Isnin, 24 Oktober 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


Driving a wedge

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 11:17 PM PDT

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Bernama and Utusan Malaysia are still trying to drive a wedge between DAP and PAS by, again, raising the hudud issue today. You can read the news item below.

I suppose, after Saturday's 1,000,000-man assembly failure, they realise that the apostasy issue is not being received in the way they had hoped, so they need to revisit the hudud issue and try one more shot at pitting DAP against PAS.

The fact that Bernama and Utusan Malaysia call the Penang government 'Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang' is proof of the sly slant of the report. They want the Malays to think that Penang has been 'lost' to the Chinese or that DAP (meaning Chinese) are the real power in Penang, etc.

In short, DAP, and not Pakatan Rakyat, is ruling Penang and it is a Chinese government rather than a multi-racial government.

Race and religion is a very potent weapon. And throw the 'not respecting the Rulers' or 'insulting the Rulers' issue into the ring, and we get a wonderful explosive ingredient called the 3R Program.

Yes, 3R can work if played properly. Race, religion and the Rulers (Raja-raja Melayu) can make the Malays foam at the mouth if they can be made to believe that these three 'sacred cows' are under attack or are being insulted by the non-Malays. And that is what the government-owned and government-controlled media is attempting.

Why Malaysians do not use logic rather than emotion is beyond me. It is that easy to get Malaysians so worked up -- Malays, Chinese, Indians and 'lain-lain' not exempted. Just raise the issue of race, religion or the Rulers and watch Malaysians fight.

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

You have one last shot at change. And if you miss this shot don't ever dream that there is still the next time. As Elvis Presley said: it's now or never. And you better believe it.

*******************************************************

Hudud: Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang dibidas gagal jelaskan pendirian

Anggota pembangkang hari ini membidas kerajaan pimpinan DAP Pulau Pinang kerana tidak berani menjelaskan pendirian mengenai beberapa isu termasuk pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Permatang Berangan, Shabudin Yahaya daripada Barisan Nasional (BN) berkata, setiap soalan lisan yang dikemukakan oleh wakil rakyat BN berhubung beberapa isu termasuk hukum hudud ditolak oleh Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain.

Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas persidangan DUN hari ini, beliau berkata, rakyat Pulau Pinang inginkan satu penjelasan daripada kerajaan negeri mengenai pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

"Mereka (rakyat) ingin tahu pendirian kerajaan negeri tetapi, kerajaan negeri tidak berani untuk menjawab soalan dan mencari jalan mudah dengan mengelak daripada menjawab," katanya.

Beliau berkata, sebelum ini banyak pemimpin pakatan DAP-Parti Keadilan Rakyat-Pas, termasuk Lim Guan Eng yang juga Setiausaha Agung DAP, mengeluarkan pelbagai kenyataan.

"Kini kami menggunakan platform yang betul untuk mendapatkan jawapan daripada kerajaan negeri bukannya bagi pihak pemimpin parti," kata Shabudin.

 

“Who Needs An Islamic State?” By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 07:53 AM PDT

There are many misconceptions about Islam merely because the minority voice (which is shouting the loudest) is heard, while the other voices remain silent. Without sounding as if I am an 'Islam Apologist', maybe I should share with you the views of other Muslim scholars -- which is a far departure from the voices of those 4,000 people who participated in the 'assembly of 1,000,000' yesterday.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

If the foregoing discussion has any validity, then one has to infer that the concept of an Islamic state must be completely abandoned if sanity is to return to Muslim political discourse.

One should rather speak about a state for the Muslims, or an Islamic political community. One must also abandon the illusions about the millennium promised by the revival of a utopian polity in which a righteous and saintly ruler will miraculously emerge to restore the long lost golden age of Islam. Nor is it wise to shift our millennial hopes to the newly emerged Islamic movements, and expect that their accession to power will automatically bring an era of divine justice and saintly rule. There is simply no alternative to attaining these objectives the hard way, by doing what is needed to achieve them.

Wisdom dictates that we should be pessimistic about the qualities of our rulers, something which should not be too difficult, given our experiences. The institutions of a Muslim polity, and the rules devised to govern it, should therefore be based on expecting the worst.

Human experience shows that democracy, broadly defined, offers the best possible method of avoiding such disappointment in rulers, and affords a way of remedying the causes for such disappointments once they occur.

The value of this approach is that it does not make the attainment of dignity and freedom of Muslim individuals contingent on the setting-up of a utopian Islamic state which we may never live to see. It also removes the grounds on which the current tyrannies ruling the Muslim world are justified.

The tyrants lording it over the Muslims today, aided and abetted by their foreign allies, justify their existence by fear of Muslim `fanatics' who want to coerce others into adopting an unacceptable lifestyle. This lame excuse for tyranny must be removed by affirming our commitment to democracy as the governing principle of the Muslim polity in all its stages.

The state for Muslims must be a principle of liberation based on pluralism, with no coercion involved other than the minimum inherent in the principle of community itself. The raison d'etre of a political community is to assure the peaceful coexistence among its members.

A Muslim political community is therefore an institution required to ensure that Muslims live in peace and harmony with one another, with other communities within the territory ruled by their polity and with other nations and communities on our planet. This peaceful co-existence has to be based on the rules of equity and fairness, and must not force Muslims to live contrary to their principles.

The central misunderstanding of current Muslim political thought is the confused belief that a state based on Islamic principles is one which forces people to live according to Islam. In truth, the purpose of an Islamic political community is to enable individual Muslims to live according to Islam, and to protect them from coercion which tends to subvert their commitment to Islam.

All the current references to the `imposition of sharia' or the Islamic state, whether by Islamic thinkers or opponents of Islam, actually misunderstand the issue completely. Sharia can rule truly only when the community observing it perceives this as a liberating act, as the true fulfilment of the self and moral worth of the community and each individual within it, for sharia can never be imposed. When it is imposed, it is not sharia. When only coercion underpins sharia, it becomes hypocrisy.

A Muslim polity must also defend the right of Muslims to live freely according to the dictates of their consciences, by force if necessary, for a Muslim state must use all its resources to fight injustice and tyranny inside and around it. We cannot expect the commitment to peace to be a licence for the toleration of all evils in the name of avoiding conflict.

This was the central mistake of classical Muslim political theory, which has neither succeeded in avoiding conflict nor in achieving justice. Therefore, it is essential to strive for justice as the only firm basis for permanent peace and harmony.

To attain these goals, the Muslim state must rely primarily on the responsibility and active role of the individual within the community. It reasserts the value of the individual without preaching individualism. Classical Muslim political thought relegated the individual to the status of a non-entity by the postulation of vacuous and imprecise concepts such as that of ahl al-Hal wal Aqd and fard kifaya.

These confused notions provided the basis for the endorsement of practical secularism, or for making the legality of all Muslim social activity dependent on the will of a despot.

It must be reaffirmed that the individual does not need the state to be a Muslim. He creates the state as a Muslim, and he creates it voluntarily to further enhance his Islamic life. The opinion given by al-Ghazali and others about the necessity of the state - any state - as the precondition of the legality of Muslim social life is the opposite of the truth. A despotic and illegal regime does not bestow legitimacy on subsidiary actions. On the contrary, it marks everything it touches with the stamp of illegality. For Muslims, to have no state at all is better than to have an illegal one.

"Who Needs An Islamic State?" By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi

 

The reason Malays don't respect Sultans

Posted: 20 Oct 2011 06:03 PM PDT

The federal Islamic development agency claimed today that many Muslim do not respect the authority of the Malay Rulers who are heads of religions for their respective states. On the eve of a planned gathering of a million Muslims to defend the faith, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) prepared a Friday sermon that accused some parties of putting political interests ahead of the religion. "Many Muslims today do not respect the views and authority and in fact question the Sultan heads of the Islamic religious councils. The sanctity of the faith has been politicised and the split among Muslims has affected the function and role of the councils," said the sermon titled "State Islamic religious councils drive the transformation of the faithful".

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Therefore, the opinion that Rajas should be placed under a Constitution that determined the status and role of the Rajas was born. With this method, the Rajas could no longer act as they liked. The powers of the Rajas would be determined by the Constitution, that is the country's basic law. Yet, there were Rajas who were willing to hand over their own states to foreign powers while ignoring the Constitution.

Although the representatives were free to speak in the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Undangan Negeri about any topic, but they could not touch on the Rajas because any criticism of the Rajas could be interpreted as sedition and they could be charged under the Sedition Act. This provision was a result of an amendment made in 1971. Before this, criticism of the Rajas could be made in the house. In Britain and other countries, the Parliament was free to criticize the Rajas. It is clear that that criticizing the Rajas does not destroy the Rajas' majesty.

While this prohibition on criticism is said to protect the Rajas' majesty, but when the Rajas are not criticized, they will not be aware of the wrongs that they have committed. Hence, maybe more wrongs will be committed and these wrongs may become more serious. This not only contaminates the Rajas' majesty but can also cause the People to hate the Rajas. It is not true to say the prohibition on criticizing the Rajas will protect the Rajas' majesty. Actually, the majesty of the Rajas will be contaminated because of this prohibition.

Unfortunately, because the Chief Ministers and Prime Minister are Malays that are unwilling to be on bad terms with the Rajas, when the Rajas do something that is not supposed to be done, no effective criticism is made. Even if there is, the unwillingness of the Rajas to care about the criticisms of these official advisers does not bring about any action towards the Rajas.

Hence, in the history of independent Malaysia, the actions of the Rajas and parties who hide behind the Rajas that exceed the rights and privileges of the Rajas become more serious over time. The possibility is that it will become more serious in the future. If there are no amendments to the law, like those suggested here, without doubt worse matters will happen that will cause the Raja Institution to be hated by the people. It is not impossible that if one day in the future, demands are made to completely abolish the Raja System although there are provisions in the Constitution.

Hence this amendment that is suggested aims to avoid or prevent the escalation of hatred towards the Rajas that could bring about demands to abolish the Raja System. This amendment is to save the Rajas themselves and the Constitutional Monarchy system. To strengthen the Constitutional provisions to maintain the Raja System, provisions are made such that any suggestion to abolish the Raja System will be interpreted as sedition and falls under Sedition Laws.

If Malaysia intends to become a country that practices Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy, the immunity that is given to the Rajas must be abolished. Because the Constitution in countries that practice the Constitutional Monarchy System doesn't give immunity to their Kings, the abolishment of the immunity of the Malay Rajas cannot jeopardize their sovereignty. In the modern era, only because the King can't commit crimes as they like, the King's status will not be jeopardized, especially in a country that practices Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy.

The interpretation of the sedition towards the King in the Constitution is so wide until no criticism is can be made in Parliament by members of the Dewan Rakyat or Dewan Undangan. Hence, the media also has no opportunity to report. Criticism can only be made by the Rajas' advisors behind closed doors. If this criticism is ineffective, there is nothing that can be done.

Actually all three former Prime Ministers, as advisors to the Rajas, have already criticized the Rajas many times while they were in service. I know criticisms have been made because this matter has been repeatedly reported in Cabinet meetings and also the UMNO Supreme Council.

It should be reminded that the respect of the People towards the Raja cannot be determined by laws. With your permission, 'Respect must be earned'. Having laws that scare the People will not bring 'respect'. With the realization that the Rajas can be brought to court, Rajas will certainly avoid committing acts that will cause the people not to respect the Rajas. Hence, the Raja Institution will be better respected and better preserved.

Extract of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's speech in the Malaysian Parliament (1993)

 

The futility of debating religion today

Posted: 20 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Consider too that even today a religious-based World War has the ability to kill more people in one go than all the people who have died in all previous wars across the world over the past 2000 years, because it could pit one billion people against an equally large number on the other side, all with ready access to Weapons of Mass Destruction!

NO HOLDS BARRED

Wally Salmon

I feel that there really is no point in debating the merits of one religion over another, either person to person or group to group.  Worthwhile debate on any topic requires rational argument, supported with proven facts.  Religion is devoid of rational argument because nobody can prove anything; all so-called proof is subjective or faith-based and, many times, simply a quote from one or other Good Book supposedly containing the Creator's final word on the subject. 

The "winnability" of a religious argument therefore revolves more around the strength of your conviction to persuade the other party to see why your religion is superior to theirs, but when that fails it can all too often turn to name calling and taunting (usually emanating from the ignorant minded person you have been debating with, of course).  The name calling and taunting arise out of a fervent belief on both sides of the divide that their own religion is not only the best but the only true religion, all other religions being not just inferior but wrong to the point where they are satanical in origin.  Thus the previously hidden superiority complex that lies just beneath the surface with many religious people (and not just fanatics) is exposed for all others who think differently from the orator to see – and for those others to revile, as is human nature!    

Thus, if religion is not eventually to be the cause of the next World War, I feel that something radical must be done to change thinking worldwide about the pointlessness of religion continually fighting religion and non-religion.  Now, if your immediate reaction is to think that religion could never be the cause of a World War, then I suggest you haven't being paying attention to what's been going on in the world over the past 60+ years since the end of World War II, and even for the 1000 years before that.  And today, many developing nations already have or are struggling to create nuclear devices, not all of which may be intended just for deterrent purposes.

Consider too that even today a religious-based World War has the ability to kill more people in one go than all the people who have died in all previous wars across the world over the past 2000 years, because it could pit one billion people against an equally large number on the other side, all with ready access to Weapons of Mass Destruction!

One thing is certain - the world will never see the end of religions.  So religion in our midst is something we are going to have to live with for as long as human beings roam this planet.  Considering where a great number of the world's population are currently headed (despair, caused by the money-god of the largely capitalist, democratic world having let most of us down), religion will probably go through a renaissance over the course of the next few years, not a decline.  If that does materialise, then the many new converts will all be filled with the same self-righteousness that all new converts to a cause experience, and that is where the flash point can arise. 

So the burning question must be, "What can be done to stop the doomsday scenario of a religious-based World War actually becoming a reality at some future point?"  Well, I have a suggestion that will probably prove to be anathema to many, but at least I am prepared to put it onto the table for discussion. 

My idea is that a world-wide body needs to be set up to (i) help harmonise Religious Education everywhere and (ii) advise on standardisation of criminal law, based primarily on the most commonly accepted principles of the primary religions.  The following are my proposals for the principle aims of such a body:

1.    Creation of a suitable Religious Education syllabus worldwide, where the purpose is, without favouritism, to promote understanding of when, how and why the various religions emerged, and why those religions survive today.  Ultimately it can be linked to sociology, psychology and all such other associated high-level subjects, all of which are intrinsically linked with religion and have been since mankind first developed language.

2.    Promulgation of acceptable standards of behaviour for Governments and individuals when discussing or writing about religion, with sanctions for violation of those principles.  This would extend to condemning denigration of any one or more particular religions.  However, it should not extend to denying Atheists the right to question the relevance of religion in general or the right of religious groups to promote how belief in a Supreme Creator is better for a person's well-being than non-belief in such an entity.  It is a fine line to tread, I know, but an essential one in order to maintain a situation where one group does not inflame passions to the point where bloodshed results.  To have created such an unforgiveable situation should be deemed to represent a grave and unacceptable offence against the whole of humanity.  
   
3.    Upholding the right of individuals everywhere to choose, change or abandon their religion or beliefs as they see fit, without interference or retribution of any sort from Governments, religious groups or any other source.

4.    Encouraging all nations to divorce religious doctrine from governance and, instead, adopt equitable governing principles based on equality and fairness for all.

5.    Promotion of a set of criminal laws that are acceptable world-wide, with a set of punishments that treat criminals with dignity and do not involve inhumane treatment of any sort.  This would ultimately mean abolishing the death penalty, I'm sure.   

The second proposal has the distinct advantage that no religion need ever fear again that its beliefs will be trampled upon or ridiculed - all religions would be treated with equal respect.  The first proposal will be the foundation of the second proposal, since I consider that education is the key to a forward thinking society.

I am fully aware that, if my proposals were to be adopted, the obstacles that must be overcome to implement them would be numerous and daunting.  But I feel that a start needs to be made somewhere. 

Particularly thorny issues would be deciding who should take responsibility for:

(a)    setting up the world-wide body to administer the undertaking; and

(b)    deciding which people should be on the many sub-committees that would be needed (such as the Religious Education curriculum for each age range, the sanctions to be applied against transgressors, the laws for crime and the punishments applicable thereto, etc.).

Of course, there will be many who will argue that since even the thought of such an undertaking is too daunting, then it is a waste of time even discussing it, as it will never be achieved.  But as I always say, if you don't try to reach for the stars, then you won't even land on the moon.  So this article is written not so you can tell me how big an idiot I am – my wife does that daily.  It was written to promote discussion as to how human beings can find a good way to live in harmony knowing that (i) religion will always be a fact of life (whether you like it or not), and (ii) at some future point religion has the potential to blow our world apart, quite literally, if we don't take steps now to limit the potential for that to occur.          
 

The 3R program: Plan B

Posted: 19 Oct 2011 07:14 PM PDT

It looks like Pakatan Rakyat Selangor is going to be a one-term government. Well, maybe they deserve to be kicked out for sleeping on the job. Maybe this will wake them up. The only thing though, once Selangor falls back to Umno, Pakatan Rakyat will never be able to capture it again. Umno will make sure of that.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

This piece is actually part 2 of my earlier piece: The 3R program. I thought I would break it into two parts or else many of you will be arguing about the colour of the dog collar rather than discuss about the dog. As it is, I can already see the debate focusing on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Can you see how easy it is to pull the wool over the eyes of Malaysians, Malaysia Today readers included who take great delight in quoting verses from the Koran or the Bible and think they are very clever because they are able to cut-and-paste?

Anyway, Umno can't take any chances that the Malays will swallow the 3R bait together with the hook, line and sinker. So they need Plan B. And Plan B is to cover their bases in case the Malays do not swing 60% or 70% to Barisan Nasional but remains 50:50 like in the 2008 general election.

And this is where Dato Othman Razak, the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Dato Wan Ahmad of the Elections Commission, Dato Kamarudin Baria, Dato Tajuddin Wahab, Rahman Dahlan, Harun Che Su, Misri Barham and a few other sleaze balls mentioned in my first piece come in.

You see: Selangor is the jewel in the crown. So they need to take back Selangor at all costs, even if they have to sell their own mothers to do that. Okay, they can always go to Mekah after the general election and repent and pray for God's forgiveness. In the meantime, this is not the time to be honest.

Over the last two years, the opposition has been embarking on voter registration exercises. And the opposition is very happy because the numbers of voters have increased drastically. But it is not because of the success of the opposition that the numbers of voters have increased. It is because the Elections Commission is registering voters by the busloads, literally.

Pakatan Rakyat has been quietly looking through the voters registration list. And they have found the same voters registered in many different places. Hundreds of thousands of 'new' voters in Selangor are highly suspect.

It looks like Pakatan Rakyat Selangor is going to be a one-term government. Well, maybe they deserve to be kicked out for sleeping on the job. Maybe this will wake them up. The only thing though, once Selangor falls back to Umno, Pakatan Rakyat will never be able to capture it again. Umno will make sure of that.

Bye-bye Khalid Ibrahim. Bye-bye Ronnie Liu. Bye-bye Elizabeth Wong. Bye-bye everyone. It was good while it lasted but eventually all parties must come to an end and everybody has to go home

 

The 3R program

Posted: 19 Oct 2011 05:19 PM PDT

The plan is: how do they make sure that the Malays will swing back to Umno? They need to make sure that they get at least 60% or more of the Malay votes because they expect at least 80% or more of the Chinese votes to swing to the opposition with maybe 50% or so of the Indian votes. So they need the Malay votes to stay in power.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Those Malaysians as old as me will probably remember the 3R program and the 3M team. 3M were Mahathir, Musa and Murad: the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and DG of Education. 3R was the program to focus on reading, riting and rithmetic. Now you know why the program failed. Writing is 'w' and arithmetic is 'a'. So it should have been called the WAR program instead.

Anyway, a team has been set up to launch a new 3R program. The brains behind this program are Dato Othman Razak, the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Dato Wan Ahmad of the Elections Commission, Dato Kamarudin Baria, Dato Tajuddin Wahab, Rahman Dahlan, Harun Che Su, Misri Barham and a few other sleaze balls.

But no, this team it is not to teach school children how to read, rite and rithmetic. This new 3R program is Royalty, Religion and Race.

The plan is: how do they make sure that the Malays will swing back to Umno? They need to make sure that they get at least 60% or more of the Malay votes because they expect at least 80% or more of the Chinese votes to swing to the opposition with maybe 50% or so of the Indian votes. So they need the Malay votes to stay in power.

So they launch the 3R program and make Malays and Chinese fight over royalty, race and religion. And this Saturday's 'one million man march' is just one of many things they are doing. They raised the hudud issue and everyone jumped in to fight over the matter. They raised the 'who is the hero and who is the treacherous Communist' issue and, again, everyone jumped in and started fighting. Then they raided the church and got the Sultan to make a statement since he is head of religion in the state.

They know that Malaysians are very emotional and irrational. Malaysians also do not know how to engage. They only know how to curse, swear and insult. So all they need to do is to raise one sensitive issue and sit back and watch Malaysians fight each other.

The Muslims will start quoting verses from the Koran and the non-Muslims will scream, "Go fuck your Islam!" Christians will quote what Jesus said and will quote passages from the Bible. It is so easy to make Malaysians fight. It is like taking candy from a baby.

So far the plan is working well. Just be reading the comments in Malaysia Today alone are enough to measure this success. Malays and non-Malays are really hammering each other in the name of Bangsa, Negara dan Agama.

Umno has come a long way since Najib Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister. People ask me why I admire Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad so much. Simple! Dr Mahathir is a master politician and I am seeing him play Malaysians and the opposition for suckers each and every time, and win. It is fantastic how he can manipulate Malaysians and they not only fall for it but also do not realise they are suckers.

According to Umno, the non-Malay vote is critical. Even Johor, which remained the bastion of Barisan Nasional in the 2008 general election, is now shaky. They estimated that about 60% or more of the Chinese vote in Johor may swing to the opposition.

Umno also estimated that if in Sabah and Sarawak the opposition engages in a one-to-one fight, Barisan Nasional is going to lose quite a number of seats there. 20 parliament seats from the 57 is not unrealistic.

So they must make sure that there are many three-corner or four-corner fights in East Malaysia. Then the opposition will not be able to win even five seats. And they must make sure that the Malays become pissed with the Chinese, and vice versa. Then the Malays will vote for Umno. Only then can Barisan Nasional be assured of forming the next government.

Actually, Najib and his team of advisers are very clever. And I must say I take my hat off to them. They are playing Pakatan Rakyat and Malaysians for suckers and it is working at every turn. The 3R program appears to be a success.

 

And this is Malaysia

Posted: 18 Oct 2011 06:14 PM PDT

A gathering dubbed Himpunan Sujuta Umat (Himpun), which aims to gather a million Muslims against alleged Christian proselytising, will be held at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday. That is the focus of the Malays, kaypoh into other people's affairs. Now see what is happening all over the world, which the Malays do not seem to care about. And we want the Malays to progress like this?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Thousands march in Athens at start of two-day general strike (READ HERE)

Greece general strike begins over spending cuts (READ HERE)

Anti-Wall Street protesters march against New York police (READ HERE)

Ratings Firm Warns on French Debt (READ HERE)

Spain Hit by Downgrade, Falling Home Prices (READ HERE)

U.K. Inflation Rate Surges, Stoking Economic Concerns (READ HERE

EU Warns Portugal on Deficit (READ HERE)

Germany, France See Declines in Foreign-Investment Flows (READ HERE)

China: Foreign Trade to Face Pressure (READ HERE

Greece Fighting to Secure Permanent Debt Solution (READ HERE

German Economic Expectations Worsen (READ HERE)

S&P Downgrades Italian Banks (READ HERE)

 

Let’s try again

Posted: 18 Oct 2011 06:30 AM PDT

It looks like yesterday's article got reduced to another debate on religion -- basically whose religion is better; mine or yours? The non-Muslims are quite prepared to accept the fact that Theological States can no longer work while Muslims stubbornly stick to the concept of a Theological State. Maybe this extract from Abdelwahab El-Affendi's book, "Who needs an Islamic State?" can help clear the air.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

(Page 72-74): It is important to note that traditional Muslim political theory was first developed by the Shi'i movement during its pre-sectarian phase. This is because all authoritative leaders of Muslim opinion tended to join the idealist camp led by Ali, or else to adopt a neutral posture while not hiding their sympathy with Ali. After Muawiya's victory, leading Muslim thinkers continued to support the rebels who defied despotic political authority in the name of Islamic ideals.

If the two main Shi'i Schools challenged the existing authority on principle, the four main Sunni Schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali) were equally critical.

Abu Hanifa (died 767), founder of the Hanifa School, was persecuted by the Abbasid Caliphs for suspected sympathy with Zaidi rebels and for his refusal to take office within the Abbasid regime. 

Malik ibn Anas (died 795) was also harassed by the Abbasids for allegedly assuring rebels that their pledge of allegiance to the Caliph was invalid because it was taken under coercion.

Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (died 819) narrowly escaped execution for his alleged involvement in a rebellion.

The resistance of Ahmad Hanbal (died 855) to the attempts by al-Mamoun to impose a particular doctrine regarding the nature of the Quran caused him much suffering, but finally led to the triumph of his point of view.

The actual experience of the Muslim community, however, forced these thinkers and their successors to adopt a more realistic attitude. In the end, a broad agreement evolved among classical Muslim writers about several issues. They accepted that all regimes since Muawiya did not reflect the ideals of Islam and thus could not be accepted as a model. Such regimes were tolerable only because the alternative was anarchy and civil war.

If a way could be found to replace these regimes without too much bloodshed, then their removal would be a religious duty. Although this could be construed as a vindication of the attitude of the khawarij and other rebels, it is ironic that the futile exploits of the khawarij only reinforced the belief that rebellion was inadvisable, and was not considered as a realistic option.

As a result of this attitude, a schism developed in the Muslim psyche. While Muslims rejected Secularism in principle, they adopted it in practice. A central aspect of the unitary Muslim vision of the State was that the State interacted with the rest of Muslim life. Not only did the State submit to Sharia as interpreted by the community, but it also enriched and redefined Sharia and the spiritual life of the community.

The acts of the Prophet as a statesman and a warrior, as well as those of his lieutenants, appointees and "righteous' successors were regarded as examples and an indication of what is lawful.

However, with the rejection of the legitimacy of the State in later periods, the community stubbornly refused to accept state interference in 'spiritual' matters, or to accord it moral authority in Muslim matters. People submitted their bodies to it, so to speak, but never their souls.

The ulema gave counsel that was not much difference from that ascribed to Jesus: "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's". So Muslims were instructed to obey the rulers, but only where their orders did not lead to sin. However, sin was here narrowly defined, with the usurpation of power and the unlawful disposition of the wealth of the Muslim community seen as no grave sin.

What is this if not Secularism?

Note:
1.    The Abbasid period began after the rule of the four 'rightly guided' caliphs (Abu Bakar, Omar, Osman and Ali) who succeeded Prophet Muhammad upon his death.
2.    Hanifa, Malik, Shafi'i and Hanbal were the founders of the four Sunni Schools of Islam (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali).
3.    Shi'i is short for Shiatul Ali, which means Party of Ali (a political movement set up to oppose the Abbasids).
 

Why Islam has become the New Communism

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT

This article is targeted at the Muslim audience. I realise most Muslims would not receive it in the spirit it was written but will probably take it in a negative vein. So be it because the truth can at times be a bitter pill to swallow. Non-Muslims are, of course, most welcome to comment as long as it is also done in the spirit of seeking for the truth.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Muslims are probably perplexed as to why non-Muslims view any discussion and discourse on Islam, or anything at all related to Islam, with suspicion and distrust. The hostility demonstrated by non-Muslims is probably unsettling for most Muslims who interpret it as an attack on Islam.

This has always been the stance of religionists: either you are with me or else you are my enemy. There is no middle ground. It must always be one extreme or the other. And this is not just the problem with Muslims. Jews and Christians too take this very uncompromising stand. It appears like the Abrahamic faiths are founded on militancy and aggression.

And can you blame people for thinking this way when the Abrahamic faiths have been propagated at the point of the sword and based on the principle of convert or die? You may say that this was in the past. But do you expect the past to be so easily forgotten and forgiven when the wounds might have already healed but the scars still remain? And is what is happening in many parts of the Middle East and other Muslim countries reflective of the past or an indication that we are still living in the past?

Religionists, whether they are Jews, Christians or Muslims, speak with arrogance and in a very condescending attitude. Humility and humbleness appear to be virtues that religionists do not possess. It is always I know better than you and I speak on behalf of God. Where is that so-called religion of peace and love and forgiveness that they talk so much about? What people see is mere rhetoric and insincerity. How can they be trusted when they are unable to demonstrate good faith?

Religionists, in particular Islamists, espouse the virtues of an Islamic State and try to convince their audience on how much better life would be under an Islamic State as opposed to a Secular State.

The opposite of a Secular State is a Theocracy. But when we refer to an Islamic State as a Theocracy it is met with resistance. Islamists insist that an Islamic State is not a Theocracy. If it is not a Theocracy then what is it? Can we call it a Democracy? Yes, that is what they would like us to call it, a Democracy.

But that is just it. A Theocracy is not a Democracy. Which Islamic State since the time of the Prophet Muhammad until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1922 was founded on free and fair elections? It has always been founded on the basis of totalitarian governments. Free and fair elections can never work in a Theocracy because free and fair elections are about the wishes of the majority while Theocracies are about the will of God. The wishes of the majority do not count. The will of God overrides the wishes of the majority.

I have always argued that if Prophet Muhammad had to stand for elections he would have been defeated and ousted as the leader of his community. Let us not forget that the Muslim community, then, was in the minority and they were surrounded by Jews, Christians and Pagans who constantly plotted against the Muslims.

There has never been a single example of a successful Theocracy, whether Islamic State, Christian State, or whatever, since time immemorial. All have been totalitarian regimes where the wishes of the majority are not supreme. Human rights are not respected. In fact, the concept of human rights does not even exist. Even the so-called 'Golden Age of Islam' was founded on a totalitarian system where the rights of the people did not matter.

How can right-thinking Malaysians agree to turn back the clock and take a journey back into the past to live in the Middle Ages? And when we argue this point it is interpreted as that we are Islam-haters or defiant of Allah's command -- the characteristics of Satan and the reason why God has condemned Satan to an eternity in hell.

Islamists fail to realise that the problem is not the laws itself but the application of the laws. Under the present judicial system and form of government, where dissent and opposition is not tolerated, even good laws can become bad. The word 'justice' is non-existent in Malaysia. How can Malaysians trust any amendments to the present system when the present system itself has failed and no reprieve appears over the horizon?

Malaysia needs to move forward. And the way forward has to be based on more democracy, tolerance, and respect for civil liberties. No Islamic State over 1,500 years has proven to possess these qualities. Quality of life improved not when these countries embraced an Islamic State but when they removed the shroud of totalitarian regimes and abolished the Caliphate.

Few citizens of the world would want to consider a Theological State -- whether it is a Hindu State, Buddhist State, Jewish State, Christian State, or Islamic State. The experiment with Theocracies has ended and all ended in failure and disaster. It is time to move forward and the way forward is by majority rule.

Nevertheless, if the majority opts for a Theocracy then so be it. That is how democracies work. But for the minority to impose their values on the majority is not on. So expect the majority to resist. And opposition by the majority against the minority should not be interpreted as a war against God. It is merely the majority upholding their democratic right of freedom of choice, a right, in the first place, given to us by God Himself.
 

So, the conclusion is….

Posted: 16 Oct 2011 02:26 AM PDT

In fact, I have always tried to preach the same values regarding Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. I was always of the opinion that we must do the Christian thing and not hate him for what we perceive he has done to Malaysia but instead love and forgive him, as what the Christians have said Jesus Christ taught us.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

We have had a good debate in 'What's the beef?'. However, as they say, all good things must eventually come to an end.

With more than 400 comments, which chances are many would not be bothered to read, it may be prudent to summarise the conclusion of these so many opinions.

The first, and probably most important point that was made very clear, is that non-Christians have no business talking about Christianity or the Bible because they know very little about 'other people's religion'. That, in my opinion, is a very sound and valid point because I too have been saying the same to non-Muslims who pass comments and give opinions on Islam.

So I would agree with this first conclusion.

The next point is that non-Muslims can never agree to the implementation of Hudud in Malaysia even if an irrevocable guarantee is given that non-Muslims would not be affected by this, or any Islamic laws, in any way. The fact that no one can be assured of what may happen in the future and whether these guarantees would be revoked later does not give the non-Muslims any comfort.

I can sympathise with the non-Muslims and understand their apprehension. Would the implementation of Hudud be the opening of a Pandora's box that once opened could never be closed again? Who can tell? It is best, therefore, that we take no risks.

Considering that PAS is committed to Islam and that Hudud is one of their aspirations, it would be safer, therefore, that Pakatan Rakyat is not allowed to come into power. 

Umno has made it very clear that it will never allow Hudud to be implemented, even in the states, let alone at national level. Umno has demonstrated its good faith by blocking the implementation of Hudud twice, once in Kelantan and again in Terengganu. It would, therefore, be safer that Barisan Nasional is allowed to form the federal government rather than Pakatan Rakyat where the uncertainties of Hudud would hang over our heads.

Of course, if you were to look at Hudud from the legal and constitutional aspect rather than from the angle of religion, it would be logically impossible for Pakatan Rakyat to implement Hudud. And the fact that PAS would be contesting merely one-third the seats, and even if they combined these seats with other Muslim MPs from PKR they would still not be able to get the two-thirds required to amend the Constitution, there would still be an element of risk even if that risk is merely 1%.

I suppose we can do worse than vote in a corrupt, manipulate, racist, repressive and evil government. And a corrupt, manipulate, racist, repressive and evil government is certainly more desired than a clean government that may one day impose Islamic laws on the Muslim population with no water-tight guarantee that the non-Muslim population would not also be subjected to the same, even if some may want to argue that such a possibility is zero to 1%.

One point I would like to add -- which most people focused on although it was not really the issue we wanted to address -- was the matter of the Old and New Testaments.

I admit that most Muslims are confused about this, and I suppose that would include me. The fact it is called Old and New gave non-Muslims the impression that both form part of the Bible -- just like how Muslims treat the Koran and Hadith as two parts of the same thing.

It is good that this matter was clarified and now Muslims and other non-Christians would get a better grasp of Christianity. Most, if not all, non-Christians were under the impression that both Bibles are Christian Bibles based on what the Christians did for almost 2,000 years until 1850.

What was of particular interest to me was the fact that the Old Testament is a Jewish Bible and not a Christian Bible. This makes one wonder why the Jews and Muslims fight so much when both their Holy Books teach the same thing and the fact that Islamic laws are actually Jewish laws.

I was especially attracted to the argument that the Christian Bible, the New Testament, preaches non-violence, non-hatred, love, forgiveness, turn the other cheek, and so on. In fact, I have always tried to preach the same values regarding Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. I was always of the opinion that we must do the Christian thing and not hate him for what we perceive he has done to Malaysia but instead love and forgive him, as what the Christians have said Jesus Christ taught us.

I trust in spite of the heated debate we saw in the last posting, this matter has come to an amicable ending and we can now all rest easy with the knowledge that we are united in our views and share the same opinion on how we should proceed from hereon.
 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


WIKILEAKS: SPECIAL 301 REVIEW: MALAYSIA

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Despite the many positive trends, however, industry estimates on current IPR piracy levels indicate that it remains a serious problem. Piracy will require sustained government attention in many areas for the foreseeable future, and improved government attention in some areas that are currently deficient. Embassy therefore recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

1.  Summary. In 2007 Malaysian IPR enforcement authorities continued to make good progress in fighting IPR piracy.  The single most promising development of the year was the long-awaited launch of the country's specialized intellectual property court. The United States and Malaysia continued to cooperate closely, in particular through ongoing negotiations on IPR issues within the framework of a free trade agreement. Piracy levels for motion pictures and for entertainment software declined in 2007. However, the overall piracy rates remain high for most types of IP, and the government will need to continue to strengthen its enforcement and prosecution efforts, and to seek certain legislative changes to strengthen Malaysian authorities. Embassy recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List.  End summary.

Optical Media Piracy

2. In 2007 Malaysian IPR enforcement officers continued to exert strong pressure on the producers and exporters of counterfeit optical disc media.  The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA), Malaysia's principal IPR enforcement authority, reports that in 2007 it conducted 70,863 raids, resulting in the seizure of 2,395,733 optical discs with an approximate value of 54 million Malaysian ringgit (approximately USD 16.8 million).  The number of cases taken under the Copyright Act of 1987 was 2,720 involving 597 arrestees.  MDTCA also reported 566 new criminal prosecutions.

3. Statistics compiled by the copyright industry indicate a seven percent drop in piracy rates (from 90 to 83 percent) in entertainment software.  MDTCA is carrying out more raids on pirated computer game sellers, and is working more closely with the Entertainment Software Alliance and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to facilitate enforcement actions and subsequent prosecutions.

4. The estimated piracy level of records and music remained steady at 45 percent, and the business software piracy rate also was unchanged, at 60%.  The book publishing industry also reports continued large-scale piracy in Malaysia, principally in and around university campuses, though increased enforcement efforts lessened the overall monetary value of this form of piracy.

5. In July 2007 the MDTCA announced a new program targeting the use of pirated software. MDTCA has worked with the Business Software Alliance to target students, company directors, and employees, and include both educational efforts as well as targeted enforcement. One of the new IP court's first successful prosecutions involved a prominent retail establishment that admitted to possession of pirated software, paying a hefty fine while generating unwelcome publicity.

Digital Music - The Future of Piracy

6. In 2007 the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Malaysia's regulatory body for telecommunications, to block internet users from accessing illegal song download sites.  RIM has claimed a significant increase in demand for digitized music in Malaysia, which has eroded the sales of compact discs (including pirated discs).  Much of the demand is being met by foreign websites offering free music downloads. MCMC continues to deliberate whether to take action against such sites, which would constitute a shift in the government's generally hands-off approach to internet website access.

7. RIM has been pushing Malaysian authorities to take stronger action against landlords who allow pirating operations at their premises. RIM has also taken direct action against such landlords by filing a number of lawsuits seeking damages as well as the closure of such operations.  RIM has also sent out warnings of imminent lawsuits to hundreds of landlords, many of whom have complied with the warning by expelling the pirates.  Following RIM's lead, MDTCA has begun to initiate criminal actions against a few landlords as well.  Industry is pushing legislation that would specifically address the liability of landlords who allow their premises to be used for copyright infringement.

Progress on Motion Picture Piracy

8. Malaysian authorities successfully attacked the problem of pirate recordings in Malaysian cinemas, in particular those recordings using advanced cell phone technology (since cell phones are less detectable than camcorders).  In 2006 the Motion Picture Association (MPA) had estimated that 88% of pirated DVDs and VCDs circulating on the streets of Malaysia originated from illegal recordings in cinemas. The MDTCA focused its efforts to combat this illegal activity, acting on tips provided by cinema employees as well as patrons (the local branch of MPA offers a reward for such tips).  In early 2008 MPA announced that the joint efforts of cinemas and MDTCA officials had effectively eliminated cinemas as a source for illegal recordings; in 2007 some 30 cases of illegal recording were stemmed in Malaysia.  As a positive corollary, MPA noted that cinema attendance in Malaysia increased 20 percent in 2007 compared to 2006.

9. Malaysian authorities currently use existing Malaysian statutes to arrest and prosecute those caught recording movies in cinemas. However, such arrestees can be charged only with theft, not piracy. The MPA continues to push for the implementation of standalone anti-camcording legislation, both to strengthen the authorities' hands (by broadening the scope of illegal activity and by increasing fines) as well as to promote the problem among the Malaysian public. The Attorney General is also reportedly considering amendments to the Copyright Act to take into account copyright offenses conducted over the Internet, though there reportedly was little movement on such legislation in 2006.

10. The export of pirated discs, in particular those purchased over the Internet, remains a significant problem, although most industry sectors report fewer exports of pirated material from Malaysia than in previous years (with the one exception being the entertainment software industry). MPA reports good cooperation with MDTCA enforcement officers, Malaysian Post, Royal Malaysian Customs, cargo handling companies and courier companies in order to tackle the export of pirated discs.

11. MPA was instrumental in bringing two sniffer dogs to Malaysia in 2007 to help MDTCA officials detect hidden optical discs and replicating machines.  The resulting seizure of more than 1.6 million discs received extensive publicity, and has convinced MDTCA to establish a permanent canine enforcement unit.

12. In early 2007 Prime Minister Abdullah announced the development of a national IP policy that had as its centerpiece the allocation of RM 5 billion (USD 1.55 billion) to promote IP protection.  The MDTCA solicited suggestions from the private sector on the best uses for the targeted funds, which should begin to be used in early 2008.

IPR-Related Prosecution

13. The first branch of Malaysia's new intellectual property court was launched in Kuala Lumpur in July 2007 (ref 2007 KL 1238). The new court eventually will consist of 15 session courts with criminal jurisdiction, to be located in each of Malaysia's 14 states plus the administrative capital of Putrajaya.  Six high courts, holding both civil and appellate jurisdiction, will be established in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak. Allaying the concerns of local IP lawyers, the court is organized to operate independently of the rest of the court system, with both judges and prosecutors assigned exclusively to the IP courts. Although the government had hoped that most of the new IP court branches would be open by the end of 2007, it appears more likely that such a goal will not be achieved until late 2008.

14. The MDTCA has taken steps to improve the ability of its enforcement officers to handle complex evidence in order to build strong criminal cases against IP pirates. Local industry associations have provided a large amount of this training.

U.S.-Malaysia IPR Cooperation

15. In 2007 the U.S. government continued close cooperation with the Malaysian government to promote increased IPR protection.  Nineteen Malaysian officials attended 10 USG-funded IP training programs that were offered in 2007 by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Among the programs attended by Malaysian officials were USPTO Global Intellectual Property Academy programs on enforcement, patents, and trademarks.

16. In 2007 and early 2008 U.S. and Malaysian officials continued to negotiate the IPR chapter of the proposed U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement.  These negotiations were an unprecedented opportunity for both sides to learn the details about each other's enforcement regimes, and to discuss ways in which such enforcement could be strengthened.

Malaysia's International IP Obligations

17. Following accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2006, Malaysia has made progress towards ratifying more multilateral IP treaties. Malaysian government officials hope to secure parliamentary ratification of Malaysia's accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty by the end of 2008.  Over the medium term, the GOM also foresees Malaysian accession to several other IP treaties, including the Convention Relating to the Distribution of Program-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite; the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks; the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure; and the Trademark Law Treaty.  Malaysia has not committed yet to joining the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (aka the UPOV Convention), preferring to wait until it can evaluate the effect of its newly-implemented domestic plant protection legislation.

18. In April 2007 the Ministry of Health announced that the government would implement a legal framework to protect pharmaceutical data in order to meet the data protection obligations under TRIPS Article 39.3.  The announcement indicated that such protection would be extended for 5 years for new products, and 3 years for new indications of existing products.  The time period in both cases would begin from the date that such protection was extended in the product's country of origin.  As of early 2008 the Ministry of Health continues to deliberate (including consultations with multinational pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders) before finalizing its policy.  Extensive discussions of the issue have taken place at each round of the U.S.-Malaysia FTA negotiations.

Recommendation:  Malaysia Should Remain on Watch List

19. The Malaysian government's record in 2007 showed a solid commitment to strengthening IPR protection.  In addition to devoting more resources to the single largest IPR problem - optical disc media piracy - government officials are also paying increasing attention to newer problems such as Internet downloads of pirated material.  U.S.-Malaysia FTA negotiations continue to provide a forum to discuss best practices across the range of IPR issues related to both enforcement and policy, fostering an ongoing dialogue among experts from both governments that will provide further dividends in the future.  Malaysia's intention to join the WIPO treaties this year, and its growing commitment to implement data protection in some form, show the importance to the government of strengthened multilateral IP protection.

20. Despite the many positive trends, however, industry estimates on current IPR piracy levels indicate that it remains a serious problem. Piracy will require sustained government attention in many areas for the foreseeable future, and improved government attention in some areas that are currently deficient.  Embassy therefore recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List.

KEITH (February 2008)

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


Institutions Of Higher Learning Must Promote Ideas, Debate, Dialogue And Discussion

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:03 PM PDT

By Lim Chee Wee, President of Malaysian Bar 

The Malaysian Bar questions the reasoning behind the decision of the Rector of International Islamic University of Malaysia ("IIUM"), Professor Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin ("Rector"), to suspend and investigate IIUM law lecturer Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari for his recent comment.

According to press reports that have not been refuted, the Rector said that Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari had been suspended on the ground that his comment – that the decree of HRH the Sultan of Selangor regarding the Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor's raid on a church in Petaling Jaya was "unusual and inconsistent" – was against the interests of IIUM.

The Malaysian Bar is astounded that a comment by a professor at an institution of higher learning, about a decree by a ruler of a state, could in any way be against the institution's interests. The Rector's decision appears to be an insidious extension of the machinery of the Government, which is investigating the constitutional law expert for sedition arising from the same comment. Such an attitude is wholly out of place in a democratic society, and unbecoming of someone entrusted with a position of leadership in an academic institution that claims to be world-class.

Indeed, IIUM's investigation stands in stark contrast to its stated missionand vision to produce better quality intellectuals, professionals and scholars, and to the Recommendations Concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ("UNESCO") on 11 November 1997. This states, among others, that:

26. Higher-education teaching personnel, like all other groups and individuals, should enjoy those internationally recognized civil, political,social and cultural rights applicable to all citizens. Therefore, all higher-education teaching personnel should enjoy freedom of thought, conscience, religion, expression, assembly and association as well as the right to liberty and security of the person and liberty of movement. They should not be hindered or impeded in exercising their civil rights as citizens, including the right to contribute to social change through freely expressing their opinion of state policies and of policies affecting higher education.

30. Higher-education teaching personnel have a right to undertakeprofessional activities outside of their employment, particularly those that enhance their professional skills or allow for the application of knowledge to the problems of the community, provided such activities do not interfere with their primary commitments to their home institutions in accordance with institutional policies and regulations or national laws and practice where they exist.

Such stifling moves are symptomatic of what is wrong with our institutions of higher learning, as documented in the recent World Bank Report, The Road to Academic Excellence, The Making of World-Class Research Universities ("World Bank Report"), which examined the problems faced by another leading local institution, University of Malaya ("UM"). The World Bank Report commented that UM "continued as an executor of government policy and decision making", and quoted Syed Husin Ali as having said that UM has joined "younger universities [in Malaysia] that are directly controlled or strongly influencedby the government. Basic freedoms of university staff and students have been so effectively curbed… It is not surprising, therefore, that the quality and standards of local universities have been deteriorating."

The World Bank Report stated that institutions of higher learning are vital to any country wanting to be competitive economically, because "(k)nowledge generation has replaced ownership of capital assets and labor productivity as the source of growth and prosperity. … The modern university is the ideal space for the ecosystem of scholars to search for new ideas in a spirit of free inquiry…"

We have hitherto accepted reports by the World Bank when it has offered bouquets of praise about Malaysia, most recently in our rise in the Doing Business Survey 2011. We must not now be selective and reject brickbats from the same organisation, if they are indeed warranted.

IIUM's suppressive move is also contrary to the Government's moves to develop Malaysia as a high income nation, and the Prime Minister's promise to make Malaysia "the best democracy in the world". Unfortunately, whilst the Prime Minister's promised legislative reforms on preventive detention and freedom of assembly were premised on "the success in developing the country, the increasing maturity of the people and the greater awareness of human rights in society", it would appear that such maturity and awareness seems lacking in one of our supposedly premier institutions of higher learning, or at least in its Rector.

Furthermore, Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's comment must also be viewed in the context of comments made during the debate surrounding the amendments to the Federal Constitution in 1993 (which removed the sovereignty of rulers). These comments, which involved far stronger criticisms (if not attacks) against the royalty, made in Parliament and in the media, all went unchecked.

The Malaysian Bar applauds the courage of, and stand taken by, Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in advising IIUM to retract the suspension. The Malaysian Bar calls on the Rector to immediately withdraw the show cause letter and cease all investigations against Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari so that he can get on with his important responsibility of teaching and inspiring our young generation.

 

LIM CHEE WEE is President of the Malaysian Bar

Call for a Financial Accountability Commission answerable to the Parliament

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 12:44 PM PDT

By Tony Pua

Every year Malaysians are treated to a series of "tall tales" in the Auditor-General Report, which are unfortunately true stories.  This year, despite an "upgrade" in ratings for the overall financial management by Government departments and agencies, the tales of financial abuse and degrees of incompetence is no less fantastic than previous years.
In previous years, we had screw drivers worth RM32 was purchased at RM224 or a car jack worth RM50 purchased at RM5,700 making a complete mockery of the Government's procurement process.  Last year, Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara in Balik Pulau purchased a whole list of products for its computer laboratory at prices well above that of the market, including 2 Acer computer laptops at RM84,640 when it is worth only be a tenth of the price paid.
 
This year is no different with the Marine Parks Department taking the leading role by purchasing binoculars worth not more than RM1,940 was purchased at RM56,350, more than 28 times the market price.  It was of course not the only offending item – the Department purchased RM192,694 worth of products including common items such as laptops, printers, LCD TV, DVD Player when their total value should not exceed RM20,193.
 
There were many repeat offenders as well in the current year's report.  Of note is the construction of computer laboratories by the Ministry of Education throughout the country.  In Sabah, a RM160.7 million project was awarded to equip 300 schools by 2008.  However, as at the end of 2010, only 2 computer laboratories were completed.
 
Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), an agency tasked to uplift the welfare of bumiputeras is again chastised for making high-priced purchases such as an oven worth RM419 for RM1,200, folding beds worth RM100 for RM500 among other things.
 
What is perhaps more illuminating is the fact that everyone the Auditor-General only has the necessary resources to audit a small sample of Government procurement and projects.  And despite that, such tales of incompetence and abuse are in abundance.
 
The logical conclusion from the Auditor-General's report is that heads must roll, but it rarely or never happens.  The Government's Chief Secretary Tan Sri Sidek Hassan has the all-important role to take the necessary disciplinary actions against the relevant offenders, including the supervising officers who failed in exercising their responsibility in a diligent fashion.  However, as informed by the Auditor-General during our Public Accounts Committee briefing yesterday, most of these offending officers are only given a letter of reprimand "surat teguran" before the cases were closed.
 
The natural outcome is, there is little disincentive for government officers to increase its level of competence or reduce the amount of waste, mismanagement and abuse since the "rewards" far outweigh the potential punishment, even if their deeds are hung out to dry in the Auditor-General's Report.
 
While the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has the powers to call upon the relevant Ministries and officers to explain their actions and conduct, the PAC has no powers whatsoever to mete out punishment except to make "recommendations" to the Government.  This has proven to be completely ineffective, made worse by the fact that the PAC is only able to focus on a handful of the misdeeds highlighted in the Auditor-General's report.
 
Therefore, given the inability of the Chief Secretary of the Government, the absence of powers endowed upon the PAC as well as the lack of political will from the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to mete out effective punishment and deterrence to offending civil servants, we would like to call for a independent Financial Accountability Commission (FAC) set up via an Act of Parliament to be created.
 
The FAC should not be staffed with any civil servant to avoid conflicts of interest, but instead by headed by leading professionals in the field of audit and integrity such as the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) and Transparency International (TI) Malaysia.  The proposed Commission should be made answerable only to the Parliament and granted the powers to take punitive and disciplinary actions against officers guilty of misconduct, negligence and sheer incompetence highlighted in the Auditor-General's Report.
 
 
 
Tony Pua

Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #86

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 11:47 AM PDT

By M Bakri Musa

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3554/bakrimusa.jpg

 

Chapter 10: Freedom, Justice, and the Law
Personal Liberty in Malaysia – The Abomination That is the ISA

To me the ISA is an abomination. If indeed the Act is for the protection of society, as its supporters suggest, then it has failed miserably. ISA did not prevent the May 1969 tragedy, the 1984 Memali massacre, or more recently, the equally deadly Kampong Medan melee.
Surprisingly, the government chose not to use this powerful statute to arrest members of the Al Maunah group involved in the deadly arms heist in 2000 of the army camp in Grik, Perak. Instead the state charged them with waging war against the King. Surely such a crime is the ultimate threat to peace. If there is one situation where the ISA would have been appropriate, this is it. But the government opted for an open trial where its evidence was subjected to cross-examination and public display. There was no indication that the nation's security and safety were compromised by the subsequent open trial.
 
If the Al Maunah members could be apprehended and successfully prosecuted using statutes other than the ISA, I see no compelling reason why those presently detained under the Act could not be treated in a similar manner. If, as has been intimated, the ISA detainees were bent on overthrowing the legally elected government of Malaysia through violent street demonstrations, charge them with inciting a riot. Get the evidences out in the open so the public could scrutinize them. Reveal the evil intent of these perpetrators.
 
ISA is not meant to be a substitute for incompetent prosecutors or inept police investigations. Truth is, the ISA is presently being used not to protect the public but as a crude weapon to coerce the government's increasingly effective critics. Distressingly, the law is also being used to silence political adversaries as well as scholars who dare to voice their dissent.
 
Taking away a citizen's freedom without due process is a serious matter. It is disgraceful to read that in the rounds of arrests in 2001, the honorable home minister (and also deputy prime minister) Abdullah Badawi had delegated such enormous powers to his lowly bureaucrats. I would have thought that as the minister in charge, he would have given such decisions the gravity and solemnity they rightly deserve. To hear him say that he was in effect "out of the loop" is simply unacceptable. Surely he must have had some evidence of the dangers posed by these individuals for him to order their detention. Thus once they were detained, he should be intensely interested in the details of their supposedly treacherous plot. Were there dangerous weapons stashed away, and was this part of a larger conspiracy, possibly with foreign involvement? Had the interrogations revealed a more serious threat, the minister would want that information quickly so appropriate preemptive measures could be taken. By waiting passively for a report from his subordinates, the minister wasted precious time. Besides, to treat such decisions casually goes beyond simple incompetence. It is a flagrant dereliction of ministerial duty, bordering on criminality.
Abdullah Badawi's remark reflects, at best, a flippancy that is grossly inappropriate; at worse, a callous and sinister mindset. These are our fellow citizens whose freedoms are being violated. He acts as if such important decisions are not worthy of his personal attention and deliberation.
 
      I would have been comforted had Abdullah said that he was indeed following the situation closely and that jailing someone without trial was a decision he took with a heavy heart, but due to the sensitive nature of the investigations, he was unable to divulge the details. I would still oppose his decision but at least I would know that he had discharged his ministerial duty diligently and that he had not used that immense power arbitrarily and capriciously. Or worse, delegated that awesome authority to his underlings.
 
      As can be seen with the episode on the senseless beating of Anwar Ibrahim while in police custody, it takes only one overzealous officer to humiliate the entire nation. I expect our government ministers to be chief executives of their agency and be on top of matters under their authority. Abdullah Badawi, if he was truly unaware of the circumstances of the arrests, behaved more like a symbolic sultan rather than as an engaged executive. If this pattern of behavior portends his future performance as prime minister, Malaysians ought to be worried.
 
Like the frightened and weakened nobility at the time of the French Revolution, today's Malaysian political nobles are using the ISA as a carte blanche to browbeat the masses. Malaysians today are in the worst possible position: Having a bad law (ISA) administered by an inept minister.
 
The government had another round of arrests under the ISA of suspected extremist Muslims following the 9-11 attacks. Unlike previous roundups, this time the government was spared any criticism from the West. Indeed Law Minister Rais Yatim, on a visit to Washington, DC, in May 2002, crowed that the US Attorney General was highly supportive of Malaysia's ISA! It took the American embassy in Kuala Lumpur days before it denied such an endorsement. And it was done by a very junior embassy official. Such a low-key response!
 
Malaysian officials who were previously so dismissive of American official and public opinions are now suddenly eagerly lapping up any praise from America! I do not know who are being more hypocritical—the Americans or the Malaysians? Obviously to the Americans, flagrant abuses of basic human rights and due process are fine as long as the targets are presumed enemies of the West.
Criticisms of the ISA aside, there are legitimate security issues facing the country that must be addressed. Can this be done adequately without the ISA? Absolutely! The successful prosecution of the Al-Maunah group sans the ISA is one ready example. Granted the police and prosecution had to work hard to prove their case, and well they should.
 
Another argument favored by the Act's apologists is that such laws are needed in a multiracial society to prevent those who would incite racial hatred. This is a valid concern, but it can be addressed using far less draconian measures. America has its "hate crime" laws where if a crime is motivated by racial hatred, it carries a substantially more severe penalty. Further, the victims of such crimes could sue their aggressors for civil damages and or violations of their civil rights, the latter carrying a much stiffer remedy. Similarly there could be "no bail" provision for such crimes. There are several viable options short of the drastic ISA.
 
Another defense of the ISA (and also the prohibition against public protests and rallies) is that Malaysians are fed up with unruly demonstrations and the resulting disruptions to traffic and businesses. Again here there could be provisions whereby those who plan such protests must carry adequate insurance in case of accidents or property damages. Such "event insurances" are common and mandatory in America. Having such insurance as a prerequisite would ensure that the organizers take extraordinary precautions to prevent their demonstrations from getting out of control. If they lose control of their followers they would have to foot a significantly higher premium the next time around.
 
A more problematic contention is this. The ISA has been a major issue in almost all general elections, with the opposition parties advocating its repeal and the ruling party (Barisan Nasional – BN) defending it. Yet BN keeps wining. But it would be a mistake to read much into this beyond saying that the issue does not resonate with the electorate.
 
In truth Malaysians do not support the ISA; they merely tolerate it. Electorates do not consider the ISA reason enough to boot the ruling party out.
 
One of the tragic consequences of the ISA is that its victims are not allowed to contact their families or attorneys. Their families are kept in the dark of where their loved ones are being detained and for how long. Nor are their charges and evidences specified. As has been amply demonstrated by Abdullah Badawi, the current minister in charge, such awesome powers are routinely delegated to minor officials.
Apart from its impact on the victims, the Act carries a far greater and deeper chilling effect on all Malaysians. Much like the barbwire fence would be a constant ugly reminder keeping the animals away from the edges for fear from being entangled, Malaysians are forced to behave extra cautiously. Citizens internalize self-censorship and keep to the narrow and safe. Any new initiative is stifled for fear of offending the authorities. New ideas are evaluated not on whether they will work, but how the authorities would perceive them. How many times have one heard officials say, "It's not government policy!" And with that robotic response, everything is settled. Case closed! Everyone is scared of running afoul of those in power.
 
Next: Chilling Effects of Repressive Laws like ISA

 

Kelantan sets up hudud framework panel

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 11:05 AM PDT

By Syed Azhar, The Star

KOTA BARU: The Kelantan Government has announced the setting up of a hudud technical committee headed by Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob.

State Islamic Development, Education and Dakwah Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said the 19-member committee included him, state Syariah chief Judge Datuk Daud Mohamad, Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad, State Islamic Affairs Department director Datuk Che Mohd Rahim Jusoh and Kelantan police chief Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman.

However, Mohd Amar said the state government would let the appointees decide whether to accept or decline the offer after issuing official letters to them.

"One of the main roles of the committee is to study the possibilities of implementing the hudud enactment following views by constitutional law experts that syariah criminal laws could be implemented without amending the Federal Constitution and existing syariah laws.

"Therefore, one of their tasks is to exhaust all avenues to study this matter and come up with suggestions on how these laws could be practised.

"However, it is up to these members to accept or decline the offer because what is important is everything is done within the legal framework of the law," he said after attending the state exco meeting yesterday.

Mohd Amar also said that no time frame had been set for the committee to convene its first meeting.

OWC sex guide under review by Home Ministry

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:47 AM PDT

By Nurul Ain Mohd Hussain, The Star

PETALING JAYA: The Home Ministry is studying the contents of the controversial sex guide book released by the Obedient Wives Club (OWC) before taking action.

Sources from the Al-Quran Text and Publishing Control division said they were working with the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in studying the contents of the book, mStar reports.

"We are currently unable to determine the status of the book but work is under way.

"The issue is that this book involves the belief of the al-Arqam group, which is why the cooperation of Jakim is crucial to determine the status of the book," said the source.

The source was referring to the statement made by the club that it was going ahead with the global launch of Seks Islam, Perangi Yahudi untuk Kembalikan Seks Islam kepada Dunia ("Islamic sex, fighting Jews to return Islamic sex to the world") despite protests from women's groups.

The 115-page book had, among others, supposedly encouraged Muslim husbands to have sex simultaneously with their wives.

The OWC was formed by Global Ikhwan Sdn Bhd, an organisation founded by former members of the banned al-Arqam.

No seats for M Ravi and Chegu Bard?

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:38 AM PDT

By Zehfry Dahalan, FMT

SEREMBAN: Popular PKR figures M Ravi and Badrul Hisham Shaharin are in danger of being left out of the election candidates' list as punishment for their outspokenness.

FMT has learnt that Negri Sembilan PKR is ignoring the strength of the two politicians in their power bases as it engages in seat negotiations with PAS and DAP.

Ravi is the state assemblyman for Port Dickson and Badrul Hisham, better known as Chegu Bard, is widely seen as the most winnable candidate for the Rembau parliamentary seat. Both are known to be critical of state PKR chairman Kamarul Baharin Abbas.

A Telok Kemang PKR member said his party's negotiators seemed keen to let DAP contest in Port Dickson in exchange for the Rahang seat, which Kamarul Baharin is apparently interested in.

"It's unlikely that Ravi will be given a chance to contest anywhere," he said. "His relationship with Kamarul Baharin turned sour after the last party elections."

In the PKR elections last year, Ravi challenged Kamarul Baharin for the Telok Kemang PKR chief's position and beat him convincingly.

"I learnt that Kamarul Baharin himself will contest the Rahang state seat," the source said. "So Ravi will not have any place where he can contest."

As for the Rembau seat, sources said PKR had decided to let PAS contest there in exchange for Jempol.

In the last election, Chegu Bard lost in Rembau to Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, but he is still tremendously popular there. Many observers, including politicians from outside PKR, see him as the most winnable opposition candidate there.

Lack of political energy

Chegu Bard is known to be the one of the most vocal members of the PKR state leadership council in questioning decisions made by Kamarul Baharin and his allies.

Insiders say he has regularly criticised the party's state leadership for its lack of political energy.

 

READ MORE HERE.

EC to display list of 40,000 ‘unverified voters’ from Oct 27

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:29 AM PDT

By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider

The Election Commission (EC) will display the list of 40,000 voters that have yet to be verified or authenticated from Thursday as talk of a snap election gathers pace.

Electoral reforms coalition Bersih 2.0 had listed cleaning up electoral rolls as the first of eight demands although the EC routinely checks the list. The latest list will be made available with this year's third quarter electoral roll at 1,000 selected venues and also on the EC website.

Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said those on it should come forward to verify details.

"The verification can be done within a week from the display," he said, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider.

Wan Ahmad said unverified names would be removed.

He added the commission had been unable to remove these names from the list as information received from the National Registration Department (JPN) showed their details to be valid.

However, several parties, especially opposition parties, had claimed the electoral roll was tainted.

Wan Ahmad said the commission would not allow the use of doubtful names because "we have to be fair".

"JPN had said the names were valid, so by law, this verification is sufficient. The EC cannot just remove the names without verifying voter information," he said.

When asked if the voters involved can contact the EC after the period of one week, Wan Ahmad said, "Yes, they can. But they have to provide supporting documents for that purpose."

 

READ MORE HERE.

BLOCKADE UPDATE: Penan demand closure of timber camp

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT

By Bruno Manser Fronds

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends,

last Saturday, 22 October, at 10 a.m., eight Malaysian police officers, two forest department officials and three Interhill staff jointly dismantled the Penan blockade in Sarawak's middle Baram region. After the dismantlement, Interhill logging company passed the blockade site with heavy machines.

Despite the dismantlement of the blockade, the Penan are maintaining their demands to the Sarawak government and to Interhill logging. Penan spokesperson Lakei Jaau said the Penan have the following five demands:

  1. The government of Sarawak must recognize the native customary rights of the Penan by withdrawing the timber companies' licenses.
  2. The companies should immediately stop working on the NCR land of Long Item, Long Kawi and Ba Abang.
  3. The company concerned must shutdown Camp Kabeng and clean the rivers and areas that have been polluted with toxic materials.
  4. The government of Sarawak must immediately order the company to stop their workers from entering the affected villages without the permission of the kelunan pina (everyone's consent).
  5. The Federal and Sarawak Governments must solve the longstanding problems of birth certificates and ICs with of Penans and with the direct participation of the Penans.

The Penan are protesting agains the unjustified police action and are pointing to the fact that they have challenged the legality of the currentl logging activitzies in a court case filed in December 2009.

Your BMF team

www.stop-interhill.com

www.bmf.ch

BERSIH 2.0 sweeps Australia

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:17 AM PDT

William de Cruz, Guest Contributor, NEW MANDALA

The face of Bersih 2.0, Ambiga Sreenevasan, begins touring Australia's east coast today, hoping to fuel a new and profound Malaysian hope for that fundamental tenet of democracy, the citizen's right to a free and fairly conducted vote. The woman who heads the coalition of Malaysian NGOs that inspired tens of thousands of citizens to take to Kuala Lumpur streets on a fateful July 9 says she is in Australia to say, "thank you".

"Global Bersih is one of the greatest achievements of Bersih", Ms Sreenevasan says, referring to the worldwide solidarity movement that sprung up to support KL's historic, public show of defiance against a government that had banned the march and declared it "illegal".

"I know of no other movement that has pulled Malaysians and other supporters from all over the world quite like this. And we (Bersih 2.0 KL) did not organise this…you all did."

Similar modesty is likely to be cast to the winds as the Bersih 2.0 chair embarks on university lectures, meet-and-greet functions and media interviews to hammer home the point that fair and free elections in Malaysia can only come about with wide-ranging legislative reform. Considering Prime Minister Najib Razak is forecast to call the federation's thirteenth election any time between now and March 2012, the former president of Malaysia's Bar Council and her group have set themselves a daunting, formidable task.

"I feel a huge responsibility to Bersih and the people", Ms Sreenevasan says.

"I fear sometimes I am not up to it."

The avowed non-politician adds: "Then I remember the people are very forgiving." She is speaking, of course, totally unlike a politician. "Provided you are honest with them, and sincere."

The recipient of France's highest honour, the Chevalier de Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), then says: "Fate has brought me here, just as fate has brought us all together."

Ms Sreenevasan, who two years ago was also one of eight recipients of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's International Women of Courage Award, has caught the world's attention for Bersih 2.0′s fight to address fraud, inequity, discrimination and corruption in Malaysia's electoral system. She is also well regarded as a staunch defender of women's rights and religious tolerance.

In Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, she will meet Malaysians and supporters of democratic reform and focus on convincing them there is much to be done, from Australia, to pressure Putrajaya into instituting real change in the electoral process.

David Teoh of Melbourne, a young Malaysian who now heads Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Australia (SABMoz), needs little convincing. He helped spearhead Australia's role among the global rallies that were held that same July Saturday in a show of support for the KL marchers.

"What transpired on 9 July awakened the sleeping giant," Mr Teoh says.

"On that day, in 40 cities around the world, we were one, united people sharing a common dream – beyond standing for clean and fair elections, we all took a stand for the integrity of this great nation to be restored.

"That such a movement was treated with so much contempt by the authorities only served to fuel our legitimacy."

READ MORE HERE

 

WIKILEAKS: SPECIAL 301 REVIEW: MALAYSIA

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Despite the many positive trends, however, industry estimates on current IPR piracy levels indicate that it remains a serious problem. Piracy will require sustained government attention in many areas for the foreseeable future, and improved government attention in some areas that are currently deficient. Embassy therefore recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

1.  Summary. In 2007 Malaysian IPR enforcement authorities continued to make good progress in fighting IPR piracy.  The single most promising development of the year was the long-awaited launch of the country's specialized intellectual property court. The United States and Malaysia continued to cooperate closely, in particular through ongoing negotiations on IPR issues within the framework of a free trade agreement. Piracy levels for motion pictures and for entertainment software declined in 2007. However, the overall piracy rates remain high for most types of IP, and the government will need to continue to strengthen its enforcement and prosecution efforts, and to seek certain legislative changes to strengthen Malaysian authorities. Embassy recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List.  End summary.

Optical Media Piracy

2. In 2007 Malaysian IPR enforcement officers continued to exert strong pressure on the producers and exporters of counterfeit optical disc media.  The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA), Malaysia's principal IPR enforcement authority, reports that in 2007 it conducted 70,863 raids, resulting in the seizure of 2,395,733 optical discs with an approximate value of 54 million Malaysian ringgit (approximately USD 16.8 million).  The number of cases taken under the Copyright Act of 1987 was 2,720 involving 597 arrestees.  MDTCA also reported 566 new criminal prosecutions.

3. Statistics compiled by the copyright industry indicate a seven percent drop in piracy rates (from 90 to 83 percent) in entertainment software.  MDTCA is carrying out more raids on pirated computer game sellers, and is working more closely with the Entertainment Software Alliance and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to facilitate enforcement actions and subsequent prosecutions.

4. The estimated piracy level of records and music remained steady at 45 percent, and the business software piracy rate also was unchanged, at 60%.  The book publishing industry also reports continued large-scale piracy in Malaysia, principally in and around university campuses, though increased enforcement efforts lessened the overall monetary value of this form of piracy.

5. In July 2007 the MDTCA announced a new program targeting the use of pirated software. MDTCA has worked with the Business Software Alliance to target students, company directors, and employees, and include both educational efforts as well as targeted enforcement. One of the new IP court's first successful prosecutions involved a prominent retail establishment that admitted to possession of pirated software, paying a hefty fine while generating unwelcome publicity.

Digital Music - The Future of Piracy

6. In 2007 the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Malaysia's regulatory body for telecommunications, to block internet users from accessing illegal song download sites.  RIM has claimed a significant increase in demand for digitized music in Malaysia, which has eroded the sales of compact discs (including pirated discs).  Much of the demand is being met by foreign websites offering free music downloads. MCMC continues to deliberate whether to take action against such sites, which would constitute a shift in the government's generally hands-off approach to internet website access.

7. RIM has been pushing Malaysian authorities to take stronger action against landlords who allow pirating operations at their premises. RIM has also taken direct action against such landlords by filing a number of lawsuits seeking damages as well as the closure of such operations.  RIM has also sent out warnings of imminent lawsuits to hundreds of landlords, many of whom have complied with the warning by expelling the pirates.  Following RIM's lead, MDTCA has begun to initiate criminal actions against a few landlords as well.  Industry is pushing legislation that would specifically address the liability of landlords who allow their premises to be used for copyright infringement.

Progress on Motion Picture Piracy

8. Malaysian authorities successfully attacked the problem of pirate recordings in Malaysian cinemas, in particular those recordings using advanced cell phone technology (since cell phones are less detectable than camcorders).  In 2006 the Motion Picture Association (MPA) had estimated that 88% of pirated DVDs and VCDs circulating on the streets of Malaysia originated from illegal recordings in cinemas. The MDTCA focused its efforts to combat this illegal activity, acting on tips provided by cinema employees as well as patrons (the local branch of MPA offers a reward for such tips).  In early 2008 MPA announced that the joint efforts of cinemas and MDTCA officials had effectively eliminated cinemas as a source for illegal recordings; in 2007 some 30 cases of illegal recording were stemmed in Malaysia.  As a positive corollary, MPA noted that cinema attendance in Malaysia increased 20 percent in 2007 compared to 2006.

9. Malaysian authorities currently use existing Malaysian statutes to arrest and prosecute those caught recording movies in cinemas. However, such arrestees can be charged only with theft, not piracy. The MPA continues to push for the implementation of standalone anti-camcording legislation, both to strengthen the authorities' hands (by broadening the scope of illegal activity and by increasing fines) as well as to promote the problem among the Malaysian public. The Attorney General is also reportedly considering amendments to the Copyright Act to take into account copyright offenses conducted over the Internet, though there reportedly was little movement on such legislation in 2006.

10. The export of pirated discs, in particular those purchased over the Internet, remains a significant problem, although most industry sectors report fewer exports of pirated material from Malaysia than in previous years (with the one exception being the entertainment software industry). MPA reports good cooperation with MDTCA enforcement officers, Malaysian Post, Royal Malaysian Customs, cargo handling companies and courier companies in order to tackle the export of pirated discs.

11. MPA was instrumental in bringing two sniffer dogs to Malaysia in 2007 to help MDTCA officials detect hidden optical discs and replicating machines.  The resulting seizure of more than 1.6 million discs received extensive publicity, and has convinced MDTCA to establish a permanent canine enforcement unit.

12. In early 2007 Prime Minister Abdullah announced the development of a national IP policy that had as its centerpiece the allocation of RM 5 billion (USD 1.55 billion) to promote IP protection.  The MDTCA solicited suggestions from the private sector on the best uses for the targeted funds, which should begin to be used in early 2008.

IPR-Related Prosecution

13. The first branch of Malaysia's new intellectual property court was launched in Kuala Lumpur in July 2007 (ref 2007 KL 1238). The new court eventually will consist of 15 session courts with criminal jurisdiction, to be located in each of Malaysia's 14 states plus the administrative capital of Putrajaya.  Six high courts, holding both civil and appellate jurisdiction, will be established in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak. Allaying the concerns of local IP lawyers, the court is organized to operate independently of the rest of the court system, with both judges and prosecutors assigned exclusively to the IP courts. Although the government had hoped that most of the new IP court branches would be open by the end of 2007, it appears more likely that such a goal will not be achieved until late 2008.

14. The MDTCA has taken steps to improve the ability of its enforcement officers to handle complex evidence in order to build strong criminal cases against IP pirates. Local industry associations have provided a large amount of this training.

U.S.-Malaysia IPR Cooperation

15. In 2007 the U.S. government continued close cooperation with the Malaysian government to promote increased IPR protection.  Nineteen Malaysian officials attended 10 USG-funded IP training programs that were offered in 2007 by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Among the programs attended by Malaysian officials were USPTO Global Intellectual Property Academy programs on enforcement, patents, and trademarks.

16. In 2007 and early 2008 U.S. and Malaysian officials continued to negotiate the IPR chapter of the proposed U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement.  These negotiations were an unprecedented opportunity for both sides to learn the details about each other's enforcement regimes, and to discuss ways in which such enforcement could be strengthened.

Malaysia's International IP Obligations

17. Following accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2006, Malaysia has made progress towards ratifying more multilateral IP treaties. Malaysian government officials hope to secure parliamentary ratification of Malaysia's accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty by the end of 2008.  Over the medium term, the GOM also foresees Malaysian accession to several other IP treaties, including the Convention Relating to the Distribution of Program-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite; the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks; the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure; and the Trademark Law Treaty.  Malaysia has not committed yet to joining the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (aka the UPOV Convention), preferring to wait until it can evaluate the effect of its newly-implemented domestic plant protection legislation.

18. In April 2007 the Ministry of Health announced that the government would implement a legal framework to protect pharmaceutical data in order to meet the data protection obligations under TRIPS Article 39.3.  The announcement indicated that such protection would be extended for 5 years for new products, and 3 years for new indications of existing products.  The time period in both cases would begin from the date that such protection was extended in the product's country of origin.  As of early 2008 the Ministry of Health continues to deliberate (including consultations with multinational pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders) before finalizing its policy.  Extensive discussions of the issue have taken place at each round of the U.S.-Malaysia FTA negotiations.

Recommendation:  Malaysia Should Remain on Watch List

19. The Malaysian government's record in 2007 showed a solid commitment to strengthening IPR protection.  In addition to devoting more resources to the single largest IPR problem - optical disc media piracy - government officials are also paying increasing attention to newer problems such as Internet downloads of pirated material.  U.S.-Malaysia FTA negotiations continue to provide a forum to discuss best practices across the range of IPR issues related to both enforcement and policy, fostering an ongoing dialogue among experts from both governments that will provide further dividends in the future.  Malaysia's intention to join the WIPO treaties this year, and its growing commitment to implement data protection in some form, show the importance to the government of strengthened multilateral IP protection.

20. Despite the many positive trends, however, industry estimates on current IPR piracy levels indicate that it remains a serious problem. Piracy will require sustained government attention in many areas for the foreseeable future, and improved government attention in some areas that are currently deficient.  Embassy therefore recommends that Malaysia remain on the Special 301 Watch List.

KEITH (February 2008)

 

Driving a wedge

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 11:17 PM PDT

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Bernama and Utusan Malaysia are still trying to drive a wedge between DAP and PAS by, again, raising the hudud issue today. You can read the news item below.

I suppose, after Saturday's 1,000,000-man assembly failure, they realise that the apostasy issue is not being received in the way they had hoped, so they need to revisit the hudud issue and try one more shot at pitting DAP against PAS.

The fact that Bernama and Utusan Malaysia call the Penang government 'Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang' is proof of the sly slant of the report. They want the Malays to think that Penang has been 'lost' to the Chinese or that DAP (meaning Chinese) are the real power in Penang, etc.

In short, DAP, and not Pakatan Rakyat, is ruling Penang and it is a Chinese government rather than a multi-racial government.

Race and religion is a very potent weapon. And throw the 'not respecting the Rulers' or 'insulting the Rulers' issue into the ring, and we get a wonderful explosive ingredient called the 3R Program.

Yes, 3R can work if played properly. Race, religion and the Rulers (Raja-raja Melayu) can make the Malays foam at the mouth if they can be made to believe that these three 'sacred cows' are under attack or are being insulted by the non-Malays. And that is what the government-owned and government-controlled media is attempting.

Why Malaysians do not use logic rather than emotion is beyond me. It is that easy to get Malaysians so worked up -- Malays, Chinese, Indians and 'lain-lain' not exempted. Just raise the issue of race, religion or the Rulers and watch Malaysians fight.

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

You have one last shot at change. And if you miss this shot don't ever dream that there is still the next time. As Elvis Presley said: it's now or never. And you better believe it.

*******************************************************

Hudud: Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang dibidas gagal jelaskan pendirian

Anggota pembangkang hari ini membidas kerajaan pimpinan DAP Pulau Pinang kerana tidak berani menjelaskan pendirian mengenai beberapa isu termasuk pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Permatang Berangan, Shabudin Yahaya daripada Barisan Nasional (BN) berkata, setiap soalan lisan yang dikemukakan oleh wakil rakyat BN berhubung beberapa isu termasuk hukum hudud ditolak oleh Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain.

Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas persidangan DUN hari ini, beliau berkata, rakyat Pulau Pinang inginkan satu penjelasan daripada kerajaan negeri mengenai pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

"Mereka (rakyat) ingin tahu pendirian kerajaan negeri tetapi, kerajaan negeri tidak berani untuk menjawab soalan dan mencari jalan mudah dengan mengelak daripada menjawab," katanya.

Beliau berkata, sebelum ini banyak pemimpin pakatan DAP-Parti Keadilan Rakyat-Pas, termasuk Lim Guan Eng yang juga Setiausaha Agung DAP, mengeluarkan pelbagai kenyataan.

"Kini kami menggunakan platform yang betul untuk mendapatkan jawapan daripada kerajaan negeri bukannya bagi pihak pemimpin parti," kata Shabudin.

 

A fool’s paradise?

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:45 PM PDT

But how quickly times change. Within a week, even The Star was forced to concede that a number of economists thought the growth forecast of 5 per cent to 5.5 per cent for 2012 was somewhat optimistic, without which premise the entire fiscal deficit reduction claim would appear to be a pipe dream.

Kapil Sethi, The Malaysian Insider

Spot on! Screamed out page after page in The Star the day after the Budget 2012 announcement by the prime minister. Barisan Nasional was at pains to paint it as a caring budget which emphasised its concern for the underprivileged through a number of cash handouts and maintenance of subsidies across the board.

But how quickly times change. Within a week, even The Star was forced to concede that a number of economists thought the growth forecast of 5 per cent to 5.5 per cent for 2012 was somewhat optimistic, without which premise the entire fiscal deficit reduction claim would appear to be a pipe dream.

In less than another week, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) revised its growth forecast down to 5 per cent for 2012. The Monetary Authority of Singapore, in an even gloomier tone, said that it expected growth might be below its potential rate of 3 to 5 per cent next year. US unemployment feeding into a probable double-dip recession in its economy and the eurozone crisis has the whole world bracing for a year of desperate belt tightening.

Already, volatility in the investment, stock and currency markets has reached such a level that Bank Negara recently reported that foreign investors sold Malaysian equities to the tune of US$439.6 million (RM1.36 billion) in August and September alone. This was reflected in a drop in Malaysian foreign exchange reserves to the tune of US$5.3 billion at the end of September. The ringgit has also been continuously weakening against all major currencies in the same period.

At this juncture, it might be wise to ask why the Malaysian government's blithely rosy forecast and expectations for 2012 are at such complete variance with the rest of the world, and what it may mean for the Malaysian consumer in the coming months.

In one word — politics. The raison d'être for politicians is to promise a better future to voters. In an election year especially there is undeniable pressure on the ruling coalition to deliver that elusive "feel-good" factor through all the instruments of state at its disposal to win re-election.

Having said that, the government and BN are distinct entities. While it is the job of a political coalition to influence voters positively, it should be the job of the government to take a more responsible stand when the future livelihood of its citizens is at stake.

A reasonably independent civil service is a prerequisite to reining in the natural propensity of all politicians to spend, spend, spend and leave the consequences to the distant future. When the bureaucracy is supine, the result is a budget like the one recently presented — a free-for-all spending plan with no acknowledgement of the economic realities and forecasts on the ground.

Due the perceived unpopularity of the proposed GST and an extremely narrow taxpayer base, simply put the plan to raise revenue seems to be one of cross your fingers and hope for the best. If the US goes into another recession and oil prices plummet, even the current revenue of the government will drop, let alone increase. Whereas on the expenditure side there is a plethora of proposals set to precipitously increase operating costs.

READ MORE HERE

 

When barking dogs turn rabid

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:24 PM PDT

They need to remember that the moment a person enters politics, regardless of whether the person wears a military uniform, religious paraphernalia, a doctor's white coat or even a suit and tie, that person is a politician. A politician wants people's support so that he or she will be in power. You can give your trust but don't ever give away your freedom, especially your freedom to remove the politician who you trusted in the first place.

Jema Khan, The Malaysian Insider

Politicians all over the world claim to be the protectors of their people. They often conjure up various threats to our wellbeing. When we buy into their stories we tend to support them and thus they are able to rule over us. In a democracy this is less of a problem as when we stop believing the politicians' spiel we can always vote them out. But many parts of the world do not have fully functioning democracies and thus we find leaders who, once they have been empowered, do all they can to stay in power and thwart any move to democratise.

These autocrats and their sycophants will bark their ideologies to all and sundry. They expect their people to believe their worldview so that they remain in power. Those who oppose them in their own country are often treated harshly so that they would be able inject fear into the society to silence any further dissent. Unfortunately for them, the advent of the Internet has seriously limited their ability to keep their citizens ignorant and quiet for long. Competing views which tend to be more liberal in nature do crop up and challenge the existing order. The so called "Arab Spring", though nascent, has exposed some world leaders to be nothing more than barking dogs.

The people in Tunisia and Egypt were a little more fortunate that they were able to remove their barking dogs with less loss of life than in neighbouring Libya. At least Ben Ali and Mubarak knew that the jig was up when their people clearly turned against them. Gaddafi, on the other hand, continued to bark and even turned rabid when his people wanted him gone. Who can forget his famous lines, "my people love me, my people love me all", that was carried on the cable news networks. He was so out of touch with his people and reality that it would have been comical, if not for his attempted massacre of his own people.

The hope for those countries that have successfully removed their autocrats is that their people will be freer and be able to put in place a democratic process that cannot be easily undone by any aspiring dictator. The only advice I would give them is that they avoid choosing those politicians who bark the loudest who want to show them to the promise land but take away their freedom.

They need to remember that the moment a person enters politics, regardless of whether the person wears a military uniform, religious paraphernalia, a doctor's white coat or even a suit and tie, that person is a politician. A politician wants people's support so that he or she will be in power. You can give your trust but don't ever give away your freedom, especially your freedom to remove the politician who you trusted in the first place.

In Malaysia's case, it seems that the people are fairly circumspect of their politicians and that is certainly a sign of our political maturity. The message that the people are sending the politicians is that they prefer a two-party system but both coalitions, as is our case in Malaysia, need to appeal more to the centre.

A group called "Himpun" that wanted to gather a million people to support its claim of rising apostasy in Malaysia only managed to get a few thousand people on Saturday to support them. Malaysian Muslims know that there is no threat to Islam in this country.

Even when Malay rights group Perkasa wanted to have a counter gathering against election reform group Bersih a few months ago, there was little support. The majority of the Malays feel fairly secure that their interests will not be sidelined regardless of whoever wins the next election. The Malays know that they are the majority and in terms of parliamentary seats they have a disproportionately larger share of the seats because of the rural bias in the seat distribution.

Even the hudud issue will not gain much traction among the Malays or Muslims in Malaysia as many know that it would not be practical in our multiracial society. The biggest problem for both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional is that they are influenced by a few fringe groups that are clamouring loudly. Both coalitions need to listen to the centre as they are the majority of the voters, though this group tends not to be less vocal.

But what is the centre in Malaysia? I will try to define the centre though I realise that I may be biased as I am looking at it through the eyes of a liberal.

READ MORE HERE

 

Recent events have been illuminating, have they not?

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:15 PM PDT

Now things are different. More and more people are openly questioning what's being done in our names. And yet, whilst as individuals we rejoice in having intelligent children who ask us lots of questions, as a society we seem to think it perfectly acceptable to deny older youngsters from reaching their full potential by learning how to think critically.

Farah Fahmy, The Malaysian Insider

The suspension of Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari last week was disappointing. Universities are supposed to be places where critical thinking is honed. If an academic can be suspended from his post for merely commenting on a matter in which he is an expert, then what hope is there for our students?

I learnt a lot of things at university, but not as much, I think, as some of the Japanese students on my course who were genuinely surprised to learn about Japanese atrocities during World War II. It was at university that I started questioning some of the assumptions that I had held about our country and our society. But, you see, I was lucky. I studied abroad and had teachers whose first duty was to broaden the minds of the students they taught.

In our country, university students have to abide by the Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti (AUKU), which, among other things, forbids students from joining any political parties. Not only that, students are also prohibited from expressing any support or opposition towards any political parties. Strange, isn't it?

In our country, the brightest young minds are expressly forbidden from taking part in shaping our society and our future. What a pity. I happen to think that society and by extension, a country, cannot stay static in its views.

Once upon a time, our society deferred to those who led us. We didn't question the judgment of our leaders. Those who did were expelled from the club (remember a certain young doctor in the late 1960s?), cast out, for daring to question the status quo.

Now things are different. More and more people are openly questioning what's being done in our names. And yet, whilst as individuals we rejoice in having intelligent children who ask us lots of questions, as a society we seem to think it perfectly acceptable to deny older youngsters from reaching their full potential by learning how to think critically.

And now this sorry episode of the suspended academic; and for such a silly reason too. What he said was hardly earth-shattering. Then there's Jakim going around saying that many Muslims no longer respect the authority of our Sultans. Lest I be accused of committing lese-majesté, may I respectfully remind Jakim that this is hardly surprising, given the antics of certain members of the royal family in Kelantan, Johor and Negri Sembilan in recent years.

Then there's the furore surrounding Lim Guan Eng's son. What a foul taste that has left in my mouth. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation, have we forgotten that one is innocent until proven guilty, and to paraphrase a famous saying, the doings of the father should not be visited on the son?

This surely is a new low. I thought calling Dr Wan Azizah a "pelacur politik" was bad enough but you could at least argue that as a political figure, she was fair game.  Attacking the son of a political opponent? Disgusting. No matter what he did, Lim Guan Eng's son should not have his picture plastered online, and neither should anyone comment on unproven allegations.

What's more, the remarks of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin are at best an embarrassment. He admitted that he did not have any information about the claims, but he couldn't keep his mouth shut, could he? No, he had to weigh in and give his two cents' worth too.

READ MORE HERE

 

RM7.55 bil armoured carriers: DAP goes ballistic

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:09 PM PDT

The government will pay RM7.55-billion for 257 APCs, four times more than an originally intended deal made earlier this year.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Under a new agreement, the government will pay RM7.55 billion for 257 armored personnel carriers (APCs), four times more for the same deal made earlier this year.

However, the government claims to have no knowledge of the February deal for 257 Turkish Pars 8×8 APCs, which at the time, cost US$559 million (RM1.749 billion).

This irked DAP's PJ Utara MP Tony Pua, who launched an attack on the government.

"Minister of Defence Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was there to witness the signing between (Turkish company) FNSS and (Malaysian company) Deftech," he said.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament, he said the difference in price is so big that a responsible government must ask, "What are the differences that make up the gap (between the two prices)?"

On Oct 18, Pua asked the defence minister in Parliament why the government was willing to spend RM7.8 billion for the 257 APCs.

In a written response, Zahid replied: "The finalised price for the procurement of 257 APCs is RM7.55 billion for a period of seven years from 2011 to 2018, and not RM7.8 billion as said."

"The Defence Ministry has no information over the 257 APCs by Deftech… with Turkey's FNSS for the price of US$559 million. Therefore, the question is out of the ministry's knowledge."

According to a Jun 3 BAE Systems news release, military equipment manufacturer FNSS signed a US$559-million letter of offer and acceptance from Deftech Sdn Bhd for the design, development and building of the 257 APCs.

READ MORE HERE

 

Southeast Asia Mints More Millionaires

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:08 PM PDT

By Eric Bellman, Wall Street Journal

If you've been placed on another long waiting list to buy a Breitling or a BMW, it may be because Southeast Asia is spawning a growing number of the world's newest nouveau riche.

The number of millionaires almost tripled in Singapore over the last year and a half while it came close to doubling in both Indonesia and Malaysia, according to a report this week from Credit Suisse Group.

When compared to the numbers from the report released early last year, those three countries alone have given birth to close to 190,000 new millionaires since the beginning of last year according to the report, which did not give figures for the Philippines or Thailand. That total is short of the 212,000 new millionaires minted in China over the same period but well ahead of the other BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia and India) which had each added less than 100,000 new millionaires.

So where is all the new money coming from? Much of the rise is just a reflection of the weakening dollar, which makes the Singapore dollar- and rupiah-denominated riches look more impressive when translated into U.S. dollars. Otherwise it can be attributed to growing savings, stock and property prices. Credit-Suisse defines wealth as a person's financial and real estate assets minus their debt.

The number of people with wealth of more than $1 million shot up by 118,000 in Singapore during the period to 183,000, which means the small city state is one of the places you are most likely to randomly bump into a millionaire.

Even the average Singaporean is wealthy compared to the rest of the world. Average household wealth was $285,000 in the middle of this year, the report said. That makes Singaporeans the fifth wealthiest in the world (after Switzerland, Australia, Norway and France.)

Malaysia added 19,000 new millionaires over the 18 months, bringing its total to 39,000. Meanwhile the number of millionaires in Indonesia jumped by 52,000 people to 112,000.  Interestingly, Indonesia had 12 billionaires by the middle of this year, according to Credit-Suisse's calculations, more than Singapore and Malaysia combined.

Average wealth in Indonesia – which is Southeast Asia's largest economy but has a population of around 240 million – was lower than its neighbors at around $12,000. That's still a great improvement from the turn of the century when it was as lows as $2,000.

"The rise in personal wealth in Indonesia has been stunning since the year 2000, with average wealth growing by a factor of five," the report said.

Strong currencies, rising property prices, climbing commodity prices and healthy stock markets have helped the region but the real secret to Southeast Asia's success may be how stingy money makers are here.

Average household debt which offsets much of savings and investments in Western countries is very low in the region. It's only 13% of total assets in Singapore and 2.5% of total assets in Indonesia.

No action against ‘notorious’ military contractors

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:57 PM PDT

Defence Ministry keeps errant contractors despite reminders from Auditor-General's Office.

(Free Malaysia Today) - The Defence Ministry refused to take stern action against 10 errant contractors who were awarded contracts worth RM76 million for work delays despite being notified by the Auditor-General's Office.

Each of these companies recorded various levels of delay in repairing the air force's Aviation Ground Support Vehicles (AGSV).

The 2010 AG's Report noted that instead of severely censoring them, the ministry extended their contracts.

In its rebuke, the AG noted that the ministry did nothing more than issue these notorious contractors warning letters.

"And their contracts were extended till Dec 6 last year although their contracts were supposed to expire on June 5," noted the report.

It noted that the companies most notorious for their delay in delivery of repaired vehicles were Kobat Engineering Sdn Bhd, Sesama Auto Sdn Bhd, Aerospace Technology System Corporation Sdn Bhd and Aviasi Industri Sdn Bhd.

Kobat Engineering had the worst track record, while another company Aviasi took more than a year to repair and return a towing truck to the ministry.

"And the excuse they gave is lack of expertise, no spare parts and sometimes say they couldn't even find what's the problem with the vehicle," noted the AG's Report.

READ MORE HERE

 

'Wrong to question those who fought communists'

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:53 PM PDT

By Rozanna Latif, NST

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said questioning the sacrifices of police officers who fought against the communists is "an unforgivable sin" akin to an act of treason.

He said the police officers who had given their lives to fight the communist threat had ensured that the country did not suffer the same fate as nations like Cambodia, which fell under a totalitarian communist regime.

"Here, the communists were eventually forced to admit that they had lost the battle for the people's hearts and minds, partly as a result of the sacrifices made by heroic police officers. To deny these officers' heroism is an inexcusable betrayal and a sin that cannot be forgiven," said Najib at a gathering with retired and former police officers at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

He said investigations had revealed that Muhammad Ahmad Indera (Mat Indera), who led the attack on a police station in Bukit Kepong in 1950, was a communist. In a recording of an interview with police officers, Mat Indera admitted to being a member of the Malayan Communist Party.

"There is a book titled Dialogues with Chin Peng in which (MCP leader) Chin Peng himself claimed that Mat Indera was a member," said Najib, adding that plans were under way to enact a memorial in Bukit Kepong to commemorate the incident.

Later, Najib said the evidence might be made public. "We have to take a stand against people who say such heartbreaking things about those who had sacrificed so much for our country's peace."

Present at the gathering of more than 6,000 retired and former police officers and their families were Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop and former IGP Tun Hanif Omar.


Malaysia on track for Digital Economy by 2020

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:47 PM PDT

(Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on the right path towards a digital economy by 2020 amid strong demand for new technology, says Nielsen, a leading global information and analytics provider.

There is strong interest for new technology as Malaysians are ready for the changes as shown in the Malaysian Digital Consumer Report 2011, said Luca Griseri, Nielsen Malaysia director of customised research, client services.

Malaysia's digital transformation programme is going to change consumers' behaviour, he told a press conference after the launch of the Malaysian Digital Consumer Report 2011 here today.

Griseri said the report revealed that the take-up rate for smartphones and tablet computers is gaining significant momentum in Malaysia, and therefore the industry must ensure easy access for these devices.

"Smartphone ownership is expected to double in the next 12 months to reach 89 per cent from 48 per cent currently, while tablet computers is likely to reach 75 per cent from 18 per cent presently," he said.

To ensure a successful digital transformation programme, Griseri said telco players and the government need good cooperation to deliver the infrastructure and network capacity to enable Malaysians to enjoy new techology and devices.

Griseri said Malaysia is still lagging behind Singapore and Thailand in terms of Internet penetration and usage of new technology due to lack of infrastructure and geographical issues such as Malaysia being surrounded by forests.

He said online advertising spending will continue to increase given the rising demand for tablet computers and smartphones, as well as consumers spending more hours online.

The report showed Malaysians spend nearly 20 hours online per week.

Griseri said it is important for traditional media such as television and radio to integrate with online media to ensure a successful digital industry.

The Malaysian Digital Consumer Report 2011 examines Internet and techology trends in the usage patterns and future uptake in the Malaysian market.

Conducted in June and July 2011, a total of 1,321 interviews were completed among Malaysian consumers aged 15 and above. -- BERNAMA



Soi Lek tells people to be ‘less hateful’, ‘less jealous’

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:34 PM PDT

By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Leaders will have less to worry if the rakyat can be less hateful, less jealous, more forgiving, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said today.

"We have to unshackle the grip on social discontentment and think positively ahead to create a Malaysian society that has great compassion, innovativeness and creativeness to move forward," the MCA president said in his Deepavali message.

"The last thing that Malaysia needs now is communal conflicts or being embroiled in social or political upheaval," he added.

Dr Chua (picture) said the many initiatives outlined by the government including the goodies announced during the recent budget are examples of a caring government.

"These are all in line with the 1 Malaysia agenda and the government needs the full backing of the people to continue with its ongoing activities to cater to the expectations and aspirations of the people," he said.

He added that Malaysians must celebrate but have to remind themselves "not to overspend, overindulge or splurge on unnecessary things or outings that we can do without".

"We need more of the good-feel factor in our lives to uplift our spirits to face the current challenging times in the world economy."

Nine ministries overspent RM3.73b, says government audit

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:29 PM PDT

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Nine ministries and government departments overspent last year's overall operational allocation by a total of RM3.73 billion, according to the Auditor-General's Report released today.

The ministries include the Education Ministry, Health Ministry, Home Ministry, Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry, Public Service Department, Attorney-General's Department, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Public Services Commission.

The report stated that the overspending in several ministries was unavoidable due to additional activities and unscheduled payments.

"According to financial rules, an expenditure can only be carried out if the approved financial allocation was enough. The audit checks found that this rule was not fully abided by several ministries who have overspent beyond what has been allocated.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Auditor-General: Putrajaya risked lives in delaying Bukit Jalil stadium roof repair

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:27 PM PDT

By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Putrajaya risked public safety when it took four years to approve funds to repair the damaged roof at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Auditor-General said in his report released today.

The report highlighted that the Merdeka Stadium Corporation (MSC), a federal statutory body responsible for the management of all national sports complexes, had applied to repair damage to the Bukit Jalil Stadium a total of four times since 2006.

The government finally approved RM30 million to repair the damaged stadium (picture) in December last year, the report added.

"The Auditor is of the view the delay in completing the roof repairs at Bukit Jalil National Stadium... was because the government did not approve the allocation applied for since 2006.

"This could jeopardise the comfort of users who would be exposed to the rain and endanger their safety if the roof collapsed especially for international events," the report said.

The report said the 90,000-capacity stadium had a 10-year warranty for the German-made membrane roof cover, which expired in 2008, but noted MSC could not get a replacement roof because it was damaged by fireworks.

It noted too the stadium, which has hosted 2,100 events between 2008 and 2010, require other immediate repairs and pointed out rusty and loose cable screws holding up the roof.

READ MORE HERE

 

2010 national debt at RM407b: what are the implications in layman terms?

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:27 PM PDT

Everything in Malaysia will be owned by the foreigners because of the chain-reaction; the banks will be owned by foreigners, thus all those who borrow or depend on the banks; the loans, the business, the business ventures, homes, houses, properties, land and shares (they bought from bank loans) will all be owned by the foreigners.

Nawawi Mohamad, The Malaysian Insider

The national debt consists of internal debt (owed to lenders within the country) and external debt (owed to foreign lenders). Governments usually borrow by issuing government bonds and securities (IOU documents) and simply borrow directly from local money institutions.

Repayments will then be made based on a schedule and periodical timeframe that will determine when the repayment or instalment is due and the quantum plus interest and the promised dividends.

As long as the payment schedule is met, everything is fine but when there is a default (the government not able to pay as scheduled) it is the first indication of when the situation is beginning to turn bad. The next step is to re-schedule the payment, make the repayment amount lower by making the period longer and increase the interest which otherwise the lender will not agree. They want more money at the end of it. The whole process is similar to the Ah Long business but with all the formalities and legalities in place.

Next, if the situation gets worse, the government has to borrow more money to pay the instalments. The Malay phrase for it is "gali lubang, tutup lubang". This is what in fact is going to happen now.

With the ever increasing budget, unmitigated wastages or leakages and slow growth, default in payments to the lenders is imminent.

Slow growth means the overall economic activities and productivity is low which in most part is directly influenced by the world economy. Even if I am wrong, why wait until the time comes when the Umno/BN government can do something about it now?

The Umno/BN government must start the austerity drive now before it is too late. It must reduce spending now when there is still room to manoeuvre. It is a tactical retreat; not to lose, but a necessary move to win. By the time when Malaysia needs some foreign funds to survive like Greece, it would be too late. By that time there will be mayhem. Everything in Malaysia will be owned by the foreigners because of the chain-reaction; the banks will be owned by foreigners, thus all those who borrow or depend on the banks; the loans, the business, the business ventures, homes, houses, properties, land and shares (they bought from bank loans) will all be owned by the foreigners.

READ MORE HERE

 

Holland bans Malaysian logs

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:25 PM PDT

(FMT) - KUCHING: Whilst Sarawak continues to turn its nose on international regulations over timber certifications, Netherlands has ruled that wood from Malaysia is not worthy of entry onto its shores.

The country's Independent Appeals Board in Amsterdam recently ruled that Malaysia's regulations governing forestation was well below world standards.

Ruling in favour of international NGO Greenpeace, the Board concurred with Greenpeace's complaint that Malaysia's wood certification scheme fell below the acceptable world standards and was not a badge of good practice.

Greenpeace's complaint was based on 'solid evidence and international reports' which it had compiled and presented to the Board.

According to the Appeals Board judgment, the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) had demonstrated:

i) No respect for the rights of indigenous peoples,

ii) Maps of MTCS certified forests are not adequately accessible to the public,

iii) The EIAs used for environmental impact assessment in Malaysia are inadequate to assess sustainability and

iv) No guarantee can be given that MTCS certified forests do not disappear for other land uses, such as plantations.

The decision simply means that the Dutch will ban wood products certified under the MTCS from entering the country.

Tighter laws

The Dutch government policy on the import of raw materials must comply with general European Commission (EC) policy, and with respect to this product the guidelines set by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).

The EC follows basic tenets in their Environmental Action Programme (EAP).

The EAP states that wood can only be imported from tropical areas that are managed and practice sustainable wood harvesting practices.

Netherlands along with a host of other countries are complying with European Union (EU) efforts to standardise basic trade regulations in the bloc.

FMT learnt that certain locales within Netherland and in neighbouring countries within the EU bloc have already banned the use of tropical hard woods in construction projects especially those imported from Malaysia and to a lesser extent Indonesia.

Stubborn Sarawak

However this doesn't seem to bother Sarawak.

Last week State Second Resource Planning and Environment Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan stubbornly said Sarawak will not comply with international timber certification and trade regulations.

He said the state "already has its own set of timber industry policies".

 

READ MORE HERE.

Maddening hike in house prices

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:24 PM PDT

The spiralling costs of houses are making life for the lower- and middle-income earners difficult to endure.

He said the middle- and lower-income groups are forced to purchase their homes out-of -town since they cannot sustain the high cost of living in the urban areas.

B Nantha Kumar, Free Malaysia Today

What is the cost of a 480-sq-ft studio apartment, which is half the size of a PPR (People Housing Project) flat?

If your guess is less than RM200,00 then you got it wrong. The real cost of such a place of dwelling is RM230,000 and this does not include car park charges, maintenance fees and other additional bills.

But bear in mind this studio apartment is not in the centre of Kuala Lumpur or even at up-market locations like Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Hartamas or Kenny Hills. Instead, it is in Seri Kembangan, near Balakong, some 15km away from the federal capital.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) chairman Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim, who had been critical of the maddening hike in house prices, said that the problem was affecting Malaysians, especially the lower- and middle-income groups which make the bulk of the population.

The problem is further complicated by the government "which appears to favour housing developers", he said.

"The federal and state governments never monitor house prices, allowing the developers to set exorbitant prices.

"Although house prices are set according to land value, environment and facilities provided, developers still charge high prices, saying that there is an increase in the cost of raw materials… but the hike in price of these materials is not in tandem with the high house prices," he added.

Nasir, who is also Kota Damansara state assemblyman, said developers were not interested in building low-cost houses due to the thin profit margin.

"Their main aim is profit ," he said, adding that more than 140 abandoned projects in Selangor were mostly for low-cost houses.

"This is because the government always favours developers… claiming that the prices of houses are dependent on market forces," said Nasir.

He said the middle- and lower-income groups are forced to purchase their homes out-of -town since they cannot sustain the high cost of living in the urban areas.

"As a result, they will have to spend more on transport… and this is a new financial burden for them," he added.

Unable to save for rainy day

Those who wish to buy these "luxury" houses in the city will also have to fork out more to repay their housing loans.

According to statistics, a person who buys an expensive home spends nearly 50% of his total income servicing his housing loan.

"Thus he is not able to save for a rainy day or for old age or for a child's education," said Nasir.

Nasir said the migration of the middle and lower income groups to the outskirts has also resulted in foreign workers taking up renting space in the cities.

"I can say that there is no political will to solve this problems."

He suggested that the government, be it federal or state, form a housing commission to monitor house prices and curb excessive profiteering by developers.

"The commission can work as a watchdog so that the people would be able to buy houses at a more reasonable price as opposed to the current open market system," he added.

He also suggested that the government build more good quality low-cost houses so that those who need homes would get "value for money" homes.

He said the middle-income group in the country shuns low-cost houses because of their poor quality.

"The government should come up with houses that are spacious, and not pigeon-holes with one or two rooms for a family of five or six," said Nasir.

READ MORE HERE

 

Thumbs up for good paymaster S’gor

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:23 PM PDT

By Teoh El Sen, FMT

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state government has been lauded in the 2010 Auditor-General's Report for its "very good" performance in decreasing public debts.

"Performance in payment of public debt in 2010 was very good because public debt dropped by RM58.91 million whereas loan repayment arrears were reduced by RM173.47 million," said the report.

The report showed that in 2010, the Pakatan Rakyat-controlled state's debt to the federal government had decreased by 5.5% (RM58.91 million) – from RM1,004.64 million (2010) compared to RM1,063.55million (2009).

The loan repayment arrears were reduced by 20.9% from RM829.86 million (2009) to RM656.39 million (2010).

Among others, this achievement was due to a repayment of loans on lost-cost houses (RM52.42 million), forest farming project (RM6.49 million), an exemption from interest rates for all outstanding loans on a water supply project and a write-off of all arrears on the same loan from the federal government.

"Consolidated state revenue recorded a surplus of RM124.24 million compared to the deficit of RM65.96 million in 2009," the report stated.

Describing Selangor's financial position as "satisfactory", the report said the state's consolidated funds increased by RM266.91 million (20.2%) to RM1,586.88 million (2010) compared to RM1,319.97 million in 2009.

However, the state's revenue dropped by 10.9%, a decrease of RM192.36 million to RM1,571.50 million (2010) from RM1,763.86 million in the previous year.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Govt agencies show better financial management, says Auditor-General

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:19 PM PDT

(Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: Government agencies have shown better financial management performance for the year 2010 compared to the previous year.

In a statement during the presentation of the 2010 Auditor General's Report at Dewan Rakyat, the National Audit Department said 357 government agencies were audited last year and 77 of them attained the "very good" rating compared to only 48 out 399 given the same ranking in 2009.

"The significant improvement signifies that the implementation of the Accountability Index (AI) proved to be an incentive to heads of departments and agencies to pay more attention to financial management," the department said.

The department implemented the AI-based audit rating system in 2007 divided into mandatory and rotational categories to assess the extent of government agencies' financial management compliance with statutory laws and regulations.

The statement added that 368 out of 453 audited annual financial statements were given audit certificates without a reprimand in 2010, meaning they were completely satisfactory.

Thirty-three financial statements were issued certificates with reprimand as the auditor was dissatisfied with certain aspects of the statements.

In comparison, 357 financial statements were issued certificates without a reprimand and 25 with certificates with a reprimand in the year 2009, it said. BERNAMA

Muhyiddin defends statement on Guan Eng’s son

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:19 PM PDT

The DPM blames the media for spinning the issue with the aim of sowing enmity between him and Lim.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today defended his statement urging Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to lodge a police report to clear his 16-year-old son from allegations of sexual assault.

He also said his statement on the matter was "spun" by the alternative media like The Malaysian Insider.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said his statement that a mere denial from Lim was insufficient to clear his son's name carried no malice and that it was made only as a response from reporters from the said online news portal.

He suggested that the questions posed to him on the matter were sinister in nature and was aimed at sowing enmity between him and Lim.

"I know what he (Lim) feels, I have children too and I am against dragging families into politics," he told Parliament during his ministry's winding up speech on the 2012 Budget debate.

"The truth is I don't really care about the allegations. I just said it in response to questions by reporters from the likes of The Malaysian Insider. My statement was spun," he said, in response to queries made by Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur).

Kit Siang, the grandfather of the teen that was accused of molesting his female schoolmate, had asked Muhyiddin if he trusted his own staff including the principal of the school who denied there was any sexual assault case involving Lim's son.

The Ipoh Timur had criticised the DPM for saying "denial alone is not enough" to absolve his grandson from the allegation, calling it a violation to children's rights to protection.

READ MORE HERE

 

Motion against Khairy’s ‘breasts’ comment

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:17 PM PDT

Karpal Singh says the motion is of urgent public importance as Khairy's words brought the House into disrepute.

(Free Malaysia Today) - DAP MP Karpal Singh wants the Dewan Rakyat to adjourn proceedings to discuss a motion regarding Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin's remarks against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his son.

Karpal (Bukit Gelugor) today submitted his notice for the motion to Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia at the latter's chambers this morning.

"These baseless, unfounded, scurrilous and barbaric words directly refer to the 16-year-old son of Bagan MP (Lim), accused by bloggers of outraging the modesty of a woman," he said in a letter to Pandikar Amin.

Karpal was referring to Rembau MP's Oct 17 tweet, where the latter said: "Mungkin dia roboh Kampung Buah Pala sebab nak ganti dengan Kampung Buah Dada."

In English it means: "Maybe he demolished Kampung Buah Pala because he wanted to replace it with Kampung Breasts."

At the time, Khairy was referring to allegations raised by pro-Umno bloggers that Lim's son had supposedly molested a female schoolmate.

He was also referring to Kampung Buah Pala, a demolished Indian village in Penang.

The blogs also claimed that Lim had paid off the victim's family RM200,000 to keep them quiet.

Khairy's comments as well as these allegations caused an uproar within Pakatan Rakyat, which denounced them as lies.

DAP later revealed that the alleged molest victim, as published in the pro-Umno blogs, was international chess champion Anya Corke, who said that she had not been to Malaysia in the past seven years.

Corke also said that she neither met with Lim's son, nor was she molested in any way.

Criminal defamation

Karpal felt that Khairy is guilty of criminal defamation for his comments which have not been retracted.

"Khairy has clearly committed an offence of criminal defamation against (Lim's son) under Section 500 of the Penal Code."

READ MORE HERE

 

Hasan’s Himpun attendance not sign of tension within PAS

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:14 PM PDT

PAS leaders defended their colleague Selangor executive councillor Hasan Ali's personal right to attend the Himpun gathering.

(Free malaysia Today) - PAS Youth chief Nasruddin Hasan Tantawi, who was conspicuously missing from last Saturday's 'Himpunan Sejuta Umat' (Himpun) gathering, said today that he stayed away out of respect for the organisors who wished to keep the event apolitical.

Nasruddin's absence was noticeable because he was among those who had openly supported the Himpun gathering against the wishes of party leaders.

PAS central leadership had decided to stay away from the gathering but did not ban party members from attending in their personal capacity.

"I didn't attend because the organisers had requested for the event to be apolitical.

"My stand on the matter is not contradictory to the party's official stand.

"There is not much difference (with the central party's stand).

"We (PAS Youth) were merely expressing our support for Muslims to gather to strengthen their faith" he told FMT.

Subdued rally

Although organizers planned to gather one million Muslims to gauge the "unity" among them particularly against proselytising, only about 5,000 supporters turned up at the Shah Alam stadium on Saturday, Oct 22 in what was mostly a subdued rally.

The event was organised hot on the heels of the Aug 3 controversial raid by Selangor religious authority, JAIS on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC).

The raid followed a tip-off that proselytisation activity was happening at an event.

Despite the PAS'  ban on members attending Saturday's event, PAS Selangor executive councilor in charge of religious affairs, Hasan Ali attended it.

Hasan who supported the raid on DUMC did not speak at the event but only recited a prayer at the end of it.

He was one of the two notable political figures who attended Saturday's rally. The other was Perkasa chief, Ibrahim Ali.

READ MORE HERE

 

Gutter politics or sordid politicians?

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:03 PM PDT

By Soong Phui Jee, AsiaOne

Some bloggers have made accusations against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's son of sexual molestation and instead of condemning the acts, some politicians have taken the advantage to attack their political opponent.

Even MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has admitted that such a phenomenon of which social values are greatly distorted is a practice of gutter politics.

However, Chua also claimed that Malaysian politicians have started practising gutter politics since the 2008 general elections. He also said that the Pakatan Rakyat stands on moral high ground only when they are affected.

There is neither condemnation nor action for righteousness. He just casually blames gutter politics.

In reality, the practice of gutter politics to attack opponents can indeed be found everywhere. It is dirty and at the same time, harmful.

Even more terribly, although some politicians knew that the rumour was groundless and the so-called victim was a foreign girl who has never been in Penang, they still took the advantage to stir up troubles or just watched with folded arms, letting the lies ferment and hurt those who are innocent.

Is it necessary to make politics so horrible?

When unscrupulousness becomes the last tool to fight the battle, when politicians who look prim and proper distort social values and even slander bully children of their opponents to fight for power and status, how many basic human norms are left in the society?

When politicians set a bad example instead of a good one, what else wouldn't be done by villains in the society?

Sadly, it seems like our politics is bending towards gutter politics, particularly in the Internet era when politicians can speak "freely" online. Abusive, libelous, discrediting and pornographic remarks, as well as various kinds of scandals might be exciting but they are also confusing, causing people unable to distinguish between right and wrong.

As American author and humourist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or better known by his pen name Mark Twain said: "A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes," the malicious objective would have been achieved while damages would have also been done before the truth is revealed.

Politics is not dirty by nature and it is some politicians who are sordid. Politics must not abandon the principles of reasoning and facts and it must pursue rationality. Once politicians abandon the basic competition rules of righteousness and fairness, and resort to dirty and nasty political means to achieve their objectives, politics would then no longer be able to manage the crowd, but harm the public instead!

 

‘I don’t know what Anwar was talking about’

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:02 PM PDT

(Borneo Post) - KUCHING: Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng said yesterday his ministry's records show that over 90 per cent of projects scheduled for every Malaysia Plan (MP) has been accomplished.

As such he had no idea where PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim got the record in his claim that 92 per cent of 310 projects approved for the state had not been implemented.

Yong, who is also Stampin MP, added he could not verify Anwar's statement as not all development projects came under the Ministry of Works.

He explained to reporters covering the closing of an accounting workshop here that the Ministry of Works took care of the construction and maintenance of federal roads, multi-purpose buildings and bridges, while other development projects were handled by other ministries.

"Not all projects are under our jurisdiction. For instance, rural roads, water, and electricity supplies go to the Ministry of
Rural and Regional Development, school projects to the Education Ministry, and police headquarters works fall under the Home Ministry.

"So, I don't know what Anwar meant by 92 per cent not completed," he said.

To a question, Yong declined to offer advice for the opposition leader as he believed Anwar blurted out his claim simply for political mileage.

"It's okay, this is politics. Whatever he wants to say, by all means, except that I don't want to 'cakap sebarang' (do baseless utterance)," he said.

Ninety-six students, who will be sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, attended the three-day workshop jointly organised by the Saberkas Third Mile and Stapok Unit.

In his speech, Yong advised these students to pursue higher education after the public examinations.

"Do not stop at SPM level as there is still a long way to go. Go for tertiary studies after the exams and make yourself a professional who can better contribute towards nation-building," he said.

Among those present were Saberkas Third Mile Unit chairman Melson Chai and Stapok Unit chairman Tan Hun Seang.



Policy outcry as more asylum seekers arrive by boat

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:01 PM PDT

By Matt Johnston, Herald Sun

MORE than 800 asylum seekers have arrived in boats since the Government signed its people swap deal with Malaysia in July.

The plan, which has fallen over, would have resulted in up to 800 asylum seekers being sent to Malaysia in return for Australia settling 4000 confirmed refugees.

Three boats sailed into Australian waters this weekend holding a total of almost 140 people.

The Government has warned about 600 asylum seekers would come by boat every month while its Malaysia solution, which was scuttled by a High Court decision in August, remains off-limits.

Since the High Court ruling, the Government has been unable to get enough support in Parliament to change migration laws and resurrect the policy.

It blames Tony Abbott for the situation, saying the Opposition Leader should have backed law changes to allow offshore processing, including in Malaysia.

Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor yesterday said Mr Abbott "has sought to trash border protection in this country".

He said the Government would work with countries in Asia to try to stamp out people smuggling while it was unable to implement its Malaysia policy.

"Our effort to have the most effective deterrent is being frustrated by the Leader of the Opposition, who is the best friend that people smugglers have ever had," he said.

Mr Abbott said the Government and Prime Minister Julia Gillard were desperate to blame others for the issue, and had lost control of Australia's borders.

"It's interesting when Julia Gillard was in opposition she blamed the government for the boats. Now that she's in government she blames the Opposition," he said.

"It is her responsibility. She needs to put policies in place that will actually stop the boats."

The Government will stick to onshore processing of asylum seekers while its policy is shelved.

More bridging visas will be used to allow asylum seekers to live in the community, like many who arrive by plane.

Senior Labor Minister Anthony Albanese told Sky News this was appropriate and would enable the Government to discuss the asylum seeker issue without "some of the hysteria that has characterised this debate".

 

Kit Siang: Cease acrimony against SAPP

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:01 PM PDT

(Borneo Post) - PENAMPANG: DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang yesterday reminded party leaders in Sabah to cease their acrimonious war of words against Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

Lim said they should instead focus on strengthening the party and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition to gain victory over Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming general election.

Speaking at the Sabah DAP annual delegates congress here yesterday, Lim pointed out that the next election will not be about DAP against SAPP, but DAP and PR against Umno and BN.

"My advice to Sabah DAP leaders is that we have to end the acrimony and to focus on DAP/PR's fight against Umno/BN," he said.

On the issue of the allocation of seats for the coming election, Lim expressed hope that PR in Sabah will be able to formulate a common policy on the matter.

According to him, he was made to understand that there have been very advanced discussions and negotiations on seat allocations.

"Because there was a change in the Sabah PKR leadership, we have to await for further communication.

"What has been decided and negotiated within the Sabah PR was conducted when Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was the chairperson and I therefore believe there will be a basis for us to reach a consensus.

"And we hope that PR Sabah will be ready to take on BN on a one-to-one fight and to ensure we will capture at least one third of the parliamentary seats in Sabah to be on the way to Putrajaya to bring about changes not only in Malaysia but in Sabah as well," Lim said.

Meanwhile, Sabah DAP chief Jimmy Wong said that they will abide by Lim's advice and will enforce a 'cease-fire' for the time being.


 

 

Najib: Aziz Bari case misunderstood

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 04:59 PM PDT

By Husna Yusop, The Sun

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 23, 2011): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has clarified that law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has not been suspended from his duties by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

He said Abdul Aziz was instead suspended pending investigation by the university on the statements he made in relation to the Selangor Sultan's recent decree concerning the JAIS-Harapan Komuniti issue.

"Whether he would be suspended from work or not, it depends on the reply or explanation he is going to give. We don't know about that yet.

"This is a public misunderstanding. Disciplinary action has yet to be taken against him. The university is investigating now what he actually said (before). We must not pre-empt (their actions)," Najib said.

Abdul Aziz has been issued with a show-cause letter on Oct 19 over allegedly seditious remarks he made about the Sultan regarding his decree on the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) inspection during a thanksgiving dinner by NGO Harapan Komuniti at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya on Aug 3.

The Sultan had said there were attempts to proselytise Muslims but no group would be prosecuted over the incident.

Abdul Aziz was quoted by a news portal calling the Sultan's action of intervening in the issue as uncommon.

Najib said IIUM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin has told him Abdul Aziz was under investigation and being given a chance to explain himself. He has until Oct 25 to reply to the show-cause letter.

On the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) rally at Stadium Shah Alam on Saturday, Najib congratulated those involved, saying they were "well-mannered and under-control."

"That was my intention when the government offered a stadium to Bersih 2.0. Compared to the chaos during Bersih, it was way different. During Himpun, no one felt disturbed and pressured or unsafe," he said.

He said it also reflected on the government's intention to amend Section 27 of the Police Act.

"We will study what happened (during Himpun) and the norms in other countries. We will think of the best ways to balance between basic human rights, public interest and safety as a modern and progressive country," he said.

On the demonstrators call for an Apostasy Act to be put into place, Najib said it is for the state government to take the proper action as religion is a state matter under the jurisdiction of the Malay Rulers.

On Saturday, about 5,000 people gathered at the stadium for the event, organised by 25 non-governmental organisations, including the Malay right wing group Perkasa.

On another matter, Najib was asked whether it was unethical for children of politicians to be exploited for political mileage.

To this, he said it work both ways.

"If you want to have certain ethics, to exclude the family, then everybody should adhere to it, including the opposition. That is the ideal in a modern democracy - you concentrate on policy matters.

"You can debate about differences in policies, weaknesses in implementation, but you leave aside family, or exploiting family matters, for your own political gain," he added, in reference to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who had complained that bloggers had unfairly targetted his teenage son and posted lies about him.

PKR, DAP in seat tussle

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 04:57 PM PDT

(NST) - ALOR STAR: Seat allocation negotiations involving parties ruling Kedah appear to have stalled after DAP, now with a solitary state seat, demanded to contest two parliamentary and six state seats.

State DAP chief Lee Guan Aik said he had referred the matter to party headquarters last month.

The party, which contested two state seats in the 2008 general election, had asked to contest the Padang Serai and Alor Star parliamentary seats.

Additionally, DAP wanted to retain its Kota Darulaman state seat, held by Lee, and also wished to contest in Bakar Bata, Lunas, Gurun, Bakar Arang and Derga, all of which would require Parti Keadilan Rakyat to make concessions.

Lee told the New Straits Times that the party hoped to have a bigger role in the Pas-led state government if the loose grouping retained the state government in the next general election.

Kedah PKR chief Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa could not be reached for comment.

Lee won the Kota Darulaman seat with 5,145 votes in a straight fight with MCA's Datuk Chong Itt Chew. However, DAP lost the Derga seat in a three-cornered fight with Gerakan and PKR.

State Gerakan chief Dr Cheah Soon Hai retained the seat for Barisan Nasional, obtaining 6,516 votes.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak sought to downplay the impasse when quizzed by reporters here yesterday.

"Pas has no problems in terms of seat allocation as we have decided where to contest. All is well except for one or two seats, which are still being discussed between PKR and DAP.

"This is not a big issue. The allocation of seats will be based on the wishes of the voters in the constituencies." Pas has 16 seats in the 36-seat state assembly while PKR has three seats after two of its assemblymen — Tan Wei Shu (Bakar Arang) and Mohd Radzi Salleh (Lunas) — quit the party to become independents.



National debt in 2010 at RM407b, says government audit

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:26 PM PDT

By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Malaysia's national debt rose by 12.3 per cent to over RM407 billion last year, according to the Auditor-General's report released today.

Although the economy grew by 7.2 per cent in 2010, last year's fiscal deficit maintained public debt at over 50 per cent of GDP for the second year running.

The Auditor-General said in the report that the government owed 53.1 per cent of GDP, slightly down from 53.7 per cent last year.

"The ratio of the federal government debt to GDP at the end of 2010 is 53.1 per cent, over 50 per cent for the second year running," Tan Sri Ambrin Buang (picture) wrote.

The audit report stated public debt from domestic sources rose by RM41.76 billion to RM390.36 billion while loans from foreign sources rose to RM16.75 billion, up RM2.96 billion.

The Loan (Local) and Government Investment Acts set a domestic debt ceiling of 55 per cent for the government while the External Loans Act 1963 limits foreign loan exposure to RM35 billion.

Putrajaya's domestic debt level at the end of 2010 stands at 51 per cent of GDP, according to the audit figures.

READ MORE HERE

 

Food prices push September inflation rate up

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:18 PM PDT

By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Food prices in September jumped five per cent from the same period last year, driving the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to increase at a faster rate of 3.4 per cent compared with 3.3 per cent in August.

The slight increase in inflation rate comes as the Najib administration struggles with the need to balance growth with accommodative interest rates while at the same time helping keep a lid on the cost of living.

Figures released by the Statistics Department show that the index for Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Non-Food for the month of September showed increases of 5.0 and 2.7 per cent respectively compared with the same month in 2010.

RHB Research Institute said however that inflation will likely moderate but stay elevated at around 2.8 per cent in 2012 compared with 3.3 per cent estimated for 2011.

"This is on account of a reduction in subsidies for fuel and power tariffs as well as industrial gas once every six months by the government that will lead to higher input costs and part of it will likely be passed on to consumers," said RHB.

Inflation has been surging globally largely due to massive amounts of liquidity that have been released by governments to prop up economic growth following the 2008 financial crisis.

READ MORE HERE

 



Muhyiddin: Police probe best way to clear air over Guan Eng’s son

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:07 PM PDT

By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today defended his remarks that Lim Guan Eng should ask the police to probe claims his son had molested a girl as the best way to put an end to the allegations.

Muhyiddin said a statement from Lim on his son's innocence might not be good enough for the public and that a proper investigation would serve to end talk of the 16-year-old's alleged assault.

"That's my intention, not that I want to interfere. Please get the intention. There's no ill-feeling," he said in reply to Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang in Parliament today.

"I'm not saying he's guilty but other people make their own evaluation... It will be cleared very much easier (via a police probe). It's not a question of politics," Muhyiddin (picture) added.

MORE TO COME

 

Muhyiddin dalam kebimbangan - Tak boleh salahkan beliau

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:40 AM PDT

ASPAN ALIAS

Tan Sri Muhyiddin berkata beliau bimbang dengan berbalahan yang berlaku dalam komponen BN yang berlaku pada hari ini. Apa yang dimaksudkan oleh Timbalan Pengerusi BN itu ialah masalah 'intra-party' dalam komponen itu nampak serius sedangkan pilihanraya sudah hampir tiba.

Tan Lian Ho Ketua Wanita Gerakkan telah meminta supaya Koh Tsu Koon untuk memperbaiki kepimpinannya dan jika Koh tidak berkemampuan Tan Lian Ho supaya menarik diri dari kepimpinan Gerakkan. MCA pula menghadapi masalah kerana ramai dari penyokong MCA itu adalah penyokong kepada Ong Tee Kiat dan beliau telah menyatakan secara terbuka bahawa CSL merupakan seorang calun yang tidak 'winnable'.

Semuanya ini merupakan barah-barah yang ada di alam parti-parti komponen BN dan keadaan ini jika tidak dikawal, Muhyiddin beranggapan isu ini akan menjejaskan prestasi BN dalam PRU nanti. Masalah ini bukan sahaja berlaku di dalam 6 komponen parti-parti BN terbesar di Semenanjung ini tetapi merupakan satu isu besar di dalam parti-parti dalam BN keseluruhannya.

UMNO memang menghadapi masalah ini dimana-mana. Kepimpinan UMNO di bahagian-bahagian kebanyakannya menghadapi masalah calun kerana kepimpinan bahagian-bahagian dalam UMNO itu tidak semestinya diterima oleh masyarakat ramai untuk mewakili mereka di dalam dewan-dewan legislatif di negeri-negeri masing-masing tetapi juga di dalam dewan Parlimen.

Itulah sebabnya Najib berkata UMNO akan turunkan hanya calun boleh menang dan tidak semestinya dari kalangan kepimpinan bahagian. Tetapi jika calun yang di anggap boleh menang bukan di kalangan pemimpin bahagian yang dipilih oleh bahagian maka calun yang di anggap boleh menang itu tidak akan menang kerana jentera parti dalam pilihanraya itu datangnya dari bahagian.

Di mana-mana kita pergi kita akan mendengar rungutan dalam isu calun ini. Ada yang menyatakan kepada saya yang mereka tidak tahan lagi dengan berbagai-bagai kenyataan kepimpinan yang mengguris hati mereka di peringkat bahagian. "Habis kita nak jadi apa bang?" seorang yang berjawatan besar bahagian dari Perak mengadu kepada saya.

"Kalau gitu biarlah pembangkang sahaja yang mentadbir Perak kerana pentadbiran pimpin BN Perak hari ini pun bukannya 'legitimate' pun" sambungnya lagi. Saya hanya menjawab, "Nasib you all lah! Masalah ini sudah lama. Tetapi baru sekarang nampak jelas. UMNO sudah terabai sejak 30 tahun lalu lagi. Sekarang sudah payah nak betulkan"

"Kat NS macam mana abang nampak?" tanyanya lagi. Saya jawab, "tak tau. Abang tak tau. Yang abang tahu the war-lords are fighting each other. Sudah jadi kanser, the cells are killing each other. All good cells are destroyed. I think they need chemotherapy. Lain-lain abang tak tau".

READ MORE HERE

 

WIKILEAKS: ABDULLAH CALLS FOR SNAP ELECTIONS; A PRIMER FOR THE POLLS

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT

While most opposition leaders are optimistic of some level of success compared to the 11th General Election, few are confident enough to predict the opposition's ability to break the National Front's two-thirds majority in Parliament. In fact, the opposition parties would need a 400 percent increase in parliamentary seats to capture the 75 seats necessary to break the National Front's super majority in parliament-- a feat no observers deem possible in the current political climate. 

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b, d).

1.   (C) Summary:  Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced the dissolution of Malaysia's Parliament on February 13 and called for snap elections, a fully expected move, but one that came a year before elections were required under the constitution.  Malaysia's Election Commission (EC) will announce on February 14 the nomination and polling dates. This year's polling date could be set as early as March 1, a mere 17 days from the dissolution of Parliament with a window of only 10 days for active campaigning. 

Approximately 7.6 million voters are expected to cast their ballots, electing all 222 members of Parliament, as well as 505 State Assembly members from 12 of 13 states.  Malaysia's ruling coalition, the National Front (Barisan Nasional or BN), faces a challenge from markedly increased dissatisfaction in Chinese and Indian communities. 

The crown jewel of this election remains the fight for the state of Kelantan, where the National Front and PM Abdullah's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) will try to wrest control from the conservative Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS).  Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party (PKR) and the Chinese dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) will focus on the states of Penang, Perak, and Sabah, while PAS will also focus its efforts on regaining lost seats in Terengganu.

Opposition parties are expected to garner some 40 to 45 percent of the popular vote, but actual gained seats may in fact be modest.  Political gerrymandering, control over the mainstream media, and the financial and institutional power of 50 years of incumbency will ensure the National Front's success at the ballot box even in the face of increased opposition votes. 

The significance of the 12th General Election does not rest with the widely anticipated victory of UMNO and the National Front.  Instead, observers will look to the margin of victory as well as the minority vote, factors that have implications for Prime Minister Abdullah's strength as a government and UMNO leader in a second term, and the future viability of Malaysia's inter-ethnic status quo.  In the short-term, however, the National Front's expected triumph will offer more continuity than change to Malaysia. End Summary.

Rapid Timeline for Elections

2.  (SBU) Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the dissolution of Parliament on February 13 and officially set the wheels in motion for Malaysia's 12th General Election.

On February 14, the EC will meet to officially set the date for nomination of candidates, the official campaign period, and the nation-wide polling date.  Recent election timelines indicate this year's polling date will likely be set for March 1 or 2, a mere 17 days from the dissolution of Parliament with a window of only 10 days for active campaigning. 

Consistent with previous election tallying, official results are generally known within two to three hours of the polls closing.  The Prime Minister is expected to announce a new Cabinet within one to two weeks following the polls.  There is no official date for the new parliament to sit, but in 2004 the 11th Parliament sat approximately 6 weeks after Election Day.  We expect the 12th Parliament to follow a similar schedule.

The Voters

3.  (U) The EC gazetted the 2007 Master Electoral Roll on February 5, 2008, showing 10,922,139 registered voters.  The 2007 roll is expected to be the final revision prior to the election, and under current law, cannot be challenged after the polls have been held.  Based on past elections, nation-wide voter turn out is expected to hover around 70 percent (or approximately 7.6 million voters), but heavily contested areas in 2004 showed voter turn outs as high as 91 percent in the state of Terengganu.  Of the 10.9 million voters in Malaysia, 84.2 percent reside on the Peninsula, while the other 15.8 percent reside in East Malaysia (broken down by 912,454 voters in Sarawak and 807,862 in Sabah). 

A recent survey by the Election Commission showed that some 80 percent of voters no longer live in the district in which they are registered.  Since only Malaysian students studying abroad, government officials, police and military personnel are authorized to vote via postal or absentee ballot, the nation expects to see large numbers of travelers on or before Election Day.

Who's on the Ballot

4.  (U) As has been the case for four decades, voters will choose only Members of Parliament (Ahli Dewan Rakyat) and State Assembly members.  Senators (Ahli Dewan Negara) are not elected but are appointed and therefore will not stand for office in the general election.  Similarly, Malaysia has not held elections for municipal offices since 1965, and all municipal positions continue to be filled by appointment only. 

All 222 seats of the federal Parliament must stand for election.  An increase in population in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak has prompted the government to enlarge the size of Parliament, and in the 12th General Election, there will be three additional seats proportioned to Sarawak, increasing the size of the Parliament from its current 219 seats to 222 seats.   State Assembly elections will take place in 12 of Malaysia's 13 states.  Only Sarawak's State Assembly is in a different election cycle-- a hold over from Sarawak's later entry into the Federation.

Who Wins?

5.  (SBU) Under Malaysia's "first past the post", or "winner take all system", the top vote getter in each State Assembly or Parliamentary district captures the seat.  There is no run-off system to limit the field nor is there a requirement to win an absolute majority.  Under these conditions, the National Front coalition chooses only one candidate from among its 14 component parties to stand for each seat. 

In general practice the opposition parties attempt to compromise on seat allocations and run only one opposition candidate in each district.  However, because the opposition parties do not always agree on which party would have a better chance against the National Front candidate, there are often instances of three or more candidates vying for the same seat, an event known locally as a "three cornered fight". Such contests generally guarantee the National Front candidate will capture a plurality and win the seat.

National Parliament -- Maintaining 2/3 Majority

6.  (SBU) Of principal concern to the National Front coalition is the ability to control a two-thirds majority in Parliament.  While most ordinary legislation requires only a simple majority to pass, constitutional amendments can be passed, with or without the consent of the King, with a two-thirds majority in Parliament.  This is an important tool of the ruling government as in its short 50 year history, Malaysia's constitution has been amended some 52 times and almost always over the objections of the opposition.

Maintaining a two-thirds majority in Parliament is the highest priority for the National Front coalition.  To maintain its two-thirds majority in the 12th General Election, the National Front will need to win 148 out of 222 seats.  (Note:  In the 2004 (11th General) Election, there were 219 parliamentary seats at stake and the National Front captured 199 of those seats, or 91 percent. End Note.)

Malay Majority Vote

7.  (SBU) The coalition's dominant United Malays National Organization (UMNO) commands significant but not unchallenged support of the country's ethnic Malay majority.  UMNO is highly organized, enjoys vastly superior funding compared with any opposition party, and benefits from 50 years of incumbency as the leader of government. 

The Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) poses the largest challenge to UMNO for ethnic Malay votes.  In 2004 UMNO garnered 2.48 million votes to PAS' 1.05 million votes, figures that do not disaggregate ethnic Malay and non-Malay votes or the number of seats contested but nevertheless demonstrate that UMNO clearly is in the driver's seat. 

Malaysia's first past the post system and politically gerrymandered districts further reinforce UMNO's electoral dominance over PAS, in addition to many other factors that favor the incumbent BN.  In 2008, it does not appear that many UMNO parliamentary or state assembly seats are at risk.  UMNO, however, cannot take its position completely for granted and national vote totals mask UMNO's small margin of victory in many contests. 

In 1999, BN candidates (including UMNO) received only 48.5 percent of votes in heavily Malay areas, with BN improving its record to 59 percent in 2004.  In the "Malay Belt" of Perlis, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelatan, PAS took in 56 percent of the votes in 1999, dropping to 45 percent in 2004.

8.  (SBU) Such is UMNO's current confidence that one UMNO vice president recently commented to the press that "we don't need the Indians or the Chinese" to win the election.  Given that in 2004 UMNO garnered roughly a third of the vote, its non-Malay partners took another third, and the opposition accounted for the remaining third, such a statement may not be altogether accurate. 

Since independence, UMNO's critical advantage has been its ability to maintain a solid coalition with ethnic Chinese and also Indian voters.  Nevertheless, in the current Parliament UMNO alone controls 110 of the coalition's 199 total seats, and many seats held by other coalition members were indisputably dominated by Malay voters.  Likewise, in the 11th General Election, UMNO won 302 of the 505 State Assembly seats up for election in 2004. 

The 12th General Election will reflect the same dominating strength of UMNO and the National Front coalition, and it remains very unlikely that the National Front will win any less than 80 percent of the seats in Parliament and maintain control of all the state assemblies except Kelantan. Kelantan will remain the most heavily contested of the Malay majority areas (see below).

Ethnic Chinese

9.  (SBU) One of the National Front's greatest challenges will come from dissatisfied Chinese voters.  With 26 percent of the total population and outright majorities in many urban districts, Malaysia's ethnic Chinese population constitutes a sizable voting block.  For 50 years the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has been the largest ethnic Chinese party in the country and a faithful partner in the National Front coalition. 

Likewise, for nearly 40 years, the People's Movement Party (Gerakan) has attracted a sizable block of Chinese votes for the National Front coalition and held the reins of government in the State of Penang.  However, leadership in both parties have publicly acknowledged growing Chinese voter dissatisfaction in the economic progress of the country and increasing perceptions of ethnic polarization in the country. 

A late December 2007 voter opinion survey by the Merdeka Center indicated that PM Abdullah's approval rating among ethnic Chinese stood at 42 percent, down from 62 percent in late 2006.  Accordingly, both MCA and Gerakan leaders anticipate some loss of support at the polls. Nevertheless, because most Gerakan and MCA leaders are actually elected from districts with an ethnic-Malay majority, even a decline in support at the polls will have very little effect on the leadership of the National Front's largest Chinese parties. 

Years of gerrymandering have created few Chinese majority districts that actually challenge the dominance of the National Front's constituent parties, and while the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) stands to gain a few seats in both State Assemblies and in the federal Parliament as a result of this dissatisfaction, DAP's potential gains will not be significant enough to materially change the make up of government, either locally or nationally.

Ethnic Indians

10.  (SBU) Although Malaysia's ethnic Indian community constitutes less than 8 percent of the population and is thus less influential than the Chinese minority, the National Front's Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) also faces significant voter dissatisfaction, and internal divisions threaten the unity of the once fiercely loyal coalition partner.  Following a year of highly publicized and emotionally charged issues surrounding the razing of Hindu temples and various court cases seen to be dragging Hindu families into Sharia courts, Indian dissatisfaction with the government pinnacled with a mass street demonstration on November 25 (ref A). 

A recent public opinion poll conducted by the Merdeka Center noted a dramatic 41 percent decline in Prime Minister Abdullah's approval rate among Malaysia's ethnic Indians following the Hindraf rally of November 25 (ref A), leaving only 38 percent of ethnic Indians approving of Abdullah's performance.  Voices within MIC have called for the party's president, Works Minister Samy Vellu, to step aside and end his 29 year grasp on the party.  Samy has refused to step down, but voter dissatisfaction within the Indian community assures greater sympathy for opposition parties than ever before. 

Just as most Chinese leaders are elected from Malay-majority districts, Samy Vellu also holds his parliamentary seat from a Malay dominated district, and under the BN banner his election is all but guaranteed and no significant changes in MIC leadership are expected as a result of the general election.  Nevertheless, MIC faces a near certain loss of votes and such a weakened state could affect the outcome in closely contested districts where previous BN incumbents won with a less than 5 percent margin.

Battle for Kelantan

11.  (SBU) In the 2004 elections, Malaysia's ruling National Front won or controlled an overwhelming majority in 12 of the 13 State Assembly elections winning a total of 453 of the 505 State Assembly seats contested.  (The National Front also won a dominant majority in the 14th state, Sarawak, in 2006). Only the State of Kelantan elected a non-BN state government.

In fact, the conservative Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) has controlled the State Assembly in Kelantan for 39 of the last 50 years.  In this the 12th General Election, PAS once again presents the strongest challenge in Kelantan to a nation-wide dominance by the ruling National Front coalition.

National Front efforts to wrest Kelantan away from PAS have intensified over the past year with the announcement of new development projects, the establishment of the Northern Economic Corridor, and promises of new mosques to be built if the Kelantanese will elect a BN government. 

The Kelantan State Assembly currently consists of 23 PAS assembly members and 22 National Front members.  The mere "one seat" majority has led National Front political leaders to conclude that this is the coalition's best opportunity to win back the state, and Prime Minister Abdullah's political machinery has promised to focus great efforts on capturing the state.

Senior BN politicians from around the country have begun unofficial campaign stops in Kelantan over the past few months, and BN's political machinery is in high gear to win the hearts and minds of Malaysia's most opposition-minded state.  Nevertheless, PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat remains highly popular in Kelantan and has committed to seeking reelection to the State Assembly and another term as Chief Minister of Kelantan.  Kelantan is definitely the state to watch.

Other States to Watch

12.  (SBU) Among the other states to watch in the 12th General Election are Penang, Perak, Terengganu and Sabah. These states represent traditional areas of support for opposition candidates and here the opposition parties stand to make their biggest gains.  Chinese discontent mentioned above poses the biggest threat to the National Front's People's Movement Party (Gerakan) in Penang.  Gerakan has held the Chief Minister office and controlled the State Assembly as the leading National Front party in Penang since 1969.  Most significant in Penang will be the results of the State Assembly elections. 

In 2004 the National Front won 38 of 40 state seats, but only 8 of 13 parliamentary seats. Both DAP and PKR are heavily targeting Penang to try to increase the number of opposition members in the State Assembly, with DAP targeting the Chinese majority seats and PKR targeting the Malay majority seats.  Similarly, Perak and Terengganu represent areas where opposition parties have historically captured higher numbers of state seats and are generally more receptive to opposition candidates for state and parliamentary seats. 

Sabah was under opposition control from 1985 to 1994, and Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party (PKR) believes that many Sabahans would prefer to vote in another opposition government if given a viable chance. Accordingly, PKR has actively sought a foothold in the East Malaysian state, and while PKR's chance of winning a significant number of seats is doubtful, Sabah promises to be a point of focus for PKR.  Sabah yielded neither state nor parliamentary seats to the opposition in 2004, so any gain is progress for the opposition.

The Anwar Factor and PKR

13.  (SBU) Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ouster from power in 1998 and his 1999 conviction on politicized corruption charges spurred the "reformasi" movement that eventually saw his People's Justice Party (PKR or KeADILan) win five parliamentary seats in the 1999 general elections.  As time passed and with Anwar still in prison, the party's popularity waned and only Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was able to hold on to her parliamentary seat in the 11th General Election in 2004, and then only by a 500 vote margin. 

Anwar was released from prison in September 2004 and acquitted of the alleged sodomy charge, but federal election law excluded him from seeking political office for five years from the completion of his sentence for a previous conviction on corruption, thus dating back to April 2003. Accordingly, Anwar's exclusion period is set to end in April 2008, and it has long been held that Prime Minister Abdullah would call the elections prior to Anwar's eligibility to seek office. 

While on a larger scale Anwar and PKR pose little threat to the UMNO and National Front political machinery, most UMNO politicians see Anwar as a threat to the political status quo and as a possible challenge over the long term to the coalition's two-thirds majority in Parliament.  Long held animosities towards Anwar, fomented by Malaysia's last Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, and seconded by the national media, have remained a dominate force within UMNO, and there is no doubt that Anwar's eligibility influenced the date of the 12th General Election.

14.  (SBU) The 12th General Election is, for all intents and purposes, Anwar's first test in national politics since his expulsion from UMNO and his release from prison.  Despite his ineligibility to run for office, Anwar has proven he can draw sizable crowds to political rallies as well as to the polls.

In the Ijok by-election of 2007 (ref B), Anwar proved that even against a well-oiled and heavily financed National Front campaign, he could attract a crowd and win some 40 percent of the popular vote for his PKR candidate.  Nevertheless, in

2004 nearly 40 percent of the votes nation-wide went to the opposition without Anwar's assistance, so it remains unclear if Anwar will play a significant drawing-factor in the upcoming election. 

Anwar's near constant attacks on the country's BN leadership over corruption, judicial appointments and democratic reform have resonated in many quarters and promise to garner attention during the campaign phase of the election.  Still, Anwar and PKR are basically starting from scratch as PKR won no state assembly seats in 2004 and only one parliamentary seat.  2008 will prove whether Anwar can remain relevant in Malaysian politics and whether PKR will go extinct.

Opposition Solidarity and Coordination

15.  (SBU) Despite Anwar's lingering ineligibility, his party, PKR, has worked closely with Malaysia's other two opposition parties, PAS and DAP, to coordinate an election strategy in which only one opposition candidate will face any single National Front candidate.  The opposition parties have recognized that their only chance for success in the 12th General Election is by avoiding "three cornered fights".

Although this cooperation is less formal than the "Alternative Front" coalition which the opposition parties entered into in 1999, the basic tenet remains the same-- unseat as many National Front candidates as is possible under the current electoral system. 

While most opposition leaders are optimistic of some level of success compared to the 11th General Election, few are confident enough to predict the opposition's ability to break the National Front's two-thirds majority in Parliament.  In fact, the opposition parties would need a 400 percent increase in parliamentary seats to capture the 75 seats necessary to break the National Front's super majority in parliament-- a feat no observers deem possible in the current political climate. 

The last and only time the opposition broke the two-thirds majority was in the 3rd General Election of 1969-- the election that precipitated Malaysia's worst racial violence in its short history.  In that year the opposition won an outright majority of the popular vote (50.7 percent), but still captured only 34 percent of the seats in Parliament.  In 1990 the opposition captured 46.6 percent of the popular vote but only 29 percent of the seats in Parliament.  Malaysia's electoral system simply is not designed to allow the ruling coalition to lose control of the government.

Comment

16.  (C) Beyond the National Front's appeal to voters, political gerrymandering, control over the mainstream media, and the financial and institutional power of 50 years of incumbency will ensure the National Front's success at the ballot box even in the face of increased opposition votes.

Although Malay urbanization is slowly changing historical inequities, Malaysia's disproportionate allocation of parliamentary seats favors Malay majority regions with more parliamentary seats in the rural areas than minority dominated urban areas.  Coupled with its first-past-the-post electoral system, these political machinations create an electoral environment in which it is possible that, as shown in the 11th General Election, the opposition can win almost 40 percent of the popular vote nation-wide and still win less than 10 percent of the total seats in parliament.

17.  (C) The significance of the 12th General Election does not rest with the widely anticipated victory of UMNO and the National Front, but its implications for Prime Minister Abdullah's strength as a government and UMNO party leader in a second term, and the future viability of Malaysia's inter-ethnic status quo.  The national election results set the stage for UMNO's critical internal party elections, which could be held in the last quarter of 2008. 

While some slippage of BN's margins is widely expected, the greater the opposition gains the more criticism and challenge Abdullah will face from within UMNO.  An embattled Prime Minister, or one perceived as having only tepid support, will have a more difficult time pushing reforms or significant new policies.

The results of the state election in Kelantan could prove a boost to Abdullah if UMNO is able to wrest the state away from PAS.  Such a win would represent the first time since 1994 that the National Front would control all 14 state governments -- a tangible measure of success for Abdullah.

18.  (C) The national election also will be significant for the signals it sends as to the future viability of the National Front's multi-racial alliance and the country's long heralded "social contract," given that Chinese and Indian discontent appears to have reached a high water mark, unseen since 1969.  If such fractures widen over the longer-term, they will threaten the country's status quo politics, and force Malaysian politicians to reexamine seriously the political formula that has been in place since independence.

In the short term, however, the National Front's expected triumph will offer more continuity than change to Malaysia.

KEITH (February 2008)

 

Thank the people, not politicians or govt

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 10:53 PM PDT

By Jackson Ng

I WANTED to puke when I spotted The Star's report titled "Chua: Thanks for the Chinese school help".

The "offensive" excerpts of the report are:

"KAJANG: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has thanked the Government for allocating land and money to build two new Chinese schools and refurbish another in the Kajang area.

He welcomed Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement yesterday of a RM9mil allocation to build two SRJK(C) schools in Kajang Utama and Sg Long and RM3.5mil for SRJK(C) Sg Chua to improve its infrastructure.

"We thank the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister for bringing us this much-awaited news."

What do expect when it is a report from a newspaper that is directly owned by the MCA and led by a No.1 Umno boot-licker Chua Soi Lek.

In the first place, why must Chua thank the government for the land and money for the construction of the two new Chinese primary schools and the refurbishment of another.

It is the people, the Malaysian taxpayers, who we must thank. Not the politician or government because providing facilities for education is the elected government's duty and job. If not, why the hell do we elect them.

In realty, the government had fared below par in providing quality education since Merdeka due to the politicising of education instead of giving due recognition to meritocracy. None of our universities are rated in the world's top 200, losing out to all our neighbouring countries.

The Star reports Chua as saying he welcomed Muhhyiddin's announcement! Can he not welcome the announcement? Please lah! Don't insult the intelligence of Malaysians.

Furthermore, the announcement is made due to the coming 13th General Election. There is no sincerity.

If The Star had reported Chua as saying he did not welcome it, or it was long outstanding, etc, etc, etc … then that is news and worth the money that one is paying for the newspaper.

As usual, The Star goes about reporting their boot-licking boss as thanking the prime minister and his deputy when it is only their job and duty to serve.

The master is the people who elected them, not the other way round.

If the people don't work hard to pay taxes, then there is no money for the government. If the people don't elect them, then they are not the people who will govern us.

It is as simple as that and The Star and Chua cannot understand or maybe they choose not to. In this digital era, education and knowledge is boundless.

Therefore, the people today are more informed and more educated. We must therefore treat them with more respect and understanding, not insult their intelligence.

This also means, we must change with the times which obviously The Star and Chua (MCA) have not.

Stop spewing non-news and making a fool of yourselves. 

Jackson Ng

PAS readies new media troopers for next GE

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 08:01 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - PAS is rallying its "cybertroopers" in preparation for an upcoming general election that it says is shaping up to be "an information war."

"The world that we live in today is in a constant information war, news war.

"If we fall behind in conveying our messages, we will lose out," PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told The Malaysian Insider after closing the party's ICT and New Media Conference yesterday.

About 500 of the party's "hardcore" ICT officers from all over the country attended the day-long event, which appeared to address rival Umno's growing army of cybertroopers.

"We will use every means possible — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, offline TV, online TV. We want ICT officers to have smartphones, no more outdated phones," the Marang MP said.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) controls or owns most of the mainstream print and broadcast media.

BN had its nose bloodied at the 12th General Election in urban centres such as the Klang Valley and Penang, ceding its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament as the Opposition took a record 82 seats and, at the same time, five state governments.

BN is said to have lost its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament and five states in the historic March 2008 elections due to easy access to alternative information on the Internet.

Umno Youth new media chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz has said that "80 to 90 per cent" of those online were anti-BN in the landmark election of 2008.

"Our target by the next election is for all division youth chiefs to be on Twitter and for every state to have their own cyberwar team," he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.

READ MORE HERE

 

A meaningful gathering for some

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:46 PM PDT

They wanted a million to turn up at the Himpun rally but in the end the 70,000 capacity Stadium Shah Alam was less than a quarter full.

In the end, the only "big shot" from Umno who showed up was former Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and Selangor PAS exco Datuk Hassan Ali, who was one of the speakers at the rally anyway. Others like Pasir Mas MP and Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali were spotted. Unlike his usual flamboyant self, he left discreetly without fanfare.

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB, The Star

BUSINESS student Raihana Samian took a bus at 10pm from Politeknik Kota Baru to come down to Shah Alam for the Himpun rally.

Hers was one of three busloads of students from the polytechnic that came to rally against apostasy.

"I am a moderate Muslim. I pray five times a day, I fast and try to live my life as a good Muslim," said Raihana.

Small but strong: A segment of the crowd attending the Himpun gathering at Stadium Shah Alam. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star

"I was attracted to come here because of the title of the rally: 'Himpunan Sejuta Umat: Selamatkan Aqidah (The Gathering of a Million Muslims: Save our Faith)'."

She said their student union representatives gave out pamphlets about the rally and also organised the trip.

"But I am not sure if I support the rally or not. I want to see what the speakers say first because religion can be politicised and it shouldn't be," said the 18-year-old when met a couple of hours before the rally.

Raihana and the other students from her polytechnic arrived in Shah Alam at 6.30am and were hanging around the stadium grounds and the shopping complex nearby to pass the time before the rally started.

Nawal Atikah Mohamad Ishak and Saiyidah Mohd Sanat, however, fully supported the rally and its cause.

They also boarded an overnight bus from their university to attend.

"I am so excited. This is the first time I am attending such a gathering. I don't need to wait and see as I support the message Himpun is conveying because there is clearly an attempt by Christians to draw Muslims towards their faith.

"This is not done blatantly but through a subtle and soft approach where they make Christianity attractive and appealing to the Muslims without the Muslims themselves realising it," said Nawal Atikah, a third-year student in communications engineering at Universiti Malaysia Perlis.

At university, she shares a house with two Chinese non-Muslim students.

"We get along well and respect each other. We are not allowed to cook in the house so there is no problem with meals.

"I am not sure what their religion is but if they are Christians and put up a cross in their room by their bed, I wouldn't have a problem with that because it's their personal right and space as long as they don't impinge on my right to practise my faith."

Her coursemate Saiyidah said Islam should not just be lip service.

"I feel our rights should not be sidelined. Right now, the voices speaking out on Islam are coming from those only in power. Those without power seem to have no voice. I want someone to speak for us all."

Islam is not about women staying in the kitchen or in the background, said Saiyidah.

She feels that if true Islam was practised, then Muslim women would not face problems with regards to divorce or getting maintenance for their child from the father because all Muslims, men included, would behave in a just and fair manner and bear their responsibility.

"I came because I am looking for answers and I hope I will find some here today," she said.

The Himpun rally was organised by a group of Muslim NGOs in response to claims that the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) had tried to proselytise Muslims by inviting them to a Thanksgiving dinner on Aug 3.

Officials from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the church while the dinner was going on, took down the names of the Muslims there and made them go for religious counselling.

At all times these Muslims denied that the church was preaching or trying to convert them. The church too denied it was doing such a thing.

When Jais came out with its report on the raid, the ruler of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, said there was evidence of proselytisation by non-Muslims at the DUMC function but that it was insufficient for legal action.

The Himpun rally was organised by Muslim NGOs to show their firm stand against apostasy and to put a stop to any attempt to proselytise Muslims.

They wanted a million to turn up and were confident that at least 100,000 would show.

They had a Facebook page and support from the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia. The newspaper had frontpaged the rally yesterday with the headline "Unite to Defend Islam" and urged Muslims to attend.

In the stadium, supporters put up posters in Malay saying "Do not Jeopardise the Status of Muslims", "No Compromise in Defending the Faith" and "Say No to Apostasy", among others.

Expecting a massive crowd, a number of restaurants and enterprising young people took the opportunity to set up stalls selling nasi lemak, nasi ayam, noodles, drinks, burgers, and snacks in the stadium grounds.

But in the end, only about 5,000 people showed up.

The rally was supposed to start at 2pm but it only got under way an hour-and-a-half later when it was evident that the much anticipated crowds were not going to show.

It was declared as apolitical so Malay-based political parties like Umno and PAS said their members could attend in their personal capacity if they wished to so long as they did not wear any party T-shirts or attire that had their party logo, flags, stickers or banners.

In the end, the only "big shot" from Umno who showed up was former Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and Selangor PAS exco Datuk Hassan Ali, who was one of the speakers at the rally anyway.

Others like Pasir Mas MP and Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali were spotted. Unlike his usual flamboyant self, he left discreetly without fanfare.

A number of speakers including Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria spoke about the challenges confronting Muslims here, such as apostasy and proselytisation which they say is on the increase.

UiTM's former vice-chancellor Tan Sri Ibrahim Abu Shah said attempts to proselytise Muslims are being done because the Malays are no longer united even though their religion is being threatened.

A number of speakers also emphasised that the rally is not against non-Muslims or being confrontational towards other races but it is about Muslims coming together to protect their faith.

Himpun also adopted a 10-point declaration.

One of the main points is to demand that the government have firm preventive laws to safeguard the sanctity of Islam and draft a new special law against apostasy and proselytisation.

It said this was needed in view of the government's efforts to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Even though the rally started late, it ended on time at 6pm.

At the press conference, the Himpun co-chairperson Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said he saw the rally as a "huge success" because it discussed important matters in a calm, peaceful and disciplined manner.

"We are not doing this with any feeling of animosity. We are not intruding or violating or transgressing the rights of non-Muslims.

"We just want to remind non-Muslims that our rights can't be violated and have to be respected."

On the poor turnout, he said, Himpun was not disappointed at the numbers.

"When we say a million, some of the NGOs had vowed that they would come with 100,000 (total).

"They came with this number and we are fine with it. We are not complaining nor are concerned about it because the number may be small but the spirit is the same," he said.

He added that the declaration would be sent to the Keeper of the Royal Seal and the Malay Rulers.

Himpun would then take their message down to the states and districts.

"Yes, there will be a roadshow. Whether there's a road or not, the show will be there," he said.

 

Perkasa says Himpun united PAS and Umno

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:39 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - Malay rights group Perkasa lauded the success of Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) saying it unified Muslims even from opposing political factions.

"To me it is a success. One of the most successful part was that there were PAS and Umno leaders on the stage, and other individuals who are not affiliated with any parties are on the stage as well.

"I believe Umno or PAS members and Malays in PKR, they all support (Himpun) but maybe they have to follow instructions from their leaders. I don't understand why are they not allowed to gather," secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali said today.

He shrugged off the low turn out of about 5,000 as "the one million means one million who are with us in spirit.

"To me, the ones who are with Himpun are almost every Muslim in this country. Only a small number of Muslims are liberal who are not really interested in this rally," he said.

Himpun chairman Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid has also said yesterday it is not concerned with the poor turnout at the rally, arguing that the spirit of the 5,000-strong crowd was more important.

Azmi also said he considered the rally a great success as it proved that Muslims could come together to talk calmly about the issues affecting Islam, whatever their background or political affiliation.

READ MORE HERE

 

Opposition's double standards in Aziz Bari issue questioned

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:30 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Datuk Jaafar School Alumni president Datuk Syed Hussien Al-Habshee has asked the opposition to not practice double standards with regards to Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) constitutional law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's suspension.

He said the management and rector of UIAM must be given a chance to resolve the matter and the opposition should refrain from making baseless allegations against the government.

"When the Selangor government sacked three Universiti Selangor (Unisel) staff, following which its Vice Chancellor resigned we did not see any effort on the part of the opposition to defend their fate. Why are they acting like heroes only now," he said to Bernama today.

Syed Hussien, former Malaysian Ambassador to United Arab Emirates, also questioned the opposition's allegation that there was no academic freedom in the country, asking why did they not bring it up in the Unisel situation.

Abdul Aziz was suspended for seven days from Oct 19 for allegedly contradicting the Sultan of Selangor's statement on the State Religious Department church raid in Damansara Utama on Aug 3.

Syed Hussien advised Abdul Aziz to focus on his career as a constitutional law lecturer by publishing more research papers in international law journals.

"He need not voice his opinions at PAS assemblies or other opposition meetings but should concentrate on being an academician and leave politics to the politicians of the country," he added. -


 

 

The Sabah factor in Umno’s GE battle

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:20 PM PDT

In Sabah politics, the real battle for power is between the Bajau Muslims and the Umno Malays.

If Sabah and Sarawak were left out from the calculation, it is BN with only 86 seats against the Pakatan Rakyat coalition with  82 seats. With this slim seat difference, BN would have risked losing power in the event of crossovers. Clearly, without the 54 seats from Sabah and Sarawak, BN would not be able to form a stable government.

By Arnold Puyok, Free Malaysia Today

Much attention has been given to Sabah after the 2008 general election. This is understandable as Sabah contributed a substantial number of parliamentary seats to the national parliament.

In fact without Sabah, Barisan Nasional would have lost power.

In order to see this clearly, it is important to look at Sabah's electoral contribution in a proper perspective.

There were 222 seats contested in the 2008 elections. BN won 140 seats. But it was eight seats short of a two-thirds majority in parliament.

For BN, having a two-thirds majority is a "prerequisite" for establishing a strong and stable government – a "standard" set by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Given Malaysia's political convention, having two parties forming a coalition government is almost impossible.

Of the 140 seats BN won, Sabah and Sarawak contributed 54 seats thus giving BN the advantage of a simple majority.

Umno's 'bank'

If  Sabah and Sarawak were left out from the calculation, it is BN with only 86 seats against the Pakatan Rakyat coalition with  82 seats.

With this slim seat difference, BN would have risked losing power in the event of crossovers.

Clearly, without the 54 seats from Sabah and Sarawak, BN would not be able to form a stable government.

With the 2008 election results, Sabah and Sarawak are BN's fixed deposits and hold the key for BN's survival.

Sabah, however, is given more attention than Sarawak due to Umno's strong presence in the state.

Aside from Sabah receiving the largest financial allocation of RM16 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, it also has four Sabahans as federal ministers in the national cabinet. Sarawak on the other hand has only two.

Bajau challenge

In Sabah, local politics is essentially controlled by Sabah Umno and Chief Minister Musa Aman.

Although conflict have begun to resurface following allegations of dominance by Musa's allies,  Musa's skillful political maneuverings is keeping the "rebels" tamed.

In Sabah, Musa's strongest challenge comes from the Bajau community, the second largest ethnic group in the state.

Even though a substantial number of the Bajaus are Sabah Umno members, some are not happy with the alledged domination of the "Malays" led by Musa.

The three Bajau leaders who pose a threat to Musa's leadership are Salleh Said Keruak, Amirkahar Mustapha and Pandikar Amin Mulia—also known as the"big three" in USBO (United Sabah Bajau Organisation).

Except for Amirkahar, Salleh and Pandikar wield a significance influence among the Bajau community.

Sabah Umno is anxious about the rise of USBO whose re-branding in 2006 was seen as an attempt to replace Sabah Umno as a party to represent the Muslims in Sabah.

When Musa decided to drop all three as candidates in the 2008 elections, it was seen as an attempt to chip away the Bajau influence in Sabah Umno.

Musa, however, was quick to prevent dissatisfaction among the Bajau community. He quickly gave Salleh and Pandikar important roles in government.

The Bajau factor will remain an important political challenge for Musa to overcome.

Kadazandusun factor

While the Bajau community want to have a greater say in Sabah Umno, the Kadazandusun, on the other hand, want a proper power-sharing arrangement to be introduced in the state.

The voice of the Kadazandusun community is essentially coming from PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) which is the largest Kadazandusun-based party in the state.

In its party congress, PBS suggested that the power sharing arrangement in Sabah should be based on 70:30 ratio.

This means, if there are 10 vacant political positions in a PBS-controlled constituency, seven should be appointed among its members while the rest from other parties.

While no visible changes could be seen arising from this demand, Musa however seems to be continuing to enjoy the Kadazandusun support through the 'Huguan Siou' Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is also deputy chief minister.

PBS, while synonymous with the fight for state rights and autonomy, has however been criticized for being too "soft" on issues such as illegal immigrants, regional autonomy and economic imbalance between East and West Malaysia.

But PBS supporters argue that it is more politically viable to talk about these issue behind close doors.

Pairin, it seems, prefers not to use a confrontational approach in pursuing the Sabah issues.

Nonetheless as far as Musa is concerned, the Kadazandusun support for him remains intact and will not pose a serious challenge to Sabah Umno.

READ MORE HERE

 

Silence as a Tool

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 05:48 PM PDT

MASTERWORDSMITH UNPLUGGED

Some Asian countries such as Vietnam, China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines monitor internet use and block critical international sites in a move to silence web dissidents. Political censorship is practised to keep political dissent in check. At the same time, other governments have similar controls moving towards tighter regulation.

In Malaysia, things 'seem' to be slightly more rosy. PM Najib recently vowed to abolish the Printing Presses and Publishing Act, and urged his administration to follow through with additional press freedom-related reforms. According to CPJ,  "Najib vowed to dismantle two harsh security-related laws--the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance--and ease legal restrictions on civil liberties, including the right to assembly, international press reports said. He has also vowed to abolish the Printing Presses and Publications Act so that newspapers do not have to reapply annually for permission to publish. The Home Ministry previously had sole discretion over whether to renew newspapers' operating licenses, and its often arbitrary decisions could not be legally appealed."

One can see many comments in popular news portals giving criticisms and comments. Once the wave begins, the other side takes the cue and a heavy exchange of ammunition follows with one press statement after another on the same issue, each refuting what the other had said previously. A good example is the issue about LGE's son. While I sympathize with the boy and the CM, those responsible must be taken to task.

Of late, I have been silently observing political developments and conclude that the vocal dissent need not necessarily be a reflection of grass root sentiments. We have the meek, the vocal and the downright silent ones.

Not everyone is ballsy to voice their discontent. Even some ballsy ones do so without revealing their true identity. Some ballsy ones may be sharing comments because they are paid to do so.

Of course, the silent majority has a view as well. If you have even half a brain today, it is impossible to remain pro-status quo unless one is either selfish/irresponsible, or evil/immoral.

So how accurate is the scene in cyberspace?

Previously, PR had the lead in defining and influencing public opinion but like what I blogged before here, BN has overtaken them and with the help of expert consultants, seem (note I say 'seem' and not 'are') to be closing in on Pakatan Rakyat as they are slowly making their presence felt in cyber world with the help of highly paid (by all of us) expert consultants.

Instead of wasting time scolding the status quo via fiery comments, I propose a few steps for us to take that can effect more positive changes.

READ MORE HERE

 

Bersihkan parti dari ‘hantu raya’

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 05:43 PM PDT

'Hantu raya' atau individu tersebut pernah menjadi perutusan Umno dan bertemu dengan beberapa calon PKR untuk mempengaruhi calon PKR tersebut menarik diri.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Kepimpinan PKR harus bersih dari kehadiran 'hantu raya' yang boleh menggugat kestabilan parti, kata Setiausaha PKR Cabang Rembau, Norazizi Abdul Aziz.

Beliau berkata, ini ialah kerana masih ada 'hantu raya' yang menghuni dalam kepimpinan PKR termasuk dalam PKR Negeri Sembilan.

Menurutnya, 'hantu raya' atau individu tersebut pernah menjadi perutusan Umno dan bertemu dengan beberapa calon PKR untuk mempengaruhi calon PKR tersebut menarik diri dan memberi kemenangan percuma kepada calon Umno ketika Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 pada Mac 2008".

Norazizi berkata beliau pelik walaupun calon-calon PKR tersebut telah mendedahkan nama pemimpin yang cuba menjadi orang tengah Umno dan isu tersebut di bawa ke mesyuarat Majlis Pimpinan Negeri (MPN). Tetapi kepimpinan PKR Negeri Sembilan tidak mengambil sebarang tindakan malah melantik semula individu tersebut dengan jawatan tinggi dalam MPN.

"Dua orang yang telah membuat pengakuan bahawa mereka ditemui individu tersebut ialah calon Parlimen Rembau, Badrul Hisham Shaharin dan calon Dewan Undangan Negeri Sikamat, Aminuddin Harun," katanya.

Katanaya, adalah diyakini individu tersebut berjaya menyusup masuk dan kini mendapat kepercayaan dalam MPN Negeri Sembilan dan sedang mempersiap diri sebagai calon.

"Justeru itu saya telah membentangkan usul ini di Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan Cabang Rembau minggu lepas agar parti harus dibersihkan daripada ancaman individu-individu yang boleh menggugat parti dan usul ini telah diluluskan sebulat suara dalam mesyuarat tersebut.

"Secara terus terang saya berasa gusar kerana kemungkinan peristiwa di Perak akan berulang jika Pakatan Rakyat berjaya membentuk kerajaan negeri dan ianya mungkin dengan kelebihan majoriti tipis sahaja", jelas Norazizi.

READ MORE HERE

 

Veterans flay Mat Sabu in newspaper ad

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 03:44 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Security forces veterans continued their attacks on PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu today, taking out two-page advertisements in Malay dailies slamming his remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident.

The full-colour advertisement, carried in Mingguan Malaysia and Berita Minggu, was signed by 18 police and armed forces veterans associations.

Police veterans said they were angry and disappointed with Mohamad (picture) for saying the Communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station in 1950 should be seen as independence fighters.

"That statement is shallow and inhumane. It trivialises, insults, offends and reduces the honour and dignity of police officers who were killed or injured while protecting the nation's sovereignty and the institution of the police," they said.

In a separate message in the same advertisement, army veterans said Mohamad's statement insulted the memories of soldiers and their families who sacrificed themselves fighting the Communists.

"His statement . . . can threaten the nation's sovereignty, religion and unity," they said.

Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, is facing charges of criminal defamation for allegedly glorifying Communist guerrillas in a speech at Tasek Gelugor in August.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net
 

Malaysia Today Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved