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• Bumburing and Jeffrey in face-off
• Indonesia-Malaysia Border Spat Lingers
• Explain Umno leaders’ claims, DCM Yee told
• Voters’ dilemma : Party man or party?
• Statement by Tan Sri Robert Phang on the article by R. ...
• China leads in illicit outflows, M’sia 2nd
• Must DAP be truly multiracial?
• DAP on damage control
• Kelantan PAS turning on its non-Muslim supporters
• Supporters Congress is PAS’ third bid to reach out to non-Muslims
• Putrajaya mulls freezing AES to avoid duplicating police speed traps
• Outcome of general election will have impact on economy, says expert
• Malaysian Psephology: Lembah Pantai
• Pergerakan Penyatuan
• Izat: Ekonomi Melayu gugat jika DAP diberi kepercayaan
• Expect 'dirtiest elections' in Malaysia: Reform group
• Cop's son gunned down by police
• Biggest questions without a doubt
• Judge ticks off senior cop for putting interest of police before public
• Questions over MACC-lawyer link to Bala’s second SD
• ‘MIC boss deprives 145 Tamil schools of aid’
• PSM, PKR at loggerheads in Sg Siput
• Jangan Risaulah Ibrahim Ali
• DAP to field more Malay candidates in GE
• Dr M interfered in police probe on Anwar sex scandal, alleges ex-cop
• Rotating parties for better governance
• Batu Caves condo: What they’re not telling you
• PKR, Umno share same DNA
• DAP adopts one candidate-one seat policy
• ‘DAP not mature enough’
• DAP CEC results shows racism: Puad Zarkashi
• This’s what DAP members want
• Putting an end to child marriages
• Chinese priority: First-class education
• Why now, Musa?
• How Our Democracy is Damaged
• Guan Eng defends CEC appointments
• The curse of Dr Mahathir?
• Rise of DAP’s young Turks
• PAS: Tiada kerusi tambahan bagi DAP di Selangor
• DAP adds non-Chinese, East M’sians to CEC
• Ramasamy shrugs off sabotage claims
• The Challenge of Muslim Youth
• Karpal: PAS an important, principled ally
• Anwar touts DAP for Penang ahead of polls
• Whither our prospects for fully developed status?
• Najib’s 20,000 affordable houses – Is it for real?
• Wan Ismail: Pas perlu keluar PR jika mahu laksana hudud
• All eight DAP Malay leaders lose badly in CEC polls
• Father and son team sweep DAP polls

Bumburing and Jeffrey in face-off Posted: 17 Dec 2012 12:44 PM PST   (Free Malaysia Today) - STAR is being accused of splitting the Kadazan, Dusun, Murul (KDM) communities' votes in Sabah and handing BN a measure of confidence that it can prolong its hold. Two Kadazandusun opposition leaders here are going toe-to-toe over who has the more credible solution to what they claim is the great rip-off of Sabah and its people. Maverick Sabah politician Jeffrey Kitingan has taken a hard line on 'Malayan' parties and has accused opposition leaders of being turncoats no better than the all-dominating Barisan Nasional ruling coalition they are castigating for rejecting his Borneo agenda that focuses exclusively on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak. On the other side is Wilfred Bumburing, a MP who has turned independent and is leading Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), a opposition-friendly grouping that sees Jeffrey's brand of Borneo-centric politics as out of touch with reality. APS has not taken Jeffrey's State Reform Party (STAR) all-or-nothing, Sabah for Sabahans and accusations of pandering to 'Malayan' parties lightly in its battle to unite voters in the state under one opposition grouping. Using Jeffrey's own words against him, the APS publicity machine went to work to show how Sabah has always been ruled by the doctrine of divide and rule used by the Barisan Nasional and that the STAR leader's Borneo agenda was like minded. Making the case against Jeffrey, who on Sunday walloped rival Sabah opposition leaders as traitors, was APS information chief Lesaya Lopog Sorudim. Sorudim told FMT today that Kitingan was only making matters worse by not making common cause with the Malayan-based opposition to oust the Umno-led BN coalition. He said that by going its own route, STAR is disregarding the fact that it is also splitting the crucial votes of the Kadazan, Dusun, Murut (KDM) communities of Sabah and handing the BN a measure of confidence that it can prolong its hold on power through the coming general election. He said that contrary to what the STAR leader was saying, Bumburing's movement was established with the aim of restoring the dignity, sovereignty and independence of Sabah as a state within the Federation of Malaysia. "So when Bumburing held that the natives, especially the KDM community should reject STAR's strategy he was basing his opinion on facts," Sorudim said. Pakatan manifesto not Malaya Agenda Last week STAR deputy chairman Daniel John Jambun had lashed out at Bumburing for saying that the natives of Sabah should not pin their hopes on his party, calling it "patently mischievous, misconceived and misleading". Jambun added that "it should be condemned in no uncertain terms by all right-thinking Sabahans, deplored and exposed as the mother of all lies by a political has-been who shamelessly continues to be a stooge of the local proxies of the peninsular masters." Sorudim pointed out that there was nothing 'mischievous, misconceived or misleading' when Bumburing made the statement which he said was reflective of the sentiment of the majority of the natives. "Who would pin their hopes on an organisation that is bent on splitting the Sabah into five regions and moving the state capital from Kota Kinabalu to Keningau should they come to power," Sorudim said of a controversial statement made by Jeffrey which the later claimed was taken out of context.  Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/18/bumburing-and-jeffrey-in-face-off/

Indonesia-Malaysia Border Spat Lingers Posted: 17 Dec 2012 12:42 PM PST   (Jakarta Globe) - If the Malaysian claim prevailed, that would result in Indonesia losing 4,800 hectares of land.  Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. A senior military officer in East Kalimantan revealed on Sunday that the Indonesian and Malaysian governments were still haggling over the exact location of their shared border along five points between Nunukan district and Sabah state.  Brig. Gen. Wiyarto, chief of staff at the Mulawarman Military Command, which oversees military operations across East and South Kalimantan, said that the points of contention included the location of the border across the Sinapad and Sumantipal rivers, as well as across Sebatik Island.  Wiyarto said the issue with the Sinapad was that a small section of the river, which flows from west to east, dipped south. Malaysian authorities, he said, deemed the entire river to fall within their territory, whereas Indonesian authorities argued that the southern section crossed over into Indonesian territory.  He added that if the Malaysian claim prevailed, that would result in Indonesia losing 4,800 hectares of land.  "This issue still hasn't been resolved, but we have strong grounds for our claims based on GPS data," he said.  The standoff over the Sumantipal River is similar in nature, with Wiyarto saying that Malaysia wanted to declare the entire river as falling within its territory. He said that this would result in the commonly agreed-on border being pushed south, farther into Indonesian territory.  On Sebatik island, where the border is simply marked by a series of concrete blocks and there are no border posts set up by either country, the border issue has been around for almost a century.  Wiyarto said that the currently recognized border, drawn up in 1913 by the Netherlands and Britain — the respective colonial powers in Indonesia and Malaysia at the time — was no longer applicable because of the spread of communities from both countries throughout the island.  "We're in constant communication with the Malaysian authorities on resolving all these border questions," he said. "Our hope is that we can find a mutually agreeable solution to end all the bickering. In the meantime, we will continue to guard the border region for illegal logging, fishing and drug and human trafficking."

Explain Umno leaders’ claims, DCM Yee told Posted: 17 Dec 2012 12:40 PM PST   (Free Malaysia Today) - Allegations of a group enticing voters in Sepanggar to switch their voting address to Kota Kinabalu have been linked to Sabah DCM Dr Yee Moh Chai. The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) wants Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Dr Yee Moh Chai to explain allegations by two Umno politicians that Sepanggar residents are being enticed to register as voters in the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency where he is the elected representative at state level. The opposition party said it was strange that Yee who is also State Resource Development and Information Technology Minister, had remained silent about something that was said to be happening in his own constituency. "The latest allegations of a voter relocation scheme are serious ones. They were made by senior Umno leaders who have publicly called for the police to investigate the matter. "As deputy chief minister of Sabah and a state cabinet minister, it is only appropriate that Dr Yee come forward to clear himself," said Wong Yit Ming, the party's point man in the city. He was commenting on renewed allegations that the political operatives who appeared to be linked to Yee were offering RM500 cash to Malay voters in Sepangar parliamentary constituency to change their voting address to neighbouring Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency. Sepanggar Umno chief Jumat Idris and Karambunai state assembly representative Jainab Ahmad, who is Yee's deputy in the ministry, claimed that many Malay voters in Telipok Ria, Kampung Warisan, Likas and Inanam had reported that a group of Chinese were going round making the offers of RM500 as well as such goodies like bags of rice, water tanks and even laptops, to entice the voters to change their address. Jumat said he was told that the group has an operation base in Likas Square and an NGO office. It is understood that Likas Square is managed and owned by businessmen linked to both Chief Minister Musa Aman and Yee. The property is also the location of the state government's secretive online media office that runs the Insight Sabah website, dedicated mainly to parsing the government especially Musa. The fresh allegations of impropriety matched a SAPP youth wing report in early October that a voter registration drive was being conducted at Likas Square and would-be voters who had gathered there claimed that they were being given cash to register as voters in Kota Kinabalu. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/18/explain-umno-leaders-claims-dcm-yee-told/

Voters’ dilemma : Party man or party? Posted: 17 Dec 2012 12:08 PM PST   Both men, though on opposite sides of the bench are dousing internal fires.  Terence Fernandez, The Malay Mail IN the span of one week recently I had the opportunity of meeting two very different politicians — each from a different camp with their own idea of what the country needs and how it can go forward. One forgets that DAP chairman Karpal Singh is in a wheelchair, a result of an accident that put him in it seven years ago. He was his usual firebrand self, not suffering fools and steadfast by his principles — even if it makes him unpopular in his own party or coalition (evidence of which was in his views on the hudud issue in The Malay Mail on Dec 7 and Dec 14). Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, meanwhile was calm, collected and careful, yet candid in his opinions on what ails his party and not sugar coating the enormous task he has ahead of him — to consolidate a divided Umno and a bruised BN and win the next election. He knows failure to at least replicate the results of 2008 — however bad they may seem — could well mean the end of his own political career. Karpal, 72, is conscious of the fact that time is catching up and he has nothing to lose by saying his piece. "Principles must be consistent. You can't sacrifice principles for expediency!" he said as we met for a two hour chat in his office off Jalan Pudu late one Wednesday night. Najib, 59-years-old and apart from shouldering a broken BN, also has his father's legacy to live up to. If Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at 83, still has a say in how the SS Malaysia steered, then Najib is just getting started as far as leading the country is concerned. "You think I'll let my father down?" he asks as he speaks to us late one Sunday night at his official residence in Putrajaya. Both men, though on opposite sides of the bench are dousing internal fires. Najib is focused on getting his mandate, but to do that he needs to bring the liberals and the conservatives together. Like a trapeeze artist he walks a fine line between them as appeasing one side, could also mean falling out of favour with the other. He also recognises that Umno and to an extent the BN's association with corruption and condoning graft has to be dealt with head on. Again, he is caught between the good guys who want to reform the party and purge it of the lobbyists and selfinterests groups; and those who want it to be business as usual. These are the folks who joined the party to secure contracts and obtain "surat sokong". Dr Mahathir recognised this greed and took the Works Ministry portfolio away from Umno and entrusted it to the MIC. His reasons were simple — anyone who holds that lucrative portfolio could evolve into a warlord of his own, dishing out Class F contracts to division heads whose votes ultimately decide the party leadership. Both Karpal and Najib face factions out to oust them — Najib for the reasons stated above; Karpal because he is too candid for the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat's own good. He believes in drawing a line in the sand and not hoodwinking the electorate that all is rosy. He even in agreement that if his coalition cannot get its act together, it should not focus on capturing the federal government, as doing so would be harmful to the nation. But Karpal has been doing this for over four decades and he knows that his immense popularity with the electorate also means he is untouchable. Anyone in DAP who tries to go after Karpal will face the wrath of the electorate. The muted response from the delegates and DAP leadership each time he spews rhetoric is evident of this. Which explains why his fears that they will be factions out to get him at the convention, was unfounded. He came back as chairman, albeit with fewer votes. The tame congress illustrating the general attitude of DAP members — to not wash dirty linen in public and look at the bigger picture — crossing the bridge over the internal divide when the time is more opportune andconvenient. Likewise too, the popularity of Najib — who commands over a million Twitter followers — is indicative that this time around the electorate is going for the individual, not the party — as opposed to the trend four years ago. But as I posed this question to the prime minister (which was later amended for refinement) "Najib is a good man but he is surrounded by clowns", also illustrates the fact that individual popularity can only go so far if those who Najib relies on to prop him up are no good or up to no good. Just as how Karpal feels compelled to comfort non-Muslims each time PAS leaders talk enthusiastically about hudud or some overzealous enforcement officer in Kota Baru imposes Islamic values on non-Muslims; Najib too has had more than his fair share of damage control — especially getting everyone on his 1Malaysia bandwagon. The mixed responses from those closest to him does send the message that he could be alone in this — a perception he was quick to correct. "I'm not alone. 3.2 million Umno members are with me". As rosy a picture as that appears to be, one knows that the prickly issue of inclusiveness is the thorn in the conservatives and those who clamour for business as usual. And this will be the premier's biggest challenge, although he has in his arsenal, DAP's own difficulty in shedding its image as a Chinese and Indian party, due to the reluctance of members to vote for Malay leaders. Hence both will be capitalising on the weaknesses from within — just as how the perceived "unholy alliance" between the strange bedfellows of DAP and PAS will be sending mixed signals to the electorate. Make no mistake, both Najib and Karpal have the best of intentions — but as far as voters are concerned, it is impossible to distinguish the man from the party because the party may not represent the values and principles of the person representing them. And this could be our dilemma as electorates on election day.

Statement by Tan Sri Robert Phang on the article by R. ... Posted: 17 Dec 2012 12:03 PM PST   I refer to the said Article wherein R. Nadeswaran attributed various statements and quotes to me. It is amazing that R. Nadeswaran seems to echo everything said by Musa Hassan as if it were the absolute truth. It is more amazing that R. Nadeswaran reported my press conference and quoted me on things I never stated, when he wrote that I "admitted" - "I was the one together with Datuk Ramli Yusoff (former Commercial Crimes Division chief) who helped draft and prepare the document." This is an absolute inaccurate statement. While I can appreciate that Musa Hassan, being the principal lecturer of Media Warfare at UiTM , would try to reinvent his image in the eyes of the public, I find it difficult to appreciate that a senior journalist like R. Nadeswaran could fabricate stories, statements and quotes without even confirming its validity with me. This seems to be the trend with reporters and journalists aligned to Musa Hassan. I do not know their exact motives, but it clearly results in misinformation and confusion to the society at large, such that truth and falsehood become blurred. I am an old man with no interest in partisan politics. With the God given privileges I have as a result of the various positions I held, I have tried to project the truth and speak out against injustice when I see it happening. I have seen men like Musa Hassan who serve their masters regardless of ethics and values, for their own self preservation and benefit. What is unacceptable to me is that Musa Hassan is biting the hand that fed him. Worse than that, he has caused the PDRM to suffer the worst image in the history of the police force. He was the principal actor in various dubious cases, specifically The Black Eye Incident, Sodomy 1 and Sodomy 2. Yet, today, he tries to portray himself as a knight in shining armor. I believe in speaking the truth. Thus, when R. Nadeswaran uses the skills of his pen to make something foul to smell rosy, I have no choice but to assert that he is biased and not being objective as required of a fair journalist. I have today issued a denial to the statements and quotes attributed to me and demanded that The Sun retract the said article. Attached is my letter to the Editor of The Sun." My sincere "THANK YOU" to all my Supporters who have backed me up all these years and also to all those Critics ---- I assure you all , I will not tolerate any fabrication and malicious allegations against me which cannot be supported by evidence. I will certainly act in accordance to my legal rights.

China leads in illicit outflows, M’sia 2nd Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:47 AM PST     (Reuters) - Malaysia, an export-dominated economy with a wealthy elite, lost US$64.38 billion in 2010 and US$285 billion cumulatively between 2001 and 2010, the report said. Illicit financial flows have grown by 13.3 per cent a year since 2001, robbing countries of wealth and benefiting a handful of corrupt leaders. WASHINGTON- Crime, corruption and tax evasion have cost the developing world nearly US$ 6 trillion over the past decade, and illicit funds keep growing, led by China, a financial watchdog group said in a new report. China accounted for almost half of the US$858.8 billion in dirty money that flowed into tax havens and Western banks in 2010, more than eight times the amounts for runner-ups Malaysia and Mexico. Total illicit outflows increased by 11 percent from the prior year, Global Financial Integrity, a Washington-based group that campaigns for financial accountability, said in its latest report released on Monday.     "Astronomical sums of dirty money continue to flow out of the developing world and into offshore tax havens and developed country banks," said Raymond Baker, director of GFI.      "Developing countries are hemorrhaging more and more money at a time when rich and poor nations alike are struggling to spur economic growth. This report should be a wake-up call to world leaders that more must be done to address these harmful outflows," he said.     All the countries in the top 10, which this year saw India, Nigeria, the Philippines and Nigeria join the ranks, face significant problems with corruption, and in most there are vast gaps between rich and poor citizens as well as internal security problems.      Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies increasingly are focusing on ways to crack down on money laundering, bank secrecy and tax loopholes to prevent funds stolen from public coffers or earned through criminal activity from depleting the budgets of developing countries.      The sums are so huge that for every dollar in foreign direct aid, 10 leaves developing countries.   China lost US$420.4 billion in 2010 and over the decade lost a total of US$ 2.74 trillion. And its losses are steadily rising. In an October report, GFI said another US$602 billion in illicit flows left China in 2011 for a total of US$3.79 trillion between 2000-11.    However, the numbers in the latest report are not directly comparable with earlier data because GFI has updated its methodology, making the estimates somewhat more conservative. It measures illicit flows by calculating the difference between fund inflows from loans and net foreign direct investment, and the outflows from a country to pay for trade, cash transfers and other earnings.      Aware of the destabilizing impact of corrupt money, Chinese leaders are embarking on a crackdown. Outgoing President Hu Jintao recently warned corruption threatens to destroy the communist party and the state. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin last week also put the issue high on his agenda as citizen protests over corruption mount.   "Our report continues to demonstrate that the Chinese economy is a ticking time bomb," said Dev Kar, GFI's lead economist, who compiled the report. "The social, political and economic order in that country is not sustainable in the long run given such massive illicit outflows."     Mexico lost US$51.17 billion in illicit flows in 2010 for a total of US$ 476 billion over the last decade, which does not  even count the billions of dollars in bulk cash that probably left under organized crime and drug dealing. Malaysia, an export-dominated economy with a wealthy elite, lost US$64.38 billion in 2010 and US$285 billion cumulatively between 2001 and 2010, the report said. Illicit financial flows have grown by 13.3 per cent a year since 2001, robbing countries of wealth and benefiting a handful of corrupt leaders. Kar said the worsening picture over the past decade coincides with the globalization of finance and loosening of capital controls, changes that make it easier to transfer funds to Western banks and to tax havens.    "Until governance improves and measures to shrink the underground economy take hold, we will not see a sustained decline in illicit flows," Kar said.      GFI called on world leaders to accelerate efforts to curtail the flow of dirty money by clamping down on secret bank accounts and ownership of shell companies; reforming customs and trade protocols so that export/import payments cannot be used to hide illegal fund transfers; requiring multinational companies to report their profits by country to prevent tax avoidance; and strongly enforcing anti money-laundering laws.

Must DAP be truly multiracial? Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:40 AM PST   And as why the Malay hopefuls lost, the party insider had this to say: "Either the majority Chinese in DAP have yet to warm up to the idea of having more Malays in the party or the Malays are lacking the credibility themselves as viable candidates."  Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com SOMETIME ago, there was this joke among us reporters about Gerakan. We called Gerakan a "multiracial Chinese" party.  The reason? Because the party professed to be multiracial but was (in fact, still is) dominated by Chinese, although there are a smattering of Indians in its midst. As for Malay members, well, it was negligible. Hence the joke. Well maybe it wasn't a joke. Maybe we were being sarcastic. But we were "teasing" actually. Anyway, it looks like that "honour" albeit dubious, of being a "multiracial Chinese" party now belongs to the DAP. So it seems. And all because of the unsuccessful attempt by eight Malay members to get voted into the party's CEC at the just concluded DAP Congress. BN and other detractors of DAP were double quick to make this cannon fodder. And the irony is Gerakan was one of the earliest to pounce on it with its president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon saying the non-election of any Malay in the DAP central executive committee  "is against the Malaysian spirit". DAP has always suffered being labelled (by Umno) as a "Chinese chauvinist", "anti Malay, anti Islam" party. And considering the perennial Umno attacks ever since the party's inception in 1965, it's a "miracle" there are Malays who are actually DAP members. The "latest" as we all know, are Alias Aspan and Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, both big names from Umno. Their coming in DAP has been described as a coup of sorts, especially Mohd Ariff who was former Umno assembly member for Pulau Manis and Information chief for the Pekan Umno division until 2004. Incidentally, Pekan Umno division chief is none other than Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Relatively "big" is Hata Wahari, former National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president who took on the might of his employer - the Umno owned Utusan Melayu group -- and lost his job in the process. Then there's Zairil Khir johari, son of the former federal minister in the Tunku Abdul Rahman administration. In the past there were big names as well, such as union leaders Ahmad Nor and Zainal Rampak. The late Ahmad Nor was a well known civil servant serving Cuepacs. Upon joining the DAP (it was big news then for a Malay civil servant to join a Chinese party) he was fielded as candidate and won the Bayan Baru state seat in the 1990 and 1995 general elections. Back to the present. A  DAP insider admits: "If race is the only consideration, DAP is still Chinese in nature – based on votes by the delegates (at the recent party congress)." And as why the Malay hopefuls lost, the party insider had this to say: "Either the majority Chinese in DAP have yet to warm up to the idea of having more Malays in the party or the Malays are lacking the credibility themselves as viable candidates." Mohd Ariff, who is also a popular blogger under the pseudonym Sakmongkol AK47 posted the following in his blog: "The unsuccessful bid for places in DAP's CEC is more a case for being relative unknowns. "Malay DAP leaders if they wish to get into the CEC must catch the attention and imagination of DAP delegates. Which means the Malays in the DAP must earn their keep and keep their peace." Read more at: http://fz.com/content/must-dap-be-truly-multiracial

DAP on damage control Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:38 AM PST   (NST) - UPSET: Thrashing suffered by Malay candidates leaves Guan Eng red-faced GEORGE TOWN: RATTLED by criticisms of not living up to its self-proclaimed multiracial image, DAP went on the offensive yesterday with its secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, denying his party was anti-Malay. He said DAP could not be labelled as such just because no Malay candidate had been elected to its central executive committee (CEC). Guan Eng spent almost an hour refuting such criticisms following the disastrous showing by Malay candidates at the party polls over the weekend. It was reported that all eight Malay candidates who contested lost and the party later appointed two of them, Senator Dr Ariffin S.M. Omar and Zairil Khir Johari, to the CEC. Guan Eng said the DAP could not be faulted for the outcome of the polls as the party could not control who the delegates choose. "We accept the results, but in terms of projecting DAP's multiracial image, an ideal situation would be to allow a few Malay candidates to be elected," he said. His father, party stalwart Lim Kit Siang, was also present but seemed more composed than his son, who was visibly upset throughout the press conference at the party headquarters here. The media was also not spared by Guan Eng, with national news agency Bernama bearing the brunt of his ire, mainly on its report that Johor DAP vice-chairman Ahmad Ton had not been given appreciation for his services to the party. On DAP loyalist Zulkefli Mohd Noor's comment that the losses suffered by the Malay candidates indicated that the party was not living up to its Malaysian Malaysia struggle, Guan Eng said he would let the former explain that statement himself. Zulkefli was one of the candidates who lost in the party polls. Kit Siang insisted that the DAP was a party for all Malaysians. "Of course, we admit we have our weaknesses and setbacks. "And for not a single Malay leader being elected, it is a setback. That was my immediate reaction, yesterday (Sunday), and it reflects my views and the views of the entire DAP leadership," he said. In Kuala Lumpur, Pas deputy president Mohamad Sabu said the party would not interfere with DAP's internal matters. He said Kit Siang had talked about making the party multiracial and Pas would respect "their decisions". Mohamad said the decision to appoint Malay representatives in the CEC had shown DAP's ability to perform as a multiracial party. Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president N. Surendran expressed confidence that DAP Malay leaders would continue to support the party and its leadership despite not being elected into the CEC. "While some were disappointed with the results, they were still committed to the party's struggle," he said.

Kelantan PAS turning on its non-Muslim supporters Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:36 AM PST   (The Star) - Kelantan PAS is turning on its non-Muslim supporters, accusing them of undermining the party's Islamic stand with their criticisms of the recent action against non-Muslims. But the National Pas Supporters Congress insisted that it was only looking out for the rights of non-Muslims, especially over the "khalwat" controversy. PAS assistant secretary-general and state executive councillor Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan accused congress chairman Hu Pang Chaw of having "bad intentions" for bringing to the media cases of action taken against non-Muslims for alleged indecent behaviour. Hu had also criticised the issuing of summonses to non-Muslim salon workers cutting the hair of non-Muslim customers of the opposite sex. During a visit to his Bunut Payong constituency here, Takiyuddin disputed Hu on the "khalwat" issue. "He told the press that the municipal council had no power to issue summonses because the officer was not an enforcement officer but an administrative assistant. "It is clear that he made the statement without checking his facts. The council officer has an authority card. If he (Hu) does not believe me, just sue the council. "I would like it if he sues the council for having officers unauthorised to enforce the law. I am willing to defend the council myself," said Takiyuddin, a lawyer. Takiyuddin, who is the state Local Government, Culture and Tourism Committee chairman, had said the congress should play its role as part of the party. It was earlier reported that the council had issued summonses to two non-Muslim men for allegedly embracing each other in a car parked near the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport at midnight on Oct 31. The two said they were watching planes land. The other summons was issued to a 17-year-old teenager for giving a piggy-back ride to his 15-year-old girlfriend at Taman Tunku Anis at about 5.30pm on Oct 20. Hu said that anything said and done by the congress was in the interest of non-Muslims. "I stand by my statement that non-Muslims have the right to voice their grouses when their livelihood or social rights are affected. I will not back out from airing such grouses under principles enshrined in the democratic process," he said. "I want to remind the state government that the party president (Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang) during the recent PAS Muktamar assured non-Muslims that Islamic laws would not affect them," he said. Hu said he was preparing a memorandum to be presented to the Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat soon to clarify the situation.

Supporters Congress is PAS’ third bid to reach out to non-Muslims Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:34 AM PST   (The Star) - The PAS Supporters Congress is the party's third attempt in as many decades to establish a mechanism to woo non-Muslims. Prior to the establishment of the Congress, PAS in the 1980s established a Chinese Consultative Council, followed by an Inter-Racial Department in the late 1990s. Both attempts failed to stir the interest of many non-Muslims, leading PAS decided to set up a supporters club instead. Party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang announced on the eve of the 2004 general election the establishment of the PAS Supporters Club. With the slogan "PAS for all", the club started by conducting dialogue sessions with non-Muslims and focused on reaching out to the Chinese, Indian and Siamese communities. In the 2008 general election, PAS fielded its first non-Muslim candidate drawn from the club, R. Kumutha. Contesting the Tiram State Assembly seat in Johor Baru, Kumutha lost to Barisan Nasional's Maulizan Bujang. In 2010, the club expanded into a Congress through an amendment to the party constitution and was renamed the PAS Supporters Congress. The move was supposed to be given the Congress equal standing to the party's three other wings, namely its Youth, Muslimat (Women's) and Ulama movements. However, although the Congress was empowered to send delegates to represent it at the PAS annual meeting or muktamar, its members are not allowed to vote in party elections, unlike those belonging to the other three wings. The party has since said that it would consider fielding more non-Muslim candidates in the next general election.

Putrajaya mulls freezing AES to avoid duplicating police speed traps Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - Putrajaya is considering holding back the implementation of the controversial Automated Enforcement System (AES) to avoid duplicating the police summons system that can double the hardship to motorists, sources say. The privatised RM700 million project began in September with a pilot phase of 14 cameras but the Road Transport Department (RTD) has pledged to roll out a total of 831 cameras by end-2013 to catch speeding motorists and prevent more road deaths. The police, who enforce the speeding laws, have said they will continue enforcement and put up mobile speed traps near the AES cameras, raising the prospect of dual fines for errant motorists.   "The government is considering putting on hold the implementation of the AES due to the duplication of the summons system. That will cause hardship," a source told The Malaysian Insider. He also noted that several lawmakers from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) have also asked the government to stop the implementation until all views are considered. Another source said the government wants to ensure the AES will help ensure that motorists follow speed limits throughout their journey rather than just in the areas where the cameras are situated. "This system is to enforce speed limits and ensure road safety," he added. Some 10,000 motorists have paid up their summonses under the AES since it was implemented last September 23. The RTD said it has also issued nearly 300,000 summonses since then. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-mulls-freezing-aes-to-avoid-duplicating-police-speed-traps/

Outcome of general election will have impact on economy, says expert Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:18 AM PST   (The Star) - The outcome of the general election will determine the focus on reform and the intention of the government to pare down debt, and this will have an important impact on the Malaysian economy, said Nomura International (HK) Ltd chief Asia equity strategist Michael Kurtz. He said in that sense, the outcome of the general election would be crucial to the local equity market. "Malaysia is one of those markets where the shape of the government with the reform orientation and the fiscal intentions matter a lot to the economic performance. "So I think as a general answer, yes, the outcome is going to matter a lot for specific stocks or sector emphasis in the second half, but we are not going to go out on a limb to forecast the outcome of the general election," Kurtz said. He said a substantial amount of the country's economic growth in 2012 had been either a direct consequence of or a lateral effect of government investment or policy. Kurtz was relatively cautious on local equities for the first-half of the year based on the "worth" of the market, due to investor concerns about the outcome of the election. "This will keep the market on a backfoot," he said. Furthermore, an improving global environment would have a positive impact on Malaysia's growth, with a pick-up in global demand especially for soft commodities to play into the country's strengths. "We do think that weakness in the Malaysian equity space presents an opportunity to accumulate stocks in anticipation of a better outlook, post-election in the second half," Kurtz said. Specifically, he said the group favoured stocks that were perceived as defensive, in order to provide a downside insurance ahead of the election, like telecommunication stocks. "In the medium term beyond the election, we like a bit more cyclical stocks in the plantation, oil and gas and finance sector," Kurtz said. Recently, several other big names in the financial industry also highlighted the impact arising from the general election. JP Morgan Securities (M) Sdn Bhd executive director of equity research Mak Hoy Kit said the equities market and economic outlook next year would be positive if Barisan Nasional continued to remain in power. Eastspring Investments Bhd chief investment officer (Equities) Yvonne Tan Hong Yean cautioned that foreign funds might opt to stay out of Malaysia if there was a change in the government after the general election.

Malaysian Psephology: Lembah Pantai Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:16 AM PST   (The Sun Daily) - The Lembah Pantai electorate has apparently increased to around 71,000 voters, compared with 56,650 in 2008. This would translate to a 25% increase in registered voters in the four years since 2008, in sharp contrast to the 9% growth over the previous 13 years. BETWEEN 1995 and 2008, the number of registered voters in Lembah Pantai had grown by about 9% from 52,108 to 56,650. Ethnic breakdown: In March 2008, Malays constituted 53.2%, Chinese 25.7%, Indians 20.1% and the rest around 1%. The percentage of voting had grown consistently over the 13 years (from 65% to 73%). Ballot papers issued increased by 21% to 41,289 in 2008 from 33,984 in 1995, indicating that an increasing number of the Lembah Pantai electorate were casting their votes.  Support for Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, from Barisan Nasional, had declined by 20% between 1995 and 2008. Considering the growth of registered voters, the actual decline was around 23%. In 1999, Keadilan fought a close battle with BN, losing the seat by only 1,454 votes. This provided early indications that splits and differential perspectives were arising in the main ethnic group. Malay urban voters were becoming more discerning and considering a wider range of issues beyond basic ethnic priorities. In 2008, PKR wrested the seat with 52.62% of the votes versus 45.61% polled by BN. While the gap in votes polled is only 7%, this seat witnessed a major swing. From losing the seat by 10,542 votes in 2004, PKR worked the ground and connected adequately with at least an additional one-third of the electorate, besides retaining most of its own support base. In the final touchdown, the swing factor was over 15%. Despite the swing factor and breakthrough victory in 2008, incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar said she is working even harder in 2012-13 to cover a substantial gap, allegedly caused by gerrymandering. The Lembah Pantai electorate has apparently increased to around 71,000 voters, compared with 56,650 in 2008. This would translate to a 25% increase in registered voters in the four years since 2008, in sharp contrast to the 9% growth over the previous 13 years. Nurul Izzah told theSun this was a major concern, along with lack of specific details regarding the identity of the new voters on the electoral roll. She was trying to work with the Election Commission on these issues. She described the constituency as a "microcosm of Malaysia". She has a trusted core team of 50 people plus a wider base of division heads and volunteers. Besides groundwork, the team is also analysing the historical voter turnout trends within the constituency to address any new challenge. Nurul Izzah will most likely face BN's Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin in Lembah Pantai in GE13.

Pergerakan Penyatuan Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:04 AM PST Muhammad Shahid bin Shahizam, 16 years old Sudah 55 tahun Malaysia mencapai sebuah kemerdekaan, membawa rakyatnya ke arah kemajuan dan kemakmuran tanpa mengira pegangan agama dan bangsa. Selama 50 tahun juga, parti-parti politik di Malaysia bergandingan bahu membangunkan Malaysia menjadi sebuah negara yang maju dan gah di persada antarabangsa. Walaupun berbeza ideologi dan prinsip, itu tidak menjadi alasan bagi mereka sebagai pemimpin untuk memimpin Malaysia dengan penuh keadilan dan kewibawaan. Biarpun bangunan Parlimen yang menjadi medan perdebatan mereka, itu tidak dapat mengusarkan semangat mereka untuk berjuang, mencipta perubahan bukan sahaja kepada diri mereka sendiri tetapi kepada seluruh penduduk Bumi yang digelar rakyat Malaysia. Selepas Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12, segala-segalanya berubah. Sebuah negara yang memiliki parti-parti politik yang saling berkerjasama membangunkan Malaysia, yang saling bantu-membantu ketika ditimpa cabaran sama ada yang kecil ataupun besar hancur berkecai ditelan sifat tamak kuasa, dengki-mendengki, tuduh-menuduh, dan benci-membenci tanpa menghiraukan suara rakyat yang WAJIB didengari oleh setiap parti politik yang wujud di Malaysia. Kini, tajuk-tajuk utama media massa sama ada media kerajaan ataupun pembangkang hanya dipenuhi oleh berita-berita yang penuh dengan kebencian dan permusuhan yang mampu mengajar generasi akan datang untuk saling benci-membenci dan bermusuhan walaupun dengan ahli keluarganya sendiri. Dimanakah sifat saling berkerjasama antara kerajaan dengan pembangkang ketika pemimpin-pemimpin kita yang dahulu kala berkuasa atau ia sudah tidak penting lagi bagi mengaut keuntungan untuk diri sendiri sahaja? Dimanakah semangat 'bagaikan aur dengan tebing' yang wujud dalam kalangan parti-parti politik ketika didatangi oleh gelombang cabaran daripada pelbagai arah mampu menepis cabaran tersebut sebagai sebuah komuniti dan negara atau ianya hanyalah kisah-kisah pari- pari terbang di awan yang membiru yang diceritakan kepada kanak-kanak sahaja? Sungguh pelik melihat tingkah laku pemimpin kita tanpa mengira parti politik hidup mewah, dikelilingi oleh kekuasaan, masih mampu tersenyum sedangkan di luar sana, lebih daripada satu juta rakyat Malaysia sedang hidup dalam kesusahan, memikirkan cara untuk mendapatkan duit bagi membayar cukai untuk menampung hidup para pemimpin kita itu. Apakah mereka sudah berfikir yang semua rakyat yang berada di bawah naungan mereka itu sudah senang-lenang seperti mereka? Ya! Memang mereka sudah pergi ke kampung-kampung melihat warga desa, ke pendalaman melihat orang asli tetapi mereka tidak merasai kesusahan mereka kerana mereka tidak melaluinya, para pemimpin kita tidak melaluinya! Mereka menghantar anak-anak mereka ke sekolah-sekolah yang mempunyai standard dan kualiti yang tinggi tetapi mereka lupa anak-anak rakyat mereka sedang bersekolah di sekolah kerajaan yang masih tidak mempunyai infrastruktur yang baik serta memiliki sistem pendidikan yang berkesan mendidik anak bangsa kita menjadi insan yang berguna walaupun sudah diiktiraf mempunyai standard antarabangsa. Jikalau para pejuang kemerdekaan negara kita dihidupkan kembali, mereka pasti menangis melihat tingkah-laku pemimpin sekarang, mereka pasti sedih dan terkilan dengan apa yang berlaku sekarang di tanah air tercinta ini. Sudah lupakah kita akan kegemilangan yang pernah nenek moyang kita cipta dahulu? Sejarah yang unik tertulis sendiri oleh bangsa kita, Melayu Islam, yang mencipta tamadun yang disegani di serata dunia, menguasai perdagangan antara dunia Timur dengan dunia Barat, menbina kapal layar yang meredah lautan yang luas dan buas sehingga ke benua Afrika, dan mencipta teknologi yang menundukkan bangsa Eropah ke tahap yang paling rendah ketika mereka menjejakkan kaki mereka ke tanah air kita tetapi itu cuma hanyalah tinggalan sejarah, yang ditulis di atas buku-buku sejarah yang tersimpan rapi di muzium, yang dikisahkan kepada kanak-kanak dan apabila tamat diulang, diulang, dan diulang kembali. Kalau begitu, takkanlah mustahil untuk giliran kita pula yang mendatang, tamadun kita yang lama dahulu yang indah gemilang hidup semula, kembali segar bugar, terbentang di bumi Allah yang luas ini. Tidak kisah sama ada kita mempunyai prinsip ataupun ideologi yang berbeza, itu tidak bermakna kita perlu membelakangkan nasib agama dan bangsa kita. Apa salahnya parti-parti politik kita bersatu dan berdiri di atas laluan yang sama? Tidak salah! Jikalau ada terdapat kesalahan di pihak yang lain, pihak yang lain boleh membetulkannya, ini tidak mustahil untuk dilakukan apabila prinsip persaudaraan yang diajarkan Nabi Muhammad s.a.w diterapkan dalam diri masing-masing. Apakah kebaikan yang kita dapat kalau kita bersatu dengan golongan yang terang-terangan tidak mengucap dua kalimah syahadah? Tidak ada! Ini bukan berkenaan dengan kerajaan ataupun pembangkang tetapi ini berkenaan nasib agama dan bangsa yang menguasai bidang politik di Malaysia ini. Jangan hanya disebabkan kuasa dan kemewahan, pemimpin-pemimpin kita, sama ada kerajaan ataupun pembangkang, bergaduh dan menyalak seperti serigala pada waktu malam tanpa ada kebaikan yang tersirat, saling fitnah-menfitnah antara satu sama lain sedangkan suara rakyat diketepikan seperti sampah di tepi jalanan. Jikalau pemimpin-pemimpin kita tidak mahu berubah maka kita yang akan membawa perubahan itu. Serulah kepada bangsa kita, bangsa Melayu untuk bangun dan berdiri bersatu di atas laluan yang sama, menuju ke arah matlamat yang jelas, membina kembali tamadun kita, menjadi bangsa yang gah kembali bukan sahaja di Nusantara tetapi di atas bumi Allah ini! Ini adalah mengenai masa depan negara kita, wahai Melayu Islam! Sudah pasti kita tidak mahu lagi melihat bangsa kita menjadi bahan ejekan dalam kalangan bangsa yang menguasai ekonomi tanah air kita, sudah pasti kita tidak mahu lagi anak-anak kita ketinggalan jauh dalam pelajaran taktala bangsa yang menguasai ekonomi tanah air kita berjaya mencapai menara gading dan menguasai segala-galanya. Sudah sampai masanya kita untuk bangkit dan bersatu menguasai kembali kesemua bidang sama ada dari segi pendidikan sehinggalah ekonomi daripada bangsa yang telah menjadikan kita pengemis di tanah air kita sendiri. Wahai Melayu Islam! Sudah sampai masanya parti-parti politik kita bersatu di bawah satu panji membawa perubahan, mengubah nasib bangsa kita, mencipta sejarah tersendiri, dan membuktikan kepada dunia yang kita pun mampu melakukan apa yang mereka fikir mustahil untuk kita lakukannya! Bangkit dan bersatulah! ------------------------------ Peringatan 'Wahai para pemimpinku, tidakkah kamu bersalah akan dirimu, tidakkah kamu rasa malu terhadap Tuhan yang telah memberi kamu rezeki, yang membenarkan kamu tinggal di bumi-Nya, tidakkah ada satu perasaan menyesal terhadap apa yang telah kamu lakukan itu? Wahai para pemimpinku, aku tidak kisah dari mana parti politik kamu, selagi kamu berkuasa, selagi itu banyak kerosakan akan kamu lakukan. Aku merayu kepada kamu sebagai seorang rakyat yang masih menulis pena di sekolah, yang masih mencari tujuan hidup yang sebenar untuk kembali ke jalan yang mempunyai matlamat hidup yang jelas, untuk kembali menjadi seorang pemimpin yang benar-benar memiliki sifat sebagai seorang pemimpin yang adil dan berwibawa. Aku tidak mampu menentang kamu kerana kamu adalah golongan yang berkuasa tetapi aku juga tidak mampu melihat kamu terus-terusan melakukan dosa-dosa yang mampu menghancurkan hidup kamu, aku sudah tidak mampu lagi melihatnya! Aku tidak mahu harta kamu, aku tidak mahu kekuasaan kamu itu, aku cuma mahu melihat kamu berubah agar negaraku ini selamat daripada sifat-sifat buruk kamu itu. Aku cuma meminta itu sahaja dari kamu, wahai para pemimpinku!'

Izat: Ekonomi Melayu gugat jika DAP diberi kepercayaan Posted: 17 Dec 2012 02:02 AM PST (Bernama) - Orang Melayu hari ini diingatkan supaya jangan memberi kepercayaan kepada DAP untuk membela nasib mereka kerana ternyata parti itu bukan memperjuangkan semua kaum seperti yang didakwa. Presiden Persatuan Pedagang dan Pengusaha Melayu Malaysia (Perdasama), Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir berkata, sokongan orang Melayu terhadap DAP akan hanya menyebabkan ekonomi dan masa depan orang Melayu terumbang-ambing. Katanya, perkara ini jelas terbukti seperti apa yang berlaku dalam pemilihan jawatan anggota Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Pusat (CEC) DAP baru-baru ini yang menyaksikan kesemua lapan pemimpin Melayu parti itu kecundang dan tidak mendapat tempat dalam kepimpinan parti.     Beliau berkata, perkara itu jelas menunjukkan bahawa parti itu bukan memperjuangkan hak pelbagai bangsa dan kaum tetapi sebaliknya hanya membela nasib satu bangsa sahaja.     Beliau berkata, segelintir orang Melayu yang menyertai DAP ialah kerana mereka tertarik dengan ideologi sesetengah pihak yang menabur janji manis dengan tawaran memberi jawatan tapi sebenarnya kuasa di tangan orang lain. "Sepatutnya mereka bersatu untuk menjaga kepentingan generasi masa depan orang Melayu dan bukannya berpecah-belah dengan menyertai parti pembangkang," katanya kepada Bernama.     Izat berkata ekonomi orang Melayu kini semakin terancam dengan kedudukan yang berbeza-beza antara satu sama lain hingga mewujudkan perpecahan dan seharusnya situasi berbeza ini perlu dielakkan.     "Kita boleh bekerjasama dan saling menghormati dengan bangsa dan kaum lain. Tapi ketika ini status ekonomi maju dan politik yang kukuh tidak akan dicapai jika kita tidak bersatu padu dan terus berpecah," katanya.

Expect 'dirtiest elections' in Malaysia: Reform group Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:36 AM PST   (Asia One) - A pressure group calling for free and fair polling in Malaysia warned on Monday that the country could see its "dirtiest elections ever" as it pledged to continue its campaign to prevent cheating. Poll reform group Bersih, a civil society movement which has twice led tens of thousands to rally for electoral reform, said shortcomings such as errors on the electoral roll had been ignored by the government ahead of elections, to be held before the end of June. The group said that the task to ensure fair elections now fell to the people and that it would embark on campaigns to boost voter turnout to mitigate fraud, and enlist citizen observers to prevent cheating. "The 13th general elections will be one of the dirtiest elections ever seen and we should not anticipate any change in the near future," Bersih chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan told a press conference. The group says that despite government assurances that action has been taken, shortcomings in the electoral process have not been ironed out and that it was yet to decide whether to take to the streets for a third protest in two years. One of the major points of contention, Ambiga said, was that there was no clear mechanism for opposition parties to access media coverage in the run up to elections, in a country where mainstream media is controlled by the government. "In the meantime, there are increasing instances of discrepancies on the electoral roll. The Election Commission has shown itself as obstructive and utterly uninterested in implementing the simple reforms needed," she said. The pressure group is pushing the commission - the government body tasked with managing the polls - to invite international observers to ensure clean a fair vote. Bersih, which means "clean" in Malay, has emerged as a major force in Malaysian politics. Its rally in July 2011 was crushed by police who fired tear gas and charged protesters with batons, but the clampdown earned severe public wrath. The protest was widely seen to have pushed Prime Minister Najib Razak to embark on a campaign to soften authoritarian laws in a bid to gain voter support. A raft of reforms included the setting up of a parliamentary panel to examine polling issues such as electoral roll irregularities, allowing Malaysians overseas to vote and equal access to the media for all political parties. But Bersih said the panel's recommendations did not go far enough and held a second rally in April this year. The government and its Electoral Commission, however, have insisted that the voter list is clean, saying only 0.3 per cent of those named are questionable. Najib's mandate expires in late April next year and many observers expect a tight contest after the opposition, led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, in 2008 handed the ruling coalition its worst poll showing ever.

Cop's son gunned down by police Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:32 AM PST (The Sun Daily) - The son of a police corporal was shot dead when he tried to attack police detectives in a botched robbery at a 24-hour convenience store in Wangsa Maju early today. The 19-year-old – with an accomplice – was reported to have held a machete to a worker's neck and demanded the day's takings at the KK store in Taman Sri Rampai at about 4.30am. There were four workers in the store. Luck ran out for the two robbers when minutes later, a police team patrolling the area arrived at the store. On seeing the detectives, the duo dashed out in an attempt to escape. When they were ordered to surrender, the teenage robber charged with his machete at a detective. The police opened fire, hitting him on the chest. He died on the spot. The teenager's accomplice, also armed with a machete, was believed to have suffered a gunshot wound, but managed to escape on foot. Kuala Lumpur deputy CID chief ACP Khairi Ahrasa said police were forced to open fire at the 19-year-old as he had tried to attack a detective. Investigators believe the duo were involved in another robbery, also at a KK store in Danau Kota, Setapak, a day earlier where they escaped with RM900. A total of 31 cases involving 24-hour convenience stores were reported in Wangsa Maju since early this year. In a separate case in Selangor, police solved the Dec 8 murder cum robbery case of a 36-year-old computer engineer with the arrest of five suspects, aged between 17 and 30, in Puchong and Segamat, Johor. Selangor deputy CID chief ACP Rosli Mohd Isa said in a press conference that other than the five suspects, another five men who bought the stolen items were also held last week. He added that police recovered several items, including a TV, smartphone and car belonging to the victim and the murder weapon.

Biggest questions without a doubt Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:20 AM PST   DAP leaders drum home the '100-day countdown' to the general election but on the sidelines, the debate is about the biggest winner and biggest loser in the party polls. Joceline Tan, The Star  NOT many DAP leaders wanted to answer the question of who is the biggest winner or loser in the DAP election. Outwardly, it might appear like Karpal Singh is the biggest winner. The DAP veteran won big but the biggest winner was no other than Lim Kit Siang. He came out No 1 and, more importantly, he can cement DAP for his son Guan Eng before finally calling it a day. Guan Eng, despite his position as Penang Chief Minister, still does not have the sort of control over the party that his father has. The next three years will see Kit Siang helping his son entrench his position and deepen his hold. However, the opinion about the biggest loser title was more diverse. Some think the biggest loser is "warlord" Dr P. Ramasamy. Among those who lost, he has the biggest job title, being Deputy Chief Minister. To rub salt into injury, his rival "godfather" Karpal shot up to third spot. The bad blood between them has not dried up. Yesterday, as Karpal was being wheeled to his waiting car after the congress ended, Dr Ramasamy who was waiting for his car turned the other way. Dr Ramasamy was, however, appointed as a CEC member but he may have lost his locus standi to continue contesting in two seats in the general election. But others think that the Malays in DAP are the big losers. The delegates had resisted voting in any of the Malay nominees although the top leadership had hinted that they favoured Senator Dr Arrifin Omar. It was a big blow to the party's quest to portray itself as a multi-racial party. The party had made unprecedented efforts to recruit well-known Malay names in the last few years, including several ex-Umno members. But it has not moved much closer to a multi-racial image. The party election ushered in an all-Chinese line-up apart from three Indians – Karpal, his son Gobind Singh Deo and Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran. Yesterday, at the maiden meeting of the new CEC, Dr Arrifin and Zairil Khir Johari were among the 10 appointed members in the CEC. It was a necessary move but it will only reinforce the perception of the token role of Malays in DAP, that they are there to plaster up what is largely a Chinese-dominated party. There is some degree of resentment that Dr Arrifin parachuted from nowhere into a cushy senator post. Many in the party also feel that Zairil has been given more than he deserves. Apart from being the political secretary to Guan Eng, Zairil is also CEO of Penang Institute, a post that comes with a fat salary. Zairil is quite a pleasant man but he is naturally shy, which sometimes comes across as being aloof, and that cost him votes. Another segment in the party thinks the biggest loser is Ronnie Liu who did not make it into the CEC. "Look at my face, do I look sad?" he said when met yesterday. Many said that Liu was clearly on the way out in Selangor. His "replacement" is the burly-looking Vincent Wu, a party grassroots leader who is now favoured by the Lims. Wu came in at No 6, way ahead of other big names, including his state chairman Teresa Kok, who almost did not make it at 18. Some say that there is one big winner in Selangor, namely, Datuk Teng Chang Khim. The famously independent voice and Guan Eng do not see eye to eye but the latter appears to have acknowledged Teng's clout and he was put in charge of the party's Pakatan Rakyat bureau. "We have not been very happy about our dealings with Pakatan parties. Chang Khim is seen as someone who can bang the table. He is definitely not a sotong (spineless)," said a party leader. Teng was reportedly not keen to accept the post but has since described the post as a mission and not just a job. Party leaders have pressed home that the "100-day countdown" to the general election has begun. The party showcased many young faces during the debate, who are also likely to be named as candidates in the general election. They spoke fluent Bahasa Malaysia, they had ideals but they also sounded wet around the gills. Many read from prepared text and sounded like lecturers rather than politicians. Their speeches did not quite resonate with the audience, many of whom are the traditional stable of DAP supporters – weather-beaten working-class folk who are more used to the old cut-and-thrust style of the senior leaders. Many thought DAP would use this congress to also speak to the larger audience outside the party. It was primarily an internal affair to put in line the team to lead in the general election. It failed to address the question of how it is going to make Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the next premier over PAS' insistence that Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is a better choice. The party's reluctance to address the encroachment of PAS' Islamic agenda begged the question of who is going to call the shots on this sort of issues if Pakatan comes to power. The DAP house is in order but its relations with its partners seem to be in the grey area as the party starts its 100-day countdown.

Judge ticks off senior cop for putting interest of police before public Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:17 AM PST   (TMI) - Khalid had earlier indicated the possibility that Kugan's body had been tampered with while in the custody of his family members, before it was sent for another autopsy. A High Court judge berated Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar today for putting the interest of the police ahead of the public when he did not order an investigation into suspicions that the body of detainee A. Kugan had been tampered with before it was sent for a second post-mortem.   Datuk VT Singham, presiding over a RM100 million suit brought by Kugan's mother, N. Indra, against Khalid, had asked the man who was in 2009 the Selangor police chief why he did not order an investigation or propose an inquest since there was a second post mortem report that conflicted with the first. "So, your evidence is that all the injury on Kugan was caused by someone else? That's your personal view. Why didn't you allow an investigation? "With respect, it seems you are thinking for the police when the public wanted to know (how Kugan really died). This is a very serious accusation," Singham said. Khalid had earlier indicated the possibility that Kugan's body had been tampered with while in the custody of his family members, before it was sent for another autopsy. The Selangor police chief reasoned to the court that this was why the police did not accept the findings of the second post-mortem by the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). "There could be something which happened to the body when it was returned to the family and during the funeral procession. We (police) did not follow the body during the procession or when it was with the family and we do not know. "That is why the police did not comment on or announce the results of the second post-mortem," he said. Khalid concurred with Kugan's family lawyer, R. Sivarasa, that the first post-mortem had found 22 injuries on the youth's body but noted that the report had also concluded that the cause of death was "fluid in the lungs". He later agreed that this was the first time he was voicing the police's belief at the time that Kugan's body could have been tampered with, prompting Singham to berate him. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/judge-ticks-off-senior-cop-for-putting-interest-of-police-before-public/

Questions over MACC-lawyer link to Bala’s second SD Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:14 AM PST Zaid noted the apparent conflict of the lawyer preparing Balasubramaniam's second declaration to also be on the MACC panel that later reviews it. — File pic  (TMI) - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was today dragged into a row over questions surrounding a lawyer on its operations panel who is alleged to have drafted private investigator P. Balasubramaniam's controversial second sworn statement on the 2006 death of Altantuya Shaariibuu. Former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim suggested today that a key member of the MACC's five check-and-balance mechanism responsible for closing the file on the case may have had a direct hand in doing so, fuelling questions on the extent of a possible cover-up into the explosive crime that has put two elite police commandos on death row and sent the private investigator into exile. The lawyer-turned-politician wrote in his blog that both the Attorney-General and the MACC have "conveniently refused to investigate the allegations made by the private investigator P. Balasubramaniam, who apparently got the information from Abdul Razak Baginda, and whose claims have been corroborated by carpet merchant Deepak Jaikishan". He reminded Malaysians that Balasubramaniam ― popularly known as PI Bala ― had made a second statutory declaration (SD) cancelling his first sworn statement made a day earlier that the police had suppressed key evidence. "This second declaration was prepared by a well-known lawyer whom he did not know. Deepak named this famous lawyer in an interview with Harakah. "If one probes a little further, one will find that the same famous lawyer sits as a member of the MACC's operations review panel," Zaid, a one-time de facto law minister during the Abdullah administration, wrote. However, he stopped short of naming the lawyer. "It was this panel that decided there was no evidence to investigate the allegations made by either Bala or Deepak," Zaid added. Lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, who represents the private detective now in hiding, told The Malaysian Insider when contacted that Balasubramaniam had never told him the identity of the lawyer as the latter was unaware of the person's occupation. However, he said the identity of the lawyer could be found out easily from the MACC's website, which lists eight people as members of its Operations Review Panel. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/questions-over-macc-lawyer-link-to-balas-second-sd/

‘MIC boss deprives 145 Tamil schools of aid’ Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:10 AM PST   (FMT) - A MIC branch leader alleges that G Palanivel altered a Cabinet list on providing funds to partially-aided Tamil schools. A MIC branch leader has accused party president G Palanivel of depriving 145 partially-aided Tamil schools of allocations this year. SS2 Tengah MIC branch chairman S Padnmanagan said in February, the Cabinet had approved RM100 million for partially-aided Tamil schools nationwide. "In the original list presented to the Cabinet in February, it was stated that the money would be channelled to 369 partially-aided Tamil schools nationwide for three categories, namely maintenance and upgrade, building additional blocks and building new schools. "But in a revision done by MIC in May, the party leadership reduced the number of schools to 224 only. What happened to the rest?" he asked. Although the number of schools in the list were reduced, the allocation remained at RM100 million. In the original list, the money divided for the three categories were as follows: 1) Maintenance and upgrade – RM20,200,000 2) Additional blokcs – RM39,800,000 3) New schools – RM40,000.000 But in the revised list, the fund was divided as following: 1) Maintenance and upgrade – RM16,255,000 2) Additional blokcs – RM39,700,000 3) New schools – RM44,045.000 The revised list also showed that a substantial number of partially-aided Tamil schools supposed to receive aid for maintenance and upgrade were reduced. The schools affected were in Johor (48 to 29), Malacca (11 to 3), Negeri Sembilan (43 to 17), Pahang (23 to 13), Perak (80 to 33), Penang (19 to 8) and Selangor (55 to 29). Padnmanagan urged Palanivel to explain the matter to the public as many students were affected by this. He also claimed that the party leadership only took the funds from the government in September, while aid for other vernacular schools were released early this year. "Palanivel single-handedly deprived allocation for many Tamil schools. I can't blame the party central working committee (CWC) because the party president holds veto power. "Even if the CWC approves something, the party president has the authority to overule the decision. But how can one man decide the fate of Tamil schools in the nation?" he asked. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/17/mic-boss-deprives-145-tamil-schools-of-aid/

PSM, PKR at loggerheads in Sg Siput Posted: 16 Dec 2012 04:43 PM PST The two parties are squabbling over the use of PSM logo for the coming general election.  B Nanatha Kumar, FMT A three-cornered fight is likely for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat at the upcoming general election. This is because Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), which contested the seat at the 2008 general election under the PKR banner, wants to use its own logo to fight for the seat – much to the dismay of PKR. This infighting between PSM and PKR has brightened MIC's chances of winning back the seat, which it lost at the 2008 general election. A PKR insider told FMT that the party could field its own candidate at the next general election since PSM had rejected several attempts by PKR to ensure that its logo is used by PSM candidates at the polls. "It looks like PSM is not keen on contesting under the PKR banner. Instead, it wants to use its own logo at the next election. We are still having discussions with PSM on the matter. If it insists, then we have no choice but to nominate our own candidate. "PKR fears that the PSM symbol will drive away Malay votes due to its leftist significance," said the source. PSM is a socialist political party established in 1998. At the 2008 polls, the party contested one parliamentary and three state assembly seats. Since the party has yet to receive recognition from the Register of Society (ROS), its three candidates contested under the PKR banner while in one state seat (Jelapang, Perak), it contested as an independent. Jackpot for BN The party won the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat when its candidate Dr Micheal Jayakumar defeated former MIC president S Samy Vellu. PSM president Dr Nasir Hashim won the Kota Damansara state seat in Selangor. READ MORE HERE

Jangan Risaulah Ibrahim Ali Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:36 PM PST UxtVFzj5OnA Ubah Rocket Style  Memang pun Umno dan Perkasa agak terdesak bila lapisan masyarakat majmuk memahami mesej yang dibawa dalam video klip ini. Walaupun video klip ini terkandung ciri-ciri lucu, jenaka, kreatif dan simbolik, tapi tidak membakar isu perkauman. Ia tidak menyebarkan idea-idea benci-membenci.  Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxtVFzj5OnA Video klip inilah memang buat Ibrahim Ali, Sharizat terasa tertekan. Video klip inilah buat Ibrahim Ali mengungkilkan tragedi May 13 supaya menakut-nakutkan masyarakat Melayu bersatu kembali. Apa takut sangat Ibrahim Ali??? Bukankah perpaduan rakyat berbilang bangsa lebih baik dari perpaduan Melayu??    Memang pun Umno dan Perkasa agak terdesak bila lapisan masyarakat majmuk memahami mesej yang dibawa dalam video klip ini. Walaupun video klip ini terkandung ciri-ciri lucu, jenaka, kreatif dan simbolik, tapi tidak membakar isu perkauman. Ia tidak menyebarkan idea-idea benci-membenci. Kalau dibandingan dengan video klip yang dihasilkan puak blogger pro Umno, BN nescaya mereka gagal dapat menghasilkan video klip yang setanding dengannya.  Dalam kempen politik, kreativity memainkan peranan penting dalam kesedaran politik. Tidak kurang pentingnya membangkitkan rakyat menentang rhetorik, ciri-ciri jenaka dan lucu dapat merangsangkan rakyat memahami perkembangan politik semasa, ia lebih mudahkan lapisan masyarakat  menyedari matlamat perjuangan sesebuah parti itu.

DAP to field more Malay candidates in GE Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:25 PM PST Senator Dr Ariffin S M Omar being interviewed after being picked to be a new DAP vice-chairman.  (fz.com) - DAP will field more Malay candidates at the next general election in a bid to boost its multi-racial appeal as party strategists shrug off criticism of its party polls outcome. DAP's multi-racial credentials came under attack after none of its eight Malay contestants were voted in to the party's central executive committee (CEC) in yesterday's elections. DAP election strategist Ong Kian Ming told fz.com that although the uproar could hurt DAP in the short term, public perception on DAP could change once the party unveils its candidate list. Ong said DAP is "very likely" to field credible Malay candidates to "winnable" seats in Peninsular Malaysia. At the 2008 general election, DAP fielded two Malay candidates but both were unsuccessful in their bid to be elected. In Johor, DAP had fielded its long-time member Ahmad Ton in the Tanjong Piai parliamentary and Pekan Nenas state constituencies. Over in Pahang, the party's then state vice-chairman Abu Bakar Lebai Sudin stood against Wanita MCA chief Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen for the Raub parliamentary seat. Ong said almost all of DAP's seats in the peninsula were considered "winnable". This is because DAP's seats are mostly Chinese-majority seats or have high proportion of Chinese voters, with the exception of Raub. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/dap-field-more-malay-candidates-ge

Dr M interfered in police probe on Anwar sex scandal, alleges ex-cop Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:06 PM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had admitted in his memoirs to interfering in police investigations into the alleged sexual dalliances linked to his one-time deputy, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a former senior policeman said today. In his open letter, ex-Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim questioned Home Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein's decision to keep out of an ongoing spat between two former senior crime busters — Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Datuk Ramli Yusuff — which is seen to be jeopardising public confidence in the police force. "If exposed that Tun Mahathir himself had deliberately or otherwise admitted in writing that it was true he had interfered in police investigations related to the '50 Dalil' [50 Reasons] book, what would be the response from Hishammuddin or the prime minister?" Mat Zain said in his letter to incumbent Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, which was also copied to Hishammuddin and PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak. "It is hoped Hishammuddin will not say that the matter was a personal matter between Tun Mahathir and Musa Hassan and he refuses to interfere too," he added. The retired policeman alleged that Dr Mahathir had revealed in his autobiography, "A Doctor in the House", published last year, that he had a direct hand in police investigations related to a book titled "50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi Perdana Menteri" [50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Be Prime Minister] that concerned the then-deputy prime minister's purported sexual liaisons with several men and women, including prostitutes. "He had confidently given a guarantee that he will direct the police to bring the witnesses to Sri Perdana once again, if the chief ministers and mentris besar as well as state Umno liaison chairmen wanted to interview them." Malaysia's fourth prime minister wrote that he had first been told about Anwar's alleged homosexual activities in the early 1990s by then police chief Tun Hanif Omar. Dr Mahathir, who ruled from 1981 to 2003, said he was then given the book "50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar IBrahim Tidak Boleh Jadi Perdana Menteri" but had initially dismissed it as a sensationalist attempt to make money. He said in 1997 Ummi Hafilda Ali, sister of PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, sent him a letter with specific allegations of sodomy against Anwar. The former prime minister said he interviewed the girls who told him they were taken to have sex with his then deputy, who was later charged and jailed for sodomy and corruption. Dr Mahathir wrote that they were persuaded to do so by an Indian man they knew as Nalla, likely to be Datuk K.S. Nallakarupan, then a close associate of Anwar who has since fallen out with the opposition leader. Dr Mahathir said he then called Umno leaders including mentris besar and chief ministers to Sri Perdana to brief them about Anwar's alleged affairs and showed them pictures of the witnesses. Mat Zain said today that the former prime minister's statements in the book were "clear proof that not only did he interfere in investigations, but also gave certain orders that were not appropriate to Musa Hassan, until it is believed influenced the overall outcome of the investigations". Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dr-m-interfered-in-police-probe-on-anwar-sex-scandal-alleges-ex-cop

Rotating parties for better governance Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:00 PM PST   Those in authority owe their position to a master. This leads to a feudal mentality as well as the ever present suspicion that work is done not on a professional level with the interest of the nation at heart, but instead it is done to serve a political patron. Dr. Azmi Sharom  IN my last article I wrote about the importance of changing the system of local government that we have. By that I meant we should reintroduce local government elections as well as overhaul the Local Government Act in order to ensure a more transparent and accountable local authority. There are also other institutional changes which are desperately needed in this country. Keeping to local governments, the law which exempts them from any legal action being taken against them is also something which has to be looked at. For example, the Ampang local government was immune to any legal action for supposed negligence in the decision making which led to the Highland Towers tragedy. But, in case I appear to be harping on too much on local government, let us spread our sights a bit further. The Election Commission used to be an independent body and its members had the security of tenure similar to those on the Bench. That was changed in the 60s however. What was also changed was the power of the EC to draw the boundaries for the electoral constituencies. Now the EC commissioners are there at His Majesty's pleasure and the power to delineate constituencies lie in the hands of Parliament. This means that the independence of the EC is questionable as they can be fired at will and whoever has the majority in Parliament will undoubtedly draw the electoral boundaries to suit them and not to ensure a fair representation of the people in this country. There are many other examples of course but I shall not go into them here. Needless to say the system of governance we have now is built around the concept of patronage. Those in authority owe their position to a master. This leads to a feudal mentality as well as the ever present suspicion that work is done not on a professional level with the interest of the nation at heart, but instead it is done to serve a political patron. This systemic malaise that we have can of course be changed by anyone with legislative power and the requisite will to do something about it. But is it possible to find anyone or any group with the nobility of spirit and strong sense of fairness to do so; especially if the status quo suits their own purposes. Read more at: http://azmisharom.blogspot.com/2012/12/rotating-parties-for-better-governance.html

Batu Caves condo: What they’re not telling you Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:56 PM PST   (The Nut Graph) - A LOT of accusations and allegations have been made in the recent case of the condominium development near Batu Caves. On one hand, the current Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Selangor government has accused the former Barisan Nasional (BN) government of approving the Dolomite Park Avenue condominium project. This was why, they said, the PR government allowed the project to continue. The BN's response was that they only gave planning approval, which isn't a development order. According to the BN, the Selangor government had every right to stop the project if it wanted to. The BN also noted that approval to build the condominium was given on 26 June 2008, after the PR had come into power in Selangor. Which coalition is telling the truth? What's the difference between a planning approval and a development order? And what else aren't they telling us? Planning permission The approval that the BN government gave is called a "planning permission". The Town and Country Planning Act describes the process in which a planning permission is applied for. The extensive plans that need to be submitted for this planning permission include a geotechnical report and a survey of all forms of vegetation and trees. It also includes a land use analysis and its effects on adjoining land. The developer must also submit "layout plans", which include measures for the protection and improvement of the land's physical environment and the trees in the area, and the allocation of public parks. If the application does not violate any of the automatic rejection clauses, the local council can grant planning permission either absolutely or subject to such conditions as it thinks fit. The council can also consult residents and ratepayers before giving this approval. This entire process only deals with the submission of technical documentation and studies, with proposals based on those submissions. Planning permission is approved when these documents are in order. Hence, approvals given at this stage do not yet constitute permission to carry out development works. Take, for example, the planning permission given by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to redevelop the PKNS building in Section 52, PJ. Among the conditions the developer had yet to obtain at the time of approval was: (B) xiv. Merujuk serta mendapatkan kelulusan dari JKR Selangor bagi tambahan satu lorong di interchange bersebelahan PJ Hilton dari arah KL ke Jalan Barat. Land conversion The next step is land conversion, which is covered under the National Land Code. In most cases, land earmarked for development is categorised for agricultural use. Or a land owner with land meant for residential use may want to build something bigger and convert the land use for commercial purposes. At this stage, the prepared and submitted plans detailed above must be presented to the state government's Land Office for further deliberation. If the government denies the land conversion at this stage, the development cannot proceed. Those who protest the condominium's construction claim the work is an environmental risk that will jeopardise the temple grounds (Wiki commons) On the other hand, if the land conversion is approved, the developer must pay a premium for land conversion. This premium is calculated based on the number of units and the type of units that will be built, minus the portion of land that will be surrendered to the government for public use. Land lot numbers for all the units to be built and for designated public spaces are also assigned at this stage. It is important to note here that once this premium is calculated and paid, the development plans cannot change. This is because any attempt to add structures or units would mean that the developer is cheating the government out of the premium it deserves. In the case of the Batu Caves condominium, I am made to understand that the land was originally mining land. So, land conversion had to happen before the development could proceed. Permission to build Once all that is done, the developer needs two things. One, a developer's licence from the Housing and Local Government Ministry as stipulated under the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act. And two, a development order from the local council, as stipulated under the Streets, Drainage and Building Act, to proceed with actual construction. At this stage, details of the buildings to be constructed are submitted to the local council engineers for approval. Control of the construction site, passage of heavy vehicles, and even limitation of construction hours are some of the conditions that the local council can impose on developers. Since the approval to build the Batu Caves condominium was reportedly given on 26 June 2008, this suggests that the double-checking of facts, the project's viability, and land use conversion were already completed at this juncture. Show me your vote From a technical standpoint, if due process had been followed, the PR government would have no problems whatsoever in explaining why they approved the development order for the Batu Caves condominium. They would also not have any need to blame the previous government for the earlier planning permission. A commission to study the matter is also unnecessary if all the technical departments had done their job and were able to provide the justification for their decisions at a moment's notice. (Side rant: if you need an independent commission to check the work of your own staff, you are in serious trouble.) Apart from that, what we also have are both political coalitions promising to cancel the project. Clearly, because the Indian vote matters in what will be a hotly contested impending general election, neither coalition can risk the ire of the Batu Caves temple committee and their supporters. Here's the thing though – both the BN and PR have been coy about how exactly they will cancel the development and what the cost will be to ratepayers. Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/batu-caves-condo-what-theyre-not-telling-you/

PKR, Umno share same DNA Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:48 PM PST   (Free Malaysia Today) - STAR is clear in pushing its Borneo Agenda for Sabah and Sarawak, saying it's time for Borneo-centric policies, and that the Malayan Agenda is no longer acceptable. State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah chairman Jeffrey Kitingan is adamant that PKR is the opposition's version of Umno and will lord over the people in Sabah and Sarawak if it comes to power at federal level. Jeffrey, who is also the president of the United Borneo Front (UBF), equated both the peninsula-based political parties as Malayan in nature and unsuitable for the two Borneo states. "PKR and Umno are the same like the old colonialists. They come to exploit us to get into power to eventually lord over us. PKR should concentrate on winning the seats in the Peninsula which is already more than 75% of the total seats. "It is their Malaya Agenda to control and colonise Sabah and Sarawak, whereas our Borneo Agenda is just the opposite, to free us from this choking over-lording over Sabah and Sarawak," he said. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/17/pkr-umno-share-same-dna/

DAP adopts one candidate-one seat policy Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:47 PM PST   (The Star) - DAP has adopted its Central Executive Committee's (CEC) resolution on the one candidate, one seat policy. DAP chairman Karpal Singh said one person should contest only one seat, but there could be exceptions on case-by-case basis based on the party's strategy. "The resolution has been adopted," said Karpal, who had wanted such a policy to provide opportunity to candidates of calibre to contest. Other resolutions from branches that were tabled and adopted include calls on party leaders to stop openly attacking the party to the point of jeopardising its image. Perak New Village branch chairman Lim Soo Chong said attacks motivated by personal interest should stop because the party did not belong to any individual. Another resolution adopted called on leaders to attend party functions and not to demand five-star accommodations. Six other resolutions could not be tabled because representatives from the branches that proposed them were not present. On a proposal by Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim to impose a direct election system in the party, Karpal said the party constitution needed to be amended for it to be adopted. "It requires a major amendment to the constitution. If the members feel strongly about direct election, then it should be considered." Although Karpal had said the delegates were free to bring up any issue, none of them brought up contentious issues involving Pakatan Rakyat. Issues such as the gender ruling in salons in Kelantan, "khalwat" summonses issued to non-Muslims in Kelantan and the demolition of a religious altar in a private home in Selangor were not touched.

‘DAP not mature enough’ Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:44 PM PST   (The Star) - DAP is not mature enough to accept other races into its top leadership, say two Malay candidates who lost their bid for the 20 slots in the party's central executive committee (CEC). Johor DAP vice-chairman Ahmad Ton said the delegates had yet to understand the significance of the party's rallying cry of "Malaysian-Malaysia". Ahmad, who has contested six times, winning only once in 2008, said DAP needed time to shed its image as a party dominated by the Chinese. DAP has about 150,000 members, of which 20% are Indians and 10% Malays. The rest are Chinese and other minorities. Penang Malay steering committee chairman Zulkifli Mohd Noor, who also lost, said the party didn't have enough Malay members to show strength. Even the Indians failed to make any impact, he said. None of the eight Malay candidates who contested for the CEC was voted in. Another Malay candidate Senator Dr Ariffin Omar, who was appointed vice-chairman despite losing, said he was satisfied with the number of votes he had clinched during the party election. "I am a newcomer and yet I managed to get a relatively high number of votes (348). The Malays have an unfounded fear about the party." Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, meanwhile, played down the significance of the Malay candidates' failure, saying it had nothing to do with race. "Racial politicking is Barisan Nasional's style. Ours is different," he told the media at the end of the party's annual congress. Lim said every DAP leader must reach out to all communities, irrespective of their race. He said the appointment of Dr Ariffin and Zairil Khir Johari to the CEC was made based on their capabilities and not because they were Malays. Penang Malay Congress, meanwhile, has registered disappointment at what it claimed was an "undemocratic" election of the CEC. Its president Rahmad Isahak said: "The failure of Malay candidates to be elected to the CEC is upsetting. "DAP has failed to transform its-elf into a multiracial party," he said.

DAP CEC results shows racism: Puad Zarkashi Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:42 PM PST   (Bernama) - "Even though the Malay candidates vying for the CEC posts were not ordinary people, such as Senator Ariffin S. M. Omar, who is an academician and a professor, they still lost because the party practises racism and chauvinism. The DAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) election results affirms its former vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim's assertions that Malays had no place in the party, said Umno supreme council member Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi. "Even though the Malay candidates vying for the CEC posts were not ordinary people, such as Senator Ariffin S. M. Omar, who is an academician and a professor, they still lost because the party practises racism and chauvinism. "I know that Ariffin was not elected because he was a Malay, and DAP members did not even look at his qualifications," he told Bernama here yesterday. In this regard, Mohd Puad, who is also education deputy minister, urged the Malay community, including PAS members, to open their mind and not ignore reality. "How can you work together, when Malay leaders are not even appreciated in the party; what more, if DAP is given the reins to the country?," he asked. Mohd Puad said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng's action to use the congress as a platform to openly insist for the party to contest 13 additional seats in the 13th General Election indicated there was no coordination among the opposition parties where seat allocation was concerned. He said, DAP appeared to belittle PKR and PAS while sending out the message that the two parties were not capable of winning many seats in the general election.

This’s what DAP members want Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:39 PM PST   Give the DAP members credit for insisting that they stay what they have been, will be and shall always be – a Chinese political party comfortable in its own skin. CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today If what happened in the recently-concluded DAP election is projected onto the national stage, the Malays are gone! Malays who are appointed to the central executive committee (CEC) will be lame duck members – they will be Malays who will forever be dependent on others for their position in DAP. There really is not much to tell about the DAP election, is there? Factionalism, nepotism and race. Race, nepotism and factionalism. Is there anything new in Malaysian politics? Even Umno can beg to differ on a few matters that it has been accused of. In nepotism, DAP has no equal. But surely there cannot be anything new, not until we the people change ourselves. Change our perceptions of what politics should be, change our mindset and change the very DNA that resides in the inner-most sanctum of our being. That's the DNA that tells us what to think, what to do and how to react when we think that we are being threatened and when we fear that our very being is in danger of extinction. And it is not only the Malays that have this DNA. All of you out there have it, too. That is why those in DAP voted the way they did. No need for excuses, no need for explanations, no need for name-calling and recriminations. We all know we would do the same in similar circumstances. When will change happen? Education helps. A concerted effort by all of us to consciously better ourselves helps. Our ability to empathise with those who are different from us helps. Speaking for myself, what education I have had and having lived among people who try to do the right thing in celebrating diversity helps me to tolerate and at times even appreciate people who are different from me. But Malaysia is doubly cursed. As if it is not enough that we are burdened with having to understand each other's weaknesses and strengths, we are cursed with having a parochial government concerned only with its political survival. Our concern should be what political advantage (what other advantage is there?) this Umno-led parochial Barisan Nasional government will make of this weekend DAP party election results? Already BN cyber troopers have been working through the night, through the weekend, through much pain and sufferings (softened by dollops of cash!) in preparation for their vitriolic attack against DAP and Pakatan Rakyat when opportunism presents itself. Why not seize it? And what opportunism this DAP party election has presented to them! They are going to town on this, not any old town, but to KL itself. Race politics is alive What I write here is merely a reflection of the goings-on around me. I read what others write, hear what others say and seek out what others think. I put it down on paper and you read and let it permeate into the inner recesses of your mind, then spit out what you yourself deduce from all these inputs around you. And I kid you not, we will all come to the same conclusion. Race politics is alive and well in DAP as it is alive anywhere else in any political entity in Malaysia. What differentiates one from the other is just a matter of degree, not substance. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/17/thiss-what-dap-members-want/

Putting an end to child marriages Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:31 PM PST   I fail to understand how the Federal Government and the Attorney General could have allowed for this self-evidently destructive trend to continue. Such marriages are not only, I say, unconstitutional, they hurt the children concerned and society. Research shows that child marriages have severely adverse consequences on the physical, emotional and mental development of the child.   Malik Imtiaz Sarwar The incidence of child marriages is alarming. By child marriages, I mean the marriage of any person under the age of eighteen. This is more so for the fact that it appears that such marriages are significantly more prevalent amongst Muslims. A recent statement by a United Nations agency here indicates that the number of such marriages has increased significantly over recent years. The minimum age of marriage for persons of other than the Muslim faith is eighteen. Muslims girls are permitted by state law to marry at the age of sixteen. In some states, like Kedah, the Shariah Court can sanction the marriage of an even younger Muslim girl. In one such case, the Shariah Court recently granted permissions for a twelve-year old girl to marry a nineteen-year old man (some reports have put the age of the groom at sixteen). According to reports, the father of the bride consented to the marriage to avoid any "immoral activity" on the part of the couple. The husband is quoted as saying that his bride had agreed to shoulder the responsibility of a wife. The reports do not indicate either his view or that of the father as to the ability of the twelve year old to understand the full implications of the situation. It may be recalled that in 2010, a marriage between a fourteen-year old and her twenty-three year old husband sparked some controversy. The Government at that point took the position that if the marriage was permitted under Islam, and as such within the jurisdiction of the State Government, there was no basis to reject the same. Its position does not appear to have changed. The Attorney General has, through his continued silence on the subject, endorsed such marriages.  On my part, I fail to understand how the Federal Government and the Attorney General could have allowed for this self-evidently destructive trend to continue. Such marriages are not only, I say, unconstitutional, they hurt the children concerned and society. Research shows that child marriages have severely adverse consequences on the physical, emotional and mental development of the child. UNICEF has reported that girls who marry young tend to forego formal education, which, not only disadvantages the girls concern, lead to gaps in their knowledge on maternal health and child rearing issues. There is an increased risk of death in childbirth for girls that young. It is for this reason that the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which Malaysia has acceded to, places an obligation on the State to ensure that the "betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect" and to take appropriate steps to regulate this.  It is also for this reason that various countries have set to combating child marriages with a view to improving the welfare of children and for the protection of the community. It is generally accepted that the prohibition of such marriages will contribute significantly to poverty eradication and the promoting of gender equality. In some countries, punitive measures against persons who perform, permit, or promote child marriages have been enacted. It is no answer to say that the economic realities of the situation are in favour of such marriages. If poverty is causing such marriages, then poverty should be addressed. We cannot allow the situation to evolve; I shudder at the thought of this process being used to validate trafficking of child brides or, for all purposes intents, validating the pedophilic tendencies of the monsters that prey on young children. Less sensationally, even the thought of young child-divorcees is reason for concern. It appears that rather than dealing with the root problems, the Government would rather sidestep the matter. In this, it would seem that Islam is being invoked to stifle the controversy.  While I can appreciate the need for the State to preserve the integrity of personal law, it is not the case that the personal law of Muslims can be understood as permitting the endangering of Muslim minors. More so for the fact that the legal framework of this nation so evidently gives basis to the Federal Government and the Attorney General to intervene and correct the situation. A question arises as to whether the power of the Shariah Court to validate such marriages is constitutional. The analysis cannot stop at the fact that the Legislative Assemblies of the states enact laws that vest the Shariah Court with the power to validate. Though it is true that the Legislative Assemblies have competence over the legislating of laws for the purposes of the administration of Islam, the discretion to do so is not absolute. It must be appreciated that such discretion is limited to enacting only laws that are constitutional.  As to the question of what is constitutional in the circumstances, several key features of our constitutional framework are material. Firstly, the constitution protects the fundamental liberties of all its citizens. Two of these are highly relevant to the discussion: the right to life, and the right to equal protection of the law.  As to the former, as has been underscored by the Federal Court, the right is not limited to merely concerns over corporeal existence. It extends to the intangible aspects of the right to live one's life, a state of being that hinges on the protection of mental and emotional integrity. As to the latter, it would be wholly repugnant to our system of life to allow for a state of affairs where some vulnerable citizens are protected from physical, mental and emotional abuse while others are not. It is for this reason that while at first glance, some constitutional powers could be read as allowing for violations of these strictures in the interests of some other cause, closer scrutiny would inevitably lead to the conclusion that this could not be the case. Put another way the power of the State Legislative Assemblies to enact law pertaining to the administration of Islam cannot be extended to validating the enacting of laws that defy the constitution. And yet this appears to be what section 8 of the Kedah Islamic Family Law Enactment 2008 does. It vests the Shariah Court with the power to expose Muslim children to the kind of conduct that is proscribed where non-Muslim children are concerned. In doing so, it discriminates against the former category of children. It permits the undermining of the physical, emotional and mental integrity of Muslim children in a way that is wholly inconsistent with their right to life.    Read more at: http://malikimtiaz.blogspot.com/2012/12/putting-end-to-child-marriages.html?spref=tw&m=1

Chinese priority: First-class education Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:28 PM PST   If we read our Federal Constitution, vernacular education should have by now been replaced completely by a national school education system.  Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today The Chinese are not intent on having schools in Chinese as a means of preserving their culture. They just want the best education environment. If we read our Federal Constitution, vernacular education should have by now been replaced completely by a national school education system. Having allowed the continuity of vernacular schools, the government cannot undo it now. No way can we expect Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to have the gumption and the courage to enforce the constitutional provision that there should only be one type of school – national schools. Let's look at that current situation with the Chinese. The Chinese are really not intent on having schools in Chinese as a means of preserving their culture and all things Chinese. They are, I suspect, really after a good education setting which offers excellent and superior facilities and resources. If they are pursuing the purity of their culture, then how do we explain the fact that the biggest enrolment in international schools and in the various private schools such as KDU, Sri Inai and others are Chinese? I don't see Chinese cultural-enhancement or strengthening curriculum in these centres of superior education. These offer what the Chinese are really looking out for – the best facilities and resources that money can buy that produce the best results. Indeed the Chinese pay to get into colleges such as Taylors and Sunway because these colleges offer them pathways to better and first-class education. Are they after the triumphalism of Chinese culture and if so, why then attend international and private colleges? Chinese want top class education The fact is the Chinese are after high-quality education because their own culture is best preserved in their home environments and other cultural-enhancement activities. What if our national schools have first-class facilities and resources and produce top results? Believe me, Chinese parents would gladly send their children there, forgetting the supposedly overriding need to preserve their culture. If national schools have only one agenda – to produce the best results using the best facilities and resources and not imposing one group's hegemony on others – I think the Chinese will enrol their children at national schools. If Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin does not already know this, maybe I should replace him. The government should turn all national schools into first-class teaching-and-learning facilities; then you will see the Chinese abandon their national-type schools. My reasoning is simple. Take Sekolah Kebangsaan Subang. It has a very large Chinese enrolment. Competition to get into this school is super tough. Why? Because this school, it seems, has the best teachers, excellent facilities and resources and offer what the Chinese see as first-class educational environment. What is important to Chinese parents is that this school provides the best results and the best students year after year. It's good education which the Chinese are really after. The Chinese appear to not mind that the medium of instruction in SK Subang is in Malay. The Chinese can tolerate this as they see the resources and facilities and the preparation for a better educational future in SK Subang as the best. They want schools that produce the best results year after year. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/17/chinese-priority-first-class-education/

Why now, Musa? Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST   You cannot create doubts in the minds of the people by making such sweeping statements without substantiation. No amount of denials by the minister or his cohorts is going to clear the reservations of the rakyat unless and until you are willing to be specific.  R. Nadeswaran, The Sun  WHEN Tan Sri Ismail Omar was appointed inspector-general of police two years ago, many had expected him to shape up an already beleaguered police force. From rising crime rates to public order, he had his work cut out for him. Besides, the internal bickering between his predecessor, Tan Sri Musa Hassan and the former commercial crimes chief, Datuk Ramli Yusoff, turned into what appeared to be a bare-fisted brawl. With Tan Sri Robert Phang in the fray, a battle royale has ensued. After months of anxiety, worry and concern, Ramli was acquitted of charges accusing him of misuse of power. While the civil suit which was filed by Ramli has yet to start, everyone thought the dust had settled and Ismail would be able to focus on reducing crime rates and other issues of public interest. But last week, Musa came to the fore with his claims of "interference from politicians" and a host of other claims, allegations and assertions, this time accusing Phang of having had a hand in the transfer of a senior police officer. Why now? If indeed there was interference, shouldn't Musa have thrown the Police Act in the face of the people behind the interference and ask them to mind their own business? Was he not the key witness in the trial of a former deputy prime minister who was charged with "interfering with police business"? Why now? Did Musa consciously stop investigating crimes just because the call came from Putrajaya? Why now? There were no reasons or provocateurs behind Musa's sudden outburst and hence why out of the blue, call for a press conference? Why now? Having yet to answer the charges made by Ramli in his various court affidavits, does Musa now want us to believe his hands were tied in the past? Why now? Musa retired two years ago and if he was unhappy with the events during his tenure, shouldn't he have voiced out his views at the handing-over ceremony to his successor? Why now? Musa had all the opportunity to offer advice to his successor, Ismail who had been his deputy. Is he trying to undermine the IGP by describing Ismail as a "yes man"? Why now? Who was the Tan Sri who came to you with a stack of summonses? Shouldn't he have been shown the door and told that the law takes it course? Such claims have yet again forced the public to form their own views and opinions on the impartiality of the police force. People are wondering if the police pander to the wishes of politicians or if they go by the book in the application and enforcement of the law. Going by Musa's assertions, people who have committed murder, robbery and other heinous crimes are walking on our streets on the basis of phone calls from politicians? These claims may have some truth in them, but making statements without substantiation would be akin to self-appointed do-gooders and instantly-created NGOs demanding all kinds of explanations from the opposition. Musa did not provide one instance where the minister or a politician had interfered in police investigations. Except for saying that a titled politician turned up in his office to sort out summonses, nothing more specific was revealed. If indeed the police acceded to directives and instruction from higher up, are we to assume that the police closed the file on the Balkis fiasco where funds totalling almost RM10 million were transferred illegally, which borders on breach of trust? Are we to say that the police also closed the files on the overseas money transfers that were carried out illegally through money changers although there were prima facie cases against them? No, Musa. You cannot create doubts in the minds of the people by making such sweeping statements without substantiation. No amount of denials by the minister or his cohorts is going to clear the reservations of the rakyat unless and until you are willing to be specific – incidences, names, dates and times – when such interference took place. R. Nadeswaran maintains that the police should be impartial and that any charges made must be backed up with evidence. Comments: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

How Our Democracy is Damaged Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:15 PM PST   The individual analyses of the 16 by-elections in the book, contributed by about a dozen observers ranging from journalists to researchers to political scientists, reveal how inept the EC has been, especially in not attending to electoral roll irregularities and preventing abuse of public institutions and corrupt practices.    Kee Thuan Chye   We often hear of electoral fraud and unfair election practices but what do they really mean? What forms does electoral fraud usually take? What constitute unfair practices and how have they surfaced?   Beyond that, what are the measures that need to be taken to ensure that Malaysian elections are free and fair so that this vital aspect of our democracy is truly well-served and our vote for the candidate or party we support is not made a mockery of?   A new book called Democracy at Stake?: Examining 16 By-elections in Malaysia, 2008-2011, published by Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, answers our questions and collates our concerns into a handy and comprehensive compact.   Edited by Wong Chin Huat and Soon Li Tsin, it analyses the 16 by-elections that have been held since the 12th general election according to such relevant categories as how free, fair and clean they were; the freedom and quality of the campaigning; the political parties' access to media; corrupt practices that were perpetrated; how impartial or otherwise the public institutions were; the amount of campaign money spent; the electoral roll; and the polling process.   Wong, who is in my opinion one of the sharpest political analysts we have, sets the standard for the conduct of elections in his introductory article.   Well-researched and replete with references from many documented sources, it explains why electoral fraud is wrong ("Even if one person is disenfranchised … even if one vote is rigged, democracy is damaged because political equality is compromised to favour the ones who play foul") and explains what we as citizens should expect of a free and fair election.   The most fundamental of expectations are that we "must be able to register as voters with minimal cost and trouble" and be able to vote "without much difficulty", and our votes "must be counted with integrity". By that token, we must also expect that the electoral roll "includes all citizens who are eligible to vote" and "nobody else".   Wong, however, declares that the electoral rolls in Malaysia "fail on both accounts". This is partly because as of March 2012, three million eligible citizens are still not registered voters. But what we may find more disturbing is his revelation that the electoral rolls "include many names who [sic] should not be there in the first place, such as illegally enfranchised foreigners, deceased voters, multiply-registered voters, voluntarily and involuntarily transferred voters who are non-residents in the constituency".   It is amusing to note that entries like Kampung Baru and a Police Station at Kampung Kerinchi are registered voters on the electoral rolls.   Wong proposes synchronising the electorate database maintained by the Election Commission (EC) with the citizenry database of the National Registration Department (NRD) to minimise errors and allow for corrections to be made continually.   Although he does not say so explicitly, it would also facilitate automatic voter registration, one of the eight demands of Bersih, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections of which Wong is a steering committee member. The synchronisation of databases would alert the EC to instances of citizens turning 21 and attaining eligibility for voting.   Another disturbing point Wong raises concerns the legal impediments to transparency in the procedure for correction of errors. Section 9A of the Election Act 1958 prevents the electoral rolls from being challenged in court, and Regulation 25 of the Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations gives "unchecked power" to the EC to "correct any errors free from any public scrutiny".   This point is particularly pertinent in regard to the Malaysian EC because the public has lost much confidence in the commission's ability and inclination to be independent and neutral in the conduct of its duty. One important measure that the public needs to take, therefore, is to lobby for the EC to be truly independent and neutral.   If this were achieved, we can be better assured that other conditions necessary for free and fair elections will be facilitated.   These would include what Wong describes as allowing citizens to make "informed decisions after deliberation" from the "availability of information from all perspectives".   As such, there should be campaign freedom – a reasonable period for campaigning once an election is called; free airtime for all contesting parties on State-owned broadcast media like RTM and unbiased coverage in Bernama as well as private-owned media, like Utusan Malaysia, The Star, Sin Chew, Media Prima's TV stations, etc; and no restrictions like those imposed in three by-elections at which the Home Ministry banned campaigners from "mentioning (a) Altantuya Shaariibuu, the Mongolian model cum interpreter whose murder was linked to Prime Minister (PM) Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, and (b) the role of the Perak Palace in the state's constitutional crisis".   The impartiality of public institutions should also be upheld. This includes no abuse of government machinery by the ruling party, such as using official cars and helicopters for party campaigning or, worse, announcing development projects like in the Hulu Selangor "buy-election" when BN offered about RM136 million in projects, payments and compensations while the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor State Government offered about RM27.6 million's worth.   And of course there should also be no pork barrelling at the hustings, the most famous example being the "I help you, you help me" offer of RM5 million for flood mitigation that Najib made to the Rejang Park voters in the Sibu by-election in return for their support of the BN candidate.     Nor should there be outright vote-buying, as in the alleged giving out of RM100 cash to each Chinese voter at a polling station during the Merlimau by-election.   It is the duty of the EC to report such transgressions but, unfortunately, it has not been fulfilling that duty.   By and large, the individual analyses of the 16 by-elections in the book, contributed by about a dozen observers ranging from journalists to researchers to political scientists, reveal how inept the EC has been, especially in not attending to electoral roll irregularities and preventing abuse of public institutions and corrupt practices.   In the Permatang Pauh by-election, for example, a voter was turned away from the polling station because on the electoral roll, he was said to be dead.   Furthermore, 949 voters were discovered to have disappeared from the constituency's electoral roll. As the media reported the issue and the EC's deputy chairman could not explain the disappearance, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin called on the EC to investigate it. However, "no finding was revealed to the public".   In Bukit Selambau, election watchdog Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (MAFREL) backed the Opposition's claim that more than 60% of the voters in a housing estate were phantom voters, but the EC merely dismissed it.   In fact, the picture that emerges from the 16 analyses is that many of the complaints and allegations made during the by-elections were not resolved afterwards.   On the whole, as the editors sum up in the final chapter, "the integrity of the electoral rolls in Malaysia is highly questionable". Citing extensively from research done by political scientist Ong Kian Ming, they elaborate on unexplained deletions of names; unaccounted-for additions; high number of voters registered under the same address; unusually high increase of military/police voters (most markedly in Lembah Pantai, currently a Pakatan Rakyat seat held by Nurul Izzah Anwar, which has seen a 1,024% growth of such voters); and other manifestations.   EC Chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof has declared that Malaysia has "the cleanest electoral rolls in the world", with problematic registrations amounting to only 42,051 names, but according to Ong's research findings, the number is closer to 3 million.   Whomever you choose to believe, the outlook is far from rosy. The editors believe the irregularities are caused by deliberate fraud rather than administrative or clerical errors. They consider the state we're in an "Orwellian absurdity".   On our part, we the public should be pressing for accountability from the EC and other related authorities. Although Democracy at Stake? does not suggest how we could go about doing this, it focuses attention on a serious issue of our political life.   It's up to us now to protect our democratic right. Taking to the streets through the Bersih rallies has been done and resulted in some headway, but this is unlikely the way to achieve the ultimate goal.   We need to think of other ways to shake the powers that be to get the real democracy we deserve.     * Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We're All Malaysians, available in bookstores together with its Malay translation, Jangan Kelentong Lagi, Kita Semua Orang Malaysia.

Guan Eng defends CEC appointments Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:34 AM PST The DAP sec-gen however was coy when asked if the outcome of the party polls would have a bearing in the selection of Malay candidates for the general election. Leven Woon, FMT DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today defended the party's decision to appoint Malay leaders into the centre leadership despite claims that it was merely a window dressing. At a press conference after the party's two-day congress, Lim said political rivals were keen to politicise every DAP's move as political stunts. "It never becomes an issue for parties that don't appoint (Malays to the high post). But we appoint, and it still becomes an issue," he said. Lim's statement came in light of the party polls yesterday that saw not a single Malay leader being elected into the 20-seat centre executive committee (CEC). Only three Indian leaders made the cut while the rest were all Chinese. Although the party today co-opted seven non-Chinese and East Malaysians into the CEC, leaders such as Penang DAP deputy chief P Ramasamy and Penang CEC member Zulklifli Mohd Noor pointed out that the party was still far from being a truly multiracial party. Lim also admitted that there were elements of symbolism when the party appointed Malay leaders to its CEC. He said Ariffin SM Omar was co-opted into CEC because he was an academician and a senator while Zairil Khir Johari was unique because he is the son of the first education minister of Malaysia. Lim dodged an answer when asked whether the party would field more Malay candidates in the upcoming general election, only saying that they would field winnable candidates. He said East Malaysians leaders were appointed into CEC as a result of DAP's inroads to Sabah and Sarawak. "We want to be inclusive, they can play a role in helping us to spread our wing," he described. Meanwhile, the Penang chief minister said that the new Pakatan Rakyat bureau was created to broaden discussion between the coalition parties in the event the Pakatan leadership council failed to reach consensus in certain issue. He said Selangor DAP deputy head Teng Chang Kim was tasked to head the bureau because of his experience as the Selangor speaker and that most of the members were based in Klang Valley.

The curse of Dr Mahathir? Posted: 15 Dec 2012 04:33 PM PST KTEMOC KONSIDERS It seems we are in the season for cursing and curses, wakakaka. Recently PAS did the unusual in having a prayer session to curse UMNO. The cursing itself was not unusual as you can bet such curses would be a norm during the period running up to an election, be it for the state or party. It was only unusual because PAS announced the cursing session openly, wakakaka. I wonder whether UMNO pollies bought some tangkals (azimat) from Pak Bomoh Awang Mohd Yahya to neutralize the PAS curses. wakakaka. Well after all, more than a few UMNO, PAS and PKR pollies (not Tian Chua or Sivarasa though, wakakaka) consult bomohs prior to any election on to their respective chances - see my posts Religious Devotion of Malaysian Politicians and Doctor is in - by appointment only! wakakaka Anyway, many were shocked by a prayer session being used, or as they believed, misused for cursing. But actually, cursing has been part of the Abrahamic religions for eons, with the most dramatic being good olde Moses laying down the evil word on the Pharaoh with the god-given curse of 10 plagues. The 10 plagues (or god's curses manifested) started with the mild, just the River Nile turning red with blood, but escalated in harshness with each succeeding plague until the most drastic and evil of all occurred with the 10th, when the god of the Hebrews murdered every innocent first-born in Egypt, human and animals (Exodus 11:4-6 - KJV): And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. That was worse than the Chinese 'harm kar ch'an', a genocidal curse on the family line of one's enemies - very barbaric and only uttered by low class Chinese [low class in character, mentality and behaviour, wakakaka].   Of course if you leave it to the Judaists and Christians, they would tell you god punished those Egyptians because ... yadda yadda yadda ... ... but really I wonder, which creator god (supposedly loving, compassionate and forgiving) would do that to his own creations. Answer: Of course only the god of the Hebrews. And it would be hardly surprising that such a Hebrew god would call his Hebrews (and thereafter, Israelites, Judeans, Jews) his 'chosen people', as we have come to learn from the OT bible, one incidentally written by, would you believe, the Judeans, wakakaka. If you ask the Japanese, they would tell you they are god's children, where their emperor is descended directly from the Sun Goddess Amaterasu and their islands created by the Japanese gods Izanagi and Izanami. Amaterasu Not to be outdone, an ambitious UMNO man with the moniker of Reezal Merican, undoubtedly eyeing some high positions with all its trappings (wakakaka), decided to make a name for himself by copycat-ing the Judean (Jewish) claim and declaring that Malays are mukhtarin, god's 'chosen ones', and of course (the principal motive and objective) UMNO has been anointed by god as the equivalent of Moses, presumably to lead the Malays into some sort of UMNO-ish promised land. Naturally he omitted mentioning that Moses led the Hebrews wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years, from 1972 to 2012 circa 1350 BCE. Reezal Merican then openly pontificated "What is there of the Malays before Umno came along?" What about them living in the glorious golden age of the Malacca Sultanate? What about them being citizens of the amazing Srivijaya Empire before they decided to be known specifically as Malays?   Never mind, obviously he wasn't asking for answers as he intended his rhetorical question to be the answer as well, to wit, to remind the Malays of UMNO's Mosaic role. But Reezal Merican wasn't the first 'Malay' (wakakaka) to claim the 'chosen' status for Malays. Harussani what's-his-name, Perak's chief mufti, beat him to it by declaring in 2011 that Malays are more special than Arabs in Islam, though he, perhaps merajuk-ishly and grudgingly wakakaka, admitted Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was an Arab. In the preposterous claim to primary Islamic pedigree, Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas, the director general of the Institute of Islamic Understanding, even preceded Harussani what's-his-name by informing us in 2006, that: "The Melayu is defined as first being a Muslim and because he's a Muslim, he follows the customs and traditions of the Malays which are derived from Islam, followed by the language of the Malays which (also) derives from Islam." Huh? "...  the customs and traditions of the Malays which are derived from Islam, followed by the language of the Malays which (also) derives from Islam ..."? But then in this, I suppose he's supported by PAS in Kelantan which has prohibited the wayang kulit from showing episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata because of their Hindu origins. But hey, perhaps wayang kulit proponents could use Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas' argument that the customs and traditions of the Malays including the wayang kulit and makyong have been derived from Islam and have nothing to do with any other religions. And just to be on the safe side, the bersanding ceremony should be reviewed to cull off any inherited Hindu cultural elements, while the Malay lexicon must be purged of words such as raja, agama, negara & bangsa, all of which have been inherited from Sanskrit, wakakaka. Thus, not withstanding Reezal Merican's oratorical antics, and the Hebrews and Japanese myths, it's a matter of who wrote the book (or uttered same at a political party's general assembly, wakakaka) for a race to become god's 'chosen' ones. Old Testament All the above UMNO and UMNO-affiliates' silliness have risen to prominence only in the last 30 years - more of their cause later. Back to curses - the one in the Bible I particularly admire for its scary threat is in Deuteronomy 28:22 which warns: The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. Gasp ... but Deuteronomy 28:30 is quite frightening too in stating: Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: ... etc etc ... Wow, the curse of the Hebrew god actually promoted husbands being cuckold-ed and wives committing adultery? No wonder it set those Hebrew men on their murderous rampage in Canaan. But okay, those biblical curses by god were about 4000 years ago. Today no church or priests/monks would do that ... aha ... except for those clerics in PAS, perhaps indicating their mentality still resemble the original mould (template) designed during those ancient times, wakakaka. But let's forget about PAS and its perennial perpetual problematic obsession with sex and matters sexual such as Shimshon (Samson) and Delilah in a Kota Baru salon, and Dawid and Yehonathan (David and Jonathan, son of King Saul) allegedly cavorting at the KB airport a la 1 Samuel 18:1-4 (KJV): And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ... Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. David & Jonathan David to Jonathan A couple of days ago I posted The Curse of Marina Lee Abdullah? Today I though I would write along the same line but with Dr Mahathir as my new 'Moses' and his curse, that is the curse of (or by) Dr Mahathir, not that bloke who was confused as to whether he was Egyptian or Hebrew. I have to confess that, while I had previously penned a bit here and there about Dr M's 'curse' before, and planned to do an improved post, it has been RPK who inspired me to get on with this task by a few paragraphs in his post The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 16). RPK's post talks about the Great UMNO Split in 1987 (about 8 months after the nation's 1986 general election), an irreparable schism brought about by the acrimonious tussle for power between Dr Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh (Ku Li) which was brought to a finale in UMNO's 1987 party election. The lines which caught my eyes are: Ku Li ... the mother of all battles looming over the horizon -- the contest between Team A and Team B. And did it prove to be the mother of all battles! Never before had so much money been spent on a party election. Never before had threats as well as blackmail been used to the extreme to make people do the bidding of those who aspired for power. Never before had Umno been brought to the brink of destruction and which it never really recovered from ever since.  The 1987 party contest changed Umno for good and introduced a new culture into Umno that transferred the party from the hands of the nationalists into the hands of the capitalists. Basically, Umno was transformed from a party of intellectuals and educators into a party of business taukays. Umno became what MCA always was -- a money party. Umno sent shivers down MCA's spine because Umno became more money-driven than even MCA itself. The new Umno culture became: money talks, bullshit walks. And it has remained that way ever since. Umno would never be brought back to what it was when it was first formed in 1946. Umno became 'Umno baru' in 1987 even before Umno Baru was legally and officially registered in 1988. And this is what many did not grasp at that time ... Leaving aside RPK's contention in his The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 17) that it had been Anwar Ibrahim who, through his bullying tactics in UMNO intra-party politics, denied us of Tengku Razaleigh as Malaysia's political head in 1987. Tengku has often been touted as the best PM we never had. Instead, Anwar endowed the nation with Dr Mahathir's 22-year premiership, which RPK surmised as a fitting padan muka for poor Mr Manmanlai, wakakaka. READ MORE HERE

Rise of DAP’s young Turks Posted: 15 Dec 2012 04:18 PM PST The Lim family is still on top but the DAP election saw the young Turks pushing the old guards down the rungs and even out of the 20-seat central executive committee (CEC). Anwar had also skipped the PAS muktamar last month and the whispers of tensions over the issue of seat allocations between the three parties are getting louder. PKR vice-president Datuk Mansor Othman urged reporters not to read too much into it even though this is Anwar's homestate and his party will need the DAP's clout to win their seats in the general election. Joceline Tan, The Star THE emcee had said the CEC election result would be announced at about 6.30pm. An hour later, everyone was still waiting. The soft music that had been playing in the background was switched up and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi's melodic voice came on. Ooi was staging a one-man concert from the Ubah truck parked outside the sports complex where the DAP congress was taking place. The man is wasting his time in politics. He should have become a pop singer he would have made more money and become even more famous than he already is. Everyone burst out laughing when Ooi stopped singing to ask whether the election results were in. The top DAP leaders had already come in from the tea break and were hanging about near the front of the stage, chatting and waiting. At about 8pm, Karpal Singh and his two sons arrived and soon after, the results came. It was a wonder that Karpal managed to look so calm. He must have had some inkling of the outcome. The outspoken lawyer had made a fantastic comeback to the No 3 spot from his previous 9th spot. It was a clear signal that delegates want him to continue speaking out on issues like hudud and the encroachment of PAS policies on non-Muslim lifestyles. Lim Kit Siang, despite his lack of a party post, remains the most well regarded person in the party followed by Guan Eng. The father-and-son pair will have to factor in what Karpal says, including his view on the one-man, one-seat policy in the general election. The outcome was described by some as a transition team. The young Turks are on the rise, with Chong Chieng Jen and Anthony Loke surging into the top five. The old guards like Tan Kok Wai, Fong Kui Lun and Ngeh Koo Ham slipped down the rungs as younger faces like Vincent Wu, Gobind Singh Deo and Tony Pua moved up. The three-way fight in Selangor saw Datuk Teng Chang Khim emerging victorious, moving from No 14 to the prestigious top 10. Rival Teresa Kok slipped from No 6 to No 18 while another rival Ronnie Liu lost. The power structure in Selangor has changed dramatically. "They are the new generation, you can ask for their vote but you cannot tell them how to vote," said a Perak leader pointing to the delegates. The delegates put Kit Siang right on top to show their appreciation while endorsing Guan Eng's quest to defend Penang. Another independent voice Dr Boo Cheng Hau moved up two slots from No 19 to No 17. The inclusion of Teng and Dr Boo in the CEC means that the party wants people who dare to question the leadership. The DAP transition is in place and the next echelon of leaders are up there. The leaders know the veterans have felt left out of the party's post-2008 success and these old-timers were brought on stage to receive mementos in the shape of the Penang ferry. The party is telling them they are still appreciated. It was a good move because these old soldiers will have to work the ground like never before in the general election. Size matters in politics and the opening event was jam-packed with delegates and observers, all of them in an upbeat mood. But the massive show of numbers could not hide the glaring absence of the man whom DAP is promoting as their next prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Neither Anwar nor his wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was present. Pakatan Rakyat's other prime minister candidate Datuk Seri Hadi Awang was also missing. PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar and secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali came instead. PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu popped in after lunch and received a big hug from Guan Eng. PKR was represented by Wanita chief Zuraidah Kamaruddin. Anwar had also skipped the PAS muktamar last month and the whispers of tensions over the issue of seat allocations between the three parties are getting louder. PKR vice-president Datuk Mansor Othman urged reporters not to read too much into it even though this is Anwar's homestate and his party will need the DAP's clout to win their seats in the general election. The other glaring aspect was DAP's attempt to ignore the elephant in the room; the party is clearly afraid to take a strong stand on the recent incidents of moral policing on non-Muslims in Kelantan. The furthest that Guan Eng went was to ask PAS to withdraw the summonses that had been issued against the hair salons. Guan Eng's speech ran on for almost 120 minutes mainly because he spoke in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese. Earlier this month, he had poked fun at the tears and emotion that flowed during the Umno general assembly. But now it was he who was all choked up as he vowed to stand up against Umno and to fight for equality of the races. His cheeks were wet and he could be seen wiping his nose. Some of the delegates looked on a little shocked but fortunately the mood lightened up after the speech when the party's highly entertaining video titled "Ubah Rocket Style", which showed DAP leaders doing the Gangnam Style, was unveiled.

PAS: Tiada kerusi tambahan bagi DAP di Selangor Posted: 15 Dec 2012 04:11 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - PAS Selangor bertegas tiada kerusi tambahan di negeri ini yang akan diberikan kepada DAP, kata timbalan pesuruhjayanya, Iskandar Abdul Samad. Menurutnya, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sebelum ini sudah berbincang dan mendapat keputusan sebulat suara mengenai jumlah kerusi yang akan ditandingi oleh setiap parti dalam pilihan raya umum (PRU) ke 13 akan datang. "Pembahagian kerusi untuk PRU 13 di negeri ini sudah 99 peratus selesai, kerusi di tempat lama tidak banyak perubahan dan kekalkan status quo macam dulu. "Sekarang tinggal enam minggu lagi, kami fokus untuk menang, bukan waktu untuk bergaduh sesama calon merebut kerusi," kata ahli dewan undangan negeri (Adun) Cempaka itu dipetik dari Sinar Harian Online. Semalam, Setiausaha Agung DAP Lim Guan Eng menggesa PR menimbangkan untuk memberi mereka tambahan tiga kerusi Parlimen dan 10 kerusi dewan undangan negeri (Dun) semenanjung Malaysia, manakala di Sabah dan Sarawak mereka pula akan berbincang sesama sendiri dalam pembahagian kerusi. "Kami sasar tiga tambahan kerusi Parlimen dan 10 kerusi Dun di semenanjung. "Manakala Sabah dan Sarawak pula akan berbincang sesama sendiri dalam pembahagian kerusi," tambah beliau. Semasa PRU 2008, DAP berjaya menang 28 kerusi Parlimen dan 71 kerusi Dun serta menguasai negeri Pulau Pinang yang dikuasai oleh parti Gerakan sebelum ini. Semalam, Naib Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein berkata tuntutan tambahan kerusi oleh DAP untuk ditandingi pada PRU ke-13 nanti jelas menunjukkan pakatan pembangkang tidak mempunyai persefahaman. Beliau berkata Umno mahu tahu jawapan pemimpin PAS dan Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) terhadap permintaan sekutu mereka itu. "Kalau mereka dapat cari persefahaman di mana mereka boleh beri lebih banyak kerusi (kepada DAP), saya ucap tahniah kepada mereka," katanya dipetik dari Bernama, ketika diminta mengulas Lim itu.

DAP adds non-Chinese, East M’sians to CEC Posted: 15 Dec 2012 04:04 PM PST Of the 10 members co-opted into the CEC this morning, seven of them are non-Chinese and East Malaysians. Leven Woon, FMT The newly-minted DAP central leadership today appointed seven non-Chinese  and East Malaysian leaders into the centre executive committee (CEC) in a bid to sharpen its multiracial appeal. DAP first-term senator Ariffin M Omar was made a vice chairman to replace Tengku Abdul Aziz who quit the party in May. Besides him, Zairil Khir Johari, Sabah party chairman Jimmy Wong, Sarawak member John Brian Anthony, Sabah member Edwin Bosi, former Perak speaker V Sivakumar were also the new faces in the CEC. Both Tan Seng Giaw and P Ramasamy, who were bitterly voted out by party members yesterday, made their way back to the CEC through appointments. DAP Central Executive Committee 2012-2015 Appointed: Dr Tan Seng Giaw P Ramasamy Ariffin S.M. Omar Zairil Khir Johari Jimmy Wong Sze Phin John Brian Anthony Edwin Bosi Leong Ngah Ngah V Sivakumar Thomas Su Keong Siong Office-bearers: Chairman: Karpal Singh Deputy Chair: Tan Kok Wai Vice-Chair: Chow Kon Yeow, Ariffin Omar, Chong Chieng Jen, M Kula Segaran, Teresa Kok Sec-Gen: Lim Guan Eng Asst Sec-Gen: Chong Eng, Ngeh Koo Ham, P Ramasamy Treasurer: Fong Kui Lun Asst Treasurer: Nga Kor Ming National Organising Secretary: Loke Siew Fook Asst Nat Organising Sec: Vincent Wu Him Ven, Thomas Su Keong Siong National Publicity Secretary: Tony Pua Kiam Wee Asst Nat Publicity Sec: Teo Nie Ching, Zairil Khir Johari International Secretary: V Sivakumar National Political Education Director: Liew Chin Tong Asst Nat Pol Edu Dir: Dr Boo Cheng Hau Committee Members: Lim Kit Siang, Dr Tan Seng Giaw, Teng Chang Khim,  Leong Ngah Ngah, Jimmy Wong Sze Phin, Edwin Bosi, John Brian Anthony, Gobind Singh To reconfirm: Dr Chen Man Hin as Party Life Advisor Committees/Bureaus: Disciplinary Comm: Headed by Tan Kok Wai Legal Bureau: Headed by Gobind Singh Deo Pakatan Rakyat Bureau: Headed by Teng Chang Khim Cultural Bureau: Headed by P Gunasekaran Labour Bureau: Headed by A. Sivanesan Election Bureau: Headed  by Tan Kok Wai Pakatan Rakyat bureau Guan Eng, when announcing the new office bearers, said that the newly-setup Pakatan Rakyat bureau will play a role in cementing closer ties between coalition parties. READ MORE HERE

Ramasamy shrugs off sabotage claims Posted: 15 Dec 2012 04:01 PM PST Sometimes we think we have the support, but the support is not sufficient, he says. Leven Woon, FMT Penang Deputy Chief Minister ll and state DAP deputy head P Ramasamy today brushed aside notions that he lost in the party elections yesterday due to an ouster attempt. "No, I don't think there was an attempt to oust me," he said when approached by reporters today. He likened the party polls to a game where there are always winners and losers. "We must accept it as the normal democratic process. Sometimes we think we have the support, but the support is not sufficient," he said. He said there were only limited slots in the CEC so it was about the delegates' choice and priority. Ramasamy and former DAP deputy chairman Tan Seng Giaw were the biggest casualties at the DAP party polls yesterday as both of them failed to make into the 20-seat centre executive committee (CEC). Ramasamy secured 746 votes while Tan obtained 802. However, both of them were today were co-opted into the CEC through appointments. Tan meanwhile hinted that he knew the reason behind his defeat because a friend of him had tipped him about it before the results were announced. "The party's maneuver is very subtle, but everyone has friends in the party, and they will tell you the actual situation," he said. However, the long-serving Kepong MP refused to disclose the "reasons", only saying that he was not "neglected" by party delegates as claimed by certain quarter. "I know the reason, it has nothing to do with being neglected. But it isn't convenient for me to tell you, otherwise I am not a good party member," he said. Johor DAP vice chairman Ahmad Ton, who became a CEC member through popular votes three years ago, also did not make it this time with only 347 votes. Ahmad said the health problems he faced might be the reason why the delegates did not give him a major support. However, he also cautioned that party members have failed to elect any of the Malay candidates into the CEC, saying that such trend would not be good for the DAP in the long run. "If I were to assess the result this time, all the Malay CEC members were appointed and not elected. But this is really up to the new generation of DAP. "What is DAP? What is Malaysian Malaysia? If they are still holding the dream of one Malaysia race, such trend is not good for the future," he said.

The Challenge of Muslim Youth Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:32 AM PST   In an age of self-determination, they crave freedom of opportunity. They aspire to world-class education. And they demand open and accountable government. Our challenge is to deliver those freedoms without sacrificing our traditions. But this is only possible if we show leadership and commit to reform.  Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, The New York Times Profound change is underway in the Middle East and North Africa. It is too early to be definitive about causes, but I believe there is a common thread: young people in Islamic societies face an opportunity deficit. The Arab awakening was driven by youth, organized by technology, and fired by a hunger for political change. In seeking more open societies and more responsive governments, young Arabs demonstrated a yearning for democracy. But they also expressed a deep sense of loss — not just of personal or political freedom, but of opportunity. This unrest was the result of a basic misallocation of resources. Not natural resources, or capital, but people. The underrepresentation of youth in the economy created conditions in which tensions could grow — tensions that were fanned by a lack of political reform. Politically and economically disenfranchised, young people found an outlet in protest. These pressures are not unique to Arab countries; they are felt throughout the world. Many young Muslims see no opportunities for themselves and do not feel they have control over their lives or a stake in their nation's future. Such pessimism leads to disengagement. We risk losing a generation of young Muslims to apathy and extremism. As a leader of a majority-Muslim nation, I believe Islamic countries must better understand what young people aspire to. This means comprehending two great changes affecting their lives. The first is demographic: The Muslim world is experiencing a "youth bulge." In 2010, people under 30 comprised about 60 percent of the population in Muslim-majority countries. A younger population means a bigger labor force. Higher investment and capital is needed to utilize this spare capacity. A big demographic change can warp fiscal policy for decades, as "baby boomer" countries are discovering. In social terms, the short-term impact can be even greater. A youth bulge introduces latent energy into a nation's economy and society. Left untapped, it can become a destabilizing force. In 2010, youth unemployment in the Middle East was 25 percent; in North Africa, 24 percent. Such levels are toxic. When young people lack opportunity, they grow restless. Dependency robs them of their dignity; without an economic stake in society, they can lose their sense of belonging. That can spill over into hostility to the state. From 1970 to 2000, eight out of 10 countries experiencing new civil conflict had populations in which 60 percent were under 30. The second great change is technological. Twenty-one years ago, there were no Web sites; today, there are more than half a billion. In the space of one lifetime, the Internet has opened up opportunities that were previously inconceivable. The age of information has its own generation, the digital natives — those who have only ever known a connected world. They expect information to be free, democracy to be responsive, communication to be global. They want an active role in the digital economy. Empowered by technology, young people can articulate their frustrations to a global audience. This has a profound implication: the emergence of a new, international political consciousness. These two forces — demography and technology — shape young people's aspirations. In an age of self-determination, they crave freedom of opportunity. They aspire to world-class education. And they demand open and accountable government. Our challenge is to deliver those freedoms without sacrificing our traditions. But this is only possible if we show leadership and commit to reform. Access to education is improving, but many young people still find that their qualifications do not match the opportunities available, so we must focus on vocational and technical training. We should also continue to open our economies: 23 percent of the world's people are Muslim, but the 57 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation conduct just 8.3 percent of global trade. Structural reforms must be pursued so that our private sectors become more dynamic. We must reform public services and confront institutions that stifle opportunity, remaining ever vigilant against corruption. We must also respond to technological change. Our starting point must be recognition of the fundamental principle of the Internet — its autonomy. It should stay that way. This does not mean unregulated behavior, but independence. We should equip our youth with the skills to think critically about sources, to understand that just because information is free does not mean it is accurate. But the online space should remain one in which the free exchange of views is encouraged, in the best traditions of discourse. As a Muslim nation, Malaysia faces many of these challenges. I believe we should see our youth not as a liability, but as an asset. They are an untapped resource that can lay the foundations for great success. Economic and political reform can give young people what they aspire to: a future defined by opportunity, not dependency. It is time to realize the hidden wealth of Muslim nations. Najib Razak is prime minister of Malaysia.

Karpal: PAS an important, principled ally Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:26 AM PST   (fz.com) - "We too must change with the times or the times will change us," he said. "In politics there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends but there must be permanent principles."  DAP's 16th national congress opened in Penang today to fire and brimstone speeches by its top leadership in a move to rally members and supporters ahead of the country's 13th general election. In their speeches, chairman Karpal Singh and secretary-general Lim Guan Eng hailed the party's triumphs, established its stand on contentious national issues and repeated its call for a change in government.   Karpal reminded the 2,500-strong audience at the Penang National Sports Arena that the next general election could be Pakatan Rakyat's only opportunity of replacing the "enemy" that is Barisan Nasional at the national level.   "I have no doubt that Pakatan can achieve this objective especially with Penang setting the example of being an effective government under the leadership of the Penang chief minister, Lim Guan Eng," he stated.   The Bukit Gelugor MP also sought to solidify DAP's relationship with its two Pakatan allies by describing PAS as a "solid principal partner" and voicing support for PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as prime minister should the opposition coalition take over Putrajaya.   The latter statement follows recent calls by PAS for the premiership to be held by its president, Abdul Hadi Awang, if Pakatan forms the next federal government.   Karpal has been seen as the strongest critic from the DAP of Islamic measures associated with PAS that may affect non-Muslims, especially in PAS-led Kelantan. Today, however, he openly declared PAS an "important ally".   "We may have our differences with PAS but it is a solid, principled party and an important ally," he said to cheers from the crowd.   Present at the congress was PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar.    Karpal acknowledged that DAP had not foreseen a working relationship with PAS in the past but that the Islamic party had proven to be an important component in the opposition alliance.    "We too must change with the times or the times will change us," he said. "In politics there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends but there must be permanent principles."   Lim, in his speech, underlined DAP's loyalty and contribution to the opposition coalition and requested that this loyalty be recognised through additional seat allocations in the next general election.   "We would like three extra parliamentary seats and 10 extra states seats in Peninsular Malaysia," he said. "East Malaysia will handle the seat negotiations on their own."   DAP contested 47 parliamentary and 102 state seats in last election, and won 28 and 71 seats respectively.   Lim also spoke up in defense of PAS over two recent controversies plaguing the party - the summonses on non-Muslims for indecent behaviour and plans for gender segregation in hair salons. Both issues are centered in the PAS-ruled state of Kelantan.   "MCA is trying to paint PAS as a party that is imposing Islamic laws on non-Muslims like khalwat which we know isn't true at all," Lim stated.   An English daily had reported that Kelantan enforcement officers had fined four non-Muslims for khalwat, an offence under syariah law.   PAS however clarified that the summonses were for indecent behaviour, which is an offence under local council laws.   Read more at: http://fz.com/content/karpal-pas-important-principled-ally

Anwar touts DAP for Penang ahead of polls Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:23 AM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - "They say Anwar has become a Chinese tool. What is the problem?  Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pitched for a continued DAP leadership of Penang ahead of the next election despite uneasiness among the state's Malays, declaring last night he rather be DAP's "Chinese tool" rather than work with the MCA. His appeal for support from the state's Malays at a mass rally on the mainland comes on the back of Barisan Nasional's (BN) renewed confidence of winning 17 state seats and having an equal chance in five other seats in the 40-seat assembly. BN's Umno now holds 11 seats while the rest are held by Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "They say Anwar has become a Chinese tool. What is the problem? "It is better that I am good with Lim, far better than I go with Chua, but if you all want to choose him, go ahead. I would rather choose the Chinese leaders in PKR and DAP," Anwar told the crowd, referring to his ally Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. Dr Chua and his party have been critical of DAP, using his party's The Star newspaper to slam the DAP secretary-general for bulldozing development projects and failing to protect Chinese interests by pandering to PAS's Islamic state plans. But other BN-controlled media are also painting DAP as anti-Islam and anti-Malay in the key manufacturing-and-tourism state. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/anwar-touts-dap-for-penang-ahead-of-polls/

Whither our prospects for fully developed status? Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:21 AM PST   (The Star) - It is easier to take the slum-dweller out of the slum than to take the slum out of the slum-dweller.  SOME people routinely unload their rubbish into rivers. Even more people unthinkingly dump rubbish into drains, which then empty into rivers. Thus proper drainage is skewed, restricted or simply obstructed. Floods occur or become exacerbated as foul, rotting refuse in various forms clog our waterways. According to the Drainage and Irrigation Department, a main cause of clogged drains and rivers is discarded rubbish from the public. For this year alone, RM828mil is being spent on flood mitigation projects. This is a worrisome financial issue, but also much worse than that. It is an unacceptable anti-social habit for a nation aspiring to "fully developed" status. The indiscriminate dumping of rubbish into drains and rivers is also a problem of fetid water flow and a putrefying environment. It is aesthetically disgusting, indicative of a society with low living standards. It is also a health problem for entire neighbourhoods. Stagnant water breeds mosquitoes while filthy surroundings promote harmful bacterial growth. Not least, this most undistinguished social habit can also be a safety hazard. If planned water flow is blocked, water will find alternative routes, causing seepage, soil erosion or secondary flooding that compromises the structural integrity of certain sites. It is at root a question of our developmental mentality as a nation. Are Malaysians developed, undeveloped, or not even ready to contemplate fully developed status? Some economists presume development to be defined by rising GDP levels. Yet others imagine that development is about having tall buildings in the city, or the traffic congestion and pollution which come with that. However, it is sound environmental care at all levels of society that is a hallmark of a developed nation. Where development is largely about maintaining high standards in public hygiene and environmental awareness, we are still nowhere near it. Some put it more bluntly: it is easier to take the slum-dweller out of the slum than to take the slum out of the slum-dweller. Putting up with heaps of rubbish in our midst is slumming it inexcusably. Countries that overcame similar problems passed tough laws and strictly enforced them with heavy fines to make offending individuals change their habit. We seem to have neither the will to do that nor any clue about alternatives that work. When can we really get serious about development?

Najib’s 20,000 affordable houses – Is it for real? Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:15 AM PST   I genuinely pity Najib, none of his advisors including Teng Chang Yeow had any clue on the Penang housing problem. Promising to build "not less than 20,000 units of affordable housing...in Penang," (1) without knowing the fact that the same very BN had earlier made a promise under the four Malaysia Plans spanning from 1976 to 1991 to build 39,279 houses, but only managed to deliver 5,484. And it is even more clownish as this big "Promise" comes under the "Promises Fulfilled" banner. Choo Sing Chye Jestering about the return of the free port status in exchange for a Barisan Nasional's victory in Penang had made its chief Teng Chang Yeow an undisputed local political clown. I thought this title would be permanently etched in the minds of the people in Penang, but Najib had to butt in and go national.   I genuinely pity Najib, none of his advisors including Teng Chang Yeow had any clue on the Penang housing problem. Promising to build "not less than 20,000 units of affordable housing…in Penang," (1) without knowing the fact that the same very BN had earlier made a promise under the four Malaysia Plans spanning from 1976 to 1991 to build 39,279 houses, but only managed to deliver 5,484. And it is even more clownish as this big "Promise" comes under the "Promises Fulfilled" banner.                      Malaysia Plan   Targets Actual Units Built 3rd Malaysian Plan 1976-1980 4,279 units 2,422 units 4th Malaysian Plan 1981-1985 21,000 units 2,654 units 5th Malaysian Plan 1986-1990 14,000 units 140 units 6th Malaysian Plan 1991- to June 1995 No Targets 268 units Total 39,279 units 5,484 units Najib, buoyed by his BN advisors' flawed perception, shoots out his mouth with a huge dose of pomposity, "it is now open for registration online and these housing units will be priced below the market price so if the market price is RM500,000, it will be sold at RM300,000" (2). Najib's advisors should not be in the dark  and put their boss in an humiliating position. These highly paid advisors should just leaf through the past records of the BN government, they would immediately know that the state government had another 3-year Special Low-Cost Housing Privatisation Programme of its own to build 41,080 low-cost housing units.   This Programme was launched in 1986 and it was to be completed in 1989. And in it, there were about 40,635 eligible applicants registered with the State Housing Department.    Furthermore, this programme was backed by a RM1.4 billion Special Low-Cost Housing Federal Fund set up by the Federal Government for the purpose of building low-cost homes from which the State Government could apply.  Apparently BN being an incompetent government as it always shown to be, it managed to build only 2,926 units(7 percent) out of the targeted 41,080, thus missing the golden opportunity to provide 41,080 Low-Cost houses  for the poor. And shamefully, the 2,926 units were built over a period of 8 years and not 3 years as  targeted. Now, the BN clowns have gone on a breast-beating show around Penang but they cannot hide the fact that they have lost the only once in a lifetime  opportunity to help the poor.  Read more at: http://singchyeblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/najibs-20000-affordable-houses-is-it.html

Wan Ismail: Pas perlu keluar PR jika mahu laksana hudud Posted: 15 Dec 2012 12:48 AM PST (Sinar Harian) - Pas perlu keluar daripada pakatan pembangkang jika mereka benar-benar mahu melaksanakan hukum hudud di negara ini, kata bekas Setiausaha Dewan Ulama Pas Kelantan Wan Ismail Wan Ahmad. Beliau berkata, kepimpinan Pas perlu mengambil langkah tegas untuk keluar daripada pakatan pembangkang sebagai menterjemah dasar parti untuk melaksana undang-undang Islam jika diberi kepercayaan mentadbir negara.     "Kalau betul-betul nak buat negara Islam jangan bersekongkol dengan bukan Islam," katanya kepada Bernama di sini hari ini.     Wan Ismail berkata sehingga kini tiada sebarang usaha dijalankan Pas untuk menegakkan undang-undang Islam itu, sebaliknya sering mencanangkan perkara itu apabila menjelang pilihan raya umum untuk meraih sokongan pengundi.     Akhbar hari ini melaporkan Penasihat DAP Lim Kit Siang menegaskan asas parti itu mendekati dan bekerjasama dengan Pas dalam pakatan pembangkang bukan kerana negara Islam atau hudud, tetapi atas prinsip menggalakkan demokrasi, pluralisme, kepelbagaian budaya, hak asasi manusia, hak-hak wanita dan pembangunan negara.     Pengerusi Kebangsaan DAP Karpal Singh pula menegaskan beliau konsisten menolak isu hudud dan penubuhan negara Islam kerana mahu menjaga kepentingan parti, prinsip dan akar umbi parti.

All eight DAP Malay leaders lose badly in CEC polls Posted: 15 Dec 2012 12:37 AM PST (Bernama) - All eight Malay DAP leaders who contested for central executive committee (CEC) posts lost badly at 16th DAP Congress here. The results show that the party, dominated by the Chinese, does not make room for Malay candidates including Zairil Khir Johari (picture) who served as political secretary to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. Zairil only received 305 votes while his boss, Lim garnered 1,576 votes. A total of 1,823 delegates voted to choose 20 DAP leaders for the 2012-2015 term. The other Malay candidates who lost were Penang DAP committee member Zulkifli Mohd Noor (216 votes), Senator Ariffin SM Omar (748), Johor DAP vice-chairman Ahmad Ton (347 votes), Pahang DAP deputy chairman Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (121), Desa Manjung DAP branch chairman Solaiman Op Syed Ibrahim (98), Roseli Abdul Ghani (39) and Harun Ahmad (28). Zulkifli Mohd Noor, one of the DAP Malay candidates said he fought for 25 years for the Malays to be elected as CEC members but failed. "When we say 'Malaysian Malaysia,' we must represent all religions, all races...balance. The message I conveyed did not reached the grassroots. They are still choosing leaders based on race," he told Bernama. He said that the election was also not based on ability and experience of the candidates in fighting for the party. "There is no change. The results is a setback for Malay candidates. Perhaps the top leaders who contested want to take care of their own interests, not the party's interests."

Father and son team sweep DAP polls Posted: 15 Dec 2012 12:31 AM PST None of the Malay candidates who contested made it to the central executive committee. Leven Woon, FMT The father and son team of Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng topped the DAP central executive committee (CEC) elections at the DAP 16th Congress held here today. The elder Lim, who is also party adviser topped the list  followed by the Penang chief minister and party secretary general Lim Guan Eng. DAP chairman Karpal Singh came in third. A total 1,823 delegates voted in the elections to pick 20 CEC members. These members would among themselves decide who would hold the party's top positions tomorrow. The elder Lim obtained 1,607 votes, followed by (Lim) Guan Eng who garnered 1,576 votes while Karpal obtained 1,411 votes. Some others delegates who formed 20-member line up include Chong Chieng Jen, Loke Siew Fook, Tan Kok Wai, Tony Pua, Fong Kui Lun, Nga Kor Ming, Chong Eng, Chow Kon Yew, M. Kulasegaran, Teresa Kok, Ngeh Koo Ham, Teng Chang Kim and Boo Cheng Hau. It must also be noted that none of the Malay candidates who contested made it to the CEC. The biggest casualties of the polls appear to be veteran DAP leader and Kepong member of parliament Tan Seng Giaw. Penang deputy chief minister and Batu Kawan member of parliament P Ramasamy also failed to make the cut. Apart from Karpal and his son Gobind Singh Deo,  Ipoh Barat member of parliament M Kulasegaran were the only Indian representatives in the 20-member CEC. The new CEC members will meet tomorrow to elect among themselves the office bearers, as well as to appoint 10 other members to sit in the committee. Those elected are: 1.  Lim Kit Siang (1,607 votes) 2.  Lim Guan Eng (1,576) 3.  Karpal Singh (1,411) 4.  Chong Chieng Jen (1,211) 5.  Loke Siew Fook (1,202) 6.  Vincent Vu (1,202) [new] 7.  Tan Kok Wai (1,199) 8.  Gobind Singh Deo (1,197) 9.  Tony Pua (1,162) 10. Teng Chang Khim (1,152) 11. Fong Kui Lun (1,137) 12. Nga Kor Ming (1,075) 13. Chong Eng (1,006) 14. Chow Kon Yeow (986) 15. Liew Chin Tong (984) [new] 16. M Kulasegaran (984) 17. Boo Cheng Hau (958) 18. Teresa Kok (925) 19. Teo Nie Ching (903) [new] 20. Ngeh Koo Ham (824) Five candidates dropped out of the DAP central executive committee contest earlier today. They are Choong Siew Onn, Er Teck Hwa, Jaya Balan Valliappan, Teo Kok Seong and Violet Yong Wui Wui. READ MORE HERE

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