Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Musa Hassan’s motives
- PAS should accept public rejection of its puritanism
- Best to get it over with fast
- Wan Azizah should contest in Penang
- Numbers do not denote strength
- Just words and lip service
- PAS, still the same old iron mould?
- Who is the key behind Deepak’s exposé?
| Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:37 PM PST
Some notable retired senior officers have joined PAS, including former Bukit Aman CID chief Fauzi Shaari, former chief secretary for the ministry of land and cooperative development Nik Zain Nik Yusof, former solicitor-general Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, and former TUDM officer Mohd Nazari Mokhtar. Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily The policy speech by the Umno president at the annual general assembly is often a kind of political show the entire nation closely watches. Unfortunately, this year's show has been hijacked by former IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan. Even as Najib Razak hit out hard at Pakatan Rakyat and tabulated the accomplishments of the Barisan Nasional government, Musa Hassan's shocking revelation has nevertheless exposed the administrative weaknesses of our government agencies. Musa Hassan is no ordinary retired civil servant, and as such the government should seriously consider setting up an independent panel to probe his accusations which must not be downplayed as immaterial or be trifled with. If Musa Hassan's accusation that politicians have intervened in police affairs is true, the operation of the police force will be adversely affected and its integrity eroded. The police force is tasked with the responsibility of keeping the social order intact and, therefore, must exercise its professionalism to achieve this in the absence of political intervention. Musa said when the police were about to arrest some heavyweight suspects, they would often receive calls from those in power. If the country's laws cannot be justly upheld, how do we expect the public to have faith in our law enforcement? The Malaysian police force should be an unbiased enforcement institution. If it fails to operate independently, it would be very difficult for it to carry out its duties during the upcoming general election. Musa Hassan also exposed links between senior police officers and illegal gangs, an accusation that would jeopardise the integrity of the police force. When police discipline is involved, things will suddenly become very sensitive. Because of Musa Hassan's previous objection to the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), the issue of police misconduct remains unresolved to this day. The MACC investigations and subsequent charges against Musa Hassan and former CID chief Ramli Yusof are nothing we can be proud of. The police force must strive to improve its image instead of persistently rejecting supervision. If a split takes place at the top ranks of the police force, how do we expect them to set a good example for their subordinates? Thirdly, Musa Hassan also queried the reliability of the police's crime data, and this has begun to arouse public suspicion. Well familiar with the modus operandi of the police force, Musa Hassan highlighted the fact that some police officers have resorted to converting unresolved cases to "no further action" cases in a bid to achieve the government's crime reduction targets. Without true and genuine figures, the minister will be kept in the dark and thus wrongly assess the actual crime situation in the country. This August, the Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) received a letter said to be from an anonymous police officer making the same accusations. As such, it is imperative that the police's crime figures be appraised by an independent third party institution with the hope the root cause of the problem could be identified. Fourthly, why do some senior civil servants continue to slam the government after their retirement? Some notable retired senior officers have joined PAS, including former Bukit Aman CID chief Fauzi Shaari, former chief secretary for the ministry of land and cooperative development Nik Zain Nik Yusof, former solicitor-general Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, and former TUDM officer Mohd Nazari Mokhtar. The BN government has been taking very good care of our civil servants; the defection by any of them could deal a serious blow on Umno.
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| PAS should accept public rejection of its puritanism Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:26 PM PST
Even more troubling is that both parties failed to rebut firmly such proposed interference by PAS. Far from blaming Barisan Nasional for raising these embarrassments to Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition must look within itself to make peace with modern social realities, particularly as a general election approaches. The Star ALL sane and responsible people understand the need to live by certain ethical values and moral standards. Malaysians, generally, have never been an "anything goes" people. But at the same time, many of us also realise that these values and standards tend to be subjective, being personal or communal in scope, limits and interpretation. All modern societies are heterogeneous spaces with myriad tastes and expressions, afforded between the rights of citizens and the laws of the land. However much we may sometimes wish to see our values and standards apply throughout society, beyond what is commonly provided for by societal consensus and existing laws, formal codes that set the limits still need to undergo due process in being fashioned by enlightened minds and fettled by mature policymakers. That means we must avoid imposing our values and standards on others beyond what is deemed acceptable by society at large. When imposition involves political application, and more so the actualisation of a particular group's supposed norms on the whole country, we need to be doubly circumspect. That is why the PAS edict in Kelantan barring hairdressers of one gender from attending to clients of another is so troubling. The worst is assumed in the business relationship between all vendors and customers without any basis whatsoever, incurring business losses to many innocent parties through unjust fines and unwarranted prohibitions. Such unreasonable strictures apply on various fronts, including entertainment and sports. At the recent PAS party conference, there was self-criticism over a perceived failure to "set policies" for PKR and DAP on these issues. Even more troubling is that both parties failed to rebut firmly such proposed interference by PAS. Far from blaming Barisan Nasional for raising these embarrassments to Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition must look within itself to make peace with modern social realities, particularly as a general election approaches. PAS has ventured overzealously into similar issues before and had been rejected roundly by the people. It should accept the unpopularity of its stand and seek to revise it, renounce it or just forget it. We understand that PAS now wants to press the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry for tighter curbs on future music concerts. It should try an independently monitored referendum on the subject instead, and see how the public respond.
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| Posted: 01 Dec 2012 10:21 AM PST
No one should complain about the campaigning period being limited because the reality is that since the 2008 general election, where Barisan lost its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, both Barisan and Pakatan Rakyat have been busy campaigning. Everything has been seen to be political since then and no one has been spared. Wong Chun Wai, The Star Most of us now expect the general election to take place in March. Hopefully, we can then all get back to some sanity and not waste time on silly political antics. I KNOW most of us would have said this of the past few years: The year has passed on really fast. But seriously, this year has REALLY gone by fast. Just a few weeks from now, another year will be over. Everything seems to have just zapped past our eyes and it's frightening because I can still remember vividly the parties I attended during the festive seasons. The only thing that has not happened is the general election. For many, lives seemed to have been put on hold because of it. There have been so many wrong predictions, postponed vacations, cancelled meetings and false starts. Our plans have been disrupted in many ways. The next popular date now is some time in March, which is based on the assumption that the Prime Minister would seek the dissolution of Parliament after the Chinese New Year celebration, which begins on Feb 10. There isn't much time left because the Barisan Nasional term ends on April 28, which means that by the next two months, the momentum for the elections should be peaking. No one should complain about the campaigning period being limited because the reality is that since the 2008 general election, where Barisan lost its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, both Barisan and Pakatan Rakyat have been busy campaigning. Everything has been seen to be political since then and no one has been spared. Even badminton hero Datuk Lee Chong Wei found himself the target of a Tweeter attack from a mindless DAP politician who was apparently cheering for his Chinese opponent Lin Dan. Lee also found himself being belittled by supporters of Pakatan Rakyat on Facebook because of his wedding plans. As it was his wedding, he had the right to decide who he wanted to invite and who he wanted to sit with. Even his big day was the target of incredulous political connotations. Then there is the Automated Enforcement System (AES) speed trap plan. That has become a political bombshell too. Strangely, no one from either side of the political divide has demanded that the police stop putting up roadblocks along the highways. These roadblocks are irritating and give rise to suspicions of corruption. Most of us, especially those who claim to despise corruption, would want to end any perception that conversations in the middle of the road revolve around the "macam mana selesai" (how to resolve this) question. So, if you are not speeding or breaking any speed limit, why would you complain about the AES? Going to church or the mosque can turn political too in this over-extended silly political season. If Barisan supporters find it painful listening to imam or pastors who seem to be inclined towards Pakatan Rakyat, the same must surely be felt by supporters of the latter who have to listen to a pro-Barisan preacher. I believe those who advocate loudly about purported political consciousness in places of worship wouldn't be so enthusiastic if their preachers were inclined to Barisan in their sermons. But there shouldn't be different sets of rules. Going for a haircut in a unisex salon can become political too if you are in Kelantan because the PAS-controlled state wants to impose its brand of religious fervour on the people. Going gay has taken a different meaning now. Older Malaysians like me were taught that "going gay" means "being happy" but now it means adopting a certain sexual preference. For PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan, it can mean that you become "hedonistic and gay" after attending an Elton John concert. And simply by questioning every concert coming to town with his political-religious stance, Nasrudin has made it into the world news. Now, he is demanding that the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry consult him on any concert to be staged in Malaysia. Good luck to PAS supporters; he deserves your vote. I wonder how he missed protesting against Jennifer Lopez who will be performing at Stadium Merdeka tonight. Maybe he does not find the Latino singer hot since he has already found the pencil-thin Avril Lavigne to be hot. I really can't wait for 2013 to start. Hold the general election, accept the results and we can all get back to some sanity, focus on keeping businesses healthy in a softening economy and not waste time on silly political antics. As an aside, I wonder why my wife questioned me suspiciously when I came back to my Petaling Jaya home before midnight after the concert. It was too early for me to be home, it seemed. And I looked and felt happy after a great concert. I must not use the word gay, though. But I must remember to show her the clipping of the front page of The Singapore Free Press dated Aug 31, 1957. "A So Gay Merdeka Day" was its headline, and the subheading read, "Not even a heavy downpour could dampen their enthusiasm."
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| Wan Azizah should contest in Penang Posted: 01 Dec 2012 05:20 AM PST
The PKR president should contest for a state seat as that would derail attempts by BN from playing up issues about marginalisation of Malay leaders by the DAP. Amir Ali, FMT Reports that PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be a candidate in the next general election is a hotly debated issue among the public. Will she be a candidate or not? Where will she be a candidate to fight her way back into mainstream politics? These are the main questions. The answers are not easy to come by since it is not known where will she lean to in the end. However, there may be a solution to the corny issue that might simply tame Umno as well as hunt them for the next five years. Wan Azizah may well be a candidate for a state seat, rather than a parliamentary seat, and it should be in Penang. There are already two members of the Anwar Ibrahim family who will contest in their respective parliamentary seats in the next general election – Anwar in Permatang Pauh and daughter Nurul Izzah in Lembah Pantai. This leaves way for Wan Azizah to be a candidate for a state seat and Penang seems to be the best bet so far. There is the possibility that the Malay voters in Penang may be giving some credence to the BN-Umno propaganda in Penang. The opposition should not allow any lapses in their campaigns and they may need a stalwart politician from the PKR to fend off this menace. With this in mind, Pakatan Rakyat may as well allow Wan Azizah to contest in the state rather than Selangor – the two states reportedly interested in paving way for her return. The decision to let her contest in Penang may just render BN's anti-Pakatan campaign in the state to be ineffective. It will be an unexpected move as it will mean the communal campaign led by the BN will have been diluted with the presence of a major Malay opposition figure in the Penang state assembly contest. Her campaigning in Penang may altogether divide the pro-BN supporters and this will surely cause a steep fall in the BN's expectations to retake Penang back.
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| Numbers do not denote strength Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:41 PM PST
The number of people at an event does not determine the strength or weakness of a political party. By Shen Yee Aun, FMT The numbers at any political event is not the right and accurate benchmark to indicate a political party's weakness or strength. I wonder how can some claim that the current Himpunan Hijau protest is a sign of a death knell for MCA ? In the past when Barisan Nasional was at its peak, we saw large numbers attending opposition ceramah but the opposition still failed to make inroads during the polls. MCA's mega dinners have drawn an attendance ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 in each division but did MCA ever claim that it would win the next general election or that Pakatan Rakyat is losing steam? MCA only claimed that it was recovering and was stronger than before. MCA would never take the numbers game for granted to brag that it was a sign of early victory. In 1998, the Reformasi movement saw huge crowds, bigger than those who turned up for the Bersih and Lynas rallies, taking to the streets. But still MCA did well in the 1999 general election. If the strength and weakness of a political party were just based on the impact of the numbers at a protest, then we must also include the 1,500 NGOs that participated in a rally with Barisan Nasional recently. Do we interpret this as BN's strength? If we want to play the numbers game, then 1,500 NGOs is much bigger compared to Himpunan Hijau. If we are talking about numbers, then it would be 1 (Pakatan) vs 1,500 (BN). What about the recent 2,000 single mothers who protested against the Selangor Pakatan government that had cheated and manipulated them with empty promise after taking over the state? Is this the death knell for Pakatan in Selangor? Selective environmentalism The Lynas issue is actually one of the most successful political deceptions, lies and manipulations in history. Until today, there are still many who believe Pakatan that Lynas is actually a nuclear plant. Any neutral science expert would tell you that the radiation of Lynas is way lower than the radiation from our mobile phones and even the radiation of taking flights. In reality, Lim Guan Eng's solar plant in Penang would produce more radiation than Lynas.
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| Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:35 PM PST
The Umno president's speech lacked substance and had no clear policy direction for the people and country, says Chua Jui Meng. By Chua Jui Meng, FMT It was also an amazingly short policy speech, if not the shortest, ever delivered by an Umno president. To quote William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Najib was "full of sound and fury signifying nothing". Pre-Umno assembly Najib had also claimed that change can be initiated within Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) in general. After 55 years, did we see any change in the attitude of the party national delegates, in the quality of debates at the assembly? It was the same old rhetoric featuring inflammatory issues coupled with ridiculous claims like "God has chosen Umno". The May 13 bogey was still used to intimidate Malaysians to continue to support Umno and BN, racist remarks like "Malays will lose power if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) rules" and "May 13 will recur if PR rules". Is Umno claiming that only Umno Malays are Malays or Muslims? What about the Malays and Muslims in PKR, PAS, and others? What changes are Najib and his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, talking about? Clearly, there has been no change after 55 years and after the March 2008 political tsunami. The same arrogance is displayed by Umno and BN. Do you mean there are no important and serious public issues covering competency, accountability, transparency, integrity, abuse of power, corruption and economic policies to discuss or debate? If Umno has really changed, how could its top leaders go into the assembly pretending as if the following did not happen:
Compare the above with what the Umno leaders focused on their debates:
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| PAS, still the same old iron mould? Posted: 28 Nov 2012 01:08 PM PST
Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily The rivalry in Malaysian politics will very often take the extreme course, banking on the sensitive racial and religious issues. The current Umno general assembly is not expected to be any different. Meanwhile, to appease the emotions of its supporters, PAS is poised to accentuate its religious hues. Coincidentally, in the PAS general assembly earlier this month, some delegates hit out at the party leadership for its softened and wavering stand on the hudud issue, overlooking the fact hat the hudud law forms the core principle of the party. MPKB enforcers slapped summonses to Chinese hair salon operators in Kota Bharu during the raids carried out last Tuesday and Friday. As what we understand, Friday is a gazetted holiday in the state of Kelantan. However, on a rare occasion, the MPKB officers went on plainclothes last Friday to raid the NICE and E-Life hair salons inside KB Mall, accusing the hair salons of operating without a valid permit and a female employee serving a male customer in breach of state regulations. The operation carried out irrespective of race on the eve of the Umno general assembly should help abate the firepower of Umno targeted at PAS. Although Islamic measures have been in force in Kelantan all these years, the state authorities hardly take on hair salon operators. The latest episode, therefore, appears a little eccentric. If the above speculations have been inaccurate, it is essential for the Kelantan state government or PAS to clarify..Unfortunately, state exco Takiyuddin Hassan was resolved to defend the action of the enforcers even after DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh had hit out at the incident. Meanwhile, menteri besar Nik Aziz said the state ulama council would talk about this issue and might bring the matter to the state legislative assembly if warranted. This raises the question whether the ulama council or the state government would have the final say on administrative matters. Similar to Umno, PAS needs to take care of its fundamental support base. PAS is concerned that Umno's racist card could possibly erode its support and would therefore resort to flashing its Islamic policies every now and then to consolidate its hold, especially in Kelantan which Umno is pouncing on and which Muhyiddin has anticipated a political tsunami. Enforcing Islamic decrees on non-Muslims is nevertheless contrary to the party's pledge not to impose such regulations on non-Muslims in the state while contradicting the party's direction of diluting its religious hues in a bid to win over non-Malay voters. Perhaps PAS feels Chinese voters would still lean on the opposition pact with the anti-Lynas, Chinese education, corruption and other issues now diverting their attention, providing an opportune timing for the party to manifest its Islamic laws while not adversely affecting the support of Chinese voters. The party has obviously overlooked the fact that MCA will never let go of this opportunity to hit out at PAS. If this matter is eventually brought to the court, it will sustain for some time and will very likely develop into a heated electoral issue that will have a negative bearing on the opposition pact. It cannot be denied that the Kelantan state government has been fair and unbiased in its governance but their thinking is nevertheless out-of-date. Take the movie theatres for example. How do you expect the audience to enjoy the movie if the lights inside the theatre have to be left on? How many would pay to see a movie that conforms completely to the teachings of Islam? Little wonder that no new cinemas have opened for business in the last ten years. There is an urgent need tor PAS to transform itself, or risk losing the opportunity to grab the helm in Putrajaya. PAS must make an unequivocal choice between clinging on to its fundamental support base and enlarging its political reach.
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| Who is the key behind Deepak’s exposé? Posted: 28 Nov 2012 12:47 PM PST
Who has managed to get Deepak to expose Najib and Rosmah? Who stands to gain the most in toppling the Umno president? By Chua Jui Meng, FMT Deepak Jaikishan's shocking and damning revelations of his ties with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor is serious and embarrassing to Malaysia. Deepak indirectly exposes Najib and Rosmah's link with the murder case of Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu via his involvement in private investigator P Balasubramaniam (PI Bala)'s statutory declarations. Deepak also said his mistake was to jump in to help friends – referring to Najib, who was then a defence minister, and his wife. The ongoing RM6.7 billion scandalous purchase of two second-hand French-made Scorpene submarines which is being investigated by a French court is also damaging Najib and Malaysia. Deepak's timing to spill the beans on Najib and Rosmah is also very suspicious – coming a day before Najib is scheduled to deliver his presidential address at the opening of an annual Umno General Assembly. The immediate question is: Who has managed to get Deepak to expose Najib and Rosmah? It can be answered with a question: Who stands to gain the most in toppling the Umno president? It will be amazing that Najib is able to face his Umno central delegates without any feeling of embarrassment. How can Najib's conscience not be pricked with all the ongoing scandals exposed is mind boggling. How can Umno members, the enforcers of law and Malaysians in general ignore such strong accusations against this man? The federal administration is certainly undergoing a crisis of sorts, and possibly a breakdown, when it cannot swiftly and confidently resolve wrong doings afflicting the country, especially when it concerns public accountability, corruption and crime. Public confidence is therefore eroded, and the socio-economic fabric of the nation is shaken.
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