| PAS leaders: Apologies won’t save Hasan Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:41 AM PST While Nik Aziz has accepted Hasan's apology, many in PAS feel the time is ripe to drop Hasan fro contesting in the next polls. (Free Malaysia Today) - Party officials say they are sceptical that Hasan Ali's apologies to PAS's top leadership will remove the clouds over his bleak future, with some saying the scars are too deep to heal. According to party's online mouthpiece Harakah Daily, embattled Hasan had met president Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat and his deputy Haron Din in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, last night in what appeared to be a reconciliation meeting. However former party deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, who like Hasan, has his future hanging by the thread after openly attacking the party and accusing it of deviating from its Islamic agenda was not present at the meeting. The two are also advocating unity with archrivals, Umno, in the name of Islam and Malay brotherhood, something many in PAS consider as blasphemous and impossible. The Harakah report said Hasan had apologised for his outburst and that the influential Nik Aziz had accepted his apology. "I am thankful (to God) that Hasan has shown humility in apologising and withdrawing negative statements made against the party. "It is not easy for someone to admit to a mistake and apologise, thus his actions has touched me. I hope others who have such problems to be open like Hasan," Nik Aziz was quoted as saying. But party sources said the reconciliatory tone of the meeting will not undo the damage done by Hasan. They suggest that this will likely lead to him being dropped from contesting in the upcoming national polls as he would be viewed as a liability to the party. "The scar is too deep. What Hasan does not realise is he may have charmed his way with the party's top leadership and they (leaders) may have accepted it but not the party grassroots," a party source told FMT. READ MORE HERE |
| Hasan denies report Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:37 AM PST (The Star) - PAS rebel Datuk Dr Hasan Ali has denied that he was in Kota Baru to apologise to PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat over his remarks against the party hours after the Harakahdaily claimed he had done so. Former Selangor PAS Commissioner Hasan pointed out that he had already retracted his comments regarding the welfare state issue during a press conference at his residence on Dec 24 and had apologised to the party leaders at the same time. In a statement last night, he said he was disappointed with Harakahdaily which had been reminded many times not to twist facts which could create confusion and disunity. He clarified that he had been invited to attend a gathering involving former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa along with PAS deputy spiritual leader Datuk Dr Haron Din and Nik Aziz at the Mentri Besar's home at JKR 10 Kota Baru. "The gathering went smoothly and it was pleasant and sincere. "Among the things touched upon during the gathering were the party's direction, preparation for the 13th general election and Harakah's path as the party's official voice," said Hasan. He pointed out that they had given their views on how to strengthen the party's development and the rakyat's support. Hasan also stated that he was moved by the recognition shown by the leadership in his mission to elevate Islam in the country. Harakahdaily had quoted Nik Aziz as saying that Hasan had withdrawn all his statements criticising the party after a meeting with the party's top leaders in Kota Baru on Tuesday night. Both Hasan and Nasharudin have been embroiled in a war of words with party colleagues for questioning the party's direction under the new crop of non-ulama leaders. Hasan also drew flak for pushing for a revival of unity talks between PAS and arch-rival Umno. The spat got to a point where some top leaders told him that he was free to leave the party to join the other side. |
| Umno scared of undergrads, says Anwar Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:35 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Umno is desperate and resorting to physical threats to intimidate undergraduates from pushing for greater academic freedom and taking an active role in politics, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said. "While the awareness of academic freedom is growing and maturing among undergraduates, the Umno leadership is becoming increasingly vicious and restive in facing this push and is acting blindly in an apparent physical threat that is rude and reckless," the PKR leader said in a statement late last night. "Datuk Seri Najib Razak's commitment to purportedly amend section 15 of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) and give more academic freedom to undergraduates in partisan politics is nothing more than empty talk," he added. The de facto head of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition pact urged the ruling Barisan Nasional's (BN) lynchpin party to quit pressuring undergraduates following recent news reports concerning student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim. The 21-year old student at the Sultan Idris University of Education (UPSI) hit headlines after he was purportedly caught lowering a banner bearing the likeness of Prime Minister Najib from a flagpole outside Umno's headquarters here on December 17. Adam Adli claimed to have received death threats and was allegedly punched by a policeman following the incident. His university administration has also issued a show-cause letter to him for tarnishing the institution's name, according to UPSI Undergraduate Solidarity chairman Ahmad Syukrie Che Abd Razab as cited in a Bernama Online report. READ MORE HERE |
| Di antara 'amal makruf nahi mungkar' dengan 'amal mungkar nahi makruf' Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:32 AM PST ASPAN ALIAS UMNO masih tidak mahu menerima yang etika kepimpinan merupakan nadi utama dalam penentuan jemaah kepimpinan itu boleh dipercayai atau pun sebaliknya. Jamil Khir Baharom, seorang lagi menteri yang menjadi masalah kepada UMNO. Satu demi satu segala kesalahan jenayah yang menjadi perkara biasa dalam UMNO itu keluar dan menjadi pengetahuan umum. Yang terakhir selepas isu lembu NFC, timbul isu dua orang menteri yang berkelakuan tidak senonoh dalam kepimpinan. Yang menariknya seorang menteri yang berlatar belakangkan agama yang telah menyampaikan khutbah di tanah suci baru-baru ini telah menggemparkan orang Islam di negara kita ini. Beliau telah menggunakan wang zakat kepunyaan rakyat untuk membayar kos perundangan beliau dalam kes saman Anwar Ibrahim terhadap beliau dan dua orang yang lain dalam isu Qazaf baru-baru ini.
Orang yang mendakwahkan umat rakyat tentang agama ini telah melakukan jenayah, bukan sahaja kepada rakyat malahan terhadap agamanya sendiri. Saya tidak pula mendengar pemimpin DAP di Pulau Pinang menggunakan wang zakat untuk membayar kos perundangan, walaupun mereka lebih banyak melakukan sama pihak yang cuba memfitnah pemimpin DAP itu.
Sekarang ini nampak dunia sudah terbalik; pemimpin Islam menggunakan wang zakat untuk kepentingan peribadi pemimpinnya sedangkan DAP pula menambah peruntukan kepada majlis agama Islam P Pinang berlipat kali ganda jumlahnya. Bagi saya, pembongkaran satu demi satu isu jenayah yang dilakukan oleh pemimpin UMNO ini merupakan satu petunjuk yang meyakinkan kita bahawa, 'bangkai gajah memang tidak boleh di tutup dengan nyiru'.
Sekarang bagaimana Jamil Khir hendak mendakwahkan kita rakyat untuk berbuat 'amal makruf nahi mungkar', sedangkan beliau melakukan perkara yang terbalik, iaitu, 'amal mungkar nahi makruf' pula. Mulutnya berbunyi Islam sedangkan perbuatannya melanggar kehendak tuhan. Memakan duit zakat serupalah seperti menzalimi anak yatim piatu. Ini kah jemaah yang menuduh orang itu orang ini dan parti itu parti ini anti Islam sedangkan perlakuan mereka ini menentang hukum Islam secara 'head-on'.
Apa yang dilakukan oleh Jamil ini bukan perkara yang kecil. Jika benar beliau seorang yang tunduk kepada agama, etika kepimpinan wajar dihormatinya. Kalau seorang yang bukan Islam di England seperti Blanket boleh meletakkan jawatan semata-mata kerana mempercepatkan permohonan permit kerja' amah' kepada teman wanitanya, kenapa Jamil dan pemimpin Islam yang lain enggan menerima tata-cara agamanya yang suci ini? Jamil boleh tengok jika ada nas-nas yang membolehkan beliau termasuk ke dalam aznaf yang lapan itu.. Bolehlah beliau menerima wang zakat setiap tahun.
Sepatutnya Jamil Khir wajar meletakkan jawatan secara sukarela untuk menjaga imej dan maruah (jika ada maruah) kerajaan yang memerintah. Pendeknya apa yang berlaku sekarang ini menunjukkan yang memberi masalah kepada negara ialah kepimpinan dalam UMNO dan barisan. READ MORE HERE |
| Welcome to DAP and PAS circus! Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:29 AM PST JUST READ Told you already! It was a cheap theater by PAS and DAP. And now, even their members are confused between the truth and lies; and between the fool and wise. While PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz stood by his statement that Hasan Ali was in Kota Bharu to apologise to the party, the latter on the other hand refuted the claim.
The former Selangor PAS commissioner denied a HarakahDaily report that he went to Kota Baru solely to meet PAS top leaders and to apologise for his remarks against the party. Hasan pointed out that he had already retracted his comments regarding the welfare state issue during a press conference at his residence on Dec 24 and had apologised to the party leaders at the same time. In a statement Wednesday night, he said he was disappointed in Harakah which had been reminded many times not to twist facts which could raise confusion and disunity. He clarified that he had been invited attend a gathering involving former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa along with PAS deputy spiritual leader Dr Haron Din at Nik Aziz's home at JKR 10 Kota Bharu. Now, who spoke the truth here? Its unbecoming of Nik Aziz to lie if he did. And who are confused? Of course PAS members... and the media! Also in Pakatan Rakyat, DAP members are still uncertain of who are the fools and wise, between Karpal Singh and P Ramasamy. The party's chairman said he has left it to the party's disciplinary committee to take action in the recent war of words between him and Penang Deputy Chief Minister, and that he would abide by the gag order imposed by the three-man panel formed to resolve the issue. READ MORE HERE |
| Azmin Ali – serang Nurul Izzah? Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:16 AM PST |
| A change is gonna come Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:10 AM PST All eyes will turn to Borneo. It is a mighty ask to expect a lion's share of the parliamentary seats there, but Pakatan might broach the 20-seat mark, though it might end up being 15. That would reduce BN's majority from Borneo (31 seats in Sarawak, 25 in Sabah) from 54 in 2008 to a manageable 26. Praba Ganesan, The Malaysian Insider An important time is arriving in Malaysia, and it does not matter if you are for it or not; that's not material anymore. The growing fear is that the nation is about to enter this phase without a seat belt. History students in the distant future will love 2011. When in doubt in a class history quiz, 2011 is, as they say in basketball, a high percentage shot (or guess in that situation). The world has plenty of discussion points from this year, with the death of Kim Jung-il tipping the year to epic proportion. However for Malaysians, despite its share of watershed moments this year, 2012 will be the one that is monumental. Two inevitable events in 2012 will dictate life in Malaysia for some time. A general election and a court verdict. He will go to jail With his declaration from the defendant's dock of his innocence and that Sodomy II is an elaborate political attack, Anwar Ibrahim has announced his disbelief in the country's justice system under Barisan Nasional. Legal minds are divided on the strategy, but still it did more than suggest that the leader of the opposition is readying himself for what seems like a predictable verdict. Few of those legal minds, outside the employ of the Malaysian government, disagree with Anwar. On January 9 when the verdict comes out, there will be a reaction. Not rage, but a quiet shrug of the shoulder by millions of Malaysians. This disgust may translate to votes in the coming general election. The column is mindful that there will be many other developments between that January week and the general election, but none will capture the collective imagination of Malaysians as much as this. The spectre of a grandfather going to jail six months after Prime Minister Najib Razak promising to reform the country's arcane and oppressive laws removes any semblance of reform from the present administration. The administration's fear of a free Anwar in an election year may be its undoing. General election This column made the prognosis last year that there will be no general election this year. It has been vindicated on that score. Six months ago it would be outright optimism bordering on blind faith to expect Pakatan Rakyat to exceed its Election 2008 results. Today, there is talk in saner political corners of a possible election upset. Najib has a large party, but most are in for what Umno can give them and are led by very few charismatic leaders. It is a party of money, not a party of ideas. It can only rely on the following: a good economy, the buzz of 1 Malaysia, mainstream media and its election machinery. The economy is strong, and the planned handouts leading to the election will affect votes. Still, decades of poor wealth distribution are starting to bite all over, the emerging scandals are only confirming allegations of an elitist system run to please one class, not any race, religion or state. Mainstream media has been less dismissive of Pakatan Rakyat, even if they'd rather have dead air than say salutary things about the coalition. Some of the commentaries have given way to doubt. The buzz of 1 Malaysia is the random factor. No poll can gauge it. Only a fair election will. It is conceivable that this administration is leaking support. The BN machine is a money machine. It is less incisive in a general election than in a by-election. It is about pump-priming activities based on money. The question remains, how many Malaysians are keen on appearing to openly support the BN in the coming election, even if the money is good? There is an air of change in the country, and an Anwar conviction will electrify the country more and convince them that if they let this moment slip, then a reversal will occur. The electoral maths then… The dwindled support for BN's Chinese parties will start to tell. The Indian votes are divided at best, not in Najib's bag necessarily. It is curious to note that Najib, not the MIC, holds sway with the community. It is the young vote which will determine the result. Anwar does not poll that well with women, but that does not discount Pakatan's overall appeal to women. Penang is destined to stay with Pakatan. The parliamentary seats will be status quo. Kedah will copy Penang, and Perlis is on a knife edge. Pundits will not be surprised if the northwest turns into a Pakatan surge. Kelantan is a safe seat, and the vagaries of Terengganu Umno politics does leave more questions than answers. Umno may keep the state, but only a two-seat majority in the parliamentary count. Pahang will be Peninsular Malaysia's battleground. There were urban wins for Pakatan, but it is the reach to Felda areas that will be telling. Umno to keep Pahang, but to lose more ground. Perak and Selangor will go Pakatan, the first is a bigger call but a call has to be made. With the expectation of a slim Pakatan win in Negri Sembilan, that leaves Malacca and Johor as solid Umno states. All eyes will turn to Borneo. It is a mighty ask to expect a lion's share of the parliamentary seats there, but Pakatan might broach the 20-seat mark, though it might end up being 15. That would reduce BN's majority from Borneo (31 seats in Sarawak, 25 in Sabah) from 54 in 2008 to a manageable 26. A national electoral win is possible, even if quite challenging, if the above inroad is achieved in Borneo. Unlike Pakatan's leadership conviction that the right candidates will win Putrajaya, this column is ready to call that it will be the national mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Malaysians wanting a new Malaysia which will secure the change. READ MORE HERE |
| Felda bergolak menunggu pecah? Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:08 AM PST Haji Subky Abdul Latif, The Malaysian Insider Saya penuhi undangan makan seorang simi-vetren Umno. Vetren bermaksud aktivis lama yang bersara. Simi-vetren bererti aktivis lama tidak tua sangat dan sebagai ahli biasa tidak cergas tetapi tidak pula bersara dari politik. Bersamanya dua orang pegawai penting ibu pejabat Felda. Kedua-duanya teman seperjuangan orang Umno, belum lekang rasa sayangnya pada Umno. Mereka tidak berkongsi tuntutan dengan ANAK, sebuah NGO peneroka pro-PAS pimpinan Mazlan. Tetapi mengira ada kegiatan ANAK dapat membantu Felda mengatasi kelemahannya. Saya tidak mengikut sangat masalah Felda tetapi dari keduanya saya difahamkan Felda sedang bergolak dan menunggu masa pecah saja, sejak Tan Sri Isa Samad masuk ke Felda sebagai pengerusi. Mereka tidak mempersoal perlantikan Isa sebagai orang kuat baru Felda kerana dia adalah proksi kepada Perdana Menteri Najib. Keupayaan Najib menjadikan duit Felda seperti duitnya adalah perkembangan lama sebelum Isa datang ke situ. Tetapi Isa dikatakan menjadi masalah besar kepada peneroka apabila dia merampas jawatan pengerusi koperasi warga Felda — peneroka dan sekalian pegawai dan kakitangan. Tiada pengerusi-pengerusi yang lalu, baik terdiri dari orang politik atau pegawai tabdir yang dipinjmakan ke situ, mengusik koperasi itu. Tetapi Isa merampas jawatan itu ketika pengerusinya, pemimpin utama pentadbiran Felda, bernama Datuk Zulkifli menunaikan ibadat di Mekah. Dia juga diberi cuti dari jawatannya di Felda, dan beberapa pegawai penting di bawah Datuk Zulkifli dipulangkan semula ke PTD. Walaupun warga Felda ada hak atas Felda tetapi hak kerajaan lebih besar dari hak setiap individu di Felda. Tetapi koperasi adalah hak warga yang menjadi ahlinya dan ia bukan hak Najib dan Isa yang diamanatkan oleh kerajaan untuk menjaga Felda. Hak untuk menjadi pengerusi koperasi ditentukan oleh lembaga pengarah. Lembaga pengarah pula dipilih mesyuarat ahli-ahlinya. Pengerusi koperasi hanya boleh dilucutkan oleh lembaga pengarah dengan pengesahan suruhanjaya koperasi. Isa dikatakan menjadi pengerusi yang tidak sah. Sejak dia mengambil alih jawatan itu, dia belum dapat mempengerusikan mesyuaratnya. Suruhanjaya koperasi tidak dapat menyetujui kejadian seperti itu. Nasib Isa dalam koperasi itu akan ditentukan dalam mesyuarat agung koperasi yang diwakili oleh wakil koperasi Felda dari seluruh negara pada 5 Januari ini. Malah ada perkembangan dalam keluarga Felda untuk membawa perkara ini ke mahkamah. Maklumat yang saya faham dari mereka, Felda seolah-olah tidak lagi menjadi simpanan tetap Umno dalam pilihan raya yang akan datang. Selama ini ia adalah simpanan tetap Umno, tetapi politik Isa Samad bukan saja memburukkan politik Umno bahkan ia menambah burukkan politik Najib di Felda. READ MORE HERE |
| Business of corruption thriving Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:05 AM PST Is it fair to deduce that a lack of political will is the reason corruption in Malaysia is doing brisk business? Pressure has been mounting on Shahrizat to quit serving the rakyat but no thanks to the nation's top two leaders i.e. Najib and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin who are playing "godfathers" to her, the 58-year-old Shahrizat seems unfazed and is capitalising on her 16 years experience as a politician to cover up her tracks. Jeswwan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today One must beware of ministers who can do nothing without money and those who want to do everything with money – Indira Gandhi. Corruption has become a way of life for politicians in this country. Under the disguise of defending the rakyat's well-being, these unscrupulous politicians are in actual fact looking after the welfare of their own kith and kin. This "C" (corruption) factor while a favourite among the politicians has become a menace and bane for the people, most whom have become exasperated at the after-effects of a corrupt system. Earlier this month, the Transparency International Malaysia survey revealed that for the third consecutive year, Malaysia recorded a decline in its Corruption Perception Index score, its 4.3 score slightly lower than the 4.4 recorded in 2010 and much lower than the government benchmark of 4.9. Is it fair to deduce that a lack of political will is the reason corruption in Malaysia is doing "brisk" business? If the recent cases of palm greasing involving politicians who also hold ministerial responsibilities are any indication, then yes, there is no commitment coming from the "powers that be" to weed out corruption from the system. Nipping the malignant bud of corruption is not something the federal government is interested in. Instead, the government under the Barisan Nasional flagship is doing the reverse. When Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak "unceremoniously" deported French human rights lawyer William Bourdon five months ago, Suara Rakyat Malaysia or Suaram was convinced that the premier and his government are "inextricably linked" with the Scorpene submarines corruption scandal. Bourdon was representing Suaram in a high-profile case filed against submarines' vendor DCN at the Parisian courts. (In 2002, Najib then the defence minister, sanctioned the purchase of the Scorpene submarines amid accusations of gross over-pricing and kickbacks). "It is the biggest mistake yet by the Malaysian government for it is an affront to diplomacy, to international law and common decency. It was a totally arbitrary act by the Home Ministry and a gross abuse of executive power of the Najib administration," Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel retorted via a statement on July 27, four days after Bourdon's deportation. 'Leadership by example' Najib has since denied having had a hand in any financial impropriety in the submarines deal. Now, following in his wrong steps is the Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil who is vehemently denying any involvement in the misappropriation of funds allotted to the National Feedlot Centre which is headed by her husband Mohamad Salleh Ismail and the couple's children. Details furnished by the opposition party PKR allege that Shahrizat and her family have misused the RM250 million meant for NFC by purchasing a luxury condominium in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur and another one in Singapore, a Mercedez Benz and an all-paid Umrah pilgrimage. Pressure has been mounting on Shahrizat to quit serving the rakyat but no thanks to the nation's top two leaders i.e. Najib and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin who are playing "godfathers" to her, the 58-year-old Shahrizat seems unfazed and is capitalising on her 16 years experience as a politician to cover up her tracks. Najib thought deporting Bourdon would be the end of his worry, but not as far as Suaram is concerned, with this human right group going all out to pin the premier down. Shahrizat should learn her lesson and own up before she is rejected by the people, "unceremoniously" that is. READ MORE HERE |
| Stepping out of Anwar’s shadow Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:03 AM PST In this last week of 2011, we will be re-publishing selected stories carried in FMT throughout this year. We find that these stories still remain relevant in the present context. Nurul may have risen in the party ranks but she hasn't forgotten her first political appointment. The Lembah Pantai constituency remains just as precious to her as when she won her seat in 2008 and she is determined to defend it in the next general election. Stephanie Sta Maria, Free Malaysia Today This article was first posted on Jan 19, 2011. FMT still considers Nurul Izzah Anwar, the Lembah Pantai MP and the PKR vice-president, as a rising star in PKR. Being elected the youngest vice-president of PKR wasn't part of a preordained plan. Neither was winning the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat. In fact, Nurul Izzah Anwar used to duck the political spotlight until it was rudely thrust upon her in 1998. And even then there was no plan. The then 18-year-old would have been forgiven had she wound up submerged by the waves of political pressure. Instead, the daughter of PKR de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim, not only stayed afloat but sailed through her baptism of fire to earn the moniker Puteri Reformasi. Some call it destiny, others call it an obligation. Nurul herself simply calls it putting things into perspective. And it was a perspective that seared itself so deeply within her that she still speaks of it in befittingly hushed tones. "A part of me changed forever that day," she said softly. "It wasn't just about my father's sacking and eventual arrest but having everything I held sacred just crumbled before me. I felt the fragility of life." "It then dawned on me that it wasn't about any single individual but about a movement and the need to be part of something you believe in. That was my earth-shattering moment. And that has made me the person I am today." The people who ushered her onto the "reformasi" path were those who were by her side during Anwar's arrest. After enveloping her with support, they told her that she had to take up the fight, not just for her father but for the scores of other political prisoners. Nurul didn't hesitate. "If I didn't do it then no one would know of our plight," she said earnestly. "They wouldn't know of the judicious arguments for my father's release, about the other political prisoners and why the Internal Security Act is unacceptable. These messages need to be propagated." First hurdle Nurul's first hurdle was persuading her reluctant mother and PKR president, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, to bestow her blessings upon her daughter's new career. Then she turned to PAS, DAP, Abim (Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia) and even Suaram (Suara Rakyat Malaysia) to seek guidance in learning the ropes. A trait that perhaps further strengthened her tenacity was her disinterest in "what ifs". "I never thought about what I would have done if 1998 didn't happen to me because it is an exercise in futility," she reasoned. Then with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek, she added, "I'm very glad that 1998 did happen because I certainly wouldn't have wanted to join Puteri Umno!" Indeed, Nurul has come a long way from the young woman who once didn't relish the political association that was packaged into her name. Her strong embrace of political activism therefore greatly astonished her. It also taught her the importance of owning an idea before bringing it into reality. "There was a sense of obligation certainly," she readily admitted. "But I also owned the idea of becoming a politician. If I felt forced into it, I would have led a very unhappy life and let down all my supporters." "So the process of owning this new life and identity has been a very important and invaluable one for me. It has been a very steep learning curve and I'm glad I stayed the course. But my husband was still surprised by my decision to contest for vice-president!" Was vice-presidency really not part of a blueprint? Nurul sighed quietly. It was obviously a question that she has been asked too many times. She looked up and straight into the camera. "No," she said clearly. Then she smiled. "But now that I am, I have a plan." Laying the groundwork The moment her vice-presidency was announced, Nurul hit the ground running. Before the first week was over, she found herself assigned to Negri Sembilan and Malacca where she was tasked with obtaining feedback from members on the party's first direct elections. Her other assignment was to lay out the groundwork that would help the party design programmes aimed at garnering support from the younger electorate. Nurul's hands are also full at the Federal Territory level where she has commissioned a 100-day programme for Kuala Lumpur if Pakatan Rakyat were to take over the federal government. "My plan is clear but I'll need at least a month to assess the needs of the different states and the party before implementing them," she said. "And I'll be working closely with the secretariat because they too have planned many programmes." "The challenge here is to work cohesively. It's not going to be an individual pursuit because that would never achieve the intended results." The project that is closest to her heart at this point of time, however, is the Democracy Rehabilitation Act, a bipartisan Bill which encompasses the six principal prerequisites for a thriving democracy. A one-million signature campaign for a memorandum of the Act kicked off this month which will be subsequently submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Pakatan will also propose this Act to the ruling government to move during the next parliamentary sitting. "We've used the word 'rehabilitation' as a sign of respect for what is enshrined in the Federal Constitution," she explained. "We're drafting the actual Bill but the petition has begun because we urgently need to revoke all emergency declarations." "We have to explain to the people that we are democratically poor as a nation. We're still living under Emergency Rule! So I'm bringing this matter down to the grassroots and getting them to sign the petition." READ MORE HERE |
| Third Force to encircle Umno Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST The current political landscape in the country is fertile for all minority parties in Barisan Nasional or otherwise to opt for a direct coalition system. Within the state BN, especially for Sarawak, minor parties can work out a cooperation pact namely the newly revamped SUPP (Sarawak United Peoples Party) with PRS (Parti Rakyat Sarawak) and SPDP (Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party). Awang Abdilllah, Free Malaysia Today After the 12th GE of 2008, what we are witnessing are structural changes in the Malaysian political landscape – the emergence of a two-party system in Malaysia – Umno the main component of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, and the opposition pact led by PKR and PAS. Unlike the two-party system in some countries such as the US, either one of the two parties can win an election and form the government and the other automatically becomes the opposition. But in Malaysia the dual party system is unique. Firstly it is a Malay based two-party system and secondly neither party can form a government on its' own without a coalition with the non-Malay minority parties. Hence the political landscape in the country provides the right scenario for all minority parties in BN or otherwise to opt for a (direct) coalition system of government whereby the minority parties will contest using their own party ticket. And after the general election is over, these minority parties can negotiate to join either one of the two Malay based parties. Therefore the formation of a federal government would then be based on the two-party system and a coalition system. As we have known or rather common knowledge, that there have been so many gross abuses committed by Umno under the name of the government and the BN entity. Only Umno wields so much political and economic powers leaving the other minor component parties sharing the leftovers. This has been Umno's policy and practices since 1981 following the Mahathir undemocratic-authoritarian rule. The other component parties though members of the BN are all tied down under the Umno system of controls which enables the latter to become the de facto federal government. Since 2009 when Najib took over the premiership, initially he tried more democratic approaches such as the 1Malaysia slogan , economic, political and electoral reforms but with little success. However of late it is getting clearer that like Mahathir, the former shares similar beliefs that only through the undemocratic-authoritarian rule can Umno continue to hold such political and economic powers and maintain its' grip on other races and parties . Two-pronged strategy needed This special two-party political system requires a third force that has the two pronged strategy to encircle Umno's despotic power and to prop up the opposition – Pakatan plus coalition – and strengthen the system. Lets look at the components of the Third Force: i) Direct coalition system at national level and state levels. Across the country there are many minor political parties whether in the BN or opposition that can team up and forge a common platform through the direct coalition system. Parties like DAP, MCA, MIC, PRS, SPDP, SUPP, PESAKA, SAPP and others can contest in an election using their own party symbols. I believe the people can accept such a united political body to breakup Umno and PBB hegemony (in Sarawak). A direct coalition system acts as a check-and-balance against the dominance of an undemocratic, dictatorial kind of government. After the 13th GE, these third force political parties can work out which of the two main Malay parties they wish to join enbloc or on individual basis. Under a direct coalition system, a coalition partner is not tied down to a main or even a majority component party in the government. It is a loose partnership whereby any partner can quit the government and join the opposition. However if the partners who quit have a majority seats, then they can proceed to form another different new coalition government. So there is freedom of choice – any party can join or leave the ruling party or the opposition. Hence in the formation of the federal government and the respective state governments in Malaysia, the direct coalition system is the best alternative for every minority party. If all the minority parties in BN or opposition team up to join PKR and PAS, then Umno's dominance is history at the national or state levels in Semenanjung Malaysia and Sabah. ii) Cooperation pact in Sarawak Within the state BN, especially for Sarawak, minor parties can work out a cooperation pact namely the newly revamped SUPP (Sarawak United Peoples Party) with PRS (Parti Rakyat Sarawak) and SPDP (Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party). The latter two can even forge a merger pact to form a stronger entity. This kind of cooperation pact can form a third force component at state level to counter PBB's hegemony of power. If the Pesaka wing of PBB (Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu) snaps and attaches itself to the grouping, the more the merrier. If the state Pakatan wishes to join the pact, then PBB is completely encircled. I believe a majority of the Malays would support such a pact. This may compel some of the PBB leaders who are not aligned with Taib to consider crossing over to PAS or PKR to spearhead its presence further in the state before the 13th GE though the state would not be holding any state election. READ MORE HERE |
| Occupy Dataran to stage 'V for Vendetta flashmob' on New Year's Eve Posted: 27 Dec 2011 10:27 PM PST 
To mark the end of 2011 and the inception of the 2012 New Year, we are calling ALL to Occupy Dataran Merdeka with us on December 31st, 2011, at 11pm. This will be a participatory MASS FLASHMOB, symbolically expressing our common indignation against the many injustices and anti-democratic events that happened in Malaysia in 2011, in contrast to the positive significance of 2011 for the rest of the world. We want to collectively say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; TIME FOR REAL DEMOCRACY NOW, in 2012! 'V' masks at Dataran Merdeka symbolize resistance against authoritarianism 2011 will go down in history as the Year of Peaceful, Non-Violent Revolutions. It began in Tunisia, culminating in Tahrir Square, Egypt, now undeniably THE iconic image and symbol of human freedom and liberation of the 21st Century. We also saw the uprising of the Indignados (The Indignant movement), occupying Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain, giving inspiration to the Occupy Wall Street movement, that began on September 17th. This democratic wave, driven by ordinary peoples on the street, as opposed to leadership by elites the world over, is destined to become the Revolution that will OCCUPY the hearts and minds of the 7 billion persons on earth today, for generations to come. Occupy Dataran, inspired by these events, began to occupy Dataran Merdeka, on a weekly basis, since July 30th 2011. We have been committed to this ideal of embodying the kind of change we want to see in wider Malaysian society, to practice and model a new form of grassroots, non-partisan, non-hierarchical, participatory form of direct democracy, right here in Malaysia. Our Assemblies, meeting every Saturday at Dataran Merdeka, is the concrete actualization of Direct Democracy and Open Participation by Anyone and Everyone, without regard for race, creed or wealth. As the year 2011 draws to a close, dark clouds still hang over the Malaysian sky, no different from the previous years. Undemocratic repression of human rights continue unabated. Malaysians suffer these abuses in different forms and at different levels. It is often hard for the ordinary Malaysian to articulate and give voice to their suffering and plight. Occupy Dataran wants to provide that space and platform for all to channel their outrage and indignation in constructive and meaningful ways. We want every person to find his or her own voice, formulating his or her own demands. Some of these demands may spring from this year's chronology of injustices: the repression of street protests (eg. Bersih 2.0), the passing of the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, the Lynas debacle, the continuous land-grab of Orang Asli & indigenous land in Sabah & Sarawak, corruption in government, exploitation and repression of local and migrant workers' welfare & rights, deaths in the MACC, the suppression of academic and student freedoms by the UUCA, etc. To mark the end of 2011 and the inception of the 2012 New Year, we are calling ALL to Occupy Dataran Merdeka with us on December 31st, 2011, at 11pm. We call on ALL to come wearing the mask of V, re-enacting the final dramatic scene from the movie, V for Vendetta. The V mask represents resistance against authoritarianism all over world. This will be a participatory MASS FLASHMOB, symbolically expressing our common indignation against the many injustices and anti-democratic events that happened in Malaysia in 2011, in contrast to the positive significance of 2011 for the rest of the world. We want to collectively say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; TIME FOR REAL DEMOCRACY NOW, in 2012! Our objectives for this CALL TO ACTION ON DECEMBER 31st are:
1) To reclaim our public spaces and reclaim Dataran Merdeka as an open and democratic space for all peoples to assemble freely and peacefully; 2) To defend and reclaim the fundamental right to assemble peacefully, protest and to occupy our public spaces; 3) To protest against the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011; 4) To show solidarity with all those who have suffered injustices and violation of their basic rights in 2011; 5) To show our resolve in making 2012 the year of real democratic changes in Malaysia, in all aspects, political, social and economic. We CALL ON ALL to join us on 31st December 2011 and make our DEMANDS loud and clear at Dataran Merdeka. JOM OCCUPY! #OccupyDataran Media Working Group Note: The Organizers will be releasing the specific details of the 31st December Flashmob soon, via the OcuppyDataran Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/occupydataran |
| Dilemma Najib Posted: 27 Dec 2011 10:21 PM PST Dari ekonomi, sosial dan politik semuanya mahu ditransformasikan oleh Najib. Seperti Abdullah, Umno sendiri menjadi batu penghalang kepada program-program Najib. Sehingga kini, Najib masih belum dilihat mempunyai kekuatan untuk meyakinkan Umno untuk bersama gagasan yang ingin beliau bawa. By Amin Iskandar Menurut seorang teman yang juga seorang ketua editor sebuah "news portal" terkemuka tanahair, perdana menteri Malaysia selepas Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad berusaha keras untuk melaksanakan program-program ekonomi, sosial dan politik yang dekat dihati rakyat. Ini boleh dilihat dari pengalaman Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Selepas menggantikan Dr. Mahathir, jika kita ingat kembali – Abdullah Badawi berusaha keras untuk melaksanakan reformasi dalam kerajaan pimpinannya. Yang menjadi batu penghalang utama kepada program-program reformasi Abdullah Badawi adalah dari parti Umno sendiri. Golongan "garis keras" yang kuat bersarang dalam parti tersebut sehingga akhirnya, Abdullah Badawi menjadi bahan jenaka. Sabotaj dari dalam Umno menjadi antara punca keputusan pilihan raya umum ke 12 yang menyaksikan majoriti dua pertiga Barisan Nasional (BN) di parlimen dinafikan – beberapa negeri BN terlepas ke tangan pembangkang. Abdullah tersingkir dari tampuk kuasa dan Datuk Seri Najib Razak menggantikannya. Selain gagasan 1Malaysia, Najib menjuarai program transformasi didalam pentadbirannya. Dari ekonomi, sosial dan politik semuanya mahu ditransformasikan oleh Najib. Seperti Abdullah, Umno sendiri menjadi batu penghalang kepada program-program Najib. Sehingga kini, Najib masih belum dilihat mempunyai kekuatan untuk meyakinkan Umno untuk bersama gagasan yang ingin beliau bawa.
Panglima Najib Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah adalah salah seorang "panglima" kepada program transformasi politik Najib. Tanpa restu dari Najib, tidak mudah bagi Saifuddin untuk bergerak ke tahap ini. Kita dapat melihat bagaimana Saifuddin berani untuk berhadapan dengan mahasiswa, politikus pembangkang dan NGO dalam forum-forum terbuka untuk mempertahankan program transformasi Najib. Saifuddin juga konsisten mempertahankan hak kebebasan mahasiswa untuk berpolitik dan mahukan Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti (AUKU) dipinda bagi menjamin kebebasan tersebut. Untuk saya, jika Najib mempunyai lebih ramai panglima seperti Saifuddin, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) berada dalam bahaya besar. Namun sudah pasti orang seperti Saifuddin tidak disukai oleh golongan garis keras dalam Umno. Peristiwa demonstrasi mahasiswa dihadapan Bangunan Umno di PWTC minggu lalu - dimana bendera presiden Umno ke tujuh, Najib Razak diturunkan dan digantikan dengan bendera kebebasan menjadi satu "bola tanggung" kepada golongan "garis keras" dalam Umno. Saifuddin akhirnya di"smash". Beliau didesak untuk meletakkan jawatan diatas insiden penurunan bendera tersebut. Serangan itu dibuat menerusi mesej-mesej Twitter dan entri dalam blog-blog. Walaupun Saifuddin - juga Ahli Parlimen Temerloh berulang kali mengulangi pendiriannya bahawa kumpulan mahasiswa, yang didakwa menurunkan bendera wajah Najib di pekarangan ibu pejabat Umno harus meminta maaf terhadap insiden tersebut.
Sejauh mana kekuatan Najib
Untuk melihat kuat atau lemahnya Najib dalam Umno, kita boleh perhatikan dengan bagaimana perdana menteri mengurus kes Saifuddin Abdullah ini. Jika Najib kuat, beliau pasti akan mempertahankan Saifuddin dan menutup "mulut" golongan keras dalam Umno. Jika Najib dalam keadaan lemah, Saifuddin mungkin tidak tercalon lagi sebagai calon BN di kerusi Temerloh dalam PRU akan datang. Najib sudah pasti tahu, orang seperti Saifuddin mampu untuk memenangi hati orang muda dan mahasiswa walaupun tidak secara keseluruhannya. Mempunyai lebih ramai orang seperti Ahli Parlimen Temerloh ini, akan memperlihatkan kepada masyarakat umum bahawa beliau serius dengan program transformasi dan politik baru. Akan tetapi, ini bukanlah sesuatu perkara yang mudah untuk dilakukan. Abdullah Badawi yang dari awal digelar "Mr. Clean" pun diterajang keluar dari kepimpinan Umno oleh kerana melawan tradisi parti tersebut. Lihatlah bagaimana nasib menantunya yang kini Ketua Pemuda Umno. Walaupun memegang jawatan penting dalam parti, beliau tidak dapat memainkan peranan dalam kerajaan. Pesaing beliau yang kalah dan Naib Ketua Pemuda Umno dilantik menjadi Timbalan Menteri. Begitulah serba sedikit gambaran betapa kuatnya golongan "garis keras" dalam Umno. Inilah dilemma besar yang dihadapi oleh Najib. Jika tidak melakukan perubahan dalam pentadbiran kerajaan, jangka hayat BN semakin pendek. Jika menjuarai perubahan, penghalang utama bukan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) tetapi Umno itu sendiri. Apatah lagi apabila golongan "garis keras" dipayung oleh "Godfather" yang masih mempunyai pengaruh kuat dalam Umno dan jentera kerajaan. |
| Zaid Ibrahim bantu Nurul Izzah lawan Azmin? Posted: 27 Dec 2011 09:47 PM PST (Siasah) - Persaingan kuasa dalam PKR, yang semakin jelas dilihat sejak menjelang pemilihan lalu muncul lagi, mengaitkan pemimpin-pemimpin tertinggi parti. Pengendali laman Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Kamarudin mendakwa Azmin Ali, timbalan presiden PKR di belakang penyebaran surat layang memburukkan Nurul Izzah Anwar, naib presiden PKR.
Surat itu menggesa ahli-ahli PKR menghalang Nurul Izzah yang didakwa cuba membawa semula Datuk Zaid Ibrahim - yang kini memimpin partinya Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita) - menyertai semula PKR.
Dalam kolum terbaharunya, Raja Petra menerbitkan semula surat itu dengan ulasan ringkas mengatakan Azmin dipercayai di belakang penyebaran surat layang tersebut, dalam usaha menyekat anak kepada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu daripada menghalang kemaraan Azmin.
Menurut surat itu, Nurul Izzah mempunyai pengaruh untuk membolehkan Zaid dibawa semula menyertai PKR disebabkan kedudukannya.
"Sebagai naib presiden paling kanan dalam PKR dan anak kepada Anwar Ibrahim, Nurul Izzah pastinya mampu memanipulasi ayahnya dan setidak-tidaknya dapat membuka ruang buat Zaid menyertai PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat semula."
Menurut surat itu lagi, "Nurul Izzah perlu sedar bahawa status beliau sebagai anak kepada Anwar Ibrahim tidak semestinya akan merestui semua tindakan politiknya."
Zaid keluar parti setelah kecewa dengan politik Anwar dan permainan Azmin menyekat kemaraannya dalam parti.
Dakwaan Raja Petra ini sekiranya benar memberi gambaran usaha Azmin mengukuhkan kedudukannya dalam parti termasuk dengan menyekat Nurul Izzah, pemimpin muda yang dilihat berpotensi dan tidak mempunyai beban sejarah seperti beberapa pemimpin lain termasuk Azmin.
Kedudukan Nurul Izzah sebagai anak Anwar, pemimpin kanan yang muda dan popular mampu menggugat Azmin dalam kepimpinan parti.
Zaid semasa masih dalam PKR juga dilihat sebagai pencabar terdekat Azmin, disebabkan kedudukan seniornya yang dilihat mengatasi kelayakan Azmin. |
| DAP Perak’s Nga Kor Ming gets bullet in mail Posted: 27 Dec 2011 09:45 PM PST (The Star) - Controversial DAP Perak leader Nga Kor Ming has received a bullet in the mail. He tweeted Wednesday that the bullet was mailed to his mother's home together with a threatening note. "About 2pm today, my mum received letter containing bullet with a letter threatening to murder me. This is really a despicable and shameful act," he tweeted. The Taiping MP said he would lodge a police report over the matter soon. "This is too much," he said in his second tweet on the incident. |
| Anwar to tour M’sia ahead of sodomy verdict Posted: 27 Dec 2011 06:59 PM PST While optimistic of walking free, Anwar says that he is ready to accept the worst. (AFP) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today said he will tour the country to declare his innocence ahead of the verdict in a sodomy trial he says was cooked up to bar him from coming polls. Anwar, who heads the PKR and is the figurehead for a strengthening opposition alliance, will visit nine states in the whirlwind six-day tour beginning Jan 3, he said. The verdict is set for Jan 9. "A lot of people pray that I should be acquitted. I will reiterate my innocence during the tour," Anwar, 64, told AFP. Anwar, who was once heir-apparent to former strongman prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has been fighting charges that he sodomised a former political aide in June 2008. The accusations emerged shortly after Anwar led the opposition to unprecedented gains in parliamentary polls against the ruling coalition that has governed the country for five decades. Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Anwar faces up to 20 years in prison. Anwar added the timing of the trip was motivated in part by concerns that he would be found guilty and jailed after a trial he slams as a smear campaign aimed at ruining his political career. While "optimistic" of walking free, Anwar added that he was "a political realist" and "ready to accept the worst." "These are trumped-up charges. It is another coincidence that the verdict comes so close to elections. The aim is to deny me the chance to participate in the elections," he said. Fresh elections are due next year but Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has hinted he may call them sooner. Najib denies any involvement in the case.
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| UBF ‘agrees’ to back ABU Posted: 27 Dec 2011 06:41 PM PST The Borneo Alliance (UBA) is unlikely to support Pakatan Rakyat, prefering to throw its support behind Sabah based parties (Free Malaysia Today) - The organisors and sponsors of peninsular-based the 'Anything But Umno' (ABU) movement, which is calling for the removal of Umno in the next election, are seeking partners in East Malaysia. Leading civil advocate, Haris Ibrahim, yesterday flew to the Federal Territory of Labuan, defying the Sabah government's "persona non grata" order slapped on him recently, to hold talks with Sabah political activists led by Daniel John Jambun. Jambun said they held a series of talks with Haris and that he (Jambun) would report back to two major stakeholders in Sabah's current opposition front – the United Borneo Front (UBF) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) – on what transpired at the meeting. "We agreed in principle to support this ABU campaign because Umno has shown that it has been making decisions and policies against Sabahans and Sarawakians in the past 48 years we are in this Federation. "The very fact that both Sabah and Sarawak are the poorest states now speak volumes of what (the) Umno-led Barisan Nasional had done to our gas and oil resources. "So we agree that Umno must go in this coming general election," said Jambun who is considered among the most senior leaders in UBF, and possibly also in the reactivated State Reform Party (Star). Also at the meeting were Sabah activists Michael Liew and famed local rap singer turned activist, Atama.
UBA won't back Pakatan Haris, who was barred from entering Sabah as well as Sarawak after he was deemed a "threat to security", beat the order by entering Labuan, a former Sabah free port that was ceded by Sabah to the federal government and made a federal territory in 1984. He said that though he faced no problem disembarking, police officers took photographs of him when he arrived. The ABU campaign in East Malaysia will be known as UBA or United Borneo Alliance. While ABU organisors in the peninsular are set to back Pakatan Rakyat, state opposition leaders in East Malaysia, especially Sabah, are however backing state-based parties. Jambun said Haris understood the Borneo Agenda sensitivities and acknowledged that Pakatan in Sabah would face an uphill task to ensure a one-to-one fight with BN in all state seats. READ MORE HERE |
| Poison pen letter on Nurul Izzah circulating Posted: 27 Dec 2011 06:33 PM PST 
A poison pen letter targeted at Nurul Izzah Anwar is currently being widely circulated. It is believed that Azmin Ali is behind this letter in an effort to discredit Nurul Izzah whom he views as a stumbling block to his political career. Many expect open warfare between Nurul Izzah and Azmin Ali to soon erupt with Anwar throwing his support behind Azmin Ali. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin SURAT TERBUKA KEPADA PARA REFORMIS DAN ANGGOTA PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT
Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan anggota PKR yang dihormati,
JANGAN BENARKAN NURUL IZZAH BAWA ZAID IBRAHIM SERTAI PKR SEMULA! Telah menjadi rahsia umum bahawa Naib Presiden PKR Nurul Izzah Anwar mempunyai hubungan akrab dengan Presiden Parti KITA Zaid Ibrahim. Dalam sesi pemilihan PKR 2010 yang lalu, Nurul Izzah dan Zaid dilihat telah mengatur beberapa gerak kerja dalam PKR khususnya untuk kempen politik mereka. Namun, hanya Izzah yang berjaya menduduki kerusi Naib Presiden sementara Zaid kalah kepada musuh ketat politik beliau, Azmin Ali.
Hubungan rapat Nurul Izzah dan Zaid tetap berlanjutan hingga ke hari ini biarpun selesai pemilihan 2010 dan Zaid dengan penuh dendam telah bertindak mengkhianati PKR dan menubuhkan parti KITA. Penubuhan KITA tidak dilihat sebagai masalah kepada Nurul Izzah yang masih terus dan kerap mengadakan pertemuan dengan Zaid. Hubungan politik mereka diaturkan oleh Setiausaha Politik Nurul Izzah, Fahmi Fadzil yang merupakan bekas hos rancangan Fairly Current Show di bawah produksi Ezra Zaid iaitu anak Zaid Ibrahim. Fahmi dan Ezra adalah kawan baik yang menjadi agen dalam mencatur agenda politik Nurul Izzah dan Zaid.
Maka tidak mengejutkan menjelang pilihanraya umum akan datang, Zaid yang sebelum ini galak menyerang PKR, kini dilihat kembali berlembut dengan PKR sehingga tanpa segan silu berani menawarkan diri untuk bertanding di kawasan Parlimen Petaling Jaya Selatan yang kini dipegang oleh YB Hee Loy San. Menurut beberapa sumber dalaman dari Parti KITA, Nurul Izzah dan beberapa orang pimpinan PKR yang lain telah bersetuju melobi Zaid untuk bertanding menggunakan tiket PKR atau PAS. Hal ini menyebabkan Zaid telah mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa KITA tidak akan bertanding di mana-mana kawasan sekiranya menjejaskan peluang Pakatan Rakyat.
Pastinya Zaid yakin dengan kemampuan Nurul Izzah untuk mengaturkan peluang bagi dirinya bertanding menggunakan tiket PKR dan platform Pakatan Rakyat. Sebagai Naib Presiden paling kanan dalam PKR dan anak kepada Anwar Ibrahim, Nurul Izzah pastinya mampu memanipulasi ayahnya dan setidak-tidaknya dapat membuka ruang buat Zaid menyertai PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat semula.
Saya menyeru tuan-tuan dan puan-puan anggota dan pendukung PKR seluruhnya supaya mengambil perhatian serius berhubung perkembangan ini. Ingatlah siapa Zaid Ibrahim, yang dahulunya pernah mencaci dan menghina kepimpinan PKR termasuk mengaibkan Anwar Ibrahim sebagai "pemimpin yang bermasalah dan tidak layak menjadi Perdana Menteri" dan juga pernah melabel mantan Timbalan Presiden Dr Syed Husin Ali sebagai "si tua nyanyuk".
Perlu diingatkan bahawa ketika mana parti sedang berdepan dengan kemungkinan akan kehilangan Anwar Ibrahim, pastinya ada anasir jahat dari luar yang tidak akan berhenti dari memecahbelahkan parti. Jangan kita benarkan seorang lagi 'Hasan Ali' muncul di dalam PKR. Nurul Izzah perlu sedar bahawa status beliau sebagai anak kepada Anwar Ibrahim tidak semestinya akan merestui semua tindakan politiknya. Keutuhan parti perlu dipertahankan. Jangan benarkan Nurul Izzah membawa Zaid Ibrahim kembali ke dalam PKR!
REFORMASI!!!
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| We shall remember and we shan’t forget Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:35 PM PST rights2write (R2W) My mother suffered tremendously after my father who had served in the Military died in May 1978. Money was extremely tight and at times she had to beg for rice to feed the kids. She never went to school, sickly and could not get a job and we were dependent on Armed Forces pension of RM145 per month. Every other week my mother would ask me to write to Mindef seeking assistance but other than a courteous reply from the service chief no help ever came. We almost gave up and my mother ask me to write one last time to Mahathir when he became the PM. Few weeks later, Military Officers came to my house and 2 months later my mother pension was revised to RM350 and it was backdated to the day my father died. Cut the story short, my mother was ever grateful till today and anyone who wants to say anything bad about Tun M, will get an earful from my mother. She keeps telling us that we shall remember. Yesterday, the 211 families who are VICTIMS of Ukay Bistari whom could not longer wait for their house decided to take laws into their own hands. They took the keys from the developer office and broke down the fence. While all this was happening under the watchful eyes of the media and the police, we negotiated with the management. In the end, the developer agreed to give the keys provided due process were followed. The buyers followed the committee advice and keys were returned to the developers. Within the next few hours key were released to the purchasers in an orderly fashion. Some family wept openly upon getting their keys. It has been 9 years. Despite using the hot and cold approach, we finally got the MHLG to complete the project. It is still progressing. In January we hope 400 families will get their houses and the rest by March or April. All this happens because we got help from the Minister of Housing. He was approachable and always accommodating whenever we sought his time. His officers were equally supportive. Special mention should go Esther, Hafiz and Ir. Lai. READ MORE HERE |
| Disappointing ‘performance’ by politicians Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:25 PM PST Stephanie Ste Maria, WikiSabah
A lecturer from the Monash University rated our politicians' performance in 2011 at 59 points which he said was one mark below a Credit in the university's examination system. This piece was originally intended as a salute to parliamentarians who in the past year have given Malaysians a good enough reason to root for their survival in the 13th general election pipped to be held in the first quarter of 2012. These individuals would be those who have tirelessly chased down both high profile as well as bread and butter issues. Those who tossed out ideas, opinions and recommendations that were startling in their boldness but instrumental in setting the nation on the right track. Those who strode into raging rivers of controversy to stand beside the people even if it sometimes meant standing opposite their party leaders. And those who bravely hoisted the people's call and hope for change upon their shoulders. With 222 parliamentary seats political observers shouldn't have been hard pressed to name a decent number of political beacons across both camps. This is especially so considering the year's events and the politicians who were exalted by the public for the above mentioned traits. And yet two political observers approached by FMT were adamant that not a single politician this year had given a performance worthy enough of a re-admission into Parliament after the next general election. 'Incapable politicians' Khoo Kay Peng was unforgiving in his assessment of both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat of having dodged critical issues to indulge in superficial ones. "What the people really need to know is the state of our economy, a potential second dip, the outflow of illegal funds and our global competitiveness," he said. "Instead politicians are assuring us that all is well." These glib words have infuriated Khoo who warned that Malaysians are more concerned today about the state of the nation than that of political parties. "Our politicians are oblivious…When they awake in the morning their first thought is about who will win the next general election. They don't think about how to bring the country forward," he added. Khoo also observed that Malaysia is moving towards a socialist state through the manner in which politicians chose to resolve national dilemmas by stuffing money into the widening gaps. "A new generation of urban poor has emerged but you won't find it in the government's flimsy data. "Ultimately our politicians are incapable of solving the country's real issues. It's hilarious, really, " he said. Below average performance James Chin of Monash University was kinder in passing judgement saying that no event stood out enough this year to challenge the politicians' mettle. Calling 2011 a "holding pattern year" he pointed out that Umno was still playing the racial card while Pakatan had its sodomy and Islamic state soundtracks on repeat. "Bersih 2.0 was significant but overall it didn't make a strong impact as it was about civil society pushing for change. "At the end of the day it doesn't matter who people want to see win the next general election. "It will all boil down to the one winner for each camp who will either be (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun Razak) or (opposition leader) Anwar (Ibrahim). Those are the only two we need to watch for," said Chin. His colleague, Wong Chin Huat, meanwhile rated politicians' performance at 59 points which he said was one mark below a Credit in the university's system. "On one hand we have the ruling party's arrogance in pushing controversial views," he stated. "On the other we have an opposition that isn't up to par because it is too focused on the destination instead of the journey." READ MORE HERE |
| Ex-CID Chief urges police to zero In on Jamil Khir for ‘zakat abuse’ Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:20 PM PST (Malaysian Digest) - Former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim today called on his former police colleagues to be consistent by investigating Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and two others for allegedly abusing zakat funds. In a letter written to the Inspector-General of Police, Mat Zain had asked the police force to conduct the investigation on the alleged misappropriation of zakat funds with the same vigor they had shown in pursuing a tithe collector for the same offence recently. The letter also said that Johor police had taken pains to investigate and locate Reduan Mohd Said including publishing his photograph in newspapers for misappropriating RM19,510 in zakat money. "Kuala Lumpur Police should also take the same action in the misappropriation of RM32,150 in zakat money by Jamil, Datuk Che Mat Che Ali and Shamsuddin Hussain," he wrote, referring to the minister in the prime minister's department, the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) director and chief prosecutor respectively.
Yesterday, Mat Zain had said the three suspects should face legal action for using zakat funds to settle personal legal fees last year as recorded in the Auditor-General's report for 2010.
According to audit report, Jamil, Che Mat and Shamsudin had withdrawn RM63,650 from the council's zakat fund to settle their legal costs. The costs were incurred when Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim named the trio as respondents in his qazaf application.
The report, however, also revealed that the sum was repaid to the fund after the council received a RM700,000 grant from the government in June 2010 as part of its general resources allocation.
But, citing legal provisions, Mat Zain insisted the trio had committed misappropriation of property under Section 403 of the Penal Code and should be punished accordingly.
He also cited Section 409B of the Penal Code, which states that if any offence prescribed in Section 403 and 404 is proven, "it shall be presumed that he had acted dishonestly until the contrary is proved".
Mat Zain, who also copied the email to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, noted that Reduan had surrendered himself to the police after his photograph was shown on television and in newspapers.
"I believe Reduan surrendered to the police because he was ashamed and disgraced.
"With this example, we wait to see if Jamil Khir, Che Mat and Shamsuddin will also take the 'gentlemen's way like Reduan, by surrendering themselves and facing the allegations. Or will they challenge the law and al-Quran?" he said. |
| No gag order, but no fodder for BN media Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:14 PM PST DAP rejects MCA's allegations as it tries to contain the damage from the Karpal-Ramasamy spat. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP has denied that it has issued a gag order on members or that it is trying to cover up malpractices, as alleged by MCA figures in their comments on the current quarrel between party chairman Karpal Singh and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy. DAP information chief Tony Pua said today that members had merely been advised against making public comments on the spat, adding that this was to prevent the pro-BN media from blowing it out of proportion. The allegation about a gag order and a cover-up attempt has come mainly from Penang MCA Secretary Lau Chiek Tuan and the party's national organising secretary, Tee Siew Kiong. They said it was typical of the opposition parties to resort to those measures when negative developments surfaced. The Karpal-Ramasamy spat took a new turn on Thursday when the Star, which is owned by MCA, quoted Ramasamy as saying that there was a plot to topple him. According to the paper, Ramasamy, referring to DAP grassroots leaders and hinting at corrupt practices, said: "I think you would be astounded if I relate to you some of their demands." Zeroing on this, MCA said it was possible the spat involved graft and other criminal offences. DAP has not announced a gag order, but the panel it has formed to resolve the spat has said the party would solve internal problems using internal channels. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘ANYTHING BUT UMNO’ in East Malaysia too? Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:09 PM PST By : DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN, SABAHKINI
STATE activists that want change in the way the Federal Government treat Sabah and Sarawak had in principle agreed to support the Peninsular-based ABU or 'Anything But UMNO' movement that called for the downfall of UMNO in the next election. We have held series of talks with one of ABU leading leaders, lawyer-activist Haris Ibrahim who flew to the Federal Territory of Labuan yesterday, in defiance of Sabah's 'persona non grata' order slapped against him recently. However more are to be refined by the two major stakeholders in Sabah's current opposition front, the United Borneo Front (UBF) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), and i shall be reporting to them to get a good judgement on what transpired in our meeting with Haris. We agreed in principle to support this ABU campaign because UMNO has shown that it has been meting bad decisions and policies against Sabahans and Sarawakians in the past 48 years we are in this Federation. The very fact that both Sabah and Sarawak are the poorest states now speak volumes of what UMNO-led Barisan Nasional had done to our gas and oil resources. So we agree that UMNO must go at this coming general election. It is understood that also in the meeting were Sabah activists Michael Liew and Kanul Gindol but the latter left early and did not join another meeting in the evening. Local singer-activist Atama was also in attendance. Haris was barred from entering Sabah, as well as Sarawak before, as the state authority deemed him to be a threat to its own security. Haris was however not stopped in Labuan though he said there were special branch officers taking pictures of him at the airport here when he arrived. At this moment we might have a slight refinement on the name ABU for East Malaysia. Some of us had wanted 'UBA' which could mean 'change' but also stands for United Borneo Alliance to underline that we wanted a restoration of the way the Federal Government treats us as equal partners and not wanting us more and more just as mere subservient to the majority party in Peninsular. So, it is not just 'anything but UMNO' but we want a real change, a restoration of the special rights and position of Sabah and Sarawak within the Federation, this including our autonomy power.READ MORE HERE |
| MCA: Gag order reveals hypocrisy Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:04 PM PST When taxpayer's money are at stake, Perak MCA leader Tan Chin Meng says Pakatan will impose another gag order. (Free Malaysia Today) - The gag order imposed by DAP on its internal squabbles reveals the party's hypocrisy, said Perak MCA secretary Tan Chin Meng. He cited the gag order issued by party stalwart Lim Kit Siang on DAP vice chairman M Kulasegaran after he gave the party's Perak secretary Nga Kor Ming a dressing down over his alleged abuse of power. Nga, who is MP for Taiping, came under fire when an Umno blog claimed his wife's company, Ethan and Elton Sdn Bhd, was awarded the tender to tailor lounge suits for Ipoh city councillors when Pakatan Rakyat was in power in Perak. The award was given despite the company having charged the highest price for the suits. Rivals also pointed to the fact that the company was registered with the Companies Commission Malaysia barely 42 days after Pakatan formed the state government. Nga, who is considered one of Lim's blue-eyed boys, denied any wrongdoing and said the contract was awarded via an open tender process. Lim was forced to intervene when Kulasegaran, who openly rebuked and demanded en explanation from the Taiping MP, saying the matter was internal. "When taxpayers funds are at stake, another gag order is the standard order of the day from Pakatan," commented Tan on the matter. The MCA leader also pointed to the ongoing public spat between DAP chairman Karpal Singh and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy. While the differences between the two were purportedly resolved, Tan said the three-men panel comprising DAP life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin, advisor Lim and his son, secretary general Guan Eng, failed to launch an internal probe the into allegations of cronyism against Ramasamy. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Najib did not challenge my forecast’ Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:01 PM PST An economic programme that fails to substantially improve the income of the majority while actually increasing the number of the poorest citizens is scandalous, says Anwar Ibrahim. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim shrugged off the Najib administration's criticism of his income gap forecast. The former deputy prime minister and finance minister had warned that the Najib's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) would widen the income gap and benefit only the rich at the expense of the poor. Come 2020, he noted, seven to 8.3 million Malaysian citizens would be earning less than RM1,500 monthly and would be consigned to the urban poor category. This represented 51% of the nation's workforce in 2020, as compared to 56% for 2009 which is a dismal increase of 5%, he added. "For all the fanfare and self-serving publicity extravaganza that came with the ETP unveiling, this indeed is a serious let down for the people. "Prime Minister Najib (Tun Razak) has failed to challenge my analysis that the ratio of wages to the Gross National Income will shrink," said Anwar in a statement. Anwar also questioned the Najib government's projected annual income growth of 3.6% from 2010 to 2020. Based on his research, the income growth in the said period would only increase by 2.6%, a depressing figure considering the rate of increasing cost of living would "far exceed" the wage increment percentage. He added that a Labour Market Survey of 2009 involving 24,000 employers and 1.3 million workers showed that 33.8% of these workers earned less than RM700 monthly. Extrapolated against the nation's entire workforce, it would tantamount to 34% being below the poverty line, argued the Permatang Pauh MP. "The projected figure of 3.6% is therefore not only marginal but misleading in that it fails to show the increase in real wages which is a standard indicator of economic growth. "Additionally, the projection that inflation will be around 2.8% annually till 2020 is also unrealistic considering that the inflation rate for the last 12 months has been constantly above 3%," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| Chegubard: Enemies within PKR behind fake Twitter account Posted: 27 Dec 2011 03:35 PM PST (Malaysian Digest) - PKR leader Badrul Hisham Shahrin who was detained by police yesterday over allegedly seditious posts on what he claims is a "fake" Twitter account suspects that the act was the work of his adversaries from within the party. "This AMK Rembau account existed since the party polls, and is managed by those who want to malign me. This is the type of nasty political strategy which exists within PKR," he said. There is no Twitter account by the name AMK Rembau, reportedly, although a search for the account on Twitter returned one result – an account called Umno Baru.
Badrul, who lost in his bid for Youth chief to incumbent Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, added that there is also a fake account on the social networking site Facebook.
"Many issues from the party polls have yet to be resolved, so the strategy is to use the fake accounts... I don't have time to entertain such dirty internal political games. I hardly have enough time for myself," said Badrul who had been freed on police bail after a police report was lodged in Ampang by Umno over a Twitter account with the name AMK Rembau.
The AMK Rembau purportedly posted tweets that maligned the royal institution.
"I insisted that the AMK Rembau account has nothing to do with the PKR Youth division but police confiscated my Blackberry smartphone and tried to find my laptop computer and the division's computer," he posted on his own Twitter account last night.
Badrul, a Rembau-based Youth leader popularly known as Chegubard, said that the "fake" account was already in operation during PKR's heated party polls last year.
Rembau PKR Youth chief Md Sani Mohd Shah has reiterated that his division has no links to the AMK Rembau account.
"I am certain that this account was used to confuse the public by showing our division in bad light. The user has been observed making lewd comments and making all sorts of inappropriate statements," he said in a press statement.
Md Sani said the Rembau PKR Youth division rejects the use of "this evil tactic" and warned those behind the AMK Rembau account to "stop their dirty politics".
"You have won in the party polls, so do the work. Don't blame Chegubard and his friends if you have failed to do so," he said.
Md Sani also called for claims of rigging in the party's internal polls to be investigated by party authorities.
"We have been patient for very long for the sake of the party but we are constantly demonized. Are we traitors because we spoke out over irregularities within the party polls?" he asked.
Badrul had during the party polls written to party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to probe into over claims of vote rigging, involving her de facto party leader husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. |
| ‘PKR will collapse under Azmin’ Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:11 PM PST A pro-Umno blogger predicts doomsday for the opposition party if Azmin Ali becomes the president. (Free Malaysia Today) - PKR will be doomed once its deputy president Azmin Ali takes over the top post, predicted pro-Umno blogger Anuar Mohd Nor. In a posting on his blog umno-reform2.com, Anuar said Azmin controlled party supremo Anwar Ibrahim and the latter controlled the former, "so PKR is controlled by Anwar and Azmin". He advised Umno not to make any mistakes with regard to attacking PKR or engineering its downfall as the party would self-destruct when Azmin is given the reins. Citing Batu MP and PKR vice-president Tian Chua, he said: "Once branded as a great reformist who stuck to his principles, he now prostrates before Azmin in worship." Anuar also blamed Azmin for Badrul Hisham Shaharin's defeat for the PKR Youth chief post and the wing's weakness. He also claimed that Azmin's hold on the party was growing and Anwar silences the issue by playing up the reformasi agenda among PKR members to retain their support. READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan kept intact by sense of history and destiny Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:08 PM PST Contrary to Umno's wishful thinking, the opposition pact is much more than just a marriage of convenience The BN cannot win even a single Chinese-majority seat. Only the opposition matters in such seats, and doubly so if Indian and Chinese voters are treated as one voting block. DAP can easily end up as the party with the largest number of seats in Parliament. Joe Fernandez, Free Malaysia Today Most of us have become tired of hearing from Pakatan Rakyat detractors that the opposition alliance is a marriage of convenience, an unholy pact motivated solely by a common hatred of Umno, but Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak keeps singing the same tune—and ever more loudly these days. According to this theory, the marriage will not last; the pact will fall apart immediately after the next general election. It is a theory based mostly on wishful thinking and urged on by hype. And Najib, as everyone would have noticed by now, is one man who believes in hype. So he keeps on singing his signature tune, at a higher and higher pitch. If it is true that Pakatan will fall apart, he should have nothing to worry out, and does not have to sing himself hoarse. Obviously, he has yet to convince himself that he is right. If there is one factor that will keep parties together in a coalition, it is the common fear of losing power. This has been amply demonstrated by Barisan Nasional over the last 50 years or more despite there being a great deal of unhappiness within the coalition with Umno's disproportionate share of the spoils of office and power. The Pakatan parties will be no different on that score as demonstrated by their ability to hang on to power in the states now under their control. Umno's best efforts, after Perak, were not good enough to sow the seeds of division in the opposition pact. All that the hard work has yielded are a few defections to the BN-friendly camp. And this is not so surprising, given the "every man has his price" measuring rod worked out by the Special Branch for Umno. What is keeping Pakatan together is a profound sense of history and manifest destiny. All ruling parties bite the dust sooner or later, and it will be poetic justice indeed to see Mahathir Mohamad, Najib & Co jostle with each other in a mad scramble to leave the country and avoid counting the bars for the rest of their days. Umno's day of reckoning is coming sooner rather than later and the opposition alliance is geared for that challenge. They believe—and there is no reason why they should not—that they will be in Putrajaya as surely as the sun will rise in the east tomorrow. Umno, having outstayed its welcome, is not the only factor motivating and driving the opposition and giving it a sense of history and manifest destiny. But one cannot deny that this is the main factor. Adding to the worry of the Umno warlords, Umnoputras and the various varieties of sycophants and hangers-on is the fact that the party can no longer rely on political detention as a weapon to drag out its days in power. The result of the opposition leaders cooling their heels in prison under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) has often been complete disruption of any organised opposition to the ruling party. In effect, the ruling party has all these years been returned to power by default as much as by massive electoral fraud. READ MORE HERE |
| DPM orders internal probe into aide Posted: 27 Dec 2011 10:35 AM PST (The Star) - Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has ordered his office to probe allegations that one of his aides received bribes. Muhyiddin said he had read about the allegation on a blog, adding he would let his office investigate the matter first. "No, I am not aware, except what I read in the blog. I will look into this and whatever is said to be linked to me, I will look into. "Until then I will will not comment further," he said, when asked by reporters about the matter during an event at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) at Puncak Alam here yesterday. The posting on the blog had alleged that one of his aides had received bribes of more than RM100,000. The blog had also alleged that aides to the Prime Minister and a deputy minister had also received bribes. The allegations, posted by the blogger on Dec 15, suggested that one of Muhyiddin's aides had been receiving "a steady contribution" from a company amounting to about RM160,000 since early last year. In the same blog post, which is the second part of a series titled Corruption within Corruption, the blogger also alleged that an aide to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had also been receiving such "contributions". Last month, the blogger also claimed that a deputy minister had been receiving bribes. The anonymous blogger describes himself as "an ordinary Joe, with flaws of a human being" and interested in reading, researching and travelling. |
| DAP courts Umno veterans to blunt anti-Malay attacks Posted: 27 Dec 2011 10:31 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - DAP has approached several Malay figures including at least two Umno veterans in a bid to reverse eroding support from the community after repeated accusations of being anti-Malay from the ruling party. The Malaysian Insider understands that influential bloggers Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz, who is also former Pulau Manis assemblyman and Aspan Alias, a Negri Sembilan Umno veteran, have been invited by DAP to join its ranks, with a view to contest in the next general elections. Mohd Ariff's blogging pseudonym is Sakmongkol AK47. DAP Youth chief Anthony Loke, who is informally tasked with increasing Malay support along with strategists Liew Chin Tong and Zairil Khir Johari, confirmed the duo have been approached to join the party. "We approached them but no decision has been made. But there is no condition that they must run in elections. That is a secondary concern," the Rasah MP said when contacted. Loke added that for now, the party was happy that both veterans have been publicly critical of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) in their blog postings. Both attended a social media convention called "Friends of Penang" organised by Zairil two weekends ago. "We want to reach out to influential people on social media. But we are not building a cybertrooper army. Unlike Umno, we can't pay and friends can't be bought," he said but refused to comment on whether the two would be joining the party. Zairil, son of Umno's former Education Minister Tan Sri Khir Johari, was himself recruited as secretary general Lim Guan Eng's political secretary early this year in what was widely seen as a move to burnish the mainly Chinese DAP's multiracial credentials. But DAP and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders admitted in a recent report by The Malaysian Insider that Umno's attacks have hurt the opposition's Malay support base. The Malaysian Insider also reported in October that a survey commissioned by DAP showed Malay support in Penang, where it leads the state government, has dipped to 30 per cent, down from nearly 50 per cent just a few months after Lim took office as chief minister in 2008. Umno has repeatedly accused PR, especially DAP, of being anti-Malay, most recently when at its general assembly where several delegates and leaders including deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin said the opposition was anti-Malay, anti-Islam, agents of Christianisation and disrespectful to Malay rulers. Umno's newspaper Utusan Malaysia also claimed earlier this year that DAP had conspired with the Church to turn Malaysia into a Christian state. READ MORE HERE |
| Malay Rights v Special Position Posted: 27 Dec 2011 08:20 AM PST In this last week of 2011, we will be re-publishing selected stories carried in FMT throughout this year. We find that these stories still remain relevant in the present context. Critics accuse the Umno-led regime of spending millions of ringgit on decorative rhetoric and ceremonial reforms without making any real effort towards substantive institutional changes that would bring about compliance with democratic principles and respect for human rights and needs. Stanley Koh, Free Malaysia Today This story was posted on Jan 9, 2011, reminding the nation's leaders the warnings that the late Ghazali Shafie gave 10 years ago. We think it is still worth reminding our leaders the warnings. "There are no Malay rights since our Constitution holds dear that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law without discrimination on the basis of race and religion." That was what the late Ghazali Shafie said in a speech at the National Unity Convention in May 2001. He continued: "What perhaps has come to be regarded as special rights is the special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak under Article 153 (of the Federal Constitution). The change from 'position' to 'rights' is frightening. Who did that, I wonder? "In a plural society like ours, if the leadership was not bold and sincere enough to take corrective measures so that there would be a level playing field, then the situation would indeed be bleak and our society would be a playground for those who wish us ill." Born in Kuala Lipis, Ghazali was 88 at the time of his death in January 2010. He had a distinguished career in politics and government. Many bigots, opportunists and self-serving leaders of today will probably dismiss those remarks on the New Economic Policy as just one man's opinion. If they are ignorant of history, they may even question his authority. If Ghazali were alive and facing these critics, he would probably reply in these words, which were part of the speech at the 2001 convention: "It was Tun Abdul Razak who asked me to devise the NEP after being inspired by Rukunegara. "The NEP was the fruit of consultations among the various races in the Consultative Committee and later Parliament, who agreed to the corrective measures by invoking affirmative action." Distortions and misinterpretations In explaining affirmative action, he paraphrased Tun Abdul Razak, who likened it to the handicap system in golf, "so that," he said, "everyone could play together on a level playing field." He added: "Almost ad nauseam, it was explained that the NEP was not to make the Malay community rich but to change vocations through affirmative action. To acquire riches is the privilege of any individual and it would be contrary to the Rukunegara if the only aim was to make the Malays rich." When he spoke those words, the greed for riches through the NEP had long taken root. Distortions and misinterpretations of the policy had already divided the nation, and our so-called leaders tossed around the word "unity" only when elections were near, and they still do so today. But unity, if we take it seriously, is indeed the key to resolving the profound problems that the nation faces. Is "1Malaysia" a call for such unity? Many Malaysians do not think so. They believe instead that it is a red herring meant to deflect attention from the continuation of discriminatory policies. The thinking public does not buy all the hype about 1Malaysia that BN is pushing through the media organisations it controls. It remains an empty and meaningless slogan. And, as if oblivious of what the public is saying, 1Malaysia has become a favourite catchword among BN politicians. They tag the slogan to everything, like a chef sprinkling salt in every dish. Do they really think that Malaysians are stupid enough to believe that mere rhetoric can charm them out of their dissatisfactions? READ MORE HERE |
| Election guessing game again Posted: 27 Dec 2011 08:17 AM PST In our political system, the government, federal or state, may dissolve the state assemblies or Parliament at any time to allow it to go back to the voters and put its fate in the hands of the people it claims to represent. One calls elections when it is beneficial or advantageous to do so. This is true for both state governments and Federal Government. By Zainul Arifin Md Isa, New Straits Times THE year that is ending can be remembered for a lot of things, but one that is rather significant is that, less than a week to 2012, there is not going to be a general election this year despite what we have read and heard these past 12 months. Political observers, analysts or pundits with a blog or a website or allocated some column centimetres in newspapers must have collectively put in millions of words on why the general election would have been held in the first, or second, or third or fourth quarter of the year. Some were so sure of their information that one could not be faulted for thinking that these guys were printing election posters on the side. Alas, they did not have access to the prime minister's thinking. All else, as they say, is speculation.Yet, we lapped them all up because we love the idea of an election. Also we have been living in such a politically intense environment that we would not be wrong to conclude that an election would just be something the doctor ordered to cure us of all our ills.
We did have the Sarawak election, which Barisan Nasional won handily except for urban centres where the largely Chinese voters threw their support behind DAP. Now analysts, observers and pundits are saying elections would be in the first quarter, just after the Chinese New Year, or early in the second quarter, next year. Many reasons were given, including the uncertainty in the global economy, and the seemingly stronger BN now.
Well, if they keep it up, they will get it right, sooner or later. The thing about the general election is that the opposition seems to be the most keen to have it early. Since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak assumed the premiership, they have been talking up the possibility of snap elections. They may have argued the need for Najib to get a fresh mandate, but surely their interest in early polls was to ride on the momentum of their March 2008 performance. They also assumed, not without basis, that BN was hurting and shell-shocked from the outcome of the 12th general election.
A young opposition member of parliament on the radio early this year suggested that Najib should have called the election already. The reason? I am not so sure. I suppose she liked elections. I believe, ideally, a full five-year term would be good. At least we would make sure we do not spend too much on elections. Technically, Najib need not be rushed into calling one. He has until March 2013 before the current term lapses, and beyond that, another six months to dissolve Parliament and call for elections. If he wants to, the prime minister could make the anticipation of the election a grind for those keen on having it early.
If he delays, the government would presumably be stronger, especially with its transformation and economic plans coming to fruition one by one. The BN coalition, with member parties almost suffering from a crisis of confidence post-March 2008, is now stronger. At the same time, in the opposition grouping, held together by a band aid of common purpose, there is now some disquiet within the ranks. There have been flare-ups between parties, as well as internally. But to their credit, they have managed to put forth a bold, united public face.
After their surprise performance in 2008, the opposition's mission was to oust the present government and form its own in Putrajaya. However now, in private, the script has changed -- their mission is to keep denying BN its two-thirds majority. DAP and Pas, for instance, seem more interested in increasing their seats and retaining the states they control. Parti Keadilan Rakyat, on the other hand, looks more like a one-trick pony consumed by the travails of its supreme leader. The conventional wisdom would suggest that the longer it takes to have the elections, the worse it would get for them. For the government, presumably, it would get better.
The joker in the pack is, of course, the global economy. Troubles in the eurozone countries would have major consequences for the global economy, and as a major trading nation, Malaysia could be affected significantly. Thus, before that happens, Najib may need to call a general election soon. Well, that's my analysis and punditry, not too original, I am afraid. Interestingly, the euphoria for a general election is not replicated in the states governed by either PKR, DAP or Pas.
The chief minister of Penang and menteris besar of Selangor, Kelantan and Kedah have suggested that they may not be too keen to follow the federal route and dissolve their respective state assemblies together with Putrajaya. So what gives? Najib is afraid and worried for not calling the general election quickly, but they are being strategic for not wanting to hold their state elections at the same time? If BN is stalling and clinging to power, what about them then? At the end of the day, they must have found out that governing is another kettle of fish altogether. In our political system, the government, federal or state, may dissolve the state assemblies or Parliament at any time to allow it to go back to the voters and put its fate in the hands of the people it claims to represent. One calls elections when it is beneficial or advantageous to do so. This is true for both state governments and Federal Government.
Maybe the general election will be next year, sooner rather than later, or so say the pundits and analysts. Let us just hope that all the states, except Sarawak, would have their elections at the same time, too. If nothing else it will spare us of endless, excessive politicking.
Happy New Year. |
| PAS must purge Hasan Ali quickly Posted: 27 Dec 2011 08:14 AM PST Perceiving himself as 'important' PAS' Hasan Ali is an 'accident waiting to happen' because he has always done things with the hope of catching Umno's eye. He does not understand that there is a fine line between holding on to your principles because you genuinely believe in the rightness of your cause and the holding on to your 'principles' because it serves your vested interest to do so. CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today The question of how Islam as the purist knows it, and democracy as we know it, would be able to work in harmony, is one of PAS' perennial 'problems'. The practical aspects of making Muslim democracy work within the framework of Pakatan Rakyat is critical to the coalition's internal cohesiveness and by extension the coalition's ability to govern effectively should it have electoral success in the 13th general election. This is a work in progress between PAS, DAP and PKR. Although amongst a coalition of friends who are desirous of accommodating each other's nuances, there is still conflict over PAS' inherent conservatism, the uncertainty of Anwar Ibrahim's future within PKR and the cloud of perceived 'racial overtones' hanging over DAP (however undeserved it may be!) PAS' ageing but wise leadership chose to confront the opposing progressive and conservatism factions within PAS by courageously throwing themselves into the lion's den at the 57th PAS Muktamar in June this year. Where Umno and MCA choose to postpone party elections until after the general election for fear that it would adversely polarize opposing factions within their parties, PAS looked upon its party elections as an opportunity for PAS to announce its emergence as a partner within Pakatan in every sense of the word. The 57th PAS Muktamar confirmed the party's commitment to democratic principles. It allowed activists within PAS – the ulama and the progressive – to go head to head in an overt display of democracy at work. The progressive won and in so doing made PAS's engagement in national politics relevant within the Pakatan Rakyat democratic framework. Can PAS be a tolerant government? In so doing PAS demonstrated its commitment to reform while Umno remains locked in the all encompassing limitations of race, religion and the stifling and domineering control of its ageing first tier leaders or warlords whose priorities was and still is, the getting of power and the accumulation of material wealth. Can PAS govern tolerantly across community? PAS wants to build a welfare state where our basic needs of food, shelter, education, health and religious faith are intertwined. The rakyat will be empowered towards achieving these ideals within the constrains of government and the financial limitations that our country has – an inclusiveness that transcends race and religion. Those who now lead PAS are in tune with Pakatan's ideals and policies. PAS has now evolved into what Pakatan and we expect of those that are within the Pakatan coalition. Invariably within these parameters there are those in and outside PAS that find fertile ground for assent and dissent. The Hasan Ali and Nasharuddin Mat Isa issue is one that will test PAS' resolve for dissent within its ranks. It must be emphasized that we are privy to only what is in the public domain and whatever comment I make will be within these constrains. Nasharuddin lost the deputy president post to Mat Sabu because Mat Sabu represented the direction that PAS members wanted the party to take in the lead up to the 13th general election. This much is clear at face value. Is Hasan Ali an honorable man? Nasharuddin has categorically stated that he will stay within PAS and in so doing, I would presume that he would abide by the wisdom within PAS and subject himself to its 'guidance' and 'instructions' without demurring. It is now a matter of Nasharuddin being able to adjust himself to the realities of no longer being deputy president of PAS – a personal challenge that hopefully, time will resolve. Hasan is an accident waiting to happen. To quote (William) Shakespeare: "Madness in great ones must not unwatched go" Hasan's greatness is his self-perceived. He is a relic of a time long past. Politics in Malaysia today has been polarized into two distinct factions – Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat. Any movement between the two is not to be contemplated by honorable and decent men. Only frogs contemplate such movement. In which case is Hasan an honorable and decent man? You do not hedge your bets in the politics of today. Those that seek to do so are deservedly shunned by both sides – unless you are a Chua Jui Meng or a Zaid Ibrahim – neither of whom Hasan is able, in all seriousness, to hold a candle to. Hasan is no Ku Li From his stand in the Selcat (Selective Competency, Accountability, Transparency) issue where he chose to break ranks with his Pakatan comrades to his recent brazen attempts at wagging the dog by appearing on TV3 with his tirades against PAS, Hasan has always done things with the hope of catching the eye of Umno. He has done these fairly insignificant sniping at PAS' inadequacies with the hope of baiting Umno for God knows what reasons. There are phrases to describe these sorts of people – none of them complimentary – and so I will desist. Maybe he is testing Pakatan and PAS claims to openness and ability to accept criticism – this would be the claim by those seeking to be kind to Hasan – but surely this can be done in ways that would not compromise Pakatan. But as I have said before, the times that we now live in are polarized into those for BN and Pakatan. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) seems to be in the middle of it all but his political pedigree has earned him the right to play the elder statesman's role for now. Hasan insists on going back to the three R's – Religion, Race and Royalty. Three issues that ANY politician will chose to gain traction within the political arena that he chooses to be in because these issues, by their very nature are divisive and will attract debate for the wrong reason. PAS members have made their stand on these issues crystal clear when they elected leaders who reject the negative aspects of race, religion and royalty. In race and religion PAS accepts and respects the right of every rakyat to follow his own inclinations. Royalty is a non-issue for those within Pakatan. READ MORE HERE |
| Kit Siang has his hands full Posted: 27 Dec 2011 07:49 AM PST (The Star) - While the feud in Penang DAP continues between national chairman Karpal Singh and Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy, party adviser Lim Kit Siang has his hands full with another squabble blowing up in Perak. This follows the war of words between party vice-chairman M. Kulasegaran and Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming over the latter's alleged involvement in a tailoring contract awarded to his wife during Pakatan Rakyat's brief rule in the state in 2008. Stepping in to calm the simmering quarrel, the veteran Lim issued a gag order on the issue. In his tweet yesterday, Lim wrote: "Both Kula n Nga agree int. party channels x BN msm 1st resort 4 thrashing out matters affecting party leaders. Nga 2 explain 2 party leadership." The message said Kulasegaran and Nga both agreed it was an internal matter and party channels, not the Barisan Nasional mainstream media, should be used to thrash out matters affecting party leaders. Lim also asked Nga to give an explanation to the party leadership. Nga, who is Taiping MP and Pantai Remis state assemblyman, is alleged to have given a lounge suit sewing contract to Ipoh company Ethan & Elton, of which his wife Wong Seow Ching is said to be a director. Allegations on the Internet said the company was formed 42 days after Pakatan took over the Perak government in 2008. While several groups took Nga to task over the issue, Kulasegaran, who is Ipoh Barat MP, also asked him to come clean over the matter. Contacted by The Star yesterday, Kulasegaran confirmed Lim had contacted him. He declined to comment on what transpired in their conversation. In his tweet, however, Kulasegaran defended his action of calling Nga to come clean on the tailoring contract. He claimed he had not made any allegation or accusation and that his comments had been misinterpreted as an internal problem and bad blood between him and Nga. Meanwhile, Nga said in his blog he respected the party's directive and was therefore refraining from commenting on the issue. "I shall leave it to the party leaders and members to judge his (Kulasegaran's) conduct," he said. He had earlier accused bloggers of smearing his reputation, saying the accusations were slanderous, defamatory and irresponsible. Meanwhile, MCA Youth vice-chairman Yit Lee Kok said the DAP should not turn a blind eye to the claims that Nga had awarded a tailoring contract to his wife's company. |
| Ramasamy wants The Star to retract report Posted: 27 Dec 2011 07:38 AM PST (The Star) - Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P Ramasamy wants The Star to retract and apologise for a report on Dec 23, headlined Distress in DAP continues' quoting him. If the paper failed to do so, he said Tuesday he would file a lawsuit against the daily. He said he would send a letter of demand Wednesday, insisting he had never said there was corruption among DAP party leaders nor uttered the words "grand design" to oust him. "I deny categorically having said that," he told a press conference at his lawyer's office here on Tuesday. Continuing his salvo against the paper, he accused it of practising unethical journalism. |
| Siapa Lemahkan Melayu? Posted: 27 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST NURUL IZZAH ANWAR Sinopsis sejarah negara kita jarang sekali dipapar di dada media arus perdana. Walhal kisah lampau berserta pengajaran yang disemat di hati kita semua lah yang menjadi penentu kepada kejayaan kelak. Seraya mengambil hasrat ini sebagai pembuka kata, saya lontarkan persoalan-persoalan berikut dalam meneliti liku-liku sebab-musabab kelemahan kita: Siapa yang telah memerintah negara selama 54 tahun tanpa putus dengan menggunakan undang-undang keras anti-demokratik? Siapa bersubahat dengan penjajah British menahan dan tidak berusaha membebaskan pejuang-pejuang kemerdekaan Melayu daripada tahun 1948 sehingga 1957? Siapa yang sengaja benarkan Singapura meninggalkan Malaysia pada tahun 1965 dengan mudah? Siapa lemahkan kuasa dan martabat raja-raja dengan pindaan perlembagaan pada 1993? Siapa memberitahu seluruh rakyat bahawa raja-raja Melayu tidak relevan dan membahayakan bangsa pada tahun 1993? Siapa yang menghasut agar semua harta Raja-Raja disiasat dan dirampas pada 1993? Siapa yang melemahkan institusi kehakiman dengan memecat Ketua Hakim Negara dan meminda perlembagaan pada tahun 1988? Siapa yang hancurkan UMNO Lama yang ditubuhkan tahun 1946 dan gantikan dengan UMNO Baru pada tahun 1988? Siapa yang melemahkan kuasa politik Melayu dengan mengurangkan kerusi majoriti melayu melalui proses persempadanan semula semenjak 1999? Siapa yang memberikan kerakyatan dan kad pengenalan biru kepada warga asing dengan mudah untuk undi? Siapa lemahkan ekonomi Melayu dengan menjual RM50 billion daripada RM52 billion saham DEB semenjak 1970? Siapa serahkan dengan mudah dan murah; Pulau Batu Putih dan tanah KTM ke Singapura dan Blok L dan M ke Brunei? Siapa yang menjual tanah rizab Melayu kepada bukan Melayu dengan merubah status tanah kepada pegangan bebas (freehold) dengan mudah? Siapa yang telah menenggelamkan Bank Bumiputera Malaysia Berhad yang diwujudkan daripada Kongres Ekonomi Bumiputera pada 1965? Siapa yang memberikan lesen judi yang bertentangan dengan Islam kepada syarikat swasta tauke seperti Genting, Berjaya Sports Toto dan lain lagi? Siapa lemahkan penguasaan matematik dan sains anak melayu dengan mengubah bahasa pengantar kepada bahasa Inggeris dan setelah berbelanja lebih RM6 billion dan 8 tahun sekarang mahu mengubah balik kepada Bahasa Melayu? Siapa yang membebankan anak muda dengan hutang pendidikan tinggi melebehi RM 25 billion? Siapa yang menyebabkan peluang pekerjaan anak muda berkurangan dengan dasar pengunaan buruh asing yang membantut kadar upah di pasaran buruh Negara? Siapa galakkan harga barang naik berganda dengan membenarkan monopoli seperti Bernas dan amalan herotan pasaran yang hanya menguntungkan para peniaga berterusan? Siapa bebankan rakyat dengan kadar bil letrik yang tinggi berbanding dengan Negara jiran yang bukan pengeluar minyak? Siapa yang bertanggung jawab meluaskan lagi jurang pendapatan dengan 'gini coefficient' 0.492 yang kedua tertinggi di Asia dimana yang kaya bertambah kaya dan yang miskin bertambah miskin? Siapa yang menjadikan harga kereta mahal dua kali ganda dengan dasar perlindungan otomotif yang membebankan rakyat dan menguntungkan industri otomotif? Siapa bebankan rakyat dengan kadar tol lebuhraya yang tinggi sedangkan kutipan cukai jalan dan saman kenderaan mampu menampung pembinaannya tanpa tol? Siapa yang membenarkan harga rumah bertambah tinggi sehinga 15 kali gaji tahunan berbanding piawaian antarabangsa dengan hanya 5 kali gaji tahunan? Siapa benarkan syarikat-syarikat gergasi merosot dan gagal sehingga hanya menjadi jaguh kampung seperti MAS, Perwaja dan Proton? Siapa yang untung daripada bakal penyenaraian 800,000 hektar tanah perladangan milik peneroka nanti dengan anak syarikat Felda yang rugi besar? READ MORE HERE |
| Kong not aware of rail contract award Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:16 AM PST (Bernama) - Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha says he is not aware of any multi-billion ringgit contract being awarded to a Chinese firm for the construction of the Gemas-Johor Baru electrified double tracking project (EDTP). The Ministry of Transport is totally unaware as the awarding of the contract comes under the Ministry of Finance, he told Bernama when contacted today.
Kong, currently abroad on leave, said his ministry was still in the process of designing the Gemas-Johor Baru EDTP.
"All I can confirm is that we are still in the process of designing. We have not done anything beyond preparing the design," he added. He was responding to a report in a news portal that a Chinese firm, Chinese Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), together with local partner Gamuda Bhd, have been awarded a multi-billion ringgit contract to build the 197-km Gemas-Johor Baru rail project. Quoting sources, the report said CRBC was picked instead of another front runner -- China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) -- for the project estimated to be worth between RM7 billion and RM8 billion, after it was put under a mid-term review in the Ninth Malaysia Plan. The project includes the building of nearly 200km of parallel railway tracks, stations, depots, halts, yards and bridges and cover systems such as electrification, signalling and communications. It would also see a realignment between Pulau Sebang, Melaka and the Gemas section. The Gemas-Johor Baru sector would be the final link in the EDTP, with the other links being the Ipoh-Padang Besar and Seremban-Gemas lines.
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| PKR hak milik - Anwar dan Azmin Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:12 AM PST UMNO REFORM Bercerita mengenai hubungan antara Anwar – Azmin, tidak dapat tidak ia ibarat lagu dan irama – tidak dapat dipisahkan. Azmin hari ini adalah orang terkuat dalam PKR dan politik PKR sudah lebih buruk dari apa yang ada dalam UMNO. Penulisan dalam: http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/46104-al-sheikh-al-juburis-faithful-assistant-a-clique menceritakan bagaimana Azmin berusaha membentuk rejim nya dalam PKR. Rejim ini dibentuk dengan memanipulasi pemilihan yang ada – catas mencantas sehingga tumbuk menumbok berlaku. Memang usaha ini telah berlaku sewaktu pemilihan PKR yang menyaksikan kekotoran demokrasi yang dibenarkan oleh Anwar Ibrahim dan Anwar Ibrahim sendiri turut mencatur pemilihan bersesuaian dengan kehendak Azmin. Ini bukan satu rahsia di kalangan PKR. Malah ada yang berkata, UMNO jaga sahaja langkah dan jangan melakukan apa-apa kesilapan kritikal – PKR akan runtuh dengan sendiri bila Azmin mengambil alih teraju parti. Semua tahu dan semua bertanyakan kepada satu sama lain mengenai Anwar – Azmin. Malah kalau diselidiki usaha memasukkan kalangan anti Azmin oleh Presiden Parti dan anaknya turut ada tetapi tidak berjaya. Hubungan rapat Anwar –Azmin inilah yang menjadi kecemburuan kepimpinan lain – yang ada antara mereka sudah terpelanting keluar dari jemaah kepimpinan malah ada yang mengambil keputusan untuk keluar dari PKR dan menghentam PKR secara rakus tanpa strategi. Ini berlaku dalam hubungan tiga segi Anwar – Azmin – Ezam. READ MORE HERE |
| Don’t debate Article 153, warns Muhyiddin Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:05 AM PST He says Rev Eu's statement about Malays bullying others could cause racial tension. (Free Malaysia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today rejected a Christian leader's allegation that Article 153 of the Federal Constitution allows the Malays to bully other Malaysians. He also said the statement by Eu Hong Seng, chairman of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, could cause racial tension and warned against continuous debate on the subject. Eu, speaking on Saturday at a Christmas hi-tea, said Article 153 ought to cover the rights of all Malaysians, not just the Malays and the natives of Sarawak and Sabah. "When we talk of the rights of only one group, if I may suggest, that is bullying," he said. Speaking to reporters here, Muhyiddin said: "There is a reason, a rationale, behind the article. There is a history behind it." He did not elaborate, but referred to the so-called unwritten social contract that Barisan Nasional politicians are fond of citing when confronted with questions about preferential treatment of the Malays. He said the Barisan Nasional government had "done much to help everyone" and that this obligation was "sealed in the social contract". "I hope that there will be no debate on this matter as it could incite racial tension. What is already enshrined in the Constitution should not be questioned." Eu's statement provoked an angry reaction from the hardline Malay group Perkasa. It accused the church leader of attempting to instigate animosity against Malays. Perkasa's secretary-general, Syed Hasan Syed Ali, said Malaysian Christians must remember that they were free to practice their religion because of Article 153. According to his interpretation of the article, its safeguard of bumiputera rights mitigates against the community's economic discontent and thereby ensures the peace that makes free religious practice possible. The spat is the latest in a series of disputes that have lately soured Christian-Muslim relations. READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan MPs claim Umno, Perkasa twisting Article 153 Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:03 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The constitutional provision outlining the special position of Bumiputeras has been manipulated by Umno and is now being used as a weapon of aggression, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers claimed today amid growing debate on the subject. On Saturday, National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) chairman Reverend Dr Eu Hong Seng said Article 153 of the Federal Constitution is akin to "bullying" if it only protects the rights of one group. Today, several PR lawmakers suggested that Article 153 was being intentionally conflated with the concept of "ketuanan Melayu", or Malay supremacy. "Reverend Eu mentioned it should be inclusive and I think it did try to cover it (inclusiveness)," PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said today. "Fundamentally it is inclusive but has been manipulated and it is not about protection anymore but aggression." Eu's remark sparked protest from Malay rights group Perkasa and drew a denial today from Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin that the provision had been used to bully any community. On Sunday, Perkasa claimed the provision kept the country peaceful, further claiming that the race riots of May 13, 1969 happened because it was not implemented properly. "This country is peaceful because of Article 153 which protects the rights of Bumiputeras who are the majority in this country. "The reverend needs to remember that Christians are able to practise their religion without worry in this country because of Article 153," Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hasan Syed Ali had said last week. Article 153 states that "it shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article." Constitutional expert Prof Abdul Aziz Bari also chimed in on Sunday to say this meant "the King must also make sure that (safeguarding Bumiputeras) must not be done at the expense of the legitimate interests of other communities." Today, Khalid echoed the view and similarly noted the inclusion of the phrase "other communities." READ MORE HERE |
| Barisan National’s early elections plan in disarray Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:00 AM PST Written by Dr Lim Teck Ghee, CPI During the last few months, Prime Minister Najib Razak has been pulling out one pre-election carrot after another from his inexhaustible supply of goodies aimed at persuading the electorate to vote BN's way in the coming general election (GE). These range from indefinite postponement of the long delayed goods and services tax to financial grants and other handouts to Chinese, Tamil and Islamic religious schools as well as politically strategic groups including Felda settlers, Indian small entrepreneurs, low income communities, and imams and Kafa (religious) teachers. Najib's backroom boys must have been supremely confident that this mass saturation of money and handouts – so effective in past elections - would pave the way for a resounding victory as they plotted the timing of the next GE. Unexpected road blocks Two recent developments appear to have now derailed the BN's plans for an early election to take advantage of the 'feel good' sentiments generated by the deluge of monetary incentives disbursed under the glare of fawning media coverage. One is the spreading cloud of corruption and political irresponsibility associated with the National Feedlot Corporation's (NFC) scandal-ridden project. This is not only likely to result in Minister Sharizat Jalil's resignation very soon but is also causing consternation and reverberations among Umno's grassroots members and supporters in the Malay heartland. The arrogance and contempt displayed by Shahrizat, who received loud applause from Wanita Umno delegates for her bellicose speech, will not be easily forgotten. If the elections are called during the next several months when the cattle-gate case reaches its expected climax, Malaysians going to the polling booths will not only have indelible ink on their fingers; they will also go in with the overpowering and indelible stench of the NFC fiasco influencing their choice of parties. The other development is one which the Prime Minister's think tanks and cronies high up in the civil service must be kicking themselves over. The introduction of a new improved salary scheme for the country's 1.4 million civil servants was to be the main 'game changer' in the 13th GE. With a majority of the country's voters coming from civil servant or ex-civil servant households – perhaps 60% or more of the electorate – it is easy to understand why the roll-out of the new scheme was timed to take place just before the election. Its successful implementation would reinforce the BN's image as a government with the best interests of the civil service constituency at heart. It is possible that if given the thumbs-up by the majority of civil servants, the new salary scheme could have affected the outcome in many marginal constituencies where the civil service vote is critical to tilt in favour of the BN candidates. It is no exaggeration to say that civil service voters comprise the kingmakers in the country and that any aspiring government has to pay special attention to courting and winning this massive block of votes. Devil in the SBPA details The new public service remuneration scheme (SBPA) is to take effect in January 2012. The Public Services Commission rushed its introduction without providing full details of the SBPA key components and without adequate consultation with stakeholders. It was not surprising that the civil service trade union Cuepecs initially refused to be bulldozed into accepting what is now clearly emerging as "a half baked cake" with the icing of 7-13 percent salary increases prominently displayed but resting on a soggy base. Among the scheme's shortcomings is the lopsided salary increase that favours the top echelon. One civil servant compared the impact of the new scheme on lower and higher rank staff. According to him: READ MORE HERE |
| And the Winner is.... Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock...!!! Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:00 AM PST Wow, this is indeed an achievement for our PM Najib's golfing partner, the one and only Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock of George Kent (the water meter maker). YM Raja Petra Kamarudin exposed his plot in Malaysia Today sometime in September, 2011 (see article attached http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/34319-how-playing-golf-with-the-prime-minister-can-earn-you-billions), but our great Tan Kay Hock kept smartly quiet, allowed time to lapse so that the short memory of Malaysian Rakyat would forget while he planned and schemed his way to CRBC (Chinese Road & Bridge Corporation) which like his previous horse CHEC (China Harbour Engineering Construction) is also within the Group of CCCC (China Communications Construction Co. Ltd). You can bet your last penny that Tan Kay Hock (perhaps in collaboration with some other buddies and Daim) will not use any name of company connected to him or his family when working with CRBC for fear that his demand of RM500 million will be exposed again. Whatever vehicle is used in this contract, you can be sure that Tan Kay Hock's unseen hand is there, to grab the RM500 million (Rakyat's money); RM300 million for himself and his buddies, and RM200 mllion for Rosmah to buy that returned diamond and more luxury handbags, etc. etc. It must be made known to all Malaysians that neither CRBC nor CHEC has track record of having constructed railroads, let alone electrified double tracking rail. Based on a Google search, these Chinese companies are good for ports, harbours, roads and bridges only. But YM Raja Petra Kamarudin in his article, has said that Najib was bent on giving the contract to CHEC for his golfing partner Tan Kay Hock, come what may. Therefore, since CHEC's plot exposed by Malaysia Today, and Tan Kay Hock could not get into the good books of CRCC (the forerunner) because they know his scandalous approach, he must have got CRBC to agree to his scheme of things. YM Raja Petra Kamarudin had said, "In China, both the givers and the receivers of bribes will be sentenced to death with a bullet in the head plus the cost of bullet charged to the family of the deceased." In this case, we have to prove there is bribery involved first, and if proven, only the Chinese givers will face the firing squad, while they cannot touch our receiver (or his nominees) in Malaysia. We therefore cannot stop what our Najib wants to do for his buddy, and who cares if some Chinese givers get shot in the head? That's not our concern. Behind every cloud however, there is always a silver lining, and we the Malaysian Rakyat will have to pray hard for that silver lining to appear during the coming GE13. When and if that happens, we can review the contract in details, checking every minute payment and commitment. The new Lords of Putrajaya will take all necessary actions to put these culprits behind bars, and cancel the contract (like what Pak Lah did to Mahathir's pet project), and to reopen negotiations with the new President of China, Xi Jinping. Malaysia's name stinks in the global market where Government or semi-government projects are concerned. We have to stop this curse by promoting and assisting The March to Putrajaya. Eye M Fox ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Putrajaya contracts Gemas-JB double-track to Chinese firm By Jahabar Sadiq Editor, The Malaysian Insider
A worker checks train tracks near a railway station in Yingtan, Jiangxi province March 10, 2008. — Reuters pic KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 — Putrajaya has agreed to award a Chinese firm, most likely the Chinese Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) with local partner Gamuda Bhd, a multi-billion ringgit contract to build the 197-km Gemas-Johor Baru electrified double tracking project (EDTP), instead of front-runner China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), sources say. The Malaysian Insider understands the project is worth between RM7 and RM8 billion, after it was put under a mid-term review in the Ninth Malaysia Plan. The Gemas-Johor Baru sector would be the final package for the EDTP, with the other sectors being the Ipoh-Padang Besar and Seremban-Gemas lines. "Putrajaya has decided on China Road and Bridge Corporation after some last-minute lobbying," a source told The Malaysian Insider. Another source said the award could be a wrinkle in Putrajaya-Beijing ties as only CRCC is authorised to tender for rail-related projects abroad. "The decision has been made and will be announced very soon," the source disclosed. Putrajaya and Beijing maintain very good political and business ties, with China taking palm oil and other commodities apart from a flow of goods being traded under the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA). However, the Penang Second Bridge project has not drawn down a US$800 million soft loan from Beijing while Putrajaya has also rejected a Chinese firm's US$1 billion (RM3.1 billion) redevelopment bid for the Pudu Jail land. But the Gemas-Johor Baru EDTP has always been seen as a project for Chinese companies, the sources said. The project includes building nearly 200km of parallel railway tracks, including stations, depots, halts, yards and bridges and cover systems such as electrification, signalling and communications. This includes a realignment between Pulau Sebang, Melaka and the Gemas section. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said in July that the Gemas-Johor Baru stretch was already in the final stage of design but declined to state if the tender would be open to foreign parties when it is completed by end of the year. He said the EDTP in the northern section was slated for completion by end-2013 and the line to Johor by 2016. There has always been great interest in Malaysia's double-tracking project as it was part of a larger Trans-Asian rail link between Singapore to China. On May 2009, Global Rail Sdn Bhd, a relatively small contractor and its Chinese partner, China Infraglobe, submitted a proposal to Putrajaya to build and upgrade tracks from Gemas to Johor Baru at a cost of RM5 billion. The Business Times reported that the project will be on a private finance initiative (PFI) basis and the plan submitted to the Finance Ministry later in June 2009 was conditional upon signing over mineral rights in Johor State. Kong said last January that the government hoped to appoint the contractor for the project this year and Malaysia is still in the midst of talking with CRCC but nothing had been confirmed yet. He also said two consultants had been appointed, a design consultant and an independent checker, to monitor the project. |
| No need for Race Relations Act if people behave, says Ibrahim Ali Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:00 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Putrajaya need not table a Race Relations Act to govern interaction between the communities and curb racial extremism if "everyone behaves", Datuk Ibrahim Ali said today. "If everyone behaves, if nobody touches on (Article) 153, nobody questions this and that, condemns this and that, and at the same time recognises the disparity of wealth between Malays and non-Malays, I don't think we need any additional Act. "We've lived harmoniously for the last 54 years. We faced a problem once during May 13 but after that, nothing has happened. So the system has worked well," the Perkasa chief told reporters here. The Malay rights leader blamed the rise in racial tension on the opposition's big gains in Election 2008, saying politicians were now capitalising on racial issues for political mileage. He also denied that the general election, which saw Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sweep into power in four states, amounted to a referendum on Barisan Nasional's (BN) "well-received" policies. "I still believe the people rejected Barisan Nasional in 2008 because of the weakness of (Tun) Abdullahj Badawi as a prime minister. Nothing to do with policies," the Pasir Mas MP said. READ MORE HERE |
| Perkasa: Charge people like Rev Eu with sedition Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:00 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The authorities must charge those who question Article 153 of the Constitution like Christian leader Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng with sedition to safeguard national security, Datuk Ibrahim Ali said today. "We demand the government use the Sedition Act on anyone who makes statements like this from now on and charge them in court," the Perkasa chief told reporters today. He was referring to a statement made on Saturday by National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) chairman Eu, who likened Article 153 to "bullying" for only protecting the rights of one group. Article 153 states that it is the King's responsibility "to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article". Calling Eu's statement "irresponsible provocation", Ibrahim said use of the Sedition Act would deter further attempts to question the provision and preserve racial harmony. Disputing the article would only lead to civil strife as it was part and parcel of an established social contract that could not be amended without consent from the Malay Rulers, he said. The Malay rights leader also cautioned Christians against repeating statements similar to Eu's in light of past controversies like the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) raid, as this would only give the impression that Christians wished to make enemies of Muslims. "We're only upholding what's in the Federal Constitution... Please don't keep provoking us on and on because it's not good for the country. And we have been patient for so long," he said. Ibrahim added that Perkasa might lodge a police report against Eu on Thursday to help protect Article 153. READ MORE HERE |
| Datuk's remand extended to Thursday Posted: 26 Dec 2011 11:50 PM PST (New Straits Times) - The police today obtained a three-day remand order against a Datuk who was re-arrested by Kuala Lumpur Commercial Crime police on Monday to facilitate their investigations into a RM 280,000 fraud case involving a project to operate a petrol station in Klang Valley which was reported in 2009. The complainant, a 43-year-old woman claimed that she had met the suspect over a petrol station project in 2007 and had been asked for RM280,000 consultation fee to help her to get the project. Two years went by and there was still no news on the project which prompted the complainant to lodge a police report. The Datuk who was wanted by police for two other cheating case in Cheras and Ipoh, had previously been remanded for two days by Malaysia Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) for allegedly trying to bribe Federal Commercial Crime senior police officers.
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| Perang mulut seharusnya buka mata pemimpin PAS bawahan Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:17 PM PST Episod Hasan dan Nasharuddin membelasah PAS secara terbuka harus diambil iktibar oleh kepimpinan PAS di peringkat negeri, kawasan dan cawangan. (Free Malaysia Today) - Perang mulut bekas Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor, Datuk Dr Hasan Ali dan bekas Timbalan Presiden PAS, Nasharuddin Mat Isa dengan Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Mustafa Ali seharusnya membuka mata kepimpinan PAS di peringkat pertengahan dan bawahan. Jika dakwaan Hasan dan Mustafa dijadikan rujukan maka kemungkinan Hasan, Mustafa dan Nasharuddin pernah mengadakan pertemuan dengan kepimpinan Umno ada asasnya. Pada mulanya Mustafa berkata Hasan dan Nasharuddin pernah mengadakan pertemuan dengan pemimpin Umno di Hotel Le Meridien pada bulan Ramadhan lalu. Bagaimanapun Mustafa enggan mengulas lanjut berhubung maklumat pertemuan tersebut. Selepas 48 jam, Hasan pula dalam sidang media berkata sebenarnya Mustafa yang beberapa kali mengadakan pertemuan dengan pemimpin Umno. Namun masing-masing tidak mahu mendedahkan maklumat terperinci tentang pertemuan-pertemuan tersebut. Tetapi bagi mereka yang mengikuti politik tanahair dengan rapat terutama yang Pro-Pakatan Rakyat adalah tidak sukar untuk menjangka bahawa pertemuan tersebut mungkin bersangkut paut dengan agenda Kerajaan Perpaduan (Unity Government), gabungan Umno dan PAS. FMT difahamkan asalnya Mustafa, Hasan dan Nasharuddin sememangnya merupakan amat akrab dan dikatakan mendukung agenda UG. Desas desus berkata idea UG ini lahir dari Timbalan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Haron Din. FMT juga difahamkan turut menyokong agenda UG ialah Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang; Ketua Dewan Ulama PAS, Datuk Harun Taib; Ketua Penerangan PAS, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man; Ketua Pemuda PAS, Nasrudin Hassan At-Tantawi dan Timbalan Ketua Pemuda PAS, Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz. Bagaimanapun apabila berlaku bantahan dari dalam terutama sekali apabila Musyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat meminta diadakan Muktamar Khas untuk membincangkan isu UG dan apabila Nik Aziz secara terbuka meminta Nasharuddin meninggalkan PAS jika sayang sangat kepada Umno, isu UG terus senyap.
Pertikaman lidah Maka apabila berlaku pertikaman lidah dalam media apabila Mustafa menuduh Hasan dan Nasharuddin pernah berjumpa pemimpin Umno dan apabila Hasan memulangkan kata-kata, Mustafa lah yang sebenarnya pernah berjumpa pemimpin Umno maka segala dakwaan seorang blogger Pro PAS sejak tahun 2009 ada sedikit kebenarannya. Pada 5 November 2009 seorang ahli PAS bernama Abdul Rahman Abdul Talib yang juga merupakan seorang blogger yang dikenali sebagai Tulang Besi dalam sebuah posting beliau berkata beliau telah menghantar email kepada Tuan Ibrahim (Naib Presiden ketika itu). Beliau membuat aduan rasmi ke atas salah laku Nasharuddin berhubung pertemuan Nasharuddin (termasuk Hasan) dengan blogger- blogger termasuk blogger Umno. Tulang Besi juga muat naik rakaman pertemuan tersebut yang dirakam secara rahsia di dalam blog beliau. Namun sehingga hari ini isu tersebut disenyapkan oleh PAS dan apabila isu Hasan dan Nasharuddin mengeluarkan kenyataan yang seiring dengan kenyataan Umno menghentam PAS, maka sebenarnya ramai pemimpin PAS peringkat atasan yang tidak menyenangi idea UG ini tidak terkejut. Selepas isu kritikan Hasan dan Nasharuddin terhadap PAS secara terbuka mendapat liputan meluas media arus perdana, ramai pemimpin PAS peringkat negeri, kawasan dan cawangan seperti baru terhantuk kepala.
Pemimpin PAS pro Umno? Golongan pemimpin ini merupakan golongan yang tidak mempercayai kononnya ada kepimpinan PAS Pusat yang pro Umno selama ini. Bagi mereka ini semua fitnah daripada blogger pro PAS dan mereka pernah mengecop blogger seperti Tulang Besi sebagai blogger Umno tetapi menyamar sebagai blogger pro PAS kerana sering melabelkan pemimpin pro UG ini sebagai pemimpin pro Umno untuk memecah belahkan PAS. Kini segala usaha "coverline" yang dilakukan sebelum ini oleh kepimpinan PAS Pusat sudah terburai secara terbuka dek kerana kenyataan secara terbuka oleh Mustafa, Hasan dan Nasaruddin sendiri. FMT merasa pelik kerana serangan Hasan dan Nasharuddin secara terbuka ke atas PAS selama seminggu itu merupakan satu kesalahan tatatertib yang besar. Jika perkara yang sama dilakukan oleh seseorang pemimpin dari Umno, MCA, MIC, PKR atau DAP, sudah pasti pemimpin itu sudah dipanggil menghadap jawatankuasa disiplin. Tindakan tegas pasti menanti pemimpin tersebut dan paling minimum akan dikenakan tindakan digantung daripada jawatan dan tugasan parti. Agak pelik juga apabila Mustafa mengetahui banyak pergerakan Hasan dan Nasharuddin berhubung pertemuan Hasan dan Nasharuddin dengan pemimpin Umno sebelum ini tetapi mengapa sebarang tindakan tidak diambil oleh beliau atau kepimpinan PAS Pusat? Setakat hari ini tidak ada sebarang tindakan disiplin atau siasatan diadakan terhadap Hasan dan Nasharuddin. Kenyataan Mustafa di FMT bahawa beliau tidak mahu memberi apa-apa kenyatan kerana Hasan dan Nasharuddin tidak lagi meyerang PAS tidak menjawab persoalan besar apakah benar Hasan dan Nasharuddin pernah berjumpa dengan pemimpin Umno. Mustafa juga berkata "No komen, biar dia kata apa pun. Kalau dia nak bercakap, biarlah dia bercakap," katanya kepada FMT pada Sabtu lepas. Perjumpaan empat mata Hasan dan Nasharuddin dengan Abdul Hadi nampak seperti tindakan formaliti untuk menutup pekung atau dalam bahasa pasar sebagai "coverline". READ MORE HERE |
| How we fail the Malaysian Indian poor Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:09 PM PST Among the reasons why the Indian community is still stuck in the trenches of poverty is because the NEP was not extended to help those in the estates What we did not realise is that the Indians are not a homogenous group, but made up of different groups that came in several batches. While there are a small group of Indians who were wealthier, about 10 million of them came to Malaya as buruh kasar. By Anas Zubedy, Free Malaysia Today After 54 years as a country, it is unfortunate that a lot of non Indian Malaysians do not yet know the Indians. For example, a lot of Malaysians still do not know the difference between Punjabis and Bengalis, and in some instances in recent years this confusion has been the topic of public discussion. This goes back to the time of Independence and the formulation of our principal social engineering programme, the NEP With all due respect to the Tun Abdul Razak administration which created it, one of the main reasons why some parts of the Indian community is still stuck in the trenches of poverty are because the NEP was not extended to help those in the estates. While the NEP helped the Malays and Bumiputera out of poverty and managed to create a group of middle class Malays, it overlooked the needs of the real composition of Indians. The NEP was designed based on the per capita income of the Malay, Indian, Chinese and foreigner population. At the time, the Chinese had the highest percentage of per capita income, the Indians second, the Malays had the lowest. However, as for the Indians, because we did not understand them, we grouped all of them in one big group. What we did not realise is that the Indians are not a homogenous group, but made up of different groups that came in several batches. While there are a small group of Indians who were wealthier, about 10 million of them came to Malaya as buruh kasar. Based on the average between the incomes of the small group of middle class Indians and the larger community of poor Indians, the statistics drawn were inaccurate. It shows as if the Indians were doing okay, but in reality a big cluster of them were as poor as the Malays and Bumiputera. It is sad that because we do not really understand our Indian brothers and sisters, we have allowed their poverty problem to continue as a legacy until today. Now that our PM has vowed to address this issue, it is important that we know who they are, where they are and where they are going. I recommend a book by Muzafar Desmond Tate called 'The Malaysian Indians: History, Problems and Future'. Here are several important points from the book. As I mentioned earlier, the Malaysian Indians are not all the same, but are made up of different smaller communities. One major way the Malayan Indians were divided were the separation between Hindu and Muslim. Another thing was social division into four major class groups: '1) The elite, consisting of professionals, high government officials and senior executives in leading private firms; 2) An upper, English-educated middle class consisting mainly of government servants; 3) A lower, vernacular-educated middle class, comprising merchants, school teachers, journalists, smallholders, all largely outside government service; 4) Labourers in government service – the PWD, medical services, railways, the docks and the municipalities of large towns – and in private employ, particularly on estates.' Tate writes that the Indian community remained highly compartmentalised as there was very little interaction between these groups, and hardly any social mobility existed for them. A large number of Tamils who arrived in Malaya during the British colonial period were drawn from the lowest ranks of Tamil society and came as contract labourers for tin mines and agricultural estates. They were 'virtually debt slaves' from the point they came to Malaya, having to work off the costs of their passage and recruitment under the contract system. Their wages were so meager that this would take them their whole term of service. Besides this large group of Tamil labourers, there was also a small group of upper-class Tamils who came by their own resources. These were men of trade, commerce and finance, and Tate writes that this upper class, though small in numbers, were very significant as they 'exerted an influence out of all proportion to their numbers'. After Merdeka, the rift between the more affluent middle class and the larger number of Indian estate workers who 'hover on the borders of poverty', continued to exist. The middle class was doing fine, dominating certain professions like law and medicine. The enrolment of children into primary and secondary schools also remained the same. But for those in the rural areas, especially in the estates, the problem of poverty seemed intractable. At the same time, the greatest shift that happened post-independence is urbanisation, which brought new social problems with it. This was the 'new poverty syndrome' of the rootless Indians in the town. While the strategies of the NEP brought growing industrialisation, the Indian workers who left the estates found that they were in no position to compete in the towns. They were uneducated and had no command of English, they lacked technical skills and were once again forced to live under squalid conditions. The NEP, on the other hand, did not extend its benefits to the estate workers. The official rationale was that these workers were employees of the private limited companies who owned the estates, and thus they did not fall under the scope of the NEP. In reviewing the Second Malaysia Plan (1970 – 75), the authors of the Third Malaysia Plan concluded that the aim of eradicating poverty in the plantation sector did not make progress. Two-fifths of the estate workers were still living below poverty levels and unemployment was high. READ MORE HERE |
| Muhyiddin: Claims that aide received bribes will be investigated Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:07 PM PST (The Star) - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said claims that one of his aides has been receiving bribes will be investigated by his office. "I will look into this. Whatever that is said to be linked to me, I will look into. Until then, I will not comment further on it," he told reporters at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus in Puncak Alam here Tuesday. Muhyiddin was commenting on a blogger's allegation that the aide has received more than RM100,000 in monthly kickbacks, adding that he was not aware of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, earlier, Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the country has created about 16,000 graduates in the life-science industry and aimed to achieve 70% lecturers with doctrates, to cater for the nation's biotechnology development. He said the sector should be given emphasis, adding that it would surely bring the nation to greater heights. "This sector will definitely be among the country's main sources of income," he said at a function to launch UiTM's success in mapping the Malay ethnic genome. This was achieved by a group of UiTM researchers in collaboration with BioNexus Partners (BNP), placing Malaysia on par with other developed countries. BiotechCorp is the lead development agency for the biotech industry and has facilitated the development of about 207 BioNexus-status companies in Malaysia, with total approved investment of more than RM2.1bil. |
| Hakisan Pantai Teluk Lipat; Mana janji Zaabar nak buat benteng pemecah ombak RM1.5 juta Posted: 26 Dec 2011 02:42 PM PST 
(Buletin Online) Namun, sehingga semalam 26 Disember, 2011, apabila ombak memukul pantai dan menyebabkan jalan di Teluk Lipat tinggal sekerat kerana dihakis, tidak ada walaupun satu benteng pemecah ombak sebagaimana yang dijanjikan. DUNGUN – Hakisan teruk akbat ombak besar yang melanda pantai Teluk Lipat dekat sini mendapat liputan pelbagai media. Namun, tidak ada media yang mengungkit semula janji kerajaan Umno dan Barsan Nasonal (BN) kira-kira enam bulan dulu untuk menyelamatkan pantai yang indah itu. Pada 7 April 2011, Pesuruhjaya PAS Terengganu, Haji Mohd. Abdul Wahid bin Endut telah minta Menteri Sumber Asli dan Alam Sektar menyatakan perancangan dan usaha yang dilakukan untuk mengatasi masalah hakisan pantai di negeri Terengganu seperti Pantai Tok Jembal Kuala Nerus, Telok Lipat Dungun, Rhu Rendang Marang dan Telok Kalong Kemaman
Wahid selaku Ahli Parlimen Kula Terengganu sewaktu membangkitkan perkara itu dalm sdang Parlimen berkata, akibat ketiadaan perancangan rapi dan perancangan yang tidak betul, Pantai Tok Jembal kini semakin teruk terhakis, apabila tambak yang dibina dibuat terus ke laut ekoran pembinaan landasan kapal terbang di Lapangan Terbang Sultan Mahmud.
Menurut beliau, akibat perancangan yang tidak betul, Pantai Rhu Rendang turut mengalami hakisan teruk, ekoran pembinaan pemecah ombak untuk pembinaan Pelabuhan Chendering.
 Katanya, kesemua itu berlaku disebabkan gangguan-gangguan yang terlalu banyak di kawasan pantai sehingga menyebabkan berlakunya tindak balas yang menyebabkan berlakunya hakisan sepanjang masa dan lebih teruk lagi pada musim tengkujuh.
"Ekoran itu juga, jalan raya di kawasan Teluk Lipat di Dungun sekarang sampai sudah habis nak tenggelam, nak dikorek dan dihakis," katanya ketika mengemukakan soalan tambahan dari soalan asalnya kepada Menteri Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar, Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.
Sehubungan itu, beliau bertanya sama ada pihak kerajaan ada melakukan kajian secara menyeluruh atau tidak tentang apa juga aktiviti yang hendak dilakukan yang melibatkan pantai supaya tidak mendatangkan kesan sampingan seperti itu.
Jika tidak diadakan kajian menyeluruh, ia pasti akan mendatangkan kesan sampingan yang teruk sehingga memaksa kerajaan mengeluarkan perbelanjaan besar untuk membaik pulih pantai-pantai berkenaan.
"Sekiranya tiada kajian menyeluruh dan perancangan yang rapi, perbelanjaan besar yang diperuntukkan oleh kerajaan sehingga RM5 juta atau RM10 juta pun tetap juga tak mampu membaik pulih pantai-pantai berkenaan kerana hakisan tetap juga berlaku semula," jelasnya.
Ekoran dari itu pada 11 Mei, 2011, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Infrastruktur dan Kemudahan Awam negeri, Datuk Zaabar Mohd Adib berjanji, peruntukan RM1.5 juta diluluskan untuk membina tiga benteng penahan ombak dan ia perlu disiapkan segera sebelum musim tengkujuh akan datang.
[Gambar kanan - papan tanda projek kawalan pantai; baru bermula kra-kira sebulan yang lalu, setelah pantai Teluk Lipat dirobek ombak kelai pertama musim tengkujuh tahun ini]
Peruntukan segera itu, katanya, diluluskan selepas Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Ahmad Said dalam lawatan kerja ke daerah Dungun pada minggu lalu melihat sendiri kemusnahan pantai itu dan mengarahkan Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS) menyiapkan reka bentuk benteng penahan ombak berkenaan.
"Kita minta supaya JPS segera menyerahkan reka bentuk terbabit supaya kerajaan negeri dapat menyalurkan peruntukan dan seterusnya kerja membina benteng itu akan dapat disegerakan," katanya ditemui selepas merasmikan program Tenggol Underwater And Island Challenge (TUIC) anjuran Coral Malaysia
Namun, sehingga semalam 26 Disember, 2011, apabila ombak memukul pantai dan menyebabkan jalan di Teluk Lipat tinggal sekerat kerana dihakis, tidak ada walaupun satu benteng pemecah ombak sebagaimana yang dijanjikan.
Menurut seorang warga Dungun, Lu Chee Ann, tahun ini tidak ada sebarang kerja kawalan hakisan pantai tersebut dilakukan.
 Halangan 'bag pasir' yang 'kononya' cuba menahan ombak dipinggir pantai itu, katanya, adalah di letakkan dsitu pada tahun lalu (2010).
"sebelum ni (2010) letak bag pasir saje, yang letak bag pasir (itu) ialah tahun lepas…..tahun ni tak buat (sebarang) benteng la….,"katanya
[Gambar kiri - bag-bag pasr yang diletakkan d pinggr pantai setahun yang lalu]
Justeru, PAS kesal kerana pemimpin Umno dan BN hanya berjanji dan berjanji, tetapi tidak menunaikannya.
Menurut Setiausaha Majlis Tindakan DUN (MTD) Sura, Mohd Ibrahim, bukan sahaja Menteri Besar Terengganu, Dato' Seri Ahmad Said, bahkan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin juga menabur janji kosong.
"TPM dan MB kata hendak baiki pantai di Teluk Lipat untuk selamatkan pantai, kami tunggu, (tapi) janji tinggal janji untuk baiki pantai,
"Inilah kekuasaan Allah kepada hamba-Nya...kite mesti ingat kepada-Nya (sekiranya berjanji),"ujarnya. |
| Muhyiddin: No bullying under Article 153 Posted: 26 Dec 2011 02:33 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) SHAH ALAM, Dec 27 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin denied today that any community had been bullied as a result of Article 153 of the Constitution as claimed by a senior Christian leader last weekend. The deputy prime minister told reporters that the clause, which charges the Agong with protecting the position of Bumiputeras, was "enshrined in the Constitution (because) there is history, there is a rationale". "That is an incorrect interpretation," the Umno deputy president said when asked to comment on National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) chairman Reverend Dr Eu Hong Seng's claim that Article 153 was akin to "bullying" if it only protected the rights of one group. "The government's policies under Barisan Nasional (BN) have served all. Efforts to help all levels of society... are all sealed in the (social) contract that has been implemented all this while. "I hope no debate is sparked for certain purposes. What is already enshrined in the constitution should not be questioned," the Pagoh MP said. Perkasa had responded to Eu on Sunday by saying the Article helped keep the country peaceful, further claiming that the race riots of May 13, 1969 happened because it was not implemented properly. "This country is peaceful because of Article 153 which protects the rights of Bumiputeras who are the majority in this country. "The reverend needs to remember that Christians are able to practise their religion without worry in this country because of Article 153," Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hasan Syed Ali said. Muhyiddin had also said yesterday no one was sidelined under BN due to the ruling coalition's power-sharing concept that is based on a common understanding among the various races and religions. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/muhyiddin-no-bullying-under-article-153/ |
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