Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Can PI Bala deliver anything for Pakatan?
- Pakatan generals and sweaty palms
- Suaris Interview: Future of Malays #5
- Coping with inevitable Evil created by Government
- The war for military votes
- Is Pakatan Really Ready To Rule?
| Can PI Bala deliver anything for Pakatan? Posted: 27 Feb 2013 02:43 PM PST
I do not know what has been promised to Bala to ensure that his personal safety will be guaranteed. I do not know and I do not care because we will never know the whole truth – not even if Pakatan Rakyat is to win this coming general election. What we do know is that with the coming back of Bala to Malaysia, another nail has been hammered into Najib Tun Razak's coffin. Another nail into Umno and Barisan Nasional's coffins, too. Whether enough nails have been hammered into these coffins will not be known until after the general election – but be warned, the stakes are getting higher by the day. We know that in Malaysian politics it is a "winner takes all" situation. Everybody in the opposition and all of us who support Pakatan Rakyat – including Bala – understand what that means. And more critical so do Umno and Barisan Nasional. "Tiada maaf" for those on the losing side. So take sides if you must. All the "berani mati" foot soldiers must now take their position at the front of the army for Pakatan or BN, and be prepared to face whatever comes their way. Damaged goods For Bala, I know this: he has considered all options, financially and on a personal level. Like many others, he knows that he has to make a stand if he is to have any advantage over the result of the 13th general election. So far, we have seen that Deepak Jaikishan and Bala may have well tipped the scale against Najib on a personal level, but to what advantage to Pakatan? - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/02/28/can-pi-bala-deliver-anything-for-pakatan/#sthash.KxDjc7td.dpuf
I do not know what has been promised to Bala to ensure that his personal safety will be guaranteed. I do not know and I do not care because we will never know the whole truth – not even if Pakatan Rakyat is to win this coming general election. What we do know is that with the coming back of Bala to Malaysia, another nail has been hammered into Najib Tun Razak's coffin. Another nail into Umno and Barisan Nasional's coffins, too. Whether enough nails have been hammered into these coffins will not be known until after the general election – but be warned, the stakes are getting higher by the day. We know that in Malaysian politics it is a "winner takes all" situation. Everybody in the opposition and all of us who support Pakatan Rakyat – including Bala – understand what that means. And more critical so do Umno and Barisan Nasional. "Tiada maaf" for those on the losing side. So take sides if you must. All the "berani mati" foot soldiers must now take their position at the front of the army for Pakatan or BN, and be prepared to face whatever comes their way. Damaged goods For Bala, I know this: he has considered all options, financially and on a personal level. Like many others, he knows that he has to make a stand if he is to have any advantage over the result of the 13th general election. So far, we have seen that Deepak Jaikishan and Bala may have well tipped the scale against Najib on a personal level, but to what advantage to Pakatan? - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/02/28/can-pi-bala-deliver-anything-for-pakatan/#sthash.KxDjc7td.dpuf
I do not know what has been promised to Bala to ensure that his personal safety will be guaranteed. I do not know and I do not care because we will never know the whole truth – not even if Pakatan Rakyat is to win this coming general election. What we do know is that with the coming back of Bala to Malaysia, another nail has been hammered into Najib Tun Razak's coffin. Another nail into Umno and Barisan Nasional's coffins, too. Whether enough nails have been hammered into these coffins will not be known until after the general election – but be warned, the stakes are getting higher by the day. We know that in Malaysian politics it is a "winner takes all" situation. Everybody in the opposition and all of us who support Pakatan Rakyat – including Bala – understand what that means. And more critical so do Umno and Barisan Nasional. "Tiada maaf" for those on the losing side. So take sides if you must. All the "berani mati" foot soldiers must now take their position at the front of the army for Pakatan or BN, and be prepared to face whatever comes their way. Damaged goods For Bala, I know this: he has considered all options, financially and on a personal level. Like many others, he knows that he has to make a stand if he is to have any advantage over the result of the 13th general election. So far, we have seen that Deepak Jaikishan and Bala may have well tipped the scale against Najib on a personal level, but to what advantage to Pakatan? - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/02/28/can-pi-bala-deliver-anything-for-pakatan/#sthash.KxDjc7td.dpuf
So far, we have seen that Deepak and Bala may have well tipped the scale against Najib on a personal level, but to what advantage to Pakatan Rakyat? CT Ali, FMT Finally, somehow, private investigator P Balasubramaniam is back in Kuala Lumpur. I do not know how much money (if any) has been paid into what account to "persuade" PI Bala that he should become the White Knight coming to rescue the people, this nation from the plundering and pillaging of the Barisan Nasional government. I do not know what has been promised to Bala to ensure that his personal safety will be guaranteed. I do not know and I do not care because we will never know the whole truth – not even if Pakatan Rakyat is to win this coming general election. What we do know is that with the coming back of Bala to Malaysia, another nail has been hammered into Najib Tun Razak's coffin. Another nail into Umno and Barisan Nasional's coffins, too. Whether enough nails have been hammered into these coffins will not be known until after the general election – but be warned, the stakes are getting higher by the day. We know that in Malaysian politics it is a "winner takes all" situation. Everybody in the opposition and all of us who support Pakatan Rakyat – including Bala – understand what that means. And more critical so do Umno and Barisan Nasional. "Tiada maaf" for those on the losing side. So take sides if you must. All the "berani mati" foot soldiers must now take their position at the front of the army for Pakatan or BN, and be prepared to face whatever comes their way. Damaged goods For Bala, I know this: he has considered all options, financially and on a personal level. Like many others, he knows that he has to make a stand if he is to have any advantage over the result of the 13th general election. So far, we have seen that Deepak Jaikishan and Bala may have well tipped the scale against Najib on a personal level, but to what advantage to Pakatan?
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| Pakatan generals and sweaty palms Posted: 27 Feb 2013 01:05 PM PST
A rumour has surfaced that the opposition's top brass will ditch their sure-win seats to tackle more hostile constituencies in the quest to capture Putrajaya. RK Anand, FMT Pak Cik Kassim stared at his palms. The blisters and scars were testimonies to his hardship. But it was the sweat that worried him. Toiling in the farm was back-breaking labour and the returns never justified the effort. But he was grateful that Allah had given him the strength to earn an honest living. When confronted with trials and tribulations, he found solace in his faith. He had never given much thought about politics until now. In the past, whenever there was an election, he would cast his ballot for the Barisan Nasional candidate and return to work. He had heard strange rumours about this Datuk Seri and his wife but never paid much attention to such slander. To do so was a sin. But when he read the newspaper this morning, it shook him to the core, caused his palms to sweat and his fingers to tremble. He was in a dilemma, and his decision could affect both his life here on earth and his afterlife. At this point of time, it was difficult to be a Muslim in Pekan. To his horror, the newspaper had revealed that Tok Guru Nik Aziz would be contesting against Najib Tun Razak and that nagging voice in his head kept reminding him of the venerated Islamic leader's warning that those who voted for Umno would land in hell. He felt that it was wrong to brand Muslims who do not subscribe to a particular view as infidels but since he was not well-versed in the religion like Nik Aziz, he could be wrong. And that notion frightened him. Pak Cik Kassim did not want to go to hell. He was afraid of fire. Imagine if the PAS spiritual leader decided to challenge the caretaker prime minister in the latter's traditional stronghold in the coming general election. With all the skeletons said to be dangling between Najib and his wife, it would be interesting to witness Nik Aziz rummaging through their closets and pulling out bone after bone during the campaign period. And like Pak Cik Kassim, Najib's well-groomed palms would be perspiring as well. Perhaps a tad little more than the farmer's. Moving into hostile seats During times of war, generals hole up in shelters to churn out strategies and devise ridiculous code-names for the various operations to which troops would be dispatched for a rendezvous with death. As for the coming mother of all electoral battles, should she ever come, a different stratagem might be used. It was one that would place the generals in the line of fire instead. A rumour had surfaced that the top brass in the opposition bloc could step out of their respective comfort zones and move to hostile seats in their assault on the administrative capital while leaving the safe seats to the second or third echelons. Take Permatang Pauh. It was the fortress of Anwar Ibrahim and even if his neighbour's cat was nominated as the candidate, the BN hopeful would face an uphill battle in convincing the voters that he was a better choice. But that was until the last general election, when Penang was still under the rule of BN. Some observers now claim that the Malays were disenchanted with the DAP state leadership and this might affect the opposition leader's support. But to most, he was still the undisputed champion. Therefore, instead of retaining his title in the Permatang Pauh ring once again, Anwar could put on his boxing gloves for a punch-up elsewhere. Perhaps he could travel south to Lembah Pantai to knock out heavyweight and federal minister Raja Nong Chik. The latter was considered a serious contender for the seat held by Anwar's daughter, Nurul Izzah. For symbolic reasons, one observer suggested Kubang Pasu, the former seat of his arch nemesis Dr Mahathir Mohamad. If Anwar was victorious there, it would be a bitter pill for the doctor to swallow. With her charm and intellect, Nurul had managed to step out of her father's shadow to become a brand name in her own right. The princess of Reformasi was now a queen in the hearts of all races. Among others, she could be pitted against Umno's Oxford edition Khairy Jamaluddin, who was rumoured to be moving from Rembau to Kepala Batas, the seat which belonged to his father-in-law. Hadi versus Muhyiddin? To be fair to Najib, the opposition must ensure that Muhyiddin Yassin and the Muslim voters in Pagoh suffer from sweat-stained palms and premonitions of hell as well. This could come in the form of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang. PAS number two Mohamad Sabu and the Mandarin-speaking Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin could train their guns on the likes of Hishammuddin Hussein and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi instead. Meanwhile, the father and son team in DAP as well as Teresa Kok and other senior leaders could embark on a mission to assassinate the political careers of MCA bigwigs, including that of Chua Tee Yong. Karpal Singh, on the other hand, could be sent to Segamat to put Dr S Subramaniam in a rocketship to the moon. Whereas DAP's Professor P Ramasamy could drive up Cameron Highlands to ensure that the MIC president, who was expected to contest there, came tumbling down the hill. Fearful of such a prospect, the rumour mills claim that G Palanivel had struck a deal with the opposition to safeguard his position. - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/02/28/pakatan-generals-to-the-frontline/#sthash.ORTrk8Wq.dpuf
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| Suaris Interview: Future of Malays #5 Posted: 27 Feb 2013 12:37 PM PST
We are obsessed with hudud and hijab while drug abuse and abandoned babies are rampant in our community. Why should we emphasize hudud and not zakat? We should be mandating zakat on every Muslim including the sultans. It is one of the five pillars of our faith; hudud is not. M. Bakri Musa Suaris Interview: The Future of Malays #5: It appears that you are cynical towards things labeled "Islam." Many feel that you do not subscribe to conservative Islam as practiced by the vast majority of Muslims rather the basic teachings of our faith. What is your comment? [The original was posted on suaris.wordpress.com on Feb 13, 2013.] MBM: I am a Muslim, by birth and through practice. I believe in God and Muhammad, s.a.w, as His Last Messenger, as well as the five pillars of our faith. That of course is the belief of all Muslims. What is the essence of the teachings of our Holy Koran and Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w.? Command good and forbid evil! That is repeated many times in our Koran and hadith. That too is agreed upon by all Muslims. That is the "golden rule" of our faith. I am less interested in labels, those can be easily printed. Content is something else. If a state does not subscribe to the creed of doing good and forbidding evil, then I do not consider it to be Islamic regardless of the label. It is easy to carve the names "Allah" and "Muhammad" on arches and buildings; likewise for leaders to don overflowing robes and huge turbans. The question is whether corruption, bribery, and abuse of power are deemed "avoidance of evil." Likewise, if leaders ignore the sufferings and deprivations of their citizens, could that be considered "doing good?" When I make judgment on whether a state is Islamic, those are the crucial factors, not how often the leaders have been to Mecca or how exquisite their recitation of the Koran. A Singaporean once asserted that his country is more Islamic than neighboring Indonesia. In Singapore there is no corruption or abuse of power by its leaders. Citizens too are well taken care of and not poverty stricken. Poverty invites impiety, goes an ancient wisdom, and impiety in turn leads to infidelity to our faith. Visit nearby Riau and the wisdom of that observation would be readily self evident. The abject poverty there assaults your sensibilities. We cannot blame those poor Indonesians. The Chinese too were like that when they were plagued with poverty in their not-too-distant past. Based on the foundation of our faith – command good and forbid evil – it is hard to dispute the view of the Singaporean. I do not quite understand the meaning of conservative versus liberal as applied to Islam. While I understand the meaning of those two words in their original English, in Malay those terms have acquired diametrically opposite meanings. That is why I refrain from using either. It would be more meaningful if I were to give an example of an Islamic society and leader I hold in high regards and compare both with another I would be very hesitant in emulating. It is not my place to say which one is more Islamic and would enter Paradise. Only Allah knows that, and He is not telling me or anyone else. There are fewer than 15 million Ismailis in the world, about the same number as Malays in Malaysia. Those Ismailis do not even have a country of their own, but their power, influence and contributions to the world generally and Muslim community specifically far exceed their number. Ismailis emphasize the giving of zakat (tithe), and with that money they build schools and universities, as well as invest in companies that among other things manufacture pharmaceuticals. The Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan was built only in 1985 but it is already a well known center. The Ismailis could not care less whether their women don their hijab; they are more concerned that their women be trained as doctors, teachers and engineers so they could contribute to society, to be makhlok soleh (exemplary beings). Compare them to the Talibans in Afghanistan. Taliban means students, but those students are busy burning schools and splashing acids on young girls wanting to go to school. Taliban youths are busy leaning how to use C4 explosives and high-powered AK47 rifles; young Ismailis are busy solving problems in science and calculus. A society reflects its leaders. The leader of the Ismailis is the Aga Khan. Yes, he is wealthy, raises thoroughbreds, and his father was once married to Rita Hayward, the famed American actress. The current Aga Khan however, graduated from Harvard; he leveraged his networking with American intellectuals to entice them to teach at the universities he built in Asia. The leader held in high regards by the Taliban was Osama. He too was wealthy and qualified as an engineer from a Saudi university, but he expended his wealth and skills to destroy buildings and kill people. Who better "command good and forbid evil," Aga Khan or Osama? I let readers determine whether Malay society today is closer to the Ismailis or the Taliban. Again, I leave it to readers to decide whether the Ismailis or Taliban we should emulate. We are obsessed with hudud and hijab while drug abuse and abandoned babies are rampant in our community. Why should we emphasize hudud and not zakat? We should be mandating zakat on every Muslim including the sultans. It is one of the five pillars of our faith; hudud is not. If everyone (save the poor) pay their zakat (2.5 percent of their assets), and then we employ the smartest economists and investment bankers to manage those funds, there would be no end to the good those would bring. That is exactly what the Ismailis are doing, building schools and hospitals with their zakat. What are the benefits of the Taliban's zakat? If we emphasize hudud, many would end up with their hands chopped off. Who will feed them and their families? We best demonstrate our Islamic values by not tolerating the corrupt and incompetent, as well as those who have abused our trust in them. Our Koran commands thus. Yes, we have to accept Islam in its totality; we do not have the privilege of picking and choosing only those parts that please us. The crucial question is why should we emphasize hijab and the chopping of hands but tolerate rotten education and gross corruption? What should be our priority? That reflects our values. Consider education. Hamka once said that God gave us two Korans; one, the Koran we are all familiar with; two, the universe outside and within us. For the first, Allah had given us a prophet in the person of Muhammad, s.a.w., to guide us in studying it. For the second, God had blessed us with an intellect so we could reason and distinguish between good from evil, truth from falsehood. We have an obligation to study both Korans. Scientists elucidating the secrets of the polio virus could be viewed as studying this second Koran. The result was the discovery of a vaccine that had spared millions from the devastating disease. That is "doing good." The Taliban however, view the vaccine as a poison perpetrated by the infidels. Consequently polio still afflicts many in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Again based on the golden rule of our faith, is that "doing good?" In the early centuries of our faith, our ulama did not differentiate between worldly and religious knowledge. Both ultimately originate from God. Those ancient ulama were also proficient scientists, competent physicians, and skilled mathematicians. They were as diligent in studying this second Koran as the first. Today's ulama however, totally ignore this second Koran. To them it is not worthy of study. The ummah takes their cue from the ulama; consequently, Muslims have not contributed our share for the betterment of mankind. We should be concerned with such critical issues as how to educate our young so they could make their rightful contributions to society. Do good in this world and God will look kindly upon you on the Day of Judgment. He is after all Most Just! Consider this ahadith (approximately translated): A prostitute was admitted into heaven because she once saved a dog dying of thirst by giving it water. Do you think such women wear hijabs? Another ahadith has it that a man was admitted to Heaven because he once removed a thorn from a road. If that deed was worthy of admission to Paradise, imagine the rewards for someone who actually built the road, meaning, the engineers! Again, we best demonstrate our Islamic values by building safe roads and bridges. There is no point carving "Allah" and verses of the Holy Koran on such structures if our architects and engineers are incompetent, and the roofs they designed and build would collapse in the first storm and injure many, or if their bridges have more water flowing above than below! A few years ago there was a public debate between Datuk Asri Zainal Abidin and Astora Jabat on tajdid (reform in Islam). I admire both individuals; they are among the most thoughtful. However, in that three-hour debate, they argued on the minutiae of hudud, on whether a woman's hair is considered aurat and thus must be covered. Only towards the end did a brave soul ask why we should be bothered with hijab when our nation is crippled with rampant corruption. His query was never addressed. We must reform Islam so we could address pressing social problems that now blight our society. Don't be obsessed with hijab. The typical religious discourse on radio and television or at our mosques and universities is unidirectional, from speaker to listeners. The bulk of the time would be consumed with excessive salutations and endless quotations of Koran and hadith. When both are cited, discussions would have effectively been shut down. The Koran and hadith should be the beginning, not the ending of a discussion. Consider the ahadith that says the community would be divided into 73 sects, only one of which is true and genuine. The remainder 72 would presumably be headed for Hell. How we interpret that hadith has consequences. If every ulama feels that his is the only true sect, then he would have a messianic zeal to correct the rest, with the rationale of helping them enter Heaven! That's what motivates those Taliban to splash acid on schoolgirls. Statistically speaking, you have only one chance in 73 to be correct, less than 1.5 percent! That probability should humble and motivate us to learn from the others in the hope that one of them is the one true faith! I am blessed to live in America with its freedom. I can read Shia and Ahmaddiyah literature without being harassed by religious officials. There are none in America! In Malaysia, I would be jailed without trial, treated just like the communists of yore. Would such a stand conducive to peace and understanding or breed suspicion and enmity among Muslims? Like Astora Jabat, I do not subscribe to any figh (sect). I do not as yet know which of the 73 sects is genuine. What I do know is that piety, justness and wisdom are not restricted to any community. I can still learn from the Shias, Ismailis, Salafis and Wahabis, among others, on the truth and beauty of our faith. On the Day of Judgment, we would be held accountable for our deeds on this earth. We could not give the excuse that we were merely following the teachings of this ulama or that. Our faith is blessed not to have a defined clergy class. We have to think for ourselves. We decide whether to follow the ulama who command us to hate non-Muslims and consider those Muslims whose politics we disagree with as infidels. Back to the beginning, my understanding of Islam is simple and straightforward: Command good and forbid evil. The rest are but examples and illustrations. Cont'd: Suaris Interview The Future of Malays #6: Continuing on, what is your view on PAS and its leaders? Will their policies and activities usher Malays forward?
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| Coping with inevitable Evil created by Government Posted: 27 Feb 2013 12:23 PM PST
Joe Fernandez The Government continues to take solace in the fact that the vast majority of the people in the kampungs remain blissfully unaware and apparently continues to root for it under the tainted electoral system. Government borrowings, if used prudently as in the case of Singapore, is the key to the health of the financial system and the economy when coupled with foreign direct investment. Government borrowings by themselves, no matter how much, poses little systemic risk if most of it is sourced domestically as in the case of the US, the Government has the ability to repay and it (borrowings) is for prudent purposes. Otherwise, it will spook the economy no end. Foreign lenders and share market investors can cause a run on the currency as in 1997 during the Asian Financial Currency Crisis when Malaysia suffered, so we are told, from the contagion effect. Unfortunately, in Malaysia's case, we are headed for bankruptcy as an inevitability if the Barisan Nasional (BN) continues to remain in power for much longer. Ironically, the BN is saying that the Opposition will bankrupt the economy if it comes to power, indeed a belated acknowledgement of the fact that we have already reached the point of no return on the issue. There's no way that the Opposition, on its own, can bankrupt the economy in five years. The private sector is biting their nails and foreign investors are getting more jittery by the day. Things, they have decided, will get a whole lot worse before they become any better, if at all. They are tightening their purse strings and some like Tony Fernandes of Air Asia and Ananda Krishnan of Maxis have already voted with their feet after taking their businesses private. Tony F is placing his new hopes on untapped potential in Indonesia and India. In Ananda's case he re-listed locally not so long ago, amidst a scandal in India, but before long he will pull the same stunt of going private in Malaysia only to flee overseas with his cash for richer pickings. He can probably sell only to someone who can put their hands in the National Cookie Jar to pay him if he can't find anyone with deep pockets and a kamikaze mindset. Vincent Tan of Berjaya Group, emulating Ananda, wants to dispose half his assets for the right price, ostensibly to hand them over to certain charities. Selling in this market? Soon, Khazanah and other GLCs will probably be beating a path to his door with our money to pick up his assets at overpriced sums. Who's he kidding? Tan knows that Cash is King. He wants to be ready for the pickings when it comes. Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary, a known Mahathir Mohamad nominee and crony, wants to buy Malaysia Airlines after picking up the considerable assets of Proton, selling a worthless car, at a song. This is the same stunt pulled by Tajuddin Ramli on the tax payer. History is repeating itself. How many times is Malaysia Airlines going to be sold, declared bankrupt and bailed out? They should change the script and let it go to the wall like Bank Bumiputra which became a giant Ponzi Scheme to survive for a time after it insisted on lending only to people who had no intention of paying back the huge sums they borrowed. Much of Government borrowings have been clearly siphoned off by the ruling elite to feather their own nests overseas or to save them and their cronies from financial ruin after embarking on hare-brained schemes. It seems that the Government, like a gold digger looking for the non-existent precious yellow metal in the wrong place, cannot dig itself out of the financial and budgetry hole it finds itself in. We will only know the full extent of our financial and economic malaise when the ruling party falls from grace as in Greece. Under these circumstances, much of the analysis by well-meaning do-gooders who themselves profit, directly or indirectly, from our financial follies are worse than useless. Who will remember their upbeat newspaper headlines written by ang pow journalists when we become yet another failed state? Malaysia is not too big to fail. It's too small to succeed especially when headed unfortunately at the same time by a band of self-serving scoundrels for more than half a century. It's up to the people to decide when they should act. We should be running scared, to borrow a phrase which Lee Kuan Yew used to constantly remind Singaporeans in the early years after the island republic was expelled from Malaysia in 1965. Even so, the system myopically created by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) in Singapore carries with it the seeds of its own destruction. The PAP can no longer remain in power and the labour-intensive economy can no longer function without opening the floodgates to foreign immigrants. The PAP needs foreign votes as much as the economy needs foreign labour. It's not talking so much about the Brightest and the Best from around the world leading the way for all in the island republic. The people in Singapore, low birth rate or no lo birth rate, will no longer stand for the continuing influx of foreign labour which can only be as before at their expense. This means the economy, as it's constructed, will fail and the PAP will fall from power one way or another to allow for a new Government to restructure the economy to be free of foreign labour. Call it karma for criminally exploiting the labour force, especially Malaysians and foreigners, for so long. Switzerland, the richest country in the world and with no foreign labour, points the way for the Singapore of the future. No people want their Government to continue to create jobs for foreigners when they themselves have numerous needs unmet. In Singapore, the PAP Government lives in fear of the people. In Malaya, at least one thing is sure. The people are against indefinite BN rule. If they are convinced that the BN cannot be dethroned by the electoral and democratic process, they will take to the streets either for an Interim All-Party Government which will clean up the electoral rolls for free and fair elections; or create a Revolution as in Egypt where Mubarak used to win every presidential election. Revolution in Malaya will be the liberation of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia. Malaysia has become weak and is getting weaker by the day as evident in the fact that we are unable to act, and act decisively, when a rag tag bunch from the Philippines seizes our territory in Lahad Datu, Sabah. The Lahad Datu intruders know that the BN Government cannot ensure the security of Sabah which is now at the mercy of the wolves in the region. We are fast becoming a laughing stock in the region with our two submarines in Sabah and yet the BN Government continues to keep up pretences instead of biting the bullet and taking the bull by the horns. We will all know what is going to happen in Sabah when the two submarines are scuttled or flee for dear life to Malaya. Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak is going beserk as his voice gets squeakier by the day in a betrayal of his deepest fears and misgivings. He convinces no one and no wonder his popularity continues to fall, 61 per cent now compared with the 74 per cent enjoyed by his ill-fated predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2008. Mahathir, the Architect of All Evil in Malaysia, is trying to convince the people that any Government head by the Opposition will be (as) corrupt and that nepotism, cronyism and collusion will (also) be the order of the day. So, is he suggesting that we keep BN as the lesser of two evils? So-called social scientist Dr Chandra Muzzafar, another Malayalee, thinks that corruption will not end with a change of Government. In short, he seems to be shamelessly suggesting like Mahathir that it's better to keep the BN warts and all. Where are his principles? Since when did he sell his soul from a future reincarnation as well to the devil (Mahathir)? Between Najib, Mahathir and Chandra, the future of the BN is being prophesised.
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| Posted: 27 Feb 2013 11:46 AM PST
Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com SEVERAL more retired armed forces "big wigs" are said to be joining Pakatan Rakyat anytime soon. This however cannot be independently verified. But what we do know is that the four retired high-ranking officers who joined PKR recently are already hitting the ceramah circuit with "guns blazing"(pardon the expression) against what they say are "irregularities, corruption and abuse of power of the BN regime". The four are Datuk Abdul Ghafir Abdul Hamid, Datuk Abdul Hadi Abdul Khatab, Datuk Najmi Ahmad and Imran Abdul Hamid – ranked from General to Lt General to Admiral. All had held high and important posts when serving the forces. The main target group is definitely the men and women of the Malaysian Armed Forces. There are some 161,000 personnel and spouses eligible to vote in the upcoming general election. Add that to the number of retired personnel, we'll have a massive figure to say the least. And don't forget the spouses. The four retired generals are attracting attention. So far. Take the ceramah held in Keramat Wangsa in Kuala Lumpur a couple of weeks ago. It was well attended. A strategist closely linked to the Umno president's office put the crowd at "around 3,000". He had gone to the ceramah "to see and study the situation". So what were his "observations"? One was "the four generals are not whole-heartedly with Anwar – more of personal issues with the government and the BN leadership". Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was present at the ceramah. "Of the four generals, three are more Islam centric. They should be at PAS ceramah, not PKR. Wrong place," said the Umno strategist. Except for Abdul Hadi Khatab, the other three donned kopiah and were attired like PAS leaders. The strategist went on to say "ceramah did not have much traction in the area. Mostly outsiders came but not many non-Malays attended. Maintain same issues, Scorpene, missing jet engines etc, no meat." The venue for the ceramah was in the vicinity, so to speak of Mindef and a military camp. Obviously meeting the "criteria of the Pakatan's target group". What more, the issues brought up – Scorpene, jet engines are all said to be close to the heart of armed forces personnel". The strategist was right that many outsiders came, considering there were armed forces personnel in the crowd. Chances are they had come from the nearby military quarters and Mindef. And as admitted by the Umno strategist "they were overawed by the presence of Najmi Ahmad". Najmi was former director for the armed forces religious corp or Kagat and brother of PAS leader-turned-Umno man Datuk Nakhaie Ahmad. "Najmi... yes, he might be a little bit of problem," said the Umno strategist. But said the Umno strategist, of the four generals "Abdul Hadi Khatab is the fiercest but lacks oratory skills and is repetitive in his arguments. He said he will reveal all after the election. What for? Reveal now if he really has the facts. Talk rubbish." Abdul Hadi Khatab had promised to expose more "scandals in the armed forces" after the election "so that action can be taken". His supporters believed he was talking in the context of Pakatan coming into power after the election. However, flyers alleging Abdul Hadi Khatab's "involvement" in the missing jet engine issue have been widely distributed. But the retired general countered by saying "all these allegations came only after I joined PKR". To a retired army major, "Umno/BN are very worried with this development."
Read more at: http://fz.com/content/war-military-votes |
| Is Pakatan Really Ready To Rule? Posted: 27 Feb 2013 11:42 AM PST
Would voters blindly vote for Pakatan parties without knowing who will be the country's leader if the opposition coalition happens to win? We will have to wait and see.
Syed Zahar, Malaysian Digest EVERY Malaysian is well aware that the pending 13th General Election (GE13) would be the best chance for Pakatan Rakyat to take over the Federal Government. In terms of odds, many are saying that the possibility is 50-50 while others insist the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) will have no chance in reclaiming their traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The extent of the loss of confidence in BN is arguable but the signs are there. For one, many agree that, despite the extensive time, money and effort spent on media campaign, particularly in the cyberspace battleground, the ruling coalition is losing its ground in the propaganda game.
In the run-up to the crucial polls, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had been going around stating that BN is going to win big in Penang and Kedah, but the reality is, the decision on who will end up ruling any state lies in the hands of the voters. So, it's always a better bet to listen to the voters rather than politicians to know the truth on who voter favors in the run-up for polls. Muhyiddin is anything but disillusioned, however, at this point of time, the deputy BN chairman's far-fetched statements are seen by those who know better as desperate attempts to propagate BN's confidence.
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