| Malaysia: Desperate times, disparate solutions Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:20 PM PST 
"If you say your system is fine and that it doesn't need (electoral) reform before the 13th general elections, I dare you to bring in international observers. And let them determine if our elections are free and fair." By Kean Wong (New Mandala) It's probably been the busiest fortnight in Australia for Malaysian affairs all year. But you would have missed it if the Australian mainstream media was any guide, Radio Australia aside. As Parti Keadilan Rakyat's communications chief and state MP Nik Nazmi left the east coast after a successful speaking tour, Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor flew in soon afterwards to Perth for the CHOGM show. On the other side of the continent, Malaysia's civil society icon Ambiga Sreenevasan was in the middle of her three-city, meetings- and dinners-heavy lecture tour of leading university law schools, while her colleague in the Bersih2.0 reform movement Dr Wong Chin Huat addressed Malaysians in Perth outside the CHOGM confinement. Yet thanks to the Gillard government's peculiar skills in conceiving and selling a 'Malaysia solution' to its vexed problem of asylum seekers and an electorate's paranoia over Australia's borders – and the Abbott opposition's superior ability to use such alien tropes to thwart any federal government resolution – much Australian public discussion about Malaysia remains focused on a tawdry people-swap deal that's worth nearly a billion ringgit to the Najib government. The Australian deal is seen by many in Kuala Lumpur as a much-needed investment for prime minister Najib Razak's campaign to stay in power, as Malaysians are consumed in a febrile political climate, anxious over early elections expected within the next six months. Prime Minister Najib must have been pleased to share some Perth springtime at the CHOGM show last weekend, playing statesman with other leaders and meeting Malaysians at a picnic, while leaving behind however briefly Putrajaya, its usual jockeying for seat selection on the eve of elections, and rumours of internal party feuds over his leadership. It's also why both Ambiga and the oppositionist Nik Nazmi were quickly quizzed about the so-called 'Malaysia solution' in Australian media interviews, and PM Najib found it necessary to defend the deal and demand co-ownership of it in the Australian media on the eve of his Perth arrival. Najib defended Malaysia's reputation in its treatment of refugees and its broader democratic values in the Sydney Morning Herald, and explained the joint-venture project would "smash the business model of the people traffickers". Moreover, Malaysia was a "progressive, liberal nation", that was not "some repressive, backward nation that persecutes refugees and asylum seekers". His government treated "genuine refugees" with "the utmost dignity and respect while they await resettlement elsewhere". But these claims about Malaysia don't stand up to scrutiny, said the Bersih2.0 leader Ambiga Sreenevasan, especially when Malaysians themselves are still denied many of their constitutional rights. The senior lawyer and ex-Bar Council chair has long fought for Malaysia to live up to its human rights rhetoric and obligations, and she said it's particularly pertinent today when Malaysia continues to sit on the UN Human Rights Council. In her four lectures at the law schools of Melbourne, Sydney, UNSW and the ANU, Ambiga raised the eight key demands of the Bersih2.0 movement for free and fair elections. She also recounted the systematic intimidation, death threats, and other attempts to delegitimise the Bersih2.0 coalition in the days leading up to the 9 July demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur. She shared some of the highlights of her discussions with Australian officials and parliamentarians in Canberra, and urged better Australian engagement with Malaysians' quest for electoral reforms. On behalf of Bersih2.0, Ambiga challenged the Najib government to invite foreign election observers for the looming 13th general elections, in light of the Prime Minister's claims that Malaysia is a "progressive, liberal nation". She urged the Prime Minister to make good his recent promises of political liberalisation, and allow the newly-formed Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reform to fulfill its tasks. "You can see the demonisation that the government did over Bersih, but you can also see how the people really feel about Bersih – look at the disconnect," Ambiga told the packed ANU lecture hall last week, as she read out some of the thousands of personal testimonies from Malaysians who marched for electoral reform that July day. "We're apolitical, we're not aligned to any political party," she said about Bersih2.0 and its supporters. "What we stand for is what is right. We want transparency – we want a better Malaysia. And we're now prepared to stand up and ask for it." "We really are fed up with how our politics is run in our country. We don't like the dirty politics, we don't like the language of racism, we don't like people running down others because of their religion and their race. We want a mature level of discourse, we want to see statesmanship." During the lively discussion period after her ANU speech, Ambiga said the "rakyat" (Malaysian people) overcame their fear of each other and united in the face of riot police, tear gas and other state-sponsored violence on 9 July. Suppressing the contagious idea of free and fair elections will continue to be difficult for the Najib government to do, she said, more so in an era of ubiquitous social-media usage in urban areas and the damaged credibility of government-linked organs such as the licensed television networks and newspapers. Ambiga repeated her scepticism about the prime minister's "reform" of the media laws, and said the promise of relaxing the licensing rules "was no reform at all – where is the concession there if they say they can revoke it at any time?". Answering a question about repairing and improving institutions such as the judiciary and the bureaucracy, Ambiga said rooting out corruption was a key way in addressing this challenge. "There definitely has to be a 'bersihkan' process, a cleaning up that has to start now. There's no point having the MACC (the anti-corruption body) and these institutions when at the end of the day, the people can tell the prosecutions are lop-sided – it's selective prosecution. Read more at: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2011/11/10/malaysia-desperate-times-disparate-solutions/ |
| Apostasy in Malaysia: The hidden view Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:16 PM PST 
Of course, there are other Muslim scholars who disagree with those mentioned above. However, that is beside the point. The point is this: In view of these other voices that are no less Islamic, why do Malaysian Muslim politicians tell us only one perspective? By Joshua Woo (New Mandala) The two banners displayed at the Shah Alam Stadium during the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Gathering of a million faithful) assembly on 22 October 2011 read "Say no to apostasy, don't challenge the position of Islam" and "Together let's prevent apostasy". The chief organiser of the assembly, Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, remarked that the gathering is meant to gather Muslims together to make a stand against the threats of apostasy. The organizers and the participants of the assembly saw apostasy as serious threat even though, according to the Islamic Renaissance Front, "there has yet to be any well researched agreement on the actual number of apostates in Malaysia. The suggested numbers have ranged anywhere from 135 (according to Ustaz Ridhuan Tee) to 260,000 (according to Tan Sri Dr Harussani Zakaria)." In addition, the population census provided by the Statistic Department indicates that there "has not been a single Malay convert or apostate." If this is true, then it is obvious that there is no substantial threat of apostasy to the Muslim community in the country. Nonetheless, I wonder whether apostasy is univocally forbidden in Islam, as we are so often told by local Muslim politicians. To find out, we conduct a literature review of the question, "should apostates be punished and apostasy from Islam disallowed? Some Muslims, by referring to Qur'anic passages (such as 5.33, 5.54, 9.11-12, 16.106, and 22.11) and the Hadith (i.e. Sahih al-Bukhari), tell us that apostates should be punished and apostasy from Islam should be forbidden. Is this the only Islamic understanding on the issue without alternative? In response to this, Abdullah Saeed, the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne, and his brother, Hasan Saeed, the Attoney-General of the Maldives, comment that, "The overall picture that emerges from a variety of verses in different contexts in the Qur'an is that apostasy is a 'sin' for which there is no temporal punishment." [i] These Qur'anic verses and Hadith passages are referring to criminals who waged war against the early Muslim community in the ancient Arab, and not to any apostates.[ii] The former Secretary General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, Salim el-Alwa, representing the guild of Islamic scholarship remarks similarly, "We do not find in the texts of the noble Qur'an related to apostasy any temporal punishment [specified] for the apostate. However we find therein repeated threats and strong warnings of punishment in the Hereafter. […] Apostasy in the view of the Qur'an is a major sin even though Qur'anic verses do not impose a temporal punishment."[iii] Shabbir Akhtar, who once lectured at the International Islamic University, writes in his recent book, "In Muhammad's day, private apostasy was commonplace; the Quran specifies no worldly penalty for it."[iv] Specifically on the Hadith, Mohammed Hashim Kamili, the Founding Chairman of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies who was also Professor of Islamic Law and Jurisprudence at the International Islamic University from 1985 to 2004, comments that, "Hadith makes clear that the apostate must also boycott the community (mufariq li'l-jama'ah) and challenge its legitimate leadership, in order to be subjected to the death penalty."[v] To these Muslim scholars, there is a world of difference between mere apostates who renounce Islam and those who actively raise military campaign against the ancient Muslim community. The injunction to punish 'apostates' in the Qur'an and Hadith are referring to the latter, not the former. Such distinction has been noted by various Islamic intellectuals such as Al-Shawkani, the famous Yemeni Muslim scholar[vi]; Abdul Mouti Bayoumi from Al-Azhar University and the Islamic Research Academy (currently known as the Academy for Islamic Jerusalem Studies); Nurcholish Madjid, a prominent Indonesian Muslim intellectual[vii]; Subhi Mahmassani, the Muslim scholar who authored the significant study on Islamic law 'The Philosophy of Jurisprudence in Islam'[viii]; Hasan Al-Turabi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood (also known as the Society of the Muslim Brothers) in Sudan[ix]; Rashid al-Ghannushi, a Tunisian Islamist[x]; and Tariq Ramadan, HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University. So, does this mean that Muslims can renounce their faith if they want to? The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, who was Professor of Juristic Methodologies at Al-Azhar University, is reported to have said that Muslims can leave Islam to embrace other religion. "[T]hey can because the Quran says, 'Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion,' [Quran, 109:6], and, 'Whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve,' [Quran, 18:29], and, 'There is no compulsion in religion.' [Quran, 2:256]." Initially some Muslims have doubted the Grand Mufti's statement. And this has led the Grand Mufti to issue a subsequent clarification: "I have always maintained the legitimacy of this freedom and I continue to do so. [...] I discussed the fact that throughout history, the worldly punishment for apostasy in Islam has been applied only to those who, in addition to their apostasy, actively engaged in the subversion of society." This understanding coheres well with Sayyid Tantawi, the late Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque and Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University. He is known to attest that "a Muslim who renounced his faith or turned apostate should be left alone as long as he does not pose a threat or belittle Islam."The other prominent Muslim scholar who took similar stand was Mahmud Shaltut, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University from 1958 to 1963.[xi] The Council on American-Islamic Relations' public statement—drafted with the consultation of the Fiqh Council ofNorth America—states the same position: "Islam advocates both freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, a position supported by verses in the Quran [10.99, 18.29, 42.48, and 2.256]. […] Religious decisions should be matters of personal choice, not a cause for state intervention. Faith imposed by force is not true belief, but coercion. Islam has no need to compel belief in its divine truth. As the Quran states: 'Truth stands out clear from error. Therefore, whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.' (2:256)" Irfan Ahmad Khan, the President of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, who served as Professor of Philosophy at Aligarh Muslim University, points out that it is self-contradictory to bar Muslims from leaving Islam. Here is a lengthy quote from him: "[T]here are people who stand for freedom to change one's religion only when someone is entering into their own faith community. These people would not allow the members of their own faith community to convert to any other religion—even if they would do so out of their own free will. From the perspective of 'freedom to change religion', their policy involves a double standard. A self-contradictory principle is inherent in this policy [...] It is a matter of principle that in choosing one's religion, every individual should be free of all external pressures and temptations. In fact, it is due to this freedom that one is responsible for what one believes. [...] Therefore, no one has any right to use pressure of any kind to make a person change or stop from changing his/her religion. An individual out of his/her own free will should himself or herself do entering into a religion or coming out of a religion." For similar reasons, Ibrahim B. Syed, the President of Islamic Research Foundation International, comments that, "[T]here is no bigger misconception—strengthened with misunderstanding of Islamic beliefs over the years—other than the belief that Islam doesn't tolerate apostasy. [...] The Qur'an is completely silent on any worldly punishment for apostasy and the sole Tradition that forms the basis of rulings is open to many interpretations." In his interview with the Prospect Magazine, Tariq Ramadan, Islamic professor from Oxford University, commented that, "Many around the Prophet changed religions. But he never did anything against them. There was an early Muslim, Ubaydallah ibn Jahsh, who went with the first emigrants from Mecca to Abyssinia. He converted to Christianity and stayed, but remained close to Muslims. He divorced his wife, but he was not killed. It is different for someone who becomes a Muslim during a war with the purpose of betraying Muslims. They are committing treason. This is why the context is so important because the Prophet never killed anyone because he changed religion. From the very beginning, Muslim scholars understood this. Islam does not prevent someone from changing religion because you feel that this is not right for you, or if you are not happy." The literature above are remarks made by some of the world's top Islamic scholars. These are faithful Muslim intellectuals who affirm the truthfulness of the Qur'an and the Shahadah just like every other Muslims—they are not liberal scholars or secularists who have no commitment to the religion. Read more at: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2011/11/10/apostasy-in-malaysia-the-hidden-view/ |
| Selangor upset over ‘royal’ intervention Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:11 PM PST 
(FMT) In July, the Sultan of Selangor ordered assemblymen to pass amendments giving him more power over Islamic affairs. PETALING JAYA: Selangor state assemblymen are seeing red with what appears to be royal intervention in the running of the State Legislative Assembly. In July, every state assemblyman allegedy received a letter from Sultan Sharafudin Idris Shah, commanding them to agree to amendments that would supposedly give the Ruler more power over Islamic affairs. Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen suspect that the hand of Umno was behind the move, which they say could have led to a constitutional crisis. One, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said they saw the letter on their desks at about 9:30am when they attended the July 11 state assembly sitting. The letter was accompanied by a Selangor government gazette with proposed amendments to the Administration of the Religion of Islam (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003. "We did not know what to do," the assemblyman told FMT. "We were totally shocked. It was a very delicate situation. If we went against it, it would have caused a constitutional crisis. "The Sultan is supposed to act on the advice of the state government, not the other way around. Even in the matters of Islam and Malay culture, the Sultan has to act on the advice of the state administration. "We didn't want to fight the palace, we had respect for the palace. We let it pass." He added that if the assembly had snubbed the letter and voted against the proposed amendments, it would have been played to the hilt by both the mainstream media and the Umno-led state opposition. Sultan's letter A copy of the letter was given to FMT by an anonymous sender. It was issued from the Alam Shah palace in Klang on July 11 and has the Sultan's signature on it. "As the head of Islam in the state, I am responsible for ensuring that the administration of Islam in the state operates smoothly and effectively," the letter reads (see below). "Therefore, I command all Yang Berhormat Members (of the Selangor State Assembly) to agree with the proposed amendments presented and approve the Bill so that these proposed amendments can be implemented immediately." A letter from the Sultan's private secretary, Mohamed Munir Bani, to state assembly secretary Mohamad Yasin Bidin was also provided to FMT. It reads: "I respectfully present the decree of His Majesty the Sultan of Selangor… to be distributed to all Selangor State Assemblymen immediately." The proposed amendments would: - Make the administration of all mosques and suraus fall under the purview of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS).
- This responsibility was previously held by the director of Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).
- Give the Sultan the right to directly appoint anyone to the post of MAIS secretary.
- Remove the need to record in verbatim every resolution and policy made during MAIS meetings.
- Require all practising Syariah lawyers in the state to be Muslim.
- Require cheques issued by MAIS to be drawn according to its own financial procedures.
- Remove the need for MAIS and any corporation established under the Enactment to adhere to provisions in the Statutory Bodies (Accounts and Annual Reports) Act 1980.
- Give MAIS the power not only to collect zakat and tithes, but also to distribute it.
- Give MAIS the power to appoint anyone as mosque officials.
- Give MAIS the right to control and direct the duties of mosque committees.
There were 22 clauses stated in the provided gazette, with amendments to 21 sections within the Enactment. Phone call from palace Another assemblyman, who also spoke to FMT anonymously, said that the proposed amendments were initially made available at a state pre-council meeting, a "few days" before July 11. According to him, many state assemblymen present at the meeting were unhappy with the bill and hotly debated the details. "They voiced their displeasure at the bill," he said. "They felt they should have been consulted first because of its importance."  Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, according to the assemblyman, said he was troubled by the introduction of the amendments.
"The MB requested that the bill be kept in abeyance pending further study." The Selangor mufti, state legal adviser and aides to the various assemblymen were also at the meeting, according to the assemblymen. "The MB asked the officers to leave and the assemblymen to stay to discuss the bill." Halfway through the discussion, the assemblyman said, Khalid had to step out to take a call from the palace. Apparently, the displeasure of the state assemblymen had been conveyed to the palace. "The MB did not make it clear what the palace had said, but the assemblymen took the cue, and understanding his (Khalid) predicament, did not pursue the postponement of the bill." According to the assemblyman, the Sultan exceeded his powers when he ordered assemblymen to pass the amendments. Nevertheless, the bill was passed after three readings. One of FMT's sources said he expects to see royal influence expand to "unknown arms at this juncture". Umno, he said, was "definitely" behind the letter from the palace. He claimed that MAIS was staffed by "a number of Umno or pro-Umno people." Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/09/selangor-upset-over-royal-intervention/ |
| ‘Umno guilty of vote buying’ Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:07 PM PST 
(FMT) Amanah deputy president and former Umno minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir admits BN had bought votes before and that it was common knowledge. PETALING JAYA: The cat is finally out of the bag. A senior former Umno minister admitted that his party bought votes during elections. The Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) deputy president and former tourism minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said it was "common knowledge" that such corrupt practices occurred, especially among his Barisan Nasional (BN) colleagues. And now, Kadir is calling on the BN government to do away with vote buying during elections, a practice he admitted has happened in the past. "Amanah has asked that there should be no 'distribution of cash' to buy votes. It is now common knowledge that two, three, days before voting day, some political parties go about with cash (to bribe voters)," he told FMT. Kadir said it was an Amanah consensus that all government parties should be strictly prohibited from such practices to ensure free and fair elections. Asked if he was pointing to political parties from both sides of the political divide, he plainly said: "No, basically we're talking about the government parties. "Opposition parties mana ada duit (where do they have the money?) I can say that a lot of BN members are perpetuating such acts." On electoral reforms, Kadir said that Amanah fully supports the call for a "care-taker" government to take over the administration of the country at least three months before the dissolution of Parliament. "This is so all government agencies will be neutralised at this point. When election comes, government machinery cannot be used to support the ruling coalition. Government funds for election should not and cannot be used," he said. Amanah's stand Kadir also said that it was "obvious" that the opposition had very limited access to the media. "We (Amanah members) have agreed; it is so obvious that the opposition has no access to the mainstream media, that is not fair. We must ensure that there is fair access," he said. Kadir also said that the delineation of constituencies has to be properly discussed so that it would be "very fair" to all parties, and that should be the next priority. He said that Amanah, the new NGO led by Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, was fully committed to "returning the country to the rakyat". "When we achieved Merdeka, it was the rakyat who got the independence, not Tunku (Abdul Rahman), not even the Sultans. Therefore free and fair elections, which were there during the time of our founding fathers, should be returned. "The spirit of our founding fathers and the rakyat's rights have been hijacked along the way," he said. He reiterated Amanah's stand that the Parliamentary Select Committee for electoral reforms should revamp the system before election is called as there is "ample" time before the government mandate expires in 2013. Khairy wants proof  Meanwhile, when asked to comment on Kadir's statement on vote buying, BN Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said it was insufficient for Kadir to claim vote buying exists without furnishing proof.
"If he makes such accusations, he has to come up with proof. He has been a minister for a very long time, a very senior politician; he should furnish us with proof," said Khairy, who supported call for the general election to be called after PSC has come up with recommendations. Kadir, when asked if he would furnish proof of existence of vote buying, said he would not respond immediately as there was ample time to do so. Meanwhile, Bersih 2.0 steering committee member Wong Ching Huat commended Kadir's admittance and called for Amanah to take it one step further by pushing for investigations on "un-investigated" cases of vote buying. "I welcome his honesty. I hope that people who know about this, people who are formally involved, would come out as star witnesses," said Wong. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/10/umno-guilty-of-vote-buying/ |
| Minority and Vulnerable LGBTIQ Community Has Rights Too Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:02 PM PST By banning Seksualiti Merdeka, the government and police have shown the world they are callous, intolerant and homophobic. Furthermore the ban is yet to be justified. By Charles Santiago The rule is that you don't put all your years of accrued chips at the center of the table, where the wheel spins into a void. The Malaysian police, unfortunately, does not share this sentiment. By banning Seksualiti Merdeka, the government and police have shown the world they are callous, intolerant and homophobic. Furthermore the ban is yet to be justified. Following the ban, the organizers and other individuals have received threats, lewd and violent messages. Instead of protecting the rights of the minority LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Intersex, queer) the government has shamelessly endorsed the ongoing persecution and discrimination against the community. Seksualiti Merdeka is an annual sexuality rights festival which focuses on the human rights of people who come from diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. Malaysia signed on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and United Nations Charter before becoming a member of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, vowing to respect sexual rights as universal rights based on the inherent freedom, equality and dignity of all human beings. In sharp contrast, organizers of the festival and Ambiga Sreenevasan, who was scheduled to officiate the festival, have come under police questioning. Ruling government-owned media organizations have ignorantly branded the festival as one that advocates free sex. If this is not enough some individuals and organizations have gone berserk in the name of religion and called for further persecution against the LGBTIQ community and Ambiga. It is difficult to get angry with the foolishness displayed by these groups but it is sad to note they would stoop so low as to use religion to spread fear. If we could all take a step back and stop labeling peoples' sexuality, we would be able to see the importance of human relations. We would clearly see the need to respect the rights of all people irrespective of their sexual orientation and identity as it is an integral part of every one of us. The government, instead of fanning hatred and inciting anger, could move to oppose all forms of stereotyping against the LGBTIQ community. It should condemn the bullying and name calling the community has had to endure and ensure they have equal access to education and employment opportunities including enjoyment of basic rights of equality and freedom of expression and association. The members of the community are targets of verbal abuse, physical and sexual violence, harassed at the work-place, ostracized by their families and face hate crime–related sexual assault. They occupy the lowest positions in the job market, face discrimination in schools and are unable to access public housing because of their sexual orientation. In fact, they experience the worst forms of discrimination. They need compassion and state support. Not further discrimination. But, driven by the need to stay in power, the government has fashioned the controversy surrounding the festival for its own political mileage. Clearly the ban demonstrates the ongoing persecution against Ambiga who spearheaded the call for electoral reforms in the country. The government is playing a dangerous game as it has carelessly pitted different communities against each other, while prime minister Najib Tun Razak trumpets his 1Malaysia policy, which aims at national integration. If the government is serious about its commitment to human rights as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, it must allow for a democratic space for vulnerable communities to engage in peaceful gatherings and revoke the ban on Seksualiti Merdeka. |
| Mahathir - Cashing out from Malaysia? Save MALAYSIA. Posted: 09 Nov 2011 12:15 AM PST By M Nathan
Why is it that Mahathir has forced Najib to give Mirzan the gas concession from Qatar Gas and force Tenaga to buy this gas at an inflated price? Imagine buying and shipping gas all the way from Qatar to burn here in Malaysia to generate electricity? Is this not going to bankrupt TNB and Malaysia in the process. NST reported recently that TNB has no more cash. How is this possible? A monopoly company going bankrupt? Many people saw Mirzan on the flight to Qatar to close the deal which forces our utility giant (now crippled because of other Mahathir's cronism ideas like take or pay for Francis Yeoh iPP) to buy this gas using Petron, the San Miguel money laundering oil company in the Philippines. Just ask Fidel Ramos, who fought against and beat Eduardo Cojango the Chairman of San Miguel, and became President. It's a matter of time before the Phillipinos put these crooks in jail. Lets beat them to it! PRU-13 please vote out UMNO. No matter how much anyone may think its not important, the only way to get rid of Mahathir, cronyism, corruption, Mirzan and these crooks and put them all in jail is to vote UMNO out. Its also the only way to have cheap electricity bills and to save TNB, and as a whole save our country Malaysia from this greedy cheating mamak. You can also see the merger of Kencana and Sapuracrest, they are taking money out RM 500 million from a merger and getting the SC to approve it. No where else in the world would this be allowed. Go to Sharil Sapura's daughter's wedding soon and you can see this mamak connection and crooks all at the wedding. Go there and BERSIHkan their unholy alliance. Throw Sharil and Mirzan, Mokhzani, Muhkriz and all these children pretending to be aristocrats when all they are are just really nothing but crooks. We need to make sure they go behind bars. All of them, cashing out of Malaysia on the pretext of being so and so. PRU-13. This time, not wait to PRU-14. Only way to get rid of Mahathir and the mamak crooks and clan - Get rid of UMNO. ____________________________ Wednesday November 9, 2011 Kencana, SapuraCrest to jointly bid for contracts By TEE LIN SAY linsay@thestar.com.my PETALING JAYA: Kencana Petroleum Bhd will jointly bid with SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd for international engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contracts upon completion of their merger slated for the first quarter of 2012, said Kencana group chief executive officer Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir. "With SapuraCrest winning the contract from Petrobras, this is good for the merger. These are some the things we are hoping to do as a bigger company. To jointly bid for contracts is the whole purpose of our merger," Mokhzani said. SapuraCrest announced on Nov 1 that it had been awarded a US$1.4bil (RM4.4bil) contract to charter and operate three units of Pipe Laying Support Vessels (PLSV) from Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras). It will be SapuraCrest's maiden entry into this region. Asked whether Kencana was preparing or investing more for capital expenditure for future international jobs, Mokhzani declined to comment. A Nomura Research analyst said SapuraCrest was making its mark in the oil and gas arena. While the analyst remained "neutral" for now on SapuraCrest, he said this development was setting up nicely for a re-rating story. "We are positive on this development. While we are still cautious in the near term, this provides further comfort to investors to buy into the SapuraCrest Petroleum-Kencana Petroleum merger story," the analyst said, adding that the original Petrobras tender had involved six vessels for a total value of about US$2bil (RM6bil). "The award of the lion's share of the contract, and without a tie-up with any other major installation player, signifies how far the company has come in terms of international competitiveness since the Sapura group first became involved in 2003," the analyst said. He sees substantial earnings impact after the capital expenditure jump a 50% increase in normalised profit in its financial year ending Jan 31, 2012.Another analyst was less optimistic on SapuraCrest's ability to garner good profits from this contract. This is because, based on a report by Upstream, SapuraCrest's bid for the Petrobras contract was 9% below its closest foreign competitor. "Nine per cent is very substantial. So I am concerned about the margin contribution of this project. Many Malaysian companies that go overseas always go through a learning curve. To get a foothold in this project, SapuraCrest may be foregoing its margins on this project," the analyst said. Upstream reported that SapuraCrest had received bids from a list of Brazilian facilities that included OSX, Eisa, STX, Brasfels and Wilson & Sons for the construction of one unit. The report said only SapuraCrest had made a competitive offer for a single Brazilian-built vessel, with a daily charter rate of at least US$265,000. SapuraCrest also bid to supply the two larger foreign-built vessels at US$245,000 per day 9% below the closest foreign bidder. SapuraCrest is in the midst of merging with Kencana to form what would be the country's largest support services provider, valued at about RM12bil. Under the proposal, Kencana shareholders will get RM3 a share worth of Integral Key Sdn Bhd stock sand cash, while owners of SapuraCrest stocks will receive the equivalent of RM4.60 per share in shares and cash. Integral Key is the special purpose vehicle established by Mayban Ventures Sdn. Bhd. |
| In Response to "Wikileaks: Malaysian Opposition Not So Concerned About Economic Policy" Posted: 09 Nov 2011 12:09 AM PST By Apeiron Tony Pua's comments provides us a "bird's eye-view" on the state of affairs of the Pakatan Rakyat which could be summarized into these crisp statements: 1. The priority of PR is to fight corruption. 2. The second priority is to revamp and upgrade the Education System. 3. There is a dismal lack of economic expertise in PR, and that it has difficulty in attracting such expertise into its fold. The "fight against corruption" is a high political-mileage issue, a good subject with tremendous visibility in public relations which may translate the "corrupt governance" of the BN into votes for PR in the forthcoming election. But it is an issue which PR CANNOT do anything about. Look at the Government Agencies (the MACC, the Auditor General's Department, the Attorney General's Department, the Parliamentary Audit Committee etc..), the NGOs (Transparency International etc,) and the Chinese Chambers Of Commerce and Industry (which had been vocal on the subject of corrupt practices), and do you see any "dent" in the armour of BN's "shield of corruption"? The Auditor General's Annual Report, sad to say, has been an unending tale of woe with the same "corrupt practices" repeated over and over again without any accountability by anybody. If the Auditor General's Report is of insufficient force to move the BN Government's high "corrupt inertia", what is the use of PR Parliamentarians shouting their heads off in Parliament? You can only deal with the "corrupt culture" when you are the Government. If the 'priority issue' is something that you cannot achieve as Opposition, then one has to rethink one's political strategy. Corruption may deal a lethal blow to BN in the next General Election, but is a "corrupt-free" environment (though a 'necessary condition') a "sufficient condition" for PR to govern judiciously and effectively to bring about a brighter future for the Rakyat? Tony Pua's remark that PR has difficulty in attracting economic expertise is a cause for concern. I interpret his remark to mean that PR has yet to establish its own "economic scenario of the country" should it gain the mandate to govern after the next GE. From the perspective of good governance this is appalling. How could one be promoted to be the CEO when one does not have the technical skills, managerial experience and the attitudes & temperaments of leadership, and the support of competent organization? Would any of the PR MPs, or for that matter Tony Pua himself share with us what they/he think would be a likely "economic scenario" should PR
win the next GE, with the recent Budget unveiled by PM Najib as a given condition? Before commenting on the recent Budget, let us refresh on Minister Jala Idris' high profile presentation that says Malaysia will go bankrupt within a decade if the Government does not cut down drastically the present level of Government subsidies. If what he has said is the Truth, then the recent Budget will bring forward his projected timing on the bankruptcy of Malaysia. I view the Budget as politically-Machiavellian with high content of social largess to increase the "feel good" factor among the Rakyat and improve BN's political popularity ratings. Depending on one's perspective, one could applaud or condemn the Budget. As a high percentage of the Rakyat, especially the lower income group, benefits directly from the allocations in the Budget, there is tremendous increase in goodwill towards the BN Government. In this aspect of alleviating the financial hardships of the "marginalized groups", Najib has trumped PR. Viewing matters objectively, the PR-controlled Selangor is good at shouting how good they are in increasing the State's coffers compared to the "bad days" of BN, but the question is WHAT DID THE SELANGOR GOVT DO TO HELP THE HARDCORE POOR? Besides the monthly RM20 water bill, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. PR must understand that the basic principle of government is to assure and ensure decent livelihoods of the Rakyat, to extend a helping hand to those who need it. A Government is not a corporate entity managed strictly on a profit & loss basis. Whilst the Budget's social largesse is something applauded by the "marginalized group", the more informed group would view the Budget as a political "poison pill" to deter the possible takeover of the Government by PR in the next GE. In corporate finance, especially in the field of Mergers & Acquisitions where corporate takeovers are regular features, the "poison pill" strategy is widely used to deter hostile takeovers by unwelcomed corporate predators. The idea is to make the takeover expensive and less attractive to the potential predator. Despite BN's bravado in trumpeting how strong our economy and finances are, we know the country's financial health is not in good shape. Where is the money coming from to fund these social largesse? Since the Budget has passed through Parliament, it is obligatory and mandatory to allocate funds for them. Can I pose this question to PR: do you have any idea where the funds will have to come from? Do you think Petronas' kitty is there for PR to dip in for funds? On the optimistic assumption that PR wins the next GE, how is the PR Govt going to implement and fund the recent Budget? It is not difficult to foresee that the PR Govt will find, to its horror, that there is insufficient money to fund the social largesse. The Rakyat are "deprived" by the PR Govt of the monetary handouts promised by the BN Govt. What happens then? Within 6 months there will be a Rakyat outcry to bring down PR and clamour for BN's return. This is how the Machiavellian Budget would mutate into a "poison pill" if ever PR takes over the Government. On the issue of Education, Tony Pua's quick-fix remedy seems to be : let us get some top notch universities in the USA and UK to open branch campus in Malaysia, and with better educated graduates entrepreneurship will thrive and our economy would prosper at great pace. Education is a very long term development effort. Under BN, one generation of Malaysians have been destroyed by our education system. We churn out graduates who are unemployable, whose skills do not meet the needs of the employment market, weak communication skills, English language skills close to "jilo", thinking skills also "jilo", and do not possess the right attitudes and aptitudes. When thousands, if not tens of thousands, of students can score straight A's in all their subjects in Government mandated public examinations, you know there is something fundamentally wrong with our education system. The "high scores" are nothing more than
self-embellishment of the ego rather than a real measure of academic achievement. Of course this is in line with our national mantra of "Malaysia Boleh" . This double dose of aggrandizement: embellished self ego and inflation of national pride, has over the years gradually eroded the thinking skills and the competitive attitudes (which could only be nurtured in a highly competitive environment) of our students. We need a total revamp of our education system. Education must be viewed as a long term development tool preparing the next and future generations to face up to, and to compete in a more uncertain and most likely, more unfriendly world. Education must, as far as possible in a multi-racial society like ours, be devoid of politics and communitarian sentiments. With a new Education system, a new generation that start off as Std 1 students would end up as graduates with real academic achievements, trained with the right skills and imbued with the right attitudes and aptitudes, can take on the outside world without having to constantly remind themselves "Malaysia Boleh". Bud-grafting Harvard University onto Malaysian soil does not necessarily bring forth those results outlined by Tony Pua. Harvard is famous because it produced graduates who dominate the Fortune 500 Boardrooms as well as Wall Street Banks. But one can also look at it and say that it is the graduates, because of their success, that made Harvard famous. A student who could get admission into Harvard is already a "successful" individual and regardless of which of the good universities that he enrolled, he would have ended up just as successful if he had not gone through Harvard. Bud-grafting would only work if our own Education System can educate our students to
achieve the same level of "success" in gaining admission to Harvard. To pursue further the "bud-grafting" issue, take a look at Singapore. All universities are ranked very high in both the QS Ranking and the THE Ranking. By any measure they can be considered top notch universities. Besides, they have collaboration programs with many higher ranked universities from USA and UK. For example, the Imperial College of London, Chicago University, Yale University etc have collaboration programs with Singapore universities in specific fields of studies. Now take a closer look, did the level of entrepreneurship improve in Singapore with this high dosage of academic excellence being drummed into the Singapore students? Answer: NO.
The political and social environment in Singapore, because of the strict adherence to 'political correctness', observance of social norms and the strictly regimented bureaucracy, does not foment creativity. That is why the Singapore Government had to get into the "socially hazardous" casino industry in order to generate sufficient employment opportunities for those who may be unemployed or under-employed. PR must recognize the fact that it needs a "critical mass" of technocrats and professionals to devise and articulate a plan by which the PR could "market" to the Rakyat, and also to assist the PR Govt (should it come to power) in bringing about a brighter future for the Rakyat. Presently the Rakyat view PR as the weapon to get rid of the corrupt BN. The person who delivered the fatal stab need not be the next Emperor. PR must be magnanimous and politically savvy enough to collaborate with other groups that could enhance PR's political appeal as well as strengthening its "brain" power. MCLM would fit in nicely with PR, as MCLM has access to a broader spectrum of intellectuals to draw on the necessary skills required for PR to advance its political objectives. Time is running out for PR to get its act together. Tony Pua should do his duty in waking up his somnambulant colleagues in PR before they reach the deep end of the pool. |
| Al-Fatihan untuk Gaddafi Posted: 08 Nov 2011 10:27 PM PST 
DARI JELEBU Melalui Lolonel Gadaffi kesatuan African Union menjadi satu organisasi yang bukan sahaja beretorik tetapi berupaya melakukan sesuatu. Melalui duit minyak Gadaffi telah menyalurkan dana yang banyak ke negara-negara Afrika. Ini dilihat oleh kaum pemodal sebagai satu yang bahaya. Sebagai satu ancaman. Bahaya kerana jika Afrika bangun membina negara mereka sendiri maka kaum pemodal antrabangsa dan kehilangan tempat untuk merompak dan menjarah kekayaan. Hishamuddin Rais ANAK TERBAIK BUMI AFRIKA
 JAWAPAN SAYA KEPADA TUAN
Tuan yang saya muliakan:
Tuan menulis kepada saya dan bertanya kenapa saya memberi penghormatan kepada Gadaffi. Kenapa saya tidak menulis dan mengutuk Kolonel Gadaffi. Tuan terus bertanya dan menghambat dengan soalan kenapa saya bersimpati dengan seorang ditaktor yang telah merampas kuasa semenjak tahun 1969. Tuan bertanya apakah saya tidak tahu bahawa selama 42 tahun ini Libya tidak pernah melihat kepimpinan selain dari Kolonel Gadaffi. Kenapa saya tidak menulis tentang kezaliman yang berlaku di Libya.
Tuan yang saya muliakan,
Saya juga disedarkan bahawa Kolonel Gadaffi ini telah memberi pembelajaran percuma dari sekolah rendah hingga ke universiti di Libya. Saya juga sedar bahawa Gadaffi memberi warga Libya perubatan percuma. Saya juga sedar yang Gadaffi telah menggunakan duit minyak petrol untuk membuat rumah dan memberikan secara percuma kepada warga Libya.
Saya juga sedar Gadaffi memberi sokongan kepada banyak perjuangan pembebasan antarabangsa pada tahun-tahun 70'an dahulu. Sokongan dana dan diplomatik untuk PLO, Japanese Red Army, IRA dari Ireland Utara, ETA dari Sepanyol – termasuk juga menyokong dan memberi dana dan senjata kepada Moro National Liberation Front dari Mindano.
Dalam masa yang sama - saya amat sedar bahawa ruang demokrasi amat sempit di Libya. Saya sedar Gadaffi memerintah Libya tanpa ada pemilihan. Gadaffi naik tahtha kerana rampasan kuasa. Dalam hal ruang demokrasi saya tidak bersama menyokong Gaddafi.
Malah ketika Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam Universiti Malaya (PMIUM), ABIM, Persatuan Bahasa Melayu Universiti Melaya (PBMUM) - mengangkat dan menjulang Kolonel Gadaffi pada tahun tujuh puluhan dahulu – saya secara sinis telah mentertawakan kumpulan kumpulan ini. Ketika ini Gaddafi sedang menjual agama dengan Buku Hijaunya. Gadaffi membuat Buku Hijau kerana Pengerusi Mao pada ketika itu ada Buku Merah. Saya tersenyum sinis apabila melihat kumpulan-kumpulan Islam amat senang ditipu. Saya perhatikan mereka memiliki kecetekkan fikrah dan gagal untuk memahami konsep ruang demokrasi yang lebih luas.
Ini berlaku lebih dari 30 tahun dahulu. Ini ketika saya telah bangun menyokong perjuangan adil rakyat Vietnam. Kita saya menyokong pejungan rakyat Kamboja. Kita kami anak muda keluar ke jalan raya untuk bersetiakawan dengan rakyat Palestine dan warga Afrika Selatan. Ketika ini anak muda seluruh dunia sedang bangun melawan kuasa imperialis Anglo-Amerika.
Biar saya jelaskan disini. Saya tidak pernah menghalalkan apa sahaja bentuk kezaliman. Sama ada kezaliman yang dilakukan kerana idealoji kiri seperti di Russia dan di China, atau kerana dogma agama di Iran dan Pakistan atau atas nama keselamatan seperti di Malaysia dan di Israel. Kezaliman adalah kezaliman tidak kira dari mana datangnya. Yang dizalimi tetap terseksa.
Tuan yang saya hormati,
Disini biar saya luaskan pandangan siasah agar kita bukan hanya memahami Gaddafi dengan Buku Hijaunya atau dengan Libya wujud tanpa pilihanraya. Saya ingin membuka wacana yang lebih luas. Dalam bahasa German, saya ingin membuka wacana realpolitik – politik yang dieja dengan huruf k. Saya harapkan apa yang saya huraikan ini akan membuka fikrah kita bersama untuk melihat tanda dan makna politik yang sedang berlaku dihadapan mata kepala kita.
Tuan yang saya hormati,
Libya ialah anggota OPEC – negara pengeluar minyak. Ertinya Libya negara kaya. Ertinya jika duit minyak tidak digunakan secara membazir. Atau digunakan hanya untuk isteri Gadaffi membeli intan berlian dari kedai Jacob di New York atau membeli beg tangan Jane Birkin – sudah pasti warga Libya tidak hidup lumayan. Ini tidak berlaku di Libya justeru pendapatan warga Libya adalah yang tertinggi di Afrika.
Sebagai anggota OPEC kelihatan Libya dibawah pimpinan Kolonel Gadaffi selalu membantah keputusan dan cadangan OPEC yang diajukan oleh Saudi Arabia. Arab Saudi sering mengajukan dasar pengeluaran minyak yang tidak akan menggangu gugat sistem ekonomi kapitalis yang dikepali oleh Amerika Syarikat. Saudi mahu harga minyak petrol terus rendah. Amat jelas - Raja Saudi adalah budak suruhan Amerika yang paling setia. Raja Saudi akan menjaga kepentingan ekonomi kapitalis Amerika lebih baik dari menjaga Makam Nabi. Dasar Saudi yang pro Amerika inilah yang sering ditibai oleh Gadaffi.
Apa yang ingin saya nyatakan disini ialah dalam politik antarabangsa Gadaffi ini ialah sosok anti imperialis. Justeru sokongan Libya terhadap gerakan pembebasan antarabangsa pada tahun tahun 70an dahulu wajib dilihat dalam konteks ini. Kerana anti imperialis ini Gadaffi ialah ' budak jahat' dalam kitab rujukan Rumah Puteh. Kolonel ini tidak disukai oleh kuasa Anglo-Amerika. Kolonel Gadaffi tidak disukai oleh Shell, Esso, BP atau Cheveron Oil – kerana semua syarikat ini dikekang dari masuk menjarah minyak di Libya.
Dalam pandangan geopolitik kaum imperialis dan kaum pemodal antarabangsa Gaddafi telah membuat beberapa kesalahan. Biar saya terangkan kesalahan Gadaffi ini. Kesalahan-kesalahn inilah yang membuatkan bala tentera NATO datang menyerang Libya dan membunuh Gadaffi.
Tuan yang saya muliakan biarkan saya senaraikan satu demi satu kesalahan Kolonel Gadaffi ini. Di harapkan tuan akan terbuka mata dan hati untuk memahami siasah dunia dengan lebih lengkap. Jika tuan memahami ini maka saya berharap tuan memahami kenapa saya menyokong Gadaffi.
Pertama:
Gaddafi telah mengeluarkan dana lebih dari 300 juta dolar Amerika untuk membuat sistem Satelit Afrika. Sistem satelit ini membolehkan 42 negara-negara Afrika berkomunikasi bebas dari kongkongan sistem komunikasi syarikat-syarikat Eropah. Saban tahun sebelum adanya sistem Satelit Afrika ini – negara negara Afrika terpaksa membayar 500 juta dolar satu tahun harga sewaan. Gaddafi membebaskan negara Afrika. Kaum pemodal antarabangsa lesap mata pendapatan sebanyak 500 juta dolar setahun.
Kedua:
Gadaffi telah merancang untuk menubuhkan AMF – African Monetary Fund. Lembaga AFM ini berperanan seperti International Monetary Fund (IMF)– meminjamkan dana untuk negara Afrika yang memerlukan. Bezanya AMF ini bukan untuk mencari keuntungan. AMF ini bukan untuk memberi hutang atau menjadi Along untuk negara Afrika. AMF bertujuan membebaskan negara-negara Afrika dari sistem penjajahan ekonomi yang sedang memiskin benua ini.
Lembaga AFM ini juga akan mewujudkan Central Bank of Africa yang beribu pejabat di Abuja Nigeria. Ini bererti nilai duit Afrika bukan lagi ditetapkan oleh dolar, bukan lagi ditetapkan oleh pound sterling atau ero. Dengan wujudnya Central Bank of Afrika ini maka putuslah penjajahan ekonomi kaum pemodal antarabangsa dengan benua Afrika.
Gadaffi juga akan mewujudkan Africa Bank of Investman a yang beribu pejabat di Libya. Tujuan bank ini ialah untuk mencari modal dan melabor di negara-negara Afrika. Semua lembaga keewangan ini akan diwujudkan pada tahun 2011. Semua perancagan telah berjalan dengan lancar. Semua perjanjian telah ditanda tangani. Kini semuanya tinggal impian. Kini semuanya dimusnahkan oleh serangan Nato.
Ketiga:
Kuasa imperial Anglo-Amerika tidak mahu Afriak bebas. Kuasa imperialis mahu rakyat Afrika terus bodoh dan dibodohkan. Ramai warga Afrika datang belajar di Libya. Sistem pembelajaran pecuma di Libya menjadi ancamaan kepada kaum pemodal. Bertambahnya warga Afrika yang bijak bermakna berkurang pula pengaruh kuasa pemodal antarabangsa di Afrika. Justeru, kaum pemodal antarabangsa mahu Afrika terus diperintah oleh para ditaktor seperti Mobutu Sese Seko, Idi Amin Dada atau Emperor seperti Bokasa.
Melalui Lolonel Gadaffi kesatuan African Union menjadi satu organisasi yang bukan sahaja beretorik tetapi berupaya melakukan sesuatu. Melalui duit minyak Gadaffi telah menyalurkan dana yang banyak ke negara-negara Afrika. Ini dilihat oleh kaum pemodal sebagai satu yang bahaya. Sebagai satu ancaman. Bahaya kerana jika Afrika bangun membina negara mereka sendiri maka kaum pemodal antrabangsa dan kehilangan tempat untuk merompak dan menjarah kekayaan.
Tuan yang saya hormati,
Tiga pekara yang telah dilakukan oleh Gadaffi ini telah dengan terang-terang menentang kepentingan kaum kapitalis antrabangsa. Semua ini adalah jenayah Gadaffi terhadap kaum pemodal antrabangsa. Semua ini adalah kesalahan Gadaffi terhadap imperialis Anglo-Amerika. Jelas, apa yang saya tuliskan bukan jenayah Gadaffi terhadap warga Libya. Ini bukan bermakna Gadafy ini seorang sosialis – tidak. Apa yang Gadaffi lakukan ialah secara jujur dia ingin membebaskan Afrika dari cengkaman kaum pemodal antarabangsa. Read more at: http://tukartiub.blogspot.com/2011/10/al-fatihah-untuk-gaddafi.html |
| Stop Defining and Redefining Malaysia Posted: 08 Nov 2011 10:21 PM PST 
We've come a long way in understanding each other. We've come beyond learning each other's languages and customs, to accepting each other's way of life, to be able to laugh at our peculiarities and even make movies and songs about it. Malaysia went quite well, without any real 'definition' till someone decided to make Malaysia 'more Malaysia'. By Emmanuel Joseph Malaysia has been and continues to be, many things to many people. It has been and continues to be the meeting point of cultures so diverse, each with its own subcultures, vernacular, traditions and values, that the only real thing we can truly claim to have in common is the home we share-Malaysia, and our love for her. Then, how do you define Malaysia? Terms like cultural melting pot, harmonious blend, microcosm of Asia, model moderate nation, progressive Muslim country are often used in describing Malaysia, thrown liberally in text books, magazines and travel documentaries. But what is Malaysia, really? If you speak to a young twenty something Chinese educated, Taiwan graduated Malaysian who speaks Mandarin as his first language how was his weekend, he will tell you of his favourite ku luk yok haunt, how he and his buddies sang the latest SHE songs in Neway last weekend after a gambling spree in Genting where he won an Angry Bird doll as a consolation prize in a mini I Want to be Model contest. If you ask an Indian lad the same question, he will tell you how he and his friends hung out at KLCC to watch Enthiran for the seventeeth time, had the best curry chicken at PJ State, a night out at Chakravati's before attending his cousin's wedding at 3.31am with his folks in a temple somewhere in Sungai Petani. Ask the same question to a Malay girl the same thing, she would probably have been hung out with her friends at KLCC, where SLAM did a special reunion meet the fans session, then watched Bini-Biniku Gangster in the cinema next to where Enthiran was screening and headed to Neway to sing some Korean numbers, next to the room where the Chinese dude from earlier was trying his best to sound like Jay Chou, followed by dinner at Chinoz. Ask a Malaysian businessman where to get your agreements notarized and he will point you to a commercial three story building, where on another floor above it, a Christian prayer group meets every Sunday and one floor below it, lonely salarymen come in to get their weekly 'happy ending' massages.The shop next door manages to squeeze in a barber, CD rentals and a small cofeeshop all in one, all patronized by different groups of Malaysians. At the end of the block you'll see a surau, and under a tree outside the surau, a Chinese prayer tablet with Indian incense burning. Ask a different Malaysian, you get a different set of shops, hobbies, hangouts, activities. These shops, hobbies, hangouts and activities sometimes intersect and we often cheer at these points of meeting, shouting '1Malaysia!' before going back to eating our mundane meals and back to loving or hating Ambiga Sreenivasan. But therein lies the beauty of this country. For a country of 26 million, you can have so many ways to experience the same thing. You can wake up one morning and decide to have nasi lemak for breakfast, tose for lunch and koay teow for dinner all within walking distance of your house. You can have your car washed by an Indian car wash, polished in a Chinese wax service and serviced in a Malay abang's workshop. We've come a long way in understanding each other. We've come beyond learning each other's languages and customs, to accepting each other's way of life, to be able to laugh at our peculiarities and even make movies and songs about it. Malaysia went quite well, without any real 'definition' till someone decided to make Malaysia 'more Malaysia'. When you try to define the quite undefinable- that's where things go wrong. Especially when you do so vaguely, leaving much to the abstract imagination. Once upon a time, Malaysia was enamoured with the Boleh spirit. We built our own cars (some say ill advisedly), built the tallest towers in the world, tallest flagpole in the world, the longest roti canai, popiah, teh tarik (we were actually the only country in the running for the last three). Not content with breaking some previously un-thought of Guinness World Records, we went on to create our own book, the Malaysia Book of Records and went on to fill it with even more Boleh achievements. The Boleh spirit did wonders to the imagination and soon we had a new capital city, new duty free towns, new super corridors and even a Boleh Computer Operating System used widely by about 15 people. But hey, Malaysia was defined, and that's all that mattered right? Not quite. The next PM decided that the earlier definition was a bit too abstract, so he decided on Islamizing the whole thing and declared a little while after saying he was PM for every Malaysian, a civilizational form of Islam called Hadhari, which in one swoop, managed to imply both that earlier forms of Islam was not really civilized, and had every major local dictionary manufacturer rushing to get the proper academic definition of Hadhari, which is of course only obtainable in the Ivory Tower of Academia, the Jabatan Perdana Menteri. Overnight, we had everything from Hadhari handphones to Hadhari watches to even a Hadhari car. To match this new definition, all government departments started Arabicizing their logos much to the annoyance of old people who had to turn their heads sideways to figure out first if it was Arabic (which mostly it wasn't), then if it was English or BM,then finally, what the heck the words were actually saying. We had TV programs and radio programs explaining what Hadhari was, and PAS had a field day breaking it up to make their new war cry – 'Islam Hadhari, ada had, ada hari..' Just as we were all trying to find our way under the Hadhari sun, a new PM emerges and styled the new Malaysian definition- 1Malaysia. This one caught on even faster, as there was no need to Arabicize anything! You could have everything from 1Bank, 1Aircond, 1Chicken Rice Stall, 1Mamak Shop. Soon people started adding '1' to everything it's a m1racle Malays1a 1s st1ll called Malays1a. Oh wait.. Read more at: http://emmanuelj.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/stop-defining-and-redefining-malaysia/ |
| The Ministerial Comedy of Errors Posted: 08 Nov 2011 10:18 PM PST 
The 2010 Auditor's General report is testament to the blatant corruption and financial mismanagement of this government. Year on year it is getting worse and we are paying for it. Although BN is pleading with the people to trust in their experience, all signs point for us to do anything but. By Douglas Tan Politics has always been a topic of conversation in your average coffee shop, and even more so after the 2008 General Elections. As of late, the centre of attention would definitely be on the part of government expenditure. We need not write more comedy material, as our Ministers invariably oblige by providing us gems when questioned inside and outside Parliament, by Members of Parliament and reporters alike. I have compared our ministerial question-time to the play entitled "Comedy of Errors" by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote of two brothers who were identical twins, and mistaken as one another by their friends. They went round and round in circles and no one quite knew what was going on, least of all themselves. In many ways, we can draw parallels to our Ministers who try taking us on a ride, but end up thoroughly befuddling themselves. I would like to draw on three examples to illustrate my point. Let's take the case of the coal-fire power plant contract which was awarded in June 2011 from the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water to Tanjung Bin Power, a subsidiary of Malakoff Bhd to commence operations in 2016. There was only one other company called for the closed tender, which was Jimah Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd. When Tony Pua stood up and asked as to why there was no open tender, Peter Chin replied that it was because time is of the essence. So then because we needed it quickly, there was no need for an open and competitive quote? Let us look at the contract. What are the Power Purchase Agreement, and the expected tariffs which would be sold back to Tenaga Nasional? The Minister replies that the terms will be finalised at the end of the year although the agreement has been signed. So, the Minister reasons that political expediency justifies sacrificing of common sense? The Kuala Lumpur Mass Rapid Transit is the biggest project in our nation's history at RM43 billion. Although the Prime Minister happily announced that the projects would be awarded by open tender, the project was immediately given to a Gamuda-MMC joint venture, both with are Government Linked Companies (GLCs). Najib was reported on the Malaysian Insider on October 26 to have said that the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) would practice public tenders. However, when confronted with the MRT tender by reporters, he said sheepishly, "There are some contracts that you just cannot tender out." At this juncture, one would cue the sound of a collective slapping of foreheads across the nation. Our Prime Minister has blatantly contradicted himself without even giving a reason as to why. Will this project exceed the amount budgeted? You bet. Even Idris Jala himself was proud to say so. Tony Pua has clearly been busy doing his homework when he came across a Ministry of Defence requisition for AV8 Aviation Ground Support Vehicles (AGSVs), which are basically armoured people carriers. The contract size was RM7.55 billion for 257 units which translates to RM29.4 million per unit. Hardly petty cash. Who was awarded the supply contract? Deftech Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of DRB-Hicom. How many AGSVs has Deftech manufactured before the contract was awarded? Zero. Was there an open tender? No. The news then came out that Deftech proceeded to purchase RM1.7 billion worth of product from a Turkish company called FNSS Defence Systems. What did they purchase? AGSVs. How many units did they purchase? 257 units. Does this sound familiar to you? Can the Minister explain the discrepancy between the RM7.55 billion price tag the rakyat is paying for and the RM1.7 billion purchase price? The Defence Minister, Zahid Hamidi made no attempt answered the question and proceeded to accuse the federal opposition for threatening the security of the country by trying to block necessary military purchases. I'll let you make up your own minds. Read more at: http://dougtan.blogspot.com/2011/11/ministerial-comedy-of-errors.html |
| Shahrizat says family works hard, doesn’t deserve attacks Posted: 08 Nov 2011 09:07 PM PST 
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said today attacks against her over the RM74 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC) are a political agenda to "destroy Wanita Umno." The minister of women, family and community development told reporters that her family, who runs the national cattle-farming project, "don't deserve the things said by the Opposition because they work very hard." "This is a political agenda by the Opposition to weaken Wanita Umno. But we are not that easily destroyed. "I am ashamed that there is a Malaysian woman like the Wanita PKR chief," the senator said, referring to Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin who had claimed that the NFC had failed despite being given a soft loan of RM250 million and a 5,000-acre plot of land. PKR also alleged yesterday that over RM84 million was siphoned off from NFC to companies controlled by Shahrizat's husband, Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, and her children, Izran Mohamad Salleh and Izmir Mohamad Salleh. READ MORE HERE |
| Adding New Meaning to Daylight Robbery Posted: 08 Nov 2011 09:02 PM PST 
By Masterwordsmith In February this year, Malaysians were aghast when Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the government agreed to allocate RM6 billion to build six second-generation patrol vessels for the Royal Malaysian Navy. The rationale given for the expenditure was to "boost the economy while benefiting 632 vendor companies". The Defence Minister clarified that they would ensure that "at least RM2bil of the allocation will benefit these vendor companies which are strategic partners of Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd".
Evidently, there is big $$$ in defense. According to Wikipedia:
It is estimated that yearly, over 1.5 trillion dollars are spent on military expenditures worldwide (2.7% of World GDP). This represents a decline from 1990 when military expenditures made up 4% of world GDP. Part of this goes to the procurement of military hardware and services from the military industry.
The combined arms sales of the top 100 largest arms producing companies amounted to an estimated $315 billion in 2006. In 2004 over $30 billion were spent in the international arms trade (a figure that excludes domestic sales of arms). Today, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Malaysia for 20 AIM-9X-2 SIDEWINDER Block II All-Up-Round Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $52 million. According to the press release issued by DSCA HERE (inaccessible in Malaysia but has been re-posted HERE), the Government of Malaysia has requested a possible sale of: - 20 AIM-9X-2 SIDEWINDER Block II All-Up-Round Missiles
- 8 CATM-9X-2 Captive Air Training Missiles
- 4 CATM-9X-2 Block II Missile Guidance Units
- 2 AIM-9X-2 Block II Tactical Guidance Units
- 2 Dummy Air Training Missiles
- containers, missile support and test equipment, provisioning, spare and repair parts,
- personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data,
- U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and other related logistics support.
- The estimated cost is $52 million.
This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in East Asia. CLICK HERE for more.
In mid-August this year, The Australian reported that AUSTAL has won a $330 million contract to produce eight new patrol boats for the Australian customs service. The total value of the project is $330 million, including a $280 million design and construction contract and an In-Service Support contract worth $50 million.
The contract is for the design, construction and through-life support of eight Cape Class patrol boats for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.
Comparatively, it appears that the Australians can build EIGHT NEW PATROL BOATS at AUS$330 million (RM1.016 billion) @ 127 million per boat while in Malaysia, six new patrol boats cost us SIX BILLION RINGGIT at RM1 BILLION per boat. Even if the patrol boats from both countries are different in technology or design, surely the difference cannot be that glaring?
READ MORE HERE |
| A wretched lot in Najib’s Pekan Posted: 08 Nov 2011 05:27 PM PST 
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is Pekan MP yet little has come by way of help for impoverished families and malnourished children in its Orang Asli settlements. For the record, healthcare for many of the Orang Asli villagers, who live off-the-beaten track, means the ubiquitous panadol, the tiny black pills known as "pil chi kit" for tummy aches, medicated plasters and only if they really need it – cough mixture. Aneesa Alphonsus, Free Malaysia Today Muffled strains of a pop song from a beat-up transistor radio with a missing aerial sets the Orang Asli children bobbing their head to the rhythm. Someone sings a native tune and switches stations to accommodate a more traditional repertoire. And just as quickly the children switch to playing catch with each other, fighting good-naturedly over balloons, their cheerful laughter carried along by the cool breeze. A bucolic setting indeed for any poet or artist. But this is not the truth of what life really is like in this Orang Asli settlement. The reality pales in comparison to the poetic setting. To say that the Orang Asli community in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's Pekan constituency is impoverished, would be putting it mildly. The typical scene that greets a visitor to the Orang Asli settlement in Pekan or for that matter any one of the numerous aboriginal settlements that litter Pahang will reveal dilapidated houses with flimsy floors and spartan interiors. In these villagers, hungry and malnourished children are a norm and their audibly growling bellies often bite into the stillness of the long afternoons. The Orang Asli village in Pekan, Pahang, is one of the many forgotten settlements around the country. So don't expect an eco-tour should a visit be organised as there is nothing pretty about what awaits. Undernourished children 
In one village, there stood three rickety shacks on stilts shaded by a few rubber trees. The lalang here was taller than most of the children whose growth is stunted due to lack of nourishment and proper healthcare. One five-year-old child who looked like she was only 24 months had such a bad case of worms that they were crawling out of her nose. She was administered with medication by some volunteers but because the infection was so severe, recovery is expected to take a while. Her brother too suffers the same fate. This has resulted in both of them experiencing laboured breathing. They are unable to run as freely as other children. For now, they sit on the sandy ground clutching at donated toys and balloons and watch other children jump, sprint and leap over fallen branches in a game of catch. For the record, healthcare for many of the Orang Asli villagers, who live off-the-beaten track, means the ubiquitous panadol, the tiny black pills known as "pil chi kit" for tummy aches, medicated plasters and only if they really need it – cough mixture. If they run out of these "medications", or basic necessities, they will have to walk five kilometres from their shacks to the mainroad. From there, they either take the bus or hitch a ride to get to the nearest town. No rights over land 
Logging, legal or otherwise, and forest clearing for oil palm plantation and development has forced the Orang Asli community to keep moving deeper into the jungle. The deeper they go into the jungle, the more difficult it gets for them to secure food, medications and other basic items. A report found online states: "Under British colonial rule, Malay reservations were given to the Malays, while the Orang Asli were confined to Sakai reservations. "By 1913 Malays were given the right to own and lease property within their reservations, but the Orang Asli were not granted the same privilege. As of 2006, there are an estimated 1,49,723 Orang Asli indigenous people in West Malaysia. They collectively occupy and toil on about 1,38,862.2 hectares of land." But unfortunately for the Orang Asli, the government does not recognise them as lawful owners of the lands. The government maintains the position that the Orang Asli have no rights to the land which they occupy. Biased law 
One other report on the condition of the Orang Asli mentioned: "The government sees them only as tenants on the lands which the authorities may at any time seize or take under its control by providing compensation for the loss of whatever is grown on the land under Section 12 of the Aboriginal People's Act of 1954." Look closely at Section 12 of the Act which provides that "if any land is excised from any aboriginal area or aboriginal reserve or if any land in any aboriginal area is alienated, granted, leased for any purpose or otherwise disposed of, or if any right or privilege in any aboriginal area or aboriginal reserve granted to any aborigine or aboriginal community is revoked wholly or in part, the State Authority may grant compensation therefore and may pay such compensation to the persons entitled in his opinion thereto or may, if he thinks fit, pay the same to the Director-General to be held by him as a common fund for such persons or for such aboriginal community as shall be directed, and to be administered in such manner as may be prescribed by the Minister." According to an Orang Asli from the Pekan settlement, the Act has led to the "systematic discrimination" of the Orang Asli communities in the peninsula. "We are so tired of this and just want to be treated fairly to cook with clean water and to make sure that our children will be able to enjoy a less normadic upbringing." "Under this Act, indigenous Orang Asli have been victims of systematic discrimination and forcible evictions by the state and private companies," he said. This is perhaps long-forgotten or maybe not even known but in 1995, the Selangor government forcibly acquired 38 acres of land belonging to 23 families from the indigenous Temuan tribe for the construction of the Nilai-Banting highway linking with the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It has been reported that their dwelling houses and plantations of oil palm, rubber and fruit trees were indiscriminately destroyed. READ MORE HERE |
| Malaysia requests AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II Missiles Posted: 08 Nov 2011 05:13 PM PST 
(Defense Studies) - WASHINGTON – The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Malaysia for 20 AIM-9X-2 SIDEWINDER Block II All-Up-Round Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $52 million. The Government of Malaysia has requested a possible sale of 20 AIM-9X-2 SIDEWINDER Block II All-Up-Round Missiles, 8 CATM-9X-2 Captive Air Training Missiles, 4 CATM-9X-2 Block II Missile Guidance Units, 2 AIM-9X-2 Block II Tactical Guidance Units, 2 Dummy Air Training Missiles, containers, missile support and test equipment, provisioning, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and other related logistics support. The estimated cost is $52 million. This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in East Asia. The Royal Malaysian Air Force is modernizing its fighter aircraft to better support its own air defense needs. The proposed sale of AIM-9X-2 missiles will enhance Malaysia's interoperability with the U.S. and among other South East Asian nations, making it a more valuable partner in an increasingly important area of the world.The proposed sale of this weapon system will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractor will be Raytheon Missile Systems Company in Tucson, Arizona. There are no known offset agreements in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will require travel of U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Malaysia on a temporary basis for program technical support and management oversight. There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded. |
| Umno dancing to MCA’s tune Posted: 08 Nov 2011 05:03 PM PST 
Umno does all the work but if things go wrong, Umno gets the blame. However, if the Chinese and Malays vote for MCA, then MCA gets the credit. A brilliant plan indeed. Umno has no choice but to remain silent over MCA's attacks on Islam because Umno thinks if MCA does not do that, MCA will not be able to obtain Chinese votes. Meanwhile, MCA continues to harp on the hudud issue by asking DAP to state its stand. DAP has already stated that the Islamic state is not part of Pakatan Rakyat's Common Policy Framework (CPF). Selena Tay, Free Malaysia Today MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek is an embattled man. He is trying to woo the Chinese voters by frightening them in regard to PAS' plans to implement hudud in Kelantan by launching scathing attacks on Islam. Is he trying to create an atmosphere of Islamophobia? If he is, then he must know that this is an unhealthy trend as religion is an emotive issue. Nevertheless, Chua is undaunted and pursues his agenda to obtain the Chinese vote as he has trumpeted that his cause is to enlighten the Chinese on the "dangers" of hudud. He continues to reiterate that although the Chinese will not be subjected to hudud, the said law will still have an impact on the Chinese besides impacting the nation's economy. Be that as it may, Chua is an astute tactician. His cunning strategy in this matter is an art that he has perfected by pretending to be weak. This is in accordance with the Chinese strategy of "using another person's leg strength", which means making it seem that MCA is unable to secure Chinese votes due to the behaviour of certain Malay non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and therefore Umno needs to assist MCA to overcome this predicament. Thus, Umno has no choice but to work hard to endear itself to the Chinese in order to help MCA in securing the Chinese votes. Umno can do this by giving grants and allocations to Chinese schools, Chinese guilds and associations and pandering to the requests of Chinese businessmen. Umno thinks that if it does not do this, it will lose Chinese support and this will be detrimental to its cause in the coming 13th general election. Still, Umno cannot afford to bend over backwards to cater to the needs of the Chinese community as then it may lose Malay support if it is seen to be too condescending to the Chinese. Yes, Umno is now caught between a rock and a hard place. Sly MCA Now MCA is sly in the use of strategy. On the one hand, it has succeeded in getting Umno to do its work of campaigning for Chinese votes and, on the other hand, if the Chinese still do not vote for MCA, then the fault is Umno's. This deceptive strategy employed by MCA will absolve MCA of any blame in the event the election results show that Chinese support has swung towards DAP. Umno is lacking in intelligence where Chinese strategy is concerned. Having an Oxford graduate in its midst has not helped the party even one bit. There are seven Chinese military classics and Sun Tzu's "Art Of War" is just only one of them. Umno is no match for Chua who has a vast array of tactics up his sleeve and surely not only Sun Tzu's. This strategy of pretending to be weak in order to gain a stronger ally's help through the art of flattery has Umno biting the bait hook, line and sinker. The stronger ally is almost always arrogant and succumbs to flattery. This is indeed an easy strategy to employ. Umno's western consultants are again no match for MCA in the game of Chinese chess and the consultants' efforts to improve the prime minister's image among the Chinese are a futile attempt. Umno will find it difficult to woo the Chinese simply because Umno cannot read the Chinese mind and what is worse is that MCA has assigned the task of wooing the Chinese to Umno! This is Chinese chess at its deadliest! A brilliant plan 
Back to MCA's own attempt to woo the Chinese via the use of the hudud and Islamic state issues. MCA continues to scare the Chinese by talking bad about the Islamic state. This shows that MCA does not care tuppence about the fact that it was Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who reiterated Malaysia is an Islamic state way back in 2007 when he was still the deputy prime minister. READ MORE HERE |
| Kita casts net for GE candidates Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:48 PM PST Zaid Ibrahim invites Malaysians to join the Kita democratic revolution by selecting their own MPs from within their communities. (Free Malaysia Today) - Kita president Zaid Ibrahim has made two predictions. The first is that Barisan Nasional will probably lose in the next general election, and the second is that Pakatan Rakyat will find those shoes too big to fill. His suggestion for averting such a predicament is to vote in a new brand of political leadership – one that he is confident Kita will deliver if it fields the best candidates from the grassroots. "So Kita is extending an invitation to the good men and women of Malaysia to be parliamentary candidates under the party's banner for the upcoming general election," he told FMT today. "We all know Malaysians want change. But we can only bring about changes if we abandon the false notions that BN and Pakatan cling to today. "They would have Malaysians believe that we need to be a religious state to be moral and principled; that Malays and Bumiputera will be poor and marginalised if we have no discrimination against other communities; that freedom will bring chaos; and that using English in our education system will betray the national language," he added. While Zaid expressed faith in Malaysians to see beyond this propaganda, he also emphasised that a new political leadership is necessary to preserve democracy and abandon previous failed policies. He pointed out that replacing BN with Pakatan would still see Malaysians being governed by the same ideas since the ideologies of both coalitions belong to the same school. "The only difference is that BN relishes engaging in racial politics while Pakatan in religious matters," Zaid said. "But both believe in some kind of hegemony." "BN has the New Economic Policy while Pakatan has the same policy under a different guise. BN will continue with failed education policies but so will Anwar, who architectured the present system," he added. READ MORE HERE |
| MoF shows Anwar the money Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:45 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — The Finance Ministry today denied claims that RM1.4 billion went missing from the Treasury's contingency fund, pointing out that the expenditure had been accounted for in Parliament. Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said he tabled a supplementary Supply Bill in March or April this year detailing all unplanned expenses which had depleted the fund. "Either they've forgotten, don't get it, or this is an attempt to skew the facts and mislead the people," he told reporters in the Parliament lobby today. Awang Adek later passed around copies of Parliament Order Paper 3 2011, which contained an itemised list of expenses paid for via the allocation. He added the contingency fund was a rolling account that was topped up by RM1.5 billion every year upon ratification of the supplementary Supply Bill. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim alleged yesterday that RM1.4 billion could not be accounted for in the contingency fund. He said the Auditor-General found just RM79.15 million in the fund while the Federal Expenditure Estimates reported that RM1.5 billion had been allocated for that purpose. Anwar also suggested that the alleged discrepancy was the reason this year's national audit report was only tabled weeks after the Budget, unlike previous years. |
| Many still clueless over Tengku Razaleigh's Amanah Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:36 PM PST 
What is his agenda, especially when he is still regarded as a veteran Umno leader and member of parliament (MP) for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN)? For example, they said that this was especially against the backdrop of the possibility of Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto Opposition chief, being convicted of a sodomy charge and thrown into jail. Anwar's wife and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is not eligible to contest for a period of five years after she had resigned as Permatang Pauh MP to pave the way for Anwar to win the seat in a by-election. BERNAMA Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's decision to become president of a civil society non-governmental organisation (NGO), Angkatan Amanah Merdeka or Amanah, has left many politicians, as well as political analysts, guessing. Why would he join an NGO? What is his agenda, especially when he is still regarded as a veteran Umno leader and member of parliament (MP) for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN)? "What is the purpose of such an NGO? What is their next move? No MP wants to form an NGO without an agenda. He has something up his sleeve," noted MCA veteran politican Yap Pian Hon, who is also Selangor BN publicity chief. Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) believed that the politicians behind Amanah, who described themselves as a minority group, might aspire to be the catalyst for the so-called 'third force' within BN. Maybe, he said, they needed a platform to comment on current issues as most of their leaders had been in the government previously.
Tengku Razaleigh, or Ku Li as he is affectionately known, had served as finance minister while Amanah's deputy presidents are Ong Tee Keat (former MCA president and former transport minister), Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir (former tourism/former information minister) and S. Subramaniam, a former deputy minister. The academician said it remained to be seen whether Amanah could influence voting patterns in the next general election. Personally, he did not think that they could but if they could get their act right, they might become a force to be reckoned with. Some political pundits believe that Ku Li might be posturing himself for a bargaining position: by being at Amanah, he could have the best position to get the best deal from both political divides. For example, they said that this was especially against the backdrop of the possibility of Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto Opposition chief, being convicted of a sodomy charge and thrown into jail. Anwar's wife and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is not eligible to contest for a period of five years after she had resigned as Permatang Pauh MP to pave the way for Anwar to win the seat in a by-election. Some analysts feel that Tengku Razaleigh could emerge as the likely candidate to lead the Opposition if Anwar was left out in the cold. But DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had openly said that Anwar remained the Opposition troika's choice candidate for prime minister even if he ended up in prison. "There is no talk at all (for Tengku Razaleigh to be the Opposition's choice for prime minister). We don't know the political stand of Ku Li," said DAP CEC member Jeff Ooi. "He can't take a (quick) helicopter ride (to the top). We (the opposition pact of PKR-DAP-PAS) have gone all out to create an alternative front. If he wants to join us, we will not reject him outright but the fact is that for us, he is merely of a princely stature." Ooi does not think that Amanah's leaders could pose any direct challenge to the Opposition as he believes that most of them are from a "bygone era" and currently lack pulling power. "Take Tengku Razaleigh, for example. He is an outsider to Umno and outsider to PR (Pakatan Rakyat). He is only in his own league. There is no collateral damage to us," he said, adding that the Kelantan prince's move to head Amanah had only drawn some attention. So, what is Amanah's gameplan? Tengku Razaleigh is still non-commital and fuzzy about plans. At a press conference on Tuesday, to announce that the Registrar of Societies had approved Amanah's establishment, he said, although Amanah would remain an NGO in the near future, he did not rule out the possibility of it becoming politically active. "It is up to the members...I'm not saying 'yes' or 'no' because it depends on the members. You cannot write off anything because the possibilities are there," he said. When asked on his role in the next election, Tengku Razaleigh kept everyone guessing by saying that it would be very difficult to say what he was going to do next. |
| Selangor upset over ‘royal’ intervention Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:25 PM PST 
In July, the Sultan of Selangor ordered assemblymen to pass amendments giving him more power over Islamic affairs. "The Sultan is supposed to act on the advice of the state government, not the other way around. Even in the matters of Islam and Malay culture, the Sultan has to act on the advice of the state administration. We didn't want to fight the palace, we had respect for the palace. We let it pass." Patrick Lee, Free Malaysia Today Selangor state assemblymen are seeing red with what appears to be royal intervention in the running of the State Legislative Assembly. In July, every state assemblyman allegedy received a letter from Sultan Sharafudin Idris Shah, commanding them to agree to amendments that would supposedly give the Ruler more power over Islamic affairs. Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen suspect that the hand of Umno was behind the move, which they say could have led to a constitutional crisis. One, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said they saw the letter on their desks at about 9:30am when they attended the July 11 state assembly sitting. The letter was accompanied by a Selangor government gazette with proposed amendments to the Administration of the Religion of Islam (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003. "We did not know what to do," the assemblyman told FMT. "We were totally shocked. It was a very delicate situation. If we went against it, it would have caused a constitutional crisis. "The Sultan is supposed to act on the advice of the state government, not the other way around. Even in the matters of Islam and Malay culture, the Sultan has to act on the advice of the state administration." "We didn't want to fight the palace, we had respect for the palace. We let it pass." He added that if the assembly had snubbed the letter and voted against the proposed amendments, it would have been played to the hilt by both the mainstream media and the Umno-led state opposition. Sultan's letter A copy of the letter was given to FMT by an anonymous sender. It was issued from the Alam Shah palace in Klang on July 11 and has the Sultan's signature on it. "As the head of Islam in the state, I am responsible for ensuring that the administration of Islam in the state operates smoothly and effectively," the letter reads (see below). "Therefore, I command all Yang Berhormat Members (of the Selangor State Assembly) to agree with the proposed amendments presented and approve the Bill so that these proposed amendments can be implemented immediately." A letter from the Sultan's private secretary, Mohamed Munir Bani, to state assembly secretary Mohamad Yasin Bidin was also provided to FMT. It reads: "I respectfully present the decree of His Majesty the Sultan of Selangor… to be distributed to all Selangor State Assemblymen immediately." The proposed amendments would: - Make the administration of all mosques and suraus fall under the purview of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS).
- This responsibility was previously held by the director of Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).
- Give the Sultan the right to directly appoint anyone to the post of MAIS secretary.
- Remove the need to record in verbatim every resolution and policy made during MAIS meetings.
- Require all practising Syariah lawyers in the state to be Muslim.
- Require cheques issued by MAIS to be drawn according to its own financial procedures.
- Remove the need for MAIS and any corporation established under the Enactment to adhere to provisions in the Statutory Bodies (Accounts and Annual Reports) Act 1980.
- Give MAIS the power not only to collect zakat and tithes, but also to distribute it.
- Give MAIS the power to appoint anyone as mosque officials.
- Give MAIS the right to control and direct the duties of mosque committees.
There were 22 clauses stated in the provided gazette, with amendments to 21 sections within the Enactment. Phone call from palace Another assemblyman, who also spoke to FMT anonymously, said that the proposed amendments were initially made available at a state pre-council meeting, a "few days" before July 11. According to him, many state assemblymen present at the meeting were unhappy with the bill and hotly debated the details. "They voiced their displeasure at the bill," he said. "They felt they should have been consulted first because of its importance." Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, according to the assemblyman, said he was troubled by the introduction of the amendments. READ MORE HERE |
| State-of-the-art technology, maybe Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:04 PM PST 
Malaysia is going to buy six patrol boats at a total cost of RM6 billion or RM1 billion per patrol boat. Of course, Malaysia's patrol boats are going to be far advanced and more sophisticated than those of the Philippines who paid only RM31.5 million for theirs. The Philippines's patrol boats can only patrol the waters. Malaysia's patrol boats can…well…patrol the waters. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
Second Hamilton-class ship to be deployed to West Phl Sea (USD10.5 million or RM31.5 million) USCGS Dallas : The Second Hamilton Class Ship to be Transferred to the Philippines
MANILA, Philippines - The second Hamilton-class patrol ship that will be acquired from the US would also be deployed to the West Philippine Sea area to secure the country's natural resources, the Navy said yesterday.
Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said the ship, which may be transferred to the Philippines by the first or second quarter of 2012, would also guard the energy projects in Malampaya off Palawan.
He said the acquisition of the ship from the US will improve the military's maritime defense capability.
"It (acquisition) will boost our external defense and it will add to our desired fleet of Hamilton-class vessels," Tonsay said.
A Navy inspection team, led by Navy Vice Commander Rear Adm. Orwen Cortez, was sent to South Carolina last week to inspect the US Coast Guard vessel being eyed for acquisition.
The team conducted the inspection from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5 as part of the Navy's continued efforts to upgrade naval capability.
In a statement, Tonsay said the team inspected the US Coast Guard cutter Dallas, which would be acquired through the US Excess Defense Articles project.
The inspection involved orientation tours, preliminary transfer discussions, and ship's organization and mission briefings.
"An in-depth inspection of the entire ship, examination of the actual equipment on board, and checking of machinery records were also conducted to ensure the actual status of the ship," Tonsay said.
He said the Navy team and the US Coast Guard discussed matters pertaining to the transfer of the ship to Manila.
"These (matters) include the readiness status of the vessel where it was determined to be mission ready and is expected to be a hot transfer," Tonsay said.
"This means that the ship is still very much in active service in the US and will be decommissioned only to effect its transfer to the Philippines," he added.
The US Coast Guard cutter Dallas is a weather high-endurance cutter and has features similar to the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, the first Hamilton-class cutter acquired by the Navy from the US Coast Guard.
The US Coast Guard had used the ship for drug and migrant interdiction, law enforcement, search and rescue, living marine resources protection, and defense readiness.
It is powered by diesel engines and gas turbines and is re-equipped with a helicopter flight deck, a retractable hangar, and facilities to support helicopter operations. The ship can accommodate up to 180 officers and sailors.
Earlier, the government acquired its first Hamilton-class vessel from the US Coast Guard to upgrade the military's external defense capabilities.
The ship, which has been renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar, was deployed at the West Philippine Sea to secure energy projects. The vessel is expected to be commissioned this month.
The transfer cost for the Gregorio del Pilar has been pegged at P450 million (USD10.5 million or RM31.5 million). It was acquired under the US Foreign Military Sales program using proceeds from the Malampaya project funds.
The Gregorio del Pilar is classified as a cutter, a high-speed vessel that can cut through waves. The ship is now the Navy's largest vessel.
The 380 feet-long vessel was turned over by the US Coast Guard to Philippine officials in California last May 13. It arrived in Philippine territory last Aug. 17. |
| BN To Hit Out At Pakatan's Unfulfilled Promises Posted: 08 Nov 2011 03:07 PM PST (Bernama) - SHAH ALAM -- Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) will hit out at the unfulfilled promises of the Pakatan government which has administered Selangor for more than three years in its debate at the State Legislative Assembly Meeting today, said Opposition leader, Mohamad Satim Diman. He said BN as the opposition in Selangor would expose various issues as well as missappropriations in the Pakatan administration formed by PAS, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and DAP after having led the state administration since March 8, 2008. The Pakatan government had failed to fulfil its promises made in its manifesto during the 12th General Election among which were to create a competent, responsible, transparent, efficient, honest, trustworthy and high integrity administration, he told a media conference, here on Tuesday. Mohamad Satim said the state government had not met its promise to reduce assessment by 20 per cent for residential houses till today. "Local authority assessment is one of the major issues as 60 per cent of the community in Selangor are in urban areas and why was the the rate not reduced at the local authority level," he said. Mohamad Satim said there were controversies in the management of the Selangor State Development Corporation's (PKNS) and yet to date, the audit report on PKNS operation had not been released. Touching on the intention of DAP to reduce the size of the civil service to cut down on government expenditure, Mohamad Satim said he would challenge the DAP with PAS and PKR to start reducing the number of civil servants in states administered by the opposition such as Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor and Penang. On transparency, he said the Selangor State Legislative Assembly had yet to receive the complete report of Selangor Islamic Religious Department against the Damansara Utama Methodist Church which sparked a controversy in August. |
| Promote 1Humanity Posted: 08 Nov 2011 03:04 PM PST By Y.S. Chan, The Star GOOD citizens of different races, religions, languages, cultures, orientation and politics share common values that can unite all Malaysians. Good people throughout the world embrace universal values, and they are the ones that make this world a better place. We must constantly bear in mind that Malaysia is one of the world's most popular countries. At any one time, there are millions of foreign workers, students, expatriates, business persons and tourists in our midst.
As foreign visitors are welcome, they should not be excluded and feel alienated while in our country. We should therefore promote 1Humanity, which is also in line with the Prime Minister's push for the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM).
The inaugural GMM Conference with the theme "Towards fair and lasting peace" will be held on Jan 17-19 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Government leaders and thinkers are to present sound ideas for practising moderation.
While wisdom and rationality are needed to counter extremism and terrorism, the right formula will have to include actions and activities that nurture solidarity. One effective way is for large numbers of people to be seen walking together in the name of peace.
On Saturday nights, and weather permitting, it will be great to see thousands of people, locals and foreigners, walking side by side along the streets of Kuala Lumpur from 10pm to midnight. Anyone can join in or leave anywhere along a selected circular route.
Participants are to be encouraged to wear their national or tribal costumes, traditional dresses, religious robes or uniforms. Everyone should try to mingle with those who look different to show solidarity.
It will be different from the Mardi Gras as there will be no music, dancing, celebration, rowdiness or noise. This "KLWalk" should have the quiet stamp of dignity.
Peace cannot be achieved through protests but can be attained by profess.
City Hall can mould Kuala Lumpur into an iconic city with soul by doing its bit. It can facilitate the "KLWalk" by placing safety cones.
Those who walk for 90 minutes non-stop will also cover the recommended 10,000 steps needed daily to stay healthy and fit.
No one should be allowed to give speeches, put up banners or distribute leaflets.
The only form of verbal communication is SMS, Twitter, email or billboard.
The procession should not stop and listen to those who try to address the crowd.
The silent majority just want to be seen, not to be heard, and do not wish to be told. It will be up to each one of us to support or oppose whatever causes in our hearts. We just want to come forward and show solidarity with our fellow human beings.
We have had more than enough of rhetoric from loudmouthed politicians, and silence will indeed be golden.
To borrow a song's lyric, "you say it best when you say nothing at all". Such peace marches can spread around the globe, similar to the runs conducted by the Hash House Harriers.
I would love to see all our leaders walking together as proof that they genuinely care. I also wish to see High Commissioners and Ambassadors posted to Malaysia joining in the walk with their fellow nationals who are working here or on tour.
Malaysians can take the opportunity to show the world how hospitable we are, and that everyone – foreigners included – have a place under the Malaysian sun and enjoy Malaysian hospitality.
We should go beyond the airing of views, offering lip service or giving a brand name.
There has been too much anger and violence, which are easily stirred up.
Choosing to demonstrate love for our fellow human beings, practising universal values and attaining inner peace requires much greater effort.
We will naturally do all these when we truly love God. It is time for all of us to, literally, walk the talk. |
| Amanah can affect political landscape, say analysts Posted: 08 Nov 2011 03:02 PM PST By T.K. Letchumy Tamboo, Malay Mail KUALA LUMPUR: Is Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, or Ku Li, as he is more popularly known, planning to replace PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim? Will the newly-formed NGO Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) be merely a voice within Umno or a separate entity critical of the current leadership? These were among questions raised by political analysts, who noted with great interest the former Semangat 46 leader's latest political gambit in forming the NGO.
Tengku Razaleigh has declared he would not rule out the possibility of Amanah becoming a political party.
The Malay Mail spoke to three political analysts on possible motivations and ramifications of the Gua Musang MP's latest manoeuvre, which they believe could have far-reaching effects on the political landscape. Here are their thoughts:
● Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, University Utara Malaysia school of international studies dean: "Ku Li's position is difficult as an Umno member whose views are not really mainstream. Many times he was vocal on issues such as having clean and fair elections, and freedom of speech, and he has even criticised Najib.
"Many within Umno do not like him to be vocal as he may be seen as a disgruntled leader who is against the party leadership. What Ku Li has done through Amanah is to build a platform for him to speak as he cannot go far within Umno with his sometimes controversial views.
"In terms of the country's political landscape, Amanah can either make it better or worse. It could be better in
terms of democratisation as more people will get involved in Malaysian politics by bravely voicing their opinions on things that matter. But, it could take a turn for the worse by ruffling a few feathers in its wake as it may offend many quarters with its views, and things may even turn violent.
"I also don't think he (Tengku Razaleigh) will be joining forces with Anwar as he has strong support in his constituency in Gua Musang. But then again, this is politics and we cannot predict things like these. It is also not possible for Pakatan Rakyat to have two prime minister candidates as I believe Anwar has been chosen by
the coalition as their possible candidate and they will stand by their decision."
● Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Social Sciences Deputy Dean Prof Dr R. Siva Murugan: "By setting up Amanah, maybe Ku Li wants to be a voice within Umno. Amanah could be a platform that contributes to the betterment of the party. On the other hand, maybe he wants Amanah to go beyond Umno and be critical of Barisan National. However, Ku Li had clearly stated he intended Amanah to be an NGO rather than a political party.
"If Amanah is active and structured well, then they could play an important role in the country's political landscape. If they move aggressively in the grassroot level, maybe they can even emerge as a watchdog to the government's policies as most members are those who had a strong hold in politics, such as former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam.
"For example, Amanah's opinion the government should reform the electoral system and take in the views of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) first before calling for the 13th general election is a good start However, if he decides to join Pakatan Rakyat, he will only do so if Anwar is not in the coalition. He seems to be a person who would like to replace Anwar, not someone who will work with Anwar, unless he decides so.
"PR would also not be ready to accept Ku Li if he wants to join the coalition as he will be seen as a threat to Anwar. Amanah has to be careful with its game for at least the next six months in anticipation of the general election. They should not be seen as siding any party. If they take up government issues, they would be accused of supporting the Opposition. If they take up opposition issues, they would be accused of supporting the government. They have to take the middle road."
● Universiti Malaya Academic Staff Union president Azmi Sharom: "In any democratic country, the democratic space should be unlimited. Expressing views through Amanah is a good thing as I believe the wider the spectrum of views, the better it is.
"The Malaysian public have generally become braver in voicing views now as opposed to the past five years because of the natural growth of the society. People are fed-up with things like corruption and you can only push them so far until they react.
"Ku Li may join forces with Anwar. Anything is possible. However, Ku Li is very much an Umno person. Even when he established Semangat 46, it didn't last very long. So, it is unlikely he will leave Umno unless he is 100 per cent required to do so. Even if he joins Pakatan Rakyat, being the political heavyweight that he is, he would want a big position in the coalition. Since he knows such positions have already been taken up, it is unlikely he will leave Umno." |
| Not just a Malaysian issue Posted: 08 Nov 2011 02:54 PM PST By Paul Rowe via The Sun I ENJOYED reading "Chicken and egg phenomenon" (This N That, Nov 4). May I add a couple of points to the last three paragraphs? First, to reiterate the writer's point about ceasing to blame teachers for the perceived low level of English in Malaysia, just last week I was talking to an English teacher, one year from retirement. She was dejected over society's opinion of her lifetime contribution to the education of thousands of young Malaysians. She says she wants to be proud of her achievement, but that society seems to use her and her colleagues as social whipping horses. Whenever, there is something wrong in society, blame the teachers. Sadly, this is not solely a Malaysian issue. Teachers worldwide have become scapegoats for the modern world's ills. The majority of my teaching life has been spent within the Australian education system. Australian teachers are blamed for bad economic conditions, increase in crime and graffiti, traffic deaths, smoking, alcoholism and of course the divorce rate. The barrage is unrelenting. Nothing positive is achieved by going down this route. Teachers become even demoralised, and both society and governments can distance themselves from what really are social and government issues. For the last eight months, I have had the privilege of working closely with 16 Malaysian English teachers in their schools and in their classes. In the majority of cases, I see hard working teachers, and hardworking, happy students. I am constantly in awe of your children. Two days ago, at Selma primary school where I saw kindergarten students give performances in the English and Malay languages, a group of about 12 young musicians from years four, five and six performed the current pop song Price Tag. The lead singer had clearer English diction than the original recording artist. I was stunned to find out that a Year 2 girl and her friends in a Tamil school speak and write three languages. Some SK schools have trilingual students who also write Arabic! What more does Malaysia want from its young and those who teach them? This myth that young Malaysians can't talk English is to a large degree perceptional. Again, this perception is not only a Malaysian issue. Here's an example of how easily society can be misled to think their children don't know English. I was teaching at a small English school in a small Korean village. The school's owner, Lee, whose English was nearly native level, had his daughter in my kindergarten class. Near the end of my one-year teaching contract, Lee came to my class for some reason, and was shocked to find his five-year-old speaking English! Why hadn't Lee picked up on that fact? If a qualified English teacher couldn't deduce that his own daughter could speak English, what is the chance that the social perception that Malaysian children are not able to speak English might be highly misguided? On the second point on the Malaysian government being called to action on this issue, the current government has committed itself to a huge nationwide language programme, in which I work. I don't pretend to know all the figures, but what I do know is that on the west coast of Malaysia, there are currently 120 native English teachers working with over 1,000 Malaysian English teachers. Apparently there are similar Education Ministry-sponsored projects being run on the east coast of the peninsula and Sabah. That can only be a good thing. Only time will tell if this project will be considered by society as successful? Time will also be the judge if such young citizens should be placed under such social pressures. |
| Malaysia urged to rescind ban on gay arts festival Posted: 08 Nov 2011 02:53 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Human Rights Watch urged Malaysia's government Wednesday to rescind a ban on an annual gay arts festival and amend criminal laws that it said discriminated against homosexuals. The "Sexual Independence" festival was launched in 2008 to promote gay rights in the Muslim-majority nation and was held without interference for three years. But it drew growing criticism this year from politicians and religious leaders after awareness of the event became widespread. This year's festival was due to start Wednesday, but police banned it last week on grounds of national security after several Muslim groups threatened to launch protests against the event. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said police showed no evidence that the five-day event, to be held in a private art center, would disturb public order. "The banning of this festival violates basic rights to freedom of association and expression guaranteed by international human rights law and the Malaysian constitution," the group said in a letter to Prime Minister Najib Razak. The ban contradicted Najib's call to promote unity in diversity and indicated that a "discriminatory, homophobic agenda persists" within the government, the group said. It urged Malaysia to overturn a decades-old law that makes sexual relations between same-sex adults punishable by 20 years in prison. Najib and his aides couldn't be reached immediately for comments. Gay rights activists had said the festival was meant to counter widespread homophobia in this socially conservative Muslim-majority nation, where a young gay man received death threats last year after posting a YouTube clip defending his sexuality. The agenda for this year's festival, themed "Queer Without Fear," included talks on sexuality, an art exhibition and a makeup workshop by a drag queen. Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, currently on trial for sodomy, earlier this week joined the public outcry over the ban and said he supported the movement's right to free expression. |
| Malacca monorail set to resume operations next month Posted: 08 Nov 2011 02:51 PM PST (The Star) - MALACCA: The Sungai Melaka tourist monorail service is expected to resume operations early next month. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said monorail operator Taming Sari Sdn Bhd would meet all the safety and facility standards insisted upon by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD). "Everything will be resolved and the monorail service will operate as usual early next month," he told reporters after inspecting the monorail station in Taman Rempah here Wednessay. SPAD chief operating officer Azhar Ahmad had on Tuesday suspended the monorail service until its operator met the necessary safety and facility standards. He noted that one of the main recommendation was the provision of a "cherry picker" crane to rescue stranded passengers when the coach stalls. "The monorail tyre traction was also not strong enough during the rain and this must be rectified," Azhar had said, adding that SPAD would continue with its inspection once the operator complied with the first two recommendations. Another problem was that the monorail, imported from China, did not come with an operation manual in Bahasa Malaysia or English, which made carrying out repair and maintenance works a challenge. |
| Give option to Year One students to study Science and Maths in English, say PAGE and JMM Posted: 08 Nov 2011 02:45 PM PST (The Star) - KUALA LUMPUR: The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) and Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) hope the Government would consider giving an option to Year One pupils who have started learning Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia this year, to study the subjects in English. PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said this would enable the pupils to understand and use scientific terms in English. She also said that both PAGE and JMM would like to thank Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for listening to the voices of parents on the PPSMI issue. Noor Azimah reiterated that the PPSMI policy should continue as it was visionary. "PAGE and JMM will continue to represent the voices of parents," she added, during a joint press conference with JMM here on Wednesday. JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah was also at the press conference. |
| Kedai Rakyat not cheaper, Pua says Posted: 08 Nov 2011 02:42 PM PST By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider Putrajaya must stop claiming Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia (KR1M) products can help cut living expenses when hypermarkets sell the same items for less, Tony Pua says. The DAP publicity chief said while some goods were indeed cheaper, the price difference was far less than the 30 to 50 per cent discount claimed on the Kedai Rakyat website. "For example, KR1M claims to sell a 425g can of sardines for RM2.99, 'saving' the customer a whopping 51 per cent," he told reporters in the Parliament lobby today. "However, a check at Carrefour showed that a 425g can of sardines... sells for RM2.49, or 20 per cent cheaper than KR1M." Similarly, a 1-litre bottle of bleach sold for only RM1.29 at Tesco compared to RM1.90, or 47 per cent more, at Kedai Rakyat, he said. Pua (picture) also pointed out that, based on a basket of 23 common household goods and food items, consumers would save some eight per cent if they shopped at Carrefour instead of Kedai Rakyat. The basket included rice, minced meat, chilli sauce, fruit juice, detergent, toilet paper and dishwashing liquid, among others. |
| ‘Seksualiti Merdeka ban against 1Malaysia’ Posted: 08 Nov 2011 01:36 PM PST By K Pragalath, FMT PETALING JAYA: Banning the Seksualiti Merdeka festival goes against the much hyped concept of 1 Malaysia promoted by the the Prime Minister. New York-based International human rights organisation Human Rights Watch has sent a letter to Najib Tun Razak asking him to rescind the ban . "Banning the Seksualiti Merdeka Festival blatantly contradicts Prime Minister Najib's '1Malaysia' call to promote 'unity in diversity' in Malaysia and sadly indicates that a discriminatory, homophobic agenda persists within some quarters of the government. "The prime minister should promptly reverse this wholly unjustified decision and minimize the harm to Malaysia's reputation," said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights program at Human Rights Watch in a letter dated yesterday to Najib. The call to rescind the ban comes as a result of Deputy Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar who banned it on the grounds that it constitutes a "threat to public order" under section 298A of the Penal Code. The Seksualiti Merdeka festival that has been going on since 2008 and was initially scheduled to begin from today until Sunday. READ MORE HERE. |
| Irrational fear abounds Posted: 08 Nov 2011 01:33 PM PST 
Prejudice and discrimination, both rooted in fear of the unknown, can always be dispelled with better knowledge, at least in those willing to learn. It is also clear that very often those who steadfastly refuse to eliminate their prejudices do so because they think it is politically profitable to them. The loudest Islamophobes always seem to be politicians trying to win the populist vote. And the only way they maintain those votes is by keeping people ignorant. Hence, their refusal to engage at all with Muslims. By Marina Mahathir, The Star TEN years ago the world turned a decidedly nastier place for Muslims. Although Islamophobia already existed before Sept 11, the events that day ratcheted it up several notches. Suddenly Muslims in the United States and all over the world found themselves under intense scrutiny, much of it hostile. Stereotypes abounded. Although Islam is a religion of peace, all Muslims were branded terrorists, undemocratic, violent, oppressors of women. The only images seen in the media were of angry bearded men wielding weapons and shouting threats to the West. Only Muslim women covered head to toe in dour black, were seen. It did not help that some Muslims themselves provided fodder for these images. Tales of aggression against Muslims abounded. Headscarves were pulled off, insults hurled and, at airports, anyone with the slightest tinge of an Arabic name was pulled out for special inspection. Some people suffered even more violence, resulting in injury and even death. Sometimes entirely wrong people became victims of the prejudice. A Sikh man got shot because he wore a turban, a bunch of Orthodox Jewish rabbis were pulled off a plane because they were praying in a language other passengers didn't understand. Fear ruled and with it came prejudice and discrimination, much of it fuelled by the media. Most of it stemmed from ignorance about the world of Islam, which is not only large but also diverse. A Muslim in the Middle East is culturally different from a Muslim in Asia, but that was not appreciated in much of the West. Indeed Middle Eastern Muslims comprise only 15% of the entire Muslim world. Furthermore there are many Western Muslims who look and act no different from their fellow citizens. Meanwhile, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq only angered Muslims, who then reacted in ways that ingrained the stereotypes about them. The early post-Sept 11 Islamophobic madness only lessened when much better information and knowledge about Islam and Muslims became available. This took two forms. One, many Muslims took it upon themselves to educate non-Muslims about Islam, and in particular reached out to other faith communities to talk about their commonalities, rather than differences. And two, thousands of students flocked to universities to learn more about Islam. Both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars of Islam did much to teach students about the real religion, rather than the one perpetuated by the media. Ten years later, although it cannot be said that Islamophobia has disappeared, Western perspectives on Islam have become more measured and based on better knowledge. One of the biggest boosts to the image of Islam and Muslims has been the Arab Spring. Suddenly the images of Muslims were young, modern, and protesting not about the West but about their own corrupt leaders. Although they did not explicitly talk about religion, in 2011 the Middle East became associated with the yearning for freedom and democracy, one not too different from what developed countries enjoyed. Women were seen at the forefront of the revolution, both head-scarved and not, and changed the image of the oppressed Muslim woman. It just goes to show that prejudice and discrimination, both rooted in fear of the unknown, can always be dispelled with better knowledge, at least in those willing to learn. There are of course many who simply refuse to open their hearts and minds to such enlightenment, but progress has been made in incremental steps. It is also clear that very often those who steadfastly refuse to eliminate their prejudices do so because they think it is politically profitable to them. The loudest Islamophobes always seem to be politicians trying to win the populist vote. And the only way they maintain those votes is by keeping people ignorant. Hence, their refusal to engage at all with Muslims. Every phobia about groups of people who are different from us works in the same way. They rely on stereotypes and on the fear that allowing these minority people the same basic rights as others would mean that they would demand more. Thus, although no Muslim ever asked for it, some people in the US insist that there are plans to impose syariah law there. The media stokes the hysteria and stigmatisation. Unjust accusations and calls for depriving them of citizenship becomes the norm. Although those baying for blood are small in number, they still make innocent people suffer. People who have never harmed anyone else suffer distrust and hostility from their former neighbours. Violence against them is justified, sometimes with religious backing. The entire atmosphere is poisoned by hate. This past week, where some people seem to be proudly picking on the powerless, has reminded me of that Islamophobic hysteria. I fear for our country and where we are heading. |
| Almost as many officials and observers as athletes for the Games Posted: 08 Nov 2011 01:29 PM PST By Rajes Paul, The Star
PETALING JAYA: The SEA Games are heaven sent for Malaysian sports junket junkies and there are many of them. Officials, and so called observers, will be taking the opportunity to go on a holiday at the taxpayers' expense. Of course several of them are bona fide delegates like the coaches, medical staff and others, but do we really need 261 officials accompanying the contingent. And that does not include the 338 others - VIPS and observers - going for the Games. Malaysia will have one of the largest contingents at the Games in Jakarta and Palembang starting this Friday. The 869-strong contingent is, in fact, the largest to particiapte in the biennial regional Games outside of the country. There will be a total of 608 athletes, 253 of them under Category B (which means they are paying their own way, and 261 officials – a ratio of one official for every 2.33 athletes. But it is the number of the supporting cast – the biggest ever for a Games – that raises the eyebrows. Accreditation cards have been issued for 279 observers and 59 VIPs swelling the number of non-athletes to a staggering 599. The question is how many from this group are making the trip at the taxpayers' expense? The VIPs alone outnumber the 48 people from Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and National Sports Council (NSC), who will actually be doing some work at the secretariat in Jakarta and Palembang. While Category B athletes have to fork out their own money to prove themselves at the Games, some of the officials and observers will be on an all-expenses paid holiday. In the observers' category, there are genuine supporters like those from Famemas (20) and Telekom Malaysia (27), who are sending a big group to cheer on the Malaysian athletes at their own expense. But what are auditors and State financial officers doing with the contingent? A study tour perhaps or maybe a shopping trip? There are many sports officers from the states in the observers' list. What they will be doing is anybody's guess. Wouldn't the money be better spent on the young athletes to gain exposure under Category B? There are 45 observers for athletics - more than the 14 officials who will be looking after the 48 track and field athletes. OCM general secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, while lauding the enthusiasm of the supporters, said they should not use public funds to go on a junket to the Games. He said that it would do a world of good to the Games' profile if more supporters show interest in the biennial event. And one should not question their intention if these people pay their own travel and accommodation to catch the athletes in action. "It is good if more people are there for the Games. It will draw sponsors and boost the economy of the host country," said Kok Chi. "We at the OCM do not object if sports enthusiasts want to go for the Games but they must be transparent about their funding. We do not condone people using public funds without proper justification. "OCM are all for the effort to build a culture of having supporters for the Games. In Europe, people save money to make their way to support their national or favourite teams. "Some states may fund some of their sports officers for the SEA Games. But it should be worth their investment. It will be good if these officers return home with some sort of report to improve their State sports affairs and not simply enjoy their holiday at public expense. "Look at Vietnam. They will be sending 180 reporters for the Games. The country is taking part in 36 sports and have targeted to win 70 gold medals. This will do good to the profile of the Games." Malaysia, for all its huge presence, are targeting a mere 40 gold medals. Malaysia won 40-40-59 in Laos 2009 and 68-52-95 at Korat 2007. |
| Pakatan says won’t slash civil service size Posted: 08 Nov 2011 01:28 PM PST By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) today said it will not trim the bloated civil service if it takes over Putrajaya, but will instead focus on making government staff more efficient. In what appeared to be a move to quell public sector anger over DAP publicity chief Tony Pua's proposal to reduce civil service headcount, the opposition pact today stressed it would retain existing staff should it win federal power. "Pakatan Rakyat would like to clarify that the position of the 1.2 million civil servants and officers will be guaranteed, as enshrined in [Articles 132 and 135] of the Constitution," PAS vice president Salahuddin told reporters in the Parliament lobby. MORE TO COME HERE. |
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
The Hajj is a reminder of the Grand Assembly on the Day of Judgment when people will stand equal before God waiting for their final destiny, and as the Prophet Muhammad said, "God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances, but he scans your hearts and looks into your deeds."
