| UMNO's karmic cycle Posted: 06 Dec 2012 09:59 PM PST 
There was a strange but pleasurable sense of "being a Johorean" back in the day, even for a little child like me who almost felt that life back then was about the freedom to roam the kampong/village and walk five miles to the smoke and dust-filled and Segget River-smelling town of Johor Baru. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr Azly Rahman Alpha-Omega, a beginning and an end, life coming around in full circle, "wa asal balik asil," "kalam baru balik pada kalam asal" - all these words came to me this last hour as I pondered upon the origin of Umno in its birthplace, where I, too, grew up fondly in - Johor Baru. Will Umno die a natural death at age 70 or from circa 1946 when it was born? And will it be buried in its kampong/village near Bukit Senyum in Johor Baru? I am now imbued with nostalgia of those growing-up years - of place names such as Kampong Mahmoodiah, Wadi Hana, Wadi Hassan, Bukit Senyum, Jalan Meldrum, and of course Stulang Laut where my grandparents (long deceased but fondly remembered) lived - all these bring me back to those memories of the Johor I once knew ... birthplace of "Malay nationalism" approved and perhaps sponsored and branded by the colonial masters, so that the channel of exploitation could still be opened in post-colonial times, notwithstanding the rhetoric of "Buy British Last" and the "Look East Policy" of the 1980s Mahathirist era. Almost weekly to visit relatives, I frequent the vicinity where the Malay para-royalist of Turkish origin Onn Jaafar's (left) residence was, a British-installed Blenheim-Palace-looking structure (Blenheim was Churchill's birthplace) that stood on a hill befitting of a home for a British "little-brown brother". And that was a Johor historic site where I am quite sure discussions on the formation of Umno were held; almost like a "revolutionary-period French salon" to fuel the opposition to the British proposal of the Malayan Union. There was a strange but pleasurable sense of "being a Johorean" back in the day, even for a little child like me who almost felt that life back then was about the freedom to roam the kampong/village and walk five miles to the smoke and dust-filled and Segget River-smelling town of Johor Baru. Fun it was too that one would be constantly exposed to the British names that were installed on the "material landscape of the city" in the form of street names, buildings, etc - names such as Larkin, English College, Woodlands, St Joseph School, Our First Lady of Fatima Church, Lido Beach, and Century Gardens... all these installed at different periods of history. And of course there were names of human beings such as Sir Abu Bakar, Lady Marcella Ibrahim, and those Malays knighted by the British. And there was the Anglicised JMF or the Johor Military Force that served as private army to the Johor royalty. And of course there is this name in English as well, that is now synonymous with power, dignity, glory, ideology, hegemony and of late unnecessary idiocy - "United Malays National Organisation" or one christened as "Umno". I have been a philologically-philosophically-semiotically sensitive person and would be obsessed with thinking about language and reality, how language constructs or destructs reality, and how language is also reality. "From word becomes flesh," "kun fayakun (be and thou shall become)," and "Om .... " - all these notions of the primacy of literacy fascinate me. When I was a child when I would sit quietly, like Miss Rosa Parks, on the T, Hakim Bus, the Seng Hup Bus, or the Johor-Singapore Express bus, or any bus or vehicle I was travelling in and read "signboards" and names of kampongs, towns and cities, of business store-front signs, whatever... get intoxicated by language, and start thinking and thinking about how these places get named and who decides how they are named. 'High on names' I was always "high on names" perhaps not getting as high as the "... Lu Gua .. Lu Gua gua cakap sama lu - speaking - "Mat Gian" or "Mat Fit" of Kampong Ubi, Bakar Batu or Tampoi high on shabu or glue or daun ketum or whatever they were smoking ... but "high on words, concepts, etc". Nonetheless, till now I maintain that "highness" for better or for worse ... Back to Umno's karmic cycle and its rendezvous with moksha (end of cycle of birth and death). How will it all end? Here is the essence of these notes - how many generations would it take to destroy a seemingly good idea of nationalism and would that destruction be just another phase of a karmic cycle to allow the rebirth of a new style of consciousness that no longer takes nationalism nor its ugly child "communal politics" as a mortal ideology but to allow for a natural birth of the new body with a new spirit? And that spirit is of supra-nationalism with a Rawles-ian brand of distributive justice, foundationed upon cosmopolitanism and the idea of "multiculturalism and pluralism" in its most intellectual and practical sense - unlike the one ill-understood by Umno. And how will other communal-based parties in Malaysia (MCA, MIC, etc.) meet their death, too - at a time, as they say in the "Arab Spring", when revolutions will find each one of us? ********************************** OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article/writing is mine,
the comments are strictly, respectfully, and responsibly yours;
present them rationally, clearly, politely, and ethically. https://www.facebook.com/#!/azly.rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ |
| A gulf of 44 years separates us from 13 May 1969 Posted: 06 Dec 2012 06:33 PM PST  Koon Yew Yin, CPI As the countdown to the general election begins in earnest, we are getting more and more calls from desperate and irresponsible politicians drawing attention to the possibility of a repeat of the infamous May 13 violence if the election results should go against the expectations of various political parties and interests. The fact that these calls are directed towards the Bumiputera component of our population, are expressed in the national language, and are widely carried in the Malay mass media and Internet world makes me suspicious of the intentions of these politicians who claim that they are simply doing Malaysians a favour by warning of the backlash should the election outcome not bring about a continuation of the present power structure. To my mind, these politicians are not only applying crude pressure on the Malay electorate to vote for them but they are also blatantly revealing their trump card – that violence, chaos and political instability will automatically erupt in the event that the opposition parties win the elections. This blackmailing of our electorate as well as incitement of disruptive and hooligan elements in our society is totally unacceptable. Various academicians and politicians from the opposition have spoken up against such fear mongering in the recent past. However, not enough has been done by members of the business community and other professional organizations to speak out against these warnings and threats although they will be the main losers should another May 13 episode take place. Much more needs to be done by key stakeholders to condemn the individuals and organizations making the threats as the risk of these threats becoming self-fulfilling prophesies increases by the day. Shahrizat's not-so-veiled threat 
The latest invocation of May 13 took place at the Umno general assembly held recently. In that meeting, the Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil warned that the May 13 tragedy might be repeated should Umno became weak and not be able to overcome its challenges. That this warning was not made obliquely but was served up as part of her opening speech text testifies to the way in which this kind of desperado thinking has become the mainstream in certain political circles. What is more worrying is that both Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin as Umno president and deputy president, and more importantly as the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, failed to repudiate or rebuke Sharizat for fear mongering. Instead the Deputy Prime Minister attempted to defend the speech by explaining that chaos will be inevitable under Pakatan Rakyat rule. Other Umno leaders, notably its vice-president Hishamuddin Hussein have even gone so far as to dismiss the attention brought by Shahrizat's May 13 statement as a case of "spinning" and to put the blame on a pro-opposition media and other opposition elements. "Shahrizat has already told me that this will be another matter that will be used for spinning by certain quarters, just because it coincides with the general assembly", the country's minister in charge of internal security is reported to have said in his dismissal of public concern when questioned about it. Even if it is a case of over-reaction by the media and a fearful public, it is hoped that Shahrizat and her colleagues will not play with fire or pander to the psyche of insecurity found in Umno party members by constantly harping on the possible recurrence of 13 May and even worst, by condoning or justifying violent and catastrophic racial riots as they appear to be doing in the run-up to the elections. Aftershocks of electoral violence Should there be bloodshed and violence arising from the next elections, it will not be non-Malays primarily who will lose out or be hurt by the collapse of the share market and the larger economy as we see a rush to exit the country by local and foreign businesses and investors. It will be all Malaysians especially those who are now enjoying the good life. Malays must bear in mind that while in 1969 they may have had less to lose, today the situation is completely different. There is Malay control of a major part of the commanding heights of our economy such as the banks, manufacturing, hi-tech industry, etc. and the largest listed companies. These gains which have given birth to the creation of a sizeable Malay middle and upper class will be put at great risk should there be another May 13. They may even disappear as the economic aftershocks and loss of economic confidence spiral out of control. Another May 13 is unthinkable and unforgivable except to those who are so blinded by ambition and their lust for power that they need to keep reminding themselves and their supporters of that horrific possibility. However, should it happen, unlike in the first May 13 incident, it will be clear as to who are the instigators. Conclusion: I trust this article will encourage more stakeholders – bankers, business leaders, academicians and leaders of all political parties – to speak out and condemn those who are using the threat of another May 13 if there is a change of government. The Malays must remember that even if Pakatan Rakyat wins control of the government, there will be more Malay Members of Parliament than from any other races. The Malays will be the biggest losers if there is another May 13 riot. READ MORE HERE |
| We'll take you on, Selangor PAS Youth warns UMNO 'thugs' Posted: 06 Dec 2012 06:22 PM PST 
(Harakah Daily) - Selangor PAS Youth has warned the state UMNO Youth to rein in thuggery among its members so that they could get involved in politics as 'gentlemen'. "The Selangor PAS Youth is ready to take on any challenge by UMNO Youth should they continue with provocations in future," said Selangor PAS Youth leader Hasbullah Mohd Ridzwan (pic).
His warning followed an incident in Gombak on December 4, where a group of UMNO supporters attempted to disrupt an event featuring Pakatan Rakyat leaders by staging a march and shouting provocative slogans.
Their action later led to a melee among opposing crowds, resulting in several injuries including a PR supporter who was stabbed on his shoulder.
Hasbullah said the incident which he blamed on Gombak UMNO Youth members only helped to convince the public about UMNO and Barisan Nasional's uncivilised character.
He said it also exposed the division's Youth leader who had been issuing denials over UMNO's involvement despite video clips and photographs showing otherwise.
"Selangor PAS Youth does not rule out the possibility that UMNO and Barisan Nasional are desperate to restore their damaged image in the eyes of the public, and thus they would commit violence and then play the victims to evoke people's sympathy," said Hasbullah.
Saying PR programmes had so far been conducted peacefully, Hasbullah stressed that there was no way such violence was started by PR supporters. |
| ‘AG Chambers aiding human traffickers’ Posted: 06 Dec 2012 06:02 PM PST 
A labour activist claims that the AG Chambers is working hand in glove with the Bangladeshi High Commission to aid human traffickers. Teoh El Sen, FMT Labour activist Abdul Aziz Ismail has accused the Attorney-General's Chambers of colluding with the Bangladeshi High Commission to aid human traffickers. In an open letter to the government, the Selangor Anti-Human Trafficking Council member said he came to such a conclusion after his appointment as a workers welfare adviser under the Bangladeshi High Commission here was suddenly revoked. "The sudden cancellation of my appointment by the commission under the instructions of the AG Chambers is beyond their boundaries and perimeter and it was done in bad faith," he wrote. He said he suspected that the AG Chambers and the Bangladesh High Commission had, willingly or unwittingly, become the tools of human trafficking syndicates, by protecting them. In 2007, Aziz said he was officially appointed to assist or represent Bangladesh migrant workers on matters concerning their welfare by the commission. He was then empowered to assist them to obtain temporary stay visas, lodging police reports and accompanying them during legal proceedings as a translator. He said in the years of voluntarism in this manner, he succesfully secured about more than RM700,000 of unpaid wages for exploited foreign workers. He said that his work had began somewhere between 2006 and 2009, when most of the Bangladesh migrant workers were brought into Malaysia and issued fraudulent "calling visa" by the Immigration Department approved by the Home Ministry to bogus employers or outsourcing companies. He alleged that those workers were later sold to a third party by their bogus employers or outsource companies, and abandoned. "These traffic victims were later detained and arrested as undocumented, illegal entry, over-staying and violating employment pass," he said. Aziz said he was much involved during that period and represented victims of unpaid wages, unlawful dismissal, unlawful detention and all other suppression by agents, employers or the authorities. All these he did without being paid a single sen by the commission or by the victims. He said that the current 6P amnesty programme was akin to a "Re-Trafficking Programme" that caused hundreds of thousands of foreigners to be cheated and victimised by enforcement agencies. READ MORE HERE |
| The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 14) Posted: 06 Dec 2012 05:20 PM PST 
By the time the sellers found out whom the real buyers were, it was too late to do anything about it. The money had already been paid and the transfer completed. Masjid Rhusila now owned all the land surrounding the mosque, which used to be owned by Umno people, and nothing was going to stand in the way of the mosque expansion. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin By the late 1970s -- by then I was past my 27th birthday -- I began going to the mosque for Friday prayers. Then I started going to the mosque for my daily/regular prayers, especially Suboh, Maghrib and Isyak, plus during the entire month of Ramadhan for my Tarawih prayers. But I would sit in the rows behind and keep all to myself. I was, after all, a novice and had much to learn about the religion I was born into but hardly practiced. Apparently, my presence in the mosque -- called Masjid Kolam, in Kuala Ibai, Kuala Terengganu, and not far from my house -- did not go unnoticed. One day, the imam, Haji Abbas Bin Khatib Muhammad a.k.a. Pak Abbas and a few members of the mosque committee came over to my house. The Chairman of Masjid Kolam was Kol. Haji Zubir, a chap who lived across the road from where we lived, a housing area called Taman Purnama. And Kol. Zubir had just set up an Umno branch with himself as Chairman. And this upset the mosque committee who were all PAS supporters. They requested that I take over the Chairmanship of the mosque (they told me that they were intending to oust Kol. Zubir). I was quite taken aback. I was a sort of 'newcomer' to Islam -- which is why I refer to myself as a 'Born Again' Muslim -- and could not even recite the Qur'an. And here we had a bunch of hafiz (those who have memorised the Qur'an) requesting me to head their mosque. Incidentally, just to digress a bit, after I became the Chairman of the mosque, Pak Abbas came over to my house twice a week to teach Marina and me to read the Qur'an and within six months we were able recite it fluently, with maybe some pronunciation errors. Pak Abbas was surprised. He told us that it normally takes a few years but we were able to do it in a mere six months. After I took over as the Chairman of Masjid Kolam, we embarked upon an expansion exercise. The mosque was an old mosque, three generations old, but there was hardly any progress or development since it was first built. We bought up the surrounding land and expanded the mosque. We also built a school and increased the area for the graveyard. Marina's mother, my mother-in-law, is in fact buried there. Invariably, without realising it at first, I soon became very involved in opposition politics, PAS in particular. Our area was a PAS area but under Umno. Not long after that, PAS won that area and has held it ever since. One day, officers from the Terengganu Religious Department visited our mosque to announce that they (the Terengganu Religious Department) were going to conduct an AGM the following week because our mosque had never held an AGM to elect its officer bearers. There were loud protests from the congregation. Actually, we did hold AGMs every year not only to elect our committee members but to also table our audited accounts and annual reports. We also hold committee meetings every three months and the minutes of these meetings are also made public. We were probably one of the most transparently run mosques in the state of Terengganu. The Terengganu Religious Department, however, said they did not recognise these elections or the committee. The government must first approve the committee and ours had not been approved by the government. I happened to be in Kuala Lumpur that week and was not present when this happened. When Pak Abbas came to my house to inform me about what happened it was decided that I should not be present the following week so that I could deny any knowledge of whatever was going to happen. And what was going to happen was not going to be pleasant, maybe even bloodshed, so I should stay away. The following week, officers from the Terengganu Religious Department came to our mosque with a truckload of riot police. They were not only going to sack the entire committee but the imams and bilals as well. The entire mosque congregation walked out of the mosque in protest and marched to the Rhusila Mosque to pray. That coup attempt by the Terengganu State Government failed miserably. They eventually gave up and left us alone. However, from that day on, I was a marked man and a target for political assassination. And I would soon learn what happens to a businessman who crosses swords with Umno. But that is another story for another time, though. I wrote in the previous episode how I first met Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang. I soon began to frequent his mosque, Masjid Rhusila, to listen to his lectures and sermons. It was then a small wooden mosque just like Masjid Kolam. They were trying to expand the mosque but could not because the mosque was sitting on a very small piece of land. And the land surrounding the mosque were all owned by Umno people who refused to sell it to the mosque or to PAS people for any amount of money. I spoke to a member of the Terengganu royal family to seek her assistance in this matter. She then approached the various landowners to offer to buy up their land. The landowners agreed to sell their land not knowing that I was actually the secret buyer and that this member of the Terengganu royal family was merely my nominee or 'front'. The price was agreed and I arranged to make the payments, but through the lawyers. And the money would be released once they sign the transfer forms. Only the seller would be signing the transfer forms. The buyer would sign later, which is allowed as long as it is done and the transfer registered within 30 days. Once the buyers had signed the transfer and the money was paid to them, I collected the transfer forms and handed them to PAS. PAS then appointed three nominees to act as trustees to hold the land on behalf of the mosque. By the time the sellers found out whom the real buyers were, it was too late to do anything about it. The money had already been paid and the transfer completed. Masjid Rhusila now owned all the land surrounding the mosque, which used to be owned by Umno people, and nothing was going to stand in the way of the mosque expansion. There was a third mosque I was involved in. And this mosque is located in Cendering, midway between Masjid Kolam and Masjid Rhusila. There is this 'famous' mosque in Cendering where the Sultan and members of his family go to do their Friday prayers. One day, the committee invited Tok Guru Hadi to give a talk in this mosque and this upset the government. And for this 'crime' the mosque committee was sacked. The government then appointed an 'Umno' committee to take over. The sacked committee came to see me to tell me that they wanted to set up a new mosque. And they had identified an old dilapidated surau in Simpang Empat, also in Cendering, which could be used for this purpose. I agreed to help raise the money and they proceeded to take over the surau. Extensive renovations were then done to turn this wooden shack into a proper mosque. When the government realised that a third anti-government mosque was about to emerge (sandwiched between two other anti-government mosques -- Masjid Kolam and Masjid Rhusila) they sprang into action. Three truckloads of riot police were sent to the mosque and they used a chain and padlock to lock up the mosque. The kampong folk broke the padlock and 'occupied' the mosque. A couple of thousand villagers faced the police head on and bared their chests (literally). They then challenged the police to shoot them. The police just stood there dumbfounded. The kampong folks had challenged the police and had won. The police soon left without doing anything and until today that mosque still stands and is a PAS stronghold. The Special Branch reported to the Menteri Besar, Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, that I was the one who was behind the Cendering mosque. In fact, I was also behind Masjid Kolam and was instrumental in helping Masjid Rhusila acquire its land for expansion. One day, a judge by the name of Sulaiman invited my business partner to lunch. The judge said he had something very urgent to tell my partner. And what he told my partner was: the government wants to detain me under the Internal Security Act. (Hence the plan to detain me was actually mooted 20 years before they did detain me in 2001). The judge cautioned the government to tread very carefully on this matter. I was, after all, the nephew of Tengku Ampuan Bariah, the Sultan of Terengganu's consort. Hence that made it very dicey. The judge advised them to talk to me instead. The Head of the Special Branch summoned me to his office. He then showed me my file, a very thick file indeed, and told me that I was just one step short from detention. He suggested I go meet the Menteri Besar to make my peace with Umno. The following morning, at 7.00am, I was brought to the Menteri Besar's residence. The Menteri Besar advised me to tone down my anti-government activities and not get involved with the setting up or the expansion of any anti-government mosques. If not the government would be forced to act against me. And that was when I decided that I had done enough in Terengganu and that it was now time to 'export' PAS to Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. And that would involve the story of Masjid Mujahidin in Damasara Utama that I related in the previous episode. 
Masjid Rhusila as it was 30 years ago in 1982 
Masjid Rhusila today TO BE CONTINUED The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 12) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 13) |
| Mahathir to Campaign for Najib in Shift From 2008 Malaysia Vote Posted: 06 Dec 2012 03:30 PM PST 
Barry Porter and Chong Pooi Koon, Bloomberg News Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's longest- serving leader, will hit the campaign trail to help Prime Minister Najib Razak's ruling coalition win a 13th straight general election after sitting out during the 2008 vote. "I have promised that I will campaign," Mahathir, 87, said in a Dec. 5 interview in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative center near Kuala Lumpur. "I don't know whether I have enough influence or not, but I think people still remember me." Mahathir led calls for Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to resign after the National Front coalition won the last election by its narrowest margin since independence in 1957. Najib, who took over as leader in 2009, told a party congress last week that he aims to restore the alliance's two-thirds majority in parliament during the next election, which must be held within 60 days of an April 28 deadline to dissolve parliament. Najib's ruling United Malays Nasional Organisation is seeking to stave off a challenge from the opposition alliance led by Anwar Ibrahim, a former finance minister who Mahathir fired in 1998 during an Asia-wide financial crisis. The party is more aware of the opposition's strength than in 2008 and has moved to win back support with budget handouts and political reforms, according to Ooi Kee Beng, deputy director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. 'Payback Period' "It's Najib's to lose," Ooi said by phone from Singapore, referring to the next election. "He does have a certain advantage of incumbency. Just like 2008, a lot will depend on the nominations and campaigning. Things can shift very quickly." Mahathir, while predicting a win for Najib's coalition, questioned whether it was possible to regain the two-thirds majority in the 222-member parliament, which allows legislation to be passed easily. Mahathir led the National Front to five consecutive victories as prime minister before retiring in 2003. "This is payback period for me," Mahathir said. "I must admit, I didn't support during the last election." Anwar's three-party People's Alliance opposition coalition made gains in the 2008 election, winning control of five of Malaysia's 13 states. The National Front, also known as Barisan Nasional, later won back Perak state when several lawmakers defected. In 1998, soon after Mahathir ousted him, Anwar was arrested and imprisoned for almost six years on corruption and sodomy charges, which he said were politically motivated. Malaysia's Federal Court quashed the sodomy conviction in 2004, while upholding the corruption charge. He denies wrongdoing. 'Go Quietly' Najib's ruling coalition will transfer power peacefully to Anwar if it loses the next election, Mahathir said. The police, military and civil servants are professionals who would back any elected government, he said. "It will go quietly," Mahathir said, referring to the National Front. "I have been preaching to people about democracy, even to the Arabs. I tell them if you want to have democracy you must be prepared to lose." Najib, 59, cut income taxes, boosted pay for government workers and extended cash handouts for the poor in his 2013 budget announced in September. While the global economy has slowed, Malaysia has maintained gross domestic product growth above 5 percent for the past five quarters and its benchmark stock index closed at a record in October. Unrest Concerns The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index was little changed at 12:30 p.m. in Kuala Lumpur today. It has risen 5.6 percent this year, Southeast Asia's worst performing leading benchmark gauge. A disputed vote could trigger civil unrest that would involve the intervention of the king and a group of royals that have constitutional powers to appoint elected leaders, according to James Chin, a professor of political science at the Malaysian campus of Australia's Monash University. Much depends on the margin of victory, he said by phone. "There will be problems if it is razor thin and it is disputed," he said, referring to the election outcome. "We don't really know what will happen because we've never had a change of government in Malaysia." The National Front held a clear two-thirds majority for four decades until 2008. The last time it lost two-thirds control of parliament was in the 1969 election, which was followed by race riots. Asked if there could be civil or religious unrest should the National Front fall, Mahathir said: "There will be some, but not the kind of violent unrest like demonstrating every day. If every time you lose you want to hold strikes and demonstrations, that means you don't understand democracy. You have to accept losing." Mahathir said he has traveled the country to urge UMNO party members against sabotaging the vote if they are not selected as candidates to stand in the election, echoing Najib's warning last week. "I told them that this is committing suicide," Mahathir said. "You don't do that." |
| Menyuluhi Musa Hassan: Apa Sebenarnya? Posted: 06 Dec 2012 03:13 PM PST 
MOHD SAYUTI OMAR Kemunculan secara aktif bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Musa Hassan bercakap mengenai beberapa tindakan jabatan atau pasukan yang pernah dipegangnya, Polis Di Raja Malaysia (PDRM) ke belakangan ini menimbul sedikit tanda tanya. Apa lagi penglibatan beliau itu memberi kesan negatif kepada PDRM dan terutamanya mereka yang bertanggungjawab dalam menjaga hal ehwal polis. Orang menjadi sasaran beliau ialah Menteri Dalam Negeri, Hishamuddin Hussein sendiri. Kritikan itu dilihat sebagai satu keberanian yang pelik kerana jarang bekas pegawai tinggi kerajaan yang sedang menikmati kemudahan selepas bersara membuat kritikan terbuka seperti itu. Selalunya adalah sesuatu yang berlaku, pelik.. kerana kalau tidak masakan tempua bersarang rendah.
 | | Musa Hassan | Apa ditimbulkan Musa kononnya Hishmuddin mencampuri urusan polis dengan memberi arahan kepada pegawai junior polis dan seorang ketua polis negeri melakukan sesuatu tanpa memaklumkan kepadanya. Perbuatan Hishamuddin itu dianggap mencampuri urusan polis dan salah mengikut akta polis. Lantaran itu ada orang bertanggapan beliau berbuat begitu kerana dendam disebabkan kontreknya kali kedua sebagai KP tidak disambung oleh Hishmuddin. Bagaimana pun beliau menafikan, apa dilakukan untuk memperbetulkan sesuatu yang salah dalam pasukan itu demi menjad imej dan intergriti polis. Pendirian dan pengakuan itu ada munasbaah dan boleh diterima. Tetapi ia tetap menjadi persaolan kenapa Musa tidak berbuat begitu semasa dia masih menjadi ketua polis? Apakah sekiranya dia sambung kontrek dia juga akan berdiam diri dan terus bersubahat dengan kekotoran itu? Kalau begitu adalah baik pegawai tinggi kerajaan tidak diberi kontrek (sambung jawatan) untuk menyaksikan berlaku pendedahan keburukan sesuatu jabatan? Dalam hubungan di atas kalau difahami Musa tidak mengkritik PDRM tetapi mengkritik menteri yang menjaga hal ehwal dan urusan kepolisan negara. Ini juga menimbulkan tanda tanya, kenapa? Harus difahami Umno selain daripada sedang mengheret dada untuk menghadapi pilihan raya umum ke-13, parti itu juga akan berdepan dengan pemilihan pemimpin pada tahun depan. Apakah Musa melakukan itu bagi mempastikan Hishmuddin terguling dari kedudukannya sebagai salah seorang Naib Presiden Umno kini. Bahawa Musa ada nawaitu memprojekkan seseorang untuk mengambil alih tempat itu atau memberi keselesaan kepada dua lagi Naib Presiden, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dan Shafei Afdal? Apakah Musa sedang berkempen untuk menyelamatkan Ahmad Zahidi Hamidi yang dikatakan kurang selamat sekiranya Muhyiddin Yassin menjadi Presiden akan datang, begitukah? Zahid kini sedang mencatur kedudukannya sendiri di dalam Umno yang semakin kabur kini.  | | Abdul Rahim Noor | Pastilah bila ada ubi tentu ada batasnya, bila ada budi pastilah ianya diharap atau fahm-faham agar dibalas. Mungkinkah ada kerjasama di antara Musa dengan Zahid dalam soal ini secara faham memahami? Oph... ini hanya andaian tetapi ada kemungkinan ia berlaku. Politik itu serba mungkin. Juga, sebelum Musa membuat pendedahan yang boleh memburukkan reputasi Hishmuddin beliau telah melakukan sesuatu yang nmengejutkan orang ramai bila mana menarik balik saman malu ke atas Anwar Ibrahim tanpa semena-mena. Musa bertindak menyaman Anwar kerana menuduhnya mereka-reka fakta atau menyembunyikan fakta sebenar dalam siasatan kes mata lebam melibatkan Anwar. Dalam satu laporan polis oleh Anwar terhadap Musa dan Peguam Negara, Abdul Ghani Petail, menuduh Musa bersubahat dengan Ghani melakukan kekejian itu. Laporan polis Anwar itu ekoran penemuan maklumat baru daripada bekas pegawai tinggi polis Mat Zain Ismail yang ketika itu menjadi ketua penyiasat kes itu. Bagaimana pun Musa menafikan dan merasa malu dengan tuduhan lantas mengemukakan saman kepada Anwar. Menjeutkan seluruh umat, tiba-tiba saat kes itu hendak dibicarakan Musa menarik balik saman itu tanpa ada apa-apa perundingan ketat dengan Anwar terlebih dahulu? Tindakan Musa itu dianggap anih dan songsang dan ia mula menjadi perhatian umum. Tindakan Musa itu menyebabkan timbul berbagai andaian dan lenggang lengguk politik negara menjadi semakin menarik. READ MORE HERE |
| Selangor Sultan: I am above politics, let’s be clear about this Posted: 06 Dec 2012 03:01 PM PST 
Wong Chun Wai and Loong Meng Yee, The Star Selangor will be one of the hardest fought states in the coming general election. As polling day nears, the Sultan finds himself a victim of attempts to drag his name into politics. Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said he was sad that he had become the target of groups and individuals who deliberately twisted his words and actions to imply that he was partial towards Umno. "Why should I? I have nothing to gain from siding with Umno, PKR or any party," he said. "What has Umno given me? "Those that brand me as an Umno man, prove it. Show me when was I inclined to be with Umno. Do not blindly accuse me of things I am not guilty of. I have no political agenda. "As head of the state, I am above politics. Let's be clear about this," the outspoken Ruler said.  Speaking his mind: The Sultan of Selangor gesturing during the exclusive interview with The Star. Sultan Sharafuddin said he had now adopted a cautious mode when making speeches; but said he would speak up on issues affecting Islam and the welfare and harmony of the people. In a candid interview with The Star, the Sultan said he would remain consistent against allowing mosques to be used for politics in Selangor, saying: "Politics and religion should not mix." He said politics was out of place in a mosque. "These are sacred places to find spiritual solace and not to sow hatred among one's brethren." The Sultan also revealed that there were attempts by certain politicians to change the landscape of Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor. "There was a move by a senior elected representative to name Shah Alam as the Islamic City of Selangor. Then, there were other politicians who tried to ban cinemas at shopping malls because they were immoral, forgetting that we live in a multi-racial country. "Then, there were other elected representatives who suggested that an arch be built over Little India in Klang. "I don't like such an idea to re-brand Shah Alam. Next, someone may want to have Petaling Jaya declared as the China Town of Selangor. "Kuala Lumpur was part of Selangor and we already have a China Town in Petaling Street and Little India in Brickfields; these are enough. "What next? Create a little Bangladesh when another person suggests it? I don't like the rakyat being separated into groupings." Sultan Sharafuddin said he had to step in in cases where certain politicians' interferences affected the people's harmony. Shah Alam is named after the Tuanku's grandfather Sultan Alam Shah. The name was chosen by the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the present Sultan's father. Sultan Sharafuddin said Shah Alam's demographics had changed drastically as development moved away from Kuala Lumpur. "My primary duty is to care for my rakyat," he said. "I don't cross the line and I don't wish for my name to be misused." The Sultan said he always welcomed feedback from the rakyat, but this should be channelled appropriately. "My rakyat can write to me through the palace," the Sultan said. "Don't use blogs to spread hatred against me. If I have done wrong, tell me, but use the proper channel." The Sultan's interview was held in conjunction with his 11th year on the throne, and his 67th birthday celebration on Dec 11. |
| Selangor Sultan: I'm on Rakyat's side Posted: 06 Dec 2012 02:56 PM PST 
Ruler plays down talk linking him to any political party, saying he only has the people's interest at heart. The Star Q&A with the Sultan of Selangor THE Sultan of Selangor, by his own admission, is certainly more cautious with his words and speeches of late. He goes through the draft of speeches with a fine-toothed comb, sometimes taking up to two weeks, to ensure the message he wants to deliver does not come across as taking sides with any political party. Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah tells WONG CHUN WAI and LOONG MENG YEE that the only team he wants to be on is that of the rakyat.  Disinterested in politics: The Sultan of Selangor speaking with Star Publications (M) Bhd executive director and group chief editor Wong during the exclusive interview. > Tuanku, with the general election season, it must be difficult to express your views but yet, be fearful what you say will be misinterpreted by irresponsible parties. It is very difficult, the speeches I prepare, I will go through them many times, write and rewrite again. I want to be specific, but unfortunately, some will twist my words to say I am on the side of such and such a party; or that I am hitting out at such and such a party. For instance, in a speech I made to university students, I stressed the importance of respect for our Malaysian flag as some people wanted to change it easily. This is the symbol of our national sovereignty. In some countries, people are willing to die for their flag. Malays, Indians, Chinese, we should be proud of our flag. But, some blogs twist my words, to say I am supporting a certain political party with my statement. Maybe some do not like Rulers who speak up. > There are some wild accusations that Tuanku is partial to Umno. Why should I be? I have nothing to gain from siding with Umno, PKR or any other party. I have known Najib's (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) father for a long time. I have known Najib and his brothers from their younger days. I cannot cut ties and make enemies with him now. But, I am clear where I stand. For instance, no politician, not even Najib, can use mosques for politics in Selangor. Those who brand me an Umno man, prove it. Show me proof that I am inclined to be with Umno. Do not blindly accuse me of things I am not guilty of. I have no political agenda. As the head of the state, I am above politics. > Tuanku has stressed that politics must be kept out of mosques as well. You have recently met with the imams (heads of congregrations) to reiterate your stand. Yes, mosques should unite the congregation, not sow hatred. But, some imams are still stubborn. I warn them, but I do not want them to be jobless either. They must know the right thing to do. In churches and temples, too, my advice is pray for unity. Pray that our country will be harmonious, be thankful that we are free from natural calamities. Be united with one another. Look, many other countries are suffering there are natural and economic setbacks. In Malaysia, thank God, we are free from all those superstorms. Be grateful and remain united as a nation. Always keep the good name of Malaysia. > What will be Tuanku's advice to politicians out campaigning during the general election? Both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat want Selangor as their jewel in the crown. When campaigning, do not hurt people's feelings. I am sure my rakyat are not stupid. Be calm, do not disrupt the racial harmony. And, after the elections, I say this sincerely, let us work together to move forward for a better life and I am sure the rakyat will feel the same way. > There is the impression that Shah Alam must not have entertainment. In the past, the development of Shah Alam was on a much smaller scale. My father did not wish to have cinemas in Shah Alam because of the small population and he did not want students here to spend too much time in cinemas. My father also did not want cinemas near the state mosque. Likewise, if anyone asks me, I will also not approve of having cinemas near places of worship of other religions, too. Places of prayer must be respected. But now, Shah Alam is developing much wider. I have no objection to having cinemas in areas in Setia Alam, Bukit Jelutong or I-City; as long as they are away from the mosques and located at shopping malls. But, the approval comes from Shah Alam City Hall, I only provide my input. > Water remains a stand-off issue between the state and Federal Government, even as Tuanku publicly raised your concern two years ago over the danger of an imminent water crisis if the inter-state raw water transfer was not resolved fast. I have repeatedly written letters to both the state and Federal governments. They know my stand, they know I do not wish to have my subjects become the biggest losers when the taps run dry. I also do not want the existing industries in Selangor to move out because of this issue. > Cases of snatch thieves, robberies and burglaries continue to worry many. Some say they fear the streets are no longer safe although police are doing all they can to combat crime. Even my sister was a victim of snatch theft and my brother had his house robbed. I feel CCTVs can be a helpful tool in reducing crime. I did ask the police when I was in England, and they replied such a system was even better than alarms because CCTV recordings can be used as proof of crime. But do not install CCTVs that will later break down frequently. That will defeat the purpose. Learn from countries that have successfully used CCTVs to reduce crime. Perhaps developers can help by contributing the units to the police as well. The state government must seriously look into this matter. > It has been another busy year for Tuanku. Last year around this time, Tuanku was excited over the unveiling of the Raja Tun Uda library, which has now become a gem in Shah Alam. Any other people's project under Tuanku's supervision? I am very pleased with how the library turned out. Some have said it is the best in the country and there are many users. There have been generous donations of books as well and I am very appreciative. For this year, I have created a small football museum at the compound of the main palace, the Alam Shah palace in Klang. The state has produced so many football greats in the past. There is so much to show and tell. It has been my intention, for the past 20 years, to have a proper sports museum in the state. The ideal location will be near the stadium in Shah Alam. People from all over the country come here to watch the football games. The games start in the evening, but some arrive in the morning. If there is a museum, they can spend their time at the museum first. > As 2012 draws to a close, Tuanku's wish for 2013? I hope and pray, really, that next year will be good for all of us. And, whoever governs the state, be nice, work with all to develop the state so that the rakyat can improve the quality of their lives. |
| As GE13 looms, parties get down to knocking on doors Posted: 06 Dec 2012 02:12 PM PST The next general election is expected to be the closest fight to form the new Malaysian government. The Malaysian Insider takes a look at what happens on the campaign trail to give a sense of the battleground. Zurairi AR and Leannza Chia, The Malaysian Insider As the 13th general election grows closer and the public grows restless over its uncertain date, political parties are picking up their pace in the hectic race to reach out to voters by going back to the oldest tactic in the playbook — knocking on doors.  PKR's Wajah team members make a housecall in rural Perak. — Picture courtesy of Perak Wanita PKR While the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) had reportedly spent close to RM3.6 million a year in recruiting around 10,000 bloggers to increase its online presence and lure in support from young voters, some of the grassroots politicians feel that meeting their constituents face-to-face is the way to go. "People still need to see the credibility of their leaders," said the MCA's Liew Ching Hoong, secretary to Kampar MP and Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong. Lee, who won the Kampar parliamentary seat in 2008, is a familiar face in the area, serving in the Malim Nawar state assembly seat since 1995 and Tanjong Tualang before that.  PKR Wajah team members check their voters' list during a house call in rural Perak rural. — Picture courtesy of Perak Wanita PKR In 2008, Lee had beat the DAP's Keong Meng Sing with a majority of 2,697 votes. The constituency was previously served by the MCA's Tan Sri Hew See Tong, who had won with a bigger majority of 9,474 votes. Kampar is an old mining town, situated a little more than 30km south of Ipoh, Perak. It is a Chinese-majority area, with 62.58 per cent of them, while Malays make up 26.87 per cent and Indians 10.47 per cent. A significant portion of its 98,534 population consists of pensioners who, according to Liew, insist on meeting their elected representative in person rather than online. Since 1995, Lee had assembled a team of five helpers, whom he had tasked with checking on his constituents daily to better spread the message of reliability and familiarity which comes with MCA. Driving an old Mitsubishi Pajero, which the team dubbed the Mobile Service Vehicle (MSV), a pair from the team visits two villages a day — taking down the concerns of the village heads, registering voters, and helping villagers apply for the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) cash aid. The other three in the team keep in contact from the office, processing the various requests received by the MSV crew, including helping to pay electricity, water and phone bills for villagers who live too far from a post office. This constant attention given by Lee has endeared him to Kampar residents, who visit him regularly at the booth he sets up opposite the town food court nearly every Friday. "Sometimes we even get those coming from Tapah," Liew told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the neighbouring town some 20 minutes away, which falls under a different parliamentary seat and is currently served by the MCA's BN partner, Datuk M. Saravanan from the MIC. But Lee faces stiff competition from political foe PKR's Wanita's Wajah team, which was set up in July. Wajah (face) is an acronym for Wanita Keadilan Jelajah Kampung (PKR Wanita Village Tour), which was formed to spread the opposition party's message of change and reform to women in the rural areas.  A PAS team meets people in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur as part of its voter outreach programme even after the death of its Titiwangsa MP. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng "We even employ a different logo so we look more like an NGO rather than a political party. We look more approachable that way," PKR Wanita secretary Juwairiya Zulkifli said. Wajah's logo, like its name, is shaped like a face and meant to convey a caring persona, a far cry from the impersonal blue and white PKR logo which is not too popular with the rural women, Juwairiya admitted. Among the many state branches, the Perak chapter of Wajah is regarded as the most active and successful by the PKR central leadership. While The Malaysian Insider was speaking to Liew in Kampar during a recent sojourn there, the Perak Wajah team had just met with voters in Lee's old state seat of Malim Nawar, an area which is predominantly Chinese, and which had fallen to the DAP in the last national elections four years ago. The bulk of Malim Nawar's voters — 73.49 per cent of them — are Chinese, while 17.51 per cent are Malays and only 8.95 per cent are Indian. The DAP's Keshvinder Singh had won in Election 2008 against Dr Chai Song Poh of the MCA with a 1,362-vote majority. "We mainly target villages and estates in the state assembly seats contested by PKR," Perak PKR Wanita chief Fathmawaty Salim intimated, outlining the party's strategy on reaching out to voters in a rural setting. She gave the example of the Bukit Chandan seat, which comes under the bigger Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat and which PKR's Zulkifli Ibrahim lost to Umno's Datuk Wan Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad at the 12th general election. However, with limited resources and manpower, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lynchpin party also helps out regularly in areas won by its political allies as in the case of Malim Nawar in order to cover more ground in preparation for the next polls that must be called by next April when the ruling BN government's mandate expires. There are 24 Wanita divisions in Perak, and each division volunteers on average three workers who will be divided into two teams of between 12 and 20 volunteers each. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Saya tidak memihak kepada Umno,’ kata Sultan Selangor Posted: 06 Dec 2012 02:08 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah mengatakan beliau menjadi mangsa kepada kumpulan dan individu tertentu yang mendakwa keyataan dan tindakannya memihak kepada Umno, sambil menegaskan beliau berada di atas politik dan tidak memihak kepada mana-mana parti. "Kenapa perlu saya (memihak)? Tidak ada apa yang saya dapat dengan memihak kepada Umno, PKR atau mana-mana parti. "Apa yang Umno sudah beri kepada saya?" kata Sultan Selangor dipetik dari akhbar The Star. Sultan Shahrafuddin juga meminta pihak-pihak yang menuduh dirinya memihak kepada Umno supaya mengeluarkan bukti dan tidak hanya menuduh secara membuta tuli. "Mereka yang melabelkan saya sebagai orang Umno, buktikan. Tunjukkan bila saya cenderung untuk bersama dengan Umno. Jangan tuduh saya membuta tuli tentang perkara yang saya tidak bersalah. Saya tidak mempunyai agenda politik. "Sebagai ketua kerajaan, saya di atas politik. Kita perlu jelas tentang perkara ini," katanya. Sultan Selangor juga mengalu-alukan maklumbalas daripada orang ramai akan tetapi menurutnya, ia perlulah menggunakan saluran betul dan bukannya menggunakan blog yang menyebarkan kebencian terhadap dirinya. "Rakyat boleh menulis kepada saya melalui Istana," kata Sultan Sharafuddin dalam temubual eksklusifnya bersama akhbar The Star. "Jangan gunakan blog untuk menyebarkan kebencian terhadap saya. Jika saya melakukan kesalahan, beritahu akan tetapi gunakan saluran betul." |
| Pakatan signals power as campaign fodder, says to cut IPP payments Posted: 06 Dec 2012 01:59 PM PST 
(The Malaysian Insider) - PKR said today it can save consumers paying exorbitant electricity bills monthly by cutting a new deal that will shave RM3.47 billion off Tenaga Nasional Bhd's (TNB) annual payment to independent power producers (IPPs). The opposition party believes it can renegotiate to lower the return of investments (ROI) for the IPPs, which average 19 per cent now, by 9 percentage points, to 10 per cent, which it said was typical by global standards. "This high profit will be able to reduce TNB's debt... and, most importantly, with this high profit TNB no longer needs to raise electricity tariffs which will burden consumers," PKR's investment bureau chief Wong Chen told a news conference at the party's headquarters here. He explained that by lowering the ROI to 10 per cent, TNB will enjoy annual savings of RM2.6 billion from its capacity payments to the IPPs. He said an ROI of 10 per cent would still mean excellent business for the IPPS as it translates to large sums of money over a long-term period in an industry that has little operational risks. Bond repayments and finance costs would be included in calculating the ROI and the financial and bond markets were unlikely to be affected by the 10 per cent cut. Wong said the party will also tighten the reserve margin policy to keep it at 20 per cent instead of at 38 per cent currently. He said that a sum of RM483 million is lost as unneeded or stranded investment for every 1 per cent of reserve margin, adding that an 18 per cent cut will mean stranded investment savings of RM8.7 billion. Coupled with RM2.6 billion savings through the 10 per cent cut in the ROI a year and the RM870 million savings in stranded investments, TNB would be able to save a total of RM3.47 billion a year, he said. Wong also promised that if the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact is elected to Putrajaya, it will consider selling off the 10 per cent share in TNB now held by state investment firm Khazanah Nasional to the power company's 30,000 workers. "This is part of our 'management buy-out' economic policy to create a middle class of manager-owners and also reduce the government's involvement in the private sector," he said. TNB was yesterday forced to deny that energy consumption had been hiked through the replacement of analogue power meters for digital devices to increase the utility's profits. The power company said that contracts for the installation of new meters that were given to four vendors followed the utility's procurement guidelines. On Tuesday, PKR linked the family of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to a company that supplies the controversial digital electricity meters to TNB and alleged that that this had hiked up energy consumption bills and gained the national utility company billions of ringgit in profit. In its statement yesterday, the national power company did not name the vendors awarded the meter installation contract or deny that any one of them was linked to the former PM's family. It said, however, that, figures cited by PKR were inaccurate and misleading. READ MORE HERE |
| Musa: I was upset by Sin Chew reporter’s detention Posted: 06 Dec 2012 01:51 PM PST 
The ex-IGP claims Syed Hamid Albar ordered the ISA arrest. Teoh El Sen, FMT Former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan claims that he was against the controversial 2008 arrest of Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng under the Internal Security Act. He told FMT he was in hospital at the time and police made the arrest in obedience to the then home minister Syed Hamid Albar. He said he scolded his deputy – current Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar – over the arrest and the latter wept and offered to resign. Tan's arrest in September 2008 came after the publication of her report on a speech made by the then Bukit Bendera Umno chief, Ahmad Ismail, in which he said the Chinese were squatters in the country and not deserving of equal rights. Reacting to public outrage, Syed Hamid said Tan was arrested for her own protection. He said police were acting on information that her life was under threat. The statement drew ridicule from the public. "The explanation sounded absurd to me," Musa told FMT. "At that time, I was in hospital, in IJN (National Heart Institute), having a bypass." He said he told Ismail, who was acting IGP, to investigate the case under the Sedition Act and not to use the ISA to arrest anyone. He said he was upset at the turn of events and demanded an explanation from Ismail when he visited him at IJN. "Then he started crying, saying that the minister gave the instructions. He told me he wanted to resign, saying things like 'I want to resign, I don't want to work anymore.' "I said to him, 'You shouldn't be allowing yourself to be dictated to. I am in the hospital now, and you are Acting IGP.' I told him 'It's stupid of you, wanting to resign. Next time, just don't do it.'" Asked if he tried to confront Syed Hamid, Musa said he could not because he was bedridden. "But of course the girl was later released. But it was wrong. Using ISA didn't make sense to me. If you think any seditious statement was made, then you have the law to investigate, right?" During the controversy, Syed Hamid told the press the arrest was a police decision and that he had not interfered. More recently, during the Umno annual general assembly, Syed Hamid denied Musa's allegation that home ministers were among the politicians who regularly attempted to interfere with police investigations. Asked to comment on this, Musa told FMT: "Well he can deny it, but Ismail told me at that time that he was directed." Drug raid Giving another example of politicians throwing their weight around, Musa spoke of a drug said at a club in Johor in 2003, when he was serving in the state. "A Johor ADUN [state assemblyman] shouted at my officers asking them to get out," he said. "And then he called me, asking why the officers raided this place. "He told me, 'Do you know I am wakil rakyat so and so?' I answered 'So what? Why are you angry? Is it your place?' He then said he was a frequent customer and asked why we were embarrassing people who wanted to enjoy themselves. "I replied, 'Okay, you can enjoy, but we are looking for drugs. So don't disturb my officers.' "The next day he came to my office, scolding me. I said, 'You shouldn't do this, you should respect the police.'" READ MORE HERE |
| ‘PM, Home Minister ignored my complaints’ Posted: 06 Dec 2012 01:45 PM PST 
Ex-IGP Musa Hassan says he had previously informed the Prime Minister and Home Minister about his complaints, but were ignored. Teoh El Sen, FMT Many wonder why Musa Hassan has suddenly become such a vocal man, but the former Inspector-General of Police said that it was not something that happened overnight. He said that his complaints of political interference, of criminal elements which had infiltrated the police force, were not new. When he was in service, these issues were already raised through the "proper channels" to the Prime Minister and Home Minister before, but to no effect. "I have a number of times personally informed even the prime minister and home minister, when I was Johor CPO, when I was director of CID, and also as the IGP. It seems that they do not want to change. "Many times I have raised this, not just now that I am retired," he explained. Musa claimed that the top leaders of the country did not seem interested in addressing these issues. However, he declined to say if it was because they themselves were also involved in these claims. "The prime minister and home minister were not interested. I want to make sure the country is safe. If you do all these things, protecting kingpins and all that, the country's security will go down the drain and people will be complaining," he said. Musa said that various allegations had been levelled against him but he had kept quiet all the while. But now he was being deemed as anti-government for speaking out. "They attack me like mad when I'm not against anyone," said Musa, who served as IGP for four years from 2006 to 2010. READ MORE HERE |
| 1976 plane crash: The unanswered questions Posted: 06 Dec 2012 01:39 PM PST 
A test pilot offers a peak into why the fatal 1976 plane crash which killed Sabah chief minister Fuad Stephens and several state cabinet members is seen as a conspiracy by locals. It was a routine short flight except for two things: almost the entire Sabah state government's top leadership was on the plane; and the plane stalled and crashed into the sea about two kilometres from its destination airport, killing the pilot and its 10 VIP passengers. By Capt Joseph Lakai, FMT What is the difference between five percent and 20 percent? Well, anyone who has half a brain and who had not been asleep during math class in school will tell you that the answer is 15 percent – which is 20 minus five! Let us convert this to figures and let us hypothesise the figure as RM10 billion. Five percent of RM10 billion is RM500 million. Therefore 20 percent is exactly four times that amount. Twenty percent is therefore RM2 billion – witness how vast this difference is now. Imagine a state government possessing the RM500,000 million to develop the vast state or to give it to its people. Now imagine the same state government in possession of four times that amount. Now, instead of only having the monetary resources to provide aid to a quarter of the state's population, the state government can now do the same to everybody – total coverage! Let's not even get to the full 100 percent, which is the RM10 billion. Now assume that a powerful person in that same state, a tribal leader of sorts, has the influence and capacity to take that state out of the federation. This would mean an income shortfall ranging from 80 to 95 percent of the RM10 billion. Well, money isn't everything but an action as such could propel other states into mimicking parallel actions and this is unquestionably something that must be prevented at all cost; collateral damage is damned. On another note, where were you 13,215 days ago? On June 6, 1976, an Australian manufactured GAF-Nomad N.22B-type twin turboprop engine passenger plane operated by Sabah Air with the tail number 9M-ATZ took off from Labuan Airport on its 113-km route to Kota Kinabalu International Airport with 10 passengers on-board. Investigation reports still secret It was a routine short flight except for two things: almost the entire Sabah state government's top leadership was on the plane; and the plane stalled and crashed into the sea about two kilometres from its destination airport, killing the pilot and its 10 VIP passengers. That abruptly ended the reign of Fuad Stephens (Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens) as Sabah's fifth chief minister, a mere seven weeks from the day he took office for a second term. The lists of fatalities included Sabah ministers Salleh Sulong, Peter Mojuntin, Chong Thien Vun and Darius Binion (assistant state minister). Others were Wahid Peter Andau (Sabah finance ministry secretary), Dr Syed Hussein Wafa (a director in Sabah's Economic Planning Unit), Isak Atan (private secretary to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah), Corporal Said Mohammad (Fuad's bodyguard), Johari Stephens (Fuad's eldest son) and Captain Gandhi Nathan (pilot). The crash was said to have been due to mechanical problems. Perhaps so but then again the original investigation report should have been immediately published and the coroner should have declared the "accident" as a misadventure. However, this report was promptly classified by the federal government (it still remains classified up to this day) and the coroner, Ansari Abdullah, returned an open verdict. Aviation Safety Network (ASN) reported that the aircraft "stalled and crashed on approach". However, in its narrative, ASN stated: "This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network's opinion as to the cause of the accident. "It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time." What the ASN report did not say was that ground witnesses saw the plane "drop like a stone". What the experts also failed to inform you is that fixed-wing aircraft do not drop vertically but glide to its impact point unless the wings dropped off and the wings on a fixed-wing aircraft do not just drop off by themselves when the engines purportedly stalled. Were there non-mechanical problems? Was it a conspiracy? 
Well, there's is no way of knowing the truth until the original investigation report is declassified, but a few officials have put forth the theory that the aircraft was overloaded. Let's just put it this way. The N.22B variant is rated for up to one or two pilots with a maximum of 12 passengers and unless the pilot and its 10 passengers gorged themselves silly during lunch, there is no way the plane could have exceeded its weight limitations. Was it then a problematic aircraft? Yes, the GAF-Nomad N.22B variant aircraft can be considered so. Since its production, the Nomad has been involved in a total of 32 total hull-loss accidents, which have resulted in 76 fatalities including its chief test pilot and the assistant head designer during the design and testing stage. Was this then a conspiracy? READ MORE HERE |
| Star will work with ‘any’ coalition that wins Posted: 06 Dec 2012 01:35 PM PST 
Jeffrey Kitingan has threatened legal action against those spreading rumours that his party Star is being financed by Umno to split the opposition vote. Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: If politicians and supporters are holding out for a pre-election pact between the State Reform Party (Star) and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), they best forget it. Both parties' words and actions point to it being a lost cause. But leaders on either side are nonetheless keeping alive the 'line' that they are working on a deal which opposition supporters in the state and are hopeful of hammering it out in time. They have been maneuvering for this since the beginning of the year and if nothing else, their periodic shout outs for a deal has proved they are no closer to it since they first indicated they wanted one. It is an indecisiveness that has allowed non-local parties to inject themselves into state politics since 1963 and determine the state's direction. SAPP can only win seats if it allies itself with another party or group of politicians, which explains it's need to reach out to DAP, PKR and Sabah Star. On its own, SAPP would find itself in a difficult position if it also had to fight on two fronts. Star may be in a favourable position if supporting crowds can be translated into real votes. Based on their sources they believe they could win in poverty-stricken Kadazandusun areas. The numbers put forward is up to 10 of the 60 state seats and more than five of 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah and one Labuan. Realistically, observers say, Star and SAPP must work together with remnant supporters of Usno under the United Borneo Alliance (UBF) concept of Borneo leaders taking charge of their political destiny. SAPP can say they are close to hammering out a deal with the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, but Star Sabah is looking at these dealings with discomfort and a hint of alarm.
Star adamant SAPP for all intents and purposes is already within Pakatan while Star is adamant that it is independent of both the opposition and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalitions. Star had said it would only ally itself with state-based political parties before the election. But talk is also beginning to surface that Star is being financed by Umno to split the opposition vote and that Jeffrey has been given RM100 million. For his part, the Star chairman has denounced the rumour and has threatened legal action to stop it. "I requests Sabah Star members, should you hear of any such talks, to jot down the name of the person saying that, the date, time and place so that we can sue the individual in court. "To be sponsored by BN is akin to the coalition saying "here take this knife and kill me with it … isn't that stupid?" asked Jeffrey. "We are here to topple BN-Umno so it does not make sense that Sabah Star is sponsored by the coalition," he said after officiating Sabah Star's Wiranita (Women) Wing convention here on Wednesday. Jeffrey also accused fellow opposition parties of spreading the rumours to stop Star's rising popularity. Party officials claim its membership has risen to about 200,000 members since its inception here 10 months ago and is the envy of other parties. "They are scared that their members will join Star which is growing in strength and gathering force as time passes. This shows that Star is strong and they are scared of the party. "It also reflects their desperation because when an individual starts to bad mouth a friend, it shows that the person either has a problem or is desperate. In this case, it is the opposition parties that are desperate to reduce the support and influence of Sabah Star," said Jeffrey. No truth in rumours Speaking to reporters after officiating the conference, Jeffrey in brushing away the party's alleged Umno link, also said the another rumour was also going around. "It said Star was paid RM20 billion – RM1 billion for each of the 20 Points of the special powers it is fighting to have restored to Sabah," said Jeffrey. Making it known that he does not trust SAPP, he called on its party leaders to declare if it would be working with the peninsular-based opposition parties or with local parties like Star. "SAPP needs to make a decision whether they want to be with Borneo Alliance or PR (Pakatan) so that the issue of a straight fight against BN can be resolved. "By making public its allegiance, the issue of seats allocation between Star and SAPP can be resolved," said Jeffrey. READ MORE HERE |
| Sleeping with the enemy Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:46 AM PST 
KTEMOC KONSIDERS A week ago I posted Political WTF 1 - Musa Hassan in which I raised some questions: Is it be likely that Musa Hassan will re-occupy his old job as IGP PDRM if Anwar Ibrahim becomes PM? I ask only because the ex IGP, one of the most despised and most accused person, has lately been rubbing pally-buddy shoulders with PKR-affiliated NGOs, and making virtually anti-Government statements and accusations, some of which, laughingly, had been attributed to his term as IGP.
Has there been a done deal between Musa Hassan and PKR?
Or, is the ex IGP just another Dr M, wanting to rewrite his place and performance in Malaysian history?
I had opined that statement by PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, plus the absence of any clear-cut repudiation by him that PKR is and will not be accepting/approving any membership application by Musa Hassan regardless of the former IGP rubbing shoulders with PKR-affiliated NGOs at their forums, has been the BIGGEST hint yet that PKR will likely be admitting Musa Hassan into the party as a member. Saifuddin tap-danced around a yes or no confirmation by saying meaningless stuff like "Approval of applications is done on a monthly basis. When we have distinguished names of 'big people', of course we take note of it." Were you any clearer? Then, when he was pressed by the media on whether Anwar Ibrahim would object to his past tormentor joining PKR, Saifuddin did the hula hula dance, stating that "When there are applications made by big names, the decision to approve them is made by the party leadership" and not by any individual (meaning Anwar Ibrahim). I take that as Saifuddin virtually admitting Musa Hassan will become a member of PKR, and that when it happens, shouldn't be attributed to an individual known by his title of The Great Man, wakakaka. Okay, really it's none of non-PKR people's business but it sure as hell bring into focus the saying 'Politics makes strange bedfellows', which incidentally was adapted from Anwar Ibrahim's fave author, Bill Shakespeare (but of course, second to his top fave, al Quran). Shakespeare wrote in the Tempest, Act II, Scene II, of Trinculo saying: Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is to creep under his gaberdine; there is no other shelter hereabout. Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. I will here shroud till the dregs of the storm be past. Trinculo was philosophizing that in order to avoid a storm, he ended up sharing his sleeping area with Caliban, a dark native of an island but seen as grotesque and savage, and described by the other characters in Shakespeare's play as a monster. We learn that Caliban was treacherous, switching his allegiance from one side to another without any scruples. And it was Robert Phang, former panel member of the MACC advisory panel, who voiced his belief that Musa Hassan's statement against Hishamuddin etc had been 'backed by PKR'. Phang accused Anwar Ibrahim's party of (allegedly) sleeping with their former enemy. Phang must have been shocked to see Musa Hassan flanked by PKR national policy and strategy bureau secretary S Gobikrishnan and Negeri Sembilan PKR youth exco member Sri Sanjeevan, when he (Musa) alleged that Hishammuddin had interfered with the police force under his IGP days. Phang said: "If Musa is backed by PKR, then I must express my utmost disappointment that PKR appears to be a desperate party." " ... going into bed with this cunning man and supporting his cause will mean that the leadership of PKR has no principles. I say to PKR - dissociate yourself from this wolf in sheep's skin." "Ask why is he now attacking the government as evil, whereas he once was its key perpetrator. If PKR keeps supporting this evil man, then PKR will lose the support of the public for stooping so low just to undermine the BN government." It sure as hell didn't help when Saifuddin Nasution tap-danced around the question of Musa Hassan's possible membership in PKR, as discussed above. READ MORE HERE |
| Deepak Jaikishan : Prequel and Sequel Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:34 AM PST 
FREEDOM COME FREEDOM GO When adrressing Mr Deepak Jaikishan so called "explosive" disclosures, we need to recognise actors of both SD I and II, for an in-depth perspective of a very dark and sinister show. All the actors are connected, one way or another, and could lead one to arrive at another point of view or possibilities, prequels and sequels.
The main actor is of course, P. Balasubramaniam, famously or infamously known as, PI Bala.
Recall, Raja Petra does his usual spin of mixing truth and fiction in order to make a story sound interesting. Unfortunately for him, lies remain lies.
He says I invited him to a meeting at lawyer M Puravalen's house on 2nd July 2008 – this is the day before the press conference at PKR Headquarters where P. Balasubramaniam's ("Bala" ) 1st SD made on 1st July 2008 was made public.
RPK was invited to that meeting in Puravalen's house the day before the 3nd July press conference to be given a pre-view of Bala's 1st SD to put up on his blog and write about it which he did. - Press statement by PKR MP Sivarasa Rasiah
This was in response to Raja Petra Kamarudin's, better known as RPK, " The day I met P. Balasubramaniam". Also, PKR MP Sivarasa was deigned to reply, by way of a press statement, because on the day RPK met PI Bala, RPK made these claims, "Sivarasa coached Bala on what he should and should not say at the press conference. Bala was told to avoid answering too many questions from the media and in the event they ask him difficult questions then the lawyers would take those questions. They were worried that Bala might say something wrong and contradict himself."
From the above, we have two others in the co-starring role, Sivarasa and Raja Petra Kamarudin, and we get a bigger picture of who the others are. So, fact or fiction? The date and title of the following is significant. On 4 February 2010 RPK headlined " Nasir Safar, the 'mystery man' the day Altantuya died" and wrote " Yes, that man in the blue Proton Saga was Nasir Safar." Three days later, on 7 February 2010, The Malaysian Insider headlined, " PI Bala: Razak Baginda is innocent" reported, "He has also identified another man who drove past Abdul Razak's house on the night of the murder as Datuk Nasir Safar an aide of Najib's who has since been sacked after he made derogatory remarks about Malaysian Chinese and Indians in a public event."
The same TMI article was posted the same day in RPK's Malaysia Today. A picture is worth a thousand words when you compare the pic at TMI and the pic in Malaysia Today. Get the picture? Never mind. When PI Bala made his u-turn, the Star reported " I believe he was coerced, says lawyer Americk" and to me what was reported is significant, "He said he had first met Balasubramaniam two months ago at a restaurant where he was asked by the latter to help draft a formal document on the Altantuya case."
Corroborated from a Question and Answer article at RPK's Malaysia Today, Q 53. Did they record your statement?
A. Yes. They questioned me for about 6 hours. They did not seem to be interested in my 2nd statutory declaration and concentrated their questions in relation to my 1st statutory declaration.
They wanted to know who was involved in it and how I was led into making it.
I explained everything to them from the time I met my lawyer Americk Sidhu in a pub one night with ASP Suresh, M. Puravalen and Sivarasah Rasiah in April or May 2008 up to the time of my first press release.
ACP Muniandy was the officer asking all the questions while his colleague recorded my statement.
More actors and their co-starring roles. PI Bala in his testimony in the Altantuya trial, excerpted from the Star report, "After Altantuya's visit to Abdul Razak's house, Balasubramaniam met up with the analyst and his lawyer Dhiren Rene Norendra at the Starbucks cafe in Pusat Bandar Damansara" and "He said he, Abdul Razak, Dhiren and one ASP Suresh were supposed to meet up to discuss whether to report the Mongolian women's presence outside the analyst's house to the Immigration Department and have them deported."
Another important supporting actor. READ MORE HERE |
| Two kinds of corruption Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:12 AM PST 
Alwyn Lau, CPI The news that Malaysia is ranked 54th out of 176 countries in Transparency International Corruption's Perceptions Index (CPI) is more ironic than at first perceived. No, it is not because Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) got it wrong (although how relevant their being 'right' is a separate issue). Neither is it because – as per the remark from the Institute of Democracy & Economic Affairs (IDEAS) – corruption in Malaysia is really 'not so bad'. The truth is that the CPI is less about the hidden evil performed in private than it is about the public evil not at all hidden – and therefore not perceived to be evil. Everybody knows that in Malaysia getting the right contracts often involves buying the right kind of coffee for the wrong kinds of people. Everybody is aware that unusual favours are needed without which the not unusual tasks won't happen. The critical question is not whether corruption exists or how bad corruption is. The key issue, rather, is the role its contrived invisibility plays in sustaining the system. Recall how, during conversations or meetings, we often ignore the other person's body odour, stinking breath and other unsavoury facets? Our social conventions require us to pretend the VIP doesn't smell like a newborn elephant or look past the Tan Sri's (the second highest honour bestoweed to civilians) emerging booger. Why? Because it's safer to feign pretence and carry on talking than to speak the truth and risk reality coming apart. This agreed upon illusion is the form that corruption takes in Malaysia. It's not about what people don't know or should know; it's about what people pretend to not know whilst trying to keep what they do know at bay. In our brightest speeches, we tell each other that the system is inherently good and that corruption is an aberration which must be eradicated. But in our darkest thoughts we fear that the system is itself corrupt to the core and it relies on public/official tenets of ethics and decency as a facade. In conferences we declare that the apple basket of industry is fundamentally sound, notwithstanding the existence of a few corrupted bad apples. But in the boardroom, we whisper worryingly that the entire basket is born of corruption, a fundamental misalignment sustained by the fantasy of justice and virtue. We could mention here again the familiar story of the man suspected of stealing from a factory. The police posted themselves at the factory gate and each night the man came out, they inspected the wheel-barrow he was pushing. This went on for many nights. The man would come out with a wheel-barrow, the police would inspect it, find nothing and let him go. It was only later that they discovered that what the man was, in fact, stealing wheel-barrows. Likewise, the CPI deceives us making us look INTO the wheel-barrow of the system to detect and correct problems whilst at the same time blinding us to the fact of the barrow itself. As per Marx's caution, wages do not have to be 'unfair' for us to conclude that injustice is present; there is injustice even (or especially) when the wages are 'fair'. Rephrased, the problem is not corruption within Capitalism – the problem is Capitalism itself. It is at this point that both TI-M and IDEAS fail us. TI gives us 'data' and tells us to merely repair the system; IDEAS is worse because it tells us nothing is really that wrong and thus only minimal tweaking will suffice. This can be further illustrated by comparing the two villains in the recent installments of Batman i.e. Joker and Bane. The Joker transformed the city's White Knight (i.e. Harvey Dent) into its traitor; Bane showed that the city itself, Gotham, was an intra-social betrayal on a massive scale. The betrayal of the people (in the form of community-wide lies, political corruption and so on), far from being a threat to the city, in fact, constituted it and sustained its being. The Joker manipulated the police; Bane tore up the very idea of the police. The Joker tried to rope in the city's criminals; Bane made it a crime not to be a criminal and thus exposed the biggest crime of all: society itself. In this context, IDEAS is like Harvey Dent and the mafia who love the system (as long as it benefits 'democracy'). TI-M, at best, is like the Joker who wishes to unveil the problems within the system. Unfortunately, what we need is a Bane who's willing to go all the way to transform the system by exposing the corruption at its heart. READ MORE HERE |
| Former IGP: Political violence should not occur in a democracy Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:14 PM PST 
The Malaysian Insider Political violence should not happen in a genuine democracy and the authorities must take stern action to curb such incidents, former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said today amid more reports of violent clashes between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) supporters ahead of elections expected next year. He told a public forum organised by the Sinar Harian newspaper today that he hoped BN would reform and stop the culture of violence if it won the next polls. And if PR were to take power, the former top police officer said he hoped PR would not become "political thugs". Rough house tactics have become a feature of Malaysian politics, and went up a notch yesterday with the first stabbing at a political rally ahead of the 13th general elections. A group of people alleged to be Umno Youth members yesterday attacked a PKR rally in Gombak that left a few opposition volunteers injured, leading to swift condemnation from PR leaders. In the attack, a PKR supporter is believed to have been stabbed with a sharp weapon on his left shoulder, the party's paper Keadilan Daily reported. This is not the first attack on a PR rally, with a similar incident happening in Lembah Pantai earlier this year where a crowd at a rally held by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was attacked. The PKR bus used by Anwar and party leaders for its nationwide pre-election campaign tour, Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat , has also been splashed with paint and attacked with rocks several times. "Political violence does not happen in a democratic country. In a democratic country the election of a government does not see matters that endanger security," said Musa today. He took a swipe, however, at the opposition for supporting street protests and demonstrations. "According to one book it is said that if a leader is not suitable there must be 'reformasi' on the streets. This is now a reference for the young. "Previous general elections were like festivals (but) in Malaysia the politics has been endless. Five years on and there is still politics and the endless blaming of each other." Without naming anyone, he said accused political leaders of failing to control supporters, which he blamed for the rise in the political temperature in recent years. He said election campaigns were no longer like festivals because it was now dominated by "politics of hatred." Musa said that while the authorities must act to curb political violence, he pointed out that the job had become more challenging because of new laws which had introduced more freedoms. "The police must be fair. Previously one had to apply for a permit to organise a ceramah. But with new laws there are now problems and the police have to be prepared better. "In the past the police did not have to station much personnel at rallies but now speakers are challenging the authority of the police," he said. |
| Sepang shrine wrecking: Xavier cries ‘sabotage’ Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:02 PM PST 
Municipal officers acted without authorisation, says the Selangor exco. K Pragalath, FMT Municipal officers acted without their boss' permission when they demolished a Hindu shrine in Sepang last month, Selangor state exco Xavier Jayakumar said today. "The action taken by certain officers was unilateral," he said in a press statement. "There is reason to suspect this action is bordering on sabotage." On Nov 20, 30 enforcement officers of the Sepang Municipal Council (MPS) trespassed into the home of one S Gobi Kumar and demolished a Hindu shrine located within the compound of the residence. A week later, Jayakumar defended the council's action, prompting MIC Youth to demand that he make a public apology. Jayakumar said MPS officials yesterday gave a briefing on the incident to him, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and state excos Teresa Kok and Ronnie Liu. "From the briefing, it was quite apparent that the Sepang council president was neither consulted nor informed prior to the action of breaking the structure," he said. "The Selangor Non-Muslim Affairs Council, co-chaired by excos Liu, Kok and myself, was also never informed of these actions." 
He added that the state government had called for an investigation and demanded that the findings be submitted to it within two weeks. The demolition apparently violates an order issued by the Non-Muslim Affairs Council that forbids the breaking of religious structures. "From 2008, we have given instruction to all local councils and land offices not to break any place of worship that existed prior to 2008," Jayakumar said |
| The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 13) Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:26 PM PST I explained to Tok Guru that for 20 years since Merdeka, PAS has been having an image of a kampong party. In fact, not many people outside Terengganu know Tok Guru and even in Terengganu not everyone knows who he is. Hence PAS needed to be 'marketed' to the urban areas, the big towns and the cities, and places like Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara, Bangsar, etc., are where the cr̬me de le cr̬me live. So Tok Guru needs to have his presence felt in these areas. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin I first met Tok Guru Dato' Seri Haji Abdul Hadi Awang in 1977, soon after he returned to Malaysia after completing his studies in Madinah and Cairo. At that time, Tok Guru was not yet well known and even I had never heard of him. A member of the Terengganu royal family, the present Sultan's aunty, introduced me to him. I soon began to attend Tok Guru's lectures/sermons at the Masjid Rhusila. That was around the time, as I had written earlier, when I became a 'Born Again' Muslim. I hungered for knowledge and I would visit quite a number of mosques or suraus all over Terengganu to hear popular ustaz or tok guru lecture on Islam. Ustaz Haji Awang 'Tukul Besi' of Batu Enam was another favourites of mine, as was Ustaz Kassim of Marang. And, of course, my 'resident' tok guru was Pak Abas of Masjid Kolam as well as Tok Guru Abdul Rahman Pattani of Taman Purnama. Invariably, each tok guru had different approaches and different interpretations on what 'true' Islam is. Hence it was necessary to get a 'balanced' opinion by learning from as many tok guru as possible. Then you had to sieve through the many different opinions and come to your own conclusion. There was this one chap who would tape-record Tok Guru Hadi's lectures and sell the cassette tapes at the Friday 'bazaar' in Rhusila. I bought a whole box of these cassette tapes and sent them down to my brother, Raja Idris, who was at that time a committee member of Masjid Mujahidin in Damansara Utama. Raja Idris would play these tapes after the Maghrib prayers and while waiting for the Isyak prayers to start. The members of his congregation were fascinated by Tok Guru Hadi's lectures cum sermons. "Who is this guy?" they asked Raja Idris, "he is good." Raja Idris replied that he does not know. He only knows that the chap is a PAS member. The congregation then asked Raja Idris whether he could invite this Tok Guru to come down to Kuala Lumpur to give a talk at Masjid Mujahidin. Raja Idris contacted me and I promised to try to arrange it. I then spoke to Tok Guru Hadi and he told me that he has a full calendar. Anyhow, he will try to cancel one of his programmes and go down to Kuala Lumpur to speak at Damansara Utama. The date was finally fixed and I bought Tok Guru his plane ticket. I also arranged for someone to fetch him from the airport and to 'look after' Tok Guru Hadi. Raja Idris then arranged to install a new PA system so that they could do justice to Tok Guru's lecture. ABIM placed banners all over Selangor to inform people about the impending talk by Tok Guru Hadi. On the day of the event, which was a Saturday night, Masjid Mujahidin was packed. Busloads of people from all over Selangor came. The mosque, which normally would not even be half full, was overflowing and the car park had to be turned into a prayer area. People were praying on the grass and in the dirt. The mosque committee was surprised. Never before had they seen such a crowd. And on that day the people of Selangor got to know, and fell in love with, Tok Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang (then not yet a Dato' Seri). The 45-minute lecture became a two-hour lecture and the mosque committee requested Tok Guru to come again, if possible on a regular and scheduled basis. Tok Guru replied that he only agreed to a one-off thing and he was not sure whether he could devote any time to do this on a regular basis. I explained to Tok Guru that for 20 years since Merdeka, PAS has been having an image of a kampong party. In fact, not many people outside Terengganu know Tok Guru and even in Terengganu not everyone knows who he is. Hence PAS needed to be 'marketed' to the urban areas, the big towns and the cities, and places like Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara, Bangsar, etc., are where the cr̬me de le cr̬me live. So Tok Guru needs to have his presence felt in these areas. Finally, Tok Guru agreed to come down to Kuala Lumpur once a month, on the first Saturday of every month. And Masjid Mujahidin would be his base to reach out to the urbanites. That was 30 years ago. Soon, the congregation of Masjid Mujahidin, which was practically a wooden shack squatting on a piece of land owned by the Fire Department, grew in leaps and bounds. People from all over went to that mosque. And in time that wooden shack became a multi-million Ringgit structure with air-conditioning Рbuilt entirely with non-government money. Umno, of course, was not too happy with the success of PAS in penetrating the urban areas. And they were even unhappier about the fact that Masjid Mujahidin was being used as the base for this. And Masjid Mujahidin was squatting on a piece of land owned by the Fire Department. It was supposed to be a temporary structure, meaning wooden building. Now it was a lavish and multi-million Ringgit concrete building -- which means it has now become a permanent structure. The Political Secretary to Anwar Ibrahim, Ibrahim Saad, got in touch with the Religious Department to ask them to demolish the mosque. It was, after all, 'illegal'. This put the authorities in a dilemma. They knew that to do such a thing was going to invite bloodshed. Instead of demolishing the mosque, as what Ibrahim Saad wanted, the authorities gave the Fire Department an alternative piece of land at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (where the Fire Brigade now sits) and the land that Masjid Mujahidin was squatting on was 'legalised'. That was about 30 years ago and it took almost 30 years until 2008 before PAS managed to gain acceptance in the urban areas when it won seats such as Shah Alam, etc., which in the past would never have been possible. There are no short cuts. Change takes one generation or more to happen. The previous generation in 1980 brought PAS into the towns and cities from its 'home' in the kampongs. The present generation gave PAS its support in the towns and the cities. And it all started because a few boxes of cassette tapes from Rhusila, Terengganu, found its way to Damansara Utama, Selangor. That started the ball rolling. But was that not also how the Islamic Revolution of Iran started, when a few boxes of cassette tapes from Paris found its way to the bazaars of Teheran in Iran? And now do you know why I am a student of history? Because history has taught us that many times history can and will repeat itself. And those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. So, no, 2008 was not an overnight wake-up call, as many believe. 2008 took almost 30 years to happen. And 2008 started in 1980 when we decided that PAS should no longer be a kampong party and a regional player. And when we 'exported' Tok Guru Hadi Awang to the big towns and cities, that began PAS's progression to national politics and launched its Long March to Putrajaya. TO BE CONTINUED The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 12) |
| Amokh ignores Najib as PM with Syed Feisal's appointment Posted: 05 Dec 2012 03:09 PM PST  | | Is it more important for Amokh to please Tun Dol than Najib? |
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL The business papers reported yesterday that Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) announced the appointment of the brother to Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, Dato Syed Faisal Albar, to be an Independent Director of MAHB. This is fuelling speculation that Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad will end his one year extension as Chairman and replaced by Syed Faisal.
The name Syed Faisal is sickening to the stomach. It reminds us of his arrogant and incompetence Arab tak sedar diri brother, Syed Hamid, during the reign of terror of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He lost Batu Putih island to Singapore and interfered to apply ISA on a reporter.
Syed Feisal is himself of questionable integrity and capability.
Doesn't Khazanah Nasional CEO, Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar realised that he is not working for Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi any more?
Thus, why is he still bringing people that was part of the evil triumvirate of Kalimullah-Kamaluddin-Khary into important position? Or is this Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcop in his elements?
Since Tun Dol resigned, this is not the first time Amokh is sticking to the cronies of the old regime that wrecked havoc to the Malaysian aviation industry. It is now left to Najib to put the pieces together and attempt a turnaround of MAS.
Amokh had engineered a heavily lop-sided "merger" between MAS and Air Asia that favour of Tony Fernandez-led Air Asia.
Air Asia was a beneficiary of crony capitalism involving Khairy and Dato Zaki Zahid who together with Tony F redid the cabinet-approved National Airline Rationalisation plan. By the following Monday, Tun Dol announced a different plan on the instruction of Khairy and Zaki.
Despite that move resulted in Air Asia taking over MAS routes and Amokh claimed he fought tooth and nail with Tony F for constantly "sailang" MAS, the MAS-Air Asia "merger" only indicate Amokh have a problem realising that the Prime Minister is no more Tun Dol but Dato Najib.
The fact that Dato Najib has set the precedent at IMDB to only bring in professionals and capable people on the Board of Directors and management, it raises issue on Amokh tendencies to bring in his cronies, particularly incompetent ones.
In the MAS-Air Asia "merger" he gave his partner in their firm Bina Fikir, Danny Yusof that failed in the WAU exercise of MAS, a leading role.
Amokh kept his failed MCKK classmate, Dato Harun Johari who repeated his failure at Iskandar Investment Berhad at Khazanah new start-up inolving agriculture. Even in area of logistic which is supposed to be his core competency at Shell, Harun failed also.
There are also Executives Directors retianed by Amokh like Tengku Dato Azmil who failed at MAS and the former Sime Darby's executive that bombed in the privatisation of IJN and Qatar deal.
 | | Dato Syed Feisal Albar | With regard to the new appointment at MAHB, Syed Faisal is not politically and capability wise appropriate. He still remain within Kalimullah circle of evil. Despite New Straits Times withdrawing their lawsuit against blogger and former Malay Mail editor, Dato Ahiruddin Attan@ Rockybru, Syed Faisal remain with opposition backing The Malaysian Insider (TMI) owner, Kalimullah in their lawsuit against Rocky. READ MORE HERE |
| SPR bidas Kelab Umno Glasgow, undi pos pelajar luar negara sudah dibenarkan Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:57 PM PST 
Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider
Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) hari ini menjelaskan badan pengurusan pilihan raya itu sudah membuka sistem pengundian secara pos kepada pelajar luar negara sekaligus membidas kenyataan Pengerusi Kelab Umno Glasgow Siti Hawa Abu Bakar yang mengatakan SPR belum membuka undi pos untuk kategori pengundi tersebut. Setiausaha SPR, Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria menjelaskan, 80 peratus daripada 5,000 pelajar di Scotland layak mengundi menentukan kerajaan dalam pilihan raya umum (PRU) ke-13 akan datang. "Peraturan 3(1)(a), Peraturan-Peraturan Pilihan Raya (Pengundian Pos) 2003 menetapkan bahawa mana-mana warganegara yang telah mendaftar sebagai pemilih (pengundi) berhak untuk mengundi secara pos sekiranya mereka termasuk dalam salah satu daripada kategori seorang Pengundi Tidak Hadir (PTH). "Manakala PTH sebagaimana yang ditakrifkan di bawah Peraturan 2(e) dan (f), Peraturan-Peraturan Pilihan Raya (Pendaftaran Pemilih) 2002 ialah warganegara Malaysia yang berumur 21 tahun dan sedang belajar sepenuh masa di mana-mana universiti, maktab latihan atau institusi pendidikan tinggi di luar negara dan pasangan iaitu isteri atau suami masing-masing," katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini. Justeru itu, beliau berkata, untuk memudahkan urusan pendaftaran pemilih rakyat Malaysia di luar negara termasuk pelajar-pelajar sepenuh masa, SPR melantik pegawai-pegawai di Pejabat-Pejabat Kedutaan, Suruhanjaya Tinggi dan Konsulat Jeneral di Luar Negara sebagai Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP). "SPR juga telah mempermudahkan urusan penghantaran borang pendaftaran pemilih (Borang A) melalui kaedah-kaedah pemohon boleh menghantar sendiri semua dokumen kepada Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP) yang dilantik oleh SPR di pejabat-pejabat Perwakilan di luar Negara "Pemohon juga boleh menghantar semua dokumen secara pos kepada Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP) yang dilantik oleh SPR di pejabat-pejabat Perwakilan di luar Negara; atau pemohon boleh menghantar semua dokumen melalui Wakil iaitu pemohon lain yang hendak menghantar sendiri permohonan kepada Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP) yang dilantik oleh SPR di pejabat-pejabat Perwakilan di luar Negara," katanya lagi. Bagi pelajar sepenuh masa, Borang A yang telah dilengkapkan perlu disertakan dengan salinan kad pengenalan atau passport antarabangsa dan salinan kad pelajar atau surat pengesahan sebagai pelajar sepenuh masa. Kenyataan itu juga menjelaskan, mana-mana pihak yang inginkan maklumat lanjut, rakyat Malaysia yang belajar di luar negara boleh melayari laman sesawang SPR di www.spr.gov.my. |
| Blogger to reveal more PKR ‘dirt’ in January Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:51 PM PST 
A pro-Umno blogger says he will expose more details on the alleged PKR's involvement in masterminding attacks against the prime minister's family using Deepak Jaikishan. G Vinod, FMT Pro-Umno blogger, Papagomo threatens to expose more dirt on the alleged involvement of PKR leaders in masterminding carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan's attacks on the prime minister's family. He said this in a post at his blog today. "Januari nanti anda Surendran dan sekutu Pakatan Haram yang lain akan dibogelkan satu persatu sampai lumat (In January, N Surendran (PKR vice president) and all allies of the illegitimate opposition pact will be exposed one by one)," said Papagomo. On Tuesday, the blogger posted a two minute clip on his website purpotedly showing "Deepak" saying that Subang MP R Sivarasa had coerced him to attack Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, at the behest of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. However, "Deepak" said he refused to do so, thus, making Sivarasa angry. "Deepak" also mentioned the names of PKR vice presidents Surendran and Nurul Izzah Anwar in the footage. However, Sivarasa and Surendran had denied claims that they coerced Deepak into doing anything and were only representing the businessman in a court case involving a land deal. Pagagomo, however, was not impressed by Surendran's explanation. "Surendran lu boleh cakap apa lu nak cakap tapi sebelum lu pergi lebih jauh elok lu siap sedia dengan gelombang amukkan para Blogger Pro UMNO selepas ini. (Surendran, you may say what you want but before you go any further, be ready to face the wrath of pro-Umno bloggers) |
| Truth in bits and pieces Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:34 PM PST 
If carpet man Deepak Jaikishan is lying, then Najib should use the full force of the law to protect the sanctity of the office of the prime minister. Toffee Rodrigo, FMT Why is the truth coming out in instalments? Weren't these people once trusted lieutenants? Now they are being looked upon as conniving opportunists working together with the opposition to oust Najib Tun Razak for no rhyme or reason. Does that make sense? Thus far everyone who has given testimony against the powers-that-be has been branded a liar. Musa Hassan, of all people, has now come out. And former home minister Syed Hamid Albar, together with his successor Hishammuddin Hussein, have successfully revealed the level of common sense that prevails in Umno now. Both have said that the disclosures by Musa is all an opposition ploy. What he did to Anwar Ibrahim must surely have been at the request of his superiors including former Umno chieftains. In which case it surely must be seen that he was a player in a whole scheme to rid the country of Anwar. Anwar was the man who knew too much and who had publicly declared that there would be no more nepotism, cronyism and corruption in Umno. But in Umno this can never happen. No one could get into Umno and declare such "nonsense", so Anwar had to go at all costs, and they made sure he did. So now, when the Truth is coming out there is fear in the corridors of power, Umno power. For Musa to come out in the open and say the government intervened with his work, then it really happened and he must have some really compelling reasons to say so. No Malaysian in his proper frame of mind would have accepted that private investigator P Balasubramaniam was forced to come out with the statutory declaration to implicate Najib. Everyone believed him when he said that the carpet man (Deepak Jaikishan) was involved and that the carpet man has now come out and is revealing the truth, albeit in instalments. Political ploy? The key to the truth lies somewhere in the home of our prime minister and even a moron knew this. It is the duty of the home minister to direct a full investigation, unless it was his office that ordered murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu's entry records by the Malaysian immigration removed. Surely if they could get a former deputy prime minister (Anwar) on trumped-up charges, they can easily get this cop and they will for their own convenience. So why is Syed Hamid claiming that this is all a political ploy by the opposition? And why did Hishammuddin say that all the revelations were meant to divert the political gathering (Umno)? The only reason is, it has to be the truth. READ MORE HERE |
| The difference between rights and privileges Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:24 PM PST 
It is time for the government to introduce a new socially just affirmative action policy based on need or class or sector. By Kua Kia Soong, FMT We hear this often enough from breast-beating far-right racists but more so at Umno general assemblies, namely, the call for Umno to "safeguard Malay rights". The top Umno leaders and the mainstream press and even those who should know better do not seem to be interested in correcting them on their loose usage of "Malay rights". As Human Rights Day approaches, we will do well to be clear about the difference between rights and privileges. All peoples have rights – Malays, Chinese, Indians, indigenous peoples and all other ethnic communities are entitled to the same human rights. These rights are enshrined in Part II of the Constitution under "Fundamental Liberties". They are inalienable, independent of the government-of-the-day. Thus, apart from the fact that they are guaranteed in our Federal Constitution, they are also part and parcel of the United Nations Human Rights instruments. Now, do Malays in this country have any special right on account of the fact they are "Malay" as stipulated under Article 153 of the Constitution? Rights and privileges A right is defined as an entitlement, very different from a privilege or a licence granted by the Constitution. All Malaysians are entitled to liberty of the person; equality; freedom of movement; freedom of speech, assembly and association; freedom of religion, and other rights. Privileges, on the other hand, are not rights. They can be revoked because they are conditional. Once the intended results have been met, privileges can be taken away but rights cannot be taken away. "Special Position of the Malays" Nowhere in Malaysia's constitution will you find any reference to "Malay rights". Article 153 mentions "the special position of the Malays". The main purpose for including Article 153 in the Constitution was to rectify the perceived weakness of the Malay community in the economic field, the public service and the problem of Malay poverty at the time of Independence. (Tun Mohamed Suffian bin Hashim, "An Introduction to the Constitution of Malaysia", KL 1972:245) The first clause of Article 153 states: "It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article." The second clause of Article 153 stipulates that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall ensure the reservation for Malays and since 1963, for natives of Borneo "of such proportion as he may deem reasonable of positions in the public service…and of scholarships, exhibitions and other similar educational or training privileges or special facilities given or accorded by the Federal Government and…any permit or licence for the operation of any trade or business is required by federal law…" Clause 4 expressly states that: "In exercising his functions under this Constitution and federal law…the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall not deprive any person of any public office held by him or of the continuance of any scholarship, exhibition or other educational or training privileges or special facilities enjoyed by him." The abused 'Quota System' As a result of the racial violence of May 13, 1969, the country was presented with a fait accompli by the new ruling class in Umno who were keen to propagate their "bumiputeraist" ideology as a populist ploy. Again, you will not see any mention of "bumiputera" (the "princes of the soil") in the Malaysian constitution. Thus, in early 1971 the Constitution (Amendment) Act was passed adding a new clause (No. 8A) to Article 153: "…where in any university, college and other educational institution providing education after Malaysian Certificate of Education or its equivalent, the number of places offered by the authority responsible for the management of the university, college or such educational institution to candidates for any course or study is less than the number of candidates qualified for such places, it shall be lawful for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong by virtue of this Article to give such directions to the authority as may be required to ensure the reservation of such proportion of such places for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak as the yang di-Pertuan Agong may deem reasonable (my emphasis); and the authority shall duly comply with the directions." This is the "quota system" we have lived with for the last 40 years or so and which has created so much controversy for that length of time. Strictly speaking, if we were to go by Umno's oft-repeated "social contract" at Independence in 1957, that "social contract" certainly does not include Clause 8A of Article 153. And if we scrutinise this clause more closely, we will see that it is definitely not a carte blanche for the blatant racial discrimination as is the case of enrolment at institutions such as UiTM. At the 2004 Umno general assembly, you may recall then Higher Education Minister Shafie Salleh declaring: "I will not compromise on this matter…there will not be a single non-bumiputera allowed to enroll!" So, if any aggrieved party took the government to court for its enrolment policy at UiTM or any other MARA institutions, how do you think any judge would interpret clause 8A of Article 153, ie. "…to give such directions to the authority as may be required to ensure the reservation of such proportion of such places (my emphasis) for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak as the yang di-Pertuan Agong may deem reasonable…" The 100 per cent bumiputera enrolment policy at UiTM makes a mockery of the quota system and the justification of any affirmative action in any country! Principles and purpose of 'affirmative' action Compared to the affirmative action policies elsewhere, for example the United States, we find some glaring inconsistencies in this country: Principle 1: Affirmative action in the US was implemented to rectify the glaring discrimination experienced by historically marginalised groups such as the black minority in the US; In contrast, affirmative action in Malaysia is driven by the politically dominant and majority Malay elite and directed at the Malay community as a whole, as the beneficiary group, regardless of wealth and position. Principle 2: Any preferential treatment for any group should be followed by specific goals, quotas and sunset clauses as is the case in the US rather than the "Never Ending Policy" of the NEP in Malaysia; Principle 3: Affirmative action policies in the US are fundamentally not "special rights" as they are portrayed in Malaysia but rather, policy adjustments to rectify social inequality with a time limitation once the objectives have been reached; Principle 4: The definition of the main target group in Malaysia, namely, "the Malays" is imprecise and allows confusion when any Muslim who is not ethnically Malay can claim to be a beneficiary; Principle 5: In the US, affirmative action is extended into all discriminated groups, for example, women, Hispanics and other minority groups; whereas in Malaysia, only the "bumiputeras" (the "princes of the soil") are included, while the poorest and most marginalized group, arguably the original people of this land, the Orang Asli, have been excluded from this policy. READ MORE HERE |
| Why is the system failing? Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:20 PM PST 
Najib's elegant silence, pretending that the hundreds of socio-financial scandals are non-existent, is killing the system and governance. By Chua Jui Meng, FMT
The Barisan Nasional government is clearly breaking down or crumbling. How else do you explain the police's inability to carry out a simple task of crowd control. Worse, they just stood and watched the troublemakers resorting to violence against those attending political rallies organised by Pakatan Rakyat. The incident in Gombak on the night of Dec 5, 2012, is only one of the many visible examples of a serious breakdown in the system of governance. There has to be a limit to the degradation of professionalism in governance by the civil service. A hooligan-like Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob is able to remain in office for more than a decade. Where is the integrity and morality expected of a leader? It is because of the 55 years of rule under the BN that the civil service's vision is now blurred and is unable to tell the difference between politics and governance. Here, I must make clear that the problem lies primarily on the little Napoleans who spend the bulk of their time to curry favour in the corridors of power for obvious reasons and motives. They have forgotten that the civil service duty and responsibility is to serve the people, not BN which has also grown arrogant over the years of uninterrupted rule. Now, both the BN and the little Napoleans behave like they are here to stay forever and that no one else is qualified to govern Malaysia. That's indeed very, very sad. The civil service must serve the people and country professionally. It is not duty bound to serve the interest and survival of any political party. Those who follow illegal orders are not protected by law and they must be warned that the arm of the law is very long. In short, civil servants, in discharging their duty and responsibility professionally are expected to remain apolitical. Their responsibility is to help the government of the day to administer and provide public service, not political service or interest. Why is the system failing? Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must take the blame for the country's breakdown in governance. How does he expect the people to continue supporting him, Umno and BN with their confidence in the system fast eroding. Najib's elegant silence, pretending that the hundreds of socio-financial scandals are non-existent, is killing the system and governance. His failure to act against the corrupt, those who clearly committed sedition by spewing venomous religious and racial discord are most certainly taking a toll on the social fabric of the country. The civil service has become so subservient to BN-Umno that it fears to take any form of legal action when the many scandals point to culprits connected with BN or the corridors of power. Even Mat Rempits and samsengs employed by BN-Umno to cause disruptions are untouchable. Isn't it the basic duty and responsibility of the police to protect the peace and the people? READ MORE HERE |
| No conspiracy against Anwar, says Musa again Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:45 PM PST 
The ex-IGP attempts to clear the air over lingering suspicion that he was involved in a government conspiracy to set-up Anwar Ibrahim in both Sodomy I and II. Teoh El Sen, FMT Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has reiterated that the Sodomy I and II cases were not part of a political conspiracy to bring down Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. Musa, who was the investigating officer of the 1998 case and was serving as the IGP when the more recent 2008 allegation by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan surfaced, told FMT that both were "straight forward cases." Responding to claims that he was a party to fabrication of evidence in the first sodomy case, Musa stressed:"There was no fabrication of evidence. He [Anwar] was charged in court." "And then I sued Anwar in court [on his allegation of fabrication] and he wanted me to settle with him. So what fabrication was there? The case was dropped because he wanted us to settle it out of court. So there is nothing more." Asked why he agreed to a settlement when he claims to be right, Musa replied: "Because to me [if] that person feels that there is no point to [continue with it] then [it shows] that I am not involved. Perhaps he has realised that I am not involved that's why he wants so settle [out of court]." Musa was referring to his recent decision to drop a defamation suit against Anwar, who lodged a report against Musa in 2008 accusing him and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Pattail of fabricating evidence in the 1998 'black eye' incident and the Sodomy I trial. PKR, who had since then insisted that there was no out-of-court settlement and that it was Musa who initiated a withdrawal, had said that Musa's action was "proof" that there was a government plot to fabricate evidence over the Sodomy I charges. Musa's lawyers had cited a "misunderstanding" over the ex-IGP's role in the 1998 "black eye" incident where Anwar was assaulted by the then IGP Abdul Rahim Noor while in police custody. On his role in Sodomy II, Musa also rubbished claims that he was a "main actor in the script". "Why do they say I am doing the script when it is Saiful who lodged the report, not me. I didn't want to see Saiful even then. He [Saiful] even said in court that I scolded him [when he tried to contact me], that [I told him] if you have a problem, you lodge a police report. So I'm not involved in any conspiracy here. What are they talking about?" he said. FMT: Do you know any of any of these 'script writers' who were involved in the Sodomy II then? Musa: It is a straight up case. [A police report was] lodged by the complainant. Wouldn't you say there were political reasons behind it? That you have to ask them because I don't know the facts about who he [Saiful] saw. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Najib factor’ crucial to MIC’s fight for Indian vote Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:02 PM PST 
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider In the MIC's tussle for the Indian vote, one important element has been identified as key to help Barisan Nasional (BN) recapture lost support from the key community — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Despite criticisms that it has grown overly dependent on Najib and BN for survival, the party has recognised the importance of the prime minister's popularity to drive the Indian vote when national polls are held. The Indian vote is seen as crucial to determine BN's future in the country as the next general election is expected to be very closely fought battle between the ruling coalition and the fledgling Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact. Observers have claimed that Najib and BN leaders have lost confidence in the MIC's ability to score the Indian vote, resulting in efforts by the prime minister to engage directly with the community, who form nearly 1.8 million out of the 28 million population in Malaysia. Some 800,000 are registered voters. Just last month, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz announced in Parliament that Najib was ready to hold a dialogue with the outlawed Hindraf movement to discuss the community's key concerns. But in an interview with The Malaysian Insider here yesterday, MIC secretary-general Datuk S. Murugesan noted there was nothing wrong with relying on the "Najib factor" to boost Indian support, adding that humility has been important in wooing support back into BN's fold "We have a good PM (prime minister)... what's wrong with that?" he said. "It is only to be expected. All this while, people have been saying — why hasn't the government done this or done that... and the face of the government is the PM. "So if they think we have a good leader with good heart, good ears and a sound mind at the helm, they will support us. "So... yes, Najib is an important factor and I've got no issues with that," he added. As such, Murugesan said the MIC does not feel slighted that Najib has been going directly to the ground to campaign and engage with local Indian community leaders, pointing out that this was the work of a prime minister. He said Najib's openness and ability to listen has helped portray a different view of BN to Indian voters, who are said to form some seven per cent of the electorate. This has cajoled much of the Indian community back to supporting BN and calmed much of the frustrations raised just before the March 2008 general election, he said. Murugesan added that it was most unlikely that these past simmering frustrations would come to a head again in the 13th general election as the BN government under Najib's leadership has done well to resolve them. "The main reason is because the PM has made it clear and the MIC made it clear that we hear the Indian community. The PM has openly stated it," he pointed out. "I think during our last or previous general assembly, the PM even admitted to some of our past mistakes and neglect." READ MORE HERE |
| Rentak sumbang Perhimpunan Agung Umno Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:42 AM PST 
Mujahid Yusof Rawa, The Malaysian Insider Pau yang tak menyengat Perhimpunan Agung Umno senantiasa dinanti-nantikan kerana ia menjadi agenda nasional dan mendapat liputan meluas. Tidak seperti Perhimpunan Tahunan parti lain, tumpuan media adalah selektif mengikut selera tuan-tuan politik bagi memenuhi keperluan mereka. Namun begitu liputan berlebihan boleh "overkill" dari sudut komen yang melampau dengan pujian yang meleleh menyebabkan kita jadi muak. Najib bukan lagi penyelamat Di atas senarai pelakon utama ialah tidak lain tidak bukan Presiden Umno yang imejnya dicemari dengan berbagai isu sejak dia mula muncul jadi Presiden dan PM. Bermula dari isu Scorpene sejak beliau menjadi Menteri Pertahanan hinggalah kepada pembunuhan Altantuya, semuanya menjadi mimpi ngeri bagi Najib. Lebih ngeri ialah isteri Presiden Umno itu yang sering dianggap sebagai bebanan yang ditanggung oleh Umno. Najib cuba menangkis semua imej buruk ini, walaupun dia mahu dikenali sebagai PM 1 Malaysia tetapi permasalahan yang melingkari dirinya lebih sensasi dari segala program tranformasinya. Najib berdiri di pentas perhimpunan Umno tempoh hari dengan membawa semua bebanan bagasi tentang dirinya dan isterinya walaupun media longkang arus perdana cuba meringankan imej itu. Najib hambar Medan perhimpunan sebesar dewan PWTC itu adalah cukup baik untuk seseorang menampilkan dirinya sebagai pemimpin parti Melayu No. 1 di Malaysia malah di dunia. Semangat ahli parti Melayu terbesar itu juga perlu diberi suntikan pada pertemuan itu kerana mereka dibelasah kiri kanan oleh rakyat yang dah mula bosan dengan pemimpin dan wakil rakyat Umno. Persepsi di bawah cukup jelas dan diterjemahkan dalam peti-peti undi PRU ke 12 baru-baru ini. Najib tidak bersembunyi dalam hal ini malah berulang kali menyebut dalam ucapannya tentang "Kekhilafan Umno" dan merayu jangan dihukum dalam PRU ke 13 nanti. Seorang wanita yang bertweeter dengan saya dari penyokong Umno turut menyambut seruan Najib dengan mengatakan "hukuman tlh ditunai dengan tumbangnya beberapa negeri kepada pr. Apakah itu x cukup lg Yb? Umno selalu cuba baiki keadaan". Suasana yang cuba ditimbulkan oleh Najib dalam perhimpunan Umno ialah suasana menagih simpati dengan mengaku salah. Ini tidak baik pada saat Umno dicederakan dan suasana perhimpunan 3 hari itu menambahkan lagi garam pada luka orang-orang Umno. Seoalah-olah tidak cukup dengan luka lembu ketua wanitanya, Najib pula bernada pasif. Para pemerhati melihatnya sebagai nada seorang pemimpin yang sudah hilang daya juangnya. Kenyataan Najib mengiyakan tanggapan rakyat yang selama ini menganggap pembangkang memfitnah Umno dan Najib, rentak Najib cukup sumbang pada hari itu. Deepak muncul Nama Deepak sebelum ini dikaitkan dengan isu PI Bala di mana dia telah memberi sejumlah besar wang untuk PI Bala menukar kenyataan bersumpahnya yang mengaitkan penglibatan Najib dan Rosmah dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya. Depaak muncul pada saat-saat kritikal Najib mahu memulihkan imejnya yang "suci" di hadapan perhimpunan Umno. Deepak mengakui "menolong" Rosmah dan apabila isu Altantuya mendapat tekanan dari PR, Deepak seolah mahu selamatkan dirinya dengan membuat pengakuan awal. Rentak Najib semakin sumbang dan plot semakin menarik. READ MORE HERE |
| Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander Posted: 04 Dec 2012 04:33 PM PST 
PKR is using the businessman against Najib and Rosmah, says the Malay rights group. G Vinod, FMT Perkasa today accused PKR of slandering Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor through businessman Deepak Jaikishen. "Since the beginning I didn't trust this Deepak character," said Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali. "People who get involved with an immoral leader are immoral themselves." Yesterday, pro-Umno blogger Papagomo posted a poorly lighted video featuring a man who looks and sounds like Deepak speaking of the circumstances surrounding the businessman's recent press interviews, which resurrected allegations that Najib and Rosmah were involved in the bribery of private investigator P Balasubramaniam. Papagomo's posting alleged that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was behind Deepak's exposés. The man in the video named several other PKR leaders, including vice president N Surendran and Subang MP R Sivarasa. Both Sivarasa and Surendran have dismissed claims that PKR was involved in the exposes, saying they were only representing Deepak for a court case involving a land deal that went sour. Syed Hassan alleged that PKR was losing support and had resorted to slander to regain it. "They have no choice but to resort to such attacks as their supporters are leaving in droves," he said. 
Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar echoed Syed Hassan's sentiments, saying Deepak had no credibility with him because he was always changing his mind. "As far as I know, Najib is very good person and a great leader," he said. "I don't care about what Deepak is saying." Sekijang MP Baharum Mohamad said Pakatan Rakyat had gone too far in its accusations against Najib and his family. "They have gone overboard on this," he said. "I believe that such slander against a person should not exist in a modern society like ours. "If there is a report lodged, the police should investigate it without fear or favour." MIC secretary-general S Murugesan agreed. "If the content of the video is proven to be true," he said, "it will show how bad Malaysian politics has become. Politicians are using proxies to attack their opponents. It's definitely not healthy for our democracy." |
| Perak BN and MIC on collision course Posted: 04 Dec 2012 04:24 PM PST 
The row is over the selection of candidates and allocation of seats for the coming general election. B Nantha Kumar, FMT The Perak Barisan Nasional leadership is said to be on a direct collision course with MIC president G Palanivel over candidates and seat allocations in the state for the largest Indian-based party in the country. Sources revealed that while Palanivel is adamant on retaining several party veterans as candidates for the upcoming general election, the state BN leadership led by Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir wants MIC to put forth new and winnable candidates, especially young leaders. Zambry is unhappy that Palanivel, who is also Perak MIC chief, had insisted that several "expired" leaders be given state seats to contest at the 13th general election, due in the next four months, sources revealed. A party leader, who did not want to be named, told FMT that Palanivel's "stubbornness" may ruin MIC's chances of winning seats in the state. "I will not be surprised if Perak MIC repeat its dismal performance as in the 2008 election," he said. At the last election MIC lost all four state seats – Hutan Melintang, Behrang, Pasir Panjang and Sungkai – contested under the BN banner. "This time around, speculation is that MIC would swap two seats with other BN component parties. MIC will give up the Behrang and Pasir Panjang seats and instead take up Buntong and Trong state constituencies," said the source. The party insider claimed that Palanivel was willing to take up any seat offered by the state BN, but was adamant that the candidates must be chosen by him. The MIC chief's stand to retain some veteran leaders as candidates has irked not only state BN leaders but also party grassroots members. "Palanivel insisted on fielding veterans like State Legislative Assembly speaker R Ganesan and party veteran KR Naidu. This has not gone down well with Zambry and the state BN leadership," said the source. The source said while these two leaders were famous and popular, they did not command support of voters in the state. READ MORE HERE |
| The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 12) Posted: 04 Dec 2012 03:36 PM PST But that was not my dream, though. My dream was to ride my motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London. Earlier I had become a member of the Automobile Association of Malaysia and had asked them to help me obtain the road maps from India to the UK. My plan was to take my motorcycle on a passenger ship from Penang to India and from India ride my motorcycle overland to the UK. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin I pulled through my MCE exam in 1967 and then decided to retire from studying while most of my contemporaries went on to do their A-level and sit for their HSC exam. There was no way I was going to continue studying and instead I did what my mother used to call 'bumming around'. That basically means I did nothing for the two years of 1968 and 1969 except to race my motorcycle. And it was that same year, in 1968, when I participated in the Malaysian Grand Prix –- and spectacularly crashed. I flew through the air and somersaulted a few times before coming to a stop quite a distance from my motorcycle. I rushed back to my motorcycle to continue the race but could not lift my left arm. When I unzipped my racing suit I discovered that my left wrist was broken. That did not stop me from riding though and I continued riding with my plaster cast on. My arm itched like hell and I could not wait to remove the plaster cast. However, by the time it was supposed to have come off, the whole city was under curfew because of the May 13 riots. So I decided to cut off the plaster cast myself. Because I had continued riding with the plaster cast on, my wrist had set in a most awkward position. My wrist was actually disfigured. My mother took me back to the University Hospital and the doctor was appalled. He just could not understand why I did not allow my wrist to set properly instead of continuing to ride with my plaster cast on resulting in my wrist being totally damaged. The surgeon had to break my wrist again (at least this was what he told me he was going to do). When I woke up I felt so thirsty I tried to get out of bed to get a drink but could not move. My hip hurt like hell. I called the nurse and told her that my hip hurts and she replied that that was because of the operation. What operation? It was my wrist that they were supposed to have operated on. Ah, yes, but to reset the wrist they needed to do bone grafting so they took the bone from my hip to do that. I was never told they were going to transplant my hipbone onto my wrist. I was discharged after two weeks or so (actually I was thrown out because I was racing along the hospital corridors in a wheelchair) and was warned not to continue riding this time or else my wrist would again be damaged. This time my wrist set beautifully and the doctor told me they could now remove the wires. What wires? It seems in grafting my hipbone to my wrist they had to use wires to tie it. Hence now they had to remove the wires. So, for the third time, I was admitted into hospital for the wires to be removed. In 1970, most of my friends went on to university. Some went to University Malaya while those from richer families went to the UK. "What do you want to do with your life?" my father asked me. My father was amongst the first group of Malays to go to the UK soon after the Second World War. He went to Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister. He was hoping I would follow in his footsteps. But that was not my dream, though. My dream was to ride my motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London. Earlier I had become a member of the Automobile Association of Malaysia and had asked them to help me obtain the road maps from India to the UK. My plan was to take my motorcycle on a passenger ship from Penang to India and from India ride my motorcycle overland to the UK. The road maps were hand-delivered to my house. I suppose the AAM chap was very curious and wanted to personally meet the crazy person who wanted to ride his motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London. I had chosen to take a ship from Penang to India so that I could avoid riding through Burma. From India I would go to Pakistan and Iran and then to Turkey and Europe. How long this would take did not matter because I had all the time in the world. I would need to just carry spare jeans and a couple of T-shirts in my backpack and would travel 200-300 miles a day depending on the terrain and weather. I never considered what I would do if my motorcycle broke down, if I had an accident, if I was robbed along the way, if I got sick, where I would sleep, and so on. Those were details and I was not going to allow details to get in the way of my plans. When you are 18 or 19 you tend to think like that and you would let tomorrow take care of itself. During my two years of bumming around, and when I was not racing up and down Kuala Lumpur, I would take my bike apart and put it together again. Even when there was nothing wrong with it I would tinker with it. I also modified it and tried to make it go faster. I was obsessed with trying to make my 100cc motorcycle go from 0-60 mph in less than five seconds. The problem with this, though, is that motorcycles in those days, especially Japanese motorcycles, did not handle well. So they were only good if you were going in a straight line. On winding roads it was like a riding a coffin. Furthermore, the braking system in those days was very primitive. The motorcycles used drum brakes, not disc brakes. Hence, while you could go 0-60 in under five seconds, it was impossible to go 60-0 in also under five seconds. Most times you would have to hit something to come to a stop -- hence the 12 accidents that I suffered during that period. "Okay," my father said, "since you only want to tinker with engines, I am going to send you to do an apprenticeship." And he phoned Pak Arshad, the manager of Champion Motors, the Volkswagen/Rover distributor, to request him to take me in as an apprentice. (Those of who had been around in the 1970s/1980s probably remember Pak Arshad, which is another very interesting story). Pak Arshad was puzzled as to why someone like me and with my family background would want to embark upon such a 'low' career. "You are overqualified for this job," he told me. "Why don't you get your father to send you to England instead to do motor engineering?" Actually that was what I wanted. But my father did not trust me enough to let me loose in England unsupervised. He knew that the first thing I would do would be to join the Rockers (the early version of The Hells Angels). The fact that I wore a black leather jacket with a Swastika on the sleeve and the 'The Malaysian Hells Angels' painted on the back was a give away. So my father made a deal with me. I must prove that tinkering with cars and bikes is really what I want to do and if I can survive the four-year apprenticeship he would send me to England. And I would have to serve this apprenticeship with Volkswagen. I spent my first three months washing cars and was paid RM105 a month. Even back in 1970 that was pittance but that was the deal so I had no choice. Before each Volkswagen is sent into the workshop it has to be washed and after it has been serviced or repaired it has to be washed again. After three months I was transferred into the workshop and was put under a Hakka mechanic. He was one loud-mouthed chap. I would greet him with 'selamat pagi' and he would respond with 'tiu niamah ka fa hai' or 'tiu na seng' or a host of other 'pardon my French' phrases. I also had to brush up on my Chinese very fast. He would shout for me to pass him the loh si fai and I would pass him the spanner. He would throw the spanner at me and grab the screw driver and wave it in my face and scream, "Loh si fai! Loh si fai!" Ah, loh si fai, now I understood. Most of the senior mechanics resented us apprentices. That was because they would train us and in four years we would become service advisers and hence would be their bosses who would order them around. Hence they made life difficult for us while we were still 'under them'. But my mechanic was a lazy person. So he would train me so that I could take over all his functions. He would tell me what to do and then would disappear. Once I had finished stripping the engine, I would summon him and he would inspect the parts and tell me what needs changing. He would then disappear again. I had to learn very fast if not I would again get a scolding -- tiu niamah ka fa hai. It was that same year, in 1970, that almost the whole of Kuala Lumpur was flooded. The whole city practically closed down and invariably Champion Motors was submerged. When we came back to work I was asked to clean every car on the showroom. The workshop manager, an Indian chap, wanted the cars as good as new, as if they have just come out from the factory. I tried my best but could not get them, as what the manager wanted, 101% clean. There were still some traces of mud and anyone who has ever owned a 1960s model of Volkswagen would know why. The manager inspected the cars and he was not satisfied. He handed me a toothbrush and told me to use the toothbrush to clean the cars. I threw down the toothbrush and told him to clean the cars himself. I was kicked out of Champion Motors then and there. Thus ended my career as an apprentice with Volkswagen -- all due to the Great Flood of 1970. TO BE CONTINUED The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11) |
| Man stabbed at Gombak political rally Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:23 PM PST 
Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider Rough house tactics, which have been a feature of Malaysian politics, went up a notch with the first stabbing at a political rally ahead of the 13th general elections. A group of people alleged to be Umno Youth members yesterday attacked a PKR rally in Gombak that left a few PKR volunteers injured, leading to swift condemnation from PKR leaders. In the attack, a PKR supporter is believed to have been stabbed with a sharp weapon on his left shoulder, the party's paper Keadilan Daily reported. Another victim, Md Haidir Samsuddin, 48, was injured in the head when hit by a stone that was hurled by the thugs. "I was then at the side of the road, controlling the situation when the Umno thugs started the kecoh (unrest). "Suddenly a big stone from across the road fell on my head," said Haidir, whose head was bleeding. PKR deputy president Azmin Ali (picture) slammed Gombak Umno Youth chief Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin for allegedly leading a group of thugs to attack the Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat rally at Gombak last night. Azmin, who is also the Gombak MP, saw his speech last night interrupted by the hurling of stones at the crowd, which then led to a scuffle breaking out at around 10pm. "I am very disappointed with this rude behaviour of Umno, and there were even those who were injured because of this samseng (gangster) attitude," Azmin told The Malaysian Insider when met after the tension between Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters died had down last night. Azmin claimed that Megat, who is the son of silat master Tan Sri Omar Din Mauju, had deliberately planned the provocation during the rally. He accused Megat and the group he led of using harsh language and throwing objects in the direction of the crowd gathered at the rally. "They (Umno) used silat practitioners to trigger provocation. "Megat himself led the group that triggered provocation and quarreled with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) volunteers here," Azmin added. Following the commotion, a group of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) officers that were on the scene quickly moved in to control the situation and formed a human shield to separate the two groups of supporters. Gombak's deputy police chief Rosly Hassan said the police had not received any reports from those who were injured and said the situation was under control. "No police report until now and the situation is under control," Rosly said when met by The Malaysian Insider at the scene of the incident. This is not the first attack on a PR rally, with a similar incident happening in Lembah Pantai where a crowd at a rally held by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was attacked. The PKR bus used by Anwar and party leaders for its nationwide pre-election campaign tour, Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat , was also splashed with paint and attacked with rocks several times. In yesterday's rally, Anwar, Tamrin Ghafar and Batu Caves state assemblyman Amirudin Shari were also present. PKR had previously called for a stop to the political violence directed at them. |
| PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST
Subang MP R Sivarasa and party vice president N Surendran say they decided to take up the carpet businessman's case in their capacity as lawyers. G Vinod, FMT PKR leaders mentioned in the video shown by pro-Umno blogger Papagomo have denied that the party is behind the recent exposé by carpet businessman Deepak Jaikishen. In a text message to FMT, Subang MP R Sivarasa said that PKR vice-president N Surendran and himself were appointed by Deepak to represent the latter in his suit against Selangor Wanita Umno chief Raja Roopiah Abdullah 's company, Awan Megah, regarding a land deal. He also denied plotting any conspiracy against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. "In Deepak's evidence in court under oath, he himself stated that Najib and Rosmah were involved in approving the sale of a 223 acre land in Bukit Rajah by her company (Awan Megah) to Deepak's company, which originaly belonged to the Defence Ministry." said Sivarasa. Yesterday, Papagomo posted a video on his website, alleging that Deepak's recent expose on Najib and Rosmah was enginereed by PKR's de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim. The two-minute clip also showed a man, purportedly Deepak, mentioning names of key PKR leaders such as PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, apart from Sivarasa and Surendran. Sivarasa said that Deepak himself had told in an interview with an online portal that the latter had made substantial payments to "a member of Najib's family" for certain favours received. "The nature of the transaction in Deepak's suit was clearly of public interest because the value of the land mentioned is now worth about RM400 million or more. "Najib and Rosmah need to answer this serious allegation instead of using scurrilous Umno bloggers to allege a conspiracy," he said. Sivarasa said that he had approched Anwar before taking up the case due its political implications. "But I made the decision to take up Deepak's case, just as I act for all my other clients. There is no way I coached him on anything. "Deepak gave oral sworn evidence in an open court without the benefit of a written witness statement. He has also proceeded, on his own accord, to publicly disclose more serious matters unrelated to the specific issues in the court case I am handling. Those are his personal actions. "So allegations that I am angry with him are simply nonsensical. I am actually quite impressed that Deepak is prepared to risk an aggressive response from Najib and Rosmah," he added. READ MORE HERE |
| FDIs not flowing as freely into Malaysia, says Tengku Razaleigh Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:09 PM PST 
Eva Yeong, The Sun Daily Malaysia is no longer attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) as freely as it used to, said former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, adding that the country is not investing enough to meet its aspirations. "Private investment now makes up a smaller portion of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Although we continue to maintain a relatively high national savings rate, some of those savings have gone overseas," the Gua Musang member of parliament said in his keynote address on "Pragmatism in the Face of Present Economic Outlook" at the MIER National Economic Outlook Conference 2013/2014 here yesterday. "Malaysia has become a premature exporter of capital, a characteristic that is unbecoming of a growing, high potential economy. "There is also this silent issue of capital flight, whether it is in the form of over-invoicing by corporates or personal wealth leakages," he added. On the domestic production front, he said the nation depends on a relatively narrow spectrum of growth drivers, while the government's revenue base is just as limited and the issue of fuel subsidies has to be addressed quickly. Tengku Razaleigh said the removal of petrol subsidies is imperative as it is a drag on government finances and an impediment to proper resource allocation. "In order to protect the average consumer, perhaps we can begin by applying an implicit subsidy cut on large engine capacity vehicle owners via a higher road tax," he said. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said private investment is expected to account for 30% of the country's total investments next year. "Private investment, which grew marginally by 2.5% during 2005 to 2009 period, registered a double digit growth of 15.5% in 2010 and 12.2% in 2011. "Even more encouraging, it grew on an annualised basis of 22.2% in the first half of this year," he said at the opening of the event. Meanwhile, RAM Holdings Bhd senior general manager and group chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng. said domestic-based sectors and services need to grow at a faster pace in order to have a sustainable domestic-driven growth. "Domestic demand has actually helped the Malaysian economy offset the global demand over the last decade and more importantly, in the post global financial crisis year of 2010 and 2011, domestic demand has actually been offsetting the negative growth from exports," he told reporters on the sidelines of the conference. "Domestic demand can help smoothen Malaysia's output fluctuations. "Use domestic demand to enhance resilience because Malaysia is such an open economy with exports contributing more than 100% of GDP. We are actually subject to a lot of these external demand shocks," he added. Yeah said next year's GDP growth will remain above 5% with RAM Ratings maintaining its forecast of 5.3% for 2013. He said the two major risks are the continuing Eurozone debt crisis that could potentially result in double dip for the global economy and the fiscal cliff. "If these two don't happen, Asia, with improving indicators from China and other emerging countries, will be in a strong position to capitalise on the regional growth and demand. "Combined with our resilient domestic demand, there won't be any major shock to our investor confidence and consumer spending," he added. |
| Wee: Abdul Rahman an extremist Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST 
(The Star) - Abdul Rahman Maidin who recently joined PAS is an extremist, said MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong. In a Dec 4 blog post, Dr Wee had described Abdul Rahman, who is the former Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia deputy president, as someone with extreme racial thinking. He added that he had met Abdul Rahman at the Second National Economic Council meeting from 1999 to 2000, where he was also a participant. Dr Wee said he had never met anyone in his life that held such extremist racial views. Abdul Rahman had handed his membership form to PAS party president Abdul Hadi Awang during a Pakatan rally in Batu Pahat, Johor, last Saturday. |
| On Sabah’s ‘racism’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST 
There are areas in Kota Kinabalu that are "black areas" controlled by illegals, where locals fear to tread. Even our local law enforcement is forced to turn a blind eye. Some due to lack of manpower, some because they're paid off by the illegals. Many Sabahans are afraid of illegals. They have good cause to be. My neighbourhood doctor was killed with parangs by Indonesians. Two-thirds of the women I know, including myself, have been molested by illegals. Erna Mahyuni, The Malaysian Insider "So it strikes me to ask, is Sabah as racism-free as it seems?" That's what a LoyarBurok columnist asked, after a (brief) visit to Sabah and noting the distaste many locals have towards illegal immigrants. The first problem I have is with the notion of Sabah being "racism-free." No place in the world is free from racism, unless said place is filled with people of the same race. Even then, we human beings will find other reasons to oppress our fellows. Because we can. Sabah has a higher degree of tolerance. A higher tolerance of other religions and more widespread acceptance of intermarriage among the races sets us apart from most states in the Peninsula but we never pretended that we are "racism-free." I have relatives who are racists. Which makes things slightly tricky because I happen to be a "mongrel" with Dusun and Bajau blood and have ancestors from China and Pakistan. So that means I hear about the "lazy, stupid" Dusuns, the "bloodthirsty, manic" Bajaus, the "miserly, selfish" Chinese and the "untrustworthy" Pakistanis from my own family. If all their stories were true, by virtue of my mixed race I am destined for infamy or, at the very least, a long prison sentence. Despite our differences, what sets Sabah apart is that the races just get along better. The point is that racial stereotypes are common everywhere, even in Sabah. But the LoyarBurok columnist chose to harp on local Sabahan's attitudes towards illegal immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia. My god, man, do you expect us Sabahans to embrace them as brothers? Roll out the red carpet? Have feasts for them? The ugly truth is most Sabahans don't want them around. PBS head Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan is but one of many Sabah politicians who have called on the mainland to address the problem of illegal immigrants who are frankly unwelcome in the state. It's unfair that many Sabahans see illegals as criminals and parasites, when some people are genuinely fleeing harsh conditions at home. But the reality is that many illegals do turn to crime. There are areas in Kota Kinabalu that are "black areas" controlled by illegals, where locals fear to tread. Even our local law enforcement is forced to turn a blind eye. Some due to lack of manpower, some because they're paid off by the illegals. Many Sabahans are afraid of illegals. They have good cause to be. My neighbourhood doctor was killed with parangs by Indonesians. Two-thirds of the women I know, including myself, have been molested by illegals. Just behind my house, a neighbour started an illegal immigrant-staffed brothel and my family had to put up with the circus of whores and their seedy clientele, literally in my own backyard. My stories are just anecdotes, some of you will scoff. But my "anecdotes" are the reality that non-Sabahans will not be able to appreciate. Then we have people like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who say that we should just give illegals citizenship, no matter what Sabahans have to say about the matter. So we blithely give these 3.2 million (as of 2010 ) people citizenship? Really, Dr Mahathir? Another truth is, as my mother says, that we may despise them but we also need them. Sabah's backward economy is dependent on cheap labour. So much so that locals are forced to go to the Peninsula to seek better-paying job opportunities. The illegals drive the buses. They monopolise the cheap boat services to the islands. They are the ones manning the stalls at the Filipino Market. Some call them industrious, some call them opportunistic. Yet they're here and now they just won't leave. Is it really racism to be unhappy that foreigners come onto your land, monopolise your commerce, threaten your feeling of safety while you are also powerless to get rid of them? I guess Sabahans know too well what the Orang Asli must feel. |
| From now on, it’s a Malay vs Malay contest Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:44 PM PST 
One Malay leader is pitted against another Malay leader, and each is backed by an assortment of non-Malays. Such a situation, strangely enough, does not encourage racial or religious politics. This goes for Umno as well as the Islamist opposition, PAS. Ooi Kee Bang, Today As Umno general assemblies go, the one held last week was rather tame in its rhetoric. It was certainly memorable for its lack of vitriolic language. And it was expectedly so ― therein lies its significance. Things were quite different back in the days before 2008, when ethnocentric exhortations were run of the mill, and Umno Youth was the amplifier of racial extremist voices. This year, showing party unity was the order of the day. Much of the credit must go to the fact that Malaysia today has a surprisingly stable two-party system in place. As we know, such a competitive structure has a strong moderating effect on extremist voices, be they racial or religious. After all, gaining the middle ground is how electoral victories are won. The fact that the incumbent prime minister, Najib Razak, reportedly cited ― as a warning to his followers ― significant errors made by Republican challenger Mitt Romney in his defeat at the hands of United States President Barack Obama, tells us that even at the highest level, the possibility of the hitherto invincible Umno being toppled is being taken seriously. Indeed, the bipolar Obama-Romney battle is being reflected in the clash between Najib and Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the opposition. What this actually reveals is the most important point that anyone can make today about the dramatic changes that have been taking place in Malaysian politics, not only over the last five years but also over the last decade and a half. Opposition forces within the Malay community have come of age. That is the fundamental difference. We are witnessing a Malay-Malay battle. Despite the rhetoric, the Malay community ― perhaps because of its increased relative size, its comparative youth, its growing urbanity or its heightened educational level ― is showing a political confidence it did not have before. Its questioning of Umno's claim to being the only plausible champion of their interests as a community ― in fact, questioning the limitations of communal politicking ― is an expression of that very maturity. One Malay leader is pitted against another Malay leader, and each is backed by an assortment of non-Malays. Such a situation, strangely enough, does not encourage racial or religious politics. This goes for Umno as well as the Islamist opposition, PAS. Instead, the new issues are about wealth distribution and governance, not those of race against race, or religion against religion. Now, issues of governance are not simple things. They are comprehensive, covering difficult matters such as cronyism, corruption, rule of law, the state of the civil service and the electoral system, among others. What all this boils down to once elections come around is: Who will be the next prime minister of Malaysia, Najib or Anwar? Abdullah Badawi was replaced by Najib in April 2009 in punishment for letting so much support for Barisan Nasional slip away. Najib's job, therefore, is to win back that support. To his mind, the best way to do that is to continue with the reform agenda (he has preferred the term "transformation"). However, should support for his coalition not rise markedly in the coming elections, there is a real risk that he will be replaced in his turn. But why this sudden wish for reform and transformation on BN's part? No doubt, Anwar has a lot to do with it. He was after all the man behind the pivotal Reformasi movement that started in 1998 after his sacking by Dr Mahathir Mohamad. But the fact that Abdullah's impressive electoral victory in 2004 could not bury that movement for good tells us that the forces pushing for change have deep roots in society, and in the times. What Anwar managed to do after his release from prison in 2005 was to become a bridge for the major opposition parties on the one hand, and a lightning rod for general social discontent on the other. And so, although at one level, the fight is between two Malay leaders, the election, whichever way it goes, is at a deeper level about how governance in Malaysia is to develop ― how Malaysia is to develop ― in the coming years. And within that equation, the role of East Malaysia will increase since both coalitions will be fighting to win votes there. Since the racial and religious ― not to mention political ― conditions in Sabah and Sarawak are so markedly different from those found in West Malaysia, the heightened significance of these states is bound to transform the socio-political situation. Predicting Malaysia's political future has become a much harder gambit. * Ooi Kee Beng is the deputy director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. |
| Selangor already fallen to BN! Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:27 PM PST 
Will recent events concerning the re-drawn boundaries in Selangor indicate that the coming polls is going to be a sham of an election? Selena Tay, FMT Recent reports received from this columnist's friends in PAS have revealed the inevitable – Selangor has already fallen into the hands of BN. Why is this so? Well, besides the dirty voter rolls, recently even the parliamentary and state constituencies in Selangor have had their boundaries re-drawn, said this columnist's friends in the Selangor PAS committee tasked with overseeing the preparations for the 13th general election. Now what is to be done? Of course police reports have been made besides forwarding evidence to the Election Commission (EC) who must remain professional, ethical and honest at all times in carrying out their duties in order to serve the interests of the public by working for the good of the citizens. But will recent events concerning the re-drawn boundaries indicate that the coming polls is going to be a sham of an election? Those who say that Malaysia has a vibrant democracy are merely being economic on the truth. The only thing vibrant is the compliant media's unjust bashing of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and the rampant crime and corruption going on. And it bears repeating that the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat state government must only dissolve the State Legislative Assembly in May. Anything before that is disastrous for Pakatan. Looking at the way that BN wants to cling on to power, then is a foretaste of events to come should they lose the 13th general election. BN leaders have said that Pakatan will cause chaos if it loses. But what if it is BN who loses? What is their answer to that question? Have we heard them giving assurances to the rakyat by saying, "We will abide by the rakyat's decision?" Be that as it may, the election must and will go on. The losers must accept the verdict. The opposition have lost 12 consecutive times so for them losing is nothing new but what about those who have never tasted defeat? For the good of the nation and the well-being of the rakyat, the losers of the forthcoming polls should work with the winners to build up the nation. The losers must be magmanimous enough to accept defeat. If they resort to hooliganism and sabotage, then their true colours and greed for power will be revealed and show that their past slogans are empty rhetoric to hoodwink the people. The time has come for Malaysians to move forward towards building a great nation for one and all. Otherwise we will be left far behind – stuck in the age of antiquities. It is high time we march forward to the dawn of a new civilisation of hope, peace and progress. Winning at all cost The case of Selangor highlights the dirty tactics of certain parties who want to win at all cost. "There is just nothing we can do about their dirty tricks as all avenues are closed. We have raised the issue of dubious voters and instant MyKad in Parliament and in our party paper, Harakah. We have brought up the matter with the Election Commission and made the necessary police reports – all to no avail," said PAS Kuala Selangor MP, Dzulkefly Ahmad to this columnist. His PAS colleague and Kuala Krai MP, Hatta Ramli who will be overseeing the PAS election groundwork has informed this columnist that he has requested that the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) set up to look into the problem of illegals in Sabah being given MyKad be given an extension of its workscope to include Selangor as well but the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Liew Vui Keong (Sandakan MP) said that the problem does not exist in Selangor! And this reply was given in the recently concluded Parliament session. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Video proves Anwar is behind Deepak’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:19 PM PST 
A two-minute video clip of 'Deepak Jaikishan' has surfaced in pro-government blogs which points to a PKR plot to defame the prime minister and his wife Teoh El Sen, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had met carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan to hatch a plot to defame the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, according to pro-government blogs. Posting links to a "secretly recorded" video footage, blogger Papa Gomo said it proved that Deepak's recent explosive media interviews were the result of a plan engineered by several key PKR players. In the two-minute-long clip, a man who appears to be Deepak was speaking to a few people off camera. Aside from Anwar, he mentions several prominent PKR leader's names, including Subang MP R Sivarasa as well as vice-presidents N Surendran and Nurul Izzah. "So he [Anwar] said I give you the place, whatever you want to do I help you, but you have to help me lah, of course it is understood lah," said the man in the video. The video, according to Papa Gomo, was proof that Deepak had met with Anwar before he began his attacks against Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor on Nov 27. "In the video we hear Deepak saying that Nurul was the first person to contact him to see but for some reason he did not meet her," wrote the blogger. He alleged that Anwar had asked to meet Deepak several times in 2010 but he had ignored the PKR de facto leader until he was pressured by a bank debt that totalled RM170 million. "Deepak's real target is Senator Raja Ropiaah [Abdullah], the Selangor Wanita Umno chief who was together with Deepak previously in the real estate business," said Papa Gomo. He said that Anwar then apparently promised to provide Deepak with a lawyer (Sivarasa) for his case against Raja Ropiaah. "Sivarasa actually instructed Deepak to mention the names of Najib and Rosmah in the Raja Ropiaah trial," he added. However, "Deepak" in the video said he did not do that and "Sivarasa" was angry with him. READ MORE HERE |
| Shall we experiment? Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:13 PM PST 
The 'devil we know' is a recalcitrant beast which is resistant to change whereas the 'devil we don't know' is promising Utopia. Anwar was regarded as a racist and religious bigot. Then there was also that persistent rumour about his fondness for clean-shaven men. But it was his lack of devotion to Dr Mahathir Mohamad that put a curse on his charmed life. RK Anand, FMT Anwar Ibrahim is no saint. But who amongst us is? That is a subject for debate in ecclesiastical circles. But those who believe that a halo hovers above the opposition leader's head must also extend the same benefit of divine doubt to the prime minister who has sworn in the name of God that his hands are not stained with the blood of a murdered Mongolian woman and that he did not pocket a handsome sum in connection with a submarine deal. During his sojourn with Umno, Anwar's reputation as the heir to the throne struck fear in the hearts of many similar to how the prospect of the "Malay first and Malaysian second" Muhyiddin Yassin becoming prime minister is bone-chilling to the non-Malays. Anwar was regarded as a racist and religious bigot. Then there was also that persistent rumour about his fondness for clean-shaven men. But it was his lack of devotion to Dr Mahathir Mohamad that put a curse on his charmed life. More than a decade has passed since Mahathir shoved Anwar out of the corridors of power and into prison but the epic battle between the two warlords continues to be waged. Trapped in the middle is Najib Tun Razak. His predecessor ended up as collateral damage and his ambitious son-in-law was cast into cold storage in the aftermath of the 2008 electoral debacle. Does a similar or even worse fate await him? As the nation edges closer and closer towards the 13th general election, the situation is becoming "curiouser and curiouser". As more and more cans of worms and cows are opened, it is evident that Najib has committed a dreadful error in not calling for the polls earlier when the forecast was in his favour. Perhaps he was not contented with just holding on to power but aspired to be the Ceasar who would return Rome to the pinnacle of power, the emperor who is adored and venerated by his subjects. To his credit, Najib had dared to be different but the odds were just too great. Now he risks losing it all.
Mahathir returns to battle This has prompted Mahathir to return to the frontline in order to save Umno Baru from decimation. It is, after all, his party. Moreover, the thought of Anwar becoming prime minister is unsettling for the patriarch, especially when his arch-nemesis would have access to certain documents which could prove to be incriminating. Driven out, ridiculed, imprisoned and battered, Mahathir's former deputy might not be as forgiving as some hope him to be should he triumph. Anwar claims that Mahathir is once again sharpening his blade, which has butchered numerous illustrious political careers in the past. He purportedly wants Najib's head to roll but after the polls since Umno is in no position to witness a high-profile beheading at this juncture. The often repeated argument from Barisan Nasional is "better the devil you know", with the prime minister warning Malaysians not to experiment with their votes, lest it would invite damnation. Najib prefers that experiments and debates be confined to the science labs and schools instead of being carried out at the expense of his position. His steadfast refusal to debate with Anwar suggests that perhaps the prime minister is a fictitious character and each word that rolls out of his mouth is crafted by a team of public relations experts. Does he fear sharing the stage with a fiery orator without his retinue of speech writers and advisers, forced to respond to questions without rehearsing his answers in front of a mirror beforehand and in the absence of a prepared text? Is he afraid that he would fail the test of scrutiny on television? The "devil we know" is a recalcitrant beast, which is resistant to change, save for Najib and a handful of others who dwell in the 1Malaysia wonderland, churning out an endless stream of slogans and abbreviations. The rest in Umno remain disenchanted, reminiscing about the golden era where in the words of Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, only the Almighty-sanctioned media like Utusan Malaysia existed, dissidents could be jailed without much fuss, the only ones blowing the whistles were scouts and no carpet dealer threatening to pull the rug from under their feet. Most of all, it was a time when the people feared the government and not the government having to fear the people. The devil or messiah? On the other hand, the "devil we don't know" promises Utopia though his detractors remain unconvinced due to the mounting allegations against those in the opposition, lending credence to the belief that power breeds corruption. READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan states 'have failed in legislative reform' Posted: 03 Dec 2012 09:07 PM PST 
Lee Leong Hui, Malaysiakini Almost five years after forming the state government in four states, Pakatan Rakyat has failed to reform the institution of the legislature, according to Selangor speaker Teng Chang Khim. Teng attributed this to the refusal of politicians, who exert control over the Executive, to give up their powers.
 He also said there was lack of political will for reform to make the legislative assemblies independent of state governments.
"If I were to set up a KPI (key performance index), it would show that Pakatan has failed in this respect," Teng (left) told a forum on parliamentary reform at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall last night.
Teng, who is Sungai Pinang assemblyperson, noted that only the Selangor state assembly has been pro-active.
It has formed three select committees, as well as the Special Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency, to scrutinise the state government's performance. It has also set up 'live' online streaming of sittings.
"We have been talking about this (select committees) for many years, but when we became the government, how many states have implemented this? Only Selangor has done so," he said.
Teng pointed out that society, too, lacked understanding of the doctrine of separation of powers and failed to pressure politicians holding executive posts to reform the legislature.
"What is the speaker? Nobody pays attention to the speaker, no matter how great he or she is," he said cynically.
Selangor gov't found wanting
Teng also said the Selangor government had yet to agree to table the Assembly Service Commission Enactment Bill 2009 - which he had drafted - for passage through the state assembly.
The enactment would have made the state assembly fully independent of the Executive in terms of resources and funds, as is the practice in other Commonwealth countries that have a "remarkable" legislature.
"The separation of powers is about sharing of power, but it is not happening here. Before we came into power, we had said it loud and clear that we would do so," he added.
"But afterwards, we are not willing to let go of power... When you change your position, you change your mindset as well." |
| Zaid: PM must apologise over May 13 reference Posted: 03 Dec 2012 07:42 PM PST 
Sean Augustin, fz.com Former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim says Datuk Seri Najib Razak should apologise for references to the May 13 tragedy made at the recent Umno general assembly. Zaid said that claims the 1969 racial riots would recur if Umno lost the next general election or if it returned with a weak majority was uncalled for and made him 'sick to his bones'. He said Najib - the prime minister and Umno president - should distance himself from such statements, which he feels were outright threats, immediately. As prime minister for all Malaysians, Najib should apologise to the nation for the inflammatory statements made by the delegates of the party he leads, said Zahid. "No one should capitalise on a national tragedy for the reprehensible purpose of exploiting emotions ahead of the coming election. "I hope Malaysians-and especially Malays-will find this statement repulsive and punish Umno accordingly," the lawyer turned politician wrote in his blog, zaiduntukrakyat.com. The May 13th spectre is often resurrected by politicians and right wing groups, especially in response to what they perceive as threats to the rights of Malays. While racial rhetoric was largely absent at the Umno general assembly, Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil had mentioned May 13, in her written opening speech, when discussing the fate of the Malays if the party under performed in the coming general election. That part of the speech however was not read. Sharizat however later defended her remarks saying she did not commit any wrong and flayed the media for lacking professionalism. Zaid, in his blog, also wondered why Najib led the 'virulent attack' against liberalism which he defined as a political philosophy founded on the principles of freedom, liberty and equality. Liberalism, he said, supported the free-market economy, the individual's right to ownership of property, free and democratic elections as the foundation of government, freedom of religion and basic human rights. "The constitution of the Federation of Malaysia was founded on these principles, and our proclamation of independence contained the words 'liberty, freedom and justice for all.' So, why are the prime minister and his followers in Umno attacking the constitution and the core values of this country?" he asked.
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| ‘Explain Hindu burial land given to Muslims’ Posted: 03 Dec 2012 07:35 PM PST 
Hindraf questions Selangor's state government's decision to convert a 3.38 hectre plot of Hindu burial land to a Muslim cemetery. K Pragalath, FMT Hindraf wants the Selangor state government to explain its decision to convert a 3.38 hectre Hindu burial land in Teluk Piai, Kuala Selangor, to a Muslim cemetery. "Why grab the land when Selangor is 7,955 square kilometres?" asked Hindraf's P Uthayakumar in a letter addressed to Selangor Menteri Besar, Khalid Ibrahim. Uthayakumar, who is also Human Rights Party's pro-tem secretary general, was responding to a news report in Malay daily, Sinar Harian today on the matter. In the report, Malaysian Indian Welfare and Cemetery Management Association president M Raman had asked the state government for an alternative plot of land for a Hindu cemetery. Raman said the state exco, at a meeting in July last year, despite acknowledging that the plot of land in Teluk Piai was a Hindu cemetery decided to regazette it as a Muslim cemetary. Raman said this was revealed in the 2010 Selangor Cemetery Inventory Report. "Even a letter from the rural and urban planning department dated Aug 28 this year states that the land, in Lot 13, Api-Api, Kampung Teluk Piai, is a Hindu burial land," said Raman. Uthayakumar said: "Reconvert, re-gazette, issue permanent land titles and restore this historical Hindu cemetery in the memory of the rubber tappers who contributed extensively to Malaya's economy." He also requested for a copy of the 2010 Selangor Cemetery Inventory Report under the Selangor Freedom of Information Enactment 2010 to ascertain the number of Hindu cemeteries in the state and how many of them have been gazetted. Uthayakumar also raised concerns over the status of the Hindu cemeteries in Barisan Nasional administered states. He gave three examples: the Bukit Jalil Hindu cemetery that was re-gazetted as Muslim burial ground, a cemetary in Kuala Sawah, Negeri Sembilan that was wiped out and a burial ground in Rantau, Seremban that was desecreated. |
| Answer Musa’s claims, cops tell top brass Posted: 03 Dec 2012 07:29 PM PST 
Police want the top brass to look into the ex-IGP's claims of criminal elements and political interference in the police force. Anisah Shukry and Teoh El Sen, FMT The police are split over ex-inspector general of police Musa Hassan's claims of political interference and criminal elements in the police force but one common sentiment prevails – the top brass must take responsibility over it. "Of course it is damaging to the police force but then again, there is no smoke without fire, so there is an element of truth in it," said a senior policeman on condition of anonymity. "Perhaps in a way it is good because if the top level wants to change, it is high time to look into it," he told FMT. Last week, Musa dropped a bombshell when he accused Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein as one of the politicians who interfered with police investigation. The former top cop also suggested that criminal elements had infiltrated the police force, revealing that there were cases where the links went high up and "nobody dared talk about it." His damning comments coincided with Umno's general assembly; the party's last huddle before it faced the 13th general election. Umno top leaders, including Hishammuddin, had not directly answered Musa's claims since last week, choosing instead to dismiss them as attempts to sidetrack the public from the issues raised during the general assembly. Meanwhile, current IGP Ismail Omar said that he did not have the time for things that were "not important" – a response that courted ire from Musa who labelled the former as "snobbish." 'Ismail is a poor leader' Commenting on this, the senior police officer told FMT that Ismail lacked leadership quality. "He shouldn't be there in the first place, he's merely a puppet. Whenever he is summoned by the ministry, he comes back crying. "Whenever he is pressured, he doesn't act professionally, he screams at his officers. He is someone who is hard to work with, no backbone, no guts," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11) Posted: 03 Dec 2012 06:33 PM PST It was a win-win situation. The Minister got to hand over RM6 million worth of engines to the fishermen. The fishermen could get delivery of the engines only when they needed them and not too early. I got my RM6 million order although I did not yet have RM6 million worth of engines in stock. And Barisan Nasional won 34 of the 36 seats in the Kelantan State Assembly leaving PAS with only two seats -- the first time since Merdeka that Umno ruled Kelantan (at least for 12 years until 1990 when they lost the state again to PAS). NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin By 1977 I already owned my first Mercedes Benz, a light blue 204D. A Mercedes is a mark that you have 'arrived'. Nobody would take you seriously if you drove a Fiat like me. That is a playboy's car. So I brought a Mercedes, which I brought second-hand from the Speaker of the Terengganu State Assembly who was given a state car -- so he no longer needed to keep his old car. I paid RM30,000 for that car, quite pricey for a second-hand or used car. But I was paying for the number more than for the car (TC 848), which the Chinese appeared to like a lot. (They say it means prosperous and even after you die still prosperous -- which means prosperous for many generations). In fact, Dato' Salleh Speaker (that's what they called him) wanted the number back but I told him that I only wanted the car if it came with the number. That was the car I drove up and down Malaysia and to every fishing village in Terengganu and Kelantan. They just needed to see that car on the horizon when they would shout, "Taukay Yanmar datang!" That car practically became my trademark. And they knew that the owner of that car could give them loans to build their fishing boats and to buy the engines and/or fishing nets. I suppose I was like Santa Claus coming to town. And I made sure that all those who came out to greet my arrival walked away with something -- caps, T-shirts, calendars once a year at the end of the year (showing half-naked Japanese girls -- a girl for each month of the year), and so on. (Trust me, when it comes to half-naked girls, those Malay fishermen are no racists). I would walk into the favourite watering hole of the fishermen just off their shift or about to go on shift and would tell the coffee shop owner that everything was on me. No one left that coffee shop having to pay for what they ate and drank. This was not just about marketing my Yanmar engines. This was about 'winning an election' -- me, the new kid on the block, versus the 'old boys'. It was no longer enough that I was Taukay Yanmar. I had to be the Taiko of the Taiko, meaning the Taipan. And little did I know that in a mere few months I was going to become the Taipan Yanmar and would 'clean up' the market and monopolise the entire industry. They say 'man proposes but God disposes'. And I learned the real meaning of that phrase that same year, November 1977 to be exact. And this is how the story goes. In 1973, Barisan Nasional was formed and PAS, an opposition party, decided to join the ruling coalition. Three years later, PAS decided that the relationship with Umno was not working out so they decided to leave Barisan Nasional and go back to being an opposition party. Hence Kelantan, which was part of the ruling coalition, now became an opposition state, the only state under the opposition (since Gerakan still remained in Barisan Nasional). Umno needed to grab Kelantan. But first they needed to bring down PAS. A no-confidence motion against the Menteri Besar was tabled in the Kelantan State Assembly. 20 PAS State Assemblymen supported the motion while the 13 Umno and the solitary MCA assemblymen walked out in protest. However, Mohamad Nasir, the Menteri Besar, refused to resign. He then requested the Regent of Kelantan to dissolve the State Assembly to make way for fresh state elections. His Highness refused and Mohamad Nasir's supporters retaliated by demonstrating in the streets resulting in violence, looting and burning. (Actually, this whole thing was engineered by Hussein Ahmad, the Umno Kelantan warlord, but made to appear like it was a PAS 'internal conflict'. And the 'looters' and 'rioters' were gangsters brought in from Thailand). On 8th November 1977, His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong declared a state of emergency in Kelantan. The State Assembly was suspended and the Emergency Powers (Kelantan) Act 1977 was passed by Parliament the following day giving the Federal Government power to govern the state. In March 1978, state elections were held in Kelantan (more than three months ahead of the July 1978 General Election). PAS was successfully toppled and Umno took over the state (and held it for 12 years until 1990 when PAS-Semangat 46 ousted Umno). Now, at this point, some of you would probably be asking: what has all that got to do with me? Well, as I said earlier, man proposes but God disposes. Meanwhile, a month after the Kelantan Crisis, on 4th December 1977, Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, and in that tragedy the Minister of Agriculture, Ali Ahmad, and a few of his senior officers were killed. His Deputy, Sharif Ahmad, was then appointed the new Minister of Agriculture with Khalid Yunos as his Political Secretary. Kelantan was about to face a state election in March 1978 followed by the general election soon after that in July. And Umno wanted to make sure that it won both Kelantan and Terengganu, strongholds of PAS. And the critical task of ensuring that the fishermen in both these states voted Umno -- who form a very large number of the voters -- was given to the new Minister of Agriculture. So they needed to 'buy' the goodwill of the fishermen voters. And to buy this goodwill they needed to give them engines, fishing nets, boats, and whatnot. Basically, they needed Santa Claus to go around the fishing villages with handouts. The Minister then asked his Political Secretary to find out who the biggest Yanmar engine supplier was. And everywhere they asked the name Raja Petra popped up. In January 1978, out of the blues, Khalid Yunos phoned me and asked me to go down to Kuala Lumpur to meet up with him and his Minister. I was, understandably, extremely surprised. Never in my life has any Political Secretary phoned me to ask me to make a trip to KL to meet his boss. Very nervously I reported to the Minister's office. The meeting was about only one thing. They wanted to know how many Yanmar engines I had in stock. I asked them how many they needed. They gave me the figure and it was huge. I would need at least a year or more to supply everything they wanted. But they wanted all that supplied within just two months, a month before the March 1978 Kelantan State Election. Whether I got the business or not depended on whether I was able to supply their RM6 million or so order in a mere two months. I could not do it, of course, but I told them that I could. I got the order and went home wondering how I would supply the engines in two months. They then sent me the schedule of delivery. The Minister would be touring from fishing village to fishing village over a period of a month to personally hand over the engines to the fishermen in a handing over ceremony. It was going to be a big show. And my engines were going to be the centre of attraction. I almost had a heart attack. All I could put together was one lorry-load of engines, not the 20 or 30 lorry-loads like what they wanted. Hence I would have to perform a sort of magic trick to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. I knew that the fishermen did not really need the engines delivered by February or March 1978. Some were halfway through building their boats while some had not even started construction yet. So, realistically, they would need the engines delivered in six months time or maybe even in a year or 18 months. I went to meet the fishermen and told them that the engines come with a warranty. But the warranty starts from the day they take delivery of the engines. So better they take deliver only when they needed the engines or else the warranty would be 'wasted' and may even expire before they can install the engines into their boats. As a 'mark' or 'token' of delivery we would hand over just the propellers. The fishermen agreed and on the day of the handing-over ceremony we parked the lorry-load of engines in front of the stage and handed over the propellers to the Minister who then handed them to the fishermen as a ritual of handing them the engines. We then drove the lorry to the next venue and the following day we did the same thing. The same lorry was sent from fishing village to fishing village. Actually, it was only one lorry made to look like it was 20 or 30 lorries. No one noticed that the lorry had the same registration number or even bothered to check the serial numbers of the engines on the lorry. Our explanation to the Minister was that the engines were too heavy to lift and we would need a crane to lift them (which was true). So better he just handed the propellers to the fishermen -- which in itself were quite heavy already. In fact, the Minister could not lift the propellers all by himself. He needed two other people to assist him. It was a win-win situation. The Minister got to hand over RM6 million worth of engines to the fishermen. The fishermen could get delivery of the engines only when they needed them and not too early. I got my RM6 million order although I did not yet have RM6 million worth of engines in stock. And Barisan Nasional won 34 of the 36 seats in the Kelantan State Assembly leaving PAS with only two seats -- the first time since Merdeka that Umno ruled Kelantan (at least for 12 years until 1990 when they lost the state again to PAS). And that was the day my friends called me 'The Six Million Dollar Man', a popular TV series at that time. I suppose, in business, you need to show confidence and pretend that you know what you are doing and can handle any assignment they give you even when you do not have the winning cards in your hand. After all, is that not how poker is played? And now do you know why I do not want too clever people to become Ministers? I could never pull something like that off if smart people ran the government. TO BE CONTINUED The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) |
| Indonesian embassy warns maids to avoid Malaysia Posted: 03 Dec 2012 04:20 PM PST 
(AFP) - Indonesia Tuesday warned its nationals not to work as maids in Malaysia after a weekend raid freed 105 women who were confined against their will and forced to work without pay. In the latest maid abuse scandal to hit Malaysia, authorities said they had freed 95 Indonesians, six Filipinas and four Cambodians who toiled as housemaids by day but were locked inside a building near the capital Kuala Lumpur at night. Recurring reports of abuse of Indonesian maids have soured relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours and in 2009 prompted Jakarta to angrily cut off the supply of domestic workers to Malaysia. The two sides announced a year ago that the ban would be lifted after they reaching an accord to provide maids better protection and working conditions. But the latest case showed Indonesians were still at risk, especially those who come to Malaysia illegally without going through proper recruitment channels, a spokesman for Jakarta's embassy said. "The Malaysian authorities should take tough action... It's better for Indonesian maids not to work in Malaysia," spokesman Suryana Sastradiredja told AFP. "They (Malaysia) are asking for Indonesian maids but they cannot protect them well." The women freed on Saturday -- who according to Malaysian media reports had arrived illegally over the past several months -- have been taken to a shelter and will eventually be sent back to Indonesia, Sastradiredja said. Sastradiredja said that since the ban was lifted, fewer than 100 Indonesian maids had arrived through official channels, turned off by the low salaries and abuse reports. But, citing reports from Indonesian and Malaysian activists, he said Jakarta fears thousands more may have been duped into coming illegally with promises of well-paid work since the ban was set in 2009, and were now working in vulnerable situations. One of Southeast Asia's most affluent and developed countries, Malaysia has long attracted women from its poorer neighbours, mostly Indonesia, seeking work as maids. Before the ban, some 300,000 Indonesians were legally registered as working as maids in Malaysia. Recurring incidents in which foreign maids have been confined, abused, beaten, or even killed have repeatedly rankled Malaysia's neighbours. In October, an advertisement in Malaysia that offered Indonesian maids "on sale" went viral online in Indonesia, sparking new outrage. Last month, police said they were investigating a man in northern Malaysia for allegedly raping his 15-year-old Indonesian maid, while in a separate case, three police officers were charged with raping a 25-year-old Indonesian woman at a police station. Cambodia also banned sending maids to Malaysia last year following numerous abuse complaints. |
| M'sians abroad now eligible for postal voting Posted: 03 Dec 2012 04:13 PM PST 
(Bernama) - Postal voting facilities for Malaysian citizens living abroad, apart from absentee voters, will be implemented for the coming general election. Election Commission secretary Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria said it was in line with recommendations from the Special Election Committee On Improving The Election Process for Malaysians living abroad and absentee voters to be given postal voting facilities. For this to be implemented, the EC was finalising the policies, logistics planning, manpower and financial allocations before amendments on the Election Regulations (Postal Voting) 2003 was made, he said. "After the regulations are finalised, the EC will set a date for its implementation and will be brought for approval by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. "Following this, the regulations will be gazetted and then tabled at the Dewan Rakyat," he said in a statement today. Kamaruddin explained that although the third meeting of the fifth session of the 12th Dewan Rakyat had ended, and new regulations had not been tabled, it did not mean the regulations could not be enforced during the general election. "The EC will ensure that the date for implementation of the regulations is set, so it can be used in the general election. "Tabling of the regulations at Dewan Rakyat, according to Section 17 of the Election Act 1958, is required by law after it is approved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, setting of the enforcement date and gazetting of the regulations are done," he said. With the enforcement of the regulations, Malaysians who meet the EC's requirements will be eligible for postal voting. |
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