Rabu, 4 Januari 2012

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Remember what I wrote before?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:04 PM PST

Anwar said he had been friends with Raja Petra for ten years, and acknowledged the fact that the Selangor prince had "actively" supported him while he was in prison back in 1999. "He ran to London because he did not want to go to prison," said Anwar.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

What I am going to talk about is not something new. I have already said what I am about to say many times over the last three years or so.

First is the issue of double jeopardy.

Under the law, you cannot be punished twice for the same crime. I, however, was.

After arresting me, charging me, and even as I was still facing trial, the government detained me under the Internal Security Act (ISA). According to the Detention Order, my detention was for two years but that can be rolled over indefinitely.

When I was in Kamunting I met people who were already in their seventh year of detention so there is actually no time limit to an ISA detention. There was one man who had been detained for more than 30 years before he saw freedom.

Nevertheless, the Shah Alam High Court ruled my detention illegal and I was released after only two months. The government then appealed my release and the case went before the Federal Court.

My lawyers protested the irregularities in that appeal hearing and another court agreed with our arguments. It looked like my lawyers were able to block the appeal and what was supposed to be a speedy hearing dragged on.

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Initially, the Federal Court said it wanted the hearing over and down with within a week. Then we heard nothing further from them for a few weeks.

This raised our suspicion. Why had the Federal Court suddenly gone cold when in the beginning they were in such a hurry? And that is when we found out that they were preparing another Detention Order and were going to detain me under a fresh Detention Order instead of wasting time to appeal the decision of the Shah Alam Federal Court on the first Detention Order, which was not working in their favour anyway.

In short, this meant they were going to punish me THREE times for the same alleged crime. This was no longer double jeopardy but triple jeopardy.

The government had to decide whether they wanted to detain me without trial or put me on trial. They can't do both. They can't put me on trial plus detain me TWICE under detention without trial for the same alleged crime.

We then got word that the government was going to detain me on Monday, 23rd February 2009. A few days before that, one of Anwar Ibrahim's people called me for a meeting and advised me to leave the country.

I told him I would not run away but will face the trial. He replied it is not about the trial but about the ISA detention. I may be able to fight the four charges against me. But there is no way I can fight detention without trial since there will be no trial.

I must stay free so that I can continue to write, he told me. The fight must go on. Anwar is also facing trial and there is a strong possibility he will be convicted. We can't have everyone in jail, he told me. Some have to remain free.

I finally agreed to leave the country (my flight tickets were paid for by some friends in Europe). I left on Saturday, 21st February 2009 and two days later, on Monday, 23 February, the police came to my house to detain me. Of course, by then I was safely across the border. The police waited outside my house for a few hours then went off. They did come back a few more times before they gave up (one of my neighbours confirmed this).

I have to state for the record that Anwar's people spoke to me to convince me to leave the country. And it was to avoid further detention without trial, not to avoid the trial.

If you can remember, I did write in Malaysia Today that I am prepared to return to Malaysia to face trial if the government can give me a written assurance that I will not, again, be detained under the ISA.

The government refused to give me this assurance and many of you posted comments in Malaysia Today telling me that even if the government does give me that written assurance to not return because the government cannot be trusted to keep its word, even if it is in writing.

As I said, all this has been explained before.

Some people have commented that I am making a deal with the government because my son is in prison and I am trying to save him. This is an insult to my lawyers, J. Chandra and Amarjit Sidhu.

They did a marvellous job in defending my son. Are you saying that my lawyers are dumb arses and did not do a good job? When they took up my son's case they told me that my son has a strong case and they are extremely confident that they can get him acquitted. (In fact, I initially did not agree that they take up my son's case because I could not afford the fees but they begged me to allow them to handle the case, for free).

Those of you who personally know Chandra and Amarjit can ask them whether a deal was made or was it because they did a good job to get him acquitted? In fact, he was acquitted without his defence being called.

Anyway, my son is now in the UK and working as a chef in a restaurant. He is not in jail as some of you are saying. Why do I need to make a deal to save my son who you say is in jail when he is already out of Malaysia?

You accuse others of spinning and of distorting the truth. But isn't the truth being distorted in my case? Why is it wrong to distort the truth when it comes to opposition supporters but okay to do so when you view that person as hostile towards the opposition?

By the way, Anwar has known me since 1963, longer than the ten years that he said he knows me. 1963 is almost 50 years.

 

Ten years is a long time to U-turn

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 10:12 AM PST

I have been saying what I said recently for more than ten years. I have even been saying it on the Free Anwar Campaign website, the PAS party organ, Harakah, as well as the PKR party organ, Berita Keadilan. I have not changed my tune. I am still singing the same old tired tune. Only this time I said it in the New Straits Times and which the other mainstream newspapers chose to pick up.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There has been a lot of talk recently about Raja Petra Kamarudin doing a sudden U-turn or about-turn. I suppose this is because it is perceived that I am now critical of the opposition, in particular PKR, and of its leadership, in particular Anwar Ibrahim.

They also want to know why I chose to talk to the mainstream (read: government) media instead of the opposition media. "And why now?" they ask. "Why not later, after the election?"

Why not now? If not now, then when? You want me to wait till after the 13th General Election is over and Barisan Nasional has won another five-year mandate from the voters to run the country? Would it not be too late then? Would this not be like trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted?

Sheesh…what do they teach you in school nowadays?

Since more than ten years ago I have been criticising the opposition, in particular PKR, although DAP and PAS were not exempted. I also criticised many opposition leaders, not just Anwar Ibrahim.

You can read what I wrote back in 2001 below, plus you can read more here: http://www.freeanwar.net/Raja_Petra.htm

Now, please note that these articles were published in the Free Anwar Campaign website (http://www.freeanwar.net/), which I am still maintaining (and still paying for it from my own pocket with no reimbursement from Anwar).

The pro-opposition Blogs, news portals and websites are trying to paint a scenario of a 'sudden outburst', a 'sudden U-turn' and whatnot, as if in the past I have never said what I said on New Year's Day.

I have been saying what I said recently for more than ten years. I have even been saying it on the Free Anwar Campaign website, the PAS party organ, Harakah, as well as the PKR party organ, Berita Keadilan. I have not changed my tune. I am still singing the same old tired tune. Only this time I said it in the New Straits Times and which the other mainstream newspapers chose to pick up.

I suppose that is the issue. I can scream, rant and rave. But I must do it only in the pro-opposition media and Blogs and not in the government media.

But that is just the problem. For ten years I have been screaming in the pro-opposition media and Blogs. Has anything been done about the problems I raised? Day in and day out we still see the same old shit perpetuating.

However, the instant I say what I have been saying for ten years in the government media, an earthquake is triggered.

Get my drift or do I need to speak a bit slower?

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

KeADILan's true colours revealed - which is a shade of UMNO

The media had predicted fireworks in Kemaman. Many had hoped that keADILan would fall apart due to the intense infighting. Most people had expected nothing less than the worst when Parti Keadilan Nasional held its first party election last weekend in Kemaman, Terengganu. However, what came out of it instead was a delightful surprise. The members, in a demonstration of their maturity, elected a whole new team of leaders whom they felt would strengthen the party.

The media had played up the ABIM versus ex-UMNO issue to the hilt. They made it seem like there was a power struggle between two major groups in keADILan to wrest control of the party. If this were so, then how come Irene Fernandez got in as the Women's Deputy Leader and Tian Chua as one of the three Vice Presidents when both are neither ABIM nor ex-UMNO members?

The keADILan contest was just a normal contest for party posts. All political parties in Malaysia go through it. But when the other parties see a contest it is not a big deal. For keADILan, however, it is front-page news with doomsday predictions thrown in. Maybe, as this was the party's first internal contest, all eyes were on it to see how it manages its elections with the backdrop of a fierce fight.

It was quite apparent that the contest was between groups and not individuals as nearly every delegate was armed with a complete list of who to vote for. There may have been about three or four variations of this list but the main players would be what were perceived as the ex-UMNO group of Abdul Rahman Othman, Saifuddin Nasution, Azmin Ali and the ABIM group of Dr Mohd Nur Manuty, Mustaffa Kamil, Anuar Tahir and Ruslan Kassim.

As in any block voting, an entire team would be voted in and the other sidelined. In this case, the perceived ex-UMNO group came in as the winner. How unhappy the "other side" was at losing was demonstrated when most who lost did not attend the closing session of the AGM. It was estimated that only about 300 of the 1,004 delegates turned up which puts to question whether there was any quorum for the closing session.

Party President Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail tried to justify the high absentee rate by explaining that many had to return to their hometowns or go back to work. But no amount of explaining could dispel the impression that these were sore losers who would rather boycott the remaining session of the AGM because they did not get voted in.

If this is the attitude of the losers then maybe, in the first place, it was best that they did not win. Everybody knows how to manage victory. Only the matured know how to manage defeat. And if this is a demonstration of how they manage defeat, then they are certainly not matured enough yet to lead the party.

The campaigning was another source of anxiety. Some of the campaign tactics were rather dirty and centered on character assassination. In the euphoria to win seats and defeat their rivals, some candidates would resort to anything just as long as they win in the end. It was good that these people did not win as this is certainly an unhealthy culture that should be rejected.

KeADILan preaches justice and fair-play and urges the populace to reject the corrupt Barisan Nasional and its leading partner UMNO. However, some of the keADILan leaders showed that they are no better than the BN or UMNO leaders. Why, therefore, would Malaysians need to kick out the ruling party just to replace it with a party that has the same practices and culture?

The next contest will be in March 2002 when the more than 120 divisions will be up for grabs. If the recent AGM was anything to go by, expect an equally intense and filthy contest during the division elections. If this happens, this would be the beginning of the end for the party.

Many supporters are disgusted with what they saw the last month or so with reported dirty tactics a la UMNO and fist fights at MPT meetings. Some of the die-hards are now becoming cold towards the party and no longer want to support it. They feel keADILan has deviated from the right path and has become just another political party. Worse than that, it has become another UMNO-like party.

If keADILan wants to continue getting the support of the people, it needs to demonstrate that it is a matured and responsible party. The test would be in March next year when the campaigning for the divisional elections heats up. If the Kemaman affair is repeated, then expect many to turn their backs on the party for good.

26 November 2001

http://www.freeanwar.net/articles/article251101.htm

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

Welcome to the Real World

From the 8th to 11th November 2001, the National Justice Party (keADILan), which was two and a half years old on 4 October, will be facing its first party election. As anticipated, as soon as the Sarawak State Elections ended – and with less than desired results, may I add – the campaigning heated up.

Deputy President Dr Chandra Muzaffar's decision not to seek re-election, followed by Hamdan Tahar's resignation from the party under unhappy circumstances, cast a glum scenario indeed. Earlier, one of the party's three Vice Presidents, Zainur Zakaria, who is also one of Anwar Ibrahim's solicitors, announced his withdrawal as well. Zainur had, in fact, filled that post when another Vice President, Marina Yusoff, resigned in a huff a year or so earlier.

Less publicized was Johari Abdul's resignation from the Supreme Council, a personality strongly linked to the Reformasi movement and regarded as one of its masterminds. This further widened the gap between the party and the Reformasi movement that claims it is being sidelined though the party would not have existed if not for the movement.

Rumours are rife that further resignations are in the cards and time will testify to this speculation. But people come and people go and, at the end of the day, one has to subscribe to the philosophy that no one is indispensable. If keADILan falls apart because of the exit of a few key figures, then it is no party to start of with, as a political party cannot evolve around a handful of people.

At first glance it looks bad. KeADILan appears to be breaking apart. And, from the feedback received, this is certainly the perception of those on the outside looking in.

The party supporters out there are extremely disappointed. Some are even angry and speak about the present goings-on with a bitter tone in their voice. They ask, were they wrong about the party and have they wasted the last three years supporting Reformasi and the party just to see its demise even before it can make inroads into Malaysian politics?

This is understandable. They had heralded keADILan's birth as the coming of new politics for Malaysia. They saw this new party, mothered by Reformasi and made possible due to the Anwar Ibrahim political crisis, as the future. They saw change and reformation on the horizon and the end to corrupt and racial politics - where nothing is regarded as immoral - that has been the accepted norm for Malaysia these last three generations.

Also understandable is the fact that keADILan's supporters are idealists. They had always shunned politics and politicians. But when they saw what they thought was the purity of the new party, they rallied forth. Some never voted in their life and now, for the first time, they actually registered as voters to play their role in ensuring the new party garnered enough votes to make a difference – maybe even enough votes to form the next government.

Now they realise that keADILan is…well, just another political party, and they are disappointed. They do not want just another political party. They want a different kind of party, and they stood up to be counted because they thought it would be a different kind of party.

Well, welcome to the real world! KeADILan is another political party, but with slight twist. To be realistic, keADILan needs to be another political party to last the distance. If it was that ideal, strait-laced, and almost virtuous party that many thought it was and wish it would be, then it would be doomed from the word go.

Let's face reality. KeADILan is up against UMNO. UMNO is no saintly organisation. UMNO fights dirty. Anything goes as far as UMNO is concerned. UMNO will stoop to anything to win the elections and, given half a chance, will wipe the still-wet-behind-the-ears keADILan from the face of this earth.

Can keADILan withstand UMNO's onslaught if it fought with kid gloves? KeADILan too needs to be devious, street-wise, and blood thirsty to beat UMNO at its own game. So, keADILan too needs to be another political party to do this.

We are presently seeing what we believe is turmoil in the party. We are seeing factionalism and groupings formed - each trying to outmaneuver the other. We are seeing battle lines being drawn. We are finally seeing the aspiring candidates behaving just like any normal politician would.

But what is so wrong with this? What's wrong if keADILan's leaders and aspiring leaders act like politicians? This is, after all, what politics is all about. Politics is about contesting, and winning. It is about maneuvers and strategies. It is about outdoing and outsmarting your opponents.

KeADILan has so far never held any internal party elections. Seven months after it was formed, it faced its first general election, followed by a few by-elections and, most recently, the Sarawak State Election. There was nothing clean about these elections. As Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad promised in November 1999, the Tenth General Election was the dirtiest in the history of this country. And keADILan was ill prepared for all this.

KeADILan needs to learn how to fight, and how to fight dirty. If it cannot even get through an internal party election, how does it face UMNO in the next general election? Contests are good. That's what politics is all about. How one prepares for this contest is also very important. Slogans alone are not enough. Idealism does not cut any ice with the voters. One needs to do more than that to make any headway in Malaysian politics.

We should not look at the impending party contest as something negative. KeADILan needs to go through this and the faster the better. As it is, the contest is already too long overdue. The present crop of leaders was never elected, they were all appointed - the President included. They now need to legitimize their positions by getting elected into office.

So, the fighting is intense. Well, as they say, if the fire is too hot get out off the kitchen. If you think it is hot now, just wait until the next general election comes around. It's going to be worse than this and worse too than the last general election in 1999.

So, there are groups and camps. So what? Politics is about allies. Show me one political party that does not work on the principle of allying yourself. Some members and aspiring leaders feel that it should be a "clean" fight. What do they mean by clean? Do they mean everyone should be an "independent" candidate and not belong to any team.

Politics does not work that way. If every soldier were to do battle as Lone Rangers, without being part of an army, he would die the first day into battle. Have you even seen a football game won by a bunch of Prima Donas? If there were no team and no teamwork they would never win the match.

On whether the candidates badmouth each other and use money to win, I suppose the members will have to decide on this one. Fighting is one thing and slandering is another. The members will have to demonstrate their maturity by rejecting uncouth aspirants. And if they still get elected into office nevertheless…well, then probably those that left before this knew what they were doing.

1 November 2001

http://www.freeanwar.net/articles/article011101b.htm
 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Malaysians – a gossipholic society?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:39 PM PST

ART HARUN

The Italian poet and novelist, Cesare Pavese, widely considered as among the major authors of the 20th century in Italy, left a brief note before his suicide.

The last sentence in that brief note says, "don't gossip too much."

Malaysians, and I must say, especially the Malays, are obviously not taking that advice to heart.

It is simply amazing that nowadays Malaysians are so caught up by the need to know what somebody else – especially celebrities - is doing. We have become a nation full of kepohs!

The advent of information technologies in the 21st century and of course the near free availability of connectivity in our country currently have contrived to elevate gossiping to something of a national obsession. Day in and day out all of us, to a certain extent, partake in acts of gossiping, be it political, social or even economics in nature.

However, what is really irksome is the proliferation of blatant breaches of privacy by way of the publications of, more often than not, photographs of some celebrities on the internet. This is often followed by unsolicited and gratuitous form of self righteous comments about the photographs and the celebrities in question. Ultimately, there will also be the usual self-righteous advice such as "kembalilah ke jalan Allah" aimed  at the celebrities in question.

Yesterday I read about a certain young lady singer whose pictures in a wet long t-shirt were splashed (no pun intended) all over the internet world. Those pictures were apparently taken during a private pool party. I also saw a picture of another lady actress wearing a bare-back dinner gown making its round on the internet.

Needless to say, both set of pictures drew the usual "you-are-a-bad-Muslim-gal-kembalilah-ke-jalan-Allah" kind of comments from the moral nazis.

Today I visited a news portal and the major "news" on that portal today is about a Malaysian top student who is now studying abroad – who inevitably must be of the female gender (this kind of things actually only happen to the female sex. The males are quite obviously less interesting and significantly of no gossiping value) – who posted some pictures of herself on her fb page.

Apparently, before she went abroad, she used to wear the tudung. Her current picture shows her having blonde hair and wearing laced up legging.

Almost instantaneously, the closet mullahs began attacking her on her fb page with the usual "kembalilah ke jalan Allah" advice. She has since, apparently, deleted her fb page as a consequence.

Which begs the question, first and foremost, why are we so kepoh about whatever others wear or do? The next question, why are we not only so kepoh, but are so quick to judge other people simply by what they wear? I mean, we don't even know these people and yet we are so quick to draw a moralistic line, compare that line to that of ours and impose ours on hers.

What makes us believe that a girl in tights or bikinis or a wet t-shirt is of lower moralistic value than those who wear the tudungs, hijabs or baju kurung?

Which brings all of us to the next frightening conclusion and that is, to the contemporary society, externalities are more important than the internals. It is like our whole moral compass is dictated by what we can see in three dimensions and that's it. Nothing else matters.

And so if a girl wears a tudung or a baju kurung, she is quite obviously better, moral wise, than a girl wearing a plunging neck-line t-shirt. Little do we know the plunging neck-line girl works 2 hours a day as a volunteer worker at a day care center as opposed to the girl in baju kurung who don't even think to help anybody in this world.

Umberto Eco, in his speech, "The Loss of Privacy" (published in "Turning Back the Clock": Harvill Secker, 2007) noted, with accuracy if I may add, that "the first thing that the globalisation of communication through the internet threatened was the notion of boundaries."

He then cleverly pointed out that the globalisation of communication as such shows two aspects of ourselves which were hitherto not quite as obvious. Firstly, there reside in  everyone of us, what I would call, a "flasher" tendency, ie, the need to be seen. Secondly, there is also correspondingly, a need to see, which I would call the "voyeuristic" tendency.

He might be right on both counts.

READ MORE HERE

 

Remember what I wrote before?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:04 PM PST

Anwar said he had been friends with Raja Petra for ten years, and acknowledged the fact that the Selangor prince had "actively" supported him while he was in prison back in 1999. "He ran to London because he did not want to go to prison," said Anwar.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

What I am going to talk about is not something new. I have already said what I am about to say many times over the last three years or so.

First is the issue of double jeopardy.

Under the law, you cannot be punished twice for the same crime. I, however, was.

After arresting me, charging me, and even as I was still facing trial, the government detained me under the Internal Security Act (ISA). According to the Detention Order, my detention was for two years but that can be rolled over indefinitely.

When I was in Kamunting I met people who were already in their seventh year of detention so there is actually no time limit to an ISA detention. There was one man who had been detained for more than 30 years before he saw freedom.

Nevertheless, the Shah Alam High Court ruled my detention illegal and I was released after only two months. The government then appealed my release and the case went before the Federal Court.

My lawyers protested the irregularities in that appeal hearing and another court agreed with our arguments. It looked like my lawyers were able to block the appeal and what was supposed to be a speedy hearing dragged on.

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Initially, the Federal Court said it wanted the hearing over and down with within a week. Then we heard nothing further from them for a few weeks.

This raised our suspicion. Why had the Federal Court suddenly gone cold when in the beginning they were in such a hurry? And that is when we found out that they were preparing another Detention Order and were going to detain me under a fresh Detention Order instead of wasting time to appeal the decision of the Shah Alam Federal Court on the first Detention Order, which was not working in their favour anyway.

In short, this meant they were going to punish me THREE times for the same alleged crime. This was no longer double jeopardy but triple jeopardy.

The government had to decide whether they wanted to detain me without trial or put me on trial. They can't do both. They can't put me on trial plus detain me TWICE under detention without trial for the same alleged crime.

We then got word that the government was going to detain me on Monday, 23rd February 2009. A few days before that, one of Anwar Ibrahim's people called me for a meeting and advised me to leave the country.

I told him I would not run away but will face the trial. He replied it is not about the trial but about the ISA detention. I may be able to fight the four charges against me. But there is no way I can fight detention without trial since there will be no trial.

I must stay free so that I can continue to write, he told me. The fight must go on. Anwar is also facing trial and there is a strong possibility he will be convicted. We can't have everyone in jail, he told me. Some have to remain free.

I finally agreed to leave the country (my flight tickets were paid for by some friends in Europe). I left on Saturday, 21st February 2009 and two days later, on Monday, 23 February, the police came to my house to detain me. Of course, by then I was safely across the border. The police waited outside my house for a few hours then went off. They did come back a few more times before they gave up (one of my neighbours confirmed this).

I have to state for the record that Anwar's people spoke to me to convince me to leave the country. And it was to avoid further detention without trial, not to avoid the trial.

If you can remember, I did write in Malaysia Today that I am prepared to return to Malaysia to face trial if the government can give me a written assurance that I will not, again, be detained under the ISA.

The government refused to give me this assurance and many of you posted comments in Malaysia Today telling me that even if the government does give me that written assurance to not return because the government cannot be trusted to keep its word, even if it is in writing.

As I said, all this has been explained before.

Some people have commented that I am making a deal with the government because my son is in prison and I am trying to save him. This is an insult to my lawyers, J. Chandra and Amarjit Sidhu.

They did a marvellous job in defending my son. Are you saying that my lawyers are dumb arses and did not do a good job? When they took up my son's case they told me that my son has a strong case and they are extremely confident that they can get him acquitted. (In fact, I initially did not agree that they take up my son's case because I could not afford the fees but they begged me to allow them to handle the case, for free).

Those of you who personally know Chandra and Amarjit can ask them whether a deal was made or was it because they did a good job to get him acquitted? In fact, he was acquitted without his defence being called.

Anyway, my son is now in the UK and working as a chef in a restaurant. He is not in jail as some of you are saying. Why do I need to make a deal to save my son who you say is in jail when he is already out of Malaysia?

You accuse others of spinning and of distorting the truth. But isn't the truth being distorted in my case? Why is it wrong to distort the truth when it comes to opposition supporters but okay to do so when you view that person as hostile towards the opposition?

By the way, Anwar has known me since 1963, longer than the ten years that he said he knows me. 1963 is almost 50 years.

 

Did We Over-Enjoy RPK?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 11:18 AM PST

Here's my take on why we liked RPK. It's quite simple: He made us enjoy cursing the government. Before RPK, people had things to say but they didn't have the 'secret data' to drive Barisan fellas into panic mode. Before RPK, people were 'small' and without influence but whoo now there's a prince(!) who tells the government to screw themselves. Before RPK, in short, anti-government commentary was like playing a board-game; now it's X-Box with sense-surround speakers in your face.

By wyngman

For starters, the Raja Petra Kamarudin u-turn episode should forever caution the rakyat from giving unequivocal support to anyone, even the darlings of anti-government rhetoric/commentary unjustly jailed for their stance. Today it's RPK, tomorrow Jeyakumar or Karpal Singh or Anwar himself (who - lest politically enthusiastic Malaysians forget - skipped from ABIM to UMNO in 1982 which as we know is kinda like Ryan Giggs jumping to Liverpool...)?

The second thing is how RPK's recent comments expose the politicization of truth itself, how we respond to truth-claims, the level of lee-way or suspicion we grant to remarks made by the politically integral (and why we do so), etc. A critical question is what would happen if RPK was to make another U-turn back to being his super-anti-BN former self? Would we have learnt our lesson and be less eager to swallow his articles virtually whole-sale? Surely the basis of our reliance on a certain individual's perspectives cannot be so fickle i.e. if he's anti-UMNO, we celebrate him; otherwise, we burn him in effigy?

Yet assuming RPK's credibility is forever ruined, another question arises: why is it forever gone? Have his recent opinions be proven to be less reliable? Are his assertions now lacking in proof (really, have they ever been proven at all?) Or is his credibility finished simply because he's now goring an ox we'd prefer he not touch?

Doesn't RPK now, in fact, represent political commentary at its purest i.e. bold statements supposedly based on truth yet which serves to obscure a ominous framework of lies which, in turn, offer fantasmatic support for the truth-claims made?

A quick note that the accusation that UMNO has 'gotten' to RPK - like the charge of corruption within the Selangor government - requires this small thing called proof. It's not that I deny the intuitive plausibility of, say, RPK being blackmailed on account of his son (or some such rumour) but, c'mon, a mature democracy first needs to behave like grown-ups, no? That means - at the pain of having nothing to say - we only hurl charges which can be substantiated even if the other side does otherwise.

So UMNO likes to make wild accusations - should the DAP do the same? So MCA blasts people without proof - should PAS follow suit? Hell, no. The buck's gotta stop somewhere. Furthermore, these suggestions serve to deflect two key issues 1) RPK's integrity from the very start and 2) the basis for our previous support of his work yet present berating of it. Perhaps the critical question is not why RPK has 'turned to the dark side', but why the rakyat extolled him to the light side in the first place?

Here's my take on why we liked RPK. It's quite simple: He made us enjoy cursing the government. Before RPK, people had things to say but they didn't have the 'secret data' to drive Barisan fellas into panic mode. Before RPK, people were 'small' and without influence but whoo now there's a prince(!) who tells the government to screw themselves. Before RPK, in short, anti-government commentary was like playing a board-game; now it's X-Box with sense-surround speakers in your face.

Blasting the government the way RPK did was something Malaysians were officially disallowed and (until recently) unable to do - these prohibitions INTENSIFIED our delight when the opportunity (and 'leadership' in the form that RPK provided) emerged. To put it crudely, we - political voyeurs to the full - were freed to vent our hatred of The Man in a manner which not only did not get us reprimanded but occasioned quiet snickers of satisfaction from everyone else.

In a word, enjoyment - of reinvigorated political criticism, of high-def exposés, of rhetoric, of RPK's "fist of the people" themes - was the critical 'category' which so endeared us to RPK's work. RPK was obviously enjoying himself. And we enjoyed ourselves watching him enjoy - and he/we knew it. And loved it.

But wait: what about RPK exposing the injustice and corruption and oppression and all those anti-democratic evils of Barisan? Aren't those important? Of course they are. But RPK gave us all of it and that little extra. He allowed us to sound patriotic and civil-minded whilst secretly (or not so secretly) indulging in gratuitious anger, insults and mockery. (To take this point further, try reading the scholarly material on Malaysian's political problems and abuses e.g. try digesting Clive Kessler, William Case, Bridget Welsh, Edmund Gomez, etc. they're far more reliable, 'scientific' and rhetoric/distraction-free, but you can bet you won't get any t-shirts with their name and 'C4' next to it and, besides, who are in the world are these people anyway?)

What's even more problematic is how (eventually) many people simply equated RPK's writing with political truth itself. To this day many still believe that Najib was responsible for the murder of Altantuya and would credit their belief to RPK's exposing the PM's involvement when in fact RPK did no such thing. All RPK did was make a statutory declaration based on information supplied by some seriously dodgy dudes who appear to be the frontmen for some plot possibly hatched by Tengku Razaleigh to bring down Najib. You can read it all from RPK himself - then again, do you trust him anymore?

Read more at: http://wyngman.blogspot.com/2012/01/did-we-over-enjoy-rpk.html

 

T’is the season for jumping ship!

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 11:12 AM PST

http://aliran.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Lim-Boo-Chang.jpg

Lim Boo Chang - Photograph: Malaysiakini

Without fail it happens! Just before elections, hordes of renegades suddenly emerge from nowhere, bad-mouthing the party that they had been associated with.

By P Ramakrishnan

Malaysians must not be taken in by this sandiwara. We must remain focused on the larger objective i.e. to turn the BN into an opposition, writes P Ramakrishnan.

Without fail it happens! Just before elections, hordes of renegades suddenly emerge from nowhere, bad-mouthing the party that they had been associated with.

It is a wonder that their disillusionment with their party must invariably coincide with the impending elections. Their disenchantment is, as it were, programmed to take off at a particular time.

This migration inevitably follows the electoral season and their path will invariably lead them to the Barisan Nasional!

If you study their history, you may discover that many of them would have belonged to one of the BN component parties and subsequently would have deserted it to hop over to the Opposition for the same reason – they were disillusioned!

It must have been a full circle for Lim Boo Chang who resigned from Parti Keadilan Rakyat, expressing his desire to return to Gerakan – a party that he deserted in 1995 in favour of the MCA, after having been with Gerakan for 15 long years. Thirteen years later, he jumped ship to the PKR.

Now, less than four years later, he has turned his back on PKR. Looks as if it is becoming a habit!

The NST, in the habit of playing up this kind of news that is deemed to be detrimental to the Opposition, understandably gave him front page publicity (15 December 2011, 'PKR man quits, calls DAP "autocratic"').

This latest episode has seemingly left a bad taste in the mouth of thinking Malaysians. It seems strange, they argue, that he was unable to find a niche in all these three parties. They wonder whether he is a misfit or his ideals were too high to find any common ground in these parties.

In any case, some days later, some 312 persons claiming to be PKR members – from Boo Chang's Bukit Gelugor division of which he was the chairman – announced their resignation from the party at a press conference. Some of them apparently were officials of the division such as deputy chief Rosal Rahman, assistant treasurer Diong Chong Mee, several committee members and youth chief Shah Hameed Abd Kadeer.

Unsurprisingly, the Umno Baru division chief, Abdul Rahim Saibu, was present at this press conference. It isn't all that difficult to fathom where these former PKR members apparently got their 'enlightenment' from! It's no mystery why they jumped ship. It is not too difficult to guess why!

According to many thinking people, it seems, there are those who become wise when the inducement is irresistible!

Following this migration, it was also reported that other migratory 'birds' were also in flight! This act has got to be staged in such a manner to convey the impression that this is not an isolated case and that the "disillusionment" is real and wide-spread. That is the reason why soon after Boo Chang's episode, we read about other cases.

According to the NST (18 December 2011) head-line, "120 ex-Pas men defect to Umno." The report states, "A total of 120 Pas supporters in Kampung Beoh have announced that they were leaving the party en masse to set up a new Umno branch."

Another NST (27 December 2011) head-line read, "42 Pas members quit to join Umno". It was reported that "forty-two Pas members in Bakau Tua here (Kepala Batas) have quit the party to join Umno".

On 31 December 2011, the NST again head-lined a report, "80 hardcore Pas supporters join Umno". The report reads: "Some 80 hardcore Pas supporters in Tok Bali near here (Pasir Puteh) yesterday joined Umno en masse after become (sic) disillusioned with Pas for failing to keep its promises to help the poor and develop the town (Tok Bali)."

You can be rest assured that as the election approaches nearer, more and more "disillusioned" and orchestrated members will be betraying themselves and deserting their party of choice to align themselves with a party of convenience!

Obviously, such crossovers are meant to create the myth that the Opposition is losing its support and is on the verge of collapse. But the present-day electorate are much wiser and more discerning to fall into this trap, which is nothing but crap!

What does all this demonstrate about our value system? Betrayal is portrayed as a virtue going by the wide publicity given blatantly and brazenly to these deserters by the discredited media, the mouth-pieces of the BN.

The media do not query why suddenly – and at this juncture – these renegades have attained 'enlightenment'. Why is it that, when the election was not imminent, these newly disgruntled members were hardly dissatisfied or disillusioned with their party?

Malaysians must not be taken in by this sandiwara. We must remain focused on the larger objective i.e. to turn the BN into an opposition. Only then will we know whether the present Opposition is capable of providing an alternative government that will protect the deserving and reward the hard-working.

Only then will we know whether the BN, which is ever so ready to condemn the Opposition for its every act as irresponsible and ignoble, is indeed capable of providing constructive and meaningful opposition without criticising for the sake of criticism.

P Ramakrishnan is the past President of Aliran

Ten years is a long time to U-turn

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 10:12 AM PST

I have been saying what I said recently for more than ten years. I have even been saying it on the Free Anwar Campaign website, the PAS party organ, Harakah, as well as the PKR party organ, Berita Keadilan. I have not changed my tune. I am still singing the same old tired tune. Only this time I said it in the New Straits Times and which the other mainstream newspapers chose to pick up.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There has been a lot of talk recently about Raja Petra Kamarudin doing a sudden U-turn or about-turn. I suppose this is because it is perceived that I am now critical of the opposition, in particular PKR, and of its leadership, in particular Anwar Ibrahim.

They also want to know why I chose to talk to the mainstream (read: government) media instead of the opposition media. "And why now?" they ask. "Why not later, after the election?"

Why not now? If not now, then when? You want me to wait till after the 13th General Election is over and Barisan Nasional has won another five-year mandate from the voters to run the country? Would it not be too late then? Would this not be like trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted?

Sheesh…what do they teach you in school nowadays?

Since more than ten years ago I have been criticising the opposition, in particular PKR, although DAP and PAS were not exempted. I also criticised many opposition leaders, not just Anwar Ibrahim.

You can read what I wrote back in 2001 below, plus you can read more here: http://www.freeanwar.net/Raja_Petra.htm

Now, please note that these articles were published in the Free Anwar Campaign website (http://www.freeanwar.net/), which I am still maintaining (and still paying for it from my own pocket with no reimbursement from Anwar).

The pro-opposition Blogs, news portals and websites are trying to paint a scenario of a 'sudden outburst', a 'sudden U-turn' and whatnot, as if in the past I have never said what I said on New Year's Day.

I have been saying what I said recently for more than ten years. I have even been saying it on the Free Anwar Campaign website, the PAS party organ, Harakah, as well as the PKR party organ, Berita Keadilan. I have not changed my tune. I am still singing the same old tired tune. Only this time I said it in the New Straits Times and which the other mainstream newspapers chose to pick up.

I suppose that is the issue. I can scream, rant and rave. But I must do it only in the pro-opposition media and Blogs and not in the government media.

But that is just the problem. For ten years I have been screaming in the pro-opposition media and Blogs. Has anything been done about the problems I raised? Day in and day out we still see the same old shit perpetuating.

However, the instant I say what I have been saying for ten years in the government media, an earthquake is triggered.

Get my drift or do I need to speak a bit slower?

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

KeADILan's true colours revealed - which is a shade of UMNO

The media had predicted fireworks in Kemaman. Many had hoped that keADILan would fall apart due to the intense infighting. Most people had expected nothing less than the worst when Parti Keadilan Nasional held its first party election last weekend in Kemaman, Terengganu. However, what came out of it instead was a delightful surprise. The members, in a demonstration of their maturity, elected a whole new team of leaders whom they felt would strengthen the party.

The media had played up the ABIM versus ex-UMNO issue to the hilt. They made it seem like there was a power struggle between two major groups in keADILan to wrest control of the party. If this were so, then how come Irene Fernandez got in as the Women's Deputy Leader and Tian Chua as one of the three Vice Presidents when both are neither ABIM nor ex-UMNO members?

The keADILan contest was just a normal contest for party posts. All political parties in Malaysia go through it. But when the other parties see a contest it is not a big deal. For keADILan, however, it is front-page news with doomsday predictions thrown in. Maybe, as this was the party's first internal contest, all eyes were on it to see how it manages its elections with the backdrop of a fierce fight.

It was quite apparent that the contest was between groups and not individuals as nearly every delegate was armed with a complete list of who to vote for. There may have been about three or four variations of this list but the main players would be what were perceived as the ex-UMNO group of Abdul Rahman Othman, Saifuddin Nasution, Azmin Ali and the ABIM group of Dr Mohd Nur Manuty, Mustaffa Kamil, Anuar Tahir and Ruslan Kassim.

As in any block voting, an entire team would be voted in and the other sidelined. In this case, the perceived ex-UMNO group came in as the winner. How unhappy the "other side" was at losing was demonstrated when most who lost did not attend the closing session of the AGM. It was estimated that only about 300 of the 1,004 delegates turned up which puts to question whether there was any quorum for the closing session.

Party President Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail tried to justify the high absentee rate by explaining that many had to return to their hometowns or go back to work. But no amount of explaining could dispel the impression that these were sore losers who would rather boycott the remaining session of the AGM because they did not get voted in.

If this is the attitude of the losers then maybe, in the first place, it was best that they did not win. Everybody knows how to manage victory. Only the matured know how to manage defeat. And if this is a demonstration of how they manage defeat, then they are certainly not matured enough yet to lead the party.

The campaigning was another source of anxiety. Some of the campaign tactics were rather dirty and centered on character assassination. In the euphoria to win seats and defeat their rivals, some candidates would resort to anything just as long as they win in the end. It was good that these people did not win as this is certainly an unhealthy culture that should be rejected.

KeADILan preaches justice and fair-play and urges the populace to reject the corrupt Barisan Nasional and its leading partner UMNO. However, some of the keADILan leaders showed that they are no better than the BN or UMNO leaders. Why, therefore, would Malaysians need to kick out the ruling party just to replace it with a party that has the same practices and culture?

The next contest will be in March 2002 when the more than 120 divisions will be up for grabs. If the recent AGM was anything to go by, expect an equally intense and filthy contest during the division elections. If this happens, this would be the beginning of the end for the party.

Many supporters are disgusted with what they saw the last month or so with reported dirty tactics a la UMNO and fist fights at MPT meetings. Some of the die-hards are now becoming cold towards the party and no longer want to support it. They feel keADILan has deviated from the right path and has become just another political party. Worse than that, it has become another UMNO-like party.

If keADILan wants to continue getting the support of the people, it needs to demonstrate that it is a matured and responsible party. The test would be in March next year when the campaigning for the divisional elections heats up. If the Kemaman affair is repeated, then expect many to turn their backs on the party for good.

26 November 2001

http://www.freeanwar.net/articles/article251101.htm

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

Welcome to the Real World

From the 8th to 11th November 2001, the National Justice Party (keADILan), which was two and a half years old on 4 October, will be facing its first party election. As anticipated, as soon as the Sarawak State Elections ended – and with less than desired results, may I add – the campaigning heated up.

Deputy President Dr Chandra Muzaffar's decision not to seek re-election, followed by Hamdan Tahar's resignation from the party under unhappy circumstances, cast a glum scenario indeed. Earlier, one of the party's three Vice Presidents, Zainur Zakaria, who is also one of Anwar Ibrahim's solicitors, announced his withdrawal as well. Zainur had, in fact, filled that post when another Vice President, Marina Yusoff, resigned in a huff a year or so earlier.

Less publicized was Johari Abdul's resignation from the Supreme Council, a personality strongly linked to the Reformasi movement and regarded as one of its masterminds. This further widened the gap between the party and the Reformasi movement that claims it is being sidelined though the party would not have existed if not for the movement.

Rumours are rife that further resignations are in the cards and time will testify to this speculation. But people come and people go and, at the end of the day, one has to subscribe to the philosophy that no one is indispensable. If keADILan falls apart because of the exit of a few key figures, then it is no party to start of with, as a political party cannot evolve around a handful of people.

At first glance it looks bad. KeADILan appears to be breaking apart. And, from the feedback received, this is certainly the perception of those on the outside looking in.

The party supporters out there are extremely disappointed. Some are even angry and speak about the present goings-on with a bitter tone in their voice. They ask, were they wrong about the party and have they wasted the last three years supporting Reformasi and the party just to see its demise even before it can make inroads into Malaysian politics?

This is understandable. They had heralded keADILan's birth as the coming of new politics for Malaysia. They saw this new party, mothered by Reformasi and made possible due to the Anwar Ibrahim political crisis, as the future. They saw change and reformation on the horizon and the end to corrupt and racial politics - where nothing is regarded as immoral - that has been the accepted norm for Malaysia these last three generations.

Also understandable is the fact that keADILan's supporters are idealists. They had always shunned politics and politicians. But when they saw what they thought was the purity of the new party, they rallied forth. Some never voted in their life and now, for the first time, they actually registered as voters to play their role in ensuring the new party garnered enough votes to make a difference – maybe even enough votes to form the next government.

Now they realise that keADILan is…well, just another political party, and they are disappointed. They do not want just another political party. They want a different kind of party, and they stood up to be counted because they thought it would be a different kind of party.

Well, welcome to the real world! KeADILan is another political party, but with slight twist. To be realistic, keADILan needs to be another political party to last the distance. If it was that ideal, strait-laced, and almost virtuous party that many thought it was and wish it would be, then it would be doomed from the word go.

Let's face reality. KeADILan is up against UMNO. UMNO is no saintly organisation. UMNO fights dirty. Anything goes as far as UMNO is concerned. UMNO will stoop to anything to win the elections and, given half a chance, will wipe the still-wet-behind-the-ears keADILan from the face of this earth.

Can keADILan withstand UMNO's onslaught if it fought with kid gloves? KeADILan too needs to be devious, street-wise, and blood thirsty to beat UMNO at its own game. So, keADILan too needs to be another political party to do this.

We are presently seeing what we believe is turmoil in the party. We are seeing factionalism and groupings formed - each trying to outmaneuver the other. We are seeing battle lines being drawn. We are finally seeing the aspiring candidates behaving just like any normal politician would.

But what is so wrong with this? What's wrong if keADILan's leaders and aspiring leaders act like politicians? This is, after all, what politics is all about. Politics is about contesting, and winning. It is about maneuvers and strategies. It is about outdoing and outsmarting your opponents.

KeADILan has so far never held any internal party elections. Seven months after it was formed, it faced its first general election, followed by a few by-elections and, most recently, the Sarawak State Election. There was nothing clean about these elections. As Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad promised in November 1999, the Tenth General Election was the dirtiest in the history of this country. And keADILan was ill prepared for all this.

KeADILan needs to learn how to fight, and how to fight dirty. If it cannot even get through an internal party election, how does it face UMNO in the next general election? Contests are good. That's what politics is all about. How one prepares for this contest is also very important. Slogans alone are not enough. Idealism does not cut any ice with the voters. One needs to do more than that to make any headway in Malaysian politics.

We should not look at the impending party contest as something negative. KeADILan needs to go through this and the faster the better. As it is, the contest is already too long overdue. The present crop of leaders was never elected, they were all appointed - the President included. They now need to legitimize their positions by getting elected into office.

So, the fighting is intense. Well, as they say, if the fire is too hot get out off the kitchen. If you think it is hot now, just wait until the next general election comes around. It's going to be worse than this and worse too than the last general election in 1999.

So, there are groups and camps. So what? Politics is about allies. Show me one political party that does not work on the principle of allying yourself. Some members and aspiring leaders feel that it should be a "clean" fight. What do they mean by clean? Do they mean everyone should be an "independent" candidate and not belong to any team.

Politics does not work that way. If every soldier were to do battle as Lone Rangers, without being part of an army, he would die the first day into battle. Have you even seen a football game won by a bunch of Prima Donas? If there were no team and no teamwork they would never win the match.

On whether the candidates badmouth each other and use money to win, I suppose the members will have to decide on this one. Fighting is one thing and slandering is another. The members will have to demonstrate their maturity by rejecting uncouth aspirants. And if they still get elected into office nevertheless…well, then probably those that left before this knew what they were doing.

1 November 2001

http://www.freeanwar.net/articles/article011101b.htm
 

Will 100,000 people show up for 901?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 09:35 AM PST

I won't go the Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) way and say that Anwar is headed for irrelevance. I think he is still the hope for many Malaysians who want to see a change in government. Of course, there are also those who have given up on Anwar or who still don't trust him even though they want change, but I think he remains a key figure who is crucial to Pakatan's bid to win Putrajaya.

Kee Thuan Chye, Malaysiakini

Frankly, when I heard PKR deputy president Azmin Ali had announced that on Jan 9, Pakatan Rakyat would rally 100,000 people to show support for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim at the verdict of his Sodomy II trial, I cringed. Not out of disgust, but out of apprehension.

To me, this kind of declaration of numbers is not necessary. In fact, it's foolhardy. It can backfire on the organisers. How would it look on them if the turnout did not meet the projected figure? Worse, what if the turnout was pathetically low? Even 10,000 would be considered a letdown - and getting 10,000 to show up is already a tall order.

Such a shortfall would be an embarrassment not only for Azmin but also for Pakatan and Anwar. Their credibility could suffer. And what might have been an occasion to shore up public support for Pakatan - that is, the conviction that is expected to be meted out to Anwar - could have an opposite effect.

NONEHow feasible is it to get 100,000 on the streets for any cause? The turnout for Bersih 2.0 was less than half that. It may be argued that many more would have come forward if the police had not threatened the public and locked down Kuala Lumpur, but would the number have doubled? And even if it did, that rally was for electoral reform, a huge public issue.

When was the last time 100,000 people turned up at a rally? The one to protest against the Internal Security Act (ISA) in August 2009 had at most only 20,000, and that was a huge public issue too.

Last November, when the Bar Council staged its Walk for Freedom to protest against the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, only 2,000 took part, and half of them were lawyers.

Pakatan might do well to take a lesson from the experience of Himpun Sejuta Umat (Himpun) which boasted a projected attendance of one million at its anti-apostasy rally last October only to see 5,000 turn up.

To cover up its embarrassment, it declared the rally a "success". But whatever it might say, the public could judge that Himpun was nothing but hot air.

Size does matter but...

Of course, it was utterly stupid to say a million people would attend. Size does matter, but one should be realistic in making projections. There is nothing more damning than empty exaggeration.

I'm sceptical that Pakatan can round up 100,000 people on Jan 9, but I hope I'll be proven wrong. It will send shock waves to Putrajaya and scare the poop out of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

It will show the Malaysian public that Pakatan lives up to what it promises, and that it is together. It will show that it is a force to be reckoned with and tremendously boost its chances at the next general election.

But I'm sceptical because I think people are getting tired of rallies. More important, there needs to be a strong focus to the rally, and as it stands, showing support for Anwar is the focus.

NONEAs such, apart from PKR members - and surely not all of them - and his supporters in Pakatan partners PAS and the DAP, plus some from the public who have great affection for him, who else will be moved to take leave from their jobs (unless they are self-employed, retired or jobless) and brave the traffic and the police to make their presence felt?

I won't go the Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) way and say that Anwar is headed for irrelevance. I think he is still the hope for many Malaysians who want to see a change in government.

And day by day, the call for change is getting increasingly urgent, almost to the point where change is mandatory. You read it in social media, in online news portals; you hear it discussed in private groups and public forums; you see it in the emergence of groups like ABU (Asalkan Bukan Umno/Anything But Umno) and in Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz and Aspan Alias leaving Umno to join the DAP.

Of course, there are also those who have given up on Anwar or who still don't trust him even though they want change, but I think he remains a key figure who is crucial to Pakatan's bid to win Putrajaya.

Pakatan may have lately met to decide on his replacement as its leader if he should go to prison, but will that person have his charisma and be able to galvanise the disparate forces to form a united front against the BN machinery? Even from prison, would his aura and spirit not emanate to inspire Pakatan's cause?

Still, is support for Anwar being the focus of the Jan 9 rally enough to bring out 100,000 people?

Causes other than Anwar

Other causes have been touted for it to give greater justification for the public to take part, mainly proposed by people outside of the political parties concerned.

These include showing defiance against the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, showing disgust for the judiciary because of its lack of independence, telling the government off for the way it has been treating the people, but these can only serve to blur the focus. And it's not easy to rally people when the focus is diffused.

Given this and the difficulty of producing the promised 100,000, would it not be more prudent to let the public respond to the conviction (if it comes) without the hoo-ha and hoopla of a rally?

NONEWould it not be just as effective for them to decide for themselves in their own private way the ramifications of the verdict? If they are happy, unhappy or indifferent about it, would a rally change their feeling?

Is it not advisable for Azmin to now declare that Pakatan will let the court take its course and withdraw its earlier intent to respond to the verdict in a public rally? Would Pakatan not look gracious for doing so? Would Anwar not come out looking better for abiding by the court's decision? Would it not ease the tension that has been building up and win public approval for Pakatan?

My sympathies are with freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and I advocate rallies when rallies are necessary. But accompanying these must be a strong sense of responsibility.

That includes living up to what one promises, and being sure that the cause is for the greater good. Without this, the rally might actually hurt the cause. And in this case, it could extend to hurting Pakatan.

 

The trial verdict on Jan 9

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 09:18 AM PST

Many people are not supporting Anwar, just as Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said, they are not anti-government, but just pro-justice and the rule of law. If the BN pushes more people towards the alternative coalition, it would be its own mistake.

Lim Sue Goan, Sinchew

Members of the public are advised not to take part in the 901 Free Anwar Campaign in relation to the decision on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial, scheduled for January 9. Another wave of political struggle is expected to approach and the result this time might determine the date of the next general election.

Anwar started a tour in the peninsula on January 3, a week before the trial verdict, to explain to the people that he is innocent. It reminds me of September 2, 1998. After being sacked by then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar knew that he would be arrested and started a non-stop ceramah tour. The Reformasi movement was then initiated. I can still remember that many reporters tried to trail his four-wheel drive car but failed as it was speeding too fast.

On September 20, Anwar planned to give a speech at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur but moved to Masjid Negara after being thwarted. About 50,000 attended the rally and during a press conference at his house in Bukit Damansara that evening, he was arrested by policemen who broke into his house. Thousands of emotional supporters trailed the police patrol cars to the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman and shouted the slogan "Reformasi".

Would the history repeat itself 13 years later? How did the then 50,000 attendees instil political awareness into their children over all these years? How did the political changes over the past 13 years affect those who are born in the 1980s and 1990s?

Today's political situation is greatly different from that of the past. Authoritarian politics is gone forever. From the July 9 rally, the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill, amendment to section 15 of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim's banner-lowering issue to the peaceful demonstration at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), we can see that there is an anti-incumbent mood among young people nowadays. If the authorities fail to respond to their demands with relaxation and liberalisation, I am afraid that Anwar's trial verdict might become a tipping point.

Many people are not supporting Anwar, just as Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said, they are not anti-government, but just pro-justice and the rule of law. If the BN pushes more people towards the alternative coalition, it would be its own mistake.

Undeniably, Anwar is Pakatan Rakyat's leader and if he is being put behind bars, it might result in a cleavage between PAS and the DAP, reducing the BN's pressure. Moreover, Anwar is a natural orator, and the political tsunami in 2008 might not be set off without his ceramah tour in the peninsula before the general election.

Today, however, the Pakatan Rakyat coalition is formed, organised and structured. Even if Anwar is away, the three component parties of the Pakatan Rakyat will still continue their preparation for the next general election. If Anwar wins sympathy from the public, it will to the disadvantage of BN.

The coming next month might be crucial and improper handling could trigger a massive rebound. To eliminate political impact, the next general election might not be held in March. Another consideration is how should Umno leaders properly address the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) issue. That is why rumours about a Cabinet reshuffle to remove some ministers are spread.

A variety of issues have formed an enormous pressure on BN and if another mass rally is held, the good news arranged by BN will be diluted. Could the next general election still be held in March then?

 

109: The day we must move on

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 09:08 AM PST

And while there is no doubt that Anwar has been pivotal in catalysing change in our country, there should also not be any doubt that change will happen, with or without him. And so, whether the verdict results in a killing blow or a surprise twist or just more of the same, 109 must be the day that Malaysia moves on. Or be doomed to suffer another remake.

Zairil Khir Johari, The Malaysian Insider

Three-and-a-half years ago, in line with the fad of reviving old TV drama serials such as "90210" and "Hawaii-5-O", Malaysians were treated to a remake of a soap opera that began its first run in 1998. Though the original had been universally panned by industry critics and foreign audiences, it nevertheless enjoyed somewhat limited domestic success. Of course, it also helped that the producers of the drama also controlled every media outlet in the country.

As is the case with unimaginative remakes, the same formula is once again rehashed. And while a coterie of new characters including a young, tall and handsome antagonist was thrown into the fray in an attempt to inject some semblance of freshness, the same actor, now visibly aged, was re-casted as the reluctant protagonist.

In staying true to the spirit of the original version, Malaysians were once again treated to a roller coaster of absurd plot twists, logic-defying scenarios and draggy story arcs involving numerous sub-plots detailing tales of sordid sex, DNA manipulation and — in keeping with the times — leaked video tapes.

Now, 3½ years on, we have come to the cliff-hanger that customarily punctuates the series finale. Thus, with less than a week to go, the question on everyone's lips is: come 109, will Anwar Ibrahim go in or stay out?

There are a few ways it could end. In the first and most widely expected scenario, our protagonist will be found guilty. In all likelihood this will also entail a prison sentence long enough not only to strip him of his parliamentary seat, but also to ensure that he cannot contest for five years following his eventual release. In other words, it will be the death knell to his political career.

The basis for such an action would be to precipitate a leadership crisis within the opposition coalition. Rendered headless, Pakatan Rakyat will be left flapping around directionless. On the flip side, however, a renewed campaign for Anwar's freedom will almost certainly provide a populist election theme.

In a second and more unlikely scenario, Anwar will be acquitted. By some miraculous occurrence, the absurdities of the trial will be admitted for what it is and justice will be seen to be served. Or more realistically, some technical flaw will deem the case invalid thus providing no recourse other than to release him.

Such an event will then set the stage for an all-out contest between the prime minister and the opposition leader in the coming general election. Unbound by his legal chains, Anwar will finally have the freedom to lead his motley coalition against the might of the government. Until he is re-arrested on a third round of sodomy charges of course.

There is a third scenario that may occur. In this instance, Anwar will be convicted and sentenced. Except he will also be granted a stay of execution pending an appeal that will last even longer than the original trial. This will have the effect of branding him guilty, yet at the same time avoiding any unnecessary martyrdom. Though Anwar will be "free", he will remain severely handicapped and distracted.

READ MORE HERE

 

Churches tell Najib: Respect law, remove anti-Christian rules, policies

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 09:04 AM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Najib Razak should respect the law and start removing rules and policies that have seen Christians being victimised by the bureaucracry, a national group representing over 90 per cent of churches said yesterday.

In a strongly-worded statement, the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) called on the prime minister to check the growing systematic religious attacks against Christians nationwide over the past one year.

It also called on Najib to act and stop the attempts to "murder" and "destroy" his commitment and legacy to religious moderation he is championing.

Anglican Bishop Ng Moon Hing, who heads the CFM, urged the PM to set up a non-Muslim religious affairs ministry to safeguard and protect the interests and rights of not only Christians but Buddhists, Sikhs, Taoists and Hindus.

"We hope that there will be maximum consultation in respect of the structure and operations of the ministry," he said, adding that it was only a first step as Christian leaders were not naïve enough to assume their religious issues would be solved without the commitment and collaboration of all other ministries and organs of government.

Ng, who is also the head of the Anglican diocese of West Malaysia, urged Najib to lift the government ban against Christians using the word "Allah" to also refer to their god.

He said Christians nationwide had been victimised enough by groups with "a selective reading of the Federal Constitution that is intentionally used to legitimise discriminatory laws and practices which favours one community over another."

He said Christians were now resorting to raising their issues publicly because it was the most effective way for the government to take action.

READ MORE HERE

 

Kenapa Anwar tidak berani ulas kenyataan Raja Petra?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST

(Utusan Malaysia) - Pengendali portal Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Kamarudin sejak tahun lalu sudah menampakkan bibit-bibit "berpaling tadah" dengan Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) dan Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Dalam wawancara dengan beberapa akhbar arus perdana yang disiarkan Ahad lalu, Raja Petra tanpa sayang mulut telah menghentam peribadi Anwar.

Beliau mendedahkan pembohongan Anwar tidak mengenali Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, kenapa Kempen Bebas Anwar 901 tidak akan mendapat sambutan dan mengapa Anwar tidak sesuai menjadi calon Perdana Menteri.

Setakat hari ini, Anwar cuba mengawal diri dengan mengelak daripada memberi reaksi mengenai kritikan Raja Petra.

Semalam, ketika diminta mengulas segala kenyataan dan serangan Raja Petra ke atasnya Anwar berkata "Saya mengenalinya lama dan beliau tidak pernah menyebutnya. Beliau mulai aktif sejak di penjara. Saya berterima kasih padanya kerana banyak membantu.

"Tetapi beliau tidak bersedia ke penjara dan akhirnya melarikan diri ke London. Setakat itu sahaja saya nak kata." Tajam maksud Anwar itu.

Tetapi Anwar lupa tentang perjuangan Raja Petra yang menjadi ahli terawal Parti Keadilan Nasional (kini Parti Keadilan Rakyat) yang ditubuhkan sebagai tindak balas penangkapannya pada 1998.

Raja Petra pernah dua kali ditahan di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA). Kali pertama pada 11 April 2001, apabila Raja Petra dan 10 ahli aktivis pembangkang ditahan di bawah ISA selama 52 hari kerana dituduh bersubahat ingin menjatuhkan Perdana Menteri Dr Mahathir Mohamad pada ketika itu. Kali kedua ditahan mengikut ISA pada 12 September 2008.

Apa pun yang jelas, Anwar tidak akan berani mengulas kenyataan Raja Petra, samalah juga beliau tidak berani membalas kenyataan daripada Nalla Karuppan, Ezam Mohd Nor, Eskay, Umi Hafilda, Zulkilli Nordin, Zaharin dan ramai lagi yang pernah rapat dengannya.

Mereka ini lebih kenal "luar dan dalam" siapa Anwar berbanding penyokong-penyokong setia serta pelajar-pelajar universiti yang hanya kenal Anwar dari jauh serta mudah diperbodohkan.

Tetapi yang lebih menarik perhatian kita ialah semakin ramai kawan rapat Anwar muncul untuk menentang beliau kembali.

Kita dapat rasakan seperti ada sesuatu yang tersirat. Tak mungkin rakan rapat Anwar tiba-tiba berpaling tadah. Kalau pengakuan Raja Petra diragui, tak mungkin perkara sama juga kepada rakan Anwar yang menjadi antara pengasas Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Ismail Mina Ahmad?

Mungkin solat hajat penyokong Anwar yang memohon diberi petunjuk, kini satu demi satu ditunjukkan-Nya. Makin ramai penyokong tegar Anwar keluar senyap-senyap atau tampil mendedahkan siapa Anwar yang sebenarnya. Kini terserah kepada rakyat untuk membuat penilaian, yang penting fikir tentang kelangsungan masa depan politik tanah air.

Ramai anggap Raja Petra dipercayai mengetahui banyak rahsia dan penglibatan Anwar dalam memburuk-burukkan kerajaan. Dan kini beliau sudah tidak sanggup lagi menjadi tali barut Anwar dan menyebarkan fitnah terhadap pemimpin negara.

Berbanding dengan bekas pemimpin PKR dan rakan rapat Anwar, pemimpin PAS nampaknya masih tetap mahu menjadi pencuci dosa Anwar semata-mata kerana kepentingan politik.

 

Its time for Malaysians to know the truth

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 08:52 AM PST

Biggum Dogmannsteinberg

It has been exactly six years since the biggest financial scandal during PM 'Flip-Flop' Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure as the fifth Prime Minister, where MOF Inc sold off the stake in then Avenue Resources Bhd to then a middle seized stock broking house ECM Libra. Now, its time for Malaysians understand why there was so much opposition to the then 'merger of an anchovy eating a shark'.

Then "The most powerful 28 year old" and "Son-in-law", Khairy Jamaluddin was part of Kalimullah "Riong Kali" Hassan's posse for the takeover which was full of controversy. In on going case between Riong Kali and lawyer Matthias Chang, Khairy who previously tried to dodge himself from going on witness stand under oath has now been ordered by the court to do so.

Khairy to testify in Kalimullah-Chang defamation case

January 04, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Khairy Jamaluddin will testify in the hearing of a defamation suit filed by businessman Datuk Seri Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan against lawyer Matthias Chang, Bernama Online reported today.

The news portal reported that High Court Judge Datuk Asmabi Mohamad today dismissed the Umno Youth chief's application to set aside a subpoena requesting that he testify as Chang's witness in the suit.

She also ordered Khairy (picture) to pay RM3,000 in costs to Chang.

Khairy's counsel Rashid Ismail told Bernama later that his client respected the ruling and was prepared to testify in court.

The court in December had allowed applications by Limkokwing University of Creative Technology founder Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing as well as former second finance minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop to set aside similar subpoenas.

Former director of South Peninsular Industries Bhd Tan Sri Azman Hashim, meanwhile, will also be testifying after he withdrew his application to do the same.

All were subpoenaed to testify as Chang's witnesses in the ongoing hearing of a suit brought by Kalimullah, who is also the former deputy chairman of New Straits Times Press Bhd.

The trial continues on January 10.

Kalimullah filed the defamation suit on June 29, 2006 on the grounds that Chang had allegedly made slanderous statements against him on June 13 that same year, at a press conference, a report of which was published in the Singapore Straits Times through its Malaysian correspondent, Leslie Lau.

He is seeking RM50 million in damages, costs, interest and an injunction to restrain Chang from publishing similar words in the future.

Chang, previously a political secretary to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, also filed a counter-claim against Kalimullah on July 14, 2006, seeking RM150 million in damages, among other claims.

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

The most important question that many should ask is why is Khairy, then the Vice UMNO Youth Chief and recently had to vacate his ultra powerful post as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Private Office has been dodging from appearing on the stand under oath?

READ MORE HERE

 

Deconstructing the Perfect Man

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 07:58 AM PST

KTEMOC KONSIDERS

Dr Azly Rahman, an academician who holds all sorts of mind-boggling degrees and sometimes writes for Malaysiakini, once propounded that the wayang kulit display of the Ramayana epic or the makyong is a form of neo-feudalistic indoctrination, the type that Hang Tuah suffered from and which Jebat gave two fingers to.

In his article for Malaysiakini Neo-feudalism of the cybernetic Malays he wrote:

In many an analysis of the transformation of the Malay society from the times of the Melaka Sultanate to the emergence of the Malay nationalism we find the conclusion of the idea of a good Malay subject is one who surrenders total obedience to his or her Ruler (the sultan or the Raja). The king is said to be '(Allah's) representative on this earth' and is thus bestowed with the Divine Rights.

Modernizing it even further, can we say "the idea of a good Malaysian subject is one who surrenders total obedience to his or her political leader (the PM, MB or party leader)"?

Blogger Sakmongkol (Dato' Mohd Ariff Sabri bin Hj Abdul Aziz) alluded to the modernized 'expectations' in a certain way in his post hutang UMNO pada budi orang Melayu.

Azly Rahman proceeded on to say:

But the problem lies not in the here and now but in the past; one that needs to be de-constructed and reconstructed. It lies in the Malay psyche. It lies in the notion of hegemony as it relates to political-economy of totalitarianism and controlling interests that continue to cement the master-slave narrative/relationship of the ruler and the ruled.

That master-slave narrative has become a technology of psycholinguistic control and institutionalised as 'culture'. The Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, and British colonialists succeeded because the fertile ground of the slave mentality is already prepared historical- materialistically.

We can see this mentality in the idea that Malay political leader must not be challenged (such as in case of the presidency of the Umno) and this is a manifestation of this neo- feudalism hypermodern inner construct of the Malay in the Age of Cybernetics.


Wakakaka, I know I know, good olde Azly Rahman has been notable for using frightening words in his essays that makes you wonder whether your education has been an utter failure, or you're an intellectual pygmy, or you're suffering from ataxaphasia, or perhaps you have just overeaten more than your share of pulut-nasi-lemak-cum-banana-santan-curry-ish literature. You suffer hours or even days of slow literary digestion.

Anyway, 500 years of such historical indoctrination have shown that Azly Rahman has been correct, in that Malays in general (& not excluding many other Malaysians) have inherited such a slave mentality or, in its modern and extreme form, slavish adoration of political leaders.

Substitute the word 'UMNO' with 'PKR' and we have the same stuff, that to PKR members, Anwar Ibrahim must not be challenged, because (to paraphrase Azly's finding) "the idea of a good PKR member is one who surrenders total obedience to the Great One".

Thus, except for many of those former members who left in utter disgust or were expelled for bucking the 'inner coterie', PKR members never ever question Anwar on, for example:

READ MORE HERE

 

Zaid akan bertanding atas tiket DAP?

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 07:39 AM PST

HELEN ANG

Free Malaysia Today melapor bahawa ia dimaklumkan Zaid Ibrahim akan bertanding kerusi Parlimen di bawah panji-panji DAP.

Dalam rencana Jan 3 itu yang bertajuk 'DAP to 'sacrifice' seats for Malay candidates', FMT berkata ada ura-ura Zaid akan dicalonkan di sebuah kawasan bandar.

Screenshot rencana 'Free Malaysia Today'

Precedent (contoh lepas) ialah Dr D. Jeyakumar dan Wee Choo Keong yang diletakkan atas tiket PKR di Sungei Siput dan Wangsa Maju pada PRU12 walaupun masing-masing ahli parti PSM dan MDP.

Baru-baru ini Raja Petra Kamarudin berada di Phuket semasa cuti Krismas. Pada bulan Disember yang sama, RPK telah berjumpa Zaid di Bangkok.

Adakah kekecohan ekoran kritikan beliau yang bertalu-talu terhadap Anwar Ibrahim dan Azmin Ali itu sebenarnya bertujuan membuka laluan untuk Zaid?

Ketua parti-parti Pakatan ialah Abdul Hadi Awang, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail dan Lim Guan Eng.

Pemimpin-pemimpin senior Pakatan ialah Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Mat Sabu, Azmin Ali, Nurul Izzah, Karpal Singh dan Lim Kit Siang.

Kalau Anwar masuk penjara, siapa bakal menggantinya sebagai calon perdana menteri?

READ MORE HERE

 

Anwar says Pakatan has identified successor

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 08:52 PM PST

(The Star) - Pakatan Rakyat has identified Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's successor, should he be found guilty of sodomy and jailed, the PKR adviser told Bloomberg Wednesday.

However, Anwar did not reveal the name of his potential successor.

On Tuesday, Anwar told a press conference that the Pakatan Rakyat leaders have discussed the worst-case scenario in the event he was imprisoned.

"If I am jailed, involved in accident or shot, we are prepared, discussed various possibilities, scenario one, two, three," Anwar had told reporters.

On Monday, the High Court is expected to deliver its verdict on whether Anwar is guilty of sodomising a former aide.

 

Good for Pakatan Rakyat if Anwar goes to jail

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 08:46 PM PST

(Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition leader believes his party could be strengthened if a court rules against him in a sodomy trial on Monday, with an economic showdown already threatening to damage the ruling coalition with polls expected this year.

Malaysia is bracing for possible unrest after the two-year trial ends, with supporters of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim hoping to draw 100,000 to a rally outside the courthouse where the verdict in the trial is due to be read on Monday.

The trial has polarised opinion in conservative, majority Muslim Malaysia. The High Court decision could deepen political divisions further as Prime Minister Najib Razak, branded a hardliner by the opposition, weighs whether to call elections this year.

Police have warned people not to gather outside the court. Mass protests could cast doubt on Malaysia's political stability and spook investors, who are vital to achieving Malaysia's target of attracting $444 billion of investment by 2020.

Anwar, a former finance minister, told Reuters in an interview that Najib's ruling coalition "has to decide, Anwar in prison, is it better for them or not?"

"I'm not sure whether it's better for them. We've done a lot to explain to the masses. (The opposition) may emerge slightly stronger," said.

Once the rising star of Malaysian politics and a former deputy premier, Anwar's political fortunes have since been marked by long-running legal battles over charges of sodomy - sex between males is illegal in Malaysia - after he was sacked by former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad in 1998.

Anwar, 64, is charged with sodomising a 26-year-old male former aide and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

It is the second time he has faced what he says are politically motivated charges aimed at wrecking his political career and ending his challenge to the government.

In 1998, at the height of the Asian financial crisis, Anwar, then deputy prime minister and heir apparent to Mahathir, was accused of sodomy and corruption, sacked, tried and eventually sentenced to a total of 14 years in jail.

The cases have been marked by lurid details, including a semen-stained mattress produced in evidence, that have mesmerised Malaysians. A conviction that exposes weaknesses in Malaysia's judiciary to wider scrutiny could once again put the Southeast Asian nation under the international spotlight.

Although elections are not due until 2013, there is widespread expectation Najib will call a snap poll this year. Anwar said he expected elections "sooner rather than later", adding that his Pakatan party should be able to secure a simple majority in parliament.

"Our concern is how do we ensure fair elections?" he said.

"This is a major problem for the opposition because, although there have been some announcements and some easing, but not (in) media control, not the judicial process, not in terms of any excesses, abuse and corruption and the electoral process," he said.

Anwar said support for the opposition among native Malays increased substantially after his 1998 conviction. He was freed in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned.

"But in 1998, we failed to garner enough support of the Chinese and Indians," he said, referring to two other major Malaysian ethnic groups.

"Society will say: 'Okay, you may disagree with Anwar but you don't need to beat him up or continue to put him in prison.' This is my third, fourth time, they know it's political," Anwar said of the electorate.

Najib, who took office in with a strong majority after elections in 2009, has seen his approval ratings fall in the past year, in part because of a widening religious divide that has alienated minority non-Muslims.

Stubbornly high inflation and the slow pace of promised political reforms have also been sources of frustration.

"There is greater awareness of the abuse of power, of endemic corruption," Anwar said when asked what had changed public sentiment since 2009.

A weaker economy could also work in the opposition's favour. Malaysia's economy grew at a stronger-than-expected 5.8 percent in the third quarter, but a slowdown in global trade will likely crimp growth in the coming quarters.

Malaysia is also vulnerable to sudden capital flight. Foreign ownership of stocks and bonds is larger than the country's foreign exchange reserves. Portfolio outflows jumped to RM23.4 billion in the third quarter, a sharp reversal from the second quarter's 48.1 billion in inflows.

RPK dakwa rasuah tapi tiada bukti

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 08:36 PM PST

"Kita mahu kurangkan fitnah sebab orang cakap ada rasuah tapi tidak dapat buktikan," kata MB Selangor.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berkata dakwaan blogger pro Umno Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) bahawa terdapat amalan rasuah dan pemberian duit 'bawah meja' dalam pentadbirannya hanya fitnah kerana tiada sebarang bukti dikemukakan.

"Kerajaan Selangor memperuntukkan sebanyak RM15 juta untuk memerangi rasuah dan memastikan mereka yang terlibat dengan rasuah ditangkap dan didakwa.

"Ini penting kerana hendak tentukan tujuan tercapai dan kita mahu kurangkan fitnah sebab orang cakap ada rasuah tapi tidak dapat buktikan," katanya pada sidang media selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Exco di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika ditanya pemberita berhubung dakwaan RPK bahawa kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat gagal membawa perubahan di Selangor.

Pada masa sama ketika ditanya sama ada beliau akan menemui sendiri RPK bagi meminta penjelasan mengenai dakwaan tersebut, Abdul Khalid menjelaskan perkara itu tidak perlu dilakukan.

Pada Ahad lalu, RPK berkata maklum balas daripada ahli perniagaan mendakwa tahap rasuah di Selangor masih sama selain masih ada yang membayar duit 'bawah meja'.

RPK turut menyifatkan Penasihat Ekonomi Selangor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gagal melaksanakan tugas dengan berkesan.

READ MORE HERE

 

‘Don’t play hide and seek, Lajim’

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 08:32 PM PST

SAPP chief Yong Teck Lee has opened his doors to Umno Sabah strongman Lajim Ukin.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee is hoping to form a political alliance with his former comrade in arms, Lajim Ukin, to help oust the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) government from power.

The two were members of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) before the party was ousted from power in 1994. Yong went on to form his own Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Lajim defected to Umno.

Both are now battling to remain politically relevant in the state.

Yong, in reaching out to the Umno Sabah strongman, has couched his offer of alliance under the ABU (Asal Bukan Umno or Anyone But Umno) concept to face Umno and BN in the impending 13th general election.

But for it to work, the SAPP president said today, the Beaufort MP must leave the ruling coalition now in order to be well prepared.

"Don't hide it anymore … everybody now knows that Lajim Ukin wants to leave the BN. Although it is a bit late, but biarlah lambat asal Sabah selamat (so long as Sabah is safe)," he said.

Speaking at the SAPP Beaufort CLC annual general meeting recently, Yong said SAPP wanted to cooperate with Lajim in the coming election after news of him wanting to ditch the BN surfaced.

Lajim has not denied the news reports.

"Hopefully, Lajim no longer needs to play hide and seek. Just come out. Look at SAPP we were also in the BN once but now we are out for three and a half years," he said.

READ MORE HERE

 

Hisham agrees to Jan 9 rally if…

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 08:29 PM PST

In the spirit of the newly-passed Peaceful Assembly Act 2011, organisers must guarantee order, says the Home Minister.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Pakatan Rakyat leaders must convince the authorities that the planned Jan 9 mass rally in support of Anwar Ibrahim will not cause public disorder.

Far from the usual zero-tolerance tone given by the government in dealing with street gatherings, the minister did not say today if the rally, planned by PKR for the Sodomy II verdict, would be disallowed.

Instead he said in the spirit of the newly-passed Peaceful Assembly Act 2011, organisers must guarantee order if they were to proceed with the planned mammoth rally that intends to gather as many as 100,000 participants.

"The organisers have to convince the police that their plans will not destroy public peace and safety, and if they want to gather, the spirit of the Act states that it must be done peacefully," he told a press conference here.

Yesterday PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said the party and its allies in Pakatan Rakyat intended to mobilise the numbers and gather at the Duta Court compound in support of Opposition Leader Anwar.

Anwar will hear the verdict on his sodomy charges this Monday in an outcome that will determine the PKR de facto leader's political future and cause a deep impact in Malaysia's political landscape.

The 64-year-old is charged with sodomising former male aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in June 2008, an allegation he has repeatedly denied, and accusing prime minister Najib Tun Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor of masterminding the "trumped up" charges.

Hishammuddin said no application has been made for the gathering yet but pointed to the several police reports lodged against the rally, a major concern the authorities must take into consideration when dealing with the Jan 9 event.

Police are ready

He said while Pakatan leaders want their demand to hold an assembly to be respected, they must do the same for those who oppose it.

"The organisers must be responsible and be aware of the rights of those who are opposed to the rally.

"I recommend that they go and speak to the police first, rather than making statements about the gathering," he said.

Numerous pro-government NGOs like right wing group Perkasa had lodged several police reports against the rally and demanded that its organisers be arrested to prevent the rally from taking place.

READ MORE HERE

 

See you on the streets on Monday

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 02:22 PM PST

Dalam satu sidang media semalam, Presidennya Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata, perhimpunan oleh Perkasa itu adalah sebagai "misi mempertahankan keamanan negara" dan akan bermula dengan solat subuh di Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan. "Selepas itu, kami berarak dan sekiranya bertembung dengan (Timbalan Presiden PKR) Azmin Ali serta penyokong mereka yang sanggup mempertahankan pemimpin yang menghadapi masalah moraliti, kita sama-sama melakukan provokasi," katanya.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There are those who and angry with me for saying that the Chinese can never support a 'Tahrir Square' type revolution. I am told I am wrong and should not be speaking on behalf of the Chinese. In fact, I should not even be referring to them as Chinese but as Malaysians. Well, if I am wrong then I would like to apologise.

Anyway, Pakatan Rakyat has promised that 100,000 Malaysians are going to be on the streets on Monday. I expect at least 30,000 to 40,000 should be Malaysians of Chinese ethnicity and that it is not going to be an entirely or predominantly Malay crowd or else I will be proven right (that the Chinese are cowards).

Perkasa (and I was told Pekida as well) are also going to be on the streets to checkmate the 100,000 opposition supporters. They boast of millions of members, many who are in the police and army. Sources tell me that this is true although we may not be talking about millions but mere hundreds of thousands.

Well, let's see what happens on Monday. I may be proven wrong and may have to apologise in the end. I know the Umno side hopes that some sort of chaos will be created so that emergency can be declared and Parliament is suspended. Then they need not hold the 13th General Election so soon and Najib Tun Razak's arse can be saved.

I suppose, as I told Haris Ibrahim in Phuket recently, we need to break the shell to fry the egg and unless we are prepared to suffer collateral damage then it is no use talking about a revolution.

I fear if I were to speak out against the Monday event I will, again, be accused of undermining the effort for change. Therefore, I will just say that make sure the agent provocateurs do not successful hijack the event and achieve what they want to do: suspend democracy under the guise of an emergency to allow Najib time to get his house in order.

That is all I wish to say on the matter.

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

Perkasa akan sekat himpunan bebaskan Anwar

(Harakah Daily) - NGO pendesak Melayu, Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) akan menyekat penyokong Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang akan berhimpun di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur 9 Januari ini.

Dalam satu sidang media semalam, Presidennya Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata, perhimpunan oleh Perkasa itu adalah sebagai "misi mempertahankan keamanan negara" dan akan bermula dengan solat subuh di Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan.

"Selepas itu, kami berarak dan sekiranya bertembung dengan (Timbalan Presiden PKR) Azmin Ali serta penyokong mereka yang sanggup mempertahankan pemimpin yang menghadapi masalah moraliti, kita sama-sama melakukan provokasi," katanya.

Mengulas larangan pihak polis agar mana-mana pihak tidak mengadakan himpunan pada hari itu, Ibrahim berkata terpulanglah kepada polis untuk menghalang Perkasa atau pembangkang kerana kedua-duanya melakukan perhimpunan haram.

Tahun lalu, Perkasa turut mengeluarkan kenyataan sama, iaitu mahu menyekat Himpunan Bersih 2 yang diadakan 9 Julai 2011 dengan mahu mengadakan himpunan anti Bersih.

Namun beberapa sehari sebelum Himpunan Bersih yang disertai lebih 50,000 rakyat itu, Ibrahim mengumumkan perhimpunan Perkasa dibatalkan dengan alasan tidak mendapat kebenaran pihak stadium.

Sementara itu, Azmin pada satu sidang media semalam memaklumkan bahawa PKR akan menggerakkan sekurang-kurangnya 100,000 orang bagi menyertai himpunan di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur pada 9 Januari ini.

Katanya, walau apa pun keputusan yang diumumkan, Pakatan dan PKR telah bersedia menggalas amanah memimpin negara serta berusaha mengembalikannya ke landasan yang tepat.
 

New vigor in Sabah politics

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST

The launch of the autonomous Sabah Star political chapter brings into reality the birth of the Third Force under Jeffrey Kitingan.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Friday will officially signify the birth of the Sabah chapter of the Sarawak Reform Party (Star), the 'comeback' of political gadfly Jeffrey Kitingan and more importantly the formalization of the 'Third Force' to face Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat in the upcoming 13th general election.

Kitingan, who's politics has both awed and exasperated his supporters, has been consistently working the ground since December 2009, pushing his Borneo Agenda which calls for the reinstatement of Sabah and Sarawak's rights in accordance with the terms of their respective 20 and 18-points Malaysia Agreement signed in 1963.

He has been exceptionally focused on his cause and has even called on both BN and Pakatan allies to quit their federal masters and support his call for Borneonisation and self-determination within the context of the 1963 agreement.

According to the organising chairman of the Jan 6 launch, Awang Ahmad, Kitingan will have a 'free hand' and the Sabah chapter will be 'fully autonomous' allowing Kitingan to bring to the table hope and renewed excitement.

Speaking to FMT last night, Awang Ahmad Sah said: "This will be a historical and groundbreaking milestone in the political landscape of Sabah and Sarawak as well in Malaysia.

"I don't want to exaggerate over the response. We know it as we have been working for the past seven or eight months.

"The response is overwhelming. Even some PKR members are joining us. You have to go to the ground to see the mood of the people, and the mood will tell you something," said Awang Ahmad.

'Fully autonomous'

He said there will be no 'interference' from external parties in the operations and decision making process of the Sabah chapter.

"Sabah Star will be fully autonomous. It is free to make its own decisions including the selection of candidates and to issue a letter of authority to its candidates to use its symbol for the coming general election," said Awang Ahmad.

He said the party will be 'working closely' with Sabah Progressive Peoples Party (SAPP) and Usno.

"As far as we are working together, it is already in the plate. We will be working closely with other political parties including SAPP and Usno, " he said.

Usno is the acronym for United Sabah Native Organisation. It was once the backbone of the state government in the early days of Sabah's independence but was dissolved to pave the way for the coming of Umno into Sabah.

Usno was recently revived but it is feared that its registration may not be ready in time for the coming general election.

"It is possible that Usno may use our symbol in this coming election, if the party is not registered in time and if they don't have any other option," Awang Ahmad said.

The launch of the Sabah Chapter of Star will be done jointly by party president Dr Dripin Sakoi, and Kitingan. It will be held at the Hongkod Koisaan, KDCA, in Penampang.

The event is expected to see some 5,000 spectators filling the hall.

READ MORE HERE

 

Will Jeffrey take Azmin’s hand?

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 01:57 PM PST

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali is open to working with Jeffrey Kitingan as long as he accepts Pakatan Rakyat's terms.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Pakatan Rakyat has 'not discounted' the possibility of working with United Borneo Front (UBF), a Sabah based NGO, pushing for a Borneo Agenda in the 13th general election.

PKR vice-president Azmin Ali said the coalition is ready to work with any party as long as it is not aligned to BN.

"We have not discounted the possibility (of working with UBF). But they should be able to accept Pakatan's common policy framework and they should not be aligned to BN," said Azmin yesterday on the sidelines of a Pakatan Rakyat meeting.

UBF is led by former PKR vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan. Kitingan set up UBF in 2009 right after he resigned from the party following a fallout with the PKR leadership in Kuala Lumpur. Many attributed the 'fallout' to Azmin's interference.

Since then PKR has not been able to effectively 'revive' itself on the Sabah front.

Bearing in mind Kitingan's history with PKR, it is left to be seen how UBF will view Azmin's statement.

Last month Kitingan announced the formation of a Borneo Alliance as a Third Force to rival both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat.

He openly invited members of BN and Pakatan coalitions to 'quit' their parties and join Borneo Alliance to fight for the restoration of Sabah and Sarawak rights as per their respective 20 and 18-point Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Also last month it was reported that the Kitingan's Third Force will support either the ruling BN or Pakatan, when the necessity arises, to form the federal government.

Pakatan seats

Meanwhile on seat-allocations in Sabah and Sarawak in preparation for the general election, Azmin said the coalition was still in negotiation.

"Seat-allocations in Sabah and Sarawak have not been settled yet but we are in the final stages of negotiations.

"We need to spend some time when it comes to Sabah and Sarawak due to results of the previous Sarawak polls.

"We have not aligned ourselves with any local parties there yet but we are closely monitoring the situation on the ground," he said alluding to the opposition's historic performance in Sarawak last April.

In the Sarawak polls, Pakatan partners DAP and PKR won a total 15 seats. DAP won 12 seats while PKR won three.

The historic win also saw a shocking decline in voter support for the Taib Mahmud-led state BN coalition.

READ MORE HERE

 

Nga to face DAP disciplinary committee

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 01:55 PM PST

DAP disciplinary committee is expected to convene a meeting 'within a fortnight'.

(Free Malaysia Today) - The DAP disciplinary committee is set to hear a complaint against Perak state party secretary Nga Kor Ming in relation to the 'lounge suit' controversy.

The committee is expected to convene a meeting 'within a fortnight', according to its chairman Tan Kok Wai.

"A complaint was lodged by the Greentown branch in Ipoh against Nga over the lounge suit controversy.

"We will initiate an investigation and hold a hearing within a fortnight," said Tan.

The lounge suit controversy against Nga, who is also Taiping MP and Pantai Remis state rep, surfaced last month when blogger Ahmad Sofian Yahya, also known as Sekupang Dua, first published documents that implicated Nga in a lounge suit tailoring contract in 2008.

Nga is alleged to have used his position as a state executive councillor to gain for Ethan & Elton a contract to tailor lounge suits in 2008, when Pakatan Rakyat ruled Perak.

Nga's wife Wong Seow Ching is a director in the company.

Nga however denied the allegations and filed a RM10 million defemation suit against Ahmad yesterday.

READ MORE HERE

 

Kulim liquor ban: MCA turns the screw

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 01:54 PM PST

It was pathetic of state exco Lim Soo Nee to say that it was sabotage, says MCA's Wee Ka Siong.

(Free Malaysia Today) - MCA today dismissed the Kedah government's plea of innocence in the Kulim liquor ban as a "pathetic excuse".

Referring to Kedah executive councillor Lim Soo Nee's statement that the ban by the Kulim district office was an "act of sabotage", MCA youth chief Wee Ka Siong said this was not the first time that the PAS-led government had tried to impose Islamic laws on non-Muslims.

"Previously, we had the state government instructing eateries in the state to close at 3pm during Ramadhan," Wee said in a media statement.

"The state also imposed a blanket ban on 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating during the fasting month. The prohibition was later overturned after pressure from MCA."

Lim, who is the state assemblyman for Kulim, spoke of his suspicion of a sabotage in an interview with a news portal yesterday. He said he informed Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak about the ban immediately upon hearing of it on Monday and promised that the state executive council would discuss it.

Azizan, speaking to the Star yesterday, said his administration had not ordered any such ban. "Any decision to impose such a regulation should be made during the state executive council meeting," he said.

According to the Star's report, the Kulim district officer wrote last month to liquor shop owners in the district that it would automatically terminate their licences by June this year. The letter said this was in accordance with the Kulim Licensing and Excise Board decision in October to turn Kulim into a liquor-free district.

However, according to a report in the Sun today. Kulim municipal councillor Mohamad Nabil Puteh denied that there had been such a decision.

Kulim District Officer Dzohir Mat Zin could not be contacted for his comments. A member of his staff said he would be available tomorrow.

Wee's statement today warned that the ban would disrupt the livelihoods of both Muslims and non-Muslims.

READ MORE HERE

 

How do I love thee, let me count the ways (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 01:10 PM PST

I wrote some years back that I will have 'arrived' when both sides of the political divide hate me. I also wrote that I am not running a popularity contest and really don't care whether the 'Raja Petra Fan Club' exists or not. Well, the good news is, the Raja Petra Fan Club has now officially closed.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

It's been an interesting start to a new year, at least for some of us. Anyway, they did say that 2012 is supposed to be a year of turmoil; a year of change; maybe even the year the world, as we know it, will end…if what the Mayan calendar says is correct.

Whether you realise it or not, the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) is now 'high profile', even if for the wrong reasons. But is not right and wrong relative? To some, putting apostates to death is right while to others it is wrong. So, certainly right and wrong is relative, relative to your value system.

Okay, so we have a situation here. But is it a hopeless situation, or is it a situation that can be simply solved with a stroke of the pen?

Let's use this analogy. A bee has stung a man's prick and his prick is swollen and he is in pain. He goes to the doctor and asks the doctor to remove the pain but not the size.

MCLM has been stung by a bee and is swollen and in pain. So, let's just remove the pain without disturbing the size. And in this case the pain is me: Raja Petra Kamarudin. So, just remove Raja Petra Kamarudin and the pain will go away.

And this is what I am telling the MCLM committee and the founding members. Just remove me and allow MCLM to go on with its mission and vision. The agenda need not change. Only the head needs to change. After all, I can't return to Malaysia to lead MCLM anyway and the present committee is a mere protem committee, not legally elected in the AGM, which is yet to be held and must be held very soon by law.

Is this so difficult to do? MCLM is about the cause. The cause is above the person. People come and go. But the cause must remain.

One reason Pakatan Rakyat refuses to engage MCLM is because of the 'Independent Candidate Initiative'. Pakatan Rakyat is not prepared to give way to independent candidates. If independent candidates come in then we are going to see three- or even four-corner contests.

I know many of you were foaming at the mouth for exactly this point. You accused MCLM of serving Barisan Nasional's agenda, of being a Trojan horse, for being guilty of triggering multi-corner contests and hence denying Pakatan Rakyat the possibility of winning the next general election.

Over and over I wrote in Malaysia Today that this is not true. MCLM is committed to a two-party system and in seeing the emergence of a strong opposition and is not attempting to grab votes away from Pakatan Rakyat by fielding a third candidate. But this assurance is not accepted. The only way everyone can be assured would be if MCLM is closed down and the independent candidates abandon their plan of contesting the election.

Well, the independent candidates have now announced they are withdrawing. In fact, they are severing ties with MCLM altogether. Only one still insists on contesting and even then he has said he would like to contest under a Pakatan Rakyat ticket.

Is this not what you wanted all along?

But when I say this, again and again, in Malaysia Today, the explanation is not accepted and the allegations of MCLM being a spoiler continues.

I try to talk to the 'alternative' media but am told by friends in Pakatan Rakyat that the order given was: do not engage MCLM and do not give them any space. In short, boycott MCLM and black out all news on MCLM.

Okay, you don't believe what I say in Malaysia Today. The alternative media blacks me out. So I say it in the mainstream media. And I said very clearly that MCLM is NOT contesting the general election and we are NOT fielding candidates and in fact NEVER intended to contest the elections in the first place because we are NOT a political party.

It seems that is also the wrong thing to say. So what do you want me to say -- that we WILL contest the general election and WILL engage in three-corner contests or that we will NOT contest the general election and WILL support a two-party system?

It appears like many of you are confused about what you want.

I wrote some years back that I will have 'arrived' when both sides of the political divide hate me. I also wrote that I am not running a popularity contest and really don't care whether the 'Raja Petra Fan Club' exists or not. Well, the good news is, the Raja Petra Fan Club has now officially closed.

The Umno Blogs say that Malaysia Today is being financed by Anwar Ibrahim and that Raja Petra is a Pakatan Rakyat stooge. That is the spin in the Umno blogs. I deny it profusely and still the allegations continue.

Okay, what are the Umno Blogs going to say now? Now the Pakatan Rakyat Blogs are saying that Najib Tun Razak is financing Malaysia Today and that Raja Petra is an Umno stooge.

I must be the smartest Blogger in the world if I can get BOTH Anwar and Najib to finance Malaysia Today. Maybe I should instead be the Prime Minister or Opposition Leader if I am capable of this.

So, whose boy am I, Anwar's or Najib's? Yes, I know, those posting comments below are going to still insist I am Najib's boy while the Umno Blogs are still going to insist I am Anwar's boy.

It's simple, really. There are no two ways about it. You have to be either Anwar's boy or Najib's boy. It MUST be one or the other. You cannot be no one's boy. That is not allowed.

I suppose that is the same with religion and race. Either you are a Muslim or you are a non-Muslim. There are only two categories. You are also either Bumiputera or non-Bumiputera -- again, only two categories.

Is the world just either black or white? Must it be only black and white? Isn't there more than just black and white in this world? And must it either be Anwar's boy or Najib's boy?

Could I possibly be Muhyiddin Yassin's boy? Could I not also be Mat Sabu's boy? Can't I be Ronnie Liu's boy? Or Datuk Kamarul Baharin's boy, maybe? Is it not possible I am no one's boy? Is there absolutely no likelihood that I dislike ALL politicians, both sides of the political divide?

I remember back in the 1970s when I had an argument with Dr Zakaria Salim and Encik Ibrahim (the head of ITM Dungun) during a function in the Sultan of Terengganu's palace. They were both, of course, hardcore Umno men. The argument was about politics and politicians.

Halfway through the 'debate', I shocked everyone when I shouted: to me, all politicians should be lined up against the wall and shot with a bullet in the head. All politicians are leeches and slimeballs. We need a people's revolution so that we can kill all the politicians.

There was a stunned silence as I walked off.

What makes you think my views from the 1970s have changed? I idolised Che Guevara back then and still do now. And I have stated time and time again that I want to be a Che Guevara and not a Castro -- and if you don't understand what that means then blame Malaysia's education system.

I am not contesting the elections so I don't need your votes. I know I am called 'hero to zero'. You called me that back in April last year. I thought I was already a zero last year? How can I now, again, be a 'hero to zero' when I am already a zero? Make up your mind.

As my final word, Faekah Husin, the MB's political secretary, has challenged me to produce the evidence of corruption or wrongdoing in Selangor. Be careful what you wish for. If you want me to do that I can do just that. Just make sure you don't, again, start foaming at the mouth when I do.

Let me close with this short story.

A husband and wife were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary over a candlelight dinner when a fairy godmother suddenly popped up and asked them what they would like to wish as a present for their wedding anniversary.

The wife said she had never been on a world cruise and wishes for that and, poof, the fairy godmother made two cruise tickets appear.

The husband said he wishes his wife can be thirty years younger than him and, poof, the fairy godmother turned him into a 99-year old man.

Yes, be careful what you wish for because Raja Petra Kamarudin is known to grant wishes.
 

Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-post.html

 

Let’s start anew

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:48 AM PST

By May Chee

Just the other day, my little one reminded me, "Mum, just ask; don't speculate." Why don't we just ask outright why a person does what he does instead of speculating on his motives? The truth may not be so harsh after all. Speculating and letting our imagination run wild is, in my humble opinion, a lot more dangerous and an exercise in futility. What's more, it will create a mountain out of a mole-hole! What if people get hurt out of our own paranoia? What if we lose someone or something precious due to our very own insecurities? Crazy, no?

At my little one's confirmation two years back, my favourite bishop, Bishop Paul Tan said this in his homily, "It's natural to feel fear but unnatural to harbour fear." It really struck a chord with me! I see it all around me. People who are afraid to fail – they fall only once and refuse to get up since. People who have been hurt in past relationships – they are afraid to commit themselves again. The list goes on.

I have a friend who refused to enter a church for years just because he "thought" a priest was rude to him. Priests are not humans? They cannot have a lousy day? They cannot be rude? Is this about us or about others? I somehow suspect a big ego is not something we should wish for from Santa last Christmas or hope for, this coming year, 2012.

Easier said than done, right? Fear has changed some for the worse. Some become deceitful to guard their self-interests or they conveniently allow others to embrace what appears to be the truth when in actual fact, may be a "lie". Some become pretentious and are afraid to let others know of their humble beginnings. They adorn themselves from head to toe thinking that such a display can garner them respect. I may be considered a dinosaur here but nothing beats humility in a person. I personally find that most attractive.

I, too, have my fears. I'm afraid my children will forget God, whom we worship; I worship. I'm afraid that they will neglect their faith. I cannot believe the amount of effort and time they have to put into their careers and studies! Will they have time for love? Will they have time to rest? Will they have time to speak to God? Will they have time to listen to Him? What if they forget the most important element of their very existence? What, then, is life all about?

This is election year, so I hear from the grapevine. I'm afraid that the government that will be voted in may once again prevent others from exercising their human responsibilities. I'm afraid that once again politicians voted in only aim to be ranked among the rich and noble who are unwilling to shoulder their responsibilities towards their people and who squander money. If cows could live in condos, when will we, Malaysians, see honour among thieves? Such leaders, unfortunately, only aim to excel in the games of the rich. They don't feel an iota of guilt that while they wine and dine, they allow their people to sink into poverty! We will be bankrupted in no time if we allow this foolhardiness to continue!

I'm sure I share this fear with other Malaysians. So, let's do something about this. Let's save our beloved country Malaysia. We can save ourselves through truth, justice and shared food. Let's not be afraid of the truth any longer. If we can all look into the face of truth together, it can be less frightening. If we can all hold onto each other in our quest for justice, the journey can be less arduous. And if we all can share our food, everything will fall into place.

Let's do our homework. Let's vote in those who can help liberate Malaysia from the chains of old. The chains that continue to make a mockery of our dignity as a human. I've heard of how some politicians belong to the "wrong" party. Some people say party-hopping is morally wrong. Some even want to make it a crime. I say: To those who truly want to be a people's representative, go, hop to the party that aim to serve the people, that aim to bring justice to the poor, that aim to set the "captives" free, that aim to work with the people, not against them! Is this asking too much of the people's representative? Are we asking them to "sacrifice" themselves? Not at all! They are paid to do their job. No one pays another to rob them blind, to be lied to, to be taken for a ride and worse still, to be enslaved! There is joy in serving and giving. Material liberation is not opposed to spiritual liberation. If one can help another not to go hungry, it can be a "freeing" mission for all concerned. The longing for justice must be the hallmark of a people's representative, if not, dunk him!

The Good Book says that people do not openly deny God; they simply ignore Him. This is what my fifty-one years on earth has taught me. I am nothing without God; I'm lost without my faith. I concur with the Good Book when it says that faith is neither an option or a luxury, as if we could do without it. Some appear to do without it comfortably. I wonder how that's possible. I can imagine if we withdraw all that comes from faith in our culture and lives, our world would die for want of hope. It is in this faith that we can find hope. It is not a matter of seeing or feeling but of believing what God can do and does. It is also this faith that make us so aware of the justice and respect we should accord others.

Am I proselytizing? No, not at all! I believe in a God of all humanity and that all true religions teach good. I believe that no law or religious decree can prevail over a well-informed conscience. I believe an ordered life creates more beauty than any religious instituition could ever achieve. A friend once told me that one can be spiritual without being religious. He, himself, could not bring himself to "conversion" as he felt himself unworthy. I believe he will beat me to the gate of St. Peter!

I look at the Year 2011 with some regret. We could have done a lot more for ourselves and others. We had some near misses. So, what messed up? Perhaps some of us did not work hard enough. Perhaps some of us took many things for granted. Perhaps some of us forgot our purpose in life. Perhaps some of us took the easy way out instead of the road less travelled.

Never mind. Let's not beat ourselves up over this. This is a new year and a new us. If we want progress and one that is evident, it can only happen through upheavals and changes of perspectives. So, it all falls back on us. We, yes, we, have to change. Let's not just be marked bodily by circumcision. Let's all circumcise our hearts and our minds. Let's all be converted interiorly. Let's restore justice, not by condemning, but by saving. Let's allow our love for our fellow Malaysians ransom our dignity and freedom. Let's return love for love – the beginning of true conversion.

The Self-terminator

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:39 AM PST

On 4th December 2011, Gwee received a RM3000 donation from Teo Chin Liang meant to be a maintainance fee for his new service center. RM3000 is considered "kacang" to Gwee, as he thinks in terms of millions of ringgit. Furthermore, he has kept a few hundred thousand ringgit from DAP fund raising dinners as his personal income. Nevertheless, Gwee is petty enough to accept the offer from Teo.

By Malaysia Politic Insider

When we talk about the career success of Arnold Schwarzenegger from California, we always refer to him as Mr. Universe from Austria, and his acting in "The Terminator" became a significant turning point in this career. And on one screen in that movie, he said "I will be back", which became a classic quote. The same quote had been used by MacArthur when he retreated from the Philippines during WW2.

 M Manoharan
On 23th September, the DAP Disciplinary Committee announced that, Bentayan assemblyperson Gwee Tong Hiang who was involved in the misuse of DAP Bakri's fund and, Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson M Manoharan for his controversial remarks over the national flag had been both handed a six-months suspension. After that, both of them appealed against the suspension. Manoharan had his backup from HINDRAF and hence, received a warning. But unfortunately, Gwee, who is a henchman of Lim Guan Eng, still has to carry out the six-months suspension meted out to him.

Tan Kok Wai
Nevertheless, Gwee is no Arnold. He is very short. His height is not more then 5'4'' (160cm). Compared with DAP Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Tan Kok Wai, who sentenced him to the death of his political career, he is even shorter than Tan. One tends to be psychologically disturbed when another person, who is not as good as him/her, looks down on one. Compared to Tan, who is taller, and Ronnie Liu, who is far notorious, Gwee's current situation may make people feel sympathetic towards him.

Ronnie Liu Lian Khiew
People say that the coming GE will be held before or after CNY. This means that, even with Gwee's announcement that "I will be back", he will still lose his chance to contest in the 13th GE since his party membership will not be restored well after April of 2012. Ronnie Liu Lian Khiew, who has a nick name "Tí Gong Kia" (in traditional Chinese belief, one who receives blessings from God), denied that he authorized Teo Boon Hock the authority to sign on his behalf, and that he had joint-ventures with local gangster to open nightclubs. This "Tí Gong Kia" of Johor was in fact handed a proper strict application of justice by the disciplinary committee, the result of which was completely, innocently unintentional.

"No, I gonna stop him from doing that", this is a typical script used in a movie, but politicians like to use it too. Eventually, Gwee decided to write a script, with poor grammar. For instance, a member from his own clan association (Wee clan association base on JB) asked him to quit the party. He managed to use a recorder to record the conversation, and he wanted to test DAP CEC's response (especially to LGE).
(left) Tony Pua, Fong Kui Lun, Gwee Tong Hiang, Tan Kok Wai, Pang Hok Liong
On 1st October, Gwee was accompanied by Pang Hok Liong and appeared at a press conference held at DAP HQ. He made the allegation in front of Tan Kok Wai, Tony Pua and media reporters that, BN top leaders had offered RM 150,000 cash and a RM5000 monthly subsidy, plus 50 acres of land as his term and condition to quit DAP. And Gwee cried at the press conference, proclaiming that he only loved DAP forever.
Gwee Tong Hiang cried in front of the media
Of course you can't compare Gwee with Perak state assembly deputy speaker Hee Yit Foong. Besides comforting Gwee, Tan Kok Wai said he was proud of him etc. So, this is the end of the first part of Gwee's version of "The Terminator" with crying in front of the media as the climax, but the box office is not what he had expected. LGE did not even want to answer his call.

Hee Yit Foong
The theatrical sad performance did not succeed, and that broke Gwee's heart. And "The Terminator 2" must be shot, or else, he might lose his remuneration. A petty guy like Gwee has no choice but to accept the adapted version of the script.

"How about a hot chick in his new script? How about a Bond's Girl in the new movie?" Gwee was desperate and kept thinking of making a best script to win his Oscar Award. A person appears in his mind, and he is Teo Chin Liang -- Teo Nie Ching's father. And becouse of the requirement of the script, Gwee must push for his best performance, in order to complete his impposible mission in this game, and to do so, he has to try his very best to sabotage the election campaign in this so-called PR's "frontline state". And eventually, "The Terminator 2" turn out become a spy movie. The only difference is that, Gwee becomes the bad guy in the movie, and this is the fault of the movie director.

At the end of October 2011, Gwee asked his supporters to demonstrate with a banner to "support Boo Cheng Hau to chop off chicken head". For those who are not familiar with chinese calture, chopping chicken head is equivalent to swear to the holy book in Christian term or swear to Al-Quran for muslim.

Unfortunately the actors were not performing in the role of the characters and nobody gave a damn about this event. At the same time, Gwee continued to assemble those who were frustrated (too many of them, for example, ex-Bekok Assemblyman Pang Hok Liong, and Pang's frustration is that he wants to contest in Jementah and not the Segamat Parliamentery seat), in order to strike back at DAP (or particularly LGE) because of the suspension action towards him.
(left) Gwee Suh Mei (Gwee Tong Hiang's younger sister), Gwee Tong Hiang, Teo Chin Liang
On 4th December 2011, Gwee received a RM3000 donation from Teo Chin Liang meant to be a maintainance fee for his new service center. RM3000 is considered "kacang" to Gwee, as he thinks in terms of millions of ringgit. Furthermore, he has kept a few hundred thousand ringgit from DAP fund raising dinners as his personal income. Nevertheless, Gwee is petty enough to accept the offer from Teo. He managed to find some local gangsters as extras, to make the whole scene become epic style and greater, but it is clear the final production is still basically a comedy version of "The Terminator".

Eddie Chang Teck Chee and Teo Eng Ching

Teo Chin Liang is a veteran DAP member and he has been doing his timber business in Johor. He contested the Mengkibol State Assembly seat during 1986. But during the nomination day, he faced some problems with form filling (or bribed by MCA as some people said), and that made MCA win that seat uncontested. Teo's both daughters joined DAP. They are Teo Nie Ching and Teo Eng Ching. During the 12th GE, Teo Nie Ching won her parliamentery seat at Serdang. But Teo Chin Liang's elder daughter Teo Eng Ching and his son-in-law Eddie Chang Teck Chee who contesetd the Labis Parliamentery seat and Bekok Sate seat but lost. Teo Eng Ching was Johor DAPSY's leader and Eddie Chang Teck Chee is deputy leader at that time. Both of them disappeared after the 12GE. Besides that, Teo Chin Liang 's son-in-law Eddie Chang Teck Chee owed an amount of RM4000 from Johor DAPSY for four years and never repaid the money until recently. His wife Teo Eng Ching plan to stand for election to contest again in Bekok, He returned that amount of money only on November 2011. Owing to this issue, Boo decided not to let both of them to contest in the next GE and that pissed off Teo Chin Liang.

Read more at: http://malaysiapoliticinsider.blogspot.com/2012/01/self-terminator.html

 

MCA’s leadership dilemma

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:30 AM PST

Party insiders are saying that about 30% of MCA members were ready to quit in the run-up to the next general election. So, is MCA imploding? They say there had been many cases of the leadership "bullying" those known to be unsupportive of Chua.

By Jackson Ng, Retired Journalist

THE MCA leadership's lack of response to the resignation of about 1,000 MCA members led by the party's former Penang and Johor Youth chiefs last week is telling.

All we got from the morally-tainted MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek was "we can recruit more, let them leave".

Other leaders have remained relatively mum because they are unable to counter the reasons given by the two former youth chiefs who cited loss of confidence in the party leadership.

How do you defend your party and president who has lost all moral and integrity following his adulterous expose?

The problem with the party leadership following the 2010 three-corner presidential election is the fluke victory of Chua.

It shocked members that such an immoral and unacceptable man could still muster enough members, through whatever means, to win the presidency.

Already massively rejected by the Chinese community in the 2008 political tsunami, the election of a wife cheater had plunged the party into a bottomless abyss.

The majority of the Chinese community, ever so concerned about "face saving" and morality, clearly have written off the MCA.

Party insiders, after a detailed assessment of the party elections, have come to grips of their dilemma.

The party is led by a morally unworthy president who is ruling with just about 30% of the support of the party central delegates. One wonders the percentage of support for Chua in terms of the party membership.

The party election was triggered by a series of internal party political manoeuvrings by traitors and turncoats who, for their own self interests, chose to unseat the then president, Ong Tee Keat.

But the party central leaders had grossly miscalculated, landing with an embarrassing president who commands no respect from the Chinese community and women in particular.

During the leadership crisis and prior to the party election, the key players had misjudged or underestimated Tee Keat's grassroots support.

The general talk then was that the lone ranger Tee Keat, as he was popularly tagged, would not be able to secure more than 200 votes and the camp led by former president Ong Ka Ting was confident of victory. Disaster struck when Ka Ting could only garner 833 votes – 68 votes short of Chua's 901 delegates. Tee Keat was supported by 578 delegates.

What we see in the MCA today is status quo, with no single leader able to engineer more than 50% support to close ranks and solidify the party.

That is history, backed by facts.

Today, Chua and his cronies are unable to react strongly against those who resigned because they are unsure of the political manoeuvrings being subtly unleashed.

Should the leadership condemn the resignations as just isolated cases, it may trigger more mass resignations and embarrassments.

What is happening today in MCA is a real loss of confidence and frustration over Chua's authoritarian administration and decisions based on nepotism and cronyism.

The two time bombs (resignations in Penang and Johor) have exploded but the mainstream media, especially MCA's mouthpiece, The Star, has down played the news.

Party insiders are saying that about 30% of MCA members were ready to quit in the run-up to the next general election. So, is MCA imploding?

They say there had been many cases of the leadership "bullying" those known to be unsupportive of Chua.

One clear example is the case of veteran Malacca MCA Wanita chief Datuk Kang Sik Hor.

"Just because she was critical of Chua's attack on assemblyman Betty Chew for serving her husband (Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng) more than her constituents in Malacca, disciplinary action was taken.

"She was referred to the MCA Disciplinary Board (DB). Imagine, for just a simple matter, the DB was used. It shows Chua and his cronies will not hesitate to use and abuse the DB to maintain an iron grip on the party," said the insider.

Although the DB ultimately did not pursue the matter, Chua's state cronies continued to pressure Kang to quit.

Clearly, Chua and his cronies cannot tolerate dissenting views and there is no room for alternative views.

However, that is not to say nothing is moving in the party. In the run-up to the next general election, there will yet be many political manoeuvrings and realignments based on self interests.

This will trigger even more time bombs to explode and let's just sit and watch how MCA implodes.

Double track Project

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:15 AM PST

By Concerned KTM

CREC or China Railway Engineering Corporation as far as the Double Track project is concerned is represented by interests aligned with (tun) Daim Zainuddin. It is difficult to confirm this but Mr Cai, the long time Country Manager of CREC, has indicated this to several parties. CREC felt they were duped and are now trying to dissociate themselves from Daim and look for new partners both for the double track and also for other railway projects such as the MRT. 

Tan Kay Hock, another "sad case', has been lured into this project by Dr Vincent Lim (Badawi's former political secretary) who with the support of Kamal Badawi and possibly Khairy was instrumental in the intrigues that led to Badawi awarding the Second Crossing to China Harbour Engineering Corporation and creating a substantial variation order.

Originally, Vincent Lim proposed China Harbour but this was scuttled by Najib's inner sanctum because of their total disgust with Kay Hock and Vincent. In order to deceive these parties, Vincent with the collusion of the technical consultants then proposed using the name of the parent company of China Harbor i.e China Communications Construction Group (CCCG) and the sister company China Road & Bridge(CRB).

Vincent Lim is a master of deceit and could have been the one negotiating and the one who told the Chinese the story about the payments in order to justify huge commissions for himself. I can only assume that a sizeable portion of this was destined for himself.

The current rumour is that the front runner for the project is a Chinese company China Railway Construction Company (CRCC) represented by prominent Johore interests and belatedly supported by the PRC. It is said that they are in active discussions with Gamuda and IJM.

The Chinese Government has a role in exposing shady operators such as VL who have misled CCCG or CHEC or CREC if the MACC will not step in. Rumour has it that Vincent Lim spends most of his time enjoying the fruits of his Penang Bridge deal in Shanghai and Beijing with occasional trips to see his bankers in Hong Kong.

Why, RPK?

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 09:38 AM PST

MASTERWORDSMITH UNPLUGGED

Many Malaysians have expressed outrage at the recent statements made by fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's critical remarks against DSAI in recent interviews with Umno dailies Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times. News portals and blogs are filled with comments of readers who have taken umbrage at this development at a most inopportune time, just before the next GE.


There are a few unanswered questions which he should answer.

1. If at all he intended to make those statements, why did he speak to those dailies that represent the backbone of support of the other side? Why did he not approach online news portals? He has to explain why he chose to speak to the MSM whose reach are pro-status quo instead of the online news portals whose readers are more 'enlightened' and are able to make valid judgements of their own to assess the truth and validity behind his statements.

2. With the rumored GE expected to happen as early as this month, why did he choose to slam DSAI who in all matters regardless of his weaknesses, is still the head of Pakatan rakyat? Clearly, the damaging statements have undermined the effort of PR and many other activists. For one who helped PR so much, why did he put PR in bad light? Granted there are many weaknesses that they have, especially of late but surely there is another channel of communication to sort matters in a less damaging and more constructive manner!

3. DSAI is already under siege and in deep sh**. As a once-upon-a-time respected opinion leader, why did RPK, as one keeps saying ABU ABU, kick Anwar down knowing full well smashing him utterly and completely for all and sundry to see? Hitting below the belt at anyone is certainly not on!

4. Homophobic statements are also NOT on! The verdict has not been given and it is really unfair for him to make statements such as ""I don't care. If you say is Anwar gay? I say maybe. But you cannot become prime minister. That is the reality," said Raja Petra in an interview published today the Malay-language Mingguan Malaysia." extracted from THIS LINK. You can read more about sub judice AT THIS LINK.

5. According to FMT, "Reform activist and influential blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin believes that Anwar Ibrahim was a victim of a honey-trap, but quickly added that the opposition leader was given a fair trial. (AT THIS LINK). If that is so, RPK should stop calling himself Fugitive Blogger and come home and get his share of the "fair trial" courtesy of Bolehland.

6. Raja Petra had alleged, in an interview with Umno daily Utusan Malaysia, that several Chinese businessmen in Selangor had complained to him that they still had to fork out "under-the-table" money in order to conduct businesses in the state, and that corruption was still rampant there. Yesterday, The Malaysian Insider reported HERE that the Selangor government demanded that blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin provide evidence to back up his claims of corruption within the state government. To date, he has not responded. Why?

Many supporters are in a daze over this turnaround. Many were going concertedly in ABU ABU fashion and all of a sudden, it is WHAM! BAM! SLAM! and those who supported him morally, financially and other ways are reeling in shock which is worse than the reaction of TV3 interview for obvious reasons.

Then, many defended him and strongly supported him because they felt he was unfairly derided censured at that time. However, this time round- the perception is completely different. In the past, he had always said 'Perception is everything'. So, it is clear that he did what he did at his own peril!

Haris Ibrahim has resigned as MCLM President while Malik Imtiaz and Sreekant Pillai have disassociated themselves from MCLM because of his statements. Where will MCLM go from here?

As a very intelligent man, did he not consider all these consequences before he met with those reporters from MSM?

READ MORE HERE

 

Al-kisah Saiful Bukhari, Anwar, Azlan dan Raja Petra

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 09:14 AM PST

Zaini Hassan, Utusan Malaysia

Saiful Bukhari Azlan tidak gelabah menantikan detik-detik 9 Januari 2012 ini. Tarikh itu sebenarnya dipopularkan oleh propagandis Anwar Ibrahim dengan panggilan 901, lebih kurang sama seperti hari keruntuhan Pusat Dagangan Dunia New York di Amerika Syarikat iaitu pada 911.

Saiful, 27, menjalani kehidupannya seperti orang muda yang lain. Beliau tenang. Beliau keluar berjumpa orang. Beliau tidak gelabah. Beliau bukan pemarah. Beliau kini menyerahkan kepada Allah Taala sebarang keputusan yang akan didengarinya pada pagi Isnin depan, 901.

Beliau sudah bersumpah laknat di masjid. Pendek kata beliau tiada apa-apa lagi tekanan. Beliau akan terus berdoa, beristiqamah dan bersabar. Sebagai mangsa, beliau menyerah kepada qada dan qadar Allah SWT.

Sebaliknya bagi Anwar bin Ibrahim, 901 yang akan dihadapinya itu bukanlah kali pertama, tapi sudah kali kedua. Pertuduhan kali kedua yang dihadapinya juga membabitkan kes liwat, sama seperti pertuduhan kali pertamanya membabitkan bekas pemandu isterinya.

Bagi masyarakat Barat, kes liwat ini bukanlah satu jenayah. Ia bukan sesuatu yang menjelekkan. Ia juga bukan suatu taboo atau sesuatu yang orang mahu sembunyikan.

Di Barat, liwat-meliwat atau kehidupan gay adalah sebahagian daripada cara hidup. Lelaki boleh bernikah dengan lelaki. Mereka boleh menjalinkan hubungan seks sama jenis.

Mungkin kerana itulah para propagandis Anwar mahu menjadikan hari 901 itu sebagai Rakyat Hakim Negara. Mereka mahu menjadikan undang-undang di tangan mereka.

Tapi di Malaysia, undang-undang tidak membenarkan liwat. Jika ada kes, ia harus dibicarakan. Biar mahkamah yang menentukan salah atau tidak. Agama Islam lebih-lebih lagi tidak membenarkan langsung amalan liwat. Anak-anak kita diajar mengenai kisah Nabi Lut a.s. sejak dari kecil lagi.

Gay atau homoseksual dikenal dengan istilah liwat. Imam Ibnu Qudamah mengatakan bahawa, telah sepakat (ijma') seluruh ulama mengenai haramnya homoseksual (ajma'a ahlul 'ilmi 'ala tahrim al-liwat) [Ibnu Qudamah, Al-Mughni, 12/348].

Sabda Rasulullah SAW: "Allah melaknat siapa sahaja yang melakukan perbuatan kaum Nabi Lut, Allah melaknat siapa sahaja yang melakukan perbuatan kaum Nabi Lut, Allah melaknat siapa sahaja yang melakukan perbuatan kaum Nabi Lut" (Hadis riwayat Ahmad).

Hukuman untuk gay adalah hukuman mati dan tidak ada khilafiyah di antara para fuqaha' termasuklah di antara para sahabat Nabi Muhammad SAW mengenainya. Ini seperti dinyatakan oleh Qadhi Iyadh dalam kitabnya Al-Syifa'.

Sabda Rasulullah SAW: "Siapa sahaja yang kalian dapati melakukan perbuatan kaum Nabi Lut (liwat), maka bunuhlah kedua-duanya (peliwat dan yang diliwat)." [HR Al-Khamsah, kecuali an-Nasa"i].

Namun, dalam pelaksanaan hukuman bunuh tersebut, para sahabat Rasulullah SAW berbeza pendapat mengenai tatacara (uslub) hukuman mati ke atas golongan gay ini.

Menurut Ali bin Thalib ra, kaum gay mesti dibakar dengan api hingga mati. Menurut Ibnu Abbas ra, mesti dicari bangunan yang paling tinggi di suatu tempat, lalu dihumbankan si gay tadi dengan kepala ke bawah dan setelah jatuh ke tanah, dilempari dengan batu.

Menurut Umar bin Al-Khattab r.a dan Usman bin Affan r.a, golongan gay dihukum mati dengan cara dihempapkan dinding tembok kepadanya hingga mati.

Meskipun para sahabat Rasulullah SAW berbeza pendapat tentang uslub pelaksanaan hukuman, namun semuanya sepakat bahawa golongan gay ini wajib dihukum mati. [Abdurrahman Al-Maliki, Nidzamul Uqubat, hal. 21].

Begitu seriusnya kes liwat ini. Oleh sebab itulah Islam melarang perbuatan itu. Banyak kemudaratan daripada amalan gay dan liwat ini. Ia boleh menghancurkan manusia sebagaimana yang berlaku di zaman kaum Nabi Lut a.s. Tidak mustahil ia boleh berlaku lagi sekarang.

Berbalik kepada Saiful dan Anwar, Anwar nampaknya begitu gelabah. Kita tidak pasti mengapa beliau gelabah. Apakah Anwar terlalu merasakan dirinya bersalah?

Apa yang kita tahu, para propagandisnya sedang rancak merangka rancangan siang dan malam untuk memastikan kempen Bebaskan Anwar 901 dilaksanakan. Anwar mahu mengembalikan zaman reformasi. Mereka mahu berhimpun dan membuat bising.

Bagi Saiful pula sebaliknya. Apa yang dihadapinya itu ialah masalah peribadi. Bukan soal politik. Anwar pula sebaliknya mahu menjadikannya sebagai isu politik.

Anwar mendakwa dia difitnah oleh kepimpinan Perdana Menteri Najib Razak. Tapi apa kena mengena Najib dengan Anwar? Kes liwat dengan Saiful ini bermula semasa zaman Perdana Menteri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Pada zaman Abdullah juga Anwar dibebaskan.

Jadi siapa fitnah siapa? Nampaknya Anwar dan pengikut-pengikutnya sudah keliru.

Bapa Saiful, Azlan memberitahu saya, keluarganya menyerahkan kepada mahkamah untuk menentukan keputusannya. Rakyat boleh menilai siapa benar, siapa salah.

"Jika anak saya salah, kami reda. Saya berdoa kes ini berjalan lancar tanpa ada huru-hara. Bukan saya tidak mengenali Anwar secara peribadi.

"Malah saya pernah menjadi penyokong tegar Anwar semasa zaman reformasi dulu. Perhimpunan reformasi di Masjid Negara dulu saya adalah salah seorang daripada ribuan penyokong Anwar Ibrahim."

"Malah saya juga pernah berterima kasih kepada Datuk Seri Anwar kerana mengambil anak saya sebagai pegawai khasnya. Dan Datuk Seri menjawab dengan suara bergurau, jangan risau kalau dia (Saiful) nakal saya pukul dia..." kata Azlan kepada saya semalam.

Jika bapa Saiful, Azlan pernah menjadi pengikut tegar Anwar, begitu juga dengan Raja Petra Kamarudin, atau dikenali sebagai RPK.

RPK juga pastinya bersama-sama dengan bapa Saiful, Azlan berada di Masjid Negara semasa zaman reformasi dulu.

Kini, bersama-sama dengan bekas-bekas pemimpin PKR – termasuk dengan bekas-bekas setiausaha sulit Anwar – semua mereka telah lari meninggalkan Anwar. Mengapa? Sebabnya, mereka tahu siapa itu Anwar.

RPK dalam reaksinya kepada New Straits Times semalam, hasil wawancaranya yang disiarkan oleh akhbar Ahad lepas, berkata: "Bukan semua boleh menerima kenyataan."

"Sudah tentu, saya menjangka akan dihentam. Mereka hanya mahu saya bercakap apa yang baik untuk telinga mereka saja, walaupun benda itu tidak betul," katanya ketika mengulas asakan yang diterima daripada penyokong Anwar ekoran wawancara Ahad lepas.

Akhir sekali, Anwar kena percaya kepada takdir qada dan qadar Allah SWT. Beliau mungkin menganggap dirinya hebat. Beliau mungkin boleh bercakap mengenai ketamadunan, peradaban, pemikiran, ilmu dan intelektualisme manusia.

Beliau mungkin the custodian of knowledge atau pun the Renaissance Man seperti Leonardo da Vinci. Tapi sedarlah, orang yang bijak pun boleh jatuh. Personaliti mereka juga boleh runtuh.

Kejatuhan mereka hanyalah kerana beberapa kesalahan kecil. Begitu juga Anwar.

 

PAS atau Umno Selangor lebih bergolak

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 09:03 AM PST

Subky Latif, Harakah Daily  

APAKAH ribut sekejap isu Hassan Ali boleh memberi kesan kepada PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat dalam PRU 13 nanti baik secara umum untuk seluruh negara mahu pun secara khusus di Selangor?

Sedikit sebanyak gema perang mulut antara bekas Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor ada mengelirukan pengundi atas pagar dan pengundi tidak tegar BN yang bercadang untuk mengajar pimpinan UMNO sekarang.

Rata-rata saya berjalan saya ditemui oleh penyokong tegas Pakatan dan penyokong BN khususnya UMNO. Mereka bertanyakan isu itu. Tiada penjelasan tepat dan meyakinkan yang dapat saya beri melainkan cuba mengatakan ia isu sekejap dan sementara yang boleh diredakan sebelum pilihan raya.

Ketika pilihan raya berlangsung, isu itu tidak menjadi isu lagi.

Apa pun pengundi tegas PAS dan pembangkang bimbang ia boleh mengganggu harapan PR untuk menambah kejayaan PRU 2008 dulu, bahkan mungkin tidak dapat mempertahankan keputusan yang lalu. Mereka tidak akan berganjak dari PR sekali Anwar Ibrahim tiada di luar.

Tetapi mereka bimbang ialah boleh mempengaruhi orang atas pagar. Mana-mana yang bercadang untuk menyokong PR memikirkannya semula. Kalau ia berlarutan ia boleh mengganggu perayu undi dari rumah ke rumah untuk bersoal jawab apabila ditanya pengundi.

Orang UMNO yang tidak senang dengan kerajaan dan pimpinan UMNO yang ada, masih mengharapkan BN berkuasa tetapi mereka mengurangkan pencapaiannya, sekurang-kurangnya seperti keputusan Mac 2008 dulu, supaya ia membuka jalan kepada perubahan pimpinan UMNO.

Keputusan buruk BN itulah yang memungkinkan pimpinan Abdullah Badawi digantikan. Tidak cara bagi mereka mengakhiri pimpinan buruk bersama Najib dan Rosmah melainkan ngeri yang sama berlaku kepada PRU 13. Justeru itu bagi mereka pimpinan PR khususnya PAS jangan memberi banyak peluru kepada BN.

Saya boleh menerima logik itu.

Moga-moga dengan perkembangan terbaru Dato Hassan sudah berjumpa pimpinan PAS – Mursyidul Am dan Presiden – di kediaman Menteri Besar Kelantan, Hassan bukan sekadar mengentikan polemiknya dengan PAS malah minta maaf dan menarik balik tempelaknya terhadap gagasan negara berkebajikan.

Isu itu sudah reda dan seperti betul ialah adalah ribut yang sekejap.

Mungkin kesannya tidak 100 peratus reda, tetapi ia rasanya boleh diimbangi di Selangor dengan keputusan kes mahkamah Dr. Khir Toyo. Kes bekas MB Dr. Khir itu menambah imej rasuah pimpinan kerajaan BN Selangor sejak lebih 30 tahun dulu.

Ia menambah gara-gara yang ditinggalkan oleh kes Dato Harun Idris dan Tan Sri Mohamad Mohd Taib. Kedua-duanya berhenti dari MB kerana kes masing-masing. Sekali pun kes Dato Harun menjurus kepada kes politik, tetapi campuran semua masalah itu menjadikan isu Hassan Ali itu tidak apa-apa.

Boleh tenggelam isu itu dalam timbunan imej rasuah BN dan UMNO Selangor. Dan kes lembu suami ketua Wanita UMNO yang tidak mungkin diselesaikan pada PRU 13 itu menjadikan isu Hassan sekecil zarrah atau hama melayang.

Isu itu mati apabila membatalkan sangkaannya tentang negara berkebajikan. Isu itu sudah bukan lagi suatu perbedaan pendapat di kalangan PAS.

Malah isu Hassan Ali itu tidak sampai mencetuskan perpecahan pada PAS Selangor. Tidak ada bantahan ketara atas perubahan pimpinan PAS Selangor.

Sekurang-kurang kalau ia dikira satu penyingkiran terhadap pimpinan PAS Selangor, maka apa kurangnya penyingkiran pimpinan UMNO Selangor. Kes rasuah Khir Toyo adalah satu bentuk penyingkiran kepadanya oleh pimpinan bersama Najib dan Noh Omar. Adakah Dr. Khir saja yang rasuah di Selangor?

Mengapa yang lain tidak diseret? Adakah yang lain malaikat belaka?

Lebih teruk penyingkiran Najib ke atas Tan Sri Mohamad Taib. Bekas MB Selangor digugurkan dalam semua kedudukan apabila Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri dan ketua UMNO Selangor. Mohamad adalah Ketua UMNO Selangor ketika Najib menjadi Presiden UMNO dan Perdana Menteri.

Najib angkat ramai senator baru untuk dijadikan menteri, digugur Senator Mohamad Taib dari jawatan menteri.

Mana lebih bergolak antara UMNO Selangor dan PAS Selangor?

Sesungguhnya benda yang tidak sepatutnya jadi isu telah dijadikan isu. Untungnya ia sekejap saja.

 

REPLY TO THE PRESS RELEASE by YB Wong Koon Mun, MCA State Liaison Committee Secretary and state ...

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 08:35 AM PST

Yayasan Selangor regretted the superficial and uncalled for statement by YB Wong Koon Mun, MCA State Liaison Committee Secretary and State Assembly man for Kuala Kubu Baru on January 2, 2012, regarding the Ampang Pecah National Service  Camp (PLKN) and Yayasan Selangor's 40th Anniversary.

YS spent RM4.04 million in 2010 and 2011 at the request of the National Service Training Department (JLKN) to meet the SOC 2008 as one of the conditions for National Service contract extension.

The question of YS not realising that the contract would not be renewed in 2012 does not arise. As a matter of fact, selected NS camps  were given the continuation letter for the year 2012  in early December 2011. However, demands for improvement of camp facilities, including  water activity pool have been made since the beginning of 2010.
 
YS strived to meet these requirements and all the facilities listed were completed by the end of 2011, with the hope and expectation that  JLKN NS would extend the contract which ended on December 31, 2011.
 
We are still waiting for a reply from YAB Dato' Sri Najib and YB Minister of Defence Malaysia. Our appeal for extension of  NS Camp in Ampang Pecah was  also supported by the Hulu Selangor Member of Parliament, YB P. Kamalanathan unlike YB Wong Koon Mun who is prejudiced against Yayasan Selangor.
 
However, if the BN Federal Government decides to "persecute" Yayasan Selangor, we will never let the Ampang Pecah Camp to become  a "white elephant" as hoped by YB Wong Koon Mun. Yayasan Selangor shall endeavour to do its best  to meet the income shortfall due to BN Federal G'ment "persecution".
 
The allegation that Yayasan Selangor spent money from the taxpayer (public funds) is baseless. This shows that YB Wong Koon Mun did not make a study on YS and instead chose to make wild accusations. To date Yayasan Selangor does not get any grant from the State Government, what more from the Federal Government.

The allegation that YS had a deficit of RM 7.41m for 2010 is untrue. YS deficit for 2010 was only RM5.1m(Audited Account). The other issues raised are outdated and have been addressed.

YS generates its own  income by the sheer hard work of the staff & management. We have sufficient income to fund the educational programme for the needy children of Selangor through the building/office rental collections, operation of our oil palm plantation and joint venture development. Hence, there is no truth that Yayasan Selangor is allegedly using public funds for any of its expenses.

Throughout 2011, Yayasan Selangor's management strived to improve its financial management where income and expenses were fully monitored. Priority is still given to educational programmes and they run smoothly as planned in the form of student loans, scholarships, contributions to religious schools and orphanages as well as public tuition classes that continue to be successfully implemented.

Thank You.


Ilham Marzuki
General Manager
Yayasan Selangor

 

OK, RPK Switch Sides But Why Are Everyone Surprise?

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 07:51 AM PST

FINANCE TWITTER

One of the reasons why I'm looking forward to the first day of the New Year was the prospect of bombshells of news, besides the glittering and spectacular fireworks, of course. As predicted, the peaceful short demonstration by young students at UPSI ended with bloods, thanks to the kind hospitality of the professional police. The news however was dwarfed by RPK's latest bombshells. Instantly RPK, the UK-born Selangor prince, now living in exile in Manchester, invites criticisms from his remaining loyal readers.

Previously, RPK or Raja Petra Kamarudin, dropped a bombshell just 3-day before the important Sarawak state election, of which his granted interview to the government-controlled TV3 helped cleanse PM Najib Razak, to certain degrees, of the murder allegation of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribuu. This time, RPK dropped couple of bombshells when he declares "There's Life after Anwar", "Anwar morally unfit to become PM", "Anwar may become irrelevant", "Frustrated voters will back BN in polls", not to mention he's now suddenly 90% confident Anwar was the man in the sex video.

Raja Petra RPK Switch Sides 

Generally, what RPK is telling the opposition and his readers who once worshipped him as the greatest whistleblowers to the government's dark secrets is this – you can all go fly kites from now onwards because I've joined the dark (rich) side of the powerful and corrupt force. And if you think this is not for real but another round of RPK throwing tantrums with some noble hidden plot due to whatever reasons, think again because his pet project MCLM's president and buddy, Haris Ibrahim, has just quit the movement. But why RPK switch sides?

Actually, the moment he granted his interview to TV3 months ago, knowing very well that the media was a spin master in favour of the present government, and later beat around the bush justifying his acts that TV3 played him out, was the strongest hint that RPK had indeed sold himself out. With his latest interviews granted to yet another UMNO-controlled newspaper, it only goes to confirm (if you're not already convince) that he has sold his soul. There's a saying that everybody has a price-tag so there's no different with ordinary RPK, unless he's not a homo-sapiens.

Raja Petra RPK Switch Sides - Homesick 

So, how much was RPK paid for switching side? If hard cold cash was indeed transacted, it has to be more than what Perak's Jelapang Hee-Apa-Nama received. Of course it has to come with freedom to come back to his country and whatnot strings attached. In spite of luxury accomodation in Manchester and so-called happy Christmas vacation on a friend's boat in Phuket, the sight of not able to come back to taste Nasi Lemak, Teh Tarik (*tongue in cheek*) and whatnot is too much to bear. He may talk big about living luxuriously abroad but the fact remains he's extremely homesick hence he should be forgiven for his latest action.

Whether he's fully sponsored by former premier Mahathir Mohamad or white-collar criminal Soh Chee Wen for his relatively easy escape out of Malaysia and thereafter luxury lifestyle abroad is immaterial. If one were to read his articles, his bazooka was trained primarily at former premier Abdullah Badawi and his son-in-law Khairi, and Najib Razak's wife over the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya, of course. He seldom attack Mahathir or Muhyiddin, let alone Mahathir's sons. That's strange because while RPK sees it freaking wrong for Khairi to amass 13 million shares from ECM Libra for RM9.2 million, he doesn't seems to think it was wrong for Mahathir to use Petronas money to bail out his son's (Mirzan Mahathir) Konsortium Perkapalan to the tune of RM696 million back in 1998.

READ MORE HERE

 

Malik Imtiaz and Sreekant Pillai out of MCLM

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 08:45 PM PST

(The Star) - Prominent human rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar is the latest personality to disassociate himself from the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) chaired by Raja Petra Kamarudin.

Joining him is Sreekant Pillai, a lawyer and son of veteran journalist M.G.G Pillai.

In December 2010, both had been picked by MCLM to contest in the next general election.

Their decision to stay away from MCLM came following the resignation of MCLM president Haris Ibrahim after Raja Petra's statement that the movement would not be fielding candidates in the polls.

Haris said Raja Petra (or RPK) was undermining efforts to end Barisan Nasional's (BN) rule.

Another MCLM member, Dr Nedunchelian Vengu, said he would go ahead to contest in the polls.

The candidacy of the 43-year-old dentist was announced by MCLM last July. He is said to be fielded in the Kapar parliamentary constituency currently held by PKR's S. Manikavasagam.

Malik Imtiaz said he was still committed to further the reform agenda although not a member of MCLM.

He said Raja Petra's statements had shed a "less than positive light" on MCLM.

"That is regrettable as it is an impression that has undermined the credibility of the MCLM and its efforts.

"It has also undermined the tremendous efforts of a number of highly committed and selfless individuals to develop various civil society initiatives under the banner of MCLM," he wrote in his blog.

 

Anwar says severed ties with RPK

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 08:43 PM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today he has stopped all forms of communication with Raja Petra Kamarudin since the Sarawak election, accusing the political blogger of "supporting Barisan Nasional".

The PKR defacto leader brushed aside Raja Petra's critical remarks against him in recent interviews with Umno dailies Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times.

"I have not contacted him since he supported Barisan Nasional in the Sarawak elections…there has been no communication for the last six months," Anwar told reporters here.

Anwar said he had been friends with Raja Petra for ten year, and acknowledged the fact that the Selangor prince had "actively" supported him while he was in prison back in 1999.

"He (Raja Petra) ran to London because he did not want to go to prison," said Anwar.

"I don't usually comment on attacks like these, coming close to elections like the Sarawak polls last time, carried out by individuals using Umno media," added Anwar, in apparent reference to the Malaysia Today portal editor's interview with TV3 prior to the Sarawak election last year.

Raja Petra had said that Anwar was morally unfit to become prime minister as Malaysians could not accept a homosexual to lead the country.

The self-exiled blogger did not explicitly call Anwar a homosexual but said there was no room in Malaysia for someone who is gay and wants to become PM.

He also said he was "90 per cent" sure the man in the Datuk T sex video was Anwar, and that many of the latter's friends believed in the authenticity of the video.

PKR has attacked Raja Petra for his remarks made about Anwar's sexual orientation, calling it "untrue" and "libellous", and have accused him of being hired by Umno.

Raja Petra had also criticised Anwar's appointment as Selangor state economic advisor, saying that corruption was still rampant in the state.

"A lot of people have been asking for projects, and have not been getting what they want," said Anwar bluntly in response.

"I am doing my duties based on my experience as finance minister," he added.

 

What now, RPK?

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 08:42 PM PST

Anwar Ibrahim has remained in the country to face his charges and defend his name. Not RPK. This alone doesn't make RPK any more eligible to criticise Anwar.

By TAY TIAN YAN
Translated by DOMINIC LOH
Sin Chew Daily

Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) is back in the scene. Although he fails to move the mountains this time, he has nevertheless managed to create some small talks in town.

Interviewed by the Sunday editions of pro-Umno Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and New Straits Times, RPK hit out straight at Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan, and instantly became the media star of the day.

He said a homosexual could not become Malaysia's prime minister, adding that he was 90% sure the guy in Datuk T's video was Anwar Ibrahim.

Coincidentally, a verdict on Anwar's sodomy case will be delivered in a matter of days, while the general election is around the corner.

The fact that RPK was interviewed by these three newspapers in Singapore gave the whole matter an accentuated dramatic twist.

Many Pakatan supporters and members of the public have long lost their faith in RPK, who on the eve of Sarawak's state election last April appeared on TV3 and talked of many things that contravened the principles he earlier cherished.

He was defending his own acts and clarifying some things at that time, including the statutory declaration in relation to Altantuya's murder which he said he made under misguidance.

That could have been an attempt to deliver himself out of the trouble. For a dissident, that was something pathetic, but from the point of a person in exile, his behaviour was nevertheless understandable.

That said, his latest remarks only served to entrench the damage already done to him. By slamming Anwar and the opposition pact, it was evident RPK indeed had his own agenda, especially with the verdict of the sodomy trial just days away.

He said "he was told" that the Selangor state government was as corrupt as its predecessor, although he fell short of providing any evidence to back his claim.

There are two ways one can explain RPK's bizzare behaviour.

1. He hates Anwar Ibrahim more than anyone else, like a wrestler who would run into the ring and throw out his fists blindly in hope of bringing down his opponent.

2. He wants to come back to this country so much that he would change his old stand in a bid to clear his name and get accepted once again.

Because of the statutory declaration he made with regard to the Altantuya murder, he was summoned by the court but failed to show up. He later left the country in self exile and this won him approval from many sympathisers.

Anwar Ibrahim has remained in the country to face his charges and defend his name. Not RPK.

This alone doesn't make RPK any more eligible to criticise Anwar.

 

MCA seeks MACC probe on Yayasan Selangor

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 03:41 PM PST

The state-owned foundation is under fire for spending millions renovating a camp that the Nasional Service Training Department will not use.

(Free Malaysia Today) - MCA today accused Yayasan Selangor of "wanton" spending and urged the state government to get the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate it for financial mismanagement.

It also called for an audit to determine why the state-owned foundation had spent millions of ringgit to renovate a National Service (NS) camp despite failing to get a licence to operate it.

Selangor MCA liaison secretary Wong Koon Mun made these demands in a media statement that referred to a recent news report about the foundation upgrading the Ampang Pecah NS camp only to find out that the National Service Training Department was not renewing its licence. The report said the foundation spent RM4.04 on the upgrading.

It is not clear why the contract has not been renewed.

"Sadly, there were no attempts by the state government to monitor the foundation, resulting with the former overlooking the latter's wanton expenditure," Wong said.

Wong, who is the state assemblyman for Kuala Kubu Baru, said Yayasan Selangor should have known that it would take time to renew a licence and should have checked on its NS contract status before spending so much money on the renovation.

"The lackadaisical attitude of the foundation's management reflects on how they treat public funds without any form of responsibility," he said. "This is definitely abuse of power."

READ MORE HERE

 

The MCLM will enter into second gear today (FLASHBACK 20th November 2010)

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 03:28 PM PST

There appears to be some confusion as to what I said in my NST interview and what the MCLM committee actually agreed more than a year ago. Below is the article I wrote in this column on 20th November 2010. Maybe you can read what I said at the time the MCLM was mooted and launched. I trust this will clear up the confusion and get the record set straight. There is actually no inconsistency or deviation from what was agreed.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I just want to pen a short note to tell you that the draft Constitution of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MLCM) has just been finalised. MCLM's lawyer has just sent it through to me and I am studying it now.

Later today I shall be fetching Haris Ibrahim from the tube station. He will be arriving about 5.00am this morning UK time. Haris and I will then go through the Constitution to make sure that it is in order before releasing it to the public.

Haris will be spending about a week with me here in the UK to go through the mission and vision of the MCLM. Basically, what we will focus on will be:

1. The MCLM will become a pressure group of civil society movement activists with a view to engage politicians, not to become politicians.

2. The MCLM will assist any political party that may be looking for candidates from amongst the civil society movement activists to field in the next general election.

3. The MCLM committee members and officer bearers themselves will not be contesting the general election to prevent anyone from using the MCLM as a platform to further their own political careers.

4. The MCLM will attempt to mould and shape the Malaysian political landscape and culture, not instead to be moulded or shaped by the political culture.

5. The MCLM will stand on the outside looking in, not get in and become tainted by politics.

These are just some of my early thoughts on the entire thing and I know that Haris has more up his sleeve.

By next Saturday, 27 November 2010, I hope to call for the second committee meeting of the MCLM and finalise all these issues. Thereafter, we shall make known what has transpired, where we are coming from, and where we hope to get to.

In the meantime, the website (http://mclm.org.uk/) is being completed and we hope to open it for public viewing soon so that those who share the aspirations of the MCLM can sign up as members. The Constitution, membership form, Mission and Vision Statement, etc., will all be on the website. Rest assured that the MCLM will be run with complete transparency as a demonstration to the political parties how we would like things done in the political arena.

Till then stay tuned and I shall update you as we go along.

http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/36078-the-mclm-will-enter-into-second-gear-today

 

The RPK-Haris Ibrahim saga

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 03:19 PM PST

KTEMOC KONSIDERS

RPK & Haris Ibrahim - a great partnership in the newly formed MCLM but which future now holds a big question mark!

The Malaysian Insider (TMI) article MCLM president quits, says undermined by RPK reported that Haris Ibrahim tendered his resignation as president of the MCLM, after citing as reasons for his decision two of RPK's recent and very damning interviews – see my previous post RPK amputates 'gangrenous' Anwar Ibrahim from Pakatan?

Brother Haris resigned as MCLM's president because he has been terribly upset by RPK's:

(1) unilateral assertion (meaning minus prior consultation & agreement with Haris & other MCLM office holders) that The Rights group (MCLM) is not a 3rd force and therefore would not contest the next general election, and

(2) remarks that 'the Egypt-style people's revolution was not an answer for Malaysia due to the delicate racial balance'"they (Chinese voters) don't want Tahrir Square type of change", saddening Haris because according to him "... my friend (Raja Petra) should continue to see us as Malays, Chinese, Indians, dll (others)."

The overall effect, according to Haris, has basically put a spanner in his (Haris') ABU campaign. because according to RPK,

I lament the end of a great RPK-Haris Ibrahim partnership in MCLM, a movement to promote good parliamentarians and parliamentary practice of first class Westminster-type democracy.

But is there any hope of salvaging the relationship and the impetus of MCLM?

Before I comment on that, let me provide my personal take on the two protagonists.

Let me start with RPK.

I came to know of (rather than 'know' per se) RPK in 2005 when I, influenced very much by Jeff Ooi's blogging, started blogging under the mentorship of my erstwhile partner, Mr X, at the BolehTalk blog.

Then, after I posted a piece critical of Anwar Ibrahim, much to the consternation of my partner and friends wakakaka, RPK contacted me by email with a brief message which I replied with courtesy and kept its contents confidential for the last 7 years. Thereafter we have had no further person-to-person contact.

Out of respect for confidentiality, as should be observed in any private correspondence, I have no intention of ever revealing that message.

As I had written before, cynical kaytee hasn't been and isn't exactly a bloke known to be particularly fond of RPK personally (I treat him with clinical neutrality), though of course I do admire, respect and am a wee envious of his creativity and ability to influence many politically.

But I do not always agree with his arguments, for example, those relating to his inflammatory Stat Dec and his take on Ombudsman. I've written several posts to disagree with the former – see my post RPK a willing captive in his statutory declaration and ...

... shot him down on the latter when sometime immediately after the March 2008 GE, he wrote about instituting an ombudsman (or committee) for the then 5 States under the DAP-PKR-PAS governments. But what took my breath away was his over-the-top proposal when he stated (for some obscure reasons):

READ MORE HERE

 

DAP to ‘sacrifice’ seats for Malay candidates

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 03:09 PM PST

Party leaders have been reportedly meeting with "Malay opinion-makers in small closed-door discussions".

(Free Malaysia Today) - Speculation is rife that DAP will 'sacrifice' 10 of its safe seats for its new Malay members.

Sources said although no 'conclusive decisions' have been made, the party leaders were discussing matters with potential candidates.

'Basically DAP will sacrifice its safe seats as a goodwill to its Malay candidates.The objective is to show that the party is not anti-Malay," said the source.

DAP is apparently aiming to field their 'winnable' Malay candidates in parliamentary seats.

"From what we know, the party has identified seven parliamentary seats for their winnable Malay candidates. The others are state seats. Some may contest in both seats.

"But this is still being decided," said the source.

Post 2008 general election, DAP has been targeting 'thinking' Malays to increase its support within the community.

The party is desperately wanting to free itself from its image of representing only the Chinese community.

Currently with DAP are former Transperancy International Malaysia chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim and Zairil Johari, son of former education minister Khir Johari.

Zahril together with DAP youth chief Anthony Loke and party strategist Liew Chin Tong have been tasked with wooing selected Malays.

A coup for DAP

Party leaders have been reportedly meeting with "Malay opinion-makers in small closed-door discussions dealing with issues concerning Islamic state, hudud and bumiputera affirmative action".

Yesterday the party scored a coup. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's former Pekan division information chief Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz and Negeri Sembilan Umno veteran Aspan Alias joined the party.

Ariff, a former Pulau Manis state assemblyman was with Najib until 2004.

It is also learnt that former Umno minister Zaid Ibrahim will also be contesting under a DAP banner. It is likely that he will be fielded in an urban seat.

Zaid had last month declared that Kita, his party, will not contest in the general election but would instead throw its support behind Pakatan Rakyat.

Confirming rumours of his move to DAP, Ariff said yesterday: "Yes, that is what we are doing (joining DAP). I am impressed by DAP. They are principled, I like their professionalism.

"Don't read our move as blasphemous or treasonable. In DAP I can speak on the plight of the displaced and disowned Malays with more energy than allowed of in Umno.

"Umno has turned its back on corruption and abuse of political office. DAP abhors these traits. To me these are are attractive propositions. As a Muslim, we are changing wadah not aqidah."

READ MORE HERE

 

Statement: MCLM

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 02:28 PM PST

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar

It is with regret that I announce my disassociation from the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement, otherwise known as MCLM. Though I have at no point in time been a member of MCLM, I had committed to working with the movement to further the reform agenda.

For the sake of clarity, I note here that at all times my agreement to stand as an independent candidate hinged on my being satisfied that there was cause for it. In this I firmly believed, and still do, that the Pakatan Rakyat was pivotal in any campaign for reform, though it was not necessarily the only actor of relevance. In that light, I had resolved to stand only where my doing so would not result in a three-corner fight or where it was strictly necessary to do so.

Much has occurred since the announcement of the initiative. For one, the Pakatan Rakyat appeared to commit to a sustained effort to identify and field quality candidates. For another, Raja Petra Kamarudin felt it necessary to state his personal views as he did, in an interview with TV3 last year and recently in interviews published in the New Straits Times and the Utusan Malaysia.

I will not delve into the matters spoken of save to say that they cast a less than positive light on the MCLM in so far as its commitment to principle is concerned. Furthermore, I do not share his views.

READ MORE HERE

 

Looking for the Good in RPK

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 02:05 PM PST

It is unlikely that Malaysians in this country will be swayed by RPK's latest tirade against Anwar in the UMNO press. We should not lose our focus on the political agenda at hand which is to sweep the BN into the dustbin of history and to build a just, equal, democratic society. 

By Kua Kia Soong, Director of SUARAM

 

My feelings of disappointment and rage upon seeing the latest RPK collusion with the UMNO press to denigrate Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat were quickly tempered by my wife's daily email supplement to me:

Today's  Contemplation:

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."   (Audrey  Hepburn)

I will therefore do well by honouring my wife's wise counsel and the immortal wisdom of one of my favourite actors…

RPK's Expose of the BN Government

On 5 Jan 2010, I wrote an article for the online press entitled: "RPK's Expose of the Malaysian State". RPK had been the victim of the same UMNO press he has just colluded with after his expose of the Altantuya murder and all the other shenanigans of the BN administration, including those of the previous Badawi government. I lauded his efforts to expose the illegitimate institutions of the Malaysian state:

"RPK has gone beyond the sociological theses about the shared interests of the ruling elite – he has literally stripped bare the integuments of the Malaysian state; exposed the machinations of the police and the shameful harassment of whistleblowers. He has posed questions surrounding the unsolved murder of Altantuya that all justice-loving Malaysians want answered."

That is the good I found in RPK and all his contributions to the Malaysian peoples' cause in Malaysia Today. I have no interest in his feud with Anwar Ibrahim but exile, ego and eagerness for attention can affect a person's psyche and perspective on things.


RPK's Advocacy of the Third Force

Then there was his advocacy of the "Third Force" in the Malaysian political arena. While the ideological colour of this MCLM was less clear, at least it was seen as part of the broad front against the Barisan Nasional. This was a concept I subscribed to up to a point.

I was one of the proponents of the "Two Front System" in the Eighties and I joined the Opposition Front in the Nineties. Since the political tsunami of 2008, I believe we have a 2-front system in the country although we have not yet ended the 54-year dominance of the BN at the federal level. Political events have since pointed to the need for a Third Force represented by PSM and others who are focused on the political agenda beyond the neo-liberal system in which BN and PR operate and beyond the careerism that characterises mainstream Malaysian politics.

Keeping our eyes on the ball

Haris Ibrahim's stand against RPK's collusion with the UMNO press at least restores our faith in this Third Force position vis-à-vis the BN. It is unlikely that Malaysians in this country will be swayed by RPK's latest tirade against Anwar in the UMNO press. We should not lose our focus on the political agenda at hand which is to sweep the BN into the dustbin of history and to build a just, equal, democratic society including,

-           protecting our public services such as oil and gas, utilities such as water, energy, health, education and social services from privatization and to nationalize the already privatized essential services;

-           defending the social right to employment, health, welfare provision, education;

-           initiating popular participation and control, especially unionization;

-           initiating forms of democratic self-management in Malaysian work places to be run for the common good;

-           implementing a progressive tax system.

This resistance to unrestrained neo-liberalism must try to empower our oppressed people in the process of participatory democracy. Popular democratic participation is not just in economic but also political institutions. Unfettered capital transfers by speculators and finance capitalists must also be checked. Real democracy will never be attained merely through periodic general elections and relying on parliament alone but through direct action and true grassroots democracy.

So even as I yearn for beautiful eyes, beautiful lips and poise RPK, the struggle goes on …

"I have dreamed on this mountain

Since first I was my mother's baby

And you just can't take my dreams away

Not with me watching

No you just can't take my dreams away

Without me fighting

No you just can't take my dreams away." (Mountain Song by Holly Near)

What is RPK to you? (UPDATED)

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 02:02 PM PST

Why is RPK's latest offering a big hoo-hah? I mean, seriously? In fact I am rather equivocal of RPK's latest interview. I find that there is nothing to get upset about. I am not here to defend RPK as I think he feels he is a big enough person.

By AsamLaksa

I, AsamLaksa, am an infrequent commentator and contributor on Malaysia Today.

I check MT regularly mainly for laughs mainly arising from the BN jokers and religious nuts. I am nobody in Malaysian politics and use a pseudonym. I do not reside in Malaysia. I am an atheist. I am occasionally moved to share my opinions with fellow MT readers as I have strong ties with Malaysia. I like Malaysia and have high hopes for Malaysia. If there is one thing I want from Malaysians is for Malaysians to think for themselves.

Now that I have got all that out of the way let me get back on topic. Why is RPK's latest offering a big hoo-hah? I mean, seriously? In fact I am rather equivocal of RPK's latest interview. I find that there is nothing to get upset about. I am not here to defend RPK as I think he feels he is a big enough person.

Let me share some of my thoughts and feelings on Malaysia in general first:

1. Pre-2008 GE, I posted that I suspected PKR is the weak link in PR.

2. Pre-2008 GE, I posted that I do not trust Anwar Ibrahim and that I decided later to give him a chance to prove himself as I recognised the uniting role he plays in PR. After that I again stated my reservations on Anwar as he did not live up to expectations in leading PKR.

3. A few months after PR ruled Selangor I posted my reservations on some of their policies which are populist in nature and their lack of long term planning. I also posted my lack of faith in Khalid Ibrahim.

4. I have nothing against leaders who have extra-marital affairs or being homosexual. Thus I am against the call for Chua Soi Lek to resign as a minister and I am against the persecution of Anwar Ibrahim with Sodomy 2 and the sex video. I also have no qualms of Najib having any extra-marital affairs though I can't speak for his wife. I am more concerned about how the leaders perform their roles.

5. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. This has proved to be a big source for laughs.

6. I personally think Anwar and many of those that surround him do not have good morals or principles from their deeds and speech. You will get my meaning when you read the reactions from PKR spokespersons on many issues where they have displayed inconsistencies. In fact most of them are overly defensive without facts to back them up. Simply not impressed.

7. I think leaders are replaceable but not the good cause.

8. I personally could not care less who is the PM as long as the government brings positive changes.

9. I do not really care what sort of government Malaysia has be it an Islamic, communist, republic or pariah state as long as it promotes and protects fundamental human rights. Labels have little meaning for me.

10. I like Zaid Ibrahim. I think he does what he says. He got PR registered which I think is a task which many in PR would not give priority to. Zaid appears not to depend on handouts from BN or PR. He is his own man.

11. I think MCLM is a good idea but unlikely to succeed because Malaysians are not ready to accept a new political culture mainly due to lack of imagination. What's not to like about Pop MP Idol?

12. I have reservations about ABU as it does not address core principles that would protect fundamental rights of Malaysians and is again overly populist in nature. But I understand the reason for it mainly that UMNO and BN are incapable of changing according to times unless you give them a big scare like kicking them out of power.

13. I think many Malaysians have no principles lauding someone when they say the things they like but quick to denounce when the same person says something they don't like.

14. I think many Malaysians make baseless assumptions too quickly because they don't read or listen. I have been accused of being an UMNO Malay Muslim cyber trooper and I got a big laugh out of it.

15. I think Malaysians are very passionate and often this impairs their reasoning.

16. I think the religious fanaticism impedes development of ideas because it discourages straying from norms.

17. I have posted that real change comes from bottom up – it has to come from the lay people and not the leaders. Thus I do not really care whether such and such a leader goes to jail or talk crap as long as the lay people are strong. Let Malaysians on the ground take charge such as during Bersih 2.0 which made me feel proud for Malaysians.

Now many will have their own thoughts and many will disagree with mine. But I am a nobody thus I have the luxury so say what I like. Who cares what I think? But many care what RPK thinks. I disagree with many of RPK's thinking and I posted unflattering words about him. I even went so far as posting that RPK needs you more than you need him. The reason is simply that he is replaceable and that
you only need him to give you a head start in opening your minds and he needs you to make the hard choices from the day of awakening till the end of your lives. There are no shortcuts in positive social reforms.

Everyone is replaceable but the cause must remain in Malaysians. The cause does not only reside in a select few good Malaysians but in everyone that believes in the goodness of it which is worth fighting for.

By the way, I have never met, seen or spoken to RPK and have no plans to.

What is the point of all this? I am simply pointing out that every one of you MT readers should think for yourselves and challenge your entrenched values. Don't let others think for you.

Many of you are so wrong and you don't know it. Take time to develop self-awareness, finding out where your real values lie and what the reasons behind your thoughts and feelings are. I used to defend the NEP saying that it prevents another May 13 but my wife pointed out that you can't use a wrong to right a wrong and it is simply cowardice to accept such an excuse. It took me 2 days to
realise that I was so wrong.

So please use your reasoning, discover your principles and uphold them and do not let situations and sentiments sway you.

Let me end with – Hoi! Ada guna otak ke?

Why the outcome of Anwar's trial matters to every Malaysian

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:59 PM PST

But what is at stake here is more than the opposition leader's personal freedom. 54 years ago, the people of this nation were promised that their newly independent land would be free and democratic; and the hopes of the people were given expression in the highest law of the land, the Federal Constitution. This promise was wilfully broken by the political coalition that has ruled this country from that day onwards.
 
By N Surendran, VP Keadilan
 
On January 9th 2012, the Kuala Lumpur High Court will deliver its verdict in the sodomy trial of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The entire proceedings have been widely condemned as a show trial of a type frequently resorted to by authoritarian regimes to crush political opponents. But Anwar has a long track record of never giving in. He has already declared that whatever the outcome on January 9th, he will never surrender. He will be as good as his word - prison did not break or silence Anwar before, it will not do so now.
 
But what is at stake here is more than the opposition leader's personal freedom. 54 years ago, the people of this nation were promised that their newly independent land would be free and democratic; and the hopes of the people were given expression in the highest law of the land, the Federal Constitution. This promise was wilfully broken by the political coalition that has ruled this country from that day onwards. The same judiciary that will pass judgement upon Anwar Ibrahim on January 9, utterly failed to uphold the fundamental freedoms contained in the Constitution and allowed the Executive to trample over the basic rights of the Rakyat. Thus for more than half a century, the people have suffered under harsh laws, widespread corruption and the abuse of public office for profit and self-enrichment. The people, to whom this nation rightfully belongs, have been reduced to poor petitioners at the door of Putrajaya, where Umno/BN leaders and their hangers-on lord over the people.
 
The antithesis of the Umno regime is the Anwar-led opposition coalition whose central purpose is to repeal all oppressive and anti-democratic laws and to restore to the people their constitutional freedoms; to end the country's massive losses from corruption; and to ensure a just and equitable distribution of the nation's wealth. Umno is now trying to halt this great Malaysian walk to freedom by attempting to politically annihilate Anwar Ibrahim through a justice system which is partial and compliant. This is why January 9 matters to every Malaysian. Anwar's defiant stand against an unjust system gives the rakyat renewed strength and hope in the face of the oppressor's brute force, and fortifies the rakyat's determination to push for change and reform.This then is the climactic moment in the battle for the kind of nation we want to live in, and the type of values we want to bequeath to a future generation of Malaysians. Whichever way the verdict goes on January 9th, we can take heart that soon enough it will be the Rakyat's turn to deliver verdict upon an unrighteous and persecuting government.

Azmin says RPK irrelevant

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:50 PM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - PKR deputy president Azmin Ali today dismissed Raja Petra Kamarudin's attack on him and the party, calling the self-exiled blogger irrelevant after being away from Malaysia for over two years.

Raja Petra, better known as RPK, had called Azmin "deceitful" and unable to shed the Umno culture, saying in an interview published yesterday there will be an internal revolt in PKR if the Gombak MP succeeds Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should the de facto party leader be jailed for sodomy.

"Raja Petra is irrelevant. It is the rakyat, not Raja Petra, who will determine the direction of the party."

"He has been intimately disconnected from the country. He does not know what is happening," the Selangor PKR chief said.

Raja Petra had also told Umno's Utusan Malaysia last weekend that Opposition Leader Anwar was morally unfit to be prime minister as Malaysians could not accept a homosexual to lead the country.

The Selangor prince, who fled the country in 2009 after alleging that Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife were responsible for the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shariibuu, did not explicitly call Anwar a homosexual but said there was no room in Malaysia for someone who is gay and wants to become PM.

He also said he was "90 per cent" sure the man in the Datuk T sex video was Anwar, and that many of the latter's friends believed in the authenticity of the video.

Azmin repeated today PKR's claim that Raja Petra was now "hired by Umno" as he was no longer exiled in Britain but now holidaying in Phuket and giving interviews in Singapore.

"He is so near to Malaysia, he can enter the country anytime," he said, implying that a deal has been struck between the blogger and the ruling Barisan Nasional.

 

 

Zaid Ibrahim: Raja Petra di pihak salah

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:37 PM PST

(Merdeka Review) - Dua minggu lalu, saya menulis tentang bagaimanakah kita boleh menjadikan pembangkang lebih kuat.  Saya mencadangkan agar pihak pembangkang harus mengambil pendekatan yang inklusif dan tidak membiarkan perbezaan kecil dengan cara mewujudkan barisan bersatu.

Ini bermakna termasuk kumpulan kecil atau sampingan yang berada di dalam stratosfera politik.  Saya juga berkata bahawa kita tidak harus lupa Hindu Rights Action Force atau HINDRAF, dan penulis blog Raja Petra Kamarudin (gambar kanan), yang mana kedua-dua ini merupakan pemain utama dalam kebangkitan politik 2008.
 
Jadi, saya terkejut apabila membaca New Sunday Times pada hari tahun baru yang menyiarkan temu bual dengan Raja Petra yang telah dijalankan di Singapura.  Bukannya dia tidak mempunyai apa-apa untuk diperkatakan mengenai Anwar Ibrahim yang mana dia tidak pernah pun menyebutnya sebelum pilihan raya Sarawak dahulu.  Ia adalah perkara yang sama, dan saya tidak akan mengulanginya lagi.  Apa yang saya kurang faham ialah mengapa Raja Petra memilih untuk menyerang Anwar dari semua sudut - dan pada masa yang sama mahu melihat pembangkang menjadi lebih kuat.
 
Benar kata Raja Petra, apabila mendakwa pihak pembangkang tidak hanya mengenai Anwar dan nasib politik beliau.  Ia sebuah gerakan yang lebih besar, dan menjadi suara alternatif yang kuat buat rakyat.  Tetapi, ia tidak logik untuk mengalih sebahagian daripada parti-parti pembangkang (yang sememangnya Anwar sebahagian daripada gerakan ini) dan mengatakan bahawa itulah caranya menjadikan pembangkang lebih kuat.

Pembangkang mungkin tidak dapat memenangi Pilihan Raya Umum akan datang, tetapi kepada kita yang mahu melihat kebebasan dan demokrasi yang lebih baik dan amalan rasuah serta penyalahgunaan kuasa yang berkurangan, perjuangan tetap perlu diteruskan walau apa jua rintangan yang menghalang.  Pilihan raya akan datang setiap lima tahun dan satu hari nanti, kita akan pasti menang.

Saya rasa terpaksa mengulangi apa yang saya katakan sebelum ini, tetapi dengan sedikit pembetulan.  Kami harus menjadi inklusif dan kita tidak boleh tidak termasuk orang-orang kita yang mahu melihat pembaharuan dan perubahan dalam cara negara kita diperintah.

Kita perlu berjuang untuk perpaduan dan keharmonian untuk seluruh rakyat Malaysia.  Mereka yang mengatakan mahu melihat pembangkang menjadi lebih kuat lagi tetapi sanggup mengenepikan beberapa pemimpin kerana tidak bersetuju, tidak boleh dianggap sebagai sekutu.  Petra pasti di pihak yang salah.  Di medan perang ini, kita mesti belajar untuk menilai sumbangan semua orang, tetapi hanya untuk orang-orang yang masih mahu melihat demokrasi menyala.

*Tulisan ini dipetik dari laman Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (KITA), oleh Zaid Ibrahim (gambar kanan) selaku Ketua Parti.

 

PKR plans 100,000-strong rally for Sodomy II verdict

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) said today it will gather 100,000 people on Monday to support Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when the Kuala Lumpur High Court decides if the opposition leader is guilty of sodomy.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali told reporters today the opposition pact had agreed to mobilise and gather at the Duta Court Complex despite police warnings against any public rally when the court rules in Anwar's two-year-long trial.

"The system is so rotten, we have to expect the worst-case scenario," the Gombak MP said. "Along with PAS and DAP, we will gather 100,000 people at the court to show our support to the cause fought by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim."

He also warned that public rallies would continue until the next general election if the former deputy prime minister was found guilty.

"We will continue. The same night we have a programme in Penang. If he is acquitted, then Anwar will celebrate in his home state. If not, we will go to Penang and continue our demands," he said.

Selangor PAS chief Dr Rani Osman also said the Islamist party had called on all divisions to mobilise and "even those in Sabah and Sarawak want to join".

Anwar is accused of sodomising a former aide, a charge that he has vehemently denied, saying that it is part of a ploy to destroy his political career.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court heard closing submissions from December 8 to 15 and will deliver its verdict on Monday, ahead of a general election that must be called by early 2013.

READ MORE HERE

 

Dr Nedu to stand as candidate in GE13

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:20 PM PST

Press statement

A year ago, the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement officially endorsed me, under their Barisan Rakyat Independent Candidate Initiative, as a parliamentary candidate for the Kapar constituency.

However, in a recent report in the New Straits Times under the heading "Rights group not a third force – RPK", MCLM Chairman Raja Petra Kamarudin said that MCLM had decided not to field any candidate for the coming general election.
I wish to state that despite the statement by the Chairman, I will still contest for the Kapar parliamentary seat and I shall do so as a pro-Pakatan Rakyat independent candidate.

RPK's statement has in no way affected my earlier decision to stand for elections.

Out of the numerous people who offered themselves as candidates under the Barisan Rakyat Independent Candidate Initiative, I was one of the few to survive MCLM's stringent vetting and be acknowledged as a winnable candidate.

I have conducted numerous free medical and dental clinics to the needy and children, and served as the President of The Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners Association for three terms, and have held other posts in numerous other dental organisation.

Kapar is my hometown and it is only right that a local represent his constituency so as to serve the people better. I am a Community Leader there appointed by Klang District Office, under the initiative of Economic Planning Unit of Selangor State Government.

DR NEDUNCHELIAN VENGU
CANDIDATE FOR THE 13TH GENERAL ELECTION - P109 KAPAR


Dr Nedunchelian Vengu, a 43-year-old dentist from Kapar is a private practitioner for 20 years who served as the President of Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners' Association and on a Health Ministry committee, is known for his social work as well as his efforts to raise industry standards. His motto for Rakyat is Engage, Educate and Empower and create Rakyat who could stand on their own.

 

A gift to the world?

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:16 PM PST

ART HARUN

Let's forget, for the moment,  about Raja Petra, Harris Ibrahim, the police and FRU as well as the cows for a while.

It's the new year. And with a new year, I think we are entitled to at least one new hope. Or one dream. Why not? After all, when hopes and dreams fade and vanish does death begin, I think.

Let's talk about the environment, for a change.

About global warming. The melting of the ice caps. The greenhouse effects. The complete reliance on fossil fuel by the whole world. The consumption of fossil energy which results in the production of carbon which in turn eats up the ozone layer. Which then makes the world warmer and even hotter. Which then makes all of us turn on our air-conditioners even more. Which means we consume even more energy. The power plants then burn even more fossil fuel to produce energy. Which means they produce more carbons which in turn eats up the ozone making the world even hotter. And the heat melts the ice caps. Making the sea level grow higher. And it goes on and on and on in an endless cycle.

What will be of our children and their children?

What are we doing about this?

Personally, I must admit I have not done much about this issue really. Apart from trying not to use plastic bags when I shop or making sure the lights and air-conditioners are switched off if they are not of any use to anybody. For the future, I plan to buy a hybrid car for the family.

That's about it!

I did try though to sell an idea to someone within the corridors of power about 2-3 years ago. But the guy yawned after 15 minutes. Okay, perhaps I was not good at selling the idea. Hence the reaction.

To my mind, why do we continue to build mega industrial, commercial and recreational parks? Can't we, as a nation, do something different? I was thinking of an Environmental Park or a Green Technology Park. Call it whatever you like, but the idea is simple.

We take a huge swath of land – which we seem to have in abundance - somewhere. We turn that area into a park which only use alternative power/energy. Let that park be absolutely and independently sustained by powers generated from the wind, the sunlight, the water and whatever natural means that are within our possession.

Well, actually, we cannot exactly say that we possess those natural means. I mean how can we say that we possess the sunlight or the wind. But we can always claim to have the ability to exploit them if we have the knowledge and technology to harness those natural resources and turn them into power or energy.

So, let's imagine this huge area of land. We build all the infrastructures which are necessary for all those people and corporations with the knowledge and technology to come here to try to exploit those natural resources to produce energy. We create an environment which is conducive for these people to do research, to experiment and to produce. We invite all of them to come here.

The locals can also join in. We do not lack knowledge. Our people have the expertise and specialist knowledge in all sorts of scientific areas. Our people have even managed to trace the Malay genome, for example (not that I know what genome is!). Bring them back here and let them research. And allow them to flourish in our own country.

So, let's all of us imagine. This huge area of land is full of people, locals and internationals, doing research on alternative power and energy. Good, efficient and clean power and energy. It is for the good of the country. And the world at large.

And within that particular land area, people live in homes powered by these alternative energy and power. People drive vehicles using those alternative energy. People exchange ideas about these technologies, conduct forums and seminars about them – in halls and buildings powered by alternative energies – and sell them to the world.

I believe that will be a world's first because really I don't think any country in the world has ever done that. Even if there are, I don't think they have done that at such a scale and at such level of governmental supports. We love to create world records, don't we? We have the 1st astronaut who makes teh tarik in space. We have the tallest twin towers in the world. The biggest ketupat in the world. The longest shortest fattest thinnest roundest squarest whatever in the world. Why not the 1st Green City in the world?

READ MORE HERE

 

No southern comfort for opposition

Posted: 02 Jan 2012 08:22 AM PST

Pakatan Rakyat will come up against a resolute BN in its dream to win more Johor seats in the next polls

It is understood that Pakatan, for all the internal squabbles underneath, is pushing ahead with strategies to realise its dream, one of which is to identify big names among the three parties, even from outside the state, to contest in Johor.

Syed Nadzri, NST

A  GENERAL  election battle royale could be shaping up in the unlikeliest of places as an overconfident parliamentary opposition alliance prepares an all out assault for power on  a resolute Barisan Nasional  lying in wait.

Johor, the birthplace of Umno and BN's Fort Knox, has for all these years, always been too predictable when it comes to elections. The ruling party never conceded significant losses as to make a dent in its armour.

But the Parti Keadilan Rakyat-Pas-DAP troika, which call themselves Pakatan Rakyat, reckon they can change all that when the 13th general election is held probably within the next few weeks, a wild dream as far as  BN and the neutrals are concerned.

The dubious desire is said to have been driven in part by the lust for wealth from Johor's huge economic progress as well as the thought that they could do a Selangor on the southern state.

Johor offers 26 parliamentary seats, all but one being held by BN. And of the 56 state seats, only six are non-BN.

Still, there is an air of confidence, misplaced or otherwise, permeating  the air for Pakatan, spearheaded by Johor PKR chief Datuk Chua Jui Meng, the former health minister.

Johor Baru was picked as the venue for the PKR annual congress a few weeks ago, an indication of where the state lies in the order of importance for the party.

It is understood that Pakatan, for all the internal squabbles underneath, is pushing ahead with strategies to realise its dream, one of which is to identify big names among the three parties, even from outside the state, to contest in Johor.

By doing this, the grouping, especially DAP, thinks it can increase its chances. The game plan: put in the ordinary and less famous candidates in Perak, Penang and Selangor where "they can surely win regardless" and field the big names in Johor to capture new seats, possibly to brighten up hope for a power grab on Putrajaya.

To the neutrals, it is hard to imagine whether this would work, knowing the psyche of the people of Johor.

They are, and have never been, supportive of parties other than Umno-BN, let alone candidates parachuted in from outside the state.

Even in the last general election,  when sentiment for  the ruling party was said to be low, the most the voters did was to protest through spoilt votes.

Indeed, Johor recorded the highest number with 28,709 spoilt votes for  parliamentary seats and 25,455 for state seats then.

For this reason, BN seems to be  quite unperturbed by Pakatan's intended show of force in Johor.

To the ruling party, the DAP-Pakatan strategy takes for granted that the Chinese voters are all for them.

But the fact is, BN has its fair share of support from this community as well, as evident from the Tenang by-election last year, where BN secured almost 30 per cent of the Chinese votes.

A BN source said:  "We have done our survey and performance test in voting centres.

"BN will be on safe ground because we found that, at the moment, we can get  25 per cent to 30 per cent of Chinese votes, enough to improve on the 2008 performance."

The survey, according to him, also revealed that BN could lose up to six parliamentary seats and 15 state seats, if the Chinese support dipped to below 20 per cent.

"This is not likely to happen because Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, MCA leaders and several non-governmental organisations have been working tirelessly and keeping their ears close to the ground to measure support."

Pakatan is being rocked by internal bickering but this has not exactly stopped its audacious plan to grab seats in Johor to add to its national tally, and possibly even hustle up the wealth Johor could bring.

I was most amazed to see the progress in Johor Baru when I came by two weeks ago, my first visit after several years.

The state capital has transformed into a bustling metropolis and I couldn't even recognise some of the localities, despite having lived in the city for a few years 20 years ago.

There were new buildings everywhere and the roads and highways looped around in every corner.  The best part is that, unlike in the Klang Valley, most of the new highways are toll-free.

Of course, there is also the Iskandar economic region, which will prove to be something else.

The senseless incident where pig heads were thrown into a mosque in  Taman Desa Jaya may just signal the start of a big political battle that is looming on the horizon.

 
Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net
 

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