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Posted: 10 Dec 2012 02:24 PM PST

Are the voters willing to tolerate politicians and public personalities who defect? Asks an Umno man.

Hawkeye, FMT

Voters must decide in the general election if they are willing to tolerate politicians and public personalities who defected from either side of the political fray, said an Umno leader.

In Malaysian politics, there is a long line of those who can be classified as "katak" (frog).

It starts with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who joined forces with Umno's arch rivals just days after suffering a fallout with the Umno leadership, said state Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Musa Sheikh Fadzir.

He said such leaders have selfish aims and survived politically based on public empathy and Malaysia's inclination to often support the underdog.
"They made their names and earned a fortune through the goodwill of Umno or the federal government. After losing positions or a degree of wealth, they became angry," Musa said in an interview.

He said they vented their frustration on Umno or Barisan Nasional and when they were no longer entertained, they defect to the other side.

Nothing which they have done or plan to do has the interest of the people at heart.

It is just all about their own selfish aims and an undying thirst for power until they become consummate political animals, he said.

Rubbishing the opposition's contention about mooting an anti-party hopping law, he said PAS was pinching any personality willing to join them even if they could be tainted with issues.

Outright betrayal

Musa said those who defect to either side politically should look at the common villagers who stayed loyal to Umno or BN, despite remaining poor or continue to struggle in life.

"That is the measure of loyalty. We should have such attitude ingrained in the hearts and minds of every politician before they began on this endeavour of service to the community," he added.

He said the most effective way to overcome defections, which is an outright betrayal, is for the voters to reject such persons.

Musa was responding to reports that the former long-serving Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce president Abdul Rahman Maidin has handed over a membership form to join PAS.

Abdul Rahman made the pledge to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang last month in a brief ceremony in Johor.

The Penang-born businessman is considered a heavyweight in the corporate circles, having once helmed the government-linked company-Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB).

Musa also took a dig at his elder brother Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, an ex-senior Umno leader and former Cabinet minister, who has been seen at various PAS gatherings.

It is believed that Abdul Kadir is trying to warm up to the Islamist party but so far, there is nothing formal about him joining them.

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Give credit where it’s due

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 02:19 PM PST

When Anwar was finance minister, Dr Mahathir was the prime minister. So, should not Mahathir be credited for the good economic performance instead of Anwar?

By Raja Petra Kamarudin, FMT

FMT columnist Selena Tay recently wrote an article called 'Political blockbuster: Dragon vs Dinosaur'.

In that article, she compared Malaysia's economic growth during the time when Anwar Ibrahim was the finance minister from 1992 to 1997 to the time when Najib Tun Razak is prime minister from 2009 to 2011.

Basically, what the columnist says is that Malaysia performed better when Anwar was the finance minister compared to when Najib is prime minister.

Note, and I repeat, the analysis that Selena did compares Anwar as finance minister to Najib as prime minister.

Now, when Anwar was finance minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the prime minister. So, should not Mahathir be credited for the good performance instead of Anwar?

Okay, let us assume that Mahathir had no hand in this. Let us assume that it was the finance minister, Anwar , who should be credited for this good performance.

However, during that same period, 1992 to 1994, Malaysia also lost RM30 billion 'playing' the Forex market.

So, who is to be blamed for this?

Since the good economic performance of the country during the period when Anwar was the finance minister must be credited to Anwar, should not Anwar, therefore, also take the blame for whatever bad that happened?

In this case, no!

The RM30 billion Forex losses are Mahathir's fault. Mahathir was the prime minister so he must take all the blame — just like Najib, the present prime minister, must take all the blame for whatever happens to Malaysia today.

Who, therefore, is at fault here?

Najib is both finance minister and prime minister. When something bad happens to Malaysia we blame Najib. But do we blame him because he is the prime minister or because he is the finance minister?

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:33 PM PST

Umno has been giving the impression that if BN loses, the rakyat will suffer tremendously.

In past general elections, there was never a "if the opposition wins" notion. In recent months, however, including at the recent party general assembly, Umno has been giving the impression that if BN loses, the rakyat will suffer tremendously, in a bid to convince the voters – old and young, the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans and others.

Azam Aris (fz.com)

AS a journalist, your friends and contacts think you are always in the know about many things – politics included. When will the 13th general election be held? Will there be a change in government? There are two questions I am frequently asked these days.

Compared with a year ago, the first question is obviously much easier to answer as the window for the general election to be held is getting narrower by the day. March – after the Chinese New Year holidays – is now the favourite month.

Will there be a change in government? This is a tricky one. While I have my preference, I would put it this way: Since independence in 1957, this is the first general election the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is contesting where the feeling – among some in its ranks – is that it could really lose.

This is also the first time some within the opposition, in the form of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition, believe they could really form a new federal government.

Umno, after having been on the defensive earlier, issued a stern warning to the opposition during last month's general assembly that it is as "united and strong" as ever and ready to continue ruling the nation. And the party faithful are not only talking about winning but also getting back BN's two-thirds mandate in Parliament that it lost in the 2008 election.

While this may reflect the self-confidence of the delegates and party members, it is the big "if PR wins" catchphrase – followed by various negative scenarios painted by past and present leaders – that makes many voters think Umno is a party that is not certain of a BN victory.

The other scenarios it paints if PR were to win are: the country will become bankrupt, there will be racial riots like in May 1969 and the Malays will lose power and become beggars in their own country. Umno also warns that Islam will be marginalised, the nation will lose its sovereignty as it will be pawned to foreign powers, the stock market will plummet and foreign direct investment will slow down.

To some political observers, resorting to fear tactics and political scaremongering are an indication that it is not a confident Umno that is entering the ring. Such tactics have been part and parcel of election campaigns in the past, but never so blatantly.

Will the country go bankrupt? Rhetoric aside, this is unlikely if PR or BN can manage the nation's finances and resources well and keep debt under control. In fact, the notion that "Malaysia could go bankrupt" came from the government itself. It was Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala who issued a warning that the country risked going bust by 2019 if it did not cut subsidies and rein in borrowings.

Will there be racial riots like those in May 1969? Why should they happen when no responsible Malaysian wants them to happen? Aren't politicians responsible for raising such a possibility? To most voters today – those born after 1969 as well as the older generation – it was an unfortunate event in our history, a lesson learnt, and one that needs to be avoided.

When asked by an audience at a forum organised by a Malay daily on the possibility of another May 13 should PR win the polls – as alleged by certain quarters in Umno – former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan ruled it out.

According to him, the factors that contributed to the 1969 racial riots, such as communism, no longer exist. Communism is dead and buried in this country, but try telling that to the politicians who still propagate the idea that the communists are out to destroy the nation and that some of them can be found within the opposition.

Will the Malays lose power? Umno might, but the Malays and bumiputeras – the largest community in the country – will still be well represented by PAS, PKR, the bumiputera parties of Sabah and Sarawak and Umno itself in Parliament – where the seat of democracy lies. They can still work together to pursue the common interests of the community, notably those that are protected by the Constitution.

How about the Malays becoming beggars in their own country? I am still trying to figure this one out because how could that happen when Malays remain the dominant force in the political equation?

As for the risk that Islam will be marginalised – by whom? How could that happen, given the position the religion holds in the Constitution, Muslims making up the majority of the population and having the highest birth rate, as well as the mutual respect we have for each other's religions?

So if most of Umno's "if PR wins" scenarios are unlikely to happen, why harp on them to the extent of overshadowing the good points the party raises in the political campaign? Why give the opposition a chance to say Umno is not a changed party and will never be, contrary to what its president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is portraying?

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Selasa, 11 Disember 2012

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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