Isnin, 1 Oktober 2012

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


Secularism is the way to go

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 05:17 PM PDT

Yes, as Anwar said, and as I have also been saying for many years, Malaysia can't make it just with electoral reforms. We need political and government reforms as well. And this is why I joined LibDem in the UK. While the others were talking merely about electoral reforms, LibDem was talking about political and government reforms.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Anwar touts Turkey as model for economic, political reforms

(The Malaysian Insider) - Like Turkey, Malaysia can regain its economic lustre within a short period only through comprehensive political and government reform, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today in debating Budget 2013.

The opposition leader blamed Malaysia's blunted competitive edge on the Barisan Nasional (BN) government's failure to redress the lopsided economic policies awarded to "cronies and rich parties with interests", leading to a protracted Budget deficit for the last 15 years.

"Turkey's success under Reccip Tayeb Erdogan, for example, gives us confidence that economic policy and governance that is based on social justice, transparency, trust and recognising the potential talent of its people can boost the country's economic prosperity within a short period."

"That is why Pakatan Rakyat has from early on stressed that change and economic improvements cannot happen without political and government reform," he said in his Budget speech.

Using Turkey as an example, the former finance minister said in the 10 years since Erdogan became its prime minister, the latter had managed to transform the secular Muslim country's economy that had contracted in 2002 to become a "new economic miracle".

Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) had tripled in nine years, he said, from US$233 billion (RM722 billion) in 2002 to US$773 billion last year. Its projected economic growth for this year is estimated to be more than 11 per cent, based on the first-quarter figures, which Anwar said topped China's and every other developed country worldwide.

He pointed out too that Turkey's economy had grown an average of between seven and nine per cent a year during Erdogan's administration and, more notably, the country would have offset its €1 billion (RM4 billion) sovereign debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by next April, the shortest-ever repayment considering the amount owed.

The Permatang Pauh MP said Malaysia was now facing the risk of being left further behind by other Asian countries that used to lag behind it in the 1970s and 1980s, like South Korea, which had succeeded in forging ahead with measures to combat corruption and level the economic playing field to raise the competitive edge for business entrepreneurs.

But he believed that Malaysia, which had a higher economic potential due to its oil reserves, still stood a strong chance of surging ahead by overhauling the existing economic structure.

"Barisan Nasional's failure to end the Budget deficit for 15 consecutive years while Malaysia has oil reserves shows there is a structural economic problem that it has neglected and allowed to spread like a cancerous tumour, for resolving the economic imbalance means touching cronies and the rich parties with interests," he said.

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Turkey's political system is based on a separation of powers. Executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers while legislative power is vested in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Its current constitution was adopted on 7th November 1982 after the Turkish constitutional referendum.

The function of head of state is performed by the president who is elected every five years on the principle of universal suffrage according to the current constitution. The president does not have to be a member of parliament but he/she must be over 40 years old and hold a bachelor's degree.

Executive power rests with the president, the prime minister and the Council of Ministers. The ministers do not have to be members of Parliament. The prime minister is appointed by the President and approved through a vote of confidence in the Parliament.

Legislative power is invested in the 550-seat Grand National Assembly of Turkey representing 81 provinces. The members are elected for a four-year term by mitigated proportional representation with an election threshold of 10%. To be represented in Parliament, a party must win at least 10% of the national vote in a national parliamentary election. Independent candidates may run, and to be elected, they must only win 10% of the vote in the province from which they are running.

Turkey has a legal system that has been wholly integrated with the continental European system. For example the Turkish civil law system has been modified by incorporating elements of the Swiss Civil Code, the Code of Obligations and the German Commercial Code. The administrative law bears similarities with the French Counterpart and the penal code with the Italian Counterpart.

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When Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim talks like this I will certainly support what he says. These are the type of things I like him to say. This not only gives Anwar a more statesmanlike image but what he says is in line with my own thoughts.

And, just like most Pakatan Rakyat supporters, I will agree with someone who says things that I agree with and will whack all those who say things that I do not agree with. In fact, that is not just the Pakatan Rakyat way but also the Malaysian way -- you have the right to say anything as long as I agree with what you say.

Above is a bit of background into the Turkish system. Turkey used to be called 'The Sick Man of Europe'. Today it can actually be called one of the most progressive Muslim countries in the world. Even Anwar would agree with this.

However, Islamists and fundamentalist Muslims would disagree with this prognosis. They would consider Turkey a bad example of what a Muslim country should be like. For that matter, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the man whom the west calls 'The Father of Modern Turkey', would be called an apostate and a traitor to Islam by the fundamentalist.

I once prayed in the Rusila mosque in Terengganu and the PAS President, Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang, actually whacked Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to kingdom come. Hence I know for a fact that the PAS President (and most fundamentalist Muslims) does not regard Mustafa Kemal Atatürk highly. He would consider Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as someone whose head should be separated from his neck.

In Turkey, everyone is entitled to freedom of worship, religion, conscience and belief. In other words, apostasy does not exist in Turkey. That can never be accepted in a 'proper' Muslim country. On that one score alone Turkey can never be accepted as a Muslim country. Hence, how can we classify Turkey as the perfect example of a Muslim country (at least be western interpretations) when by Eastern interpretations it cannot qualify as a Muslim country?

Anwar is singing Turkey's praises and is telling us that if Malaysia can be like Turkey then Malaysia's economy will become just like Turkey's. And in singing Turkey's praises he lists down Turkey's virtues.

I can buy that. I agree that if Malaysia became like Turkey then we can expect to see our economy improve, just like Turkey. But to become like Turkey we will need, as Anwar said, political and government reforms -- to quote what Anwar said.

Again, I can buy that. In fact, Anwar took the words right out of my mouth. And this is what I have been saying for many years. And this is what I said when Anwar and I met up in London two years ago. And this is what I said when we launched the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM). And this is also what I said in my TV3 interview in April 2011 and my NST interview on 1st January 2012.

Yes, as Anwar said, and as I have also been saying for many years, Malaysia can't make it just with electoral reforms. We need political and government reforms as well. And this is why I joined LibDem in the UK. While the others were talking merely about electoral reforms, LibDem was talking about political and government reforms.

So what do I now say? Do I say 'I told you so'? Do I say 'now Anwar Ibrahim is singing the same song as I have been singing for so long'? Or do I say 'how far is Pakatan Rakyat prepared to go to see political and government reforms'?

So we want to become just like Turkey -- a successful country, in particular in terms of governance and the economy. But are we prepared to do things just like Turkey? Maybe I should pose this question another way: will the Islamists and fundamentalists agree to Malaysia becoming like Turkey? In short: we cannot be slightly pregnant. Either we are or we are not. That is the bottom line.

And does Anwar realise that to become just like Turkey we need a lot of reforms -- not just cosmetic changes but a major structural change?

That, I fear, is what most Malaysians are not ready to accept. And that is why I have been screaming at both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat. They talk about setting up home but they shy away from marriage. So are you saying we need to live in sin? Either we go all the way or we are neither here nor there. And this is what we plan for Malaysia -- a lot of cosmetics to give the impression of external beauty but rotten to the core internally?

And don't try to tell me that once we kick out Barisan Nasional all this is going to change. The problem is not Umno. The problem is the Muslims. The Muslims are not prepared to embrace secularism in favour of Islam, like what the Turks have done. That is the core issue here. Hence no change of government is going to help if Muslims resist a change of mindset.

 

Sometimes I can’t understand Umno

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 05:58 PM PDT

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.

 

Apa sebab pergi cari pasal?

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 06:31 PM PDT

You can find almost anything in this world if you go looking for it and if you know where to find them. There are even gay parties, wife-swapping parties, orgies, 'adult' entertainment centres, nudist colonies, singles resorts, etc. You name it; you can find it -- even sex with cows and goats if that is what turns you on.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Israel won't force Google to block anti-Muslim video

Court rejects MK Talab el-Sana's petition to prevent the controversial film from being available to people in Israel via the Internet • Court: Those who may be offended by it should not look for it on the Internet.

(Israel Hayom) - The Jerusalem District Court rejected a petition by MK Talab el-Sana (Ra'am-Ta'al) on Thursday requesting that the controversial film, 'Innocence of Muslims', produced in the U.S., be made inaccessible to people in Israel through the Internet. Judge Miriam Mizrahi decided to refrain from issuing an order to restrict access to the film through the YouTube website.

El-Sana, together with other Israeli-Arab political and religious leaders, requested that the YouTube page featuring the film be shut down, or, alternatively, that the page be blocked from access throughout the country.

Although the petitioners asked for an urgent hearing on the matter so that the court could issue a temporary order to prevent the film from being accessible on the Internet, Mizrahi said in her ruling that those who thought they would be offended by viewing the film should not search for it on the Internet. "Whoever does not look for the film will not find it, so the public who would be offended by the film can avoid seeing it," Mizrahi said.

The court is scheduled to continue to discuss the matter on Oct. 15, after both sides submit their detailed legal explanations. The petitioners, through attorney Kais Nasser, claimed, "The movie is extremely offensive, desecrates the image of the Prophet Muhammad in a racist manner, tramples his sanctity and name, and offends the honour and faith of more than a billion Muslims throughout the world and more than a million Muslims who are citizens of Israel."

(READ MORE HERE)

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When my wife and I first moved into our new home in Manchester three years ago, on Saturdays and/or Sundays people from the local church would come knocking on our door to talk to us about Jesus Christ. Most times I would be in my office working so my wife goes to answer the door.

My wife would stand there patiently as they spoke to her about Jesus. They would also invite her to the local church to meet the community. After their 'ceramah' they would leave pamphlets and booklets with her before they left. My wife would just place the material on the sideboard and later would dump them in the dustbin together with the other 'junk mail' that goes out with the Thursday rubbish collection.

Different people would come at different times and sometimes they would ask what religion we profess. My wife would reply that we are Muslims and they were usually very pleased to hear that. This probably made their 'mission' more interesting and challenging.

They don't come around that much nowadays, at least not weekly any longer like before. I suppose they have given up on us as a 'lost cause'.

Nevertheless, my wife (and I as well whenever I happen to be the one answering the door) is never rude to these Christian evangelists. We always smile -- and maintain the smile throughout even when they stand on our doorstep for half an hour -- and politely give them our full attention. We never show that we are impatient for them to leave. We will allow them to finish what they want to say and leave when they are ready to leave. Until then we stand there and play the perfect host and make sure they are not uncomfortable about 'disturbing' us.

I sometimes even flip though the pamphlets and booklets before I throw them into the dustbin. I feel guilty about throwing them away without reading them and therefore waste their effort and money in their attempt to convert us to the way of Christ. They left them so that we will read them -- so I do just that, I read them. Hence at least that part of their mission succeeds although they failed to get us to go to church.

I just hope that at least that small effort of ours at being nice, hospitable and friendly managed to give these Christian evangelists the impression that not all Muslims run berserk and will foam at the mouth when you try to preach Christianity to them. I consider this my greatest jihad for Islam -- showing Christians that Muslims can be nice, hospitable and friendly.

They never tried to tell us that Islam is bad or is the wrong religion. They just focused on talking about Christianity and to tell us that Jesus loves us and is our saviour and all that. They also tried to put across to us that they love us as well and is why they come to our door every week to talk to us. And I also showed them that I love them and appreciate the trouble they took to come to speak to us.

I could, of course, have screamed at them to leave us alone. I could also have told them that we are Muslims and hence are not interested to hear what they have to say about Christianity or Christ. But that would be downright rude and unfriendly even though that would be within our rights to do so. After all, they are disturbing us very early on a Sunday or Saturday morning so I have every right to tell them off. At the very least I could have just not opened the door and after a while they would have gone away.

But why disappoint them? Why make them feel like they have wasted their time? Why make them feel unwelcome by not opening the door when they clearly know we are at home? Make them feel welcome and let them go home happy that they managed to talk to a Muslim about Christianity and Christ.

I know most Muslims reading this will be appalled. They would probably think that my imam (faith) is very weak. How can week after week I layan (entertain) Christian evangelists who are trying to convert me to Christianity?

Well, I am not a 'regular' Muslim. If you can't accept me for what I am then that is your problem, not mine. You lead your life the way you want to lead your life and leave me to lead my life the way I want to. That is the long and short of it all.

I want to now talk about that news item from Israel above. What the Israeli court said regarding that controversial movie is very sensible.  "Those who may be offended by it should not look for it on the Internet. Whoever does not look for the film will not find it, so the public who would be offended by the film can avoid seeing it."

You may have heard or read that there is a trailer of an anti-Islam movie on the Internet, YouTube in particular. But did they come to your door to give you a copy of that movie? Did they force you to sit down and watch that movie? Are you obligated to watch that movie?

You heard or read about it. Then you went looking for it. And then you found it. After that you get angry and run berserk. Apa ni? Apa sebab pergi cari pasal? You go looking for it and then you get upset.

There are many things out there. There are brothels and prostitutes (plus transvestites) walking on the streets and hanging around seedy back lanes and side alleys. There are massage parlours that throw in sex or a hand job/blow job for an extra fee. There are bars, pubs, clubs, etc., where you can go to get drunk plus to pick up girls, boys, lady boys and whatever may turn you on. There are casinos, gambling dens and gaming outlets where you can gamble.

You can find almost anything in this world if you go looking for it and if you know where to find them. There are even gay parties, wife-swapping parties, orgies, 'adult' entertainment centres, nudist colonies, singles resorts, etc. You name it; you can find it -- even sex with cows and goats if that is what turns you on.

So don't go looking for it. And if you go looking for it and find it, don't go and get upset about it. Now, if they come to your home and knock on your door to offer you these 'services', then by all means get upset. Scream, rant and rave if you want since they came to your home to disturb you.

But even then, if they came to my home and knocked on my door I would not get upset. I would either politely refuse them, tell them not to disturb me again, or just not open my door. But I would not bother to run amok, even if they came to my door.

And if they did not come to my door why the hell would I want to go and seek them out and then get upset?

 

Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 03:43 PM PDT

Cina sudah kurang ajar. Cina perlu diajar. Cina sudah lupa 13 Mei. Ini negara Melayu. Agama Malaysia ialah Islam. Sekiranya Cina tak boleh terima ini maka mereka boleh keluar dari Malaysia.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

"It appears like the opposition is not consistent with its stand regarding freedom of speech. When we say something they don't like they whack us. They call us all sorts of foul names. They call us a traitor and turncoat. They call us a Trojan horse." -- RPK.

Whacking, calling foul name, and calling traitor/turncoat might be inflammatory, but they are still covered by freedom of expression under USA 1st Amendment and also re-affirmed by later ruling of US Supreme Court. Alas, we are not USA. Despite we are not USA, we should still appreciate how the freedom of expression can and have prevented monopoly of those in powerful position. How to prevent the over-concentration of power (i.e. the hallmark of dictator)? One of the answers is to protect the right of expression of every citizen; the right must include whacking, calling foul name, and other inflammatory remarks. The freedom of expression includes the right to say stupid things and being bias to "your team". It is that "pain" of freedom of expression that allows powerful counter-weight to those in power position. If we cannot take that "pain" or sacrifice, we can kiss goodbye to democracy. 

"I remember when Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim expressed his personal view and he was whacked kau-kau for that. Does not Tunku Aziz also have a right to his personal view just like Ngeh?" -- RPK.

So is the right of those who whack Tunku Aziz kau-kau. We should stop confuse people about the right of freedom of expression. Whacking someone kau-kau might be bad manners and even politically stupid, but it has not violated the right of Tunku Aziz.

I think I can understand RPK whacking DAP and Pakatan Rakyat asking them to behave. But, confusing people on what is freedom of expression is a great "sin" -- as far as nurturing nascent democracy is concerned. (Comment by Shiou in my article 'How the knife cuts both ways').

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That was what Shiou commented in my article 'How the knife cuts both ways'. Basically, Shiou is of the opinion that freedom of expression means 'no holds barred', anything goes, there are no limits or boundaries to what one can say.

Let's say I buy that. Let's say I go along with what Shiou says -- that freedom of expression means 'no holds barred', anything goes, there are no limits or boundaries to what one can say.

But then, in the same breath, Shiou contradicts himself/herself and concludes that confusing people on what is freedom of expression is a great sin. If Shiou is a propagator of absolute freedom of expression with no limits or boundaries, then how can he/she infer that confusing people is a great sin? There are no sins under absolute freedom of expression, going by Shiou's argument.

Would not whatever I say, even if it is my intention to confuse people, be my freedom of expression? How can Shiou regard a statement meant to confuse people as a great sin? There is no such thing as a sin as far as absolute freedom of expression goes. Everything is fair game -- even a lie, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, distortions, innuendoes, and whatnot. All are kosher. They all come under freedom of expression if we use Shiou's interpretation of no limit to freedom of expression.

Now look at this photograph.

And then read the heading of my article: Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?

I am relating my heading to the photograph above. To Shiou, this Chinese chap is merely expressing himself under his right of freedom of expression by stepping on the photograph of the Prime Minister. I, too, am expressing myself under my right of freedom of expression by saying, "Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?"

Am I making a racist statement? Am I instigating racial hatred? Is what I am doing dangerous considering that racism in Malaysia has reached a dangerous level never seen before since May 1969?

As far as I am concerned I am just applying Shiou's standards and yardstick of freedom of expression. Under your right of freedom of expression there should be no limits or boundary. Anything goes. Everything is kosher. And I do not see that Chinese chap who is stepping on the Prime Minister's photograph as him exercising his freedom of expression. I see it as Chinese arrogance and a challenge to the Malays (cabaran kepada Melayu). Hence I say: Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?

Maybe what I am doing is dangerous. Maybe what I am doing may trigger racial discord. It may even expose Malaysia to the danger of racial conflict and violence. But that is not important. What is important is that I am expressing my view under my right of freedom of expression. What I am doing may result in deaths, maybe even hundreds or thousands of deaths. But can we allow that possibility to stand in the way of freedom of expression?

Cina sudah kurang ajar. Cina perlu diajar. Cina sudah lupa 13 Mei. Ini negara Melayu. Agama Malaysia ialah Islam. Sekiranya Cina tak boleh terima ini maka mereka boleh keluar dari Malaysia.

Yes, that statement, too, is covered under my right of absolute freedom of expression. So how can you say it is malicious, seditious, vicious and mischievous? Under freedom of expression, as Shiou says, there are no limits. There are no boundaries. Everything goes. All is kosher.

 

Talk is cheap

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 04:33 PM PDT

And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Kalau takut pada risiko, usah bicara tentang perjuangan.

Kalau takut dipukul ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

There is a reason why Muslims fast for 30 days during the month of Ramadhan. It is to teach, train and condition yourself to endure pain and suffering, resist temptation and lust, and to enter into a mental state of tolerance and patience. Many Muslims who seldom pray or do not pray at all would still fast. You rejoice when the month of Ramadhan arrives and you gladly deny your body its desires. In short, you abstain from worldly needs and distractions.

Muslims also have to pray five times a day. And to be able to pray five times a day on a very rigid schedule means you must also have discipline. You must also live with inconvenience because no matter whether you are travelling on a journey or locked in a meeting you must always find the time to pray, even when it is not really convenient to do so. Even if you are sick in bed you will wake up to pray and then go back to sleep.

Hence facing and tolerating inconvenience is a daily routine for you and you endure it not with a sigh of regret but with a willing heart and joy. You look forward to your prayers, as you do your fasting.

Humans have needs and urges. Humans have passion and emotion. Humans suffer thirst and hunger. Humans suffer vanity, ego, anger, lust, fear, envy, greed, jealousy, and much more. But all these need to be suppressed. There are only two things you are allowed to feel: patience and tolerance. Everything else need to be set aside.

Considering that these are the objectives and ideals of fasting and praying five times a day, those who comply to these tenets or rituals should have been taught, trained and conditioned to become marvellous human beings. If by the time you are, say, 30, and you have been praying five times a day and fasting for 30 days every year since you were in standard one, you would have been programmed to smile under duress and under any provocative situation.

This, however, does not appear to be so. In spite of all that training, Muslims still have a very short fuse and will fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. They will become very violent and will easily resort to physical action when rubbed the wrong way, however mild that provocation may be. Muslims give the impression that they are a time bomb just waiting to explode.

This is the greatest contradiction you will find in Muslims. Their lips would constantly utter words such as berjaung (struggle), korban (sacrifice), sabar (patience cum tolerance), etc. But it is only lip service. It is not something in their hearts. It makes you wonder whether their prayers and fasting have done any good. Would they have been better off smoking marijuana and doing meditation? At least those who do would preach love, tolerance and peace although they may not believe in Allah or Prophet Muhammad.

The 'turn the other cheek' doctrine is nonexistent for most Muslims. They do not even practice the concept of 'an eye for an eye'. It is more like 'your whole head for an eye' dogma.

Hence we are seeing the violent reaction all over the world at what Muslims perceive as an insult to Prophet Muhammad. The irony of this whole thing is that those who are punished are not really the culprits. We punish other people for something someone else did. If an Indonesian robs us in Bangsar we bomb Jakarta although that particular Indonesian who robbed us may be living in Petaling Jaya.

Malays/Muslims are not the only ones who demonstrate hypocrisy, though. Chinese, Indians, natives of East Malaysia, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., are also the same. They talk about struggle and sacrifice. But struggle and sacrifice are what they expect others to do. They themselves would not do all this.

They understand that struggle and sacrifice work hand-in-glove. One can't exist without the other. But are they prepared to endure one for the sake of the other? Very few Malaysians would although they accuse others of violating this basic principle of the cause.

Okay, we want change. We want to see the end of Barisan Nasional rule. We want to see a new government. And we want Pakatan Rakyat to be that new government.

I can buy that. I have no problems with that. I am prepared to struggle for that. I am even prepared to sacrifice for that. But are you? Are you people who are screaming and shouting about change prepared to also struggle and sacrifice to see this change happen? Or do you want others to do the struggling and sacrificing so that you can be spared this inconvenience?

Actually, the majority of you are all talk. Mere hot air. Very few of you are prepared to struggle and sacrifice. You talk about struggle and sacrifice, no doubt. But you talk about it in the context of what you expect others to do, not what you are prepared to do.

And most of you will deny this. And you will get very angry if I were to suggest this. You are noble and sincere and how dare I accuse you otherwise? But most of you are actually a load of bullshit. And to make matters worse you do not even realise you are a load of bullshit.

So you are noble and sincere, are you? You are prepared to struggle and sacrifice, are you? You want to see change, do you? Well, let's see.

Are the Malays prepared to drop the Islamic State and Hudud agenda in favour of a Secular State for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the Islamic State and Hudud agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Chinese prepared to drop their Chinese school and mother-tongue education agenda in favour of national schools for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Indians prepared to drop their Hindu agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the East Malaysians prepared to drop the 18/20-Point Agreements and accept federalisation for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to drop the New Economic Policy in favour of meritocracy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the New Economic Policy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to drop the Monarchy in favour of a Republic for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Are the Malays prepared to accept a woman or non-Malay Prime Minister for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat?

Rest assured the above are but a few examples. My list can go on and on if you wish to include the rights of gays, conversion of Muslims to other religions, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia, English as the language of the Federation, and so much more. But I trust even these few examples demonstrate what I mean.

And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere.

And you got the bloody cheek to scream at me for not being true to the cause and for refusing to join the fight for change? How can you expect me to join a group that comprise of a whole bunch of hypocrites?

 

Siege mentality and conditioning of the mind

Posted: 16 Sep 2012 05:03 PM PDT

Unless we stop indoctrinating or brainwashing Muslim children we are never going to solve the problem. Muslims will always view any act as an attack against Islam that requires a hostile and violent response. When you train dogs to attack they will attack. When you train children, who are more intelligent than dogs, that violence is the only legitimate and appropriate response against the 'enemies of Islam', then expect that to happen.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Tantawi, motivasi dan akhlak perjuangan

Hidup di landasan perjuangan Islam ini tidak mudah. Hakikatnya, tiada siapa kata perjuangan Islam ini mudah. Dengan berbekalkan ketaqwaan dan keimanan pada Allah, ramai yang cuba menempuh perjuangan ini.

Namun, tanpa ketaqwaan dan keimanan kepada Allah yang kuat beserta kemahiran memotivasikan diri sendiri, ramai yang tersungkur.

Ramai yang menarik diri di pertengahan jalan.

Ramai yang terpengaruh dengan kesenangan duniawi, dan mengatakan kepada diri sendiri, ada orang lain yang bakal meneruskan perjuangan ini.

Ada pula yang menggunakan jalan terpesong untuk memperjuangkan agama Allah, yang akhirnya bukan dia saja yang tersungkur malah Islam terpalit dengan nama buruk akibat "perjuangan" beliau.

Ada ramai yang menyatakan mereka sedang memperjuangkan Islam. Namun, apabila ditanya apakah perjuangan Islam? Jawapan yang didengari cukup berbeza. (READ MORE HERE)

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

Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi, the PAS youth leader, has just launched his new book called 'Catatan Seorang Pejuang' -- translated to 'Notes (or Diary) of a Fighter (or Warrior)'. The subtitle for that book is: 'No one said the Islamic struggle (or fight) is easy'.

Have you noticed that Muslims like using the word pejuang, berjuang or perjuangan together with the word Islam? Where you find the word Islam you will find the word pejuang, berjuang or perjuangan.

Perjuangan or berjuang means war, battle, struggle, fight, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, resist, wrestle, grapple, strive, labour, strain, toil, fight back, etc. Basically, it is a word that implies offence, not defence.

This is very important to note in trying to understand the mindset of Muslims -- Malays included, of course. Islam is seen as something that requires some sort of fighting or conflict. You can't be a Muslim unless you are prepared to enter into a conflict or engage in a struggle or fight.

Muslim kids learn the term perjuangan Islam long before they learn what Birkin handbags means. In fact, some Muslims like me learned what Birkin handbags (made by Hermès) meant only by the time we were past 60. But at six we already knew about perjuangan Islam.

Muslims are indoctrinated and conditioned at a very early, impressionable and tender age that Islam equates to conflict. They develop a siege mentality and are made to believe that Islam is consistently under attack and hence every Muslim needs to be a soldier -- just like every Christian was a 'soldier of Christ' 500 years or more ago.

In short, Muslims are perpetually on 'war mode'. And this is because they have been brainwashed into believing that Islam is 'at war'. Hence any criticism (or perceived insult) of Islam is seen as an act of war. And any act of war requires a hostile and physical response. Hence, also, any retaliation involving violence is seen as a legitimate and appropriate response.

When you train dogs to attack in response to just one word, 'attack', these highly trained dogs would attack when commanded to do so. Even animals can be conditioned to take someone's life at a mere one-word command. What would you expect, therefore, from more intelligent mammals that have been trained for 20 or 30 years that we are at war and that our religion is under siege and when under attack we need to retaliate?

The fact that the PAS youth leader writes a book with such a title gives you a pretty good idea about what flows through his mind. (To be fair, though, I have not yet read the contents of the book so I am 'judging the book by the cover', so to speak).

Nevertheless, the title of the book reflects the conditioning or indoctrination that the writer has received. And books such as these will in turn condition or indoctrinate other Muslims. Hence we will have a whole Muslim community (Ummah) that builds its foundation of Islamic values on the basis that Islam is perpetually on war mode and every act is perceived as a coordinated conspiracy against Islam.

It is, therefore, very difficult to find Muslims who are 'cool' about what they perceive as a criticism of Islam (I emphasis the word 'perceive'). Muslims are always 'hot'. In fact, every criticism, never mind how mild, is perceived as an insult. And even if you criticise the conduct of Muslims it is seen as a criticism of the religion itself and of the Prophet Muhammad.

Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi is the PAS youth leader. And he is the PAS youth leader because there are many party members who support him. If not he would not be able to become the party youth leader. That means there are many more people who think like him. If not they would not have voted for him.

Hence Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi is not alone or in the minority. And the fact that his book is being well received is further proof that many others think just like him.

Unless we stop indoctrinating or brainwashing Muslim children we are never going to solve the problem. Muslims will always view any act as an attack against Islam that requires a hostile and violent response. When you train dogs to attack they will attack. When you train children, who are more intelligent than dogs, that violence is the only legitimate and appropriate response against the 'enemies of Islam', then expect that to happen.

Now, after writing this article, do you really think I can still go back to Malaysia?

 

Track them and mark them

Posted: 15 Sep 2012 05:20 PM PDT

Some of you less-religious people might not comprehend why the government needs to go through all this trouble of detecting LGBTs. Well, the answer is simple, really. The Bible tells us stories of how God destroyed LGBTs. Hence if we follow the Bible then we too must destroy LGBTs. And Muslims also follow what the Bible says. In fact, quite a bit of what is in the Bible is also in the Qur'an.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Psychologists slam guidelines to track LGBT as being harmful

(The Star) - The so-called guidelines to help parents and teachers track lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) symptoms in their children have stereotyped the group, experts and psychologists here said.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Sim Joo Seng said the sexuality of a person may not be established until late puberty.

"Giving guidelines to teachers who are untrained to do so is a dangerous move."

"Even trained psychologists and adolescent psychiatrists have to assess properly when dealing with sexual problems," he said, commenting on the guidelines that were distributed at a parental seminar in Penang on Thursday.

The guidelines, among others, cautioned parents about their sons wearing tight V-neck shirts and bright coloured attire and their daughters being frequently seen in the company of certain girls while ignoring others.

Dr Sim said the guidelines stereotyped the LGBT community and could lead to bigger problems such as discrimination and intimidation.

Clinical psychologist Sylvester Lim likened the guidelines to "a ridiculous attempt" to describe the LGBT community without any supporting research.

The Congress of Teaching Services in National Education (Kongres), however, has come out in support of the guidelines as "these help teachers to solve problems of youths with LGBT tendencies".

Congress president Jemale Paiman said: "LGBT is not suitable for our Malaysian culture and we want to help those who have this problem."

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

Hell, I just love sleeveless T-shirts. I also love tight Lycra shorts, when I run or cycle, of course -- because they prevent sores, which later turn septic. I also love bright colours, especially my Polo shirts.

"So, do you think I'm gay?" I asked my wife.

"I suspect you are a lesbian," my wife told me.

"Lesbian? But I am a man."

"You love women, right?"

"Well…yes…" I replied cautiously, wondering whether I was about to walk into a trap with my 'confession'.

"Well, lesbians love women. So that makes you a lesbian."

Hmm…that makes sense. That's sort of 'Malaysian thinking' type of logic. Since you are not happy with Pakatan Rakyat then that makes you a Barisan Nasional supporter. It cannot be any other way.

But what if you are not happy with BOTH Pakatan Rakyat and Basisan Nasional? That cannot be. You can only be unhappy with one of them. If you are not happy with one of them then you must be a supporter of the other.

Yes, very logical thinking indeed. So if I am not happy with Muslims killing United States Ambassadors about a movie that the US Ambassador was not involved with then that makes me a Christian.

Okay, so the Malaysian government regard LGBTs as the scum of society and the government is going to try to detect children with LGBT tendencies. And why do we want to detect LGBTs at this very early age? Simple. If we can track them then we can mark them.

Tracking them is one thing, though. But how do we mark them? I mean it is pointless to track them if we do not mark them. So how do we mark them after tracking them? I suppose the government will come out with a workable system soon. Maybe we can brand them like cattle.

Some of you less-religious people might not comprehend why the government needs to go through all this trouble of detecting LGBTs. Well, the answer is simple, really. The Bible tells us stories of how God destroyed LGBTs. Hence if we follow the Bible then we too must destroy LGBTs. And Muslims also follow what the Bible says. In fact, quite a bit of what is in the Bible is also in the Qur'an.

Hence tracking and marking LGBTs, in fact, destroying LGBTs, is what God did and what God wants us to do. So we are doing God's work by declaring war on LGBTs.

I know, I know, some of you 'thinking people' are now going to argue that if God hates LGBTs so much then why did He create them? Hey, if you start talking like that then we can also ask the Jews if only the Jews are the 'chosen people' then why did God not create everyone as Jews? How come the Jews are the minority while the Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., far outnumber the Jews?

So those types of question do not make sense. Just accept the fact that god hates all non-Jews and LGBTs and that is why God created more non-Jews and LGBTs than straight Jews.

Hence, with that spirit as the backdrop, let us hunt down LGBTs, detect them, and mark them. Then, once we have completed that exercise, we can up the ante by tracking down and marking the rest of the scourge of society.

If it is not that difficult to track down children with LGBT tendencies, it is also not that difficult to track down children with other unnatural and evil tendencies.

I mean God not only hates LGBTs. God also hates straight people who indulge in sex outside marriage, adulterers, corrupted people, murderers, people who abuse their power, swindlers, robbers, cheats, thieves, liars, and so on. These people are equally hated just like LGBTs. So children who have the tendency to one day grow up to become these types of people need to be detected at that early age while they are still at school.

It is good that finally we are getting rid of LGBTs. They pervert and corrupt society. And so do straight people who indulge in sex outside marriage, adulterers, corrupted people, murderers, people who abuse their power, swindlers, robbers, cheats, thieves, liars, and so on. All these people need to be detected or tracked at an early age before they become a problem and then we mark them so that everyone will know who they are and what they are.

 

It’s in the genes

Posted: 14 Sep 2012 05:36 PM PDT

So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh!

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Anti-Islam film protests spread to Sydney

(AFP) -- Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Sydney on Saturday, as a wave of unrest against a film that mocks Islam spread to Australia, with bottles and shoes hurled outside the US consulate.

Furious protests targeting symbols of US influence flared in cities across the Muslim world on Friday in retaliation for a crude film made in the United States by a right-wing Christian group that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed.

At least six protesters died in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Sudan as police there battled to defend American missions from mobs of stone-throwers, and Washington deployed US Marines to protect its embassies in Libya and Yemen.

In Sydney, Saturday shoppers looked on in surprise as protesters, including children, shouted "Down, down USA" and waved banners such as "Behead all those who insult the prophet".

"We are sick and tired of everyone mocking our beloved prophet," protester Houda Dib told AFP, as the crowd of about 500 gathered outside the US consulate.

"They have no right to mock our prophet. We don't go around mocking anyone's religion."

"They call us the terrorists," protester Sarah Jacob said. "But everyone is terrorising our people."

Demonstrators were pushed back from the steps outside the consulate by police, provoking anger among some in the crowd, many of whom had brought their children with them.

"They were aggravating the situation by pushing our brothers," Dib said. "This is supposed to be a peaceful protest."

The protesters later moved to nearby Hyde Park, where one speaker called for calm, saying the aim of their protest had been to send a message.

"We are here for the sake of our god," he said. "The message is clear, you cannot mock (the prophet)."

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

Yes, the Muslims are outraged. From Australia to Rusila (PAS President Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang's hometown) Muslims are rising up in anger because of that movie that allegedly insults Prophet Muhammad. They say the movie is called 'Innocence of Muslims'.

I don't really know what that movie is about because I have not seen it yet. In fact, not a single Muslim from amongst those thousands of outraged Muslims all over the world has seen that movie either. They just heard about this movie and they also heard that the movie is insulting to Prophet Muhammad.

Should they not wait first until the movie is released and then go and see it before coming to a conclusion whether the movie really is insulting to Prophet Muhammad or not?

I doubt that can happen. Not a single Muslim would be prepared to go see that movie. In fact, they will not even allow the movie to be screened. And if any cinema defies this ban and tries to show the movie that cinema would most likely be firebombed with a Molotov cocktail or someone like that.

I mean, how many of you, Muslim or non-Muslim, would dare go to the cinema to see that movie, even it were allowed to be shown, and face the risk of that cinema being bombed with you trapped inside it? I am sure even if they offer you free entry you will still not want to go anywhere near that cinema, let alone go inside it.

You may think that Muslims all over the world are stupid. You may think that this is déjà vu of Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses'. Remember when Muslims all over the world were outraged and a death sentence was passed on Salman Rushdie? However, again, not a single outraged Muslim had actually read that book.

So how do they know that that book is insulting to Prophet Muhammad? Well, they heard people say. So, based on what people say, action must be taken. People must be killed. Buildings must be burned. Muslims must demonstrate their outrage.

It make Muslims sound stupid, don't you think so? They foam at the mouth and burn and kill based on what they hear, not based on what they witnessed. Only stupid people would foam at the mouth and get outraged to the point of madness because of the rumours they heard whereas they have not actually witnessed it themselves to confirm whether the story is true or not.

Actually, not only Muslims are like this. Most people, non-Muslims included, are the same. And Malaysians are sometimes worse than those from the other countries.

Take my case as an example. I too have been condemned like there is no tomorrow based on what people heard. Take my TV3 interview as a case in point. The majority of those who condemn me had not actually seen the TV3 news. In fact, they boycott TV3 and refuse to watch the news on that station.

So how do they know what I said in that interview? Well, they heard certain people say. In fact, these people who are saying it also did not watch TV3. They read on the Internet that so-and-so read in Utusan Malaysia that TV3 said so-and-so and I was alleged to have said that.

In short, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……

Yes, that was how it went. And we are not talking about outraged and stupid Muslims here. We are talking about very clever and highly educated Chinese, Indians, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists who reacted because a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……

Let me relate a story about a lawyer friend of mine meeting another lawyer friend of his at the Selangor Club, both Indians. The second lawyer was whacking me and my lawyer friend tried to explain what really happened. But this second Indian lawyer went on and on about how I had done a U-turn.

My lawyer friend got so pissed he asked this second lawyer whether he had read my Statutory Declaration and the other Indian bugger replied that he refuses to read it.

So there you have it. He had not read my Statutory Declaration and he absolutely refuses to read it. However, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……and that is good enough for him.

So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh!

Yes, I know, I have read some of your comments regarding the demonstrations by Muslims all over the world. And your comments are about how stupid Muslims are. In fact, some of those comments are so downright nasty that I have had to delete them.

If I wanted to hurt Pakatan Rakyat all I needed to do was to allow those comments. Then we can see the Malays punish Pakatan Rakyat come the next election. I mean, you cannot post such nasty and arrogant comments and not expect retaliation.

Yes, I know, I know, freedom of speech means you have the right to insult Malays, Muslims and Islam. But if I were to say you are stupid for believing in 'hell money' and for believing that white ang pows during Chinese New Year bring bad luck you will scream that I am an insensitive racist.

I suppose this explains why you people regard Barisan Nasional people who join Pakatan Rakyat as patriots while the Pakatan Rakyat people who join Barisan Nasional are traitors.

 

To hell and back

Posted: 12 Sep 2012 03:59 PM PDT

The perpetrator who sent Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong the 'hell' notes is finally arrested and is put on trial. This is the second day of the hearing and Chua has taken to stand to testify.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Police report lodged over hell notes

(Bernama) -- Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong has lodged a police report after receiving a letter containing four pieces of 'hell' notes and a Chinese newspaper cutting.

The MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief said the newspaper cutting, among others, touched on his challenge to debate with Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim on the Talam Corporation Bhd (Talam) debt restructuring.

He believed the 'hell' notes, each supposedly worth 'eight billion', was a warning to him not to pursue the debate," he told reporters after lodging a report at the Putrajaya police headquarters here today.

Earlier, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had also received two pieces of 'hell' notes with a newspaper cutting.

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

Yang Berhormat, can you please look at the copy of this police report and confirm that this is the police report you made on 12th September 2012 and that that is your signature on the police report.

Yes, I confirm.

So, Yang Berhormat, you reported that some unknown person or persons had sent you four hell notes with a total 'value' of RM32 billion.

Yes.

But why did you make the police report?

Because they sent me those hell notes.

I know they allegedly sent you the hell notes. But why did you make a police report? What is so wrong with sending you hell notes? What is the crime here?

Ah…in Chinese culture it is very insulting and offensive to send a live person hell notes.

So you feel insulted or offended that they sent you hell notes because you are not dead yet. If you were dead then you would welcome these hell notes. You would not feel insulted or offended.

Ah…well…yes.

Has it harmed you in any way?

I don't understand.

Has this caused you bodily harm or financial loss?

Ah…no.

So it only affected your feelings?

Yes.

Is it a criminal offense to hurt someone's feelings?

Yes.

So if I don't invite you for my daughter's wedding and I hurt your feelings I can be sent to jail?

Ah...no.

So where is the criminal offense in sending you hell notes other than the person hurt your feelings?

Hurting someone's feelings is wrong.

So, sending you hell notes hurt your feelings and it is a criminal offense to hurt your feelings. Okay, how do you know that these are hell notes?

Ah…I recognise them.

Yes, but how do you know that they are hell notes? Is the word 'hell' printed on these notes?

Ah…no.

So the word 'hell' is not printed on the notes that were sent to you but you recognised them as hell notes?

Yes.

Was not the word 'Diyu' printed on these notes that you have referred to as hell notes?

Yes.

And does not 'Diyu' mean 'underground prison' or 'underground court'?

Ah…yes.

So there is nothing to show that the notes you received are hell notes. In fact, what is printed on these notes is 'underground prison' or 'underground court' and not 'hell'.

Ah…yes…but…

Okay, Yang Berhormat, do you believe in hell?

Yes.

Are you a Christian?

No.

You are not a Christian but you believe in hell?

Yes.

But is not hell a Christian concept? In Chinese culture, there is no such thing as hell. The concept of hell was introduced to China by the Christian missionaries a few hundred years ago whereas Chinese civilisation goes back 5,000 years, or 3,000 years before Christianity. Is this not correct? So there is no such thing as hell in Chinese beliefs.

I am not sure.

In fact, according to Chinese beliefs, when you die you get sent to the Earthly Court where the Lord of the Earthly Court will judge you and then, according to what the court rules, you will either be sent to heaven or to a maze of underground chambers where you serve your sentence for the sins you have committed. Hence hell does not exist. Correct?

I suppose so.

Hence, also, since hell does not exist, then hell notes also cannot exist.

Ah…

And since hell notes do not exist and you made a police report alleging that someone had sent you hell notes I put it to you that you have made a false police report and thus should face charges for this crime.

How can like that….

Yang Arif, I call upon the court to drop the charges against my client since the complainant has made a false police report against my client alleging that my client offended him by sending him hell notes whereas hell does not exist in Chinese beliefs and hence hell notes also cannot possibly exist and the complainant cannot be offended by something that is non-existent.

 

It’s only symbolic

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 04:16 PM PDT

We tend to get too uptight too easily. We should relax a bit and not take life too seriously. It is good that people resort to symbolism rather than carry guns and bombs. I mean, burning Qur'ans, burning flags, keris-kissing, stepping on photographs, dragging cow heads and pig heads, etc., hurt no one. No symbolic act hurts anyone for that matter.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Before that, I just want to inform you not to send any more money meant for Nurul Izzah Anwar's election fund to the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) bank account in London. The Committee is not too happy about it and is concerned that MCLM may suffer the same fate as Suaram.

So far, slightly over RM1,100 has come in from four people and that money will be redirected to the Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai account. But let that be all. No more please.

With regards to the plan to set up a Pakatan Rakyat election fund, if you can remember, I mentioned that I was going to speak to a lawyer to set up a Board of Trustees to handle this. Unfortunately, probably after they saw what happened to Suaram, no one dares get involved.

I had planned to get about 3-5 professionals such as lawyers and accountants to set up a Board of Trustees and then open a bank account where you can send your donations to -- to be called the Pakatan Rakyat Election Fund. Of course, for purposes of transparency and accountability -- what we are asking Barisan Nasional and Umno to do -- we would have to publicise who these people are so that members of the public will know that their donations will not be abused or misused.

No one dares lend his/her name to this exercise, though. If their names are kept confidential and can remain a secret, they have no problems getting involved. But if their names are going to be made public, then they would rather not get involved. However, for purposes of transparency and accountability, we cannot keep the names of the Board of Trustees a secret. Or else how will the donors know that their donations are safe?

Well, I did try. I thought if we could raise some money for Pakatan Rakyat this would help in the election effort. I suppose most would rather secretly donate in cash with no records to link it back to them. Hence, if you still wish to donate anything, then go seek out your favourite political party or wakil rakyat yourself and just give them cash.

Now, today I want to talk about Malaysians getting very upset with symbolism. I am, of course, referring to the recent Merdeka celebration where one girl stepped on the photograph of Malaysia's Prime Minister and the young chap who took off his pants to 'show his naked bum' to the Prime Minister while the enthusiastic crowd cheered them on and applauded.

Actually, the Prime Minister should step in and direct the police to drop this case. Why arrest, handcuff and charge these kids? They did not actually (physically) step on anyone's face. What they did is an act of symbolism and we should not get upset with symbolic acts. Tolerating acts of symbolism would be a demonstration of maturity and surely Malaysians are matured enough to allow acts of symbolism without getting upset about them.

Look at some of the photographs below. Umno Youth has done the keris-kissing ritual many times. I am sure the Chinese view this as merely a symbolic act and not something that they should get upset about. I am confident that the Chinese are cool with this keris-kissing ritual and would not vote opposition just because of this.

Then there was the cow head protest in front of the Selangor State Secretariat building. Again, the Indians/Hindus are able to accept this as merely a symbolic act and not something to lose any sleep over. I am sure the Indians/Hindus just laughed it off and never gave it a second thought.

If you can see below that, many Muslims all over the world have done the United States flag-burning protest. The government allowed it. These flag-burning protestors were not shot with tear gas or arrested. Everyone took it as merely a symbolic act. Even America did not get upset or send a protest note to these governments.

Then we had the pig's head protest in front of a mosque in France, which you can see below. Two pigs' heads were placed in front of the mosque, not in the mosque, so no harm done. This was just like the cow head protest in front of the Selangor State Secretariat building, a mere symbolic act, which the Malaysian government did not consider a serious act.

Then there were the Qur'an burning and Qur'an in the toilet protests. Again, this was only a symbolic act and no harm done. These people were just exercising their right to protest and their right to freedom of expression. After all, the Qur'an is just a book like any other book, so why get upset?

As a matured society, we should allow freedom of expression and freedom to protest. We should not get upset with symbolic acts. I mean, if Muslims drag cow heads, non-Muslims can always drag pig heads. If Christians burn Qur'ans and put them in toilets, Muslims can always do the same with Bibles.

We should actually treat all this light-heartedly. Just laugh it off. Maybe you can also do the same in a tit-for-tat move. No one who is matured is going to get angry. They might even enjoy it and regard it as fun.

We tend to get too uptight too easily. We should relax a bit and not take life too seriously. It is good that people resort to symbolism rather than carry guns and bombs. I mean, burning Qur'ans, burning flags, keris-kissing, stepping on photographs, dragging cow heads and pig heads, etc., hurt no one. No symbolic act hurts anyone for that matter.

 
Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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Malaysia’s Coming Election: Beyond Communalism?

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 11:53 AM PDT

http://beritasemasa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/General-Election-Malaysia.jpg

International Crisis Group

Malaysia's thirteenth general election, which Prime Minister Najib Razak will have to call by April 2013, could be a watershed in communal relations. More than ever before, there is a chance, albeit a very small one, that opposition parties running on issues of transparency, economic equity and social justice could defeat the world's longest continually-elected political coalition, the National Front (Barisan Nasional), that has based its support on a social compact among the country's Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. That compact, granting Malays preferential status in exchange for security and economic growth, has grown increasingly stale as the growing middle class demands more of its leaders. Both ruling party and opposition are using images of the Arab Spring – the former to warn of chaos if it is not returned to power, the latter to warn of popular unrest unless political change comes faster.

Social and demographic change, coupled with effective opposition leadership and the rise of a broad-based movement for electoral reform, are likely to make this election at the very least a close contest. The ruling coalition, composed of the dominant United Malays Nationalist Organisation (UMNO); the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA); and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), as well as several smaller parties, faces the People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat), composed of the People's Justice Party (Partai Keadilan Rakyat, PKR), led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim; the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Partai Islam Se-Malaysia, PAS). More than ever before, the swing vote may be the Malay middle ground: urban professionals, students and "netizens" – internet users – who have benefited from constitutionally-protected preferential status for Malays but who are tired of cronyism and corruption and are chafing under the tight controls on civil liberties.

The deck is stacked against the opposition for many reasons, not least because of an electoral system based on questionable voting rolls and carefully gerrymandered, single-representative constituencies where victory requires only a plurality (first past the post). Demands for a more level playing field gave rise in 2007 to a broad-based civil society movement, the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, known as Bersih (Clean), that has held four mass street rallies drawing tens of thousands of participants: in November 2007; July 2011; April 2012 and August 2012. The first three were broken up by police with hundreds of arrests. In the third, violence on the part of a few participants led to harsh police counter-actions and allegations of brutality. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, now retired but leading UMNO's ultra-conservatives from the sidelines, has been warning Malaysians to expect more violence in the streets if the opposition loses.

The big issues are the economy, corruption and political reform. Bread-and-butter topics matter most to the electorate, and Barisan's vast resources enable it to dole out economic favours to strategic constituencies in the lead-up to the election. The opposition is getting plenty of mileage out of corruption scandals involving top UMNO officials, although UMNO is fighting back with legal challenges and defamation suits. Political reform is seen by both sides as a political winner. Prime Minister Najib has rolled back or reworked some of the draconian legislation – most notably the colonial-era Internal Security Act (ISA) – that Mahathir used to curb dissent during his 22 years in power, but the opposition denounces it as too little, too late.

Two huge issues are largely off the official agendas of both coalitions but dominate them in many ways. One is the preferred treatment for Malays in virtually all spheres of public life and whether opening political space and promoting social justice would diminish that status. The ultra-conservatives within UMNO are determined to protect Malay rights at all costs. The other is the question of Islamic law and religious tolerance. Under Mahathir, Malaysia embarked on a program of Islamisation of the government and bureaucracy, culminating in his declaration of an Islamic state in 2001. PAS, once known for a hardline Islamist agenda, is now led by pragmatists who are willing to put contentious issues like Islamic criminal justice on hold, at least temporarily, in the interests of trying to defeat Barisan. But neither side is above trying to scare non-Malay communities, particularly the Chinese, by predicting greater intolerance if the other wins. Within the opposition coalition, relations between PAS and the Chinese-dominated DAP remain fragile.

Both sides are furiously making calculations about tactics to win seats, tailoring their message to the communities concerned. The two eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak could be kingmakers, because they control 25 per cent of the available seats.

Ultimately the question Malaysians will have to answer on election day is which of the two choices will be better able to accommodate political change, while protecting minorities against the hardline forces that more openness can produce.

Read at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-east-asia/malaysia/235-malaysias-coming-election-beyond-communalism.aspx

Traditional Medicine Act 2012: Has the government lost its marbles?

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 11:49 AM PDT

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Dr-Michael-Jeyakumar-Devaraj.jpg

What does the tabling of this Act reveal about our government? First of all, it shows that they have extremely poor planning capacities — could they not have formulated a less ambitious and less intrusive piece of legislation. Another feature this Act reveals is the over-riding desire to CONTROL.

Jeyakumar Devaraj, The Malaysian Insider

Sigmund Freud in his heyday would put his patients on the couch and invite them to relax and recount their dreams. This technique was, in Freud's hands, a window into their subconsciousness — a peek into the passions and unconscious motives that determined these patients' actions. We do not have such access to the dreams — or should it be nightmares? — of our venerable BN leaders. But we have an equally useful window to peek into at their collective subconsciousness — the strange laws that they sometimes bring to Parliament!

On September 24, we in Parliament witnessed the tabling of a law to regulate traditional medical practitioners. There is nothing wrong with the intention to keep track of and provide some regulation to traditional medical practitioners. But the law being proposed makes a quantum leap from a regime of almost no supervision to one where there is excessive supervision!

Section 3 of the new Act defines traditional medicine as any "form of health related practice designed to prevent, treat or manage illness or preserve the mental and physical well-being of an individual". The Act then goes on to say that all those practising traditional medicine have to be registered under the Council being set up under this Act. This Council has the power to register, provisionally register (section 22), prescribe training or apprenticeship requirements (section 5e) and issue practising certificates (section 5g). What takes the cake is section 25 that states that any person who practises any form of traditional medicine without first obtaining a practising certificate from the Council "commits an offence liable to a fine of not more than RM30,000 and/or imprisonment for up to two years"!

I managed to intervene when the Umno member for Ledang was extolling the benefits of this Act and commending the government for its far-sightedness. Don't you think, I asked him, that this Act puts a terribly onerous burden on the director-general of Health, who is designated as the chairman of the Council that gives out practising certificates to the traditional practitioners? If he gives a particular traditional practitioner a practising certificate, it gives the impression that the Ministry of Health recognises and endorses that modality of treatment. If, on the other hand, the director-general turns down the request for a licence to practise, that practitioner cannot practise legally and is open to all sorts of penalties — surely he will be unhappy with the director-general. Isn't this a terrible burden to place upon a civil servant, I asked.

The Honourable Member for Ledang seemed a little taken aback. I think the minister will answer that, he responded. Then, seeing the smiles on our side of the chamber, he went on to say defensively that we have to make a start somewhere and that the smaller issues can be sorted out as we go. But that is the issue isn't it — ideally, we should start at the beginning. We should first start monitoring and then registering the traditional practitioners in a non-compulsive manner, and only later certify those modalities that the ministry is confident about endorsing. Here we are plunging into the deep end by seeking to regulate all traditional medicine modalities from the word go!

I intervened again when Tian Chua was speaking — sometimes it is easier to do so than to get the Speaker to recognise one's intention to speak. Wouldn't it be better, I asked, for the ministry to make registration voluntary at this stage. Some of those registered, who the Council is confident about, can be officially certified. The practitioner could then display the ministry certification in his place of practice. And the government could tell the people that they should be careful when the traditional practitioner does not display a Health Ministry certification.

Then, looking directly at the health minister, I said don't bite off more than you can chew. The ministry does not have the expertise to evaluate the numerous different branches of traditional practice that can be found in our multiracial society. Why don't you take things step by step instead of taking on so much upon yourself? Our health minister has extremely good PR — he will listen, seemingly intently and then will nod and write something on his notepad. That's what he did again on September 24. My experience is that nothing much results after all the intensive listening and note-taking.

Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/traditional-medicine-act-2012-has-the-government-lost-its-marbles-jeyakumar-devaraj/

Don’t be complacent, Lim warns Pakatan

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 01:46 AM PDT

The chief minister says he will ask all Pakatan parties to submit reports on preparations for the general election.

Athi Shankar, FMT

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has cautioned Pakatan Rakyat to view seriously Umno's boast of 3-3-3-1 winning formula for Barisan Nasional to recapture Penang.

Lim, the DAP secretary-general, is concerned that Umno confidence could be boosted by complacency among Pakatan Rakyat leaders and members.

Observers have speculated that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would call for general election next year.

But Lim, the state Pakatan chairman, is not taking things for granted.

He will ask all Pakatan parties – DAP, PKR and PAS – to submit their respective full report soon on their election preparation.

"Umno may be correct as Penang Pakatan's machinery is not in full election mode. Pakatan must view Umno's confidence seriously," Lim said in a statement here today.

Yesterday, Umno vice-president and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed confidence on the 3-3-3-1 winning formula. in which Umno would win three seats more while retaining its current 11 state seats in Penang.

MCA and Gerakan will win three seats each while MIC will win one seat to bring BN's total to 21, enough to knock Pakatan off its perch and recapture the state government by a one-seat majority in the 40-seat State Legislative Assembly.

Lim said Umno's confidence could arise because the Election Commission (EC) is its obedient tool and it also controls the mainstream media to spread lies against Pakatan.

He said the manipulation of EC to serve BN's political interests was well-recorded, with top EC officials being exposed as Umno members.

He also took the mainstream media to task for carrying out sustained personal attacks against Pakatan leaders based on racism, and outright lies of corruption and sexual misconduct.

"Even my own family members including my under-aged son have not been spared from such vicious lies," said Lim, the Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman.

He said Umno is talking about regaining ground among Chinese, Indian and Malay voters because there is now a blackout of Pakatan leaders in all the mainstream media.

For instance, he said some newspapers have refused to publish details of his house tenancy agreement when he revealed it recently in the interests of transparency.

He also said the newspapers did not publish Pakatan's requests to BN leaders to reveal their tenancy or purchases of luxury homes.

"The blackout will be total come election time," Lim said.

 

"Oops, My Bad," says Chegubard on 1Malaysia exercise book article

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 05:47 PM PDT

(Malaysian Digest) - Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Rembau division chief Badrul Hisham Shahrin has admitted that he made a mistake in lambasting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the alleged distribution of 1Malaysia school exercise books bearing the PM's image on its cover.

Badrul Hisham, better known as Chegubard, yesterday issued a statement on his blog (chegubard.blogspot.com) explaining his error.

He said he has since withdrawn the comments he made concerning an article published in the Keadilan Daily website on Sept 24, in which it was claimed that the '1Malaysia exercise books' were being distributed in schools.

In his blog, Chegubard said he took full responsibility for the comment. He said the statement was made in his own personal capacity, and was not representative if any party or organization he is involved with.

"As a people's activist, I have always been taught to stand up for the truth. But when you've realize that you have committed a wrong, don't be afraid to admit you're wrong and assume responsibility," he said.

The apology, he said, was made was after he had discovered the facts behind the existence of the exercise book via a report made by Malaysian Digest on Friday. Malaysian Digest's report had clarified that the exercise book was part of an independent art project.

"After realizing the truth, I withdraw the statement I previously made for the news portal (Keadilan Daily). I confess to the mistakes I've made as a people's activist and I value the creative effort the artists have made for the art project," he wrote.

Referring to the Keadilan Daily report, Chegubard said he had received a call from a reporter who sought his comments regarding school exercise books with Najib's face on the cover, the images of which had gone viral especially on Facebook.

The Keadilan Daily report had claimed that the exercise books were being widely distributed in schools.

In the article, which was subsequently taken down from the Keadilan Daily website on Sept 25, Chegubard had compared Barisan Nasional and Umno's move to that of former Egyptian prime minister Hosni Mubarak, whom he claimed had circulated his pictures across Egypt before he was overthrown by his people.

Chegubard was further quoted as saying that Umno BN's effort would prove fruitless as school students are not old enough to vote in the general election.

Apart from Chegubard, Keadilan Daily had also highlighted remarks from PKR central leadership committee member Fariz Musa, who had claimed that Najib's attempt in manipulating school and students showed how desperate the BN regime was.

In an interview with Malaysian Digest, the creators of the exercise book had stepped forward to explain their side of the story.

June Low, 27, and her partner, graphic artist Adila Abdul Malik, 25, were infuriated when they learnt that the exercise book, meant for an art event, had been spun into political propaganda.

The 'Art for Grabs' event was held from Sept 22 to Sept 23 at the Annex Gallery at Central Market, where Low and Adila had set up a booth called 'Gerai 1Malaysia' and displayed a range of comedic art merchandise to suit the theme.

The theme of the event was 'Janji Ditutupi', a play of words on the government's recent Merdeka Day theme, Janji Ditepati.

Low has demanded an apology for the article and retraction from Keadilan Daily.

Low has also asked Keadilan Daily to apologize not only to them, but also to the public for its misleading report, which she had labelled as "irresponsible journalism".

 

PKR sees CAT as ‘storm in a teacup’

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 05:43 PM PDT

Penang PKR information chief says the affair won't affect Pakatan's preparations for election.

Hawkeye, FMT

GEORGE TOWN: Penang PKR has shrugged off the exposure of its chairman Mansor Othman criticising Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, saying it would not affect Pakatan Rakyat's preparation for the 13th general election.

"It's a storm in a teacup," said Penang PKR communications bureau head Sim Tze Tzin in reference to a leaked recording of Mansor allegedly describing Lim as arrogant.

He said both his party and Lim's DAP regarded the leakage as a weak attempt to create a rift within Pakatan.

However, a local Gerakan leader sees Sim's remarks as an attempt to cover up Lim's unpopularity.

Mohan Apparoo, who leads Gerakan's Batu Kawan division, said Lim had been criticised as arrogant even by local DAP grassroots leaders.

"To enliven this further," he added, "I was told that some of the DAP leaders on the (Penang) mainland will now be supporting Barisan Nasional because they are fed up with Lim's attitude."

The media now refers to the controversy as CAT, abbreviating "cocky, arrogant and tokong" —words that Mansor apparently used to describe Lim during a meeting he had with some local PKR members.

Details of the private meeting, including an audio recording, were posted in the "Gelagat Anwar" blog in June. Last Monday, TV3 aired the recording at prime time.

Penang PKR has since announced that it was investigating the affair.

Sim declined to say whether the culprit behind the leak had been identified or whether PKR would act against him or her, but he remarked that it "would be naive" to speculate that Mansor's political future was doomed as a result of it.

"The remarks were made in a coffeeshop setting," he said. "The conversation was informal and there was loose talk. Some quirky remarks were made. They cannot be taken to heart."

 

‘Friendship’ turned nightmare for Musa

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 05:37 PM PDT

Chief Minister Musa Aman's bogeyman case has become a nightmare for his officers in the CM's office.

(FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Chief Minister's office is keenly watching an ongoing court case involving a businessman whom Chief Minister Musa Aman has previously claimed he did not know.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) case against one Michael Chia Tien Foh has got Musa's office sufficiently hot and bothered that it has even "advised" the mainstream media to avoid mention of the case, sources said.

Most have taken the advice to heart and there is little news in the mainstream media that the MACC case against the businessman was winding its way through the courts until one newspaper unexpectedly published a court decision that Musa's bogeyman must face trial.

Musa has been haunted by the controversial businessman since 2008 when the latter was arrested in Hong Kong as he was about to exit the country with a bag stuffed with cash amounting to some S$16 million.

In the subsequent investigations, Chia reportedly told the Hong Kong's Independent Commission on Anti-Corruption (ICAC) that the money was not his and actually belonged to Musa.

Musa, who also heads Umno in resource-rich Sabah, is still the subject of ongoing concurrent investigations in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland involving a Swiss UBS bank account under his name that allegedly has $100 million.

The Swiss prosecutor has stated that the government would freeze the account if the Malaysian government requested they do so.

Recently, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak revealed that investigation reports on the Musa's cases were with the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail.

But the opposition has grabbed hold of the scandal and refuses to let go, alleging that the trail of alleged illegal dealings leads right to Najib's office.

Chia ordered to enter defence

PKR vice-president, Tian Chua, has claimed that leaked MACC investigation papers disclosed that Musa told investigators that the $100 million under his name in the UBS account was not his but Umno's and as such directly implicates Najib.

Now that the controversial Sabah businessman has been ordered to enter his defence on a charge of attempting to cheat another local businessman over the right to log and extract commercial timber at the Kalabakan Forest Reserve, Musa is furtively watching the case.

On Aug 24, Sandakan High Court judge Supang Lian set aside the acquittal of Chia by the Sessions Court and set Sept 12 for the mention of Chia's case at the Sessions Court.

Supang, in allowing the prosecution's appeal against Chia on Aug 24, however, dismissed the prosecution's appeal against the acquittal of another businessman Lo Man Heng jointly charged with Chia, ruling that the link between Lo and the offence had not been established.

Both Chia and Lo, who were charged under Section 420 of Penal Code, had been acquitted by the Sessions Court on Sept 23 last year without their defence being called.

READ MORE HERE

 

Secularism is the way to go

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 05:17 PM PDT

Yes, as Anwar said, and as I have also been saying for many years, Malaysia can't make it just with electoral reforms. We need political and government reforms as well. And this is why I joined LibDem in the UK. While the others were talking merely about electoral reforms, LibDem was talking about political and government reforms.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Anwar touts Turkey as model for economic, political reforms

(The Malaysian Insider) - Like Turkey, Malaysia can regain its economic lustre within a short period only through comprehensive political and government reform, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today in debating Budget 2013.

The opposition leader blamed Malaysia's blunted competitive edge on the Barisan Nasional (BN) government's failure to redress the lopsided economic policies awarded to "cronies and rich parties with interests", leading to a protracted Budget deficit for the last 15 years.

"Turkey's success under Reccip Tayeb Erdogan, for example, gives us confidence that economic policy and governance that is based on social justice, transparency, trust and recognising the potential talent of its people can boost the country's economic prosperity within a short period."

"That is why Pakatan Rakyat has from early on stressed that change and economic improvements cannot happen without political and government reform," he said in his Budget speech.

Using Turkey as an example, the former finance minister said in the 10 years since Erdogan became its prime minister, the latter had managed to transform the secular Muslim country's economy that had contracted in 2002 to become a "new economic miracle".

Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) had tripled in nine years, he said, from US$233 billion (RM722 billion) in 2002 to US$773 billion last year. Its projected economic growth for this year is estimated to be more than 11 per cent, based on the first-quarter figures, which Anwar said topped China's and every other developed country worldwide.

He pointed out too that Turkey's economy had grown an average of between seven and nine per cent a year during Erdogan's administration and, more notably, the country would have offset its €1 billion (RM4 billion) sovereign debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by next April, the shortest-ever repayment considering the amount owed.

The Permatang Pauh MP said Malaysia was now facing the risk of being left further behind by other Asian countries that used to lag behind it in the 1970s and 1980s, like South Korea, which had succeeded in forging ahead with measures to combat corruption and level the economic playing field to raise the competitive edge for business entrepreneurs.

But he believed that Malaysia, which had a higher economic potential due to its oil reserves, still stood a strong chance of surging ahead by overhauling the existing economic structure.

"Barisan Nasional's failure to end the Budget deficit for 15 consecutive years while Malaysia has oil reserves shows there is a structural economic problem that it has neglected and allowed to spread like a cancerous tumour, for resolving the economic imbalance means touching cronies and the rich parties with interests," he said.

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Turkey's political system is based on a separation of powers. Executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers while legislative power is vested in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Its current constitution was adopted on 7th November 1982 after the Turkish constitutional referendum.

The function of head of state is performed by the president who is elected every five years on the principle of universal suffrage according to the current constitution. The president does not have to be a member of parliament but he/she must be over 40 years old and hold a bachelor's degree.

Executive power rests with the president, the prime minister and the Council of Ministers. The ministers do not have to be members of Parliament. The prime minister is appointed by the President and approved through a vote of confidence in the Parliament.

Legislative power is invested in the 550-seat Grand National Assembly of Turkey representing 81 provinces. The members are elected for a four-year term by mitigated proportional representation with an election threshold of 10%. To be represented in Parliament, a party must win at least 10% of the national vote in a national parliamentary election. Independent candidates may run, and to be elected, they must only win 10% of the vote in the province from which they are running.

Turkey has a legal system that has been wholly integrated with the continental European system. For example the Turkish civil law system has been modified by incorporating elements of the Swiss Civil Code, the Code of Obligations and the German Commercial Code. The administrative law bears similarities with the French Counterpart and the penal code with the Italian Counterpart.

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When Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim talks like this I will certainly support what he says. These are the type of things I like him to say. This not only gives Anwar a more statesmanlike image but what he says is in line with my own thoughts.

And, just like most Pakatan Rakyat supporters, I will agree with someone who says things that I agree with and will whack all those who say things that I do not agree with. In fact, that is not just the Pakatan Rakyat way but also the Malaysian way -- you have the right to say anything as long as I agree with what you say.

Above is a bit of background into the Turkish system. Turkey used to be called 'The Sick Man of Europe'. Today it can actually be called one of the most progressive Muslim countries in the world. Even Anwar would agree with this.

However, Islamists and fundamentalist Muslims would disagree with this prognosis. They would consider Turkey a bad example of what a Muslim country should be like. For that matter, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the man whom the west calls 'The Father of Modern Turkey', would be called an apostate and a traitor to Islam by the fundamentalist.

I once prayed in the Rusila mosque in Terengganu and the PAS President, Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang, actually whacked Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to kingdom come. Hence I know for a fact that the PAS President (and most fundamentalist Muslims) does not regard Mustafa Kemal Atatürk highly. He would consider Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as someone whose head should be separated from his neck.

In Turkey, everyone is entitled to freedom of worship, religion, conscience and belief. In other words, apostasy does not exist in Turkey. That can never be accepted in a 'proper' Muslim country. On that one score alone Turkey can never be accepted as a Muslim country. Hence, how can we classify Turkey as the perfect example of a Muslim country (at least be western interpretations) when by Eastern interpretations it cannot qualify as a Muslim country?

Anwar is singing Turkey's praises and is telling us that if Malaysia can be like Turkey then Malaysia's economy will become just like Turkey's. And in singing Turkey's praises he lists down Turkey's virtues.

I can buy that. I agree that if Malaysia became like Turkey then we can expect to see our economy improve, just like Turkey. But to become like Turkey we will need, as Anwar said, political and government reforms -- to quote what Anwar said.

Again, I can buy that. In fact, Anwar took the words right out of my mouth. And this is what I have been saying for many years. And this is what I said when Anwar and I met up in London two years ago. And this is what I said when we launched the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM). And this is also what I said in my TV3 interview in April 2011 and my NST interview on 1st January 2012.

Yes, as Anwar said, and as I have also been saying for many years, Malaysia can't make it just with electoral reforms. We need political and government reforms as well. And this is why I joined LibDem in the UK. While the others were talking merely about electoral reforms, LibDem was talking about political and government reforms.

So what do I now say? Do I say 'I told you so'? Do I say 'now Anwar Ibrahim is singing the same song as I have been singing for so long'? Or do I say 'how far is Pakatan Rakyat prepared to go to see political and government reforms'?

So we want to become just like Turkey -- a successful country, in particular in terms of governance and the economy. But are we prepared to do things just like Turkey? Maybe I should pose this question another way: will the Islamists and fundamentalists agree to Malaysia becoming like Turkey? In short: we cannot be slightly pregnant. Either we are or we are not. That is the bottom line.

And does Anwar realise that to become just like Turkey we need a lot of reforms -- not just cosmetic changes but a major structural change?

That, I fear, is what most Malaysians are not ready to accept. And that is why I have been screaming at both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat. They talk about setting up home but they shy away from marriage. So are you saying we need to live in sin? Either we go all the way or we are neither here nor there. And this is what we plan for Malaysia -- a lot of cosmetics to give the impression of external beauty but rotten to the core internally?

And don't try to tell me that once we kick out Barisan Nasional all this is going to change. The problem is not Umno. The problem is the Muslims. The Muslims are not prepared to embrace secularism in favour of Islam, like what the Turks have done. That is the core issue here. Hence no change of government is going to help if Muslims resist a change of mindset.

 

Portal accused of misusing art

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 03:46 PM PDT

(The Star) - The creators of an art project that featured merchandise with designs offering a tongue-in-cheek look at Malaysia do not find it funny that their work has been exploited by a news portal for political mileage.

They accused Keadilan Daily of misleading the people and want the website to issue a public apology to the merchandise creators as well as to the public.

The website had, on Sept 24, published an article in which it alleged a school exercise book with the caricature of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was being distributed in schools.

The article, quoting Rembau PKR chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin better known as Chegubard criticised the move and likened it to former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak displaying his image before his downfall.

The article has since been removed from the site.

Refuting claims in the article, June Low, 27, said she and graphic artist Adila Abdul Malik, 25, had come up with the idea of a Malaysia-themed artwork and merchandise for the Art for Grabs event at the Annexe Gallery in Central Market on Sept 22.

The theme of the event was Janji Ditutupi, a play on the Government's Merdeka Day theme Janji Ditepati.

"We displayed a range of comedic art merchandise.

"Items included a school exercise book, with the cover bearing a likeness to the PM and the 1Malaysia logo," she told news portal Malaysian Digest yesterday.

Low said their intention was to amuse and share a laugh with others and those who visited the event were aware of the attempt at light-hearted humour in the current affairs of Malaysia.

Low said she was shocked that a photo of the book cover on her Twitter account was used by Keadilan Daily in an article.

She said: "To twist the truth to this extent without fact-checking is disgusting.

"It is simply irresponsible journalism."

Keadilan Daily could not be contacted for comment.

 

Ho Chi Minh

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 03:24 PM PDT

By Syed Akbar Ali

This is a short story. It has significance to what is going on in our country.

Ho Chi Minh was the great Vietnamese freedom fighter, liberator, statesman and hero of the oppressed peoples. Ho Chi Minh died in 1969, when I was nine years old. Also known as 'Uncle Ho', his birth name was Nguyen Sinh Cung. Ho Chi Minh who was of Chinese ancestry translates to 'He Who Enlightens'.

At that time the US was bombing Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia back to the Stone Age. It was called the Vietnam War. I clearly remember watching the 'Dunia Di Sana Sini' program on Television Malaysia (no RTM yet at that time) which would show black and white footage of American GIs using flamethrowers to burn attap huts belonging to Vietnamese villagers.

Till today I cannot figure out how attap huts in Vietnam were a threat to the security and vital interests of the 'Yewnited States of Americky' That is one evil and adulterous generation (Matthew 14:6-8) which is still dancing around the fire in the Yewnited States.

At that time the Americans successfully brainwashed all of us into believing that the Vietnamese were bad people led by an ugly monster called Ho Chi Minh. So like the simple, Third World, Mat Salleh wannabe bumpkins that we were (and many many still are) we all chorused the American line that our own neighbors were monsters.

The French colonials started taking control of Vietnam in the 1860s. By 1883 the entire country was a full fledged French colony.

Under French colonial rule Vietnamese were prohibited from travelling outside their districts without identity papers. Freedom of expression and organisation were restricted. Land was alienated to French companies and the number of landless peasants grew. So people like Ho Chi Minh started fighting back.

Fastforward (because this is a short story), Ho Chi Minh kicked the butt of the French in Dien Bien Phu in 1952 and sent them home in crates.

Way before that on 2 September 1945, half a million Vietnamese people gathered in Hanoi to hear Ho Chi Minh read the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence. The Vietnamese had thrown off the foreign invader.

One of the first things that Ho Chi Minh did as the leader of a free and independent Vietnam was to REPUDIATE ALL TREATIES AND AGREEMENTS which had been entered into by Vietnam under French Colonial Rule.

Not only Ho Chi Minh but in many newly independent countries (usually non British Commonwealth) an independent people refused to recognize treaties and agreements which the colonials had forced them to sign at the point of a gun or without the consent of the people. So whatever the French colonial power had signed on behalf of Vietnam was not recognized by the Vietnamese people.

Why? Apa pasal? Because those treaties were NOT signed by a free and independent people.

I wanted to Blog about this because just a few days ago I was having breakfast with some friends who started quoting the terms of the Pangkor Treaty (! ! !) to support their side of the argument about the Perak issues.

At the time of our Independence, we should have taken a leaf out of Ho's book (it is really not too late) and repudiated all the treaties and agreements which were signed under the British.

For example, Stamford Raffles found disgruntled seafarers from the Riau Islands, played politics with the Dutch and got "a" Sultan to rent space on Temasek Island to the British East India Company (NOT TO THE BRITISH SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT OK).

Raffles did not work for the British Government but he worked for the British East India Company, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Stamford Raffles was just like an earlier version of a Somali pirate. And at the time of our "Independence" in 1957, all this had happened just over 100 years before. (Much less time than Nga and Ngeh's 999 year leasehold titles granted recently in Perak).

Then later this slick little piece of piracy by Raffles was 'formalised' by the British Sovereign through the Colonial Office.

And many people think that Stamford Raffles braved the seas, sailed out here from England and claimed an uncivilized, uninhabited island for the British Government. Wrong.

First of all Raffles was already chilling his heels in Penang. Long before he "founded" Singapore in 1819, Raffles was assistant secretary at the British East India company's "administration" in Penang in 1805.

Then in 1818 Raffles became "lieutenant governor of Bencoolen" fighting the Dutch who were trying to grab the whole of South East Asia. Before that Raffles was appointed "governor general" for the British India Company in Java (1811-16).

In 1818 Raffles sailed hurriedly from Bencoolen to India, and convinced Lord Hastings of the need for the British to open a port on Temasek Island. He had already identified Temasek Island. (It was NOT some unknown, uninhabited, alien island that fell out of the Matrix movie).

But more importantly why did Raffles suddenly panic in 1818? He was the East India Company's "secretary" in Penang in 1805, made it to Company "governor" in Java in 1811, became Company "lieutenant governor" for Bencoolen in 1816-1818. Why panic in 1818 to open another port?

READ MORE HERE

 

BN will wrest back Selangor with 32 seats, says Noh Omar

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 03:19 PM PDT

Normy Nozwir, The Malaysian Insider

Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar is confident that Barisan Nasional (BN) will be able take back Malaysia's richest state at the next national polls by nabbing 32 of the 56 seats in the state legislative assembly.

The state, which had been held by BN since Malaysia's founding, had slipped out of its grasp in the last general election four years ago to the PKR-DAP-PAS alliance, leaving the powerful federal coalition with only 20 state seats.

"I don't want to get ahead of fate, but God willing I am confident BN will be able to win back Selangor, at least 32 seats," Umno veteran Noh told The Malaysian Insider in a recent interview, disclosing for the first time the number of seats it believes it can gain.

The 13-member BN coalition only needs nine more seats to gain a simple majority with 29 seats.

But the Tanjung Karang MP remained tight-lipped on BN's strategy in wresting back the highly-developed west coast state. 

The agriculture minister only said that Selangor residents were now starting to see that the PKR-DAP-PAS partnership that had since formed a fledgling bloc now known as Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact in the wake of their landslide wins in Election 2008 was unfit to govern.

In the 12th general election, the three federal opposition parties had swept a  total of 36 seats, with PKR taking the lion's share of 15 seats; and the DAP and PAS taking 13 and eight respectively.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also Umno president, has repeatedly vowed to win back Selangor for his BN coalition by all means necessary.

Selangor is said to be a state with hot seats because of its large number of newly-registered voters, as well as being the country's wealthiest state.

Noh dismissed talk of him being appointed as Selangor mentri besar despite rumours that he would be given the state's highest position if BN wins.

"I don't want to get ahead of fate, I am still a member of Parliament for Tanjung Karang, but it all depends on the leadership.

"Most importantly, we move the party machinery to win this state, the question of who (will be) mentri besar is not important," he said.

Noh has been widely speculated to be gunning for the Selangor mentri besar's job

He also kept his lips sealed on the potential candidates for the top state government post, saying BN's focus now was on winning back the state.

"In 2008, they (Pakatan) also didn't know who their candidate for mentri besar was, so it's better for BN to focus on winning back Selangor," he said.

Selangor's former Mentri Besar Dr Mohammad Khir Toyo has rejected the possibility of contesting in the coming elections after the courts found him guilty recently in a breach of trust case.

The trained dentist is currently appealing against his conviction.

 

Pakatan pledges to focus on household income not equity targets

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 03:17 PM PDT

Lisa J. Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider

The national economic plan should shift from only meeting equity targets and growth to ensuring a minimum household income of RM4,000 a month by the end of a first-term Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

He also said economic growth should be generated by small and medium-sized businesses and not just by "one or two big bosses."

Speaking in Parliament, the opposition leader pitched his PR's Budget 2013 proposal to focus on disposal income instead of chasing equity and growth targets.

"The statement has been distorted until some end up making assumptions that PR had promised to pay compensation to the people until their minimum household income reaches the target of RM4,000 a month," Anwar said.

"The approach should instead emphasise sustained economic development and ensure there is increase in the people's disposable income," he said when debating the government's Budget 2013 proposals.

Anwar stressed family household income levels were important key economic targets to ensure nobody was left out of mainstream development and the nation's prosperity.

"The welfare and well-being of those in the community who require help and protection so as to not be marginalised is the government's responsibility through an integrated social safety system," he said.

"The economic prosperity of the majority with continuous revenue levels ensures sustainable growth when they continue to invest in the country's economy," he added.

Anwar also said economic growth must be generated by small and medium-sized entrepreneurs "who form the largest business class in the economy", and not only "one or two big bosses or the person who monopolises most economic activities".

"The government's role in the economy should be restricted to generating growth in new areas and to accelerate economic activities strategically, and not get involved in every type of economic activity and competing with small businesses and the entrepreneurs," he said.

Last week, Anwar had promised to raise the disposable income of Malaysians through measures such as cheaper car prices, abolishment of tolls and waiver of student loans.

He said a PR government would be able to pay for the proposed measures not through raising taxes but by plugging leakages that arise as a result of inefficiencies and corruption.

 

Pembangkang fobia keupayaan RAPID jana ekonomi

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 03:04 PM PDT

Manja Ismail, Berita Harian

Sama ada Bajet 2013 yang dibentangkan oleh Datuk Seri Najib Razak kelmarin berupa umpan pilihan raya seperti didakwa pembangkang atau sebaliknya, reaksi positif terutama daripada pelbagai pertubuhan yang mewakili rakyat biasa, menunjukkan kerajaan mengambil kira pandangan mereka ketika merangkanya.

Walaupun banyak memberi peruntukan besar kepada golongan yang memerlukan, kerajaan tetap memberi penekanan kepada langkah mengukuhkan ekonomi dengan memastikan sasaran pendapatan tahunan negara tercapai. Memang mustahil untuk melihat pembangkang menerima secara ikhlas apa pun yang dilakukan kerajaan, apa lagi ketika pilihan raya umum akan diadakan bila-bila masa sekarang. Malah, sejak kebelakangan ini pembangkang konsisten menentang usaha kerajaan meningkatkan ekonomi negara dan memakmurkan rakyat. Perhimpunan membantah projek Pembangunan Bersepadu Penapisan Minyak dan Petrokimia (RAPID) di Pengerang pagi semalam contoh terbaru usaha berterusan menggagalkan usaha menjana ekonomi dalam jangka panjang. 

Alih perhatian rakyat 

Bantahan itu juga dilihat cubaan mengalihkan perhatian rakyat daripada memperkatakan soal belanjawan kepada isu lain yang sudah disusun mereka sebagai salah satu bahan kempen menjelang pilihan raya umum akan datang. Sama seperti bantahan terhadap projek pemprosesan nadir bumi Lynas di Gebeng, Kuantan dan perlombongan emas di Bukit Koman, Raub, pembangkang dengan bertopengkan kumpulan pejuang alam sekitar, akan mengelirukan rakyat dan memainkan sentimen penduduk setempat tanpa menggunakan kajian dan fakta.  RAPID yang bernilai kira-kira RM60 bilion membabitkan pembinaan 20 kilang penapisan di kawasan seluas 2,428 hektar, adalah sebahagian program pembangunan di bawah Pelan Transformasi Ekonomi (ETP) yang terbesar dan termoden di rantau ini. Projek yang dijangka mampu memproses 300,000 tong sehari itu, akan membantu meningkatkan kapasiti penapisan gas, bahan api dan diesel negara. 

Keluasannya mengatasi gabungan Kompleks Petrokimia Bersepadu Kerteh dan Gebeng di Kuantan, manakala kemampuan penapisannya melebihi gabungan kapasiti kilang penapis sedia ada Petronas di Melaka dan Kerteh. Bayangkan manfaatnya kepada ekonomi terutama dalam menghasilkan rangkaian industri dan perniagaan sampingan apabila beroperasi 2016 nanti. 

Bagi kerja berkemahiran tinggi saja, ia menawarkan 4,000 peluang pekerjaan. Barangkali inilah yang ditakuti pembangkang. Bagi mereka, apa saja projek yang membuktikan kerajaan terus mengotakan janjinya untuk memakmurkan rakyat dan negara, mesti ditentang habis-habisan. 

Bantahan bertemakan "Himpunan Hijau Lestari Selamatkan Pengerang" semalam, walaupun dianjurkan Himpunan Hijau (NGO yang menganjurkan bantahan Lynas dan Bukit Koman), turut menjadi medan pidato beberapa pemimpin DAP, PKR dan PAS. Antaranya ialah Pengerusi DAP Johor, Dr Boo Cheng Hau; Ketua PKR Johor, Datuk Dr Chua Jui Meng; Suruhanjaya PAS negeri, Mahfodz Mohamed dan Naib Presiden PAS, Salahuddin Ayub. Turut hadir ialah ahli jawatankuasa bertindak Bersih, Wong Chin Huat; Pengerusi Himpunan Bukit Koman, Wong Kim Hoong; dan ahli jawatankuasa Himpunan Hijau Kuantan, Clement Gan. 

Bantahan bermotifkan politik 

Melihat senarai nama di atas, tidak syak lagi bantahan terhadap projek RAPID memang semata-mata bermotifkan politik yang bertopengkan alam sekitar dan kononnya mahu menjaga kepentingan dan masa depan rakyat kawasan itu. Anehnya, sebelum ini tiada seorang pun pemimpin pembangkang atau pejuang alam sekitar itu mengambil tahu kehidupan rakyat kawasan itu. Sebelum FELDA membuka tanah rancangan di daerah itu kira-kira 30 tahun lalu, kebanyakan penduduknya yang terdiri daripada petani dan nelayan, hidup di bawah paras kemiskinan. 

Memang setiap projek besar seperti RAPID menghadapi masalah dengan segelintir penduduk seperti pengambilan tanah, pampasan, pengalihan kubur serta beberapa pemindahan kemudahan awam lain seperti sekolah dan rumah ibadat. Bagaimanapun ini memang sudah ditangani oleh pihak yang berkepentingan seperti kerajaan negeri dan Petronas. 

Pihak berkuasa juga sudah memberi penjelasan dan mengadakan dialog dengan penduduk. Malah, projek yang membabitkan hanya 4,000 penduduk itu, sudah mendapat kelulusan Kesan Penilaian Alam Sekitar (EIA). Laporan EIA terperinci disediakan jururunding berdaftar dengan Jabatan Alam Sekitar bagi cadangan projek itu, diluluskan pada 27 Ogos lalu selepas ia memenuhi kehendak Seksyen 34A (2) Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling 1974. 

Kita melihat bantahan anjuran Himpunan Hijau di Pengerang tidak lebih daripada kempen pembangkang, dengan bantuan NGO yang menyokong mereka, untuk menghadapi pilihan raya umum akan datang. Isu memainkan peranan penting dalam mana-mana pilihan raya. 

Malangnya, pembangkang bukan saja ketandusan isu untuk menimbulkan kebencian rakyat kepada kerajaan, malah menghadapi banyak masalah dalaman yang menghakis kepercayaan rakyat. Bantahan projek RAPID adalah cubaan terbaru memesong perhatian rakyat daripada melihat kejayaan kerajaan dan menilai kelemahan pembangkang.

 

DAP tidak setuju PKR senaraikan nama dalam ‘kabinet bayangan’

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:59 PM PDT

Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider

Tindakan menyenaraikan nama pemimpin PKR dalam "kabinet bayangan" menerima kritikan timbalan pengerusi DAP, Dr Tan Seng Giaw yang menyifatkan langkah tersebut sebagai khayalan kerana parlimen belum dibubarkan tetapi sudah meletak calon dalam kementerian tertentu.

Tan dipetik dari Sinar Harian Online hari ini berkata tindakan itu sebagai langkah salah dan tidak sepatutnya dilakukan kerana fokus sebenar ialah kemenangan dalam Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) ke-13.

"Tetapi pilihan raya belum berlangsung sudah memilih calon bagi jawatan tertentu adalah khayalan semata-mata," kata Dr Tan.

Dua hari lalu, akhbar tersebut mengeluarkan laporan seramai 20 pemimpin PKR akan dilantik di kabinet jika Pakatan Rakyat (PR) berjaya menakluk Putrajaya dalam PRU nanti.

Dalam maklum balas kepada The Malaysian Insider, Dr Tan mengesahkan berkata perkara tersebut tidak pernah dibangkitkan dalam mesyuarat PR dan menegaskan keputusan muktamad hanya boleh dibuat selepas menang PRU.

"Saya tidak tahu siapa yang meletakkan senarai tersebut. Ia tidak pernah dibincangkan dalam mesyuarat PR. Walaupun isu ini sering dibangkitkan, hanya selepas pilihan raya umum baru boleh disahkan siapa yang akan dilantik sebagai anggota kabinet. Terdapat pemimpin yang berkebolehan untuk membentuk kabinet," katanya.

Menurut laporan Sinar lagi, ketua penerangan PKR Selangor, Shuhaimi Shafiei berkata sebahagian kecil pimpinan kanan dalam parti akan mengisi jawatan kabinet memandangkan perkara tersebut sudah menjadi tradisi dalam kepimpinan politik tanahair.

"Secara tradisi pimpinan kanan iaitu peringkat presiden sehingga pengurusan parti merangkumi timbalan, lima naib presiden, setiausaha, bendahari, ketua penerangan, pengarah pilihan raya, pengarah strategik, pengarah komunikasi, ahli majlis pimpinan.

"Sebahagiannya sudah tentu berada dalam senarai mereka yang biasanya akan berada dalam jemaah menteri," katanya pada majlis  yang diadakan di Shah Alam Convention Centre, Sabtu lalu.

Dr Tan juga mencabar PKR untuk memenangi PRU terlebih dahulu sebelum mengumumkan senarai wakil mereka dalam kabinet bagi mengelakkan sebarang perselisihan faham.

"PKR mesti memenangi dahulu kerusi dalam kawasan barulah boleh menentukan siapa yang akan menyandang jawatan dalam kementerian,' tambah Tan lagi.

Gesaan menamakan barisan "kabinet bayangan" menjadi modal yang sering digunakan oleh Barisan Nasional (BN) terutamanya dalam mempersoalkan kebolehan PR mengguruskan sesebuah kerajaan memandangkan mereka tidak berupaya menyelesaikan masalah tersebut.

Setiausaha Barisan Nasional (BN) Selangor, Datuk Seri Ir Mohd Zin Mohamad baru-baru ini mencabar kepimpinan PKR dan rakan-rakan PR menamakan kabinet bayangan mereka sambil menuduh PR cuba melarikan diri daripada menjawab persoalan tersebut.

''Jangan asyik berselindung di bawah permainan politik retorik,'' kata ahli parlimen Sepang itu.

 

Are we being bribed?

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:46 PM PDT

Kee Thuan Chye

I don't know about you but I got practically nothing from the 2013 Budget. I don't qualify for the BR1M payout of RM500 for households with a monthly income of not more than RM3,000. I also don't qualify for the 50% discount on passports for senior citizens.

But that's all right. I don't want anything from the Budget. It comes from the people's money and should be spent wisely on developing the country. I should not expect to get something directly from it.

The way it looks, though, Prime Minister Najib Razak doesn't seem to think the same way. His 2013 Budget is a lot about giving money away to people. It seems this is to make them happy, and perhaps this feeling of happiness could translate into votes for his Barisan Nasional (BN) government at the upcoming general election.

What worries me is that Najib is spending money like there is no tomorrow. That seems the right way to put it because his Budget does not address the future. Maybe except for education, especially in boosting vocational training and encouraging small entrepreneurs.

There's hardly anything about enhancing the country's economic growth, spending prudently or reducing the national debt.

In fact, of the projected amount of RM252 billion to be spent, a whopping RM202 billion will be used for operating expenditure. Only one-fifth left is for development expenditure.

Najib is gung-ho about the global economy despite the uncertainties predicted by financial analysts. He said, "In 2013, based on the prospects of an improved global economy, the Malaysian economy is forecast to expand strongly between 4.5% and 5%."

Is that predicated on a DR1M?

Meanwhile, the reality, according to online news website Free Malaysia Today, is that this year the national debt has risen 10.1% to a new high of RM502.4 billion or 53.7% of the GDP. That is only 1.3% short of the 55% debt ceiling the country is allowed to reach.

And according to The Malaysian Insider, this debt figure "does not include hidden liability of RM117 billion (12 percent of GDP) in the form of guarantees issued against commercial loans to government agencies and GLCs (government-linked corporations)".

Is our fiscal future already in the pawnshop?

In the social media, people are calling Najib "an illusionist" for throwing so much money around when Malaysians are wondering where it is coming from. They're calling this Budget "the biggest bribe Budget of all time".

The main targets appear to be the low-income groups, youths and civil servants (who will be getting one-and-a-half month's bonus).

BR1M is back. It has even been extended to unmarried individuals aged above 21 who are earning not more than RM2,000 a month. These people will get RM250.

I don't understand the rationale for this. In fact, I think it's rather silly. Perhaps the minimum age is too low. A newly graduated employee who earns, say, between RM1,500 and RM2,000, which is about what a lot of fresh graduates get these days, would be entitled to the BR1M RM250 even if he or she doesn't need it.

And what if this person has lost both parents and is therefore a household of one? Does he or she claim the RM250 plus the BR1M RM500, which in principle he or she should also be entitled to?

Even more mind-boggling is the RM200 rebate for those aged between 21 and 30 earning not more than RM3,000 to buy smartphones. Why smartphones? It's a non-essential item. Besides, many may already own one.

Consider this: A 20-something who earns RM2,900 and has no dependents, therefore no commitments, would be flushed with cash and already own a smartphone. Why give him or her that aid?

As someone pointed out on Facebook, it may transpire that some of them will make a deal with the smartphone dealers and get the cash instead. "Just give me RM150, you keep the other RM50" or something like that.

We saw signs of such a tendency when the Government gave tertiary students book vouchers earlier this year only to see them put up for sale on the Internet. Not having learned from that experience, it is still giving out more book vouchers, worth RM250, through the new Budget.

Indeed, the range of goodies dished out to youths seems to show desperation on the part of BN to secure their goodwill since many of them will be voting at GE13. The Budget even offers a 20% discount to borrowers who pay back in full their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans by the end of September next year.

This was, to be sure, taking a leaf from the Opposition's Buku Jingga. It just falls short of Pakatan Rakyat's proposal to do away with the loans totally and therefore giving free education to everyone. Nonetheless, the Government was not bashful about appropriating the basic theme.

That's not surprising. This is not the first time the Government has taken ideas from Pakatan and used them. Besides, with the general election coming up, any populist idea has to appear a great idea.

Skeptics, however, are not persuaded. Neither are those who are capable of seeing beyond the temporary gratification of the handouts they are given.

As one Netizen wrote on Facebook: "Ini semua secara 'pinjaman' saja (This is all just a 'loan'). Payback time will come after GE13. The people will have to pay back with interest if BN wins. Wait and see."

Indeed, when the Government has to give money out like this, something must have been wrong with its administration of the country. Has it not done the right things to improve the economy of a country blessed with a wealth of natural resources in order to ensure that its people enjoy a high per capita income arising out of a huge GDP?

Why are we at this point in our development still trying to become a high-income nation? Why is our average national wage still so low? According to CIMB, in 2010 it stood at only RM1,804.43.

I was recently reminded by a friend about 'Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah' (Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy), the tagline of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's administration. What happened to its promise? Did it turn out to be the opposite instead? And thereby led to leakage and wastage of public money and corruption in high places that sucked away our resources and rendered us poorer than we should be?

Ironically, then, the 2013 Budget shows us even more clearly the failure of the BN government over the decades in taking the country's economy to a higher level. Compared to Singapore, which has no natural resources, Malaysia is a laggard.

And yet, to make doubly sure that Malaysians got the message that his goodies were meant to secure their votes, Najib stressed: "With… support from the rakyat, God-willing, we will see six more budgets tabled by the BN government before Malaysia transforms into a nation with high-income status" (meaning in 2020).

He then proceeded to bash the Opposition.

It prompted someone to post in Facebook: "This is the first time in the history of Malaysia that a PM shamelessly tells us that we need to vote for him after he gives out the goodies. Tak malu ke? (Not embarrassed?) Does he think the Government coffers belong solely to BN?"

Yes, lest we forget, the money is not BN's. It is the public's money. Yours and mine.

Blogger Sakmongkol AK47 puts it aptly, "The Budget is about the PM asking for our money and telling us how he wants to use the money he is asking from us.  It is not a gift from him, not ehsan or hadiah."

This connotes that we need not be grateful for getting the handouts because it's our own money. Nonetheless, we still need to ask: Is the PM doing the right thing with our money? Is he bribing us? And if he is, will we allow ourselves to be bribed?

These are questions we also need to answer.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book 'No More Bullshit, Please, We're All Malaysians'. The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer.

 

Mansor still dodging ‘cocky Lim’ issue

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:34 PM PDT

(The Star) - Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mansor Othman has continued to avoid responding to the allegation that he had described Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as a cocky and arrogant man.

"My comments have been twisted in every angle. No comment. People are no longer interested in reading what I say," he said after opening a seminar for Muslim scholars here yesterday.

He declined to provide an update on the leaked audio recording of the informal PKR meeting.

Mansor had allegedly uttered those words, besides also saying that Lim was also regarded as a tokong (deity) by the people here in the leaked recording, which was later reproduced in an online news report and a TV3 news broadcast.

Asked by a reporter whether he was on good terms with Lim, Mansor merely raised both his hands up in the air while walking away.

"We should be talking about the Budget. People are really interested about the Budget. They are not interested about me anymore," he said.

Earlier, state PKR vice-chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain confirmed that a report on the alleged leak was sent to the party's headquarters.

 

Malay votes to decide outcome

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:27 PM PDT

The pro-establishment groups ruled in the recent campus polls. If the trend holds, it would seem the Malays will be the deciding factor in the coming general election.

Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star

THE campus polls, which saw the Barisan Nasional-leaning Pro-Aspirasi group victorious in most public universities, mirrors a surge in young Malay support for the coalition in the larger society.

The campus polls followed recent political developments in the country with PAS and, to a lesser extent the PKR, coming under pressure from Malay groups to explain their co-operation with the DAP.

PAS, in particular, is under constant attack for giving in to DAP's demands and not vibrantly defending Islam as it had in earlier elections.

Conversely, PAS has also been attacked by DAP national chairman Karpal Singh for continuing to propagate hudud laws, which are Islam-based criminal laws.

At the same time, DAP is heavily criticised by MCA and Gerakan because Karpal seems to be the lone voice objecting to hudud, suggesting that other DAP leaders have compromised their stand for political expediency.

The pro-establishment group has, up to Saturday, won 91% or 565 of the 620 seats contested in all 20 campuses.

They swept all seats in Universiti Teknologi Mara (50), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (31), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (28) and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (24).

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is the only public university held by the Pro-Mahasiswa group, which won 19 of the 28 seats contested.

The polls, thus far, can be taken as a curtain raiser for the larger national polls which must be called by May 2013.

The campus elections are thrilling affairs, complete with rival groups, alleged death threats and heated campaigns and manifestos, just like political parties competing for state and national power.

With so many public universities today each with a population ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 picking student leaders can be a daunting task.

The contest for the "hearts and minds" of the undergraduates is sometimes fierce, as they are young and impressionable and will soon become first-time voters.

The campus polls, thus, mirrors the political leanings in the country; where the predominantly Malay voters both in the rural areas and semi-urban centres still back Umno, which helped the Barisan in a string of by-election successes since February 2009.

The outcome of the by-elections also showed the erosion of rural Malay support for PAS, which is under constant attack from Malay groups for purportedly failing to defend Islam.

In recent years, the fence-sitters are beginning to back Umno, which has expanded the Government's rural enrichment programmes and made it synonymous as its own.

Demography also plays a big part in the surge in support. The Malay population has increased while the Chinese and Indian numbers have reportedly shrunk.

This is reflected in the large number of young Malays entering the electoral roll as new voters.

If the trend seen in campus polls holds, it will be the Malay votes that will decide the outcome of the general election.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang had reportedly argued that even if most of the Chinese voted for the party, they can only hope to win about 40 parliamentary seats. This is not enough for Pakatan if the Malays and a portion of Indians stay with the Barisan.

The reality is that, out of 222 parliamentary seats at stake, only 45 are Chinese-majority.

MCA holds 15 parliamentary seats, which also have substantial Malay and Indian voters.

Meanwhile, to form the next government, the Barisan has also to fight for the 50 seats in Sabah and Sarawak.

The coalition has been diligently courting the two states, offering huge chunks of development funds besides key Cabinet positions to their MPs.

The overtures are expected to pay off despite most Chinese voters backing DAP in the last Sarawak state election and the defection of two ageing politicians in Sabah to Pakatan.

Our campuses are predominantly Malay, with significant numbers of Chinese, Indians and youths from Sabah and Sarawak; and this population distribution faithfully reflects the larger Malaysian society.

Going by the results of the campus polls, the trend is increasingly in support of the establishment, which has the Malays as well as the minorities in its leadership ranks.

 

Budget snub a ‘blessing in disguise’

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:12 PM PDT

Although there is no Budget cheer for Sabah and Sarawak, the people in the two states can now plan for alternative solutions in the coming general election.

Luke Rintod, FMT

Sabah and Sarawak, which have been treated as Barisan Nasional's "fix-deposit", have been sidelined in Budget 2013.

But it is a "blessing in disguse" because the people in the two states can now plan for alternative solutions.

It appears that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, his advisers and the ruling BN are very confident that both states won't slip away from BN grip at the coming general election.

This explains why they could afford not to deal with the prevailing "touchy" issues in Sabah and Sarawak.

Otherwise, they would have addressed several "heartbeat" issues in Sabah and Sarawak..

Besides development projects, the basic needs here are houses, roads, water and electricity – all priorities with East Malaysians.

Important too is the abolishing of the chocking cabotage policy on transporting goods to the two states.

The cabotage policy generally stipulates that imported goods to Sabah and Sarawak must come through faraway Klang Port, even if there is a shorter route and cheaper vessels to the states from the source of the goods.

And to cap it all, in Klang, the cargoes must be unloaded onto Malaysian vessels only, many owned by proxies, to be brought to Sabah/Sarawak, across 1,000km of seas.

As a result, it has caused the prices of goods to soar higher in the two states than in the Peninsula.

Najib failed to address the cabotage issue. Instead, he planned to introduce more state-owned low-price stores in the states but the quality of their goods is unknown.

'Easier to decide now'

Chairman of UK-based Borneo's Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPi MaFo), Daniel John Jambun, said now that the two states have been sidelined in Budget 2013, it would make it easier for Sabahans and Sarawakians alike to think about alternatives in the coming election.

"While the budget is a good BN budget, we must bear in mind that Sabah and Sarawak contributed huge amount of revenue and yet we get nothing in return.

"This is why we are the poorest now in Malaysia as the focus of development has always been in the Peninsula. This budget confirmed it.

"If Najib is sincere, he should have listened to East Malaysia. Maybe he takes us for granted," he said when contacted.

Jambun, who is also deputy chairman of the State Reform Party (STAR), said Sabah BN leaders would be heaping praises on the budget but right-thinking people would think otherwise and start looking for alternative solutions.

"It is a blessing in disguise… there is always a silver lining in the clouds…" he said from Kuala Lumpur where he was attending a political meeting.

Another issue of great importance to the coming general election is the oil royalty.

While Pakatan Rakyat in its shadow budget unveiled a few days ago announced an increase royalty from 5% to 20% to oil-producing states if it takes over the federal government, Najib chose to confidently ignore it.

Political scientist Dr Arnold Puyok, meanwhile, said Budget 2013 is a budget to expand or grow the economy in the face of the government's "alarming" deficit.

"I would hope to see more measures to reduce wastage and to ensure financial accountability," he said.

Nothing significant

He said the good thing is that more incentives were given to fishermen and paddy farmers.

"This will help grow the traditional economy and alleviate poverty in the rural areas.

"Goodies to young and single people is an indication that the ruling party is set to win the hearts and minds of first-time voters in the upcoming election," he said.

Economist Jerome Majanil viewed Budget 2013 as a political budget and was surprised that no major announcements were made for the corporate sector.

READ MORE HERE

 

Forgoing reforms to buy PRU13

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:09 PM PDT

Najib's budget is tailored to ensure the survival of a regime with the premier being generous in dishing out cash handouts, but remaining silent on structural reforms.

By Charles Santiago, FMT

Let's see what we have here. Succinctly put a budget which is best described as 'more of the same', without new directions in managing the country's economy or creating new wealth including equitable distribution.

It is a budget that is designed to buy and secure another five years for the BN. It's designed to help the regime tide over what has been described as the country's most fiercely fought polls by throwing money at poor households, civil servants and young people – all who are key in bolstering BN's vote bank and if possible give prime minister Najib Tun Razak a larger mandate.

In the quest to stay in power, the government has forgotten the welfare of the people. Malaysian families are facing a cost of living crisis but the budget does not provide sustainable solutions to this pertinent problem.

Instead it offers a one-off solution through BRIM 2.0 or RM500 in cash handouts to households earning RM3,000 and below. And throwing in RM 200 to youths to buy smart-phones is not going to solve the problem.

The government needs to explain how giving RM200 for purchasing smart phones is going to cushion society from spiraling prices.

This shows that this budget is about buying and securing BN's interest given a large number of the 2.2 million newly registered voters are likely to vote against the government.

The RM3-4 billion could have been used to increase food production and provide affordable transportation. Increase in food production could lead to lower food prices, greater income for rural and suburban farmers while saving money from foreign imports.

And affordable transportation linking the periphery to the core city centers would help to decrease transportation costs.

Increase in food production and affordable transportation would have gone a long way to help manage the increase in the cost of living. But we have missed yet another chance.

However the puzzling ways of the government do not stop here. For example, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is getting a RM276 million-allocation to fight graft. No this has nothing to do with looking at restructuring the body which has come under severe criticism for lopsided investigations and targeting only opposition politicians.

Instead, the government will make available an additional 150 posts annually to reach a target of 5,000 personnel in the MACC.

And that's still not the end of the horror for it has made available RM300 million for 1.5 million young people to buy smartphones from an authorized dealer. While this deal smacks of cronyism, it also shows Najib's priority or shall we say the lack of it, given the case.

Rosy economic projection

While a desperate Najib slammed the opposition and took pot shots at Anwar Ibrahim during the last half hour of his budget speech last Friday, without mentioning names of course, he chose to give a rosy economic projection for the country.

But growth rate projections of 4.5 % – 5% are highly optimistic. Malaysia is an open economy and thus highly vulnerable to external shocks.

The Finance Ministry's Economic Report (2012-2013) notes that the country has experienced a 35-percent drop in FDI in the first six months of 2012. In fact, the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) most recent World Economic Outlook warns developing nations to brace for further risks from uncertainties in Europe and the USA.

This together with the contagion impact on the Indian and Chinese economies will bite into Malaysia's growth for the coming year.

A further problem for the Malaysian economy would be the impact of the euro-zone crisis on demand for palm oil and other commodities. Industry sources note that palm oil prices would drop further in the coming months impacting on the country's revenue stream.

Let's not forget that 40% of Malaysia's revenue comes from the oil and gas sector which is very vulnerable to oil price fluctuations and production.

Deficits and debts have become BN's preferred policy norm or option in economic management. The government's attempts in reducing its 15-year budget deficit to 4%, from about 4.7 per cent of GDP in 2012, is largely prompted by pressure from global fund managers and rating agencies.

In the recent months, agencies such as Fitch and S&P warned of credit rating downgrades if the government did not reign in its fiscal deficit and ballooning debt of RM502.4 billion or 53.7% of GDP this year, with federal debt level at 55% of GDP being the legislated debt ceiling.

The government argues that deficit would be reduced with efficient tax collection and higher economic growth projected at 4.5% – 5.5% for 2013. This is also unlikely given the euro-zone crisis and its contagion impact on China and India. Thus projected increase in taxes and growth rates might not materialise.

Long term strategy missing

And no where in Najib's two-hour budget speech did we hear anything about reducing wasteful spending like reducing the country's civil service, a move which is necessary but will create a backlash for his government come the next general election.

So one can expect a supplementary budget in 2013 just like the RM13.8 billion a few months ago. What is clear is that the long term strategy in managing public finances in a sustainable fashion is missing.

Crime is another pressing problem in the country. While we commend the government for responding to the crime-issues faced by the rakyat, the present strategy of buying hardware and increasing manpower in the police force are not going to solve the problem. What is urgently required is a strategy change and re-allocation of resources.

READ MORE HERE

 

Budget 2013 – only good from the outside

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:07 PM PDT

At the end of the day, it's not about expensive infrastructure that are likely to resonate with the majority of voters.

James Lim, FMT

All the anticipation building up over Budget 2013 has finally ended when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak unveiled it last Friday.

Young, first-time voters will be treated to cash handouts, book vouchers (for university students) and even a discount on smartphone purchases.

Homebuyers will supposedly see a reduction in speculative activity in the housing market with the hike in the Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT).

There was no news on the goods and services tax (GST) which is meant to broaden the tax base in Malaysia as only a minority of Malaysians pay income tax. However, taxpayers below the RM50,000 bracket were entitled to a one percent reduction in payable tax.

Elsewhere there was good news for others too. Bonus (1½ months) for civil servants, insurance schemes for fishermen, subsidies and incentives for farmers, increase in minimum pension for pensioners and so on.

Tax and non-tax incentives were given to the oil and gas industry. Besides, the RM1 billion SME Development Scheme is welcome news to small and medium enterprises.

On a bigger scale, Najib, who also holds the finance portfolio, aims to reduce the budget deficit from 4.5% in the previous year to 4.0% in 2013. This is taking into account the estimated RM208.6 billion government revenue for 2013.

A Bloomberg article reported the strengthening of the ringgit, rising from "0.5% to 3.0620 against the dollar, the biggest gain in a week".

"The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index climbed 0.5%," added the report.

Temporary sweeteners

One can also point to the success of our government-backed initial public offerings (IPOs) which achieved worldwide status. One can hear a loud chant of "Malaysia Boleh" in the stock markets.

However, the situation goes beyond our positive economic forecast.

Many have wanted the Auditor-General's report to be released before the budget announcement, but that was not the case.

Cash handouts to the young are mere temporary sweeteners. Besides, the previous gifts of book vouchers were not carefully regulated, resulting in a portion of the students using them to buy anything in book stores ranging from comic books, expensive stationery to water bottles, wallets, and even music CD albums.

National House Buyers Association secretary-general Chang Kim Loong was sceptical on the RPGT revision. He says that the revision will allow speculators to purchase properties from developers upon launch and hike up the property price, while paying only the proposed 10% RPGT on the third year.

Orang Asli Concerns director Colin Nicholas said that the allocation of RM88 million to implement economic development programmes and water supply projects for the Orang Asli community does not address the issue as most of the time there is already a water gravity system in place. (A water gravity system is a system whereby water from a source high up and deep in the jungle is channelled through PVC pipes.)

"What is needed is proper delivery system with no leakages. Two years ago, a similar project was mooted but the project failed," he said

Which brings me to my point that although things might look good from the outside, sometimes policies are ill-planned and may backfire.

Long-term love affair with subsidies

How about Malaysia's long-term love affair with subsidies? Research for Social Advancement (Refsa) and IDEAS, two local think-thanks, have revealed that expenditure on subsidies has quadrupled since 2007.

Are we as a nation still heavily dependent on subsidies which give a false value on goods and services?

Then there's also the issue of our development expenditure and operating expenditure. Malaysia's operating expenditure has increased from RM182 billion to RM201.9 billion.

READ MORE HERE

 

The Havoc Education Reform Inflicts: Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (Part 3 of 5)

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 02:01 PM PDT

M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com

Third of Five Parts: Quality, Efficiency, Efficacy, And Trimming of Fat

[Part One discusses the Blueprint's failure to recognize the diversity within our school system, and with that the need for specific solutions targeted to particular groups. Part Two discusses the particular challenge of having competent teachers especially in science, English, and mathematics, a critical problem not adequately addressed by the Blueprint. In this third part I discuss the inextricable link between quality, efficiency, and efficacy, points not fully appreciated in the Blueprint.]

The one diagram in the Blueprint that best captures what's wrong with the Malaysian education system is Exhibit 6-4, the ministry's organizational staff structure. The diagram is described as rectangular; it's more fat Grecian column. Incidentally, that diagram is the best graphic representation of data in the entire document; it captures and demonstrates well two salient points. One, there are as many Indians as there are chiefs in the organization, and two, the overwhelming burden of administrative staff at all levels.

"Malaysia arguably has one of the largest central (federal) administrations in the world, relative to the number of schools," says the Blueprint, quoting a UNESCO report.

We do not need those highly-paid international consultants to remind us of the bloat. The gleaming tower that is the Ministry of Higher Education in Putrajaya is emblematic of that. It reveals the government's perverted priorities. That edifice shames that of the Department of Education of the US, or any First World country.

By any measure, relative to the economy, population, or total budget, Malaysia funds its education system generously, much more so than countries like Finland and South Korea. Yet our students and schools lag far behind. The answer lies in Exhibit 6-4. The bulk of the resources expended do not end up in the classrooms.

It reflects the panel's commitment (or lack of it) to enhancing the system's efficiency that the post-reform chart looks only slightly tapered at the top. It needs to be sharply pyramidal to tackle the current bloated rectangle.

Efficiency is one of the Blueprint's six goals. Briefly though not inaccurately defined, efficiency is output relative to input. If I expend "x" amount of resources (time, money, effort) and produce "y" amount of intended results, while my colleague expends twice as much, then I am twice as efficient. However, if he produces other than the intended results, then he is not being efficacious quite apart from being not efficient. His producing all those unintended and unwanted products reduces or interferes with his output of the desired ones. Efficiency is doing things right; efficacy, doing the right thing.

Our system of education is both inefficient and inefficacious. We are not efficient because despite the vast resources expended we produce far too few graduates who are bilingual, science literate, mathematically competent, and capable of critical thinking. We are not being efficacious because the graduates we produce are not the types we desire, meaning, they are unilingual, unable to think critically, and good only at regurgitating what has been spoon-fed into them.

A more tangible manifestation of our inefficiency is this. Rwanda could provide each child with a laptop at a fraction of the Malaysian price. We are not being as efficacious as Rwanda where its laptop program teaches not only the children but also spills over to their families. In Malaysia those laptops end up either being "lost" or gathering dust in the school's storerooms. Our teachers have not been adequately trained to use them; besides those computers belong to the school and not given to individual teachers. Thus there is no pride of ownership, and opportunities for them to learn are that much reduced.

Pursuing efficiency, we have two ministries (one for higher education), each with its own overpaid minister, deputy ministers, KSUs, DGs, Deputy KSUs, Assistant Deputy KSUs, and hordes of directors. With the government's stated goal of autonomy to universities, all you need is one person to write the checks perhaps once a semester. You do not need a ministry, much less a grand one. That expensive edifice and bloated administrative staff divert resources that otherwise could have been diverted to the classrooms and teachers.

Peruse the organizational structure of the Ministry of Education (MOE); dozens of divisions could be chopped off. Why do we need a separate division for matrikulasi; it is nothing more than Sixth Form; likewise with residential schools. The purpose of decentralization and devolution of authority to the periphery is, among others, to reduce the central bureaucracy, not to lighten the load of those already under-worked civil servants at headquarters. If schools truly have autonomy then all you need is one person at headquarters to write the big check every month, term, or year.

Bureaus like Textbook, Translation, and Dewan Bahasa could be privatized and the resources saved diverted directly to pay writers, translators, and publishers, the actual producers of goods and services. Then there are the corporate and international relations offices. Get rid of both. The only important relationship MOE should cultivate is with parents and teachers.

I would also spin off the Examination Syndicate. Such bodies in America like the College Board (responsible for the Scholastic Assessment Test, SAT) and American College Testing (ACT), as well as those responsible for graduate and professional studies like GMAT (business school) and MCAT (medical school) are private.

Yet there is not a word in the Blueprint on streamlining the ministry, reducing the bloat, and getting rid or at least privatizing those peripheral services.

Malaysians, individually and as a society, value and respect education. We willingly expend resources on it but are unwilling to expend the extra effort to make sure that that those funds are spent wisely. MOE's budget escapes critical scrutiny.

MOE, being part and parcel of the massive Malaysian bureaucracy, is also afflicted with rampant corruption, blatant cronyism, embarrassing incompetence, naked nepotism, and a distorted sense of meritocracy. The last scandal (at least one that was exposed) was in 1960 under Rahman Talib when RM100 million in school construction funds were "unaccounted for," the euphemism for "missing." That may seem small change by current standard of greed, but after factoring for inflation and devaluation, it would be a billion in today's currency.

The Blueprint completely ignores this blight of administration in MOE. In an earlier book I cited the example of the bloated cost of a MARA residential college where through competitive bidding we could get three such schools for the price of two. If competitive bidding were to be standard practice, then not only would we get more for our money but also our schools would have roofs that would not collapse, thus endangering our children.

Najib and Muhyyiddin have not demonstrated their ability to take on local UMNO warlords. On the contrary, both are central to the corrupt political patronage system that plagues Malaysia. So expect the bloat and inefficiency in MOE (and the rest of the government) to continue.

As for efficacy, the Blueprint does not even comment on whether the recent rescinding of teaching science and mathematics in English advances the goal of producing bilingual and science literate graduates. There is no recommendation for increasing the number of hours of instruction in English or mandating a pass in the Malaysian University English Test (MUET). The more hours and the younger you are exposed to a language, the more proficient you would be, and faster. Making students pass a test definitely motivates them to study for it.

In the 1950s the government mandated all civil servants to pass a test in Malay to impress upon them its importance. That prompted many to take private lessons lest they would be bypassed in promotions. This Blueprint does not mandate teachers and headmasters demonstrate their competence in English.

READ MORE HERE

 

Warga Asing Beli Kad Pengenalan Palsu Diberi Peluang Mengundi - Ayuh Desak Bubar SPR Sebelum ...

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 01:24 PM PDT


SUMBER - Daily Express 29/9/2012

Bagaimana seorang warga asing yang telah didapati bersalah oleh mahkamah kerana memiliki kad pengenalan palsu didapati layak untuk mengundi? Kad Penganalan yang dikenalpasti tidak sah, tetapi sah untuk mengundi mengikut bancian senarai pengundi SPR? Bagaimana ini berlaku? 

Edy Noor Reduan
 
Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) sekali lagi mendesak keras supaya SPR dibubarkan terlebih dahulu sebelum pilihanraya. SAMM sebelum ini telah membuat pendedahan kerjasama SPR dan JPN untuk menutup kerja kotor penipuan pilihanraya, hari ini mendedahkan kes terbaru yang menunjukkan warga asing diberi kelayakkan mengundi - satu pengkhianatan besar terhadap kedaulatan negara.

Merujuk kepada laporan Akhbar Daily Express bertarikh 29 September 2012, seorang warga asing bernama Hassannuddin Bin Manna memberitahu mahkamah bahawa dia telah membeli Mykad palsu dengan harga RM1000. Mahkamah juga telah memutuskan Hassannuddin didenda dan dipenjara kerana memiliki dokumen palsu, sekaligus mengesahkan Kad Pengenalan yang diperolehi Hassannuddin adalah palsu. 

Namun setelah disemak nombor kad pengenalan milik Hassannuddin (741029125463), SAMM mendapati nombor Kad Pengenalan palsu tersebut wujud dalam pangkalan data SPR dan juga merupakan pengundi yang sah. 

Persoalannya, bagaimana seorang warga asing yang telah didapati bersalah oleh mahkamah kerana memiliki kad pengenalan palsu didapati layak untuk mengundi? Kad Penganalan yang dikenalpasti tidak sah, tetapi sah untuk mengundi mengikut bancian senarai pengundi SPR? Bagaimana ini berlaku? 

Kad pengenalan ini juga didapati mempunyai rekod di JPN dengan status 'telah diambil'. Ini bermakna Kad Pengenalan palsu ini telah diluluskan di JPN. Siapa pegawai yang meluluskannya? Siapakah kerani kaunter yang melepaskan kad pengenalan palsu ini untuk diambil?

Apakah ini satu lagi kerjasama utuh di antara Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR), Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) dan juga melibatkan bantuan dari Jabatan Imigresen? Inikah hasil daripada program 6P yang cuba dilaksanakan secara terburu-buru oleh Jabatan Imigresen?

Isu pemberian Mykad kepada warga asing merupakan satu isu yang sangat serius ketika ada warga sendiri yang masih tidak diberi kad pengenalan kerana birokrasi melampau. Percayalah lambat laun warga negara sendiri terpaksa merempat di bumi bertuah ini. 

Keadaan menjadi lebih parah apabila warga asing diberikan pula hak untuk mengundi oleh SPR. Apakah demokrasi negara ini dibiarkan terjual kepada warga asing demi menyelamatkan Barisan Nasional daripada kehilangan kuasa?

Lihatlah bagaimana kedudukan warga asing di serata pelusuk negara walaupun tanpa memiliki dokumen yang sah, mereka mampu berniaga di pasar pagi, pasar petang siang dan malam, membuka gerai, bengkel malah ada yang mempunyai syarikat pembinaan sendiri. Bayangkan jika warga asing diberikan kad pengenalan secara sewenang-wenangnya demi mempertahan regim pemerintah sedangkan ia sebenarnya satu skim menjual negara.

Barisan Nasional sudah semakin lemah dan tidak mampu untuk menang dalam pilihanraya yang juga beberapa kali ditangguh. Barisan Nasional kini ditolak oleh rakyat negara ini, maka idea memberikan kewarganegaraan segera kepada warga asing merupakan satu jalan singkat yang mengundang padah kepada seluruh rakyat negara ini. Banyak pendedahan telah dibuat dan pendedahan terbaru ini menjadi bukti kewujudan pemberian 'kewarganegaraan segera' sedang berleluasa.

SAMM sebagai peneraju anak muda bingkas sekali lagi menyeru kepada seluruh rakyat agar tidak berdiam diri ketika negara sedang dijual sehabisnya. Semua persoalan ini bukan sahaja wajib dijawab malah SPR yang gagal membersihkan senarai pengundi wajib dibubarkan segera sebelum parlimen dibubar. 

SAMM memanggil semua NGO dan individu yang cintakan demokrasi, cintakan negara ini harus menyertai gerakan membubarkan SPR dengan segala bentuk tekanan walaupun dengan melakukan satu lagi protes terbesar menuntut pilihanraya bersih dan adil - BERSIH 5.0. Selagi pilihanraya tidak bersih, selagi itulah wajarnya protes ini dengan pelbagai pendedahan yang tidak disangkal sebagai bukti.

"Perubahan itu harus didesak bukan ditunggu"

The day after the 1 night stand before: the aftermath of 2013 budget

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 01:16 PM PDT

http://www.nst.com.my/polopoly_fs/1.149661.1348826218!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_454/image.jpg
Only this time the business as usual will be back in with a greater vengeance because this time, the cost of procurement is very much higher than before and the expected and desired returns, will have to be even greater.
Lee Wee Tak
The 2013 spend and feel good budget has been read for the nation's attention and parliament's debate. The debate is probably useless, for the Janji Ditepati administration, chronic, habitual spending above budget is a given.  This habit is well documented
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/litee/print/malaysia/putrajaya-asks-for-rm14b-more-to-spend/
Malaysia Putrajaya asks for RM14b more to spend
UPDATED @ 12:04:39 14-06-2012
By Shannon Teoh
Jun 14, 2012
 KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — The federal government tabled a supplementary supply Bill today, asking for RM13.8 billion more to spend this year, fuelling fears the Najib administration will not be able to rein in the deficit and breach the statutory debt ceiling.
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Therefore, rather than dwelling too much in detail into a current and soon to be derailed budget, let's project into the future base on the path Malaysians been dragged down unto for the past decade.

As reported by the Star:
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 *Individual income tax rate to be reduced by 1 percentage point for each grouped annual income tax exceeding RM2,500 to RM50,000. The measure will remove 170,000 taxpayers from paying tax as well as provide savings on their tax payment.
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This is a sure sign of GST coming upon us because cut in personal income tax (a.k.a. direct tax) goes hand in hand for imposing GST. Let's look at Singapore for example:
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GST was implemented at a single rate of 3% on 1 April 1994, with an assurance that it would not be raised for at least five years. To cushion the impact of GST on Singaporean households, an offset package was also introduced. Simultaneously, corporate tax rate was cut by 3% to 27%, and the top marginal personal income tax rate was cut by 3% to 30%. The initial GST rate of 3% was among the lowest in the world, as the focus was not to generate substantial revenue, but to allow people to get adjusted to the tax.[4]
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However, Malaysians are not ready to switch to GST because most of Malaysians can't even afford personal income tax!. Also, the reasons for Singapore and Malaysia to introduce GST are not the same.
With this 2013 gula and then GST, while you save 1% on your income, almost every Ringgit and Sen you spend will be taxed at 4% or whatever eventual rate that will be levied on us hence for people living on debts, you may probably end up paying more taxes. This blogger is not part of the BN administration but his/her speculation is base on sources from within:
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BN and PR should agree to GST after polls says Idris Jala
By Lee Wei Lian
March 27, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — The country's two rival political coalitions should cooperate on tax reforms once the political temperature has simmered down after the upcoming general elections said Datuk Seri Idris Jala today

In Chinese, there is a saying "秋後算帳" i.e. letting someone or something off for the moment only to come back later; invoke the past and punish as such. BN administration already done that with Suqiu pleaders (whose list of request is quite in line with Wawasan 2020 and 1Malaysia, and less vocal compared to the current Chinese educationists' voices which are deemed by Nazri to be reasonable)
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I'm no hypocrite, Nazri tells MCA
Minister in the Prime Minister Department Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has brushed aside the claim by MCA leaders that his support for Dong Zong's eight-point demand for Chinese education is mere diplomatic manoeuvring.
"Of course we have to be diplomatic, we are politicians – but not in the sense that I am a hypocrite…
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(er…notice the get out clause?)
For people living in vibrant night light circle, this could be called the morning after the night before situation. Once the passionate objective is achieved, time for cold showers, breakfast and business as usual.
Only this time the business as usual will be back in with a greater vengeance because this time, the cost of procurement is very much higher than before and the expected and desired returns, will have to be even greater.
The existing cosy political-economic union calls for GLC and Government initiatives to dominate economic activities. When the federal government dishes out some much, it needs to recoup.
The ubiquitous quote nowadays "GST is a mean to widen tax base" is a , borrowing Nazri's words, diplomatic way of saying in Malaysian BN context, money collected from the people and god's gift to Malaysia has been squandered big time and there is a great need to ask for more. Bailout with tax payers' money, i.e. future and security.
Therefore, there is an unmistakable trend of awarding of major contracts and new government measures that ask the rakyat to contribute even more than we have already. Apart from GST, there is 1Care scheme which should resurface after its disappearance before GE

PM shreds Opposition's policy framework Buku Jingga

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 01:15 PM PDT

Friendly greeting: Najib and Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon waving to press photographers.
Friendly greeting: Najib and Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon waving to press photographers.

(The Star) - Pakatan Rakyat's common policy framework Buku Jingga is "not worth the paper it is printed on", said Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said their masterplan which amongst others aimed to restructure subsidies and abolish tolls was not feasible as doing so would spell the end of Bursa Malaysia.

"Most of the concessionaires are public-listed companies and Pakatan's plan will lead to the collapse of Bursa.

"That is why Buku Jingga is not worth the paper it is printed on," he said in his opening speech at the Gerakan national delegates conference yesterday.

In a fiery speech, the Prime Minister said the Opposition's promise to wipe out the National Higher Education Fund Corporation's (PTPTN) RM33bil debt was not doable either.

He said Pakatan should not talk about taking over Putrajaya when it had not even formed its own shadow Cabinet.

"Why didn't they do it? Are they afraid that they do not know what posts to give to (DAP parliamentary leader) Lim Kit Siang, (PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul) Hadi Awang or (PAS deputy president) Mohamad Sabu?

"Don't talk about forming the government, form the shadow Cabinet first," he said.

He said that in Selangor, 73% of the promises made by Pakatan to the people were not fulfilled, and as such, no one should have a government that lied or failed to deliver on its promises.

He said unlike Barisan, Pakatan did not even have a common symbol or manifesto.

Citing an example, he said they could not even agree on the implementation of hudud.

"If you don't have a common position or policy on something so fundamental, how are you going to administer the country? You don't have the credibility to run the government," he said.

Najib said the Opposition had only three weapons in its arsenal criticise, instigate and promise the sun, moon and the galaxy.

In contrast, he said the ruling government had a clear sense of direction in transforming the country into a high-income, developed nation.

"When we promise something, it is based on something that hinges on reality. We have studied it in depth, after engaging with experts from within and out of the country. It is doable and achievable," he said.

Najib also chided critics who claimed that the 2013 Budget was a populist move, pointing out that it was aimed at putting the people first and moving the economy forward.

"It's not all just about BR1M. You do Bersih 2.0, we do BR1M 2.0. You storm barricades and overturn police cars, we can help the poor," he said.

 

Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The threat of foreign funding

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 01:11 PM PDT

George Soros (© Harald Dettenborn | Wiki Commons)

George Soros (© Harald Dettenborn | Wiki Commons)

Now, between foreign bodies funding Malaysian NGOs, and the Malaysian government funding foreign corporations, which should we worry more about?

Wong Chin Huat, The Nut Graph

WHY don't civil society organisations register as societies in Malaysia, resorting instead to being listed as companies? And don't Malaysians deserve to be suspicious of groups which are highly critical of the government and which are propped up by foreign funding?

According to both the state and the national media, Malaysians should be wary. A 21 Sept 2012 New Straits Times front-page story said it all — there is a "Plot to destabilise govt". And those behind this plot are human rights groups — with Suaram in the forefront — , civil society organisations, and news portal Malaysiakini by virtue of the fact, it seems, that they receive foreign funding, among others, from no less than George Soros.

Don't the government and the media have every right to hold these groups accountable in the same way that these groups often hold the state accountable? The Nut Graph speaks to political scientist Wong Chin Huat on the still-unfolding issue of Malaysian groups and their foreign funding, and the threats they potentially pose to the nation.

TNG: Why shouldn't Suaram be investigated? If it's registered as a company, shouldn't it be treated under company law like any other company? Just because it works on human rights issues, should it be given special treatment? 

Suaram logo (source: Wiki Commons)

Suaram logo (source: Wiki Commons)

The question we should first ask is: why did an NGO register as a company? A company may avoid tax if it is registered as an NGO. But what can an NGO gain by registering as a company? Nothing except for being registered!

The fact is registering an NGO under the Societies Act is made difficult and nearly impossible for civil society groups. Why? Because, to me, the Registrar of Societies (ROS) is loyal not to the country, its citizenry and the federal constitution which guarantees us freedom of association, but to the ruling parties. Groups — whether NGOs or political parties — deemed unfriendly to the federal ruling parties are often denied registration. For example, Parti Sosialis Malaysia was denied registration for years but the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP)'s registration was approved in days.

If Suaram should be on trial for using a roundabout way to register itself with the state, then the ROS and their political master, the home minister, should be in the dock for insulting the Federal Constitution and betraying citizens.

Yes, Suaram should certainly not enjoy any special discrimination. At the same time, if we want to talk about fair treatment all around, NGOs promoting human rights should enjoy as much freedom of association as those groups opposing human rights. Is that too much to ask of our prime minister, Najib the Moderate?

We often complain about government inefficiency. In the case of the ongoing investigation into Suaram, shouldn't we applaud the government's multi-agency efficiency?

I beg to differ about this allegation of general government inefficiency in Malaysia. This is slander by people who are jealous of our country's achievement! I apologise if I, too, have unwittingly contributed to this misperception in the past.

Our government is certainly quite efficient when it wants to be. For example, in compromising justice; inciting hatred; acquiring lands; destroying forests; serving foreign interests; enriching cronies; violating human rights and finally; covering up all these acts through censoring the media and witch-hunting whistle-blowers. They are really very good in these core competencies.

Why can't groups like Suaram, the Centre for Independent Journalism, and LoyarBurok, and movements like Bersih 2.0 source for funds locally? Why do they need to get foreign funding?

If you are deemed as friendly to the government, then you get easy donations from big businesses and of course, the government itself.

If you are deemed as anti-establishment, you may get donations from some other Malaysians but only if you grow big enough to be seen as a threat to the government. In that sense, large opposition parties and vocal ethno-religious NGOs generally have no big problems securing funding.

Funding problems are also solved when one is the target of a government witch-hunt. For example, Bersih 2.0 raised the money needed to organise the Bersih 2.0 and 3.0 rallies completely through public donations from Malaysians at home and abroad.

So, what kind of NGO work needs foreign funding? Those deemed threatening to the regime but which are not "sexy" enough to draw in pro-change public donations. For example, the funds Bersih 2.0 received from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and Open Society Institute (OSI) was for a study on constituency re-delineation. At that time, Bersih 2.0 was still in its infancy and received little public attention.

(source: suaram.net)

Annual human rights reports: not as sexy as seeing Najib in a French courtroom (source: suaram.net)

Another good example of important NGO work that is not so appealing in the public's eyes is Suaram's annual human rights report, arguably one of the most important documentations of political development in Malaysia. How many of those who donated to Suaram for the Scorpene suit just to see Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak being dragged to a French court, forked out the same amount of money for the NGO's annual publication?

Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/uncommon-sense-with-wong-chin-huat-the-threat-of-foreign-funding/

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net
 

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