Budget 2013: Tussle of the titans Posted: 29 Sep 2012 11:34 AM PDT
Kim Quek Barisan Nasional's election-orientated budget 2013 is disappointing because it concentrates on raining one-off cash on the electorate to ease their pain, while forgetting to address the ills that necessitate such profuse dosage of pain-relievers in the first place. If the people are affluent and contended, do they need to be showered with such pacifiers; or alternatively, would the feeding of such sweeteners sway their decision on whom they are going to vote for? Obviously there are vast masses of disgruntled electorate who are not happy with the current living conditions. They are unhappy because they find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet; and they are also worried about the worsening safety of their environment. The common people are simply overwhelmed by a cost of living that forever is speeding far ahead of their slow moving income increment. Needless to say, our economy is in trouble. What's wrong with our economy? ECONOMIC DISEASE Malaysia is plagued by economic malaise, which in turn is caused by a draught of private investment – Malaysia's peculiar economic disease that first surfaced in the Asian financial crisis in the late nineties. Since that watershed event, its private investment as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), as repeatedly reminded by the World Bank, has been staying at the doldrums, hovering around 10%, which is among the lowest in the region. Investors, both foreign and domestic, have fled the country, as exemplified by Malaysia having a net FDI (foreign direct investment) outflow for many years, a unique dubious distinction among developing countries. Such apparent loss of economic competitiveness is described by economists as the middle income trap, from which Malaysia does not seem to be able to extricate itself from. A main culprit of this predicament is of course the notorious and obsolete NEP (New Economic Policy) – an affirmative action policy that has been morphed into a monstrosity of racism and corruption, which has been conveniently used by the ruling elite to corruptly amass personal fortunes at the expense of the people and the country. Spinning from that central policy is the phenomenon of GLC (government linked corporation), an ever sprawling network of state-controlled enterprises that has grown to dominate the nation's economy. GLC, with its overbearing and negative influence over the economy, is of course also a retarder to the spontaneous flowering of entrepreneurship in the country, as it practices the philosophy of the NEP. Compounding the economic misery of Malaysia is the hegemony of Umno – the ruling power that has wielded almost unlimited political power, perpetuated through its racial-divide-and-rule policy. As the famous saying goes "absolute power corrupts absolutely", Umno has become openly corrupted with impunity. UMNO HEGEMONY WREAKS ECONOMIC HAVOC And the toxic cocktail of Umno's corrupt hegemony, NEP and GLC has played havoc to the Malaysian economy. Skeptics of my view may ask: if Umno's economic management of the country has been so bad, why is it that Malaysia's economy is still standing strong? My simple answer is: if it has not been for Petronas and the associated petroleum income, which contributes almost half of the government's operating expenses, this country would have gone bust ages ago. In fact, the country's economy has been so badly run by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who seems to be perpetually operating in an electioneering mode, and squandering public funds to curry favours from the electorate incessantly without commensurate economic returns that public debts have escalated exponentially, climbing a whopping 71% from RM266 billion in 2007 to RM456 billion in 2011. This debt figure, which is close to the statutory limit of 55% of GDP, does not include hidden liability of RM117 billion (12% of GDP) in the form of guarantees issued against commercial loans to government agencies and GLCs. While all this frightening debt-incurring is going on, there is no sign that the economy has started to stir from its slumber. Against this darkening economic backdrop, what tiding has the Prime Minister brought with his budget 2013 proposal to deal with the underlying causes of our economic ills? Nothing. To be frank, he looks more like Santa Claus bringing a bagful of Christmas gifts, which will of course bring momentary joy. But the awful truth is that we are sick, and what we need is medical treatment that will restore health, not gifts that will cheers us just for a while. PAKATAN TACKLES ROOT CAUSES In this connection, the Pakatan Rakyat shadow budget is immensely superior, in that it boldly introduces measures to tackle the root causes, in addition to bringing welfare relief for the needy. It proposes to replace the NEP with an affirmative policy that is need based. Corollary to that, Pakatan will dismantle the unwieldy economic creatures that have blossomed under BN's crony-capitalism, namely the current monopolies, oligopolies and cartels that have enjoyed the regime's favours and protection; and Pakatan will free the economy to open and fair competition. To enforce that policy, Pakatan will set up an Anti-Trust Commission to punish offenders and break up recalcitrant outfits. It will also review numerous lopsided concessions improperly awarded to cronies by the current regime at the expense of public interests. This will be done through the establishment of a Public Contracts Commission under the proposed enactment of Unfair Public Contracts Act. At the moment, Malaysia's economy is heavily distorted by GLCs, monopolies, oligopolies, cartels and concessionaires, whose tentacles have stretched far and wide to affect almost every aspect of a citizen's livelihood. As these bodies normally enjoy undue advantages and special privileges from the ruling power, they don't operate on optimum efficiency while enjoying undeserved profits; and naturally consumers and national economy have become their victims. The removal of these parasitic elements and privileged groups in our economy will at once lower the price of goods and services, while it will also open up a competitive field where pent-up entrepreneur energy inherent in our people will be released. Pakatan also proposes to re-instate open and competitive tenders for public procurement in replacement of BN's long-established murky award of contracts, which has been the mother of all corruption. Billions after billions have been leaked through such corrupt practices that have prevailed not only among the ruling political elite, but also in every strata and segment of Malaysia's public services and GLCs. By plugging such leakages through open tenders, tens of billions of ringgit of public funds so saved would be sufficient to finance most of the welfare services proposed by Pakatan to help the needy. WILL TRANSFORM ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE Indeed, these simultaneous measures will see the transformation of Malaysia's economic landscape. The elimination of corruption and cronyism, with the corollary induction of accountability and transparency, coupled with the opening up of the economy for fair competition will surely restore investors' confidence and re-hoist the Malaysian flag in the radar screens of international investors. Many Malaysians may still remember the boom days of the nineties up to the Asian financial crisis. Those good days were brought about by robust influx of FDI and local investment. During those days, private investment to GDP ratios were fluctuating close to 30%, reaching a peak of 37% , which was the highest in the region then, according to the inaugural issue of 'Malaysian Economic Monitor' released by the World Bank . The same scenario can return if we have a competent political leadership to make sweeping changes in tune with current time to replace defunct policies. Prosperity is certainly not beyond our reach because Malaysia has the good fortune of having abundance of natural endowment and human resources, the latter of course still have to be upgraded through a more enlightened educational policy. We must realize that it is only through sustained economic prosperity – brought about by genuine entrepreneurship and high productivity – that our people will find true relief to their current economic hardship. As such heightened economic activities will boost citizens's income , in addition to topping the public coffers. And for that to happen, the people must first install a good political leadership to whelm the country. |
Parents know best; the days when the government knows best are over Posted: 29 Sep 2012 11:31 AM PDT How can education not be politicized when it's politicians helming the ministry? How dare you lie into our faces when you say there will be equal opportunities for all when your own children don't go to national schools? May Chee The first part of the topic above is my belief; the second is espoused by our honourable Prime Minister himself. I mean what I say and I hope he does, too. The Malaysian New Education Blueprint unveiled recently has promised to depoliticize the education system, vowing equal opportunities for all. Hmmm…I like how it sounds. Now, I've nothing against those who support the MBMMBI. I do understand that our national language is important to us Malaysians, being the medium of communication that unites. In fact, being an advocate of PPMSI does not bring one in direct conflict with MBMMBI. I believe PPMSI can aid the noble aim of MBMMBI. Though English is the dominant global language, it should not dominate every sphere of our lives. That's why both PPMSI and MBMMBI can complement each other. We know for a fact that those who want to write for a world audience, e.g. to gain international recognition; need to have their efforts published in English. Though these works have a better chance of being published in their mother tongue in their homeland, but for a global audience, these efforts have to be translated into English. I can see how for the Arts, e.g. Literature, language is not just a means to communicate content. It, itself, is an essential source of enjoyment and once translated, certain if not most aspects like the sounds, rhythms, images, allusions and evocations of the original can only be approximated and thus, the beauty of these efforts sorely diluted. So, yes, certain aspects of education must be retained in our national language. After all, great authors only write in one language! However, I do see the need for PPMSI. The fields of the sciences can be rendered more efficient when their knowledge are transmitted in a common language. Those against PPMSI have lamely and "falsely" argued that interest in the sciences have waned because of PPMSI. One can only have one's interest heightened when one can lay one's hands on materials pertaining to it. And that, we know, most findings in the sciences are published in English. How can one advance one's interest and competence in a particular field of science if one has to depend only on works published in Bahasa Malaysia? If one cannot even begin to comprehend the medium in which these works are published in? We know how "potent" knowledge can be when taken out of context, don't we? Or, is it "impotent" where the sciences are concerned? How can our homegrown bright sparks make a mark in their chosen disciplines if they cannot publish their works in English? By and large, those who stick to their mother tongue except English, of course, have lower ambitions and do less significant work. In this context, I humbly think, we are doing our homegrown Einsteins a great disservice by not giving PPMSI a chance in Malaysia. Let's revisit our Education Act of 1996. It says that "the purpose of education is to enable the Malaysian society to have a command of knowledge, skills and values necessary in a world that is highly competitive and globalised, arising from the impact of rapid development in science, technology and information." Can we be global players or just "Jaguh Kampungs"? PPMSI will enable our very own Malaysian Einsteins to take on the world for PPMSI will render them competitive and globally employable and recognized. The Education Act of 1996 also reiterates this: "AND WHEREAS it is considered desirable that regard shall be had, so far as is compatible with that policy, with the provision of efficient instruction and with the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure, to the general principle that pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents." If PPMSI has failed certain sectors of the population, I can only say its implementation left much to be desired. That's definitely not efficient instruction. We have to train our teachers a lot, lot better. Since 2003, some Rm 5 billion has been allocated and spent in the implementation of PPMSI. Abandoning it now, surely would mean RM 5 billion of public expenditure down the drain! And what about our rights as parents to educate our children according to our wishes? PAGE has done their homework. A majority of parents, both in the rural and urban areas, would like to have PPMSI continued. Now PAGE is not asking for PPMSI to be implemented nationally. Datin Noor Asimah, chairman of PAGE, recognizes the fact that not one size fits all. So, for PPMSI to be implemented in certain schools, according to the wishes of the majority of the parents there, is plain democratic, realistic and what's more, rather do-able. For the minister to say that having 2 different streams for the teaching of Mathematics and Science is confusing, is akin to saying. "Malas-lah!" Hey, Mr Minister, our children are everything to us. What about yours, to you? (Where are they studying, by the way?) The New Education Blueprint does not set out to politicize education, so it says. Good, I'm counting on that. I'm hoping that the 11 shifts do not shift our focus away from education per se and the 3 waves, do not wave our concerns away. As parents, we want what's best for our children's future and that includes a relevant and effective education that will equip them to compete in today's challenging world. So, we are telling you now, the powers-that-be, it's our right to choose how our children should be educated. Since English is the working language of the day, globally, we would like our children to be educated in the English language, especially when it comes to Mathematics and Science. The New Education Blueprint vows that equal opportunities will be given to all. Fair, wonderful, even. Since many ministers' children are educated in international schools with English as the medium of instruction, Mr Minister, please reintroduce schools, using English as the medium of instruction. We are not asking for all schools. Let the parents decide. Please do not allow principals to rig decisions concerning the choice of the parents. I know, for sure, in a particular premier school, the parents said "aye" to PPMSI, but the principal went to the education department and said, "nay"! You know what's my beef with education in Malaysia, today? It discriminates! How the policy makers know so well that an education in the English medium, gives an advantage to their children who are not in national schools, yet they deny the masses from one. Young parents wanting to give their children the best they can, work day and night, to enable their children to go to international schools. What does this say about their quality of life? Worst still, it's always the poor who will lose out. This, I deplore! How can education not be politicized when it's politicians helming the ministry? How dare you lie into our faces when you say there will be equal opportunities for all when your own children don't go to national schools? Have you forgotten we parents have the right to determine the kind of education we want for our kids? Or what we want or need don't matter to you? Do our votes matter? In case you forgot, Mr Education Minister, the days when the government knows best are over. Now, we parents know best. We always, have.
Thank you and God bless. |
Sins of Their Founders Posted: 29 Sep 2012 11:28 AM PDT
Where Singapore would set out to make the most of all its people on its path to prosperity, Sri Lanka chose petty ethnic chauvinism. This powerful book is a haunting reminder of the price countries in the developing world pay for the flawed choices of their founders. Sadanand Dhume, Wall Street Journal Few places conjure up such contrasting images as Sri Lanka, the island nation of 21 million people off the southern tip of India. For the tourist in search of an exotic getaway—off the well-worn path of Bali or Phuket—Sri Lanka brings to mind pristine beaches, elephant safaris and therapeutic ayurvedic spas. But for much of the international community, the country stands for perhaps Asia's single most egregious human-rights violation in this century. The United Nations estimates that between 10,000 and 40,000 civilians were killed in the closing stages of a 26-year civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that ended with the terrorist group's annihilation in 2009. In "The Cage," Gordon Weiss, an Australian journalist and former United Nations official in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, sets out to chronicle the conflict, with a particular focus on its gruesome dying stages. Tens of thousands of civilians found themselves crushed between one of the world's most brutal terrorist outfits—best known for perfecting suicide bombings in the 1990s—and an army willing to flout the laws of war by shelling hospitals, executing prisoners and blocking medical supplies. Mr. Weiss lays most of the blame for the carnage at the door of the Sri Lankan government, which tends to dismiss virtually all criticism as propaganda by the country's enemies. He takes exception to Colombo's "insistence on cloaking its victory in a Potemkin-like pretense at bloodlessness." Instead he wants Sri Lanka to look its violent past "full in the face" in order to achieve a lasting peace. Mr. Weiss deplores the crude ethnic chauvinism of the ruling Sinhalese Buddhist majority government over the vanquished, and largely Hindu, Tamil minority, who constitute about a fifth of the country's population. Most observers date the formal start of the Sri Lankan civil war to 1983, when, in response to a Tiger ambush that killed 13 government troops, Sinhalese mobs lynched between 1,000 and 3,000 Tamil civilians in Colombo. "Black July" spurred a large-scale emigration of frightened Tamils to the West, where the diaspora now numbers about a million people. Another 60 million ethnic Tamils live across the narrow Palk Strait in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. But the roots of Sri Lanka's troubles go back to the country's independence. In 1948, Sri Lanka arguably had better prospects than the British Empire's only other multiethnic colony with a large Tamil minority: Singapore. Sri Lanka was blessed with an educated population, a history of limited self-government and a strategic location. Of the two countries, however, it is Singapore that has thrived while Sri Lanka has yet to live up to its founding promise. Instead of embracing an inclusive view of citizenship—like Singapore or neighboring India—Sri Lanka marginalized its Tamil minority. Many Sinhalese chose to view their country primarily as the lone remaining outpost of South Asian Buddhism, once the region's dominant faith but long since extinguished by a combination of Hindu resurgence and Islamic conquest. Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB30000872396390443921504577643610405522508.html |
PKR to probe ‘cocky, arrogant, tokong’ issue Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:43 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Mansor-Othman.jpg)
The party is expected to conduct an internal inquiry to find out the culprits who leaked details of a closed-door meeting. Athi Shankar, FMT Penang PKR may conduct an internal preliminary fact-finding inquest soon to zoom in on the culprits who leaked details of an internal meeting. All seven members, who attended the exposed casual meet-up with the party's Penang chief and Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman, are expected to be called up. Sources said the eight-man state party political bureau, currently headed by Mansor, may be tasked to carry out the fact-finding mission. But being a material witness to the case, Mansor is expected to recuse himself from the hearing to avoid a conflict of interests as he would testify before the panel. Sources said party state vice chairman and state assembly speaker Abdul Halim Hussain could head the panel that would shed some light on the controversy, which had embarrassed Mansor. The panel might constitute other bureau members including party state deputy chairman Law Choo Kiang, vice chairman Abdul Malik Kassim, secretary Mustafa Kamal, information chief Johari Kassim, Batu Uban assemblyman S Raveentharan and councillor Francis Joseph. It was not clear whether Law would sit on the panel since he also attended the leaked meeting. A top PKR official said the inquiry would compile facts and evidence from all witnesses and submit them to the party top brass for further action, probably disciplinary action. When contacted, a possible witness told FMT that "the whole picture would be clearer after the inquiry", while another confirmed he would attend and testify because he had nothing to hide. The seven who met Mansor in the closed-door discussion were state PKR deputy chief Law Choo Kiang, Bukit Bendera division deputy chief Felix Ooi Keat Hin, Bayan Baru vice chairman Tan Seng Keat, 2004 candidate for Bayan Baru federal and Batu Uban state seats – Raymond Ong Ting Cheow, Tanjung Youth chief Ng Chek Siang; Bayan Baru member Cheah Peng Guan and Mansor's special assistant John Ooh Sin Hwa. Notable absentees were assemblymen Jason Ong Khan Lee of Kebun Bunga, Tan Hock Leong of Machang Bubok, Sim Tze Tzin of Pantai Jerejak and Ong Chin Wen of Bukit Tengah. The internal meeting was apparently held to discuss seat allocations for the party's Chinese candidates in Penang. But leaked details revealed that Mansor had allegedly referred to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as being "cocky, arrogant and tokong (deity)". The leaked details were first published in June postings of a blog called "Gelagat Anwar". Mansor had initially denied chiding Lim as "cocky ad arrogant" but admitted to have used the word "tokong" in a positive note. TV3 airs audio recording But much to his dismay, the matter reared its ugly head again when an audio recording of the meeting details was aired on TV3. This time the Penanti assemblyman did not deny its contents but rather mused on how much the TV station paid to obtain the recording. Two conspiracy theories had emerged since the issue cropped up. READ MORE HERE |
No need to state the obvious Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:16 PM PDT The opposition is screaming that yesterday's budget was merely an election budget. And the government, in turn, denies this. Of course it is an election budget. Everyone can see it is an election budget. So why is the opposition stating the obvious? You do not have to tell us that. We can see that for ourselves, so give us some credit. And why does the government need to deny it as well? In fact, the government might as well just shut up and not say anything rather than insult us. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Did you follow Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's budget speech on TV last night? I did, but I bet most of you did not because you are boycotting the government-owned and government-controlled TV stations. I think that is a mistake because we need to know what others or the other side is saying so that we know how to counter what they spin. If all I wanted was to know what the budget is about I need not have followed it on TV. I could have picked up those facts from the Internet. In fact, there are so many Blogs and websites that are talking about it. What I wanted to see was what the Prime Minister was going to say and how he was going to say it. Hence, it is not so much the 'strength' of the budget that concerns me but the manner in how it is being presented to the nation. We have to remember that most people in the rural areas watch TV. They sit in the coffee shops in the kampongs to sip their tea and watch the news and entertainment programs on TV. And in between this, various people in the coffee shops would interject with their comments and views for all and sundry and for no one in particular. It would be an understatement to say that the kampong folks would be swayed by what is on TV plus by the comments uttered by fellow patrons in the coffee shop. Hence it would make sense to send 'operatives' to spread out all over the country and 'infiltrate' these coffee shops so that comments can be made and views uttered alongside what is on TV. This is also a good way to study public reaction. Their body language, the nods of their heads, the added comments they make to support or rebut comments made by other 'patrons', etc., would be a good measurement as to whether the message is getting through. Then the following night's news can be amended, improved or repeated depending on the feedback from the operatives on the ground. This is what Umno does and is a most effective propaganda exercise, which the opposition is not doing due to lack of resources such as manpower and funding. And that is how Umno keeps its fingers on the pulse of the nation, in particular the most important segment of the population as far as Umno is concerned -- the rural voters, in particular the Bumiputeras of both Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (who are not necessarily Malays). Hence, if you had followed the TV news last night, you would have realised that Najib's budget speech had been tailored for a certain audience in mind. That audience is not you who read Malaysia Today. It is not you ABU-screamers who just want Umno kicked out at all costs, never mind what you get as a replacement. It is not you the middleclass and thinking population. The audience is those who can be easily swayed by a good 'show' on TV and who make up the voters for 80% of the seats in Parliament. The opposition is screaming that yesterday's budget was merely an election budget. And the government, in turn, denies this. Of course it is an election budget. Everyone can see it is an election budget. So why is the opposition stating the obvious? You do not have to tell us that. We can see that for ourselves, so give us some credit. And why does the government need to deny it as well? In fact, the government might as well just shut up and not say anything rather than insult us. It is insulting for the opposition to tell us that it is an election budget and also insulting for the government to deny it. It is an election budget and nothing short of that. So no need to mention that or deny it. We feel insulted when both sides speak as if we are too stupid to see what this budget is all about, an election budget. The more important point is whether the voters buy what was presented. Are the voters impressed and happy with what the government is giving them as an inducement for them to vote for the government? Has Najib's budget done the trick? Clearly the government is throwing money the people's way. But will this result in the people voting for the government or will the people just take all that money and still vote opposition? The opposition is arguing that Malaysia could be better run and that if Umno had not mismanaged the country then we could have been like Singapore. Singapore is so successful. Look at Singapore Airlines (SIA) compared to Malaysian Airlines (MAS) they will quote as an example. We have to be careful with these 'comparative studies'. Those voters in the kampongs do not understand such comparative studies. And those who can think know that it is not comparing apples to apples. For example, the fare for flights from Malaysia to the UK or from the UK to Malaysia is almost the same. It is about 600 pounds or roughly RM3,000 for most airlines. Domestic flights in the UK, however, is about RM800-1,000 while domestic flights in Malaysia is about RM250-300. Now, SIA does not have any domestic flights so every flight is an international flight. MAS, however, has to cater for domestic flights. But while the fares for international flights from both ends is about the same, the fares for domestic flights in the UK is four times that of domestic flights in Malaysia. Now, if MAS was allowed to follow the 'proper' cost of fares for domestic flights (meaning a flight from KL to Terengganu cost RM800 instead of RM260 and to Kota Kinabalu costs RM1,000 instead of RM300-350) then MAS would be able to show as much profit as SIA. Though I do not deny that part of MAS's problem is mismanagement, we cannot just argue that this is the sole problem facing MAS. We are arguing that if MAS were better run just like SIA, then MAS would be as profitable as SIA. That would be true only if MAS was allowed to charge 'normal' fares and the domestic fares are not 'subsidised' by the international fares. And this is where the opposition is not being entirely honest with the voters. They argue that Malaysia is badly run and if it were better run then all our problems would go away and Malaysia would be as great as Singapore. Some of our problems would certainly go away, of course. There would be some improvement. But don't expect Malaysia to be as great as Singapore just because we have a superb government. There are some things that Singapore does not face and which Malaysia does, and which are not that easy to address. Singapore is a city. It does not have a rural population or land settlers, famers and fishermen. Imagine that Malaysia was just Kuala Lumpur and there is no population outside Kuala Lumpur. That would mean every Malaysian lives in the city and there are no kampongs and no Malaysian living in the kampongs. We can then compare Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Kuala Lumpur can be fully developed. All the money earned would be earned in Kuala Lumpur and all the money spent is spent just in Kuala Lumpur. But that is not the case with Malaysia. Malaysia is not just Kuala Lumpur. Singapore's population is 5.2 million with about 3.2 citizens and 2 million foreigners who work in Singapore. Kuala Lumpur's population is only about 1.5 million while 7.2 million live in the Kelang Valley, a large percentage of that in the rural areas. Hence while 100% of Singaporeans live in the capital city, there are only 5% of Malaysians living in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. So how can the Malaysian government just develop Kuala Lumpur the way that the Singapore government develops just Singapore? We should not give Malaysians false hope. Yes, we can tell them that a better government is required. Yes, we can tell them that a better government translates to a better deal for the voters. But we must not tell them that a better government can turn Malaysia into a Singapore or that MAS would be as profitable as SIA. That would be lying to the voters. Malaysians must be made aware that the country is not just one large city. And the country must be made aware that 80% of the population live outside the main cities (with only 5% in the capital city). And in such a system, the haves would end up paying for the haves-not. And in such a system where we rob Peter to pay Paul, some people end up receiving more than they pay and some people end up receiving less than they pay. If we want Kuala Lumpur so be just like Singapore then we would need to pour all the money into Kuala Lumpur and neglect those people who live outside Kuala Lumpur. Since all the tax (or at least 90% of the personal income tax, according to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) is paid by the Chinese and hence would mean the city dwellers, then 90% of the this money should be used to develop Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, George Town, Johor Bharu, etc. And that is what Najib's election budget is all about. Najib is the new Malaysian Robin Hood. Najib is taking money from the rich to give to the poor -- at least this is the impression he is giving the rural voters who vote in 80% of the seats. So, ultimately, are the rural voters who are voting in 80% of the seats happy with yesterday's budget? You and I may not be happy. Yes, those of use who vote in 20% of the seats may not be happy. But then we are already not happy anyway. So would a great budget have changed our view of the government? I doubt it. Never mind whatever Najib could have said yesterday, it would not have changed our view of the government. So why waste time in trying to make us happy? Najib had better just make the voters in 80% of the seats happy. And did he succeed? Well, we will know in about six months time. And, over the next six months, more goodies are going to be thrown their way. Yes, he is using our money to make them happy. And as we get even unhappier about it, Najib is hoping that some of those 80% voters are going to be so happy that they swing to Barisan Nasional. And all Najib needs is another 5-10% of these voters to do the trick. If 5-10% of the voters swing to Barisan Nasional then he is going to remain the Prime Minister for another term at least. That is the bottom line. And that was what the TV news last night was all about. And most of you did not watch the news on TV last night. The rural voters who will be voting in 80% of the seats did, though. And that is what matters. What you think does not matter. Anyhow, you are already anti-government anyway. So what does it matter what you think? |
British prime minister fails UK citizenship test questions on TV talk show Posted: 28 Sep 2012 03:12 PM PDT
Time to scrap the test (The Times of India) - UK Prime Minister David Cameron leads the Conservatives. They - and he - have taken a harsh stand on immigration. One of the issues here has been a computerized test - called the Life in the United Kingdom test - which those seeking indefinite leave to remain in the UK or to become naturalized citizens must take. The test focusses, among other things, on British history. But when Cameron, appearing on a popular American TV show - The Late Show with David Letterman - failed to answer questions on history of the kind that might appear on the test, that should tell us something. Ever since it was instituted, the test has come in for strong criticism. Quite apart from the fact that it has been discovered to have factual inaccuracies, the reality is that such artificial examinations of an individual's worth as a potential resident - rooted as they are in a particular socio-cultural and ethnic outlook - have no place in a democratic and multicultural nation. And Cameron's abysmal showing was not an aberration. It has been demonstrated that most British citizens would be unable to pass the test. When over 11,000 of them took a sample test, they had a pass rate of just 14% - far below the pass rate for actual candidates from other countries. For instance, between 2005 and 2009, Indian candidates had a pass rate of 79.2%. So does this mean those Indian candidates are more qualified to be British citizens than native-born people? Of course not. It simply underscores how pointless the test is. It's time the UK government reconsidered the entire process. Such tests are harmful, as they can be misused by overzealous officials to keep out those with valid reasons - such as family - to migrate to or stay in the UK. COUNTERVIEW In Rome do as the Romans do Pyaralal Raghavan Citizenship tests are a useful and time-tested method tried out in many countries. Prime Minister David Cameron failing the test in David Letterman's late night show means nothing, because the host is known for his penchant to embarrass important guests in order to garner high ratings for his show. The requirement of some basic knowledge for all citizenship aspirants is hardly extra-ordinary. The popular adage 'when in Rome do as the Romans do' highlights the importance of knowing local traditions. Without a minimum knowledge of a country's history, heritage, customs and sentiments the new citizens will only alienate themselves from the local communities and finally end up in ghettos. This leads to social unrest, lack of integration and law and order problems. Historically citizenship rights are conferred on the basis of either the place of birth or nationality of parents. Those born in a particular country or whose parents are of a particular nationality can usually claim citizenship rights without facing too many hurdles. However, with immigration becoming a major political issue in developed economies many countries have screened out aspirants by using supplementary criteria like educational or professio-nal qualifications, investment potential or citizenship tests. A great advantage of the citizenship tests is they quietly ensure greater flexibility in policy without much ado. The US, which has mandated citizenship tests in emigration policy right from the middle of the last century, has successfully matched inflows of new citizens in line with requirements by tweaking the citizenship tests and setting easier standards during periods of least resistance and tightening them during more hostile times. Citizenship ought to mean something. But it is rendered meaningless if those upon whom it's conferred remain ignorant about the host country and its ethos. |
Can you retire with RM1mil? Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:48 PM PDT Dwindling value: With the high cost of living and rising inflation on an annual basis, RM1mil won't be sufficient to retire for long. Eugene Mahalingam, The Star A MILLION ringgit is a lot of money. In the past, it was always considered "the benchmark" in terms of a person's success. After all, having RM1mil officially makes you a millionaire. However, realistically, is RM1mil big enough to survive on today, especially once you retire? According to official statistics, the average Malaysian male has a life expectancy of up to 75 years, while for females its up to 77 years. This means that a retiree aged 55 has to support hinself or herself for another 20 years or more. But let's be a little bit conservative for the purpose of this article, let's put the average life expectancy at 80 years old. With RM1mil at 55 years old, you would need to divide that money to last you another 25 years, which comes to an average of RM3,333 a month. Is that enough to sustain you? "It really depends on your living standards," says Whitman Independent Advisors Sdn Bhd managing director Yap Ming Hui. "With rising inflation on an annual basis, that monthly sum (of RM3,333) will be worth a lot less as the months and years go by, so it's definitely not enough to sustain you for 25 years," he tells StarBizWeek. Yap nevertheless believes that a person is able to "make do" with RM1mil once he or she retires. "You would definitely need to readjust your lifestyle," he says, adding that a person without financial obligations, such as a pending house or car loan can still survive on RM3,333 a month. "Of course, if you have a posh lifestyle, especially when you're living in Kuala Lumpur, then that amount won't be enough. But if you live outside Kuala Lumpur and live within your means, then it's still possible." MyFP Services Sdn Bhd managing director Robert Foo says living for 25 years with RM1mil in today's environment "would be tough." "If you're married and have a few children and ongoing commitments such as a loan, it's tough. If you're not generating any more money after 55, it will definitely run out. "By the time most people are 55, their children are probably working but some of them might still depend on their parents. They could be living under the same roof or might need financial help to buy their first car, for instance." CTLA Financial Planners Sdn Bhd managing director Mike Lee also feels that RM1mil would only sustain a person for a limited period of time. "RM1mil might be enough for the first few years. However, with the high cost of living and rising inflation on an annual basis, that sum won't be sufficient." Foo maintains that it is ultimately up to how the individual manages his or her lifestyle. "It truly depends. For some people, RM1mil might not be enough to even last them 10 years." He says RM1mil might not be sufficient for a bachelor with no commitments to retire on. "As a bachelor, you're probably going to want to go out with your friends and see the world. You're unlikely to be cooking your own food, staying at home everyday and living hand-to-mouth every month. "That's not considered living, that's existing!" How to retire with RM1mil While RM1mil might not be enough to retire with, it's still a lot of money, which can be used for investment purposes and to grow your wealth even further. Foo believes the best thing to do is to continue working well into your retirement years if health permits,. "Don't retire! We advise our clients that if it's possible, they should continue working. At 55, you're still young enough to generate more income for yourself. Even if it's just half of the amount that you used to earn, it's still money coming in," he says. Yap says readjusting your living standards would also help, adding that an individual could further invest his or her money in shares, unit trust or even property. In terms of shares, Lee says a retiree should put some of his money in stocks that provide good dividend returns. "Real estate investment trusts also give good dividends. Have a mixture of investments and don't just leave everything in your fixed deposit account. "Leaving all your money in the bank is not a good idea, as it won't generate good interest rates. With the inflation rate growing at an even faster rate, you'll just end up losing out." Foo says it's also a good idea to start your own business. "By the time you retire, you would have acquired valuable skills that still make you marketable," he says, adding however that starting your own business can be either a rewarding or risky endeavour. "Starting your own business can generate high returns. But you can either make it or lose everything." |
23 reports lodged over FB posting Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:44 PM PDT
(The Star) - Police have received 23 reports nationwide against a postgraduate who had allegedly insulted Islam in his Facebook posting. The 25-year-old student has been remanded until tomorrow. Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Mohd Adnan Abdullah said police had yet to make any arrest on the group which vandalised the suspect's house and car in Klang. The student studying for his Masters' degree at a local university, had allegedly made derogatory statements in his Facebook posting in July. The issue was highlighted on Tuesday after a man lodged a police report an hour after the suspect's house in Taman Klang Jaya was attacked. The suspect was picked up the following day despite claiming that he didn't make the posting. In an unrelated matter, SAC Mohd Adnan said police arrested five men, aged between 19 and 37, in connection with the murder of a 65-year-old woman in Port Klang. "In a special operation last Tuesday, police nabbed the men at several locations in the Klang Valley," he said. The five have been remanded until Wednesday. On Sept 12, the victim, who lived alone, was found dead with her hands and legs bound together in her house, which was also ransacked. |
Chandra expresses shock over Mkini-Soros link Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:42 PM PDT
(The Star) - Mkini Dotcom has come under fire for having George Soros-linked Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF) chief executive officer Harlan M. Mandel as one of its directors. Expressing shock over the appointment, International Movement for Just World (JUST) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar said it was preposterous to allow a foreigner to hold such a strategic position in an influential media channel. He was responding to The Star's report that Mandel was appointed in July last year as one of three directors of Mkini, which operates online news portal Malaysiakini. "This is a very significant disclosure," Dr Chandra said. He said the media had the potential to shape the people's outlook, attitude, choices and preference in politics. "Foreigners have no business shaping the thinking of Malaysian society," he said, adding that changes should be inspired by locals and not instigated by foreigners with vested interests. He said Malaysians have to be particularly concerned as Soros was linked to bodies such as National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Open Society Institute (OSI) that had a certain track record around the world. Soros had an unsavoury reputation in various parts of the world because of his manipulations and manoeuvres in global finance, Dr Chandra said, adding that he had been linked to financial crises in South-East Asia, Russia, Latin America and Britain. "It is very naive to believe that they are genuinely concerned about freedom and democracy," he said. "I am astonished that individuals from Suaram and PKR, who claim to be socialists, are hobnobbing with outfits linked to Soros, who is perceived as an unscrupulous capitalist," he said. Dr Chandra said the Soros-linked outfits had been active in Malaysia over the last 10 years, adding that they were linked to the US agenda in South-East Asia aimed at containing China. Netizens also questioned if Malaysiakini was truly independent, as apart from Mandel being on its board, some of the shareholders are Opposition figures. National Council of Professors Politics, Security and International Affairs chief Prof Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak said Malaysiakini's credibility was at stake as the presence of foreign and Opposition figures was inconsistent with its claim of being a free and independent media. "They have to prove that they are not being used as a tool by foreigners with vested interest," he added. |
Budget 2013 showdown: BN vs Pakatan Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:17 PM PDT ![](http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/logomix2/budget2013-signpost.jpg)
Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider Now that both Budget 2013 from the ruling coalition and the shadow budget from the opposition have been presented, let's take a look at how the two budgets stack up against one another. This is the last budget before the general election and the stakes are high. Barisan Nasional (BN) has had a lot of experience in crafting budgets and surprised no one when it dished out cash and other goodies, particularly to the younger generation who are a significant chunk of the newly registered electorate and are an unknown quantity in terms of their voting inclinations. It scored some points however for not going overboard with spending as expected by some economists and still managed to pare down its expected budget deficit to four per cent from an estimated 4.5 per cent this year. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is a relative novice when it comes to federal budgets and presented one that appears to be much more geared toward reforming the economy than the one from the Najib administration which appeared to have more-of-the-same type policy tinkering rather than sweeping fundamental changes. ![](http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/2012/september2012/29/najib-sept29.jpg) Najib gives the thumb's up to Budget 2013 which he presented in Parliament on September 28, 2012. — Picture by Choo Choy May You can't really blame Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for not wanting to rock the boat too much and going back for more of the same approach that delivered impressively higher than expected GDP growth this year despite economic slowdowns elsewhere in the world. But PR's budget, on the other hand, is more exciting as it really shows teeth when it comes to tackling things like monopolies, cartels and downsizing the state's involvement in business. Not everything in the two budgets can be compared directly but one of the things that can be put side by side is the fiscal numbers. So we start off with: The Balanced Budget Category Budget deficit BN: 4 per cent PR: 3.5 per cent Winner: PR BN managed to cut the projected deficit from 4.5 per cent this year to 4 per cent in 2013 but it wasn't enough to beat PR. BN can say of course that PR can promise anything since it is less accountable as it is not in power. PR meanwhile has talked a lot about eliminating corruption, leakages and wastages but all that effort appeared to yield only a slightly better deficit number than BN's. Still, the slight improvement is enough to give it an edge over BN in the eyes of ratings agencies and economists. Economic Development BN's approach appears to be via a sprinkling of incentives based on wish lists from industry groups while PR's approach looks to be tackling things at the fundamental level by boosting the country's intrinsic competitiveness. BN advocates incentives such as tax relief for R&D, a RM1 billion fund to boost domestic investments, incentives to take over foreign firms, incentives for the tech industry such as income tax relief for Angel investors and recognising intellectual property as collateral, and a RM10 billion Working Capital Guarantee Scheme for SMEs. PR has gone for the reform route for development, saying that it will seek first to purify the economy of toxicities and flush out rent seeking, corruption, cronyism by dismantling cartels, abolishing monopolies so that the economy can more easily flourish free from the scourges of distortions and inefficiencies. By aggressively reducing state capitalism by reforming the role of GLCs, it also promised to make entrepreneurship the bedrock of the economy. Winner: Both approaches have their merits. BN's incentive-based approach is safe but boring and PR's reforms are more exciting and have the potential to send the economy to first-world status. A hybrid approach would be best as SMEs shouldn't have to choose between a working capital guarantee scheme and a business environment free from cartels and rent-seeking. But based on the potential value that the approaches will bring over the long term, PR wins this one. Education A country's future is won or lost in its schools. BN recently launched an education blueprint devised with input from experts but surprisingly cut its education budget drastically from RM50 billion in the last budget to RM38.7 billion in 2013. The prime minister did say that they wanted to "look at the outcome of each child per ringgit spent" during the blueprint launch so maybe they found ways to cut out wastage and increase efficiency. PR, on the other hand, had little to say about education in the budget and the most noticeable thing was that it wanted to abolish the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN). While the intention is good and some restructuring of PTPTN might be in order which includes a certain degree of debt forgiveness, and its proposed fee subsidies for private education is a good idea, wiping out PTPTN debts could backfire as it would give students a sense of entitlement and increase their reliance on the government. Many ex-students who paid back their PTPTN loans are already complaining that they should have waited. Winner: BN admitted Malaysia's poor showing in international testing and vowed to improve it via the new blueprint. The apparent cut in education spending is puzzling but PR's move to wipe out PTPTN debt smacks of populism and vote-buying. What kind of message does that send to students? That they don't have to pay back debts? Based on this and its recent blueprint which drew mixed reviews but was nevertheless a step in the right direction, BN wins education. Personal Income BN has once again committed to direct cash transfers to the low income to help with the rising cost of living. PR, on the other hand, says that it will increase money in the pocket indirectly by making cars cheaper via excise duty reductions, toll abolishment, waiver of PTPTN and savings from lower fuel and transportation charges. BN also cut income tax rates for taxable income up to RM50,000 but tax experts expect that this is just in preparation for the introduction of GST. Winner: Both have their pros and cons. Direct cash transfers can help in times of economic slowdown as it boost domestic consumption. It however can also be perceived as a vote-buying tactic and is one-off so it is not sustainable. A one-percentage point cut in income tax is not much when you consider that other countries have income tax as low as 11 per cent for RM300,000 in taxable income or have higher income tax than Malaysia but offer better public services in exchange. PR's approach by increasing income by removing economic distortions is more sustainable so it wins this one although it's a hold-your-nose winner as it includes PTPTN waivers as part of its income boost. READ MORE HERE |
No Pakatan feud over seats Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:11 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Pakatan-Rakyat-100-Hari-300x200.jpg)
A local PKR leader in Penang claims that the matter has been resolved and blames BN for spreading false rumours. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: A local PKR leader has rubbished claims of feuding allies over Pakatan Rakyat's electoral seat formula in Penang for the next general election. State vice chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim blamed Barisan Nasional for spreading rumours that PKR and DAP were at loggerheads over the seat arrangement. He insisted that the issue had been resolved amicably at the state level, indicating that the seat allocation for Penang was still being finalised at the national level. "Rumours of us quarreling over seats are untrue. We are all one family and work like a family. We have reached consensus at the state level on seat allocations. "There are no problems over seats among PKR, DAP and PAS in Penang. We have resolved the issue like a family," he said. Abdul Malik alleged that BN component parties – Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan – would always try to depict Pakatan as a loose and split political bloc. In the 2008 general election, PKR contested four federal and 16 state seats, DAP contested seven and 19 while PAS' share was two and five in Penang. Asked if the status quo would remain in the coming election, Abdul Malik said it would only be known on nomination day. "No one will know until then," he said. It was an open secret that DAP had been demanding for a larger share of seats, especially PKR constituencies, for the next polls. DAP leaders locked horns? It was rumoured that two top DAP leaders had a massive argument over seats arrangements. One leader purportedly wanted the state party leadership to demand some of PKR's 16 state seats, especially in Malay dominant areas, to enable DAP to field Malay candidates. READ MORE HERE |
Chinese chambers disappointed with Budget Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:08 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bajet-20131.jpg)
The chambers was hoping for some relief in the minimum wage debacle but was disappointed to find none. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT Chinese businesses expressed disappointment that Budget 2013 did not provide any "relief" for companies that may struggle due to the minimum wage policy. "Yes. We are a bit disappointed that there was nothing on this in the Budget," CK Teo, vice president of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), told reporters at its office after watching the prime minister unveil the Budget. A similar sentiment was echoed by its deputy president Ter Leong Yap, who said they were expecting for some leeway in terms of more time to adjust to the new policy after conveying their concerns in a meeting with top government officials earlier this year. "I was hoping the Budget would have taken into consideration our concerns (on the issue)," said Ter, who is also the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor (KLSCCCI). The group had recently released its survey on Chinese perception towards the economic policies of the Najib administration, with the majority receiving the prime minister's reforms with scepticism. Among the report's chief concerns was on the minimum wage and expectations that Putrajaya heed calls to delay putting in place the popular floor wage plan until all related concerns, including gradual implementation of the idea, are addressed. The report also showed that majority of the Chinese small and medium enterprises is not confident that the Najib administration can lead Malaysia out of its middle-income trap despite making it a key goal under its grand Economic Transformation Programme. People-friendly Budget The ACCIM had described the decision to execute the floor wage plan, a key election push for the Barisan Nasional chairman, as hasty and claimed that most businesses could fold if the government went on with the idea. However, the group said apart from that issue, it welcomed the 2013 Budget as "responsible" and people-friendly. READ MORE HERE |
GE only after February, say analysts Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:02 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/voters.jpg)
BN will need time to disburse the goodies promised in the Budget 2013 to target groups in order to generate a feel good factor. Leven Woon, FMT Following Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's tabling of Budget 2013, analysts predicted that the 13th general election will be called after next February. Independent pollster Ibrahim Suffian said the polls would likely take place after the Chinese New Year in February as the government would only start disbursing the goodies in January. Referring to the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) 2.0 scheme, he said it would take time for the government to disburse the cash to some 4.7 million eligible households and to some three million eligible singles. He described the handouts as "very comprehensive" since the lower-income households with two children in school would be entitled to at least RM700 under BR1M and student voucher programmes. However, Ibrahim doubted if the handouts could translate into ballots for the ruling party as many benefitting from the handouts might not be registered voters. "There are those who are registered and those who are not registered. At the end of the day, it is not sure whether the RM250 recipients will go out to vote," he said. Ibrahim also said that the goodies would have minimal effect on urban voters. 'Handouts may backfire' Independent political analyst Wong Chin Huat also agreed with Ibrahim that the polls would be called after February. He however warned that the handouts might backfire on BN, especially with voters who understand the current state of Malaysia's economy. READ MORE HERE |
Fixated on numbers? Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:53 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/general-election1.jpg)
Many Malaysian voters are still gullible and can be easily swayed, many of them are lazy to get informed in regards to the current issues. Selena Tay, FMT It is now five months since the Bersih 3.0 event on April 28. Lest we forget, of the Bersih's eight demands, only the use of indelible ink has been agreed upon by the Election Commission (EC). But still we cannot be too sure of it as in the previous general election the use of indelible ink was withdrawn at the 11th hour. There is still no news in regards to the cleaning of the electoral roll. This is very irresponsible and unbecoming of a federal government who is always harping on 'transformation', whatever that means. BN leaders have mocked Pakatan Rakyat's tagline of 'Change' by saying that by choosing Pakatan, the rakyat would have chosen change for the worse. Certainly transparency, accountability and responsibility do not rank highly in the current government's code of governance. Otherwise, how else can you explain the EC's reluctance to clean up the electoral roll? They should remember the Spiderman movie tagline 'With great power comes great responsibility'. There are too many discrepancies in the electoral roll. PAS Pokok Sena MP, Mahfuz Omar has compiled a few thick files on irregularities in the electoral roll but the relevant authorities have not shown any interest at all in the matter despite his efforts in highlighting the same. Instead the BN leaders are more interested in showing numerical superiority. Two examples highlighted involve a Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Open House function in Putrajaya and an event in Pekan, Pahang. There are allegations that the crowd pictures have been manipulated to make the crowds seem larger. Does this reveal a very desperate move to project a false image of popularity? Hopefully, someone can come forward with solid evidence to prove that the allegations are false. Simple mere denials do not count. This is very important as our image in the world arena is at stake! However, it must be noted that ever since Bersih 3.0, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has constantly sought to portray that BN's events are more popular than 'Duduk Bantah' on April 28. One thing for sure, BN can never beat Bersih 3.0! 'Immatured and petty-minded' The 'Himpunan Jutaan Belia' gathering in Putrajaya organised by BN in May this year seems to have drawn in millions in numbers. But it was an event spread over a few days unlike 'Duduk Bantah' wherein a concentration and mass convergence of people was required in just two hours from 2 pm to 4 pm. "The constant obsession to display numerical superiority shows that BN leaders are envious of a people's movement. They are incensed that a people's movement can prove to be so very popular. This shows that these leaders are insecure, immatured and petty-minded," commented PAS Kuala Selangor MP, Dzulkefly Ahmad. This brings to mind the prime minister's statement that he intends to defend Putrajaya at all cost and his reluctance to answer the question of whether there will be a smooth transition of power in the event Pakatan wins the 13th general election. READ MORE HERE |
Battle for Tambunan: Pairin unshakable? Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:50 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pairin-kitingan-300x227.jpg)
Despite views that Joseph Pairin Kitingan failed as a leader, it is unlikely that the Kadazandusun community will vote against him in the 13th general election. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT TAMBUNAN: Opposition parties and their candidates are lining up to have another go at toppling Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan from a seat that he has held for over a generation. Others have tried and failed but the times are changing and the opposition is gaining momentum mostly because of the growing perceptions of corruption in high places and the slow pace of development in the resource-rich state. Now a veteran of Sabah's murky politics, Pairin, can expect to be challenged by candidates from State Reform Party (STAR) and PKR, to name two, in the Tambunan state constituency in the coming 13th general election. The Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president can also expect challenges from several independents for the state seat which he has held for well over three decades since 1976 when he won the seat for Berjaya. The septuagenarian politician who many say has become irrelevant in the Umno-led Barisan Nasional state government recently announced that he intended to defend his state and (Keningau) parliamentary seats, one more time. The talk in the constituency of mostly Kadazandusun farmers is that the community's Huguan Siou or paramount chief will easily get what he wants despite having accomplished little during his tenure both as chief minister during PBS reign from 1985 to 1994 and then as current deputy chief minister in the ruling coalition government. The sleepy town of Tambunan nestled in the valley of the Crocker Range is located 80 kilometers east of Kota Kinabalu and is bordered by Ranau in the north and Keningau to the south. Lawyer Mozes Iking who contested against Pairin, now 72, in the 2008 general election contrary to the belief of many garnered 2,820 votes to the surprise of many against Pairin's 5,601 votes. Another contender Francis Koh managed 157 votes. Iking has told FMT that he will not be contesting under any of the political party banner in the coming election. A former police officer, he is now a close aide to the Sabah STAR chairman Jeffrey Kitingan who is the younger brother of Pairin. According to a Tambunan PKR member, Pakatan "will definetly be fielding a candidate". John Jinus Sibin – Pairin's right-hand man since his time in Parti Berjaya 1976-1985 and PBS Chief Minister 1985-1994 who like Pairin is from Tambunan – is likely to be that man. Pairin will win again The PBS president has faced numerous challenges for the seat which has become shaky for the BN due to perceptions that the community has been sidelined despite having a deputy chief minister as their representative. In the 1999 election, Pairin led PBS as an opposition party to a convincing win polling 6,791 votes against BN's Petrus Francis Guriting's 2,116 votes. Independent Joseph Jouti Ajun's 169 votes. The likely contender from STAR is Nestor Joannes whom the Huguan Siou defeated in the 2004 general election. READ MORE HERE |
Kurang manis budget Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:45 PM PDT KTEMOC KONSIDERS Malaysiakini - Anwar: Budget fails to address cronyism, monopolies wakakaka! How can I not laugh when Anwar Ibrahim lectures the government on cronyism and monopolies. Anyway, let's move on. Budget-wise or in everyday governing, for me, there are four important issues that I want the government to address appropriately, adequately and in a timely fashion, namely: Security, Health, Education and Rule of Law. Security - While it's impossible to guarantee 100% security, do Malaysians today feel secure as their families and loved ones go about their businesses, shopping, schooling, etc? The rhetorical question has to unfortunately a big NO! I believe the general short term concerns of the public is internal security where occurrences of crimes are frighteningly at an unacceptable high in our nation's modern history, while their long term concerns would be the presence in our midst of millions of illegal immigrants, both potentially as fifth columnists harmful to our national security and job stealers from our unemployed citizens. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFghRFi3HIDUg4Dt5W53j2pLfQ-V-1sJGqSfiwMcwwRIz3hDXb8GFDUzHjongL5RbMQkiNbHVcbDt-wb4y-WnlrvKxHTjVSVlhnCQIx2Iv8d4dEzHkrDZKC4pLLpXcyqVgIkQ6MHgYBDC9/s1600/handcuffed.jpg)
| Is she a threat to national security? | Operational expenditure covers the maintenance of the existing police force, who unfortunately have not shown satisfactory performance, wasting away both resources and valuable time on monitoring and harassing non-BN political parties for a purely political agenda, instead of addressing what they ought to be doing, fighting crimes. However, the blame should go principally to its highly politicized leadership - more of this follows. At the policy level, the useless Home Minister should be sacked. Unbelievably, he has even failed to deal with (at least investigate into) unacceptable allegations of the former IGP having close association with shady underworld kingpins Goh Cheng Poh (Tengku Goh) and Tan BK while serving as IGP - for more, read Malaysiakini Bizarre case of ex-IGP, AG and an underworld boss. We get to hear the standard mafulat excuse that there had been no investigation because, now get this bullshit, no one had lodged a report. We keep hearing this same lame excuse time and time again, as if worrying (to national security) allegations can't and won't be acted upon if the police do not receive any official report from the public (unless of course, the 'worrying' issue leads to opportunities to harass non-BN parties and supporters). Are they (the police) robots only to be activated by public reports? But still, that excuse has been totally demolished by Ramli Yusuff, a former Director of the Police Commercial Crime Investigations Department, who asserted his point through evidence gathered by the CCID team, a statutory declaration (not challenged) and court testimonies. In 2007 Ramli Yusuff wrote a letter on the scandalous affair to the Home Minister, a letter which Hishamuddin has acknowledged. But Hishamuddin rejected setting up an inquiry because he (Hisham) deemed there was a lack of evidence. Thus the lie went from 'no evidence' to 'no report'. The truth then becomes 'no action'. So acting Law Minister Nazri should swallow his pride, bull and partisanship, and get about doing something on the very serious allegations against the former IGP, since the Home Minister is too busy with regrets he didn't have the opportunity to rehabilitate Noordin Top, one of the World's most notorious terrorist-bomber, or engaged in pampering cow-head hoodlum bigots. READ MORE HERE |
Quick glance BN budget vs PR budget Posted: 28 Sep 2012 12:42 PM PDT Lee Wee Tak
It has been number crunching nerd's dream week as both Barisan Nasional administration and Pakatan Rakyat shadow administration unveiled their respective budget within a day between them. There is so much to talk about when one put both of them together. I limit myself for the moment to comment on Vision, Cost of Living and Crime and Safety aspects.
Vision: Pakatan Rakyar: 3 strategic thrust to combat deteriorating standard of living of all Malaysians, combating rampant corruption and patronage 1) Increasing disposal income 2) Building Entrepreneur class and promoting constructive competition 3) A just society with dignity and pride BN: Focus on the expected short term goodies and no structural transformation in sight despite Economic Transformation being the daily rallying call BN would rely on the tax break such as •Three-year tax holiday for tourism companies handing 750 foreign tourists and 1,500 local tourists. •10-year tax holiday for Tun Razak Exchange companies, expected to attract 250 companies related to finance sector So much for 1Malaysia concept - special tax rate for finance industry major players converging in a piece of real estate. It is proven that tax break alone is not enough to attract foreign investment and talent. Otherwise Singapore would not have beaten Malaysia to become the financial hub of South East Asia. Whereas constructive competition promoted by Pakatan Rakyat would attract foreign investment as evidenced by the new vibrancy in Penang since 2008 On the contrary, PR's budget advocate for removing rent seekers, lower cost of business and living by addressing excessive fats in toll collection, broad band expenses, water and electricity facilities. PR's budget exhibited much more apparent transformation and structural reform signals compared to BN. The existing concessionaires no doubt represented a major obstacle for reform and transformation of substance. Cost of living BN continue to mimic PR's initial concrete gesture of returning excess cash to the needy (such as Penang's RM100 gift to elders). The difference is that BN finance the handout by deficit budget whereas PR distributes from surpluses. BN has upped the competition with more handouts such as: •One-off payment of RM1,000 for army veterans who served for at least 21 years, where 224,000 will qualify. •RM200 rebate for smart phone purchase for those aged 21 to 30 years. •Half price Kommuter fares for those earning less than RM3,000 a month. • RM500 cash for households with combined income of RM3,000 or less •RM250 cash for unmarried individuals who are 21 and above and earning RM2,000 and below •One-off payment of RM100 for each primary and secondary school student •One and a half month civil servants bonus, disbursed in three months. The above one off goodies is merely pre-GE gig. A water tap which can be turned on and off according to the whims and fancies of a person who can call or postponed GE at spur of a moment. PR has moved beyond that. It's budget advocate raising income for all Malaysians. Increased income would free the people from depending too much on hand outs and work towards social justice and more equitable share of wealth of nation. Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2012/09/qucik-glance-bn-budget-vs-pr-budget.html |
Anwar wants BN vs Pakatan budget debate with Najib Posted: 28 Sep 2012 12:11 AM PDT
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today renewed his debate challenge on Datuk Seri Najib Razak, this time suggesting to take on the country's number one by pitting Barisan Nasional's (BN) Budget 2013 to Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) alternative. The opposition leader pointed out to how Najib had laced his Budget speech this evening with direct insults against PR and told the prime minister that if he was prepared to attack the opposition, he should do so in a debate. "Debate me. If you are prepared to attack the opposition and the opposition leader, why can you not engage in a debate? "
Confine it to economic policies... or the Budget. I am now reiterating my earlier proposal that we debate ― that I debate Najib on the national Budget... PR versus BN's Budget," he told reporters after Najib tabled the government's Budget 2013 in Parliament this evening. Anwar had earlier described BN's Budget handouts as mere "titbits" fed to the poor and middle income earners, pointing out that the move would do nothing to narrow the country's income gap. The prime minister hopeful said the fresh round of cash handouts in Budget 2013 to middle- and lower-income Malaysians was proof that the government was merely concerned with its chances at the ballot boxes in the coming months. "The announcements of handouts to general Malaysians is just a small dosage for the elections... but the basic structural problem of the country, where the rich cronies and their family members amass millions of dollars of profits through improper means ― that is left intact," Anwar said. In his Budget 2013 speech, Najib took an indirect swipe at Anwar when he pointed out that among the leaders of the federal opposition were "those who were trusted as leaders to manage the nation's wealth." Anwar was finance minister under the Mahathir administration. "We recognise that the BN government is not without fault, but what differentiates us from the other is that they do not have the courage to accept mistakes. On the other hand, they make excuses and find fault in others. "Ultimately, parties that offer an alternative must be evaluated on their merit," Najib had said in his speech. "The rakyat know them well. Among them, there are those who were trusted as leaders to manage the nation's wealth. "If today they make promises, the rakyat must ask why is this leadership, while in power, did not take any action. "When they had the opportunity; and did not implement what they promises, what guarantee is there that they will fulfil promises when they are in power?" he asked. Najib pointed out that it was during the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s when the country was "almost destroyed". |
Is Mansor Pakatan’s ‘sacrificial goat’? Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:42 PM PDT
Patsy Thomas, The Malaysian Times Is Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1 Datuk Mansor Othman being abandoned by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after the leaked tape fiasco? Is he PKR's sacrificial goat? Mansor who has been making headlines a month ago when minutes of a party meeting held in March were leaked and posted on a blog called "Gelagat Anwar" in June. In the alleged leak which was also aired on prime time news by TV3, Mansor was caught stating that Guan Eng was cocky and arrogant and that he was viewed as a tokong (deity). He was also heard saying that DAP had wanted to 'kill off' PKR in the next general election and take control of Penang. He also said that DAP was sure of winning 19 (state seats) and that the party now wanted more to enable it to rule Penang on its own. The Malaysian Times today contacted Datuk Reezal Merican UMNO Youth Information Chief to get his comment on this matter. According to him, the statement made by Mansor was a clear statement of the true character of Guan Eng. ![](http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/n_20reezal.jpg) Datuk Reezal Merican "The testimonial of Guan Eng being a cocky and arrogant peron is not far from the truth. This was not said by any members from BN but from Mansor himself who is the Deputy Chief Minister. What could be clearer?" asked Reezal Merican. He added that anything said behind closed door is the truth and that the people in Penang will now be able to see the coalition in its true form as a party without trust, accountability and competency. Meanwhile, Umno Wanita Chairman Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had said that Mansor had been practically abandoned and left to defend himself alone without the help of the party. This action shows many that PKR is planning to completely hand over the state to DAP. Shahrizat had said that Anwar who had practically abandoned one of its member, Mansor, had seemed to be afraid of Guan Eng. In pressing for an answer, the UMNO Wanita Chairman is calling for Anwar to explain his actions and why he was giving full authority to DAP and Guan Eng to rule the state unilaterally. ![](http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/ne_03.1.jpg) Shahrizat Abdul Jalil Is trouble brewing again in Penang? The trouble between PKR and DAP is becoming worse as state PKR Information Chief Johari Kassim called for the suspension of those who attended a meeting in which Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1 Datuk Mansor Othman had revealed his dissatisfaction towards the state's Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Mansor was however determined to stay and ride out the storm which was coming towards him. Mansor had recently denied using certain words against Lim but had however agreed that he had described him as a 'tokong' because he was revered like a "deity" in Penang. "It is a compliment. People in Penang look up to Lim like a tokong. That is how I meant it. My comment was taken out of context in the blog," he said. When asked the source of the leak, Mansor had admitted that the recording was leaked by someone within the party (PKR) itself who had attended the meeting. Apart from that he had also said that he had offered a reward for the return of the recording. In commenting on the issue, DAP former Vice President, Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim had said that Mansor should remove himself from holding any post in the state government. ![](http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Tunku-Abdul-Aziz-Ibrahim.jpg) Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim PKR's Disciplinary Body has launched its own investigation into the alleged leak of the recording aired on TV3. The party's Secretary General, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said, that the party has yet to receive any report from the Disciplinary Body in regards to the issue. "An internal investigation is being carried out. Should there be any element of sabotage or if it actually took place, we will not hesitate to take action. We are awaiting the report from the Disciplinary Body before any action could be taken," said Tengku Aziz. He also said that Mansor should take responsibility on the statement given rather than 'beating around the bush'. "A good leader should not be giving excuses. A leader should have the strength in stating the truth. Mansor should voluntarily recuse himself from his job within the Penang state Government for the sake of the community," said Tunku Aziz. In commenting on the investigation held by PKR's Disciplinary Body, he said that such investigation was unnecessary as the recording had clearly shown who Mansor is. "What is there to investigate? The recording is there… TV3 has aired it," he said |
Why the US prefers Najib to Pakatan Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:20 PM PDT Is the United States really supportive of democracy and fundamental rights or does America's interests come first? In this 12th May 2008 secret communiqué between the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Commander of the Seventh Fleet, it is clear why the United States prefers Najib Tun Razak rather than Pakatan Rakyat to lead Malaysia. And let this communiqué speak for itself. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Malaysia is hardly an ideal democracy, but it can still serve as a reference point for evolving Islamic societies elsewhere. The Malay people, traditionally known for their social tolerance, have become more religiously conservative in recent years, but Prime Minister Abdullah has enshrined the Malay political elite's continued preference for moderation in his "Islam Hadhari" or "Civilizational Islam" policy. Abdullah's key message is that Islam can become a leading world civilization again only if it embraces economic development, education, innovation and tolerance. Observers are wary of a longer-term trend toward greater divisions between the Muslim Malay majority and other ethnic groups, and religious minorities increasingly complain of growing Islamization, as highlighted by the controversy surrounding Deputy Prime Minister Najib's comments last year that Malaysia is an "Islamic state." Nevertheless, Malaysia has kept inter-ethnic tensions well under control by regional and world standards for almost 40 years. Malaysia is important to us because it is an economically successful, stable, predominantly Muslim country that, over the longer term, may be able to support us more strongly in places like the Middle East. It is strategically located on the Straits of Malacca, through which one quarter of the world's trade flows, and it borders five of the other nine ASEAN countries. Military-to-military cooperation is improving, with 9 US Navy ship visits to Malaysian ports thus far in 2008, 22 visits in 2007, and 23 in 2006. This is up from only five ship visits in 2003. Recently initiated engagement with the Royal Malaysian Navy's developing submarine force has successfully forged a relationship in this critical warfare capability. Our security relationship also finds expression in regular high level visits and counterpart visits. Behind the scenes, Malaysia has been a good partner in the war on terror. The overall tone in Malaysian-American relations has improved considerably since Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister in late-2003, and we seek to translate this into substantive improvements. Bilateral relations eroded under Abdullah's vituperative predecessor Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, but Abdullah brought with him a friendlier style and an interest in projecting a more moderate image, both for himself and for his country. While the surprise results of the March 2008 election have remade Malaysia's political landscape and severely shaken the ruling coalition, our bi-lateral relations have remained on an even keel. Malaysia is our sixteenth largest trading partner, and many major American companies have invested here. We have increased senior-level exchanges since Abdullah came aboard, for example conducting our first ever Senior Dialogue with the Foreign Ministry at the Assistant Secretary level in May 2005. Malaysia has acceded to the IAEA Additional Protocol, and participates as an observer in PSI exercises. Malaysia has played a positive role in helping to stabilize Aceh, Mindanao, and East Timor. Malaysia's traditional approach to global issues, which Abdullah has continued albeit at a lower decibel level, remains an impediment to closer bilateral cooperation. Malaysia actively participates in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), often adopting distinctly third-world positions on issues of importance to us. Our public affairs environment is also challenging. The Malaysian public is strongly opposed to our policies in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. A strong "post-colonial overhang" also colours Malaysian attitudes toward the U.S. role in Southeast Asia. With Abdullah we have nevertheless been able to pursue a set of broad common interests, and pragmatism generally rules in bilateral security relations. The bilateral military interaction remains strong; and we, along with Embassies in Jakarta and Manila, are implementing the Regional Security Initiative (RSI) concept through a maritime policymakers' conference in Sabah. The objective is to encourage the three nations to share information, data and intelligence on a national interagency level and tri-laterally to create a common operational picture to enhance their effectiveness in maritime enforcement. These visits, and the relationships developed, have fostered strong military-military cooperation between the United States and Malaysia, and have not been adversely impacted by recent leadership changes. Ship visits have significantly increased and received greater visibility. Security-related training sponsored by the United States for military and law enforcement participants, including Malaysia's new coast guard, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, has also been on the rise. The Malaysian-initiated coordinated surface patrols and "Eyes in the Sky" program, a regional aerial monitoring of the Straits of Malacca, have been more effective in creating a perception of security than actual operational capability. Malaysia concluded a new 505 agreement in 2006 that will allow us to utilize 1206 funds to put CT equipment into the vulnerable Sulu and Sulawesi Seas border areas of Sabah where terrorists are known to transit. Congress has approved funds for building and installing coastal radars in eastern Sabah and the first sites have been identified and contracted. A joint forces command and control center funded under 1206 is planned for this year to functionally link the various radar sites. Malaysia has not signed either a PSI or Article 98 agreement. In general, Malaysia remains open to bilateral cooperation that strengthens its own defense capacity, but the GOM will quickly raise the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity when discussing international security regimes and coordination, such as for the Straits of Malacca. We have been pleased by the overwhelmingly positive media coverage our ship visits have received, in contrast to the quiet arrivals of past years. The flip side to this is that our visits could attract increased attention from ideological foes on the Islamist right (PAS), and from some mainstream politicians pandering to the conservative Islamic vote. Deputy Prime Minister Najib has stoutly defended our cooperation before Parliament, and we do not see that our engagement is under threat. However, we do need to be cognizant of our increased military visibility and sensitive to GOM concerns, particularly with high tensions in the Middle East. The GOM cited concerns about the growing visibility of training in eastern Sabah and, in 2006, decided to review on a case basis proposed training events involving foreign military forces in that region. In May 2007, Malaysia hosted the annual Bilateral Training and Consultative Group (BITACG) meeting in Port Dickson. BITACG is a forum used to promote and strengthen military-military relations through discussions of bilateral exercises, intelligence exchanges, C4 issues, logistics engagement, and defense cooperation. Malaysia also hosted a BITACG mid-year review in Kuala Lumpur in November 2007. Additionally, Malaysia co-hosted an annual conference for military intelligence chiefs in the Asia-Pacific region (APICC) held in September 2007. In September 2006, the U.S. Navy initiated annual Submarine Staff Talks, which have been successful in fostering a close relationship with the Royal Malaysian Navy as they develop their Scorpene submarine program. |
Premesh Chandran Dissection Is No P T Barnum Circus Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:12 PM PDT
FREEDOM COME FREEDOM After Steven's gun on a post-emptive strike ran on empty, it was the other half, Premesh Chandran, to step up to the plate, "Attacks on Malaysiakini, here we go again" "The attacks against Malaysiakini signal that the government is getting desperate." From what I see, you are the one looking like a desperado. "For the past week, the mainstream media – TV3, Utusan Malaysia, New Straits Times and The Star – have launched an attack on Malaysiakini and civil society organisations for receiving grants from international foundations in what they claimed is a plot to destabilise the government." Er what about the alternative media? Silly me. We are all UMNO, strange how it is always UMNO, cybertroopers. "I understand the reason for the attacks. After all, elections are around the corner, and by all accounts, the results could go either way." By whose, what or which account and where? His dissection can easily dupe gullible Pakatan Rakyat supporters and his paying followers but unlike Anwar Ibrahim, who is only good at scripted events, Premesh'es prepared script is confounding, for want of an appropriate word. So, here we go. 1. Same accusation 11 years ago Premesh does not address, answer or deny Y L Chong's allegation that he was promised shareholding and whether Chong is a shareholder. "Chong went to the media with the accusation that the deal was a grant". Whether the "grant" was remittance for the "contract to build a software application for the Centre for Advanced Media Prague (Camp), which is MDLF's technology division" is left to the reader. It would sound bizarre wouldn't it, grant for a contract? Malaysiakini to "build a software application for the Centre for Advanced Media Prague"? and which is "MDLF's technology division"? You figure that one out. 2. Soros man on Malaysiakini board "Malaysiakini received RM1.3 million for 29 percent of equity and MDLF agreed to sign an editorial non-intervention agreement." That is a real howler. If Premesh claims Malaysiakini is as independent as he says it is, there is no need for such an agreement. In other words there is a chance or there are occasions that MDLF have intervened. By the way, what is the recourse to intervention by MDLF? Forfeiture of MDLF shares? More likely a standard MDLF agreement to and for show MDLF does not have control over content in any medium it invests in. "Soros, a Hungarian with a track record of supporting press freedom, was among the many major donors of MDLF." Oh really? see #3. following. "Not only does MDLF have a right to be on Malaysiakini's board given its stake in the company, it is hardly business sense for us to pass on the opportunity to have such distinguished individuals to serve on our board." Come on lah Premesh, with Steven son of a Gan (couldn't help it) and yourself holding a combined 60% majority stake, Harlan or MDLF could not be on board with no rights unless both of you gave them rights and makes nonsense of an "editorial non-intervention agreement". 3. But why attack Soros? Forbes' "How Soros Makes the World More Dangerous" - "Does Soros care that his personal foreign policy is putting America at risk? Not likely. When asked whether he felt responsible for his role in the 1997 East Asian currency crash, he famously responded: "As a market participant, I don't need to be concerned with the consequences of my actions." Self explanatory " The Hidden Soros Agenda: Drugs, Money, the Media, and Political Power" 4. Malaysiakini gets grants from foreign donors See 1. above Premesh, give any one year, in the last 7 years, a detailed income and expense financial statements, as proof, grants meant for non-profit projects has not been utilised in your for-profit organisation. READ MORE HERE |
Can there be a SPM trial exam question: Is it appropriate for police to use tear gas, water ... Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:46 PM PDT
Lim Kit Siang Would the Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his two deputies, Puad Zarkashi and Datuk Wee Ka Siong give their tacit approval or close their eyes and shut their ears if any of the following questions had appeared in a SPM trial examination paper for Moral Education: * Is it appropriate for the police to use tear-gas or chemically-laced water cannon or used physical violence against peaceful demonstrators comprising all races, religions, age and gender who merely wanted to send a clear and unmistakable to the government that they want free, fair and clean elections? * Is it appropriate for any government to misuse public funds for political party purposes especially in the run-up to a general election? * Is it appropriate for voters in a general election to support candidates from a political coalition which is responsible for Malaysia having the lowest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index ranking of No. 60 as well as lowest CPI score of 4.3 in 2012? * Is it appropriate for any Minister or MP to go against national unity efforts as publicly dissociating from the 1Malaysia policy, declaring that he or she is Malay first and Malaysian second? Of course not. There can be no shadow of doubt that if such questions had appeared in any school SPM trial examination paper, there would be an orchestrated howl of protest and condemnation in the mainstream mass media of Utusan Malaysia, New Straits Times, Berita Harian and the Star as well as on government/Barisan Nasional radio and television channels, followed by a witch-hunt to expose, penalise and even criminalise those responsible for setting the questions. Surely, Puad would not say: "As long as it does not affect the racial or religious sensitivities or malign any individual, I feel (the question) is not a problem…It is up to the rakyat to decide". This is what Puad said when commenting on a question in a school SPM trial examination on Moral Education in Johore Baru, which featured two photographs of the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28, and asked: "Is it appropriate for a citizen to participate in an illegal assembly?" A photograph of the question referring to the Bersih 3.0 rally from a an SPM trial examination paper at a school in Johore Baru appeared on Facebook, which showed that the answer given by the student - "tidak wajar (not appropriate)" - was ticked as correct. ![](http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/8103/image001xxf.jpg) Would Muhyiddin, Puad and Wee take the position that there is nothing wrong with the setting of questions like the four above for students, just as they now strike the posture that its "not a problem" for such a Bersih question to be posed in the SPM school trial examination? In fact, in another trial examination for STPM General Paper in a school in Johore Baru, there is a clear insinuation that those who supported the Opposition could have their citizenship revoked? Would Muhyiddin, Puad and Wee agree and approve if STPM General Paper school trial examination poses the question whether a person who supported corrupt political leaders have failed their citizenship responsibilities? Clearly the politicisation of education has reached a new low with the Education Minister and his two deputy Ministers failing to condemn in the strongest possible terms the setting of these tendentious and misguided questions – which amounts no less to an irresponsible attempt to indoctrinate and brainwash schoolchildren to parrot the views of the ruling coalition. With such continued politicisation of education, there can be very little public confidence that under continued UMNO/Barisan Nasional government, the education system could unite rather than divide Malaysians or that the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025 recently launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be able to make any fundamental difference to the problems of politicisation and deterioration of educational standards in Malaysia. |
Nazri: Ok to get foreign funds, but don't attack govt Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:17 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - It is all right for groups and non-governmental organisations to receive foreign funding but they should not be used by outsiders as mercenaries to attack the government. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said groups that act like mercenaries are questionable as it is unknown if their criticisms against the government are genuine. "They are just like mercenaries because they receive money but their criticisms may not be genuine. "It may be only an act of gratification for receiving funding from certain groups overseas," Nazri told theSun today. He was referring to civil liberties group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), which was investigated over foreign funding. The probe caused a public outcry, with several quarters calling it harassment and intimidation by the government. Some quarters also argued there was nothing unusual about NGOs receiving foreign funds, adding that even the government receives international funding. Nazri scoffed at the comments, describing the rebuttals as "very poor". He said some NGOs such as the Malaysian AIDS Council, which has admitted receiving support from international agencies for its programmes, are fine "as it is for a good cause". "The funding is not an issue, the issue is that you receive money from overseas and act like a mercenary to attack the government; you are being used by outsiders," he said. On Sept 18, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced a probe on Suaram and its affiliate, Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd. He said the Registrar of Societies would take action against Suaram and Suara Inisiatif under the Societies Act 1966, while Bank Negara Malaysia would probe Suaram under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 for anomalies related to its accounts. On Tuesday, Ismail told reporters the Companies Commission of Malaysia has submitted a report on Suaram and Suara Inisiatif to the Attorney-General's Chambers for further investigation. He declined to reveal the details requested by the AG. |
Budget aims to spur growth, win votes Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:56 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/BUDGET-2013.jpg)
The prime minister is expected to expand stimulus measures in his last budge before the 13th general election. (AFP) - Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is expected to unveil a fresh round of handouts today in a voter-friendly budget aimed at shoring up support ahead of what is predicted to be a tough election. Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled the country for 55 years, must face a national ballot by June. He has previously raised civil servants' pay, handed cash to low-income households and announced rail and road projects to fuel growth, and analysts predict a repeat of such moves and other incentives to cushion rising prices. Najib is also expected to expand stimulus measures to support the economy in his last budget before polls, where he will face a tough test against Anwar Ibrahim, who leads the three-party opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance. Ibrahim Suffian, director of Merdeka Center, Malaysia's top polling organisation, told AFP that the issue of reducing public debt was not Najib's immediate concern. "It will be an election budget since the survival of his government is paramount as compared to tackling the budget deficit and public debt," he said. Ibrahim said Najib was again expected to offer cash handouts to the poor and pensioners, bonuses for civil servants and tax adjustments for the middle class. "With the goodies, the government hopes it will be more attractive to the electorate," he said. Malaysia's budget deficit stood at 4.7% in the first half of the year, while its public debt was 53% of gross domestic product in 2011. Rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Fitch recently warned of rising fiscal pressures in Malaysia that could lead to a downgrade. But the government has said it is on target to reduce the deficit to 3.0% by 2015. Yeah Kim Leng, chief economist with RAM Holdings, said handouts would be welcomed. "As long as there is no deterioration in the deficit and debt levels, it would be welcomed given that the weak global economy requires most governments to prop up their domestic economy," he said. The prime minister will announce the budget to Parliament at 4pm. A once-insignificant opposition scored unprecedented gains in 2008 general election that saw the long-ruling coalition, which Najib took over in 2009, lose its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority. About 70% of the country's 29 million population are low- and middle-income earners and have been hard hit by rising prices, especially for food and transport. Bank Negara has previously forecast full-year growth between 4% and 5% this year, slower than the 5.1% seen in 2011. |
GE13 will be referendum on CMs Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:53 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Ali-Lim-Musa-Taib-300x202.jpg)
Whether these chief ministers will succeed in their re-election bid will depend on how they can overcome issues at the constituency level. Selvaraja Somiah, FMT If Umno-Barisan Nasional fares poorly in Penang in the coming 13th general election, it will be mainly due to its inability to challenge the DAP's popular Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and not necessarily because of the BN government's failures in managing the economy or maintaining internal security. Given the voter fixation with state issues and chief ministers, national issues have become rather irrelevant in this upcoming polls. Altantuyaa Shaariibuu, Scorpene submarines and Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's RM250 million "lembu" episode and price rise on food items which opposition Pakatan Rakyat had hoped to raise in this election in a big way seems to have failed to take off. Why, you may ask? Because the 13th general election has become a virtual referendum on the performance of the chief ministers. Currently, four states are helmed by chief ministers – Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak. Sarawak, of course, has already had its state election last April and Taib Mahmud is back in his seat as chief minister for the fourth term. He will keep a tight grip on at least 25 parliamentary seats which he "controls". Sarawak has 31 parliamentary seats. Whether these chief ministers will succeed in their re-election bid will depend on how they can overcome issues at the constituency level. But incumbent leaders do have an edge over others in their states. My believe is that the "war" this time will be less about parties and more about the leaders. Much of this view hinges on the fact that many Malaysian voters have begun choosing governments not on the basis of party ideology and long-prevailing preferences but on specific party leaders. This trend has become more obvious with an increasing number of young people emerging as a major voting bloc. Leaders must have own profile In general, party loyalty and party identification among the youth is weaker compared with older Malaysian voters. In which case Penang, Malacca and Sabah will be turned into a sort of referendum on the performance of the chief ministers. People are craving for leaders who are honest, easily accessible and have a strong, pro-rural and pro-people orientation. Incumbent chief ministers of the latest poll-bound states don't necessarily have all these qualities. Yet, overall, they have performed remarkably well on these attributes; this is what makes it difficult for their challengers. Take, for instance, Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam. He was barred from contesting in the Umno elections after the party's disiplinary board found him guilty of violating party ethics for indulging in money politics. Mohd Ali was aiming to contest the post of deputy president (which Muhyiddin Yassin now holds). But he still remains as the Malacca Chief Minister. In the past, it was only national leaders such as Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Ibrahim, and some regional icons such as Musa Aman, Pairin Joseph Kitingan and Taib, who had the magnetism to win on their sheer personal strength. READ MORE HERE |
The way to go with Budget 2013 Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:47 PM PDT ![](http://imageshack.us/a/img341/204/budget2013300x187.jpg)
Three Pakatan Rakyat's leaders share their vision on how Budget 2013 should address long-term issues plaguing the economy and rakyat. Teoh El Sen, FMT Even before Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak unveils Budget 2013 today, three Pakatan Rakyat leaders showed him how to steer the country in the right direction. According to them, the country needs long-term measures to address challenges the economy and society would face in the long run. PKR's Rafizi Ramli, PAS' Dzulkefly Ahmad, and DAP's Liew Chin Tong shared with FMT their thoughts on how the prime minister should handle the economy when asked, "what would you do if you were Najib?" Rafizi took a swipe at how Najib "was good at giving away handouts to quell public anger", noting that such measures would not resolve long-term issues. "I think Najib cannot run away from pressing issues such as house prices and the rising cost of living… these are systemic problems that Najib wants to hide," the PKR strategy director said. Rafizi also said that corruption is a serious issue as it contributes to wastage in the budget, and the economy could not be tackled independently without anti-corruption measures. "In Selangor, we saved 24% of our funds in the past nine months, just by doing open tender for public projects." Rafizi argued that if such savings could be practised in the federal budget, the deficit can be brought down by about 3.2%, which is 1% lower than the government's target of between 4% from 4.5%. "Let's say budget spending is RM250 billion. Of this, almost RM120 billion will be on procurement. If we can save 20% on these deals, we save RM24 billion, and our budget will be brought down to RM226 billion," he claimed. 'There's a lot of fat' ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Rafizi1-300x225.jpg)
"There is a lot of fat we need to trim," he said, adding that without such anti-corruption measures in place, it was unfair to start cutting subsidies. "We shouldn't punish the people. We need to punish endemic corruption." "I disagree with some of our analysts' views. They assume that the RM250-billion budget is already clean and corruption-free… but you know that the budget is bloated. Any good organisation will say that before you cut spending, you must cut out the rent-seekers, cronies, and middlemen." Rafizi said he also disagreed with those, including economists, who say implementing goods and services tax (GST) is a good idea. "In other countries, when you introduce GST, you usually reduce income tax too. That's not the case in this country, where income level has not improved and only 1.2 million people are able to pay tax, while the rest don't earn enough to pay tax. "We need to grow at 6%, then we can start talking about GST." On housing, Rafizi said that Pakatan has proposed in its shadow budget that a powerful government body similar to a housing development board be established. This could change the way public housing is built." Rafizi said that currently private developers are not building the right affordable homes for the vulnerable groups. "When private developers build houses, it's about making profit. Unless you address this problem, no matter what you do, developers will not provide enough numbers of affordable homes." 'Najib will face backlash' Rafizi said the government body on housing should have full powers to talk to state governments and take over the land, adding that profit should be of secondary importance. "In the long term, private developers will then bring down prices. In the mid-term, we can build houses at a much lower market rate, because the funding is done by the government." Rafizi also said that Najib would have to announce something to reduce car prices due to public pressure. "A lot of pressure is on Najib. I don't think he can get away without doing something to reduce excise duty. He will face a backlash," he said, adding that PKR has promised to slash excise duty if it comes to power. On public transport, Rafizi said that Pakatan is proposing to inject some RM2 billion to add about 1,000 buses in the Klang Valley immediately. "Will Najib commit to doing something like that? The MRT will take another four to five years, and the whole city can't depend on this alone. There is a huge under-investment on buses." Rafizi also said that Najib should implement a "comprehensive social safety net", which would track everyone below a certain income level, and regularly uplift them, instead of giving one-off tidbits such as BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia). He said that under Pakatan's Caruman Wanita National, families will pay RM10 to RM100 a month and the government will pay a flat contribution of RM50 per month. "It's like EPF. This is to help out; if anything happens to the husband, the housewife will get [financial] aid." Ballooning debt ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Dzulkefly-Ahmad-1.jpg)
He said Najib should also not neglect development in Sabah and Sarawak but bring the two states at par with the Peninsula. Meanwhile, PAS's Dzulkefly hoped Najib would address several issues, among others, reducing the national debt and increasing disposable income. He said Budget 2013 should look into measures to promote prudent spending and curb corruption and leakages. "We have been pump-priming the economy for many years, during good and bad times, creating a ballooning debt that is reaching 55% of our GDP. Najib should avoid pushing us further into debt," he said. Dzulkefly, a PAS central working committee member, also called on Najib to find ways to reduce dependence on oil and gas revenue. "Currently, 40% of our budget is financed by oil money," he said. He also said that Budget 2013 should find ways to increase disposable income rather than offering piecemeal solutions like BR1M and Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia programme. One way to do this is to reduce the prices of essential things such as food and transport. "As for transport, let's empower local councils to have their own bus system. We can also work on a hybrid transport system by integrating the bus system with the MRT project," he said. READ MORE HERE |
Pakatan, where will the money come from? Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:43 PM PDT
From Arul K Muthiah, via e-mail In anticipation of the general election, we have seen the Opposition trying to introduce more policy proposals to sway key voting segments. In particular, it has targeted young, first-time voters, who make up the bulk of the more than two million newly registered Malaysian voters, and the middle class in general. Two of Pakatan's policy proposals announced this year are designed to strike at these two voter demographics directly. The first was a promise to write off all National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) loans and provide free university education, and the latest, a policy that will see a reduction in passenger car prices. Both policies have clear political objectives in mind. The student loan write-off is an attractive promise for young voters still stuck with their PTPTN debt in addition to dealing with higher living costs. The promise of lower car prices casts a wider appeal as most Malaysian car owners bemoan having to pay more for the same car than people in other countries, which results in a bigger chunk of the salary being used to service their monthly car loans. By selling these promises, the federal opposition is saying that it can assist with increasing your disposable income because you will have more to spend on other things and also save because these two expenditure items will either disappear (PTPTN loans written off) or be reduced (cheaper car prices). The purpose of this article is not to examine the two proposals directly but to discuss one fundamental question that arises when political parties – especially those not in power – make electoral promises: How do they hope to pay for these promises? If this question does not require answering, then politics would be an easy game. Promise people everything under the sun, sit back and enjoy watching voters swing your way. But we do not live in a world where the electorate believes they can get everything for free. Politicians cannot assume people are stupid, as they seem to do particularly when elections are approaching. Apart from subsidies which many Malaysians still hold dear, most Malaysians do generally believe that the government should not increase the budget deficit and borrow more money. Most Malaysians also feel a sense of responsibility and that people should pay back whatever they borrowed and not have the government write off those loans. Also, importantly, international investors and credit rating agencies are watching to see whether we live within our means. In an age of sovereign defaults and bailouts, fiscal responsibility is a key measure of sound public administration that will have an impact on our attractiveness as an investment destination and on our credit ratings. As far as the federal opposition is concerned, it is doubtful that balancing the books high is on its agenda. It has not really explained how it is going to pay for its electoral promises. And just to put it on the record once again – its electoral promises amount to a very very high RM206.5 billion in the first year alone. And this doesn't even include Pakatan's standard promise of an immediate reduction in the price of petrol should it take over the Government. Depending on the reduction, this could cost billions on top of whatever has already been promised. Multi-billion ringgit promises Let's just put the cost of the opposition's promises into context. The federal government development budget for 2012 was RM51.2 billion. Pakatan's electoral promises costs 400% or four times more than the current 2012 Government's development budget. So if it were to fulfil its promises in the first year of office, a Pakatan federal Government would not have enough money to pay the salaries of teachers, doctors, nurses, police and army personnel, let alone have the funds for building roads, schools, hospitals or providing welfare assistance to the poor. Most of the money would have been used to deliver on its Jingga promises. If this happens, essential services would grind to a halt and the country would cease to function. If it decides to borrow more money to fund its promises and keep the government going, the fiscal deficit would balloon from 4.7%, which it is now, to more than 25% of GDP and Malaysia would effectively be bankrupt within the first two years of Pakatan ruling Putrajaya. Pakatan's standard response to this is that it will "get rid of the corruption" to pay for its promises. But the question is can getting rid of corruption pay for the Oppositions RM206.5 billion promises? READ MORE HERE |
Malaysia and the Muslim Spring Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:36 PM PDT
A ruling party is not legitimate if the electoral process is flawed, "national interest" and "realpolitik" are not a legitimate excuse for corruption and police brutality. Azeem Ibrahim (Huffington Post) President Obama's recent address to the UN (September 25, 2012) referred to change in the Middle East and North Africa saying that "the path to democracy does not end with the casting of a ballot". The President went on to deplore the convulsion of violence in the last two weeks in Muslim countries, in reaction to the "crude and disgusting video" denigrating Islam. He said that recent events speak to "the need for all of us to honestly address the tensions between the West and the Arab world that is moving towards democracy". His remarks brought a welcome balance to recent overreaction by international media to the unrest and violence around the world, by acknowledging that the global movement towards liberty and democracy would not be denied. The movement behind the Arab Spring -- or rather the Muslim Spring -- has a different connotation in Southeast Asian countries where Burma for example, is slowly transitioning into democracy and Thailand and Pakistan are emerging from periods of military rule. Popular protests and elections have helped bring about change in these countries -- some peaceful, some violent -- but have been more evolutionary than revolutionary in recent years. Malaysia too, is undergoing change, but its struggle for democracy has also taken a different route from the sudden change of the Arab Spring; it achieved its independence from British colonial rule in 1957 and has since become an example to the world of what an independent multi-racial federation can achieve. One of the Asia Tigers in economic transformation due to its continued political stability, Malaysia has been governed since 1970 by a coalition headed by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) which has presided over a period of dramatic economic growth and increased living standards. Rapid growth, the embrace of technology and industrialization have been accompanied by generous government investment in education, with the result that Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing at an average of 6.5% for almost 50 years. Today however, the electorate is restless - the young, educated and relatively well-off population is demanding change. They see the government as representing a past that has been overtaken by modernity. Laws remain on the books that should be repealed in the name of democracy and freedom of speech. At the same time, there is ongoing debate over whether the laws and society of Malaysia, a majority Muslim country, should reflect secular or Islamic principles. Conservative elements in the ruling UMNO coalition are resisting change or want the state to reflect more fundamental Islamic principles and Prime Minister Najib Razak is trying to appease his base while offering reforms to the center, described by some as offering "just enough to alienate his own party and not enough to convince the center ground." (Economist, Feb 4, 2012) There is one man however, who seems to have a better understanding of the wave of change overtaking Muslim nations right now. Anwar Ibrahim sees his role in the Muslim Spring as reflecting the mood for change from an autocratic and out-of-touch government whose numerous corruption scandals and police brutality prove that government reform is necessary and democracy needs to be up-dated. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/azeem-ibrahim/malaysia-arab-spring_b_1916745.html |
Is ‘V’ for victory or vilification? Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:26 PM PDT ![http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/women-holding-hands-300x225.jpg http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/women-holding-hands-300x225.jpg](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/women-holding-hands-300x225.jpg)
It appears that Putrajaya is full of closet homosexuals who are unable to declare their sexuality openly. Mariam Mokhtar (Free Malaysia Today) Hong Kong billionaire, 76-year-old Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, has offered RM200 million to the man who can woo his lesbian daughter, make her "straight", then marry her. In the past, Chao has claimed to have slept with over 10,000 girlfriends. Gigi, his daughter, is one of three children he fathered with three different women. When he heard that Gigi had married her long-term lover of seven years, Seab Eav, in a civil partnership ceremony in Paris, Chao was prompted to act, to save his family "honour". Chao appears to have more money than sense. When will he accept his daughter's happiness with her sexuality and her future with her civil partner? Will he concede that money is not everything? How does he reconcile his own promiscuity and think it superior to his daughter's monogamous relationship? In Malaysia, our ministers and their deputies cannot be considered harmless eccentrics. They are hypocrites and bigots, and the influence and power which they wield, does the nation much harm. So which is worse? The Malaysian authorities who backtrack on issues or the ill-thought-out directives themselves? It is established that when faced with a public backlash, ministers tend to issue denials and quickly dissociate themselves from whatever it is that caused the outrage. There are numerous examples of such idiocy. Even clothing has attracted official censure; the tutu, yellow shirts and now, V-neck shirts, have all courted controversy. Instead of leaping forward into a world of understanding and tolerance, the nation is forced to descend into the dark ages. Previously, yellow clothing was banned because those who wore it were supporters of democracy. The tutu was frowned upon because it was considered immoral or indecent. In the latest Ministry of Education (MOE)-sanctioned guide, those who wear tight, brightly coloured clothing, sleeveless shirts and V-neck shirts possess homosexual tendencies. Recently, Deputy Education Minister Puad Zarkashi denied that his ministry had endorsed the "gay-spotting guidelines" for schools. Unfortunately for him, the reaction of the public has been to organise a National V-neck Day on Oct 1, which thousands of people claim they will attend, as a form of protest. Puad is furious and has reacted in typical Umno fashion, telling another online newspaper that is was "unreasonable" to hold the "V-neck" event: "There's no gay guideline, is there? I had asked the parent NGO and they said they didn't issue the guideline… "So when they do this (organise a V-neck Day), it shows that they are not taking this issue seriously. What they are doing is unreasonable." The backpedalling has invited more contempt for the MOE and the NGO which produced the "gay-spotting" guidelines. They contend that people wearing V-neck shirts must be gay. What about the homosexuals who wear suits in the civil service? What about the many closet homosexuals in the ministries, some of whom are alleged close associates of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak? The gay-guide states that girls who sleep with other girls must be lesbian. Parents are aghast at the MOE guide, and will be wondering if the MOE would prefer their daughters to sleep with men? Every parent will now have qualms about having their daughter's girl-friends for a sleep over. Forcing homosexuals underground Who are the people in government, who end up dictating policy? Do they live such cloistered and sheltered lives? Is there no discussion to see if their guidelines stand up to reason? Are they themselves closet homosexuals with no avenue to express their sexuality? Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/09/28/is-%E2%80%98v%E2%80%99-for-victory-or-vilification/ |
Attacks on Malaysiakini, here we go again Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:22 PM PDT
Premesh Chandran, Malaysiakini The attacks against Malaysiakini signal that the government is getting desperate.
For the past week, the mainstream media - TV3, Utusan Malaysia, New Straits Times and The Star - have launched an attack on Malaysiakini and civil society organisations for receiving grants from international foundations in what they claimed is a plot to destabilise the government.
Malaysiakini has been further attacked for having a foreign investor which is allegedly linked to billionaire financier George Soros. Further aspersions have been cast on Malaysiakini that some of our shareholders have political links.
I understand the reason for the attacks. After all, elections are around the corner, and by all accounts, the results could go either way.
Hence, the mainstream media have been ordered by their political owners - Umno and MCA - to attack and discredit voices that are calling for free and fair elections, for investigations into various corruption scandals and for democratic principles to be observed and upheld.
It is no surprise that they repeatedly report accusations, insinuations and half-truths, along with an ugly dose of racism - a strategy perfected by none other than Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.
Let's look into these accusations one by one and put them to bed:
1. Same accusation 11 years ago
Former Malaysiakini news editor YL Chong's repeated accusations that in 2001 we hid a RM188,000 grant from Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF) and that he resigned after taking a stand on the matter.
This accusation is not new. It was paraded in the mainstream media 11 years ago - back in 2001 - as "proof" of our links to Soros. We have published our rebuttal shortly after those accusations were made.
In a nutshell, Malaysiakini was open with its staff about a contract to build a software application for the Centre for Advanced Media Prague (Camp), which is MDLF's technology division.
Chong went to the media with the accusation that the deal was a grant and we're hiding the deal. In fact, Malaysiakini had already made an announcement of the software deal on the site.
The question is, why would Malaysiakini be so open with its staff on the deal. Wouldn't it have made more sense to keep Malaysiakini staff in the dark?
2. 'Soros man on Malaysiakini board'
On the back of successfully completing the technology development and successfully launching a subscription model in January 2002, MDLF decided to invest in Malaysiakini - their first in an online medium, breaking away from their traditional investment in newspapers, television and radio stations.
Malaysiakini received RM1.3 million for 29 percent of equity and MDLF agreed to sign an editorial non-intervention agreement. Following that, Malaysiakini held a press conference and made an announcement about the matter.
At the time of the investment, MDLF was led by its co-founder Sasa Vucinic, a journalist whose independent radio station B92 in Belgrade fought a long and hard battle to help bring down Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. Milosevic was subsequently charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.
Sasa went on to set up MDLF with the strategy of helping independent media in Eastern Europe grow following the fall of communism. Soros, a Hungarian with a track record of supporting press freedom, was among the many major donors of MDLF. Do watch Sasa's fantastic TED talk to know more about MDLF's philosophy.
To date, MDLF is involved in 269 projects for 85 independent media companies in 27 countries. Not only does MDLF have a right to be on Malaysiakini's board given its stake in the company, it is hardly business sense for us to pass on the opportunity to have such distinguished individuals to serve on our board.
The advice and guidance from MDLF and their current CEO, Harlan Mandel, have been a tremendous boost to Malaysiakini's business strategy.
How is Mandel a Soros' man? Indeed, using the tenuous link between MDLF and Soros to argue that somehow MDLF is doing Soros's bidding is definitely straight out of the Goebbels handbook. 3. But why attack Soros?
The entire attack by the mainstream media is premised on a link between Malaysiakini and Soros. But why the hatred of Soros?
The Malaysian central bank chose to gamble our hard-earned reserves on defending the pound. When the pound collapsed in 1992, Malaysia was left with a major hole in the Treasury, and Soros made a name for himself for breaking the Bank of England.
Instead of asking why was our central bank engaged in highly speculative and risky action, Malaysia attacked Soros.
Despite a heated exchange of words in the wake of the Asian financial crisis, former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad later conceded that Soros was not responsible for the damage to Malaysia. Mahathir subsequently met Soros in Kuala Lumpur and asked for his support for his global campaign to outlaw war.
During his visit to Malaysia, Soros met with a host of government and business leaders.
We have even heard of there were subsequent private meetings between Soros and top Umno leaders, which to date have gone unreported but will come to light soon.
4. Malaysiakini gets grants from foreign donors
The mainstream media have portrayed that Malaysiakini has been hiding the fact that we receive grants from international donors and we now "admit" to this long-hidden fact. The truth is that Malaysiakini has always declared the grants it receives.
Malaysiakini funds its core activities from subscription and advertising revenues. Grants are used to fund projects that are of social benefit but are not likely to be revenue generating or profitable.
So while Malaysiakini as a whole is a for-profit organisation, we do solicit funds to support our "non-profit" projects.
Read more at: http://m.malaysiakini.com/news/210114 |
When the ends justify the means Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:19 PM PDT
Many NGOs receive funds from foreign countries but not all are equally transparent about it. Tunku 'Abidin Muhriz (The Star) AEROPLANE passengers who enjoy the interactive maps on flights to KLIA will notice a curious settlement east of Sepang: Kampung LBJ in Negri Sembilan. It was named after the President of the United States Lyndon Baines Johnson when he visited in 1966 (it remains the only town in Malaysia apart from Kuala Lumpur that has ever hosted a US President, and you can find footage of this visit by going to criticalpast.com and searching for "Lyndon Johnson Malaysia"). Although the Malayan Emergency was officially over, the Cold War was still very much ongoing elsewhere in the world. Diplomatic showcases such as this reminded the world that newly-established Malaysia under the leadership of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra was resolutely pro-democratic and unashamedly anti-Communist. Of course, we would not have triumphed over the Communists if not for the enormous contributions – military and aid – that we received from our British and other Commonwealth allies. And as our national focus moved from ensuring stability to development, our Government continued to receive funding from friendly countries and entered numerous bilateral partnerships to upgrade our infrastructure: this in addition to increasingly stable foreign direct investment of course. Let us be clear: foreign funds were something the Malaysian Government actively sought, obtained, and celebrated, and there is no doubt that these funds formed a vital ingredient in our post-independence success. Today, through our memberships of multiple international organisations, foreign funds continue to enter our country. Still, some people's attitude towards foreign funding in Malaysia has been less enthusiastic, particularly where the recipients are non-governmental organisations they do not like. The fact is that NGOs in democracies all over the world routinely accept and disburse funds to further the causes that they support. In Malaysia, there are charities that have been accepting overseas donations for some time (like the Malaysian AIDS Council), and service organisations like Rotary International and the Lions Club which are headquartered in the USA have operated here openly for decades. However, many recent entrants into Malaysian civil society have been far more vocal on policy and political matters than their predecessors. Since there is still scepticism and ignorance about the role played by think tanks and independent research institutes in a healthy democracy, the accusation that they are "foreign agents" is an easy one for critics to make. There are many reasons why such accusations should be dismissed, prime amongst them that so many values are universal, shared by people across the world who will no doubt reach out to friends in other countries, just as Malaya did in fighting communism. Indeed, our Federal Constitution adapted much from the British experience of parliamentary democracy, though of course modified to suit our own historical circumstances. All of the major religions practised by Malaysians originated in "foreign" lands, and let us remember that virtually the entire social, political and economic structure of Negri Sembilan was, to begin with, "foreign": the Minangkabau immigrants who came from Sumatra brought with them their adat, institutions and wealth to a peninsula where Adat Temenggong had hitherto enjoyed a monopoly, and yet these settlers continued to receive resources (and invited monarchs) from the motherland until the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Today, many NGOs undeniably receive funds from foreign countries, but not all are equally transparent about it. I'm proud to say that we at IDEAS have been open and honest about our funding from the beginning. Since our inception we have received funds or collaborated with organisations from Britain, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Turkey, Morocco, China, France, Germany, the United States and Nigeria. Furthermore, we ourselves have funded activities for students in Indonesia. Nonetheless, we have also worked with the Prime Minister's Department, government ministries, parliamentary and statutory bodies and political parties that did not feel that our relationships with foreigners compromised our patriotism and adherence to the vision of Bapa Kemerdekaan. It is entirely fair for the rakyat to judge NGOs based on the activities that they run, the company they keep and the funding that they receive. But the prerequisite for all of this is transparency and a free media, and that is where I believe the focus should be, rather than singling out any particular NGO, which is probably just as patriotic and committed to our national institutions (though not necessarily their office bearers) as most other participants in Malaysian civil society, even if some of their principles and methods may differ from ours. > Tunku 'Abidin Muhriz is president of IDEAS. |
Where did the money go? Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:13 PM PDT (The Star) - While they are doing a fine job listing out the need for more money and to improve the social amenities, sadly none of them have touched on the need for the Government to come up with a better system on how to use Government funds to make sure that these money are utilised in the right way, for the right purpose, to benefit the targetted group and how to ensure that these money are spent on time for the intended project. I HAVE been scanning the local and national newspapers over the past two weeks to find out what our local and national politicians expect from the coming Budget that will be tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his capacity as Finance Minister 1 in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow. Almost all of the elected representatives (YBs) talked about the need for more money for their respective states and the constituencies they represent. They talked about the specific needs that have to be looked into, especially affordable housing, basic amenities and better public transportations and the likes. While they are doing a fine job listing out the need for more money and to improve the social amenities, sadly none of them have touched on the need for the Government to come up with a better system on how to use Government funds to make sure that these money are utilised in the right way, for the right purpose, to benefit the targetted group and how to ensure that these money are spent on time for the intended project. These state assemblymen and Members of Parliament, including those from the Barisan Nasional, seemed to have forgotten that year after year, a lot of money announced during the annual Budget does not seem to benefit the intended group of people because the intended projects did not materialise as stipulated in the Budget. These projects often got delayed and the funds approved were not used according to the announced purposes. There were so many examples how the money approved under the annual Budget did not seem to end up accomplishing its intended purposes. I want to highlight just a few of these "incidents" which, to some extend, have directly or indirectly affected the people of Miri just to prove my point. I am not saying there was any hanky-panky surrounding the use of these money, but these incidents raised much confusion. In the year 2008, a certain politician took a group of reporters to Bakong Bazaar, about 60km from Miri, to tour the Lapok Road, a vital road link that connects Miri into the interior of Baram and the rest of northern Sarawak. He wanted to announce that the Government had approved a RM200mil fund to repair the road that was then in a terribly bad shape. The road had not been upgraded since Sarawak gained its independence through Malaysia. During the event, he proudly announced that the fund had been approved by the Federal Treasury for the 40km-long Lapok Road to be resurfaced and that repair works would start immediately. He even brought along senior officers from the company that had been hired to do the job. In the year 2010, I had the opportunity to travel pass the road to get into the interior parts of Baram to attend a function by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein, who was then visiting some Penan settlements to distribute MyKads. Sadly, the road was still in its horrendous condition as in 2008. The politician's sweet announcement remained just an announcement. I passed through the same road again in 2011, when I was assigned to attend a function by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Again, there was still no sign of repair works being been done on the road. Surprisingly, a few months ago, another politician announced that the Government had approved yet another RM150mil to upgrade the same road. The announcement had me perplexed. What actually is going on? What happened to the initial RM200mil meant for the road upgrading as announced in 2008? I am not insinuating that there are some hanky-panky going on. But all these turn of events are very confusing and the fact that the Lapok Road upgrading is neither there nor there is indeed a cause of frustration to the people who have to bear with the poor road condition daily. Another example is the proposed RM120mil Pujut-Permyjaya highway upgrading project. A politician announced in 2008 that the project would soon start to alleviate the massive traffic jam affecting more than 100,000 people in Kuala Baram district daily. But until April 2011, there was absolutely no progress to that project. Works only begun after the state elections where SUPP president and Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan lost his Piasau state seat while Andy Chia lost Pujut seat, both to DAP. The delay in that project's implementation was part of the reasons that the SUPP lost the two seats and almost lost the Senadin seat as well. Yet another example is the RM100mil announced in 2011 meant for the improvement of Miri Port. DAP YB for Piasau Alan Ling asked what had happened to the money and why the funds was not used for the intended project. Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Michael Manyin explained that the money was "diverted" for some urgent projects in Kuching. This sort of "diversion of funds" should have been made public before it was diverted. The intention may sound reasonable, but the manner in which these money were diverted surely raised suspicions. There are so many examples of these "fund diversions" that I can dig up. Just a few months ago, I found that certain Class F contractors hired by government authorities and the MP office here in Miri had done a horrible job in carrying out urgent repair works for the needy and the poor in Miri. They had not only resorted to using low quality materials but also produced shoddy workmanship in order to cut corners to earn bigger profit margins. In the process, they had fleeced the poor people whom the Government had intended to help. This is another blatant example of how Government money had been misappropriated and misused and how the intended target groups of people did not fully benefit from the funds meant for their well-being. The Budget is not just about dishing out money. Equally important is how to make sure that the money allocated do not end up "getting lost" or unaccounted and at the same time failed to benefit the rakyat as it was originally intended for. Whatever money dispensed from the Federal Treasury to the state treasury or to the individual ministries must be speedily channeled to the proposed project and be used for the purpose it was intended for. For example, if a RM100mil fund is approved for the construction of School A in Long Panjang, that money must be used to build the particular school worth the amount. It cannot be "quietly diverted" from Long Panjang and used to build some other things in some other parts of the state. It is also not fair to the people of Long Panjang if the school built is built but not amounting to the approved budget. The people of Long Panjang have the right to query where the money had gone to and who is the one who had made the decision in allowing the "divertion" of the money meant to enable the people of Long Panjang. The MP and state assemblyman for Long Panjang must be held answerable. He must be in the know about the whereabouts of the money and what had transpired. Whether or not there is any hanky-panky involved in the "diversion" of the money is another thing altogether. The fact that the money meant to construct School A in Long Panjang was not used for that intended purpose is already an issue by itself and the YBs and state authorities must explain and reveal the truth. To ensure that these incidents of "missing money" are prevented from happening, the team drawing up the annual Budget must relook at its effectiveness in terms of fund-distribution, the implemen- tation process and the auditing process. Unless these aspects are looked into and improved, the delivery system will always fall short of performance and the intended group of people who should benefit from these money - the citizens - will continue to suffer from the delays, shoddy workmanship and "fund-diversions". I honestly hope that this Friday's Budget will also see Najib introducing stricter mechanisms to check on how fund that were approved under the annual Budget is being spent throughout every nook and corner of the country, including here in Sarawak. |
Soi Lek slams Nazri for backing Dong Zong Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:06 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek blasted today his Umno political ally Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for supporting the demands of Chinese-language educationists without understanding fully the real issues that has seen the Chinese party at loggerheads with vocal vernacular education lobby groups. "Minister in the Prime Minister's department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz seems to have said that the demands of Dong Zong is fair and let us hope that he will not sing a different tune in Cabinet.
"Nazri is forever playing to the gallery and is fond of commenting without understanding the real issue contained in the memorandum," Dr Chua (picture) said in a scathingly-worded media statement.
Yesterday, 500 members of the United Chinese School Committees Association – better known by its Chinese name Dong Zong – had demonstrated outside Parliament while it was in session to push for eight demands it said must be met to resolve the long-standing state of vernacular Chinese education in the country.
Nazri, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, had met with the group and accepted their memorandum, remarking that the demands were "not wrong" as Dong Zong was fighting to protect their mother tongue but which had raised the MCA's ire.
The de facto law minister who is also in charge of parliamentary affairs had also pledged to raise the subject at the next Cabinet meeting.
The Dong Zong demonstration yesterday – codenamed the '926 rally' – appeared to be the culmination of a long-standing stand-off between educationists fed up with the MCA's failure to resolve various education issues central to the Chinese community.
In their memorandum, Dong had highlighted staffing shortage in Chinese schools, namely teachers proficient in the Chinese language; the government's chronic failure to accredit the globally-recognized Unified Examination Certificate (UEC); the difficulty faced by Chinese school board members seeking official registration and the lack of funds to develop Chinese schools.
The clash over vernacular education appears to have hurt the party's standing with Chinese voters crucial in the next general elections due soon.
In Election 2008 and past by-elections, Chinese voters have been increasingly casting their support for the opposition parties signaling growing skepticism at the MCA's ability to speak up and protect their community interests.
The BN's mainstay, Umno, has also been seen to be appealing directly to Chinese voters, leapfrogging its Chinese coalition partner, in a bid to claw back dwindling support in key national polls that is threatening its hold on federal power.
However, Dr Chua insisted today that his party has succeeded in renewing its commitment to the Chinese under his leadership, pointing to some gains towards vernacular education.
"UEC holders are also now accepted for admission into teachers training colleges and entitled to the National Higher Education Corporation (PTPTN) study loans.
"The top 50 UEC holders are also given scholarships by 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) to pursue their higher education," the former Health minister and lawmaker said. |
Youth who ‘insulted Islam’ remanded Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:01 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/anti-gopinath-facebook-300x227.jpg)
The youth who was alleged to have insulted Islam is being investigated under the Sedition Act and the Penal Code for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. G Vinod, FMT J Gopinath, who was alleged to have insulted Islam on his Facebook page, is currently held under remand by the police. "He will be detained till Oct 1 pending investigations. We'll refer the matter to the Attorney-General's Chambers for advise," said Klang South district police chief Muhammad Mat Yusop. The 25-year old youth is being probed under Section 4 (1) of the Sedition Act and Section 298 (a) of the Penal Code for deliberately making statements to hurt the religious sentiments of another. Gopinath was alleged to have insulted Islam last week, which prompted several social media users to create the 'Kami Benci Gopinath Jayaratnam' page. The page currently has 5,529 followers. Yesterday, Gopinath's home in Taman Klang Jaya was attacked by several men, who destroyed furnitures and damaged his car. No one was injured in the attack as Gopinath and his family were not at home. A group calling itself Jemaah Fisabilillah Klang said it masterminded the attack and even posted on the Kami Benci Gopinath Jayaratnam's page that they would track down Gopinath's family. Asked on the attack, Muhammad said the police had no leads on the matter for now. When pointed out that Jemaah Fisabilillah Klang had claimed responsibility for it, he said:" This is the first time I'm hearing this. I'll look into it." Why did he do it? Meanwhile, MIC central working committee member S Vell Paari condemned the attacks on Gopinath's home and urged the police to take action on the matter. "What Gopinath did was wrong but we should let the authorities handle it," he added. On that note, the MIC leader also urged the police to investigate what prompted Gopinath to post such derogatory statements. He pointed out that Gopinath was riled up over a YouTube video which showed Islamic speaker Shah Kirit Kakulal Govindji ridiculing Hinduism. The video, which was posted in June 2003, is a 10-part series where Shah Kirit is giving talks to a predominantly Muslim audience about Hinduism. FMT's check revealed that Shah Kirit passed insulting insinuations on Hindu gods Brahma and Saraswathy in part five of the video. The video pointed out that Shah Kirit was a Hindu before he converted to Islam in 1996. Shah Kirit is currently working with the Saba Islamic Media, an organisation that is bringing controversial India-based Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik to give talks in Malaysia. Vell Paari said the police should be fair and investigate both Gopinath and Shah Kirit for insulting religions. "Shah Kirit should be probed as well," he said. Vell Paari said at times, some new converts to Islam tend to get overzealous in professing their new faith by insulting their previous religion. "These people try to act more Malay than the Malays themselves. Shah Kirit must remember that it was his Hindu mother that gave birth to him," said Vell Paari, who added that MIC would lodge a police report against Shah Kirit soon. |
Zeti must now explain forex scandal Posted: 26 Sep 2012 09:58 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/zeti.jpg)
PKR Youth submits four-point memorandum to Bank Negara governor demanding answers. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT PKR Youth wing wants Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz to divulge details and explain the 1990s forex scandal that cost the bank RM5.7 billion in losses. The wing's chief, Syamsul Iskandar Ikin, said the muted response by the governor at the time Nor Mohamed Yackop was "disappointing". Syamsul said the onus was now on Zeti to clear the central bank's name following allegations that it had tried to bury the controversy from public knowledge. Former deputy prime minister and finance minister, Anwar Ibrahim, told Parliament that BNM's involvement in the foreign currency trading was done under the instruction of his predecessor Daim Zainuddin, the right hand man of then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar also alleged that Mahathir had told him "not to touch" Nor and that he had tried to put a stop to it. Prior to that, a former BNM official had named Nor, now a federal minister, as the foray's main culprit together with another former governor, the late Jaffar Hussein, although Anwar later said the former was not directly involved. Lawmakers from the ruling coalition claimed Anwar was also involved since he was the finance minister at the time but he denied the allegation, saying the "gambling" took place without his knowledge. Clear Anwar's name ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/AMK-police-report-on-forex-scandal-300x225.jpg)
Jaffar subsequently resigned after the scandal went public. He was then replaced by Nor. In the four-point memorandum submitted to BNM officials today, PKR said the central bank must reply to the allegations made by Anwar. "This involves public interest and the bank must answer," he told reporters under the watchful eyes of the police after meeting BNM officials here. Earlier estimation of losses incurred from the forex venture was said to be in the RM30 billion region but Deputy Finance Minister Donald Lim told the Dewan Rakyat gave a significantly lower number of RM5.7 billion. The opposition had promised to open up investigations into the scandal if they are voted to power at the upcoming national polls. Syamsul said the BNM must also clear Anwar's name if details disclosed on the scandal contradicts Lim's accusation that the former deputy prime minister must be held accountable for the mishap. |
Confused over right to choose Posted: 26 Sep 2012 03:21 PM PDT
We have a far from perfect democracy but then there are no perfect ones anywhere. People's right to voice critical opinions is suddenly seen as traitorous. The possibility of alternative administrations is deemed taboo, a word that has connotations beyond the mundanity of voting, rather like talking about sex is considered taboo. Marina Mahathir, The Star IN all the past 55 years, we have been proud of being a democracy, minimalist though it may be. We elect our Parliament like clockwork every five years or so and everyone is aware that that is the first hurdle they have to get over in order to get into power. Of course, we have a far from perfect democracy but then there are no perfect ones anywhere. We can do with a more inclusive and representative government and certainly can do with a more vibrant and free media and more space for alternative viewpoints to be heard. Still, we like to describe our federation with its constitutional monarchy as a democracy – our democracy. So it rather surprises me that of late, there are voices that seem to say that democracy is a bad thing to have. For some reason, there are people who think that an elected form of government where people have the power to choose who they want to elect is not a good thing. Perhaps this is because they are unsure that this type of government will put them into power at all. Some are even going so far as to say that democracy is incompatible with our state religion, Islam. That's rather odd because I've just been at a conference where an Islamic scholar stated that Islam is the most democratic of religions, because everyone has equal access to God. Yet, he added, most Muslims live in undemocratic states. This sudden turn in attitude towards democracy has had predictable results. Anyone who talks about democracy is suddenly viewed with suspicion, as if they are advocating that the Devil himself should take over the country. People's right to voice critical opinions is suddenly seen as traitorous. The possibility of alternative administrations is deemed taboo, a word that has connotations beyond the mundanity of voting, rather like talking about sex is considered taboo. If the citizens of a country are not allowed to elect whom they want, then they don't live in a democracy. So to say that it is taboo to elect anyone other than the present government is to bring the conversation to a realm that is beyond rational argument. Somehow nowadays, it is a sin to get our people to think democratically, as if democracy is a religion that teaches immorality. I remember in my childhood being taught about democracy at school. My teachers would talk about how concepts like apartheid or "the colour bar" were undemocratic. We held mock elections where we would have candidates and campaigns, including "political" rallies, so that we would understand the whole process of how our leaders are elected. Of great importance were the issues our "candidates" put up; those who had the best solutions to our issues at school were the ones who would get elected. Today, I hear that schools are not encouraged to have any such thing in case our children get "funny" ideas. Instead, we are differentiating children by the way they look and dress, rather than treating all of them as equal. We expose them to possible discrimination, even violence, even though our Federal Constitution says that every citizen has an equal right to education. Every day, we have new restrictions on our already limited democracy. We can get arrested for comments we never made just because someone made them on our website or Facebook page. Some of us, in an already limited job market, find ourselves charged with allegedly working against our own religion even though we are not responsible for anything other than doing our jobs. Even though both our official religion and Constitution give us rights, these rights are now contested. And contested in such a way that those who shout loudest win, even if their numbers are small. Yet these same folks would be the first to demand their right to speak should anyone object to what they say. We need to ask ourselves, how did we come to this state where democracy is confused with "total freedom" and "Westernisation"? Are Westerners the only ones allowed democracy? In that case, why are thousands of people in those autocratic Middle Eastern countries demanding to have a say in how their countries are run? Are we somehow undeserving of democracy, of the simple right to have a say? |
Slighted by Anwar, SAPP out in the cold Posted: 26 Sep 2012 02:36 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/SAPP-dan-Yong-Teck-Lee-300x202.jpg)
Anwar Ibrahim's 'new warlords' Lajim Ukin and Wilfred Bumburing together with their 'parties' appear set to assume Pakatan's role in Sabah. Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) appears to have parted ways with Pakatan Rakyat after initially showing signs of building ties with the peninsula-based opposition coalition. The fallout stems from PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim informing SAPP president Yong Teck Lee that Pakatan was now bringing in Lajim Ukin and Wilfred Bumburing as his new trusted warlords in Sabah. That decision was made known last month in a meeting room at a hotel here when Anwar met Yong and Jeffrey Kitingan, the Sabah chapter chairman of Sarawak-based State Reform Party (STAR). Since then, Yong has not appeared at Pakatan functions unlike in the past when he made an effort to attend nor has he sent senior members to represent the party at such events. His latest snub of a Pakatan function was the Sept 15 gathering in Tuaran of Pakatan's top leaders to mark the 49th anniversary of Malaysia Day. In the past Yong would have been loath to miss an event like that since the Sept 16, 1963 date of the formation of Malaysia has been was high on SAPP's agenda. However he did not even send a junior party leader to the function hosted by Lajim and Bumburing in the grounds of a restaurant. The event was staged to show Sabahans that Pakatan leaders empathised with them about how Sabah and Sarawak were equal partners with Malaya in the formation of Malaysia but had since been reduced in status equivalent to those of the peninsula states. Yong would not have wanted to ignore this gesture as among those present with Anwar were PAS president Hadi Awang, Penang CM and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim along with senior Pakatan component party leaders Tian Chua, Mohamad Sabu, Mustaffa Ali, Husam Musa and many others. The fracturing of ties can be traced to the closed-door meeting last month as soon after the brief meeting with Anwar, Yong left with his waiting SAPP colleagues to his residence near here and not long after issued a statement that his party was interested in contesting in Sepanggar, Penampang and Kota Kinabalu. He specifically mentioned the three parliamentary seats that Pakatan component DAP is eyeing as a direct challenge to the coalition's influence in the state. Anwar's new warlords DAP is the incumbent in Kota Kinabalu through Hiew King Chew, a former SAPP man himself who quit to join DAP. According to the political grapevine, Yong and Kitingan are irked by the inclusion of Lajim and Bumburing in the opposition equation and Anwar's declaration that Pakatan now has five components with APS (Angkatan Perubahan Sabah) and PPS (Pakatan Perubahan Sabah) joining PKR, DAP and PAS. APS is headed by Bumburing while PPS by Lajim. The two were in the meeting room with "guests" Yong and Kitingan along with PKR vice president Tian Chua and DAP MP Teresa Kok and Anwar's aides. No one from PKR Sabah was present. Yong and Kitingan were accompanied by senior leaders from their parties but they were not included in the meeting with Anwar. ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Anwar-300x199.jpg)
According to those familiar with discussions, Anwar signaled that APS and PPS would be the main players in Sabah even duplicating some of PKR Sabah's role and the message to Yong and Kitingan was "we now have them, so are you coming in or not?" or more bluntly "we can do without you". The meeting lasted only 20 minutes, according to insiders who said that Yong was also irked by Lajim's condescending tone after the meeting when he allegedly told the SAPP president that he could help deliver Lahad Datu constituency to SAPP. The assumption that Yong and his party would need outside help in his own hometown was seen as a slight, according to party insiders. Two days after the meeting with Anwar, Yong and his men turned up at the United Borneo Alliance (UBA) fourth meeting to meet Kitingan. Some have taken that as a signal that SAPP could be working with Kitingan's STAR instead to counter the Pakatan-Lajim-Bumburing tie-up. READ MORE HERE |
Syed Mokhtar’s debts raising fear of future bailout, says Tony Pua Posted: 26 Sep 2012 02:29 PM PDT
Hafidz Baharom, The Malaysian Insider The combined debt of RM34.3 billion accrued by companies owned by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary is causing genuine fears of a bailout using taxpayers' money, the DAP's Tony Pua said today. The Petaling Jaya Utara MP told reporters that his attempt to raise the issue in Parliament was thwarted when the Speaker rejected his question to the Finance Ministry on the basis that his query was based on assumptions. "If a group of companies owe RM34.3 billion, when one entity cannot pay its debt, the ability of all the companies to pay their debts will be affected. "In 1997, the government had to bail out companies, they had to buy out the LRT, give a loan to Tan Sri Halim Saad who had to pull of a corporate exercise and this led to RM3.2 billion not paid back," Pua said, referring to the collapse of the Renong Group during the financial crisis in 1997. Pua said he regretted that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also finance minister, chose not to answer his question in Parliament today as the debt also raises the risk of a financial crisis. "His (Syed Mokhtar) companies owe RM34.3 billion, more than 10 per cent of the national corporate debt; Renong owed about RM20 billion, which was only 8 per cent. "This is a serious matter and a threat to the finance and banking industry of this country," Pua said. Syed Mokhtar has holdings in hotelier Tradewinds, MMC Corporation and earlier this year won the bid to privatise Penang Port which sparked criticism on both sides of the political aisle. Barisan Nasional (BN) Backbenchers Club deputy chief Bung Mokhtar Radin has said that "Syed Mokhtar is like a king with so many banks backing him." READ MORE HERE |
Anwar naiki jet ‘haram’, Azmin selar Tian Chua Posted: 26 Sep 2012 02:23 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dikatakan melakukan kesalahan apabila menaiki jet peribadi milik rakyat Amerika Syarikat (AS) yang menjadi satu kesalahan dalam perjalanan ke Labuan sempena sambutan Hari Malaysia baru-baru ini. "Adalah salah untuk menaiki jet yang didaftarkan milik rakyat AS di Malaysia. "Hanya pemilik jet berkenaan yang boleh menggunakan jet tersebut disini," lapor akhbar NST yang memetik dari sumber dari pihak berkuasa penerbangan negara. Baru-baru ini, blog-blog pro Umno mendedahkan Anwar bersama pemimpin DAP dan PAS menaiki jet peribadi mewah untuk ke Labuan, Sabah sempena sambutan Hari Malaysia pada 16 September lalu. Gambar-gambar di dalam jet tersebut mereka perolehi dengan mudah melalui laman Twitter naib presiden PKR, Tian Chua. Semalam media melaporkan syarikat tempatan Tjets Sdn Bhd telah mengaturkan urusan penyewaan jet peribadi untuk digunakan oleh pemimpin pembangkang bagi menyambut Hari Malaysia di Labuan. "Kemungkinan besar rakyat AS yang memiliki jet tersebut membenarkan Anwar untuk menggunakan jet tersebut," lapor NST. Sementara itu, timbalan presiden PKR, Mohamed Azmin Ali mengatakan Tian Chua perlu menyemak fakta sebelum mengeluarkan kenyataan. Naib presiden PKR itu dilaporkan berkata harga sewa jet peribadi murah walaupun Anwar sebelum ini mengatakan jet tersebut oleh seorang teman. "Tian Chua harus kekal dengan maklumat tepat, yang dibuat oleh Anwar," kata Azmin seperti dilapor NST. |
Bantahan terhadap Zakir: MIC tidak matang Posted: 26 Sep 2012 01:49 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dr-zakir-naik.jpg)
Kritikan terhadap MIC timbul ekoran bantahan parti itu terhadap kehadiran pendakwah Islam dari India, Dr Zakir Naik. K Pragalath, FMT Sebuah persatuan India Muslim yang kurang dikenali, Persatuan Inspirasi Muhibah India Muslim Malaysia (IMIM) merasakan bahawa tindakan MIC meminta pendakwah Islam Dr Zakir Naik dinasihatkan agar tidak menghina agama-agama lain sebagai "tidak matang dan tidak wajar". "Kedatangan beliau ke Malaysia telah disalah tafsirkan dan ditokok tambah dengan tuduhan-tuduhan yang tidak berasas. "Beliau tidak pernah memaki atau memburukkan agama lain. Sejajar dengan itu sungguh malang bagi sebuah parti yang besar seperti MIC menuduhnya sebegini," kata Pengerusi IMIM, Sabarudin Abdul Rahman di dalam satu surat kepada presiden MIC, Datuk G Palanivel pada hari Selasa. Sabarudin turut meminta MIC berhenti menggunakan media sebagai saluran untuk menyekat kedatangan Zakir. Pada hari Isnin, Ketua Pemuda MIC, T Mohan mengumumkan bahawa pergerakannya akan meminta kerajaan menasihatkan Zakir agar tidak menghina agama – agama selain Islam, terutamanya termasuk agama Hindu. "Kami mahu pihak penganjur memberi jaminan Zakir tidak akan menyentuh sensitiviti agama lain," kata Mohan kepada media. Zakir singgung masyarakat Hindu Berita itu telah disiarkan di dalam slot berita Tamil dua hari lalu. Pengumuman tersebut dibuat Mohan ekoran daripada laporan media bahawa Zakir menyinggung sensitiviti masyarakat Hindu di India yang sembahyang semasa perayaan Vinayagar Chathurti pada minggu lepas. Penganjur ceramah Zakir, Saba Islamic Media merancang untuk menengahkan Zakir di empat lokasi. Ceramah pertama akan berlangsung di Dataran Bandaraya Johor Bahru esok dan yang terakhir di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra pada 7 Oktober. Masyarakat bukan Islam turut dijemput menghadiri sesi ceramah tersebut. Dalam surat sama, Sabarudin menyatakan kehadiran masyarakat bukan Islam di dalam ceramah tersebut adalah di atas kerelaan mereka sendiri. "Kedatangan bukan Islam ke acara ini juga bukan atas paksaan atau disuruh tetapi adalah atas kerelaan mereka sendiri. "Kedatangan mereka dialu-alukan sebagai pemerhati dan bertanya soalan-soalan yang menjadi kemusykilan mereka selama ini," kata Sabarudin. Ketua IMIM turut menegaskan bahawa masyarakat bukan Islam tidak dipaksa untuk menerima jawapan Zakir secara bulat. |
Nazri: No probe into ‘copgate’ Posted: 26 Sep 2012 01:47 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Musa-Hassan-300x202.jpg)
Home Minister rejected the setting up of an inquiry due to 'lack of evidence', says Minister in PM's Department. Anisah Shukry, FMT The government has not initiated any investigation against former IGP Musa Hasan's alleged links to Johor underworld figures, Parliament was told today. Minister in the PM's Department, Nazri Abdul Aziz, in a written reply to Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, said that Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had rejected the setting up of an inquiry due to "lack of evidence". This is despite the fact that Hishammuddin having admitted to receiving a 2007 letter from former Commercial Crime Investigation Department Chief Ramli Yusuff's lawyer. The letter from Ramli allegedly detailed the actions leading to the exposure of the identity of police informants who had helped in the arrest of Goh Cheng Poh and BK Tan. Nazri also said that as no police report had been lodged over the matter, the authorities had not initiated any investigations since the issue first surfaced six months ago. "No police report was lodged over the exposé by Ramli Yusuff regarding the former IGP's links with these two underword figures whilst he was in service with the PDRM," he said. "As such, no investigations have been made by the police over the issue." Nazri said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) had also not received a single complaint over the matter. But he added that the authorities would investigate if any police reports or complaints were made in the future. Local online media reported in March that several police informants had allegedly been forced to implicate six police officers probing the case of Goh Cheng Poh, also known as 'Tengku Goh'. It is also claimed that AG Abdul Gani Patail, then police chief Musa Hassan and Tengku Goh were behind the move which lead to Goh's release from his restricted residence in Kelantan. |
Mansor must penalise culprit Posted: 26 Sep 2012 01:41 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Mansor-Othman.jpg)
The leakage of the audio recording involving Mansor Othman is seen as an internal sabotage of PKR's interest in Penang. Hawkeye, FMT GEORGE TOWN: Penang PKR liaison chairman Mansor Othman should act decisively when going after the culprit who allegedly leaked raunchy details of an informal state PKR meeting held earlier this year, said the outspoken Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak. The leak found its way to an online news portal before it created a ripple this week after TV3 broadcast a purported recording of a private conversation that Mansor allegedly had with his PKR members concerning the general election and the standing of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Mansor, the Deputy Chief Minister (I), had allegedly uttered the words "cocky and arrogant" to describe Lim, while also stating that the latter is regarded as a "tokong" (deity) in the eyes of the electorate here. Rahmad said Mansor needed to act fast while at the same time, in a transparent manner to allay concerns that PKR and DAP are no longer on the best terms in Penang. "We are also worried as a community that Mansor, being the highest ranked Malay in the state government, is allegedly having problems with Lim. "Both do not seem to be on the same page. This does not augur well for Pakatan Rakyat. "This is no laughing matter as the public here are disturbed to hear about the alleged disagreements between PKR and DAP out in the open. "It does not reflect a sense of confidence that the state government is united in one purpose, which is to serve the people here well after decades of sub par performances by the previous Barisan Nasional government," Rahmad said in an interview. READ MORE HERE |
Cocky Arrogant Tokong Posted: 26 Sep 2012 01:31 PM PDT KTEMOC KONSIDERS Free Malaysia Today (FMT) - Mansor did not deny audio contents Penang DCM I, Mansor Othman, thought he was safe within the confines, comradeship and confidentiality of a closed-door PKR special (to Chinese echelon leaders) meeting, when he let loose his opinion of CM Lim Guan Eng wakakaka. And it sure as mafulat didn't help when his CM boss belongs to a different (and potentially rival) political party. Alamak, not brilliant ler for a PKR No 2 saying his DAP No 1 is cocky, arrogant and (considered by Penangites as a) tokong, wakakaka. As FMT journalist Athi Shanker (who I suspect from his previous writings doesn't like DAP, wakakaka) cleverly put it: Just when PKR thought the worst was over, the CAT has reared its ugly head again, much to the chagrin of the party's Penang chief and Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman. CAT here is not the "competency, accountability and transparency" tune routinely sung by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng about his Pakatan Rakyat state administration. In this instance CAT means "cocky, arrogant, tokong", a refence Mansor allegedly made to Lim. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizP1IxpIHpchX2IFQSyeAVA3IDuIPlLQOQBCVUu5Tjh9ePQY9Qu8KplqVTLNmk-_AI_wv54Wfm_IJqHzz3VnnoeinkKajxKPGt4COytuZFy-DsBXM1BJ4Z8vc_a9FtkCbJgjLmfzhhsUy2/s1600/kwan+kjong.png)
| Guan Yu (Kwan Kong) worshipped for integrity, honour, righteousness & brotherhood | Now, we have two types of C.A.T in Penang wakakaka. But really man, I should be pissed as I'm a dog lover and consider cats only good as door stoppers (sorry darling, wakakaka), but jokes aside, as I had written in my post PKR and its arrogant tokong one month ago: Loose lips sink ships, or in this case, (the potential to sink) the Rocket spaceship. As they say, 'perception' matters in politics and whether there's any truth in PKR Mansor Othman's vocalized opinion of Lim GE, doesn't matter a bloody fig. Each and everyone of his enemies, from those in MCA to pro-UMNO and ultra anti-Lim GE bloggers (wakakaka), and even those in PKR, will have a field day dissecting, pseudo-analyzing and writing ugly dissertations on Lim Guan Eng's political leadership. The significant political damage would be to the reputation of Lim Guan Eng among his nascent and growing Malay supporters, while Mansor Othman merely suffers the embarrassment of being exposed for badmouthing an ally and boss, though in a worst case scenario he may have (post the next Penang State election) a frigidly courteous, cold and contentious boss. But in visualizing the worst case scenario, maybe we're falling prey to Athi Shanker's projection in FMT that: Whether or not Mansor's alleged description of Lim was spot on, the Penanti assemblyman has surely fueled Lim's wrath. Mansor now faces a tough political future in Penang so long as Lim, from Malacca, hangs around in the island-state. A PKR source said Mansor, who is a party vice-president, must now move out of Penang to safeguard his political interests, alleging that Lim could be "vindictive and vengeful." The source said PKR feared that Lim would order DAP leaders and members not to help Mansor's campaign in the coming general election. As I mentioned, Athi Shanker might possibly be not well disposed to the DAP and could be imagining the worst of Lim Guan Eng. Lim GE is not so small-minded as Shanker has penned, based on his sources. We should remember Lim has been a man who was willing to be jailed for the justice of an (then) under-age Malacca Malay girl. We may say he possesses very high quality values, and would not be a person to be vindictive, much as BN wants us to believe. And if you believe in God, as Lim GE does, wakakaka (sorry for the wakakaka, just ignore me, kaytee the blooming atheist), then we could say the Almighty has rewarded him for his courageous and Guan Yu-like righteous deed for a Malacca Malay girl and her grandmother. Now, back to topic, much as it may sound strange for me who's not well disposed towards PKR wakakaka, I personally didn't and still won't place much blame on Mansor for his indiscretion in badmouthing Lim GE behind the latter's back. The brouhaha has been nothing more than just a storm in a Pakatan teacup. Hey, badmouthing someone behind his back, while in itself is bad, means it's suppose to be a private opinion or an opinion expressed among confidantes, wakakaka, and not intended as a biadap-ish disrespect. Surely most of us at one time or another have mafulat-ishly mumbled & muttered imprecations at someone, even those close to us, privately of course or only in thoughts. There is only one rule when doing so, don't get caught and be publicly exposed, wakakaka. Mansor Othman's sin had been in naively believing he was secure within the confines, comradeship and confidentiality of a closed-door PKR meeting, but alas, PKR is not unlike a vipers' nest. The hand that has plunged the assassin stiletto into Lim's political back is not that of Mansor Othman, though I have to say he (Mansor) had naively lent his hand to the assassin for the backstabbing job. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEeLOVGc3qUyItBSVRUGC6N4NuoH18zNkQpNnkb4cr_xPLUWhpht_0o0VBaAHRKBx11eljwaqxqRtQJ8YY3CG4SM8KnBTp1uOuWK0GLcIaq0EPPtoz1ITLiOODC93Yufpb9DYG-hQfUb3/s320/big+boss+2.jpg)
| Tian Chua? wakakaka | It didn't help when the PKR Chinese faction (supposedly headed by Big Boss Tian Chua wakakaka) was worried about Mansor ceding some state constituencies held or lost (in March 2008) by PKR to DAP, perhaps as a quid pro quo for DAP not to compete with PKR for the State's Malay dominated seats(?). That adverse scenario for the anxious PKR Chinese members was further aggravated when the x number of Chinese members wanting to present themselves as PKR state candidates realized there were only x-1 available constituencies for them, the Chinese elements of PKR. Now, when you become aware you're a loser, or it's made known you'd be one vis-à -vis the list of candidates for the next election, your sour-grapes vengeful exposé of a covertly taped conversation with Mansor committing his faux pas, though totally unethical, would not surprise me in the least, given the generally PKR's viperous environment and culture. And assuming erstwhile PKR MP for Nibong Tebal Tan Tee Beng has been truthful (wakakaka) in stating that, when he was in PKR, Anwar approved attacks against Guan Eng because he (The Great One) considered Lim GE as kurang ajar and desired to "... reproach Lim for his wrongdoings and mismanagement in Penang", it's yet another salutary lesson in being careful of what you say when you are in nest of vipers. Much as I personally dislike Anwar, and yes, he (The Great One) might have said something uncomplimentary about Lim GE, I doubt he would go to the extent of saying those stuff like what Tan would have us believe. Okay, say maybe he did, that would then make Anwar's unflattering remarks about Lim a trillion quadrillion quintillion times worse that that of Mansor Othman because of the words kurang ajar and the green light to publicly attack an ally. But as I said, I don't believe Tan 100%. Tan is the son of Tan Ghim Hwa, a Penang Gerakan Party big-shot at one time. I mentioned the father in an earlier post Analysing Tan Tee Beng's resignation from PKR where I penned: But this post is not about Tan becoming a frog. If he does that, it won't surprise me. After all, his family roots are in Gerakan-BN. His father Tan Ghim Hwa was the former Gerakan State Chairman, and known as the sworn enemy of the DAP. Lim Kit Siang had in 1991 described Tan Ghim Hwa as a political vulture in a matter where phone threats were made against Lim, allegedly by some Gerakan Party members. This post is more about Tan Junior's attack against CM Lim GE in particular and the DAP in general. We can of course speculate that his background could have been a possible factor in his latent hostility towards the DAP and the son of Lim Kit Siang, and eventually brought to the boil after some disagreement with CM Lim. But let us not forget that he came from the Chinese section of PKR, led by (its de facto section leader wakakaka) Tian Chua. Uncle Lim described his father as a 'political vulture', and for his unethical kiss-and-tell-like revelation about an alleged Anwar's unfriendly but behind closed door indiscretion towards Lim GE, truthful or otherwise, I have to describe him as 'politically vulgar', wakakaka. Okay, be that it may, obviously with elections around the corner, the BN is in full swing with its char koay teow-ing of the PKR faux pas, aimed to damage and hopefully discredit Lim GE. WTF, after all, it has no policy and nothing else to do, wakakaka. It would appear that Gerakan Penang has been tasked with the dubious honour of playing the role of the fried noodles hawker - huan cheo chay-chay (minta chili lebih - lat cheow tor tee). Okay, so Lim GE is C.A.T though the C.A (cocky and arrogant) is tautological. But sometimes I believe in some circumstances, when one has it, why not flaunt it, as some sweeties have done, much to my immense delight. READ MORE HERE |
Soros man on Mkini board Posted: 26 Sep 2012 11:05 AM PDT
(The Star) - The George Soros-linked Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF) chief executive officer Harlan M. Mandel is one of three directors of Mkini Dotcom that runs Malaysiakini while several Opposition figures are among its 50 shareholders. Mandel, who is based in Brooklyn, New York, was appointed as a director in July last year, according to the Mkini Dotcom profile. The MDLF has been funding Malaysiakini operations for over a decade. Subang MP R. Sivarasa, who is PKR's vice-president, admits that he is a shareholder. Sivarasa said he paid RM5,000 for 5,000 units of shares when he was invited to contribute towards the setting up of the Internet news portal 13 years ago. "It was for a worthy cause. And I still own that 5,000 shares out of Mkini's 4.5 million issued shares," he said in an interview. Sivarasa, another shareholder Bruno Gentil Pereira, and director Premesh Chandran are also activists linked to Suaram. Other shareholders include the Selangor Mentri Besar's press secretary Arfa'eza Aziz. Malaysiakini and Suaram have come under the spotlight following reports claiming they were among several organisations that were receiving foreign funding. The two main contributors are the American-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the George Soros-linked Open Society Institute (OSI), which have been financing groups supporting its objectives around the world. OSI is linked to MDLF which in turn claims to be a mission- driven investment fund for independent news outlets in countries with a history of media oppression. MDLF holds 1.316 million units of shares in Mkini, while Premesh and another director Steven Gan own 1.385 million and 1.328 million shares respectively. Premesh had said MDLF owned about 29% of the company shares while its co-founders and staff owned the rest. Despite these and other revelations, Premesh maintained that the portal maintained its editorial independence but several bloggers questioned how he could claim so since there are several Opposition personalities listed as shareholders. According to its financial report that can be obtained from the Companies Commission of Malaysia for the year ended Dec 31, 2011, Mkini recorded a drop in revenue from RM1.85mil in 2010 to RM1.63mil last year. However, its "other income" increased from RM3.26mil in 2010 to RM3.7mil last year. Its operating and administrative expenses was RM5.1mil. According to Mkini.blogspot. com, it received grants from the Dutch Embassy in Malaysia, Canadian International Development Agency, NED, OSI, International Centre for Journalists, Free Voice, and Friedrich Naumann Foundation, apart from MDLF and South-East Asian Press Alliance (Seapa). |
The CIA-Soros Partnership Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:58 AM PDT
(Economic Policy Journal) - A curious link between George Soros and the CIA has emerged as a result of disclosures of funding of a Malaysian media organization by the National Endowment for Democracy. It turns out it was NED funding and Soros funding. NED has long been known as a CIA front. In the clip below, one time CIA case officer Phil Agee describes the developments that led up to the formation of NED and how NED operates. This is all noteworthy with regard to Soros, since the Malaysiakini, a Malaysian media organization, has just admitted receiving funds from NED. The funding has been apparently been going on for many years and a journalist now discloses that he quit working for Malaysiakini because of its then secret funding by NED and Soros. Y.L. Chong quit from Malaysiakini as its news editor more than a decade ago when the news portal management refused to admit that they were getting funds from NED and Soros. "I told Malaysiakini 11 years ago to come clean, and not hide such information from our subscribers and readers. "I decided to throw in my resignation as I could not toe the line and keep the Soros link under wraps," he said in an interview with Malaysia's The Star. Chong revealed all this several years ago in his blog called ww.desiderata2000.blogspot.com. Read more and watch the video at: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2012/09/the-cia-soros-partnership.html |
GST a ploy to hide economic ills, says Pakatan Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:55 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Putrajaya's desire to implement the goods and services tax (GST) in the future is an easy way get more money and divert attention away from economic problems such as inefficiency and corruption, says Pakatan Rakyat (PR) While the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is not expected to introduce the GST till after the general election, Minister in Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala was quoted in the Wall Street Journal yesterday that he expects the proposed GST to help boost state revenue and help put an end to the federal budget deficit by 2020. PKR's strategy chief Rafizi Ramli said Malaysia did not meet the conditions for the introduction of GST and it was being used as a "shortcut" to reduce the budget deficit instead of addressing fundamental flaws in the country's economy. "GST is a red herring to cover those economic weaknesses," Rafizi told The Malaysian Insider. He noted that if the ruling coalition instead stamped out rent-seeking activities, corruption and cronyism it would boost economic growth which would in turn boost government income. Rafizi also noted that in other countries, GST was used as a substitute tax, meaning that income tax would be cut if the consumption tax was implemented which amounts to the net effect of the new tax being neutral. He pointed out however that if it was implemented in Malaysia, the net effect would be an additional tax burden on large numbers of Malaysians whose earnings currently fall below the taxable income threshold. Rafizi said that based on PKR's means testing, which involved evaluating the size of the economy, government revenue and people's income levels, Malaysia was a poor candidate for GST at the moment. "There are pre-requisites for GST, you can't implement as you wish," he said. DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua said that while GST was supposed to broaden the tax base as only an estimated 10 per cent of Malaysians currently pay income tax, the question that needed to be asked was why were so many Malaysians earning so little as to fall below the taxable threshold. He said that even if 10 per cent out of the people who are not currently paying tax are tax dodgers, GST still would not make sense as it meant that many more low-income Malaysians would be burdened. "If they can't earn enough, why should they be burdened with additional taxes," he said. "People's incomes have not increased significantly." Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/gst-a-ploy-to-hide-economic-ills-says-pakatan/ |
US calls Assange 'enemy of state' Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT Julian Assange ... "enemy of the state". Photo: AFP (The Sydney Morning Herald) - THE US military has designated Julian Assange and WikiLeaks as enemies of the United States - the same legal category as the al-Qaeda terrorist network and the Taliban insurgency. Declassified US Air Force counter-intelligence documents, released under US freedom-of-information laws, reveal that military personnel who contact WikiLeaks or WikiLeaks supporters may be at risk of being charged with "communicating with the enemy", a military crime that carries a maximum sentence of death. The documents, some originally classified "Secret/NoForn" - not releasable to non-US nationals - record a probe by the air force's Office of Special Investigations into a cyber systems analyst based in Britain who allegedly expressed support for WikiLeaks and attended pro-Assange demonstrations in London. The counter-intelligence investigation focused on whether the analyst, who had a top-secret security clearance and access to the US military's Secret Internet Protocol Router network, had disclosed classified or sensitive information to WikiLeaks supporters, described as an "anti-US and/or anti-military group". The suspected offence was "communicating with the enemy, 104-D", an article in the US Uniform Code of Military Justice that prohibits military personnel from "communicating, corresponding or holding intercourse with the enemy". The analyst's access to classified information was suspended. However, the investigators closed the case without laying charges. The analyst denied leaking information. Mr Assange remains holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London. He was granted diplomatic asylum on the grounds that if extradited to Sweden to be questioned about sexual assault allegations, he would be at risk of extradition to the US to face espionage or conspiracy charges arising from the leaking of hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic reports. US Vice-President Joe Biden labelled Mr Assange a "high-tech terrorist" in December 2010 and US congressional leaders have called for him to be charged with espionage. Read more at: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/us-calls-assange-enemy-of-state-20120927-26m7s.html#ixzz27dBY8fb3
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Najib betting on generous budget Posted: 25 Sep 2012 06:35 PM PDT ![](http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/204/budget2013300x187.jpg)
With the general election looming, the prime minister is expected to announce measures to help poorer families. (Reuters) - Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is expected to unveil a voter-pleasing budget on Friday, placing the priority on winning a tough election above addressing the country's rising debt burden. Economists say Najib will likely delay much-needed reforms to broaden Malaysia's tax base and reduce its dependence on oil revenues to at least next year, while announcing measures to help poorer families struggling with rising living costs. Strong revenues in 2012 mean Najib can afford to be generous in the budget for next year without alarming financial markets, but further signs of fiscal slippage would add to investor concerns over a steady deterioration in Malaysia's finances. Malaysia's public debt as a percentage of GDP is just short of its self-imposed ceiling of 55% – up from 43% in 2008 – while its budget deficit of 4.7% in the first half of 2012 is the third-biggest in Asia after Japan and India. Fitch Ratings said in August that Malaysia's public finances were weak compared with other countries on equivalent sovereign ratings (A minus) and on a par with heavily indebted countries such as Italy and Israel. "Very plainly this is going to be an election budget. It's going to be generous," said Irvin Seah, an economist at DBS Bank in Singapore. "At this point, the need for political support will take precedence over some economic considerations." Najib must call an election by next April and has already announced a series of handouts this year, including RM2.6 billion (US$847 million) in cash payments to poor families, to shore up support for the long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. Although the coalition is widely expected to win the election, it suffered its worst-ever performance in 2008 polls and faces perhaps the closest-ever election this time as the opposition gains ground. 'People-friendly' Najib, who is also finance minister, is widely expected to announce further cash payments to poorer citizens, combining them with steps to ease living costs for low-income households and public servants. That could give a further boost to the country's buoyant consumer spending. The economy grew at a brisk annual pace of 5.4% in the second quarter, but many lower-income and middle-class earners complain their salaries have not kept pace with rising living costs and surging house prices. "The budget will be people-friendly and will ensure the country will achieve its goal to become a high-income nation by 2020," Deputy Finance Minister Donald Lim told reporters yesterday. Helped by strong economic growth, Malaysia's revenues for 2012 are expected to top RM200 billion, well above the government's RM187 billion target. But public spending is also growing, raising doubts over whether the government can achieve its goal of keeping the fiscal deficit at 4.7% of GDP this year. Several large infrastructure projects, including the RM50 billion Mass Rapid Transit transport project in Kuala Lumpur, are helping insulate Malaysia from slowing activity around the world but also risk increasing its debt burden. Rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Fitch recently warned of rising fiscal pressures in Malaysia that could lead to a downgrade. "While we are relatively positive about Malaysia's growth and inflation outlook, we are concerned about its fiscal position," said Credit Suisse analyst Santitarn Sathirathai in a research note. The ratings agencies want the government to introduce a goods and services tax (GST) to widen its revenue base in a country where only about 10 percent of the workforce pays income taxes and to cut fuel subsidies that are among Asia's highest. Malaysian policymakers have signalled they plan to implement those reforms, but not before the upcoming election. Najib is expected to set the deficit target for 2013 lower than the 4.7% goal for this year. In one bow to fiscal discipline, he is unlikely to announce any corporate or individual income tax cuts. Gundy Cahyadi, an economist at OCBC Bank in Singapore, said the government will be hoping that the heavy spending now will pay off in coming years through higher revenues. "People forget that it's just like any business decision – you need to invest a lot at the initial stage." |
Sometimes I can’t understand Umno Posted: 25 Sep 2012 05:58 PM PDT ![](http://malaysia-today.net/images/stories/barred/blog_item_no_holds.jpg) Umno needs to walk the talk. If it wants to convince Malaysians that it is serious about reforms and that it respects the rights of Malaysians to free speech then Umno has to prove it. Talking alone is not enough. Unless you can demonstrate that you mean what you say then expect many voters to vote against you come the next general election. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin I can't understand why Umno is making a big fuss regarding the foreign funding that Suaram, Bersih, Malaysiakini, and so on, are alleged to have received. Is it illegal for Malaysian organisations to receive money from overseas (or from local sources for that matter)? Organisations, especially NGOs, need donations and grants to survive. If not how would they operate? I myself donate monthly to the cancer research institute and the seeing-eye dogs for the blind NGO (http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/) here in the UK. They stand on street corners and go door-to-door to sign people up as monthly donors. In fact, the dog I have adopted is called 'Sparkle' and it is being loaned to a blind person for a payment of just one pound. Umno should demonstrate a bit of maturity and not treat everything as a political issue. Umno reminds me of the opposition supporters who question me as to where I get my funding from, as to who is sponsoring me, as to how I survive here in the UK, and whatnot. That is very childish -- raising issues that are a non-issue. Umno should not reduce itself to this level. The private jet that was loaned to the Pakatan Rakyat leaders is another issue that is silly. So a Malay businessman lent the opposition leaders the use of his jet -- or he paid the cost to rent a private jet. Is that wrong? The fact that the businessman does business in the Pakatan Rakyat ruled states should not be the excuse to turn this into an issue. You are just assuming that since this person is a businessman then there must be strings attached. That is malicious and mischievous. You are jumping to conclusions and are insinuating that one is considered guilty until proven innocent. Again, Umno is acting like those Pakatan Rakyat supporters who questioned me about my friend's yacht that I holidayed on in Phuket during the Christmas holidays last year. Actually, we had a meeting on that yacht and a few activists such as Haris Ibrahim also joined me a couple of days in Phuket. And that meeting was actually what resulted in me doing that NST interview on 1st January 2012. Another thing that Umno is being silly about is regarding Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah's statements. He has always demonstrated an independent spirit and has always spoken his mind. No doubt some of his statements and opinions may go against Barisan Nasional's 'party stand'. But then what Saifuddin said is very true and is mere coincidental that some of the things he says are what some people in Pakatan Rakyat are also saying. But just because what he says is sometimes also what those in the opposition say does not mean he is a traitor, Trojan horse, mole, or whatever. As the Deputy Higher Education Minister, what he says is very important because the youth are Malaysia's future. Hence it is very crucial that the youth are told the right things and who better to do that than the Deputy Education Minister himself, especially one from Umno? Umno, which has been in power for more than half a century, should know this and, therefore, should allow its ministers some degree of independence. Umno cannot always expect its leaders to just toe the party line. When it is right the leaders must be allowed to say it is right and if it is wrong to say it is wrong. Umno should prove to Malaysians that it is really interested in reforms and respects the rights of Malaysians to speak freely. Umno should not act like those in Pakatan Rakyat who are calling Nasharudin Mat Isa a Barisan Nasional agent, mole, Trojan horse, and whatnot, just because he speaks his mind and what he says does not go down well with the Pakatan Rakyat leaders. Umno should know that the days when you vilify someone for expressing an opinion opposite to yours is long gone. Maybe some in the opposition still do that but this is forgivable since Pakatan Rakyat has not ruled Malaysia for more than 50 years like Umno has. Hence, while the opposition can be excused for being less tolerant or matured, there is no excuse for Umno to also be like that. Umno needs to walk the talk. If it wants to convince Malaysians that it is serious about reforms and that it respects the rights of Malaysians to free speech then Umno has to prove it. Talking alone is not enough. Unless you can demonstrate that you mean what you say then expect many voters to vote against you come the next general election. That is all I wish to say to Umno. If Umno does not wish to listen that is their problem. Then expect the voters to show you what they think of your hypocrisy when they next go to the polls. And if the people vote against you don't get upset. You have only yourself to blame. |
Stay away from M’sia, Zakir Posted: 25 Sep 2012 04:05 PM PDT ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dr-zakir-naik.jpg)
The call is growing louder for the government to bar controversial Muslim preacher from coming here. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: Hindraf Makkal Sakti and a local Gerakan leader have called on the government to bar controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik from Malaysia. Former president of Malaysian chapter of Transparency International, Tunku Aziz Ibrahim, meanwhile cautioned Zakir not to "come here and insult Malaysians". Hindraf national coordinator W Sambulingam was uncompromising with the movement's stand, saying that Zakir must be banned from the country. He said Zakir was known for pouring scorns on other faiths, pointing out that the controversial orator was banned in Canada and United Kingdom. He said Zakir would be a menace to the country's multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-culture and multi-language landscape. "He is a national threat against peace and harmony that we all cherish. He must be barred and banned altogether. "He is the last person that Malaysia wants," Sambulingam told FMT here today. Gerakan's Baljit Singh concurred with Sambulingam, saying that Malaysia had no place for religious fanatics like Zakir. He said the government should be sensitive to all religious sentiments as Zakir would likely insult other religions in his speeches. "His reputation precedes him," said Baljit, who heads Penang Gerakan's legal and human rights bureau. ![](http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dr-zakir-naik-facebook.jpg) He noted that all Malaysians had demonstrated a united stand in condemning the controversial US-made movie "Innocence of Muslims". Similarly, he called on all Malaysians to also speak out with one voice to compel the government to stop Zakir coming here. Zakir of Mumbai, India, is expected to address several forums across the country, including in PWTC, until Oct 7. "Malaysians should demonstrate their consistent stand against religious extremism. It's time for all Malaysians to oppose Zakir and stop him from coming here," said Baljit. "The government should not issue a visa to Zakir. The government should be sensitive to all religions," he added. READ MORE HERE |