed at convincing Malaysia to rescind its permission to allow Iranian participation in the DSA. After several GOM decisions to stop Iran and subsequent reversals in Iran's favor, Embassy DATT received assurances from the Defense Ministry ahead of the April 20 kick-off ceremony that Iran would not be allowed to formally participate in DSA. Throughout our discussions, the Defense Ministry referred to the Foreign Ministry's support for Iran and the Foreign Ministry's interpretation of UNSCRs as allowing Iran to join the DSA military sales exhibition. Iran Regains Permission 3. (C) On April 21, the first day of the public exhibition, we learned that the Defense Ministry had given the Iranian entities permission to open their booth. This followed a meeting between the Iranian ambassador and Defense Ministry Secretary General Abubakar. Defense Ministry officials and DSA representatives informed us that Iran would display small arms and non-lethal gear (a compromise discussed by Iran and Malaysia on April 19). Contractors reconstructed the Iranian booth on the evening of April 21. Ambassador Phones Prime Minister 4. (C) The Ambassador phoned Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi late on April 21 after a hastily scheduled meeting with Deputy Prime Minister/Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak did not materialize (Najib delegated the meeting to his Secretary General). The Ambassador alerted the Prime Minister to the DSA situation, and explained that we may be forced to withdraw official U.S. participation out of respect for the UNSC sanctions and not as an effort to embarrass Malaysia. The Prime Minister said he was unaware of the situation and would speak with Defense Minister Najib. Rockets and Artillery Rounds - Iranians Go Too Far 5. (C) On the morning of April 22, the Iranian exhibit appeared ready to open with a wide-ranging display that included 155mm and 125mm artillery rounds; various surface-to-surface and anti-tank rockets, and armor piercing rounds; surveillance gear, including night vision devices; protective gear for nuclear, biological, chemical threats (MOPP suit); models of naval vessels; and advertisements for aircraft parts. (Note: We have forwarded a more detailed inventory to EAP/MTS and ISN. End Note.) DATT drew Defense Ministry officials' attention to this extensive display and informed them that on instruction from Washington we would withdraw official U.S. participation, including U.S. military exhibits, immediately upon the opening of the Iranian exhibit. The Ambassador sent a message to the Prime Minister alerting him to the impending U.S. withdrawal. 6. (C) Within 90 minutes, Defense Ministry Secretary General Abubakar informed DATT that Malaysia had rescinded its approval for the Iranian exhibit because Iran had "broken its promise" by displaying unauthorized items. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim, acting on instruction from the Prime Minister, telephoned the Ambassador and confirmed the same decision and rationale. Rais Yatim stood by the Foreign Ministry's position that Iran's participation in DSA (exhibiting certain non-lethal gear and apparently small arms as negotiated with the Iranians) would not violate UNSCRs. 7. (C) UK officials informed us of their meeting later on April 22 with Secretary General Abubakar in which he said Malaysia had been "hurt and offended" that a "friendly nation" (Iran) had taken advantage of Malaysia's hospitality. Abubakar described Iran's exhibit of large ordinance as a "clear breach" of UN sanctions. It remained unclear how and on what basis Malaysia drew the line between acceptable and unacceptable military items for DSA display. 8. (C) U.S., UK and French missions coordinated and shared information throughout the dispute over Iranian participation at DSA. We also kept the Australian mission informed, while the UK and France worked to include Germany. Comment 9. (C) While aggressive diplomatic intervention by the U.S. and its allies has stopped Iran's participation the DSA arms show (at least as of this hour - DSA will continue for another two days), we recognize at least two serious concerns that should be addressed with Malaysia. First, Malaysia does not agree with the P3 interpretation of UN sanctions against Iran, particularly paragraph 5 of UNSCR 1747, which would prohibit Iran's participation in a defense sales and marketing event and prohibit Iran's marketing of small arms and non-lethal military gear. (Beyond Malaysia's own position, greater UNSC or P3 clarity on this issue and advance work with scheduled defense exhibitions may help to prevent similar situations from arising at the last minute; we note that Malaysia appeared unaware of the 2007 Brazil precedent prior to our demarche.) 10. (C) Second, Iran's transfer to Malaysian territory of various arms and arms-related materiel for this exhibition appears to be a clear violation of UNSCR 1747. This transfer, however, apparently has not met with any Malaysian government restrictions or concerns, outside of the question of what would be on public display at DSA. 11. (C) We believe that a P3 or 1747 sanctions committee approach to Malaysia's UN mission, addressing the DSA incident and Iranian transfer of arms and arms-related materiel, represents a useful way to proceed. Such an approach could clarify authoritative interpretations of UNSCRs, and reinforce the international community's serious concern over respect for UN sanctions on Iran. A P3 or sanctions committee approach in New York would provide a good basis for follow-on discussions with the Foreign Ministry and GOM senior officials in Kuala Lumpur. 12. (C) As a silver lining, the painful DSA incident has signaled clearly to the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and the Foreign Minister that we view UN sanctions on Iran, related to Iran's non-compliance with UNSC demands regarding its nuclear program, as a very serious matter. This should help us as we pursue other nonproliferation concerns with Malaysia. KEITH (April 2008) |
| Cincin RM72 juta sudah pulang? Posted: 05 Oct 2011 09:12 PM PDT 
Tidak cukup duit gaji Najib dikumpul sejak mula jadi menteri hingga sekarang untuk membelinya. Maka Najib mesti menghilangkan keraguan orang tentang cincin itu supaya tiada wang negara disalahgunakan dan tiada urusan yang tidak betul melayakkan cincin itu boleh menjadi milik isterinya. Subky Latif, Harakah Daily ADAPUN cincin ajaib yang diposkan kepada isteri Perdana Menteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor telah dipulangkan kepada yang mengirim. Berita yang dibongkar oleh Cikgu Bard, seorang pemimpin ternama PKR betapa adanya cincin yang semahal sekitar RM72 juta dihantar kepada Rosmah secara pos dan terpaksa melalui pemeriksaan kastam itu adalah benar apabila Menteri Nazri Aziz mengesahkannya dalam Parlimen. Menteri Nazri dalam jawapannya kepada soalan mengenainya di Parlimen memberitahu bahawa cincin itu telah dikembalikan kepada syarikat pemunyanya. Apabila ia telah dikembalikan kepada sipengirim, bererti pernah dibawa masuk ke negara ini dan dihantar kepada Rosmah di alamatnya. Bagaimana ia dibawah masuk telah didedahkan oleh Cikgu Bard. Bagaimana ia dipulangkan tidak pula diketahui. Berita rasmi mengenai cincin ini hanya yang disahkan oleh menteri Nazri di Parlimen. Penjelasan menteri di Parlimen diterima sah. Anggota Parlimen tidak boleh membuat kenyataan palsu di Parlimen. Jika dibuktikan anggota Parlimen membuat kenyataan palsu di Parlimen, maka hilang kelayakannya sebagai anggota Parlimen. Berita ia sudah dikembalikan itu boleh diterima. Tetapi penapian Rosmah betapa cincin itu dihantar kepadanya sebagai fitnah tidak dipercayai. Orang percaya cincin itu telah dihantar kepadanya dan telah diterimanya. Jika diadakan penyiasatan telus di Jabatan Kastam, nescaya orang dapat tahu bagaimana cincin itu sampai ke Jabatan Kastam dan cara mana kastam mengendalikannya? Kastam juga tentu dapat menceritakan ke mana cincin itu dihantar selepas diperiksa kastam? Yang menjadi misteri sekarang ialah bagaimana cincin itu boleh dihantar ke Malaysia dan kepada orang yang dikirim di alamatnya? Adakah syarikat yang mengirimnya sekadar untuk menunjuknya saja kepada Rosmah? Adalah tidak munasabah cincin yang semahal itu boleh dihantar begitu saja kalau tiada persetujuan atau permintaan dari orang yang dihantar? Kalau atas tujuan untuk dipertontonkan kepada orang Malaysia dan kemudian dipulangkan balik, mengapa tidak dihantar kepada Raja Permaisuri Agong yang kedudukan baginda adalah lebih tinggi dari isteri Perdana Menteri? Rosmah memang terkenal sebagai seorang yang lincah dan diketahui pula suka bermewah serta gemar kepada benda-benda yang mewah. Jika cincin itu untuk tujuan pameran, tiada berita tentang pameran barang mewah termasuk cincin itu. Adalah mustahil pameran diadakan sekadar untuk menunjukkan sebentuk cincin itu saja. Kalau untuk dipamer, tentulah tuan punya cincin itu sendiri datang kerana dia akan dapat menjawab semua pertanyaan para peminat tentang cincin itu. Adalah mustahil cincin itu dipamerkan tanpa kehadiran tuan punya bagi menjamin keselamatan cincin itu. Agak ajaib jika cincin itu sekadar dipinjamkan kerana ia bukan benda yang murah. Apa jaminan jika cincin itu hilang? Tiada jawapan yang dapat diterima bagi tuan punya melepaskannya kepada orang lain selain dari dijual. Orang seperti Rosmah dipercayai tidak akan melepaskannya apabila ia sudah di tangannya. Sedaya upayanya dia akan menjadikannya hak miliknya. Setinggi mana pun harganya tidaklah penting sangat tetapi dia ada cara untuk menyelesaikannya dan dia ada cara bagaimana Perdana Menteri Najib dapat membantu mendapatkannya. Kita tidak menyanggah penjelasan Menteri Nazri ia telah dikembalikan kerana kita menghormati kata-kata di Parlimen adalah benar dan tiada yang tidak benar. Tetapi siapa saksi cincin itu telah beredar dari tangan Rosmah? Apa bukti ia sudah diterima semula oleh tuan punya? Apa pun perkiraan antara kedua tuan punya dan orang yang menerima cincin adalah urusan dan transaksi kedua mereka. Negara, kerajaan dan rakyat ada hak untuk mengetahui urusan cincin itu. Kita yakin Rosmah mahu memilikinya. Tuan punya tentu sudah diyakinkan urusan niaganya dan penyerahan cincin itu tidak mendatangkan risiko. Tidak cukup duit gaji Najib dikumpul sejak mula jadi menteri hingga sekarang untuk membelinya. Maka Najib mesti menghilangkan keraguan orang tentang cincin itu supaya tiada wang negara disalahgunakan dan tiada urusan yang tidak betul melayakkan cincin itu boleh menjadi milik isterinya. Sukar orang untuk mempercayai adanya urusan tentang cincin itu boleh dibawa ke sini. Silap Rosmah ialah mengapa cincin itu tidak dipakai dan dibawa pulang sendiri? Tiada siapa tahu jika ia tidak dipos. |
| The chicken and the egg Posted: 05 Oct 2011 07:38 PM PDT I believe we are moving towards better system like UK. We are in the move to balance up two-party system. But first, we have to win the election and PR to enforce MCLM as third force and act as referee for two-party system. Since both parties are not as mature as UK, they might use dirty tricks to kill each other. MCLM will be used to monitor both parties come clean and fair (written by jacko2012, October 06, 2011 13:44:29). NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin I want to write just a short piece today. I am busy with my studies so that means I can afford little time with cheong hei articles. (Someone asked me what cheong hei means. It means long-winded). The comment above by jacko2012 is just one example of many such comments (and I mean MANY). I thought I would pick that one up (not that that one is special or above the rest) to demonstrate what many -- and I mean MANY -- readers like to comment. It is always: yes, I agree. That is what we must do. That is not what we are currently seeing in Malaysia. But first we need to change the government. First we need to kick out Barisan Nasional. First we need to vote Pakatan Rakyat into government. And then we can talk about all that. But that is just it. We are looking at the chicken and the egg syndrome. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? While you may argue: yes, I agree. That is what we must do. That is not what we are currently seeing in Malaysia. But first we need to change the government. First we need to kick out Barisan Nasional. First we need to vote Pakatan Rakyat into government. And then we can talk about all that. I would like to argue: we must first do all that BEFORE we have any chance of seeing the government change. For example, I am saying that we need electoral reforms. You then say: forget it. This will not happen under Barisan Nasional. Wait till we change the government. Then we can talk about electoral reforms. But then that is just it. Without electoral reforms we shall have no chance in hell of changing the government. Barisan Nasional, which has been in power for almost 54 years (earlier as the Alliance Party), will continue to be in power for another 54 years. So which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Do we push for electoral reforms NOW or wait until after Barisan Nasional is kicked out and Pakatan Rakyat comes into power? Can Pakatan Rakyat win the election without electoral reforms? If we can change the government without electoral reforms, then why do we need to embark upon electoral reforms after successfully changing the government? Do you get my point? And the same applies for all the other issues as well. We can't wait until Barisan Nasional is kicked out before talking about it because ONE of the criteria to see a change in government is to talk about this NOW. For example, how many voters (who are not happy about Hudud) are prepared to vote for PAS first, and then later, after Pakatan Rakyat becomes the federal government, we will argue and fight about Hudud? They will want the Hudud matter resolved BEFORE they decide whether to vote for PAS or not. So you might say: yes, I agree. That is what we must do. That is not what we are currently seeing in Malaysia. But first we need to change the government. First we need to kick out Barisan Nasional. First we need to vote Pakatan Rakyat into government. And then we can talk about all that. However, one million other voters will say 'no way!' and will either vote for Barisan Nasional or will boycott the election and not come out to vote at all. And this applies not only to the Hudud issue but to many other issues as well. So don't be shiok sendiri. Just because you place ABU (anything but Umno/asal bukan Umno) above all else, and are prepared to 'talk only after PR comes to power', does not mean that 10 million other voters also share your view. They would rather tread carefully. And if they are not sure, they would rather not vote for you. So that is my very short article for today. And yes, I know, 80% of the comments will be about whether it is the chicken first or the egg first while they ignore the more important message in my article. I have grown accustomed to readers who argue about the colour of the rope rather than whether so-and-so committed suicide by hanging or was murdered. |
| Hudud row a boon for Najib, says WSJ Posted: 05 Oct 2011 06:27 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should thank his political foes for resurrecting the hudud issue, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Online, which called it a timely boost to his sliding popularity as national polls loom. "Malaysian leader Najib Razak's effort to reinvent himself as the country's 'coolest' prime minister is getting a bit of a lift from a row in the opposition over unfashionable Islamic hudud laws," the influential US daily said today. It observed the DAP-PAS-PKR alliance was now tangled in regular debate over the enforcement of Islamic penal laws in mutireligious Malaysia, handing the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) a much-needed edge to claw back support ahead of an expected early 13th general election. The Chinese-majority DAP last week pledged that its leadership would resign en masse if hudud laws are implemented, after Islamist partner PAS's spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat told reporters the party would seek to adopt the Islamic penal laws nationwide if it wins in the coming polls. This forced Pakatan Rakyat (PR) head and PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to mediate between the two and calm public opinion. Anwar has said the opposition will not necessarily carry out hudud if it takes over Putrajaya. "The net result of all this wrangling, political analysts say, is to do Mr Najib a favour at a time when he is trying to reclaim the centre-ground of Malaysian politics," WSJ writer James Hookway wrote in the article headlined, "Malaysia's Recurring Row Over Islamic laws Could Lift Najib". "That left Mr Najib largely free to focus on preparing a budget speech due Friday (tomorrow) that many analysts expect to contain a series of cash giveaways, such as tax rebates, civil services bonuses and lower personal tax rates, in the run-up to national elections that must be held within the next 18 months," he added. The prime minister is expected to roll out a populist Budget to combat the rising cost of living before calling for an early general election next year, ahead of the 2013 expiry of the BN mandate. The global economy is forecast to turn gloomier, which could deal a death blow to the Najib administration if it chooses to see out its mandate to full term. READ MORE HERE |
| Tax reliefs: Hidden subsidies that favour the rich Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:53 PM PDT Tax reliefs are a very regressive form of government subsidies to the taxpayers. The richer the taxpayer, the more subsidies she receives from the government. Thus it is unfair and inequitable, writes Subramaniam Pillay. In the past couple of years, there has been a lot of talk on subsidy rationalisation i.e. the removal of subsidies for basic items like cooking oil, sugar, flour and petrol. The argument is that it subsidises the poor as well as the rich; it is unfair to provide subsidies for the rich, so we must eliminate the subsidies and let market forces work. Many of these subsidies help the poor and the rich equally. For example, if a family consumes 5kg of cooking oil per month, they get the same subsidy regardless of their wealth and income. Usually, consumption of basic food items does not increase with increasing wealth and income. However, there is a large hidden subsidy which favours the rich over the poor that has been conveniently forgotten. And this comes in the form of the various tax reliefs offered to taxpayers. In this week, before the 2012 budget is announced, there have been numerous calls to increase the tax relief for various items including premiums for medical insurance, educational insurance and life insurance. Tax reliefs are is a very regressive form of government subsidies to the taxpayers. The richer the taxpayer, the more subsidy she gets from the government. Thus it is unfair and inequitable.
Tax relief for purchase of books Let us illustrate this with an example. Currently, there is a tax relief of RM1000 for the purchase of books and magazines that is available to all taxpayers. Ostensibly, this is to encourage the reading habit among Malaysians. A high-income earner who is at the top tax bracket will pay a marginal tax rate of 26 per cent i.e. for every extra ringgit she earns, she will pay 26 sen income tax. On the flip side, every ringgit of tax relief that she claims will reduce her income tax by 26 sen. If she now buys books and magazines worth RM1000 for herself or her children, she can claim the full relief and lower her tax bill by RM260. In other words, this high-income person is getting a government subsidy of RM260 to purchase books. Now let us take the case of Mr X, the average citizen of Malaysia whose income is so low that he does not pay taxes. (It has been reported that only 1.7m residents have tax files with IRB which means the remaining 12m-15m working adults are either earning too little to pay income tax or evading paying income tax!) If Mr X now buys RM1000 worth of books to improve his and his children's knowledge to enable them to have a better life in the future, he receives no subsidy as he is not entitled to any tax relief. If Ms Y, a middle income Malaysian has a marginal tax rate of 12 per cent, she will get a subsidy of only RM120 for the RM1000 worth of books she buys. The irony is that it is the families in the lower-income group who need the books more as it will enable them to earn a better income in the future. They need the book subsidy more than the rich. But our tax relief system rewards the rich more than the poor thus widening the income and wealth disparity in this country. Tax relief for medical insurance premiums An even more unfair tax relief is the one offered for purchase of medical insurance. Using the same reasoning as above, the government is subsidising the rich with 26 per cent of the cost of the medical insurance premium while the poor will be unable to even think of buying medical insurance as they cannot afford it. This subsidy should rightly be diverted to the health care budget so that the public sector health care system can do a better job in terms of delivering quality health care on a consistent basis. The beneficiaries of this medical insurance tax relief (or subsidy as it should be correctly labelled) are not only the high-income taxpayers but also the private medical insurance companies and the profit-seeking private hospital sector. Why are tax reliefs popular? Given this glaring inequity and unfairness of the tax relief system, why is it popular in many countries? The beneficiaries are well educated and vocal enough to influence politicians to give these reliefs. Industry groups which benefit from these reliefs (e.g. insurance companies, private hospitals, and private education providers) are also powerful lobbies in many countries. The poor on the other hand are voiceless and their welfare is usually neglected. For example, few top leaders in all segments of our society use public hospitals; in fact many go abroad for medical treatment, so they don't see the need for consistently high quality health care from government hospitals which most Malaysians have no choice but to use. Another reason is that the subsidy in the form of tax relief is revenue foregone and not visible directly; it is not recorded anywhere in the government's income and expenditure accounts. On the other hand, a subsidy for cooking oil turns up as an expenditure item in the accounts. So when the government thinks of tightening its belt, it tends to focus on how to cut spending and not how to enhance revenue by removing all these indirect subsidies which favour the rich more than the poor. It is also easier to quantify direct subsidies whereas revenue foregone through tax reliefs is more difficult to estimate and is thus less visible. Given these reasons, it is not going to be easy to get rid of the unjust and massive inequitable subsidy that occurs through tax reliefs in our government budgets. Dr Subramaniam Pillay is an economist who has just retired from academia. He is also a member of the executive committee of Aliran. |
| Sodomy II: Najib, Rosmah need not testify Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:53 PM PDT 
Anwar has failed to show the relevancy and materiality of both Najib and Rosmah to the trial, ruled the judge. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has failed in his bid to haul up Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor to court to testify in his Sodomy II trial. Judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah today allowed an application by the couple to set aside the subpoenas compelling them to be defence witnesses in the trial. "After going through the affidavits and submissions, I found that the defendants have failed to show the relevancy and materiality of both Najib and Rosmah to the trial," said Mohamed Zabidin. Meanwhile, Anwar said he was disappointed with the court's ruling. "Of course, I'm disappointed because both of them (Najib and Rosmah) were clearly involved. We have evidence to support that… "Our position is that this was planned. Now he (Najib) should come and deny it," he said. He added that the prosecution offered them as witnesses. "(So) if they are not relevant, why were they offered (as witnesses)?" Anwar's lead counsel Karpal Singh said that the defence would appeal against the decision at the Court of Appeal tomorrow. He said he was also disappointed that the judge did not give any reasons for the decision to set aside the subpoenas. "He ought to have given the reasons," said Karpal. 'Fishing expedition' On Monday, Mohamad Zabidin heard submissions from the couple's lawyers as well as from lawyers representing Anwar. Anwar's argument is that it was important to have Najib and Rosmah to testify in his trial so that he could find out what had transpired in a meeting involving the prime minister and the complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Anwar also wants Rosmah to explain about her meeting with Muhamad Rahimi Osman, a close friend of Saiful. (Rahimi was said to have gone to Rosmah to seek assistance on behalf of his friend.) READ MORE HERE |
| Grassroots Support The Key To Forming The Next Government Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:51 PM PDT Really, the battle for the hearts and minds of the Malaysian voters come GE13 is not the educated and internet-savvy voters but in the grassroots, deep in the kampungs, new villages and estates. The Sarawak state election held a while back proved that statement. And I am sure our Pakatan Rakyat brothers and sisters knew that. No amount of mud-slinging and korek would unseat the BN government. The BN machinery is just too slick working effectively in the rural areas. If you think about it, this is actually the reverse in Thailand where the elites and educated and urbanites worked hard to exclude the parties that have the support from the rural population (the have-nots) from forming the government. Your guess is as good as mine, eventually, the elites and internet-savvy still have to give way to the grassroots. The recently completed Singapore elections also proved this point. It was touted as an internet election with young voters reading up on the alternative media before deciding who to vote but alas, it was the mainstream media that won, according to a survey conducted jointly by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and Nanyang Technological University (see link to the story http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20111005-303216.html). That is the reality in Malaysia and those who are internet-savvy can be easily counted with our ten fingers versus the masses in the kampungs, new villages and estates. BN knew this is where the battle will be fought and won and they knew this is one of the main oppositions' weaknesses. As for me, like many of you, I would like to see reforms, hopefully by voting in a new government. Unfortunately, facts are not on our side. I wonder if our pakciks, makciks, ah peks, ah sohs, aunties, uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers ever know what is Pakatan Rakyat because to many of them, they only swear by the dacing symbol. The opposition parties have to unite and go to the grounds, not squabbling who is going to be the Prime Minister and whether hudud is the way to go. They need to take a leaf from the Workers Party in Singapore where their party members worked the grounds for many years in one of the areas they contested despite losing in several elections and eventually they won it in last year's election, along the way knocking out one of the most prominent Cabinet minister. And now this party is working on a long term plan to replace the PAP government. Well, you can laugh at it. At least they are already working on that plan. It is a tough journey and whether BN can be voted out, depends on how organized the opposition parties are. |
| The Pinnacle of Human Stupidity - The Darwin Awards Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:46 PM PDT I was thinking, luckily no Malaysian has ever won this award before, so we must be smarter than this, at least. By Socrates It's that time again. The DARWIN Awards are out. The annual honour is given to the persons who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out. This year's winner was a real rocket scientist ... HONESTLY! Read on ... and remember that each and every one of these is a TRUE STORY!!! And the nominees were:
Semifinalist #1 A young Canadian man, searching for a way of getting drunk cheaply, because he had no money with which to buy
alcohol, mixed gasoline with milk. Not surprisingly, this concoction made him ill, and he vomited into the fireplace in his house. This
resulting explosion and fire burned his house down, killing both him and his sister. Semifinalist #2 Three Brazilian men were flying in a light aircraft at low altitude when another plane approached. It appears that they
decided to moon the occupants of the other plane, but lost control of their own aircraft and crashed. They were all found dead in the
wreckage with their pants around their ankles. Semifinalist #3 A 22-year-old Reston, VA, man was found dead after he tried to use octopus straps to bungee jump off a 70-foot rail road trestle. Fairfax County police said Eric Barcia, a fast-food worker, taped a bunch of these straps together, wrapped an end around one foot, anchored the other end to the trestle at Lake Accotink Park, jumped and hit the pavement. Warren Carmichael, a police
spokesman, said investigators think Barcia was alone because his car was found nearby. 'The length of the cord that he had assembled was greater than the distance between the trestle and the ground,' Carmichael said. Police say the apparent cause of death was 'Major
trauma.' Semifinalist #4 A man in Alabama died from rattlesnake bites. It seems that he and a friend were playing a game of catch, using the
rattlesnake as a ball. The friend - no doubt a future Darwin Awards candidate - was hospitalized. Semifinalist #5 Employees in a medium-sized warehouse in west Texas noticed the smell of a gas leak. Sensibly, management
evacuated the building, extinguishing all potential sources of ignition; lights, power, etc... After the building had been evacuated, two
technicians from the gas company were dispatched. Upon entering the building, they found they had difficulty navigating in the dark. To their frustration, none of the lights worked. Witnesses later described the sight of one of the technicians reaching into his pocket and retrieving an object that resembled a cigarette lighter. Upon operation of the lighter-like object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending pieces of it up to three miles away. Nothing was found of the technicians, but the lighter was virtually untouched by the explosion. The technician suspected of causing the blast had never been thought of as ''bright'' by his peers. And now, for the winner of this year's Darwin Award Award:
(As always, awarded posthumously): The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. Police investigators finally pieced together the mystery. An amateur rocket scientist had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet Assisted Take Off, actually a solid-fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra 'push' for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. He attached the JATO unit to the car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO! The facts as best could be determined are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit the JATO ignition at a distance of approximately
3.0 miles from the crash site. This was established by the scorched and melted asphalt at that location. The JATO, if operating properly, would have reached maximum thrust within 5 seconds, causing the Chevy to reach speeds well in excess of 350 mph and continuing at full power for an additional 20 -25 seconds. The driver, and soon-to-be pilot, would have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners, causing him to become irrelevant for the remainder of the event. However, the automobile remained on the straight highway for about 2.5 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 feet, leaving a blackened crater 3 feet deep in
the rock. Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable. Epilogue:
It has been calculated that this moron attained a ground speed of approximately 420-mph, though much of his voyage was not actually
on the ground. PEOPLE LIKE THIS WALK AMONG US, AND THEY ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE KIDS AND VOTE!!
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I was thinking, luckily no Malaysian has ever won this award before, so we must be smarter than this, at least. Then, an awful thought
struck me. Perhaps, as individuals we may not have reached this moronic level, but we certainly take the cake when we look at it from a
national angle. I mean, for letting the UMNO/ BN Government rape and plunder our country, Malaysia, for over 40 years, resulting in near bankruptcy in the near future, and if we are still voting them into power in GE13 we must win the Darwin Award for being the GE13,
most moronic population in the world, bar none! Certainly, I shall put forward Malaysia as a candidate for the Darwin Award if there is no change in the government after the GE13. To
prevent Malaysia from winning this shameful award, VOTE OUT BN in the GE13!!
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| Ku Li says ‘Undilah’ video fit for viewing Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:11 PM PDT 
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah defended today his role in the controversial "Undilah" video, stating he was only trying to encourage the public to register to vote. Despite critics stating that the public service announcement was anti-Barisan Nasional (BN), the Umno veteran gave it a thumbs-up when asked by reporters today in Parliament.
"Bagus (good). But if those with the power to ban it want to ban it, then go ahead," he said when asked his opinion of the clip before entering Parliament.
The Malaysian Insider reported that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) directed local broadcasters not to use the four-minute clip produced by musician Pete Teo just days after its launch on September 16.
But the MCMC insisted that the video was only taken off the air because it had not been approved by the Film Censorship Board.
Although Datuk Seri Najib Razak has insisted the video is not banned, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim has said that the video is offensive and unsuitable for public consumption as it contains "subliminal messages".
Tengku Razaleigh said today that his segment, which opens the music video, was recorded independently of the rest of the clip and he was not aware who else would be featured in it.
"I was only asking people to register to vote. In fact, a lot of Malays have not registered," the Gua Musang MP said.
The video, which has been viewed over 500,000 times, also features rapper Wee Meng Chee, who has been accused of attacking Malaysia and being anti-Malay.
But Najib recently defended the musician, popularly known as Namewee, calling him a "strong supporter of 1 Malaysia." READ MORE HERE |
| Snubbing China closes trade doors further, says Pakatan Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:44 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — The federal opposition has warned that Putrajaya's shifting position in proposed deals with China-based firms has further dented Malaysia's chances of spurring trade. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers noted that with economic giants Europe and the United States facing prolonged debt crises, Malaysia is sending the wrong signal to its fourth-largest trade partner.
"We can't afford to anger foreign investors, much less Chinese investors who we are aggressively wooing," said DAP publicity chief Tony Pua.
The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that the Finance Ministry dropped mainland Chinese developer Everbright's US$1 billion (RM3.2 billion) redevelopment plan for Pudu Jail in favour of splitting the eight-hectare prime land into three parcels to be developed by mainly Bumiputera companies.
It also reported yesterday that Putrajaya has decided to forgo a cheap RM2.6 billion loan from China to build the Second Penang Bridge, and has instead asked state-owned Bank Pembangunan to further underwrite the construction of the 24km bridge which is now due in 2013.
The loan, which was seen as a sign of closer ties between Malaysia and its largest export market, was set with an interest loan of three per cent for 20 years, understood to be marginally lower than the Bank Pembangunan rate.
PAS research chief Dzulkefly Ahmad (picture) said "this raises questions about the kind of signal we are sending to what is probably the most important economy in the world while Europe and America struggle with double-dip recessions."
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said these moves continue a trend of delays and flip-flops in business relations with China that "lowers confidence that Malaysia knows how to plan and stick to agreements." READ MORE HERE.
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| Return IWK services to local councils, says Pua Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:32 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — DAP MP Tony Pua today urged Putrajaya to return Indah Water Konsortium's (IWK) sewerage treatment and management business to the local councils, pointing out the centralisation of its services had resulted in a costly bailout for the government. He, however, lauded the Finance Ministry's response in Parliament today that IWK would not be privatised but instead restructured and placed under the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry. But, said the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, the government should "take a further step" by decentralising IWK's services, reminding that prior to 1994 local councils were in charge of sewerage treatment. "The IWK was formed in 1997 as part of (former prime minister) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's privatisation initiative and took over all the relevant functions from the local government authorities. "To ensure increased effectiveness and greater responsiveness to issues faced by the people, it is crucial that the local councils are empowered to manage its services," he said in a statement handed out in Parliament today. Putrajaya said yesterday it had spent RM1.2 billion to sustain IWK since nationalising the national sewerage company in 2000. The Finance Ministry said that IWK had racked up liabilities amounting to RM2 billion, while its assets are valued at about RM1.2 billion. It also said that there are no plans to privatise IWK but the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry would be restructuring the sewerage industry, reviewing sewerage tariffs and guaranteeing future capital expenditure. Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah had said on September 10 that IWK would be merged with a government unit, confirming a report by The Malaysian Insider. Ahmad Husni said that the merger process was already under way but declined to disclose the name of the government subsidiary, except to say that IWK would continue to be government-owned after the merger. The Malaysian Insider reported on September 8 that IWK would be privatised into a consortium led by strategic investment agency 1MDB, some 11 years after the government was forced to bail out the national sewerage company from financial difficulties under its previous owners. Finance Ministry sources had recently told The Malaysian Insider that the 1MDB-led consortium will include water distribution company Puncak Niaga, and that the deal has been given the nod by the Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Under the proposed deal, the 1MDB consortium was to acquire IWK for RM1 and take over its debts which include more than RM1.5 billion in loans still owed to the ministry. The consortium is seeking a 60-year concession from the government and will only pay back the principal amount and interest on the loan over the long term. READ MORE HERE. |
| Even if it weakens Pakatan, Nik Aziz wants hudud Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:28 PM PDT By K Pragalath, FMT PETALING JAYA: Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat remains adamant about implementing hudud in the state even if this resulted in Pakatan Rakyat becoming weakened. "I went through the newspapers over the past few days and they are not playing up the hudud issue as vigorously as they did last week. I hope they would, even if it weakens Pakatan because more people would understand the truth about hudud. "Perhaps the media realised that hudud cannot be used as Umno's tool as it would backfire," read the PAS spiritual adviser's posting on Facebook. Controversy over hudud erupted last month when the PAS leader announced his intention to implement the Islamic law after former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad dared Nik Aziz to implement it. Nik Aziz also stressed that hudud would only affect the Muslims. However, PAS' Pakatan coalition partner DAP had objected, saying the move would contradict the Federal Constitution. Last week, Pakatan supremo Anwar Ibrahim anounced that hudud cannot be implemented due to lack of concensus among the coalition's component parties. 'Food more important than hudud' In an immediate reaction, Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham said that Nik Aziz's view might weaken Pakatan. "It would be better to raise other issues than hudud because it would reduce the votes that we get. Issues such as people-centric policies would be supported by all good human beings," he told FMT. He cited good governance and transparency as among the issues that would garner support from all people. He said under current times, "putting food (on the table) is more important than hudud". READ MORE HERE. |
| Ex-MAS boss broke the law, says Nazri Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:26 PM PDT By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Former MAS chairman Tajuddin Ramli breached the Companies Act in not disclosing his interests when he was with the national carrier, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz told the Dewan Rakyat today. "Evidence shows that he breached Section 131 of the Companies Act, which involves disclosure of interests," he said in response to Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur), who noted that there had been no prosecution against Tajuddin despite the reports MAS had lodged with the police and anti-graft authorities. Lim asked if the Attorney-General had the right to absolve Tajuddin of criminal liabilities. Nazri said Tajuddin had incurred a compound fine but the Attorney-General had delayed action on the fine because a civil suit had yet to be resolved. "As the case involves a civil claim that has not been resolved, he asked the Attorney-General's Chambers to delay the compound. The AG's Chambers has granted the request." In August, Putrajaya directed all government-linked companies (GLCs), including MAS, to drop all civil suits against Tajuddin. READ MORE HERE. |
| Dr M backed move to acquire PKFZ land, Ling trial told Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:23 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad signed off on a government report recommending Putrajaya acquire, and not buy, the financially non-viable Pulau Indah land for the Port Klang Authority (PKA), the High Court here heard today. The October 23, 2002 report prepared by the Finance Ministry, headed by then-Prime Minister Dr Mahathir, pointed out the land had many encumbrances and caveats and suggested the government use the Land Acquisition Act instead. Former Treasury deputy secretary-general Datuk Abdul Rahim Mokti, who helped prepare the report, said landowners Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) and Koperasi Pembangunan Pulau Lumut Bhd (KPPLB) had used the land as collateral for loans "many times". He told Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik's cheating trial KDSB alone had mortgaged the land six times and owed banks some RM380 million. Abdul Rahim, 61, also said Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Shamsudin Hitam had also recommended that the land be acquired in a June 19, 2001 letter to his counterpart in the Transport Ministry as it was cheaper and easier option than buying it. PKA had originally been instructed by the Finance Ministry to acquire the land before receiving the Cabinet's go-ahead to purchase it. Former MCA president Dr Ling was charged in July last year with knowingly deceiving the Cabinet into approving the land purchase for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) transshipment megahub, which resulted in wrongful losses for the government. The prosecution has argued that the additional interest of 7.5 per cent per annum, amounting to some RM720 million, had pushed PKA's land purchase from RM1.09 billion to RM1.88 billion for the port project. READ MORE HERE. |
| Najib and Rosmah can skip trial, court rules Posted: 05 Oct 2011 01:50 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife need not testify in the Sodomy II trial, the High Court ruled today. Judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah said that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's lawyers had failed to prove "relevancy" in issuing a subpoena to the prime minister and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to testify in the trial. Lawyers acting for Najib and Rosmah have argued that the duo are not relevant witnesses to Anwar's ongoing sodomy trial and that they would not be able to offer any material evidence to the court. But Anwar's lawyers have argued otherwise, saying Najib's testimony could shed light on the disposition of the opposition leader's accuser in the days leading up to the alleged incident. Defence counsel Karpal Singh asserted that as the prime minister had met Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on the night of July 24 — two days before the latter accused Anwar of sodomising him — Najib's account of the meeting would "go a long way" in assisting the court. MORE TO COME HERE.
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| Najib tidak bawa perubahan dalam ekonomi Posted: 05 Oct 2011 01:48 PM PDT By Fazy Sahir, FMT SHAH ALAM: Ahli Parlimen Kuala Selangor Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad mengkritik tindakan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dalam menguruskan pertumbuhan ekonomi negara sambil menyifatkan pemimpin nombor satu negara itu hanya mengulangi perkara sama tanpa melakukan sebarang penambahbaikan. Zulkefly berkata Malaysia pernah diiktiraf oleh Bank Dunia sebagai negara terkaya secara perkapita sebaris dengan negara seperti Korea Selatan, Singapura, Taiwan. "Malaysia kini terperangkap dalam keadaan ekonomi yang statik dalam tempoh 10 tahun ini dan mengalami inflasi yang tinggi sehingga 26 peratus," kata beliau pada Forum Bajet Belanjawan Pakatan Rakyat 2012 di sini malam tadi. Menurut beliau, kegagalan kerajaan adalah untuk mengurangkan aliran keluar wang sedangkan Najib tidak pernah menjelaskan bagaimana untuk meningkatkan pendapatan ekonomi negara. "Kerajaan masih melakukan perkara sama dalam dekad ini, diulang semula konsep penswastaan, kerja yang sama dan harap natijah berbeza. Itu tindakan yang kurang bijak. Beliau tidak pernah jelaskan kepada kami bagaimana nak tingkatkan pendapatan ekonomi. "Tapi mereka mahu bangunkan MRT yang menelan belanja RM36 bilion, KL Transit RM2.6 bilion…..lihatlah semua ini," tegas beliau. Bagi Ahli Parlimen Bukit Bendera Liew Chin Tong, belanjawan Pakatan kali ini merangka dasar yang menyentuh aspek pengangkutan, kesihatan, perumahan dan keselamatan serta dijaga dengan baik bertujuan mengubah struktur gaji dan ekonomi rakyat dengan secara berkesan. Permintaan domestik "Semua orang bercakap tentang permintaan domestik dan mahu menghasilkannya bila sudah kekurangan pendapatan sedangkan kerajaan patut berusaha merangka dasar supaya pengangkutan, kesihatan, perumahan dan keselamatan dijaga. "Ini penting kerana ia aspek terbesar dalam gaji. Gaji kita membiayai kos pengangkutan dan perumahan maka dasar ini akan membantu ke arah pendapatan boleh guna. "Najib kata nak guna MRT untuk jana permintaan domestik sedangkan itu tidak bagus sedangkan monopoli itu yang kita bangkang kerana monopoli akan menghakis pendapatan boleh guna rakyat dan mengakibatkan kos perniagaan yang tinggi," jelas beliau. Menurut Pengarah Strategi PKR Rafizi Ramli pula, walaupun kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) mengatakan bajet Pakatan ini mustahil dapat dilaksanakan tetapi beliau tetap optimis mengenainya. Rafizi memberi contoh mengenai air percuma dan program Tawas yang dilakukan kerajaan negeri Selangor yang dianggap mustahil oleh BN tetapi dapat dilaksanakan dengan baik.
Baca seterusnya di sini. |
| RM23,000 in tear gas hurled at Bersih marchers Posted: 05 Oct 2011 01:46 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Some 226 tear gas canisters and 36 smoke grenades worth RM22,886 were used to disperse the tens of thousands who gathered on July 9 to support Bersih's call for free and fair elections. The Home Ministry said, in a parliamentary reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut), that each "Tear Smoke Shell" cost RM79.76 while "Tear Some Grenades" were valued at RM135 each.
File photo of tear gas fired to disperse the thousands at the July 9 rally.
Opposition leaders have accused police of attempted murder during the rally, claiming that tear gas shells were aimed directly at demonstrators with intention to harm.
The ministry also said on Tuesday that police were found to have breached standard operating procedures when dealing with marchers who had converged at the Tung Shin Hospital.
The government had said earlier this week that more than RM2 million was spent deploying over 11,000 police officers to "handle" the outlawed rally by the electoral reform group.
The protest turned chaotic when the police fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of demonstrators, resulting in scores injured and the death of ex-soldier Baharuddin Ahmad, 59.
The ministry also clarified today that the total number of arrests on July 9 was 1,509, 97 of whom were female. READ MORE HERE. |
| GST ‘maybe after elections,’ says Nazri Posted: 05 Oct 2011 01:44 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — The government said it will not yet table a law to introduce the controversial goods and services tax (GST) despite listing it in the today's parliamentary order of business. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told The Malaysian Insider that the law will not be read today, saying only that its introduction "maybe even after elections, anything is possible." "Yes, today we go back early," he said when asked if today's proceedings would stop before the GST Bill. The implementation of GST was first mooted by Putrajaya in 2009 but public outcry due to rising cost of living has seen the government postponing its roll-out. The proposed law states that it will be up to the finance minister to decide when GST will be implemented and at what rate. "This Act comes into operation on a date to be appointed by the minister... and may appoint different dates for the coming into operation of different parts or different provisions of this act," the Bill reads. "The minister may... fix the rate of tax to be charged on the supply of goods or services or on the importation of goods; and vary or amend the rate of tax fixed," it continues. It further states that the tax shall be levied of any goods or service made in or imported into Malaysia. The federal opposition tabled an alternative Budget earlier this week calling for a total of RM12.8 billion to be injected to raise income after seeing cost of living surge this year. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) also said RM22 billion must be maintained for subsidies to avoid any rise in fuel prices and to keep inflation, which has persisted at a two-year high of over three per cent since March, under control. Household debt has also climbed to 77 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of last year, which PR says has more than doubled from 33 per cent in 1997. READ MORE HERE. |
| Sex education, finally Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:32 AM PDT By T.K. Letchumy Tamboo, The Malay Mail AFTER a six-year delay, sex education is likely to be taught to Year Six and Form Three students next year as a pilot project in several schools in the country. The decision to introduce social and reproductive health education (SRHE) into primary and secondary school classrooms came about from discussions between the Education Ministry and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil told The Malay Mail it would be taught as a co-curricular subject after the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations.
"We have sent the proposal for the subject to be taught in schools to the Education Ministry and they have agreed, in principle, to study the implementation of teaching the subject in schools.
"Hopefully, it could be implemented next year after the UPSR and the PMR examinations.
"If everything goes well, the implementation of this subject will start as a pilot project first in several schools we have identified."
Sex education in schools was mooted in 2005 as a joint effort by both ministries and got the Cabinet's green light in December 2006.
It received a mixed reaction from various quarters despite its aims of educating the young to respect gender and sexuality, with the ultimate aim of reducing sexual crimes.
The latest developments arose from findings of the two ministries' pilot project, named 'I'm In Control', a sexual reproductive health module introduced to Form Four and Five students from five secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Kelantan and Pahang.
It also went on trial at three kafe@TEEN centres, a one-stop service centre providing information and education related to adolescent reproductive health, counselling and medical treatment for reproductive health problems to adolescents, aged 13 to 24.
The module, being tested by the National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) from mid-2009 to the end of this year, includes pointers like assertive techniques to avoid premarital sex and how to identify and avoid high-risk situations.
Shahrizat said 308 students attended the workshops.
The pilot project continued last year with 14 more workshops at the same schools and kafe@TEEN centres, in which 597 students took part.
"Feedback from the participating students, teachers and parents was positive," she said.
Shahrizat said further discussions were held between both ministries between February and July to study ways in which SRHE could be introduced and implemented in schools at the national level.
She said the ministry was looking at using different avenues to reach out and make SRHE available to a wider audience through a larger project, called Upscaling Kafe@TEEN Programmes, which began in 2008 and expected to end next year.
"In line with this, 'I'm In Control' workshops have been conducted by selected non-governmental organisations and NPFDB trainers nationwide," she said.
This year, emphasis was given to train trainers on the parents' edition of the 'I'm In Control' module. Two training of trainers (TOT) sessions were held in August involving 88 NPFDB officers, followed by 10 dialogue sessions between parents and teachers until the year-end.
Evaluation of the project's overall effectiveness would be conducted during the final year, 2012.
Earlier this year, SRHE officially became a subject taught in the National Service Training Programme. |
| The Bersih Truth Hurts Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:30 AM PDT By Douglas Tan via Malaysian Digest
While our Prime Minister receives accolades from most quarters for the repeal of archaic acts such as the Banishment Act 1959 and the Restricted Residence Act 1993, questions must be asked about when the true reforms would be made.
Only now has Najib Razak instructed the Attorney-General to draft the two pieces of alternative legislation to the Internal Security Act (ISA), and he has continued to chide the opposition for claiming to be the champions of the repeal of the act. Clearly, the Prime Minister has not come prepared by announcing that the ISA would be abolished without having anything prepared to replace it.
The circus does not stop there. The Medical Device Authority act gives the police the authority to seize any medical devices as evidence with the approval of the Health Minister. In our system where Ministerial authority for criminal matters should be diminished, the wide scope of the act shows that this Barisan Nasional (BN) government is as authoritarian as ever, and has no intention to change.
Question Time was intriguing as it forced Ministers to come clean with the information behind their recent actions. Actions are not without consequences, and as it transpires, the justification given for their actions are nothing short of laughable.
No rally has been publicized as much as Bersih 2.0, branded by the mainstream media as the July 9th illegal rally. Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has been put under an enormous amount of scrutiny as to how the event was handled, and now the spotlight has been redirected at him as he attempts to explain the actions taken and the cost.
As we all now know, there were over 11,000 police personnel at a cost in excess of RM2 million borne by the taxpayers. This enormous figure compared with their official claims that only 6,000 people turned up for the rally and that almost 1,700 people were arrested smacks of inefficiency and waste in itself!
Or could it be that there were really 50,000 on the ground that day and the police presence and cost was a proportional response to keep public order? The Home Ministry can argue about the facts, but when it comes to footing the bill, it becomes difficult to justify the sheer cost of it all.
Repealing the ISA would make Malaysia the best democracy in the world, chimes the Prime Minister, but the Home Minister continues to deem Bersih as an illegal organization as they intended to "overthrow the government".
This line of reasoning is a result of paranoia rather than fact. The intent was to reform the electoral system, not to overthrow the government! This is not a justification, rather just a convenient, albeit farfetched, explanation to defend the indefensible.
Finally, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai once again has egg on his face. After his public denial that no teargas or chemical laced water was shot at Tung Shin Hospital, the Home Ministry report conceding that the police has breached their own Standard Operating Procedures is a massive slap on the face.
After all the fuss about Lim Guan Eng apologizing for his gaff about Johor security, can we also expect an apology from the Health Minister? Or shall we expect more excuses, and the same holier-than-thou hypocrisy that we are used to?
Either way, BN have displayed their true colors yet again by failing to walk the talk. With these half-hearted measures taken to reforms, they are asking for punishment from the Rakyat in the looming General Elections.
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| At variance with the Constitution Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:25 AM PDT 
By Shad Saleem Faruqi, The Star The clear intention of the 1957 Constitution was to allocate penal powers to the Federal Government and to confer on the states residual powers over minor syariah offences. WHENEVER a general election appears to be around the corner, some people find it politically profitable to stoke the embers of controversy about the need for an Islamic state and its accompanying requisite – hudud laws – ie, laws relating to crimes, punishments and rights and duties that are mentioned in the Holy Quran. Such a season of polemic is with us again and a few observations are in order. First, it is a fact that since the 80s, many Muslims have been aspiring to give centrality to the Syariah in our legal system. While this religious quest is understandable, its realisation requires massive legal reconstruction of the basic legal edifice. We must be open-eyed about these changes and must accomplish them in accordance with, and not in disregard of, the constitutional charter. Second, respecting the sensitivities and rights of other religious communities and living in peace and harmony with them under a system of just, fair and compassionate governance is also an important requirement of the Syariah. Example of other Muslim countries where the hudud has been enforced and how hudud's implementation has impacted on war, peace or social harmony needs to be thoroughly studied. Third, most acts deemed criminal under the hudud are also prohibited under our penal laws. Whether it is murder, rape, theft, robbery, unnatural sex or incest, the prohibitions of the Syariah are replicated in our law. Supporters of the hudud should note that the major difference is in the severity of punishments, the rules of evidence and of proof. In some cases, Syariah penalties are less severe. For example, drug offences under the Syariah do not attract mandatory death sentences. The life of a murderer can be spared if the victim's family accepts blood money in compensation. In Islamic jurisprudence, the law of evidence, the right of the accused to retract a confession and the inadmissibility of the evidence of an agent provocateur grant better protection to the accused than under ordinary law. On the other side, the severe Syariah punishments of severing of limbs and stoning to death are practised neither in our legal system nor in the vast majority of Muslim-majority nations. Fourth, the religious and political debate about the hudud in this country seems to be proceeding in blissful disregard of the constitutional scheme of things. Actually, the Federal Constitution has provided clear guidance about who may legislate for crimes, who may prosecute criminal offences, which courts may try offenders, who is the subject of the law and what penalties may be imposed. The Constitution is supreme and its imperatives cannot be lightly disregarded. Who may legislate crimes? In Schedule 9 List I Paragraph 4, criminal law and procedure, the administration of justice, official secrets, corrupt practices, creation of offences in respect of any of the matters included in the federal list or dealt with by federal law are in the hands of Parliament. Under Schedule 9, List II, Para 1 the states have a power to create and punish Islamic offences subject to a number of significant limitations. First, State legislative authority in respect of "creation and punishment of offences by persons professing the religion of Islam against precepts of that religion" is limited by the words "except in regard to matters included in the Federal List". Among matters included in the federal list are civil and criminal law and procedure. Second, State authority to legislate on Islamic crimes is further qualified by the words "or dealt with by federal law" in Schedule 9 List I Paragraph 4(h). Betting and lotteries, murder, theft, robbery, rape, incest and unnatural sex are all offences in Islamic law but they are clearly in federal hands because of Schedule 9 List I Item 4(l) and 4(h) and the federal Penal Code. The clear intention of the 1957 Constitution was to allocate almost all penal powers to the federation and to confer on the states only residual powers over Syariah offences like khalwat, zina, skipping of Friday prayers and failure to observe the compulsory fasts during Ramadan. Who may be tried before Syariah Courts? Under Schedule 9 List II Paragraph 1, Syariah Courts are permitted to exercise jurisdiction only over persons professing the religion of Islam. A non-Muslim cannot be subjected to the Syariah or compelled to appear before the Syariah Courts. Even if he consents, the Syariah Court has no jurisdiction over him because jurisdiction is a matter of law, not of consent or acquiescence. If my understanding is correct, in an Islamic state, Islamic criminal laws including hudud apply to all citizens. That would pose a great challenge to our existing constitutional jurisprudence and our provisions on freedom of religion. Is Islam in the State List? Islamic law covers the whole range of civil, criminal, personal and commercial matters. Islamic law encompasses environmental and international matters. A popular legal myth in Malaysia is that all Islamic matters are within state jurisdiction! If this were so, then why the explicit limitations on the penal powers of the State Assemblies? Why the need for detailed exposition in Schedule 9, List II Para 1 (the State List) of family and personal law matters? Why not just have the generic words "All matters covered by the Syariah" in the State List? If all matters of Islam are in State hands, as some experts are arguing, then whether it is crime, tort, contract, banking, or commercial law, if it involves Muslims, the matter should be in State Assembly hands and triable by the Syariah Courts. Malaysia would then become "one country, with two systems" – one for Muslims and the other for non-Muslims. This is not what the forefathers envisioned. To underline the point that in the original scheme of things, Islamic law was shared between federal and state jurisdictions and not everything connected with Islam is in the hands of State Assemblies, one can note Paragraph 4(k) of the Federal List which specifically mentions that "ascertainment of Islamic law and other personal laws for purposes of federal law" are in federal hands. What punishments may be imposed? Schedule 9 List II Paragraph 1 states that Syariah Courts "shall not have jurisdiction in respect of offences except in so far as conferred by federal law". The relevant federal law is the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965. It confines Syariah Court jurisdiction to such offences as are punishable with maximum three years' jail, RM5,000 fine and six lashes. Any state law, including a hudud law, imposing larger penalties would be ultra vires the Act of 1965 and unconstitutional. In sum, attempts by some States to legislate hudud laws and to impose hudud penalties will bring forth embarrassing constitutional law issues pitting the Constitution against religion. Two prominent arguments in favour of the implementation of hudud need to be scrutinised. First, the assertion that application of hudud in Malaya is not new because the Syariah was applied in Malaya in pre-British days. With all due respect, "syariah" and "hudud" are not interchangeable. In Malay history, there is centuries of tradition of Muslim personal law but I have difficulty documenting widespread application of hudud in Malaya. Likewise the assertion is not convincing that because of the vox populi in some parts of the country, we must accept the change. The Constitution cannot be overthrown by disputed historical assertions or by popular opinion. Its procedures for amendments are elaborate and must be invoked. Law must grow and change in accordance with the law and not by the opinion of the people or of self-anointed elites. > Shad Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM. |
| Right to question hudud law Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT 
By Azmi Sharom, The Star My problem with religion-based law making, is the idea that it cannot be questioned because it is divine in origin. In a democracy, if we can't question the laws that affect our lives, then it is not a democracy at all. POOR Fulham. Despite thoroughly thrashing Tony Fernandes' Queens Park Rangers 6-0, all the sports headlines were about the other London derby where Tottenham Hotspur edged Arsenal 2-1. I suppose it is all about perception; just what is important and what is not. As much as I would like to think that the game at White Hart Lane is an indication that the power in North London has shifted to Seven Sisters road, I am ever cautious and am reminded of the saying that a swallow does not a summer make. Although I suppose in the case of the Spurs-Arsenal rivalry, considering that we have beaten them three times in the last four league clashes, it just may be there is more than one swallow fluttering about. However, I digress. My earlier point remains and that is the perception of what is important and what is not. At the moment, there are all sorts of news stories floating about and they point towards one thing, elections. PAS has once again raised the hudud issue. Frankly, I am not too worried about this matter. Pakatan Rakyat has stated that they will not go on with hudud unless all the component parties agree. This seems highly unlikely as DAP will never agree and I am sure there are some voices in Keadilan too who will not be comfortable with hudud. However, if they do try to introduce it, I will most certainly object. The reason why I object is encapsulated in Hadi's (PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang) statement in the press on the matter (if it was accurately reported) where he said that hudud cannot be questioned. Whoa there, "cannot be questioned"? I am sorry, if you have personal beliefs that affect only you and you won't question them, that's all fine and dandy. But if you are going to introduce something into the public sphere, something that will affect the lives of the citizens, I don't care if the source of what you are introducing is divine, it jolly well better be questioned. And I don't care if you say I have no degree from Al-Azhar and no goatee to go along with it, I will question any law that any government wants to introduce. This has been my problem with any religion-based law making, the idea that simply because it is divine in origin means it can't be questioned. In a democracy, if we can't question the laws that affect our lives, then it is not a democracy at all. And then there is poor Mat Sabu; charged with criminal defamation for questioning the heroism of the policemen who fought at Bukit Kepong. I checked the Penal Code and sure enough, criminal defamation can be committed against the dead. It's a bit weird because how far back does this provision extend? I mean in historical matters there will always be different perspectives and differing opinions based on new findings and discoveries. In case the Government decides to charge me with criminal defamation for questioning the character of one of our early leaders, let me use an American example. Thomas Jefferson; renaissance man who helped draft the American Constitution and ensured a modern democracy where all men were created equal, or a shameless hypocrite slave owner who fathered numerous children with his female slaves? Both views are correct and depending on your own take on history the view that will take precedence will differ. And surely that was what Mat Sabu's statement was; his take on history. Was it insensitive, probably, should he be prosecuted for it, I don't think so. However, all these issues are really not that important to me. I think they are just the usual sound and fury that come with politicians posturing in the light that elections are coming. The real important story for now should be the Budget and more importantly the alternative budget that the Pakatan has unveiled. It is really good to see Pakatan acting like they have a Shadow Cabinet (although they don't have one really). We need to see concrete counter proposals from the opposition to not only help us question the Government's Budget but also to assess the alternatives which a different government could give. This is vital in a mature democracy. I certainly hope that discussions in the next couple of weeks will be about comparing the two budgets for surely that is more important than a hudud law which is unlikely to be implemented and Mat Sabu's supposed lack of patriotism. |
| Govt concealing new oil profits from Kelantan Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:18 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - Oct 6: Having denied Kelantan its share of oil royalty for oil extracted from its territory, the Barisan Nasional government is now accused of hiding oil revenues from two oil fields. Kelantan's State Petroleum Royalty Claims committee chairman Husam Musa said the state was not informed of oil and gas from 24 out of 32 oil fields in Bumi and Suria in Kelantan waters. "Not only they keep denying the state oil royalty, in fact the state was not told of the latest revenue harvested. "This is immoral because it amounts to robbing the state of its wealth," he said. READ MORE HERE. |
| ‘Truth In Advertising’ – Ta Ann Exposed! Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:15 AM PDT By Sarawak Report Last week Ta Ann accused The Green Party in Tasmania of false advertising over logging in Sarawak.
But now advertisements promoting Ta Ann's products as 'Eco-wood' have been challenged by a devastating expose of the company's own role in Tasmania! The report, published today by the Huon Valley Environment Centre of Tasmania, spells out Ta Ann's hypocrisy and it is uncompromisingly titled "Behind the Veneer: Forest destruction and Ta Ann Tasmania's lies". [click for report]
Over 50 pages, the troubling expose details how the Sarawak timber giant's decision to invest in Tasmania was specifically aimed at targeting the growing market for environmentally friendly, sustainable wood products, but has ended up deceiving consumers.
Why Tasmania?
"EIDAI is proud of our ECO-friendly flooring product" – Japanese advertisement for Ta Ann veneer panels sourced in Tasmania
As Ta Ann boss, Hamed Sepawi, himself confessed in 2006, Sarawak has almost completely run out of accessible timber, after 30 years of unrestrained logging by his own cousin and benefactor the Chief Minister.
Tasmania still has extensive hardwood jungles however, and remains one of the most important areas of natural wildlife world wide.
Even more crucially, Australia has received limited accreditation for sustainable timber, compared to Sarawak which is notorious for its destruction of the Borneo jungle.
Hence the constant highlighting of Tasmania as the source of Ta Ann's new 'environmentally conscious' operations.
However, as the investigation makes clear, NONE of the wood that Ta Ann has so far used from Tasmania qualifies as sustainable.
In fact, ALL of the logs so far taken by the company have come from old growth forests, many in high conservation value areas that form crucial habitats for some of the world's most endangered species. These include Tasmania's Wedge Tailed Eagle, the Quoll and the Tasmanian Devil.
And NO plantation wood is being used by Ta Ann in its veneer processing mills in Tasmania. READ MORE HERE. |
| Najib's high-tempo pursuits bearing fruit Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:11 AM PDT (NST) - IN a football match, games played in the English Premier League particularly, a recurring tactic of club managers is a high-tempo game -- one sparkling in attacking flair that the opposing side is impelled to defend with little chance to mount their own attacks. You might want to adopt this football analogy to how politics is played out now.
Politicians, depending on their positions or if they are top party or government leaders, are always looking for the high-tempo strategies to retain their mandate; galvanising members and supporters; nourishing constituents and producing seminal policies that propel the nation into major global diplomatic and socio-economic players. One in four is always a good option if your resources are limited, but in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's case, he has opted for four out of four, such is the confidence he exudes in recent months. Najib has emulated the high tempo football strategy in the 30 months since he took office; the tempo of his policies so ascending you'd wonder whether he is able to sustain such highs. Evidently he can. Repealing the tough security laws in the context of Malaysian politics is such a big deal that you'd think the prime minister would have used this stunning gambit as a political endgame to score big in the coming general election.
When Najib took office in April 2009, one of his big ticket policy shifts was repealing the Internal Security Act and other security laws that are relics of the Cold War. Just when you thought the tempo was feverishly high, he revs it higher with the release yesterday of 125 people held under the Restricted Residence Act 1933 while countermanding police warrants that would have curbed the movements of 200 others. And this in is just the last two weeks.
Of course, in the 30 months since, there had been a series of fast and furious policy and project announcements -- economic liberalisation, exhilarating free speech, especially on race relations, promise of electoral reforms with the formation of the Parliamentary Select Committee and, on Friday, the 2012 Budget to mitigate the worries of the proletariat.
You'd ask: what is Najib's endgame, which people associate with positives for the 13th general election? Curiously, that endgame is nowhere in sight, at least not this year when clearly, Najib is unlikely to call for a snap general election despite the tempting indications he has cast. You can ignore though the opposition's hoary quarterly predictions that polls are just around the corner in the hope that the prime minister will acquiesce to the tiresomely laughable polls exhortation parlour game. Many strongly feel the prime minister won't call the general election this year although the opposition is cavorting for snap polls purely on the idea that the big gains they were rewarded with on March 8, 2008 have steadily been sapped.
However, Najib, too, has pursued comprehensive endeavours not met squarely as populist gestures: not everyone has been warm to his efforts, including some people within his flanks.
The response seemed to be mixed and volatile, but from the prime minister's standpoint, that's exactly the reaction he expects on the principle that you simply cannot please everyone but only the ones who urgently need your help.
On that principle alone, Najib is sticking to the big picture, pushing an unstoppable momentum that by now is geared towards the high tempo we are experiencing now.
In assessing the lay of the political land, the prime minister, from his advantageous perch with all those think tanks, agencies and intelligence at his disposal, can "see" everything, from socio-economic demands, problems and solutions, to people hawking political claptrap, landmines and opportunities.
This is Najib's great advantage. Of course, in pushing players forward to sustain that high tempo, the attack-minded team might leave their defence vulnerable to an unexpected counter-attack, one which could concede an unnecessary goal.
Putting on the "football club" manager's hat, Najib has realised this downside but that didn't stop him from shoving an emphatic 'No' to the hudud, demanded by Pas, although certain segments of the Malay/Muslim populace found it agreeable.
His indirectly genial engagement with bad boy rapper Namewee caused some discomfort in the Establishment who felt he was "pushing his luck", as what some bloggers implied.
Perhaps. But Najib believes strongly in positively engaging the alternative crowd with the wild ideas of nation building on the conviction that if he wants to get things done, some political and socio-economic risks are not only necessary but prudent.
Trying to do what's effective for the nation is hard, as Najib would have reconciled now, especially if you continuously get flak from supporters who can't see the big picture, what more the foes.
Even a critic in former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will appreciate that there are circumstances only a sitting prime minister knows and understands, that he can see what you can't see and has the ability to do the things that you can't fathom.
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| The Fire Next Time Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:03 AM PDT By Andrew Marshall, TIME Whom do you call if you want to speak to Southeast Asia? Apply Henry Kissinger's famous question about Europe to the 11 countries that arc from the Himalayas to the Pacific, and an answer is equally elusive. Their economies, cultures and politics differ so dramatically that generalizing about Southeast Asia is a risky business. But let's do it anyway. Southeast Asians have at least two things in common. First, they all know what it's like to live under authoritarian regimes and rulers. The latter range from brutal autocrats (Burma's recently retired General Than Shwe) to self-styled strongmen (Cambodia's Hun Sen) to leaders who benefit from repressive laws that safeguard the predominance of a single party (Malaysia's Najib Razak). Second, Southeast Asians are bone weary of authoritarianism, and increasingly unafraid to say so. There is a growing demand for accountability and good governance that the region's elites and demidespots ignore at their peril. To call it a Southeast Asian Spring is an exaggeration. But the movement is youthful and social-media-savvy, and could precipitate changes just as profound as those in the Middle East.(See pictures of battles for Burmese democracy.) Prime Minister Najib, who casts himself as a moderate, seems to realize this. His party, the United Malays National Organization, leads the National Front coalition, whose decades-old grip on power has sparked protests for electoral reform. In July police violently dispersed what should have been a peaceful rally by some 50,000 members of Bersih 2.0, a group campaigning for free and fair elections. (Bersihmeans clean.) Protesters used Twitter and YouTube to organize the rally and, later, undermine claims that the police acted with restraint. On Sept. 15, his reformist credentials in shreds, Najib promised to scrap the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows police to detain suspects indefinitely, along with the much abused Emergency Ordinance. He also vowed to loosen media restrictions and review the laws on freedom of assembly. It's hard to know whether he will keep his promises. But emboldened Malaysians will hold him to them, either at the polls — an election must be held by 2013 — or on the streets. Najib's announcement provoked a swift defense of the ISA from neighboring Singapore, which also inherited the law from its British colonial days. The ISA is used "sparingly" to arrest terrorism suspects, and nobody has ever been detained only for their political beliefs, said the Singaporean government. That such a defense was felt necessary is telling. In a May election, opposition candidates — who want the ISA scrapped — made historic gains against the People's Action Party, which has ruled Singapore for half a century. The government retains "broad powers to limit citizens' rights and handicap political opposition," said the U.S. State Department in April.(See pictures of Malaysia.) Indonesians haven't marched in huge numbers since toppling the dictator Suharto in 1998. But popular yearning for good governance could easily fill the streets again. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's approval rating is plummeting, thanks to corruption scandals implicating senior officials, and an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle will do little to halt it. Indonesia's strong economy won't stave off protests either. Stability requires functioning institutions, free media and an unfettered civil society, as well as economic growth. Thailand is a case in point. It is now an "upper-middle income economy," with a gross national income per capita of $4,210, according to the World Bank. But it has been free-falling on other indexes, particularly those measuring corruption and media freedom, since the military overthrew yet another government in 2006. The street protests that followed were divisive and sometimes violent. But they encouraged millions of Thais to demand more say in decisions that affect their lives. Thai politicians, with their old-school reliance on patronage and payola, seem destined to fail them. That goes double for the young. About a fifth of Southeast Asians are ages 15 to 24. Their youthful energy has so far been channeled into dynamic economies — but that doesn't mean the kids are all right, if statistics on unwanted pregnancies and drug use among Thai teenagers are anything to go by. And governments, institutions and firms across Southeast Asia still retain hierarchical structures that stifle youth and innovation. This is especially true in Burma, where young people are key to reform: they have dominated every street protest since the military seized power in 1962. A nominally civilian government took office in March and has embarked upon reforms, suggesting that even Burma's hard-liners sense history is against them. In a recent interview, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi ruled out an Arab-style revolt, and not just because violence appalls her. With Southeast Asians finding their voices, inspiration could lie much closer to home.
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| What we are not and why we can never be Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:47 AM PDT Yes, so why bother? If we know that it is futile, we might as well save all our time, energy and money and just let Barisan Nasional walk in uncontested. Well, in that case, do we even need to hold any elections? Maybe we should consider the Saudi Arabian model instead then. At least there is no cheating and bribing of voters there since there are no voters and no elections. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Come now, RPK, you do know that in Malaysia appointments to the Cabinet are a bit more complicated, what with the PM having to satisfy the demands of the 14 parties that make up the BN. No one likes to have 3 football teams in the Cabinet, but that is the political reality in Malaysia. The urgency for Pakatan to have a Shadow Cabinet is not there, as compared to the UK. This is because, in the UK, the Opposition Leader is recognised as a legal position, and he/she must be invited to all official functions, especially functions involving the Queen, and the Palace. Otherwise, the British PM has to answer to the Queen. Indeed, the Opposition Leader in the UK has to be provided with a staff of his own, and that is the law. There are legal provisions, traditions, and conventions, that the Opposition Leader is given equal respect and recognition, equivalent to the PM. The Opposition Leader is sometimes just as powerful as the PM, as his position is ruled by law. In the UK, the Opposition Leader is an integral part of the tradition and process, when the opening of Parliament is performed. When the Opposition Leader writes to any Govt. Dept., it must be, by law treated as an important correspondence that requires the absolute truth be revealed. Etc, etc, etc. In the UK, Opposition Leaders are knighted by the Queen, and honoured with MBE's, CBE's and the likes, and are even appointed to the House of Lords. Please watch the PM's Question Time in Parliament, every Wednesday. Do you think that it's ever possible to have that in Malaysia? Will Najib ever will want to face Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament, the way the way the PM and the Opposition Leader do in the UK? After all, we do practice the Westminster Model in Malaysia too, don't we? I think not. What do you think RPK? In Malaysia however, the Opposition and the Leader is a non-entity, is given no respect, no recognition, not invited to ANY functions, and he can even be framed up with sodomy. Surely you know these things, RPK, seeing that you are a British Citizen now. The political reality and situation in the UK is completely different from Malaysia. Please say it as it is, Sir.
written by Ernest , October 05, 2011 23:10:49 *******************************
The above was what Ernest commented in my article called 'The point we are making'. I decided to pick it up and reply to it because it is both a good as well as negative comment. It is good because what Ernest said is a fact when it comes to the Malaysian situation. It is negative because he (I assume Ernest is a he) is focusing on what we are not and is accepting that without challenge rather than choose to discuss and explore that: since this is what we are not, and since this is what we should be, how we do strive towards having a mature parliament just like in Britain? The post of Opposition Leader in Parliament is an official post, one that allows for an office in Parliament House together with staff and whatnot. This means the taxpayers are paying for this job of Opposition Leader plus what other costs involved in maintaining this position. In other words, Parliament recognises the post of Opposition Leader although, as Ernest says, the government may not quite give it the respect due to it. Okay, Ernest has already told us what we are not. He has also, in his own way (probably inevitably), told us what it should be when he explained how it is in the UK and how in Malaysia this is not followed. Now, what do we do to make sure that what we see in the UK we also see in Malaysia? I take it that Ernest is trying to tell us that the UK example is a good example. And he is also telling us that the Malaysian example is a bad example. I assume this is what he is saying. So, the next logically step would be to ask ourselves how we can make Malaysia (which is the bad example) follow the UK (which is the good example). Rather than lament that Malaysia is no good and in Malaysia this is not being done and Malaysians are not mature enough, and conclude that, therefore let us just forget about the whole matter, is not only a negative approach but a defeatist attitude as well. I am now 61. Say the doctor diagnoses me with cancer and I tell him I am going to die one day anyway so why bother to try to cure me? That is a negative stand and a defeatist attitude. I might as well tell him that God has already decided when and how I will die before I was born. So no doctor can help me live another ten years if it has been decided that I am to die within two years. Old age will catch up on me anyway and never mind how healthy I may be, even without cancer I am going to die of old age. So let's just sit back and count the days till I die. In that same spirit, Malaysian politicians are not mature. They don't respect the opposition and opposition leaders. Malaysia is not as advanced as Britain. So let us forget about trying to reform or change the system and accept this very primitive system and narrow-minded attitude as the Malaysian way and learn how to live with it. I suppose, in that same spirit, we can say that Malaysian elections are never fair. They will cheat and bribe the voters and Barisan Nasional is still going to win, never mind how much effort we put into trying to win the elections. So why bother? Yes, so why bother? If we know that it is futile, we might as well save all our time, energy and money and just let Barisan Nasional walk in uncontested. Well, in that case, do we even need to hold any elections? Maybe we should consider the Saudi Arabian model instead then. At least there is no cheating and bribing of voters there since there are no voters and no elections. End of problem!
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| WIKILEAKS: PENAN TRIBAL LEADER'S DEATH RAISES SUSPICIONS Posted: 05 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT An official from Borneo Resource Institute (BRIMAS), a Sarawak-based human rights NGO, told poloff villagers' suspicions were strengthened because several weeks prior to his disappearance, a senior member from the Samling company visited the village. The company representative offered money to the villagers for their cooperation with the logging company. After they refused to take the money, the representative warned villagers they faced "dire consequences". THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Classified by: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark fo r reasons 1.4 (b and d). Summary 1. (C) Penan tribal members in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak found tribal headsman and anti-logging activist Kelesau Naan dead on December 17, 2007, after he went missing for two months. Police initially refused to open an investigation until Malaysia's Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) intervened. Kelesau's death has raised Penan suspicions, as yet unsubstantiated, of possible logging industry involvement and left the indigenous ethnic group without a strong leader to protect their traditional land rights against ongoing logging efforts. End Summary. Death of a Tribal Leader 2. (SBU) Kelesau Naan, a Penan tribal headman in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak was found dead, on December 17, 2007, at a riverbank near his village after missing for two months. Kelesau was active in protecting indigenous people rights to customary land for over twenty years. He was a lead witness against the logging industry's efforts to encroach into protected lands. Kelesau, one of the Penan headmen in the Ulu Baram district of Sarawak, often erected barricades preventing loggers from entering the Penan tribal homeland. In 1998, several land rights activist persuaded Kelesau and other Penan elders from Baram to file a land rights suit against the state government and Samling, a prominent timber company. The lawsuit remains pending in the Miri High Court. Tensions between the indigenous people and logging companies escalated in recent months over logging issues in Upper Baram region. 3. (C) Kelesau's skull and bones were found on the rocky banks of the Segita River. He disappeared two months earlier while checking on an animal trap. His family identified his remains based on Kelesau's traditional bead necklace, watch, and sheath of his machete, found on his body. Villagers of Long Kerong previously searched the area without finding his body and suspected he was murdered and his remains later placed in the area to make it look like an animal killed him. An official from Borneo Resource Institute (BRIMAS), a Sarawak-based human rights NGO, told poloff villagers' suspicions were strengthened because several weeks prior to his disappearance, a senior member from the Samling company visited the village. The company representative offered money to the villagers for their cooperation with the logging company. After they refused to take the money, the representative warned villagers they faced "dire consequences". Police Don't Investigate; Family Asks SUHAKAM for Help 4. (C) Kelesau's son, Nick Kelesau, lodged a police report in Marudi, two weeks after the recovery of Kelesau's skeletal remains. The BRIMAS official told poloff that police at the district nearest to the Penan village were initially reluctant to accept the police report, which forms the basis for a police investigation. Police tried to persuade the villagers to drop the case and consider Kelesau's death an accident. Nick insisted and the police subsequently accepted the report. However, neither police nor government officials investigated the case. Instead, police classified the cause of death as "sudden death." 5. (C) Unhappy over the initial police response, Kelesau's son lodged a report with SUHAKAM. Nick also claimed a person representing logging companies offered him up to 25,000 Ringgit ($7,820) to retract his statement in which Nick claimed his father was murdered. The BRIMAS official believed SUHAKAM's intervention, and calls from local NGOs to investigate Kelesau's death, caused Sarawak state police headquarters to take over the investigation from the local police district. State Police Commissioner Mohamed Salley announced the reopening of the investigation and exhumed Kelesau's remains for analysis on February 29. Police released the postmortem report on March 17, which stated death resulted from unspecified natural causes. The pathologist assigned to conduct the autopsy told reporters it was difficult to ascertain the cause of death because the skeletal remains were incomplete. Comment 6. (C) At this point, we do not have any further information to suggest foul-play in Kelesau's death, but the circumstances of the case and the local police's initial poor response naturally raise suspicions among the Penan. The logging industry is politically very well connected in Sarawak. During the 1990s, two other Penan villagers, both anti-logging activists, similarly disappeared after threats by logging company representatives. Kelesau's death may well take the wind out of the sails of the Penan's effort to protect their traditional lands. It remains unclear if other Penan tribal elders or Kelesau's son will take up the mantle. KEITH (April 2008) |
| How Pakatan aims to finance its budget Posted: 04 Oct 2011 11:10 PM PDT By Syed Jeymal Zahiid, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat today defended its "prosperity for all" budget, saying that the fund to finance its RM220 billion allocation would come from various existing revenue sources, loans and other measures to improve income. The opposition's 2012 "shadow budget" was criticised for being too simplistic, with some analysts saying the amount "was plucked out of thin air" and not based on realistic estimations. Yesterday, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who unveiled Pakatan's budget, said that as much as RM220 billion will be spent to implement measures that will "add 20% value into the rakyat's money". PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli told a press briefing that the amount set by Pakatan is not far from the Barisan Nasional's, which is expected to be in the region of RM230 billion. Based on improved tax collection and increased revenues from oil and gas in 2011, Rafizi said Pakatan expects total government income for next year to stand at RM181 billion, which will not be far from Putrajaya's estimate. Although the estimation will not be much, Rafizi said the focus should not be on the difference in income projections but on the ability to reduce dependence on the profit of national oil company Petronas. "The extent of difference in the amount of government revenue projection will be decided by BN's discipline to keep its hands off from Petronas coffers in the form of dividends" he said. In June, Petronas, whose RM30 billion dividend payout last year formed nearly half the government's revenue, had reached an understanding with the government to fix the dividend payout ratio at 30% of net profits. Capping Petronas payout The move, expected to take effect in 2013, came after Petronas said that the dividend payouts are a constraint on the group's growth plans as significant re-investments are necessary to generate future revenues. Rafizi said Pakatan is committed to helping Petronas achieve its objective and cap the payout to RM26 billion for 2012 as a measure to inject fiscal discipline. Pakatan also aims to spend RM6.9 billion to provide senior citizens a bonus of RM1,000 per annum; pay RM1,000 to qualified home-makers yearly; pay RM550 to increase welfare aid per recipient; and giving out RM1,000 childcare allowance for qualified families. The coalition will also spend an additional RM5.9 billion on public service's emolument with the payment of RM500 allowance to all teachers and also implementing a mininum wage policy of RM1,100 which would immediately benefit some 300,000 civil servants. This will be financed by low loans, Rafizi said, adding that other policies to increase income like auctioning off approved permits (APs) will also be implemented. "Auctioning off APs can give us an extra of at least RM1.5 billion," he said, adding that an additional RM5 billion to RM6 billion can easily be acquired by stopping "wastage and leakages of public funds". READ MORE HERE. |
| PSC: Bersih barred, but members can attend Posted: 04 Oct 2011 08:40 PM PDT By Patrick Lee, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 will not be allowed to attend public hearings at the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms as it is not a registered organisation. PSC chairman Maximus Ongkili said that only legally registered bodies or "personalities" were allowed to attend. "Anybody can come, including legal institutions, associations or personalities. Bersih 2.0 is not a registered organisation. They'll have to come as individuals," he told reporters in the Parliament lobby. He added that Bersih 2.0 chairperson S Ambiga was more than welcome to attend the hearing as a former chairperson of the Bar Council or as herself. "Parliament works on the basis that personalities or persons or registered organisations. (If you're not) a registered organisation, how can you use the title of (one)?" he said. Ongkili was briefing reporters on the PSC's upcoming meetings; the first of which would take place on Oct 12, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. He said that the committee would hold "two or three" closed-door meetings, whereby members of the group would be allowed to raise "whatever concerns" they have with regard to electoral reforms. Six public hearings After this is done, the committee would make decisions on matters it could agree on. "Contentious issues", Ongkili said, would be opened up for public hearings.
READ MORE HERE.
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| Under fire over AirAsia-MAS deal, Fernandes seen shifting ties Posted: 04 Oct 2011 08:38 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider Aviation tycoon Tan Sri Tony Fernandes appears to be moving his allegiance from one former prime minister to another since coming under attack from influential Malay right-wingers over AirAsia's controversial share swap deal with Malaysia Airlines System (MAS). Having won the public backing of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad last month, the AirAsia boss has now distanced himself from former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the latter's circle, which was believed to once hold great influence over the government and included Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin and businessman Datuk Kalimullah Hassan. The ambitious Fernandes has been hard-hit following allegations he is using the national carrier to further his personal aspirations — the latest being the acquisition of English Premier League football club, Queens Park Rangers. The country's flag carrier will sponsor QPR's home jersey for the next two seasons, while AirAsia's logo will be emblazoned on the team's away and third kits. In an exclusive interview with Malay-language news portal, Agenda Daily, earlier this week, Fernandes addressed head-on the questions that have cast a shadow on his involvement in the airline industry. Football-mad Fernandes recounted how his problems started when Khairy, a fellow football lover, said he could bring "My Team" to Old Trafford, the home of Premier League champions Manchester United. "I said 'great idea', because it was a dream... and from there the problem started," said the businessman who managed to turn a RM1 company into Asia's biggest budget carrier. When quizzed, he rubbished the suggestion that he owed AirAsia's dramatic success to Abdullah who approved the budget carrier to fly into Singapore. "No, our first international route was during Dr Mahathir's time. The route we got during Pak Lah's time was the KL-Singapore (that became controversial)," Fernandes was reported as saying. He also played down his close ties to Khairy, who was seen as having an influence on the fifth prime minister who governed from October 2003 to March 2009 — around the time when AirAsia took off. "Actually, we didn't get anything, what we got was mostly during Dr Mahathir's and Datuk Seri Najib's time. During Pak lah's era, it was very little," Fernandes said. READ MORE HERE. |
| Battle for Kelantan: Umno is optimistic Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:22 PM PDT PAS has ruled the state since 1990 and another general election is around the corner. This time around, Umno is confident of dealing a blow, if not capturing the entire state. The state government had alleged factions, one led by state PAS deputy commissioner III Nik Amar Nik Abdullah and deputy mentri besar Ahmad Yakcop as well as state PAS strongman Takiyuddin Hassan. The other, or rather operating in isolation, was PAS vice-president and state economic czar Husam Musa, whom many in Umno believe, is the political god-son of Nik Aziz. Hawkeye, Free Malaysia Today Kelantan Umno is optimistic of performing well in the impending general election because they claim that the PAS-led state government has lost its way due to stale policies and a lack of innovation to spur economic growth. This gave rise to the possibility of Umno denying a two-thirds majority in the 45-member state legislative assembly while some of its leaders even forecasted a possible takeover of Kelantan. Many Kelantan Umno leaders believe that Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat might have overstayed his welcome. Nik Aziz, 81, besides Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, were the only holdover leaders from the 1990 general election. Most of the PAS spiritual adviser's nemises such as former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad have retired, although the latter tends to offer occasional input and advise to the present federal government. Nepotism and factionalism State Umno treasurer Hanafi Mamat confirmed this, saying there was some confidence that Umno could score a breakthrough but expressed caution as Barisan Nasional was often the underdog here. He said this was because PAS had made a foothold on this east coast state since reclaiming it back in 1990. If political observers study the nature of Kelantan politics, PAS had ruled the state longer than BN since 1957, he added. 
But of late, Hanafi claimed, the momentum seemed to be shifting away from PAS, largely due to Nik Aziz overstaying. It began to unravel after the hiring and eventual termination of his son-in-law Abdul Arifffahmi Abdul Rahman as CEO to a state subsidiary- the Kelantan Mentri Besar Incorporated Sdn Bhd. The issue dragged on for weeks in 2009 and resulted in the PAS national leadership having to intervene after a blogger began to slowly expose alleged improper dealings of the state subsidiary. For once, Hanafi said, the people here saw a level of nepotism in the state administration and then, Nik Aziz's son, Nik Abduh won the PAS Youth deputy chairman's post earlier this year. "Spiritual empowerment is part and parcel of Kelantan voters. They want their leaders to be seen as holy and righteous. Once, they see another side, a tendancy for abuse or an unIslamic behaviour, they may stop supporting the incumbents. This is where PAS is worried," he said. Hanafi claimed that the myth of piousness surrounding Nik Aziz had began to fracture and the spillover was evident in the state administration. The state government had alleged factions, one led by state PAS deputy commissioner III Nik Amar Nik Abdullah and deputy mentri besar Ahmad Yakcop as well as state PAS strongman Takiyuddin Hassan. The other, or rather operating in isolation, was PAS vice-president and state economic czar Husam Musa, whom many in Umno believe, is the political god-son of Nik Aziz. Factionialism impeded the state government from focusing on development and the state was more than ever, reliant on the repartition of income from outside of Kelantan to generate growth. Basic utilities such as water and electric supplies were also lacking in large swatches of the hinterland here while the main economic indicators were mostly in the low-end jobs of logging, land transactions, agriculture and cross-border trade. Another encouraging sign for Umno, was the two by-elections held since 2008. In Manek Urai, PAS only won with a majority of less than 70 votes while in Galas last year, Umno regained the seat it lost in 2008, largely due to the influence of the long-serving Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Hanafi said. Currently, Umno or BN held six out of the 45 seats in the legislative assembly. Hanafi said another indication of support was the gravitation of the large state civil service corps towards Umno. "I think the public sector is also getting fed up with the lack of movement on state policies. Furthermore, Nik Aziz is frail and at times, has to be hospitalised. This hampers the functions of the state machinery," he said. After the 2008 general election, Kelantan PAS was expected to play a major role in the national political scene since Pakatan Rakyat was formed and it controlled Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor besides Kelantan. READ MORE HERE |
| Analysts pour cold water on shadow budget Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:14 PM PDT The budget is too focused on pleasing the civil servants instead of finding ways to expand the revenue base, they say. Centre for Strategic Development chief executive officer Fui K Soong said Pakatan's budget should find ways of increasing the nation's revenue base instead of being too focused on expenditure. She said one way was for Pakatan to formulate policies that would promote growth in the private sector to increase the tax base that would eventually generate more income for the country. G. Vinod, Free Malaysia Today While lauding Pakatan Rakyat for announcing its shadow budget for 2012, several analysts said the budget failed to address many fundamental issues plaguing the nation's economy. Yesterday, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim announced its RM220 billion shadow budget, themed "Prosperity for All", which he said was aimed at overhauling the country's "flawed" macro and micro economic management. Anwar also said that, among others, the Pakatan budget would look into assisting the poor by allocating RM22 billion in subsidies for basic goods and ensuring long-term fiscal survival which would focus on trimming the nation's deficit. Calling it a populist budget, analyst Khoo Kay Peng said the budget was too focused on pleasing the civil servants at the expense of the nation's coffers. While other countries such as Greece and Japan were trimming down their civil service, Khoo said Malaysia's political parties were more focused on increasing the civil servants' perks to fish for votes. "I have no issue with increasing their salaries but we must remember that our civil service is over-bloated," said Khoo. He added that to solve the problem, a massive structural reform was needed to reduce the dependence on foreign labour. 'Strong political will needed' Khoo said the problem arose when the private sector, in a bid to reduce costs, hired foreigners to fill its vacancies at the expense of locals. As a result, he said, the local skilled and unskilled workforce was deprived of jobs. "And fearing a political backlash, the government absorbs these unemployed locals into the civil service," he said. Khoo added that to solve the problem, both the government and private sector must come together to create jobs and ensure only locals are hired. "But a strong political will is needed," he said. Centre for Strategic Development chief executive officer Fui K Soong said Pakatan's budget should find ways of increasing the nation's revenue base instead of being too focused on expenditure. She said one way was for Pakatan to formulate policies that would promote growth in the private sector to increase the tax base that would eventually generate more income for the country. 'Plucked out of thin air' Praising Pakatan for introducing a minimum wage for civil servants, Fui reminded the opposition pact that the policy must be linked to an increase in productivity. "We must remember that a minimum wage policy is a tool to prevent abuses by employers and to look after the workers' welfare; it is not a way to eradicate poverty," she said. Soong also said that the shadow budget, while explaining expenditure, did not elaborate much on how much income is to be collected to foot the bill and the sources of revenue. "It didn't address on how to expand our revenue base as well," she said. READ MORE HERE |
| Wake-up call for Chinese voters Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:06 PM PDT MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek says Malaysians need a New Deal that is fair, democratic, transparent and inclusive to address today's concerns and it should epitomise the core expectations of the people. While the Chinese are either sitting on the fence or supporting the DAP, Dr Chua warned that the country would see, not a two-party system, but a two-race system. He said if the Chinese voters were blind to the realities of politics in the country, they would sit in the Opposition while the Malays form the Government. BARADAN KUPPUSAMY, The Star DATUK Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has outlined a wide-ranging "New Deal" for Malaysians that include abolishing obsolete laws, relaxing the hold on the media, democratising the economy and liberalising the education system. The MCA president urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was at the 58th MCA general assembly over the weekend when Dr Chua called for the reforms, to "take a giant leap forward" and offer the deal to all Malaysians. "It should not allow the baggage of the past to be a millstone around the necks of our children and grandchildren," he said to the applause of the delegates. "Malaysians need a New Deal that is fair, democratic, transparent and inclusive of all Malaysians to address today's concerns. "It should epitomise the very core expectations of the people," he added. While proposing that outdated and irrelevant laws be repealed, he also proposed permission for public protests at designated places with a transparent police permit application system. On the all-important economic front, he said cronyism and nepotism when awarding projects should be abolished and affirmative action based on needs and merits be extended to any group that is poor. On education, the New Deal hopes that mother tongue languages would eventually be made compulsory in all national schools. Dr Chua also called for Unified Examination Certificate graduates to be admitted into public universities. On calls for English to be made compulsory, Dr Chua said it is time the Government set a time frame to achieve this. He also proposed a one-off cash payment to poor Malaysian households to help them tide over the rising cost of living and a monthly allowance for the affected households – a move that many Malays and Indian households would also welcome. His New Deal is within grasp and achievable for the younger generation who wants to see the country reform. Dr Chua is banking on these reforms, in part already promised by Najib, to carry the MCA into the next general election and win the support of Chinese voters, who make up the majority in 46 parliamentary constituencies. He is, in fact, eyeing the young voters. The MCA performed dismally in 2008, winning only 15 parliamentary seats. The DAP has since emerged as the champion of the Chinese community, a position once held by the MCA. The reforms can help the MCA stand its ground against the DAP's accusations that it did not fight for the Chinese community and had only kowtow to Umno all these years. This is not true as cooperation with Umno and the Government had allowed the MCA to achieve a lot for the people over the years. One example is the fact that 20,000 youngsters graduate annually from UTAR, a college conceived and built by the MCA. While the Chinese are either sitting on the fence or supporting the DAP, Dr Chua warned that the country would see, not a two-party system, but a two-race system. He said if the Chinese voters were blind to the realities of politics in the country, they would sit in the Opposition while the Malays form the Government. Dr Chua said they were off on a tangent, on their own, nursing anger against the Government. But, he said, the Government has become inclusive and has started political, social and economic reforms that were gradually transforming the country. His overall message to the assembly delegates is – if they (the Chinese) refuse to see the reform direction the country is taking they would end up the losers. Dr Chua has promised that if the Chinese voters, for some reasons, don't give their support to the MCA and if its performance is worse than in 2008, the party will stay out of the Government altogether. |
| Australia concealed KL banknote bribes, says report Posted: 04 Oct 2011 06:28 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Senior Australian central bank officials helped conceal evidence of corruption at two bank subsidiaries accused of bribery to help win overseas contracts to print banknotes, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper alleged today. Top Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) officials suppressed damaging information between 2007 and 2008 about payment of secret commissions to middlemen hired by Reserve firms Note Printing Australia (NPA) and Securency to win bank note contracts in Malaysia and Nepal, the report said. The RBA has a half-share in Securency International, which is being investigated by Australian police, Britain's Serious Fraud Office and Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission, prompting calls from some Australian lawmakers for a judicial investigation so far rejected by the government. "The government will not be running a commentary on these matters while they are still under investigation by the appropriate authorities and there are court proceedings pending," a spokesman for Treasurer Wayne Swan said. RBA Deputy Governor Ric Battellino, a former deputy governor, Graeme Thompson, and former NPA boss Chris Ogilvy were among officials who knew of the concerns, the Herald said. Evidence of the cover-ups was contained in dozens of internal documents from the bank and the bank note firms, including many seized by police after executing search warrants, it said, without naming sources. Police in July charged Note Printing Australia and Securency over alleged payments to officials in Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam between 1999 and 2005 following a two-year inquiry. The RBA and its partner in the Securency joint venture, Innovia Films, are looking for a buyer for the firm, and this year valued its half share at A$54 million (RM164.20 million). READ MORE HERE |
| Government spent RM1.2b keeping IWK afloat Posted: 04 Oct 2011 06:21 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Putrajaya said today it had spent RM1.2 billion to sustain Indah Water Konsortium's (IWK) operations since nationalising the national sewerage company in 2000. The finance ministry said in a reply to a parliamentary question from Anthony Loke (DAP-Rasah) that IWK has liabilities amounting to RM2 billion, while its assets were valued at about RM1.2 billion. "The government has spent about RM1.2 billion to cover IWK's operational deficit due to low sewerage tariffs as compared to the true cost of operations. "IWK's total liability up to June 2011, most of which are government support loans, is RM1.98 billion," it said in a written reply. The finance ministry also said that there are no plans to privatise IWK but the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry would be restructuring the sewerage industry, reviewing sewerage tariffs and guaranteeing future capital expenditure. Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah had said on September 10 that IWK would be merged with a government unit, confirming a report by The Malaysian Insider. Ahmad Husni said that the merger process was already underway but declined to disclose the name of the government subsidiary, except to say that IWK would continue to be government-owned after the merger. The Malaysian Insider reported on September 8 that IWK would be privatised into a consortium led by strategic investment agency 1MDB, some 11 years after the government was forced to bail out the national sewerage company from financial difficulties under its previous owners. READ MORE HERE |
| Economists see new recession increasingly likely Posted: 04 Oct 2011 06:03 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chances of a new U.S. recession are rising rapidly as employment and housing remain depressed and Europe's debt crisis threatens to spill over, according to a number of prominent economists. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday described the recovery as "close to faltering," economists at Goldman Sachs said the United States is on "the edge" of recession, and forecasters at the Economic Cycle Research Institute said the country's economy was "tipping" into another downturn. Bernanke delivered the warning in testimony to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, saying the Fed -- the U.S. central bank -- is prepared to do more to support the recovery. Economists at Goldman Sachs lowered their forecast for U.S. economic growth in the first quarter of next year to a paltry 0.5 percent, citing Europe's ongoing debt crisis as a possible catalyst for a U.S. slump. "The European crisis threatens U.S. economic growth via tighter financial conditions, reduced credit availability and weaker growth of U.S. exports to the region," said Andrew Tilton, economist at Goldman Sachs. "This impact is likely to slow the U.S. economy to the edge of recession by early 2012." On Friday, the Economic Cycle Research Institute, a business cycle forecasting firm, argued that the economy was already past the point of no return, as was the ability of policymakers to help. "The most reliable forward-looking indicators are now collectively behaving as they did on the cusp of full-blown recessions, not 'soft landings'," the group said in a report. For many Americans, the economy never felt as if it had recovered at all. Incomes have remained stagnant while a slump in housing that began more than five years ago shows no sign of letting up. Growth in the U.S. economy, the world's largest, averaged less than 1 percent in the first half of the year, and the country's unemployment rate has hovered just above 9 percent for several months. Long-term joblessness is at a record, despite unprecedented monetary easing by the Federal Reserve. The Conference Board, an industry group, recently argued the chances of recession, while still below 50-50, have risen in recent months. "There is a growing risk that sustained weak confidence could put downward pressure on demand and business activity, causing the economy to potentially dip into recession," said Ken Goldstein, an economist at the firm. |
| The point we are making Posted: 04 Oct 2011 05:45 PM PDT One bone of contention with the opposition in Malaysia is the absence of a Shadow Cabinet or Shadow government. Since Malaysia's system is modelled after the British Westminster system, let us do a comparison between Malaysia and the UK to see where we have fallen short, in particular with regards to the Shadow Cabinet. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Malaysia has a population of 27 million. There are 222 parliamentary constituencies in Malaysia. Malaysia has 31 Ministers and 40 Deputy Ministers. (See the full list of Malaysian Ministers here: http://www.pmo.gov.my/?menu=cabinet&page=1797) The UK has a population of 72 million. There are 650 parliamentary constituencies in the UK. The UK has 24 Ministers. (See the full list of British Ministers here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/prod_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/documents/digitalasset/dg_187701.htm) There are 27 members in Britain's Shadow Cabinet. (See the full list of Shadow Ministers here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2010/10/that_shadow_cabinet_in_full.shtml) In Malaysia, we do not have a Shadow Cabinet from Pakatan Rakyat like what is being practiced by the UK and most Commonwealth countries that also practice the Westminster system of government. The strange thing, though, is that after the 1999 general election, Barisan Alternatif did have a Shadow 'government' (not only a Shadow Cabinet but Cabinet committees as well). Now, Pakatan Rakyat somehow does not seem to see the need of continuing with this practice. Why do we need a Shadow Cabinet or a Shadow government and what purpose will it serve? Well, maybe this extract from Wikipedia can explain it better: The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench or Shadow Ministry) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who, together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government. Members of a shadow cabinet are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government. It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to pass criticism on the current government and its respective legislation, as well as offering alternative policies. In the United Kingdom and Canada the major opposition party and specifically its shadow cabinet is often called His or Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The adjective "loyal" is used because, while the role of the opposition is to oppose Her Majesty's Government, it does not dispute the sovereign's right to the throne and therefore the legitimacy of the government. However in other countries that use the Westminster system (for example, New Zealand), the opposition is known simply as The Parliamentary Opposition instead of shadow. Some parliamentary parties, notably the British Labour Party and the Australian Labour Party, elect all the members of their shadow cabinets in a partyroom ballot, with the Leader of the Opposition then allocating portfolios to the Shadow Ministers. In other parliamentary parties, the membership and composition of the Shadow Cabinet is generally determined solely by the Leader of the Opposition. In most countries, a member of the shadow cabinet is referred to as a Shadow Minister. In Canada, however, the term Opposition Critics is more usual. (Wikipedia) |
| The ONE ring still confounding all Posted: 04 Oct 2011 04:32 PM PDT 
Nazri Aziz has tried to explain away 'Rosmah's diamond ring' but some are still sceptical about the one ring's Malaysian journey. (Free Malaysia Today) - A former PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin says that Minister in the Prime Minister Department Nazri Aziz's explanation of the RM73 million "Rosmah's diamond ring" has a hollow ring to it. Yesterday, Nazri said in a written reply to Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), after checking with the Customs Department, "confirmed that there was no such purchase of the ring". He also admitted that the ring was brought to Malaysia for a private exhibition display and sent back after four days. Badrul Hisham said he is also diappointed that Nazri did not mention about allegations that there were also diamond-fitted bangles. "I am not making any accusation but it is about time Rosmah provided an explanation and not just say 'it's all nonsense and they envy me,'" he said. He said thare is still a cloud hanging over the allegations as Nazri has failed to address the screenshots from the Customs office computers which clearly indicate that Rosmah as the recipient of the diamond ring. Screenshots of the alleged Customs computer displays also revealed that the ring did not have import duties. The diamond ring episode started in July, when a blog called "MiloSuam" claimed that a diamond ring worth a whopping US$24 million (RM73.48 million) was sent to Rosmah sometime in April by New York-based fine jewellers, Jacob & Co. After a few days another blogger called "Semut and Papan Kekunci" published photographs of Rosmah wearing bangles that were strikingly similar to Jacob & Co's "Zebra Safari Collection". A check by FMT with Jacob & Co revealed that the Safari collection bangles were worth nearly RM1.65 million. READ MORE HERE 
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| Dam will damn us, say villagers Posted: 04 Oct 2011 02:23 PM PDT By Queville To, The Malaysian Insider KOTA KINABALU: The villagers of Kampung Tambatuon in Kota Belud unanimously rejected the state government's offer of an "annual gratuity" of RM500,000 as well as a study tour to Kedah as an inducement to make way for the construction of a dam in their village. The mostly farming community, who have been battling the government relocation, plan pointed out that they are already earning far more from their agriculture activities which include padi and rubber plantations as well as orchards. The amount offered by the state government works out to about RM500 for each of them annually. The village currently consists of 898 villagers. According to Singkui B Tinggi, the former village chief of the picturesque and fertile village located at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, most villagers are currently earning between RM5,000 and RM10,000 per month. He noted that a majority of the villagers there owned rubber plantations ranging from 10 acres to more than 20 acres, besides farms for other agriculture produce. Two Barisan Nasional elected representatives have been pushing for the construction of a dam at the site which they said could generate RM500,000 for the villagers. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Singkui disclosed that the decision to reject the offer made by Kedamaian state assemblyman Herbert Timbun Lagadan in July this year was reached at an emergency meeting held by the Tambatuon Dam Action Committee (TDAC) at the village's mini hall on Sept 11. "We hereby reject all the offers made to us by Herbert and Abdul Rahman Dahlan (MP for Kota Belud). We do not wish to sell our village," he said. He reminded the two that the villagers voted for them in the last general election so that they could further improve the economy of the place, rather than threaten their livelihood and destroy their village. Poor irrigation, not water shortage to blame The Village Action Committee recently also submitted a memorandum on the matter to Chief Minister Musa Aman and his deputy Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Kampung Tambatuon is nestled on the banks of Sungai Kadamaian and Sungai Kilombon which are fed by waters running off Mt Kinabalu. The place is popular with tourists who flock to the village to see the unique "tagal" practice in Sabah, a sustainable freshwater fishing practice that allows harvesting only once a year. Since news of the proposed construction of the RM450 million dam first surfaced early last year, it has drawn strong protests and criticism from hundreds of villagers, environmentalists and academics. READ MORE HERE. |
| RR orders to be lifted for 125 as first security law is repealed Posted: 04 Oct 2011 02:06 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that 125 restricted residence orders will be lifted once the first of the security laws is repealed under his latest reforms. Calling it "obsolete and irrelevant," the prime minister said that 200 warrants due to be served under the Restricted Residence Act will also be cancelled by the Home Ministry. "Virtual communication has become an alternative to individuals who are limited in physical contact," he told Parliament. The prime minister said, "The home minister will free all 125 individuals under Restricted Residence orders immediately. Simultaneously, the Home Ministry will also cancel more than 200 warrants that have not been served." Najib is also due to table the repeal of the Banishment Act later today. The repeal of the two laws kicks off Najib's reform package as announced in his Malaysia Day address.
READ MORE HERE.
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| Putrajaya says Malaysia was colonised, disputes MPN’s version of history Posted: 04 Oct 2011 02:01 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Putrajaya finally resolved today the confusion over Malaysia's historical past and rubbished claims that the country had never been colonised by the British. Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin told Parliament today that although the Malay Rulers had retained their sovereignty while under British rule, they were compelled to accept advice from their colonisers, a clear indication that the country "was not free". "On the question of whether Malaysia was colonised, the answer is — yes. I take that stand although there are some views stating otherwise. "If we study historical facts carefully, we will know that our celebration of Merdeka is not in vain because we were colonised. "The Malay Rulers had to accept the advice of the British commissioner or resident and this means we were not free," he told the House. Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president, was responding to a supplementary question from Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak), who had pressed for a response from Putrajaya on the issue. Azmin had pointed out that the recent claim by the National Professors' Council (MPN) that Malaysia was never colonised by the British and the government's subsequent silence had caused confusion among Malaysians, particularly students who are scheduled to sit for SPM examinations next month. MORE TO COME |
| It's hard for me to say I'm sorry Posted: 04 Oct 2011 01:33 PM PDT Do we not all have public and private opinion that differs? Do we not bitch behind clients/bosses/colleagues/spouse/relatives? If a Singaporean got robbed in Malaysia and bitched about it in Stomp, can UMNO BN be consistent enough to chase the Ah Beng down and demand an apology? By Lee Wee Tak Perhaps UMNO and BN think getting Lim Guan Eng to apologise represent a major coup. If UMNO BN thinks this represent a significant political triumph and would swing loads of votes from Pakatan, I am not fully convinced. If all politicians have to apologise for all private statement and personal opinion, then they would have no time to service the rakyat properly. Do we not all have public and private opinion that differs? Do we not bitch behind clients/bosses/colleagues/spouse/relatives? If a Singaporean got robbed in Malaysia and bitched about it in Stomp, can UMNO BN be consistent enough to chase the Ah Beng down and demand an apology? If UMNO BN thinks Voyeurism politics is the way to go, then let's make that an official election manifesto for voters to identify with. I love my hometown of Seremban. I mentioned to my friends that Port Dickson is a boring holiday place and I preferred Phuket and Langkawi. Do I need to apologise for my personal opinion? Isn't democracy about differing opinions? Shouldn't the federal and state administration that are empowered and enabled to develop Port Dickson should apologise for failing to deliver? UMNO-BN demanded, and the Johor Sultan gotten the apology from Guan Eng. The fact that Lim Guan Eng apologized, showed that maturity, humility and an awareness the world does not revolve around his own ego. If you want apologies and remorse, look no further than the following events and wonder if an apology from the culprits would ever be forthcoming.
1) Noh Omar, then as Deputy Education Minister In 2007, when Ean Yong Hian Wah submitted a fairly innocuous memorandum to the then Deputy Minister Noh Omar with regards to violent conduct by a teacher in a secondary school on behalf of the abused student's parents, Noh Omar appeared to lose control of his faculties and verbally abused Ean Yong, crumpled the official memorandum and threw it away, before it was picked up by his officer. He accused Ean Yong and the DAP of interfering in a school disciplinary matter. Noh Omar even exclaimed at one stage that he will not handle any case referred via the party. · Should Noh Omar apologise for his violent and uncalled for behavior which did not solve the issue at hand and probably terrified the young student who went there as a bully victim seeking help?
2) Ahmad Ismail, the wonder drug for BN harmonyin Penang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arWnZtE3TdA Ahmad Ismail called Chinese "penumpang" obviously inconsistent with so many recent (i.e. close to GE time) praises from Najib and Nazri about the appreciated role of Chinese as main tax payers. Penumpang? Malaysian Chinese purchase their property in accordance with laws passed by UMNO-BN law makers and unless in cases of default, paid every ringgit and sen for their property. You can see in the video, Ahmad Ismail's recalcitrant and arrogant refusal to apologise and the unruly supporters behind him. Should he apologise to all who are offended by him? Since he has failed to apologise, should the UMNO higher up do so for him for the sake of a few more Chinese votes?
3) That legendary Najib video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwNLT428PqU In the Sibu by-election, Najib's legendary speech "you help me, I help you" seems to infer to me that perhaps he agreed to some lousy advice that Chinese in Sibu are easily bought and equate their sacred vote to by election dead man angpow. The Chinese there have replied by voting against BN, should Najib apologise for underestimating them and painted to the world, an extremely regrettable of how democracy is being played out in Malaysia?
4) Temple demolition Before UMNO BN lost Selangor, according to the Hindraf source above, numerous Hindu temples were demolished, defaced, relocated next to sewerage tanks, burnt to the ground, deities forcibly removed, police report ignored and what not. While UMNO BN have signal to "retake Selangor at all cost", a simple apology and pre-election promise of not to do this again seems to be beyond them. |
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