Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Chua Soi Lek & his MCA Merajuking Manoeuvre
- Squatter-Gate vs. Ming Court 2.0: Don't Shift the Blame, Old Man!
- Thank God Malaysia is not Korea?
- Big Spending PMO
- A heartfelt choice
- Sarawak NCR defender’s attacker walks free
- The human dimension
| Chua Soi Lek & his MCA Merajuking Manoeuvre Posted: 25 Mar 2013 04:16 PM PDT
In an article he wrote for TMI titled How will MCA fare in the coming election? he predicted MCA could well lose up to 2/3 of its current 15 federal parliamentary seats, though he refused (said it would be inappropriate) to identity which seats MCA will lose. Needless to say, the current focus of keen political observers (both professional and amateur) is on Johor and the MCA-held parliamentary seats like Gelang Patah.  That DAP's Lim Kit Siang will be the Pakatan Rakyat's candidate in Gelang Patah is no longer the question, though many Pakatan supporters revel in the possibility of Uncle Lim standing there as a candidate under the PAS banner in the event the Registrar of Societies (RoS) decides to suspend or de-register DAP. In fact I dare say they fantasize and hope for that possibility which in one fell swoop would destroy UMNO's demon-ization of DAP as an anti Malay-Muslim political party. In what we suspect to be UMNO possible plan to 'persuade' ROS to suspend DAP just prior to the election, so as to save its subordinate, MCA, UMNO could well be digging for itself a far deeper cesspool than it currently wallows in, and which its plummeting into may be non-salvageable. The picture of a pro Malay-Muslim DAP to the Heartland may just make UMNO think twice, unless it's so monumentally stupid, a state of mind most unlikely but which we mustn't completely discount. Dare CSL confront Lim KS in Gelang Patah? However, the question of the MCA candidate in Gelang Patah, purportedly Tan Ah Eng, continues to intrigue political observers and KPCs (kay poh chnee or busybodies, like kaytee, wakakaka). Will CSL step in a la Lee San Choon in Seremban in 1982, to put his leadership 'money' where his mouth is, to re-enact a second MCA vs DAP Clash of the Titans, which Lee San Choon won for the MCA in the 1982 general election when he defeated Dr Chen Man Hin (DAP).  'Twas then a historic event in what the Chinese would term an MCA leader courageously entering the DAP's haw siew (tiger lair, meaning stronghold) - a case of dare to say, dare to do! Lee also mentioned Chua Soi Lek's (CSL) merajuk tactic as follows: Two years ago, MCA president Chua Soi Lek announced that the MCA will not accept any Cabinet positions if the party obtains fewer than the existing 15 seats. This statement was made nearly two years ago when he first became MCA president but has not been repeated since. Was he trying to blackmail the Chinese community into considering carefully before voting against the party? Was he more confident of a better performance then? His subsequent silence may mean he has either regretted his statement or that he is less confident of his party's performance in the upcoming elections two years later. Anyway, 'nuff of Koh TK and back to CSL and MCA, for the story of MCA is also the story of Malaysians of Chinese ancestry, and perhaps vice versa We'll consider Gerakan as nothing more than a splinter group of MCA in the way PKR is a splinter group of UMNO. The genes, DNA and chor-kong (political ancestors) are the same for MCA and Gerakan, as are for UMNO and PKR. The questions we want to ask are: (a) Will CSL stand in Gelang Patah? (b) Will his merajuking tactic convince the Chinese, especially those in Johor, to give the MCA a 'second-illionth' chance in GE-13 or suffer no Chinese representation in the new Malaysian cabinet? - A threat we may describe as the 'MCA Merajuking Manoeuvre'. Only CSL can answer the first, but for us to obtain an answer to the second query, we need to revisit the history of the MCA, in particular that of its leaders - and I'll try not to be tng k'ooi (chong hei) wakakaka. The leadership tussles in MCA The MCA was formed on 27 February 27 1949 with support from the British colonial government who hoped for the Chinese association to manage the social and welfare concerns of the rural Chinese interned (not unlike Japanese POW's) under the Briggs' Plan in the 'new villages' during the Malayan Emergency.
Two years later, MCA transformed into a formal political party under the leadership of a Straits-born Malacca baba Tan Cheng Lock, father of Tan Siew Sin. Among the top leaders were Kuomintang (Guomindang) Party people, wakakaka. Presumably it found favour with the Brits and UMNO because it was undoubtedly anti Communist.
Even Penang-born Lim Chong Eu, a King's scholar who studied medicine in Scotland holds a Kuomintang army medical (honorary) rank of Colonel. Yes, do look at the emblem of the MCA and see in it its association with the emblem of the Kuomintang Party of Chiang Kai Shek.
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| Squatter-Gate vs. Ming Court 2.0: Don't Shift the Blame, Old Man! Posted: 25 Mar 2013 01:08 PM PDT The piece by The Benchmark desperately tries to deflect, distract and 'turn the tables' on Global Witness, which is why I call it a classic text-book case of Spin-Doctoring 101. In a nutshell, the writer is saying that the exposé is "a well crafted conspiracy against Taib by his own kin," and supports his/her conspiracy theories by resurrecting the old and tired story of the Tun Rahman Yakub versus Taib Mahmud 'feud' of the 80s. Whether or not the 'feud' was real or simply a 'sandiwara' (shadow play) is beside the point. It was a very public spat, and Taib made a big show of withdrawing licences issued by his uncle to drive home the point that the fight was indeed genuine. Then, after Taib had allegedly identified and neutered his enemies (per kindness of the dramas that unfolded at a certain Ming Court Hotel in Kuala Lumpur many years ago), consolidated his position and solidified his political strength, this happened:  A heart-warming and tearful reunion of uncle and nephew was carefully choreographed and publicised, and the dynasty was intact. Nevertheless, in a very recent video interview by Taib, he retorts, "Are you trying to frame me?" suggesting that hidden hands are now at work to undermine him. Classic Taib! Before we fall into this trap of being distracted by the conspiracy theories being espoused by The Benchmark, let us first examine the facts before us, and deconstruct the arguments advocated by The Benchmark one by one.
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| Thank God Malaysia is not Korea? Posted: 25 Mar 2013 01:03 PM PDT My recent article "Why it is kinda stupid to compare Malaysia with Korea" attracted many interesting reactions. There are many Malaysians who have lost our ability to think straight as a result of extreme partisanship and the politics of hate.
If You're So Rich, How Come You're So Miserable? Korea's per-capita income now rivals New Zealand's, Israel's, and Greece's, and the economy is growing about 3 percent a year even as Europe crashes. South Korean companies are chipping away at Apple Inc.'s global smartphone domination; the nation is a world power in automobiles, shipbuilding and steel; and its soft power is being advanced by "K-pop" bands, movies, and television dramas as the population nears the 50 million mark. Why, then, are South Koreans the second most unhappy people?
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| Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:43 PM PDT Can you believe that the Prime Minister's Department (PMO) was the biggest spender in advertisements for the month of February 2013? It's bloody ridiculous! According to Maybank Investment Bank Research note on March 19, the PMO spent RM36.1 million, leaving consumer products giant Unilever Malaysia a distant second at RM13 million. The PMO alone accounts of 7 percent of total gross advertisement expenditure for that month. Not surprisingly, the main beneficiaries were Media Prima and Astro's TV and radio stations. And that is not all. Supposedly, BN also made it into the top 20 list, spending RM4.9 billion in that month alone. "We expect ad spend by both PMO and BN to sustain ahead of the 13th general election, which is now widely expected to be called in April 2013," read the note. Just another example of how the present government treats the public coffers as its own private kitty. Read more at: http://helpvictor.blogspot.com/2013/03/big-spending-pmo.html
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| Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:24 PM PDT Going by the talk about town, this may be my last column before the next General Election. It may therefore be opportune to consider what this General Election means to some, if not all, of us. I thin it is safe to say that many of us are tired of how politicking appears to have become the raison d'etre of government. It appears to me that somewhere along the way, the politicians lost sight of the truth that no matter what the politics of the situation were, the end objective had always intended to be the due governance of the nation, be it in accordance with one set of policies or the other. And once they lost sight of that truth, it seems that it was simply put of their minds; political brinksmanship became the cause in itself. I believe that this was more evident in the period since the last General Election, and that this was partly due to the fact that for the first time in a very long while, there was a credible opposition that, to the extent that they were capable of, presented a different perspective on how things are and where things might be headed. The incumbent parties have had to increasingly address policies, issues and practices that have come to be questioned by voters. This was a radical shift from a political landscape defined exclusively by the incumbents. Simply put, the world is no longer as the Barisan Nasional says it is; as the Prime Minister unfortunately found out during the Barisan Nasional Open House in Penang, a growing number of Malaysians now see a world beyond that construct. Fundamentally, they want to live in a society grounded in social justice and one in which they believe that their interests are being looked out for. An objective consideration of the state of the country would give any reasonable voter basis for a belief that that is not currently the case. The standard of public services is questionable, be it in healthcare or education. The cost of living has increased in a way that is not commensurate with the earning potential of many Malaysians. Corruption appears to be unbridled. Public institutions do not enjoy the confidence of the people in a way they did two decades ago. As scandal after scandal is left without response or reaction by the relevant authorities, the Rule of Law appears to be nothing more than a catchphrase employed to rally a flagging crowd.
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| Sarawak NCR defender’s attacker walks free Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:20 PM PDT Iban native customary rights (NCR) defender Surik anak Muntai, 66, has expressed his anger and concern that the oil palm "company executive" he identified to police as one of his assailants has been freed on police bail, after three days in remand. Surik, a farmer from Melikin in Serian, suffered horrific injuries on his right forearm and both knees as a result of a ruthless assault by four men on March 15. Serian police have declared that police are unable to identify any of his assailants. District police chief DSP Mohd Jamali Umi told local daily The Borneo Post on March 21 that the four attackers wore masks and Surik could not identify them.
"What we have so far is that the four attackers were in a white Proton Perdana and the car did not have a number plate. As they were wearing masks, no one could tell their races," The Borneo Postquotes Jamali as saying. "The victim does not know the attackers. He could not identify them. He however did mention the name of a plantation company. So, we held a staff member of the company to assist us in the investigation." A reliable police source, and Surik himself, said the man identified to the police was a top "executive" and spokesperson for a prominent Sarawak oil palm producer. This company and its partner are battling 16 Iban communities for 7,300 hectares of land awarded to the companies by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's government under a 'provisional lease'. The villagers hold claim to the land under the NCR. Companies Commission of Malaysia records show that the company is closely linked to members of the ruling state cabinet, according to whistleblower website Sarawak Report.
Surik: I definitely saw assailant's face In an interview, Surik insisted that he had clearly identified to the police the company executive who assaulted him. and is withholding the name of this executive. The thugs attacked Surik, an elderly father or apai, as he waited for his seven-year -old son outside Sekolah Sungai Menyan at 11.30 on the morning of March 15. "I definitely saw his face," Surik said, speaking in Malay. "(He) was not wearing a mask when he got out of his car outside the school. There were four of them, they were carrying parang and sticks. "Some of them wore masks, some did not. They tried to cut my throat,but I put up my arm to stop them, so they cut my arm. There were other witnesses there." Surik recalled that earlier the same morning, that very person waved him down and stopped him when he was on his way to a mill to deliver oil palm fruits. "He said his car had broken down and he was standing in front of his car, with his hands on his car battery. I didn't stop because there were other people in his car, and the car had no (number) plates. These people are definitely bad, they have brought evil to the (Melikin) villagers," Surik said. As he drove off, he said, the man got into his white Proton car and followed him. "If I had got down before reaching the mill, I would surely have died there, for there was nobody around to help me." The case investigating officer is Inspector Mohd Azlan Ab Wahab of the Serian police station. The Melikin NCR plaintiffs are wary and uneasy about Azlan after he barged into the homes of five villagers in a late night raid last October and arrested them. The villagers were handcuffed, locked in cells and charged with "criminal intimidation", an accusation levelled at them by Surik's attacker and other employees of the oil palm company. The deputy public prosecutor's office eventually dropped the charges, without explanation. Read more at: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/43845/
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| Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:14 PM PDT I have said before that the push for efficiency within the courts is something to be lauded. I have at the same time argued that administrative changes introduced to reduce the backlog of cases in the superior courts should not come at the price of the quality of justice. Numerous comments by lawyers at the recent Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Bar about the litigation experience, none of them complimentary, have prompted me to revisit the subject. Before turning to what I consider to be the possible reasons for what we are facing in the courts, I wish to underscore a fundamental aspect of the subject that seemingly has been lost in the tumult of reform. The Judiciary is there to mete out justice to parties who turn to it in search of the same. Though it seems to be an obvious point, the need to do justice is pivotal to the resolution of disputes. It is not enough for courts to adjudicate if one party goes away feeling that justice has not been served, a state of mind that one cannot brush away as the feelings of a disgruntled client. Litigants go to court expecting that due consideration be given to the facts of the case, the points of argument made by counsel for the parties, the relevant legal principle and the competing interests of the parties. These are fair expectation on their part. Unlike those of us who are directly involved in the legal profession, either as lawyers or judges, and as such are exposed on a daily basis to the process as we move from one case to the next, the litigant is someone who has been forced into the process by circumstance. He is not there by choice, there are those who have not in their lifetimes needed to go to a court for a judicial determination, and his involvement engenders an experience that is altogether different from that experienced by lawyers and judges. The litigant is personally, and is therefore emotionally, invested in his case. Having said that, in my experience a losing litigant does not necessarily walk away feeling resentful if he feels he has been given a fair hearing. It is his experience of the process that defines this outcome. It is for this reason that one of the legal maxims that has come to most characterise the judicial process is "justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done." Judging by the comments at the Bar meeting, a number of judges seem to have forgotten this in their rush to complete their caseloads. The complaints ranged from judicial temperament, with lawyers lamenting the fact that judges were acting injudiciously, to judges not having spent enough time with their files to fully appreciate the nature of the matters before them or the issues in contention, to judges not affording counsel the opportunity to present their cases to the fullest. Underscoring this were comments that pertained to the competency, or lack thereof, of some of the judges.
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